Chapter 53: Rekindling Sparks

(Five hours prior)

Of course, most people wouldn't be riding a horse at breakneck speed in this weather, but that's exactly what Dillon was doing. He needed to get to Yarckel District, and get out quickly. Not only were the Scout leaders demanding his immediate return, but given how hated he was, it was best not to make his presence known to the Interior, especially in light of Stohess. The shoddy weather provided an excellent excuse for civilians to stay indoors and give people like Dillon the chance to go about where he needed to be without much conflict.

After nearly two hours of riding, he finally reached Yarckel District's Walls. It had been nearly two months since he had been home, though he wasn't ready to visit his home right now. Whatever happy memories he had of his time in the Interior were a bit too tarnished. Someday, he'd work up the gumption to see his house again, but right now, he had a mission to complete.

"Halt!" the Garrison sentries ordered as he approached the gate.

Dillon pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a clean stop.

Three soldiers propelled down the Wall, blades at the ready. The middle one seemed to be the leader since he approached the Psion while the other two flanked him. The corporal rank was also a dead giveaway. "Who are you and what is your business here?"

Slowly, Dillon pulled out his identification and tossed it to him. "I'm a Wall Sina citizen, Corporal. Unless the rules have changed or my citizenship has been revoked, I don't believe I owe an explanation."

The corporal narrowed his eyes. "Dillon Amsdale. Only an idiot such as yourself would come back here after what you've done."

His two flunkies tensed considerably, waiting for the go ahead to attack.

"Am I under arrest, Corporal? Have I committed a crime that the courts found me guilty of?" he asked calmly. "If not, please open the gate. I would hate to involve Supreme Commander Zackley on such a trivial issue."

The man grunted under his breath before yelling, "Open the gate!" As the gate slowly rose, he approached the blacksmith with a glower. "Enjoy your freedom while you can, freak. You can't hide in the Scouts forever."

"Not exactly hiding," Dillon corrected with a smirk. "Find the Scouts, you find me." With a crack of the whip, he took off down the street.

"I am not sure how antagonizing those men will benefit you in the long run," a familiar voice commented.

"Come on, Ymir," he replied mentally. "There were about as terrifying as a newt."

She let out a sigh. "Just try not to get yourself arrested for cheap thrills like that. You are in a place of high corruption after all."

That sobered him up considerably. "Yeah, you're right. Now that Kyler is dead, I suppose more scum is gonna be about."

"And your Captain Levi would be quite displeased if you got yourself into trouble," she added.

Dillon winced. It took a lot to convince him to let him do this.


"So, you want me to grant you permission to head to Yarckel, fix up your mom with your powers, and then come back after you assaulted one of your cadet buddies, lost control of your abilities, and the doctors themselves revealing they have little to no confidence in your mental state, all three of which happened yesterday?" Levi gave Dillon a blank stare. "Why the hell would I even consider not kicking your ass out of my office?"

"Mom knows a lot about Marley and Project Psion," Dillon answered. "I revive her, we might be able to get information beneficial for our side."

"Like how to make Psions?" Hanji was excited at that possibility.

"No!" both Levi and Dillon exclaimed.

The mad scientist pouted again. "You two are such buzzkills."

"Information's not even my biggest concern," Levi pointed out. "You're a glass cannon, Amsdale. Someone rings the bell, you lose it, innocent people die. How can you guarantee that doesn't happen?"

Dillon swallowed his anxiety before suggesting, "Perhaps I can be tested. If I pass, I get to go."

"If you pass, I'll consider it. I don't suppose Leonhart is awake at this hour, is she? Have the Female Titan try to kill you a few times should give us some ideas of your mental state."

The Psion sat up straighter. "If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not involve her in this. I don't really want her to know I'm gone."

The Captain raised his eyebrows at him. "Sneaking behind your girlfriend's back? Why?"

Dillon sighed as he sagged back into the chair. "This whole thing with my mom is really personal. I don't want Annie to worry about me or try to help me out in this case. I need to do this alone. Besides, she has to deal with Eren today. Let her be focused solely on that."

