Mikannie as things my shitty ex and I have said to each other because i'm bored part 1:

Mikasa: "I love you :)"

Annie: "Nice."

Annie: "WAIT"

Mikasa: "You're not ALWAYS right."

Annie: "Yeah, no, I am. When I'm wrong, I'm still right, it just takes a while to be proven."

Annie: "I'm your stay-at-home minecraft wife."

Mikasa: ....

Brave Heart: Chapter Twenty-Three

Attack on Titan

Rating: Mature

Warnings: sexual themes, death, gore, mature themes, extreme violence, body horror, blood, weapons, major character death

Vera felt her chest tighten when her mother's name left Reiner's mouth. She wanted to believe that he was lying—that he was saying these things purely to hurt her and cause her anguish—but how could he be? Vera had never told him her parents' names. From what she believed, the only thing he knew about Silvia and Mattias was what they looked like from the photo that Vera carried with her. But apparently, she was wrong.

Yanking her hand free of Reiner's grip, Vera stumbled backward. "My mother is dead!" She waited with bated breath for him to say he was kidding, but he never did. "You know my mother is dead! I told you that! Why, of all things to lie about, would you choose this? Is this what you think will hurt me the most? Is that your goal?"

"Damnit, Vera, not everything that comes out of my mouth is a lie!" Reiner's temper began to boil over; it was clear that Vera's lack of trust in him was driving him mad. "There are things that you don't know! Things that you don't understand! I know you think I'm just out to get you, but this isn't about me and you. This is about you and your mother."

"My. Mother. Is. Dead." Vera seethed, unwilling to even begin to contemplate the possibility of her mother being alive; because the only thing that could possibly hurt worse than her being dead all these years would be if she had really been alive and had simply decided that her daughter wasn't worth her time.

"We don't have time for this!" Bertholdt gestured to the green smoke plumes before grabbing Reiner hard by the shoulders. "Talk to me, Reiner. What are you right now?"

Reiner scoffed. "A warrior. Calm down."

"Do you really think it's wise for us to trust Ymir?" Bertholdt asked, his gaze flickering to Ymir for a split second. "Even though she's the one who devoured Marcel?"

Reiner glared at Ymir. "Sure. Don't you see? We have a handle on her motives. When she turned human again, odds are she just wandered around aimlessly, only giving a damn about herself. But then Krista came into the picture. That's the kind of girl that can change your whole world. We need her. The people she comes from are an important family within the church. Plus, suppose Eren's not the coordinate. Our job wouldn't be over. If it comes to that, having Krista around will make the search a lot easier."

Just then, three columns of red smoke shot into the air, followed by a single green one. By the looks of it, the Scouts were slowly but surely closing in on the forest.

"Please, let's just be done," Bertholdt said. "The next time we come, we'll take all four. Annie, Krista, Vera, and that. It'll be clean and simple. Then we won't have to come here anymore."

"Right." Reiner nodded, he and Bertholdt so consumed by their conversation that they didn't even realize that Vera could hear the entire thing from where she was standing. "And we'll have completed our damn mission. Just do me a favour, huh? Once we're home, try telling Annie how you really feel."

Bertholdt gasped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, come on," Reiner groaned, and even though Vera wasn't the least bit interested in Bertholdt and Annie's love lives, she had to agree that they were always eyeing each other up. "I've seen the way you stare at her."

"I don't stare!" Bertholdt denied as he waved his hands defensively.

"Bertholdt, please, life's short enough as it is. Just go for it. Okay? Besides, you're both killers so she understands where your head is."

Annoyed with this pointless conversation, Vera rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "Are you two gonna keep gossiping like kids or am I gonna have to jump off this damn branch again so you'll pull your heads out of your asses?"

Without another word on the subject of Annie and Bertholdt, Reiner used Vera's stolen ODM gear to swing down onto the branch Eren and Ymir were waiting on, both of their missing limbs almost grown back completely by then.

"What are you two doing now?" Eren stood at the ready, even though he couldn't do much without any hands. "I thought we were waiting until dark."

"There's been a slight change of plans," Reiner said. "I'm gonna ask you nicely not to try to put up a fight."

Changing his demeanour on a dime, Eren flashed a toothy grin. "Easy. There's no need for us to get all violent. It's not like I can resist like this. I mean, take a look at me. Just calm down, okay?"

Reiner grimaced, but just when he was starting to believe Eren's ruse, Eren went in for the attack. Pushing Reiner to the ground with all of his body weight, Eren jumped on top of him before hitting him in the face over and over again with his elbow.

After Eren had managed to get a few good hits in, Reiner used his legs to kick Eren off of him. Flying backward, Eren smacked into the trunk of the giant tree before collapsing onto the branch. Immediately, Reiner held Eren in a chokehold.

"Bastard!" Eren kicked and tried to free himself. "I'll kill you!"

While the two continued to brawl with each either, Bertholdt moved over to sit with Ymir, probably to make sure she didn't try to help Eren beat the shit out of Reiner.

Vera, however, decided to take a seat on her own branch and focus on the horizon. The smoke signals were long gone by then, so she had no way of telling just how close the Scouts were to rescuing them.

Knees tucked into her chest, Vera tried not to think about what Reiner had said about her mother being alive. He must have been telling an outrageous lie, or at the very least, he was confused again and didn't know what he was talking about. Instead, she listened to the sound of Eren threatening to kill Reiner over and over again and the conversation Ymir and Bertholdt were having about a human she had eaten in Titan form over five years ago—a human that apparently Bertholdt and Reiner had known.

It seemed strange to her that kidnappers and kidnapees were sitting together like this, chatting like the good old times. What felt the strangest, however, was that there had been times that this exact group of individuals had actually sat down to have a conversation, back when they all believed they were on the same side . . . back when they all considered each other friends.

When the conversation switched to how long Ymir had been wandering about outside the walls—which was apparently about 60 years—and Reiner had choked Eren long enough that he had passed out, Vera ripped her eyes away from the horizon and patted her hand over the chest pocket of her leather jacket. That was the pocket where she kept the photo of her parents.

She used to keep the picture stuffed away inside her book, but when she officially became a Scout and started going beyond the wall more and more, she realized that her chances of making it back grew slimmer each time. Thus, she started carrying the only physical memory of her parents that remained with her at all times.

Pulling the photo out, Vera tried her best to unfold it carefully. The edges were beginning to wrinkle and tear, and the photo itself was fading, but she swore she would keep it with her until the end.

"If you were alive, you would have come and found me yourself, wouldn't you?" Vera ghosted the pad of her thumb over her mother's smiling face. After hearing those words out loud, Vera laughed quietly to herself. She couldn't believe what she was saying. Vera knew her mother was dead because her father had told her so, and even though Mattias Kline hadn't been the best father in the world, he wouldn't have lied about something like that.

Hell, if Vera's mother had still been alive, her father would have found her himself and drug her back kicking and screaming if he had to. Mattias loved Silvia with his whole heart, and Silvia loved Mattias just as much. Vera wholeheartedly believed that there wasn't anything that could have separated them as a family; anything except the grim permanence of death.

When Vera snapped back into reality, she realized that Titans had begun to swarm the base of the trees and Reiner and Bertholdt were getting ready to leave.

With an unconscious Eren strapped to his back, Reiner made his way up to Vera. "I know you don't want anything to do with me right now, but if you don't want to die, I need you to cooperate with me," he told her, and although she refused to make eye contact or really acknowledge his presence at all, she nodded to confirm that she understood.

With both Vera and an unconscious Eren—who were both relatively small in comparison—strapped to Reiner's back and Ymir attached to Bertholdt, the two boys took off deeper into the forest with their ODM gear.

"So now we find a place without Titans," Reiner explained as the Titans on the ground lumbered after them. "As far away as possible. I haven't recovered enough to outrun these guys. They surround us, there's jack-shit my Titan form can do right now."

"Then why the hell didn't we just wait for the sun to go down?" Ymir argued, and as she looked back over her shoulder, she spotted the smoke signals. "The Scouts are getting closer." She put two and two together.

Reiner grumbled. "Damnit. That formation wouldn't work unless they hoisted a bunch of horses over the wall! Who gave that order? I honestly thought we had more time than this. It's got to be Commander Erwin. Hard as nails, that one."

Just then, another green smoke signal shot up into the air, this one even closer than the last.

"Damn, they're already that close?" Reiner asked out loud even though it was a rhetorical question. "It's Eren's fault for losing his cool."

All of a sudden, Ymir's eyes widened and realization washed over her face. "Krista's here," she said. "Reiner, we have to go back, now! Krista's with them!"

"What?" Reiner looked back at the girl strapped to Bertholdt's back.

"This is our best chance!"

"You're full of it! No way you can see that far!"

"Look, I just know! Think about it, okay?" Ymir put up a fight, unwilling to let it slide when Krista was concerned. "She's a big softie, right? Stupid girl's come to rescue me! She had to!"

Reiner scoffed. "Yeah, well so what? I'm sorry, it'll have to wait!"

"What?!"

"We can't grab her the way things are now! There's no way to bust up that formation! Another time!"

Ymir's face paled. "How long do you want me to wait? Maybe I should just hold off on that until I've been gobbled up by one of your warrior pals? Oh, no! I don't think so!"

"Don't be that way!" Reiner tried his best to calm Ymir as he zipped between trees. "Nobody's trying to trick you, I swear it!"

"He's already lied to me a hundred times before!" Vera looked Ymir dead in the eyes, hoping she would see the light and decide against joining them. "And now he's lying to you! He'll say anything he wants to get you to play along! How much longer are you going to let him treat you like a puppet?"

Ymir's eyes clouded over with the harsh truth of reality. "Reiner, we have to go back!" She tried one last time, but to no avail.

"I said no!" Reiner snapped back. "But I'm not tricking you!"

"Prove it, then!" Ymir demanded. "There's no time like the present, asshole! Damn you! Get down there and bring her with us! I need to see her! You don't understand . . . the way things are going, I never will."

"We can't," Bertholdt told her, his tone calmer than Reiner's. "Let it go, Ymir. Who knows whether we'll even manage to survive this? Sorry, it's just too risky."

Eyebrows knit together in frustration, Reiner adjusted the two bodies strapped to his person. "Listen to me. You have my word! I want her out of this as much as you do! Bear with me! You have to trust us. This is what's best for Krista, do you understand?"

Finally giving in, much to Vera's dismay, Ymir nodded. "Yes, I understand. The real question is, do you?"

"Of course!"

"All right, then."

"Thank you for that." Bertholdt sounded almost genuine, and if Vera didn't know he was a heartless murderer, she would have felt soothed by his gentle tone.

Vera tutted her tongue and rolled her eyes, even though no one could see it. "'You have my word.'" She quoted Reiner's earlier statements, the irony of them not lost on her; almost providing amusement. "'Bear with me', 'you have to trust us.' What a load of garbage."

"I can hear you, you know," Reiner's voice was low and harsh.

"Good." Vera used her elbow to jab him in the back, taking the smallest sliver of pleasure when he grunted in pain—if this was all the satisfaction she could get, she would take it.

Looking back over her shoulder, Ymir's face twisted with a myriad of expressions; anger, sadness, confusion, determination. It was all present at the same time. "Let's face it, guys. I'm the one best suited for this," she said, and without warning, began fighting against Bertholdt mid-air and covering his eyes with her hands.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Bertholdt panicked.

"Hey, shut the hell up and use your head for a second." Ymir forced his face upward so he was looking at her. "In a forest like this, I'm the one who can shine, right?"

