A.N: A word of warning: towards the end, this chapter gets a bit more violent than what this story usually is. Nothing that SnK fans aren't used to, but it hasn't really been a thing in this story yet so I thought I'd warn you guys just in case.
Chapter 33
As Nikolo patrolled the ghetto the next day, he was still going through his conversation with Jonas the night before in his head. He'd been thinking it over before he could fall asleep last night, and he'd continued in the morning, and by now he was pretty sure that the man had been sincere. That, or he was one hell of an actor. But honestly, Nikolo didn't know what to think of that. Was it okay for him to be so careless that people saw through him? If things went completely wrong, someone might realize that Jonas had known and kept it to himself. His secrets could get his friends in danger, too.
"I need to be more careful from now on" he told himself, glancing at Thomas as he did, going over how much he had told the man. He did know about a woman named Sasha, he did know that Nikolo had feelings for her, but he didn't know that she was an Eldian nor that she was from Paradis. And that's how he needed to keep it; he couldn't mention Sasha in front of Thomas anymore. He was a good friend and meant well, but even his good nature had to have a limit. And the higher that limit was, the less he deserved to be pulled in to Nikolo's problems.
Then again, sometimes Thomas came across as a bit too nice, in a way that made Nikolo not only doubt his sincerity, but also uncomfortable. Not that he doubted the man anymore, not really, but he did think that his partner should stay out of other people's business a bit more.
"Is something bothering you?"
Like right now, for example.
"Not really, just thinking" Nikolo answered "Sorry. I'll try not to get lost in my thoughts too much."
"No harm done; things seem peaceful" Thomas said with a shrug "Unless you're spacing out because you have a hangover. That'd be unprofessional, you know."
Nikolo snorted.
"I only had two drinks, and the second one was non-alcoholic" he says, laughing as Thomas looks at him in disbelief "What, you seriously didn't notice?"
"I can't believe you did that" Thomas says. Unusual of him, he adds: "Wuss."
"I can't drink much when there's work the next day!"
"Didn't you just yesterday confess that you have low alcohol tolerance?" Thomas points out, chuckling "A really low alcohol tolerance, it seems."
"So? I know my limits" Nikolo huffs "How many drinks until you're drunk?"
"Depends on how strong they are" Thomas shrugs "For mild ones like yesterday, it would take five, perhaps six."
"Really? I think that's taken a lot of practice." Nikolo says, smirking at his partner's frown.
"I don't like what you're implying" he says "And I happen to just be a natural talent!"
"I'm sure you are" Nikolo laughed. Thomas huffed, but it didn't take a genius to see that the man wasn't actually angry. Not wanting the conversation to take a wrong turn again, Nikolo made sure to push his problems to the back of his mind for now and focus on the task at hand. Of course, that was basically just walking ahead since there was no trouble at sight. Not that he was complaining.
"Let's take a detour here for a change" Thomas said suddenly, already turning a corner to a side alley. Nikolo raised an eyebrow, but followed his partner without thinking too much about it. It's not like they had a destination in mind.
XXXXX
"Is everything going as it should?"
Sasha almost jumped, having not noticed Levi approaching her at all. She should be more aware of her surroundings!
Looking to her right, she could see Levi leaning against the wall a little way away from her, staring straight ahead. Getting the hint, Sasha also turned her eyes forward, answering evenly: "No trouble in sight nor anything suspicious."
"Jean filled you in, then" Levi says. Sasha nods, trying to be subtle, sure that the captain would catch even the lightest movement. Curious about the sudden approach, she asks: "Have you found something out?"
"No, but Four Eyes has a plan" Levi says with an irritated sigh, one that told Sasha that the captain wasn't so sure of the woman's intentions "We decided it's better share this with you to prevent you from interfering."
Sasha frowned. She was well aware that the comment would've been called for ten or so years ago, but in the present, she would've hoped they'd give her more credit. She wasn't a dumb teenager anymore!
"Jean will become a bait" Levi continued, definitely noticing but ignoring Sasha's expression "He'll drop subtle hints of not agreeing with the current system while among our soldiers to see if anyone agrees with him or encourages him. It won't necessarily lead us to the culprit, but it can help to tell who to be wary of."