Levi shook his head. "Can't believe I'm even thinking about this. Hanji, put him through the wringer."

Hanji hesitated slightly. "You sure about this, Levi?"

"If he can't handle it, then it's evident he's not ready," he answered.

Dillon tried not to show fear. Of all people, it had to be Hanji to test him. Hell, he had no idea how they were going to test him.

Hanji clapped her hands together and scooted her chair uncomfortably close to him. "I've been waiting to do this for a long time."

He sank further back in the chair as if he was trying to hide.

Levi facepalmed hard. "For the love of God, Hanji."

"You aren't raining on my parade this time, Levi," she declared just as there was thunder rolling outside. She turned her head to the ceiling and shook her fist defiantly. "And neither will you!" Once she was finished, she turned her attention right back on Dillon. "Now, then, I have a few memories I want you to find."

Dillon's eyes widened, horrified. "You want me to go inside your mind?" He turned to the captain. "I changed my mind. Wake up Annie."

"Not a chance." His expression would never show it, but Levi wasn't going to miss this for the world.

He gulped audibly as the eager scientist's face filled his vision. Praying to whatever God existed for safe passage into whatever hell existed in her mind, he dived in.


"Really put things into perspective, you know," he said to himself, trying to put the things he found out of his mind.

Ymir didn't respond, almost as if she was still contemplating what the Psion found.

Dillon finally came upon a green building that stood out from all the other brown and red buildings. He was glad the hospital was colored this way. It made it much easier to find. Standing at six stories tall, this place could house a plethora of patients, but he was only here to see one. After tying his horse's reins to a post, he went inside while trying not to track water all over the place.

"Came I help you?" a female receptionist asked him upon entering.

He carefully lowered his hood and spoke softly. "I'm, uh, here to see Carolyn Amsdale please."

Judging by the widening of eyes, she recognized him. With his infamous actions, who wouldn't at this point? However, she surprised him by saying, "Please sign in while I get the doctor for you." She didn't even make it to the door before he finished signing his name.

As he waited, Dillon glanced at the waiting room behind him. There weren't many patients inside, though a couple of them had stumps where legs used to be. Part of him wondered how they ended up like that. An accident with a carriage, a duel that ended in disaster, or a certain Titan brawl in Stohess that impacted visiting tourists? There was no way to know unless he wanted to violate their minds to get the answers. He wasn't that desperate.

"Dr. Meyer will see you now," the receptionist said, gesturing him to the stairs. "Sixth floor. Room 605."

"Thank you," Dillon responded, entering the stairwell. He stared up at the long climb ahead of him and sighed. "Should've just brought my gear and grappled to the sixth floor," he muttered as he began.

"Would you have done it?" Ymir wondered.

"Probably not," he admitted. He was tempted to speak verbally, but he didn't want to be discovered and look more insane than he already was. He also added, "You have something you want to say to me, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," she confirmed. "When I tried to help you push through your traumatic memories, this was not one of them. I fear this may do more harm to you than good."

"Really? How do you figure?" he questioned.

"From the crimes she committed in Marley, to the things she has done within these Walls, I fear she given herself a dangerous mindset."

Dillon stiffened slightly, but he kept moving, though his pace was quicker. "And that would be?"

"An obsession with making a 'positive' mark on the world," she explained. "Think about it. If what your father says is true, she wanted to make history. Be a part of a project that would end the Titan threat. She succeeded, but the reward was termination. And now, that she's within these Walls, she wants to put an end to the corruption that has plagued this country by putting herself in front of an audience."

The Psion didn't dare acknowledge her words, for they were the thoughts and fears he himself had. He was on the third floor, the halfway point.

Ymir continued in a sympathetic tone. "Dillon, I know this is hard for you to hear, but not everyone is like Annie. Not everyone can change."

"I know that," he growled verbally, wanting her to put an end to this conversation.

She failed to take the hint. "You have to be prepared that the woman you wake up may not be-."

