An old jukebox, this thing is ancient, rattles out a tune of a song long forgotten. Some song about a helplessly gullible girl who happened to look nice in pink...Eren wondered if it was a love story or not but the sound quality was so bad he couldn't tell. He sat back in his seat, antsy as ever. He just wanted to get out of here, the Military Police were afoot, and their primary target was the Wings of Freedom rebel gang. There were five of them at the present moment, Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, and Marco. They had just outran the police, who were just chasing them for sport, and were hiding away in this grungy diner where the food was as bad as the wait staff.
Eren Jaeger was a seventeen year old boy with a fuse on an inch long, picking fights with most people he meant. He was an intimidating figure, in his torn up leather jacket, combat boots, and lack of T-shirt. He had a green bandana tied around his arm, the color of the Wings of Freedom, and the symbol stitched onto the back of his jacket; a single key hung around his neck. His bad attitude and shit look helped this none, and neither did his wont for the use of offensive language. He was as angry as they came, starving for a revolution in this bullshit world they lived in, where the government rules all in an attempt to make everyone equal, but leaving so much of the world starving and in slums. They ruled by fear, with their mechanical TITANS, big humanoid robots that dealt with any rebels or those who dared to think about defying the law. They sat looming amongst the skyscrapers that were falling apart, constantly watching the citizens of Shiganshina, one of the largest but poorest cities in the district. States, countries, popular sovereignty, all gone, replaced by a single government that ruled all, a government that wasn't even that, but one monopolistic company called the Reiss Company that oversaw and owned everything, the CEO becoming a king with the power of his TITANS. The continent of Europe and Asia was now Reissland, broken in multiple districts. The Americas, North and South Reissland, Australia and the oriental islands, the Reiss Islands. Reiss ruled all, and this was one of many things that pissed young Eren Jaeger off.
His girlfriend, Mikasa Ackerman, also seventeen, shared his anger, though she was the strong stoic type that countered his blind rage. She had short black hair, shaved underneath, though you couldn't tell, and wore x's of eyeliner around each eye. She wore a short black dress, torn along the bottom, and combat boots that matched Eren's, with a long red scarf around her neck. She wore at least fifty bracelets around each wrist, and a single chain around her neck. On the back of her dress was the Wings of Freedom patch, stitched on with safety pins and duct tape.
Next to her was Armin, the quiet one of the bunch, with a small figure and blonde hair pulled back in a pony tail. What he hated most about this world was that they feared intelligence. He was the most brilliant boy around, a prodigy at seven and a genius at seventeen. He didn't dress as bold as Mikasa and Eren, wearing a black long sleeved shirt with the Wings of Freedom neatly sewn to the back. His pants were a soft purple, and his shoes were torn up Chuck Taylors, brown. He was soft spoken most of the time, but when evoked could prove to be as vicious as his friends, though unlike them, he had never murdered a soul. He believed in a peaceful revolution most of the time, until he saw innocent lives in danger. With that becoming more common in the recent days, Armin was starting to let go of that peaceful dream, beginning to side with his friends. The sad truth was they only reacted to violence, and as much as Armin hated that, he had to accept it.
Across from Mikasa and Armin sat Jean Kirstein, eighteen, and sworn rival of Eren, though their rebellious natures and opinions of the Remiss monopoly had led them to be unlikely friends. He had a Mohawk, spiked messily and bleached, though it was fading. He wore a white T-shirt with suspenders and high waisted pants, and bright pink boots that had "fuck you" written on them, laces green. His Wings of Freedom patch was stitched to the back of his right leg, to match his boyfriend, Marco, who had his stitched to the left. Jean wasn't from Shigansghina like Eren, Armin, and Mikasa. He and Marco hailed from Trost, but when the city became the central power for Remiss and his TITANS, they bailed, living on the streets and in and out of hotels until they found the Wings of Freedom, where they finally felt accepted.
Marco Bodt was Jean's boyfriend, as mentioned above, and was the calmer and more relaxed of the two. He was also the oldest of the group, at nineteen. He had an optimistic side to him that often helped the rest from completely losing their minds in the midst of panic. He and Armin were who you could call the voices of reason. Marco dressed similar to Jean, high waisted pants and suspenders that hung at his side. His shirt was a dull gray, his jeans a faded yellow, and he wore Doc Martins that had stars painted on them. The most iconic feature of Marco's were his freckles that adorned his face, Jean's favorite thing about the boy. To Jean, Marco was more than a boyfriend, he was his savior, showing him things weren't so bad countless times when Jean wanted to give up and be dead. The two loved each other unconditionally, and even the harshness of this horrible world they lived in couldn't separate the two.
