𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 | 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭

Chapter Sixty-Seven

It's cold outside but the fire that has been lit is keeping me warm, but even with that going I can still feel the chills on my body I can still feel the way the hair on my skin stands up.

That's because we're all here.

After leaving Floch and fleeing with the help of Pieck we've taken refuge in the forest with the others.

It's awkward and gives me the biggest wave of anxiety.

I shouted things I deeply regret to Armin; my old commander that I betrayed is here, I haven't seen Reiner in four years, my sister is free from her crystal, and the Rumbling is going on right now.

"So, is anybody going to help me out with these potatoes? Or are we just going to glare at each other?"

Hange's booming voice pulls me out of my thoughts, I look away from the night sky and to them.

No one moves or says anything until Commander Magath speaks up.

"We've gone from trading blows to breaking bread inside of a day, huh? Out of curiosity, what made you change your minds? If you let Eren Jaeger succeed, you'll be getting far more than you ever could have hoped for. You island devils will have the world to yourselves. We were the ones trying to save it. We would have been able to keep Eren and Zeke from coming into contact. If you hadn't stepped in and helped them."

He's wrong, we never wanted it to come to this. No one did, not even Eren himself.

"I'm only repeating what I already told you, General, but nobody here wants to be an accessory to genocide. That's why we're all hiding out in the woods eating stew. Instead of celebrating in town."

Hange responds to him, stating once again how against genocide they are.

"So, you finally figured out who the good guys are, huh?"

His words cause something in Jean to stir, he can't stand and be quiet any longer.

"Are you kidding me? Do you seriously think you're in the right? You're crazy. You, people, spent years trying to murder us all, and we're the bad guys because we didn't roll over and die? Screw that! We learned to fight like hell because the only other option we had was to let your Titans eat us alive! We found a way to survive and now you're going to call us devils for it?!"

My eye dashes across all the faces here while Jean keeps going. I notice the boy. Falco, I guess Armin was able to save him.

I look to Reiner, looking at what the years have done to him. Maybe it's because he's been so stressed and spent every day of his life hating himself, but he looks miserable.

My eye quickly dashes onto Mikasa. I know she's upset at me, upset at what I said to Armin I'm mad at myself for saying it.

I can't believe I could be so rude to someone I love so much.

Then my gaze stops on her, my heart feels like it's sitting in my ass just from her presence.

Annie.

I can't look away; she has placed something on me because I can't pull my eye off of her.

But it's not like I can say something to her, I don't have the courage. I'm too much of a coward to do that.

Does she hate me now? Will she ever forgive me? Has she always hated me?

These thoughts circle my head as I just stare at her, I can't look away from her. I physically can't do it, it's like I'm stuck in a trance.

A trance set by my feelings. Feelings that took me forever to come to terms with, all the feelings I tried so hard to get away from are all coming back.