"I get it, okay!?" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the stairwell. "Just shut up about it!" Panting slightly, he looked down and up to see if he disturbed anyone. Unfortunately, there was a doctor a flight up staring down at him in concern. The only thing Dillon could do was chuckle nervously and wave. "Sorry about that."

The doctor continued to gaze at the teenager before he continued his journey towards the fourth floor.

With the embarrassment of being discovered fleeting, Dillon continued the conversation mentally. "All I want to do right now is wake up my mother and figure the rest out later. I know what I want, and I know what I fear. Please… just let me get through this without having an emotional breakdown over all this."

Ymir sighed, but she did concede. "Very well. I apologize for causing you grief. Perhaps I'm growing a bit too attached to you."

"Well, you are my teacher and therapist," he reminded her.

The sixth floor arrived sooner than Dillon wanted it to, but there was no going back now. He didn't want to make this trip pointless, so he entered the hallway. It was mostly abandoned save for a male doctor standing outside a room a few doors down to the left. A quick look revealed that it was, indeed, Room 605. He worked up the nerve to continuing his trek towards the room and greeted the man. "Dr. Meyer, I'm Dillon Amsdale. I'm the patient's son."

The doctor nodded. "Yes, I am aware of that. She is still unconscious, but you are permitted to see her."

"Thank you very much," he said gratefully at he went to open the door.

"Son," Dr. Meyer intervened, putting his hand on his shoulder. "She's been in a coma for a week now. We're doing everything we can to keep her alive, but… it's highly unlikely that she will ever wake up."

Dillon pursed his lips. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Then I'll leave the two of you alone," the doctor said sympathetically as he headed off to tend to another patient.

The blacksmith forced himself to turn the doorknob. If he hesitated, even for a moment, he would never go in. It had to be done. Carefully, he closed it behind him, leaving him alone with his mother for the first time in a while.
It took all of Dillon's willpower not to break at the sight of her. In terms of days, only a week had passed since he saw his mother last, but it felt so long ago. Her body was covered in a blanket, leaving only her head exposed. There were lacerations all over her swollen, bruised face where stitches had to get involved. The mere sight of them made the Psion nauseous. He had seen worse, but this was his own mother. She looked like a corpse, so pale and lifeless. Were it not for her heartbeat, he'd be burying her in this horrible state.

Ymir let out a soft, sympathetic sigh. "I'm sorry, Dillon."

"She was tortured," he whispered, approaching his mother's bedside. "Can she-can she still hear me? Is she unconscious, or trapped in darkness waiting for…?" He quickly brushed off any tears that were threatening to spill over.

"You need to be calm. A heightened, emotional state will make the process more painful for both yourself and your mother," she warned him.

"Right." He took a deep breath and let it out, allowing his emotions to subside for the moment. He concentrated on the extremely weak link between them to see what he can find. It didn't take him long to find the mental injuries, as if her brain itself was covered in deep gashes. Elise was quite effective at causing her pain. "How am I supposed to fix this?" he asked.

"You've used your powers to pry open the mind to cause injuries or find memories," Ymir said after a moment's pause. "Perhaps you can use your powers to stitch up the injuries."

"If I screw this up, I could kill her," Dillon responded, his anxiety returning.

"If you do nothing, she could die anyways."

Damned if I do. Damned if I don't. There was only one choice to make. He only hoped that the increased power he now had would aide him tremendously. His eyes glowed brightly as he dived in.


He wasn't surprised that darkness greeted him upon entry, but it didn't make things any less eerie. Not a single sound was heard, as if time itself had no meaning in this place. One step forward created an echo all around him, sending shivers up his spine. There was nothing to see and nothing to feel. Anything could happen. The rules of the mental world could be changed, and he wouldn't know until it was too late.

"Mom?" he called out, a louder echo reverberating as a result of his actions.

There was no response, not even a mental defense.

Dillon, then, remembered the incident in Trost where he and Armin had to get to the center of Eren's mind to wake him up. Annie had to do the same thing in his own head to snap him out of the turmoil that threatened to destroy him. Different scenarios, but the same rules applied. Find the center. He concentrated on locating it, amplifying his abilities. So far, there wasn't any negative reactions from his mother. Right now, that was good news. The less pain he gave his mother, the better.

