Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin belongs to Hajime Isayama.
"What exactly is this supposed to be? Are you sure you aren't half-asleep Pieck?!"
The sketch she showed to the group currently crowded around her made Porco ask with his tone full of exasperation. Scratchy outlines of humans zipping across the forest was drawn onto the paper. Hooks and wires were represented as simple arrows pointing at trees. A frowny face and a pair of horns even adorned one of the flying figures. Bert and Reiner gawked at it, while the only other girl simply quirked a brow.
The page next to it had a somewhat more accurate depiction of the soldiers' equipment up close. Some of the lines were uneven, but it at least couldn't be compared to a doodle someone drew while bored. "No, I was completely awake while I made this," she replied without missing a beat. Porco moved to snatch the notebook away from her, but the calm and expecting look she gave the boy made him sigh heavily instead.
Without waiting, she flipped to the next page and presented to them all rows of extensive bullet-pointed notes. "I wanted to show Zeke this since the authorities will listen to him better than me," she explained to their surprised faces.
"Um, no offense, but maybe you should stick to note taking instead," Bert suggested with a little nervous smile.
Pieck tapped the pencil against her chin and hummed, "Hmm...okay, will do."
"How long does Zeke plan on staying in the bathroom anyway?" Annie's eyes drifted to the still shut door. "It's been five minutes now. The episode will start again without him if he doesn't get out soon." Not that she really cared.
Reiner shrugged his shoulders and then started to fidget in place. "About earlier...did anyone else notice how weird he was acting whenever Eren's dad was brought up? I mean-if Bert was right about it being a distant relative, I'd probably react the same way...but..." he trailed off, not liking the words he was about to say.
"It almost seems like he knows this man," Pieck finished, her eyes downcast.
Crossing his arms, "What are you two trying to suggest?" Porco asked.
"I'm just saying it's suspicious how he might know one of the island devils," Reiner turned to meet his gaze.
"...I know your talent is sucking up to the Marleyans but are you seriously accusing Zeke of being a spy? You already have the Armored Titan what more are you trying to accomplish here?"
In a split second, Reiner had rushed to where Porco stood, mere inches away from his face. "Don't you get it?! This is worse than feeling sorry for them! What if he's leaking information and trying to compromise our mission! Just think about it-he's in the perfect position to tell them our weaknesses and-" his frantic rambling came to an end when Porco shoved him away.
"I'm not going through this with you again." He wiped off the spittle on his face in disgust. "You go on about the sake of Eldians this and loyalty that, but you sure seem eager to report someone who has fought with us since the start."
His words dove into Reiner's chest like a spike. To everyone's shock, the boy who would normally cry at times similar to this charged at Porco.
"H-Hey! Stop it, you guys! Please we just got here!" Bert's pleas fell on deaf ears, he was no Marcel after all.
In contrast to the icy-eyed girl standing to the side with disinterest, Pieck tried to pull the two boys apart by tugging at their uniforms. Who thought it was a good idea to have them be in the same room? Bert facepalmed over the shouts and grunts.
The longer Zeke stared at the mirror, the more he saw him in it. He splashed water onto his face, eager to keep his reflection out of sight, and then groped around for his glasses. A feature we both share now... He shook his head, flinging droplets everywhere on the sink.
Zeke had to admit that when he saw his half-brother's drive, he was more than a little jealous. Was it petty? Perhaps, but the revelation of his father put his emotions out of line. So much so he needed to retreat for a moment of peace in the bathroom.
"Something I can't enjoy even for ten minutes," Zeke sighed the second he heard muffled shouts in the other room. With one last glance at the mirror, he donned his glasses and pushed open the door to whatever trouble those kids managed to get into this time. The usual suspects I see, he thought with a mixture of annoyance and indifference to the scene in front of him.
"Zeke is twice the Warrior you will ever be!"
"You're just jealous they chose me instead of you!"
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?!"
Zeke coughed into his fist loud enough for everyone to hear. Five pairs of eyes stared back at him in various degrees of shock. "Do any of you want to explain what exactly I missed that has everyone so excited?" he asked, tone genuinely curious.
The two boys in the middle of the scuffle separated faster than lightning, but their faces told him it was far from over. "He...It was...nothing..." panted Porco while wiping away a mark on his cheek. Minus little Annie, who looked done with the whole ordeal, the other three's faces resembled a child caught red-handed in the horrible act of stealing from a cookie jar.
"Well if I'm going to be kept out of the loop, then the least we can do is all sit down and quietly wait for the T.V. to start again." They all rushed back to their unofficially assigned seats. The remaining minutes passed in heavy silence, and it almost got to the point Zeke wished he stayed in the bathroom. Then again I can't risk them breaking the TV with their childish fights.
