Of Epic Proportions

by authorinprogress97

And I thought life was hard enough the first time. OC self-insert (because I'm that shameless)

9. Rise

And I thought life was hard enough the first time.

OC self-insert (because I'm that shameless)

I told myself it would be a while before I would ship Dani with anyone. I don't know what happened.

Battle of Trost arc is killing me, man. There's still so much and I'm looking forward to what comes after. Like heartache.

Marco is a sweetie pie. Enough said.

Hooray for late updates! Woot!

Nina – They're so cute together it's gross.

a fan – Aww… thanks!

-0-

I wasn't acting like myself.

I was well aware of that. I had been reckless, downright suicidal. What was wrong with me? I couldn't let Eren's death affect me this much if I still wanted to look over the people in my life that were still around.

Eren might not be dead, though.

I unhooked my gas tank from the nozzle, staring down at it for a moment. That Titan, the one that was rampaging outside… I knew it, didn't I? It was firing alarms in the back of my head – a familiar sign that I had seen it before, only not in this life.

If it could be believed, if it wasn't just a stupid little girl's hopeful dream, then that Titan was Eren. If that Titan was Eren… well, so what? I couldn't do anything with that information right now. The nape was the key… was Eren in the nape of that Titan's neck?

I hooked up my second gas tank, letting the whistling of compressed gas fill my ears and provide as soundtrack for my thinking. I could attempt to get him out, but I didn't know if I would end up hurting him in the process.

If he was even in that Titan.

I sighed, knocking the side of my head with my fist. Stupid ass failing memory. Why hadn't I held on to my memories of Shingeki no Kyojin closer? I should never have allowed myself to forget. Now I was faced with so many questions and probabilities with no way of knowing the answers. So much for adapting.

Someone settled down next to me and my eyes flickered upwards. I fiddled with the nozzle once more before looking at Marco, turning so I was facing him. "Hey," I greeted.

He frowned at me a little before poking my forehead. "There's something wrong with you," he accused. "What you did back there wasn't smart."

I tapped my fingers against my gas tank, sighing through my nose. No, it wasn't. I couldn't even come up with an argument for what I had did other than rash and unthinking. "I know."

Marco sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I damn near had a heart attack, Dani."

"I'm sorry," I apologised. "I wasn't thinking straight."

He punched my shoulder lightly, a stern gaze pinning me in place. "No more stupid stunts like that again, okay?"

That was a promise I could easily make. I didn't think I could take any more of that for today anyway. I nodded, slumping down slightly as I unhooked my full gas tank and stood up. I had to remember that sometimes people worried about me too, even if I didn't want them to. As much as I felt I could take care of myself, I knew I couldn't. that's why everyone needed people around them. We needed to let ourselves be taken care by other people too.

I couldn't do that. For now, I hoped people would let me take care of them, first. There was a little voice that told me I was the one who had to look after them because I was older. It wasn't even the truth, but I felt like I had been living too long, sometimes. I felt twice their age when I was younger than at least half of them.

I hooked up my second gas tank, hearing the reassuring hiss of pressurised air from behind me. I had my 3DMG all gassed up and working and we were almost home free. I had two full tanks of gas, so maybe I could figure out a way of finding out if that Titan was really Eren or not. I wasn't leaving without him.

"I talked to Jean."

I paused, looking back at Marco. He was looking down at his feet. I turned around, crossing my arms as I waited for him to continue. He did, eventually.

"Remember when we talked about everyone?" he asked, finally looking up. There was an odd emotion in his eyes that I couldn't decipher at all. "We talked about who would last and who wouldn't. What roles everyone fit in most."

My eyebrows furrowed. Why was he talking about this now? We had had that conversation two years into our training, when we were both stuck in the infirmary after sustaining injuries during 3DMG training. "Yeah?"

He shrugged. "I told him."

