...Sorting...
You walked towards the Chapel alone.
The man at the entrance spotted you. You took off your hood. And you raised your hands up in the air.
"I don't ask for much. Just the truth. I want to see for myself what's happening in there and why they want me dead. Why you want me dead, father." You mentally praised yourself for remembering word for word what Hange told you to say.
Kenny chuckled and walked off the steps. "Already callin' me your father? My, my, I didn't even raise you." He pointed his gun at your forehead. "Cut the bullshit. What do you want."
"Ugh, fine. You want the truth? Eren Jaeger is my boyfriend. And I'd like to see what they want with him before I die."
Leverage your relationship with Eren, Hange had said. Eren will understand. He might even be happy about it.
"I don't have my gear, no blades, nothing. No tricks up my sleeves. I only want to see him. And Historia, my cousin."
Kenny narrowed his eyes pointedly, trying to pick out any traces of lying on your face. But you were technically telling the truth. He lowered the gun.
"Even if you did have any tricks, I'd kill you where you stand. And your taste in men sure is shit, little brat. Can't blame you, though. My taste in women was not the best either." He walked into the chapel and turned over his shoulder. "You comin' or what?"
That easy? Just as you entered, you made a hand signal behind your back, letting the others know the plan worked. Now, it was their move.
Hange asked you to act as bait. Levi was against it. But you wanted to do it. So, you were sent in to buy them some time, acting as some "innocent girl" who just wanted to say goodbye to her boyfriend, while the rest of them would sneak in with weapons and fight off Kenny's soldiers.
"I used to be called by your infamous name back in the orphanage," you said. "Kenny the Ripper. Never thought that one day he'd end up my real dad." You were also told to strike up a conversation and buy yourself some time. At least to entertain him a bit.
"S'that so? What'd you do to get little kids callin' you that?"
"I used to murder little animals for sport." Half true. You only did it to avenge yourself and your friends.
You followed him down the spiral staircase under the trap door. "How many?"
"Thirteen. I was caught for nine."
"Ever killed titans?"
"More than thirty."
He whistled, impressed. "Any humans?"
"Just the ones from your squad."
He smirked. "Not bad. You know what? Maybe I would've kept you after all if I'd known you'd end up like me."
You wanted to punch yourself for feeling even the slightest joy. "No thanks. I liked raising myself. I don't need a wrinkly old man telling me what to do with my life."
"I ain't dumb, little brat. I know you're stalling. So, I'll play along for the time being. But once one thing doesn't go the way I want, I'll make sure I'm the last face you ever see."
"Maybe I'll be yours," you muttered, following him through two big doors.
It was as if the ice land in that book Armin once showed you had been brought to life. Crystal-like pillars supported the high ceiling, and the mirrored floor clicked beneath you as you walked. Kenny's soldiers were up on the pillars. They saw you, too, but they redirected their guns once they saw you were walking with their Captain.
"Hey, hey! What's the holdup?" called out Kenny.
And then you saw him. Eren. Kneeling on the high platform, hands chained up on either side. Shirtless. Muscles out and everything. Those abs from his titan came from him, after all. Next, you found yourself wondering: How the hell did it take me so long to get with him?
"You look like you're about to drool," said Kenny. You clamped your mouth shut. "Yo, titan boy! This your girl? She claims to be."
Eren lurched forward, chains rattling. Your name came out muffled by the metal gag. She can't be here! They'll kill her!
"Oh well, that proves it. The body never lies."
"Kenny, why is Y/n standing with you?" asked Rod, alarmingly. You hadn't even noticed him and Historia in their white robes. "I assumed she had been dealt with."
You scoffed. "Those are your first words to me? Really, Uncle?"
"Relax," said Kenny. "She and I are not on the same side. I'm not even going to try playing 'dad' like you. She just wants an explanation and to see her little boyfriend before she dies. Come on, little brat." Kenny gave you a shove forward. You dusted off the part on your shoulder that he had touched.
Eren gasped. Play dad? That's her father?!
"We don't got time for whatever you're talkin' about," Kenny continued. "Things are goin' straight to hell outside. The Scouts started a coup d'état, and all the other regiments took their side. Everyone found out ol' King Fritz was a fake. Now, his whole Council has been arrested. Matter of time 'til they show up here. The fact that the little brat's here proves they're on their move."
"I will do my part," announced Rod. "And you do yours. Take the Anti-Personnel Control Squad and defend the entrance at all costs."
"What? But I want to stay and watch, too."
"As I've said, the ceremony can't be done in the presence of you or your crew. However, Y/n can stay. She is...family, after all."
Family, but you want me dead.