When he caught the tiniest glimmer of something in the distance, he moved towards it quickly. He didn't know how much time he had left, so it was best not to waste any. After a few minutes, there was a speck of light appeared in the distance. It was obviously the source of the glimmer, though Dillon hoped it wasn't something that would try to kill him. He started running, the light growing larger as he got closer. However, once shapes began to take hold, he skidded to a stop. The scene before him wasn't what he expected.

The cause of the light was a small fireplace, the flames crackling. It always did feel nice on a cold day. There was a large, brown chair basking in its warmth, and he could see a hand resting on one of the arms. It quickly dawned on him that this chair was the same one from his house. This was a part of the living room. Sure enough, when he circled to the front , there was Carolyn sleeping soundly. She looked so peaceful, a stark contrast from the woman he saw in the hospital. To wake her up would be to reintroduce her to the painful world he had come to know, but there was no other option… at least, no other option he'd be willing to take.

Dillon knelt down and took his mother's hand into his. "Mom… it's me," he began softly. "Please wake up."

She continued to rest, his words doing nothing to rouse her.

"Elise is dead now. You don't have to worry about her anymore," he assured. "I promise. We're safe."

Still nothing. The gentle tactic wasn't working.

"Damn it, Mom," Dillon swore as he allowed his voice to raise in volume. "I need you to wake up now. Come on! You're the only family I have left. Dad, he's..." No turning back now as he allowed his voice to crack. "He's dead. I know. This is something you don't want to hear, especially at a time like this, but you need to understand. I need you to be in my life, so get up." He grabbed her by the shoulders, desperation taking hold. "Please!"

The fire began to die as the scene faded to the darkness.

He clung tighter. "Mom, don't go! Don't leave me!"

"Dillon, that's enough."


Dillon recoiled as if a rope pulled him backwards. He was about to demand why Ymir pulled him out until he saw his mother's face. Her nose and ears were bleeding slightly. He pushed too hard. "I..." He wanted to check her pulse, but he was glued to the spot he stood on. How much more damage could he cause simply by touching her?

Suddenly, Carolyn's head twitched. It moved. She moved. His jaw fell open in shock as he gazed with disbelief. He did it. He actually pulled it off.

He took a couple steps towards the bed so that when she opened her eyes, she would be able to see him. Then, he stopped himself as the image of her dead husband appeared in his head. If his mother heard what he said, she knew Matthew was gone. She would ask him what happened, and Dillon would be forced to confess that he was the one that ended his life. Imagining the look on her face as she realized the boy she gave birth to committed a horrendous act…

By the time Carolyn opened her eyes, the Psion had disappeared.


The ride back was just as unpleasant, but Ymir thankfully kept her mouth shut. Dillon needed to be alone with his thoughts. He couldn't do it. It was a cowardly move to be sure, not being able to face Carolyn when he had the chance, but he just wasn't ready. Maybe after a little while once she was able to get some basic functions down, perhaps he'd be able to have that conversation. Not today, though, and not in the near future. Besides, he had other things to worry about.

The tension in Wall Sina had been thicker than he had felt it in a long time. He had the guards to thank for that impression. Part of him couldn't help but wonder if they were planning something. Whatever it was, the blacksmith knew it would involve him and Annie. He was thankful that no one recognized him because if they did… it was best not to think about it. Besides, pressing concerns on the way to Headquarters were easy to fix on.

Dillon had seen the lightning come down in the distance earlier, so he wisely veered off a bit more to the left. No sense in running into the Shifters when he was supposed to be resting from yesterday's events. With his mother out of the coma, it put his mind at ease just a tiny bit, but the loose ends to tie up with her was too much to handle. For now, he needed to return home and get some sleep. His abilities, as usual, took a lot out of him.

Then, the ground started to shake violently, making his eyes widen in horror. Oh, shit!

