Allies and Enemies (AoT Reader Insert)

Chapter 33: Let's Be Heroes

Gabi was the first to jump to Falco's aid as he fell to the floor. Blood was quickly pooling around the boy's face as he layed on the deck of the ship unconscious. The Crystal Shifter had punched the boy so hard that the boy's jaw was completely shattered. If he hadn't been a Titan Shifter, he likely would have died.

As Gabi frantically checked Falco's vitals, Pieck and Emanon were the only two to immediately oppose the Crystal Shifter.

"(Y/n)!" Emanon, despite having received several wounds as well, placed herself between her mentor and Falco. "Why did you punch Falco?! He said he was sorry!"

"I know, but being sorry doesn't change the fact that he didn't think it through." The Shifter replied. Despite her actions, her words weren't cold. She didn't even seem angry - something Pieck was very thankful about. After all, actions driven by anger are often the most dangerous actions a person can take.

"Still, punching him hard enough to break his jaw?" Emanon continued, suppressing her own flurry of emotions. She could feel her heart pounding from the massive influx of emotions, but she did her best to keep her composure. "That's too far."

"Not only did Falco deliberately disobey all of his superiors, he used his Titan abilities in a hostile environment where he could have, and did, hurt one of his comrades! Where would you be if he had slaughtered you, Ema? What could you have done if he had managed to devour Reiner or Annie?!" The Crystal Shifter sighed deeply, her expression softening before continuing. "The fact of the matter is that it wasn't just us at risk. Falco could've been killed back there. His first transformation isn't just dangerous for the people around him, but for him. If one of those Scouts got to him before I did, he would've died. Falco taking a hit from me means he learns a lesson. If he takes a hit from someone else, he wouldn't have had a lesson to learn."

Before Emanon could form a response, (Y/n) had turned from the rest of the group and walked away. Though the young Cadet attempted to follow her mentor, Pieck stopped her.

"You probably shouldn't be following her around right now." The older Warrior suggested. "You may not have taken a blow, but she's frustrated with you, too. What you should really be worried about is yourself. We need to clean your wounds before they get infected, and we need to do something about your burns."

"What about Falco?"

"Falco may not be a fully fledged Warrior, but he's a Titan Shifter. It'll take more than a broken jaw to kill him."

---

After the fiasco with (Y/n) and Falco, someone on the ship had pointed out that Commander Magoth was not on board. Very quickly, Pieck had realised that her Commander had never intended to leave the island alive. She, as well as the others, had watched as one of the ships at the harbour exploded.

Reiner had offered to take Falco down to one of the ship's resting bays while one of the Scouts, Connie, said he would help Emanon with her wounds. From there, Pieck had consoled a sobbing Gabi until she had eventually fallen asleep.

For a while, Pieck sat on the deck of the ship as she combed her fingers through Gabi's hair. The young cadet reminded Pieck of a simpler time - a time where she wasn't such an influential figure. Pieck had never been quite as gung-ho as Gabi, nor as dedicated or persistent, but the Shifter decided that things were better that way. Pieck was never someone to act purely on her emotions anyway.

Sometimes Pieck envied the way the younger Cadets interacted with each other. For better or for worse, they unapologetically cared about each other. They consistently threw themselves into the line of fire to protect each other. It's true that the other Warriors would put their own lives on the line for each other, but it was different.