43.
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CHAPTER FORTY-THREE — Reunion
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...
The sound of approaching horses garners everyone's attention, prompting them all to look up and turn eastward. There, they see Commander Erwin Smith leading a charge atop the wall. Behind him, reinforcements followed in a surprising coalescence of all three military branches.
"They're here." Hannes grunts.
Murmurs break out over the crowd as the group grows closer. However, Rosalie pays them no mind as she puts all of her attention on Armin as he spoke to Historia.
"Krista—erhm, Historia… I'd prefer if you stayed back, but…"
The petite blonde offers a halfhearted smile and shakes her head. "No matter what you say, I won't. I refuse to wait here when Ymir is taken away… You three should know how I feel."
Connie, standing off to the side, cuts in. "She has a point, Armin… We all have plenty of reasons for chasing after them. One of which I can't believe— That Reiner and Bertolt are our enemies. I've gotta hear it straight from their mouths."
"If you get the chance." Rosalie comments gruffly, briefly meeting their eyes before looking back to observe the new arrivals. "I, for one, could care less about what they have to say… We're getting Eren and Ymir back, and I don't care about who I'll have to cut through to get to them."
"Do you really think it'll be that easy?" Connie asks, sharing a concerned look with Historia and Armin at the girl's sudden coldness. "Confronting Reiner and Bertolt, I mean…"
"Of course, it won't be easy, Con." Rosalie replies, her expression softening just a bit. "But I'm tired of these games that everyone seems to want to play. Unlike you, I have all of the proof I need. I can't let sentimental feelings get in the way, and I won't."
Not only had the brunette's tone left no more room for discussion, but Erwin and the reinforcements had finally slowed to a stop, putting all conversations on hold besides those that were necessary.
…
"You made it, Commander Erwin!" Moblit greets, breathless in his relief as he pushes through the crowd to reach the blond as he dismounts from his white steed.
"Is the situation the same?"
"Yes, Sir!"
"Good." Erwin replies with a nod of acceptance before looking over his shoulder. "Deploy the lifts!"
Suddenly, before anything else could be said or done, Hange crawls over from where she had laid with the other wounded and grabs ahold of Moblit's ankle. The male, in return, looks down at her wide-eyed.
"Hange?!"
Looking up at him weakly, visibly pained from the steam burns on her face as she grimaces. "M-Moblit… Gimme a map."
Immediately, Moblit takes off, scrambling to quickly do as told.
Erwin kneels before the woman, his blue eyes filled with sympathy as he takes in her injuries. "You should save your strength, Hange. Rest and recover."
Hange scowls and pushes herself up onto her forearms, a determined blaze burning in her eyes. "No time! It's been five hours since they left, and there are only a few places out there that I can think of them immediately fleeing to."
By this point, Moblit returns with a thick parchment. Dropping to his knees, he uses one as a weight as he spreads the paper out against the white stone.
Hange immediately begins to plot a path. "I've been thinking about it… And it might be a long shot, but there's a giant forest right here." She informs, pointing to a place on the map before looking up at Erwin's face. "We should head straight for it… And while it's not like they have a way to hide the Armored Titan's footprints, I think that's where they're headed."
"Why's that?" Erwin inquires, his brows furrowed as he mentally strategized a proper plan to tackle the grid of territory.
"It's a gamble, but even if they have the strength to change into Titans, the other Titans outside the wall will still be a threat. Especially after all of that fighting." Hange elaborates, glancing back down to the map in thought. "They might not be as bad off as Eren, but I'm sure they're exhausted— Like how Annie was out cold for a while…"
"Let's assume now that their destination is somewhere outside of Wall Maria. Considering the distance they'll have to cover, we can assume they'll need to recover stamina. This means they'll want to rest somewhere that Titans are unable to reach them— At least until nightfall when the Titans can't move. We have until night! If we reach the forest by nightfall, we still might make it in time!"
Thoroughly convinced, Erwin nods and stands to his full height. "Let's move!" He orders and everyone scrambles to get ready.
...
...
Rosalie weaves around soldier after soldier, looking for someone who could help her retrieve a set of ODM Gear; stopping when a hand plants itself on her shoulder.
Looking back, she immediately meets her father's gaze. Breath hitching, she turns to face him fully, her already raw eyes stinging with fresh tears of relief. "Papa!"
"Thank heavens you're all right…!" An equally teary-eyed James murmurs; his voice wavering, thick, and wet with emotion as he pulls her into a warm embrace. His relief is obvious in the way he clutches her firmly against his chest with a tight— but not uncomfortable— squeeze as one hand moves up to rest on the crown of her head, gingerly stroking mussed locks of brown.
Rosalie sinks into the hug, feeling the urge to cry but refraining from doing so as vestiges of heavy, bone-deep exhaustion began to cling to her limbs like weighted shackles.
