Hate's a Type Of Love (Jean X Reader)

15. A Close Call

Reader POV

Getting back to the base was easy from there. It wasn't far, but it sure felt like it every time I used my injured leg to land on a rooftop or run along a surface. Finnian supported me with an arm around my waist as we landed in the base's courtyard and made our way quickly over to one of the Garrison section commanders. "The titans have nearly wiped out everyone that was patrolling the foremost areas of the city. We managed to get a bunch of citizens to the inner gate but there could be more out there that got left behind..." Finnian spoke up and the Garrison soldier gave us his full attention, listening as Finnian continued his explanation of what we saw and did. The soldier then turned to everyone else gathered in the courtyard that was looking horrified. "Alright everyone, listen up!"

He went on to give orders to all the able-bodied soldiers and then turned back to Finnian and me. "How bad is that leg? If you can still fight I need you out there with the vanguard holding back the titans while we work to get as many citizens to the inner gate as we can." I really didn't want to go back out there and face the titans again, but my wound wasn't so bad that I couldn't function. I knew how to suck up the pain and push on through it from how many sore days I spent training at the beginning of our three years as trainees before my body finally got used to the hard labor of it all. It hurt like hell but hopefully, the bleeding wouldn't be so bad that I'd start to feel weak while out there amidst the chaos.

Finnian was reluctant to take me with him and as I walked past him he grabbed my arm to stop me. "You can't go back out there. You could barely keep up on our way here." I frowned at him and tried to pull my arm away from his grasp. He didn't let it happen. "We need every soldier possible out there right now. I can't just sit here and do nothing." I protested against my better judgment. Finnian was right, I was a liability out there but even though my fear wanted me to listen and stay here at the base, my sense of duty told me I should be out there helping in any way I could even if it killed me. I was a soldier after all... "I don't care. You're too injured to be out there right now. You need to get that leg treated and stay here in case anyone comes back in need of gas or blades. I lost one squad member. I don't want to lose another one today." He tried to reason with me and I looked down at the ground with a defeated sigh. He had a point and if it meant I could still be useful even though I was injured then I couldn't really argue with that. "Alright, fine. Be careful out there..." "I'm gonna go kick some titan ass. Just you watch. I'll come back here with more kills than anyone else!" I rolled my eyes at his excitement. It was clear in his eyes he was scared to go back out there but he was being a soldier and pushing through.

Once inside the Supply Base building I found one of the medics stationed here to get my leg patched up, completely missing Jean as we passed by each other in the crowd of soldiers scrambling to get where they had been instructed to go.

Jean POV

As I followed Conny and Sasha to where we were to meet with some Garrison soldiers and move out to the vanguard, I caught a glimpse of familiar (h/c) hair pass through the crowd and I paused to turn and see if it really was her. I hadn't seen her since yesterday and with all the chaos today I'd been worried sick about her. I didn't know if she was alive or dead and I'd felt sick to my stomach all morning because of it. One look that lasted longer than just a second at her back told me it really was (Name). She was alive. But I noticed the limp in her gait as she walked through the people toward the entrance of the base and I scanned her figure for the injury in a panic. How bad was it? I spotted it easily, the bloody scarf tied around her thigh. Had she been bitten? Thrown against some rubble? Or had she perhaps cut herself free from a titan's grip? Whatever it had been that caused it, it had sure bled a lot and probably hurt like hell to put weight on. But that aside, it made my heart feel a bit lighter to know that, though injured, (Name) was alive and in one piece. "Jean, hurry up!" Conny called to me from a short distance and I ripped my gaze away from (Name)'s retreating form to catch up with the rest of my assigned squad.

~~~~

I moved to attach my wires farther down some buildings along a road as we ran away from a couple of titans that had spotted us and decided we looked like prime targets, only to find that my gas had all but run out. I was running on fumes now and that wasn't good at all. We still had half a city between us and the Supply Base that we had been trying to get back to so we could resupply our gas and blades and get back out here into the fray once more. Well... Easier said than done. Clearly. With the lack of forward momentum, I had to detach my wires and let myself land roughly on the ground below. I somersaulted to avoid harming myself and quickly pushed myself to my feet after. There was still one titan behind me and I couldn't stay still, I had to keep moving. Perhaps I could outrun it? I'd at least give it a try. I didn't want to die here if I could avoid it.

I took off running down the street, occasionally casting glances over my shoulder to see how far behind the titan was. Not that far. Damn it. I could almost feel it's footsteps shake the ground as it followed me at a lumbering gait. I swear this thing was toying with me, walking as if it knew I couldn't outrun it on foot. But I was still keeping this distance at least so it couldn't just reach out and grab me. But as I turned down the next street to continue my run I came to a screeching halt and cursed under my breath. A fallen building blocked the path and I couldn't easily climb over it without the use of my ODM gear... I glanced around for any other way out of this and saw nothing right away other than an open house door that I was quick to dart into as I realized the titan chasing me hadn't turned the corner yet and didn't have a line of sight on me for the moment. If I hid would it be able to find me? Or did it only use its ears and eyes and not it's nose? I suppose we'd soon find out as I took a hiding place seated against the wall under the window inside the house, peeking out only for a moment as I tried to catch my breath quietly. I had to still myself and be as silent as possible for this to hopefully work out. I quickly ducked back down and covered my mouth when I saw the titan turn down the street and begin toward where I was hiding. I couldn't see it anymore from this position, but the shadow that completely blocked out the window a minute later told me it was probably looking right through the window into the house for any humans to dig out and eat. I held my breath and sat perfectly still, eyes wide as I kept my focus on the shadow of the titan head where the light from the window was supposed to be. This was way too intense for me. I'd never felt this level of pure terror before in my life and I really didn't like it.

Only when it's shadow moved and I heard it's footsteps move on up over the blockage in the street did I peek out the window again to look for a way out. Then I spotted it under the rubble of the fallen building. A dead Garrison soldier with undamaged gas canisters. I had to see if they had anything left in them. That was my way out of here. I cautiously came out of my hiding place and peeked out the door, looking both ways down the street. The titan that had been chasing me was milling about just beyond the rubble though it was facing the other way for now. And there was nothing on the other side of the street for now. This was my chance. I had to make a break for it or I might actually be stuck here and find myself dead before the sun was highest in the sky today...

I ran from the doorway to the dead soldier and tried to detach their gas canisters and put them on my own gear as fast as I could but that meant sacrificing being quiet about it. And unfortunately, that also meant the titan nearby heard me and turned my way once again, slowly walking back over until it loomed over me from the other side of the rubble. "Hey, over here you big freak!" A call came from a familiar voice and I saw Conny's shadow whizz by behind the titan's as I was just finishing getting the new gas canisters attached to my gear. They were about half full which would have to do. Conny had distracted the titan just long enough for me to make a break for it, running back down the street a few steps before I was able to shoot up back onto one of the rooftops and rejoin Conny on our run toward the Supply Base.