hopeless | jean kirstein

18 | friends

The Armored Titan stood just ahead of them, the ground beneath them quaking with every step he took, his footsteps resulting in heavy thuds that echoed throughout the grassy lands. Squads of soldiers, both Scouts and Military Police alike, were found trailing behind his tall stature, eager to catch up with his pace.

They left the Walls just an hour ago, encountered countless Titans and lost a multitude of troops just to get to this point. They've sacrificed lives, far too many to even turn back and call off the mission. The memory of it all swam through Taryn's mind, only furthering her spirit to keep on going. They were to retrieve Eren and settle the score between enemies, and they weren't going to return emptyhanded.

"He's not fast enough to escape! We'll catch up!" Jean yelled from his position ahead of her, a hopeful look etched on his features as he assessed the situation. Indeed, the distance between them and the Armored wasn't great, and if they kept at it for a little bit longer, they'd surely be able to reach the target in no time.

From his side, Mikasa's face darkened, her malicious gaze locked unto Reiner's retreating form. "This time, I won't hesitate. I'll kill them both, I swear," She uttered sharply, her voice dropping to an octave lower than her usual tone. In her current state, she was intimidating, if not deadly. "And if Ymir gets in my way, she's asking for it too. No matter what it takes, I'll do it."

Her words gave Taryn the strength she needed. She was right, there was no time for hesitation. With Ymir turning on them at the last minute, the girl had it made it clear where she stood, and it was definitely not towards working together.

And yes, they had been friends for over three years, but all of those were forgotten and destroyed just in a matter of hours. It didn't change the fact that they were murderers, that they were the ones who allowed innocent civilians to be brutally killed. With all the emotions running through them right this moment, being merciful seemed to be the least plausible option.

Just as she turned her focus back to the scene, Mikasa plunged into the air, taking all of them by surprise. They watched as she advanced towards the Armored Titan, aiming for Bertholdt perched on Reiner's back.

"Oi, Mikasa!" Connie called after her in worry, but to no avail, as the girl had already pulled out her blades and had started to attack. Their eyes followed her form as she circled the enemy, striking at Bertholdt until he finally called out to Reiner for help, his Titan's hardened fists enclosing around the boy.

Jean narrowed his eyes at the sight, before letting his wires shoot off, his hooks attaching unto the Armored Titan's body. "Well, what are we waiting for?" He zoomed into the air, glancing back at them all with an encouraging look on his face. "Let's get that blockhead back!"

Taryn snickered at him before sharing a look with Sasha and Connie beside her, and the three of them flew into the air as well. They landed on Reiner's shoulder, hearing the faint sounds of someone grunting, the clanging of boots against armor, and they could only assume that it had been Eren struggling to free himself from the enemy's grasp.

"Quit it, Eren!" They heard Bertholdt's voice from inside the Titan's closed fists, his tone anxious and terrified. "Don't struggle!"

"Good luck with that, Bertholdt," Jean gave out a chuckle, although they could sense that there was no humor to his tone. "It's impossible to get him to calm down, he's the most irritating guy there is!" He continued on saying. "I hate him as much as you do, so let's beat him up together. Why don't you come out there?"

Mikasa kept on trying to break into the space, smashing her blades against the surface, the normally hard steel shattering with each time she did so. "Bertholdt, give him back!"