Strangely, no card was given to them when the screen unfroze. No it's a good thing. It means we can get to the interesting stuff faster, Reiner thought while rubbing the fresh bruise on his arm.
Bert leaned towards his friend. "Maybe you-I mean we should wait before jumping to conclusions about him. The episodes will show us if it's true or not, you know," he whispered. Reiner sent him a hurt look, which he responded by turning back to the screen.
"I said mankind would eventually need to go outside, so they hit me, saying I was a heretic," Armin explained to his two friends.
"They also beat him up because he was weak." Porco sent a not very subtle glare at Reiner. Little shit nearly gave me a black eye.
As the oldest member in the room, and therefore the one responsible for all of them, he considered putting an end to the bickering. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed out loud, "Enough you two." It sounded more tired or bored than demanding, but frankly he didn't care right now.
"Damn it," Eren cussed and flung a rock into the water. "Why does simply wanting to go outside turn everyone against us?"
"Well, it's because it's been peaceful within the Walls for the past one hundred years. In order to prevent inviting them in through a reckless attempt to go outside, the king's government created a policy that made interest in the outside world taboo."
Pieck tapped Zeke on the arm as a signal to pause the show. "I remember from our history books that was around the time King Fritz fled, right?"
"Yeah," Porco nodded, "so does this mean they forgot everything about us? But what about the war threat they sent to Marley, was it fake?"
"H-Hey are you doubting the government?" Reiner asked, his friend beside him looked nervously between the two.
Porco for once kept his mouth shut. He had already gone through one fight less than ten minutes ago, and it'd be ridiculous to start another. Especially with the dangerous gleam in Zeke's glasses when looking at them.
Annie closed her eyes. Was there any truth in our mission at all then? She didn't feel shocked or a sudden rush of fury, because even at her young age she had come to realize something about the society around her. They're all nothing but liars...Opening her eyes, she found herself pushing down the bitter sting in her chest. Whatever I'm fighting for better be damn worth it.
Strangely, Zeke also remained quiet. The danger of the authorities wasn't present, but he'd be a fool to tell them the truth he heard in passing during his father's "private" meetings with fellow Patriots years ago. They'd ask him how he knows and then why-
"We're risking our own lives. It's our choice to make." He casted the world around him a look of determination and frustration.
My plans would spiral into a complete mess, he thought while Eren's face reminded him of his-their father's own expression he wore often.
"I won't let you," Mikasa chimed in. "You can't."
Remembering the argument earlier, "Oh yeah, I can't believe you ratted me out!" Eren said to her.
"I don't remember saying I'd help."
Armin looked at the boy next to him. "Wh-What'd they say?" His tone had a hint of hope.
"Well, they weren't happy about it."
"That's putting it a bit lightly," Bert muttered.
"I figured..." he said disappointingly. "True, I think those who believe the Walls will forever provide a life of peace need to face reality." The wind picked up around them. Though their conversation was somber, peace and joy was evident in the people around them.
"Just because the Wall has done its job for the past one hundred years," he continued, "it doesn't guarantee that it won't be destroyed today...Not in the slightest."
Porco felt the need to point out how they almost seemed to be asking for it, but couldn't get the words out. Not with the thick sense of anticipation overwhelming him. Any minute now...
Lightning cracked down through the halo of clouds in the sky. Tremors knocked people off their feet and some were launched into the air.
Prickles raced down their spines as they witnessed the familiar sight of a Titan shifter's transformation. Here it comes...Reiner thought, his leg bouncing in an effort to get rid of his impatience and the feeling of tiny, electric ants crawling on his skin.
"Wh-What the...?" Armin asked while they brushed themselves off.
"An explosion?" Civilians, in their nearly naive curiosity, began to run towards the source. The three friends soon joining up with them.
"They're making themselves easier pickings, but I can't blame them for being curious," Zeke said.
"What's wrong?! Just what are you staring at?" Eren asked his friend only to receive no reply, and in less than a second came to understand why. The God of Destruction had come, his hand crushing the barrier with ease.
They waited at the edge of their seats.
Bert stiffened and felt a pang of worry at the idea he couldn't destroy the Wall. If he failed then their mission would be counted as a colossal failure. And it would be all my fault.
Armin could hardly believe his eyes, "No way... The Wall is fifty meters tall!"
"It's them," Eren said in horror.
Out of the clouds of steam rose the Colossal Titan's head, able to peer just above the Wall. Winding back, the people closest to the gate were at the wrong place and time as debris rocketed through the air, and subsequently through them. The sheer force of the kick created a wave of destruction with rubble crushing fleeing citizens.
