Connie never really imagined for the day to turn out like this when he stood facing the gates of Calaneth for his first expedition with the scouts, although he should have since this was basically the kind of luck they had to go with. they were waiting for orders by the tree branches and the next thing he knew, he was helping carry the dead bodies of his fellow soldiers into their wagons. He had no idea what had happened in the last hour inside the titan forest after the swarm of titans came rushing in. All he knew was that the loud wailing they kept hearing earlier came from either Eren—who he saw unconscious on one of the wagons just now—or the female titan. And the more he thought about it, the more he really didn't want to know.

They finished loading the wagons with their fallen comrades and finally started their retreat back to the Calaneth district. The journey didn't go as smoothly as they would've liked though, for along the way a few titans managed to intercept them, forcing them to to engage and suffer more casualties and adding a few more members among the list of 'dead and/or missing'. What was worse, in the end they were even forced to let go of the bodies they carried, throwing their corpses back to the titans so they could get away from the threat by getting rid of the extra load. It was a depressing sight, to see the men and women who fought alongside you be left behind, but it was necessary.

Connie felt horrible. With so much death around him, that familiar dread in his gut was back and he was again reminded of the lives they had to live with. It also didn't help that the people of the city they come back to were completely hostile to them. They gathered around the streets, throwing profanities and endless questions of whether the lives they lost even amounted to anything useful for humanity. It was all becoming too much that Connie almost wanted to get down his horse and punch someone when Reiner rode up next to him and gave him a look. He huffed and kept moving along with the others, trying his best to ignore the whole scene.

"How are you feeling?" Reiner whispered softly, lying down next to him. Due to public unrest, the scouts were forced to end their journey back at their castle base instead of the military barracks of Calaneth, and spending the rest of the day travelling through the interior wall. It really was a long day considering all things, but Connie was more than happy to be back here than anything else. It was a small comfort to be in their room again, alone with Reiner and with no training or responsibilities the next day.

"I guess I'm okay," Connie answered as he shifted his body to face the blonde. "I'm trying not to think about it too much. No good in dwelling over the fact that the whole population probably hates our guts."

Reiner stared at him before moving to wrap his arms around the smaller man, pulling him close and placing his shaven head on his bare chest. They still had so much to go through despite everything, what with the order of Eren's arrest and the possible suspension of the scout regiment's future expeditions, it was too much of a load to bear all at one time.

"Hey Reiner?" Connie said as he started tracing on the blonde's skin again with his finger, a habit he developed in the month they spent together every night. "Do you think what Armin was saying is true? That the female titan could actually be a person, just like Eren?"

Connie could feel Reiner's breath on his head as he spoke, finding the whole thing slightly comforting. "What happened to 'trying not to think about it too much'?" the blonde asked, and Connie didn't have to look to know that he was smirking.

"I guess the thought just...scares me a bit," he started, trying to piece together what was on his mind. "Remember that day in Trost? When I told you about seeing the armored titan? Well...I really didn't want to believe that human-titans actually do exist other than Eren, but I'd have to be very stupid to believe that he's the only one, right? And after fighting with that female titan, it just...I don't know, it feels like the world just got a whole lot bigger and it's scares me to think that I'm little more than an ant in it." He didn't want to sound so depressing, but if he wasn't being honest to himself then what good would that be?

Reiner held him tighter and planted a small kiss on the top of his head before speaking, "You're not an ant. You may be small but you don't have to be a titan to do something big in this world. It's the choices we make the have an impact, not our abilities."

Connie looked up at that and smiled when their eyes met, "Since when did you get all deep and wise?" he said with a slight chuckle.

"I can go deeper if your want," Reiner said and smirked when he saw Connie turn red at his words. He shifted their position so that he was on top of the smaller guy, placing his elbows on either side of his head and hovering just above his face. Connie's heart raced at the sudden proximity and almost whimpered when Reiner brought his face closer, kissing him lightly on the nose. "We should sleep, it's been a long day."

Connie wanted to argue back but as soon as Reiner cuddled up beside him again, he felt the wave of exhaustion course through his body and the events of the day catch up with him. "Good night." He heard Reiner say before his eyes became too heavy to keep open, sleep slowly taking over his body as he succumbed to the darkness.

"Good night, Reiner."

The next day, Connie woke up from his dreamless sleep from Reiner's gentle shaking on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see the smiling blonde fully dressed in his plain clothes with hair still damp from washing.

"Now I get why you get off on waking me up every morning," he said before leaning down to kiss his forehead.

"Good morning to you too." Connie yawned and stretched his body, sitting up on the bed while rubbing his eyes. "Why're you up so early? It's our free day."

"We got a call from command. Said we were transferring base this morning after breakfast...which is about an hour from now so get your tight ass moving," Reiner said cheekily, making Connie blush and throw one of the pillows at Reiner's face when he started laughing.

