The New Chapter
"Wait…you're pregnant?"
"…yeah. I'm pregnant."
"Are you sure?"
"100% I took a test and went to the doctor, and they both confirmed. I am definitely pregnant." Pieck Finger and Porco Galliard were in Porco's room, sitting on opposite sides of the room. Pieck was holding her stomach with her head down as Porco was looking at her with a cold sweat forming and his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. "Are you…not happy about it?"
"What? No! No, no, of course, I'm happy about having a baby. It's just…I don't know if having the baby here is going to be a good idea," Porco responded. Porco and Pieck have been dating for three years since they turned 15. While the Warriors and the rest of Marley's army knew about their relationship, Porco knew things wouldn't go well for them if they found out that Pieck is pregnant. "How long have you known?"
"I only found out yesterday. I've been vomiting nonstop in the mornings for the past week, and when I went to the doctor, he told me that I was pregnant. I took the pregnancy test early this morning just to make sure," Pieck explained as Porco got up from the chair he was sitting in, walked over to Pieck, sat down next to her, and hugged her. Porco started rubbing Pieck's back as she returned Porco's hug, nuzzling her forehead and nose on his shoulder. "What are we going to do?"
"I…I don't know."
"Neither do I. And I haven't even told my Dad yet," Pieck sighed before walking up to Porco, who outstretched his arms. Pieck lay on Porco's lap, allowing Porco to engulf her in a deep hug, Pieck sinking into the hug by burying her face into Porco's shoulder.
"We'll think of something. But, you should tell your Dad, because I think he'd be happy to hear he's getting a Granddaughter or Grandson," Porco responded, running his hand through her messy black hair. "Hey, let's just get some rest. We'll think about what to do tomorrow when we're a little less shocked and stressed," Porco offered as Pieck looked up slightly and nodded before she flopped down back first on her bed.
"That sounds like a good idea," Pieck mumbled out before she opened up the blankets so that she could wrap herself in the soft warmth of the blanket. Pieck opened the blanket up slightly so that Porco could slip in next to her, which he accepted. Pieck and Porco gave each other a peck on the lips before embracing each other and drifting off to sleep, hoping things would be better by tomorrow.
The Next Day…
Porco and Pieck were suddenly pulled from their sleep with the harsh sound of a pounding on their door. Porco and Pieck looked at each other and sighed, knowing that the only person that would knock like that is Commander Magath. Neither was really in the mood to deal with their racist commander, but Porco sighed, made sure Pieck was decently covered up by the blankets, put on a white T-Shirt, and sat on the bed.
"It's open," Porco called out, rubbing his temples in preparation for the growing headache he was about to receive. Commander Magath opened the door, and looked at both Porco and a still half-asleep Pieck, before walking over to the bedside.
"Galliard, Finger, I assume you know why I'm here."
"Yeah, I have a feeling."
"I've heard that Finger is pregnant with your child, Galliard."
"You heard right." Magath pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance at Porco's seemingly nonchalant response, hiding the fact that Porco's heart was going 1000 miles a second.
"When I permitted you and Finger to maintain your relationship, I did not think that you two would be so careless in letting this happen. We cannot afford to have the Cart Titan out for the months that this pregnancy is going to last, so you're going to have to get rid of it," Magath said, causing Porco's eyes to shoot open. This statement caused Pieck to go from half-asleep to fully awake, and look at Magath in horror.
"W…what?"
"I'm sorry Finger, but you being out for eight months all for some…Eldian child is not something that I or the rest of the army want to deal with," Magath responded. Porco looked as though he was getting furious, and when Porco got mad, he tended to say things that would get him into trouble. Not wanting to even fathom the possibility of being sent to 'Paradise', Pieck intervened, and put a hand on Porco's shoulder, causing him to close his mouth.
"I don't think that's possible now. The child hasn't grown enough for it to even be aborted," Pieck defended. Magath looked at Pieck for a few seconds before sighing and turning away. But when he grabbed the door to close it, Magath stopped right at the doorway and began talking again.
"Finger, Galliard, when it is possible, I want the baby gone. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, this child of yours is going to be a hindrance to our greater mission," Magath said before he walked away from the door, closing it after him. Pieck was shaking at what Magath said, as Porco started running his hands through his hair with enough force to nearly pull it off of his head.
"Goddammit. What the hell are we gonna do now?" Porco said under his breath, not even being able to look at Pieck as she got out of the bed. Pieck unconsciously put a hand on her stomach before letting out a loud sigh and walking to the dresser.
"I…I have no idea. I don't want to get rid of the baby, but who knows what they'll do to us if we don't," Pieck responded, before taking some clothes out of her dresser, and started putting on a dress. Porco nodded and grabbed some jeans before getting up to reach for his jacket.
"Oh I know what they're going to do, and it isn't going to be pretty," Porco said, attempting to inject his voice with something of a joking tone in an attempt to lighten the mood, but judging by the worried look on Pieck's face, he had failed miserably. Porco sighed before putting on his jacket, keeping his eyes on Pieck, who he had never seen looked as worried as she did now. Porco sighed before he walked up to her, and grabbed both of her hands in his. "Pieck, I think we have to leave Marley," Porco said under his breath, causing Pieck's eyes to widen.
