Chapter Text
Long after the few tears you had ran out, someone walked back down the small hallway. You looked up in time to see a man dressed in the same thing Armin had been in, a green cape over his shoulders and large boxes at his sides. He was short, but then again so had been Annie, with steely gray eyes and black hair cut into an undercut. He walked to the bars and wrapped one hand around one, watching you. You had a feeling this man was not one to be crossed.
“Too familiar,” he said to himself, taking a step back to open the door. “Let’s go.”
You got up on weak legs, leaving the cup behind on the cot and walking after him. You glanced around, noticing that nobody else was nearby, and that worried you even more. No other guards but him meant danger. There was no way you were going to get away.
The sunlight hit your eyes so harshly it made you close them, blinking a few times until you were used to it. It seemed to be the middle of the day, and it was a warm one, too. All around you were pitched tents, some bigger than others, and far in the distance were the cliffs and ocean, where you’d first washed up on this island. There were also people everywhere, all wearing the same uniform the man that had got you was wearing, This was an army - a small one, granted, but they had caught your scouting ship off guard and captured at least a hundred Marleyan soldiers.
“Move,” said the man, reaching up to push you in the direction he wanted you to go by the arm. You walked just a step behind, heading towards another makeshift building, this one also made of stone and next to many others that looked the same. The man stopped just outside of a doorless entryway, grabbing a bag off the ground and holding it out to you.
“What…?” you asked, accepting it in your arms.
“Clean up,” he ordered, leaning against one wall. “Nobody will bother you. We’re not doing anything else until you get all the grime off of you, is that clear?”
Your jaw dropped, but you could only find yourself nodding, too out of energy to fight right now. You turned to the entryway and turned right, then left again, where a large tub was resting on stone, already filled. Some bars of soap were resting on the edge. You dropped the bag and started to strip out of your uniform, getting into the chilly water and sighing when it cooled your feverish skin. You understood not to dawlde, though, and quickly cleaned up. After that, you found a towel in the bag and a change of clothes inside as well, simple things that were different than what you usually wore at home in your freetime.
Like…maybe an older style.
Huh.
Once you walked out of the tiny bathhouse, some water still dripping down your skin, the man that had brought you there pushed off the wall he was leaning against and led you towards a large tent. Everything around here was so green it captivated you: green grass, green tents, green cloaks. You wondered why they chose that color.
“Here, Hanji,” said the man as he strode into the large tent, you right behind him.
“Oh, thank you, Levi!”
You looked around the tent, which had a large table and blackboard on one end, a multitude of equipment strewn about the floor, and a cot mixed in the middle. Sitting at the table was Armin, and that one person with the eyepatch that had excitedly greeted you on the beach. They offered you a smile now, walking over with a hand held out. You weren’t sure if you should shake it or not.
“Hanji Zoe, Commander of the Scouts,” they introduced themself, grabbing your hand when you didn’t go to shake it. “Armin tells me you’re (y/n) .”
“Yes,” you agreed, but warily.
“Excellent!” they cheered. One arm wrapped around your shoulders and directed you to the table, pushing you into an empty seat. The man that brought you to the tent - Levi - was sitting in a chair further down, legs crossed and a cup in one hand. Hanji didn’t sit down, instead hovered around you, which made you feel very uneasy. “So, (y/n) , I was hoping that you would be able to help me,” they said.
“Help,” you repeated.
“Mmhm,” they hummed. “You see, we Eldians on our island of paradise haven’t been ‘in the loop’, as the kids say, for quite a while now. And we were hoping you’d be able to tell us the state of the world?”
You blinked, glancing from them to Armin and back again. “I…don’t understand,” you admitted. “What about that other soldier?”
“Oh, psh,” Hanji said, waving a hand. “Useless. Besides, one Eldian to another, eh?”
Your shoulders drew up and you looked down at your lap. They were interrogating you again, you were sure of it. Just how long until they got fed up with you and started the torture?
“ (y/n) ,” Armin cut in, making you raise your head again. “Just…what’s happening out there?”
“Marley is sending more ships, if that’s what you’re asking,” you sneered, enjoying the worried looks on Armin and Hanji’s faces.
“Well, then we’ll have lots to prepare,” Hanji sighed. “Looks like we may have to break into your stash of tea to greet our guests with, Levi.”
“Tch,” the man clicked his tongue, sipping from his cup.
“What else?” Hanji asked, losing their friendly tone.
You didn’t dare say a word. It was bad enough that you had said that about the scouting ships, especially since you didn’t know if it was true or not. You assumed that eventually a ship would arrive to take you back had everything gone to plan, but there wasn’t any definite way for you to know that. It wasn’t your place to know. Dierbo had to be the only one who did.
“You can - “ Armin began to say.
“No,” Hanji interrupted, moving to lean on the table next to where you were sitting. “We don’t expect you to trust us because we’ve done nothing to earn it. Not yet, anyway.”
“Oi,” Levi called, “you’ll just make them clam up more. Get them to talk before I make them.”
