#falco is the new jaw titan

[lenok993]

Falco & Humanity's Strongest Pair

The Final Battle Mikasa Ackerman & Levi Ackerman VS The Founding Titan-Attack on Titan-LC Studio (source)

[90sbee]

Sometimes a saviour is a soldier afraid of peace

Levi Ackerman x Fem!Reader

4.4k words. Also on ao3.

He looks at her in quiet admiration.

He doesn’t deserve her. But again, he doesn’t really deserve anything. He already has gotten too much: spoiled by the sweet possibility of life when all his comrades have fallen, their bodies twisted, mangled by titans and enemies alike.

Levi hardly cries, but he wants to cry in that moment. She turns on the stove for him, and rummages through his cabinets. She finds two cups and a sob is trapped inside his throat.

He doesn’t fucking understand why she stays, why she puts up with his sorry ass but, damn it. Damn it if he at least doesn’t try.

The war is over, but the demons still haunt Levi. Luckily for him, the last member of his Squad seems focused on remaining by his side as they both face this new enemy: peace.

This was !!! My first fic written in English, actually. Also my first (and only time so far) writing for aot. Levi is such an angsty angel, and this story wouldn’t leave my head, so I had to end up writing it, ofc. This has been in the drafts for... months. Too many months already. And tbh I'm not a fan of how it came out. But. Posting it in case someone else can enjoy Levi finally getting some love and comfort, sjsjs.

Content: Use of 3rd person pronouns. No use of y/n. Mostly Levi's pov. Reader was part of his Squad. Post!Rumbling Levi. Written with the manga ending in mind. A lot of fluff, rude Levi even if he doesn't mean it (but reader knows he means no harm). Healing. Spooning (Levi as the little spoon btw. He deserves it).

Warnings: depressive thoughts, self confidence issues. Mentions of past violence (but nothing gruesome, it's all in passing). SFW. No beta reader we die like everybody in Aot here.

They always meet. Every single day, she leaves her little flat to find him near the fountain in the Marleyan park, eager to push his wheelchair and pass some time with him.

Levi doesn’t understand. When Onyankopon, or Falco, or Gabi let her take the wheelchair, he just ponders. He could understand why they would accompany him: because he is old? because they feel pity of him?… But her?

Nonetheless, every single afternoon, she comes to him. He doesn’t recall when this custom began. It’s like slowly, but surely, she started digging a place into his routine. She was part of his remaining squad, and he really didn’t see any point to her bubbling-self still being by his side.

Still, he appreciates her visits. She exchanges pleasantries with Gabi, already smiling. Why is she smiling?

“Hi, Captain,” she says. Should he feel mocked? He isn’t a captain anymore and the title feels too much, even if it’s comforting in some way. Levi doesn’t reply. He just nods, silently acknowledging her presence. “Is it okay if we go to the stalls for a while, Captain?” She inquires, as if it was the first time they did it, and not a weekly occurrence. His jaw tenses. He doesn’t understand, still. She surely pities him. She has to.

He agrees to her proposal, though.

“Sure,” he replies, barely any emotion on his face.

She smiles at him. For a moment, they look at each other. She sees that familiar scarred face, a grey eye gazing into her soul. He sees the older face of her remaining squad member, some wrinkles next to her eyes, her figure dressed in green. For some reason, he liked that colour on her.

He doesn’t share that with her, though.

“Let’s get going,” she adds, a little chuckle in her voice — he can hear it — as she starts pushing the wheelchair. They check out the little shops that are already so familiar. Sometimes she signals a piece of jewellery or clothes. She asks for his opinion, or points at a silly artwork, in hopes of making him laugh.

When the cold starts to set in, she stops them in front of a coffee shop.

“Wait here a second, Captain,” she tells him.

“Where would I go, anyway?” He wants to say, snarky, but he doesn’t really bother in opening his mouth. He stays silent still, perking his head up to see what’s she’s doing.

“Oi. coffee?” He complains.

She directs her gaze to him and chuckles, paying the vendor.

“I know you like tea but it’s time to broaden your horizons,” she explains. She comes up to him again, and hands him one of the cups. He sighs, but accepts the drink still.

“What is it this time?”

“Just chocolate. Hot chocolate,” she answers, already sipping hers.  She lets out a content sigh when the warmth of it starts to fill her belly.

“I don’t like chocolate,” Levi mutters under his breath. He is lying and she knows it.

“Tsk. That’s not true. Everybody likes chocolate.”

“… Fine,” he sips his drink and, admittedly, enjoys it. She hands him her drink so she can push the wheelchair again, and he takes it, guarding both cups on his lap, a familiar action for the two of them now.

“Where do we go?” She asks.

Levi shrugs. “As if I had a choice.”

She looks at him still, and when he can see her, barely from his peripheral vision, he sees a softer face. She’s waiting for his reply. He looks at her, looks at her lips. She isn’t smiling anymore. Levi sighs, suddenly feeling guilty.

He doesn’t understand still why she does this for him.

“Captain?” She says, just above a whisper, since there are people around them and they both just want to have a calm evening, without the risk of being recognised.

Levi nods before he even opens his mouth.

“The bridge.”

“Good,” she agrees as he sips from his drink again, guided by her. He does feel warmer. Levi inspects the people around him in silence, letting himself be carried, taken to a nicer place. “Hange would have like this,” he thinks. He looks down to suddenly realise he is clenching his fist, hard. “If you could even call it a hand…”

“We’re here, Captain,” she announces, letting his wheelchair rest next to a bench, overlooking the water. She takes a seat next to him, and Levi hands her the drink. He wonders if she noticed how tense he’s been feeling today.

“Be quick with that, brat, or it will get cold,” he warns, as if to pre-emptively shut down any words from her. He’s not sure he could handle it.

She just nods.

“It’s still warm,” she mentions after a moment.

The sunset is taking its place on the sky, a beautiful palette of oranges and pinks against a very flat horizon. A reminder of what was once lost.

“Good,” he says.

Levi looks at her. She is still looking forward, features illuminated by the falling sun, breeze caressing her face. There is something in his heart that aches, but he doesn’t want to think about that. He doesn’t dare to. Levi is old, too old, and too broken. And she only pities him.

He coughs to catch her attention, though.

“Hmh, yeah?” She immediately says.

“I heard the Scouts were going back to Paradis tomorrow,” he begins, the question lingering in the air. The small group was leaving first time in the morning.

“Yep.”

Levi blinks, expecting her to say more, but she doesn’t. He doesn’t want to ask. It feels… too much. He feels too exposed doing that, lower lip trembling.

“Are you going?” He finally dares to ask.

She turns back to him again, and looks at him with the sweetest gaze. Levi doesn’t miss how she looks at his lips first.

“I’m not.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have anything there,” she replies, matter-of-factly. Levi wants to hit his head against something, still uncertain about what that means. Does that mean that she has something here? Someone?

She must notice his doubts, so she lowers her gaze. “I mean. You know I lost my family during my first years as a Scout. And knowing that we tried to stop Eren… All the military forces in the island won’t be very happy to see me. Or any of us. I’ve done my part. I do not want more fighting.”

“… Right”. That still doesn’t answer his question, but it is enough to satisfy his curiosity without seeming to eager. He sips his drink again: it’s getting colder.

“You didn’t want to go, Captain?” There it was again, that fucking title that felt like a joke. He chuckles, not looking at her anymore but rather at the sunset.

“Why do you still call me like that?” He spits back.

“Captain?”

“Yeah,” His tone is unintentionally rude, but he can’t help it, not even around her.

“Well… It’s a sign of respect, don’t you think?”

Levi chuckles, amused.

“I never took you for a polite person.” He doesn’t want to look at her still. She hasn’t added anything, said anything else. What is she thinking of?

She looks at him. There’s a warmth in her belly which has nothing to do with the chocolate anymore. She knows: Her Captain has been way more vulnerable and open since the Rumbling. The little gestures that he could so easily hide before are now an open book. Or at least she feels that way, since she was always one to look at him.

It was so easy to just… stare at him. Admire him in every sense of the word, even now. When they were both soldiers they would fight alongside each other, against innumerable dangers. He was barely visible in the spectrum: always so fast, always so precise. A ray of dark hair and strong limbs, destroying everything to provide peace, to provide protection.

There was no point in denying how she felt about him… Except, maybe, to him.

“I don’t think I would like going back to Paradis,” she finally adds, finishing her drink. He seems to reflect on that idea for a moment, before nodding. He wants to ask why but he doesn’t dare to. “I’m just… comfortable here,” she finishes with a sigh. “This is okay.”

“That’s good,” he says, barely a spark of enthusiasm in his voice, but enough for her to notice.

She looks up at him again. And he feels tiny and scared suddenly, because she looks at him with wonder and care. Levi doesn’t mean to, but he ends up letting his drink fall from his hands, whether due to his nervousness or the state of his hand after the war.

“Shit,” he spits, upset.

“Sh, it’s alright, Captain.” In a second she is picking up the cup, handing him a handkerchief to dry his hands. She walks a few steps to throw both cups into a trashcan and is again, by his side. Such a quick interaction so as to ease his shame, he could notice it. “Are you alright?”

Levi still doesn’t know. He doesn’t know why she still treats him with such respect, why she seems to care so much for him. But he wants to find out, somehow. He barely nods, but she notices it.

“Good,” she says, while taking the handkerchief back. She is about to put it into her bag again when she feels a hand grabbing hers.

Levi.

He doesn’t even say anything. He doesn’t know how. She seems to understand, though, squeezing his hand, softly. Levi quickly lets her hand go, his cheeks going red. She gets behind the wheelchair again, as the sun is about to disappear, and Levi can hear her chuckling.

“Let’s get you home, Captain.”

He stays quiet, unsure if he could even say something useful.

There’s so much he doesn’t know how to say. How to do.