Sasha's anger faded as she caught on. Levi was telling her this so that she wouldn't think Jean's act was real and get him in trouble for it!
"Got it" she says "Am I meant to play along with him if he says something while I'm around?"
Levi gives her a brief glance.
"No" he says "If he says something with you there, act like you would if you thought he was being serious. According to Four Eyes, that'll make it more believable."
Ah. So, she was told because she was also meant to be a part of the little plot.
"Understood"
"Also, don't tell your partner" Levi adds before he leaves "Jean said his poker face isn't the best possible."
"Yes, sir" Sasha says, trying to suppress her grin. Samuel was sometimes very easy to read indeed. She just hoped he wouldn't make a fuss about Jean's behavior if he saw something.
XXXXX
Nikolo's shift had stretched on longer than it should have; he and Thomas had decided to step in to stop a fight between two drunks just a little before they reached the gates of the ghetto. Nothing too big; the two had been shouting at each other, along with some light pushing, when they'd arrived, but it was still something that, when going by the book, one had to report. So, they'd had to settle things with the two drunks and get their information. It had made them both rather uncomfortable as the man who'd been less drunk clearly grasped on to the seriousness of the situation and had been scared stiff. Nikolo had made a mental note to convince Thomas to downplay the seriousness of the situation a little in their report; no one had gotten hurt after all, but if things were reported as they happened, someone might.
Pushing that out of his mind for now, Nikolo decided to take Jonas' advice and start to wonder what he'd do once he'd actually manage to reunite with Sasha. Of course, if she didn't return his feelings at all then that'd be that; he'd honor her decision and not insist. He was sure they could still be friends even if she rejected him and that he could see her from time to time if he volunteered to go to Paradis. But if she did return his feelings? How would they continue from there? She couldn't come to Marley at all now that Eldia having a base on the mainland was put on hold, and it would be very difficult for him to get a permission to go to Eldia once, let alone on regular basis. Of course, when things became stable enough that Marleyans could to Eldia as tourists, he could go there on vacations. Assuming that they wouldn't be sceptic about letting him in since he was a soldier, that is.
"But it will probably take years before things get to that point" Nikolo thought with a sigh. At the moment, his best chance would be if Eldia got a base to Marley and Sasha would be positioned there. Then, if he managed to get himself positioned nearby, they could see each other often. The same would work out if Marley would send some people to stay on Eldia for longer periods of time and he'd manage to become one of them. Aside from those options though, the only thing that came to mind was…
"I could stop being a soldier and migrate to Eldia as a civilian" he muses with a chuckle "Open a restaurant again or something, this time without any poisoned wine."
The idea was rather ridiculous, but he considered it way more seriously than he probably should have. But if nothing else worked…
"I'm getting ahead of myself again; I don't even have a way to go there yet" he reminds himself, shaking his head. Maybe he shouldn't think about this now, in the evening after a long day of work. He was tired, he was sure "Hang on, is that Helmut?"
Nikolo walked ahead, and realized that it was indeed his friend, running down the street. He supposed it wasn't that weird to see him out here, but what struck out to him was the fact that it was so late. Eldians weren't exactly forbidden to be out of the ghettoes at night, but it was rare for them to get the permission to do so.
"I'm probably overthinking; he did say that he and Herbert can get permits pretty easily" Nikolo thought, frowning "Still, he shouldn't run out here like that. Someone could see it as an excuse to get him in to trouble."
Wanting to prevent that, Nikolo called out to him: "Hey!"
The man turned around, which was when Nikolo was able to confirm that it was really Helmut. That's why he was shocked when the man simply continued running, but did so faster than before.
"What…?" Nikolo muttered. Realizing that he was still in his uniform, he comes to the conclusion that his friend must have not recognized him and had panicked when seeing a soldier. But why would it make him panic, unless-?
"He doesn't have a permit" Nikolo realized, dashing after the man "Either that, or he has some other reason to fear soldiers right now."
As he ran, Nikolo found himself hoping that it really was just a permit issue. Maybe he had stayed out longer than his permit allowed, and maybe that made him panic due to his squeaky-clean record. If that was all there was to it, the soldier was sure he could sort it out without his friend getting in danger.