"I-I did it..." Bertholdt let out the breath he was holding in.
Reiner looked at him excitedly. "You did great, now you can count on us to finish the rest, right Annie?"
Dissipating behind the Wall, the Colossal Titan unleashed the mindless and smaller variety into the city.
The girl didn't answer him, she was utterly transfixed at the event they were witnessing.
Despite his own excitement, the others also payed all their attention to the screen. For Annie and Porco, their guarded expressions had him guessing whatever emotion they were truly feeling. Pieck had stopped writing in the notebook, her hand suspended in the air and her eyes wide open.
Zeke on the other hand watched on in boredom from what he saw. No, he's not bored at all. He looks dispassionate if anything else. Past his giddiness, Reiner narrowed his eyes at the young man. Would a traitor act like him right now if they saw the side they're working for get destroyed?...Maybe Bert and Galliard are right about him being on our side. He just looks so cold at everything happening on screen now.
Spared from being crushed, Armin had sunken onto his knees. "Th-They blew a h-hole into the Wall...We need to-Eren!"
His friend moved forward in a trance-like state. "Our house is...Mom is..."
Zeke snapped out of his daze. Their father had left for the interior so the likelihood of him being killed was zero to none. Unless he came back from his trip early. The thought didn't bring him any worry nor did the prospect of his father's second wife possibly being dead from the brutal assault.
Fidgeting in his seat, Bert couldn't keep his eyes off the horror on Eren's face. The aftermath of his transformations rarely let him see situations like this so up close.
Mikasa didn't waste a second to sprint after the boy. Armin reached out to them but put his hand down. "It's all over." Despair and hopelessness overcame him. "The town is...going to be overrun by Titans!"
Eren and Mikasa pushed past the fleeing survivors and dead. There's no way our house got hit, he denied. Once I turn that corner, our house will...like always...
Maybe it was the fact that most of their time in battle was against trained men or simply because they were young. But seeing the dead bodies of civilians hit them harder than they would ever admit.
"Mom!" The boy ran as fast as he could when the remains of his home came into view. Eren's calls stirred awake his mother, who was buried beneath rubble. "Mikasa, hold that side! We'll lift it together!" he said as Titans lumbered in the distance.
"They're wasting their strength," Porco said bluntly. He had fought in wars since he was practically an infant. He's seen men get blown apart by bombs, bleed out to death, and eaten alive. Yet the sight of the crushed woman made him grit his teeth. Perhaps if she was armed or wearing a uniform or he never saw that moment with her family he wouldn't feel so-so-So what? Helpless? She's still a spawn of the devil at the end of the day. Even though the rubble barely avoided her, she'll die to a Titan anyway. He glanced at Bert, who had sweat rolling down his color-drained face. I wonder how he's taking in all this. I'm not a shifter, so I wouldn't have any idea.
"Hurry, Mikasa!"
"I'm trying!" They pulled on the pillar to the point their hands bled.
"The Titans have come inside, haven't they?" Carla said, her voice pleading. "Eren, take Mikasa and run away. Hurry!"
How noble of her to sacrifice her own life. Zeke wondered if her sacrifice would mean anything though with the Titans so nearby. Him and every single Warrior knows that a human can't outrun a Titan on foot, which was one of the reasons why they were such effective weapons. At least she won't have to suffer this cruel world any longer. Them too if they can't escape.
"I want to run away! Get up already!"
"My legs are crushed by the rubble." Carla's eyes were shining. "Even if I get out of here, I can't run." Realization dawned on her son's face. "You understand, right?"
A random memory flashed into Pieck's mind of how she had to walk on crutches sometimes. It was odd really, but if it's her mind's way of giving her hope that the mother could still be able to walk despite her condition, then it was mistaken.
Eren didn't shrink away, "I'll run away carrying you!" he shouted.
"Why don't you ever listen to me?! You can at least do this one last thing! Mikasa!" she yelled at them. The girl could only bow her head and say, "No...No!"
"Are they seriously having an argument now?!" Reiner didn't know what he was feeling at the moment. Exasperation. Thrill. Worry for his comrades' success. All of it blended into something indescribable for him.
A Titan drew near. "If you don't go, all three of us will-" A hiss came from above, and the drunken soldier from the gate dropped down. "Hannes! Take the children and run!"
"It's amazing to see how a breach can sober someone up," Pieck said but her sarcasm fell flat.
He grinned despite the situation. "I can't have you thinking I'm that small a man, Carla. I'll butcher the Titan and make sure to save all of you!"
"Wait! Don't fight it!" she screamed as Hannes took off.
