|𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠e𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞| ᵃʳᵐⁱⁿ ᵃˡᵉʳᵗ

|35| Commander Armin

*Warnings: Language, Violence*
-THE BOAT-

Later on during the boat trip, Y/n walked by Hange, on the deck who was muttering to herself anxiously. "Hange?" Y/n said, getting her attention, "are you okay?"

"Oh- don't worry about me," Hange sighed, "I just can't believe how far we've come. From Sawney and Bean...to this." Hange gestured out to the vast ocean in front of them.

"Yeah well, I wish I was as oblivious as you guys were," Y/n answered. "Life was better when I was shutting out the truth, the grief. But it always comes back and there's no running from who you are, so I guess it was always going to go this far."

"I miss when everything was just killing the titans outside the walls," Hange said with a smile. "It wasn't complicated, it was just- see a titan and kill it. Now it's- see a titan, remember that it used to be a person, also remember that some of them are people, and kill them anyway."

"It won't last forever," Y/n told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Whether it dies with us, we die before it ends or we live past the end. Either way, it ends for everyone eventually."

"I don't think I'll make it, what about you?" Hange asked.

"No, I don't think I'll make it either," Y/n answer with a half chuckle. "I will die fighting against the rumbling, I can feel it."

"Then leave with Annie, you don't have to fight this thing," Hange told her with a smile.

"God no- I've come to far to back out now," Y/n answered. "I was born for this sort of thing, I will live out my purpose, and die fulfilled."

"What about Armin?" Hange asked.

Y/n looked down at her hands as they rested on the metal bars along the deck of the ship. "He will be okay. He will live, I will make sure of it."

"No, that isn't what I meant. I meant, what will Armin do if you die? If you die, then what about Armin?" Hange re-asked.

"I couldn't tell you, I'll have to ask one day," Y/n answered as she rubbed Hange's shoulder as a goodbye and began walking away.

"Do it sooner rather than later! There isn't much time left for you if you are going to die," Hange told her. Y/n nodded and kept walking. She spent most of the afternoon staring out into the ocean and watching the occasional bird swoop in a steal a fish for dinner.

During the night they had made it to shore and began to get the flying boat ready. Annie wasn't coming with them and was waiting to say her goodbyes.

"Looks like I'm the only one running away," Annie said as she rubbed her arm in an awkward motion.

"It's okay, Annie," Pieck assured her. "This was never your war to begin with."

There was a pause before Reiner spoke. "I've been wanting to apologise to you, Bertholdt and Y/n." He sent her an awkward glance as he said her name, though went back to Annie. "When Marcel died, I forced the three of you to go through with the mission. If I had just decided to go back, then all of us would've gotten to go home. I'm the reason you never saw your families again. Even trying to say sorry seems presumptuous."

"You were only trying to prove yourself a Marleyan," Y/n told him. "You didn't know any different than that."

"Plus, I only just talked myself out of killing you that day," Annie added.

"Well done, I commend your restraint," Reiner said as Annie gave a half chuckle and smirked. The three of them slowly went in for a hug, Reiner embracing the two of them the most.

"Take care of Gabi and Falco, those two need it," Y/n told her with a sad smile.

"Yeah, I haven't seen those two in a while, I doubt they'll listen to me," Annie said. "They don't really listen to anyone." Annie turned to walk away, though she stopped and turned back to Y/n as Reiner and Pieck went over to Hange. "You better make it out of there, I've missed you a lot."

"I don't think I will Annie..." Y/n answered.

Tears swelled in Annie's eyes. "Well in that case, say hey to everyone for me." Y/n nodded, tears falling from her eyes. "I love you, Y/n."

"I love you too," Y/n said with a sad smile as she put her hand softly on Annie's shoulder, slinging her fingers down her arm as she walked away. They both stretched out their arms to lightly grasp onto the others as they parted. Once their finger tips met, it was like the world stopped, but Y/n knew it didn't really. Because the world will keep spinning without Annie by her side, and the world will keep spinning if she is dead.

She slowly walked over to the crowd of waving Scouts, heading specifically for the blonde boy. He held an arm out as she approached, Y/n letting him wrap it around her as he continued to wave goodbye to Annie.

The sun began to rise, the morning light shining down on everyone. They were almost finished preparing the airship, and everyone waited in anticipation. Y/n was beside Onyankopon making casual conversation as they watched the boat. Though something drew her attention away from that.

It sounded like sloppy, dripping footsteps. She turned her head and saw a half dead Floch raising his gun. He shakily shot three bullets before Y/n had the time to react.

She sent him flying to the back wall, hitting it with enough force that blood spouted from his mouth. Mikasa ran over just in time to make a shot at his throat.

Did he seriously hold onto the boat the entire way here?! I can't believe him-

Turns out his random shots weren't so random, he hit the fuel tank three times. They were planning on patching it with tin, which would take about an hour. At first it seemed like the best plan, but something changed.

The ground started to rumble and everyone's heart dropped into their stomachs. "No no no no," Y/n muttered in a slight panic as she rushed outside. She saw the large titans storming in from the horizon.

Armin suggested he stay behind to fight them, but he was needed for the plan with Eren. Reiner then suggested he go, but Hange stated that they needed to save the titan shifters for Eren.

So she volunteered herself to stay behind. Y/n didn't think she was serious at first, until she walked over to Armin and made him commander. His eyes went wide and he didn't know what to say. By the time he could come up with an answer, Hange had already left to go talk to Levi.

"You heard that too, right?" Armin asked her, still in shock.

"Yes I did, Commander," she answered.
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