While she is pushing his chair he notices it again. A slight tremor in her right hand. “My wrist seems to ache lately… Must be from holding the blades for so many years,” she had explained in passing a couple weeks ago. He realises that it’s probably taking a strain on her to push him every fucking day.

“Oi,” he says.

“Yeah?”

“Stop pushing me. I can handle it,” he explains, tone serious.

“Oh, no,” her hand is trembling still. “It’s fine, it’s no bother for me, Captain.”

“… It’s an order,” he commands after a moment. She stops in her tracks and he can hear a gentle laugh coming from behind him.

“It had been a while since that, huh.” Confidently, she places one of her hands on his shoulder, gently tapping it. Levi smiles. Barely curving his lips, but he does. He is about to be brave, hold her hand on his shoulder when she removes it from him. “Shit,” he thinks. “Too slow… Too slow? Slow for what? Tsk.”

Despite his missing fingers, he can still push his wheelchair quite properly. It also helps that he can see his street far ahead. She walks comfortably besides him, a silence and gentle ghost as his most devoted companion.

Yeah. There’s definitely something aching in his chest. He had been noticing the past days, feeling getting more painful as they both approach his place. And it has nothing to do with his faulty joints or damaged body or excessive age.

When they reach his door, she asks for his key. Levi gives it to her, his hand lingering for a second too long, reflecting on the brief touch of hands as she grabs it to unlock the door.

He is tired.

And he feels incredibly silly when he realises he doesn’t want her to leave.

“There we go, Captain. I help you in?” she suggests with a bright smile, opening the door.

“… Yes.”

She steps inside and pushes the chair into his living room, almost getting it next to his couch.

“That’s enough” he decides, in a semblance of independency he still wants to maintain.

She nods. “Okay… I guess… I’ll get going, Captain.”

Levi lifts up his gaze. He wants to ask… He wants to know… He savours her image for a moment, her tired expression and the way her dress now looks clumsy and wrinkled but he doesn’t care. Before, before everything had ended up like this he would remind every single cadet to iron their uniforms, all the outfits presentable, so as to look like respectable soldiers and honourable bodies if the occasion arose. Now she can have the privilege of looking messy. Of not worrying about death so often.

“No,” he mutters.

“Huh?” she inquires, taking a step forward.

“Shit,” Levi thinks. “I… I want tea,” he makes up a quick lie.

“Oh, sure. Yes, Captain.” She leaves her bag on the couch and goes into the kitchen, getting a kettle full of water.

He looks at her in quiet admiration.

He doesn’t deserve her. But again, he doesn’t really deserve anything. He already has gotten too much: spoiled by the sweet possibility of life when all his comrades have fallen, their bodies twisted, mangled by titans and enemies alike.

Levi hardly cries, but he wants to cry in that moment. She turns on the stove for him, and rummages through his cabinets. She finds two cups and a sob is trapped inside his throat.

He doesn’t fucking understand why she stays, why she puts up with his sorry ass but, damn it. Damn it if he at least doesn’t try.

He stands up. His body still holds that ability, though his legs get tired rather quickly. He can still walk, so he does until he reaches the kitchen. She is still deciding on the teas when she sees him.

“Oh, no, Captain, please, just don’t…”

He interrupts her, grabs her waist carelessly and pushes her towards the couch, barely moving her.

“Let me handle it myself.”

“Levi…” She whispers, their faces inches apart.

“Go. Sit,” he mumbles, biting his lips and sending his eyes lower, so as to avoid her face.

“Are you sure?” She inquires a moment after, still close to him. He notices she has a hand on his waist as well, a protective aid making sure he stays on two feet.

“Yes,” he says, more commanding this time. He grabs that hand of hers and pushes her away gently now.

She nods, understandingly.

“I’ll be in the living room,” she adds.

Levi nods at her, making sure she finally gets that ass of hers in the couch. He is now faced with his kitchen. Most of the cups and teas, everything has been moved lower, so as to accommodate to his wheelchair. Slowly, he kneels, searching for a specific flavour for her. When he finally finds the peppermint and rose one, he mentally cheers. He stands up again, slowly, as if to show confidence, making sure from his peripheral view that she isn’t coming to his aid.

She isn’t. He catches her averting her eyes, though. A confirmation that she has been staring.

He decides to stare as well. Supporting himself on his weakened legs, he waits for the kettle to boil, while looking at her. It’s as if she could notice that, because her head doesn’t move, still fixated on an indescriptible point in his living room.

“Oi, what you looking at?” He says, a bit more light-hearted.

A smile forms on her lips before she even turns her head towards him. She doesn’t answer. Just keeps smiling at him.

“Fuck,” he thinks when he realises he has also slightly curved his lips.

Quickly he turns towards the stove, the kettle already boiling. Levi carefully fills the cups with water, letting the leaves rest. He lifts his gaze up to her for a second but it is already enough for her to notice.

“Need help with the cups?” Her, always so worried, so in tune with his needs. No need for words.

“Of fucking course.”

Still, the only answer he gives her is a polite nod. She stands up, approaching him.

“I’ll handle it, Captain. Just take a seat.”

He lets out a sigh, taking himself to the couch and plopping himself there.

“It’s hard,” Levi thinks as he sees her come back to the living room, two cups in her hands. He accepts the drink, his gaze not leaving her features. “I… I can’t.”

He knows he can’t accept kindness: he doesn’t know how to. Still, he tenses his jaw and forces himself to sip the tea as she takes a seat next to him.

“Peppermint, huh?” She hums mostly to herself.

 “… Yeah,” comes out of his mouth, unsure, less braver than expected. Is he insecure? Has he made a mistake?

“Good choice” She declares and he breathes again, realising that he had been holding his breath. “Bet you already knew that, right?” She adds, cocking her head.

Levi looks at her again. He has been avoiding her eyes but he hadn’t been trained as a soldier to back down in times of peace.

“I did,” he says, his tone firm, a very weak attempt at showing confidence still. “It’s the one you would always ask for when we would have meetings with the Scouts.”

“It’s good tea.” Her tone seems softer now.

Levi hums, too deep inside his mind to notice it.

She wonders. Wonders if he has ever realized that the only reason she would wander through the headquarters late at night was just to be found and reprimanded by him, the way she would be easily entertained by Levi’s stern face. Wondered if Hange had ever told him about the time she had fallen asleep in their office and woke up, mumbling his name, much to Hange’s delight, though they had promised to keep it a secret.

He looks down at his legs, at his carpeted floor.

He wonders if she had ever noticed the way he would mindlessly lick his lips after looking at her, the boring uniform suddenly a beautiful outfit, making her stand out. Wonders if it was too late to tell her that, yes, after Hange and her had found him, and stitched him up, that he had heard every single word she had uttered near his heart, softly pressing her timid hands on his chest. There hadn’t been time then to discuss anything or even think if it had meant anything else than old scouts being protective of each other, but now…

They finish their teas in silence. It isn’t uncomfortable, rather the opposite, despite the fact that Levi has started nervously tapping his feet against the floor. It is dark outside already, the light from the lamps flowing into Levi’s house, a dog barking a few blocks away.

She stands up, makes sure to wash her cup in the sink and put it away before returning to him.

“Captain?” She mutters. No need for more words.

Levi hands her the cup with slow movements, as if trying to prolong that insignificant action for as long as possible. And when she is already about to head into the kitchen, little plate and teacup in her hand, he decides to be brave. No more lying to himself, no more being a coward. Too many people have died, have bleed, have sacrificed the little they had for a selected group of survivors to be able to live. To enjoy the remaining Earth. For the little ones that survived to be able to find some meaning. Something worth all the pain.

Basking in the fear serves no one. In fact, makes all the death meaningless.

So, Levi looks up at her and grabs her hand, even if he is scared still. Trembling fingers dancing on hers until they secure her hand softly in his. He feels warm even if he doesn’t know what to say, how to convey what he feels. Such a shadow of the man he was. So stupid now.

Levi just wants her to say.

She gasps at the contact but quickly composes herself. A shy smile showing up on her face. They stay like that for a moment, neither daring to break the silence.

“Levi?” She asks after a moment, moving closer to his face, as if asking for permission.

He can only look at her lips in reply.

She shortens the distance between them and kisses him on his lips. It isn’t a big kiss, too flashy or provocative: just a tender contact between two broken people. As soon as he has processed what was going on, she has already moved forward, pressing a kiss on the tip of his nose.

And then, even higher, another kiss on his forehead, her lips remaining close to his face. Levi can’t say anything. Barely reacting. But when she looks at his eyes, she is greeted by the sweet glimmer of tears in them.

Levi. Happy, at last.

And as if reading his mind, she utters: “Do you want me to stay, Levi?”

“Yes. Yes, I do.”

She complies. In the quiet, late hours of the night, Levi wakes up, his body feeling too rested already. It was a habit hard to break, he wouldn’t sleep much anyway. He sighs still, feeling her body pressing against his, holding him from behind. She has one hand on his shoulder, the other keeping him safe and secured, hugging his waist close. He dares to smile and grab that hand across his belly with both of his hands, so as to make sure that it is real: he is being held. There is someone else with him. Levi isn’t alone. Someone is taking care of him. Someone he’s been devoted to for so many years.

He wants to nuzzle up closer, hide in her chest or neck and feel more.

But he doesn’t dare to. He can’t allow himself to do that yet. 

So he stays awake in silence, hearing the soothing and steady rhythm of her heartbeat.

Levi still doesn’t understand, though.

He doesn’t want to think of why she has chosen him, how he got this privilege so late in his life, when all hope seems to be lost and the thought of a partner didn’t cross his mind at all. He also doesn’t know what to do with this gift, this blessing. Why? How? He is such a crippled shadow of what he used to be. Slow, so consumed by roughness and violence and so useless now.

He has always had something to fight for: his life, his friends, his Squad, Erwin, Hange. Yet since the Rumbling he has just… fallen behind. He is just existing and it seems like his body has finally caught up to his age: no longer agile and strong, but a weakened man, finally leaving the survival mode that has characterised every single aspect of his life. He doesn’t have any goals or dreams now. Everything had been slowly trampled down like the titans destroying all land and all life.