About to smash right into a tree, Bertholdt released his anchoring line and he and Ymir started spiralling out of control. At the last moment, he managed to get back on course, but Ymir wasn't giving in.

"Ymir, knock it off!" Bertholdt pleaded. "We'll fall!"

"Do you think that I give a damn?" Ymir's narrow eyes passed over his terrified features. "I have the advantage. Any other time, you two would out-class me. But my Titan form is more agile. I could leap through the trees, grab Eren and Vera, and rendezvous with the Scouts before you knew what hit you. It wouldn't be that hard."

Deciding that they needed to stop while they figured things out, both Bertholdt and Reiner perched upon opposite trees.

"Either you agree to take Krista with us today, right now, or so help me I will throw your whole plan out of whack!" Ymir threatened.

"Are you completely insane?!" Reiner's body began to shake with rage. "That doesn't help her! I thought that you genuinely cared!"

"I do, in my way. If it robs her of a future, then life's a bitch, but by God, I will live to see her again! I've made my peace with what that says about me. You guys have no idea what it's like. She knows what a shitty person I am but she still smiles at me. I can't . . ."

"Damnit," Reiner huffed.

"Don't be pissed!" Ymir retorted. "I have a fairly decent plan. Besides, if I stay and fight, it'll be easier for you four to get away. Then again, if you don't like it, we can always tear each other apart like animals!"

Unable to contain Ymir any longer, Bertholdt and Reiner agreed, and seconds later she was jumping down from Bertholdt's back and transforming into her Titan form. As Vera watched Ymir become a Titan for the first time, she was slightly surprised how different her form was from everyone else's—instead of a tall Titan that stood on two legs, Ymir's Titan was small with a large head and small body that ran around on all fours.

Just like she said she could, Ymir made quick work of the forest terrain, and within seconds was charging back out to meet the Scouts and collect Krista.

Even though Vera had never once in her life wished she could turn into a Titan herself, she found herself envious of Ymir's freedom in that moment. If Vera could escape and run away, she would do it in a heartbeat.

Through the forest, Ymir's Titan screech could be heard clear as day. Camped out on a branch on the edge of the forest, Reiner transferred Eren to Bertholdt's back to lighten his own load while they waited for Ymir to return.

After a while, Vera could hear shouting in the distance. As it got louder, she could tell it was the voices of the others—Connie, Jean, Mikasa, Armin. She felt a knot form in her stomach, unsure if she was excited about them being so close or nervous about them not being able to rescue her in time.

"Reiner." Vera tilted her head back to rest against Reiner's head. "Please . . . let me go."

Reiner was silent, and just when Vera thought he might not have heard her, he cleared his throat. "I can't," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. "I need to take you with me."

"I told you already, Reiner. My mom is dead." Vera felt her will to fight slowly fading away. "I just want to go home. Please let me go. If you ever truly cared about me, please . . . please."

"I can't," Reiner repeated as he reached back to take her hand in his. "I need you."

Seconds later, Ymir burst out of the forest, and evidenced by the two legs sticking out of her Titan's mouth, she had Krista with her.

"Heads up, she's back," Bertholdt announced.

With that, Reiner detached Vera from his back, cupped her face in his hands, and pressed his lips to hers. "I need you," he told her again, making sure she heard every single word he was saying even though her pupils were blown and she was frozen. "I will not let you get hurt. I promise."

Then, without another word, he turned and jumped off of the branch. In mid-air, he pulled out a knife he had strapped to his person and sliced his hand, triggering his Titan transformation.

As soon as the Armoured Titan appeared with a flash of light and puff of smoke, it started running away from the forest. Standing up, with Eren still strapped to his back, Bertholdt grabbed Vera by the arm before leaping from the branch as well and using his ODM gear to anchor himself to the Armoured Titan. At that same time, Ymir's Titan swung from one of the higher branches and propelled itself onto Reiner's back.

After Bertholdt had dragged himself, Eren, and Vera up onto the Armoured Titan's shoulder, Vera turned around and spotted the others perched in the same trees that she had just been in herself.

"Armin!" She spotted his bright blonde hair among the group. "Help us!"

With one hand clinging onto the Armoured Titan for dear life and one reaching out toward the others—toward her friends—she called out to them until her throat started to hurt and her voice started to crack.

"Help me!"

Just some hitchannie doodles :))

Yes hitch is dressed as an olaf wearing orange crocs (badly made but they are still crocs) And yes it is a wedding ring in annie's hand! If it's in the wrong hand, we can pretend it's in the right one👍

Please read everything before contacting me! ☺️

Everything is in excellent condition. I prefer to sell batches but you have the possibility to choose one doujin from the batches.

Don't hesitate to ask for more pics and details about an item! I don't accept reservations. PayPal only, tracked shipping only. Shipping cost will be determined after depending on the package weight and the destination but since the items are light, it should be pretty cheap. Send me a message if you're interested ! Voilà !

Protective!Annie Leonhart would include:

While Annie is generally pretty protective over you, it’s difficult to spot unless you know what you’re looking for 

It’s been drilled into her that the only way to succeed is to remain emotionally unattached, so she tries hard to appear this way. But when you’re in danger, all bets are off 

You wouldn’t even know she’s paying attention to you until she strikes with a precision and coldness that should be terrifying

Most of the time, she’s a silent, lingering presence in the background, just keeping an eye on things

If she notices someone wishes you ill or wants to do you harm, she normally approaches them privately and threatens them behind her back

She’s not one for overt action unless she has no other choice. But she knows how to leverage people so they leave you alone 

Annie won’t hesitate to tell you off if you’ve done a risky maneuver - although she’s usually quiet, she has no issues telling you what she thinks 

If you plan on joining the scouts after training, you can expect Annie to be unusually vocal on the subject, doing her best to persuade you to join the MPs or even the Garrison

She’ll add something like “But it’s your choice” on the end though to try and give the illusion she cares less than she actually does 

She hates herself for getting involved but doesn’t regret a thing - you can bet you’re a big source of internal conflict for her 

One major thing she’s protective of is you finding out the truth because she knows how much it will destroy you

The fact that Marley is so against your people leads her to do a lot of questioning. How could she fight for people that would happily kill you in a heartbeat?

Annie keeps tabs on your location leading up to any of the attacks that are planned, that way she and the others can choose a spot you’re unlikely to be

Although her worst fear is finding out the truth, if there was no other option, Annie would willingly expose herself and her powers to keep you safe 

In her mind, the long term plan would be to steal you away from the island and have you live with her in Marley - she’d keep you as far away from the war as possible with all the years she has left.

Who painted the sky?

Pairings:Armin Arlert & Annie LeonhartArmin Arlert/Annie Leonhart, Armin Arlert & Hitch Dreyse, minor/background Reiner Braun/Hitch Dreyse

Summary: It was supposed to be a simple summer for Annie: take the train, get to camp, deal with brats for three months, go home. She’d figure life out afterwards.

Then Armin Arlert entered the scene: ray of sunshine, romcom fan and optimist. Very stubborn as well. He made it his goal to brighten Annie’s stay at camp, while also doing his best to prove to her that not all rom-coms have to be the same.

She was skeptical of his preposition at first- but who knows what faith holds?

Chapter 1.

Who painted the sky?

Chapter 1: Trains and accomodations

Fandom:

Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan

Relationships:

Armin Arlert & Annie Leonhart

Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart

Armin Arlert & Hitch Dreyse

minor/background Reiner Braun/Hitch Dreys

Additional Tags:

Alternate Universe - Summer Camp

Armin and Annie as camp counselors

Rom-com

Strangers to Lovers

Summary:

It was supposed to be a simple summer for Annie: take the train, get to camp, deal with brats for three months, go home. She’d figure life out afterwards. Then Armin Arlert entered the scene: ray of sunshine, romcom fan and optimist. Very stubborn as well. He made it his goal to brighten Annie’s stay at camp, while also doing his best to prove to her that not all rom-coms have to be the same. She was skeptical of his preposition at first- but who knows what faith holds?

“Will I ever see you again?”

Someone pats her on the shoulder and her icy eyes open in brief panic; in the dying light of the evening, she makes out a woman’s figure in a uniform- probably a member of the staff- who nicely informs her that they’re nearing her station. The blonde can barely keep her eyes open as she nods in the woman’s direction and watches her vanish out of her sight.

Five more minutes, she thinks as she leans her head against the window, closing her eyes again. 

She wrapped the bandage around his wounded arm, ignoring his question, cursing under her breath- who on earth falls on flat surface and ends up scratched as hell? 

This dude, apparently.

She halts when the train stops and almost hits her head on the hard window.

“Thank you,” he said. She rose to her feet and nodded, helping him stand up. She was about to leave when he asked, again, if there’s any chance he’ll see her again. She turned to him with an annoyed look. ‘Seriously, just leave me alone already.’

The blonde hastly gathers all her things and stuffs them in her backpack before putting her hoodie on. She grabs her bags and looks around the empty boot, making sure she hasn’t forgotten anything.

“We’ll see,” she said, turning around again and opening the door. She couldn’t help the smile creeping onto her lips. “Maybe.”

Annie steps out of the train and onto the platform, dangling her bag on her shoulder. The mountain air is way freezier than she remembers, and she tightens her hoodie around her. She can’t believe she’s here again, in this small mountain town long forgotten by the world.  She doesn’t necessarily hate it, no, she has some nice memories here from previous years.She wasn’t exactly planning on coming though- and then her former roommate, whom she had cut any contact with, found her on social media and persuaded her into coming.

Not that she had anything better to do anyway.

"Annie!" She can hear someone run towards her and soon enough she's being squeezed in an embrace, the sweet fragrance invading her nostrils.

"I've missed you so, so much! I can't believe you're actually here!" the person squirms.

The blonde smiles slightly as she places her hand on the other's back, patting it lightly. "Long time no see, Hitch." 

Hitch steps back, a huge smile plastered on her face, her wavy hair perfectly framing her face. She whips some invisible tears and fans her face, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm gonna ruin my make-up."

Annie snorts lightly and moves her bag from one shoulder to the other. It's good to see her roommate hasn't changed one bit.

"You must be tired," Hitch says, noticing her movement. 

"Eleven hours on the ride does that sometimes."

Hitch makes a face. "I could never."

The brunette takes Annie's hand and guides her out of the station to look for a taxi. They place her bag in the truck and hop on the back seats, Hitch gives the driver some instructions before completely turning her attention towards her blonde companion. 

For the next twenty minutes or so, Hitch fills her in with everything that's happened during the past year, one drama after the other. How she failed her driving test twice before finally getting it right; how she and her friends covered their geography teacher’s house in toilet paper paper and almost got caught; how their math teacher, the shortest of midgets, managed to make seventeen people cry in less than five minutes; how someone freed a dog inside one of their school’s buildings; how she almost failed biology and then got into the University of Biology and Science.

By the time they get to camp, Annie knows all the spicy things from a town she's never been in. 

Hitch pays the driver as Annie retrieves her bag. 

"So we're roommates again," the brunette says, head over heels with excitement. She starts walking to the main building, followed closely by Annie.

"I have a feeling you have something to do with that."

Hitch sticks her tongue out, "Maybe."

The two get inside, where they are greeted by a few teenagers hanging around in the living room, their orange shirts standing out. Volunteers, Annie thinks. Her colleagues for the summer. The people she’ll spend long nights planning activities for the kids and tiresome days hiking around with.

Hitch starts climbing the steps, explaining to Annie that, this time, they got one of the rooms in the attic, one of those with a balcony. Annie vaguely remembers Hitch complaining about having no view or landscape last year, how am I supposed to have my morning coffee like this? She got what she wanted this time.

