A.N: This one I wrote in April so… around chapter 116? Spoilers are only up to about chapter 110, though.

Together

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck!" Hitch curses as she spaces back and forth in front of Annie's crystal. She wasn't all that sure of what was happening, but she knew that Eren was making a mess of things outside. Her superiors had sent her to the basement to guard Annie, which was her main job, sure that Eren would send someone after the female titan sooner or later. If that was true, then it'd be only a matter of time until Hitch's life would be in danger for real. Should she just run? Abandon everything and save herself? With the huge mess the whole country was in, no one would put much effort in to finding one run away soldier, right?

"It'd be the smart thing to do" Hitch knows, but recently, in these kinds of situations, a certain face that is now long gone pops up to the top of her mind "Marlowe would never approve of something like that."

But he'd been foolishly brave and Hitch wasn't. There was a difference between putting your life on the line when you were convinced you might be able to make a difference, and putting your life on the line despite being doomed to fail.

"Yet there was someone who put her very limited life in the line despite having no idea of what she was getting in to" Hitch thought, stopping in front of Annie's crystal as she looked at the sleeping girl "Fuck it… why did I end up in a squad of brave fools…"

Well, save for Boris of course. He could probably be called a fool too, but a very different kind of fool. But Hitch didn't exactly want to be like him either, so…

"Fuck this shit!" she yelled, sitting down in front of Annie "They want my crystal girl? They gotta get past me first!"

She would not run. It was foolish not to do so, but a soldier had her duty. Military Police were known for their cowardice when things really counted, and while she definitely knew why, she'd sworn after losing Marlowe that she wouldn't become like them. She'd fill her duty like a proper soldier.

Despite having made a decision, it doesn't keep her from going pale as she hears the door creak open. Jumping to her feet, she aims her pistol towards the door, trying to ignore the fact that her aim has never been the best possible.

"Calm down girl, you graduated in the top ten and helped to take down the government… and you were roommates with a fucking titan that you're now babysitting. You can handle whoever comes through that door- "

"Darn it Hitch, I know your aim is shit but put that down!" Boris curses as he steps in, closing the door behind him "You might actually be able to hit me by pure luck!"

Hitch blinks "Boris?"

"Yeah, so put that down" the man says, massaging his temple "Geez, I shouldn't have volunteered for this…"

Hitch lowers her gun, so Boris walks down the stairs. She speaks again only after he reaches her "What are you doing here?"

"The big shots said that having more people to guard the female titan would be for the best" he said "I volunteered, as did a few others. They are guarding the door and the hallways."

Hitch supposed that made sense. Until something happened, this job was easy, so getting volunteers shouldn't be that hard, at least not from the younger groups. However, veterans understood Annie's importance and how dangerous guarding her at a time like this could get. And so did Boris.

"I'm surprised you agreed to do something like this" she tells him bluntly "What's in it for you?"

"Are you saying you won't believe me if I say that I'm just fulfilling my duty?" Boris asks, but Hitch just raises an eyebrow, unimpressed "Alright, I suppose that was a stupid thing to say. You know me better than that."

"Yeah, I do" Hitch confirms "Now spill."

"With the way things are going, I don't think there's safe place left on the whole fucking island" Boris blurts out, making Hitch wince. She knows he's right "It's highly likely we all die, but if we don't, those who didn't abandon their positions are sure to climb ranks. It's either run and possibly live, but live in fear, or stay and fight, most likely dying but having a chance at winning and getting a good life."

"And you're risking everything for that good life?" Hitch asks, but Boris just shrugs "If the military collapses, I'll have a miserable life ahead of me even if I survive. No thanks, I'd rather take a gamble for good life. Besides…"

Boris trails off after that, not continuing. Hitch, however, isn't satisfied "Besides?"

"…We were both once part of Marlowe's squad. We can't tarnish his name, can we?" this didn't sound like Boris. Normally, if he said something like that, Hitch would write it off as him being sarcastic, but he looks and sounds sincere. He is sincere, Hitch realizes.

"Yeah, we can't" she confirms, a smirk raising to her face as she points at Annie "And there's another squad mate we can't just go and abandon, either."

"Eh, I don't really care about her" Boris says with a shrug "She stabbed us in the back first after all."

Hitch could get angry, but she doesn't, and there're two reasons for it. First is the fact that she knows Boris to be right, but the second is that she also knows him to be lying. Boris cares, she knows. As much of a mixed bunch as they were from the beginning, this squad that got shredded to pieces long time ago is still their squad. And that's a fact a they don't want to change, either of them.

"Hey Annie… hurry up and join us again already."

A.N: Yes Annie, hurry up and join us. Isayama, we've placed our order!