He shivers, remembering that day and holds her hand tighter.

Once he had completed the promise made to Erwin, his last order, he had nothing more. No more commands. No more slaying titans.

Just existing.

He doesn’t want that. He has been a fighter, a rebel, a monster his whole life. He only knew of endurance and compliance with the spirit of life, of resistance. He doesn’t know of anything else: the calmness, the quietness, the routine walks and just reading books and sitting on his porch… That is not him. That isn’t life. Being able to choose things for himself, devour life gently and enjoy it instead of painfully trying to keep it close, to grip it between calloused fingers… Peace isn’t familiar.

He has nothing to devote himself to, nothing to prove or fight for.

“Yeah,” he thinks. “Everything is… meaningless… Or it was.”

He closes his eyes, relinquishing himself in the warm body against his.

Some things… Some things have meaning still.

Her.

The way she would scrunch her nose when laughing or buy him drinks or attempt to make him laugh or wear that damn stupid wrinkled dress and — “Fuck. I know her so much by now…”

She had been a Scout too. She had fought and devoted her heart and did everything a Scout had to do. She had fulfilled her duty in the same way he did. She has survived and she doesn’t regret a single thing. Not even this life.

She is at peace.

He wants to sob.

He doesn’t understand peace. Sure, it was his goal, what he always dreamed of, but, damn it. Levi had never thought he would actually get to see something resembling it. Unlike her. She understood what it was: she has accepted peace with open arms and a smile that — fuck, somehow— has been shining on her face throughout the years. Despite so much pain and death…  She still allows herself to fucking live in peace. She forgave herself for the death, for the pain and crimes and let go.

He isn’t sure if he can do the same.

Peace is foreign, strange even. An oddity. And he isn’t stupid, he knows that time would run up someday and that things would turn against them for a second time.

But, still, the promise of the rest of his life in peace lingers.

He could have it.

He fucking could.

Levi reflects on those thoughts for a moment, silent still.

He thinks he can get to an agreement. Maybe, when she wakes up in the morning, he can try to spill his soul to her a little. Try to understand how she handles this life, how she can get up in the mornings after killing so much, and just have tea with him.

But for now, in the quietness of the night, as the old warrior he was, he does the only thing he knows: he promises to dedicate his heart once more.

He finally has a reason, a purpose, something worth protecting again.

Levi lifts his hand, crossing it on his chest the way all Scouts would do. But he doesn’t press it on his heart, but rather, moves it to hold her hand, the one resting on his shoulder. He squeezes it gently, suddenly feeling too overwhelmed by her. By the silent love she had been proclaiming to him all these years and that he couldn’t reciprocate before.

Yes. Now it is the time.

Levi would dedicate his heart once more.

To her and only her.

That may have been the cheesiest ending ever written but !!!! He deserves it, I know. Also someone stop me before I write for Hange, the feelings got to me indeed. Dividers by @/cafekitsune @/saradika and @/vase-of-lilies

[muekyn]

summer character ref!

i realized i never made a character ref for my self insert/oc so here it is <3 she’s a part of the aot universe :3

more information about them under the read more, if you're interested! (it's long i am SORRY)

summary: born in the shiganshina district and part of the 104th cadet corps. they join the survey corps, and ultimately become a part of the special operations squad (squad levi). with a bit of naivety to them, they start off very hopeful for the future of paradis.

as she joins the survey corps, she is in charge of creating maps used for formations and battle strategies. there are also times where she helps in designing equipment, such as the executioner from hell (that large log device used to kill titans) and the new odm gear.

unfortunately, the pressure of dealing with titans on a regular basis, as well as the stressors from her personal life, start to plant a seed of uncertainty in her.

after sasha’s death, she loses a lot of meaningful connections with her friends. she begins to isolate herself and displays behaviors that are abnormal for her, such as excessive fear and panic.

additionally, she loses her ability to maintain a healthy day to day life. no one knows what’s going on- she’s met with resistance towards her “odd” behaviors.

it all becomes too much. since she's unable to “quit”, she runs away, living beyond the walls in a small cabin. she spends her days maintaining her land and learning how to become a fishmonger. her mental health improves slightly, but never really recovers.

occasionally they make trips into marley to sell their fish, forging documents that allow them into the nation. human interaction for them becomes far and few in between, usually only when they visit marley.

her visits to marley really open her eyes; seeing the worst of society. all the blame that’s put on her people, all the injustice, the misinformation.

at first, she takes a neutral stance on the rumbling. ultimately though, she realizes that the rumbling is inhumane and needs to be stopped, so she helps out in the end. she doesn’t fight directly, rather provides support on falco’s jaw titan with levi and gabi.

combat/skills: truthfully, she is not an expert in using her odm gear, being one of the lowest performing students in her cadet days. for some reason, she is unable to get the complexities of the odm gear down, but manages well enough not to get chomped up.

for summer, she is relied upon more for her ability to create diagrams and maps that the survey corps would use, mainly for battle tactics and navigation. she was in charge of making maps for different squads, spending long nights carefully curating each drawing.

personality: summer has an innate curiosity and unique appreciation for the world. she feels a deep connection to nature, the stars, and the moon. she can also be very creative and has a profound love for art, especially paintings and sculptures.

when it comes to interacting with others, she is very shy and withdrawn, opting to avoid individuals rather than approach them. unfortunately, she doesn’t trust easily, making it hard for her to form deep connections with others. nonetheless, she tries her best to be respectful and understanding.

she wants to be an optimist, but has had her hope taken many times, leading her to become increasingly pessimistic as time goes on. her world view can be very negative at times, especially during her visits to marley. but through it all, her love for the world never dissipates. to her, there is always something to find joy in.

appearance: her features are very round and soft. her eyes are an amber color, while her hair is an orange/redhead color. it’s styled to be in a wavy bob with bangs on the left side of her face. 

summer is short in stature, no more than 5 feet tall. she has a very flat/emotionless expression most of the time, even when expressing intense emotion. she also has a hard time maintaining eye contact.

relationships: romantically involved with eren. they have known each other since they were children. as kids, they argued a lot, since summer and eren had similar personalities- the two of them being hotheads. 

however, as they get older, their passion for the world brings them together. summer has a slight crush on eren during her cadet days, silently pining over him for years. after many awkward smiles and shy glances, eren drunkenly admits his feelings to summer at the party in marley, leading them to start dating. 

while summer is living in the cabin, she doesn’t see eren much. when eren becomes a wanted man, he randomly surprises summer with visits that can last a few days. unfortunately he can’t stay for long, otherwise he risks the livelihood of both of them. the two of them simply appreciate the time they have together.

when eren starts the rumbling, they are still together, but summer completely disapproves of his actions, leaving their relationship in limbo (not that it’s that important at that point anyway.) she eventually decides she can’t let him go on with the rumbling and aids in his death.

best friends with sasha. they met in the 104th cadet corps, and instantly became friends after sasha’s potato mishap. sasha and summer’s personalities mesh together perfectly. they stay close friends until sasha’s death, which becomes one of the breaking points for summer.

friends with jean and connie. she’s not as close to them as she is with sasha, but she trusts them greatly and gets along with them very well. connie, sasha, and summer goof off a lot, while jean has to scramble to get everybody back on track. ultimately, the four of them have a solid bond.

aquaintances with mikasa and armin. despite interacting with them since she was a child, she doesn’t know them extremely well. but she gets along with them just fine. she appreciates the level of care they have for eren.

mentored by levi. the two of them have a unique level of trust with each other. levi is familiar with summer’s outbursts and panics, and is able to calm her down alot, especially during battle. summer deeply trusts levi and looks to him for advice and navigating through life. a few sarcastic remarks from levi is all summer needs to push herself forward, or see things from a new perspective.

likes: mystery, thinking deeply, art, the moon and stars.

dislikes: loud noises, being alone, mirrors, and eye contact.

[sunbadger]

Mini detectives / Chapter 1

Next chapter Read on AO3 Rating: General audiences, no warnings apply Relationships: Levi/Erwin, Gabi & Falco Tags: Attack on titan spoilers, post-rumbling, Erwin is still dead, slice of life, mystery solving, a little bit of comedy.

Summary: There is an unsuspecting, wooden urn on Levi's shelf. Since it's incredibly rude to ask him about it, Gabi and Falco instead decide to investigate to find out who it belongs to, and why the flowers in the vase next to it change every week. First they stalk Levi, then they search his whole house, then finally go through all of his personal belongings. It's an ethical operation lead by detectives Gabi and Falco! Background that may be helpful: - This is set post-rumbling and Erwin is still dead. - I believe Erwin is the only body that Levi really had access to after they died, so this urn is incredibly special to him. - Gabi and Falco are around 14 - Levi's got his own little cottage and a tea shop.

Rest of the fic under the cut, it's 1600 words.

The wooden box on Levi’s bookshelf had always stood out to Gabi. The feathers of her duster brushed against it each week, tracing the chiselled lid and the space around it. On its own, it would easily be overlooked due to the lack of decorations and details - only naturally decorated with the wood's marbled pattern. What truly made it interesting were the constantly changing flowers in the vase next to it.

Every week, Gabi would come over to clean, and every week there was a new set of flowers. Her nimble hands turned the box left and right, tilted it back ever so slightly to check the bottom, and forward to see the top - but alas, there was no name, nothing engraved, and no indicator of what it was. After finishing his work elsewhere, Falco put a stool down in front of the shelf. He glanced at her.

“I think that’s an urn, Gabi,” he said, “you shouldn’t be touching it.” Gabi pouted.

“I'm just trying to find a name on it.” She put the urn back in its intended spot. “I wanna know who Levi’s lover was.”

“Lover?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” She asked, touching the vase. This week’s flowers had petals as deep and blue as the ocean.

