Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Eren discovered that he wasn't fully human two years into cadet training.

In retrospect, he really should have found out sooner. He's always healed quickly, but after Wall Maria was breached, he was healing at such a rapid pace, he honestly would've questioned it if their lives in Trost weren't so brutal, and he wasn't constantly worrying about surviving the day.

The first time he truly questioned it was two years after having joined the cadet corps. They had been going through an ODM gear obstacle course, and Eren, still eager to prove to Mikasa that he didn't need her stifling protection, recklessly went ahead and slammed into a tree.

"Dammit!" He cursed under his breath, quickly anchoring himself to the tree, and stopping to catch his breath, before noticing the excruciating pain that was winding its way up his arm.
Panicked, he quickly rolled up his sleeve, only to gasp in pain at the simple touch, tears beading in his eyes. It hurt , but slowly, he managed to push the sleeve up as far as it could. Silent tears were rolling down his cheeks by the time he was done, his jaw aching from how hard he was clenching it.

Taking in a few deep breaths to prepare himself, he looked down, and almost fell out of the tree in shock.

His arm was an ugly shade of purple, swollen beyond belief, and clearly broken. There was a nasty cut that ran from his mid-forearm to his hand, oozing blood.

No wonder it hurt to touch it , he thought grimly, gritting his teeth against the throbbing pain that had set in.

"Fuck," he muttered, mind racing. Thomas had been out of training for a week with only a broken finger, and he had been behind everyone for months. How was he supposed to continue training with a broken wrist?

No, no, no, no, He repeated to himself desperately. He couldn't be hurt, he had to keep training, he had to make it to the top to be able to kill all the titans! He couldn't do that with this kind of setback!

Dimly, he remembered what his father had told him to do in case someone broke a bone. (He had been anxious to leave the house to meet up with Armin at the time, and hadn't listened as well as he should have.)

I need straight sticks, and bandages, he thought absentmindedly. He felt oddly disconnected, as he lowered himself to the ground, like he wasn't controlling his own body. I can't let anyone know. I can't stop training, I'll just have to suffer through it until it heals.

He didn't register the steam until it hit him in the face.

The heat snapped him out of whatever daze he'd fallen into, as his gaze fell to his wrist. The cut was steaming .

He watched, terror and shock mixing together into the ultimate paralysis, as his skin knit itself back together, mending the torn flesh underneath the steam. Slowly, his arm returned to its normal colour, and the pain lessened.

Even after the steam had long since vanished, and the pain was little more than a memory, he stood still, staring at his now-unbroken arm.

"What the hell?" He asked himself quietly, shaking himself out of his stupor. He flexed his wrist, testing it for any lingering pain, running his fingers over the area that had been cut. Nothing. There wasn't a single sign that he'd even been injured.

How?

How ?

Suddenly, in a brazen, impulsive move, he turned and slammed his fist into the nearby tree.
He watched in morbid fascination, as his torn knuckles sewed themselves back together, bursts of steam emerging from the healing cuts, just like a-

Just like a Titan.

Oh god . 

Eren slumped to the floor, choked gasps slipping from his lips as he desperately tried to process his thoughts.

He could heal. He could heal at unimaginable speeds, exactly like a Titan would.
He healed exactly like one of those monsters, like the mindless beasts that invaded his home, drove him even farther into his cage, ate his mother-

  He froze suddenly, looking down at his knuckles. The blood was still there. On his arm too. It was drying now, but it was still there. His blood hadn't evaporated. He was still human. He wasn't a complete monster.

At the realization, dozens of ideas flooded his mind as he ecstatically laughed. This was incredible! If he knew the extents of his healing... there would be no needless deaths within the Scouting Legion! He could be used as an asset, a shield , against the very beings who possessed the same healing abilities as him.

Eren grinned to himself, gleeful at the realization that he could save so many lives with his newfound abilities. No one would need to sacrifice themselves anymore! 

I need to see how far I can go with this . His mind raced at the thousands of possibilities. I need to test it.
END OF CHAPTER 1!!!
When Eren returned to the barracks, exhausted, but elated, he hadn't thought that much time had passed while he was alone in the forest.

That thought had been instantly disproven when he emerged from the forest, to see the sun beginning to set, and Mikasa had descended upon him like he'd been missing for weeks, and not hours.

"Where were you? What happened? Are you injured?" She bombarded him with questions, worry in her eyes.

Eren scowled. He knew Mikasa was only trying to be helpful, but her overbearing personality sometimes felt suffocating. "I'm fine," he snapped, turning away. "Lost track of time."

"Is that blood on your hand?" Armin asked, finally joining the conversation.

Eren cursed mentally. He'd completely forgotten about the blood on his knuckles from when he'd punched the tree. "I got a nosebleed," he made up on the fly, hoping to any god that was listening that Mikasa and Armin weren't paying attention to how red his ears were.

"From what? Are you sure you aren't injured?" Mikasa seemed to buy it, but Armin stayed silent, meeting his gaze evenly. Eren looked away hastily.

"I'm fine, don't worry," he brushed Mikasa off. "Come on, we should head to the dining hall." Sighing, Mikasa and Armin followed Eren to the dining hall, joining the crowd that was entering it with them. As they sat at their usual spot, Eren silently began to plan.

He needed to be able to test his healing abilities, but how? All he knew for sure was that a broken arm had healed within at least an hour, and his hand within ten minutes, or so. He didn't know how long it had taken exactly, he didn't know if it worked differently on any other parts of his body, if he could even heal from certain things, or if the severity of the wound accounted for how fast it would heal.

I'm going to need supplies. He'd need a notebook at least, to document his discoveries, a way to tell the time, and he could easily smuggle a knife away when he had kitchen duty. He frowned, his previous elation slowly giving way to weariness and anxiety. I can't tell anyone just yet, He thought. No one would believe him, and even if he showed them, they'd likely think he was siding with the Colossal and Armoured Titans if he didn't have a way of proving that he was on humanity's side.

No one can know. Not even Mikasa and Armin. They were his best friends, but he had no idea how they'd react to it. Not to mention, if he was ever caught, they wouldn't know anything about his healing, making them safer.

"Hey Jeager!" Jean's obnoxious voice cut through his thoughts. "Why the hell did you up and vanish? We were waiting around for you to finish, you know,"

Eren sighed. "I'm really not in the mood tonight, Jean,"

"Oh really?" Jean sneered, standing up and walking over to his table. "Well I am. I had to wait for your slow ass for two hours, instead of getting dinner."

Eren saw Mikasa and Armin exchange looks out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry the stick up your ass is too painful for you to stand still for more than ten minutes," He said, glaring at the taller boy. "But I'm tired, and I'd like to go to sleep without getting in a fight."

Eren walked away, opening the door to the dining hall. Internally, he was fuming at Jean, but he knew it wasn't worth it.

"Hey! You don't just get to walk away!"

He heard Jean open the door, and he was about to turn to face him when blinding pain exploded through his entire body, and everything went black.

He woke up on the ground, groaning. Armin was sitting beside him, looking down worriedly.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Eren frowned. "What happened?" He winced, feeling remnants of the sudden pain that had overtaken him.

"Well..." Armin glanced away, Eren following his gaze to see Mikasa yelling at Jean a few meters away. "When you left the dining hall, Jean got more angry, and followed you out. I got out here in time to see him punch you in the back of the neck,"

"That was a dirty move!" Mikasa was saying, glaring fiercely at Jean.

"I didn't expect him to pass out! It wasn't even that hard!"

Groaning, Eren stood up, and immediately stumbled, Armin needing to hold him upright. His head felt like it was being split open, and his vision was swimming.

"Eren? Are you okay?" Mikasa asked urgently.

"Y-yeah... I'm fine," he mumbled, rubbing the back on his neck, the source of the mysterious pain. "I'm- I'm just gonna head to the barracks," He pointedly ignored Jean staring dumbly after him, and waved off Mikasa as she threatened to murder Jean. Armin walked with him to the barracks, still holding his arm. The second he reached his bunk, Eren collapsed onto it, closing his eyes tightly.

"Eren you can't sleep in your gear," Armin reprimanded him, fond exasperation colouring his tone.

"Mhm... watch me," He mumbled, but sat up and took his gear off after a few seconds of silence.

After changing, Eren went back to his bunk, once again falling into it. The barracks were silent, no one having left the dining hall yet. Sighing, he rolled over, tracing the place on his knuckles where his skin had been torn. The blood had mostly flaked off by now, though he was too tired to wash the rest off.

Every now and then, small shivers racked his body, the remnants of the mystery pain tingling as it reached even his fingertips. Why had it hurt so much? And why's it still affecting me now? He wondered. Armin said that Jean had punched him in the back of his neck...

Wait.

Eren sat bolt upright. Jean had hit him in the back of his neck. His nape. A Titans' single fatal weakness. That meant...

I'm more like them than I thought. He brought his had up, rubbing idly at the back of his neck. Did that mean he could only die from having his nape injured? Would his healing abilities work on his nape?

His mind was swirling with thousands of unanswered questions, but only one clear, concise thought echoed louder than the rest. 

If I'm already more like the Titans than I originally thought, just how alike are we?

Chapter Text

Eren scowled as he picked up his shirt, seeing the bloodstains he'd accidentally left on it. One of the downsides of privately experimenting with his healing abilities was that blood got everywhere. He'd needed to get rid of two shirts and a pair of pants after the blood had refused to leave the cloth.

Sighing, he set the shirt off to the side, and resumed watching his skin knit itself back together. He was on test number 10 now, after he began experimenting seven months ago, where he was testing to see how long it would take to heal a cut that reached the bone. The pocket watch that he'd borrowed(stolen) from Marco showed that only fifteen minutes had passed since he'd made the cut, and it was already mostly healed.

After the first few tests, he'd began the theory that the more life-threatening an injury was, the faster it would heal. The exact speed varied depending on how far away it was from his heart, if he'd cut an artery, how tired he was, and how much blood loss there had been.

After he'd discovered his healing abilities and obtained any items he'd need, he had instantly tried to sneak away on more than one occasion and had been thwarted every single time by either Mikasa or Armin interrupting him. They'd both claimed that they were just concerned about him after he'd gone missing for a few hours, but as time went on, the excuse's validity wavered.

The first time he'd been able to finally get away was a month later. After training, Sasha had unintentionally distracted Mikasa, who'd been keeping a stern eye on him, and he'd bolted. He ran into the forest where he'd first discovered his abilities, and got right to work.

The first test had been disastrous. As had the second. Mostly because Eren still didn't know exactly what he was doing, and his paranoia over being discovered had taken over.

He'd wanted to see if he could heal from an amputation. In class, their instructor had told them that one of that main reasons a scout would get caught, or would no longer be able to serve, was the loss of a limb. Obviously, he wouldn't just chop his leg off, he'd have to go for something smaller.

Fingers are out, he tapped his chin thoughtfully. I need them to use the ODM gear. Toes, on the other hand...

He'd sat down by a small pond, and pulled his boots off and jacket off. He pulled out the pocket watch, a notebook he'd asked Armin for, and the sharpest knife he'd been able to smuggle out of the kitchen.

His stomach had been churning with anxiety by the time he'd wadded up his jacket and shoved it in his mouth so he wouldn't scream. Slowly, he readied the blade over his pinkie toe, and took a deep breath.

This is necessary, he repeated to himself. I have to find out what I can do. It's only  pain.

Before he could convince himself otherwise, he pressed down with the knife.
In the end, the experiment had finished with blood all over his pants, his toe at the bottom of the pond, and lots and lots of steam. It'd taken an hour and a half to heal.

He didn't test amputations anymore.

The second test had been much more tame, in theory. He'd planned on making a small cut on his thigh, just to see how fast a small injury could heal.

Instead, he heard an animal step on a stick, and mistaken it for a person catching him, and the 'small cut' turned into 'cutting into a major artery'. It had taken only fifteen minutes to heal, but Eren made sure that he was far more careful in the future. 

After the first two tests, he’d made sure to start small, with the third test consisting of making numerous smaller cuts in several places, seeing how long it would take to heal multiple wounds. It had been in that test that he’d begun to form his theory. The rest of the tests had varied from broken bones, to eating a poisonous mushroom, to giving himself bruises all over his body. He’d rapidly improved his abilities to sneak away, and no longer hesitated to cause himself pain. 

Eren stood up, checking the pocket watch. Twenty-five minutes, and he was completely healed. He was still slightly dizzy from the amount of blood he’d lost, but ignored it in favour of jotting down the results in the notebook he had. He set the notebook down to wash out his still-bloodstained shirt, and smiled to himself. With how much he now knew about his healing abilities, he would be able to be of much more help when he graduated, and joined the Scouting Legion. 

All he needed to do now was hide his abilities until then. 

***

“Where is he?” Mikasa asked Armin, glancing around the empty field worriedly. “It’s been almost an hour since he left,”

Armin shrugged helplessly. Ever since Eren had vanished for four hours during the training exercise seven months ago, he’d been acting distinctly… off. He was more distracted, more quiet. He didn’t even respond to Jean as much anymore, and he hadn’t blown up at a random cadet about the Titans for almost a week. Not to mention that he disappeared every once in a while, after training was finished, and wouldn’t return until the sun was down. 

Needless to say, Armin was concerned. 

He remembered the first time he’d really noticed that Eren was different, almost a month after he’d vanished for the first time. He’d tried to head into the woods several times before, but this had been the first time he’d properly succeeded. 

“Have you seen Eren?” Mikasa had asked him, concern evident. 

Armin had frowned. “Not for a while, why?” 

“No one has seen him for the past hour and a half. After training ended, Sasha distracted me, and he slipped away. I haven’t seen him since,” She explained, tugging at her scarf. “I’m getting worried,” She’d admitted quietly, looking away. 

Armin reached out and grasped Mikasa’s hand tightly. “We’ll find him,” He said.

They’d looked for him for an hour, with no luck. No one knew where he was. They looked everywhere, their concern increasing every time someone said they hadn’t seen him. But then, just as the sun was setting, Eren had emerged from the forest, looking more exhausted than they’d seen him in years. The last time they’d seen him like that had been when they were starving and half-frozen in Trost, just after Armin’s grandfather had left. 

“Eren!” Mikasa had cried, running towards him. “Are you all right? Where were you?” She grasped his hands tightly. 

“I’m fine, Mikasa,” Eren’s tone lacked its usual bite that it held whenever Mikasa asked if he was okay. “I just went for a walk and lost track of time.” 

He’s lying, Armin thought, glancing at his bright-red ears. Why would he need to lie? 

“Are you sure?” Mikasa obviously didn’t buy it either. “You look exhausted,” 

“I’m fine, ” He snapped, and the usual fire that burned within his eyes returned as he scowled at Mikasa. Armin almost relaxed at his usual anger until he saw the blood. 

There had been blood on the collar of Eren’s sleeve, only a small amount, but enough to draw suspicion. Armin hadn’t known what to think of it at the time, but as the months went on, and Eren disappeared more and more frequently, he began to wonder. Every time Eren went into the woods, he returned with blood on his clothes. There was only ever small amounts of it on his jacket, or his shirt, but it always was gone by the next morning, giving Armin the feeling that Eren had either forgotten about it, or he didn’t know it was there when he first returned. 

After the third time it happened, he told Mikasa. “There was blood on his clothes,” He’d whispered that night. “There has been every time so far.”

“There was? Is he injured?” She’d asked, frowning. 

“I don’t know. I thought it was a coincidence at first.”

“What do you think it is?”

“I don’t know for sure,” He’d confessed quietly. “But I think he might be hurting himself.”

“ What? ” Mikasa sat bolt upright, her piercing gaze meeting his. “Why would he do that?”

Armin looked away. “After Wall Maria fell, he’s been different, and… seeing his mother get… you know, killed, and his father still hasn’t come looking for him, it might’ve taken a toll on him over time. Not to mention Trost wasn’t exactly the best place to live…” 

Mikasa listened intently, worry and concern etched into her expression. “So, what do we do?” She asked quietly after a pause. “I don’t… after my parents died, he helped me. I want to be able to help him too.” She fidgeted with her scarf. 

Armin nodded. “Me too. But… we can’t confront him outright. He’d only get angry, and then he won’t listen to us. We should just keep an eye on him for now, and once we figure out what to do, then we can talk to him.” He hated that he couldn’t do anything, but there was nothing he could think of that they could do.

Mikasa had nodded reluctantly. “Okay,” She agreed. “But if it gets worse, we have to talk to him immediately.”

Armin shook his head slightly to pull himself out of his memories. He sighed, gazing out at the forest, looking to see if Eren had come back yet. It had been four months since he and Mikasa had that conversation, and still, they hadn’t done anything yet. 

“The next time he disappears, we’re going to go after him,” He said to Mikasa. “We’ll split up to cover more ground, but we’ll still go after him.” 

Mikasa nodded, a slight smile on her face. Finally, they had a plan. 

***

The next time Eren could get away was only a week later. 

Usually, he waited for a little while longer, but he was anxious to experiment more, to see what else he could do. The second training had ended, he slipped away, heading into the forest. When he reached his usual spot, he headed over to the bush that hid the knife, notebook, and pocket watch, taking them out. 

Earlier that day, they’d been practicing hand-to-hand training, and Annie had almost stabbed him with the fake knife, which made him curious to see if he could heal from a real stab wound. The question had persisted within his mind for the rest of the day, until he decided to test it out. 

I need to see if I could survive this if the situation calls for it, He thought determinedly, taking his shirt off and readying the knife. He took a deep breath, before bringing it down. 

The pain was excruciating, but he willed himself not to scream, gritting his teeth as he forced himself to continue. I have to do this, He reminded himself. So I can save people. No one will have to die anymore. He looked down, realizing that the knife was now hilt-deep in his stomach. Squeezing his eyes shut, he quickly pulled it out, gasping as he felt blood pour out of the wound. Don’t scream, He thought. Don’t scream. 

Just as he finished his thought, a bolt of golden lightning crashed down onto him, and everything went dark. 

***

Armin nodded at Mikasa as they entered the forest. The second they noticed Eren was missing, they’d gone out to the woods. 

“We’ll find him,” Armin heard Mikasa mutter to herself, before the two of them turned to go in opposite directions. 

Armin sighed, stopping every few minutes to see if he could hear anything. He and Mikasa had agreed to meet back at the camp when the sun went down, and if neither of them had found Eren, they’d continue together. 

Suddenly, he heard a loud noise, and looked up to see a bolt of lightning strike somewhere near him. Curiosity overtook him as he began walking towards where it’d landed. Who knows, maybe Eren will be there, He thought.

***

Eren opened his eyes to see that he was several meters off the ground. Panicking, he looked around wildly, but it felt wrong, like his body was suddenly both bigger and lighter at the same time. He reached up to put his hand on his forehead, and froze. 

No. 

He was one of them. 

He inhaled sharply, looking down at himself. He was a Titan. His body was huge, he had to be at least fourteen meters tall. That explains why I’m so high up, He thought dazedly. It felt surreal to see himself like this. Just from what he could get a glimpse of, he didn’t look like any other titan he’d seen before. He was insanely muscled, he could see that from a mile away, and when he turned his head, he could feel his hair brushing against his shoulders. He reached up to touch his face, and realized he could feel his exposed teeth. 

Yeah, definitely not like any other Titan he’d seen or heard about. 

Slowly, he took a step forwards, and instantly regretted it when it sent shockwaves through the ground. Reaching up, he braced himself against a tree, running a hand through his hair. Being like this felt… distinctly off. Sort of like he was dreaming. His control of his body felt oddly fluid, but like he was walking against the wind at the same time, and his eyesight was terrible. He could barely see beyond the pond. 

Before he could think better of it, he pinched himself, just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. He felt the pain, but it was almost… numbed? He could still feel it, but not to its fullest extent. 

His knees buckled as the reality of the situation fully set in. He was in a Titan’s body. He could transform into a fucking Titan. This was so much more than just healing. He was exactly like one of them, so much that it hurt. There were almost no differences between him and the Titans now. He was exactly like the monsters that had eaten his mother.  

He was a monster.

No, He reminded himself before he could begin to spiral. I’m different. I want to help humanity, not eat it. I’m still human. 

I can still help humanity. 

His mind began to race as he thought of the possibilities. He could kill Titans far more easily in this form! He could help protect people, even more than he could just with his healing abilities. Hell, he could even help them seal the wall!

If they don’t kill me first. His elation came crashing down with a single thought. No matter how he spun it, no one would ever believe him when he said that he was on their side. He could transform into a Titan, their sworn enemies. No one would even listen to him. They’d kill him, or dissect him in a sick attempt at understanding Titan biology more. 

The only hope he had was to join the Scouting Legion after graduation, and prove to them that he wasn’t a threat to humanity. They were more likely to listen, and actually believe him. As long as they let him help, even a little bit, he didn’t care if they killed him after that. A small part of him whispered that he would deserve it anyways, for being a part of the race that drove humanity to the brink of extinction, that ate his mother, that they were so very defenceless against-

Eren shook himself out of his thoughts. He could think about his future later. Right now, he needed to somehow turn back into a human and leave. Anyone could’ve seen the bolt of lightning, and he didn’t want to be caught. 

How do I turn back? He realized with stark clarity, that he didn’t know. Desperately, he tried to think of a way he could go back to normal. Was he going to be stuck like this forever? Could he even turn back into a human?

Panic clouding his mind, he didn’t even realize that he was instinctively ripping through muscle and flesh until he was looking at the back of a Titan’s head, no longer in the Titan’s body. Red muscle was fused into his arms and legs, and he forcefully yanked his hands out of it, gasping at the sudden feeling of cold air against his feverish arms. He pulled his legs out of the Titan body with such force that he tumbled ungracefully down it’s back, landing on the grassy floor. 

Gasping for breath, he stared at the gigantic body of a Titan, his Titan, that was now steaming as it slowly decomposed. His head felt heavy with exhaustion, and he collapsed on the ground, his vision darkening. 

The last thing he saw before he passed out was the utterly shocked look on Armin’s face as he stepped out from behind a tree. 

Chapter Text

It was so cold. 

When Armin’s grandfather left, he left them with barely enough money to pay for lodging, but after a week, the money had all been spent, and now they were on the streets in the dead of winter. 

Armin and Mikasa were shivering, huddled up against Eren, who was somehow still warm. They had decided to conserve body heat for now, hidden away behind some shops. But they were still so cold. 

“What’re we going to do now?” Mikasa asked softly, burrowing her head into her scarf. “We don’t have an adult to take care of us anymore.”

“If Eren’s dad-” 

“He’s not coming for us,” Armin was cut off harshly by Eren, who was glaring at the wall in front of them. 

“But he’s probably still alive, he could-”

“No.”

Armin looked down, a particularly violent shiver tearing through his body. He wanted to point out that Eren’s father could still come for them, but he knew he was only giving himself false hope. They were on their own now. No one was left to care for them. 

“How do you know?” Mikasa whispered desperately, the little hope that was in her eyes shattering. 

“He would have come by now. And…” Eren trailed off, reaching for the key that hung around his neck, twisting the cold metal around in his fingers. “I don’t know, it’s just a feeling. He’s not coming back.”

*** 

When Armin decided to see where the lightning landed, he wasn’t sure what he’d expected to see. 

Whatever it was, it wasn’t this. 

He’d headed in the general direction of where he’d seen the lightning, unaware of what was in store for him. He thought it was odd that there had been lightning, in the middle of the day, when there were no clouds around, but it hadn’t occurred to him that this was why. 

There was a Titan in the forest. A gigantic, fifteen-meter-tall Titan with pointed ears, muscular body, and teeth lining it’s cheeks. He wasn’t sure what Titans were exactly supposed to look like, he’d only caught the slightest glimpses of them in Shiganshina, but he was pretty sure this wasn’t it. 

How did it get here? Why is it just standing there? What’s it doing? Armin’s mind was racing at the speed of light. None of this made sense. No Titan had made it past the walls in five years, if there was one in the training camp’s nearby forest, they surely would have known about it. 

Frantically, he hid behind a tree, fear coursing through his veins at the mere sight of the mystery Titan. Slowly, he gathered his courage and peeked out from behind the tree, just in time for the Titan to crash to its knees, staring down at the ground. The large shockwave it sent through the surrounding area caused Armin to stagger for a few seconds, before he steadied himself, looking back at the Titan. 

I should’ve brought my ODM gear. Just in case. He berated himself mentally. But then again, how was he supposed to know that he’d find an actual goddamned Titan, right in the middle of Wall fucking Rose.  

The Titan was still for a few minutes, causing Armin’s already overloaded brain to kick into overdrive. Was it an Abnormal? Why was it just sitting there? All of his questions had no answer he could think of, much to his mounting frustration. 

Suddenly, the Titan shifted, and a burst of steam erupted from the back of its neck. Shocked, Armin took a step away from the tree to get a closer look. The steam cleared for a split second, and there, connected to the Titan’s nape with red muscle, was Eren. 

“...Armin?” Eren asked with a bewildered expression on his face. 

Then, his eyes closed and he slumped over, passed out.

***

“Dad, what’re you doing?!”

“Promise me, Eren, you’ll make it to the basement!”

“Stop it! What are you talking about?!”

“Hold still ! Remember the basement! You have the key!”

“You’re crazy! Leave us alone! Stop it!”

“Eren, my son, I am so sorry. I know you won’t forgive me for leaving you, but this is necessary.”

“Stop it, Dad, please!”

“You won’t remember this, but I need you to know, what you are about to do to me isn’t your fault. It’s mine.”

***

Eren woke up slowly, snippets of reality coming to him in gentle waves. He opened his eyes, blinking at the brightness of the sunset that he could see through the trees. What happened? Where was he? And why was he so tired?

Then, the memories hit him, slamming into him like bricks as he sat bolt upright. He was a Titan. A bloodthirsty monster that only knew how to eat, and kill, and rip apart. He was one of them, and-

“Eren, calm down,” Armin’s voice cut through the fog in his mind, grounding him as he returned to reality.  

“Armin?” Eren froze. Armin saw. Armin had seen him come out of his Titan body, he knew. 

“Are you okay?” The blond asked, worry shining in his eyes. Why was he asking if Eren was all right, especially after he’d seen what he was? 

When Eren didn’t reply, Armin sighed and changed tactics. “What did I see?” He met Eren’s eyes evenly, curiosity evident. 

“Armin, I- I don’t-” Eren took a deep, shuddering breath. “I didn’t even know I could do that until today.”

“What did you do, though?” Ah, there was the slight bit of agitation Eren had expected. Armin had been reacting surprisingly well so far, he should have known it was just an act. 

“I don’t know, exactly,” He paused, gathering his thoughts. If he told Armin the whole truth, what would happen? Armin would likely see the value in a Titan that was on humanity’s side, but his view on Eren himself was probably going to change. He might be scared, or not even want to interact with Eren, but he wouldn’t demand he was executed, he was far too intelligent to waste the potential opportunity Eren’s abilities held. 

“I can transform into a Titan,” There, he said it. “And I can heal like one too.” 

Armin was silent for a few moments, before frowning, and asking a single question. “How?” 

Eren shrugged helplessly. “I have no idea. I wish I did,” 

“When did you find out?” This question was asked quietly, and Armin looked away, fiddling with the cuffs of his jacket. 

“Seven months ago,”

“When you disappeared for three hours,” He connected the dots. 

“Yeah,” Eren said quietly, clenching his fists. “I broke my arm, and it healed. That's the first time I noticed it.” 

“You just- heal? What do you mean?” Armin asked, confusion written all over his face. 

Silently, Eren picked up the knife that now lay on the ground beside Armin. Before Armin could say anything, he slashed at his wrist, letting the blood fall freely. Soon enough, steam began rising from the wound, as the skin mended itself. Both of them watched in silence, Eren unfazed, compared to Armin who looked a combination of shocked, nauseous, and awed. 

“So is that what you were doing when you vanished all those times? Transforming into a Titan?” 

Eren shook his head. “No, I didn't know I could actually transform into one until today. I was… testing my healing abilities,” He didn't elaborate, but he watched Armin pale rapidly. 

“Y-you were… hurting yourself to experiment with your healing abilities?” He asked incredulously. “Why would you- why did you feel the need to test them?!” 

Eren shrunk back for a split second, not used to his friend raising his voice. “I had to! Don't you get it? If I can heal from anything, or if I can transform, no one needs to die! The Scouts could use the Titan as a weapon!” He protested. 

“That's not the point!” Armin stared at Eren, hurt and confusion swirling in his blue eyes. “You hurt yourself. You shouldn't have to be a weapon, you shouldn't have to feel like you need to hurt yourself just to satisfy your martyr complex!” 

“I do not-” 

Armin silenced him with a glare. “You can't dehumanize yourself like that. It hurts yourself, me and Mikasa. It's not good for anyone.” 

Eren flinched at the mention of hurting Armin and Mikasa. All he wanted was to protect them, to keep them safe. They couldn't do that in a world like this, so any opportunity to change it, he would take without question. “I'm sorry,” He whispered softly, looking down at his hands. “I never wanted to hurt you guys.” 