His path was impeded by Eren's Titan head smashing directly in front of him. Shaken up, the horse reared back on its hind legs, causing Dillon to fall onto his back. He groaned from the fall, but he was thankful not to have the wind knocked out of him this time around. Unfortunately, his situation wasn't any better as the Female Titan loomed over him in a way that spelled disaster. It took him a second to realize she threw Eren's head at him.

She glowered down at him with those cold, blue eyes. "Dillon, has your bed suddenly been moved four miles from the Scout Headquarters?"

"Maybe?" he offered fearfully. He really didn't know when to shut up.

"Annie, what the hell was—oh." Eren stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Dillon. Judging by the blacksmith's expression, he was in for a world of hurt and there was no way Eren was gonna get in the middle of it.

"Oh, look, it's Eren!" Dillon exclaimed cheerfully. "You two probably have a lot of training to do."

"Eren."Her mental voice was almost polite. "We should end training here for today."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right." Eren could feel the waves of displeasure. The fact she looked like Mikasa when she went into scary mode didn't help.

"You should leave now and take Dillon's horse back for him. He won't be using so strenuous a method of transportation."

Nodding, he hopped on Dillon's horse, giving him a sympathetic look before taking off, leaving Dillon at Annie's complete mercy.

Annie glared daggers at the Psion. "I really did believe you got it through your thick skull that you wouldn't try something stupid this time, but old habits die hard, am I right?"

"Annie, I-."

"Shut. Up," she hissed, watching him crawl slowly backwards as a result of her tone. Not that she cared about his reactions. He crossed the line. "Ever since I surrendered to the Scout Regiment, I've been on damage control for your sanity. You have no idea how hard it's been trying to figure out how to make sure the only person on this island I love from going past the point of no return on top of trying to deal with working with my enemies. It's draining the life out of me, but as long as I can make sure you're still breathing, I'll go along with it. So, of course, you decide to jeopardize your recovery on some stupid stunt."

Dillon desperately tried to placate her while his back was against a tree. "Annie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-."

The Female Titan slammed her fist into the ground, cutting him off and shaking the world around him. "You keep saying sorry, but you always do it, even when we were in training! Can you just, for once in your fucking life, give a damn about how your actions affect other people instead of yourself? And tell me…" Her gigantic, enraged face was right in front of him with no way out of it. "...what possible excuse could you have for gallivanting off to whatever hell you're putting yourself into?"

With the subject of his trauma giving him a similar look that she gave in Stohess, this would usually be the moment where Dillon would break. However, he surprised himself by allowing the reminder that she wouldn't actually hurt him no matter the answer pierced through much simpler than before. "I… I went to see my mother," he answered hesitantly.

Annie stared at him as her anger diminished slightly. Only a slight. "And?"

He sighed, staring into her eyes. "I wanted to bring her out of her coma. All I needed to do was stimulate her brain. It was… easy. But when she started to wake up, I left before she realized I was there." His brown eyes drifted to the ground. "I guess I'm not ready to face her yet after everything."

"So, why didn't you tell me you were going to do this?" she questioned.

"I wanted to give you a break from my problems."

That wasn't the answer Annie expected. "Excuse me?"

Dillon shook his head as he forced himself to stand. "I'm not stupid… usually. I knew what my issues were doing to you. I could hear it in your voice. You're exhausted. I didn't want you to come with me so I'd be 'safe,' or if you didn't come, I didn't want you to worry about me."

Annie pulled herself away from him, pinching the bridge of her nose with a sigh. "Dillon, you have the uncanny ability to make me want to feel flattered or smash my head into one of the Walls in frustration." She hardened her fingers and placed them on her nape.

While he didn't show it, Dillon was slightly disappointed she was disembarking from her Titan form. He hoped to get another one of those massive hugs she was good at giving. The thought fled quickly, realizing how stupid that sounded.

However, the Female Titan caught that fleeting thought, finding it very interesting. That being said, she wouldn't pursue that matter yet and focus on what was important as she sliced open her own nape, steam emitting from it. The hole was big enough for her human form to pull herself out of, the strands of flesh snapping off one by one. She slid down the decaying body and landed on the ground, though she stumbled from some dizziness.