After getting ready, they ate breakfast with the others at the mess hall before being called by one of the commanders to prepare for their departure. It struck Connie as weird when they didn't even give them the chance to pack, saying that they were only moving temporarily and that time was of the essence. It was also weird how only the 104th cadet class were the only ones moving out, which section commander Miche answered with it being 'part of their training'. But training for what? They just finished an expedition yesterday, and they were all ungeared. His curiosity took a back seat though, once they were told where they were headed.

"That's near Ragako!" Connie said excitedly to Reiner as they rode on horseback, a huge grin spreading on his face. "I hope they can let me visit, it's still our free day after all."

Reiner on the other hand was less than thrilled at the whole ordeal, unable to see the point in all of it. But the smile on Connie's face was all but contagious and soon found himself feeling a little excited listening to his small friend. It was short lived though, for the moment they arrived at the holding barracks located to the south of Wall Sinna, they were sent to one of the common rooms with strict orders not to leave. Some bullshit about waiting for Commander Erwin to arrive or something, Connie was too pissed to pick it up. So now there he sat, wasting a beautiful day stuck in a room and bored out of his mind.

The hour passed uneventfully with him still rooted in his seat by the window, gazing longingly outside. It felt more like an eternity than an hour and he swore he could feel himself snapping any minute now.

"This is so pointless, I don't understand why they won't even let us out," he said whiningly, talking to no one in particular and trying to vent off his frustrations. "It wouldn't even take a whole day to visit my village, and it's supposed to be our day off."

"So you're nearby too, huh?" Sasha answered from across his seat, totally despondent and bored as well. "My village is just north of here, although my people told me never to come back 'til I was normal though."

Connie had to smile to that, glancing over at her remark unsure whether she was joking or not. "The folks at my village told me I was too puny to be a soldier. They're in for a surprise when they see that I'm eight of the class," he said before frowning again, remembering their current predicament, "But that's not happening anytime soon now is it, since we're practically prisoners here."

Sasha gave a long groan in response before laying her head on their table. Connie thought she was going to nap when not even a minute later, she shot back up quickly with panic in her eyes and startling everyone around her.

"Guys! I hear footsteps!" She glanced towards the window as if expecting to see something, then looked over at the others to explain, "Giant footsteps!"

"Don't be silly Sasha. We're close to the inner wall already," Reiner said, frowning at his friend's weird behavior. "You probably heard the horses outside or something."

But Connie knew better. Reiner didn't know Sasha like he did and if she's saying she heard them, then there was no mistaking it.

"I'm telling you there are titans coming! We have to tell the commander and—"

"Soldiers! On your feet!" One of the senior scouts was hanging by their window in an instant with complete urgency in her voice. "Titans have been spotted to the south, there's no time for you to put your gear on so get to your horses! We're moving out!"

Everyone scurried out of the room immediately except for Connie, who still sat in his chair in shock of what he just heard.

"Connie!" Reiner yelled at him, standing by the door in wait. "What are you doing? Let's go!'

Snapping out of it, he faced the blonde and nodded briskly before getting up. "Y-yeah, I'm coming!"

They saddled on their horses in record time and rode out, just as the tremors in the ground grew stronger with each passing second and turning everyone's worst fears into reality. Titans walking this far inside the walls could only mean one thing. Wall Rose had been breached.

"Listen up! Our primary mission now is to evacuate the settlements in the area!" said Commander Miche at the front of their formation, who silently cussed at their situation. Of all the rotten luck to have all his recruits unarmed at a time like this. "We'll go in four squads to cover every direction, recruits go with your senior soldiers! Is anyone familiar with the terrain here?"

"Me sir!" Sasha raised her hand, riding next to Connie, "My village is just to the north of here. I know these parts like the back of my hand!"

The commander nodded and signalled to his other men, "Alright, Braus with the northern squad!"

"Connie's village is nearby too! He could lead and—Connie?"

She stopped talking the moment she saw her smaller friend's terrified face. Connie swallowed hard when he knew everyone was looking at him before speaking up. "My village...is to the south."

Everyone was quiet for a minute, the meaning of Connie's words sinking in everyone's minds. He could only see the reactions of those who were directly beside him, Sasha's stricken face and Reiner's worried expression. Finally though, the commander broke the silence. "Can you lead the southern team Springer?"

"Y-yes. But please, after we evacuate...please let me go see my home," he answered desperately and he found out that whatever the commander said didn't actually matter at that point. Nothing will stop him from seeing his village.

"Very well then. Springer to the southern squad!

"Yes sir!" Connie said just as Reiner sped up beside him, "I'm coming with you."

He wanted to argue back. He wanted to say that it was too dangerous especially without their gear on. But he couldn't. Connie knew he needed Reiner now more than anything, no matter how selfish it seemed, so he merely nodded in agreement.

