Hello people, puppies, kitties, titans, etc! I'M BAAAACK! This is my first SnK chaptered fanfic and I hope I finish this so I don't leave many of you hanging. I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin, that's Hajime Isayama's brain child, not mine.
This fanfic is rated M for safety in case I do decide to put in lemons. This is a YAOI FANFIC starring my beautiful ships mainly EreRi and JeArmin. Minor ships include Springles so far. (will update you on this one)
SO IF YOU'RE HOMOPHOBIC, GO BACK. I WILL NOT TOLERATE HOMOPHOBIC HATE. It's hateful and toxic. Show respect to those who are just here to have a good time. I warned you, go away if you're not into it.
I also apologize for any erorrs. English isn't my first language sooooo yeah.
Please leave reviews and I hope you enjoy the story of these people who found love and adventure at an unlikely place and time!
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Chapter 1
The nightmare visited Eren that night again. The same dream had been recurring since that fateful day six months ago.
"Eren, clear a path for us!" Mikasa had called out to him over the gun fire. "I'll hold them off, go now!"
"Are you fucking crazy?!" He had shouted back. "I'm not leaving you, you fool! You'll die!"
"If you don't get going, we'll both die." Mikasa fired two shots before clicking the discharge button on her rifle and jammed in a fresh magazine. "If we don't fight, we die. If we die, we don't win! You told me this!"
"But-!"
"Just listen to me for once!" Mikasa snapped, mirroring the words of their late mother. "Clear a damn path, I'll be right behind you."
Eren ran towards the dark corridor, his finger never taking a rest from pulling the trigger.
'Eren!' Armin's clear voice sounded from his earpiece. 'Take a right on the next intersection and go straight, you'll find a door and that's the exit.'
'And the Rescue?' Eren asked, shooting men that came to block his path without giving them a chance to shoot first.
'Gone.' Armin's voice was low with disappointment. 'She self-detonated. The Brigade's re-wiring had kicked in early and brainwashed her to be loyal to them. The mission's a dud, Eren, you and Mikasa get out of there quickly.'
'Hurry up, asshole!' It was Jean's voice that cut in the line this time. 'Sasha and I are half way done with clearing the perimeter outside,' He mentioned the fellow Cyborg who's the best sharp shooter in their squad. 'What the fuck is taking you?'
'A bit busy here, horse face!' Eren retorted, reloading his weapon. 'Almost there, just waiting for Mikasa!'
'Eren,' Mikasa's voice this time. 'I'm almost there, get through the door and to safety, I'll catch up.'
'No!' Eren bit back, yelling at the mic. 'I carved a path out now you get out with me!'
'Eren, I'll catch up! Don't argue with me, it's not helping.' Mikasa's voice was oddly calm but Eren took it as regular attitude of hers. There was no use panicking during missions because that will only allow mistakes. Looking at the small screen attached to a gauntlet on his left arm, he saw that through Mikasa's GPS, she was only at the curb of the corridor near him.
'I'm heading out!' he told her as he kicked the door open.
'Jean!' Eren heard Armin call out and in a split second Jean was in front of Eren, all clad in the same black combat uniform they all wore, his back facing him proudly displaying the emblem of the Recon Core, the Wings of Freedom. Lifting up his palms in front of him, the artificial skin in the middle slid open to reveal two black hollows. From them, Jean fired up a force field around him and Eren. The bullets that came from the assailants ricochet away from them while Sasha who was invisible in a roof top somewhere swiftly took out the Brigade's men with one shot between the eyes.
'Where's Mika—' Jean wasn't able to finish when an explosion went off from inside the building, the force throwing them off a couple of feet away. If it wasn't for Jean's shield, the two of them would have had serious third degree burns instead of just bruises from the rough landing.
"MIKASA!" Eren's scream pierced through the darkness of his room in the Recon Core compound.
He shot up from his bed, cold sweat covering his body. When he calmed down, the tears came. They were angry, bitter tears. He wrapped his arms around himself to try and hold it together, but the pain tore through him. This is going to be another sleepless night like all the nights for the past six months. The only times he slept through the night without any disturbance from the nightmares was whenever he was exhausted to the bone or drunk.
Hanji, the Recon Core's head surgeon on robotics had prescribed him sleeping pills, but they weren't much help either. She told him that he should see a psychologist and referred several of her colleagues from the psychology field, but Eren hasn't gone to see any of them. No, he would live with this. He would take this anger and use it to destroy the Brigade. He'll kill them all, each and every one of them.
He shook his head, trying to clear it. No, there were innocents in there. Innocent people like Jean and Sasha who didn't want to be part of this war. People who were just lying in hospitals when they were abducted and subjected into cyborg surgery against their wills and brain washing them. But those who were willing, he'd kill them. He'd blow them up like they did to his sister.
A knock came from the door. When Eren just stared at it, three more rasps came.
"Eren?" It was Armin.
He pushed the covers from his legs and stood up to stagger towards the door. He held on the door frame to steady himself and punched the code to undo the lock and security features before pulling it open. Armin stood outside, the hallway light making his hair glow a benevolent gold. His sweater that hung around him was a size too big and his dark rimmed glasses sat on the top of his head suggested that he was probably reading. On the other side of the hallway, Jean casually leaned on the wall next to the door of Armin's room which was across Eren's and was beside Jean's. His arms were crossed over his muscle shirt clad chest. His feet were bare, and there was an orange dot of light that blinked in his right pupil signaling that his circuit power is in medium low.