“Always rushing to violence,” Hanji seemed to scold, that playful smile back on their face. They looked back at you, smile dropping as their demeanor got serious once again. “We aren’t going to attack Marley. We don’t know nearly enough to even think about that.”
You gritted your teeth. “What about the titans?”
“We know even less about them. Like it or not, right now you’re the one who knows the most right now. If you’re not going back to Marley, what’s the point of staying quiet?”
“What would you do if you were ripped from your home?” you asked, glaring up at them.
“Oh- ho , I like this one,” Hanji said, letting out a short laugh. “But not right now! We need to know what you know!”
“You came here of your own free will, brat, we know that.” You couldn’t help but stiffen at Levi’s words, remembering everything that led up to this moment. Leaving the trenches, talking to the General, the letters that were left behind at Ms. Braun’s house, where hopefully they would stay. Something must’ve given away on your face, because Levi’s head tilted to the side and he said, “Or did you.”
“Oh,” Armin said softly.
“Well, if you’re not here as a volunteer, then why are you here?” Hanji asked.
You looked away from all three of them, gaze stuck on your hands where they were in your lap. Telling them about the mission - no, they’d kill you, but the worst part would be that they would know. If anyone so much as heard that you had said anything, death would be the least of your concerns. Sure, the mission was ruined by now, but that didn’t mean you still couldn’t carry it out. Maybe one day you could steal some serum and catch them off guard - but then what?
You couldn’t do this on your own. Couldn’t make these choices on your own. You needed to talk to Dierbo, somehow figure out what the new plan was. The only problem was, it sounded like him and the rest of the Marleyan soldiers had been shipped further inland, away from you. These scouts had to know something already, right? That’s why they were pushing at you, trying to figure out exactly what it was you were keeping secret, trying to figure out what was going to make you crack…
“Annie is alive.”
That was it. Their ace.
“She’s alive, and she’s well,” Armin continued. “But she is a prisoner. We didn’t want to take the Colossal Titan. At the time, it was a matter of life or death. We didn’t have a choice. But we do have a choice with her. And despite everything, she was our comrade. Our friend. We won’t hurt her.”
“Why are you saying this?” you asked, throat burning. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not,” Armin said, and you knew he wasn’t , but… “She’s encased in a titan crystal. We couldn’t get to her if we wanted, which we don’t. If you tell us what you know, it might help us get her out.”
You took in a shaky breath. Traitor, said a voice in your head. You beat it away.
“ (y/n) ?” Armin asked.
You looked up again, knowing it read on your face that they had one. “I’m…” You stopped, asking yourself one last time if you were really going to do this. If so, there was no going back.
“You’re weak. This is exactly why you weren’t chosen. You can’t pick!”
She’d spat those words at your face with eyes that couldn’t match the venom. You had always wondered why she’d said them.
“I’m a Marleyan warrior sent to Paradis island to retrieve the Founding Titan,” you explained, hands curling into fists where they rested on your knees. You couldn’t meet the gazes of anyone else in the tent. “My superiors wanted me to inherit it. Our mission was supposed to be a stealthy infiltration, but you destroyed it before it could begin.”
“‘Inherit’,” Hanji repeated. “By turning you into a titan and eating…”
“Eren Yeager,” you finished for them. “There were very few people on that ship that knew.”
“Hmm,” they hummed, crossing their arms. “But why?”
“Why?” you asked back, letting out a humorless laugh. “Marley is at war, and you destroyed the warrior unit. They can’t deal with a war on two fronts, no matter how many titans they have.”
“And how many would that be?”
“Five,” you mumbled.
“Fascinating,” they said, leaning in. “We haven’t met one of yours, then.”
You looked back towards Armin, deciding you’d revealed enough incriminating information for now. “The Jaw Titan’s claws are…sharp,” you said.
“I see,” he acknowledged.
“I get it, I get it,” Hanji said, finally walking away from you, giving you a chance to breathe. They paced for a moment, one hand holding their chin as though they were thinking. “Armin. How are the shelters coming?”
“Last I heard, we were on schedule,” Armin reported back.
“Perfect. We could use an extra set of hands around here,” Hanji turned back towards you with a smile. “Thank you for your cooperation. I hope we get to have many more talks in the future, (y/n) .”
You couldn’t share the sentiment.
“Armin, you and Mikasa are primary watch,” Hanji ordered. “We can’t be too careful. Don’t let them hang around Eren too long, incase they get hungry.” Hanji snorted at their own joke, but you didn’t know what was funny about it.
“Tch,” Levi clicked his tongue, getting to his feet and leaving his cup on the table. Near one of the stakes holding up the tent was a second bag, this one larger than the first one he’d given you for the bathhouse.
“What’s - ?” you asked, catching the backpack when he dropped it into your arms.
“We rounded up whatever supplies we could on short notice,” Armin explained. “We can get you different clothes if those don’t fit.”
“But why?” you asked, looking back and forth between all four of them.
