Some Say (Jean Kirstein X Reader)

Chapter Thirty Five

I buckle Marco onto my back as though he was a baby again. His little hands rest on either side of my neck. I wish I could leave him out of this, protect him from whatever he is about to see. To shelter him from what I had to bear witness to as a child.

Life isn't fair. Life will make you choose, sometimes it's the right choice and sometimes it's not. Right now, I have no other choice.

"Are you ready, Marco?" I ask.

"Yes." He sounds unsure.

"I'm sorry," I whisper to myself as we take off.

He squeals with joy as we swing through the buildings, without the walls it's going to take a little longer to get anywhere.

"Mummy, this is so much fun." He shouts into the wind.

I guess he's right. I never thought about how freeing it is to do this. Maybe one day I will get the chance to show him how to do this as well without the threat of titans or Marley breathing down our necks.

Shingashina is almost destroyed. It's clear that titans have been fighting here. Buildings flattened, smoke rising, blood and bodies scattered. The memories start to come back to me and I have to stop on a nearby roof. I need to get a grip, this is not the time to be having flashbacks.

The last time I was here. The last time I fought here. I lost it all.

The blood.

The screams.

Reiner...

Bertholdt...

Erwin...

My hands tremble as I steady myself. A voice captures my attention, someone is yelling or talking very loudly. It's coming from a nearby building. People, survivors maybe. Could Jean be there? He's always been a leader, helping people when they needed it.

I suck in a deep breath, clearing my mind. Nothing is going to stop me this time. I take off from the roof and make my way to the other building where the voices are coming from.

A shot echoes around me. My eyes snap in every direction, making sure no one is following me.

"Marco, are you okay?" I ask a little too panicked.

"I'm good." He responds.

I stop on the top of the building, looking down at the people. One, in particular, stands out, it's Jean. He's alive.

"Daddy's fine, Marco," I tell him.

I feel him wriggle a little to look over my shoulder. I point down at Jean who has a gun in his hand. I'm about to step down when a familiar titan crawls up over the side. In a split second, she lunges at him, taking him in one bite.

The scream leaves me before I have a chance to process what actually happened. All eyes move to me as Pieck runs away.

"Dad!" Marco shouts.

Floch aims his gun up at me and I slip backwards, avoiding his aim. He starts yelling something and I take this time to see where Pieck is going. There is no way I'm going to let her get away with this.

I chase after Pieck, rage and hatred burning through me. She eventually stops in a clearing and I pull my blade out. Three figures fall out of her mouth. I drop the blade and it clatters to the ground, alerting everyone to my presence.

I land next to Pieck, staring at Jean like it's the first time I've seen him. He stands up, dripping in slime. He turns to face me and I can't help but smile like an idiot.