a/n: i had written a bunch of outtakes/"lost conversations" for this story a while ago. most of them are unimportant to the plot except for this one and one that will come at the end, which is why there are 15 chapters planned but only 13 things. also idk if you guys missed her but TULLIA is back (sort of)
A tall, blond man made his way through the Liberian hospital, nodding at the doctors that he passed. They paid him no mind. He had grown up in these halls, after all, so his presence was hardly anything new or exciting.
Reaching a courtyard, he stopped at a bench. On it sat a man with long brown hair, missing an eye and a leg. The blond stood beside him and, noticing his arrival, the other man stood, using his crutch to support him. They kept a careful distance between them, and though it looked natural, it was anything but.
"Nobody suspects a thing. Why did you call me?" said the blond man, pushing his glasses up his nose curiously. It was true. Their plan was working perfectly. His companion looked at the sky, avoiding his curious gaze.
"Do you know a girl named Y/N L/N?" he said instead. The blond narrowed his eyes.
"Yes, of course I do. She's a Warrior candidate, the successor of the Cart Titan. I wasn't aware that you knew her," he said. The brunet ex-soldier shrugged.
"I know her," he said.
"What do you want with her?" the blond said, crossing his arms. An onlooker might observe that the relationship between the two men was tense. They would be right, though what exactly the nature of the relationship was remained uncertain.
"Don't let her take the Cart. She doesn't want it," the second man said, shifting his weight against the crutch slightly. The blond man let out a bark of laughter.
"She doesn't want it, or you don't want her to have it?" he said.
"Does it matter? I said she doesn't get the Cart, so she doesn't get the Cart. Otherwise, the deal's off, Zeke." The tall blond, now revealed to be named Zeke, stiffened.
"You know I don't control who gets the titans, and my input means relatively little in terms of who succeeds the Cart anyways. She's an impressive candidate, yes, but no match for you or I, even with the power of a titan. You needn't fear her, and besides, it's likely she'll die in the attack," Zeke said. To his surprise, the other man scowled.
"I don't fear her, and she's not going to die in the attack. You will make sure of it," he instructed, and though it seemed at first that Zeke had been in control, it was now clear who was really pulling the strings. Zeke frowned uneasily, not sure how to react to the other's stubbornness.
"Eren, don't tell me you've..." he trailed off with a sigh. The scarred soldier, whose name was Eren, did not respond.
"What about Tullia?" he continued. Eren gave him a sharp look.
"What about her?" he said to Zeke, who looked unimpressed.
"You're doing all of this for her, are you not? So that she does not have to accept her birthright and all that comes with it? Have you given up on her so quickly?" Zeke prodded.
"She has nothing to do with this," Eren said.
"Are you sure? What if it comes down to a choice? If I can only save Tullia or Y/N, who should I pick?" Zeke said.
"Tullia can save herself," Eren replied almost immediately, "She's capable. More capable than Y/N, by far."
"Really? Look at it objectively. Y/N is a Warrior candidate, one so good that she has already been chosen to inherit a titan. That's not an easy feat. Tullia, from what I've heard, was an average cadet, not special or important in any way bar her last name," Zeke said.
"Don't talk about her like that," Eren said coldly.
"I'm not doing it to be cruel, brother, I'm doing it so that you understand that no matter how she may seem, Y/N is as dangerous of an enemy as the others. We cannot waste time or resources trying to save someone who wishes us dead." His brother, though it was impossible to tell that they were siblings, shook his head.
"She is no danger. I don't care how you do it, but she will survive the attack. She deserves that much, at least," he said. Zeke let out a long sigh.
"What is she to you?" he said.
"We are...friends, I think," Eren said, deliberating only briefly before nodding.
"Friends. You would give everything up for a 'friend.' To be honest, I always thought you loved Tullia," Zeke said, stroking his chin absently.
"Stop bringing her up," Eren said, though he did not deny it, a fact that Zeke took careful note of.
"So what, then? Is Y/N your consolation prize? You couldn't get the girl you wanted, so you take the first one that pays any sort of attention to you?" he said.
"It's not like that," Eren said, even though maybe it was.
"No matter what she does, she'll always be second place in your eyes. You may say that you are prioritizing her during the attack, but that's only because your confidence in Tullia's abilities far outweighs your trust in Y/N, despite the latter having proved herself as much as the former."
"Enough. Do not mention her again. Whatever I felt for her is in the past. She made her choice, and now I am making mine. We have protected her before because of her name, but when the attack happens, if it comes down to her or Y/N, let Tullia die." Zeke recoiled at the venom in his brother's words.
"I never thought you would say such a thing about her. Did her rejection really hurt you that much?" he said. Eren's face was impassive.
"Pain, suffering, it's all normal for me now. What she did hasn't made things worse or better. I'm used to people being cruel to me or treating me like a weapon. It's how it has been since I was discovered to be a titan shifter, all of those years ago," he said, single eye taking on a faraway look.
"I may not know you well, but I am still your brother, and we have the same tells. You are lying through your teeth. You still love Tullia, and you are using Y/N to get over her, and to assuage your guilt over what you are going to do. Reminds me of Reiner," Zeke said with a scoff.
"Reiner. Yet again, we are on opposite sides, or at least so it seems," Eren mused.
"If I'm being honest, I almost hope Reiner wins. At least he is unselfish in his caring for her. He isn't taking advantage of her kindness the way you are. Well, I rather doubt either of you will end up getting her, and perhaps that's for the best. She and Colt have been together for far too long. They are as loyal to each other as the Ackerman girl was to you," Zeke said. At the mention of the name Ackerman, Eren's face closed off even more.
"Maybe so. I guess it doesn't really matter to me who she falls in love with, if she falls in love with anyone at all. I don't have any illusions of her ever caring for me, after all. She pities the crippled soldier and hates the enemy of humanity. I'm fine with her cursing me until the end of her days, though, as long as you save her," he stressed. Zeke let out a deep breath, one he felt like had been holding in for a long time. He needed his brother's cooperation, and it seemed the boy wasn't going to change his mind, so he'd have to go along with this sudden whim of his. He gave a tired nod before leaving the hospital.
Saving Y/N L/N. He saw the girl heading into the hospital, a determined look on her face, and let out another sigh. It was easier said than done, considering how self-sacrificing she could be. If someone she loved was thrown into danger, it was doubtless that she would dive headfirst after them. How did he go about saving someone that didn't want to be saved?
He knew, though, that for Eren's sake, her sake, and even his own, he would have to try.
a/n: basically eren is mostly using Y/N to feel less bad about what he's going to do to Liberio 😩 he doesn't love her (yet) although he does enjoy her company. what an emo LOL 🥀🖤🔪⛓
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thirteen things | e. jaeger
Fanfiction"A list of things you wanted to do before you died - thirteen of them, one for every year." Chosen to be the next Cart Titan, it seems as though your life will end in thirteen years, in service of a country that hates you. However, with the help of...