"Tch." Kenny turned around. "Don't try anything funny, or you end up like your man," he muttered low enough for only you to hear.
"You're not going to kill me yourself?" you asked as he walked away without another word. He's so confusing.
"Tell me, Y/n, how have you been doing?" asked Rod. "You look every bit like Freya, my sister. Your mother."
How much have I missed? wondered Eren.
"Oh, you know, I've been doing great. Lived a damn happy life in that run-down orphanage you sent me off to." There was a bite in your tone, and you wanted him to hear it.
He exhaled heavyheartedly. "I regret every day for having my sister killed. But you must understand a child like you should've never been born in the first place. If you weren't the daughter of an Ackerman, then I would have welcomed you with open arms just like I have with my daughter Historia. But fate was not kind to you from the moment you were brought into this world."
The rest of his words flowed in one ear and out the other. What you let stay was the first few. "You killed my mother?"
"The family agreed it was the best thing to be done. But we couldn't bear to kill an infant. So we sent you to the farthest town there was, Shiganshina, so that you could live your life in peace. But I see now that you wish no such thing. Not for yourself, and certainly not for the people in the walls."
"So you know the truth about who I am, then? An actual witch? The devil herself? A secret titan? What the fuck am I, Rod?"
"You are..." he trailed off. He shut his eyes, twisting his eyebrows as if recalling an unfortunate memory. "You will be the death of us all. That is all you need to know. Now, please let Historia and I do what must be done. You may watch, granting your last wish, but you may not interfere."
Still didn't answer my damn question. You didn't oppose him, but your hand was already moving to Bolt.
Historia looked like a doll. A puppet. A tiny tree flowing to the wind of Rod's words. He set down a bag. Inside a box was a syringe. Eren screamed through the gag, rattling his chains. You slid Bolt under your sleeve. Based on his reaction, that clearly wasn't some vaccine Dr. Jaeger used to give you.
A slam echoed across the crystal walls. Followed by shots. The battle had begun. And honestly, you felt a little sad that you were excluded from the action. Eren kept yelling through his gag, begging them to stop.
Should I kill Rod right now or not? you wondered. But doesn't he have information? Should I capture him alive? But then what happens to Historia? Is she already brainwashed? Why do I have to be in this position?
Rod proceeded to say that Eren's father stole their power five years ago. You vaguely remembered Dr. Jaeger telling you he was heading into the Interior on the day Wall Maria was breached.
"The voice of this 'Founding Titan' reached out to touch the people's hearts and altered their memories forever. Although a few bloodlines were exempt, even their knowledge was lost over time." Rod flickered his eyes to you. "Today, humanity knows nothing of the world before the walls."
Then he spoke of Frieda and her power far beyond just becoming a titan. She had knowledge of what the world was like before. Eight years ago, she performed the ritual, eating her uncleâwho was probably your uncle as wellâand gained his power, as well as the memories of this world. As their ancestors had for a hundred years.
"Now, that power resides within Eren. But it's wasted with him. The Founding Titan's power can only be wielded by a member of our bloodline. That excludes Y/n, for she will never be able to wield this power for herself. The only one left is you, Historia. As long as Eren remains in power, this hell will never end. You must consume him."
"Alright, that's it." You took out Bolt and headed towards him.
"No! You stay there!" he shouted, holding a cautious hand out. The sudden terror in his eyes took you aback. "Historia, don't let her get close to you! The Fritz-Ackerman may never control the powers of the Founder themself, but they will be able to control us!"
Your eyebrows raised. "Fritz-Ackerman? Is that what I am?" So, that's what's so dangerous about me? I can't wield their power but I can wield them? A gun reloaded behind you and stopped you in your tracks. You didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
"Hey, wait a damn minute!" yelled Kenny. "So if someone who isn't a Reiss eats Eren, they won't get the powers of the king? So even if I do turn into a titan and eat Eren, it ain't gonna do me any good?! I'll end up like my useless daughter?!"
You whipped your head back. "Who're you calling useless?!" Kenny marched past you for Rod. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"
Kenny picked him up by the collar and shoved the gun in his face. Historia tried to fight him off but was thrown to the ground. "Come on, isn't this pitiful? Don't you get it, Historia? At least Y/n knows her daddy doesn't give a damn about her! Your daddy brought you here so he can turn you into a monster. And after that, he's gonna make you eat her boyfriend, Eren."
"If that's my duty, then that's what I'll do!"
You groaned. I give up. You stepped in between them, Bolt raised at her. "Historia, you're my friend. So I'll give you one chance to back away."
"Eren's father killed my sister and my family!"