She also got four stories to climb each evening. 

Once they get to the attic and Hitch starts digging her pockets for the key, Annie can't help but notice the box keeping one of the doors open. She doesn't want to be rude peering inside, but there is quite a big pile of books right at the entrance of the room. Whoever stays there must really like reading. 

And Taylor Swift, judging on the music coming out.

"Alright," her roommate beams, full of excitement, "this-" she opens the door widely, "-is our sophisticated flat for the summer!"

The sophisticated flat is really just a double room with two beds on opposite sides, two nightstands, a low double wardrobe between them and an old TV on top of it. On the other side of the room are a table, two chairs, a mini-refrigerator and a microwave, and a wooden door. But the real attraction of their little flat is the balcony. A four feet long piece of cement, really, but a balcony nonetheless. 

"How do you like it?" Hitch closes the door and hops on one of the beds.

Annie puts her bag at the other bed’s foot and lays down on the surprisingly comfortable mattress. "I wouldn't call it sophisticated, but it's certainly better than last year."

"I know, right?" Hitch jumps up and sprints to the other side of the room, which Annie hasn't really paid attention to. "We even have a microwave and a mini-refrigerator! And our own bathroom!" she squirms, pointing at the wooden door. "It's not that spacey, but it's big enough for two."

"I'm changing my mind, it actually is sophisticated."

"The perks of being an old volunteer," Hitch muses, a playful smile on her face. 

Seeing Annie's tired expression, Hitch quickly finds an excuse to leave the room, saying that she has to sign some papers downstairs. She hands Annie a key and tells her she’ll find her in the common room.

Annie starts putting her things away. It doesn’t take more than thirty minutes to empty her bag into her half of the wardrobe. Once she’s done, she checks the time before deciding that a nap couldn’t hurt. So she tugs herself under the blankets and falls asleep to the low music coming from the person next door.

“You need to sign here,” the woman scratches the paper with her long, long nail, “and this is it. Thank you, enjoy your stay.” She snatches the pen from Annie’s fingers, hands her a plastic bag, and yells next! before the girl gets to say anything.

She sighs lightly and turns around, almost walking into the guy next in line. She mutters some apology and hurries out the door, looking for her roommate.

Dinner ended a couple minutes ago, but by the time Annie got there, no food was left.

Annie finds Hitch in the common room, chatting and laughing with the volunteers they saw earlier. She recognises some from last year, like the bulky blond sitting way too close to Hitch and the brunette dramatically waving her arms around , but there are also new faces in the room: the two guys on either side of the girl, and the ginger sitting a couple feet away from them, looking like some embarrassed older sibling. 

Hitch notices her standing in the doorway and waves her over. She stands up and puts her arm around Annie’s shoulders. 

“Everyone, this is Annie, my good friend and roommate. Annie, this is everyone.” Hitch motions around the room. “You remember Sasha,” the girl smiles even more and jumps up to give her a hug, which she gladly returns , “then we have Jean to her right and Connie to her left.” The two each smile and nod politely before returning to their conversation. 

Hitch points at the embarrassed read-head, somehow making him look even more embarrassed. “The grumpy one is Flotch.”

“Hey!”

“And you remember Reiner.”

Reiner goes in for a hug, but is denied and instead gets a fist dump.

“Aw, come on!” he laments. “Haven’t you missed me?”

“Not enough to hug you,” she jokes. “I’m glad to see you again though. You grew a beard.”

He reaches his hand to his chin, a satisfied smile on his face. “Yes. Doesn’t it suit me?”

“You look hideous,” Hitch says, making a face.

“I like it though,” he laments. Hitch sticks her tongue out.

Annie smiles to herself, seeing none of them has changed one bit.

There’s a low cracking noise coming from behind. Hitch turns a little too enthusiastically, her lips form a wide smile as she paces to the door, the others following her with their eyes. A boy is standing in the doorway, with a plastic bag similar to Annie's in one hand, some black jeans, and a deep blue shirt matching his eyes, highlighting his blonde hair, a kind yet quite confused look on his face.

Annie could swear she has seen him before.

"Armin!” Hitch beams, putting her arms around his shoulders. “Come and meet everyone." 

Hitch introduces him to the others and he awkwardly shakes everyone’s hands. It becomes very obvious very quickly that he’s never been in such camps before. Soon enough everyone goes back to what they were doing before. Hitch tries to get Annie and Armin to join their conversation, with little to no success. 

Once the room starts getting crowded, Annie excuses herself and retreats to her room, stopping by the schedule-board in the lobby on the way. She places her hands on her knees and squints her eyes at the board, not very sure where she should be looking- there are, like, a trillion sheets of paper hung on there. Her eyes settle on the most colorful one- it has lots of colors, it should be important.

Being busy finding her name and then trying to figure out what each color means- why are there so many colors?-, she doesn't notice the person standing to her right until she straightens up and dumps into them.

"My bad," they both hurry to apologise as Annie takes three steps back.

She squints her eyes at the blond guy, and his eyes get wider.

Then he laughs lightly, "It's the second time today."

Oh? 

It must be the same guy she walked into at the reception.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she mutters. "I should really start watching where I'm going."

"It's fine, really," he stumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. 

They both stare at the floor for a solid fifteen seconds, Annie’s muddy shoes suddenly very interesting.

“So-”

“So.”

Annie narrows her eyes in frustration, her cheeks a little too warm.

“Do you happen to know what these colors mean?” the boy asks, facing the schedule board. 

Annie turns around to have one more look at the board, though it is futile: those colors tell her nothing. Couldn’t they have put some kind of legend explaining them?

“Not really. I think they’ll explain everything in the meeting tomorrow.” 

“Yeah, yes.”

The two stand in silence for a while, looking at the board. Annie isn’t sure whether there will be a meeting or not, but she recalls one form last year.

“Well, nice chat,” Annie says, turning on her heels. “See you tomorrow.”

She doesn’t wait for an answer and starts walking away, her one and only purpose is getting to her room as fast as she can and finally rest properly.

Climbing the stairs to the attic, she starts searching her pockets for the key. She can hear footsteps behind her, along with some rustling, and peering behind she can see a pair of black jeans. She narrows her eyes, but doesn’t give it much thought. Once in the small unlit lobby, Annie tries to get the key in, with little to no success.

Someone turns a flashlight on, blinding the blonde for a mere second, then puts it on the door.

“Thought you could use some light,” he says. That blond again.

“Are you following me or anything?” Annie barks, this time annoyed.

He points at the other door, “I’m accommodated there.”

Annie lets a little oh escape her lips before turning around again and unlocking her door. She turns the light inside on and faces the boy, a little embarrassed for snapping like that.

“Thanks for the help.”

He smiles in response and moves to unlocking his own door, then turns the light inside on as well and they just stare at each other for a while.

“So Hitch got you into joining,” Annie says, leaning against the doorframe.

“She filled the form for me and let me know afterwards,” he laughed. “It was already done by the time I found out.”

“Sounds like her,” Annie smiles. “I’m sure you’ll like it here.”

“I hope so.” The boy plays with his bag a little, then raises his head and gives her one of the most beautiful smiles she has ever seen. “You’re Annie, right? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Annie’s eyes widen slightly, then she remembers he’s from the same town as Hitch, and judging from the way he speaks about her, they must be friends.

“I’m Armin,” he says, holding his hand up. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Annie shakes his hand, "It's nice to meet you too."

Cute

Chapter 123 scene, but with Eren & Annie. (Reposted!)

I like to think Annie would answer him truthfully, too truthfully in fact.

I coloured Annie's Illustration from the Wit Studio Thank You art book

Why no one told me about thisss

Link

Brave Heart: Chapter Twenty-Two

Attack on Titan

Rating: Mature

Warnings: sexual themes, death, gore, mature themes, extreme violence, body horror, blood, weapons, major character death

Feeling a soft touch on her shoulder, little Vera opened her eyes to see her mother smiling down at her. The bedroom window was open and the cool morning breeze was blowing in, fluttering the curtain ever so slightly. Feeling the chill on the tip of her nose, Vera pulled the thin blanket up to her chin and shivered.

"Good morning, Vee-Bee." Silvia bent down to kiss her daughter on the forehead.

Shaking her head against the pillow, further tangling her light hair, Vera pouted. "I don't wanna get up! It's too cold."

"Oh, is that so?" Silvia straightened herself up before heading for the door. "Well, then I guess your father and I will have to go and see the flowers by ourselves then."

Vera's wide eyes lit up at that. "Flowers?!" She shot upright like a spring. "I wanna come!"

"Then you have to get out of bed and get dressed, my sweet girl." Silvia smiled as she opened one of the drawers on the old splintering wardrobe and pulled out Vera's warmest sweater. "And make sure you bundle up. It's cold, you know."

Throwing the covers off of herself, Vera leapt out of bed like her life depended on it and quickly threw her clothes on. Once she had her sweater on—a sweater that was so thick, it nearly made her arms stick straight out on either side—she stuffed her feet into the pair of boots with the least amount of holes that she owned and rushed toward the front door.

"I wanna go now!" Vera chanted as she jumped up and down in front of the door like a dog eager to go outside for a walk. "Come on! You said we could go see the flowers!"

"Patience, little one." Vera's father, Mattias, chuckled lowly to himself. Grabbing a scarf out of his jacket pocket, he knelt down and began wrapping it around her neck. "Can you still breathe in there?"

Vera, who had been so wrapped up that only her eyes were showing, flashed a thumbs up. "I'm ready!" her voice was muffled by the scarf.

"Okay, let's go."

As soon as Mattias opened the front door, Vera ran outside and started down the street, not even bothering to wait for her parents, who were walking hand-in-hand behind her at a much slower pace.

It was so early in the morning, that the rest of the city seemed almost deserted. The sun was just beginning to peek over the wall and into Shiganisha, so the morning frost on the grass and gardens had yet to melt away. The morning breeze was chilly, but it was also refreshing. When Vera exhaled, she could see her breath in front of her face for just a second.

Running up ahead, Vera kept looking back over her shoulder at her parents. "Can't you guys walk any faster?" she huffed, pulling the scarf down to free her mouth.

"Be patient," Mattias told her as he scooped her into his arms and poked the tip of her little nose with his finger. "The flowers will still be there. I promise they won't get up and walk away."

"It doesn't matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop," Silvia said with a grin. "My mother used to tell me that. And now, I'm telling you, my love. There's no need to rush."

Vera's brows knit together. "Okay . . . fine."

With that, the family of three continued on their way. Mattias held Vera tightly, keeping her as warm as possible as they passed through the gate in wall Maria and continued into the open fields.

As soon as Vera caught sight of the multicoloured flowers in the distance, she began to squirm in her father's arms. With a booming laugh, Mattias let her down and watched happily as she ran forward, not even slowing a bit as she reached the sea of pink and purple and red and yellow.

With a smile that spread from ear to ear, Vera threw herself into the field, giggling and watching with awe as butterflied and bumblebees took flight all around her.

It was moments like that—moments where they were all together and enjoying life—that were the best. In those moments, they could forget about the fact that they were dirt poor and struggling to put food on the table every night. They could forget about the fact that they went to bed cold and hungry more often than not and that little Vera would probably never know what it was like to want for nothing—at least while she was living under their roof.

But on those mornings, when the rest of the city was asleep and the flowers were in full bloom and they had free time, Vera's smile made all the struggling and working for pittance worth it. As long as she could still experience joy in her life, then that gave her parents the motivation to keep pushing forward; to keep hoping that someday, they would be able to turn things around and give Vera all the things she deserved.