They all had been waiting in here for over an hour, waiting for things to calm down outside. They didn't have any money, and didn't order any food, which greatly pissed off the wait staff. Finally, a young waitress, by the name of Sasha Brauss, approached the group and boldly said, "Listen, if you're gonna stay here, you better order some god damn food, or else I'm gonna throw your asses out." Her tone was firm, and as she spoke, Mikasa sized her up. Sasha was eighteen years old, working nonstop to keep herself alive. This was only one of the four jobs she held. She wore a common waitress' outfit, with a short black skirt and a white apron, one sock scrunched up while the other stood tall, and her shoes were scuffed up and dirty and worn out from walking around all day. Despite her cute 1950s esque appearance, she was as tough as they came, and this little gang didn't scare her.
"Why don't you make us leave then?" Eren dared her, narrowing his eyes as he arched a brow. It was a challenge.
"Fine." She said, putting down the tray she was holding and reaching across the table to grab Eren by the collar. When she had a good grip, she yanked him from his seat and threw him to the ground effortlessly. Eren was red with embarrassment, astonished at her strength. "Anyone else?"
Mikasa stood now, pulling Sasha close by the bowtie she wore, and stared into the girl's eyes. She didn't say a word, trying to intimidate her. But neither budged, proving to be formidable foes.
The whole time Armin watched, knowing he had seen Sasha somewhere before. He whispered his inquiry to Marco, who agreed. "Hey, you, I've seen you at alt state drug lounge, haven't I?" Marco asked. Alt state drug lounges were places to get mind altering drugs at cheap prices, with little rooms where you could have your trip in solitude. All five of them had tried it before. There were no lasting effects, except that you could wait days in there.
Sasha batted an eye at this, and when her gaze broke, Mikasa punched her face, sending her to the ground beside Eren. Tearing up a little, she looked at Marco. "Y-yeah...I do. So!?"
Marco smiled warmly, standing as he pushed Mikasa aside. He extended a hand to Sasha, who gratefully took it. "I see, so you're a product of the government's raping of society, hm? You work a lot of odd jobs to support yourself, am I right? And no matter what, you can't make ends meet?"
Sasha was crying now, because Marco couldn't be more right. Fixing her skirt, she wiped her eyes. "Yes...you're right. I just don't know what else to do. Me and Connie are starving, but we can't seem to get any better off." She shook her head and crossed her arms, embarrassed with herself.
Mikasa understood now, and while she didn't apologize, her expression grew softer. "Did you know there are groups trying to that? Groups who want to get Rises out of power and help people, like you?"
Sasha glanced at Mikasa. "Really?"
Marco smiled sweetly, and nodded. "Yes, and we're part of the biggest one. We're called the Wings of Freedom, and we're always looking for new soldiers. It's not an easy life, but if you help us, maybe you and Connie can live the life you've always wanted."
Sasha didn't mull it over long, and replied, "Do I have to dress like all of you?"
Marco laughed. "Of course not. You'll just need this, " he pointed to his Wings of Freedom. "We can initiate you and you can join the fight. Connie can come too."
"Give up this life for one of fighting. Will it be worth it?" Her tone was solemn.
Eren now spoke, because he was desperate to get her to see that it was. "Of course it will. Winning the war will make everything worth it." He stood himself up, and dusted himself off.
Sasha looked around to each face, and when her gaze landed on Armin, she could see in his eyes that he was honest and pure. "Should I?"
Armin was a little hesitant, but smiled. "We'd love for you to join us."
The gang grew from five to seven, and with the increased manpower, Eren was sure they could escape to their hideout without being captured by TITANS.
With silence and hung heads, Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Marco, Connie, and Sasha escaped through the back of the diner. Connie felt he was thrown into this, really, and was frightfully unprepared. He also stuck out among them, in his chef's outfit. He had thrown the hat away, but it helped little, the bright white sticking out against the darkness of the streets. Eren stopped and halted the promenade, spotting two TITANS in the distance, their glowing eyes like spotlights in the streets. "Damn it..." Jean muttered, seeing no escape. As soon as they stepped out into the light he was sure they'd be spotted and arrested.