“Well… flowers are used for anyone,” Falco said, “and Levi doesn’t seem to be very popular, to be honest.”

“Yeah, I guess,” she sighed. Falco climbed the stool to reach the top of the bookshelf to wipe it with the soaked towel in his hand.

“Why don’t you just ask him?” Gabi’s jaw dropped.

“You can’t just ask about dead people like that!” She exclaimed. “What if he, like, starts crying?” Falco shrugged.

“Maybe he’ll be happy to talk about them, since he clearly cares about them so much.”

“You go ask, then!”

“I could, but…” His mind drifted.

“Why are you asking about my dead friends, huh? You thought that would make me happy? Mind your own business, brat.”

Falco shivered. “B-Besides, you’re the one that’s curious.” Gabi glared at him. “Okay, maybe I am a little bit curious.” He stepped down from the stool. “But I don’t want to ask.”

“Let’s continue cleaning for now, and we’ll figure out a plan later, alright?”

“A …plan?” She nodded, gave him a thumbs-up, and brushed past him towards the kitchen where more cleaning duties awaited her.

Falco was nearly crushed into the dirt as Gabi leant over him, trying to get a better view between the leaves. The fedora that Jean had leant him for the day was already smudged with dirt and his coat threatened to rip from the thorns of the forest they had walked through. He would probably have to “lose” the suit and hope Jean forgets about it once the mission was over.

“The target has approached the destination!” Gabi bursted out. “We will observe closely before making our first move!” Falco crawled his way towards an opening in the bush. Just like Gabi had reported, Levi’s familiar figure was currently making its way down the plaza. They had done a thorough analysis on his schedule and deduced that he would be most likely to visit the flower shop on Fridays at 5 pm, one hour after closing his shop. A small miscalculation meant they had actually been waiting in the dirty bushes of a hill for 30 minutes too many, but otherwise, it was a perfectly executed plan. 

The hill allowed them to have a great overview of the whole street, and the leafage surrounding them provided cover. Falco had expressed doubts that Levi would be on the lookout for small kids in bushes, but Gabi brushed him off. Her eyes shined as they fixated entirely on the target, suspensefully watching to continue the mission. Falco was happy to be living a normal life, but it seemed that Gabi almost missed the conflict of their old lives. She was always excited to put herself in danger, and maybe this was her new way of getting that kick of adrenaline. Well, as her best friend, he would never turn her down, even for something as trivial as-

“Falco, pay attention!” She grunted, suddenly staring straight back into his eyes. He gulped. “Are you ready?”

“Y-Yes sir!” 

“Ready…” His eyes shifted to Levi, who was now taking a moment to browse the array of colours set up on the porch of the flower shop. The lady working there must have noticed him coming, and was kind enough to hold the door open for him as he rolled up the ramp to the entrance. 

“Set…” As soon as he disappeared behind the glass door, Gabi hit Falco’s back. 

“Go!” she yelled.

Pressing the hat down on his head, Falco ran down the hill, doing his best not to trip as he made his way towards the building. Their predetermined route allowed him to move as swiftly as possible while avoiding any doors or windows due to the slight curve. With one last, clumsy jump over the edge of the street, Falco got as close as he could to the wall of the building and hunched down. His breathing had quickened somewhat, resulting in quiet pants as he collected himself. While the door to the shop had closed, the window was thankfully open, allowing him to listen in and analyse the situation.

Operation one: Gather information

“Do you need my recommendation today, Levi?”

“You should know I don’t have any knowledge on these things,” he grumbled, “I just need it to look nice.” Falco was able to make out a faint sigh. “Something happy, preferably.”

“Something happy,” the cashier echoed. “Would chrysanthemums do the trick?”

“Chrystanthe-what?” She chuckled.

“Bright, yellow flowers,” she said, picking a pot from the shelf. “Makes you smile, right? They make for a great addition to any home, and are used both for memorials and decoration.” Falco’s ears perked up at this. He determined that he would have to leave his position outside the shop in order to observe the flowers. The visuals could hold essential information, after all. He quickly glanced up to the hill where Gabi met his eyes with a thumbs up. With a deep breath, he gathered courage and pushed the door open, simultaneously pushing his fedora down over his face. 

“Welcome!” The lady helping Levi greeted him. He opened his mouth to greet her back, before remembering that his voice would give him away. Awkward social situations were a necessary compromise for the operation to succeed. Instead, he slipped as far as he could into the opposite corner of the shop, turned around and pretended that the bags of soil in front of him were really interesting. Gabi acted like the disguise was perfect, but even with the fancy jacket and matching hat, Falco was unsure if he could pass as a random civilian with this behaviour.

The store was crammed to the max with as many plants that could possibly fit into such a small building. Everywhere possible, there were pots with flowers or boxes full of gardening equipment. If you were too reckless with your movement, there was a risk of bumping into obstacles everywhere you went. While it was difficult to stay far away from Levi in the cramped shop, it did instead provide many shelves to hide behind, as long as he was careful. Regardless, Falco was somewhat confident that he could execute the job flawlessly.

“Decided yet, Levi?” She continued. “Daffodils are also a great choice,” she tried again. “They reach high towards the sky with ambition and strength.”

“Quite on the nose.” She laughed.

“Well, you’re not a roses kinda guy, are you?”

“Definitely no roses.” Falco gazed over his shoulder as subtly as he could, catching the sight of the two. The lady dragged the pot of a yellow pair of flowers off the shelf and held it in front of Levi. They didn’t look very romantic, in Falco’s opinion.

“No matter what your choice of flower is, I assure you that your love will shine through.” Her smile beamed with light this time. “Because flowers are the best gifts.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he deflected. “Let’s do those daffodils this time.”

Falco frowned at the choice of flowers, but regardless, he had gathered the information he came there for. It meant almost absolutely nothing, but enough to potentially, maybe, sort of confirm Gabi’s theory that the flowers are meant for a lover. Feeling satisfied with the information, he walked towards the door, but the crowded room unfortunately included tons of things he was capable of knocking over. With a loud clang, an empty, metal watering can hit the floor, and Falco felt his mind scream in embarrassment.

“...Falco?”

“O-Oh, Levi!” He exclaimed, lifting his fedora and thus giving the disguise up. “Didn’t see ya there!” Levi’s expression turned sour. “I mean, I was so absorbed in the- uhh-” He looked at the shelf in front of him. “These new gardening gloves! I’ve been meaning to get some.”

“...Right. For your gardening.” Falco suddenly realised what Levi’s scowl was about and began a frantic attempt at brushing the dirt off of his coat.

“Me and Gabi are trying out this new idea of planting veggies for everyone!” After his failed attempt at cleaning himself, he walked over to the wall of seeds instead. “Maybe potatoes!”

“Oh honey,” the flower lady butted in, “potatoes won’t be in season until april.” Falco’s smile wavered. “Let me help you.”

Falco left the store with a bag of lettuce seeds, gardening gloves, and an empty wallet - without much of a clue to report back to Gabi.

//// That concludes chapter one! Next time, they'll have to try another approach. Comments, likes and reblogs appreciated. This is my first published fanfic, so please be kind lol!

[natsuki208]

My Honest Thoughts on S4 Connie Springer.

For @sonofthesaiyans since they asked me about it.

Warning! AOT Season 4 spoilers for my friend.

As you said before, you’d prefer if Connie getting shot over Sasha because you find him a weaker character than her. Although I agree to a certain point, I have my own reasons on why…

Because he became soo unlikeable this season!

I understand that he lost his closest friend in his life and was still grieving, but I say it’s no excuse for a certain decision he made after the Rumbling just started… you know what I’m talking about.

Right after the Rumbling began, the group had Falco with them (who recently became the new Jaw) and while everyone else agreed to possibly feed him to someone who can aid them in their battle, like Pixis, Connie un ironically wanted to feed Falco to his titan mom. NO JOKE!

Like seriously? Connie, I know you’re still grieving over a lot of things, but the world is about to end because of a certain someone and all you can think about is your mom? Being an idiot doesn’t help your case either! I know your a bit more smarter than that! Come on!

(these were literally my thoughts at the time I read those chapters)

Later he said to himself ‘Sasha, would you understand?’ and I was like: “What do ya think? You dumbass!”

[ddeokbxkki]

tears that came late.

series: aftermath ; genre: grief ; porco x pieck

When Pieck first heard the news, she was too tired and too numb to have any reaction. The only response she gave Gabi was simply an “oh” before she turned and walked away. She could sense Gabi and Falco staring at her back but she didn’t care.

Somehow, she already knew. It was the first thing she noticed when Reiner and the others met up with them.

Porco wasn’t with them.

But at that time, the situation was too tense, too urgent, for her to confirm her suspicions. It wasn’t the right time to ask; she had a mission on hand. From the port to fighting Eren and the millions of titans he conjured, there wasn’t any chance for her to think. Even when she saw Porco’s Jaw Titan saving her, none of it had sunk in.

Continue Reading on AO3

[dorminchu]

WIP tag

tagged by: @titan-wolfdog to post a fragment from my current wip! thank you very much :D

tagging: @mottshepard @lunarcrystal & whomever wants to give it a shot

Prostrated, shaking like a child, Reiner's vision clouded over.

A dull relief, that Falco wouldn't live to see this play out. The shame of his cowardice perforated him more than physical pain could.

"Please," he whispered, closer to a sob, "just kill me."

Eren said nothing. Putting weight on his new foot, acclimatising. Regrowing flesh was a hell of a lot more struggle than lopping off a limb. The old Reiner would've had him on the ground by now. Annie would die before she grovelled in front of the enemy. She was never a loyal patriot, but she'd jump at the chance to prove herself a good enough killer.

"Reiner," said Eren quietly. "It's not your fault." Reiner's head jerked up to meet the palm outstretched. Four years later, he was Vice-Commander and she was left to rot in her crystalline shell.

I'm the same as you.