Smile and eyes as bright as the sun, Vera turned to her parents, mouth hung open as a butterfly landed right on her hand. She was vibrating with joy, barely able to contain her excitement. The butterfly's wings fluttered a few times before it flew away, zig-zagging across the field to find another flower to land on.

"Did you see that, Mom?" Vera exclaimed. "It landed right on me!"

"I did!" Silvia nodded enthusiastically. "It could sense your kind heart. Animals have a special way of judging a person's character."

Vera gasped. "So the butterfly liked me?"

"I think so." Silvia waded into the field of flowers herself and hoisted Vera into her arms so she could see just how far the field of colours stretched in every direction. "Would you like to pick a flower to bring home with us?"

Vera went quiet, her face scrunched up as she thought. "No." She decided. "If we bring one home, it will die and then I'll get sad. I want to remember the flowers like this instead."

Silvia hugged her daughter tightly. "You are the light of my life, Vee-Bee. I love you."

Vera giggled. "I love you too, Mommy."

Catching the pair off guard, Mattias snuck up from behind and wrapped his arms around them. "Don't I get any love?"

"I love you too, Daddy!" Vera shouted loud enough for it to echo over the quiet fields. Silvia and Mattias laughed heartily, holding each other and their daughter for what felt like hours. If they could, they would have stayed like that for the rest of their lives and never returned to the harsh reality that was waiting for them back on the other side of the wall.

Of course, nothing lasts forever; not the good or the bad. Not happy moments with the ones you hold dearest, or even memories of such.

If Silvia of Mattias knew that that was one of the last times they were to be together as a family, maybe they would have stayed a little longer, held each other a little tighter, said 'I love you' a few more times.

If Vera had known, even at that young age, that it was one of the last times she would ever see her mother, maybe she wouldn't have run off into the flowers to play by herself for quite as long. Maybe she would have tried to remember that day at all, but as things currently stood, she didn't.

Vera didn't remember that specific day in the flowers. She didn't remember the butterflies, or her mom and dad hugging her, or even what her mother had said to her about not rushing life.

If it weren't for the photo Vera had of her parents, she was convinced she might not even remember what they looked like.

If only she hadn't forgotten everything and everyone she loved; but when she closed her eyes and tried to remember, all she saw was a sea of colours, followed by a warm feeling in her chest.

Old work.

Brave Heart: Chapter Twenty-One

Attack on Titan

Rating: Mature

Warnings: sexual themes, death, gore, mature themes, extreme violence, body horror, blood, weapons, major character death

Back pressed against the tree she had been placed in against her will, Vera tried to assess the situation the best her scrambled, pounding head could manage. She knew she needed to get out of there, but she had no idea how to get down since her ODM gear had been confiscated and there was no way of getting back to the wall before sundown due to the fact there were no horses.

For all intents and purposes, she was completely screwed.

Across from Vera, Eren was freaking out as well, but his panic was more external than internal. With red streaks stretching out from around his eyes, Eren looked down at his body and gasped when he saw that underneath his cloak, both of his arms had been severed just below the elbow. Steam was spilling from his pores, meaning that he was regenerating, but waking up and finding out your arms were gone was always going to be a terrifying thing whether they could grow back or not.

"What the hell?" Eren exclaimed. "My arms!"

"Eren," Ymir called to him and gestured to her right limbs, which were both in the process of regenerating as well. "I'm not in any better shape here. Seems we're both having a shit day."

Suddenly, a bleak and horrifying thought crossed Vera's mind. Out of everyone present, she was the only one who wasn't a Titan. That meant, if all hell broke loose, there would be no way she would be able to hold her own. All things considered, she was the weakest link, and that fact was paralyzing.

"Ymir, what did they do to me?" Eren asked.

"Sorry . . . that was my fault." Reiner took responsibility. "You can pin your injuries on me. Guess I was in kind of a hurry back there. Bit your nape without thinking about your arms."

Eren hung his head slowly. "Is that right? So, we're lost." All of a sudden, Eren brought the stump of his arm up to his mouth and bit down hard, obviously trying to transform into a Titan again.

"Eren, don't do it!" Bertholdt told him.

"Easy there, hot head." Ymir yanked Eren's arm out of his mouth. "Take a look at where we are. This is the giant forest within wall Maria. Wall Rose is leagues away, which means we're deep in the heart of Titan country. " Ymir pointed down at the smaller Titans that were clawing at the bottom of the trees. Among them, a larger Titan was simply lying down, staring up at them. "See? I think our buddy down there is an Abnormal. It may look like he's just kicking back, but those eyes haven't left us once. Lots of smaller ones down there too. That's plenty bad enough. Another big one over there; fixated but keeping his distance. Strikes me as the shy type."

The fact that Vera was left without ODM gear shifted from making her fearful to downright making her terrified. And with that terror came shame—shame that she was scared, shame that she had let herself become defenceless, and shame that she had allowed herself to be put in this situation in the first place. If only she had stayed put back at the wall, she wouldn't be here right now.

"And then there are these chumps." Ymir gestured to Bertholdt and Reiner, who were still dressed in civilian clothes but had ODM gear strapped to their person. "Dirty bastards. They had the foresight to suit up in full gear. Course, Bertholdt took yours and Reiner took Vera's. Point is, changing into a Titan isn't gonna accomplish very much right now. One, they can do the same thing if they want. Two, they can zip into the trees if not. Three, we're basically surrounded on all sides. Power or no power, getting out of this would be tricky as hell, even at the best of times. You read me? There's nothing to gain by being a dumbass."

"She's right," Reiner agreed. "You can't turn into Titans right now anyway. Don't count on that ability coming to the rescue. Your body can only take so much. It's a little pre-occupied with healing at the moment."

Eren narrowed his gaze at Reiner. "Nice try. You expect me to sit here and take the word of a liar?"

"Yeah, well, we're sort of at a disadvantage here," Ymir said. "It's not like we know the ins and outs of how this works. Unlike you guys, I'm basically clueless about the whole thing." Ymir looked down at her arm and sighed. "Hey, Reiner, you said you'd start talking once everyone was up. Don't you think it's about time somebody explains what you plan on doing with us?"

"Screw that!" Vera finally spoke up, sick and tired of sitting there like a fly on the wall. In mere seconds, all eyes were trained on her. "This . . . this is insane! Why am I even here? I'm not a Titan! I'm just a normal human."

"Vera, calm down." Reiner held his hands up as he carefully jumped down onto her branch and approached her. "If you let me explain like I said I would, everything will make sense."

Pressing into the trunk of the tree as hard as she could, the rough edges began to dig into Vera's back. "No, don't come near me!" Vera seethed before she jumped away from the trunk and teetered on the edge of the branch. "If you take one more step, I'll jump. I swear to God I'll do it."

"She makes a point," Ymir said. "Why is she here? I don't see her strategic value."

"Ymir, shut up!" Reiner barked before turning his attention back to Vera. "If you jump, I'll just catch you. You know I will because I promised that I'd never let you get hurt. Remember?"

Vera felt anger boil up inside of her. How dare he say that to her. How dare he try to pretend like it was all still real. "I remember a lot of things, you traitorous bastard! I remember all the times you pretended like you cared about me, or when you strung me along like some dog on your fucking leash, promising me that one day it would all make sense! But then again, I probably should have seen it coming from the beginning. You made a lot of promises, Reiner . . . but the first thing you did when we met was break one."

"I wanted to tell you, trust me, I did." Reiner took a cautious step forward. "And now I can. So, please, just listen to what I have to say."

"Why should I?" Vera spat as the tears that had been threatening to spill for hours finally broke free. "Why should I believe anything you say now when everything you've ever told me was a lie?"

"What I said about wanting us to be together wasn't a lie!"

"Well, I wish it would have been." Vera shuffled back until her heels were hanging over the edge of the branch. "Because I'd rather die than be associated with you."

With that, Vera tipped backward and let her body fall off the branch. She had taken a gamble with this scheme, but all things considered, it was really her only option. The one flaw was that its success weighed solely on whether or not Reiner actually cared about her like he said he did.

Just as Vera was about to fall, Reiner lunged out and grabbed her, the both of them beginning to plummet to the ground together. With Reiner's arms wrapped around her, Vera struggled against his tight hold and began to try and undo the buckles of the ODM gear he had stolen from her.

"What are you-" Reiner shouted, struggling between holding her and ripping her hands away at the same time.

"I'm taking back what you took from me!" Vera stared him straight in the eyes as she worked at the ODM straps, almost getting one free. Before she could make her plan work, however, Reiner pulled a fast one on her.

Letting Vera go, Reiner deployed the anchoring lines into the branch they had fallen from. Then, just in time, caught Vera again, making sure to hold her arms away from his gear. "I don't care if you believe me or not," he told her as the two of them ascended back up to the branch. "I'm not letting you get hurt. I do care about you . . . more than you know."

"If you really cared about me, you'd let me go." Vera gave in, realizing that her hail mary plan hadn't worked and that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"I like your guts." Ymir complemented Vera as soon Reiner had dragged her back up onto the branch, keeping her squirming body held tight to his chest with his arms.

"Don't encourage her," Reiner huffed.

Ymir chuckled. "So, you were going to start explaining. Care to do that before someone else decides to try and kill themselves?"

"We're taking you to our hometown," Reiner said, still keeping Vera contained in his strong arms. "Of course, I realize neither of you is just gonna do as I ask. Like Ymir was saying though, the place is crawling with Titans. They're everywhere. We could beat the living shit out of each other if that's what you want, but I wouldn't recommend it. Our friends down below are hungry and not prone to discriminate. Whether you try to cut and run or stick around, believe me when I say our options are limited. We wait for nightfall."

"So why didn't you just stay in Titan form and run all the way home?" Ymir asked a very good question; one that had, at one point, crossed Vera's mind as well. "What's the point of stopping here in the first place? You get winded and have to take a break?"

Reiner scowled. "Why don't you use your imagination?"

"So we're just gonna sit on our asses until the sun goes down?" Ymir followed up her question with another question.

"It's a possibility," Reiner answered.

"Wait a second, those Titans at the castle had no problem moving around at night," Ymir pointed out. "What's stopping these guys?"

"The Titans here can't move after dark," Reiner said as if he knew that for a fact. "But then, you know all about that, don't you, Ymir?"

As the sun began to set, the sweltering heat of the day continued to rage on; especially for Ymir and Eren, who were literally producing their own steam at the moment while their bodies worked overtime to heal their limbs and organs.

By that point, Vera had given up fighting for the time being. Her head hurt way too much to focus on formulating a plan of escape and her body was way too exhausted to be able to carry out any plan she might miraculously manage to formulate. Instead, she tried her best to rest and conserve what little energy she had left.

It was hard to relax, however, when she kept feeling Reiner's eyes on her. Sure enough, whenever she looked up, he was staring. He still hadn't left her branch, probably too worried she would attempt to leap again. The only silver lining was that he kept his distance and didn't touch her, as she had requested.

"Hey, Reiner, got any water?" Ymir fanned herself with her left hand. "Help a girl out. I'm dying over here."

"Sorry, there's not a hell of a lot I can do." Reiner folded his arms over his chest. "Even if it is a matter of life and death."

Ymir huffed. "That's comforting. Well, at least now we know where we stand . . . sort of."