"Please let it be all there is to it…" Nikolo muttered as he saw Helmut duck in to an alleyway. He thanked his luck it was the older brother he was chasing and not the younger one; with how fast Herbert was, he would've surely lost sight of him already. Picking up his speed, Nikolo soon went around the same corner, only to be tackled by his frantic friend. And the said friend had a knife.
"Helmut, wait!" he yelled, grasping the man's dominant arm in to a tight hold "It's me!"
The man struggles for a few more seconds before the words seem to sink in as he stops moving.
"Nikolo?" he asks in disbelief and the soldier nods, relieved.
"Yeah, it's me" he says "Now can you please put that knife away?"
As Helmut's stance relaxed a little, Nikolo considered it safe to let go. The man backed away from him and Nikolo takes one step back as well to give his friend some space, but that's when he notices two things.
One, Helmut didn't have his armband and two, more alarmingly, he wasn't putting the knife down.
"Helmut, put down that knife" Nikolo tells his friend "If not wearing your armband is all you've done, I can pretend this never happened. Just put the knife down."
But of course, Nikolo was certain that it wasn't all the man had done. Even if he had forgotten the armband when leaving home, someone in the ghetto would've definitely pointed it out before he walked out of the gates.
This was intentional.
"Whatever else you've done, it's probably not too late to fix it" he continues "Just put down the knife."
"You do remember that I'm an Eldian, right?" Helmut hisses "Just being here without an armband is a death sentence in itself!"
"I'm sure you have it with you; you're not stupid" Nikolo counters "Just put it on and if someone asks, I'll assure them it was there the entire time."
The soldier sees how his friend's eyes dart between him and the entrance to the alley; clearly, Helmut was considering his options.
Nikolo didn't want his friend to get in trouble, but he knew that if he didn't have a permit, he already was in trouble. But if that was all there was to it, then the man's life was by no means in danger, not if his record was really as clean as he said it to be. And with Nikolo, a soldier, backing him up, he'd get off fairly easily.
"…But he must have realized this himself" he realizes, trying not to let his nervousness show on his face "This is something bigger than that."
"Helmut, we're friends, right?" he tries again "Just tell me what happened, and I'll see what I can do. I want to help you."
He looked like he was considering it. His grip on the knife seemed to tighten, but he was lowering it. He took a deep breath.
"You can help me by pretending you never saw me" he finally says "Please, Nikolo, just turn a blind eye. If you try to help me, you'll only get in trouble."
"No" he'd already decided that he'd do what he could "Just tell me what's going on, and I'll see what I can do about it."
Helmut doesn't answer, but no answer is not another no, so the soldier presses on.
"You were running. Were you being chased?" Helmut averts his gaze, and Nikolo assumes that's a yes "By soldiers or civilians?"
"…Soldiers" he finally answers "And if I get caught, I'll be executed so please, just pretend you didn't see me."
Nikolo's stomach drops.
"…Just what did you do?" he asks, feeling shame as he realizes how shaky his voice is. Had Helmut killed someone? No, the knife was clean, so probably not… wait "Where's Herbert?"
It was rare to see one without the other, especially out here, and if the older brother was involved in something bad, he would've expected the younger one to be as well.
"They got him" Nikolo sucks in a breath. He hadn't been sure if he'd even get an answer, but once he did, he kind of wished he hadn't "He got shot in the leg; he couldn't run anymore. I wanted to help him, but he told me to run, so I… I…"
Helmut was shaking, the knife barely staying in his grasp as he fought back tears. Nikolo himself is also having trouble with keeping a straight face as he wonders what had become of his other friend. Had he bled out? Gotten caught? Had he been executed already? Helmut sounded so sure that that's what would happen if-
"I didn't want to leave him, he's my little brother!" now Helmut is crying "But I… I don't want to die, and I was in panic, so I did leave him. I just left him there- the soldiers probably caught up- he's probably already- "
The man almost choked on his sobs, openly crying now as the knife fell from his hands. He was shaking so much that Nikolo wouldn't have been surprised if his legs had given out from under him. The soldier takes a deep breath, knowing that he had to take control of the situation now. Helmut was in no condition to do so.