None of the Warriors had faith in Hannes. Reiner did have a point when he said all the years of peace has made not every soldier fit for fighting.
She's right. If it's just the two of them, we can get away. But this is the time for me to make good on my debt! Hannes' determined expression shattered the moment he saw a Titan across from him. The darkness around the two was suffocating. Its cheek splitting smile and eerie gaze was chilling.
Terror.
The way the Titan was portrayed enveloped their hearts with terror-and as horrible it was to acknowledge it- a sense of understanding
He sheathed his blades and snatched up the two children. "Hey, Hannes! What're you doing?!"
Annie didn't blame him for running. It's the smartest move someone can make when they're out of options. He would be labeled as a coward in the eyes of others, but she could at least say he knew his own flaws and still acted in spite of it.
"Thank you." There wasn't an ounce of pain in her voice, just a mix of sadness and gratitude.
"Mom is..." Eren reached for his mother.
"Eren, Mikasa! You two need to stay alive!" she cried out to their retreating figures, her arm outstretched as well. A memory flashed in her mind of a happier moment. Bringing a hand to her mouth, she was grateful the children could not hear what she was about to sob, "Don't go."
A restless feeling grew in his gut the more he watched. Bertholdt wanted to ask Zeke to turn off the TV. The rubble pinning her, the tears and blood, the lumbering Titans, all of it was because of him. I saw my part already, please just skip this. He felt like he was watching what was supposed to be an intimate and sacred moment, and in a way he was.
If his mind was in the right place, he would've listened to a voice quip if the sacred moment could truly be applied to what the world viewed as evil.
Eren couldn't look away when the Titan dug through his house.
The temptation to look away was great, but Bert's morbid curiosity was greater.
"Stop!" Eren begged.
Eren couldn't look away when the Titan snapped her spine nor when it lifted her limp body to its mouth.
Zeke closed his eyes and let out an almost sad sigh. It seems no family he creates ever turns out well.
"On that day, mankind remembered..." the narrator, who they now know is Armin, repeated over the spray of blood. "The fear of oppression under them, and the humiliation of being caged like birds." The Titan swallowed down its meal.
Surprisingly, the sight didn't bother them as much as they thought it would. Then again they were no stranger to seeing forces get devoured if their own Titans didn't obliterate them first.
The camera panned out to showcase the chaos in the once peaceful district known as Shiganshina.
After the screen faded to black, the only one who seemed to still have a somewhat high spirit was Reiner. The last few scenes made him squirm a few times, but he looked on the bright side. "We did it guys! We gave those demons a taste of the nation they dared to threaten!" he said, his hazel eyes darted to each of their faces.
"Uh...Bert?" he turned to face him.
No answer. His friend just kept his gaze at the glass of water he picked up, but had yet to actually drink from. "Hey, what's with the face? It's thanks to you that all of us can fulfill our duties."
"Just be quiet already," Porco sighed and turned his gaze to him. Reiner stiffened and scowled back.
Pieck lifted up her head towards them, her relaxed features returning. "I think what Pock means is that he's stressed out from the mission right now. It is a lot of pressure both the Marleyans and Eldians are putting on the four of you, you know."
Reiner opened his mouth, but eventually just slumped further into his seat. "Y-Yeah...I guess it is."
"Does anyone have any questions? I remember all of you were wondering about the Asian girl-what was her name? Ah, right, Mikasa, in the beginning," Zeke said after a few seconds passed. Their focus snapped back at him, they were so caught up with the destruction that they sorta forgot about her.
"It won't matter if she dies the next episode," Annie said quietly.
Zeke chuckled. "Now I wouldn't say that. Let's say she does survive the next time we see her. Who's to say that girl is the only one of her kind in the Walls? Or maybe the opposite is true and it's random luck someone like her is there."
"How about we watch the next episode then? I don't think I can wait any longer Zeke." Porco stuffed his hands into his pockets. C'mon, I want to know if Marcel and the others made it inside without any trouble. Even if they're not the main focus, the TV has to show us them, right?
"Alright, I understand." Zeke smiled at him. "Anyone else in favor of going to the next episode?"
Everyone raised their hands like a student answering their teacher.
Adjusting his glasses, Zeke hit the "next" button without a hint of hesitation.
A/N: With the exception of this chapter (which I just really wanted to finish) I'm afraid to say most of my updates will be more sporadic than I would like. Since it's summer where I am right now, I can probably post a new chapter once or twice in the span of two weeks. If I change the schedule or happen to be late please don't get too mad. I really am trying to avoid disappointing anyone here.
One more thing I forgot to mention in the first chapter is that I'm not including any ships. Take their actions however you will though.