"Speaking of which, we've been working our asses off." Reiner looked up at Bertholdt, who up until then had been pretty silent. "No food, no sleep, no nothing. Ever since those Titans showed up. That was yesterday, right? Man, we're lucky the wall hasn't been destroyed. Still, you'd think that means they'd give us a break. And don't even get me started on promotion."

"What the hell?" Bertholdt finally found his voice.

"What?" Reiner cocked his head. "Awh, come on. I don't think that's too much to ask, do you? God knows we've done our share of heavy lifting, all things considered. I mean, I get it, we're soldiers. Duty first. It's just nice to be acknowledged."

Vera scoffed, but she wasn't in the mood to call Reiner out. The less she spoke to him, the better. Ymir, however, wasn't against messing with him in the slightest. "You bang your head or something?" Ymir smirked. "What are you even talking about? Seriously?"

"Ugh, don't give me that," Reiner retorted, clearly not seeing the problem with the words coming out of his mouth. "I'm not saying we storm in and demand the rank of Captain or anything."

"No, that's not what I mean." Ymir shook her head.

"Oh, yeah, where'd you find that cannon, by the way?" Reiner changed the topic suddenly. "I owe you one for saving my bacon. Really nice of Krista to patch me up afterwards. You should have seen her, Vera. She was so worried about me. It reminded me of you. The way you rushed to my side at the castle."

Vera stared, wide-eyed. She couldn't believe what he was saying to her right now. "Why are you bringing that up?"

"Because I appreciated it." The corners of Reiner's mouth curled into a small smile despite the fact that Vera was clearly uncomfortable with what he was saying. "I always appreciated it when-"

"Hey!" Eren snapped, cutting Reiner off. "What's wrong with you? You've got to be kidding me."

Reiner's brows furrowed with confusion. "Huh? What are you so pissed about all of a sudden? Take it easy, man. Was it something I said?"

"If you want to die then just keep talking!" Eren jumped to his feet, jaw clenched.

"Hold up, Eren." Ymir stopped him before he could go feral. "I think somebody's gone off the deep end. Is that what this is, Bertholdt? If you know something we don't, now would be a good time to put it on the table."

All eyes shifted to Bertholdt, whose face was twisted with what looked like guilt and shame. "Reiner, snap out of it," he told his friend. "You're not a soldier, okay? You and I are . . . we're warriors."

Suddenly, Reiner began to shake and his breathing became erratic. Then, as quickly as it had started, it stopped and he furrowed his brows. "Right." His voice was quiet, barely audible. "I see. That's how things are."

Turning away from the others, Reiner moved closer to Vera before burying his face into her shoulder and beginning to sob. Unsure what to do, Vera just sat there, completely frozen. Her heart wanted her to wrap her arms around him and tell him everything would be okay, but her mind was shouting at her to push him away. As a compromise, she did nothing at all.

"What the hell is he doing?" Eren asked.

"I have a pretty good idea," Ymir said. "At least, I think so. Didn't add up at first. Why would the man who broke the wall risk his neck to save Connie? It's like the poor bastard's personality is compartmentalized. Everything he does is a contradiction in turns. He can't help it. On one hand, he's a warrior bent on pushing mankind past the brink. On the other, he's pretending to be a soldier whose fallen helplessly in love. I'm thinking maybe he got a little lost in the role. See, he can't resolve those facets of himself, can't bear the weight of what he's done. The only way for him to manage his conscience is to fall for his own act. He thinks he is a soldier. This is what you call a split personality. He's gone insane. His heart and mind are at war with each other, and judging by Bertholdt's expression, this isn't the first stalemate. Blows me away! Wow, someone as brutally honest as you losing their grip?"

"Shut up!" Reiner pulled away from Vera to yell at Ymir. "Not another word."

Ymir just smirked. Clearly, she was enjoying this. "I'm sorry. Must have really hit a nerve."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Eren inquired. "Where do you get off pretending to be the victim? You're wallowing in self-pity? Turning to Vera for support after everything you've done to her? How dare you? What was going through your head the day I told you my story, huh? What about Vera's story? Remember that, Bertholdt? I'm talking to you, lackey!" He demanded Bertholdt's attention. "I told you everything. You sat there and looked me straight in the eye! Watched me relive seeing my mother eaten alive! Don't you remember? Well, it just so happens the chunk of wall you kicked out fell on our house. It's what kept her from being able to run away. Ring any bells? Let me ask you again . . . what was going through your head the day I told you that story?"

Averting Eren's gaze, Bertholdt was silent at first. Unsure why, exactly, Vera thought back to the Bertholdt in training camp; the one who had encouraged her to come out of her shell and see that people weren't so bad after all. Had that all been an act as well, or were parts of his personality genuine and confused just like Reiner?

"Want me to be honest?" Bertholdt sighed. "In the moment, I felt sorry for you."

"Sorry for me?" Eren was practically vibrating with rage. "So then, you're not warriors or soldiers. You're just murderers. Psychotic mass murderers who snuffed out the lives of countless people who never did you any wrong! Look at Vera, Reiner! You're the reason her dad died! You killed her dad and you expect her to hold you while you play the victim? You're sick!"

"Don't you think I'm aware of that fact!" Reiner shouted at the top of his lungs. "I don't need you shoving it down my goddamn throat!"

"Then stop acting like you've got any right to feel sorry for yourself! We're living in a hell you two created!" Eren had reached the point of no return. "Are you proud of yourselves? You're not one of us! You've never been! You're not even human anymore!"

Pushing off of Vera, Reiner stood up. "You want an apology?! Is that what you hope to get out of calling us murderers?! Want us to feel bad? Want us to take the blame? Who are you talking to? The people you thought you knew don't exist! They're dead! But hey, if screaming does it for you, go ahead and scream your goddamn head off!"

With that, an eerie silence fell over the group of five. The only sounds that could be heard were the heaving breathing of Eren and Reiner and the leaves rustling in the breeze.

"You're right," Eren exhaled. "Who am I? What do I know? Still, I've got to do something. Anything. I swear to you, one way or another, the two of you will pay. And it's gonna hurt."

Shaking her head, Ymir huffed. "You can't be for real," she muttered under her breath. "Eren, grow up. Keep spouting off childish bullshit like that and I've got no hope for you." She then looked over at Reiner. "Tell me something. What's with the giant monkey?"

Vera suddenly felt as though Ymir was speaking another language. Was there some monkey she had missed?

"Monkey?" Reiner questioned. "What are you talking about?"

"I thought for sure you'd know." Ymir pulled her knees to her chest. "That's surprising. From the way you guys were ogling it, all slack-jawed, I figured you were seeing some kind of living legend. Weird."

"Care to share what this monkey is with the rest of us?" Vera found her voice once more.

"Monkey, beast-type, whatever you want to call him," Ymir explained. "He's behind this latest fiasco. It's why Titans are cropping up out of nowhere. I get the feeling he's gauging our strength. Reiner and Bertholdt are trying to get wherever he is. It's how they're getting back home. Feel free to correct me if I'm way off base," Ymir taunted the two outsiders.

Eren's eyes flashed with worry. "Wait, how did you know? Who are you?! What else haven't you told me?"

"Please, Eren, stop yelling." Vera's pounding head felt like it was going to explode whenever someone rose their voice.

"Be patient," Ymir said through gritted teeth. "I'm caught up in circumstances of my own."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Eren shouted once more, causing Vera to wince.

Ymir just side-eyed Eren. "Eren, if you think killing these morons will put an end to all of this, you are sorely mistaken."

"But then who's the enemy?"

"The enemy? Look, if I told you things would get too-"

"Ymir." Reiner cut her off. "There's no future for this world and you know it. You have a solid grasp of things. What do you think comes next? Joining our side wouldn't be out of the question if you were so inclined."

"And put my faith in you guys?" Ymir quipped. "That's rich. Neither of you guys trusts me as far as you can throw me."

Reiner rolled his eyes. "Come on, that isn't true. We know what you really want. All you care about is protecting Krista. If we can all agree on that, I don't see the conflict. I'm being absolutely serious. Is it so hard to believe we want what's best for her too? Hate to break it to you, but you're not the only one. Then again, you could always put your trust in Eren. See where that leads you."

"What?" Eren scowled.

"You're probably leaning toward escape," Reiner continued. "Better to take a chance with him than throw in with us, right? Because if we end up taking you, there's not much hope of being rescued. I'll be straight with you, that much is true. Even if you came willingly, we're not in a position to guarantee your safety. But if it's Krista we're talking about, we might be able to do something."

Ymir's face flooded with hope and it was clear to see she was fighting internally with herself over the choice she had been presented with.

"It's your call. What's it gonna be?" Reiner laid out her options. "Is it Krista's future or your own petty existence?"

"Come clean!" Eren confronted Ymir. "Who's the real enemy? Tell me what you know! Who is it?"

Ymir blinked up at Eren before responding. "Couldn't say." She had made her decision.

"All right, then. Sorry, Eren," Reiner said.

Just then, a gunshot sounded in the distance and when everyone looked out at the horizon, four columns of green smoke were visible in the sky.

"They're coming for us!" Vera's face lit up.

"So that's you're decision then?" Reiner grabbed Vera by the wrist. "You're going back with Eren?"

Vera tried to pull her hand free, but Reiner's grip only tightened. "Of course, I am! What makes you think I wouldn't?"

"Because we're going home!"

"My home is in Shiganisha! The district you destroyed, remember?!"

"No, your home is with us!" Reiner's eyes met hers, and for a second, something flashed in his irises; something that made a chill run down her spine. "You belong with us! With me!"

Vera was growing more confused and upset the more he pushed. "I do not belong with you, Reiner. Get a grip!"

"You wanted to know what it was all for, right?" Reiner's eyes lit up as desperation dripped from his words. "Why I pursued you. Why I got close to you. Why, despite how much I tried not to, I became consumed by your existence. It's because I was told to do it! I was told to bring you home!"

At that point, Vera honestly believed that Reiner had truly lost it. "By who?!" she snapped. "Who told you to do that?!"

"Silvia Lepstein did!" Reiner's words hit her like a ton of bricks, and even though she scoured his eyes and facial expressions for any sign that he was lying, she found nothing. "Your mother did!"

Brave Heart: Chapter Twenty

Attack on Titan

Rating: Mature

Warnings: sexual themes, death, gore, mature themes, extreme violence, body horror, blood, weapons, major character death

Slivers of sunlight streaming down onto her, Vera's green cloak fluttered around her body frantically as she picked up more speed. Her descent was a quick one, and for all she knew, she was due to his the ground at any moment.

So this is how I go?

Vera's eyes closed tightly and memories of the time she and Reiner had spent together flashed like dancing pictures in her mind. Good memories, happy memories . . . they were all nothing but lies now. The dancing pictures disintegrated into dark ash. Every second she had spent with him had been some sort of game. When she thought about the places he had touched her—her hand, her arms, her neck, her cheek, her forehead—her skin burned. All of it was nothing more than a ploy to gain her trust. For what, she didn't know. But she didn't need to know. In fact, she wasn't sure she wanted to know at all.

When she opened her eyes again, she could no longer see the sky anymore. Instead, plumes of steam and clouds of dust had engulfed her body from when Eren's Titan and the Armoured Titan had collided with the dirt. She could hear them fighting, she could also hear screaming from the top of the wall. She heard Eren's name, Reiner's name, Bertholdt's name . . . and then she heard her name.

"Vera!"

Someone was calling to her. Someone cared if she lived or not, and that was all Vera needed to convince herself that no, this was not how she was going to go. She did not spend the past three years training to leave this world before she had a chance to make it better. She did not spend the past three years improving herself and her relationships to let one traitor ruin it all. She would not let Reiner Braun be the harbinger of her demise.