I blinked at him before barking out a disbelieving laugh. He actually told Jean what he had told me? Oh, Marco… I pulled at the handkerchief Mikasa had wrapped around my injured hand. "I guess he needed to hear it," I mused. There had been a shift in Jean when he had yelled at me; I could feel the self-doubt simmering under the anger, the I'm not cut out for this that lingered in his eyes.

"He did," Marco agreed, "but you know what else I told him? I told him we never talked about us."

I jerked. We had discussed everyone in our training squad… except each other. The only two people we hadn't mused on and placed in a pre-destined spot was us. I had my own thoughts about where Marco stood – a commander, able to lead people and keep them calm in the face of adversity, as he had shown multiple times today – but I couldn't even think about where I stood. If Marco had asked me back then, I would have said I would have been one of the struggling passes. I might have said I would have dropped out if it weren't for Armin, Eren and Mikasa.

"It wasn't important at the time," I reasoned, but it settled like a lie in my mouth. Maybe I just didn't want to hear the ugly truth; that I wasn't cut out for the military.

"Is it important now?"

I looked down at my hands at his question, picking at my nails. I shrugged. "I don't know," I answered honestly. "It doesn't have to be."

"What if we don't have another chance to talk?"

"Dani… Marco's dead."

"Shut up, Jean. Just shut up."

"He's dead! You can't change that!"

I blinked away those words that assaulted my mind. I couldn't let that happen. That couldn't be an actuality. "Don't say that," I said quietly, gaze fixed on the ground in front of Marco's feet. If he said that… no. I didn't want to have this conversation now, but I worried that we wouldn't be able to have it later.

"It's something that could happen, Dani."

He had no idea just how real that threat was. It wasn't just something that could happen; it was going to happen and I didn't know if I would be able to stop it.

I ran a hand through my hair. "I know. God, I know. Don't you think I know that?"

He took my hand gently, like it was going to break in his grip. I blinked furiously, not used to such gentleness. It wasn't that Armin and Eren were usually rough with me, but they had never treated me like this. Like, well, like a girl. "You're not leader material," he said, his voice imitating the gentleness of his hand. "What's great is that you're aware of that, so you try not to lead. You could, if it called for it, but you'd rather be the fifth or sixth choice rather than the second. You'd make a good second-in-command, though." He took a step closer and I almost felt like I couldn't breathe. "You're headstrong, but able to set your pride to the side when the situation called for it. Sometimes though, especially when it came to Eren, you'd hang on to your pride because he deserved it. You're logical, but reckless; emotionally stable, but a mess… you're a walking contradiction, Dani, and I think that's what you like best about yourself."

I chuckled a little sadly. When had I let Marco know so much about me?

"I never thought you'd drop out for a moment," I whispered, tugging on a lock of my red hair. I seriously needed to procure a hair tie soon. I knew there was more coming. There had to be. We couldn't just give Trost up like this. We still had to find Eren (and I had a much stronger feeling this time that he was alive). "You were always so sure what you wanted to do."

"I never thought you'd drop out either, even if you did," he said and I finally looked up at him. I almost flinched at our proximity. I was only ever used to being this close to Armin and Eren, but they were my best friends. Although Marco was my friend, we weren't… well, we weren't even as close as Eren and I were, to be honest.

Nervously, I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. Marco was quiet, anticipating my own deductions. "You're a natural born leader," I started, the exact opposite of what he said about me. "You're able to lead and people want to be led by you. You're a pretty good judge of character. You're good at calming people down and you're able to make good decisions, but…" I bit my lip, not really sure if I should say it. "I'm glad you chose the Military Police. You wouldn't be able to be a commander in any other faction. You're too idealistic for the Recon Corps or Garrison. You're kind, but not a pushover. You make people want to listen to you."

"Would you listen to me?" His voice wasn't just gentle anymore. It was soft too, like whipped cream or a gentle summer breeze.

"I always listen to you."