He had been too caught up in his own anger and ambition to kill the Titans and change the world, that he'd blinded himself to his friends’ pain. He would never give up his dream, but he could at least try to be a better friend while doing it. 

“It's okay, just don't do it again,” Armin’s voice was more gentle now, but still firm. 

“You can't tell anyone,” Eren said, looking up to meet Armin’s eyes. “Not even Mikasa.”

“Why not? She deserves to know,” Armin protested. 

“But it's already bad enough that you know! If anyone finds out about my abilities before I tell anyone, they could kill you,” 

“We’re your friends, we would both do that for you. And all we have to do to avoid that situation is to be careful.”

Eren sighed. Mikasa did deserve to know, she would be hurt and angry if they kept her in the dark about Eren’s abilities forever. “I’ll tell her after graduation. That's only two months away.” He was reluctant to involve her, for her own safety, but Armin was already tangled up in his mess, and they both knew she wouldn't hesitate to do anything for them. 

“Okay,” Armin stood, extending a hand. Eren grabbed it, staggering from the sudden headache he had. Transforming really took something out of him, just like healing. 

“Lets head back to camp,” 

***

Mikasa waited by the edge of the woods anxiously. It was sundown, and neither Armin, nor Eren had come back yet, and she was starting to get worried. 

Eren’s increasingly odd behaviour over the past few months had made her concern for him spike drastically, especially after Armin had confided his suspicions with her. 

She hoped he wasn't hurting himself. 

She knew Eren didn't like it when she acted concerned for him, knew that he found it stifling, but she couldn't stop herself from worrying constantly. Eren and Armin were all she had left of her home, her family. 

She couldn't lose them too. 

But recently, Eren had been drifting farther and farther away from her and Armin, isolating himself from the whole camp, but especially the two of them. 

Was it something she did? Said? Had she been at fault, even partially, for anything negative that Eren experienced? She knew that the day they met had affected him more than he let on, it affected her too. Was she only a reminder of the trauma he wanted to escape? 

What am I doing wrong?

Chapter Text

Eren stood atop Wall Rose, gazing out at the empty fields on the other side. 

It had been two months since Armin had found out his secret. Two months of Armin covering for Eren whenever he’d get hurt, knowing glances, and the constant worry of discovery. It wasn’t like they could talk about Eren’s abilities in front of everyone, and people were already noticing Eren going missing, neither of them wanted to even think about the rumours that would spread if both of them disappeared into the forest for hours at a time.

They’d taken to having short, hushed conversations after nightfall, sneaking out of the barracks to talk somewhere safe. They’d had a couple of close calls, Reiner almost walking in on them discussing how Eren got his abilities, and Jean asking where the two of them went one night. They’d gotten a few knowing smiles after that, and they refrained from sneaking out for too long from then on. 

The hardest part of keeping the secret was Mikasa. Armin told him about their suspicions, and although they weren’t exactly wrong, he hadn’t been doing it for the reason they thought. Armin talked to Mikasa, telling her that he found Eren, and that he hadn’t seen any signs of self harm. It didn’t stop Mikasa from believing it, and while Eren was a bit annoyed that it was harder to hide it, it did feel comforting that she cared that much. He knew keeping her in the dark wouldn’t last, she was smart enough to figure out that something was up. It hurt her, to know that both Eren and Armin weren’t telling her what was happening, he saw it written all over her face every time he deflected her questions. It felt wrong to keep it from Mikasa, especially when Armin knew. But, his anxiety over her reaction kept him from saying anything just yet. 

He would tell her soon, he promised himself. Within the day, hopefully. He’d told Armin that he would tell Mikasa after graduation, and Armin would definitely hold him to that promise. I’ll tell her tonight, He thought, glancing back at his comrades, who were gathering excitedly around Sasha, who’d brought smuggled a slab of meat up the Wall with her. But Armin has to be with me, and it has to be completely private. No one can overhear us. 

Then, his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flash of gold lightning, and the appearance of the Colossal Titan, and the rest of his day went to hell.

***

Eren still couldn’t believe he’d missed it. It had been right in front of him, and yet he’d somehow missed it! 

And that wasn’t even half of it. The Colossal Titan had intelligence. Eren saw it in its eyes when it looked down at him and smashed the cannons to bits. 

It was like him. 

Someone was inside it, controlling it. Someone else was like him, transforming into a Titan body to bend to their will. And they were using it to break down the walls. 

When they had their orders, Eren made a beeline for Armin, who was trembling harshly, trying desperately to fill up his gas tanks. 

“Armin, calm down,” He said quietly, placing a hand on the blonds’ back to steady him. 

“It’s only a matter of time until the Armoured Titan shows up. The Titans will overrun the city, and hundreds will die, and-“ Armin continued, staring unblinkingly at the wall ahead of him. 

“ Armin ,” Eren said firmly. “Breathe. We can fight them, we spent three years training, we can’t let it go to waste.” 

Armin took in a shuddering breath, and Eren grasped his hand tightly. “Okay,” He said, nodding. “Okay.” 

“Eren?” Mikasa called from behind them. “I’m being sent into the elite squad, but… if something goes wrong... come and find me. Both of you,” She met their eyes, pleading silently. 

Eren almost snapped at her, but exerted all of his self control into stopping himself from lashing out. She’s not looking down on me, He reminded himself. She’s just worried. “ Nothing is going to go wrong,” He forced himself to smile, despite the dread that was settling into his bones. 

He stood up, reaching down to help Armin, when Jean slammed into him, breathing heavily. “Jean?! What the hell?” He hissed, before realizing that Jean was a mess, shaking uncontrollably, tears in his eyes. 

“We’re all going to die!” He whisper-shouted. “We’re done for! The Titans are going to eat every single one of us. I was so close to getting away…” 

Eren looked around, seeing the absolute disaster that was the other cadets. Krista was helping someone who’d thrown up, people were huddling in the corner, and quite a few people were eyeing the stack of guns nearby. They were all terrified… not that Eren wasn’t too, but he was far too angry to properly feel any other emotion. 

“Shut the hell up!” He shoved Jean into a pillar, glaring up at him. “What are you doing?! We’ve been training for this! We know how to kill those Titans, we know what we’re up against now! Hell, you can go join the MP’s tomorrow, I don’t give a shit, but right now you need to focus!” 

Slowly, Jean seemed to come to his senses. “Yeah. Yeah, we need to kill those bastards.” He muttered to himself, before throwing Eren’s hand off of him and stomping off. 

Eren turned back to Armin and Mikasa. “Armin, I need to-" He glanced at Mikasa, before deciding that it didn’t matter, Mikasa would’ve found out anyways. “The Colossal and Armoured Titans, they’re like me.” He said urgently. 

Mikasa frowned, glancing at Armin. “What’s he-" She cut herself off when she saw his expression. 

“I suspected, but… are you sure?” Armin looked up at Eren, fear in his eyes. 

“Absolutely.” 

Armin was silent, Mikasa giving them both confused and concerned looks. Eren grimaced. “Mikasa, I-”

“Come on, cadets! Get moving!” 

“Eren?” She stepped forward, reaching out to put a hand on his arm. 

“I'll tell you later,” He glanced at Armin, who nodded. Mikasa hesitated, but conceded, and walked away with one more worried look.

Somehow it felt like he was sealing his fate, as he watched her leave. 

***

Why is the world so cruel? Armin wondered dazedly, as he watched Thomas get eaten. Why?

Thomas whimpered, and the Titan bit down with a sickening crack , splattering blood everywhere. Armin inhaled sharply, eyes wide. 

“You filthy piece of shit! ” Eren screamed, charging forwards, blades readied. He practically flew towards the Titan that'd eaten Thomas, a blur of silver, brown and green. 

Armin watched in frozen horror, as Eren jerked up at the last second, the Titan that had been hidden behind a building jumping up to bite off his foot at the ankle. Eren slammed into the nearby rooftop, going still as he came to a halt. Logically, Armin know that Eren could heal from the injury, but his mind wasn't operating on logic, only seeing his best friend that he'd known for years, broken and bleeding on a rooftop. He heard the rest of the squad take off, and he felt horror set in as he realized what was about to happen. 

Fifteen seconds later, and the rest of the squad was dead, eaten right in front of him. And he hadn’t done anything but watched as they were devoured, snapped in half, bones crunching before they were swallowed. He felt like throwing up, but couldn’t force himself to move. 

He sat there, completely paralyzed by terror as a large Titan with a white beard picked him up by the collar and dangled him over his mouth. Mentally, he was screaming at himself to move, to do anything, but he couldn’t. Oh Walls, they’re all dead, they’re gone, why couldn’t I do anything-

The Titan dropped him, and suddenly he snapped out of it, screaming and thrashing wildly, grasping at anything that would pull him out of the Titan’s mouth. He couldn’t let himself be eaten, he had to get out, but he was slipping.  

Something grabbed his arm. Armin looked up wildly, seeing Eren, crouching at the front of the Titan’s mouth, using his blade to hold it’s jaw open. Eren grunted, and pulled him by the arm, throwing him out of the mouth. He landed hard on the shingles, groaning. 

“Armin,” Eren said, and his gaze shot up to meet the clear emerald eyes of the other boy. “If- if I don’t-” He reached for Armin. “Tell Mikasa about my-” He grimaced, looking up at the Titan’s teeth. “If this doesn’t work, make sure you see the ocean for me,” 

Armin stumbled forwards. “Eren, what’re you-” He asked desperately. 

Eren smiled sadly, and let go of his blade, allowing the Titan’s mouth to close. 

“ Eren!” Armin screamed in horror as he watched, frozen in fear once more, as his best friend was eaten. 

***

Eren felt guiltier than he ever had in his life as he let go of the blade that was braced against the Titan’s mouth and let himself be swallowed. If this didn’t work, he’d just forced Armin to witness his gruesome death. 

He grimaced when he landed in the Titan’s stomach, the heat and smell overwhelming him briefly. He’d heard that Titan’s didn’t have a digestive system, but he hadn’t given it much thought until now. There were bodies everywhere, floating in the boiling hot red liquid that surrounded them. Pain flared in his ankle, as he moved it, but he could already feel the wound healing itself. He’d have to be quick. 

Over the two months that’d passed since he transformed for the first, and only, time, he’d had plenty of time to wonder about what had triggered the transformation. His first thought had been pain or blood, but he’d never transformed when he’d tested his healing before then, nor when he got hurt during training. Armin and him had talked about it, and after weeks of debating, they came to the conclusion that it was triggered by a combination of pain and a strong goal. He recalled that he’d been thinking particularly hard to be able to help the Scouts right before he transformed, but he’d never actually tested their theory. 

Oh well. It’s now or never, I guess. 

Glancing around once again, he almost threw up at the sight of the mangled corpses that were floating around him, the image burning into his mind, even when he closed his eyes. A combination of terror and anger flooded his brain as he stared vacantly down at the head of a little girl who’s unseeing eyes gazed upwards. 

Focus, He told himself harshly, closing his eyes tightly, the pain in his ankle flaring once again. I need to transform. I need to live, kill all of the goddamn Titans and see the ocean. I can’t die here. 

Then, a bolt of golden lightning streaked down from the sky, and Eren woke up fifteen feet taller, standing over Armin. 

Chapter Text

Urgency flowed through Mikasa like blood, as she flew past the buildings, desperate to find her fellow cadets. She needed to know if Eren and Armin were okay, she needed to know that they weren't dead. 

They had to survive, Armin was smarter than anyone she knew, and Eren was so determined it was scary. 

The feeling of not knowing if something had happened was worse than anything she'd ever felt in her life, even after her parents died. After they'd been killed, she'd known that she'd be safe with Eren, and Carla and Grisha. They were all she had, and two of them had been taken away five years ago. All she had left of her second family was Eren, and the only friend she had left was Armin. She couldn't lose them. 

She landed on a rooftop with three other cadets, who she immediately recognized as Connie, Krista and Ymir. Ymir had her arm around Krista, blabbering on about how they should get married, but Mikasa didn't think twice before interrupting them. 

"Have you seen Eren and Armin?" She asked urgently. 

Behind her, she heard four people land on the roof, but paid them little attention. 

"Oh... none of us have seen anyone from their squad, I don't think," Connie frowned. 

"I heard that they died," Jean's voice came from behind her. 

"What?" Mikasa whirled around, staring in horror at Jean's guilty face. 

"We ran into Hannah, who said she saw the whole squad's bodies," Reiner said quietly. 

Mikasa could feel her world shattering around her. They couldn't be dead. They weren't dead, they weren't! Eren couldn't die, he was her only family. Armin couldn't be dead too, he was her only friend. They couldn't be gone. 

"We're almost out of gas, but the HQ's crawling with Titans," Annie muttered. 

"And?" Mikasa asked, her voice flat. "I'm strong," She looked up, glaring at every single person on the roof. "Stronger than all of you. And I'm not a coward. I can cut down every single Titan there," Her voice spoke without her permission. 

"That's suicidal! Why would we do that?!" Connie exclaimed. 

"Would you rather wait around for the Titans to pick you off one by one?" She asked coldly. "To give up is to die.The only way to live is to fight." 

She didn't listen to their responses, didn't stay to hear their protests. She flew across the city, cutting down every single Titan that crossed her path, uncaring of her dwindling gas supply. 

Fight . 

She couldn't fight anymore. Not without them. 

She found that, as she fell into that alleyway, a Titan only a few meters from her, that she didn't care. Not anymore. 

There was no point in life if they weren't in it.

***

Armin could move now, but he almost wished he couldn’t.

Eren had been eaten. No, he’d allowed himself to be eaten. He’d known exactly what would happen when he let go of his blade. And he’d still done it anyways. 

Why? Why would he willingly let himself be eaten? He’d said something- if this doesn’t work. If what didn’t work? What was he trying to-

Oh. 

Armin understood why he’d done it now. He was going to try to transform from inside the Titan. Theoretically, yes, it could work, but… they didn’t know enough about Eren’s abilities to say for sure. What if it failed?

See the ocean for me. 

If what Eren was trying to do failed, those would be his last words. 

The bearded Titan in front of him reached out, trying to go for Armin once again, but suddenly stumbled, jerking back. Armin watched, shocked, as the Titan fell to its knees, before its’ back suddenly swelled, like something was trying to push its way out of it. Armin’s heart jumped into his throat with anticipation. Was Eren-

The Titan suddenly exploded from the inside, splattering blood everywhere, as Eren- or Eren’s Titan- emerged from the bloody carcass. He towered over Armin, his long hair falling over his eyes. 

“Eren?” Armin breathed shakily. He’d seen Eren in Titan form before, sure, but he hadn’t been this close. It felt unnerving to see such an intimidating Titan  and connect it to Eren. 

Eren looked down at Armin, bright green eyes practically burning a hole through Armin’s head with its intensity. There was no expression on his face, as far as he could tell, but it was still slightly terrifying to be this close to a Titan, and making eye contact with it. But then again, this was Eren, and no matter how angry he was, he would never hurt Armin. 

A large crash echoed from nearby, and Eren’s gaze snapped towards it, breaking the spell. Armin looked in the direction of the noise, spotting a large, ten-meter Titan walking towards them, eyes fixed on Armin. 

A loud roar came from Eren, and, faster than Armin could blink, the Titan was on the ground, Eren standing over it, slamming his heel into its nape. 

Armin gaped up at Eren, his mind kicking into overdrive. He know Eren was powerful in his Titan form, but he hadn’t expected how easy it would be for him to kill a Titan. 

Eren stopped stomping on the now-dead Titan, and glanced back at Armin, cocking his head as if confused. Armin almost wanted to laugh, it was such an odd thing for a Titan to do. 

“You can understand me in Titan form, right?” Armin asked, just to make sure. Eren nodded. “Okay, we should get moving,” He checked his gas canisters, only to find them extremely low. “I’m low on gas, though,” 

Eren grunted, tapping his shoulder. “Do you want me to go on your shoulder?” Armin suddenly wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. He was asking someone who, by all intents and purposes, looked like a Titan if he could stand on his shoulder . But, Eren nodded, and Armin didn’t exactly have any better options. 

Activating his ODM gear, he pulled himself onto Eren’s shoulder, clinging to his hair to hold himself upright. “We should probably head to somewhere you can get out of your Titan form without being seen,” He suggested, and Eren nodded, beginning to walk around. Armin glanced around, trying to spot a place that was sufficiently hidden. 

Suddenly, he spotted movement in a nearby alley, and he turned to see what was happening. When he realized what he was seeing, however, he almost fell off of Eren’s shoulder. 

Mikasa was down there, in that alley, her blades raised against a Titan that was cornering her. She wasn’t using her ODM gear, and was instead backing farther into the corner of the alley. 

“Eren!” Armin tugged on his hair frantically. “Mikasa’s over there! She’s not using her gear- she might be out.” He pointed in the direction of Mikasa, and Eren turned to see. 

Eren roared once more, breaking into a run. Armin leaped off his shoulder, using his gear to swing into the alley next to Mikasa. 

“Mikasa! What happened?” He cried. 

She gasped, shock and relief in her eyes as she wrapped him in a hug. “Armin?” She asked softly. 

The Titan was getting closer. Armin knew that Eren was coming, but broke the hug and pulled Mikasa further back anyways. 

Suddenly, Eren appeared, slamming a  fist into the Titan’s jaw, sending it crashing into a building. It attempted to stand, but Eren reached out and grabbed its nape before it could. Clenching his fist, he ripped a chunk of the Titan’s flesh out, causing the Titan to fall to the ground, steaming. 

“...Armin?” Mikasa whispered, staring up at Eren with awe. “What’s going on?” 

Armin sighed, standing up to face Eren. “This should be safe,” He called. Eren nodded, sinking into a crouch. 

Using his gear, Armin flew up to Eren’s shoulder, where he saw Eren beginning to emerge from the Titan’s body. His face was free, but his arms and legs were still trapped in the muscle of the Titan body. Armin leaned down, and before he could stop himself, he used his blades to cut Eren out of the Titan. 

Eren blinked dazedly, before focusing on Armin, who was still holding him. Hastily, he let go, ignoring his blush. Eren held out a hand, bracing himself against his Titan body’s neck. 

“Is Mikasa okay?” He asked, his voice rough. He coughed a few times, glancing around. 

Armin heard Mikasa’s gear as she landed on the Titan’s shoulder, turning to face her. She looked shocked, but relieved, and she rushed forward to hug Eren, much like she had with Armin. 

“You're both alive,” She said, almost reverently. “They told me- no one came back from your squad, and I thought-” She had tears in her eyes. 

Eren’s eyes widened in realization, and he wrapped his arms around Mikasa, returning her embrace. Armin placed a hand on her shoulder as she silently sobbed into Eren's shoulder. After a few minutes, she pulled away, but grasped both of their hands, as if to remind herself that they were still there. 

“We should probably get somewhere safer,” Armin said softly, breaking the silence. “We can't stay here for long,” 

“I'm out of gas,” Mikasa said, quickly wiping her tears away. 

“I'm almost out, too,” He admitted, glancing at Eren. 

“I could probably carry Mikasa to a roof. Would you have enough left to make it there?” Eren asked. Armin nodded, standing up. Mikasa stood, and climbed on Eren’s back as he maneuvered himself onto a nearby roof, Armin following. 

“Are either of you going to explain what happened?” Mikasa asked when she was off Eren’s back. 

Armin saw Eren wince, and he chuckled awkwardly. “It's sort of a long story…” 

“Tell me the shorter version then,” she suggested. 

“I can turn into a Titan,” Eren started, looking away. “I found out two and a half years into training, and Armin found out after I accidentally transformed,” He looked up, making eye contact with Mikasa. “I was going to tell you today, but…” he gestured around helplessly. 

“I only found out two months ago,” Armin explained. “Eren made me swear not to tell anyone, though,” 

Mikasa nodded, frowning. Conflicting emotions flashed through her eyes, before she settled on acceptance. “Okay,” she said softly, looking at both of them. “What do we do now?” 

Eren relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. He'd clearly thought that this would go worse, and Armin had to agree. But, she was taking it better than he thought, and he couldn't complain. 

“What happened before we met up with you?” He asked. 

Mikasa frowned, pulling her scarf up. “I was with the elite squad until we killed an Abnormal that headed towards civilians. I asked if I could find you two, but… when I reached the other cadets, they said-” her voice broke. “They said that you were dead, that the whole squad was. We were all low on gas, but the headquarters are covered in Titans, and I lead everyone toward it anyways. I was… careless, and used all my gas. That Titan cornered me, but… you saved me.” 

Armin pulled her into a hug, feeling awful. If he'd been told that Eren and Mikasa were dead… he would be devastated. He could only imagine how Mikasa had felt. 

When he let her go, Eren reached out, grasping her hand tightly. “We aren't dead, but… you can't give up like that. You have to fight,” he met Mikasa’s eyes, and she nodded. They stayed in silence for a few moments before Armin spoke. 

“Headquarters is covered in Titans, then?” He asked. 

“Yes. There were at least a dozen, none of us would have stood a chance against them.” 

None of them… but what about Eren? “Eren? Would you be able to transform again?” He asked hesitantly. 

Eren paused, frowning. Then he nodded. “Yeah, probably. Why?” 

“I think I have a plan.” 

Chapter Text

Eren stared at Armin in disbelief. His plan could work, but it was based off of their limited understanding of Eren’s abilities. If he screwed it up… he’d either be dead or exposed. 

“I’ll do it.” Of course, he was doing it anyways. It was Armin’s plan, and as much as he was worried about it not working, Armin’s plans had never failed before. 

“Are you sure, Eren?” Mikasa asked worriedly. “You said you only transformed twice before, right?” 

“Well, if it doesn’t work out, we can cut him out, and retreat to the Wall,” Armin suggested, but he looked worried too. 

“I’ll be fine,” He reassured them, masking his nervousness. “All I have to do is kill a whole bunch of Titans, pick up a giant boulder, and seal the hole in the wall.” He cringed, knowing that his words definitely wouldn’t make Armin or Mikasa feel less horrible.

“That’s a lot to do,” Mikasa deadpanned, scowling. 

“Look, we have to at least try it. People are dying, and if there’s a way to seal the hole, I need to go for it. I can transform at least one more time.” He sighed, glancing behind him, at the faraway headquarters. The place was literally crawling with Titans, but he knew that it would be fairly easy to kill them. 

“If you can’t pick up the boulder, we’ll get you out,” Mikasa conceded, sighing. 

“I’ll at least clear the Titan’s out of the armory,” Eren promised. “You guys should get to safety once you refuel.”

“No. We’re staying with you. If you need help, we’re going to be there.” Mikasa glared at him. 

Eren desperately wanted his friends to get to safety, but he knew there was no convincing them once they made up their minds. The best he could do now was follow the plan, and hopefully not get caught. 

“Mikasa, I can give you what’s left of my gas, you’ll need it more than me,” Armin offered, already switching out the canisters. 

“I’ll give you two mine as well. I won’t need it if everything goes according to plan.” Eren swapped his with Armin’s, and stood up. “Okay…” He took a deep breath, and pulled out one of his blades. 

“Eren, what’re you-” 

Mikasa was cut off by Armin. “That’s how he transforms, we think.” He whispered to her. 

Focus, Eren clenched his fist around the blade, feeling the skin tear open, blood dripping down his palm. I have to clear all the Titans out of the armoury. I have to seal the wall. 

I have to save my friends. 

Once again, a bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky and engulfed him in it’s golden glow. He could feel himself rising up, becoming taller as he transformed from a human to a Titan. 

He opened his eyes, unsure of when he closed them, to see Mikasa and Armin staring up at him. Armin was grinning, clearly happy that it’d worked, while Mikasa openly displayed shock and awe on her face. Right, this is the first time she saw me transform, He remembered. 

“Okay, let’s go!” Armin gave him a thumbs up, and with a soft swish, he and Mikasa were gone, flying off to the armory. 

Eren turned to make his way to the armory, breaking into a run as he ran through the empty streets as fast as he could, his footsteps shaking the earth beneath him. He ran past a great deal of Titans, but refrained from killing them, as much as he hated it. He wasn’t sure how long he could maintain this form, and he needed to at least kill all the Titans outside the armory. 

After a few minutes of pure running, he reached the headquarters, and shivered with disgust. There were far more Titans here than he’d originally realized. He saw several cadets trying to get past them, into the building, but almost all of them were failing, ending up in the Titan’s greedy hands, about to be eaten. There were two Titans that were crowded around a hole in the building, shoving their faces into it. 

There must be too many people inside, He thought, his worry for Mikasa and Armin increasing. 

Growling, he lunged forward, slamming a fist into the two, sending them flying. Quickly, he turned to face the rest of the Titans, who were all gradually surrounding him. He’d have to be quick about this; if he was outnumbered, they could easily overpower him. 

He fell into a rhythm of throwing punches and kicking the Titans so brutally, he left a trial of steaming blackened corpses behind him. He was gathering injuries, from the many small bite marks littering his legs, courtesy of the smaller Titans he killed, to his constantly steaming hands, after punching the Titans so hard. 

Please hurry, Armin and Mikasa, He thought, turning to face the crowd of Titans behind him.  I’m not sure how much longer I can do this.

***

When Armin reached the armory, he’d expected it to be a little chaotic. He hadn’t expected this. 

Within seconds of entering the place on Mikasa’s back, he’d been struck by the sheer magnitude of fear that he could practically smell over the already-rotting corpses of the people who succumbed to it. A gun was being passed around, people were praying to any God or Wall that would listen, and the sounds of screaming, crying, and vomiting filled his ears. 

The place was in shambles, and Armin didn’t know what to do about it. Why were they still there? Why hadn’t any of these people refueled, and left? Were they all just too scared to leave, with all the titans outside?

“Jean!” Mikasa called from beside him, and he glanced around to see Jean amidst all the chaos, scowling. He seemed to brighten briefly when he saw Mikasa, and walked over. 

“I thought you were with the elites,” He said by way of greeting. He turned to Armin, raising an eyebrow. “And I thought you were dead. Where’s the suicidal bastard?”

Armin sighed. “He’s fine. What happened here? Why hasn’t anyone left?” 

“You haven’t heard? Titans’ took over the supply room. The supply team were fuckin’ cowards and ran up here to hide,” He explained, distain evident in his tone. 

“So we can’t get the gas?” Mikasa asked, frowning. 

“Nope.”

Armin glanced around, noticing a box of guns in the corner, unnoticed by the rest of the people trapped in the room. He looked down at the blades in his hands, and he began to think. A plan began to slowly form in his mind, and he turned to face Jean. 

“Is there an elevator down to the supply room?”

***

After Armin refueled, he was grabbed by Mikasa, who pulled him outside, onto the rooftop nearby, looking for Eren.

“Where is he?” She asked desperately, her eyes combing the streets. “Do you see him?” 

Armin nodded, staring across the street at the scene before him. There were dozens of blackened, steaming, giant bodies strewn over the roads, each at a varying level of decomposition. Eren was at the end of the trail of bodies, slamming a fist into the neck of a fourteen-meter Titan, the last one around, so far. 

“He’s hurt,” He said blankly, shocked at the sight of Eren’s injuries. His whole body was steaming, his fists practically destroyed, chunks torn out of his legs and arms, and his ribs were showing. He looked horrible, like he was about to collapse any minute. 

“Eren!” Mikasa cried, darting across the rooftops in order to get to Eren, Armin struggling to keep up. She skidded to a halt in front of him, conflicting emotions running across her face. “Are you okay?” 

Eren looked up at her, eyes flitting around in search of any leftover Titans, before settling back on Armin and Mikasa. He grunted, nodding shallowly, but the amounts of steam that were coming off of his body said otherwise. He needed to heal, but they couldn’t cut him out here, they were on borrowed time. Soon, their friends would come out, and would question why they were talking to a Titan, and not killing it. 

We need to speed this up. Armin glanced back at the armory, to see if their friends were out yet. No one had emerged. “Do you want us to cut you out?” He asked Eren.

Eren vehemently shook his head, gazing down at Armin with intense determination. His meaning was clear. I can still do this. 

Armin hesitated, but eventually nodded, exchanging looks with Mikasa. Eren was mostly healed by now, but they’d need to make sure that there would be no Titans in his way when he sealed the wall. “Okay. We’ll tell everyone to not kill you.”

“If anyone tries, I will end them,” Mikasa promised darkly, eyeing her blades. 

Eren snorted, but nodded, and with one last glance in their direction, he ran in the direction of the massive boulder. 

“Armin! Mikasa! What’re you guys doing?” Marco yelled, landing beside them. 

“That Titan was killing it’s own kind. We need to keep an eye on it, we’ve never seen anything like him before.” Armin said. 

“Sure, like that’s believable,” Jean interjected, landing beside Marco. “A Titan’s still a Titan, it’ll kill us once it runs out.”

“Jean-” Marco began but gasped, eyes widening. “Look! What’s it doing?” 

Armin turned, and grinned at the sight before him. Eren had reached the boulder, and had it balanced on his shoulders, as he walked towards the gate. “He’s picking up the boulder! Come on!” He dashed across the rooftops, using his ODM gear to stay off of the streets. 