"Define all right…?" She sniffs when she finally pulls away, her jest falling flat due to her humorless tone. "I must've done an astronomically saint-like deed in a past life or somethin'— considering the amount of good luck I've had these past few days."
Humming thoughtfully, James brushes back her fringe and tucks it behind one of her ears. "Then let's not burn through it all too quickly, okay?" He replies lowly, halfheartedly humoring her despite the frown tugging at his lips.
He continues to stare at her after that, seemingly taking in her disheveled appearance as his expression darkens by the second. "Erwin's a damned fool…!" He growls out, his voice a deep and threatening rumble. "Sending you out with no gear… What the hell was he thinking?! Nothing, that's what!"
"Papa! Don't say stuff like that so loudly!" Rosalie scolds, though her admonishment holds no bite as she steps away from him to look around at the scrambling soldiers weaving past. "If someone heard you—!"
"Rosalie, people overhearing what I have to say is the least of my worries." James retorts curtly, "They've all already heard my opinion on the matter. Erwin himself even knows. I respect him, but I'll not— nor ever— be ashamed of my reproach in some of the decisions he has made."
"Stubborn…!" Rosalie huffs, shaking her head as she plants her hands on her hips.
Raising a brow at the ironic hypocrisy coming from her, James can't help but chortle. "That I am, but you had to get it from somewhere, you know?"
Rosalie scoffs, rolling her eyes at the unnecessary call out as she glances off to the side in hopes of hiding her budding amusement (which fails). "Yeah, yeah… Whatever you say."
She then turns back to him and sighs. "I just don't want you to get into trouble over me… And I don't want people to look at me differently because I'm your daughter. I don't want any special treatment."
"You are my daughter. It's in the job description, so get used to it." James sasses in response, his green eyes gleaming with mirth when she rolls her eyes a second time. However, he does consider her concerns and his expression turns somber. "In all seriousness, I do understand what you mean… You are a soldier, and some things are expected of you. Which is why I'm not going to ask you to stay behind when we leave to retrieve Eren."
Rosalie eyes him with surprise. "Y-You're not?"
"Of course not…" James replies earnestly and motions for her to follow him; placing a hand between her shoulder blades when she falls into step beside him to guide her along. "It's also why I've brought your gear along. Kirstein has it now."
Immediately, Rosalie's head snaps up at the causal name drop. "Jean…?" She questions as their short walk slows to a stop, her eyes lighting up when her gaze latches onto the aforementioned's form. "Jean-bo!"
Instantly, Jean whips around at the sound of her voice uttering the cursed nickname his mother had bestowed upon him since his youth. "OI! I told you not to call me that!" He gripes sharply in a quick retort, however, his hardened expression doesn't last long. It falters, softening at the sound of her responding laughter; prompting him to look away in a fluster.
Unbeknownst to the two teens, the apparent giddiness they both share over the unexpected reunion has the hackles of James' fatherly instincts rising. He felt both uneasy and unimpressed with the subtle notes of affection that glimmered in their irises as they eyed one another.
Ignoring the feeling for now, he clears his throat to gather their attention; giving Jean an acknowledging nod when the boy glances his way as he urges Rosalie closer to the aforementioned with a gentle push to her back. "There are some things I need to take care of before departure… So, you two get ready and prepare to leave. You'll both be riding the lift down together." He informs before bending slightly to kiss Rosalie on the top of her head. "Be safe."
He then turns to leave, pausing for a moment to look over his shoulder as Rosalie reaches Jean's side. "And Kirstein…?"
Pausing as he passes Rosalie her gear, Jean tenses and stands to full attention. "Sir?"
"Take care of her."
"O-Of course, Sir!" Jean replies with a stiff nod, his posture only relaxing once the intimidating father was out of sight.
...
...
After fastening the last buckle of her gear in place, Rosalie adjusts a few of the leather straps that started to pinch uncomfortably at her clothed skin. Once satisfied, she then turns her focus elsewhere; beginning to undo the disaster that was once her braid, running her fingers through the long tresses and wincing whenever a new knot was discovered.
Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she continues to comb her fingers through it and takes the time to slide her gaze over to Jean.
The male in question had been mostly silent since her father's departure, appearing to be lost in thought; which initially prompted her to leave him be for the time being. However, it doesn't stop her curiosity from peaking as soon as she catches sight of the flush coating his cheeks and tips of his ears whenever their gazes would briefly meet.
Perturbed by the notion that he wanted to say something but was holding back, Rosalie sighs— quite audibly— and haphazardly pulls her hair up into a high ponytail before cramming her ribbon into her pants pocket. "Okay, Jean, what is it?" She inquires, mentally taking note of the flinch the blunt question receives. "You've been too quiet, and it's obvious that you want to say something. So, what's bothering you?"