"Once the villages are cleared, report back to—"

Commander Miche paused to look at where the titans suddenly shifted their course, rushing madly towards their direction at a run.

"What the hell?! They're coming straight for us commander!

"They're going too fast! We can't outrun them!"

Everyone was starting to panic. At this rate,they may not even get the chance to start evacuating.. "Go off with your squads, I'll handle the titans!" Commander Miche barked before splitting from the group to head for the threat. None of the other officials argued, merely concentrating on the task at hand and knowing full well that if anyone could handle the titans, it was Miche.

Connie and the rest of the southern evacuation squad finished clearing the settlements just as the sun had started to set. He took it as a good sign that none of the villages they went to have been compromised by the titans, and he found himself hoping that it may be the same case with his village.

"Alright, this looks like the last village in the area. Springer, where to next?" asked their squad leader, Gelgar, as they started to move out on their horses.

"Ragako sir, my village. It's further down south but it isn't very far from here. We should be able to get there before dark."

Gelgar gave him a curt nod before looking towards their path, "Good to hear. Lead the way soldier!"

They galloped at a fast pace and the farther they went, the more familiar the sceneries became for Connie. He remembered the path he used to take with his father on the rare times he took him out of the village, and he could see in the distance the fields where he and his siblings used to play at as kids. He knew that to the right would be the small river that was the primary water source of the village, and further down were the small woods where everyone hunted. The nostalgia he was feeling was so strong now and he felt terrible that it had to be this way. He finally got his wish, he was going home but nobody told him it was going to be under these circumstances.

It was half an hour later when they spotted the first giant footprint marking the ground. Connie blanched at the sight of the massive depression and kicked his horse to run faster once he realized the footprint was facing the opposite direction they were headed. He tried to swallow the dread building up inside him but it was futile, the footprints just multiplied the farther they went. They were everywhere, in various sizes all of which were unfit for any human being.

The village was finally coming into view in the distance and that just about did it for Connie as he kicked off faster, going well ahead from the squad at a sprint. Even from fifty meters away he could see the looming wreckage of his village outskirts, extinguishing any hope he had of it being in the same undisturbed state as the previous villages they went to.

"Connie, slow down!" Reiner yelled from behind him, his voice almost drowning from the sound of their running horses. "There could be titans here! Wait for us!"

It was a thoughtless thing to do, to run head on without any regard for his safety. He knew Reiner would grill him about it later, assuming there even would be a later, but he didn't just care at the moment. This was his home. He wouldn't be able to control himself even if he wanted to.

He ran through the familiar thoroughfares of the village, eyes darting left and right at all the shattered glass and splintered wood littering the pathway. Everything was a complete mess of rubble and broken structures, pieces of the places he once knew. He saw the small bakery where he used to buy bread every morning for his family, remembering the old lady that ran it and how nice she'd been to him, always giving him a sweet roll that he ate on the way home so his parents wouldn't know. He passed by the ruins of what used to be the small poultry farm where they got their eggs, flashing back to the times when he used to help feed the chickens when as a kid. All of that was gone.

"Hello! Is anyone out here! Hello!" Connie yelled, trying to grasp at some sliver of hope, even though he knew at the back of his mind what the situation meant. "Anybody! Please! It's me, Connie! I've come home!"

He started to panic, the reality of what's around him was finally sinking in. His people were dead, everything was destroyed. His house—

Wait. My house!

He steered his horse and started running again, this time going through the familiar pathway that lead to his home. His heart was beating so fast and even then he found that he was still clinging onto some hope that they would be okay. That maybe they've hidden somewhere and waited for the titan's to pass through and were now sitting safely in their house.

Mom...Dad...Sunny...Martin...Please be okay,

His heart was pounding and he was on the verge of tears as his horse ran through the wreckage. He could faintly hear the others following behind him but that was the last of his concerns. He was getting closer now, just one more corner before his house.

The head of a blonde titan was the first thing he saw when he made the turn, lying upside down over the crushed remains of what used to be his house. He stopped right in front of it, its large golden eyes staring at him and freezing him on the spot.

"CONNIE! GET BACK!" Reiner yelled and tried to pull him out of the way, almost knocking him out of his horse. "What the fuck are you doing?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" The grip on his arm was becoming a little painful, and if the situation were any different, the raging tone of his voice would've been enough to get him going. But Reiner's anger couldn't faze him now. Not after this.

"I-it's my house…" Connie managed a weak whimper that changed Reiner's mood instantly, looking at his small friend in complete shock. "M-my house is—"

"You two! Fall back!" Gelgar and the others have caught up with them, standing between them and the titan with their blades at the ready. Connie tried to focus but found that he couldn't. Everything was suddenly muffled and his vision was blurring as his eyes started to water. He couldn't feel anything, not the horse underneath him nor the painfully tightening grip Reiner had on his arm. He was numb again, and how could he not be? He just lost his home and his entire family.