But how would he do it? Just walking away like he had been told to do would be the easiest solution, but he wasn't going to do that. He was better than that, he wanted to be better than that. Could he help the man to sneak back in to the ghetto somehow? No, if he had been identified, it'd only buy him hours, day at max, more time. There might already be soldiers waiting at his home, even. Could he help his friend hide? Yes, maybe. If he managed to sneak him in to his house, Helmut could hide in one of the less used rooms… but for how long? How would he get food easily if Nikolo had to be out for long periods of time due to work? Even if they picked a room that was rarely used, someone would enter it at some point. How long could he hide? What if someone heard him? How long could the man mentally handle hiding, all alone, with only Nikolo to talk to? How well would the soldier himself be able to handle the tress of hiding the man? Even if he'd hide Helmut in his home for only a short period of time, he'd still have to figure out where the man would go after it, and how. Marleyan or not, soldier or not, if Nikolo got caught hiding a fugitive Eldian, he'd be in serious trouble. He had to be smart about this.
Taking a deep breath, he says as steadily as he can: "Alright, tell me everything that happened."
When Helmut doesn't speak, Nikolo adds: "It'll be easier to help when I know what I'm up against."
The man still hesitates, but after a few moments, he starts to speak: "We… we tried to escape Marley. We tried to go and take refuge in Paradis Island."
"…What?" Nikolo asks, having no idea what else to say. On emotional level, it made sense; the new nation of Eldia probably sounded like a paradise to the Eldians of inland who weren't completely brainwashed to think that the islanders were even worse devils than them. But logically? How would they even had gotten there? And if they had gotten there, there was a high chance they would've either been returned to Marley to avoid worsening the strained relationship between the two countries. Or that they'd be considered to be possible spies and not trusted, ending up with appropriate treatment for that. Just what were they thinking?
"We thought we had it all figured out. We were going to use an airship, a private one" he continues "One of us is a soldier, and while he hasn't been taught to use one, he's seen how it works and has studied the manuals. He would've been able to use it. But… we messed up, we got noticed."
He holds his head between his hands.
"It was full out chaos after that. I have no idea what happened to the others, I just made sure Herbert was with me as I ran" he sobs "But then he got shot and I… I…"
This was bad, worse than Nikolo had thought. An attempt to leave the interment zone was punishable with a death sentence in itself, but trying to sneak to Paradis, to Eldia? While they weren't officially enemies anymore, that was definitely even worse.
"But… but times are changing. If I, a Marleyan, vouch for him, for them, Herbert, too, then maybe…" it was a stupid idea, risky as hell, but… "I have to do it; they're my friends."
He could get in trouble, his career could be forever sidetracked, heck, he could even be fired, but it'd be worth the try. He couldn't just let his friends die without trying to help. He had been trying so hard to be a better person, and he wasn't going to stop now when he was needed the most.
"Alright, we'll figure this out somehow" Nikolo said determinedly, putting his hand on Helmut's shoulder "You do have an armband with you, right? Put it on; you mustn't be identified without it."
"Y-yeah, I do have one" the Eldian admits, hastily pulling it from his pocket and putting it in place "Good. Now, let's go."
"Where?" the man asks, and Nikolo is momentarily disturbed by the amount of fear he sees on his friend's face. He had been looked at with fear before too, mostly Eldians from the interment zones, but never to such extent. Of that, he was sure… or did it simply feel like it because he knew Helmut?
"To surrender" he answers, gripping the man's shoulder tightly as his eyes widen, making it look like he's about to dash off "Don't worry; it'll be alright. I've got your back; we can figure this out."
"No way… no way; they'll kill me!" Helmut protested, but Nikolo didn't let go.
"This is your best chance" he points out "If you run from me now, you'll definitely get caught and most likely die. But if you come with me, I can vouch for you. I can protect you."
Honestly, Nikolo wasn't so sure of the last part, but he did know that having a Marleyan backing him up would raise Helmut's chance for survival. It was his only chance.
"Just trust me"
And with that, he actually got Helmut to follow him.