Suddenly, he tugged me towards him, one hand curling around my nape while the other curled around my shoulders. My eyes widened, breath hitching. I was prepared for this conversation to go many ways… but this hadn't come up as a possibility. Like I said before, I was used to hugs. Being friends with Eren, I had gotten used to sudden hugs too. I just wasn't used to a hug like this.

My hands hung limp by my sides before one hand rose to clutch his jacket. I… had never been hugged like this before; like he was trying to keep me safe from the rest of the world. I just – I guess I just didn't understand.

"Keep a cool head," he urged, breath brushing against my ear. "Don't do anything reckless anymore. Stay safe. Dani, please."

"You too," I whispered back, worried my voice would crack. I felt so emotional, but I didn't even know what I was feeling. If I hazarded a guess, I guess it was an odd mix of longing and sorrow. I had this feeling deep in my bones that I wouldn't be able to stop much. Things were already in motion and going at full-speed. "You've got to watch your back, Marco. Don't – god, just don't die."

Impossible. So impossible.

His grip tightened on me minutely before I felt him nodding. I couldn't make him promise he wouldn't die because he'd feel horrible, breaking the promise in the afterlife or whatever. Knowing Marco, he'd be the type to feel shitty over something he couldn't control. This was out of our hands.

I pushed myself away from him, needing to get away from the comforting warmth before I got used to it. I chewed on my bottom lip, the cut from earlier stinging, but I didn't care. Ugh, emotions are stupid.

My eyes darted around the near-empty gas storage before I punched Marco's chest likely. "I'll hold you to that," I said weakly, not even meaning it as I turned and walked out into the sunlight.

Armin grabbed my hand, the tilt to his lips not quite a smile, but holding enough hope that I could believe it was. I squeezed back, wanting to be out of here, but not ready to. I was still thinking of a way to tell him that I wasn't leaving when Armin's eyes looked past me and he frowned. "Mikasa?" he called up and I turned, following his gaze to where Mikasa stood on the roof, staring at something we couldn't see.

"Why isn't she leaving?" I asked, sharing a look with Armin before shooting up next to her with my Maneuver Gear. I heard Armin follow behind me.

I reached out for her, but my hand stilled as I turned to look at what she was looking at. There was that odd Titan, but it was surrounded by the other Titans. No, that wasn't right. It would have been more accurate to say that the other Titans were swarming the odd Titan, attacking it in a pattern similar to a school of piranhas. They were eating it and there was a shock of protectiveness running through my body that had me wanting to jump in and kill all those Titans. I clenched my hands into fists to stop myself, knowing there wasn't anything I could do. The odd Titan was pinned down and it was only a matter of time before they got its nape by accident.

"Mikasa, we've got to hurry," Armin urged.

"That Titan…" Mikasa said, her voice trailing off the end. I couldn't tear my eyes from the sight of the Titan being devoured. It was so horrifying I couldn't stop watching. It was unheard of, Titans eating another Titan.

"They're eating it," Armin murmured in disbelief next to me. As we watched, the Titan we were talking about let out a roar that sounded an awful lot like a cry for help. I shook my head slightly; that sounded ridiculous. "Its body can't regenerate?"

"I thought uncovering the truth about that Titan might be the key to freeing ourselves from this desperate situation," Mikasa said and I glanced at her, seeing the swirling in her eyes as she tried to make a decision.

"Do you… want to save it?" I offered hesitantly, tapping my handgrips. If she wanted to save it, I'd be there to watch her back and make sure she didn't get eaten. Of course, I didn't think it was a particularly smart decision.

"I think we should," Reiner agreed from behind me. I whirled around so fast I slipped a little, needing to steady myself on Armin's shoulder. I hadn't realised Reiner, Bertolt, Annie (those three were always together, which I always found a little odd) and Jean were behind us. "If they just rip it to shreds, we won't have learned a single thing." There was this glint in Reiner's eye that I found puzzling. I tilted my head to the side, looking away from him before he found me looking and hid it away.

