Because of You || Hange x Reader

Chapter 1

"(Y/N)!" 

Someone grabs my collar and yanks me back. I topple backwards in time to see Jean Kirschtein launch himself at the 8m Titan and slice open his nape. I hook onto the Titan and fall with it, then flip off at the last minute, landing smoothly. I whistle for my horse then step forward to study the dead Titan. Again someone grabs the collar of my neck and pulls me back. This time I slip out of his grip and slap away his arm, rubbing my throat. 

"Stop doing that!" I snap at Jean. 

"Only if you stop doing that!" Jean retorts, glaring at me and wiping the blood off his sword. He whistles for his horse. 

"Doing what?" I ask, confused. 

"That !" Jean waves wildly at the steaming Titan. "You were just standing on its shoulder, doing nothing. It was going to eat you and you just stood there."

"I wasn't just standing there!"

Jean puts his hands up in the air in angry, mock surrender. "I know. You were 'studying' it or whatever. But you can't do that, (Y/N)! You're going to get yourself killed!" 

"But did you see its ears?"

"Why would I be looking at its fucking ears?!" Jean shouts. "I almost died because you were looking at a fucking Titan's ears?!" 

"They were strangely shaped!"

"All ears are strangely shaped! They're ears! That's what they do!" He stops himself and rubs his temple. "Why am I arguing with you? You're never going to change."

"But if we understand how the Titans work," I argue. "We can-"

"Defeat them I know, (Y/N)," Jean sighs. "But you have to be more careful."

I hum noncommittally and swing myself up onto my horse. "Titans are fascinating creatures, aren't they?" I say as we ride to rejoin the expedition. I turn around to Jean - who's looking at me with an expression of such exasperation it's comical - and smile. 

--

It takes us a few minutes to catch up with the rest of the Scouts. This is my second expedition to try retake Wall Rose since joining the Scouts and I like to think I'm getting the hang of it. It's incredibly interesting seeing the Titans in their 'natural habitat',  as it were. I flick my (h/c) braid over shoulder and smile at my friends as we rejoin them. Connie and Sasha both give us relieved looks as we fall in beside them. 

"Oh good, you're alive," Connie says. 

"Barely," Jean grumbles. 

"What happened?" Sasha asks.

Jean shoots me an annoyed look. "Why don't you ask her?"

"Oh god, what did you do now?" Connie groaned. 

I glare at Jean. "I didn't do anything!"

"Exactly!" Jean says. "She didn't do anything! She just stood there and nearly got eaten."

"(Y/N)," Sasha sighs. 

"The Titan had strangely shaped ears!" I protest. Connie facepalms and Sasha rolls her eyes. A red flare goes up to our right. 

"Two 10m approaching at full speed!" someone yells. I turn around and see them. One is very wide and the other is scrawnier than a malnourished tree. They race straight for us. I see the squad that is riding in front of us engage it. Hange Squad, I think. I watch as they efficiently take them down and ride back into formation. This expedition is going well, much better than the last time now that all us new cadets are a bit more seasoned. Suddenly several more red flares go up. Everyone looks around in panic to see a horde of Titans approaching from all directions. There's more than I can count from a single glance. Fascinating how some Titans travel alone and others move together. Possible signs of some level of intelligence or maybe different breeds. Our Captain gives us the order to engage and we split off from the formation; along with Hange squad and the squad behind us.