Against The Tide

Chapter Five: Unexpected Change

A/N: I likely don't need to put this warning since this is rated M for Mature...with that said things get steamy in this chapter, and my wife's writing can get quite...intense ;D So just be warned, this is a smut chapter.

Once the unusual trio were settled inside, Mikasa made some tea for everyone as they sat in the living room. At this point it was dusk and it had begun raining outside, the drops could be heard against the roof and it had become slightly colder. Mikasa sat down quietly next to Armin, keeping her cardigan on and sipping her tea slowly. She looked at him a few times, wanting to bring up her anxiety and her concerns about him leaving...but she also didn't know how to form her anxiety into proper words.

So instead she chose to focus on Hange, who was sitting across from them on the other couch. Mikasa gently set her cup down on the table and exhaled. Armin sensed a tension lingering within Mikasa's posture, looking at her a few times, but only meeting her anxious glance once. He frowned slightly, keeping his silence as he allowed the two girls to talk. Naturally, his hand moved to reach over toward hers on the table. Carefully, he grasped it softly, moving to give it a firm squeeze. When he was able to grab her attention, he allowed his lips to form into a small reassuring smile. Mikasa appreciated his gesture, gently squeezing his hand back before looking at Hange.

"How's everyone been doing...? Last I knew the Jaegerists had made Paradis nearly unlivable but...I haven't heard much since then. Are the others okay..? And what about Marley..?" Mikasa found herself asking way more questions than she initially planned on, but she was desperate to no longer be in the dark about things.

Hange seemed rather fixated on her tea, immediately moving to grab it before placing the rim of the cup to her lips and sipping the warm liquid. Her time in the boat wasn't a pleasurable one, and the warmth from the tea had been much needed. Although she was enjoying it, her frown seemed to take over her features, and she silently moved to place the cup back down on the table. She looked to Armin, nodding in understanding, recognizing the lack of details he had given his friend.

"Armin's been right to keep details from you. Eren's little cult has put us in quite a predicament, and Marley wants us all dead...more than ever. It isn't often we're faced with succession, rather.. failure has been quite normal. We've lost a lot of our comrades purely through the sadistic ways. Some don't even get to open their eyes from sleep to fight." Hange began to explain, a somber tone lingering over her harsh words as she turned her head towards the window, allowing the droplets falling against the glass to distract her slightly.

"I've seen more bloodshed in my time as a commander than I did when Titans were the only problem. We've been faced with the reality of cruel humanity, and it's kicked our asses."

"Eren is a childhood friend for both of you. And there was a time when I believed he was our answer. Instead.. he's become our enemy and turned our people against us with that bullshit lie. Now knowing that he's alive... those Jaegerists will be attacking full force. I wouldn't be surprised if we had plenty of casualties just as soon as I had left." Hange continued, moving to take a sip from her tea again, leaning her elbows against the table as she allowed her head to drop slightly.

"Eren's and your so-called deaths have been hard on them. And none of us have been able to adjust simply because of that. Now with Armin gone.. my soldiers were shattered. They have lost their courage and were grasping onto the broken string of humanity. I wish I could provide you better news.. but we've been in a living hell." She finished, reaching to take another sip of tea.

Mikasa's face fell, though she wasn't at all surprised. Hearing Hange speak about how Armin's absence has affected everyone also didn't ease her anxieties. If anything, it amplified them. She knew it was selfish to ask Armin to stay. She knew it wasn't right. But...she didn't want him to leave her.