"That's insane," Jean cried, looking between me and Reiner like we deserved to be committed to a mental institute for even mentioning it. "We can finally escape this death trap!"

"But what if that Titan could become an ally?" Annie brought up calmly with a slightly disdainful look towards Jean. "Don't you think it'd be a more powerful weapon than any cannon?"

"Our… ally?" Jean repeated in disbelief. "Are you for real?"

"It might not cooperate," I argued. "We're not even sure if it can understand us."

Annie turned her cold, cold eyes to me and I felt a chill run down my spine despite the heat of the sun on my back. "A weapon doesn't have to be willing."

Armin let out a sudden exclamation. "That's… that's the abnormal that ate Thomas!"

I turned, my eyes narrowing at the sight of the lean body and blonde hair that belonged to the Titan that had killed my comrade in front of me. My fingers twitched and my hands immediately flew to my handgrips, tugging them off my belt and moving to snap on a pair of blades so I could attack the way I hadn't been able to last time.

My eyes widened as a now familiar roar boomed through the air. My hair whipped into my face as I watched in fascination as the Titan that was in the midst of being devoured started running towards the abnormal Titan responsible for Thomas's death. Its arms got ripped off, but it still kept going until it clamped its teeth into the neck of the blonde Titan and tossed it around.

Another Titan attempted to sneak up on it, but it turned, hitting the other Titan with the abnormal hanging from its mouth. The other Titan, a Titan with a huge belly, crashed into a building, sending dust and debris flying.

"Hey, what was that about helping it?" Jean said sardonically as the Titan let out a roar of victory right before collapsing.

I made an aborted noise of surprise. I rocked forward, but there wasn't anything I could do.

"Looks like it burnt itself out," Jean commented. I heard him shift; probably to turn around. "Whatever. Let's get going! There's no way that monster's on our side. Titans are Titans."

I wasn't listening anymore as I spotted movement near the base of the fallen Titan's neck. My heart beat faster in anticipation. This was the moment of truth. This would either validate or discredit my memories and my future knowledge. Eren just had to be alive.

My eyes widened as the body – and it was a body – shifted before rising up. A bit of Titan skin clung to the body's face and I held my breath as it broke free. I stared almost uncomprehendingly as I stared at the familiar face, unconscious, but there and he was clearly alive. Next to me, Mikasa gasped.

Mikasa rushed down, Armin exclaiming her name, but I couldn't move. All I could do was stare at Eren, hand raising to clutch at Dad's ring still hanging from my neck all these years. I – I couldn't believe I was right. I raised a shaking hand to my face and rubbed my eyes, blinking furiously just to check my eyes weren't playing a trick on me.

I watched as Mikasa ran towards Eren's motionless body, finally embracing it when she reached. There was a moment of silence and I blinked as Mikasa brought her head down to his chest. Mikasa's wails slowly reached us and my legs gave out from under me.

I sat down, looking up to the sky and breathing heavily as I blinked back tears.

"We should get them to safety," I said hoarsely, getting to my feet and gently brushing away Jean's hand. I rubbed at my dry eyes with both hands before taking a deep breath and shooting out my grappling hooks so they would catch me as I dropped from the roof.

Mikasa's wails started to quieten as I neared, allowing me to realise there were words hidden in them too.

"Eren," she sobbed. "He's alive. Thank god, he's alive!"

"Mikasa," I said gently, resting a hand on her shoulder slowly so as not to startle her. "We need to get out of here. There are still Titans around – "

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she whimpered.

My breath hitched. I should be the one saying that, not Mikasa. Hadn't I been the one tasked with watching over him?

"Mikasa," I whispered, trying to pull her away, but she wouldn't allow herself to be separated from Eren. "Mikasa, please, we have to go."

More wordless sobs.