"Well," Eren smirked, "Guess we'll just have to fight our way out." It was risky, but it was the only option. Realizing Connie and Sasha were unarmed, he gave Connie his pocket knife and Sasha his pistol, finding a cracked set of pipes and ripping one free. Across the street he could see their bikes, all in a group. "We'll make a run for our bikes and when they fight, we fight back." He instructed, leading the group. Dutifully they followed, getting on their bikes, Sasha riding with Mikasa, and Connie with Jean. As soon as they started their engines, a blinding light was on them, and the blaring sound of the TITAN sirens rang in their ears. The fight was on.
From the TITAN's arms came fully armed and loaded Military Police, taking to their bikes and following the group of renegades. Jean was at the lead, a good leader in situations like this, and ordered the group to split up. Eren quickly veered to the left with Mikasa and Armin at his tail, only to ride straight into a pack of waiting Military Police. "Freeze!" A woman's voice cried, her face indistinguishable in her MP uniform. They wore black and blue leather, boots that were often stained with blood, and sleek, black riding helmets. On their back was the insignia of the MP, a unicorn for the king.
Eren, as usual, refused to surrender. "Suck my dick!" He cried, revving his engine and riding into their pack, knocking the MP woman to the ground with his steel pipe. Mikasa and Armin followed suit, and soon it was a battle between MP and the rebellious teens. When guns were fired, the rebels fired back, and two MP fell dead.
They tried to capture Armin, pistol whipping him in the face and shoving it to the ground. Terrified, Armin stopped thinking, and began acting, pulling out his pistol, never used but always loaded, and killing the two officers that had him pinned down. In the seconds that followed, he returned to reality, realizing the gravity of what he just did. Dropping the pistol, he cupped his hands over his mouth in horror, tears welling up in his eyes.
Breaking out of the grip of an officer, Eren saw Armin on the ground, frozen in fear. Beating his captor with his steel pipe, he immediately rushed to Armin's side. "I killed them..." The blonde muttered. "Eren I killed them!"
Eren knew this wasn't the time for this. "It's OK, Armin, they were the bad guys." He handed him his pistol. "There's gonna be bloodshed. Now come on, we have to fight if we wanna get out of here." With shaking hands Armin took his pistol, then rose to his feet. Something in that second changed in him. His face lost all emotion, all remorse. He began firing back, proving to be an excellent shot for having never fired a gun.
There was no time to respond to Armin's sudden bravado, Eren was too focused on the task at hand. He could see Mikasa shooting two officers and stabbing the third, and as more came upon her, she cried, "Eren, we have to get out of here!" She was right. As much as he wanted them all dead, this wasn't the time. Taking Armin by the wrist, he broke for their bikes, before someone grabbed him from behind and separated him from Armin.
Eren fell hard to the ground, some of the wind knocked out of him. He looked up to see a short female figure before him. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Eren Jaeger. Still acting as a pawn for your stupid little club?"
Eren swept his leg under her feet, causing her to fall to the ground, but unable to deal the final blow. "Shut up..." He growled, spitting on her before he rendezvous with Mikasa and Armin. "Where's Sasha!?" He demanded.
She was still on Mikasa's bike, waiting and watching the scene play out before her. "Are you guys always this violent?"
Grinning, Armin got on his bike and said, "It was merely a diversion for Jean and Marco to get away." Eren didn't see it that way, but he wasn't going to argue. Just as they started to ride away, Eren felt a sharp pain to the back of his head, and soon everything went black as his bike fell and skidded across the pavement along with him.
A few hours later, Eren came to, in a dingy bed in their most recent hideout. It was an abandoned apartment, with no lights or running water. But it was all they had. He sat up and felt a throbbing pain in his head. Mikasa was quick to tend to him. "You took a piece of rubble to the back of the head and a serious crash. You should take it easy." She instructed.
"Not really my style..." The green eyed hothead replied, taking in his surroundings. Armin looked to be his old self again, but not in a good way. He was staring at his pistol and looking disgusted with himself. Eren felt bad for him. If he had been there sooner, Armin wouldn't have had to kill anyone, and he wouldn't be so ashamed. But there was no changing that now. Connie was hurt, laying down in the only other bed besides his. There was blood coming from his arm, and he could see Sasha wrapping it, asking him if they really wanted to get into this. In the corner he saw Jean, looking like he never had before. Jean had his head in his hands, and was sobbing quietly, bloodstains on his shirt. Eren saw that he was injured, but he didn't even seem bothered by it. Something had Jean extremely shaken, something had broken the teen. Suddenly, it became clear to Eren.
"Where's Marco?"