“Because!” Hanji seemed to cheer, throwing their hands up. “It’s our welcome present. Welcome to Paradise Island and all that. You didn’t have anything on you, anyways.”
No, because your bag had been lost when you fell into the sea, when…You held the backpack more tightly against your middle, following Armin and Levi out of the tent as you remembered that moment. Most vividly, you remembered treading water and looking up at a titan in fear for the first time in your life, afraid of what would happen. Because Eren Yeager wasn’t anything like Reiner or Peick or Porco or hell, nothing like Zeke. They had always been there to help and protect you, like when Reiner had destroyed those canons.
You didn’t know what Eren Yeager was going to do. The fear of the unknown was what got to you the most.
“What’s happening?” you asked, hoping for a straight answer from one of the men leading you away from the camp. There was a dirt path leaning along the coast, the waves of the ocean able to be heard from where you were walking. The sun beat down, but it wasn’t as bad when you were outside of your uniform.
“We’re building more permanent shelters further down the coast,” Armin explained, looking over his shoulder to smile your way. “We were ready this time, but we need to prepare more for next time.”
“You’re taking me there?” you asked.
“You’ll help us,” Armin explained. “We can keep a better eye on you, there. Can’t stay in that cell forever, especially not after…”
You got what he meant. You were still a prisoner, but they needed to know what you did, and that couldn’t happen if you refused to eat or drink inside of a cell. Surrounded by people meant you’d be watched at all times, with no way of escaping, and they could make sure you were living well. From one prison to another - just a different type.
You held the backpack you were given closer to your chest, and in a split second decision, you turned and booked it.
You didn’t make it far: a few feet, if you were lucky, before you were tripped and landing on the pack, stomach first. The supplies inside pressed harshly on your midsection, causing you to cry out when you hit the ground. You were about to try and roll to your feet when you were further pinned to the ground, only able to squirm under the weight pressing into the small of your back.
“Oi. Where do you think you’re going?” Levi asked above you.
“Son of a bitch,” you hissed.
His foot pressed down more firmly. “Watch your tongue, brat, that’s my mother you’re talking about.”
You really hadn’t meant it that way, but you’d take the unintentional insult. “Why not just kill me?” you asked, trying to push up without any success. “I’m no good to you right now!”
“You’re no good to Marley, either,” Levi pointed out. He finally moved back, allowing you to quickly rush to your feet, but this time you didn’t run. “Without that serum, nobody is going to be turning into a titan anytime soon. You can’t eat Eren.”
“What if there was something else?” you asked.
“You expect me to believe that if there was a plan B you wouldn’t have used it already?” Levi asked. “Tch. Right now, you’re only human, like the rest of us. And I don’t enjoy killing people when it’s not necessary.”
The fact was, you had run out of options. You wanted to run, to fight, to finish what you were meant to start. But there wasn’t anything you could do, because you weren’t strong enough to beat this man. You weren’t fast enough to run away. And you weren’t a shifter. You were stuck.
You gritted your teeth and unhappily continued to follow.
The area the temporary shelters were being built seemed to be a mess. There were carts full of wood and brick, piles of garbage and other supplies, but there were also small homes. Little shacks that had windows and working doors, arranged as though it was supposed to be a tiny town. There weren’t many people working on it, but you had to wonder how many people could be spared to work here in the first place. As you approached, those people started to put down their things, standing near their worksites and pressing fists over their hearts.
Levi waved a hand, and they slowly began to drop their fists. You took a moment to look at them all, observing three on one side of the road first. Two men and a woman, the shortest with his hair buzzed off, the tallest with hair two toned and a longer face. The girl in the middle had dark brown hair pulled into a ponytail, her large eyes watching you curiously. On the other side you spotted the girl you knew was Mikasa based on the brief look you’d gotten of her just a few days earlier with lumber over her shoulder, and next to her…
It somehow surprised you how similar Eren Yeager looked to his titan. He was lean, brown hair long enough to reach the end of his jaw, framing his face. But his eyes weren’t the glowing green you’d hastily spotted in your panic that night. They were a much different color, like the ocean waters you’d nearly drowned in.
“Armin will fill you in,” Levi was saying. “Mikasa.”
She nodded once, eyes never leaving you. “Understood,” she said, voice still that soft yet dangerous tone.
Levi nodded, then began to walk off. Everyone seemed to wait until he was far enough away to start talking. “Armin, what the hell?” said the guy with the buzz-cut. “Don’t tell me we’re babysitting.”
“I - “ Armin cut himself off, glancing to you once, and then back at everyone else. “Let me explain.”
Eren’s eyes moved to meet yours. You were unable to look away - he was right here, and you couldn’t do anything about it. The goal of your mission was standing just feet away, and yet all you could do was hold onto the backpack given to you, knowing you were going to be spending quite a bit of time around him. You couldn’t let this opportunity slide by, right?
Your eyebrows drew downwards the longer you stared at Eren, and he stared back. No, you were going to complete your mission, no matter what it took.