"Mikasa…"

Footsteps sounded behind us, so I attempted to haul both her and Eren out, but I didn't have the necessary strength, even after all that 3DMG training. Mikasa wouldn't get up and I had to lift two people at the same time.

"Dani, how's it going?" Reiner called. I shook my head before realising the steam was still too thick for anyone to see us.

"I need your help," I shouted down. "She won't – I can't get her to let go."

I shook Mikasa's shoulders, but she still refused to let go. Eren's head dropped down onto her shoulder and my fingers brushed against his cheek. I pulled my hand away immediately, gasping slightly because it wasn't just some hazy figment of my imagination. He was real and he wasn't dead and I swore I would never ask for anything else from any deity.

Reiner appeared through the mist and I blinked, another image superimposing himself over his reflection so brief I couldn't make out what it was. Goddamn shitty memory. He let out a sigh as he reached out for Eren, but Mikasa let out a growl that wasn't quite human.

Reiner shot me a look that seemed to say are you kidding me? I shrugged helplessly, gripping my hair and tugging.

"Mikasa, get up," I pleaded, tugging her jacket, but she simply buried her face in Eren's shoulder. I looked over my shoulder, worried a Titan would show up and take us by surprise. We still weren't out of the danger zone, damn it.

"Ackerman," Reiner barked, "if we don't get out of here now, we're all dead. Eren is dead. Do you want that?"

Slowly, Mikasa shook his head.

"Then get up," he ordered, crossing his arms. "If you're not getting up, I'll take Eren out of your hands and have Dani haul your hysterical ass out of here, got it?"

"Reiner," I protested. "I don't think – "

Mikasa suddenly stood up, Eren's arm around her shoulders. I shifted forward to help her, but hesitated. I felt like I didn't deserve to touch him after failing him – both of them – and it wasn't like she really needed my help anyway. I clenched my right hand, feeling the handkerchief she had carefully wrapped my hand in. It didn't matter if she needed my help or not. I would help her whether she needed it or not, the same way she would – had – for me.

I made an aborted movement to help her, but she was already gone in a burst of compressed air.

Right, what could someone like me add to Mikasa?

"Let's get going. We should at least make it to the top of that tower." He pointed toward a tall tower with a hole by the side; probably where Eren had driven a hole through it. "The Titans shouldn't be able to get us." Reiner patted a heavy hand on my shoulder, but it didn't attempt to knock me off-balance like the other times. It was meant for comfort.

"Right." I left first, firing my hooks towards the nearest building and quickly shooting off behind Mikasa. I couldn't help but keep glancing at Eren, lying in Mikasa's arms as we steadily made our way to the tower that was so close and still too far, trying our best to avoid Titans and killing those that got in our way.

I looked to my left, eyeing Jean, who had been keeping up with me, for the past two minutes. I wouldn't have found it weird if it were Armin, Mikasa or even Annie, but this was Jean. We weren't enemies (it'd be rather stupid to have enemies among humans these days), but I could hardly call us friends. I didn't dislike Jean, but I couldn't speak for him.

He looked at me with a somewhat haughty look, frowning slightly. "What? Look in front," he barked, looking forward again. "You'll hit a wall or something."

I sighed, shaking my head slightly. "You're acting weird," I called.

"You didn't cry."

"Should I have?"

He glanced at me again. "Don't you care about him?"

"Of course I care," I retorted harshly. "Just because I care, does that mean I should cry?"

I darted forward, choosing to stay next to Armin instead of hanging back the way I had earlier. I didn't bother to hear his answer. If he thought the only measure of my care was tears, then he was sorely mistaken.

Armin glanced at me as I swung next to him. I could see the wall right in front of us and I was so ready for all this to be over (even if I knew this wasn't even close to being the end). "He meant well," Armin pointed out gently. "He… worries."

"He doesn't have to," I snapped, before sighing. "Sorry. I'm not angry at you. I'm not even angry at him. I'm just – "

"Angry at yourself?"