"Let me do the speaking" Nikolo advised as they walked "Don't talk unless you're talked to. Got it?"
"Ri-right" Helmut stuttered, making the soldier glance at him. He really hoped that his friend wouldn't panic and try to run midway through.
They reached a group of three officers not long after, and Nikolo saluted.
"You're not from our unit" one of them realized immediately "State your business, soldier."
"I'm escorting an Eldian rebel who wishes to cooperate, sir" he says, still standing at attention "Apparently, there has been some trouble in the area."
"Trouble is an understatement" one of the officers muttered "Are you currently on duty, soldier?"
"No sir, I was on my way home from an evening shift" Nikolo tells "I keep order in the interment zone."
"I see. Good work then, soldier" the man says, pausing for a moment before continuing: "As much as I'd like to tell you that we have the situation under control, that's not really the case. There are still some filthy devils on the run and some civilians from the area have noticed the commotion. If we don't hurry, we'll have quite a mess ahead of us. Give us a hand, soldier."
"Of course, sir" he answers.
"Good" another officer says, going past Nikolo to harshly pull Helmut with him "I'll deal with this one."
Readying himself, Nikolo attracts the attention of the officers to himself once more: "Sir, may I say something regarding him?"
The officer scowls, seeming annoyed, but gives him a go ahead anyway.
"While it's true that this man has his part in the current mess, he surrendered on his own and is willing to cooperate with us. I think those facts should be taken in to account when deciding his punishment" Nikolo feels hopeful; he'd managed to keep himself from stuttering, his voice steady. Surely, if even one of these three were the kind that could be reasoned with, the chances that they'd listen to him would be good.
An officer, the one who still has that tight hold on Helmut's arm, sighs.
"Look now, young man, I don't know how long you've been a soldier, but clearly not long enough" he says "We can't go easy on these devils if we want to keep up the order."
Fighting the urge to glare, Nikolo answers him: "I am not saying we should go easy on him, just that we should be reasonable."
"And you assume that I won't be?" the man questions him, and that's when Nikolo realizes he'd said the wrong thing. Sweating a little, he tries to correct himself: "My apologies, sir. I simply wanted to make sure."
It doesn't seem to do a thing to improve the officer's mood. Nikolo was hoping that the other two would step in before things could escalate, but so far, he didn't have such a luck. They were clearly paying attention though, so they'd probably step in if things got bad.
"Young people these days" the man huffs before roughly pushing Helmut to the ground. The fall doesn't end up being too bad though, for the Eldian seemed to have predicted it coming and had been able to soften the fall "Honestly, even soldiers are too soft in your generation."
"We try to be civilized is all, sir" Nikolo says through gritted teeth, immediately knowing that it was a mistake. Of course, had he stopped to think even for a little bit before saying it, he would've realized it and said something else, or just kept his mouth shut entirely. But no, he hadn't done either of those things and he could already feel that there would be consequences.
"Civilized, he says" the officer mocks "Can't you tell the difference between a person and a rat, boy?"
Now it's clear that the man is trying to push his buttons, which Nikolo finds odd considering how busy they were supposed to be with this mess. Hoping to end it all quick, he says something that he hopes is clever and heated enough to get at least one of the other two officers to step in.
"Of course, sir" he says with a small, purposefully mocking smile "Certainly, a rat or two wouldn't have you all in such a pinch, now would it?"
Of the two officers that had stayed quiet, one looks very uncomfortable now, while the other one sighs. Nikolo can tell he'll step in any moment now.
Especially as the third one is clearly about to lose his cool.
"You need a lesson in pest control, kid" he says, and Nikolo immediately has a good idea on what's about to occur, but is too slow to stop the kick directed at Helmut, who's still on the ground. The man gasps, doubling over as he holds his stomach. Nikolo doesn't bother to hide the anger from his face and perhaps, he thinks, he wouldn't be able to even if he tried. Glaring at the officer, he pushes the man back a bit so that he can stand between the assailant and his victim.
"That was highly uncalled for" the lower ranked soldier hisses "He was already down and not causing any trouble; you had no reason to attack him like that."
