Her Lady Love [FemHangeZoexFemReader]

Chapter 9: Expedition

(Y/N) looked up at the sky, noticing the faint green smoke lingering in the air from the last signal. They had left the walls less than an hour ago, and so far, it was a smooth ride. They hadn't seen any titans yet. Only Commander Erwin knew the true meaning behind the expedition. Retrieving Hange's titans had only been a side plan.

"I wonder where the titans are," Hange mused, riding on the horse nearby.

"I bet you're excited to capture one," (Y/N) grinned.

"I am! This time, I want to learn more about the genetic history and gene pool. I wonder if their DNA is similar to humans..."

(Y/N) smiled before reminding herself that she could not be distracted during an expedition. It could be fatal, to both her team and to herself. She ripped her eyes off Hange and turned her attention back towards the grounds in front of her. She could see dilapidated houses from abandoned districts. Her heart clenched as she remembered the catastrophic event from five years ago.

A loud noise directed (Y/N)'s attention to the sky again. Red smoke. There was a titan in the formation. She wondered how it had gotten through the scouts in the rear. She reassured herself that the scouts nearest to it would take care of it. Two more loud shots rang, indicating red smoke, this time at different points in the formation.

"That's not good," Hange muttered.

"There are three titans in the formation?" Moblit frowned. How had that happened? Another shot and green smoke filled the air, signaling a change in the plan.

"Everyone, be on your guard!" Hange called out. "We're changing the formation!"

(Y/N) sat tense on her horse, scanning her eyes across the horizon. A titan could appear at any second. That thought scared her. She hadn't actually seen the scouts in action yet and had only heard stories of soldiers who had given their all and died for the sake of it.

"There's one to the left!" Moblit called out.

(Y/N) snapped her head towards the direction and felt her heart drop. A 7-meter titan was running their way, a crazed look on its face. (Y/N)'s instinct told her to run. It told her to change the direction of the horse, to ignore orders, and to just run for her life. But she didn't. She took a deep, shaky breath, and focused on listening to orders.

"Moblit, Kai, you two take that one out, (Y/N) fire the red smoke signal," Hange ordered.

(Y/N) scrambled for the smoke gun and covered her ear as she shot it towards the sky. Moblit and Kai, the other scout on Hange's squad, pulled out their blades and used their ODM gear to swing themselves onto the buildings nearest to the titan. Kai focused on slicing the tendons in the titan's ankles while Moblit's task was the slice the nape.

Hange watched the two closely as they advanced, making sure the two scouts were able to do their job. Everything was going well until the titan grabbed hold of Moblit's ODM gear and used it to yank Moblit away, causing his body to smash onto the roof of a nearby building. As if things couldn't get any worse, another titan appeared from the right, making its way towards the center of the formation.

Hange cursed and pulled out her own blades, ready to spring into action. Two more scouts jumped from their horses, tasked on taking out the titan to the right. (Y/N) felt as if she couldn't breathe. Her eyes trained on Moblit's unmoving body on the roof. He couldn't be dead. Moblit is alive, (Y/N) tried reassuring herself, He is alive.

"(Y/N) go check on Moblit and take him to one of the medic carts. I'll take care of this one," Hange yelled as she lept from her own horse.

(Y/N) nodded and took off on her own ODM gear, her fingers hovering over her own blades. She landed next to Moblit and instantly checked for a pulse. She cried out in relief when she saw the rise and fall of his chest. He was alive. (Y/N) shook Moblit desperately.

"What—" Moblit groaned as he came back to consciousness.

"Oh, thank god!" (Y/N) exhaled, assisting Moblit into a sitting position.

"I need to help..." Moblit struggled into a sitting position.

"No, you need medical attention. I think you broke your ribs. We've got to get you to a medic cart!" (Y/N) scanned the area around her. The titan to the right had fallen due to the two scouts slicing its nape.

"Hey!" (Y/N) waved her hands trying to get their attention. They noticed her yelling and flew over to the roof she and Moblit were on.

"Can you get him to the medic cart? I think his ribs are broken," (Y/N) pleaded.

The two nodded and grabbed Moblit's arms, using both of their strength to carry his weight. (Y/N) turned to see how Hange and Kai were dealing with the other titan. Another titan had appeared from the same direction. Kai shifted his focus on the new one and Hange continued her advances on killing the current one.

"I really don't want to hurt you," Hange sang, avoiding the titan's grasp.

(Y/N)'s eyes widened. Hange couldn't be thinking about capturing a titan during a time like this. It was too dangerous. The titan reached for Hange again, desperate to grab her. This time, Hange landed on his shoulder.

"Say, don't you want to come with me? I promise to be gentle!" Hange grinned.

"Section Commander," (Y/N) yelled, "I don't think that's a good idea!"

"Oh, no worries (Y/N)! This one is a sweetheart," Hange chuckled.

"But—"

In the few seconds that Hange had been distracted by (Y/N)'s comments, the titan had shot out his hand and managed to wrap it around Hange, squeezing her. (Y/N) cried out and leapt from the roof, yanking her blades out. At that moment, her mind had stopped working and her body kicked into autopilot.

Hange's grin had been wiped from her face and an expression of pain replaced it. The titan's grip was too tight. It opened his mouth and started to raise his hand, ready to eat Hange. (Y/N) used her ODM gear to avoid getting grabbed by his other hand and used her blades to slice the titan's fingers, releasing Hange from its grasp.

(Y/N) growled and used her momentum to swing herself onto the Titan's head and dug her blades deep into its nape. The titan fell to the ground, dead. Before the body of the titan could even hit the ground, (Y/N) had reached Hange's side.

"Hange?" She asked, fearfully.

Hange's eyes were closed and her body was limp. Blood was pooling around her, coating (Y/N)'s hands and knees. (Y/N) raised a shaky hand and placed it near Hange's heart, praying she would find a heartbeat. She felt nothing. She reached for Hange's wrist, this time full of panic, and placed two fingers on her pulse. Nothing again. Tears sprung to (Y/N)'s eyes but she didn't give up. She knelt over Hange, placing her ear near Hange's mouth and nose, and prayed that she would hear a breath.

A few seconds passed before (Y/N) heard the slightest breath and the smallest rise and fall of Hange's chest. Hange was alive. Unable to control her panic anymore, tears streamed down (Y/N)'s face as she looked around her for help. There were no more titans, all of them obliterated by the scouts. But there were also no more scouts. No one was there to help.