Unable to see more than two inches in front of her own face, Vera reached for the ODM gear secured around her waist and triggered her anchoring lines. With a hydraulic hiss, they shot out in front of her and sunk into the wall, and seconds later, her body jolted to a halt.

When the dust had finally settled, Vera hung her head back to see that she was hanging no more than a meter off of the ground. If she had waited even a second longer to deploy her anchoring lines, she would have been dead.

While Eren's and Reiner's Titans recuperated after the fall they had endured, Bertholdt's Colossal Titan was still perched upon the wall, its ribs having fused with the structure and allowing only the top half of the Titan to form.

With one hand still gripping Ymir, the Colossal Titan swiped at the other Scouts. After securing another person in its other hand, their identity unknown to Vera from where she was hanging, the Titan tossed both humans into its mouth, most likely for safekeeping like the Female Titan had done with Eren.

Up above, Hange had ordered the remaining Scouts to attack the Colossal Titan, but when they tried to utilize the large Titan's slow movements against it, the Colossal Titan expelled a burst of hot steam from its pores, blowing everyone nearby away instantly. Vera thought back to when the Colossal Titan had appeared suddenly at wall Rose the day the battle for Trost began; it had pulled the exact same move to prevent Eren from attacking—or, more accurately, Bertholdt had pulled the same move.

Now that everything had come to light, Vera couldn't believe she had been fighting someone she knew back then. She couldn't believe any of it.

With the Colossal Titan still producing steam, Vera released her anchoring lines and dropped the rest of the way down to the ground, which wasn't much but still wasn't a gentle fall. At the same time that Vera landed, she heard a thundering crunch and looked over to see the Armoured Titan standing tall, having just punched Eren's Titan out of the way.

Following the dug-up earth where Eren's Titan had skidded with her eyes, she let out a gasp when she saw it lying motionless, steaming from the head.

"Reiner!" Vera shouted, unsure if he would even be able to hear her or not. When the Armoured Titan looked her way, however, and its glowing yellow eyes fixed on her, she felt as if her feet were made of cement and she was stuck in place. "Stop it!" Was all she could think to say. "Stop it right now! I know you can hear me in there, Reiner!"

For a second, it seemed as though the Armoured Titan was going to head in her direction, but at the last moment, it changed its mind and started stalking toward Eren.

Swinging down from the wall, Mikasa went right for the nape of the Armoured Titan's neck, but her blades snapped off upon contact in an instant even though the Titan hadn't used any hardening ability like the Female Titan.

Vera watched, dumbfounded, as Eren's Titan rose again and fought back, but despite the fact that he was landing punches, nothing seemed to even faze the Armoured Titan; not combat, not blades. The armour covering his whole body seemed impenetrable.

Slowly rising once more, a screech shot out of Eren's Titan's mouth—a mouth that was now missing the majority of its teeth. Despite the injuries his Titan had sustained, Eren was not backing down. His eyes glowed green with rage, and as he swung, Mikasa got the hell out of there.

Eren's punch still didn't leave a dent, and when Reiner's Armoured Titan retaliated, Eren shot back through the air so fast it was as if he had been shot out of a cannon.

Once again, Eren got right back up again.

"No, back down! You can't win in a fistfight!" Armin yelled from where he was perched on the side of the wall. "Make a break for the wall! Eren, please, don't be rash!"

"Remember what Captain Levi said!" Vera started toward the Titans at a full-out sprint, unsure if either one of them would care if she was crushed in the heat of battle or not. "Restraint, Eren! Don't fight him!"

Eren was way too far gone for anyone to be able to reason with him, however. Blinded by rage, he let out a chilling war cry before swinging again. Reiner did the same, but at the last second, Eren's Titan ducked out of the way and grabbed Reiner in a sideways lock—a move Annie had demonstrated in training one day to use against larger opponents. Using every ounce of strength he had left, Eren pulled the Armoured Titan down with him.

Fully regenerated now, Eren's Titan sat atop Reiner's. When the Armoured Titan rolled the pair of them, Eren locked his legs around Reiner's head and held his arm in place with both hands. Then, slowly but surely, he squeezed with his thighs and Reiner's armour began to crack.

The Armoured Titan tried one last desperate move to escape, but once again, Eren's Titan trapped him and pulled him back down to the ground. Letting out yet another screech, Eren's Titan continued to yank on the Armoured Titan's arm, desperate to pull it clean off of the body. Then, with one final tug, the arm came free.

"He did it," Mikasa gasped.

In seconds, Armin had lowered himself down the wall and joined Vera and Mikasa. "Eren, can you hear me?" he called up to his friend. "Run away! You've got to get closer to the wall! They're trying to abduct you. We can't let them do that! Trust me, escape is our best option!"

"You say that, but Armin, come on," Mikasa sighed. "They're not just gonna let us leave."

As the Armoured Titan pushed itself to its feet, one of the senior Scouts landed on the ground behind Vera and the others. "All three of you, fall back now!" he ordered.

Quick to follow instructions, Armin took off right away. Mikasa and Vera, however, hung back a little longer to observe the two Titans. When it finally seemed that the fight might actually be over, they headed back to the wall, and surprisingly, Eren followed.

"Looks like he's in control again," Mikasa said.

"Yeah, but Reiner's not just gonna let him go." Armin pointed to the Armoured Titan, who was walking toward them, its arm steaming and slowly regenerating. "You're right, escape is impossible."

A thought danced on the tip of Vera's tongue. She knew it would probably be worth a shot, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to control herself long enough to pull it off. "Maybe I can talk to him," she finally suggested. "Reiner, I mean."

"Yeah, tell your boyfriend to stop trying to kill Eren," Mikasa grumbled.

Vera narrowed her eyes at Mikasa but she didn't say anything. She knew that when Eren was involved, nothing and no one else mattered to her, so there was no sense in getting worked up over the things she said; even if they were completely stupid things.

Cocking his head, Armin looked to Vera. "Did you know about this? About Reiner and Bertholdt?"

Vera shook her head. "No idea. It's just like Krista and Ymir. I was completely in the dark."

Armin frowned. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Vera shrugged. "It's my own damn fault for getting attached anyway."

Just then, Hange dropped down onto Eren's shoulder. "Listen up, Eren." Her entire body was about the same size as his face. "If we're going to get you out of here, you've got to buy us some time. Stop Reiner dead in his tracks. Think you can manage to break off his leg with another one of those joint holds? Our blades don't do much good against him. He can't be out-muscled, but he can be out-smarted if you play it right!"

Conflict coursed through Vera's veins. She knew she should have no qualms about taking down the enemy with everything she had—after all, that was what she had signed up for when she had agreed to be a soldier. But then again, never had she imagined that the enemy would, more often than not, be someone she had recently considered friend instead of foe.

"I'm counting on you!" Hange said as she propelled herself back up the wall, and although the words were meant for Eren, Vera felt them hit a nerve inside her as well.

Whether Vera liked it or not, her fellow Scouts were counting on her to have their backs and not let personal feelings get in the way of her duties. She remembered when Captain Levi had asked her if it was all worth it—all the training and fighting and losing people. She also remembered what she had answered with, and to that day, it still rang true.

Vera was unwilling to give up; now and always.

As Eren took up a fighting stance, his body language making it clear that he was ready to battle again, the Armoured Titan barrelled forward, running at full speed. As if a new spark had been ignited inside of him, Reiner ducked down, swept Eren's feet out from underneath him, and slammed him into the wall.

Almost immediately, Eren followed the plan and went for Reiner's leg. As the Scouts took to the air to get away from the brawl, the two Titans continued to duel.

"We're completely and utterly useless," one of Hange's men huffed.

"No, it's not feasible that his body is as hard as stone from head to toe," Hange said. "He couldn't move as fast if that were the case. Warriors used to sheath themselves in armour way back in the olden days. They had to leave certain sections uncovered for freedom of movement though, like the armpits and groin. Or the spot behind the knee."

As Reiner lunged at Eren again, Eren took the hit with his whole body before wrapping his arms and legs around Reiner, trapping him in place.

"Are you with me?" Mikasa turned to look at Vera. "Whatever the two of you had in the past, Reiner is the enemy now! Are you with me?!"

Vera was slightly concerned about how quickly the answer came out of her mouth. "Yes, I'm with you!"

Together, the two skilled scout recruits descended upon the tangled Titans. With paring blades drawn, just like they had done with the Female Titan, they each picked a side and sliced. Blades slipping through the skin behind the Armoured Titan's knee with ease, Vera felt the anger she had been holding onto flood out of her body.

Just like that, the Armoured Titan's legs gave way. Spotting his chance, Eren grabbed Reiner's head and started pulling, determined to rip a limb off one way or another.

Then, out of nowhere, Reiner dug his fingers into the ground and started pushing him and Eren along the ground at the bottom of the wall. At first, it was unclear what his plan of action was, but when he finally stopped pushing just below where the Colossal Titan was perched, everything fell into place.

With that, the Armoured Titan let out a low scream and, in return, the Colossal Titan called back.

As the Colossal Titan began to tip over the edge of the wall, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Eren was so close to defeating Reiner, but before he got the chance to rip the traitor's head from his body, what remained of the Colossal Titan was falling down on top of them.

Before she even knew what she was doing, Vera was propelling herself along the wall toward them. She wasn't sure who she was most worried about, or what on earth she was going to do if she got there in time, but all she knew was that her limbs had started moving on their own.

"No!" Vera screamed out, but she was much too late.

When the Colossal Titan hit the ground, the impact released such a shockwave that every Scout hanging from the wall was shot into the air. Vera's anchoring line snapped away from the wall, and as her body smacked against the hard cement, she started coughing after accidentally inhaling some of the debris that had formed into a giant plume of smoke and dust in the air.

Head spinning, Vera was just able to catch a glimpse of the Armoured Titan biting the nape of Eren's Titan before her eyes fluttered shut. Her entire being was frozen with pain, and without knowing what was going on, she felt her body being picked up and carried away.

Eyes managing to open again for just a second, she looked up to see the Armoured Titan's face above her. And on its shoulder, Bertholdt was holding Ymir's body.

"Reiner," Vera wheezed out, and even though her voice was weak, he had heard her and looked down. Yellow orbs fixed on her once again, the large Titan hand she was lying in tightened ever so slightly around her body as if to silently assure her that she was safe.

With that, she succumbed to the pounding in her head and the aching of her body and passed out.

Rain was pouring down outside the mess hall and it was a cold, miserable night. Vera sat alone in the corner at an otherwise empty table, completely content with sitting by herself and listening to the conversations around her.

Suddenly, a large boy with a large build sat down across from her. Vera looked up through her eyelashes at him, hoping her unimpressed expression got the message across that she wasn't looking to make friends.

"I'm Reiner Braun," he introduced himself.

Vera just scoffed and she grabbed her empty bowl. "I know who you are." She stood to leave, but he stopped her.

"And you're Vera Kline, right?" he asked.

Vera paused and looked down at him and that smug look on his face. "Look, Reiner, nothing against you personally or anything, but I don't really play well with others."

"You see, you say that, but I don't think it's true."

Vera cocked a brow and smirked. "And what makes you think that?"

"You remind me of someone I know back home," he said matter-of-factly as if it was the most logical reason in the entire world. When Vera didn't move to leave, he gestured back to the seat across from himself. "Sit back down. I promise I'll stop talking."