“What’re we supposed to do?” Jean yelled, following him on an adjacent roof. “We don’t even know what it’s doing!” 

“Protect it! It’s going to seal the wall!” Armin shouted. 

Mikasa swung in front of him, cleanly slicing through a Titan’s nape as it charged towards Eren. “Kill any Titan that comes near him!” She ordered. 

“But-”

“ Do it.” She glared at Jean. 

“Come on, Jean! Armin’s never been wrong before! And it was killing the Titans earlier, maybe it’s on our side!” Marco grinned. 

“Walls, fine, whatever!” Jean griped. 

Armin dodged at Titan’s hand, slicing at it’s fingers as Jean cut through it’s nape. He heard the telltale noise of ODM gear from behind him, and he turned to see Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie landing on the rooftop, running alongside them. 

“What’s going on?” Reiner called, frowning up at Eren, who was steadily making his way closer and closer to the gate. “What’s that Titan doing?”

“It has intelligence! It was killing the Titans outside the armory earlier, and we think it’s going to seal the gate!” Marco yelled, grinning. 

“W-what?!” Reiner looked like he was about to choke, and he glanced back at Annie and Bertholdt, who had similar expressions. “For real?” 

“Yeah! We need to clear the way for him!” Armin explained. 

“What makes you think it’s going to help us?” Annie asked cooly, glaring up at Eren. 

“He helped us once, it isn’t too insane to think it might happen again,” Mikasa snapped, glaring at her. 

Armin grinned. They were nearing the gate! Now, they only had a little ways to go before… Armin’s smile suddenly faded. “Guys! The Garrison!” He yelled, glancing up at the people on top of the wall with cannons they’d wheeled in from the other side. He could hear several of them ordering to fire at Eren. 

“Shit! What do we do?” Reiner asked. 

Armin ignored every voice in his head that was screaming that this was a bad idea, and attached a cable to Eren’s arm, pulling himself to stand on it. He held out a hand against Eren’s face to steady himself. 

“What’re you doing?!” He heard Jean shout. 

“Armin!”

“Are you crazy!?”

He ignored everyone’s panicked shouts, and he glanced up at the Garrison, close enough now to see the shock on their faces. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. 

“Don’t shoot!” He screamed as loudly as he could at the Garrison, who were all staring at him with varying degrees of shock. He felt his desperation leak into his voice. They were unlikely to shoot in time now though, which was exactly what Armin had wanted.

He realized suddenly, that they were almost at the gate, mere feet away from it. He heard Eren let of a near-deafening roar as he prepared to seal the hole once and for all, and he clung to Eren’s hair desperately, knowing that there wouldn’t be enough time to use his ODM gear to get away. 

Eren moved, and, with a gigantic crash, the boulder hit home, slamming into place against the wall. 

Armin wanted to weep tears of joy as it set in. They’d saved Trost. He used Eren’s hair to pull himself onto his back, using the surrounding steam that Eren was giving off as a cover. Eren was crouching now, and the steam was dense, giving them a good cover.

Armin watched as Eren emerged from the Titan body, still halfway trapped in the red muscles. Quickly, Armin grabbed Eren from under the shoulders, mentally cursing at how hot Eren’s skin was, and helped pull him out of his Titan form. 

“Armin…?” Eren mumbled, blinking up at him. “Did I do it?”

“Yes.” With a jolt, Armin realized that there were markings on Eren’s face now, harsh red lines trailing from his eyes to his cheeks. Hopefully they weren’t permanent, he had no idea how they would explain that. 

Quickly, before the steam could completely fade away, Armin picked Eren up, and used his ODM gear to get off of Eren’s Titan, and stealthily escape from the watchful eyes of the Garrison, unaware of the one person who witnessed Eren and his departure. 

***

“So I’m not crazy, right?” Reiner asked Bertholdt and Annie. “That was the one we’re here for.”

“Yes, but now we have absolutely no idea who they are, and we may never even see them again,” Annie snapped, crossing her arms. 

“Annie’s right,” Bertholdt admitted. “All we know is that they’re in the military. That narrows it down to hundreds of people if we don’t know which branch.” 

Reiner frowned. “They probably aren’t in the Garrison, at least. If anything, they might be a cadet too.”

“Come on, what’s the chances that the Coordinate is a cadet like us? The Female, Colossal, and Armored Shifters in the same place as the Founder? That’s insanely unlikely.”

“Yeah, I thought that the Coordinate was most likely with the royal family still.”

“Guys?” Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt froze. “What’re you talking about? Why’re you talking about the Colossal and Armored Titans?” Marco stared up at them, eyes wide with fear. “What’s going on?” 

Chapter Text

“Eren, remember the key. Remember that you need to return to the basement. All the answers will be there.” 

“What are you talking about?” Eren asked curiously. When his father had shown up, he was overjoyed, but when he’d said that he couldn’t get Mikasa and Armin and taken him here, he didn’t know how to feel. His father had never acted like this before. 

“They key,” Grisha repeated, handing the key that normally hung around his neck to Eren, wrapping it around his hand. “You need to go to the basement. Everything you’ll want to know will be there. Remember that when you think about it.” 

Eren backed up, clutching the key to his chest. He was starting to get scared, he’d never seen his father act like this before. “Dad… what’re you doing?” He asked, fear seeping into his voice.

Grisha ignored him, pulling a syringe out of his pocket. When he looked back up at Eren, there were tears in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Eren,”

***

Armin woke up in a cell. 

At first, he was both confused and scared, before he remembered exactly why he was there. 

After Eren had sealed the gate, and they’d made their escape under the cover of the steam, Armin and Eren had hidden within an alleyway. Eren was still unconscious, but the red marks on his face were fading. 

“Eren!” Armin hissed, shaking his friend awake. “You need to wake up!” 

Eren groaned, blinking slowly as he gazed up at Armin. “Sorry, I’m just…” He put a hand to his temple, wincing. 

Dammit, we were right. Armin thought, scowling. Transforming once makes him exhausted, what did we think would happen when he did it twice in one day? Eren was leaning heavily on him, even while they were sitting, his face pale and eyes dazed. They needed to get out of here quickly, otherwise Titans would find them.

Armin heard ODM gear behind him, and he turned to face whoever had just landed in the alley, already moving to block Eren from view. Thankfully, it was only Mikasa, who rushed to Eren’s side with a gasp. 

“Is he okay?” She asked desperately. 

Armin nodded. “I think he’s fine, just exhausted.”

“What’re the marks on his face?” 

“I don’t know,” He shrugged helplessly. “They appeared when he came out of his Titan. They were worse before, but they’re fading, so they aren’t permanent, thank the Walls.” 

Mikasa frowned. “We need to hurry. The Scouts showed up just after Eren sealed the Wall.”

“The Scouts?” Armin frowned worriedly. Thank the Walls they only got here after Eren and I left, otherwise we’d both be arrested. 

“Mikasa?” Eren asked, frowning. He blinked, seeming to return to complete consciousness. “What’s happening?” 

“The Scouts are here, and we need to retreat inside Wall Rose with the rest of the cadets.” Mikasa said bluntly. 

“Do you think you can use your gear?” Armin asked. Eren grimaced but nodded. “Okay, here,” He shared what was left of his gas, sliding the canisters back into place when he was done. 

Mikasa stood, and walked to the end of the alley, glancing out at the main street. “There aren’t any Titans around, I think the Scouts are getting rid of them.” 

Armin stood up, offering a hand to Eren. He took it, stumbling as he straightened. “Are you sure you’ll be able to use the gear?” He asked, just to be sure. 

“I’ll be fine,” Eren waved him off, leaning against the wall to stay upright. 

He wanted to argue that, no, he really shouldn’t be using ODM gear when he was that tired, that someone should carry him, but he knew Eren was far too stubborn to listen to him. Sighing, he nodded, and turned to face Mikasa, who was still by the end of the alley. “Let’s go.” 

As they flew through the city, he kept a close eye on Eren, who was doing surprisingly well, considering how drained he clearly was. He could tell Mikasa was doing the same thing too, glancing back at Eren every few seconds to make sure nothing had happened. 

Eventually, after narrowly avoiding a few Titans, they made it to the other side of the Wall. They noticed most of the other cadets gathered in the area, and sat down on a bench near them. 

Eren slumped down instantly, and as Armin glanced down at him, he realized for the first time how awful Eren looked. He was pale, much more pale than they’d ever seen him before, his eyes darting frantically around, as he reached up and clutched the key around his neck. 

“Eren, are you-”

“I’m fine,” He snapped, cutting Armin off. 

Armin frowned, not believing him for a second. He was very clearly not okay, it was obvious to anyone who looked at him. Suddenly, Eren straightened, and glanced down at the key in his hand, eyes wide. He looked like he’d seen a ghost as he stared at the key in shock. Armin was about to ask what was wrong, when Eren spoke.

“The key…” He said breathlessly. “It’s in the basement…”

Before Armin or Mikasa could ask what he was talking about, someone began shouting their names. He glanced up to see Jean, Connie, and Sasha running towards them. 

“You guys are okay!” Sasha cried, as she skidded to a halt in front of them. “Jean said you were alive, but we couldn’t find you!”

“Yeah, where were you guys?” Connie asked.

“Oh, we…” Quickly Armin thought up a lie. “We were looking for Eren. He returned before us.” 

“Oh yeah, he wasn’t there when that Titan plugged the Wall up,” Jean said. 

“Yeah, Jean keeps telling us about some Titan that actually helped us, but we don’t believe him,” Sasha stage whispered, shrieking when Jean punched her shoulder. 

“It’s true,” Mikasa said. 

“See?!” Jean cried, gesturing to them. “I told you I wasn’t lying! It was insane! It’s dead now though, according to the Scouts,” 

“Wait, really?” Armin already knew that they’d consider Eren’s Titan ‘dead’, but he was curious as to what they thought about it. 

“Yeah, I’m surprised you didn’t know about that since you were the one that rode on its shoulder, ” Jean scoffed. “I still can’t believe you did that.” 

“Armin, you what?!” Connie yelled, staring at him incredulously.

Armin shifted sheepishly, seeing Eren glance at him out of the corner of his eye. “Ah, yeah. I may have… stood on its arm to keep the Garrison from shooting it.”

“Jesus Armin, that’s either super badass or super dumb,” Connie said. 

“You actually stood on a Titan?” Sasha stared at him. “You’re crazy.” 

“You’re even more suicidal than Eren!”

“Hey!” Eren glared at Connie. 

“Excuse me,” Someone said, interrupting the impending argument. “Are you Armin Arlert?”

Armin turned to see who’d spoken and froze. It was a tall man, who wore the same military clothing as them, but the crest on his jacket was that of the Military Police. Behind him were four more members, all of them older and intimidating. 

“Yes, why?” He asked cautiously, standing up. Behind him, he heard Mikasa and Eren stand as well.

“You are under arrest. Come with us willingly, and we won’t have to use force.”

Armin gaped at the men, utterly shocked. Why was he under arrest? 

“Hang on,” He heard Eren say. “Why are you arresting him? He hasn’t done anything!”

“On the contrary, he is under arrest for fraternization with the enemy,” The man said, grinning unpleasantly. 

“The enemy? What’re you talking about?” Sasha spoke up, frowning. 

“We’ve spoken to several members of the Garrison, and they all agree that you were seen defending and siding with the Titan that carried the boulder. Now, come with us, or we will have to use force,” 

“He’s not going anywhere with you,” Eren snarled, moving in front of him. 

Mikasa moved to stand beside Eren, holding her blades tightly. “None of you will go anywhere near him.”

Armin was frozen again. He was being arrested, he could accept that. But now, his friends were standing between him and the Military Police, defending him. They were going to be arrested too, if they interfered with this! But he couldn’t open his mouth to protest, or move to hold them back.

“We’ll have to use force then,” The man said, and all four of his companions moved forward, towards Mikasa and Eren. 

Both of them were putting up a good fight, Mikasa had knocked a man out, and Eren broke another’s nose, but Eren was exhausted from transforming, and Mikasa, although she was still insanely strong, was obviously tired.

“Stop!” Armin finally found his voice, as he ran forward, pulling Eren and Mikasa back, standing in front of them in an odd reversal of their roles earlier. “I’ll go, keep them out of this,” He gestured at Eren and Mikasa. 

The man chuckled nastily, still grinning. “Sorry kid, but they interfered with an arrest. They’re goin’ with you,” He nodded at the remaining three men that’d come with him. They each walked towards one of them. 

Eren and Mikasa tensed, ready to fight once again, but Armin stopped them with a look, shaking his head at them. Armin let the man in front of him put his hands in chains, glancing back at Eren and Mikasa. They both were in chains now too, and were being forced to walk towards a carriage that would presumably take them to wherever they were going to hold them. 

“Move,” The man who’d bound Armin jabbed him in the side, shoving him towards the carriage. He winced, and walked towards it, glancing back at Jean, Sasha, and Connie, who were standing, frozen in shock. 

As he climbed into the carriage, he glanced at Eren and Mikasa, who both looked like they wanted to punch someone. He met both of their eyes, and shook his head, praying that his message got across. 

They couldn’t fight back against them. They just had to let this play out.

When Armin woke up in his cell alone, he stared up at the ceiling, wondering what would come next.

***

“Are you all right?” 

Eren glanced up at Mikasa, from where he was sitting on the ground. The cell they were in currently had a lower ceiling, which meant they could barely stand up straight, leading Mikasa to sit on the rickety bed in the opposite corner.

“I guess,” He muttered, still too tired to muster up his usual anger. After they’d been arrested, Mikasa had insisted that he sleep, but he woke up every few hours, gasping for air, still feeling like the giant boulder was crushing him, or he was still inside that Titan’s stomach. Mikasa had been forced out of her own sleep to calm him down every time, but she hadn’t mentioned it yet.

Absentmindedly, he brought a hand up to the key hanging from his neck, before he realized what he was doing, flinching and dropping the hand like he’d been burned. When Armin pulled him out of his Titan, he’d looked down at the key, and actually looked. 

And that’s when he remembered. 

His father had done this, his father had been the one to turn him into a monster. All this time, he’d been wondering how he’d become like this, when it’d started, he remembered when he was younger, complaining about how slowly his black eyes and bruises would heal, so he didn’t have his abilities then. He’d thought that maybe he’d been born with his abilities, and something after the fall of Wall Maria had triggered them, but he had been wrong. 

It had been his father all along. 

He remembered it now, vaguely. Whenever he tried to recall it, it felt like a dream he’d had long ago. He’d been on the streets in Trost, when he’d seen his father. He could remember that clearly. But after, things became hazy. He knew that his father had brought him somewhere. He didn’t know where exactly, or how they’d gotten there, only that he’d gone unwillingly, wanting to find Armin and Mikasa first. Then… there were only flashes. A syringe, his father’s grief-stricken face as he emptied it into Eren’s bloodstream, and then the pain he’d felt. But, over all of the snippets of memories he’d pieced together, he could hear his father, begging him to return to the basement. Saying that the answers would be in there. 

If his mind hadn’t been made up before, it was now. He needed to join the Scouts and get to the basement. Whatever answers were there, Eren needed them. It felt important to go there, for some reason. 

Although, he couldn’t go anywhere if he was stuck in this cell. When the Military Police said that Armin was arrested for nothing more than not wanting to kill a Titan, he hadn’t even thought, he just attacked, wanting nothing more than to protect him. It was completely ridiculous that Armin had been arrested in the first place, but, if Armin was being forced into a cell, Eren and Mikasa wouldn’t hesitate to join him. 

“Where do you think he is?” He asked quietly, glancing outside the cell, where two Military Police officers were gambling, laughing loudly as they took gulps of whatever was inside their canteens.

Mikasa looked down, bringing her knees up to her chest. “I don’t know,” She said. “If they hurt him…”

Eren nodded. “I’ll help you murder them,” He finished her sentence, chuckling mirthlessly. 

He scowled, glaring at the officers outside. They better let us see him soon. If not… I could always transform as a last resort. A part of him whispered that he could kill several people if he did that, but he didn’t particularly care. If it keeps my friends safe… they can call me a monster as much as they like. 

***

Armin didn’t know how long he’d been in his cell anymore. He’d tried to keep track at first, but after he’d fallen asleep again, he’d lost count. 

I hope Mikasa and Eren are all right, He thought, frowning. Hopefully, they were together, at least. Hopefully they wouldn’t do anything stupid either. He knew that Eren meant well, but he was a little… impulsive at times, and Mikasa would do anything Eren asked. 

When he’d asked why he was being arrested, they told him that it was due to ‘fraternization with the enemy’. That’d occupied his mind for a while, as he pondered over the possible implications it had. He’d come up with a few theories, but nothing decisive. 

Theory number one: they were scared about word of Eren’s Titan getting out in a positive light, and Armin had loudly supported him, in front of plenty of Garrison officers. They were using his arrest as an excuse to shut him up, and make sure that no one would know that a Titan had somehow helped humanity. 

Theory number two: they thought he could control him. They said that they’d spoken to the Garrison officers that had been on the wall, but they’d likely spoken to the cadets as well. He’d been the one to say that Eren was going to seal the wall originally, and the Military Police might think that he could somehow control the Titan and were worried he would use it on the people within the walls. 

Theory number three: they thought he was in league with the Armored and Colossal Titan. Never mind that Eren had helped save Trost. Still, they knew that a Titan with intelligence had broken down the wall, and a Titan with intelligence had saved it. And now, Armin had stood on the Titan that they likely thought was like the Colossal and Armored. (They were, of course, but not in the way they thought.) 

His third theory was the most likely, though he didn’t know what they were going to do about it. Would they keep him here forever, not even giving him a trial? Would they execute him? And what about Eren and Mikasa, would they befall the same fate as him? 

Suddenly, he heard someone walking towards his cell, well, more than one person. He straightened, sitting up on the small bed that was tucked in the corner. Who was it? Were they just the guards? Who would even visit him, if it wasn’t?

Five people came into view, two of whom were the guards that had brought him to the cell. The other three, he didn’t recognize. One was a tall, blond man with thick eyebrows and sharp cheekbones. Another was a person with glasses, and wild brown hair pulled into a ponytail. The last was a man who was shorter than the rest, who carried himself in a way that reminded Armin suddenly of Mikasa. 

“Armin Arlet,” The blond man said.

Armin nodded, unsure of what he should be saying. 

“Ooh, so this is him, then?” The person with glasses walked closer to the cell, pushing their face between the bars. “He doesn’t look like much, huh. He might be shorter than you, Levi!” 

The short man scoffed, grabbing them by their jacket and pulling them back from the bars. “Shut the fuck up, four-eyes,” He snapped. 

Armin stared at them, confused. He wasn’t sure how to react to the bizarre situation, and simply stayed silent, frowning slightly at them. 

“I am Erwin Smith,” the blond introduced himself and Armin’s eyes widened. “This is Hanji Zoe, and Levi. We’ve come here to discuss your arrest and impending trial.” 

Oh Walls, why were Erwin Smith, the leader of the Scouts, Hanji Zoe, who was in charge of the fucking research division, and Levi, humanity’s strongest, visiting him in his cell? He was just a cadet, why would they care enough to even talk to him? 

“Can I start?” Hanji asked eagerly. Erwin nodded, and Hanji grinned. “Ok, so. Armin. You were at Trost when the Rogue Titan sealed the wall, right?”

“For fucks’ sake, Hanji, get on with it,” Levi snapped, leaning against the wall. 

“...The Rogue Titan?” Armin asked quietly. 

“Oh! The Titan that sealed the breach. That’s what the papers have taken to calling it!” Hanji explained. “Anyways, you were there. People even said you stood on its head while it carried the boulder!”

Armin frowned. Either the rumors had gotten wildly out of control, or this was some sort of test. If they’d done any research at all, they’d know that he hadn’t actually done that. “Ah, I stood on his shoulder, actually.” He corrected them. If this was a test, he had to be truthful. Lying wouldn’t get him anywhere. 

Hanji paused, eyeing him for a second, before nodding appraisingly. “Do you know why the Military police arrested you?” They asked suddenly, the mood shifting. 

Caught off guard, Armin didn’t know what exactly to say. “They- they told me it was for fraternization with the enemy,” When in doubt, throw their words back at them. He thought. He didn’t know what they wanted him to say: he needed more information first.

“What do you think that means?” It was Erwin who spoke this time. 

Armin shifted uneasily. “I think it means that they think I have some sort of connection to the Titan,” He replied honestly. 

Erwin raised an eyebrow. “And do you?”

“Of course not, sir.”

“What happened after the Rogue Titan sealed the hole?” He asked, changing the subject. 

“I was thrown off of it.” Armin replied shortly. C’mon, think. What are they here for? What do they want to know?

“So, you didn’t see anyone come out of the Titan?”

What. “I’m sorry- come out of the Titan?” Armin asked, his mind moving at the speed of light. How did they know? They steam was too dense, why would they-

“Yes, according to a report from a Garrison officer, Rico Brzenska, someone emerged from the Titan’s nape, and another helped pull them out before escaping under the steam. Of course, we have no idea of who these two individuals are. Do you know anything of that?” Erwin’s expression was carefully polite, but he gazed at Armin intensely. 

Oh, so that’s what they think. Armin thought blankly. They saw Eren come out of his Titan, and now thought Armin was the one who pulled him out. I have to be careful with how I answer this. “No, I didn’t,” He said, composing himself quickly. “I couldn’t see anything through the steam.”

“But after the Titan plugged the wall up, no one knew where the hell you were,” Levi spoke up, glaring at him. “So what happened then?”

“I was looking for my friend.” That had been what he told Sasha, Jean, and Connie, he may as well stick to it. 

“Elaborate, if you could.” Erwin asked politely. 

“Me and my friend, Mikasa, were looking for her brother, Eren. He wasn’t with us when the breach was sealed, and he was supposed to have retreated, so we looked for him for a while.” The lie rolled off his tongue easily, his tone perfectly even as he made eye contact with Erwin. Living in Trost demanded the ability to lie, and after two years of living there, he, Mikasa and Eren had been forced to develop it.

“I apologize, I don’t see what this has to do with my arrest,” Armin pointed out, forcing himself to stay calm and not panic. 

“The Military Police think you were involved in the Rogue Titan’s appearance, and are in league with the Colossal and Armored Titans, to put it bluntly,” Said Erwin. “And the upcoming trial is to determine if you were or not.”

So I was right. Armin frowned. “They are aware that the Rogue Titan saved Trost, which goes directly against what the Colossal Titan did,” He said carefully. “And if I was involved in his appearance, I would be against the Colossal and Armored Titans, not in league with them.” 

“You said he,”

“What?” He turned to face Hanji, who’d spoken. 

“You called the Rogue Titan he. Not it, like everyone else did.”

Armin froze, unsure of how to respond to the statement. He’d only seen the ‘Rogue Titan’ as Eren, not a normal animalistic Titan. He’d unconsciously referred to Eren as he because, in his mind, he was talking about Eren, not the Rogue Titan. 

“What are you implying?” He asked finally. 

“Armin, we want to work with you,” Erwin said, pulling up the chair the guards normally sat on. “You were the only one brave enough to stand on the Titan’s shoulder as it saved us. We believe that the Rogue Titan may be hiding amongst the humans behind the Walls. But we do not believe that it holds any malice towards us. The multiple reports say that it killed several of its own kind, and its actions to seal the gate prove that.”

I know what you’re doing, Armin thought. They were trying to get him to believe that they were on his side, encouraging him to tell them what they wanted to know. But they seem to be telling the truth about not thinking Eren is on the side of the Colossal and Armored Titans. Maybe he could tell them just enough to keep them from handing him over to the Military Police. 

“We are going to conduct an investigation into the identity of whoever was inside that Titan. We want you to join us. Shadis says you are academically brilliant, we could use someone like you on this. Of course, if you did know anything about the Rogue Titan, or were involved with its appearance, that would give us even more incentive to keep you from being interrogated by the Military Police, and give you an automatic position in Hanji’s research division.” Erwin explained.

Armin knew exactly what Erwin was doing. But he was going to let it happen, work it in his favor. He knew what would happen if the Military Police would ‘interrogate’ him. And, if he played this right, he would get him, Eren, and Mikasa all in the Scouting Legion together. 

“I saw it,” He admitted, omitting the part where he was the one who did it. “I thought I was hallucinating at first. I couldn’t see who it was though, the steam was too dense,” There. They could suspect him as much as they wanted, and it wouldn’t matter. If they suspected him, they would keep him within the custody of the Scouts, which was by far better than the Military Police. 

Erwin nodded. “As we suspected,” 

“Why didn’t you tell us, then? We literally mentioned it earlier!” Hanji said, frowning. 

“I thought I would be suspected as the accomplice.” He replied honestly. 

“Erwin, I need him on my team,” Hanji turned to the taller man, almost pleading. “He stood on the Rogue Titan! He saw the person inside it emerge! He’s got so much information that I could use!” 

That cemented it for Armin. The Scouts were going to fight for custody of him at the trial. Although it wouldn’t be easy to avoid suspicion, it was certainly better than being with the Military Police. But… “What will happen to my friends?” He asked suddenly. 

“Your friends?” Erwin asked. 

“They were arrested with me,” Armin explained hastily, his concern undoing his composure slightly. “What will happen to them?” 

Erwin glanced at Hanji and Levi. “What are their names?” 

“Eren Jeager and Mikasa Ackerman, sir.” 

“They will be brought into the trial as witnesses anyways, but after the trial they will be released, no matter the outcome.” 

Armin breathed a sigh of relief. Eren and Mikasa would be safe no matter what happened to him. At least it’s me who’s arrested and put on trial, I suppose, He thought morbidly. They’re both in the top ten, and Eren’s abilities give him a huge advantage against Titans. It’d be a waste for them to be thrown in jail or executed 

“Levi and I,” Erwin tipped his head in the direction of Levi. “Will go and question your friends. Hanji, you stay here and get whatever information you need about the Rogue Titan,” 

Armin hoped that Eren and Mikasa would at least tell the same story as him, otherwise they’d be under suspicion too. If this all worked out, they’d be together in the Scouts. 

“Ok, great!” Hanji grinned, whirling back to face Armin, their expression borderline manic. “Now, tell me everything.”

Chapter Text

"C'mon Armin, you've gotta be joking!" Eren laughed. "There's no way that the salt never runs out!"

Armin giggled, shaking his head. "No, I'm telling the truth! The ocean is so big that the salt can't run out!" He waved his hands enthusiastically at the book in his lap. "It says so right here!" 

"Lemme see!" Eren moved closer, reading the book over his shoulder. His eyes widened as he read the page. "Wow," He breathed. "It's really that big?" 

Armin nodded. "Yeah, it is!" He glanced around, double checking to make sure that Carla and Grisha were both too far away to hear. "One day, I'm going to see it," He whispered. 

"How?" Eren asked, wide eyed. 

"I don't know, but I'm going to, someday," He looked out the window they were seated by. The sun was setting, bathing the streets of Shiganshina in golden light. The Walls loomed over them in the background, tall and intimidating. "I want to see everything in the book when we get to go outside the Walls," 

Eren grinned, and placed his head on Armin's shoulder, leaning against him. "Well we're going to see it together, then!" He said.

He was too preoccupied with the thought of leaving the Walls, he didn't notice Armin's blush. 

***

Eren couldn't sit still anymore. 

It'd been too long. The guards wouldn't tell them anything about Armin, only laughing as they begged for information. 

Mikasa was glaring at the wall, clenching and unclenching her fists as she silently fumed. 

Eren was bouncing his knee, looking outside the cell every few seconds, anxiety and fear churning in his gut. 

Being separated from Armin like this was nearly excruciating. With no news about his wellbeing or whereabouts, both Eren and Mikasa were going crazy. 

Suddenly, footsteps began to echo through the halls, coming closer to their cell. Eren straightened, unable to see who was approaching. Mikasa turned her piercing gaze from the wall to outside the cell, both of them waiting to see who was coming. 

Two men came into view, both of them wearing military jackets with the Scouting Legion’s insignia on them. The taller man, a blond, eyed them for a few seconds before speaking. 

“Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Jeager, correct?” 

Eren and Mikasa exchanged a look, before Eren nodded. 

“I am Erwin Smith, and this is Levi. We have come to question you about the events at Trost,” Erwin explained, smiling politely. 

Erwin Smith… Why does that name sound so familiar? Eren wondered, before inhaling sharply. He's the leader of the Scouts! Why is he here? 

“What do you mean, ‘the events at Trost’?” Eren asked. 

“Your friend, Armin Arlert, will be given a trial for his arrest, and the both of you will be serving as witnesses,” Erwin said. “We shall be questioning you to ensure that both of your stories line up.” 

“So you already talked to him?” Mikasa asked suddenly, wild hope flaring in her eyes. “He's all right?” 

Erwin looked taken aback for a split second, before he smoothed it over. “Yes, we spoke to him a few minutes ago. He appears to be fine.” 