Reiner grabbed him by the shirt. He could lift Eren off the ground without effort. Past the blood in his ears, he could barely hear Tybur in the throes of nationalism above them.

"Shut the fuck up," he hissed, nose-to-nose.

Eren didn't flinch. He smelt like stale breath and sweat. His pupils dilated. His mouth split into a tremulous, manic grin, on the verge of beatific. "You're the only one here who looks at me."

Reiner shoved him into the wall and Eren took the force of it with a grunt, thrashing up with his fresh leg. Blistered, pink skin against Reiner's calluses. Eren's jaw tight.

[anime-and-i]

Thoughts on AOT and its’ finale.

These are MY own opinions. You’re free to agree or disagree. Also AOT spoiler warning obviously!

1. Marley arc was stupid as hell

After establishing the main cast and basically who we’re supposed to be rooting for in the first half of the series, it was so dumb to now add these irrelevant annoying new characters. Literally audiences wait years to see familiar faces and then you throw in some irrelevant fucks into the mix. Suddenly we’re supposed to be cool with seeing the lives of these Xenophobic bigots. I understand the whole “showing that there’s two sides of war” thing and also revealing more of why everything played out how it did so far. However, the Marley citizens were always shown as racist to the Eldians. Not a single instance of anyone feeling bad for Eldians or having some common sense like “why tf are we even doing this?”. It was just them victimizing themselves for something that happened like 100 years ago. And the rest of them were always on some “oh man I just want this to end; I don’t like war; I wanna go see my family UwU” after they come back from depriving Eldians (who’ve had their memory erased) of their own families. Maybe if we acc saw them showing some remorse for their actions I’d be more inclined to hear their side out. Reiner was having some split personality thing going on. He should’ve been inside a therapist’s office for the remainder of the series. But literally none of the other characters are ever like “shit I’m doing something bad to someone”. Even if they were shown thinking it in the back of their heads it would make me more inclined to like them. The only Marley folks I acc liked were Falco, Zophia and that kid with glasses they hung out with. They seemed normal despite the brainwashing so idk wtf Gabi’s problem was.

2. Ymir (not the og one)

Suddenly having a conscience after not giving a fuck the entire time, when the main cast needed her the most (esp Historia) was pure garbage. I get the author tryna keep the mystery of the titans and warriors going until later on but her going back with Reiner and Bert-whatever tf his name was- is pure and utter horseshit. She wasn’t a warrior kid so she didn’t have to answer to anyone! She could’ve gone back with the corps members and explained everything about the outside world right then and there and lived out the rest of her days with Historia idk. It would’ve been better if she died tryna save Historia or one of the corps members or something. Then the jaw Titan goes to a random Eldian and Marley can’t use it. Absolute garbage plot line. Her also not explaining to Eren wtf is going was bs too.

3. Warriors did not deserve a happy ending

ESP the RBA trio. Idc if they lived or died tbh but the one thing they shouldn’t have gotten was what they wanted the most: to see their families again. Their parents didn’t deserve it either. This is what they get for sending their kids off to war bunch of shit for brains. The best ending would’ve been when their parents got turned into titans, Annie and Reiner either get eaten by them or have to kill them. No happy reunion for any of these “honorary Marley” shits.

4. Pieck (however u spell it)

She should’ve faced some consequences and then died. Literally one of the most bland characters in the series. The only thing she had going for herself was that weird one-sided rivalry thing with Yelena and even that dissipated. Very irrelevant and not the strongest Titan idk how her boring ass survived. Also she has no remorse for any of her crimes either. She gassed Connie’s village and turned those folks into titans. Her backstory is boring. We already got a sad dad story from Annie. Ugly ass Titan and also tried to lecture Yelena about her crimes. Glad Yelena put her in her place tho. Along with the rest of the ppl at the campfire. Best ending for pieck would’ve been if she accidentally killed gabi. One of the kids she cared about so much died to her hands and not the enemy’s. Maybe it would’ve given her character some needed development.

5. Zeke

should’ve put up more of a fight and then gotten beheaded by Levi. Idc about his tragic backstory. He stole a troop member’s gear and let him get eaten by titans alive. Him looking down on the troops, risking their lives going against his Goliath baboon ass, sealed the deal for why he deserved a gruesome death; not one where he practically offers his head on a silver platter to get sliced.

6. Gabi should’ve died after shooting eren.

Pain in the ass character. Tell me how she shot Sasha and then continued to go around Paradise calling eldians devils and her ass doesn’t die. Her character is supposed to be like “oh look some bigot learns that the thing they hate the most is bc they don’t know about it well enough and then they stop hating it once they learn”. Okay well Marley isn’t about to stop conflict bc an Eldian kid had a change of heart and told them about it. Plot wise, prick should’ve killed her inside her ugly ass cart Titan mouth.

7. Original Ymir

should’ve had more of a dialogue. Her being in love with that creep ass stupid head Fritz was such a weird way to define her character as the founder. She should’ve had a Historia moment where she’s finally free and done with everyone’s bs and actually vocalizes that to the Eldians inside the Paths.

8. The Rumbling should’ve ended all of humanity and the only survivor (that we know of) should’ve been a random kid. Make Erwin’s words true: “The only time humans will stop fighting is when there’s one human left”. The 80% cop-out AND the warrior parents surviving? Absolutely not.

9. King Fritz’s soul should’ve been put into his own nightmare realm at the end; designed by Ymir.

Things I acc liked about the series:

1. When Eren first becomes a Titan and the audience feels like there’s hope for the cast.

2. When they overthrow the false king and establish a new government.

3. Hange.

4. Erwin (esp his long shot plans).

5. Levi (esp when he beats the shit out of zeke).

6. Falco.

7. Yelena- only fault was being a Zeke stan.

8. Armin- excluding all the weird Annie shit.

9. Historia after breaking the Titan syringe. That entire scene was so good.

10. The owl guy. He seemed okay.

11. That one pure Titan that acc looked kinda hot.

12. Dina’s last line to Grisha. It was so sweet :(

13. Eren unlocking his coordinate ability. Loved that whole scene.

14. Kaya almost murdering Gabi. It was done so well.

15. Niccolo giving that rage speech and saying “…yeah well I acc loved that girl who was one of these hellspawn devils”. The raw emotion was so well conveyed.

16. Yelena shooting that one dude when he started insulting Sasha.

17. Pixis shooting off into space after tasting some boar steak. It’s not part of the official plot line but that ova was so funny.

18. The aot chibi series

19. How strong the writing and plot was for aot during the first 4 seasons.

20. Hange and Levi trying to make the MP dudes rat out info and they make the second guy read the funniest shit on paper.

21. Hange making pigeon sounds after Eren in Titan form nods to her command.

22. Sasha becoming an actual demon after she senses food.

23. Etc.

This was very therapeutic for me. Ever since I finished this series, it left me feeling disappointed, dissatisfied, and anxious. I’m glad I wrote all this out; I can make peace with this show finally.

[alfavictor]

Messy Crumbs

Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan

Length: 2,238 words | 2 Chapters

Ratings/Warnings: T for Teen, its SnK

Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart

Summary:

He had dreamed, wished, maybe even fantasized this moment for years. But Armin had never expected to see Annie, moving, breathing, living, real under these circumstances.

–

A novelization of Annie stuffing her face with pie, looking like a squirrel when she meets the man who has fallen in love with her. Armin finds out what Annie experienced in the crystal. 

Chapter 1

At some point, he had begun to see Annie as beautiful, Armin realized with a guilty pang. She had always been attractive in an understated, effortless way back in training. Her sharp roman nose framing the rest of her face. Two blue eyes that often held a sullen mask, but brimming with something more underneath. A puzzle he had wanted to solve.

Armin had solved the puzzle, and now they were here. Annie frozen in time and place, suspended almost ethereally in an impenetrable crystal, and himself sitting on the cold basement floor. The only place he could freely speak, after Eren had become sullen and distant and Mikasa had followed him. Through the years, Annie had gone from an enigma, a prisoner, to a girl who had been forced to do terrible things, and then, finally, a confidant, all without moving a single inch. 

Bertholdt’s memories had told Armin many things about the girl trapped in the crystal, but most importantly, they had told him that Annie was someone who deserved to be protected after all she had been through. There were many things Armin had told the crystal, but that sentiment, he left unsaid. He wanted to tell her that when he saw her breathing, alive, and real, when he finally saw her eyes again, filled with so much pain and care hidden under a stoney mask. But Annie remained in the crystal because of you a voice reminded him, and he never got the chance. 

Sometimes he would try to place his hand on the crystal, in a vain attempt to touch what lay below, to remind himself that she was real. But the cold, inhuman, hard crystal was the only feeling he got.

When Eren broke all the hardening, it took only seconds for Armin to realize the implications. Annie might be released. But there was too much going on, with schemes, coups, new alliances, and the world ending around him, and he didn’t have the chance to visit that basement again. 

When he finally got a chance to just sit down and rest for a moment, with Connie, Falco, and Gabi, he finally spoke the words at the top of his mind. 

“I think Annie is free from her crystal.” A pause, as the group processed his words.

“You mean, Miss Leonhart? The Female Titan?” Falco piped up. Armin nodded to that.

“Are you sure about that, Armin?” Connie asked. Armin didn’t miss the way his jaw tightened.

Armin decided to ignore that for now, answering the question directly, “Yeah. If all hardening is undone, then Annie should also be–”

A loud cough interrupted him, from right beside him. Everyone turned to face the source – why would anyone be sitting so close to them? And they found 

“Annie!?” Armin’s thoughts stopped, thrown for a loop at seeing her in a totally new context. Blue eyes wide open with trepidation and a hint of embarrassment, crumbs all over her face, cheeks puffed out like a squirrel. Half-eaten pie slice in her hand, head covered by a cloak. If he hadn’t spent so much time studying her, there was no way he could have recognized her; the sight was so foreign to who he knew as Annie. She paused, before chewing furiously and swallowing. 