"What!?"
"Pieck, Magath isn't going to change his mind on this, and even if he let us have the baby here, do you want to raise your kid in this place where they'll be treated like a monster and ostracized like we were?" Pieck wanted to argue, but the more she thought of it, the less she had to argue. Porco was right, joining the Warrior Program was the only way that he and Pieck were able to somewhat escape the constant abuse and racism that ran rampant in Marley. It was also the only way for their parents to earn something of a respectable living and decent medical care.
"I understand what you're saying Porco, but where would we go? It's not like Marley is the only country in the world that hates Eldians like us," Pieck responded. Porco scratched the back of his head before sighing and putting a hand on Pieck's right shoulder.
"The only place I can think of is Paradis. We never believed all that bullshit propaganda about the island anyway, and they're the only country that we know of that actually treats Eldians like humans. So…I don't think we have a choice," Porco responded as Pieck grabbed Porco's hand with both of her hands, and nodded in reluctant agreement. After Pieck and Porco got dressed in silence, the two joined hands before walking out of their room, wanting to head to the kitchen to fill the sinking feeling in their stomachs with some food.
"So…how do you think we can get to Paradis? Most everyone in this country thinks they're a bunch of no-good demons. So I doubt anyone would want to help us," Pieck said as quietly as she could before pulling up a chair and sitting down with Porco following suit after getting a cup of coffee from the table.
"I honestly have no idea. We can always sneak on one of those ships that bring the Titans to Paradis. I doubt they'd notice us if we snuck in," Porco suggested as one of their fellow Warriors, Reiner Braun, walked into the forest, partly listening to the quiet conversation going on between the couple.
"I guess that could work, but how would we even sneak on the boat? Magath is probably going to be keeping a close eye on us because of the baby," Pieck responded as Porco took another sip of coffee and sighed before grabbing a breakfast biscuit from the table and handing it to Pieck. "Thank you," Pieck said before Reiner walked up to the two, immediately irritating Porco.
"I think I can help you guys with this situation," Reiner said once he had knelt in so that he can whisper to them. Porco, who had a not-so-secret hatred of the holder of the Armored Titan, decided to interject.
"How the hell are you going to help us, Reiner?" Porco asked in disbelief. Pieck sighed, never really understanding why Porco harbored such a deep hatred for Reiner, even when they were kids just getting into the Warrior program. Pieck put a hand on Porco's to try and calm him down, before looking at Reiner with the biscuit in her mouth.
"What do you mean you can help us, Reiner?" Pieck asked in a much friendlier manner. Porco looked as though he was going to say something, but given Pieck's attention to the matter, Porco decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being and hear Reiner out. Reiner grabbed a chair and took a seat in between Porco and Pieck before responding.
"Galliard, you're right about the boat coming back. However, we've been lessening our Titan influence in Paradis, so the only boat that's going to come soon is one next month. We're also going to go off to war with another country around the same time," Reiner explained as Porco and Pieck nodded in attention. Not seeing any attempt by Pieck and Porco to interrupt him, Reiner nodded and continued talking.
"Since we're getting both soldiers and the Warriors involved in this war, there's going to be plenty of people coming along. If we sneak the two of you out while we're traveling out of Marley, you guys can make it on the boat, and depending on how long this war is, you guys won't have to worry about the Marley government for a long time," Reiner further explained. Pieck looked rather happy with this plan, a gleam coming back into her eye for the first time since she and Porco's conversation with Magath. Porco, on the other hand, was still a little suspicious and decided to make his thoughts known.
"Why do you want to help us, Reiner?"
"Huh?"
"You've always been the only one of us blindly defending Marley no matter what's happened. Even when Magath is gone like he is now, you've always talked about how generous Marley is to us, and now all of the sudden, you want to help us escape? What's the catch?" Porco asked as Pieck looked annoyed at Porco. Reiner, however, took a deep breath and walked over to the counter to get a cup of coffee.
"Because…from everything I saw in Paradis, I realized how wrong I was. There were no devils on that island, just the normal good and bad people like every country. I only just got back, and honestly…I've been thinking of ways to try and make up for all the sins I've committed in the name of Marley," Reiner explained, running his hand through his short blonde hair as Porco looked at him with widened eyes. Pieck looked at Porco's shocked face with a confident smile, grabbing his hand, and stroking his knuckles before Porco took a couple of deep breaths and nodded.
"Alright Reiner, if you really have a way to get us to Paradis, we'll take you up on it," Porco said, outstretching his hand, which caused Reiner to nearly jump. Usually, whenever Porco had his hand near Reiner, it was because the two were exchanging punches in a no holds barred brawl. After recovering from his shock, Reiner grabbed Porco's hand and shook it as Pieck's smile grew, as she had always secretly wanted Porco and Reiner to get along since they were all kids.
"I'm glad to hear it, Galliard. Now, you two should get everything in order, tell your families, and do whatever else you need to do before the month is up so you can be ready by the time the boat comes," Reiner explained as Pieck and Porco nodded. Reiner nodded back at them before walking off, taking his cup of coffee with them. Porco and Pieck looked at and smiled at each other before hugging each other in excitement. They finally had a way out of Marley and can have their child, and even give them the life that they deserve.