Eren let out a breath of relief that he didn't know he was holding. He turned to Mikasa, who was equally happy that Armin was okay. She gave him a small smile, squeezing his hand briefly. 

“What questions do you have?” Eren asked, turning back to the two men cautiously. Just because he's all right now doesn't mean something won't happen at this trial. 

“If you could give us a full account of what happened at Trost, for both of you, that would be quite helpful,” Erwin said. 

Mikasa glanced at Eren, and they silently agreed that she should go first. “I was placed with the elite squad,” she began, her voice soft. “After the order for the retreat came out, I went looking for Eren and Armin. I found Armin, who was almost out of gas. He told me that him and Eren were trying to retreat, but he ran out of gas halfway through. I have him some of mine, and… that's when we found the Titan that sealed the gate,” Eren realized that she was telling them mostly the truth, with only a few parts omitted, such as the fact that Eren had actually been the one who shared the gas, and saved Mikasa while in Titan form. “Armin realized he was only killing other Titans, and came up with a plan to use him against the Titans at the armoury. When we got to the armoury, we refuelled, and when we got out, the Titan was already carrying the boulder. Armin figured out what he was doing, and we, with some other cadets, protected him from the other Titans as he sealed the Wall.” She finished. 

“And after?” Erwin promoted. 

“We went looking for Eren. We didn't know if he'd made it to the other side of the Wall, but we found him after a while. We’d just met up with some of the other cadets when Armin got arrested.” 

“Hmm,” Erwin frowned. “And you?” He asked Eren. 

Nervously, Eren began. He wasn't as good of a liar as Mikasa or Armin, but he was still decent at it. “Me and Armin went out, with the rest of our squad, but… we were ambushed by Titans, who killed the whole squad except us. We barely got away. After the order to retreat came out, we tried to get back to the Wall, but we got separated. I… I couldn’t find him, and I was almost out of gas so… I went over the Wall. Mikasa and Armin found me after a while and told me what happened.” 

Erwin nodded. “So you did not actually see the Rogue Titan?” 

“Rogue Titan, sir?”

“The Titan that sealed the Walls.”

“Oh,” Eren frowned. That was what they were calling him? “No, I didn’t.” 

“Are you aware of why your friend was arrested?” Erwin asked after a few seconds of contemplative silence. 

Mikasa shook her head. “They said it was for ‘fraternization with the enemy’, but we don’t know what that means.” She said quietly, tugging at the ends of her scarf. 

“It means,” Erwin took a deep breath. “The Military Police think that Armin Arlert is in league with the Colossal and Armoured Titans, and that the new Rogue Titan is as well. His trial will be held tomorrow, in which we will decide if he is to be interrogated within the custody of the Military Police, or if he will join the Scouting Legion as a member of Squad Leader Hanji’s research division.”

“They think Armin’s on the Colossal and Armoured Titan’s side?” Eren asked slightly hysterically, and he laughed bitterly. “They’re out of their minds.”

“What do you mean, ‘ interrogate’ ?” Mikasa asked dangerously, glaring up at the two men. 

Erwin smiled thinly, glancing down at Levi. “Essentially torturing him for information about the Titan, likely executing him after they find out what they want.” 

Both Eren and Mikasa nearly lost it at those words, Mikasa’s face darkening with rage as her knuckles whitened from her clenched fists. Eren growled, his vision going red for a split second, his mind spinning with promises of painful deaths for anyone who dared to hurt Armin.  

“So, you’ll be on Armin’s side during this trial?” Eren ground out, digging his nails into his palms to prevent himself from punching something. 

“Yes, we hope to clear his name.”

“ Good,” Mikasa snarled. 

“We shall be returning tomorrow to collect you for the trial. After the trial, however, you will be released, no matter the outcome.” Erwin said pleasantly, as if Mikasa’s intense glare didn’t faze him one bit. With that, he and Levi walked away, which made Eren realize that Levi hadn’t even said anything during the whole encounter. 

“They better win the trial,” Mikasa muttered angrily. 

“If they don’t…” Eren trailed off, both him and Mikasa knowing exactly what they’d do if Armin was handed over. 

***

Armin hated the chains that they put him in as they unlocked the cell door. 

“Come on Armin, we gotta be there soon!” Hanji said, bouncing over to him, an unconcerned smile on their face, despite the circumstances. 

After Erwin and Levi had left the day before, Hanji had stayed with him for another hour at least, asking rapid-fire questions and writing down the answers on a small pad of paper. They’d demanded Armin describe the appearance of the Titan, what exactly it’d done, and how it’d taken out the other Titans, and rambled on and on about the possibilities that this exposed. During the hour that they’d talked, Armin had gained a huge amount of respect for them. Though they were slightly… eccentric, Hanji was a genius in their field, knowing more about Titans than probably anyone alive. 

And so, Armin sighed, but followed Hanji as they led him up a flight of stairs, into what looked like a courtroom.  It was huge, the ceiling rising high above their heads, with murals decorating the walls. It was split into two sides, the right holding several members of the Military Police, and the Church of The Walls, along with a few civilians. The left side held Erwin and Levi, along with several other members of the Scouts and Garrison. Near Erwin, Armin spotted both Eren and Mikasa, who looked worried and angry. 

One of the Military Police guards that escorted him and Hanji there shoved him harshly, and he stumbled forwards, continuing to walk to the center of the room, where the guards forced him to his knees, binding his hands behind a tall pole that they put into the ground. 

“Armin Arlert,” He looked up, seeing an old man with a silver beard sitting at the large desk in the middle of the room. Darius Zackly? He’s the overseer of all three of the military branches, why is he here? 

“You are brought before this court under charges of fraternization with the enemy, is that correct?” 

Armin glanced at Mikasa and Eren, who were glowering at Zackly. “Y-yes, sir.” He stammered. Calm down, He reminded himself. 

“In this trial, you will either be sentenced guilty of treason to the Crown, and placed in the custody of the Military police, or you will be granted innocence, and placed in the custody of the Scouting Legion,” Zackly explained. He turned to the right side. “Commander Nile Dok, what is your case?”

A tall man with greasy black hair stepped up. “The Military Police believe that Armin Arlert is in league with the Armoured and Colossal Titans, and is responsible for the appearance of the Rogue Titan at Trost. If placed in our custody, we will interrogate him to obtain any information about these Titans, before executing him under charges of treason.”

Armin shivered, swallowing nervously. If the Scouts didn’t succeed, and he was handed over to the Military Police… He didn’t even want to think about it. They were notoriously corrupt, and just judging by the mildly digusted way Nile Dok spoke of him… Whatever would happen in their custody would not end with him in one piece. 

“Commander Erwin Smith, your case?” Zackly continued, either unaware of, or ignoring Armin’s mounting distress. 

“Those of the Scouting Legion and Garrison Regiment are of the opinion that Armin Arlert is innocent of the accused crimes, and wish for him to join our reasearch division under the supervision of Squad Leader Hanji Zoe, should we win this case.” Erwin said simply. 

That’s it? That’s all he had to say? Armin frowned. Erwin was cunning; he knew what he was doing, and how to get his way, Armin figured that out within moments of meeting him. But, he was also ruthless, in that, if he did not believe that something could help humanity, he would abandon it within an instant. If he did not want to help Armin, he wouldn’t have gotten involved in the first place. He has a case, he just isn’t unvieling all of it right now.

Judging by the outraged looks on Mikasa and Eren’s faces, they hadn’t come to that conclusion. Eren muttered something to Mikasa, and she nodded darkly, glaring at the Commander. Eren glanced back at Armin, making eye contact. Subtly, Armin shook his head. It’s fine. Don’t worry about me. He tried to convey. 

Eren scowled, but sighed, relaxing ever-so-slightly, releasing some of the anger that was dangerously close to the surface. Even in the dire situation, the small act of trust warmed Armin’s heart. 

“You cannot seriously believe that!” A member of the Church Of the Walls cried from the other side of the courtroom. “This boy has dared to inflict deformity upon the Walls! You all know about how he stood on the Titan’s shoulder and survived!” 

He could see Eren’s flinch out of the corner of his eye. “He has hardly inflicted anything on the Walls,” Erwin said calmly. 

“This boy being in league with the three other Titans is-”

“Silence!” Zackly’s voice rang out, causing the man who’d spoken to snap his mouth shut. “We shall proceed with the trial. Arlert, is it true that you were the first to see the Rogue Titan?” He addressed Armin. 

Armin’s throat went dry. Time to lie my ass off and hope I don’t get caught, he thought grimly. “No, sir. Mikasa Ackerman was with me when we discovered it.” After Hanji had called him out on referring to Eren’s Titan as ‘him’, he took extra care to not slip up again. 

“Mikasa Ackerman?”

“Me, sir,” Mikasa raised her hand, glancing toward Armin worriedly. “It’s true, we were together when we first saw the Rogue Titan.”

“Under what circumstances?” Nile asked quickly. “Was there a possability that he could have had contact with it before?”

Mikasa hesitated, but Levi muttered something to her, and she sighed. “I found him in an alley, out of gas. So, he could have had contact with the Titan, but up until then, he was with Eren, so there would be very little time, and the Rogue Titan was a few streets away.” She added. 

“So, Arlert was with this ‘Eren’ until you ran into him?” A Military Police officer asked scornfully. 

“Me and Armin were together until a few minutes before Mikasa saw him,” Eren spoke up. His voice was sharp, and he glared across the room at the officer.Armin noticed his ears were red. “We got split up during the retreat.” 

“You are Eren Jaeger, correct?” Zackly asked. “Would there have been any chance before you were separated, for Arlert to contact anyone, or so anything suspicious?” 

Eren shook his head vehemently. “No. We met up minutes after Trost had been breached, and we only were separated after the order to retreat came out. He wasn’t acting suspicious either, unless you consider being afraid of the Titans suspicious,” He snapped. Armin saw Levi elbow him in the ribs for that comment, but Eren’s unmovable support calmed him down considerably. 

“I believe that Eren Jaeger’s account to be hugely biased!” Nile exclaimed, sneering. “We have multiple reports from their fellow cadets that say that Jaeger and Arlert are extremely close, along with Mikasa Ackerman!”

“Maybe they’re all in on it together!” Someone cried. 

“Arrest them too!” 

“Stop,” Armin whispered to himself, as he looked down. His hair formed a curtain around his face, blocking the sight of the Church members and Military Police jeering and accusing his friends. I can’t do anything, He thought miserably. Just like when Eren got eaten. I couldn’t do anything then either, even if he isn’t actually dead. He was weak, like always. He’d always relied on Mikasa and Eren to protect him. Not this time, He thought suddenly. This time, it’s my turn to protect them.

“Stop. ” 

Silence fell over the courtroom, as Armin spoke, still looking down. “My friends are innocent. They had noting to do with any of this. Whatever you accuse me of, accuse me alone.” He locked eyes with Nile, determined this time, to protect Eren and Mikasa. 

They can’t take Eren and Mikasa, Armin thought. I’ll confess to the crimes they think I’ve committed if I have to.

Chapter Text

After a few seconds of silence after Armin’s declaration, Zackly cleared his throat. “I am sure you are all aware of Rico Brzenska’s report of a human emerging from the Rogue Titan’s nape and escaping under the cover of the steam with an accomplice?”

What?

Eren froze, Zackly’s voice still ringing in his ears. He’d been caught? No, that can’t be it. He thought. If they knew it was me who came out of the Titan, I’d be in a cell right now, not walking around free. He glanced at Armin, who seemed mostly unfazed by the revelation. So, he already knew. Why didn’t Erwin tell us? 

Quickly, he shook himself from his thoughts. This was no time to worry about that, there were other pressing matters at hand. 

“Is Rico Brzenska here to confirm this?” One of the many members of the Church asked over the whispers. 

“Yes,” A shorter woman with light grey hair stepped forwards beside him, her glasses reflecting the dim light streaming in through the windows. “I can confirm that the report is true.” 

“What are they talking about, ‘emerging from the Rogue Titan’s nape?” Someone asked loudly. 

“When the Rogue Titan placed the boulder against the Wall, it had crouched down, and released a lot of steam. I was close enough to see through it, but I couldn’t see their faces or what they were wearing. What I did see was someone pull themselves out of the Titan’s nape, and a second person climbed up next to them and helped pull them out. Then, they escaped under the cover of the steam.” Rico said coldly. 

Eren silently breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t seen either of their faces. What does this have to do with Armin, though? Then, it clicked. They think Armin is the accomplice! 

They were right, of course, but Eren, Armin, and Mikasa didn’t want them to know that. How were they supposed to convince the Military Police of something that wasn’t true? 

“What are the two sides’ response to this news?” Zackly asked, gesturing for Nile to speak. 

“The Military Police are of the belief that Armin Arlert was, in fact, the person who helped the individual who emerged from the Titan!” Nile explained. “As such, he knows the identity of the Rogue Titan. We should interrogate him about who they are, and execute both of them after the information has been revealed to us.” 

Eren clenched his teeth, utilizing every ounce of his self-control to not lunge across the courtroom and beat the greasy-haired man bloody. They all knew exactly what ‘interrogation’ meant by Military Police standards, and to imagine Armin being forced to go through that, only to be executed afterwards made him want to scream. 

Fearfully, he glanced down at Armin, who was still chained on the floor. He held an air of calmness, but Eren knew better. After being friends with Armin for almost ten years, he could easily tell how anxious and terrified he was. It only made him want to throttle every member of the Military Police more. 

“Erwin, your response?” Zackly cut through his vengeful thoughts. 

Erwin nodded, clearing his throat. “Armin has told us that he, too, witnessed this occurrence,” What? “And we intend to conduct an investigation into who was inside of the Titan, not to execute them, but to utilize their abilities for the benefit of humanity-“

He was interrupted by a merchant on the opposite side. “But you can’t believe that this Titan will be on our side! It’s in league with the Colossal and Armoured Titans, along with this mongrel!” He gestured at Armin, who’s expression shuttered. 

“I think you’ll find that the Rogue Titan is actually on our side,” Armin said, his voice steady, cutting through the sudden silence of the room.  

What are you doing, Armin? Eren wondered desperately. Are you trying to incriminate yourself? He frowned down at the blond, confused. It doesn’t matter, He realized with a start. Armin always had a plan, and he’d never been wrong before. He trusted Armin to do this. 

“The Colossal Titan appeared, and kicked a hole in the Wall, which the Rogue Titan sealed. That, in and of itself, should prove that it is on our side,” Armin said surprisingly coldly, gazing intensely at the man who’d spoken earlier. “Additionally, it didn’t touch a single human, only killing other Titans. Even if there wasn’t a person inside of it, it would be good to study it at the very least.” 

“Our hope is that the investigation, lead by Squad Leader Zoë, and hopefully aided by Arlert, will uncover the identity of the Rogue Titan,” Erwin said. “Who we will then work with to seal the hole in the Shiganshina District,” 

***

Oh. Oh. 

So that was Erwin’s master plan. That was what he’d been betting on. He was going to use the prospect of victory against the Titans to manipulate them. 

And it seemed to be working, too. A hushed silence fell, whispers from the crowd drifting over to them occasionally. They were all staring at Erwin like he was crazy, which, honestly, Armin sort of wanted to agree with. But, he’d gotten their attention. 

“When would this investigation take place?” Zackly asked after a few moments of silence. 

“Sir, you cannot be seriously considering this-“ Nile was cut off harshly by Erwin. 

“After our next expedition, which is roughly a week and a half from now.” 

“And you would take custody and responsibility over Arlert, and use the information he gives you to aid your investigation into the identity of the Rogue Titan?” 

“Now wait-“

“We will, sir.” Erwin nodded. 

Zackly frowned to himself, seeming to silently debate the pros and cons to each situation. 

Armin’s stomach was doing cartwheels at this point, flipping around in his throat as he watched Zackly write something down on a piece of paper. This was it. He would either be tortured and killed by the Military Police, or be under constant surveillance and suspicion by the Scouts. 

He glanced at Eren and Mikasa out of the corner of his eye. Mikasa was tense, glaring at Zackly as if daring him to hand him over to the Military Police. Eren was clutching the wood railings in front of him tightly, sending poisonous glares at Zackly and Nile. 

If I get handed over to the Police, I might reveal Eren’s identity. He thought grimly. He had a higher-than-average pain tolerance, but that would only get him so far while being tortured. He didn’t even want to think about what could happen to Eren if he revealed his identity. 

“I have reached a decision,” Zackly said, steepling his fingers. “Armin Arlert is to go into the custody of the Scouts.”

Armin felt relief crash over him, and he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He was going with the Scouts, not the Military Police. He glanced over at Eren and Mikasa, who were both much more relaxed, Eren grinning at him. Tentatively, he returned it.

Zackly continued. “Erwin Smith, you will hold responsibility for him, if he is indeed a spy for the Colossal and Armoured Titans. You will begin the investigation as soon as you return from the upcoming expedition, understood?” 

Erwin smiled, genuinely this time. “Understood, sir.” 

Half of the courtroom erupted into protests, most coming from the Wall Church, but Zackly cut through the noise with a few sharp slaps to the desk he sat at. 

“This court is dismissed,” he said curtly, and a guard walked over to Armin to unchain him. 

It was far from perfect, the Scouts definitely thought he was suspicious, and Eren would be in even more danger of getting exposed, but in that moment, as Armin smiled happily at a beaming Eren, he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

***

Hanji frowned down at their notes from when they’d stayed behind to interrogate Armin Arlert about the Rogue Titan. 

It doesn’t add up, They thought, flipping through the notes to try and see if they missed something. It was clear that the boy had a personal connection to the Rogue Titan, just from how he talked about it, but how far did that connection go? 

“Do you really think he was actually the one to pull the person out of the Titan’s body?” They asked, looking up at Erwin, who nodded grimly. 

“It wasn’t included in the report, but I spoke to Rico Brzenska before the trial. She described the appearance of the two individuals as best as she could.” He paused. 

“And?” Levi prompted impatiently. “We don’t have all day, old man.” 

“She said that whoever the accomplice was, fit Arlert’s physique perfectly. She also mentioned that they were both wearing military jackets and ODM gear.” 

“Great, so the blond toothpick is our accomplice, who the hell is the Rogue Titan?” Levi huffed, running a hand through his hair. 

“Wait,” Hanji said, their eyes widening. “When we talked to those friends of his, there were some pretty big holes in their stories. That boy, Eren, he said he’d continued to the other side of the Wall, right? But that doesn’t make sense,” They paused for a second, pushing their glasses up. “He wouldn’t have made it back with the amount of gas he said he had. Plus, he doesn’t seem like someone who just leaves their best friend in Titan territory.” 

“He seemed very… protective when we spoke to him,” Erwin agreed. “And he was the only one who wasn’t there when the Rogue Titan appeared. Convenient, no?” 

Hanji nodded, grinning enthusiastically. “Great! So we have our Rogue Titan, Eren Jaeger! What do we do with him? Oooh, I’d love to run some experiments on him!” 

“We won’t do anything.” 

“What?” Levi sneered. “Why the hell not? We found our Titan, why not use him?” 

Erwin sighed. “From what I’ve seen, that trio is very close-knit. I believe that both Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman will join the Scouting Legion to be with their friend. However, we cannot confront him, since we have no idea how he’d react.” 

“So we use the week and a half we have ‘till the expedition to figure him out more, and build some trust?” Hanji asked. 

Erwin nodded. “If we want this to work…” He sighed. “We have to let him come to us.”

Chapter Text

Eren felt like slamming his head against the wall for the hundredth time that day. It’d been three days since the trial, in which he’d spent all of his time helping with the cleanup at Trost, which he’d been unable to do in the days leading up to it. But those three days were spent without Armin, with only the news that he would be safe with the Scouts. They hadn’t even been able to say anything before Armin had been dragged out of the courtroom, only being able to share a brief smile. 

It was torture. The Scouts had said that Armin would be safe with them, but Eren’s mind couldn’t stop itself from worrying constantly, imagining any and every horrible thing that could be happening to him. When he was in the cell with Mikasa, it’d almost been better than it was now. That’d only been for a day and a half, and he’d been comforted with the fact that Armin was at least somewhere near him. 

Walls, I’m turning into Mikasa, He thought, laughing at himself silently. Armin will be fine. And if he isn’t… Mikasa and I can hide bodies if we need to.

Having Mikasa around really helped, as much as he hated to admit it. He felt weak for needing her support, but really, she admitted herself that she needed his support just as much. She never left his side when they were in Trost, although it would be better to describe it as neither of them leaving the other’s side, and while they hadn’t really talked about what happened in Trost (they were saving that for when Armin was there too), there was an unspoken understanding that developed between them. Mikasa would help cover for anything that might be classified as suspicious in front of their fellow cadets, who all were extremely nosy, especially after Armin’s arrest. 

He could recall very vividly, the moment where they’d decided that it was their personal mission to understand what was going on. He and Mikasa had left the dining hall for some privacy, where he’d explained the details of how he’d discovered his healing abilities, when Sasha and Connie, soon followed by Jean, Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner had found them. 

“Wow, Eren, you and Mikasa are sneaking off too now?” Connie had asked loudly. 

“Huh? What d'you mean, ‘too’?” Sasha frowned. 

“Eren and Armin were sneaking off all the time back at the training camp. We all knew, but we acted like we didn’t so they didn’t feel bad,” Connie stage whispered back at her, before turning back to the two of them. “So, whatcha talking about?”

“What?” Eren had asked, bewildered both by their sudden appearance and the barrage of questions. 

“I mean, we’ve got bets going and everything, man! Ymir, Annie, and Reiner think you and Armin are totally banging, but Krista and Jean’s money were on you and Mikasa!” Connie complained, oblivious to Eren and Mikasa’s discomfort. 

“Wha-? What’re you-” Eren sputtered, torn between being confused and embarrassed. Mikasa sighed, pulling her scarf up to cover her mouth. “Mikasa is my sister, what the fuck-” 

“Oh so you and Armin-”

“Jesus, Connie, you don’t just tell someone that we’re all betting on their love life!” Jean rounded the corner, smacking Connie in the back of the head. “Plus, they were probably talking about, you know, Armin getting arrested.” 

“Wait, Armin got arrested?” Bertholdt asked, popping out from where Jean came from. Annie and Reiner followed. 

“Yeah, you didn’t know that?”

“Where did you think Armin was?”

Eren groaned. The conversations were moving far too fast for his taste, not to mention that he was already exhausted from cleanup and stressed about Armin’s safety. “Yes, Armin got arrested,” He said, rubbing his eyes, too tired to be angry at the questions. 

“Why?” Annie asked, her usually stoic face concerned. 

“They thought he was in league with the Colossal and Armored Titans, which was bullshit, ” He said, gesturing aimlessly. “But the Scouts convinced them that he wasn’t and now he’s with them.”

“How do you know that?” Connie asked. 

“Eren and I got brought in as witnesses,” Mikasa interjected softly. 

“Why weren’t all of us, then? Basically all of us and Marco were there to see what happened at the Wall. And Eren wasn’t even there!” Reiner said, oblivious to the flinches of Annie and Bertholdt. 

“I think they just wanted to get the trial over with, and me and Mikasa were already there,” Eren said, then frowned. “Oh, speaking of, where’s Marco? I haven’t seen him since we got back.” 

Jean inhaled sharply, looking down, and Eren felt a pit of dread begin to form. “I… Today, during the cleanup, I… saw him,” He took in a deep, shuddering breath, closing his eyes tightly, and clenching his fists in an attempt not to cry. “He’s dead. Eaten.” 

Eren felt suddenly numb. He didn’t want to believe it. Marco, the same boy who’d defended him from the Titans as he carried the boulder, the boy who’d been a steadfastly kind presence during the three years of training, was dead. 

Death wasn’t new to him. He’d experienced it all his life, even causing deaths himself. But every time, it felt like someone had ripped a hole in his chest, leaving him to bleed out or heal. Depending on the circumstances, he would heal faster, like when he’d killed two of the men who’d kidnapped Mikasa. But when it was someone like this, someone he knew… He never fully healed from it. 

After his mother died… he felt like he couldn’t ever heal for a long time. He felt like he would bleed out from the gaping hole in his chest. And then, when his father didn’t come for them, it felt like someone reopened the barely-healed wound. Only Armin and Mikasa saved him from bleeding out. And now Marco, who’d been his friend for three years, was dead, and had reopened the still healing hole in his chest that had been left by his dead squad. 

After that revelation, the mood had shifted drastically, allowing Mikasa to drag Eren away. When they reached the privacy of another alleyway, she’d hugged him, and for the first time in months, Eren hugged her back. They’d stayed there for a while, silently holding each other together. It was barely enough, and they were both keenly aware of who was missing. 

***

Armin wasn’t sure what he’d expected to happen once the trial was over. 

He’d hoped that the suspicions surrounding him would drop, and he wouldn’t have to look over his shoulder constantly. He knew it wasn’t going to happen, but he’d foolishly hoped. He almost hadn’t dared to think about what would actually happen. 

Within the three days he’d been with the Scouts at their current base, a castle within Wall Rose, everyone besides Hanji and Levi had adamantly avoided him. He knew why, of course, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. 

It didn’t help that every time he’d tried to sleep, he was jolted awake every few hours, images of Eren being eaten, and their squad being killed flashing through his mind. He had only slept for five hours since he’d arrived, and it was taking a toll on him, making him more irritable, causing his already turbulent emotions to rise to the surface. 

Hanji was one of the only people who talked to him. They’d taken it upon themself to drag Armin out of the barracks, into their lab, or to the field where there were two live Titans being experimented on. They were overly enthusiastic about the two Titans, who had been named Sawney and Bean, and every time Armin went with them to document or just watch the experiments, their enthusiasm infected him, lifting his spirits for the briefest amount of time, but it would only last until he returned to the castle, and was reminded of the blatant mistrust of him from several Scouts. 

That mistrust was evident whenever he saw the ‘Levi Squad’, as the Scouts had nicknamed it. Levi had told him on the first day, that when he wasn’t being supervised by Hanji, Zackly had ordered that either Levi or his squad would watch him. Apparently the Military Police had demanded it, after they realized that they weren’t going to win the trial. 

And so, over the course of three days, whenever Hanji had to leave, someone from the Levi Squad (normally Petra or Eld), would be forced to babysit him. He hated it, and clearly they did too, watching his every movement like he was going to snap any second and summon the Rogue Titan to kill them all. It hurt a bit, in all honesty. Petra and Eld were nicer about it, actually initiating conversations, and generally being kinder, but whenever Oluo was forced to be anywhere near him, he would regularly threaten him, or make rude comments. 

Armin desperately missed Eren and Mikasa. He hadn’t seen them in three days, and hadn’t spoken to them in five. He constantly felt like a part of him was missing now, after spending every day for the past five years with them. It didn’t hurt, but it felt more hollow than it would if they were there with him. 

It’ll only be a few days, He reminded himself. Levi had informed him that the cadets would be making the decision of which branch to join that day, and whatever new recruits they got would spend the next few days memorizing the long-range scouting formation that Erwin created. Hanji had assured him that he’d see Eren and Mikasa soon, but the feeling of hollowness persisted. 

“Armin!” Someone nudged him, and he jumped, nearly knocking over the now-cold cup of tea that Hanji had offered him an hour ago. After fumbling around for a few seconds, he turned to see Hanji, looking at him with a concerned expression. “Are you okay?” They asked. 

He chuckled awkwardly, looking down. “I’m fine, just… The captain told me that tonight is when my friends pick which branch they’re going to join.” He mumbled. 

Hanji frowned, cocking their head to the side curiously. “Are you worried they aren’t going to join the Scouts?” 

“No! God, no. Eren wanted to join when he was nine, and Mikasa will follow him without hesitation,” Armin protested, the thought of Eren’s enthusiasm about the Scouts bringing a small smile to his face. “I’m just a bit… I don’t know, actually. We’d promised to join the Scouts together, but right now I can’t even see them.” His smile turned bitter. 

“Hmm…” Hanji frowned, leaning against the desk they’d been working at moments prior. “Well, what if you could see them?”

Armin blinked. “What?”

“What if you could see them?” They grinned. “Erwin and Zackly said you couldn’t leave on your own, but what if you left with a supervisor?” They winked, gesturing to themself. 

Armin was left speechless. What Hanji was offering… He knew that they’d grown slightly close over the past few days, but to offer to take him to the graduation ceremony? They had to have some ulterior motive, but Armin couldn’t think of what it could be. “You… You’d be willing to do that for me?” He asked tentatively. A chance to see his friends again, if only for a second, was too great to pass up. 

Hanji nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! Under normal circumstances, you’d be there right now, and even if we thought you were a spy, it’s not like you can learn anything from a graduation ceremony!” 

Slowly, a small smile stretched across Armin’s face. Maybe being with the Scouts wasn’t so bad after all. 

***

They weren’t really sneaking out, per se, just leaving the castle and hoping no one spotted them. 

Hanji had already felt bad for Armin before they’d met him, but now that they’d basically been around each other nonstop for three days, they felt significantly worse. The poor kid was only fifteen, and was being accused of treason, and almost got executed, for the Wall’s sake!