I almost smiled. Armin knew me so well. I wish I could know him just as well. Maybe I didn't, but it sure as hell didn't feel like it sometimes. "I guess so," I agreed, shooting my hooks into the top of the tower but letting the wall's surface rush towards me. I let myself hang from my wires, high enough that the Titans couldn't get me.

I wanted to bash my head against the wall sometimes. How could I be so smart but still so dumb? I could never seem to do the right thing. God, all I ever did was mess things up.

Armin landed next to me, placing a hand on my elbow. "Hey, cut it out," he urged quietly. "When are you going to learn to stop beating yourself up over things you can't control?"

I looked up to the sky. "Maybe when the sky falls," I mused.

Armin knocked into me in protest. "I'll teach you."

"You can't teach me something you yourself haven't learnt yet, genius." I knocked him back. "Let's get up there before everyone worries."

"I guess we'll have to learn together," he said.

When we reached the top, we were met with the sight of Mikasa embracing Eren again with everyone else staring at them. Reiner, Bertolt and Annie had been having a quiet conversation amongst them when Armin and I showed up.

I shot a curious look at them, but neither of the three met my eyes. Bertolt started to sweat, but that was normal for him. I couldn't help but shake the feeling there was something brewing between them. Mikasa was still letting out sobs, but she seemed to be calming down at least.

I stood to the side, looking out behind us and towards the wall. I could see brown specks where soldiers were, but I couldn't tell if they had seen Eren or not.

I could hear Armin start to cry, but I couldn't turn and join them. I couldn't even see it. I didn't deserve to. I clutched at Dad's ring, twisting it between my fingers as I continued to watch the brown specks. A tear fell from my cheek and I hastily brushed it away. I had cried enough, hadn't I?

I could feel someone standing behind me, but didn't say anything. I waited for whoever it was behind me to say something.

"Shouldn't you be joining in on their family reunion?" Jean asked, a slight twist of sarcasm in his voice that I chose to ignore.

"Do you think I deserve to?" I replied, squinting at the brown specks in an effort to stop myself from crying. Danika Vale, I think that's enough for one day.

Jean let out a sigh and I almost yelled as he spun me around so I was facing Mikasa, Eren and Armin. "Just go," he ordered gruffly, before muttering something under his breath.

Armin looked back at me, eyes shining with tears. "Dani, he's real," he whispered in wonder. "He got his arm and leg back!"

Maybe the steps I took were too hesitant, but there was still an extremely pessimistic voice in my head that told me it was all a dream. Of course, it was the same voice that whispered late at night, when I felt I was all alone, that this new life was probably just a dream too. I could have just as easily been stuck in a coma too. I learned to ignore that voice; how could I live if I thought all of this was a dream?

Armin took my hand as I stood next to him. He intertwined my fingers with his the way his fingers were intertwined with Eren's. I reached out with trembling fingers, my fingers brushing Eren's black hair. It felt as soft as those days when we stayed up late talking and he'd rest his head on my shoulder so I could run my fingers through his hair.

I could feel the thud all the way up my thighs as my knees gave out under me, but it didn't register in my brain as I threaded my fingers through Eren's hair like I had done so many times before. I bit on my lip, my shoulders shaking from the force of my silent sobs as I bowed my head. My fingers trailed down Eren's cheek as I finally let my tears fall onto the ground.

We must have looked so weird, the four of us intertwined with each other in such weird ways. I couldn't have cared less. There was no one to watch us but Jean, Annie, Reiner and Bertolt anyway.

Eventually my tears ran dry and I hurriedly wiped away any evidence on my cheeks, glad for my long hair that covered my face. It was so embarrassing, crying in front of witnesses, but I simply couldn't help how happy I was. I squeezed Armin's hand before untangling it from mine, shakily standing up. My knees ached from kneeling for too long, but it wasn't the first time I had felt the ache in my knees. I covered my face with my hands briefly before swiping any remaining tears away and taking a deep breath. We weren't done yet. Not for a long shot.