Vera waited a few seconds, but when he seemed to keep his word and keep his mouth shut, she slowly slid back into her spot. She had already finished eating, so without knowing what else to do, she rested her elbow on the table and placed her hand on her cheek. Exhaling softly, she directed her attention to the window and watched as the rain pelted the glass relentlessly.

"You really don't talk much, do you?"

Head whipping back to face Reiner, Vera huffed. "You make a habit of breaking promises, Braun?"

"Sorry." He chuckled lowly. "It'll never happen again. I promise."

Eyes slowly opening, Vera stirred awake and stared up at the canopy of trees above her. Letting out a breath, she wondered why her mind had decided to taunt her with the memory of the first time Reiner had spoken to her while she had been out.

Her head was still pounding and her body still aching, but she had managed to regain just enough strength to push herself into a sitting position. The bark of the tree branch she was in was rough and uncomfortable, but she had a feeling that was going to be at the bottom of her list of worries.

When Vera turned to look into the adjacent branches, Eren and Ymir were there was well—Eren missing both of his arms and Ymir still slowly regenerating her right arm and leg that she had lost at Utgard Castle.

"You're awake." Reiner's voice called down from a higher branch where he was perched with Bertholdt by his side. His eyes were fixed on her, just like the Armoured Titan's had been, and that was all she needed to confirm that everything hadn't been a fever dream; Reiner and Bertholdt really were Titans. "Welcome back."

reblog, ask/submit, or comment ur unpopular aot/snk opinions

idc who gets mad

If you think that any of the warriors, including Gabi, are evil, you aren’t mature enough to watch AOT

Levi and Hange being Parents

Married Couple Vibes, Married Couple Vibes, Married Couple Vibes, MARRIED COUPLE VIBES

Brave Heart: Chapter Nineteen

Attack on Titan

Rating: Mature

Warnings: sexual themes, death, gore, mature themes, extreme violence, body horror, blood, weapons, major character death

By daybreak, Utgard Castle was in the squad's sights, but it was nowhere near what they had been expecting. From miles away, the Titan steam could be seen wafting up into the morning air, and the castle that once stood tall had been deduced to crumbled piles of brick and wood.

"All soldiers, ride for your lives!" Hange ordered, kicking her horse. "If there's anyone left in that rubble, we've gotta act fast!"

Cloak blowing in the wind behind her, Vera tried to shake the mental image of what she might find upon arrival from her head. Every time she closed her eyes, even for a brief moment, the corpses of Reiner and the others flashed in her mind. In reality, she didn't even know for sure or not if they were at that castle, but until she got visual confirmation, the horrid thoughts swirled in her mind nonstop.

The closer they got, the bleaker the situation looked. The castle grounds were crawling with Titans of every size and shape and Vera swore she could hear shouting; human shouting. Just by the sight of the castle remnants, she could tell something very bad had happened overnight.

"It's Krista!" Mikasa pointed out a small figure among the wreckage, the blonde girl's bright blue eyes wide as she stared up at a Titan that was seconds away from snatching her.

As soon as she was close enough, Mikasa jumped off of her horse and anchored herself to the Titan, cutting it down before it could so much as harm a single hair on the girl's head. "All of you, get back!" Mikasa landed upon a fallen tower and looked down at the remaining survivors. "It's okay. Let us take care of this."

With that, Hange ordered the squad into action. As soon as Vera took to the skies, she could see Connie, Bertholdt, and Reiner standing among the rubble along with Krista. Reiner had his arm in a sling, but other than that, he and the others looked all right. Since they were all dressed in civilian clothes, Vera wondered how they had managed to survive without their ODM gear. Another thing that puzzled her was that Ymir was nowhere to be seen.

As soon as Vera locked eyes with Reiner, and the two of them once again had confirmation that the other was alive, she turned her attention back to the task at hand. Paring blades drawn, she dove in along with the other Scouts to take down the remaining horde of Titans.

Blood spewed from the back of a Titan's neck as Vera sliced through the nape, landing on her skin and evaporating soon after. Looking back over her shoulder for a brief moment to make sure Reiner was still safe on the ground, she was pleased to see that he was currently standing with Eren, who had just completed his first successful ODM kill.

As soon as the final Titan had fallen, bringing an end to what looked like a hellish night for the others—if the state of the castle and the fact that their superiors were nowhere to be seen was anything to go off of—everyone gathered back on the ground.

"Your arm!" Vera rushed over to Reiner. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Reiner assured her. "Titan got it. Fractured the bone but I'll live."

Vera's fingers ran gently over Reiner's good arm. It wasn't often she saw him out of uniform, and she thought his button-up suited him very nicely. Then, almost immediately, she chuckled to herself and shook her head lightly. He had almost died and she was thinking about how nice he looked; real mature.

"I should have told you to stay with me back in the city," Vera said. "Then you wouldn't be hurt."

Reiner rolled his eyes and chuckled lightly. "You worry too much, you know that?"

Vera just narrowed her eyes at him. "I wonder who made this way, hmm?"

Hearing a commotion behind her, Vera turned to see Krista and Hange carrying what looked like a body. Vera felt her blood run cold for a mere second.

That was when the news about Ymir came out. Ymir wasn't dead yet, thankfully, but there was another pressing issue that needed to be dealt with at the moment. After being pulled from the nape of a slowly disintegrating Titan body, missing an arm and a leg, Ymir was laid down upon a pile of bricks with Krista and Hange by her side. She was bleeding profusely from her side and dismembered limbs and it was hard to tell if she was going to make it or not.

"It can't be." Armin stared wide-eyed at their classmate; yet another classmate that turned out to be a Titan. "She's really . . ."

Looking around at the destruction and Titan corpses that had been there before she and the rest of the squad had arrived, Vera gasped. "She did all this?"

"Most of it, yeah." Connie nodded. "She asked me for my knife and then . . . just leapt off the top of the tower. No warning, nothing. There was a flash of light and then, just like Eren, she was a Titan."

Kneeling down beside Ymir, Krista waited for the girl in her arms to open her eyes before speaking. "Just as promised," Krista whispered, just loud enough for the others to hear as well. "My name is Historia."

With a smile on her face, Ymir shut her eyes once again. Similar to Eren's latest transformation, there were red marks around her eyes that remained, along with thick red scratches down either side of her neck.

With Ymir still drawing breath, the Scouts packed up and headed back to the wall as quickly as they could. The once blue sky had clouded over by the time they made it back, and a light rain had started to pour down on them.

As slowly and carefully as possible, Ymir was hoisted up the side of the wall to safety, where Krista—or, Historia—was waiting for her. Vera had always known the two girls had shared a special bond, but as she watched Krista's face twist with concern upon seeing Ymir's unconscious body, she felt there might have been something deeper between the two.

"What's the verdict?" Eren asked. "How bad of shape is Ymir in?"

"Well, she's missing an arm and a leg. And her insides are scrambled," one of the other Scouts answered. "If she was normal, she'd be a goner."

Eren watched as Ymir was placed onto a stretcher. "Normal, huh?"

Looking over, Vera noticed Reiner was having trouble pulling himself up the wall the rest of the way because of his injury. Walking over, Vera crouched down and offered her hand. "Let me help you." She waited for him to grab her hand and squeeze firmly before she stood back up and pulled him to his feet.

"Thanks," he huffed, promptly taking a seat.

Sitting down next to him, Vera exhaled slowly. "I can't believe it." She shook her head. "One by one, everyone we know is being revealed as Titans. Makes me wonder if I'm one and I don't even know it."

Vera had been trying her best to lighten the mood, but when Reiner didn't chuckle or even smile, she frowned. "Ever since we had that talk, you've been more serious," Vera told him as she wiped a raindrop from his cheek. "You know, if you just want to be friends, I can take it. I'm a big girl. I won't start sobbing if you tell me the truth."

"It's not that." Reiner tilted his head back and closed his eyes, letting the rain fall directly down onto his face. Reaching out, he took Vera's hand in his, not even caring that there were others around. "I just wish we could skip to the end."

"The end of what?" Vera asked. "The end of us?"

Reiner smirked before looking down at Vera. "No, the end of . . . this. So that there could be an us."

Every time Reiner spoke, Vera found herself getting more and more confused. When they were together, she found herself transfixed on just living in the present, but as soon as they were apart, she thought of a million questions that she wanted to ask; even if she knew Reiner probably wouldn't answer them.

This time, however, a single question popped into Vera's head in the moment and before she knew it, she was asking it. "Reiner?"

"Yeah?"

"I know that there are things you can't tell me yet, and I respect that." She intertwined their fingers together. "But if it . . . whatever it is . . . if it's dangerous or you need help . . . or if I'm going to get hurt . . . you would tell me, right? You trust me that much at least, right?"

When Reiner's gaze met Vera's, she was sure that if a million invisible barriers weren't standing in between them, she would probably kiss him right then and there.

"I will never let you get hurt," he said, and for some reason, it felt more than just a simple caring gesture. It felt personal, especially when he followed it up with, "I will never hurt you."

Then, just as quickly as it had come, the moment between the two of them was interrupted by the sound of Krista shouting.

"Please, you've got to believe me!" Krista pleaded before Hange. "I'm telling the truth! Ymir could have run away anytime she wanted. She chose to fight the Titans to save our lives. She had nothing to gain putting herself on the line like that. Doesn't that speak volumes about where her loyalties are? She should have told us before, yes, she had no right to keep her power a secret. It's hard to look past how much humankind might have gained from knowing what she's been keeping to herself, but I think she was just worried about what people might do to her. Clearly, her priorities have changed now. This isn't nearly as complicated as it looks. No one is closer to Ymir than me, and there's no question in my mind whose side she's on!"

"Is that so?" Hange inquired. "Well, under the circumstances, it certainly behooves us to be friendly. Her priorities aside, I'll wager what she can teach us about the enemy is beyond measure. Probably. Even so, you say this isn't as complicated as it looks, but from where I'm standing, the world gets more complicated by the hour."

Krista nodded.

"Oh, Historia Reiss, you said your name was?"

"I did. That's correct."

"Isn't Reiss the name of a noble family?"

Krista hung her head. "Yes, it is."

"Huh." Hange laid her hand down on Krista's shoulder. "Historia. Nice to meet you."

Krista seemed to relax a little under Hange's touch. "Thank you."

With that, Krista rushed back over to Ymir, where she had been properly secured to the stretcher and steam had begun to pour from her wounds, signifying that she was finally beginning to regenerate. Hange ordered that Ymir be taken back to Trost where she could receive proper medical care before turning her attention back to the mission at hand: finding the hole in the wall and patching it up.

Standing up, Vera offered to help get Ymir lowered back down the other side of the wall with Krista. By the time she had returned, Reiner was sitting with Eren and Bertholdt and neither boy had noticed her presence yet.

"Son of a bitch," Reiner groaned, his arm clearly starting to hurt more now that the adrenaline had worn off.

Looking over his shoulder, Eren looked at his injured comrade. "You okay over there, Reiner?"

"Not by a long shot," Reiner admitted, probably because he no longer felt the need to put up appearances when Vera wasn't there. Drawing in a deep breath, he buried his head in his hand. "A Titan almost gnawed my arm off. Pathetic. All I could think was, 'this is how I go.'"

Just then, Armin made it back up to the top of the wall as well. "What else are you supposed to think at a time like that?" Eren questioned as he helped Armin up. "You're only human."

"Don't you get it?" Reiner snapped. "This was my second time! Armin, remember? Go on, tell 'em how Annie nearly crushed me like an insect."

Vera wanted to interject, but she knew that as soon as she did, Reiner would probably stop talking altogether. She wasn't sure how she felt about the fact that he never told her any of this stuff, but it certainly wasn't a good feeling.