Quickly, Dillon helped her up. "You okay?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded once she was able to, giving him full view of the burn marks around her eyes. "Yeah. It's always like this after I leave the Titan form. Let's take a walk."

He trailed slightly behind her as the two headed deeper into the forest. The rain had subsided a bit, though it was still coming down. They were heading further away from Headquarters as proven by the lake they came upon. "Well, at least you can't throw me in this time," he joked nervously.

"I don't need to be a Titan to pull that off." She turned around to face him, her cold, unreadable eyes back once again. "You're anxious. Why?"

"Because I pissed you off and I don't know what you're gonna do," he admitted.

"There's a lot I could do, but we need to talk through a few things," Annie said, taking a couple steps towards him. She was just the right distance so he couldn't reach her, but close enough so he could see her weariness. On her end, she analyzed every part of his expression. "I don't need the mind link to know what you're thinking right now. 'This is it. This is the moment where I leave you.' You think the worst a lot when it comes to these conversations because you don't want to lose what we have. I'm the first woman in your life, and you're the first man in mine. What we share is something that's made us happy. Aside from that, what are we supposed to do aside from 'being there for each other?'" She allowed her inner frustrations creep in. "It's not enough, and you know it. We do the same thing when problems arise: cling onto each other harder. The relief was only temporary, and now, it's not working."

"And yet, it's the only thing we know." Dillon could take it from here as he stared out into the lake, watching the circles the rain created on the surface. "We've never been in love before. It's new, exciting, and terrifying. I'm afraid to mess everything up between us, so I hold onto you tighter to keep from losing you." He still didn't face her even when a surge of anger appeared in their link. "Why didn't you tell me you're dying?" At long last, he addressed it.

"I've been watching you dissolve into a shell of your former self, Dillon." She was quiet, uncomfortable to be put on the spot like this. "I knew you would take it badly, but if you broke for good, if you didn't recover because it was too much to take… I could never forgive myself."

"It always comes back to that, doesn't it? I'm trying to get better," he shot back in frustration. "It's why I removed another block. It's why I went to my mother. I can be a better person."

"By throwing your life in jeopardy?" Annie demanded, rounding on him. "You act out of desperation every single time something bad happens. Caution isn't a word you understand. And here I am, having to pick up the pieces of your problems while I have to deal with mine."

A fire ignited in his eyes as he glared daggers into hers. "You know what's so funny? Every fucking time I have a breakdown or some emotional instability, it isn't even my fault. I have you to thank for the trauma, my father betrayed me at the worst, possible moment, Ymir ate me and almost killed me, Levi forced me to go into your memories, and Historia was an idiot. The only times things actually get better is when I do something about it, no matter how crazy the idea is. Don't you get it? These are things I have to do, Annie. I don't want you to have to keep picking up the pieces of my sanity and glue them back together. I just want us to have… relief for a change. We need it."

Annie pursed her lips and gave a sigh, allowing some of the tension to fade slightly. "Why can't there be manual for this crap?"

Dillon snorted. "I doubt it could cover 'Insane Psions' and 'War Criminal Titans.'"

"Dillon… you have no idea how worried I am for you," she said. "I only have six years to live at most if I don't end up getting killed. You're going to watch me die. What happens then? Are you going to stop living? Become a recluse until you wither away to dust?"

The blacksmith couldn't answer at first, a dark look on his face. The thought of losing Annie no matter what happened in this world was still a lot to digest. He would have to cross that bridge one way or the other. "I'm not going to abandon you if you think I would do that to save myself."

"That would be sensible for most people," she muttered.

"We could die any day from whatever comes our way. Hell, I could trip down the stairs tomorrow. That'd be an embarrassing way to go out."

"I'd choose embarrassing over getting eaten any day," Annie replied.

"We still have six years left together… so let's make the most of those days." He cradled her cheek in his hand. "I love you, Annie, and if you'll let me, please give me more chances to prove it."