If it went red and was left unattended, poorly wired Cyborgs can die if they don't charge within 48 hours since some of their major organs are already dependent on their artificial halves. Jean used to be like this since he was just a lab rat for the Brigade three years ago. But with Hanji's extra modification, his organs aren't completely dependent on the machine part anymore. And with her brilliant re-wiring, Jean would still be alive if he is in proper care. He'll just be a sleeping vegetable until he gets charged up again. Otherwise, he'll die from the lack of nutrients and dehydration.
"I'm…" Eren breathed deeply and exhaled in a strong rush. "I'm fine, Armin. I'm okay, thanks for taking a look."
"Are the meds working?" Armin asked, taking a step closer. Jean watched him carefully, a scowl on his face. He hated it whenever Eren would trouble Armin like this despite the two being childhood friends.
Eren shook his head. "It doesn't work, to be honest. Besides, I don't really want to be dependent of sleeping drugs."
"That's it, I'm taking you to see professional help first thing in the morning!" Armin said with steel determination. "You can yell at me, you can throw a tantrum but I don't care. I'm sick of seeing you like this!"
"I'm fucking fine!" Eren argued. "Goddamit, Armin, would you fucking relax? You're worrying too fucking much!"
"Hey!" Jean cut in, his voice a bark of irritation. But it was mostly because Eren rejected Armin's help even though it was clear that his best friend was only trying to look out for him. Lack of gratitude was one thing Jean hated. He realized this when he was rescued.
"Armin is only trying to help, Jaeger." Jean pushed off from the wall and came to stand beside Armin. "Look at you, you're shit reincarnate! Cut yourself some fucking slack, man. Mikasa wouldn't want this."
That caught Eren off guard. "You did not just… You fucking… You…"
Eren clenched his fists and prepared to sock that horse faced bastard on the face, but Armin stared him down.
"Eren." Armin shook his head. Jean was right.
"Fine." Eren muttered. "I'm taking a walk. Go back to bed, Armin."
His green eyes glanced at Jean and locked eyes with him for a brief moment. He noticed the blinking light within the pupil of his cyborg eye. "Plug in your ass, Jean. You look like a fucking Christmas tree." And then he slammed the door at them.
Armin turned to look at Jean and stared him down too, studying both his artificial and real eye. "You heard him, Jean."
"I was plugged in," Jean argued. "Then Jaeger screamed—"
"I know." Armin sighed and smiled tiredly which Jean found adorable. "Come on, I'll plug you in."
Jean went quiet and avoided his eyes, glad that he lost the ability to turn red like a tomato. "Whatever, coconut head."
Armin laughed. "Beat me in chess THEN call me coconut head." They entered Jean's room to resume his charging. When he was found three years ago, Armin agreed to become his temporary Keeper. A Keeper is the term used for the guardian the Core assigns to Cyborgs that they rehabilitate since they cannot trust a half human half machine to run loose in the facility. Upon successful rehabilitation, the Cyborg is asked whether they want to stay the way they are or for the surgeons to reverse what they can for the Rescues to be human again. However, they won't be fully human since some implants had become permanent and removal would mean death.
Jean decided to continue to be a human-cyborg weapon and was drafted into the 104th squad. The man and machine in him agreed to the idea and years of being beside his Keeper, he imprinted on Armin and established a Cyber Link. Due to the nanotechnology within the Cyborg modifications, the artificial side was deemed to be alive in a way; it evolves and fuses with the human to become a permanent part. One of the wondrous perks of this kind of super advanced technology is the bond the Cyborg form towards another being creating an urge to protect with their very lives with unquestionable loyalty. The person imprinted also has complete power and authority over the Cyborg. It is said that this person is the only one who can issue special commands to unlock the Cyborg's full potential and true abilities. This imprinting is known as the Cyber Link.
"Get some rest, Jean." Armin watched Jean swing his long legs over the bed and laid down.
"Will do." Jean muttered as he reached behind his nape and pushed a built in button to eject a plug and pulled it out, the wire connecting to him. Armin took it and plugged it into power socket near the bed before turning off the lamp, allowing the moonlight to flood the room.
"Armin..." Jean asked. Sometimes he thinks that this is just the Cyber Link talking. But he feels that what he and Armin had was becoming something more than the Link. Armin seemed oblivious to it so he did not push nor questioned.
"I'll be here, Jean." Their eyes locked for a moment until Jean stubbornly broke the contact and turned to look at the window. Ever since the traumatic torture done to him as a Brigade test subject, sleep had become a difficult thing for him. But during his rehabilitation, Jean realized that it's easier with Armin's comfort and assurance that he was out of that hell hole. Over the years, he has become dependent on Armin's presence and despite the two of them disagreeing and arguing, the two of them became inseparable.
Jean felt sleep envelope him as his circuits too, sunk into idle. Armin doesn't know about the Cyber Link from the machine in him and the strange feeling that stirred the man in him. No, not yet. Maybe never, even, since he wasn't sure if Armin swung that way. But if there was one thing he was sure of, he was Armin's shield.
He lost someone dear to him back then.
He wasn't going to lose another one.