So, naturally, when he expressed disappointment over not being at the graduation ceremony with his friends, Hanji took matters into their own hands. Sneaking out of the castle was obviously the best choice, obviously, and hopefully seeing his friends would make Armin feel better. 

A small voice whispered in the back of their mind that, You also need to build trust so that he’ll confess to knowing the identity of the Rogue Titan, but they ignored it. 

Getting out of the castle was the easiest part. Finding a way to actually get to the graduation ceremony was harder. Not that Hanji would let Armin know that, the kid deserved a break for once. They could sneak into one of the wagons, but whoever was in it would likely not stay silent. So, taking a horse, and wearing hoods was their next best option. 

Armin seemed hesitant at first, but at the reminder that he could see his friends, he relented, and followed Hanji to the stables. Thankfully, no one was watching the horses at the moment, and the two easily took two of them and rode off after Erwin’s group. 

When they arrived, Hanji instructed Armin to keep his hood up, while Hanji led him to the side of the field, where no one was likely to look. Slowly, cadets began to fill the area, and Hanji could see Armin’s gaze flitting through the crowd, looking for his friends. 

“You said your friends were dead set on joining the Scouts, right?” They asked in a moment of curiosity. “Were you ever worried about them?”

Armin seemed to pause, frowning. “At first,” He said slowly. “But during training… Mikasa ranked number one, and Eren was number five. They both can handle themselves. I’m still worried of course, especially after Trost,” There, he shuddered. “But I accepted a long time ago that they were going to join.”

Hanji nodded. “Well, it’s rare we get new recruits who made it into the top ten, so we’ll be happy to have them.” 

Just as they finished speaking, Erwin walked out onto the platform, followed by the Levi Squad, who stood slightly behind him. The quiet mutterings of the crowd died down, and everyone looked towards the Commander. 

“I’m sure most of you know this already, but over 60% of the Scouts have died in the past five years.” He said. 

Hanji winced. The statistic wasn’t something they were proud of, but as much as they hated it, no one deserved to go into being a Scout blind. They glanced over at Armin, who was frowning, clearly trying to figure out what Erwin was doing. 

“What you likely didn’t know, is that, in those five years, we have gained more knowledge about the Titans than we have in one hundred years,” Erwin continued, ignoring the incredulous looks and glares. “And after the Trost incident, we have gained new information that could change everything.” 

Both Armin and Hanji tensed. What was Erwin doing? Was he going to reveal what really happened at Trost? 

“The story you’ve been told about Trost was that an abnormal Titan picked up the boulder, and sealed the Walls, but this isn’t the whole truth,” Suddenly, it was completely silent. “The truth is that there was a human inside that Titan, controlling it’s movements.” 

There were a few more seconds of silence, before the crowd erupted.  Shouts echoed through the field, mostly shocked, but also angry and upset. People hurled accusations at Erwin, screaming at him as he remained stoic. The man seemed completely unaffected by it, but Hanji knew better. The slightest dip of his (massive) eyebrows, the twitch in his eye, they all screamed loud and clear to Hanji that Erwin was upset. 

Glancing over beside them, Hanji noticed Armin’s frown. The shorter blond was muttering to himself quietly, and they only caught a few snippets of what he was saying. He was obviously confused by the announcement, but at least he wasn’t angry about it. 

Hanji wondered if it was really a good idea to have brought Armin here. 

“The identity of the Rogue Titan is unknown,” Erwin continued to speak after the crowd had died down a bit. “But they are on humanity’s side. They saved us at Trost, and the Scouting Legion will investigate their identity in order to work with them again,” He gazed out at the crowd, steely determination in his eyes. “With a human-titan shifter on our side, we may finally seal the hole in Wall Maria, and save humanity.”

This time, there was no moment of silence. The cadets practically went ballistic, and Hanji caught Petra sending a worried glance at Erwin, muttering something to Levi, who shook his head. 

“Is he saying that to get more recruits, or something else…?” Hanji heard Armin mutter, and they frowned. The kid was smart, there was no denying that, but he lacked enough experience to properly see what Erwin’s plan was. Before the trial, Hanji knew that they, Levi, and Erwin all noticed the intelligent gleam in his eyes, his way of deflecting the questions, and his easy lies. He had a while to go, but his potential was high. 

Erwin cleared his throat, silencing the entire field in seconds. “I now ask anyone who wishes to join the Scouts to stay. Anyone who doesn’t, may leave.” 

Slowly, as Erwin’s words set in, cadets began to stream out, leaving only a few cadets behind. Hanji heard Armin inhale sharply, and turned to see his eyes wide with shock. 

“Jean, Connie, Sasha…? And everyone else too?” He breathed, shock turning into a small grin.

“Who’re they?” Hanji asked. 

“My friends from the 104th,” Armin explained, his eyes still on the leftover cadets. “I didn’t think they’d join after Trost…” Suddenly, Hanji saw him tense, his eyes snapping across the field. Following his gaze, they realized that it was Armin’s friends, Eren Jaeger, and Mikasa Ackerman. 

Interestingly, the two looked unafraid, unflinching at the idea of joining the Scouts permanently, whereas everyone else looked terrified, or at the very least worried. At least three people were crying, but the two at the back of the field stared forwards. 

“Thank you, soldiers. You are all brave enough to join the Scouting Legion despite the odds stacked against us,” Erwin smiled slightly, and saluted. “This is a genuine salute!” 

Hanji watched, fascinated, as the cadets saluted back, several of them with grim expressions on their face now. There was no going back, and they knew that now.

 Armin stood beside them, staring at the two figures at the back of the field, poorly concealed longing and fear dancing in his eyes as he watched them leave. 

Chapter Text

Five days. It’d been five days since Eren had seen Armin. Not that he was counting, of course. 

“We’ll see him soon,” Mikasa whispered, nudging him gently. They were in the middle of learning about the scouting formation for the expedition, and neither of them wanted to be caught. 

“How did you-” Eren frowned. 

“I’m thinking the same thing,” She cut him off, glaring at the instructor. “But in a few minutes, we’ll finally be allowed to actually go see him.” 

When they’d first arrived at the large castle the Scouts were using as a temporary base until the expedition, both Mikasa and Eren had immediately gone to Erwin, demanding to see Armin. The bastard told them that after the two days of studying the long-range formation, they would be allowed to see him. He’d said that there was an incident that needed to be investigated, and Armin was helping Squad Leader Hanji with it. 

A day later, they were forced to join all the other cadets, even the ones who joined the Military Police or the Garrison, for a gear inspection, after someone killed the two Titans Hanji and Armin were experimenting on. 

They’d seen Armin there, at least. He had been looking over Annie, Connie, and Jean’s gear, conversing with Hanji easily, occasionally glancing over at Eren and Mikasa, who used every ounce of self control they possessed to not rush over to him. 

He looked okay, at least. There was no signs of physical injury, which relaxed Eren slightly. Mikasa pointed out that just because they couldn’t see it, didn’t mean that it wasn’t there, though, which made both of them newly paranoid. He’d also chatted with Hanji with familiarity, like they were friends, which made Eren irrationally jealous. He’d acted like Hanji and him were close, and both him and Mikasa had decided that Hanji, at least, actually cared about Armin. 

“Eren! Mikasa!” Sasha bounded over, snapping Eren back into the present. “Me and Jean,” (Eren could hardly believe that Jean had actually swallowed his damn pride and joined the Scouts) “Are gonna go feed the horses, wanna come? We’ll get extra food if you do!” She drooled slightly, grinning. 

Eren glanced at Mikasa, who minutely shook her head. “Sorry Sasha, we’re going to see Armin,” He said apologetically. “Maybe some other time.” 

Sasha pouted. “Fine, fine, I get it. Go see your boyfriend, but soon enough I’ll get that extra food out of you!” She said warningly, feigning disapproval. 

Ignoring the boyfriend comment, Eren waved at her as she skipped away, probably to find someone else to sucker food out of. Silently, he and Mikasa began walking through the castle, towards Erwin’s office. He’d told them to meet him there after the two days, and hopefully the investigation into the Titan’s deaths would be finished. 

Before he knew it, they arrived at the office. Mikasa knocked twice, before the door was opened by Captain Levi, who wore a distasteful expression. “You’re here for the brat, right?” He deadpanned. “Whatever, get in.” He ushered them inside, closing the door behind them. 

For the second time, Eren was mildly shocked at how big the office was, the towering bookshelves lined with books with various colours, the large carpet that sat under the desk Erwin was sitting at. But everything paled in comparison when he glanced to Erwin’s side, and spotted Armin. 

Eren swore that, for a moment, time stood still, as he and Armin’s eyes met. Days of worry and anxiety melted away at the mere sight of him, and he wanted nothing more than to cross the room and hug him.

Blinking, he realized that both he and Mikasa had instinctively stepped forward, causing Levi to eye them disapprovingly. Quickly gathering his composure, Eren straightened, turning to Erwin, who was looking at them with a pensive expression. 

“The rules regarding our custody of Armin state that he needs supervision at all times, so I should think that would also include your interactions with him,” Erwin began, and a bolt of fear struck Eren momentarily. “However, I think we can make an exception.”

What? Eren blinked, and he could tell both Armin and Mikasa were equally confused. “What do you mean, sir?” He asked cautiously. 

“It means,” The blond man leaned forward. “That I trust that you will not abuse the power I have given you. You may interact without the supervision of myself, Squad Leader Hanji, or Captain Levi and his team. Your conversations may be private.” The way he said the final statement caused a trickle of fear to Eren’s stomach. 

Mikasa nodded, her eyes boring into Erwin. “Are we allowed to begin?”

The man nodded, smiling politely. “I simply request you stay within the grounds. It would not do us any good for you to enter the forest,”

He barely finished speaking before Mikasa rushed forwards, Eren close behind, dragging Armin out of the room. Within seconds, they were out of the room, closing the door behind them. 

“Armin,” Mikasa said quietly. “Did they hurt you in any way?”

Armin blinked, then frantically shook his head, waving his hands around. “No, no! No one hurt me, don’t worry!”

Eren scowled. “Maybe not physically, but still. Erwin might be the leader of the Scouts but if he did anything…” He glared back at the room they had just left. If he, or anyone else, had hurt Armin in any way, shape, or form, he wouldn’t hesitate to make them pay. 

“No, really, I…” Armin stopped, frowning. “Actually, we probably shouldn’t have this conversation here.”

Eren understood immediately. “We should go outside. Sasha and Jean will probably be done at the stables by now,” 

Quickly, they walked in silence outside, heading towards the now-empty stables. The silence felt slightly awkward, something that hadn’t happened in years. Eren suspected it was due to the worry and tension they’d all gone through in the past few days, but he didn’t dare break it. If he began talking, he felt like he wouldn’t be able to stop, and if anyone overheard them right now… 

When they reached the stables, the three of them sat down at the small wooden table outside. There were a few more moments of silence, of them simply gazing at each other, seemingly at a loss as for what to say. 

“Eren told me a little about his abilities, but we wanted to talk about them properly with you,” Mikasa said finally, breaking the quiet. 

“What did he tell you?” Armin asked, glancing at Eren. 

“I just told her about how you found out, and we agreed to keep quiet about it. The others interrupted before I could say more,” Eren explained. “But… I actually realized I didn’t really explain everything to both of you,”

Mikasa frowned, tilting her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

Ere hesitated for a split second, before the words began to flow from his mouth. “I never really told you how I found out,” He said to Armin. “Or the circumstances of how Armin found out,” He made eye contact with Mikasa. “So… I found out two years into cadet training. Right near the end of it. During a training exercise, I broke my arm, and I saw it… fix itself,” It felt wrong to be casually talking about his abilities. No matter how helpful they were, they were still the abilities of the Titans. And Titans were monsters. “I figured out that I could heal like a Titan, but I didn’t know I could transform into one. So, for the next few months, I started… testing my abilities.”

Mikasa gasped, and put a hand to her mouth. “Eren, you…”

He nodded shamefully. “Yeah. I wanted to help so bad, and I just… I didn’t care,” Admitting his sins felt almost cathartic, even if Armin and Mikasa were looking at him like that. “I thought I was a monster, and if, you know, I ever do tell the Scouts, I have one less thing to be experimented on for.” He laughed bitterly, feeling tears well up in his eyes. Talking about it now made it feel so much more real. 

“Oh Eren,” Armin whispered, and Eren could see tears in his eyes too. “You aren’t a monster. Don’t ever think that.” He reached out, gripping Eren’s hand tightly. 

Mikasa nodded, her normally stoic expression angry and tearful. “If anyone dares to think that you are anything less than a human, I will rip their guts out and feed it to them.” She hissed, barely concealing her shining eyes. She placed a hand on his wrist, squeezing tightly. 

Eren smiled through his tears, immensely thankful for his friend’s support. He cleared his throat, and continued after a few seconds of quiet. “The day Armin found out, I was testing my healing. I… went too far, and turned into a Titan for the first time.”

Armin frowned. “What do you mean, ‘you went too far’?”

Shit. Eren really hated how observant Armin was sometimes. “Oh, well…” He chuckled self deprecatingly. “We were training hand-to-hand earlier that day and Annie almost stabbed me so I really wanted to know if I could, well, survive it, and I sort of- Isortofstabbedmyself?” He said it quickly, as if to lessen the blow. 

There was a pause. Eren didn’t look up, instead staring at his clenched fists. 

“You what?” Armin asked, his voice deadly. 

His head snapped up, glancing between Mikasa who was staring, openmouthed, an expression of pure shock on her face, and Armin, who looked more intimidating than he’d ever seen him. “I- I stabbed myself. With a knife.” He winced, remembering the sharp pain he’d been in as he pushed the blade into his stomach. 

Mikasa snapped out of her trance, lunging forward. “Where?!” She demanded, her eyes slitted with anger. 

“J-just my stomach!” He ducked, backing away quickly. 

Mikasa nearly growled, grabbing him by the arm and yanking his shirt up. Armin had stood now, a hand on Mikasa’s shoulder as they stared at the faint scar that the knife had left. It was the only scar he’d ever gotten from any of his experiments, small and a pale white on the right of his stomach, slightly raised. 

Mikasa reached out, brushing her fingers against it, but Eren flinched away, pulling his shirt back down. He backed away even more, stumbling as he slammed into the wall of the stables, sinking to the ground slowly. He was shaking, his breathing heavy as he forced away the memories of his first transformation. 

“Eren!” Armin cried, rushing to his side quickly, Mikasa not far behind. 

“Sorry,” Eren gasped, clutching his shirt. He mentally cursed himself for being so weak. He couldn’t even let his sister touch a scar without breaking down. He really was pathetic. 

He could hear Armin crouch beside him, Mikasa following suit, “Eren, you have nothing to apologize for,” Eren snorted bitterly. “You don’t. We shouldn’t have reacted like that, that’s our fault.”

“I’m sorry,” Mikasa said quietly, guilt colouring her tone. “I should’ve asked,”

Eren shook his head, refusing to look up. “No, it’s my fault, I was the one who decided to test it, I should’ve-”

“Eren,” Armin’s voice was quiet, but firm. “None of this is your fault. You didn’t ask to have Titan abilities. But… me and Mikasa, we just don’t want you to feel like you need to hurt yourself to prove your usefulness.”

Shocked, Eren blinked up at Armin. It… didn’t make any sense, he was only useful if he got hurt. Either hurting himself to save someone else, or to turn into a Titan, but still hurting himself. Both areas of his abilities only worked with pain. And if he couldn’t control them… 

“You’re so powerful, Eren,” Mikasa murmured, looking away shamefully. “I… You could do so much to help us. But don’t destroy yourself to do it, please .” She looked back up, her eyes pleading. 

Eren felt horrible for causing both his friends so much pain, even if he didn’t understand exactly why they were upset. “I’m sorry,” He whispered, clenching his fists. “I stopped experimenting after that. Armin made me.” He laughed mirthlessly. He suddenly felt very tired, exhausted after talking about his powers for so long. Desperately wanting to change the subject, he glanced towards Mikasa. “What happened at Trost before you met up with us? You never told us the details.”

Mikasa blinked, confused, but after Armin gave her a small nod, she began to speak. “I was with the rear guard. I… everything’s a blur, really. I killed an Abnormal and helped save a group of civilians,” She fidgeted with her scarf as she spoke. “After the order to retreat came out, I went looking for you two. But, I ran into Jean, and… him and Reiner told me you were- that you were dead.” Her voice broke, and she looked away. 

Quietly, Eren reached out, rubbing her shoulder gently. Armin followed suit, grasping her hand in reassurance. 

After taking a deep breath, Mikasa continued. “Then I think I told them to follow me to the armoury, I don’t remember exactly what happened. But, I just… gave up, I suppose, and let myself run out of gas. That’s when you found me.” 

Armin tensed, frowning worriedly. “Mikasa…” He said softly. 

“I already said this, but… You can’t give up,” Eren said. “We’re alive right now, but if we aren’t, you can’t do that. Live your life for yourself, not for us.” He tried to contain his tears. He felt horrible. If he’d been told that Mikasa and Armin were dead… he knew he would’ve done the exact same thing as her. If I die though, they get to continue living, He thought. Even if it’s hard, they’d still be alive. It might not be the same for me, but if I could get her to stay alive…

“You say that, but…” The tears Mikasa had desperately been trying to hold in broke free. “I can’t live a life for myself if you both aren’t in it.” 

“Then you’re not living it for yourself in the first place!” Eren objected. 

“I wouldn’t be living it at all if it weren’t for you!”

Eren and Armin paused, allowing Mikasa to recover from her outburst. She reached out, wrapping her arms around both of them, crying into their shoulders. 

“Eren, you saved me the day we met. I’d be dead if you didn’t kill those two men. And Armin, if you hadn’t told Hannes that we were still with Carla, we’d have died there,” She explained softly. “I owe my life to both of you, so isn’t it fair that I live it for you?” 

Frozen in shock and sudden realization, Eren stared at Mikasa. I had no idea that was how she felt. He thought distantly. He’d always thought that Mikasa would do whatever she could to stiflingly protect them out of a sense of them being lesser than her. She was so strong, he’d almost forgotten that she had feelings too. 

“Mikasa,” He pulled himself out of her hug. “You don’t owe me anything. I don’t think Armin feels like you owe him anything either,” He glanced at Armin who shook his head vehemently. “I helped you because I wanted to, and you don’t need to repay me by living for me.”

“You’re your own person,” Armin chimed in. “We never helped you because we expected something in return, we saved you because we wanted you to live. Not for us, for yourself .” 

Mikasa stared at them, open-mouthed. Varying emotions flashed through her eyes, ranging from confusion, to desperation, to realization. “ Oh,” She said quietly, looking down at her hands. 

Eren smiled slightly. He knew it would take a while for Mikasa to fully accept and internalize it, but hopefully she could start actually living for herself now. 

After a minute or so of silence, Mikasa looked up, frowning. “I thought you said you didn’t transform unless you needed to,” She said to Eren, referring to their conversation earlier that week. “But why did you transform at Trost, the first time?” 

Eren paled, looking sideways at Armin, who flinched. He cleared his throat. “We- we told you how our squad died, right? Well… when an Abnormal ate Thomas, I… went after it. I wasn’t careful enough, and a Titan ambushed me and- and bit off my foot,” He winced, remembering crashing into the nearby roof, skidding across the shingles as he watched his fellow cadets die. 

“So, you transformed?” Mikasa asked, visibly trying to contain her reaction. 

“Ah… not quite,” He glanced at Armin, who shifted uncomfortably. 

“I couldn’t move,” The blond admitted, clenching his fists shamefully. “I just watched them die. And… a Titan came up to the roof I was on, and it- it dropped me into it’s mouth.”

Grimacing at the memory, Eren took Armin’s hand. Mikasa stared at him, clearly horrified, but silent. 

“It was about to swallow me, but… Eren pulled me out of its mouth,” Armin continued, and Mikasa brightened. “And- and he held its mouth open, but-” He cut himself off, wiping away a few stay tears that had fallen. 

“I couldn’t get out,” Eren said softly, continuing after Armin began to openly cry. “So I decided to transform from inside it, and… I let it swallow me.” 

Mikasa moved, as though to lunge for Eren and Armin, but stopped herself, instead reaching out slowly to grasp their hands tightly. “So that’s when you transformed,” She said. There were a few moments of silence, as Armin dried his tears, and Eren got a hold on his emotions. 

“What’re we going to do?” Armin asked suddenly, breaking the quiet. 

“I don’t know,” Eren admitted. 

“Erwin, Hanji, and Levi suspect something. Maybe not that you’re the Rogue Titan, but still. They aren’t going to give it up, and if we don’t-”

Mikasa cut Armin’s rambling’s off. “You could tell them,” She offered. 

Eren scowled. “It won’t be that easy. They held a trial for Armin touching me when I was a Titan. They almost executed him, what makes you think they won’t do it for me?”

“They might not,” Armin pointed out. “The Commander said during the trial that he wants to find whoever the Rogue Titan is and get them to help humanity for a second time. That’s what the court already agreed on. And Hanji might be… enthusiastic about Titans, but they’d never actually harm you.” 

Mikasa chimed in. “Armin is right. He said that they already suspect something, and you said yourself that the Scouts are the most likely to believe you.”

Frowning, Eren considered it. When he first discovered his abilities, he’d wanted to tell the Scouts immediately, but now… After seeing Armin’s trial, he hadn’t been sure. Who knew what could happen to him if he outed himself as the Rogue Titan. But on the other hand… he knew Armin was right. They’d find out eventually, especially if they were already suspicious. And working openly as a Titan Shifter that was on humanity’s side, he could do so much. 

“Okay,” He conceded. “I’ll tell them, but after the expedition. There’s only a few days.” 

Maybe it would be hard to convince the world that he was on their side, but seeing Armin and Mikasa’s grins after he agreed made it all worth it. 

***

Bertholdt listened, shocked to the bone, as Eren, Mikasa and Armin openly discussed Eren’s Shifter status. He couldn’t believe it. All along, it’d been Eren they were looking for. The hotheaded boy that had suspiciously mellowed out before graduation, the boy who looked Bertholdt in the eye and confessed to how his mother had been killed. 

Eren was the Coordinate. 

I need to find Reiner. He thought, moving from his hiding place behind the stables, walking as quickly as possible in the direction of the castle. We need to tell Annie. 

Oh god, Annie. She’d be furious that they hadn’t found out sooner. But now, they had an upper hand. They had a few days to figure out their plan, Reiner was sure to think of one, and they could send a letter to her, and hopefully it could work. After Eren told the Scouts, they’d have a much harder time taking him back to Marley with them. 

As Bertholdt ran through the castle halls, searching desperately for Reiner, one thought echoed through his mind. 

This changes everything. 

Chapter Text

The days leading up to their first expedition were… interesting. Armin spent most of his time with Eren and Mikasa, but after the investigation into the deaths of Sawney and Bean ended, he could finally see the other cadets who’d joined the Scouts as well. 

The first thing he’d learned of was Marco’s death. He’d thought it was odd that he hadn’t seen him at the gear inspection, and that it was even more odd that Annie was the one who had his gear, but hadn’t dwelled on it. But, the first time he saw Connie, Krista, and Ymir at the castle, they’d been the ones to break the news. He’d cried into Eren’s shoulder for a few hours, after that. 

The second thing was that he, Eren, and Mikasa would be scattered across the long-range formation, with Eren on the right, Armin near the middle, and Mikasa at the left. There was practically no chance to see if the other two were even alive, though he knew they could both handle themselves. (He didn’t think about his own chances for survival, and how they were very slim.)

The third, was probably the one he was the most anxious about. Being locked in a cell and put on trial hadn’t really given Armin the time to relax and think things over, but after the stress wore off, and especially once he actually could see Eren again, a few things had been brought to light. Armin liked Eren. Not just platonically, like he’d tried to convince himself of for the past ten years. Once he’d been able to actually let go of all of the stress and tension of Trost, the trial, and then the investigation, he’d realized that the things he felt weren’t exactly what you feel for your best friend. 

Of course, he had no idea if Eren even felt the same way, and even if he did, they weren’t exactly in a good position to have a relationship. With Eren being able to transform into a Titan, and Armin still dealing with the suspicion from the trial, anything they did would likely incriminate them.

And that didn’t even touch on how any of their friends would react to it. Armin had never really let himself think about romance, but he’d always assumed whoever he’d be in a relationship with would be a boy, but he knew that same-sex relationships were generally discouraged, simply due to the fact that they were that last of humanity, and didn’t want to die out. Armin knew Eren didn’t care, nor did Mikasa, but he knew Jean or Reiner would probably make a few comments on it. 

However, this realization made it difficult to interact with Eren sometimes, especially since Eren was almost always holding his hand, or placing a hand on his shoulder, or arm, or something. Of course, looking back, he’d felt the exact same way, but now, he couldn’t deny his feelings. 

Armin glanced away from his meager food rations, towards where Eren, Sasha, Connie, and Krista were discussing the expedition that would happen the next morning. 

“Man, I feel bad for you,” Connie was saying to Eren, grimacing. “You’ll probably see lots of Titans from where you are.” 

Eren shrugged. “I’m not that far out. If the formation works and the people outside of me do their jobs, nothing too bad should happen.” 

“Are you sure you don’t want to be right on the outside of the formation?” Jean butted in, and Armin tensed, already knowing how this was going to end. “You’d be right at home, Titans surrounding you left and right. Or do you want to avoid it like you did at Trost?”

Armin blinked, shocked. Jean had never gone that far, normally stopping at petty insults or fistfighting. He’d never made such a personal comment, one that would probably affect Eren more than he thought. 

He glanced over at Eren, who was pale, glaring at Jean with sudden intense hatred. “Take that back,” He said quietly. The whole main hall was silent, everyone staring at the confrontation. 

“Why, what’re you going to do, run away and leave us to die again?” 

Eren stood up. “Saying that bullshit about me won’t change that Marco’s fucking dead, Jean. You might have joined the Scouts instead of the MP’s but you’re still a goddamn coward.” He spat venomously, before turning and walking out the door. 

Armin stared after him, and turned back to see Jean put his head in his hands, Connie and Sasha quickly pulling him out of his seat, and out of the hall. He glanced towards Mikasa, who was just as pale as Eren had been. She met his eyes, seeming to convey a silent message. Go after him. Armin nodded, standing up and briskly walking out the door. 

After a few minutes of searching, he spotted Eren at the forest’s edge, slumped against a tree. As he got closer, he noticed faint wisps of steam curling around Eren’s knuckles, and his stomach dropped. 

“Hey,” He said quietly as he neared, sitting down beside the brunet. Eren didn’t respond. 

“Do you think I’m a monster?” He asked finally, gazing up at the stars that were coming out in the darkening sky. 

Armin frowned. “No! No, why would I think that?!” He asked worriedly. 

Shrugging, Eren drew his knees up to his chest. “I’m a Titan. I’m exactly like them,” He held up his still-steaming hand. “Doesn’t that make me a monster?” He was alarmingly far too casual about his statement, like he’d already accepted it months ago.

“You aren’t like them,” He reached out, grasping Eren’s hand. “You might heal like one, and you might look like one sometimes, but you aren’t like them. Titans are mindless, they just eat. You saved us all at Trost, and you saved me before that, without even transforming.”

Eren looked suspiciously like he was about to cry, squeezing his hand tightly. “Thank you,” He whispered. 

“What brought this on?” Armin asked quietly. “Was it Jean?” 

The other boy looked away, giving Armin all the confirmation he needed. “When he said I’d be ‘right at home’ with all the Titans, I just-” He cut himself off, pulling his hand away and covered his face, laughing weakly. “Walls, I’m so pathetic.” He muttered. 

Armin frowned, reaching out to pull Eren’s hands down. “You aren’t pathetic for having feelings. If I had the same abilities as you, I’d feel the same.”

Eren sighed, but nodded. “Thank you,” He whispered, and even in the dark, Armin could see the light blush on Eren’s face. 

Armin smiled softly, and pulled Eren into a hug, reveling in the way Eren let Armin hold him. Tomorrow, they would have to go on their first expedition, but for now, Armin would cherish the closeness while it lasted. 

***

Going outside of the Walls felt freeing in a way Eren had never felt before. Like a gigantic weight had been lifted from his shoulders, allowing him to finally relax. 

Of course, he still felt the lingering danger of being fully in Titan territory as the formation spread out, and he exchanged one final look between Armin and Mikasa. 

He knew that if it came down to it, he could always transform to protect himself, but Armin and Mikasa didn’t have that option. Mikasa could protect herself, he knew that, and Armin handled himself well at Trost, but he still worried. 

On the bright side, both of them were closer to the center than he was. 

Connie had said the night before, that being so close to the outside of the formation would be horrible. Eren privately agreed with him, simply because he knew several people would likely die while he was too far away to come to aid. 

A flash of red snagged his gaze, and he turned to see several red flares rising from his right. Already? He thought, frowning, as he squinted to see the forms of two or three Titans in the distance. Quickly, he loaded his flare fun, and fired, already seeing more red rising through the sky at his left. 