Connie’s began guffawing loudly. He stood up, pointing at Annie as if she was the funniest thing he had seen in his life. “Look at that! Annie’s stuffing her face with pie.” He seemed to double over, unable to stop.

As Annie seemed to shrink into herself, Armin decided to step in, shifting his body to put himself in between Annie and Connie. “Cut it out, Connie, that’s enough.”

But Connie simply ignored him. “She had half of that slice in her mouth!”

“She hasn’t had a bite to eat for four years.” Armin defended. Seeing that Connie was beyond reproach, he turned back to look at Annie, who had gone back to inhaling her pie. Guilt festered in his stomach. She really did look absolutely ravenous. How much had she experienced in the crystal? His guilt was salved, by the way his heart sung, finally able to watch Annie in motion, breathing, and living. Even in her disheveled state, Armin couldn’t stop himself from admiring her. Eyes finally visible, filled with hidden layers, darting around, pale blonde hair that sometimes covered her eyes, cheeks a bit puffy but still showing her defined cheekbones. 

Beautiful

Annie turned to look at him, curiosity in her gaze, and Armin looked away, face flushing. 

As always, their small moment of peace ended too soon, and then they were back into the fray of things, rescuing Jean, Onyankopon, and Yelena. On their way to link up with Reiner, Annie shifted out of the horse drawn cart, and took a seat next to Armin, leaving a respectful space between him. Armin tried to not tense up, embarrassment rising from being caught staring earlier. Armin rolled words in his head, trying to figure out what to say. 

Annie saved him the effort and spoke up. “I heard Connie tried to feed one of the Warrior kids to a wild titan.” Armin tensed – their alliance was already too fragile without grievances being aired.

“Yeah, he was trying to save his mother,” Armin explained. Annie looked at him questioningly. “His mom got turned into a Pure Titan four years ago. She’s been stuck in Connie’s hometown ever since.”

“What changed his mind?” Annie asked, gesturing to Connie in the other carriage. “An enemy’s life for a family member’s isn’t exactly a hard decision.” 

“I convinced him.” Armin was trying to be intentionally vague. He wouldn’t have regretted giving up his life to save Falco’s, but he didn’t want others to realize how lacking he had been to inherit the Colossal.” 

“How?” Annie seemed curious about the details. 

Armin didn’t respond, and a silence fell over the cart. A voice from the back of the cart, Falco’s, spoke up, full of admiration. “Mister Armin saved me! He jumped into the Titan’s mouth, and Mister Connie released me to save him.” Armin cringed and fought the urge to rub the back of his neck. Falco had made it sound so heroic.

He turned to face Annie. She looked utterly unimpressed. “Did you turn stupid?”

“Huh? Uh?” Armin stuttered. Out of all the responses, he had not expected that. “It was the only way to keep Falco alive.”

“And give the power of the Colossal to someone random? Your plan was to just hope that Connie would save you, or just die?” Annie was vicious in her criticism. 

“Even if Connie didn’t save me,” Armin paused. “Connie’s mom would be saved and Falco would be alive. And I couldn’t let Gabi watch Falco get eaten. That’s a worthwhile trade.”

“No, it wouldn’t be.” Annie’s eyes seemed to flash in warning. “We need you and your planning to stop the rumbling.” Annie looked like she wanted to say more, but Armin looked away, not wanting to give his feelings away. 

She softened, and asked, now in a low tone to prevent any eavesdroppers, “How are you holding up?” He blinked, surprised at the turn in the conversation, and found Annie glancing over at him, with a bit of concern underneath her stoic mask. 

“I’m fine,” Armin instinctively replied. “Well, as fine as I can be given the circumstances.” 

Annie nodded, as if waiting for him to stay more. When he didn’t, she quirked her eyebrows at him. “Are you okay with what Eren is doing?”

Feelings of betrayal and confusion quickly rose up. Him, Eren, and Mikasa were supposed to be friends. Family since they were kids. They’d been through everything together, from fighting neighborhood bullies as kids to fighting titans, and then people as cadets and scouts. But then Eren called Mikasa and himself slaves, and left him bruised and bloody on the floor, breaking everything between them irreparably. Armin swallowed. “Of course, I’m not okay with what he’s doing. He’s killing the rest of the world. It’s genocide. But he has to have a reason.” 

“I’m not talking about the Rumbling.” Annie replied, tone as flat as ever. “I’m talking about what you feel.”

Maybe, he was too used to spilling everything to Annie, and habits were too hard to break. Maybe everything had been piling up too high, and he just wanted to talk about what was happening with somebody. No matter the reason, he began to put all of his emotions into words. “I don’t know! I can’t even recognize him. We’re supposed to be friends. He would never hurt me or Mikasa!” The rage he had felt when Eren had told Mikasa that he had always hated her. “But he did, and I don’t even recognize him. I don’t know why he’s doing this, and I don’t know why he said those things.” Armin tried to control his breathing, rage and frustration turning his breathing shallow and quick. 

“He hurt you before,” Annie reminded, her colorless tone having a hint of gentleness in it. When Armin simply looked at her, confused, she continued. “When he forced you and the scouts to attack Liberio and use the power of the Colossal to destroy the port.”

Armin nodded in acceptance. Maybe, he hadn’t recognized Eren for a long time now. Realization caught up with Armin. How did she know that? She’s been stuck in a crystal for four years. No. There’s only one way. “How did you know that?” Armin asked haltingly, trying to keep his throat clear from the dread. When Annie didn’t answer him, he deflated and asked the question he wasn’t sure he wanted the answer to. “You were awake in that crystal, huh?”

“Yes.” Annie’s voice was uncharacteristically small. “I heard everything.” If he had blushed before when he was caught staring, now his face was probably an unhealthy color. Everything. All of his hopes, desires, frustrations all laid bare. What did she think of him, he wondered. 

The further implications of her statement began to sink in. She was awake the entire time. For four years. Because of him. Armin opened his mouth to say something, anything. To apologize for what she’d experienced. To try to laugh off ranting to her for so many years. But Annie seemed to stop him wordlessly, a fond familiarity filling her face. 

They’d have time to talk later, Armin decided. He could figure out what she thought of him later. For now, he was just happy to have this.

A/N:

So I actually had another fic finished before this one, a little bit of a Time Travel fic. I wasn’t really happy with it, so I left it to the side, hopefully I can fix it up a bit before I publish it. 

I saw a couple Tumblr posts of Annie looking a little ridiculous when she meets Armin for the first time, so voila. I was planning for this to be pure fluff, and then I realized I have no idea how to write fluff, and added a touch of angst. I always wanted to tackle Armin realizing Annie had heard him for all those years, and it was fun trying to figure out what tone I wanted to take. Making it work with my other fics, especially Absent Plans was quite satisfying. Annie is a little bit hot-cold-hot in this series, she’s concerned about Armin when she first meets him, colder when she’s in conflict with the rest of the Scouts before attacking the port, and back to warm and comforting after the fight is over. But I also think she is a bit on and off in the canon too, see the original scene in Manga Chapter 126 novelized in Absent Plans or how she goes from egging Mikasa on around the campfire to making peace with her.   

I always knew I wanted to both have the initial scene in the Anime, and then a flash forward a couple years to see what Annie thought about it. Initially, it was going to be all one chapter, but the flow was already quite rough with three separate scenes in different times and places, so I wanted to give the flash forward, which is a lot more lighthearted its own chapter. 

Thanks for reading, and as always, I welcome any and all feedback.

Chapter 2:

Armin fussed about with the plates, making sure everything was lined up. He checked the time, one minute to 8. Perfect timing. He carefully and surgically made cuts, dividing the pie into 8 equal slices. The door to their home unlocked, quiet footsteps puttering in. He turned to look at  the person entering.

His beautiful radiant Annie, looking as stunning as ever. He took a moment to admire her, as she looked around the kitchen, absentmindedly dropping her blonde hair from the bun, looking a little sweaty from her daily run. She noticed the state of the kitchen, flour in places they shouldn’t be, bowls sitting in the sink, and asked, “What’s all this for?”

Armin gave her a wide smile. “I wanted to make you something.”

Annie paused, tilting her head as if trying to recall something. “What’s the occasion? I’m pretty sure this isn’t any of our birthdays, or our anniversary.”

Grinning, Armin replied, “I just wanted to do something for you.” Annie’s eyes became soft, her lips quirking in a gentle smile. Armin gestured at the pie, and Annie, ignoring the plates or the cutlery, picked up the slice, turning it side to side, inspecting it carefully. She took a tentative little bite.

Bingo. Annie was still hard to read sometimes, a remnant of a lifetime of hiding everything she felt to complete a mission. But Armin knew her, and could appreciate her little quirks. The way she would close her eyes in satisfaction, as if trying to extract as much enjoyment as possible out of the food. How her cheeks would subtly tighten, the natural response of a smile ghosting on her face. She took another, much larger bite, and then another large one in quick succession, until her cheeks began to puff. Mission accomplished. 

She swallowed. “You’re staring,” Annie deadpanned. 

“Just admiring my beautiful girlfriend,” Armin said, smile never leaving her face. 

Annie might usually be less responsive to words, but compliments never failed to make her flustered. “Stop saying such idiotic things. I’m sweaty and eating.”

“You’re always beautiful.” 

Annie pouted at that. “I would think you would have gotten enough of staring at me while I was in the crystal.”

“You were stunning in the crystal,” Armin easily replied, Annie’s face turning even redder. “But you were so much more beautiful when you were out of it.” He reached up to cup her cheek, relishing in the soft, warm skin underneath his hands. 

Annie scoffed at that. “I’m sure I looked great when you saw me again. With crumbs all over my face and, what did Connie say, ‘stuffing my face with pie?’” Her tone oozed sarcasm

But Armin simply agreed, softly, truthfully, “You were amazing.” The words lingered in the air, and Annie stopped bantering, looking at Armin, understanding what he really meant. Armin placed a gentle peck on Annie’s nose, and Annie’s eyebrows scrunched in emotion. Then a sly grin seemed to spread across Annie’s face.