The blonde couldn't stop a tear or two falling down her face. She held onto his hand so that he wouldn't let her go. "If you die before I do, I will hunt you down in the afterlife. You hear me?" she demanded, her voice breaking slightly.

"I'll do my best to survive." He leaned in and pressed her lips against hers.

She returned it eagerly, wrapping her arms around him. She missed this so much, so she kept kissing him. The way he was acting, he missed it, too. This affection and intimacy felt so right, and so needed, but it wasn't enough. They wanted more. She pressed her body against his, running her hands over him. No amount of rain was about to stop what they set in motion.


There was an assortment of things Levi would rather be doing. Cleaning, preparing war strategies with the other Section Commanders, literally anything else than going outside to hunt down the two people that never ceased to annoy him. Eren had returned to Headquarters with Dillon's horse, but there was no sign of the Psion or the Female Titan. All Eren would say was that Annie was pissed at Dillon, a statement that caused the captain to snort. He knew this would happen.

He came upon a recently-created clearing where he found two dissolving corpses of Titans. Obviously, Annie had returned to human form, but where was she and the idiot? Two pairs of tracks in the mud answered that question. He followed the trail for about a half a mile until his ears picked up a sound in the distance. Splashing. Lots of splashing. His pace quickened as several theories went through his mind as to what was going on, but all of them vanished upon more sounds. Giggling. Grunting. Moaning.

It didn't take long for Levi to reach the lake, and what he saw nearly induced a conniption. Dillon and Annie had their hands and lips all over each other, taking their sex life to a new level. In the water. The same water they drank from at times. The two didn't notice him, which gave him the chance to prepare a proper statement. "Congratulations. You dumbasses just contaminated this lake."

The duo gasped, their heads whipping in his direction. Annie lowered herself a little lower to keep some form of modesty as her face turned crimson red from the exposure. Dillon fared worse as he attempted to respond. "C-C-Captain, I-"

"I don't want to hear it," Levi interrupted coolly, holding up his hand. "Since you have enough strength to go at Leonhart like a horny rabbit, then it shouldn't be hard for you to clean up the mess hall. Now. And put your fucking clothes on!"

"Y-Yes, sir." Dillon rose out of the lake while making sure his hand prevented Levi from a hideous sight. He threw on his clothes that were drenched from the rainwater and bolted for Headquarters. This was a memory that would be tarnished forever.

"You were ordered to train Eren, and you cut it short for this. Next time you and Amsdale want to fuck each other, do it on your own time." Levi glared down at the Shifter, who was shrinking away from his gaze. She had never been more embarrassed in her life. "Now, you're going to get dressed and scrub down the men's room until I can eat off the floor. You waste our time like this again, and I will shove you into a stock so everyone can see what a naked Titan Shifter looks like. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly," Annie answered coldly, though she knew this was her and Dillon's fault.

"Levi!"

The captain bit back a groan. "I'm in the middle of something, Four-Eyes."

Hanji skidded to a stop, panting heavily. "I know, but this is really-Annie, you're naked."

The Shifter wrapped her arms around herself tighter. She didn't want the Section Commander to get any ideas.

To their surprise, Hanji got back on track, a serious look on her face. "I just go word from the hospital in Karanes: Erwin's awake."


AN: I apologize if the scenes felt rushed at times. To be honest, it can be hard for me to draw things out, and when I can't figure out how, I keep things a bit more brief and to the point.

So, I'm gonna be honest: I never expected the conversation between Annie and Dillon to go the way it did. At first, I was gonna try for something comedic, but after a rather lengthy review, it got me thinking that there were some things that needed to be addressed. The two have had a lot of conversations, but I don't think they had one quite like this. The emotional strain the two had been under was bound to cause problems if they weren't brought up, so it was high time to. I hope the talk was satisfying.

Now, I've gotten quite a few people asking me when I'm heading into the Uprising Arc, and I finally have a concrete answer: next chapter is the last chapter before we officially enter that arc. Just a few more things to address, and we'll be home free.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I look forward to your reviews, and I'll see you all in the next one.