"I don't give a shit what he did! I don't care if he killed your sister, or your father, or your mother, or anyone else I don't care about! Find him in the afterlife to avenge them for all I care! I'll send you there myself if you want my generosity! But you leave Eren out of this!"
"Think about what this old bastard's ever done for you. At least Eren's the little brat's boyfriend! She's got her priorities in order! What about you? The only reason he picked you up was because he's too scared to become a titan himself! I guarantee he'd be sayin' the same things to Y/n right now if she weren't my spawn!"
"Can't believe I'm actually agreeing with him, but he's right! Think it through, Historia! You know damn well not to try me!"
Kenny dropped Rod to the ground and headed up the stairs. "Hey, little brat, you want to see a real show? Let's see your beloved fight your family as titans and see who kills and eats who." He pulled the metal gag off of Eren and slit his forehead, the blood gushing down his face.
"Hey! Hands off of him!" You rushed up from the other side of the stairs. He pointed his gun at you, but you didn't stop. Then, he swung away to join the battle.
Stupid hypocrite, you were never going to pull that trigger, were you?
Historia and Rod were still conversing, buying you time. You slid to your knees behind Eren and pulled at the chains across his waist. You didn't have your gear or blades, and Bolt wouldn't do shit either. All you had left was your raw strength. Which, for an Ackerman, was probably enough. So you pulled on the chains, and the ground cracked.
"Y/n!" Eren turned over his shoulder. His tears were mixing in with his blood.
"Crying 'cause you missed me that much, huh?" You broke off a chain. "Damn, that wasn't too hard." At least I got something to thank Kenny for.
"You came for me again."
"Idiot, name a time I don't come for you."
"You should just let Historia eat me."
You halted your movement and glanced up. He wasn't being sarcastic or stubborn. He looked like he genuinely meant it. "No." Then you got back to pulling out the chains. The second broke. You moved on to the third.
"The power I have in me belongs to her. It was never my own. Please, just let me do the right thing."
"Well, lucky for you, I don't give a shit about what's wrong or right. I only care about you. And I need you alive."
"This shouldn't have ever happened," he continued, his voice cracking. "It was all because of me. I should've just never existed."
You stopped again. But this time, you made a little smile. "And neither should I." He glanced up at you. "Didn't you hear him? I'm the 'Fritz-Ackerman' or something. My mixed-blood should've never existed. I threaten the peace of the walls. So technically, I shouldn't have been born more than you."
You broke another chain, leaving only one left. "No..." He shook his head. "No, that's not true."
"Is it not?"
"No, it isn't. Don't say that. You were meant to exist. And I was meant to meet you."
"Aw, great, glad we're on the same page!" you bursted, breaking character. "It isn't true for either of us, understand? We make our own rules in our own lives!"
Down below, Historia toppled over Rod, finally rejecting his plans for her. She hurried up the stairs with the keys. "Y/n, just how strong are you?! You didn't even need these to break those chains!"
You moved out of the way so she could unlock the last chain around his waist. "Wait, where's the syringe?" you asked.
A blinding light shot out, and a ginormous titan started forming out of Rod's body. The explosion blasted you and Historia back. Before you collided with the wall, someone caught you. "Sasha!" Mikasa caught Historia. "Where's Armin? Where's the rest of us?"
"Hange got hurt! Armin and Moblit got her out of here first!" Mikasa told you.
"Give me the keys!" yelled Levi, arriving with the others. You picked them up and tossed them to him. He, Jean, and Connie started unlocking the remaining chains.
"Just leave me here! Hurry up and escape!"
You rolled your eyes. "Ugh, there he goes. Again." You tried crawling up, but the wind was far too strong.
"Stop whining, you half-naked weirdo!" yelled Jean. "Do you want to get together with Y/n or not?!" No answer. "Yes?! Then shut the hell up! We've got gunmen and a titan coming at us!"
"Woah! It's even bigger than the Colossal Titan!" exclaimed Sasha.
Rod Reiss's titan was still growing, threatening to burst open the ceiling. You all were up against the wall. At this rate, the ceiling was going to crush down and bury you all alive.
Then Eren started crying again about how the power should've never been given to him, how he's too weak, and all that bullshit you knew wasn't one bit true. But this time, it was your friends who reality-checked him, telling him to stop whining and trying to play the tragic hero.
You felt a little relieved that, for once, you weren't the one constantly repeating that stuff to him. You just hoped it'd stick with him this time. Because it seemed like either he never actually kept in mind what you've told him, or he did listen and eventually forgot anyway.
You picked up a tiny tube by your feet. "What's this?" Before you got a closer look, Eren snatched it from your hand. "Hey!"