"Yeah," Armin recalled the recon mission. Vera remembered it too and her stomach twisted just thinking about it.

"That's twice I've nearly died now. What are the chances I'll survive a third time?" Reiner sighed. "This is what it really means, what it is to be a soldier. Your spirit breaks and the body follows." Then, in the blink of an eye, he seemed to be totally fine again. "No good whining about it now. Least not until we can plug up the wall."

"That's true," Eren agreed. "The two of you have been driven far enough away from your hometown as it is. This is it. This is where we draw the line."

"Truer words were never spoken!" Bertholdt suddenly exclaimed before kneeling down in front of Reiner. "Home! Let's go! We've been here long enough. Compared to everything else we've had to go through, the rest is easy."

Reiner smiled at his friend. "You're right. We don't have much further to go before it's done."

Suddenly, everything that Bertholdt and Reiner were saying was making no sense; or, just barely, at least. It was almost like they were speaking in a secret code, saying one thing but meaning another.

When Vera looked up, Eren and Armin had noticed her standing there, looking just as confused as they did. Reiner and Bertholdt, however, were too focused on one another.

"What are you guys talking about?" Eren asked.

Before either of them could answer, Connie had pulled himself atop the wall, making him the last one. From there, once everyone had gathered, Hange spotted the Garrison Advance Squad on the ground, and hopefully, they were arriving with news of the breach location.

Minutes later, Hannis, the lead of the Garrison Advance Squad, was hoisting himself the wall as well. "Wall's perfectly fine," he informed everyone, much to their dismay.

"What?" Eren questioned.

"Spent all night trying to find out where they're getting in, but between Trost and Krolva District, there's nothing. No hole anywhere," Hannis continued.

Hange shook her head, unbelieving. "That's impossible!"

"We ran into a search party from Krolva and retraced our steps. Not a single Titan on the way here, either."

"But we know for a fact that there are Titans on this side of wall Rose," Armin said.

Eren scoffed and eyed Hannis. "Oh, come on! How much have you had to drink? Seriously?"

"Why, you little!" Hannis gasped. "Hold on, wait a second. What the hell are you kids even doing here?"

With a rather harsh gust of wind blowing more clouds in, bringing with it the possibility of a storm, Hange pondered the information Hannis had delivered. "If there's no breach then I guess we have to change tactics. We head back to Trost immediately."

"You'd be smart to keep your guard up," Hannis instructed the younger Scouts. "We'll go on ahead of you."

With that, Hannis leapt off the wall and used his ODM gear to safely lower himself to the ground.

"How can there be nothing wrong with the wall?" Eren stared out at the vast plains of nothingness.

"Excellent question," Armin acknowledged, clearly trying to come up with an answer for that himself. "Nothing like this has happened in five years. Why now all of a sudden?"

"Feels like everything's spiralling out of control," Sasha added.

As the others turned on their heels and started after Hange, Vera and Eren stayed back a little, the two of them still stuck on something that wouldn't stop bouncing around in their heads. If it was the same something, they didn't know, but the look they shared proved that they were both concerned.

The first to turn her back, Vera was just about to ask Eren if he was coming when Reiner's voice stopped her dead in her tracks. "Eren, we should talk. You got a moment?"

Vera wasn't sure how she knew, but an instinct deep inside of her was screaming that this wasn't about to be a normal conversation. Dropping down onto one knee, she pretended as if she was fiddling with her boot so she could stay within earshot without seeming as though she was listening in.

Once all three of them had their backs turned, Vera rolled behind a storage crate and camped out. She felt horrible for eavesdropping on Reiner, Bertholdt, and Eren, but the feeling in the pit of her stomach that something wasn't right just wouldn't go away.

Soon, the only ones left on that section of the wall were the four of them.

"Five years ago, we compromised wall Maria and launched an attack on humanity," Reiner said. Then, he dropped a bombshell that made Vera's entire body tense up. "I'm the Armoured Titan. He's the Colossal." He was obviously referring to Bertholdt.

"What are you talking about?" Eren's voice was shaky, unsure.

"Why are you telling him?" Bertholdt sounded frantic. "Reiner, no! Stop."

Just then, Mikasa, who had turned around to wait for Eren, noticed Vera crouching behind the boxes to listen in. She cocked her brows at Vera, but to avoid suspicion, soon joined her.

"We were on a mission," Reiner continued. "Our goal was to ensure mankind's extinction. But now there's no need for that. Eren, if you want the walls to remain standing, it's simple. Just come with Bertholdt and me. Do you understand?"

"Understand?" Eren snapped back. "What the hell is there to understand?"

Vera felt her entire world crash around her. At first, she thought maybe it was some kind of joke, but as Reiner kept talking and more and more things began to make sense, she felt as though she was on the verge of breaking down into tears. If Reiner and Bertholdt really were the Titans that caused the destruction of Shiganisha, then that meant they were the masterminds behind countless deaths: Eren's mother, Armin's grandfather, Vera's father. Sure, he hadn't been the best father to Vera, but he was all she had. With him gone, her life had spiralled into darkness.

A memory of the night before flashed through her mind. Just before they had departed from Ehrmich, Hange had opened the message that Sasha had been sent to deliver. The message was actually a report regarding Annie Leonhart, and within that report, it stated that two other cadets from the 104th hailed from the same region . . . Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover. Of course, at the time, no one was willing to assume that they had anything to do with Annie being a Titan just because they came from the same town. That would be like assuming Vera was a Titan as well as Eren, just because they were both from Shiganshina.

However, as more and more things came to light regarding the recon mission's long-range formation, like how Reiner and Bertholdt had been among the squad given false info about Eren being in the right-wing—which was where Annie had attacked—or Reiner being able to break free of the Female Titan's grip so easily, things were looking bad.

At the time, Vera hadn't wanted to believe it; no one had. Eren was especially disgusted that everyone was blaming a fellow Scout. Now, however, as the pieces fell into place, Vera felt sick to her stomach for ignoring all the red flags that had been waving right in her face.

Hange's plan was to lure Reiner and Bertholdt underground to contain them before broaching the topic, but at that moment, all Vera wanted to do was push them off the top of the wall right then and there.

"Listen to me!" Reiner's voice travelled to Vera's ears and shattered her trust. "I need you to do exactly as I say."

As Reiner explained more to Eren, thinking the three of them were alone, Vera felt rage begin to bubble up inside of her. At that moment, she hated him and she hated herself. If she had stayed away from everyone during training, she wouldn't be in this situation right now. If only she had remained a loner like Annie. If only she weren't wracked by this all-consuming feeling of hurt.

"Look, I know this is sudden, but we have to go," Reiner finished.

"Right now?" Eren retorted. "Where would you take me?"

"I can't tell you. Not yet. Just think of it as our hometown. Okay?" Reiner lowered his voice just a little. "So what's it gonna be? Not a bad deal, right? The chance to avert a major crisis?"

"I'm not so sure."

Just then, Armin's voice rang out. "You guys, get a move on! We're heading out!" Armin's face fell when he saw Vera and Mikasa hiding behind the crates, concern flooding his expressions.

"You're just tired, that's it, right?" Eren asked them. "Help me out here, Bertholdt. Your nerves are shot. You don't know what you're saying."

"Y-yeah, it's the battle fatigue talking!" Bertholdt took Eren's excuse and ran with it.

Eren, who was probably remembering the plan at that moment, sighed. "It's okay, you're okay. If you really were the Armoured Titan, what's the end-game here? We wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. What did you expect me to do? Say yes? Let myself be kidnapped just 'cause you asked politely?"

"Right." Reiner took the out as well. "Not thinking straight, am I? Barely know what I'm saying here. Must have gone off the deep end."

"Come on, let's go." Eren was ready to leave, but as he turned around, the wind broke a flag pole in half and as it tumbled down the wall, it echoed out across the flat fields, catching everyone's attention.

Just like that, everyone had turned around to where the noise had come from—where Eren, Bertholdt, and Reiner were standing.

Slowly, the clouds began to part and rays of sun began to spill down onto the wall. Unsure what had come over her, Vera stood up from behind the crate to see Reiner with his back turned and hunched over. Bertholdt and Eren were staring at him.

"That's the problem . . ." Reiner's voice was low. "I've been here too long for my own good. Three years of this madness. Surrounded by idiots. We were kids, what did we know about anything? Why'd there have to be people like this? Why? Why did I let myself devolve into such a half-assed piece of shit?! It's too late now!" He began to pull the sling over his head and off of his arm, the wound steaming just like a Titan's would in order to regenerate. "Damned if I know what's right anymore. Who cares? It is what it is. No choice but to face what I've done. As a warrior, no road left but the one that leads to the end!"

When Reiner turned around and locked eyes with Vera, he instantly knew by the look of utter betrayal on her face that she had heard everything; she knew everything.

"Vera, I-" A hint of remorse flickered in his eyes.

"You bastard!" The words ripped through Vera's throat. "All this time, this is what you were lying to me about? Pretending to care, pulling me along like a puppet on a string? For what?!"

"I wasn't pretend-"

Vera fought back the tears, unwilling to let Reiner believe for one second that he had managed to break her. "Liar!"

"I'm sorry." More steam began to pour from Reiner's arm, and as his emotions—both anger and sadness—threatened to boil over, it was clear he was on the brink of transformation.

"Reiner?!" Bertholdt panicked. "Right now? Here? We're doing this?"

"Yes!" Reiner's voice was like listening to gravel. "Right here, right now! To settle this once and for all!"

As Reiner stalked toward Eren, Mikasa jumped out from behind the crate and put herself between them, her blade drawn as she swung at Reiner. Then, on the backswing, she got Bertholdt as well, slashing him right across the throat.

"Eren, get out of here!" Mikasa shouted as Reiner pushed her off the wall, only for her to anchor to the side and catch herself.

"Bertholdt!" Reiner rushed to his friend's side, and as the two boys rose to their feet, bright sparks of light shot out of their bodies as if they were storm clouds personified.

Eyes dark and narrowed, Reiner turned and looked to Vera one last time. "I will explain everything," he choked out. "I did this for you."

Then, with a crash of what sounded like thunder and a flash of bright, blinding light, steam shot out in all directions, nearly throwing everyone off the edge of the wall. Vera cried out as she felt herself begin to tip backwards, but before she could fall, a large hand wrapped around her body and lifted her into the air.

Hair whipping in every direction around her face, Vera felt her heart drop when she found herself staring back at a Titan with white hair, glowing eyes, and a set jaw. It was the Armoured Titan. It was Reiner.

In one hand, the Armoured Titan was holding her, and in the other, it was holding Eren. Faint screams could be heard from below, and out of the corner of her eyes, Vera watched the large hand of the Colossal Titan grab Ymir as well.

Then, before she knew what was happening, the Armoured Titan was sliding down the face of the wall. Looking over, Vera and Eren made eye contact, both terrified and unsure if this would be their last moments alive or not.

Vera felt tears welling in her eyes, and by the look on Eren's face, he was on the verge of crying as well. But then, in a sudden change of emotion, his eyebrows furrowed and he bit down hard on his hand. "Damn you, you traitors!" Vera heard him scream before yet another blast of light burned her eyes and Eren's Titan formed in mid-air.

With an ear-piercing screech, Eren's Titan punched the Armoured Titan hard in the chest, and as a result, Vera felt the secure grip around her body slip and the next thing she knew, she was falling toward the ground.

With an amused smile on her face and tears in her eyes, one lone thought circled in Vera's mind . . . so this is how I go?