"It's nothing, Rosie." Jean dismisses halfheartedly, creating another awkward silence between them.
Rosalie eyes him for a long moment. "Jean."
He sighs, almost as of he was annoyed and turns to face her fully. "It's just— You're an idiot, d'ya know that?"
Somewhat offended, Rosalie crosses her arms and puffs her chest out, her stance nothing but defensive. "What?" She asks, returning the boy's agitated glare wholeheartedly. "You wanna run that by me again?"
Jean scoffs. "I don't think I need to, it's not like you'll listen anyway!" He retorts with a gruff sneer before taking a step closer to the smaller brunette. "I told you to stay out of trouble, and what do you do? You go right ahead and put yourself headfirst into the most precarious of situations!"
"At the time, it wasn't considered all that dangerous!" Rosalie replies in disbelief, "And what does it matter to you, Jean? Huh? We're not together, and even if we were, who are you to tell me what to do? You can't dictate what I can or cannot do!"
Groaning loudly, Jean rubs a frustrated hand down his face. "That's no what I—! God you're so— So infuriating!"
"Infuriating? I'm the one who's infuriating?" Rosalie parrots with a mocking laugh, "Well, if this isn't the pot calling the kettle black! You… You narcissistic, pigheaded— mmph!"
Before she could continue the verbal assault, Jean raises a hand and gently squishes her cheeks together, forcing her lips to pucker like that of a fish. "Just— Stop arguing with me over every little thing and just…"
Although annoyed, Rosalie gives in to his request, brows furrowed as she eyes him in silent trepidation. Her agitation, however, evaporates quickly at his next gesture, giving way to self-conscious embarrassment.
Jean's expression is thoughtful and his grip slackens as he gingerly rubs the pad of his thumb against her bottom lip. "Just be quiet and listen for once." He mumbles, moving so that both hands were gently cupping her face.
Heart pounding and eyes blown wide in flustered surprise, Rosalie finds herself cemented in place, vaguely aware of her own hands reaching up to clutch at his wrists. Feeling as if steam was going to erupt from her ears due to the immense heat pooling in her cheeks.
Swallowing thickly around the lump forming in her throat, Rosalie shyly averts her eyes— unable to bear the tender gaze he settled her with. "Jean…?"
Spell broken, Jean huffs and bows his head with a quiet laugh. "Good grief, woman! I ask you to do one thing…" He complains fondly, before meeting her gaze again. And before Rosalie could question him further, he was pulling her closer and smashing his lips to hers.
The kiss is anything but graceful. It's a little awkward and unnerving, but still sweet in its inexperience and just overwhelming enough to get the point across. And the intimate contact has both jittery with fizzy warmth.
Frozen and a bit caught off guard, Rosalie can only stare up at him wide-eyed, her heart fluttering at the sensation. Becoming even more endeared of the boy at the sight of his equally flustered continence.
By this point, Jean was trembling from head to toe as anxiety coiled and writhed in around his gut. His eyes were squeezed shut, refusing to meet the brunette's gaze in fear of what he might see.
His worries, however, are quick to dissipate a few seconds later when Rosalie finally relaxes just enough to gently return the kiss; sending an immense jolt of relief through his entire being.
Eventually, Jean is the first to pull away, and this time he doesn't shy away from her gaze as he presses his forehead against hers. "So that's what it takes to shut you up…" He teases, endeared by the way her cheeks flush in response.
Rosalie eyes him in wonder. "W-What was that for…?" She asks softly— dumbly; her voice now a mere whisper. "Jean…?"
Laughing, Jean nudges her nose with his. "Are you really that dense, or are you just teasing me?" He answers with a question of his own. His gaze then becomes more serious. "…Please don't scare me like that again, okay?"
Rosalie looks down shyly and nods, giving him the chance to press a kiss to her forehead.
Pulling away completely, Jean lets out a reluctant sigh and takes a step back. "I'm going to check if the horses are ready. Once you're done, meet me at the lift."
Rosalie nods again. "R-Right!"
Despite announcing his departure, Jean doesn't move and the two are left awkwardly staring at one another. Realizing this, Jean gives a small jolt and rubs the nape of his neck nervously as he begins to back away. "R-Right then…! I'll see you over there!"
Equally embarrassed, Rosalie can only nod again for the umpteenth time. "Yeah, see you!" She agrees before hastily averting her gaze, busying herself with attaching her scabbards and gas canisters; internally cringing at how quickly the atmosphere between them turned unbearably awkward.
Seeing this, Jean immediately spins on his heel and continues on his way, visibly flustered; cursing anyone and anything in his life that could be blamed for the shame he felt.
Glancing up to watch him leave, Rosalie giggles to herself. And once he's out of sight, she can't help but lightly brush the tips of her fingers against her lips, cheeks turning cherry red at the lingering feeling.
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