Eren turned his horse slightly, and continued moving, refusing to see if the Titans had managed to get any of his comrades, knowing it would be both too painful and too tempting to transform. 

The scenery flashed by, an endless stream of trees, hills and green , with an occasional pond or river. It would almost be relaxing if it weren’t for the near-constant red flares that were coming from his right. He was beginning to worry that by the end of the expedition, he’d run out of flares, with the amount he’d already used. 

Suddenly, he heard another bang of a flare, and he turned to see it, readying his gun. As he registered what he was seeing, his eyes widened, and he gasped softly. 

The whole right side was lit up with red. And what wasn’t red was black. 

Fuck, He thought distantly. Black was practically already a worst-case scenario, and with so many, whatever abnormal was there wasn’t dying easily. And the sheer amount of red smoke was setting off every fight-or-flight instinct he had. What had happened, that caused this much red??

Mentally cursing that there were trees obstructing his view of whatever was happening, he debated crossing through the trees to see if he could help. At the very worst, I can pretend to be an Abnormal, and hope the people over there don’t know what the Rogue Titan looks like.

However, before he could choose his course of action, a soldier burst through the trees, gasping heavily, and shouting like a madman. 

“Go! Warn the others!” He was shouting, waving desperately for Eren to run. 

“Why? What’s happening?!” Eren asked, gesturing to the red smoke. 

“The entire outer right wing got wiped out!” 

Eren froze, staring blankly at the other man. “How?”

“Dammit, it doesn’t matter!” The man yelled, glancing behind him. “The Titans killed everyone, that’s all I know! You have to tell the Commander!”

“What about you?!” 

The soldier shook his head. “I’ll try and kill as many as I can, but I’m low on gas and my horse is wounded,” He said grimly. “I’m not gonna survive much longer. Get out of here, kid, warn the Commander.”

Eren desperately wanted to protest, to try and transform, anything, but before he could even speak, the earth beneath them rumbled as footsteps came closer. 

“GO!” The man shouted, and Eren jolted, turning his horse towards the center of the formation, snapping the reins to hurry it up. 

Behind him, he could hear the trees beginning to rustle, and guilt flooded him as he fled. Jean was right, He thought miserably, wanting to cry. All I do is run away.

***

Armin hated the silence. 

It was punctuated with occasional bangs from the flare guns, sure, but the uneasy silence made him jumpy, flinching at any and every noise. He hated how weak it made him feel, how easily startled he was. 

In the distance, he could see the entire right side lit up with red flares, a few black ones intermingling. Everything felt too quiet, too still. Like the calm before the storm, only he had no idea what the storm would hold. 

Suddenly, he heard a horse to his right, and he jerked his head to see who, or what was coming. He squinted, barely able to make out the figure of a horse and its rider, heading towards him. As they neared, he gasped, realizing who it was. 

“Eren?” He cried as the rider came closer, shocked. “What’re you doing here?” 

Eren and his horse reached him within seconds, and began riding alongside him. Armin suddenly noticed how stricken Eren appeared, his hands shaking, and his face pale. 

“What happened?”

Eren took a shaky breath, seemingly gathering his strength. “The entire right wing has been wiped out,” He said, so quietly, Armin strained to hear it over the wind whipping through his ears and hair. 

When he understood what Eren had said, he gasped, looking up at the red flares that dotted the sky, now beginning to fade. “How?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t see- The man said it was Titans, and I-” Eren cut himself off harshly. 

“The man? What’re you talking about?” Armin asked, noticing that Eren would not meet his eyes. 

“A soldier came through the trees- he told me what happened, and-” He inhaled sharply, his eyes suspiciously bright. “He told me to tell the Commander. Then, I- I left him there.”

Armin understood instantly, and wished he could reach out and offer Eren comfort. “Walls, Eren I’m sorry,” He said quietly. “But he told you to tell the Commander, and you are carrying out what he told you.”

“But I- I could’ve saved him. I could’ve transformed.” Eren protested weakly, looking away. 

“You said there were lots of Titans, right? You might be strong, but you cannot fight off a horde of Titans by yourself.”

Eren nodded grudgingly, before looking up at Armin, newfound determination in his eyes. “I should tell the Commander.” 

Armin smiled slightly. There he is, He thought. “You should. I’ll see you soon.” He said. 

“I’ll see you soon too,” Eren promised, before he snapped the reins, and turned to continue inward. 

The second Eren was out of view, Armin frowned, allowing himself to work through the possibilities he’d put on hold for him. Why would a horde of Titans suddenly show up during an expedition? He’d seen quite a bit of black in the flares, did that have any signifigance? 

The loud sound of the flares broke his train of thought, and he turned to see what’d happened. A single black flare rose through the sky, and suddenly, the small pit of dead that’d been growing in Armin’s stomach spiked. 

Distantly, he heard pounding footsteps growing closer, and faint yelling. Then, the trees behind him burst open, and a 14-meter Titan came through, sprinting. 

Armin froze, as he stared at the new Titan. It didn’t look like any Titan he’d seen before. It’s skin was white in places, revealing muscle in others. Not to mention the most obvious part; this Titan was female. 

In his fear-induced daze, he saw two soldiers rise through the trees, flying through the air as they attempted to get close to the Titan. He wanted to shout at them to stop, to not even bother, but it was too late, and they were spinning towards her nape, and-

The Titan ducked. 

She ducked. 

And then , the Titan turned around and caught the soldier by his wire and slammed him into the ground. 

And after, and stomped her foot down, onto the second soldier crushing him into a bloody pile. 

Armin spun around, fear thrumming through his veins as he encouraged his horse to move faster, move faster-

But it was no use, and the Titan was gaining on him, and she was so fast, and then she jumped. 

Dimly, Armin thought that if these were his last moments, he wished that he could’ve told Eren how he felt. 

But they weren’t, not yet, as the Female Titan landed in front of him, knocking him clean off his horse, skidding across the grass, his hood falling over his head. 

Frozen, Armin kept his gaze down as a loud thud shook the ground, and he knew that she’d crouched down. Trembling, he waited to be crushed, or eaten, or something, but nothing happened. 

Then, almost gently, the Titan lifted his hood, and he allowed himself to look up fearfully. The Titan was crouched low to the ground, pinching his hood with her skeletal fingers. Her eyes were fixed on him, and he swallowed, trying to bury his terror. 

She had intelligence. She was like Eren. Just from the look in her eyes, sharp and cold, he knew. She was like Eren, but judging by the way she’d murdered two soldiers in cold blood, she was not on the same side. 

Slowly, she let go of his hood, leaving him on the grass as she stood. Numbly, he stared up at her, barely noticing when she began running again. 

He reached up, touching his face lightly. It wanted to see my face… why? Why would she need to…

Suddenly everything clicked, and he gasped. 

Armin gazes at the receding figure of the Female Titan, and thought frantically, I need to find Eren. 

Chapter Text

“Armin! Armin!” 

Armin blinked, pulled out of his thoughts by Jean shaking him. “What?” He asked, glancing around. 

Jean scoffed, throwing his hands up in frustration. “Don’t ‘what’ me, what’re you doing without a horse in the middle of Titan territory?!” 

“My horse?” He asked, frowning. 

Jean paused for a few seconds, staring down at him with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah. Your horse? The one I found running away? Did you hit your head or something?”

Ignoring Jean completely, Armin suddenly stood up, dashing over to his horse, and getting on. “We need to follow her,” He said, staring after the receding figure of the Female Titan. And I need to get to Eren. She was after something, that was for sure. She’d needed to pull his hood down for a reason, after all. She might be after the Rogue Titan? Does she know that it’s Eren? 

There were too many unanswered questions, and too little time to ponder them. Armin needed to get to Eren, and fast. He might be the only person who could actually take down the new Titan, something that was glaringly obvious after she’d ruthlessly killed several people. 

“‘Her’? Who’s ‘her’?” Jean asked, only to be ignored as Armin began to ride in the direction of the Titan. “ Armin!” 

“I’ll tell you on the way, but come on.” 

Grumbling, Jean reluctantly began following Armin, muttering something inaudible under his breath. “Okay, so what’s the story?” He asked. 

Taking a deep breath, Armin began. “That Titan up ahead, I thought she was just an abnormal at first, but she murdered two men and pulled my hood up to check my face.” He explained, almost wanting to laugh at Jean’s comically shocked expression. “She’s like the Rogue Titan that saved Trost. She’s intelligent.”

Jean recovered quickly from his shock, and frowned. “So why’re we chasing her and not just, I dunno, killing her or getting the Levi Squad?”

“I’m trying to,” Armin lied through his teeth. He needed to get to Eren and the last place he knew that Eren was for sure, was with the Commander, and Levi Squad. He’d use getting the Captain as an excuse to make sure Eren was safe. “I need a distraction though, someone, preferably more than one person willing to go up against her and give me a head start.”

“Well, I think you might be in luck,” Jean commented, glancing behind them. “Reiner’s here.”

***

Eren wasn’t sure how he was supposed to interact with Captain Levi. The man had scared the shit out of him when he’d spoken to him for the first time, and a combination of hero worship and a healthy dose of intimidation kept him from acting as bullheaded as he knew he usually did. 

Though, telling your superior officer and Commander that almost a quarter of their forces were killed wasn’t something that allowed much room for bullheadedness. 

Levi’s reaction to the news was subtle, but Eren was friends with Armin, who’d taught him a thing or two about poker faces during their time living in Trost. Levi flinched, almost unnoticeably, his eyes gazing downwards, slightly glazed. 

But, if Levi was subtle, the Commander was emotionless. Nothing besides the slight tightening of his jaw would’ve clued Eren into the fact that Erwin did actually care that dozens of soldiers were dead. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, a saying that Eren was suddenly reminded of, as he looked at Erwin. It’d been in one of the many books Eren and Armin had read together before they met Mikasa, and Eren remembered not understanding what it meant. ‘It means that the person in charge has a lot of responsibilities, and sometimes it feels heavy for them!’ Armin had explained later, as he giggled at Eren’s doubtful expression. 

Maybe the metaphorical crown made it so that Erwin couldn’t show any weakness here, too. 

“And you have no idea why a horde of Titans would attack out of nowhere?” Erwin asked, frowning. 

“No, sir,” Eren said, shaking his head. “I didn’t see it happen.” They were getting closer to the trees up ahead, and he readied himself to take off back to his position, but something stopped him. 

Suddenly, he became aware of someone shouting from a distance, and he frowned, turning behind him to see what had happened. As he took in the sight behind him, he froze, and almost fell off his horse.

Armin was riding towards them at top speed, shouting at the top of his lungs, though Eren couldn’t hear what he was saying. Behind Armin, was a Titan, about 14 meters, who was hot on Armin’s heels, despite the two soldiers who were trying to slice at her heels and nape. And she was dodging, trying to bat them away from her, all the while protecting her weak spot. 

Shit, Eren thought, instantly making the connection. Maybe he wasn’t the only Titan shifter after all. And judging by her attempts to kill the soldiers, she wasn’t on their side. 

***

Thank the Walls for Reiner, Armin thought as Jean explained the situation to the blond, who simply nodded with a confused expression. 

“So… All we have to do is slow her down, while one of us alerts the Captain?” Reiner asked. 

He was accepting everything extremely easily, but Armin didn’t allow himself to think about it any further. Right now we have to focus on the situation. He nodded at Reiner. “Basically, yeah. Earlier, Eren told me that most of the outer right wing got wiped out, and I’m betting she was the one who led them there.”

Reiner frowned, raising an eyebrow. “Eren? When did he even have time to talk to you?”

“Right before the Female Titan showed up. He went to inform the Commander,” Armin said, slightly frustrated now. Does that matter right now? He wanted to snap, the stress of the situation building up within him. “It doesn’t matter. We need to get to the Captain and Commander.” 

Jean finally spoke up. “Okay. How’re we going to do this?” He asked, glancing between the two other boys. 

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Armin began to explain. “Two of us need to distract her. Run at her, go for her weak spots, whatever, just distract her enough to buy the other one some time. But we need to be careful,” He paused, glancing back up at the Titan, who has slowed considerably. “She’s slowed down a lot, it should be easy for one of us to get ahead of her if she’s even slower. Even so, she’s smart. She killed two soldiers like it was nothing. And put your hoods up,” He added as an afterthought. 

“Why?” Jean asked curiously. 

“She’s looking for someone. She didn’t kill me earlier because my hood was up, she needed to see my face first.” 

Reiner paled, but nodded. “Okay. I’ll distract her.”

“Me too,” Jean added. “You go get the Captain.” 

Armin gave them a strained smile. He’d been internally hoping that Reiner and Jean would be the ones to distract the Female Titan, though he felt guilty for doing so. If they were killed… the blood would be on his hands for letting them do it without argument. On the other hand, he needed to get to Eren, and no one else knew his secret. 

“Okay,” He agreed, looking towards the Female Titan. “Let’s go.”

With that, all three of them snapped their reins, and sped up, quickly gaining on the Titan. Armin made his way around her left side, watching as Reiner and Jean moved straight towards her. Then, Jean stood on the back of his horse, shooting a cable at the Titan’s leg, and everything went to hell. 

The Female Titan had obviously noticed the three of them, and jerked her leg to the side, causing Jean’s cable to fling him in the opposite direction. Reiner shouted something, and attached a cable to her back, flying towards her arm that was outstretched towards Jean, ready to grab him. 

Armin watched in horror as the Female Titan abandoned reaching for Jean, and whipped around, nearly slamming her hand into Reiner, if it weren’t for his quick reflexes that barely allowed him to evade her. As she was distracted with Reiner, Jean quickly flew towards he unprotected nape, swords at the ready. 

Before Armin could even shout at him to stop, the Female Titan spun and grabbed the blades, snapping them into pieces, before flinging them away from her, towards Armin. He instinctively raised his hands to protect his face, but a smaller piece of the blades grazed his temple, and several lodged themselves into his arms. He cried out in pain, and when he looked back up, Reiner was flying towards the Female Titan’s moving fist. 

Fuck, He thought, his brain scrambling for a plan. 

“Kill her Reiner!” 

The words burst out of his mouth, in an uncontrollable flood. It was a gamble, but if he was right…

“Do it for Eren! Its her fault he’s dead!”

The Female Titan’s fist froze in place. 

Armin grinned. He was right. “I saw him get eaten by the Titans she led here!” He continued, allowing Reiner to back away from her fist. 

But then, as Armin finished speaking, Reiner changed courses, and went for her nape. 

“Reiner, no!” Jean shouted, but it was too late.

The Female Titan snapped out of her trance, and before anyone could even blink, she had Reiner in her fist. 

Gasping, Armin pressed a hand to his mouth, barely holding back the urge to scream. He’d seen his squad killed before, he couldn’t see it happen again. 

There were a few tense seconds of silence, where the Female Titan’s lips curved into a sadistic smile, and Armin wanted to be sick. Then, she began squeezing her hand, and he heard Reiner cry out in pain. 

Suddenly, just as Armin was about to run forward, the Female Titan’s hand erupted into a cloud of steam and blood, as Reiner’s form burst out from between her now-disembodied fingers. 

“Come on, go, go, go!” Reiner shouted at Armin, who immediately snapped the reins on his horse, ignoring the pain that flared in his arms, and took off. As he glanced behind him, he noticed the Female Titan staring down at her hand, before pushing herself up. 

Then, she began to run. 

“What the hell?” Jean cried, obviously shaken. 

The Female Titan was running, now at a faster pace, towards Armin, or, more accurately, towards Eren. Armin wanted to scream again. How did she know he was lying? Did she even know he was lying? What’d tipped her off?

Glancing back once again, Armin saw Reiner and Jean on their horses once again, barely in front of the Titan. 

“Reiner! Jean! Slow her down!” He shouted, as he urged his horse to go faster. 

Jean yelled something back, but Armin didn’t hear it, didn’t care enough at that point, because his only thought was to get to Eren. He needed to get to him before she did. 

Whoever she was, she was after Eren. That meant she either knew him personally and had overheard one of their conversations, or she saw him transform. Either way, she wasn’t on their side, and he didn’t want to know what she’d do to Eren if she found him. 

Scenery passed by in a blur, and he occasionally checked back to see how Jean and Reiner were doing. They seemed to be fine, only engaging in a fight every few minutes. 

Armin could feel blood trickle down the side of his head, and it was only then that he remembered his wounds from when the Female Titan had thrown the broken shards of Jean’s blades. 

After a few more minutes, Armin finally saw another group of people. From the distance that he was, he couldn’t tell who they were, but hopefully they were the Levi Squad, and the Commander. Hopefully, Eren was with them. 

As he neared, he realized, ecstatically, that it was, in fact, the Levi Squad and the Commander, and Eren was still there. Suddenly, he heard  the Female Titan’s footsteps become louder, and faster, and he knew she’d seen them too. 

“Eren!” He shouted, as he forced his horse to go even faster. “Captain Levi!” He was getting closer and closer now, and saw recognition in Eren’s eyes as he gazed at him. 

Then, Eren looked up at the Female Titan, and Armin was close enough now to see realization flicker to life on his face. 

“She’s here for you!” Armin cried, and this time, Eren heard him. 

Then, just as the Female Titan caught up with them, Eren slashed his palm open with his blade, and gold lightning engulfed them all.

***

Mikasa was worried. She knew she had no reason to be, especially after Eren had told her his secret, but she couldn’t help herself. If anything, she was more worried about Armin, even though he’d assured her that he was close enough to the centre that he wouldn’t see any activity. 

She hadn’t seen any Titans yet, and had only just run into Sasha, who told her that they were to stay in the trees that were straight ahead, at the Commander’s orders. Being outside the walls felt strange, especially when she’d been alone. She hated being by herself, but once Sasha showed up, it’d eased her paranoia slightly. 

Sasha was no Eren or Armin, but she was a good friend. 

“Do you know why we’re supposed to just sit in the trees?” Sasha asked suddenly, frowning. 

Mikasa tilted her head. “I don’t know, maybe something happened to the formation?” She glanced ahead, at the upcoming forest. “Why?”

Sasha shrugged, rubbing her arms as if she were cold. “I just have a real bad feelin’, you know?” 

That set Mikasa on alert. Sasha’s instincts were never wrong, not once. If she said she had a bad feeling, something bad was going to happen. 

“It’s probably nothing,” The brunette laughed nervously, obviously trying to brush it off. “Don’t worry about it.”

Then, golden lightning streaked through the sky, striking the ground to their right. 

And Mikasa bolted. 

Chapter Text

Commander Erwin Smith had seen many things in his life.

 He’d seen comrades barely escape death, only to fall back into its clutches seconds later. He’d seen Levi cut down hordes or Titans without even breaking a sweat. He’d seen Hanji beam as they danced out of the way of a Titan’s jaw. 

He’d seen Shiganshina, and then Trost fall to the mercy of the Titans. 

But then, he heard that a Titan, one of the creatures that hunted humanity, helped them. 

Erwin had seen many things in his life before, but this, he thought, as he watched a bolt of golden lightning strike Eren Jaeger as he transformed into a Titan, might be the strangest.

***

Eren grimaced as he felt foregin muscle and tissue encase him once again. No matter how many times he transformed, he never thought he’d get used to it. Not that he had much time, as the Female Titan charged towards him, unrelenting. 

Swiftly, he ran forwards to meet her, ducking as she attempted to punch him, and slammed his fist into her stomach. She stumbled backwards, struggling to regain her balance. He faintly felt pain in his hand, but could not dwell on it for long, as the Female Titan had recovered from the first hit.

Raising her arms into a fighting stance that felt oddly familiar to him, she waited as he did the same. 

What does she want? Eren thought frantically, his mind whirling at the speed of light. Armin said she was after me, so did she know that I could become a Titan? 

Then, with little warning, the Female Titan lunged, and Eren brought an arm up to block the blow. He was forced to back up slightly, startled by the amount of force used. 

He scowled, and glanced down, seeing Armin being dragged away by Reiner and Jean, towards the forest. The Commander was already gone, but Captain Levi and his squad remained. 

Suddenly, the Female Titan roared, and Eren forced himself to focus back on the fight. He had to end this quickly, before anyone got hurt. Quickly, he threw a punch, and she dodged, only to spin around and kick his legs out from underneath him. As he hit the ground, she raised her fist, but as she brought it down, Eren moved out of the way, allowing her momentum to pull her forwards. He grasped her wrist, and spun, flinging her over his head. 

She landed a few feet away, and got back up instantly, glaring at him. He backed up again, realizing that he was now at the treeline. He saw the Levi Squad moving to get behind him, and an idea began to form in his mind. 

He blacked away once again, and the Female Titan stalked forwards, taking the bait. He grinned ferally, and lunged for her. 

The two traded blows, the fight that they’d begun transforming into a deadly dance, where a single misstep or mistake would result in death or… whatever it was that she wanted from him. The Levi Squad had joined the fight at some point, flying around their heads in an attempt to weaken the Female Titan. They’d successfully gotten close enough to cut her achilles tendon, but other than that, they couldn’t get close without almost being hit by Eren or the Female Titan’s fists. 

Eren fought hard and dirty, using almost every trick he could, but whoever was inside the other Titan was good. It felt like a lifetime ago, when he was sparring during training with Annie or Mikasa, and he couldn’t match them, at least for a little while. But this person obviously had years of experience, and he was simply no match for it. 

He was losing. Badly. The Female Titan would throw him to the ground mercilessly, punch him in the throat so hard that he couldn’t breathe for minutes, and would occasionally take a swipe at his nape. He was being driven backwards into the forest, steam clouding the air so thickly that he couldn’t see where the next blow would come from. 

Suddenly, the Female Titan roared, burst through the steam. Eren, unprepared, couldn’t defend himself in time, allowing the Female Titan to kick his legs out from underneath him and grab his head as he fell. 

He heard someone shout something, but it was muffled as the Titan threw him forward, pain exploding through his body as he landed, feet away from her. Where is the Levi Squad? Why aren’t they still helping? He thought desperately, as the edges of his vision began to darken, and he began to accept the fact that the Female Titan was going to beat him. 

The last thing he remembered before everything went dark, was someone shouting a command, and thousands of cables shot out from the sides of the trees, directly at the Female Titan.

***

Armin wanted to scream. 

When Reiner had yelled something at Jean, and the two started dragging him away from Eren and the Female Titan, he immediately protested, fighting them at every chance he had. He hadn’t wanted to be unable to help Eren, but Reiner and Jean had other plans. 

“Let me go!” He’d shouted at Jean, as they pulled him into the trees. He’d fallen off his horse when Eren transformed, and Jean had pulled him up onto his, as they followed the Commander into the forest. 

“You’re not gonna be able to help him, Armin!” Reiner shouted. 

“I don’t care, let me go!” He glared at the other boy, struggling once again, but Jean forced him to stay in place. 

Frustrated, Armin glanced around them, up at the gigantic trees that surrounded them. Suddenly, he jumped up, quickly evading Jean’s attempt at grabbing him, and activated his ODM gear, flying of through the trees as Reiner and Jean yelled after him. He saw Eren and the Female Titan fighting through the trees, and instantly his stomach dropped. 

The Female Titan was good. Really good. She was Mikasa-or-Annie level good. Eren had ranked third in their hand-to-hand classes, but he was obviously struggling in this fight. Terror gripped Armin’s heart as he watched the fight continue, now nearly onto the main path that they were backing into. 

It was, in a way, beautiful. Eren and the Female Titan were nearly matched in terms of fighting prowess, engaging in a dance of blows, kicks, and punches that caused steam to rise through the air rapidly. Armin couldn’t tell who the steam was coming from, but he privately hoped it was from the Female Titan. He could see Levi and his squad flying around the two Titans, but they all avoided getting too close, probably out of fear of getting hurt. 

Armin had just reached the path, when he heard Levi shout, “Stop!” at him, and he paused, halting his momentum, and looking at them, puzzled. Then, Levi pointed ahead, and he gasped in shock. 

There were dozens of cannons set up, only a few meters away from where Eren and the Female Titan were now fighting. He could tell instantly that they were modified to shoot cables instead of cannonballs, and he felt his jaw tighten when he realized what they were for. 

They’re going to capture them. Well, her especially, but Eren too. He cursed, and looked back at Eren and the Female Titan. Just then, the Female Titan swung her leg, kicking Eren to the gound, grabbing hold of his head as he fell. 

And then she threw him. 

Armin almost saw red, and wanted to fly over to the Female Titan and carve whoever was inside her out himself. Eren hit the ground with a dull thud, and Armin could see the steaming blood beginning to cover the forest floor. Panic flooded his body, and he was seconds away from flying at the Female Titan, but Levi’s voice stopped him.

“Wait,” He said, quietly.

“She just- Eren’s-” Armin was cut off by Levi shaking his head.

“Wait.”

Hesitently, Armin turned back to the Female Titan, who was moving forward now, her eyes fixed on Eren. He could tell Eren wasn’t doing well, he looked about ready to pass out, and he once again wished he could’ve helped in some way. 

Suddenly, he heard Erwin’s voice echo through the trees and the cannons flared to life. Thousands of cables shot at the Female Titan, trapping her in place. None of them were aimed at Eren. 

A second round of cables shot out, and attached themselves to the Female Titan. Armin couldn’t even feel guilty as he grinned at the sight of her trapped, her hands protecting her weak spot. In a rare bout of cruelty, he hoped that after the Scouts took whoever it was in there out and interrogated her, they’d execute her for trying to kill Eren. 

Eren, his thoughts stuttered to a halt, and he allowed his impulses to control him as he flew fowards, to where Eren had collapsed on the ground. He hadn’t gotten up yet, and Armin needed to get him out. 

Landing on Eren’s back, he heard several Scouts shout at him from the trees. Suddenly, Hanji landed next to him, and glared out at all the Scouts in the trees. 

“Calm down!” They yelled. “Wait!” They turned to Armin, who scowled defiently. If he wasn’t allowed to get Eren out… “What’re you doing?” 

Armin straightened, meeting Hanji’s eyes. “I’m going to get him out.”

“You know how?” 

He didn’t reply, only nodding, then turning to Eren’s nape, and readying his blades. 

“Wait! What’re you doing?” Hanji asked, sounding almost panicked. 

Armin sighed. “Trust me,” He said, before sinking the blade into Eren’s nape, gently cutting away layers of muscle and skin. It was slightly disgusting, but everything evaporated into steam anyways. He worked fast, until he found Eren’s arms, and he pulled him out, falling backwards slightly when he was done. 

The sight of Eren, alive, and breathing, albeit unconscious, eased almost all of the worry and panic he’d felt during the fight. The marks on Eren’s face were back, cutting  harsh lines through his cheeks. 

“Holy shit,” He heard Hanji say softly, and he looked up at them. Their face was a mask of pure shock and awe as they gazed down at Eren as he lay in Armin’s lap. “Erwin wasn’t kidding.”

***

Mikasa flew through the trees at top speed, towards where she’d seen the lightning, her heart racing. Her panic was beginning to take over, and she forced herself to breathe. She couldn’t let fear cloud her actions. 

Come on, come on, She thought, remembering the feeling of pure despair she’d experienced during Trost. She never wanted to feel that again. Eren had to be alive. 

But he’d only transform if absolutely necessary, Her traitorous mind supplied, and she scowled, forcing herself to go even faster. 

To her right, she could hear a cannon go off, and her mind instantly jumped to the worst. Images of Eren being shot at, Captain Levi slicing his nape open, Eren dead, flooded her mind. She made a sharp turn to the right, and continued until she came upon where she’d heard them. As she entered the clearing, a noise of shock forced its way out of her mouth at the sight before her. 

There was another Titan, a female Titan, trapped in place by hundreds upon hundreds of cables in the center. The cannons sat on the ground, in trees, everywhere across the clearing, holding her in place. A few meters away from her, was Eren’s Titan, laying on the ground, Armin and Hanji on his back. She squinted and realized that Armin had Eren in his lap as he glared up at Hanji. 

Faster than lightning, she crossed the clearing, landing on Eren’s Titan back, beside Armin. 

“ Eren,” She gasped when she saw him. Deep, red lines were carved into his face, and he lay unconscious and pale. Whirling around, she glared at Hanji. “What happened?” She asked in a steely tone. 

Another two people landed on the Titan’s back, and she instinctively drew her swords. 

“Calm down, Ackerman,” Captain Levi scowled, crossing his arms. 

Mikasa growled. “I’ll calm down when you can promise me that you won’t hurt him.” She snapped. 

“Hurt him? Walls, no, we need him! Ooh, I can’t wait to try some experiments!” Hanji squealed, bouncing on the balls of their feet. 

“You are not experimenting on him,” Armin said, his tone deadly cold, something she’d never heard from him before. 

Erwin sighed. “Everyone, calm down,” He raised his hands in a placating gesture. “We will not hurt him, nor will we hurt you. We have several questions for you, if we’d go somewhere more private,” He gestured to a nearby tree. 

Mikasa exchanged a look with Armin, who nodded, and she walked over, slinging Eren over her back, taking off to land on one of the larger tree branches, Armin following. As she set Eren down, allowing Armin to hold him steady, he heard Erwin shouting orders at the other soldiers, before joining them with Hanji in tow. 