He dashed for the cliff, crushed the tube between his teeth, and spilled the liquid. Lightning blasted, and he had transformed. Crystal branches formed out of the ground, supporting the ceiling. He was finally doing it, using his hardening skills to support the ground. Once Rod's humongous titan got out, the hardening started to reach up to Eren at the nape.
"Tch, he's getting trapped inside! Moral Support! Mikasa!"
You held onto Mikasa as she swung you both down to Eren's crystallized nape. She passed you one of her blades, and you both started chopping down the hardening bit by bit, yelling at him to wake up.
"I see him!" You passed her the blade and tried to pull him out from his head.
"Y/n, you might break his neck!"
"He can regenerate anyway!" Mikasa kept on stabbing to make the hole bigger while you grasped onto his naked shoulders, finally pulling him out. Your breath hitched. Goddamn! You restricted yourself from looking anywhere below his neck. "Eren? Can you hear us?" You knocked on his forehead like it was a door.
He softly swatted your hand away. "Stop that. I can hear you fine," he slurred.
Sasha took you with her and escaped through the hole Rod made. A huge dent trail stretched across the land, left by his slow, fat ass.
While you were watching Rod pathetically wiggling away, Eren was watching you from behind. So now what? Technically, it was all done. The two of you were finally free for the time being. Should I go talk to her right now about us?
Levi suddenly stepped in front of him with an unamused look. "Put on a damn shirt first before you even think about going near her."
Eren flinched. "Yes, sir!"
Connie laughed nearby and tossed him an extra black long-sleeve.
As everyone turned the corner of the chapel, Eren grabbed your wrist. He was already way too damn nervous. Come on, man up, you can do this, he encouraged himself. "So uh, now that the only thing we've got left to fix is Rod Reiss's titan, can we talk about...us, right now?"
"Uh..." You quickly glanced behind you and pulled him further away from the others. "You couldn't have picked a better time?"
"Is there ever a better time?"
You snorted. "Fair enough. So-"
"You told that man, or your father, that I was your boyfriend. Obviously, it was just a cover, but...but do you want that?" He gulped, holding his breath as the only thing he could hear was his pounding heart.
You blinked. To say that your mind was in utter chaos would be an understatement. Is he being serious? Is this how it's going to be? "Uh..." Do I want that? "...Yeah?" Fuck yes, I want it.
All of a sudden, his lips collided against yours. And your back hit the wall. Your hand moved to the back of his neck, and his own cupped your cheek. And the feeling, the rhythm, the energy, all just fell into place as if doing this wasn't the first time. And then, slowly, you both pulled apart.
"So uh..." His hand slid off your cheek. "How was that?" His cheeks were flushed red, and his heart beat even more rapidly.
Your jaw was dropped and your eyes were wide. What the fuck just happened? "Uh...wasn't bad." Don't even lieâit was great.
"But it wasn't that good either?" he asked worriedly.
You laughed and pulled him in for a hug, his arms immediately wrapping around you. "You overthinking idiot. I liked it a lot, okay? Just give me a minute first to be happy that I got you back after these two shitty days. And then I'll get to processing whatever the hell just happened."
He held your shoulders. "Butâbut we're together now, right? Officially?" He held his breath.
"Yeah, well, it's kind of been a long time overdue, right? So yes. I guess...I guess we are." You smiled.
He let out a sigh of relief. And he cleared his throat. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Mhm," he said, nodding, trying to play it cool.
He slid his hand into yours and followed behind back to join the rest of them. He wasn't letting it show, but his inner 10-year-old Eren was screeching his head off right now.
Connie was the first to spot you both, shrieking and pointing over. Everyone else turned and erupted in cheers. "Eren, you finally manned up!" "I never thought the day would come!" "God's finally on y'all's side!" "Connie, pay up your debt!" "Ah fuck it, couldn't you two have waited another week?"
When you got on the wagon, Mikasa yanked you down to sit beside her. "You and Eren have to name your children after Armin and me because we did not have to wait almost a decade for this shit to get sorted out finally."
Your jaw dropped. "What the fuck are you on, Mikasa?"
"Yeah, Mikasa, stop being weird."
"No, she's got a point," said Armin at the front of the cart. "As much as we are happy for you guys, give us a break and some credit too, please."
As you were busy defending your case to the both of them, Levi directed a stern glare on Eren. "You. Don't screw this up."
Eren gulped. "Yes, sir."
Hange, with her shoulder bandaged on the floor, sniffed and pretended to wipe away a tear. "Ah, young love. How I miss the simpler times."
*
aint finished sorting out yet
yall just wait
also good news we passed the 3k mark before ch70
muah ily guys
hope yall enjoying so far