"Now look you little- "Nikolo felt like the man was about to get violent towards him now, but fortunately, he didn't need to see if he was right or not as another officer finally interfered.
"That's enough" the man says "He has a point; the kick was uncalled for."
"I knew they couldn't all be unreasonable" Nikolo thought, his anger leaving him as he relaxed slightly. If the remaining officer sided with him as well, then surely, he'd be able to help Helmut.
"But we don't even need him; we've already restrained two of them!" the man protested, shrugging the hand off his shoulder as he turned to glare at his comrade. He no longer looked like he was about to resort to violence though, so that was good.
"True" the man agreed "But that doesn't excuse unnecessary violence; he was no threat to any of us."
This man was calm, and even though Nikolo could tell the two shared the same rank, the third being slightly below them, he had an air of authority that his more hotheaded companion lacked. Briefly, the soldier wondered if it was something he had learned while on duty, or if he was naturally confident.
"We will take him from here; you go search for the rest of them" he told Nikolo. Normally, the soldier wouldn't hesitate to follow the order, but now he had to make sure that Helmut would be alright, so he couldn't leave just like that.
"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not entirely convinced that that's a good idea" Nikolo says, and he thinks that the only reason he doesn't miss the narrowing of the man's eyes is the fact that he's specifically keeping an eye out for any signs of hostility "I don't want there to be any unnecessary violence occurring when I could've stopped it."
The taller man puts his hand on the other one's shoulder again as he's clearly about to snap at Nikolo, but the soldier can see that the grip is tighter this time. Keeping his eyes on Nikolo, the officer says: "There won't be any unnecessary violence occurring here; I'll personally take care of that."
The man sounds and looks convincing, but Nikolo isn't too sure. Then again, what reason would he have to lie to a fellow soldier?
"Understood, sir" he says, but before he leaves, he makes sure to check on Helmut. Turning around, Nikolo asks him: "Are you alright? Can you stand?"
He offers a hand, not giving a damn what it must look like to his violent colleague. In fact, he kind of hopes that the man is watching and that he's annoyed by Nikolo's actions, but unable to do anything about it.
"Ye-yes" Helmut stutters, accepting the hand, wincing a bit as Nikolo pulls him up. The soldier smiles at his friend, the other three can't see it, in a way that he hopes is reassuring.
"It's going to be fine" he says, knowing that he has to say something to keep Helmut calm, but also that he can't say too much considering the company they're in "Just follow orders, and you'll be alright."
"I understand" he says back, giving Nikolo a small, though still uncertain, smile "Thank you, sir."
Nikolo nods before his face grows serious again. Letting go and turning around, he salutes the three officers before starting to walk away, genuinely meaning to find the rest of the runaway Eldians. If he sees any of them, they'll surely be easy to tell apart from others even without their armbands as he now knows to actually look out for them. They'll be nervous, they'll be out of place.
"Helmut will be fine for now… I'll need to try and find Herbert" he'd like to help the other Eldians too, but he has to be realistic, he doesn't want to aim too high. First and foremost, he'd try to help his friends. If something he did for them ended up helping the other Eldians too then good, but the brothers were his top priority "It's not like he's in the clear, but that one guy seemed sincere enough. I'm sure he'll restrain Helmut without unnecessary force. I have time to think of how to help them as I look for- "
A gunshot ringing through the silent night cuts out Nikolo's thoughts, making him freeze. His blood runs cold; he's experienced enough to recognize which direction it came from. Looking behind him, he sees the tall officer.
With a gun in his hand.
With Helmut laying on the ground, blood pooling around him.
The blood was coming from the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.
A.N: I don't think I've told this to you guys before, so I'll tell you now: the name of this fic actually comes from the song "Believe in Me" by Jan Werner and Linda Kwam (not 100 % sure if she's the one doing the woman's vocals.) I wanted to name this after a song that I felt like described Nikolo and Sasha's relationship in this fic, and this one does it pretty well, plus the name itself also fits the theme. I'm also glad that it has both male and female vocals. If you're not familiar with the song but want to know how it goes, just write "Believe in Me Jan Werner" to youtube. Yes, add the artist's name too, otherwise you'll get other songs with same or similar names.