“While we have his discussion, Captain Levi will be attempting to get the person inside the other Titan out through the same method Arlert displayed,” Erwin explained, walking a bit closer. Mikasa scowled, and made sure to stand in between Erwin and Eren. 

“What do you want to know?” Armin asked, still using the same cold voice as earlier. 

Hanji began speaking excitedly, their tone contrasting sharply with Armin’s. “How long have you two known? How long has Eren known? Why’d you keep it a secret? Does he have any other abilities besides transforming into a Titan?”

Mikasa glanced at Armin, who was frowning. “I’ve known for almost four months. Mikasa found out at Trost. We kept it a secret because there was a trial held just because I went on his shoulder, and you said yourself, that you’d experiment on him.”

“We should wait until Eren’s awake,” Mikasa said to Armin, who nodded. 

“How long will that take?” Erwin asked. 

The two shrugged. “It usually takes a few minutes. He’s never been this worn out before though,” Armin said. 

Just then, Eren’s eyes opened, and he looked around wildly, before fixating on the Female Titan, trapped with Levi standing on her head, and Armin and Mikasa. 

“What… happened?” His voice was scratchy, and he looked horrible. 

“The Female Titan got captured, and you passed out,” Armin said softly, helping prop Eren up. 

“I showed up after that, and now we’re being questioned,” Mikasa shot a glare at Hanji and Erwin. 

Eren’s eyes suddenly widened, and he tried to stand up, only to stumble, Armin catching him. “Commander Erwin! I- I didn’t- This wasn’t-” He was clearly panicking, and Mikasa and Armin both began speaking. 

“It’s fine, they said they wouldn’t hurt us,” Armin assured him. 

Mikasa nodded. “They just want to ask questions,”

Slowly, Eren nodded, looking up at the two superior officers. “Okay,”

Hanji grinned. “Okay, Eren! Let’s start off easy. How long have you known you’re a Titan?”

Eren flinched. “I’m a human,” Mikasa saw Armin squeeze his hand in reassurance. “I can just turn into a Titan. I found out two and a half years into training.”

Hanji nodded enthusiastically. “Now, do you have any other abilities?”

“I can heal really fast.” Eren answered. 

“Really? That’s fascinating! How long would it take to heal from, say, broken bones, or amputation, I wonder?” They seemingly asked themselves. 

“Broken bones, half an hour to an hour. Amputation? Way longer,” At everyone’s shocked looks, Eren flushed angrily. “I tested those ones myself,” 

“Amputation- you never- Amputation- You didn’t say-“ Armin stammered. 

Mikasa simply walked closer to Eren, grasping the hand that wasn’t taken by Armin tightly. 

“Why would you-“ Hanji was cut off by Eren. 

“Why would I what? Experiment on myself? Because if I test my healing abilities then there’s at least one thing you don’t have to experiment on me for,” Eren practically snarled, hunching in on himself. 

Mikasa felt her heart clench, and she almost wanted to cry. “We won’t let them ,” She vowed, staring into Eren’s eyes. 

“If they even dare… ” Armin trailed off, giving Hanji and Erwin a warning glare. The two commanding officers were silent, varying expressions of pity on their faces. 

For a moment, Eren seemed to bask in the protectiveness for once, instead of brushing it off. Then he looked back up. “Any other questions?” 

Hanji cleared their throat. “How did you obtain these abilities?” 

Mikasa watched as Eren stiffened, his hands both reaching up for the key that hung around his neck. 

“I…” Eren trailed off. “I- I don’t know. Not for sure,” He glanced warily at Mikasa and Armin, before continuing. “I’ve been getting bits of memories. My… My father has something to do with it. He- He injected me with something, after Maria fell, and-“ He scowled, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t remember everything. But he told me that I needed to get to the basement.” 

“The basement?” Erwin questioned. 

“His dad wouldn’t let us go into the basement of our house. He always said that he was working on something secret, but I never…” Mikasa frowned. 

Eren nodded grimly. “Before I can’t remember anything, he told me that the all the secrets answers will be in the basement. The secrets about the Titans,” He held the key up. “He gave me this before he… did whatever it was.” 

“That’s the basement key?” Armin asked, frowning. “I remember Grisha yelled at us the one time we tried to get in,” 

“Interesting,” Erwin frowned. “Hanji?” Hanji nodded and walked over, and the two began to discuss something in a hushed tone. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before,” Eren whispered, clenching his fists. “I only remembered at Trost, and… everything has been so crazy, and then I didn’t want you to think I was insane,” he admitted. 

“Hey, we don’t blame you,” Armin reassured him. “I get it.” 

Mikasa nodded, retaking his hand. “Don’t worry about it. We know now.” 

Suddenly, a loud curse rang out through the clearing, and they turned to see Levi now flying away from the Female Titan, who looked slightly terrified. 

Mikasa suddenly felt like she’d been dipped in ice water, and dread caused her stomach to freefall. 

Then, the Female Titan opened her mouth and began to scream. 

Chapter Text

When the Female Titan began to scream, Petra didn’t know how to react. 

To be honest, she hadn’t really known how to react to anything that’d happened during the expedition. When Captain Levi had told the squad about the Rogue Titan actually being a kid who’d just joined the Scouts, she’d been skeptical. And then, when he’d explained that they would be bringing along modified cannons to the expedition in case someone tried to attack him, she’d almost laughed. 

There’s no way in hell that any of that is true, She’d thought, and from the expressions of the rest of the squad, everyone thought the same thing. There was no way that anything would happen.

Looking back on it, she really wished she’d taken him seriously. It’d just sounded so ridiculous, that she didn’t believe it. 

She was really regretting that now. 

After Armin and his friend took the Titan kid up to one of the trees with Erwin and Hanji, the Captain had come over to the rest of the squad, explaining what they’d be doing. 

“We’re going to what?” Oulo asked, eyes wide. 

Captain Levi sighed and repeated himself. “We’re going to get whoever’s inside that thing out.” He pointed at the Female Titan. 

Petra almost laughed again. “How do we do that, sir?” 

“Exactly like the blondie over there did,” He jerked a thumb at Armin, who was now talking to Erwin and Hanji. “Cut her out of the nape.”

They’d all attached themselves to her, watching as Levi balanced on her head. He said something quietly to her, and then leaped down, swinging his blades at the hand that covered her nape. 

A crackling sound filled the air, and suddenly the Female Titan’s fingers crystallized, causing Levi’s blades to shatter. Petra gazed, wide-eyed, at the Female Titan. If she could do that, what else was she capable of?

“Damn it,” She heard Levi mutter, before restocking his blades. “You know,” He said to the Female Titan. “You’ll have to come out eventually. We can wait. Or, we can force you out. I wonder if you can feel pain in this body. Maybe we can test that. Do you think it’ll hurt if we gouge your eyes out?”

Petra shivered. Levi’s voice was low and cold, and terrifying. She didn’t know he was capable of sounding even more intimidating that he usually did. She looked back down at the Female Titan’s face, and saw that her eyes were wide and scared. She looked like a cornered animal, ready to do anything to get out. 

Then, she opened her mouth and screamed. 

Suddenly, loud footsteps began to echo through the forest. Levi swore, and flew off of her, yelling for everyone to do the same. Petra just managed to get onto a tree, as she saw dozens of Titans burst into the clearing from all directions, all of them making a beeline for the Female Titan. Then, she realized that Oulo and Gunther were still hanging onto the Female Titan. They hadn’t managed to get off on time. 

Petra screamed, as the Titans reached the Female Titan, and they instantly grabbed hold of the two members of her squad. She watched as they disappeared into the swarm of Titans that began to tear parts of the Female Titan’s body off, devouring them. It was bloody and graphic, and too late, she realized what was happening. 

They were eating her alive. 

Somehow, when she screamed, she’d made them charge into the clearing and eat her. 

A Titan tore her arm off, and then another climbed onto her shoulder, staring to eat her head. Steam rose off of her body, blocking Petra’s view of what was happening. 

“Soldiers!” Erwin yelled, starling Petra. “Kill the Titans! We cannot let her get away!” 

Petra set her jaw grimly, and flew forwards. 

***

I failed. 

The two words repeated in a loop within Annie’s head. She failed. She’d never failed. Not when Marcel died, not when they were forced to kill Marco. She’d had a clear opportunity, Eren was obviously inexperienced with Shifting, and yet, he’d held his own, and lead her into the forest, baiting her into getting captured. 

She was exhausted. 

When Reiner and Jean attacked her, it’d worn her out a lot more than she’d thought it would. Maybe it was a combination of the running she’d been forced to do, leading the Titans to the Scouts in the first place, and fighting off any soldier who managed to get in her way, but she had already been tired when she fought Eren. She was rusty, and maneuvering within her Titan body for the first time in a year was harder than she’d expected. 

Fighting Eren had felt startlingly like they were back in training, before they’d broke down Trost, before all of this began happening. It gave her a strong sense of deja vu, but it was different this time. Eren was fighting for his life, fighting to kill if necessary. 

Suddenly Annie regretted teaching Eren about fighting for your life. 

Screaming, and drawing the Titans towards her, and then enduring the pain as they ate her Titan body cost the last of her strength. She couldn’t try again, not with her dwindling energy, and with Erwin, and the whole Levi Squad protecting Eren, she didn’t even want to try. 

As she snuck away through the steam that her Titan body was producing, she donned her Scouting Legion uniform, wiping a single tear away. 

God, Reiner’s going to kill me. 

***

The Female Titan was gone. 

Eren blinked, just to make sure what he was seeing was real, desperately hoping that hallucinations were part of his transformation. When the image before him didn’t go away, he clenched his fists, anger flooding his mind. 

The Female Titan was gone, eaten by her own kind. She’d been captured, but then she escaped, all thanks to the Titans that’d stormed the clearing. The only person who might’ve known a bit more about what he was, or the secrets of the Titans was gone, and if he’d been able to actually fight back earlier, none of this would be happening. 

“Eren,” Armin said softly from beside him. “Don’t blame yourself. I know you want to, but don’t.”

Eren scoffed, not listening to him for a second. “She escaped. She might’ve known things that we could’ve used. Those Titans she brought here killed tons of soldiers.”

Slowly, he stood up, cursing at how wobbly he still felt, at how weak he was. Armin hovered by his shoulder, ready to help if he stumbled. He would normally feel happy that Armin cared, but now, it just served as a reminder of how pathetic he was. 

My own friends don’t think I can stand, He thought bitterly. How the hell am I supposed to protect them if they think I’m that weak? 

Ignoring the worried looks from Mikasa and Armin, Eren activated his ODM gear, swinging down to the forest floor, gazing blankly at the Titan corpses that littered the ground. He took a step forward, and would’ve fallen if Mikasa hadn’t wrapped an arm around his shoulder and held him up, tiredness weighing him down. 

Faintly, he heard someone crying, and he glanced up to see what happened. A redheaded woman was standing on top of one of the Titan’s bodies, sobbing into her hands. Captain Levi stood beside her, completely frozen. 

“Petra?” Armin asked from beside him, frowning. “What happened?”

The woman looked up at the sound of her name, her eyes brightening slightly with recognition. “O-oh. Sorry, Armin, it’s just-” She sobbed violently for a second, covering her mouth. “When- when the Female Titan screamed- We were all on her… G-Gunther and Oulo didn’t get away fast enough. I-”

The Captain, who’d been silent the whole time spoke up. “There wasn’t enough time,” He said, not even looking at them. He sounded numb, almost trying to convince himself. 

Eren froze in place, panic and fear ready to overtake him. I should’ve transformed earlier, He thought, self-hatred coursing through his veins. This is what happens when I can’t even hold my own. People die. He felt horrible, watching Petra cry, Captain Levi staring blankly at the ground beside her. This all could’ve been avoided if he had only transformed earlier. 

“Guys!” He turned to see Hanji waving them over, a grim look on their face. “We’re heading back. The expedition was a failure, and we’ve lost a third of our forces. Eren, do you want to ride in one of the wagons?”

The question startled Eren, who hadn’t expected to be allowed to walk free, let alone get special attention. “What?” He asked, confused. 

“You must be tired. You need help to even stand, I don’t think it’d be a good idea for you to ride a horse,” They explained, not unkindly, though the words still felt like verbal knives. 

“I don't-”

Eren was cut off by Armin. “He’ll take it,” He gave Eren a look, as if to say, just accept it. 

“Fine,” He relented, too exhausted to argue more. Hanji lead them over to the wagon as Erwin shouted orders at the soldiers who had stayed in the trees during the encounter with Eren and the Female Titan. 

As Eren settled into the wagon, he glanced back at Armin, and stopped. “Armin,” He called before the blond could walk away. “You’re hurt.”

Armin blinked, as though suddenly remembering, and put a hand to the dried blood on his temple. “Oh, that. I’m fine, the worst of it is on my arm,” He said it casually. 

Eren scowled. “Let me see,” He demanded, and Armin, knowing he was too stubborn to argue with, sighed and climbed into the wagon. He raised his arms up, and Eren flinched. The tan cloth of his uniform was stained with blood, shards of what looked like metal lodged into his arms. “Why didn’t you take those out?!” He asked, shocked. 

Chuckling nervously, Armin looked down. “I forgot to, with everything going on.”

Eren cursed. “We need to get them out. You’ll be lucky if they don’t get infected.”

“What’s going on?” He glanced up to see Mikasa, now on a horse, riding up to the wagon. 

“Armin’s injured, we need a medical kit,”

MIkasa simply nodded, before galloping off to where Hanji was, next to the other wagon, conversing with Levi and Erwin.  She returned within a few moments, the three others joining her as well. Eren watched as Mikasa and Hanji climbed onto the wagon, Levi and Erwin in tow. Hanji smiled weakly, handing Eren a medical kit. 

“On our way back, we’d like to ask you a few more questions, if that’s all right?” Hanji asked. “We filled Levi in on everything you told us.”

Eren opened the medical kit, glancing at Armin and Mikasa, who shrugged. “All right. What did you want to know?” He took a pair of tweezers, remembering the lessons his dad would attempt to teach him when he was younger. 

“What else can you tell us about this basement?” Erwin asked, as a green flare streaked through the sky, and the wagon began to move. 

Hesitating, Eren began taking the pieces of metal in Armin’s arm out. “I told you everything, I think. My dad wouldn’t ever let us in the basement, wouldn’t even tell us what he was working on. We all just assumed it was some experimental medical stuff.”

“Your father is Grisha Jaeger, correct?”

Eren swallowed, the name bringing up memories of the last night he’d seen his father. “Yes,” His hands were shaking now, and he forced himself to stay calm as Armin hissed in pain. “Sorry.”

“What happened to him?” Levi’s tone was emotionless.

“I- I don’t-” Eren stopped tending to Armin’s injury, clenching his fists. “When Maria fell we- we lived in Trost. He never-“ He stopped, closing his eyes. Walls, he really was pathetic. He couldn’t even talk about his father. 

Quietly, Mikasa placed a hand on his shoulder in a show of silent support. “He never came for us,” She finished sorrowfully. 

“I think we all just assumed he was either dead or… he didn’t care enough to look,” Armin said softly, gazing at Eren with a worried expression. 

Eren took a deep breath, and continued. “One night, in Trost, I- I saw him, though. He took me somewhere- I don’t know where it was exactly- but he started talking about how everything was his fault, and that I needed to get to the basement because it has the secrets of the Titans. And- and then he injected me with something,” He absentmindedly rubbed his forearm, where he knew his dad had injected him.

He felt Mikasa’s grip on his shoulder tighten, and when he turned to face her, her expression was angry and she glared down at her lap blankly. He felt guilt crawl under his skin at making her so upset. 

He glanced up, and saw that Hanji’s face was stricken, pity and sympathy swimming in their eyes. Levi looked disinterested, though his expression was softer than usual. Erwin’s eyebrows were peaked in interest, but his expression was sorrowful. 

Beside Eren, Armin’s expression felt like a punch to the gut. He was staring at Eren, wide-eyed, worry and sympathy on his face. Eren desperately wanted to wipe the sad expression away. 

After a few moments, he took deep breath. “I don’t remember what happened next,” He continued, beginning to continue treating Armin’s wounds. “There was lightning, I think, but I woke up back in Trost, with this key,” He gestured to the key that hung around his neck. “I didn’t remember anything from that night ‘till recently.” 

“Strange,” Erwin muttered. “How did you find out about these abilities of yours?” 

Eren flushed, avoiding Armin and Mikasa’s glares. “Uh… I broke my hand and it healed within a few minutes.”

“That’s all?” 

Their glares intensified, and Eren didn’t dare look up. “No, I… I started testing my healing abilities after that. I didn’t know I could transform at that point, though. I- um, I sort of stabbed myself and transformed after I lost too much blood.”

“That’s when I found out too,” Armin chimed in, squeezing his hand as a sign of reassurance. Some of the tension Eren was carrying eased that the gesture. “I was looking for him, and stumbled upon his Titan by accident.” 

“I found out at Trost,” Mikasa added quietly. “He saved me from being eaten.” 

Glancing up, he saw that Hanji was frowning. “And you willingly tested your healing abilities? By hurting yourself? Without worrying about the consequences?” 

Eren panicked. “I- I didn’t know that I would transform by hurting myself, I had no idea I could’ve hurt people like that!” He defended himself. 

“That’s not what I mean,” Hanji sighed. “I meant, you didn’t think about the toll it could take on your mental state?” 

Oh. He was such an idiot, why didn’t he realize what Hanji had meant? “I- I didn’t really?” He admitted. “But it didn’t have any effects on me, I just got tired from healing.” 

He heard Armin mumble something, but couldn’t make out the words, though he had a pretty good idea of what they were. Mikasa scoffed, but didn’t offer up any words. 

“You previously said that you transformed due to self harm?” Erwin asked, seeming to understand how uncomfortable Eren was. “Could you elaborate?” 

Eren nodded, wrapping a bandage around Armin’s wrists. “Me and Armin figured out that if I hurt myself I can transform. Or, well- if I’m already hurt, that works too,” he amended. “But I have to have something in mind, I think, some type of goal. If I just get hurt and don’t already have one, I’ll just heal.” 

Hanji was practically salivating. “That’s so fascinating, don’t you think, Levi?” They laughed, clapping excitedly. Captain Levi just sighed, still scowling. Eren didn’t respond, unsure of how to feel at their statement. 

The six sat in silence for a few minutes, Erwin and Hanji appearing to be deep in thought. Eren kept hold of Armin’s hand, and leaned slightly on Mikasa, trying not to fall asleep, the exhaustion from the fight lingering. 

“What will happen when we get back to the Walls?” Armin asked suddenly. 

Erwin glanced up. “We’ll send word of the Rogue Titan’s identity and motives being revealed to us, and start an investigation into who the Female Titan is.” 

Eren frowned as Armin tensed. “We might not have to investigate,” The blond said, haltingly. 

“I know who she is.”

Chapter Text

Returning to Wall Rose was one of the hardest things to do. 

Armin felt horrible enough just from witnessing the Female Titan killing all those soldiers and the simple knowledge of who she was, and he felt like he was returning to a prison. He couldn’t imagine how Eren felt, having to fight her, and knowing what would happen to him when they got back. 

I shouldn’t have told him like that, He thought bitterly, glancing down at Eren, who was curled into a ball in the corner of the wagon, nearly asleep. There must’ve been a better way. 

Once again, he recalled the conversation they’d had only two hours earlier, grimacing at the memory. 

“You know who she is?” Eren had asked, his head snapping up to meet Armin’s eyes. 

“How?” Hanji frowned, tilting their head. 

Armin had flushed, laughing nervously. “I’m pretty sure. I, um.... I recognized her fighting style, and, well- once I figured that out a lot more things fit.” He admitted, slumping defeatedly. 

“Well?” Eren asked quietly, still holding his hand. Armin wanted to scream. 

“It’s- The Female Titan, she’s…” He stammered, guilt and betrayal warring inside his mind. 

“It’s Annie.” 

Armin remembered Eren staring at him in silence and horror for a few moments, before shaking his head. “No…” He said slowly. “No, she can’t be, she- she wouldn’t -” He almost seemed to be trying to convince himself. 

“Who’s Annie?” Hanji asked, frowning. 

“Annie Leonhardt,” Mikasa answered, staring straight ahead, her eyes glazed. “She was a trainee in the 104th with us. She- she’s the only one who joined the MP’s.” She looked down, clenching her fists. 

Erwin nodded. “And what makes you think that she is the Female Titan?”

Armin gulped, as all eyes turned to him, Eren and Mikasa’s both filled with hurt and betrayal, Erwin, Hanji and Levi’s with confusion. He took a deep breath, stabilizing his emotions. “Annie has a… very distinct fighting style. During hand-to-hand combat training, she ranked second, after Eren, but she was just as good. During the fight, I… immediately recognized it, and, well… a lot of things made sense afterwards.” 

Beside him, Eren tore his hand out of Armin’s, glaring fiercely at him. “They have the same fighting style, so what?” He snapped. “That’s practically nothing! How could you just-”

“Do you think I’m happy about it being her?” Armin asked quietly, meeting Eren’s eyes evenly. “Annie was my friend too, Eren.”

“What else makes you think that it’s her?” Levi asked. 

“She looks almost exactly like Annie,” Mikasa commented, almost to herself. 

Eren scoffed. “That doesn’t mean anything either!”

“If it was just that on its own, maybe not,” Erwin frowned, tapping a thumb against his chin. “But that, with the knowledge of her fighting abilities… it’s definitely a possibility. I assume there are more reasons?”

Armin nodded. “She knew what Eren looked like. She needed to pull back my hood when she knocked me off my horse,” He continued, barely noticing Eren scowl at the mention of the Female Titan knocking him off his horse. “She also reacted to me calling Eren a suicidal bastard, something that only our trainee corps would know. She’s supposed to be stationed in Stohess, but from what I’ve heard about the MP’s, it she could’ve easily slipped away for a day. Additionally, she had help. No one knew about Eren’s abilities. The only times we even brought them up during training, we made sure that if someone was listening in, they’d have no idea what we were talking about. Other than that… we only talked about it at Trost once, and then, at the Scout’s headquarters.”

Levi swore under his breath. “So you’re saying that we’ve got a spy.”

Grimacing, Armin shrugged. “I mean, at Trost, the only people who were around were dead, so…”

Eren had, at that point, had begun clenching his fists so hard, steam began rising. Gently, Armin reached over, forcing Eren to unclench his fists, trying to ignore the crescent-moon markings on his hands from where his nails dug in. 

“When did you discuss Eren’s abilities at the headquarters?” Erwin asked.

“When we were given permission to see Armin again,” Mikasa said. “We were out at the stables. We didn’t think anyone was listening.”

Hanji raised an eyebrow. “What were you thinking, having a conversation like that out in the open?” They didn’t say it rudely, but Armin still felt slightly stung. 

Eren glared up at them. “We were thinking about how we wanted to see Armin again,” He snapped, and Armin glanced up, a rush of gratitude for Eren flooding him. 

Erwin sighed. “We will deal with the spy later. For now, we must focus on returning to Rose, and the Female Titan. Once we return, we can come up with a plan.”

“For now, why don’t you get some rest?” Hanji suggested, a kind smile on their face. 

After the conversation ended, Hanji, Levi, and Erwin had switched wagons, presumably to talk privately about the plan, leaving Eren, Armin and Mikasa in the wagon alone. Eren had gone to the corner, silently, and curled up. Mikasa and Armin sat beside each other in silence, all three of them looking down at the floor of the wagon. 

There should’ve been a better way, Armin thought, desperately wanting to plead with Eren about how he wished it wasn’t Annie, how he wanted it to be anyone else, how sorry he was. 

However, before he could even speak, Mikasa did it for him. 

“Eren, are you okay?” She asked softly, looking up at him. 

Across the wagon, Eren scoffed. “Armin just told me that the Female Titan, the one who tried to kill me, is actually Annie, we have a spy who helped her inside the Scouts, and before that, Erwin told us that he’d out me as the Rogue Titan to everyone. I’m not okay,” He said everything in a rush, covering his face with his hands as he finished. “The worst part is that I believe Armin, about Annie.” He said it quietly, shamefully. Like he didn’t want to admit it. 

“That’s okay,” Mikasa said softly. “I believe him too.”

Eren shook his head. “It’s wrong to suspect your friends of something like that,” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself. 

“But it’s okay to suspect someone you don’t know?” Armin asked. “Because its’ easier? Because you aren’t connected to them personally? But for the people who are close to whoever it is you suspect, it’s not exactly fair.”

“Are you trying to say I’m right for believing you, or that I’m wrong?” Eren scoffed. 

“I’m saying that there is no right or wrong. It’s not fair to anyone. But that’s how things are.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Armin saw Mikasa nod slightly. “It’s a cruel world,” She agreed. “You were the one who saved me from it when we were nine. If we believe that Annie is the Female Titan and take her down, you can save hundreds more.”

Eren stared helplessly at the two of them. Armin gazed into his eyes, realizing that Eren desperately didn’t want to be betrayed, didn’t want to have to consider that his friend would be the one to do it. Sympathy wound its way around Armin’s heart. “I don’t want it to be her,” He whispered, looking down at his hands. “She killed all those people by calling the Titans to us, and… She tried to kill me,” He shook his head in disbelief.

Armin nodded, scooting closer towards Eren, putting a hand on his shoulder. “None of us want it to be her. And if it isn’t, I’m sure Annie will understand. But if she is… Then we’ll be saving hundreds by stopping her.”

After a few seconds of tense silence, Eren gave a sharp nod, his face crumpling. “What do you think will happen when we return to the Walls?” He asked softly, bringing his legs to his chest. 

“I don’t know,” Mikasa said, letting go of her scarf, and meeting Armin and Eren’s eyes. “But whatever does happen, we’ll be together.” She promised. Armin nodded, squeezing Eren’s shoulder. 

“Okay,” Eren said, giving them both a small smile that sent shivers down Armin’s spine. “Together.”

***

“We’ll need to work fast,” Ewrin said in a low voice, glancing over at the neighboring wagon that held Mikasa, Eren, and Armin. “The Military Police will find out about him sooner or later. We may as well tell Zackly ourselves, save the trouble of being labeled as traitors.” 

Levi frowned. “The kid’s not going to be happy about that,” 

“He’s not going to have a choice in the matter, unfortunately,” Erwin pointed out. “It’ll be better to at least tell Zackly before we capture the Female Titan.” 

“Oh!” Hanji spoke up. “What’re we going to do about her, by the way? Do we believe Armin’s theory?” 

Erwin frowned, deep in thought. “It seems plausible. The other two seem to agree with his theory, but if we’re wrong…”

“Then the MP’s will have an excuse to take Eren from us, and maybe even disband the Scouts.” Hanji said grimly. 

“But the kid’s never been wrong before. And from what the other two said, it’s believable.” Levi pointed out. 

“That’s true…” Erwin paused for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts. “I say we believe him. His theory could very well be true, and when we return to the Walls, we may have the perfect opportunity to find out if she’s truly the Female Titan,”

Hanji perked up immediately, a wicked gleam in their eyes. “Tell us.”

***

Ymir was panicking. 

She hadn’t thought much of being forced to stay at the treeline, besides happiness at being close to Krista. She’d never expected anything to happen. 

Then she showed up, and Eren, fucking Eren had transformed into the goddamn Attack Titan, and everything went to hell. 

She’d never expected to even see the other three Shifters after she’d taken refuge behind the Walls, but here they were. 

Wait, that doesn’t make sense, She thought, frowning. Eren was fighting her. Why would he fight her if he was with her back then? She could barely remember the faces of the other three children from the group that she’d encountered on that fateful day. Hell, she could barely remember anything from her days as a Titan, besides pure agony, and endless suffering. 

What she did remember, was the stricken face of a small blonde girl, staring up at her. A face, she realized, that looked horrifyingly similar to Annie’s. At first, she’d thought that maybe Armin and Mikasa were the other two Shifters, that Armin was the Colossal or Armoured, and Mikasa was the Female, but that didn’t fit with Ymir’s memories. Besides, Eren was obviously the Attack Titan, and if what she’d thought was true, there was one Titan unaccounted for. 

But… that meant Eren wasn’t with the four, now three Shifters that Ymir had run into five years ago. It meant that, in her mindless, neverending years as a Pure Titan, someone had stolen the Attack Titan from Marley. 

That meant that Eren could possibly be on her side. 

“Ymir?” Krista’s melodic voice pulled her attention away from her thoughts. “Are you okay?”

Ymir turned to face Krista, forcing a small smile. “Yeah, everything’s good, don’t worry,”

The blonde frowned, obviously not believing her, but dropping the subject anyways. Ymir sighed, glancing back at the forest, where she could still see the golden lightning streak down from the sky, sending her mind into a frenzy. 

As Ymir rode back to the Walls, mind filled with conflict, one question persisted; could she trust Eren with her secret?  

***

It’d been two days since the expedition. 

Two days since Annie failed. 