Uh oh.

“Well, if you thought I looked good,” Annie purred, whispering the words into his ear, “Think about what I thought when I saw what you had become over the years.” Annie placed a hand on his chest, grabbing him and pulling him even closer. “If I had known how you turned out, I’m sure I would have burst out of that crystal earlier.” Armin gulped, feeling the blood rush to his face. Annie began planting tender kisses down his ear, down his neck, and then finally on his lip. She pulled away, looking at him with a fire in her eyes mixed with adoration. “Thank you, Armin.”

He closed his eyes and gently rested his forehead on hers. They were alive, they were real, and they were at peace. And he couldn’t ask for more. 

A/N:

Finally, I wrote a chapter of actual fluff. No angst, no regrets, no nothing. Success. Next, either I’ll post the time-travel fic, or I’ll do an Annie PoV of the boat scene, or I’ll write an angsty Bertholdt convo between Annie and Armin, or I’ll draft up a new time-travel(ish) fic where Armin goes back to the past to give child Annie a hug. Not sure which one will speak to me the most. 

The goal of this fic was to explore the feeling of when you love or admire someone, they literally could be doing anything and your heart will melt. Something genuine and true. 

Reviewing the entire work, I’m struck at how disjointed it is. Ideally, it would just be the first chapter up to Armin being caught staring at Annie. But I wanted to write a convo where Armin works through his complicated feelings about Eren, and I wanted Annie to express some of her care before the boat scene, so it grew. 

[alexthegamingboy]

Toonami Weekly Recap 01/06/2024

Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 3 (The Rumbling Arc) EP#30 - The Final Chapters (Part 2): Chapter 3: The Battle of Heaven and Earth: The Scouts and Warriors lands on Eren's rib cage, and incapacitate the Beast Titan realizing that it is just a shell with Zeke nowhere to be found. Before Armin has a chance to transform, he is captured in a Titan's mouth. Suddenly, countless versions of the Nine Titans of the past appear on Eren's back, created by Ymir Fritz to defend him. Just as the Scouts and Warriors are nearly defeated, Annie and Gabi appear on the back of Falco's new flying Jaw Titan. Meanwhile, Armin discovers Zeke in the Paths.

Chapter 4 - A Long Dream: Armin and Zeke have a conversation about the meaning of life and Armin convinces Zeke to share his viewpoint and the two call on the deceased Titan shifters throughout the series to help the alliance. Zeke then materializes on Eren's Titan and allows Levi to kill him, which stops the Rumbling. After Armin is rescued, he uses the power of his Colossal Titan to destroy Eren's Founding Titan, releasing the centipede-like organism, the source of all Titan power, from Eren's nape. Falco flies down to the Liberio refugees, but the reunion between the Warriors and their families is cut short when the source turns the nearby Eldians, including Jean, Connie, and Gabi, into Titans to help defend it. Reiner, Annie, and Pieck engage the Titans and the source to prevent it from reconnecting with Eren while he transforms into the Founding Titan once again to fight Armin, leaving Mikasa and Levi the only ones left who can take Eren down. Jumping off of Falco's back, Levi uses a Thunder Spear to destroy Eren's Titan's mouth exposing his human form within and Mikasa beheads Eren. Ymir is thus freed from the Paths allowing her to pass on, and the Titan powers, along with the source, disappear from the world, turning all the Eldians permanently back into humans.

Final Chapter - Toward the Tree on That Hill: After Eren's death, Armin (and the others) recall a conversation with him prior to his death where he reveals his true motive was to ensure his friends statuses were elevated to the saviors of humanity to the rest of the world, alongside giving them the long, fulfilling lives he wanted them to have in a world free of Titans. After mourning their friend, Armin decides to take credit for killing Eren, Mikasa leaves to lay Eren to rest on Paradis, and the Scouts and Warriors are hailed as heroes by the survivors of the Rumbling. Three years later, with eighty percent of humanity decimated, the Jaegerists strengthen Paradis' military to prepare for a potential future attack from the rest of the world, while the remaining Scouts and Warriors become the world's ambassadors for peace negotiations with Paradis. Mikasa buries Eren's head under a tree that he would frequently rest under as a child and continues to visit his grave throughout the rest of her life. Many generations later, a futuristic Paradis is bombed from above and destroyed in a war. Over time, Paradis is reclaimed by the wilderness, and within this wilderness a lone boy and his dog approach the tree Eren is buried at, which has since grown to resemble the original tree that contained the source of the Titans' power.

IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix EP#07 - Spring Has Come: It is time once again for the IGPX All-Star Festival. Though only an exhibition, Takeshi and Team Satomi are out to prove they deserve to be in the big leagues. Meanwhile, Mark gets some unexpected news regarding his mother's health.

[madraleen]

Attack on Titan - Hajime Isayama Vol.32-33: The Torture Continues - A Commentary

-i like how we know these people so well and they know each other so well that they take cues from each other. like, if even mikasa wants to stop eren, then how can anyone else think otherwise, you know?

-FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT, FUCKING THANK YOU HANGE, "GENOCIDE IS WRONG" IT'S THAT SIMPLE SOMEONE SAID IT, THE REAL MVP AS ALWAYS. finally someone with common sense and resolve, someone not speaking in ifs and buts, finally, HANGE FINALLY!

-this is such a random group of allies i love it, it makes me smile

-i feel so safe with hange, a voice of logic, oh my god.

-listen, i'm not even joking, eren's VERY CONSPICUOUS ABSENCE makes me so much less emotionally unstable that i can actually enjoy these conversations, like i'm happy to be here again

-i'm sorry, i know it's a tense moment, but lmao at levi's zzz panel

-part of me thinks that if we just don't see eren again, if we just randomly hear that he was stopped, i'll be fine. it would be terrible storytelling ofc but it hurts so much seeing eren like that, seeing his face and have him say and do these things

-what the fuck are you talking about, jean? armin has been saying that everyone should talk it over with everyone a hundred times over.

-WHEN DID LEVI BECOME THE TENSION RELIEF IN THIS GODDAMN MANGA OH MY GOD 

-jean's 'i can't forgive you' to reiner while they're still allied for their goal, i love this.

-the panels of levi sleeping with the zzz i cannot

-no offense, is armin going to do any impressive thinking post-time skip or...

-it's nice how everyone apologizes to everyone (before rocks fall and everyone dies courtesy of eren, lol. lol?)

-armin and connie acting their little hearts out to the yeagerists, bless

-MISS KIYOMI GOING IN FOR THE KILL!

-aww seeing armor titan and female titan fight together

-this is the second time connie's saving armin's ass

-i am actually happy to be reading this now that eren isn't hurting us by showing his face. like, if you put aside for a sec WHY this is happening... it's very  exciting to see what comes next

-does sensei want to kill everyone here on the port, bc he's taken out the colossus titan, he's taken out humanity's strongest soldier...

-ooooh falco's jaw titan looks different than galliard's!

-i don't want y'all to fight anymore either, annie, and not with eren either, what are we gonna do :'(

-oh no. oh no is this eren pov? am i about to get unhinged again? oh no. go back to your conspicuous absence, devil child, why do you hurt me so. i miss you. but you make me suffer.

-the fuck? ZEKE tells EREN there's no ingrained behavior to the ackermans?! so then...

-i hate this. i understand that it's all to protect them, but i hate this, eren. baby they can't live happy lives. WHY DID YOU SHOW YOU FACE, I WAS DOING FINE, I WAS HAVING FUN, YOU'RE IMBALANCING MY HOMEOSTASIS

-eren's new form, huh. god this makes me so sad

-'but i just can't accept an end like that' lmao me reading this manga

-eren please THERE WAS ANOTHER WAY, THERE MUST HAVE BEEN, THERE MUST BE

-okay clearly i should stop hoping right here, there's no redemption from this. there's no redemption when we're shown innocent deaths at eren's will. okay. this is it then

-see, armin is a person also disappointed with the outside world that DIDN'T choose genocide, wow shocker, right eren?

-MIKASA'S FACE WHEN SHE SEES ANNIE WATCHING ARMIN

-levi i love you. stay safe

-what did mikasa want, armin to run after annie and kiss her or sth? mikasa you're projecting

-ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME IS FLOCH UNKILLABLE WHAT 

-like, in what universe did eren think the gang would NOT be in danger, that there wouldn’t be a good possibility that his own titans would trample his own people

-heh. armin the 15th commander :)

-OH SHUT UP "dedicate your heart" OH SHUT UP LEVI SHUT UP HANGE SHUT UP

-shine, my love. shine, hange. goodbye.

-"goodbye. hange. just watch us." who decided to give levi all the poignant lines, who. THEY HIT THE HARDEST BC IT'S LEVI!

-is there. is there an actual possibility that eren just... kills them all? surely not?

-NO! NO! AFTERLIFE SCENE?!?! I DID NOT EXPECT THIS FROM ATTACK ON TITAN, THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! ERWIN!! AND THEY'RE ALL WATCHING! THEY'RE ALL WATCHING!!

-a little quick it was, hange's death scene, but they did get the afterlife scene, so i won't dwell.

-oh! commander armin actually lets us in on the plan beforehand! that's unusual for stories! that probably means it'll all go to shit

-this is exactly what the founding titan looks like, but why does it look so funny in armin's drawing

-man, i want to give mikasa such a big hug. her face.

-the thing is. armin especially, and everyone, are trying to analyze eren's mindset, like 'maybe he's testing us' or whatever, and every time we SEE eren it's actually a simple "RAWR DEATH!"