"Are you done crying?" Annie asked, sounding nothing but impatient. I rested my hand on top of Armin's head, taking comfort at the familiar action.

"Just about," I answered airily. Now wasn't the time for emotions. Not until we were behind the wall. Of course, that meant there was more trouble incoming, but nobody had ever said our lives would be easy. "We should head to the wall – "

"They saw him," Bertolt interjected. "Look at the way they're grouped. We weren't that far from the wall when Eren… came out of that Titan."

I squinted at the wall, where the brown specks were still congregating. That couldn't be helped. The ruckus we had caused hadn't gone unnoticed.

… You'd rather be fifth or sixth choice…

I sucked my lower lip in, mindful of the wound my teeth had left in it. I didn't want to be the one calling the shots.

"You guys should go first," Mikasa said. I looked towards her. She was standing up, looking up at the sky. "We'll follow after."

Armin stood up too, rubbing his tears away. "We should go in separately if you guys want to stay out of trouble," he added, looking towards Armin. "I don't think it'll be a good idea if you guys were involved. And…" He gave each of them a stern gaze. "I think it would be best if we kept what we just saw a secret."

Annie, Reiner and Bertolt were quick to head off with acknowledging nods, but Jean lingered. He looked at the four of us, eyes lingering on Mikasa. "Are you sure?"

"Just go," Mikasa ordered quietly, not looking at Jean as she slung Eren's arm around her shoulders. "We don't need your help."

Jean looked hurt, but he always did around Mikasa. I wish he would realise that between Eren and him, she'd always pick Eren first. I shared a glance with Armin before drawing away. I shot a glance towards Mikasa, telling him he should make a plan with her. I'd follow along readily with whatever they came up with.

I grabbed Jean's arm and dragged him to the edge of the roof. He didn't even protest, which showed just how upset he was. "She didn't mean anything by it," I said quietly, looking over at Mikasa and Armin and noting with a nod that they had their heads together, obviously devising a plan.

"Didn't she?" he snorted, pulling his arm away from me roughly. "Whatever."

"Don't be childish," I reprimanded. "She's just doing it for your own good. Leave."

His hands dropped to his handgrips, but he paused, looking at me. "Are you coming?"

I jerked, blinking at him in confusion. "Why would you think I'd be going with you?"

He growled under his breath. "Right. I forgot. I just thought – forget it. Just… forget it."

"Jean – "

I didn't get a chance to say anything (not that I was going to say anything useful) as he stepped off the roof, swinging away on his 3DMG. I scratched the back of my head before making a frustrated motion towards Jean. Ah, whatever. It's not like I liked the jerk or whatever.

Males. I didn't understand them Then and I certainly wouldn't understand them now. This is why I didn't date (among other reasons)!

"What's the plan?" I asked with one last glare to where Jean had left.

"We'll have to face them eventually," Armin pointed out. "Maybe they saw the way Eren had fought against the other Titans and will leave him alone."

"If they didn't, we'll figure out something," Mikasa said firmly, her grip on Eren tightening.

I sighed looking towards the brown specks that were increasing in number. "It's more likely they'll see him as an enemy," I said, rubbing my temple with one hand. "I think it's logical to say they'll have cannons pointed at us."

"So be it. We'll protect him. They won't shoot at their own soldiers."

I wasn't so sure about that, but Mikasa looked ready to leave. I was too. We all were. It wasn't like we could avoid going into the inner wall; we needed to report back to our superiors. I ran a hand through my hair one last time before turning.

"I'm ready when you are," I said to both of them. Mikasa nodded at me, leading us. I trailed behind Armin, feeling unnaturally tense. We were about to go through a hell of a lot more. I stared at Mikasa's and Armin's backs in front of me before letting my gaze linger on Eren's sleeping face. I guess there were worse people I could go through this with.