She could still barely believe it. She’d been so sure that Eren would’ve been easier to beat, that they wouldn’t have set up a trap for her. Eren had been much more powerful in his Titan form than she’d thought. She underestimated him, a mistake she could never make again. 

Still reeling from her failure, she’d stolen a horse after leaving the forest, catching up with Bertholdt and Reiner as they left. She could still see Reiner’s livid expression whenever she closed her eyes, another reminder of how badly she’d messed up. 

“You let him go?” Reiner had nearly shouted, quickly glancing around to make sure no one was near enough to have heard. 

“What happened?” Bertholdt had asked softly, worry filling his eyes. “Were you caught?”

Annie had shaken her head. “No. They knew I was coming somehow. I got… distracted and fell into their trap. I had to be eaten alive to escape.”

“ That’s what that was?” Reiner asked incredulously. “Did anyone see you?” 

Shaking her head, she’d continued. “No, but they could still figure it out anyways. Armin almost tricked me, I would’ve believed that he was dead unless you told me otherwise.” 

After that, everything felt like a blur. Bertholdt told her to speed up and blend in with the crowd once they got to the Walls, and she made her way back to Stohess that night, without any of her comrades even noticing that she’d left. 

Then, a day later, the news hit. 

Eren had been exposed. Someone had let slip his Titan form, or Erwin himself had informed Zackly, or someone had seen Eren transform in broad daylight, depending on the rumour. The only thing everyone within the military knew for sure was that Eren Jaeger was a Titan. 

No one outside of the military knew, thankfully. Hell, only the higher-up MP’s, Scouts and Garrison soldiers knew about it. Annie had only found out after eavesdropping on a conversation between her superiors. 

This simultaneously made her job harder and easier. Eren would be handed over to the MP’s most likely, there was no way that he wouldn’t. This would give Annie a chance to get close to him, but would also make it harder. Eren would be extensively guarded, and she would likely need help to even get a chance to take him back to Marley. 

Sighing, she put her head in her hands. Her most opportune moment would be today; the day the Scouts were supposed to bring Eren through Stohess to the Sina interior. She had a shot at somehow getting him, and escaping, but it was unlikely. 

Oh well. She’d already failed once. And now they likely knew who she was. 

She scowled, glancing around the busy streets as she turned to cross through a smaller road. She didn’t know where Eren would be passing through, but hopefully she could find him. 

“Annie!” 

Instantly, Annie spun around, startled. Behind her, hiding inside a darkened alleyway, was Armin. He wore a large coat, with his hood shadowing his face. “What do you want?” She asked, striding forward. If Armin was here, then maybe-

“Hey Annie,” Eren said quietly, stepping out from beside Armin. Mikasa wasn’t far behind him. 

Annie’s mind went into overdrive as she attempted to scrape together a plan. “Eren? What’re you doing here?” She hissed, deciding to pretend she was completely in the dark. “How did you get out of the carriage?” 

Eren frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I overheard my superiors talking,” She decided to tell the truth. “I know why you’re here, I know about your trial.” 

At the admission, the three seemed to relax, but something prickled at the back of Annie’s mind. Something wasn’t right here. 

“Well at least we won’t have to explain it,” Armin said dryly. “We’re escaping. We need to get Eren out of Sina. We’re trying to go through the underground tunnels to not be seen,” 

“We need your help,” Mikasa said quietly. 

Annie frowned. This was the perfect opportunity. She could easily take out Armin, and Mikasa would be a challenge, but if caught by surprise… “What do you need?” She asked. 

“Show us how to get there,” Eren said, meeting her eyes pleadingly. 

She almost hesitated; she didn't know why but something about… everything didn’t seem right. But, after a few seconds, she signed, and agreed. She knew where the entrance to the tunnels were, and it was far enough that she could kidnap Eren without someone seeing. 

She took them through the alleys, going through the less populated streets as much as possible, mostly ignoring the muttering and whispering amongst the other three. Annie was more focused on the internal conflict she had. 

Could she take Eren back to Marley with her? Was she able to do it without getting caught? Armin and Mikasa could be taken out individually, though Mikasa would take much longer. But… what would happen if Eren decided to fight back? Did Eren even know how much power he could have over her with the Coordinate? 

As they turned onto a wider road, she frowned. The sense of dread she’d been feeling all morning crept back, slowly setting every system on high alert. Something wasn’t right. 

What was it? 

Suddenly, the pieces fell into place, and her mind ground to a halt. 

There were no people on a street that should be filled with them. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen another person for the past ten minutes. 

She understood now. Just as they reached the entrance to the tunnels, she felt her whole body grow cold at the realization. 

This was a trap. 

Chapter Text

Eren hated that he was starting to believe Armin, the more he thought, really thought about the identity of the Female Titan. 

The previous night, when they’d returned to the Walls, Erwin had immediately pulled the three of them aside, explaining that he was going to reveal Eren’s identity to the military. He’d given them a vague, cryptic reply when Armin had asked why, and simply said that the next day, he’d properly explain his plan. 

In the meantime, it’d given Eren plenty of time to think about what Armin had said. He didn’t want to believe that Annie, the girl who’d helped him during hand-to-hand combat, was a cold-blooded killer. He’d seen those soldiers get eaten alive when she called the Titans to her. He’d seen Petra’s look of complete and utter devastation after two of her friends had been killed. Hell, he’d seen how shaken Captain Levi had been after his squadmates had died.

He didn’t want to associate that with Annie. 

Annie was a little cold, but kind. She cared, as much as she hated to show it sometimes. She’d helped Eren during training, she was his friend. She wasn’t a murderer. She didn’t kill innocent people. 

He didn’t want to fit ‘Annie’ into ‘ Female Titan’. 

However, as much as he tried to do the opposite, he was starting to. 

“If she truly is the Female Titan, she will follow along with our plan to get Eren,” Erwin was saying to the small group that he’d chosen to tell the entire plan to. Hanji, Levi, Petra, Eld, Mikasa, and Armin had been the special few he’d decided to explain more to. 

“Knowing Annie, even if she figures out that it’s a trap, she’ll probably continue until we reach the tunnels,” Armin commented, frowning. 

Erwin nodded approvingly. “Either way, if we are unable to get her into the tunnels, we’ll still be prepared,” He turned to Hanji. “Your squad will set up a trap along the streets surrounding the area if she transforms. Eren, your job will be to lead her towards it.” 

Eren frowned, but agreed. He knew they were setting up backup plan after backup plan, but he still felt uneasy. After my failure in the forest, I’m  surprised that they’re allowing me to fight, honestly, He thought, grimacing. 

Oblivious to Eren’s inner turmoil, Erwin continued. “Should every one of these plans fail, our top priority is to keep civilians safe, and keep Eren alive. If you four,” He gestured towards the remaining Levi squad and Mikasa. “And Eren all attack at once, she will be overwhelmed and hopefully tire, allowing us to capture her.” 

The rest of the meeting passed by in a blur, and before he knew it, Petra and Eld had left, and before he, Armin and Mikasa could follow, Erwin called them back into the room. 

Anxiety and fear began to creep their way into Eren’s mind as he walked back into the room, waiting for Erwin to speak. He could tell the other two were feeling the same, Armin displaying nervousness openly, while Mikasa simply tensed, running her fingers across her scarf. 

Finally, Erwin sighed quietly and began. “I’m sure you already know that you all know that after all of this is over, Eren will need to stand trial?” 

Eren flinched at the reminder. He’d hoped that they could leave that until after they’d captured Annie. “Yes, sir,” He said after a few moments of silence. 

“Considering that Armin was in the same situation, I’m sure you know what to expect?” 

Beside him, Armin scoffed. “It’ll be the exact same as my trial, only instead of interrogating Eren, they’ll want to experiment on him,” He said with a surprising amount of venom. 

“But that’s not going to happen, is it?” Mikasa asked coldly, glaring at the three commanding officers. 

“Watch it, brat,” Captain Levi snapped. “Obviously we don’t want it to happen.” 

“Hopefully after we capture Annie, we can use that to our advantage,” Hanji explained. “Along with Trost, and the basement.” 

Eren jolted. In all of the panic and confusing whirlwind of emotions, he’d almost forgotten about the basement. Unconsciously, he reached up to touch the key around his neck. 

Suddenly, he froze. In Armin’s trial, they’d tried to accuse Mikasa and Eren of aiding him, simply due to association. He looked up slowly, a cold sense of dread pooling in his stomach. 

“During Armin’s trial,” He said lowly. “Me and Mikasa were accused of being traitors as well, just because we were friends with Armin. What’ll happen at mine, then? Since he was already on trial for helping me.” 

Erwin paused, frowning. “They will likely make a case for how he did indeed commit treason, since he did know about your abilities and lied to the court about them,” 

“So, how do we make that not happen?” Eren asked, glancing beside him to see Armin gazing at him with a slightly shocked expression. 

“The best we can do is have you deny that it was Armin who helped you out of your Titan. It might not do much, but we must press the issues of the people who leaked information to Annie as a higher priority,” Erwin surmised. 

“Besides,” Armin spoke up. “I’m already under the protection of the Scouts, so technically I was the one who helped the investigation into your identity actually work.” He smiled slightly. 

Eren smiled back, before frowning once again. “What if it doesn’t work? What happens if the MP’s win the case?” 

No one spoke, and Eren knew every one of them was imagining either what they’d do to him, or the missed opportunities that would exist. 

“We won’t lose the case,” Armin said quietly. “It worked for me, and I’m not nearly as valuable to humanity as you are.”

Eren blushed slightly, but nodded, looking down. He couldn’t doubt the Scouts now. They were his best chance of both survival and helping humanity. He slowly looked back up at his commanding officers. “Thank you,” He said quietly, hating the way his voice shook as he spoke. “For being willing to take my side in this.”

The three Scouts sat in slightly stunned silence for a few moments, before Hanji beamed and leapt forward, throwing their arms around Eren. “Awww, Eren you’re welcome!” They cried. 

Eren choked slightly, unable to breathe due to how tightly Hanji was squeezing him. “Hanji-- Air-” He managed, breathing a sigh of relief when Hanji immediately let go, laughing.

“Truly, Eren, your Titan may be the spark of hope that humanity sorely needs,” Erwn said, his lips quirking up slightly. “There is no need to thank us.”

Eren smiled at the encouragement, despite the pressure that Erwin’s words up him under. For the first time since he saw Annie appear as the Female Titan, he felt hopeful. 

***

Quietly, Armin led Mikasa and Eren through the back alleys of Stohess, on the lookout for Annie.  They’d read and reread the map of the city so many times that it was ingrained in their minds, allowing them to know exactly where they were going as they searched. 

Hopefully, the MP’s were as lazy with security as Erwin thought they were, and Annie already knew about the carriage taking ‘Eren’ to the King. If she knew about it, all they had to do was hang around the path the carriage was taking, and look for Annie. 

Walls, I hope this works, Eren thought, nervousness and fear creeping into his mind. If they failed here… So many people could die, and he’d surely be handed over to the Military Police. 

“Annie!”

Eren spun quickly. Did Armin see her? He thought wildly, his heart pounding in his ears. This is it, we’re really doing this, we’re-

“What do you want?” Annie’s voice rang out in the empty alleyway, cold and detached. 

Taking a deep breath, Eren stepped out from beside Armin, Mikasa following suit. “Hey Annie,” He said, forcing himself to not shake. 

Annie looked genuinely shocked, and for a split second, fear and worry flitted across her face. “Eren?” She asked incredulously. “What’re you doing here? How did you get out of the carriage?”

So she did know. That would make things easier. “What do you mean?” He asked, frowning. 

As she explained quickly, Eren surveyed her appearance. She looked tired, haggard. The look in her eyes and the bags under them spoke clearly of exhaustion. Unwillingly, he pictured Annie with her hair down, the Female Titan’s markings covering her face, and immediately clamped down on the train of thought. 

Armin was still saying something- explaining the plan they were supposed to give her. He told her about the tunnels, Mikasa chiming in that they needed her help. 

“What do you need?” Annie asked, frowning. 

Here we go. “Show us how to get there,” He forced himself to beg, pleading for her help. 

Unsurprisingly, she agreed, leading them down the alley towards the entrance to the tunnels. Armin turned and exchanged a look with Eren. Annie was being helpful for now, but he couldn’t tell if it was just her being nice, or if she had an ulterior motive. 

As they walked, Mikasa slowed down, motioning for Eren to do the same. When they were a few feet away from Annie and Armin, Mikasa whispered, “If she does turn out to be the Female Titan, you can’t hesitate, okay?” She met his eyes, and he flinched. “I know she’s your friend. She’s mine too. But remember, she killed all those people in the forest.” 

Sighing, Eren nodded. As much as he hated it, the theory that Annie was the Female Titan made perfect sense. And, as much as he didn’t want to fight her, he knew that he would likely have to. 

They neared the entrance to the Underground within a few minutes, and Eren almost started smiling. Everything was going according to plan. They’d made it to the entrance, the Scouts had evacuated everyone in the streets, and he could see a few Scouts hiding in the shadows. 

He could feel the excitement rising inside of him as he, Mikasa and Armin began walking down the stairs. 

And then Annie stopped. 

Suddenly, Eren’s blood ran cold, and he knew she’d figured it out. 

“Oh, I’m afraid I can’t go down there,” She said in a teasing voice, quite unlike her regular tone. 

“Why not?” Mikasa’s tone was dangerous. 

“I’m afraid of the dark, you know. You can’t expect me to go down there,” 

Armin turned, and nodded at Eren. Their cover had been blown, and all of them knew it. There was no need for pretending anymore. 

“Annie, I don’t want to believe that you hurt all those people,” Eren said quietly. 

There was a slight pause, in which Annie gazed down at him with a half-sad-half-amused expression. Then, she burst out laughing. It was loud, and slightly deranged, sounding almost painful. The laughter of someone who was desperate, close to the edge and about to fall, but still held on out of sheer willpower. 

Caught off guard, Eren took a step up the stairs, but Mikasa stopped him, hissing, “Wait. We don’t know what she’ll do.” 

Above them, Annie finished laughing, now glaring down at Eren. “Oh, Eren. You’re always so loyal. You’d never want to think that your friend betrayed you.”

The sinking realization that it was Annie, that she was the Female Titan, hit Eren with the force of a dozen bricks. It’s really her, He thought. All along, Annie, the quiet, stoic girl who helped teach Eren, was really a traitor. She’d lived with them, fought with them. And the whole time, she’d been the Female Titan. 

“Why, then?” He asked, his voice cracking. “If you’ve really betrayed us, why did you do it?”

Annie’s expression froze. She was silent for a few moments, her eyes darting between Armin, Eren and Mikasa. Finally, she spoke, and her voice sounded more defeated and broken than he’d ever heard it. 

“I want to see my father again,” 

***

Annie stared down at the three. Her confession, the words that’d helped her get through killing Marco, trying to kidnap Eren, and killing all those Scouts, slipped out, and she immediately regretted it. She hated the way their faces softened, she hated the understanding in their eyes. 

This isn’t the way it was supposed to be, She thought desperately. She wished, not for the first time, that the people of Paradis had really been devils. It would be so much easier to hate them if they were. It would be easier to fight them, to kill them. She would be able to look down at the people she’d considered her friends and laugh triumphantly at how she’d fooled them all these years, she’d be able to revel in their crushed expressions. 

But they weren’t devils. Her laugh was broken and painful. And her heart twisted at the sight of betrayal in their eyes. 

She wanted to see her father. If he was here, telling her that everything was okay, that she should come home, she would be able to call upon her Titan and bring Eren back to Marley. If she did that, her father would finally be proud of her, he would finally want her properly. 

“Is seeing him worth killing all those people?” Armin’s soft voice rang out through the silent street. 

Annie felt like she’d been punched in the gut. Yes, it was worth it, Her mind whispered, trying to reassure her. It was worth it, you can see your father again, it doesn’t matter that you slaughtered those people, you can go home and your father will love you. 

Slowly, she nodded. “This is what I have to do,” She said quietly. “I’m sorry.” 

She pulled out the knife in her pocket, preparing to slice her palm open.

“Stop her!” 

Soldiers rushed forwards, preventing her from cutting herself. 

The ring, She remembered. 

She activated it, blood spilling from her hand. 

She was engulfed in light, and the last thing she saw before she transformed completely, was the terrified expressions on Mikasa, Eren, and Armin’s faces. 

***

They hadn’t been fast enough. 

Annie had transformed, and it was too late. 

“Come on!” Mikasa yelled, dragging Eren and Armin Farther back into the tunnels. They made it far enough in, just as the explosion from Annie’s transformation reached them. 

Mikasa wanted to scream. They’d been so close to neutralizing her, but she’d caught on. If only she’d been farther in the tunnels before she’d figured it out. 

“Keep going!” Armin called, as she looked back to see Annie’s hand reaching down into the tunnel to try and grab Eren. 

Quickly, Mikasa grabbed Eren’s cloak, shoving him farther in front of her. They ran for a few more seconds, before Annie’s hand retracted. 

“Dammit!” Eren yelled, slamming his fist into the stone walls. Steam began to emit from the resulting injury, as he fell to his knees. 

“It’s… really her,” Armin said quietly, staring at the ground. “I almost had myself convinced that she wasn’t…” 

Mikasa flinched at the reminder of who Annie really was. As much as the other girl had aggravated her during training sometimes, she’d considered her to be a friend. Now… everything was different. 

“We should keep moving,” She suggested, glancing down the long tunnels that stretched in either direction. 

Armin frowned. “That could be a problem though. Eren needs to transform, but we can’t exactly go out the way we came, and he can’t do it down here-“ 

He was cut off by the roof caving in, a few meters to their left, Annie’s fist on top of it. The dust from the rubble cleared a bit, allowing them to see above-ground, where Annie stood. Several soldiers flew around her shoulders, but she continually swatted them away as she leaned down to reach for Eren. 

“Run!” Mikasa cried, and they immediately bolted in the opposite direction. 

As they ran, the roof above them caved in once more, this time much closer. The bricks and wood knocked the three of them backwards, slamming Mikasa into the floor. 

She blinked blood away from her eyes, hazily aware of the pounding in her skull. Across from her lay Eren, impaled by a piece of wood that’d fallen, the lower half of his body crushed by the debris. 

Ignoring the pain that seared through her head as she stood up, she dashed to Eren side, noticing Armin, who was bleeding from his shoulder, doing the same. As she neared, she realized that Eren’s eyes were closed, and where the wood went into his skin was bleeding profusely. 

“He’s unconscious,” Armin noticed, frowning. “What should we do now?”

Mikasa glanced up, seeing Annie trying to fight off the swarm of soldiers who were attacking her. She was preoccupied, for now, but how long would it take for her to take them down and come back for Eren?

“I’m going up there,” She called. “Stay down here, and get Eren to wake up. We’ll keep her distracted, but without Eren, I’m not sure if this will work.”

Armin nodded. “Okay,” He turned back to Eren. 

Giving Eren one last look, Mikasa activated her ODM gear, and shot off to join the battle. 

***

Returning to consciousness felt like wading through mud. He knew he was waking up, but he could feel the pull of sleep latching onto him. Slowly, feeling returned to his body, pain that felt dull suddenly becoming excruciating. 

Even during the time where he would experiment with his healing, nothing had ever felt this bad. He could feel blood falling down his sides in a neverending stream. Every breath suddenly meant inhaling needles. 

Slowly, he became aware of someone calling his name, too. 

“ Eren, wake up!”

He opened his eyes, his blurry vision becoming sharper as he shook off the last dregs of unconsciousness. Armin leaned over him, worry standing out starkly in his expression. He could see the sky above him, could hear voices shouting orders not far from them. 

“Armin?” He murmured, frowning confusedly. “What happened?” 

“You got crushed when Annie caved in the tunnel,” Armin said softly. 

Suddenly, the pain that was coursing through his veins made sense. He glanced down, only to see that the lower half of his body had been crushed, and a piece of wood was sticking out of his stomach. 

“Do you think you can transform?” Armin looked as though asking him hurt more than the wood that’d impaled Eren.

Eren winced. “I-I think so,” He managed. Armin nodded, quickly backing up. 

Come on, focus, He thought, trying desperately to ignore the way pain wracked his entire body. You need to fight Annie. The Scouts need you to do your job. Come on, you have to do this!

As he finished the thought, golden lightning streaked down from the sky, and Eren could feel his Titan body materializing, healing all of his wounds. He gazed down at the city below him, instantly pinpointing where Annie was fighting off the Scouts. 

“Let’s go,” Armin called, flying past him, towards the fight, determination blazing in his eyes. 

I have to do this, He thought to himself as he began to run. She needs to be stopped. No matter who I thought she was. 

***

Annie decided that she hated the Scouts. 

They were annoyingly skilled, making her job much harder than she’d anticipated. They flew around her constantly, but she never let them get close enough to even scratch her. She’d been forced to leave Eren, Mikasa and Armin in the tunnels, instead focusing on getting the damn Scouts to stop. 

Behind her, she saw lightning streak downwards. Goddammit, She cursed, turning to face Eren. The sight of his Titan was no less surprising than it’d been the first time she’d seen it. 

Eren’s Titan looked the most like a mindless Titan out of all of the ones she’d seen. Reiner and Bertholdt both had distinctive markings that made them stand out, and Annie herself wasn’t any different. The few times she’d seen Marcel transform though, she’d been able to tell him apart from the others due to his teeth. The Beast Titan obviously looked more animal than Titan, and the Warhammer was supposed to look vastly different too. However, the Founding Titan had been lost so long ago, and the records of what form it’d taken vastly differed. 

He might have the Attack Titan too, She realized, and in her distraction, a Scout managed to get close enough to cut through her wrist. Her mind had been sent into a frenzy, her thoughts barely having time to catch up with each other. 

It would make sense. Marley had lost the Attack Titan recently, and no one knew what happened to it. Supposedly, the last user had waited too long to transfer their power and died of the thirteen-year curse, but Annie wasn’t inclined to buy into more Marleyan propaganda. When she, Reiner, Marcel and Bertholdt had set out for Paradis, there hadn’t been any instruction regarding the Attack Titan though, so clearly even the Marleyans had no idea what’d happened to it. 

A loud roar cut through her thoughts roughly, and she cursed at how distracted she’d gotten. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eren begin running towards her. Fuck, fuck, fuck, think fast Leonhardt, Her mind ordered. 

Just as Eren reached her, she sidestepped, allowing him to pass her, but he turned around far quicker than she’d expected, and began moving towards her again. She looked around wildly, desperately searching for a way to get the extremely persistent Scouts away from her. 

“Annie!” 

Hearing her name, Annie turned to see Mikasa flying towards her. Within the two seconds it took for Mikasa to reach her, Annie barely had time to crystallize her nape before the other girl suddenly changed course, aiming for her legs. 

“Levi Squad, move out!” 

No, no, no, no, Annie chanted internally, barely avoiding Mikasa’s blades and a swing from Eren’s fists. If the Levi Squad joined the fight… She was already overwhelmed by the sheer number of Scouts that were attacking her, but if Captain Levi and his squad, Mikasa, and Eren all attacked her at once… She was dead. 

Glancing around, she noticed that the rest of the Scouts were backing off, leaving only four remaining. A redheaded woman, already in the air, a blond man standing atop a roof next to her, and a man she assumed to be the Captain himself, standing next to Commander Erwin, beside Eren. 

Think, She scolded herself. What did your father tell you? Use your surroundings to your advantage. Anything can be a weapon. An idea struck her, right as she heard the sound of ODM gear activating. 

Eren swung at her again, but she grabbed his wrist and pulled, hard, sending him crashing into the roof of a building, the very same building that she’d seen the blond man standing on before. 

The man had already escaped, but Annie took a handful of the loose shingles from the roof, and threw them at him as he narrowly avoided Eren’s body. 

Within seconds, the member of the Levi Squad had fallen to his death. 

“ No !” 

Annie turned to see the redhead hanging off of a house, staring down at her now-dead comrade, stricken.  

It almost made Annie feel even worse as she raised her foot and stomped, crushing the woman to a bloody pulp under her heel. 

Suddenly, she was hit by a strong punch to her neck from behind, tumbling forwards into the houses. 

Shit, She thought. In her haste to get rid of the Scouts, she’d almost forgotten about Eren, who’d recovered from being thrown into a building, and was clearly even more angry than before. 

Quickly, she avoided his punches, raising her arms defensively. Backing up, she suddenly tripped, falling onto the ground. 

Frantically, she glanced up, catching sight of the same barrels that had trapped her in the forest. Panicking, she swiped at them viciously, using her momentum to stand and bolt towards the Wall. 

She wasn’t going to win. She was losing the fight, badly, and she knew it. 

Maybe… maybe if she made it to the Wall and climbed over, she might have a better shot at getting home. 

She could hear Eren chasing her, could hear the sound of ODM gear following her as she ran away. 

Just as she was about to reach the Wall, she felt a searing pain in her legs, and fell forwards, crushing the building she’d fallen on. 

Keep going, keep going, She repeated the mantra in her head, as she dragged herself along the stones. I can’t give up, I’m so close. 

Pure desperation made her ignore the way she couldn’t feel her legs anymore, the pain that laced its way through her abdomen. Annie simply gritted her teeth and forced her fingers to crystallize, and with the last of her strength, she began to climb. 

I’m going home, I’ll see my father again, I’m so close, I-

Then Eren grabbed her ankle and yanked her clean off the Wall, slamming her into the ground. 

Misery and crushing homesickness slammed into her all at once, and she distantly realized she was crying. 

I’m never going home. 

***

Armin hated watching the fight, partly because of the fact that it was Annie, and also because of how badly she was losing it. 

When they’d made the backup plan, most of it relied on how skilled the Scouts were. He’d seen Annie kill the soldiers who attacked her without a second thought, and he was hesitant to let it happen again. 

However, Erwin had assured him that if it came to it, he would deploy the remaining Levi Squad alongside Eren’s transformation, and he’d trusted the decision. But now… 

Now Petra and Eld were dead, and he’d seen the completely devastated look on Captain Levi’s face at the sight of losing what he had left of his squad. 

And then, Annie completely destroyed the trap Hanji had laid for her, and bolted for the Wall. Clearly, they’d underestimated her desperation and will to live. 

Armin watched in transfixed horror as Captain Levi mercilessly cut through the back of her heels, causing her to crush a church under the weight of her fall. And then, Annie began to drag herself across the ground, before crystallizing her fingers and scaling the Wall. 

“Stop her!” Erwin shouted. 

Both Mikasa and Levi raced to cut her fingers off. 

Then, Eren grabbed her by the ankle and flung her across the small courtyard. 

If Armin had been less observant, he wouldn’t have noticed the tears trailing down Annie’s face. 

Stop. He wanted to cry. Why are you doing this, Annie? 

Eren forced a limp Annie to turn over. 

He leaned down and but into her nape, ripping away to reveal Annie inside the mass of muscle and flesh. 

“Get her!” Hanji screamed, and Armin flew towards her, along with the rest of the Scouts that remained. 

Suddenly, a crackling noise filled the air, and to Armin’s astonishment, Annie began to disappear underneath layer after layer of crystal. 

“No, what’s she doing?!” Hanji shouted, rushing forward. 

To Armin’s horror, the crystal started to creep up Eren’s forearms, encasing him alongside her. 

Desperation and panic spurred him into action, and within seconds he was atop Eren’s shoulders. “Mikasa, help me!” He called, before slicing into the skin of Eren’s nape without hesitation. 

He heard Mikasa land next to him, and he reached down to grab Eren and began ripping him free of his Titan body. The crystal was nearly reaching his shoulders now, beginning to meld with the part that held Annie. 

Finally, he and Mikasa pulled Eren free, and leaped off the back of his Titan. 

Setting Eren down, Armin noticed that the marks around his eyes that usually appeared were much harsher than usual, cutting deeply into his face. 

“Is he okay?” Armin glanced up to see Captain Levi walking towards them. 

“I think so,” Mikasa said quietly. “He’s just unconscious.” 

Armin frowned, glancing back at where Eren’s Titan body was dissolving, blocking the crystal Annie was encased in from view. “What happened to her?”

“We don’t know,” Hanji landed a few feet away, concern and frustration marring their expression. “She just… did that. It looked like Eren’s body started combining with it though, so good job on getting him out.” They glanced down at Eren, who was still being held by Armin. 

“We should try breaking it,” Levi muttered, striding over to Annie. 

Hesitantly, Mikasa looked up at Hanji. “How many people died?” She asked quietly. 

Hanji’s face darkened. “Too many. The rest of the Levi Squad is gone. We’ve-”

“What the hell is that!?” 

Across the courtyard, someone cried out, and several people began shouting. A few people pointed upwards, towards where Annie had climbed the Wall. 

Following their gazes, Armin slowly looked upwards. When he saw what the people had been talking about, his entire body froze. 

There was a Titan in the Wall. 

A giant, fifty-meter-tall Titan, it’s face half exposed. 

Slowly, the Titans’ eye drifted downwards, and focused on the people below it. 

And then, everything went to hell.