-humanizing eren through reiner because we actually HAVE humanized reiner through endless chapters. that's interesting

-WE HAVE BEEN SUMMONED! ALL HAIL EREN! ALL SHALL LOVE/NOT-LOVE HIM AND DESPAIR. i don't want to see what happens, i'm sure it'll be nothing good :')

-mikasa's plea is the best. share the sins that they're all guilty of

-ah, what wouldn't i give for a simple ass-kicking from levi to eren

-eren will fight us? :’(((. i can't believe that. i know i said i'd renounce all hope, but i am so sad. i am so sad. mikasa what do we do? whatever you say, i'll follow your lead

-the plot armor is strong on the marleyan cast's families

-yes, cool, everyone wants world peace two seconds before they die

-all due respect, i don't see how the 104th can do anything about this now that the power of friendship failed

-'We'll use all our (seven) forces to destroy him!" rocks fall everyone dies - in the literal sense.

-WHY ARE YOU YELLING EREN'S NAME AS YOU FALL ARMIN WHY ARE YOU BREAKING MY HEART WHY DO YOU KEEP REMINDING ME WHO EREN IS (or was, or should be) WHY HAVE MERCY

-eren be like, feel free to fight on my skeleton back y’all

-JESUS WITH THE SCHOOL CASTES ALREADY, YOU'RE TOYING WITH MY FEELINGS

[hunnyb-san]

"Aot chapter 119: little brother and big brother" reaction

Ah ah ah, what is happening? Can someone explain to me what is in Isayama's mind right now?

I mean, this chapter was... I don't know!!! There was so much and I had to watch it so many times before I understood what is in there.

First we have Reiner that is trying to kill Eren and stop him from touching Zeke, then Falco's brother try to convince Zeke to shut up, and you can see that he is actually thinking about it. But then, he screams and everyone turns into titan!!

Everyone! Falco, Neal, Pyxis!!! Now the only ones in the battlefield are Mikasa, Armin, Jean and Conny.

And Eren is running towards his brother.

And Falco ate Porco and inherited the jaw's titan.

And his brother died.

And Reiner try to eat Eren, but Jean and Conny stop him.

And Gabi shot to Eren.

And Eren's head went off.

Ahahhahahahahahhahah, Isayama you are messing with our head, aren't you?

First of all, Mikasa saved Armin two times just in this chapter, and I have both here:

Gabi is the new Eren, while Eren is the new Reiner.

And then they fought together like the two badasse they are. And I just loved this scene when thwy are both flying and fighting the car titan!!! These two are the only thing that are keeping me alive, really!

The rest of the chapter... well, I felt so sorry when Gabi cryed because Falco died, killing his own brother in the process. Guys, I know she killed Sasha, and blew up Eren's face, but, but I mean, since she was a kid, she was told that those where all demons, that she had to kill them and she was raised in that way, and then, after she killed one, she lived with her family, she understood that they were normal people. Eren is... well, Eren destroyed her home, so now see it like this:

It's just like that, history repeated itself, but Gabi understood it, she knew about Reiner's feelings and she proved the same when those people forgave her for what she did (Sasha's parents), and saved her (Mikasa).

But I'm not saying that I totally understand her, because it was the same for Falco, who hasn't killed anyone though.

Now, what about Reiner who tryed to kill himself two times already?? Well, with this character I'm... 50/50, and I know he will be killed, so I'm not complaining too much for him.

And yeah, my baby girl is always the best: I mean, just look at her...

She is so gorgeous, strong, badass and caring!

And I have especially appreciated Armin and Mikasa's combo. They were so good, while flying and fighting Peack, or whatever her name is.

I hope we'll see Peack against Mikasa in the next one.

[snknews]

Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan: The Final Season 3rd Key Visual Revealed

The third key visua of SnK’s fourth and final season has been revealed! It features Gabi, Falco, Levi, Jean, Mikasa, Armin, Connie, Sasha, Hanji, Attack Titan, Armored Titan, Jaw Titan, Cart Titan, Warhammer Titan, and Beast Titan post-timeskip.

The Final Season is being animated by Studio MAPPA and will begin airing on NHK-G, Crunchyroll, and Funimation on December 6th, 2020.

Related News: MAPPA || Photos: Official Art || Season 4

[shadisnotarealboy]

rage.

[snkmerchandise]

News: Shingeki no Kyojin Tankobon Volume 23 (Japanese)

Original Release Date: August 9th, 2017 Retail Price: 463 Yen (JP Regular Edition); 2,268 Yen (JP Limited Edition)

The cover of Shingeki no Kyojin volume 23 features Reiner, Zeke, Gabi, Jaw Titan (Porco), Falco, Udo, Zofia, Colt, and Cart Titan (Pieck) from the latest story arc!

The limited edition will also include Levi’s cravat (With his name embroidered) and Erwin’s bolo tie!

Update (July 6th, 2017): Added the full HQ of the cover!

Update (August 9th, 2017): Added a look at the bolo tie’s size!

[damn-stark]

A moment in time

Jean Kirstein x reader

Requested by anon “Hello! Jeans girlfriend drank some of the wine and turned into a Titan. The rest is up to you! Thanks! :D” & “Hi! Could you do a story about Jean and his girlfriend. Were she turns into a titan because she drank Zeke‘s Wine. And Jean and her friends decide what to do with her.”

A/N- it’s short but i haven’t written a request in a while, I hope you like it anon! I’ll edit later by the way!

Warning- Angst!

Spoilers for season 4 part 2!

————

A moment in time. If he could go back to a moment in time it would be long before this battle or the events that led to it.

It wouldn’t be Marley, as much fun as he had when he wasn’t busy, that time wasn’t there.

It wouldn't be when he met you, you were both too awkward and still just mere strangers. It wouldn't be when you were friends because his feelings for you were unknown.

He would want to go back to that first time you went to the ocean, you were already together, not dating, but a thing….

Then again maybe any time would be better than being here now, feeling the whole world go silent and go dark as he saw you turn into a Titan.

At first he thought you’d be fine. No he wanted you to be fine, he ignored the fact that you had drank that wine laced with spinal fluid in hopes that in his ignorance you wouldn't turn, but he was wrong, there you were down the street after you made sure that no one was in the way when you turned. He saw your figure disappear into a bright light that erupted from you as you transformed, he watched the moment this new body appeared where you once stood, and it crushed him. He was in agony, more than he ever thought possible.

You had warned him, yelled at him not to watch and just go away, but he couldn’t go away and leave you in your last moments. Even if it hurt, he watched as the person he loved turned into a mindless Titan. He looked at the dull eyes that once gleamed with life and fell to his knees.

“Why?” He uttered to himself. “Why you?”

Tears welled his eyes and his hands that carried his blades let the handles drop to the ground. You didn’t notice him, your Titan was distracted by other soldiers that began to shoot at you.

“Jean!” Connie shouted. “What are you going to do?!” Even Connie knew that letting you go wasn’t ever an option, you’ve known each other for so long that even Connie couldn’t bear killing you.

“We can’t kill her.” He stammered with a quiver in his voice.

“We’re going to make out of this. We’re going to live the life we want. Together.” You smile and look back at him to share your happiness.

“Jean!” Connie yelled again. “Jean—”

…

Said man snaps back and only now grasps what happened, who talked in that weird place his mind went to while his body stayed on the roof. It happened in a flash, but it freaked him out. Only after the wall Titans began to stomp away did he manage to focus back on you, and Falco who lay on the ground after he ate Jaw.

“She’s walking away!”

“Jean—” Armin called but stopped when he saw you as a Titan. He, like all your other friends hoped it wouldn’t be true, but it was.

“What are you going to do?” Mikasa asked as she landed beside Armin.

“We can’t kill her.” Jean repeated, sighing and standing up to begin taking care of Falco as he lay unconscious. “Feed him to her.”

There was silence and then Armin stepped forward and began to argue against his comment. Jean didn’t want to listen to Armin and his long debate on why not to, but he knew deep in his heart that he couldn’t be selfish and risk more conflict with Marley by doing it. You wouldn't want that either, he let it go even if it broke his heart not being able to help you right away. He just wanted to be with you.

He wanted to hold you, kiss you, he just wanted you alive again.

But he couldn’t have you, not yet.

However that problem he faced with feeding Falco to someone else, was interrupted and “solved” after Connie gave his own argument and then took him away to get his mother back. Jean couldn’t even chase him, not with the other titans that now began to eat the other Scouts, not with you walking away and being targeted now.

“Hey!” He exclaimed and flew off the roof to tackle the Scout to another roof. “Not her! Not her!”

“It doesn’t matter!” The scout argued and shoved Jean off. “They’re all mindless titans anyway. They’re eating us!”

Jean grabbed the scout by the collar and shoved him back with fury. “No! Not her! No one is going to kill her!”

Just like Eren promised Connie to bring his mom back before, you were going to be brought back. Even if he had to beg Eren, Jean was going to make sure that he brought you back. You may have to be this way for sometime but he wasn’t going to lose you.

“Jean, come on!” Armin exclaimed and waved him over as you began to walk towards Armin. “We need to take her somewhere else.”

Jean glared at the soldier and stepped back before flying off and leaving him the dust. “We need to take her some place where she’s trapped so we can tie her up like Hange would with her experiments!” Jean ordered as he flew in front of you and guided you towards some other place.

Armin glanced ahead and then his eyes lit up. “Underground! They built a cell just in case they needed to trap a Titan shifter. It’s just a mile east from here!”

Jean sighed in relief and nodded, he looked back at you and even if your eyes were dull and the person you once were was a Titan, he knew you were there, waiting now to come back. He wasn’t going to give up on you, that was never an option. He was going to see you again, hopefully when this was all over, you were going to get that life you wanted together.

For now all he had was memories of you, precious memories.

“I love you,” he whispered, his forehead leaning against yours as the waves crashed softly into the sand.

You beam at him and cup his cheeks, covering his cheeks in sand. “I love you too.”

“I love you,” he whispered to the wind, knowing his words got drifted away and you wouldn’t possibly hear as a Titan. “I’ll see you again.”