ꜰʀᴇᴇᴅᴏᴍ [] ᴇʀᴇɴ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Season One: Episode 22

Y/n jolted awake, her eyes open widely as she stared at her surroundings. Her orbs were glazed over from tiredness, small purple eye bags snug under her waterline. Her breathing slowed down gradually, realising she was safe although the thoughts of her comrades flashed into her mind. She felt weak and useless, she should have died, not them.

In a desperate attempt to comfort herself she buried herself into her dark green wings of freedom, bringing the warm, soft fabric against her cheeks. Mikasa strolled over to the wagon, not realising the girl was awake until she saw her slumped body against the edge of the cart.

"Y/n! I was worried sick, I saw you drop from your Odm gear-" Mikasa's voice hitched, a trickle of a tear forming in her eye.

From what the Raven haired girl saw, Y/n looked to be in bad shape back in the forest, falling through midair after falling unconscious. It scared her to death, thinking the worst.

Y/n clutched Mikasa's hand, gripping it tightly.

"I'm sorry Mikasa, for making you worry about me," Y/n said meekly, half her face still buried in her cloak with her knees tucked into her chest, acting as a headrest for the girl.

"As long as you're safe now, that's all that matters. The first aid told me to tell you about your injuries. You've damaged your ribs, so breathing should be painful for the next few days." Mikasa informed soon nodding as a form of goodbye, having to return to her horse.

Y/n hummed in response, then turned her gaze beside her to see Eren. After all this time she hadn't even noticed his presence. A small gasp left her mouth as she noticed the bandages around his head, but none the less she was happy to see he was alive.

She grazed her hand over his features, her soft fingertips caressing the many scars that riddled the brunettes face. She couldn't help but feel guilty, thinking she's the one who put them there.

"If I didn't get grabbed, then maybe you'd be in better condition," Y/n mumbled to Eren's unconscious body. "I just wish for once, I could be the person to save the day, save my comrades. Instead, I'm the girl who ends up surviving by the skin of her teeth, when in reality I should be the one to die."

Y/n wanted to cry, scream at the top of her lungs but she didn't want to feel weak, so instead, she snuggled into her cape like a blanket, blocking the world around her. She felt so selfish for bearing these emotions.

She had never been special in her eyes. Eren was known for his feistiness and bravery, always wanting to be the hero. Mikasa was popular for her strength and skill, always being able to back herself with sheer technique. Armin was known for his genius mind, always being one step ahead of everyone else. Yn, on the other hand, what was she known for? She wasn't as smart, or as strong, she could never imagine being as brave as Eren.

The horses began to trot, slowly moving into full speed. The cart began to softly sway up and down due to the terrain. Out of habit, Y/n grabbed Eren's hand.

His warm hand pieced perfectly with her cold one, the two connecting like a puzzle piece. Y/n's eyes scanned his larger hand, admiring all the imperfections to grace his tanned skin. The scars, the bruises, they all looked beautiful to her like artwork.

"Watch out, we've got company!" A soldier's distant alarm pulled the girl out of her thoughts.

Two men rode horseback with a corpse slung over his shoulder, in addition, bringing two 10-metre titans with them.

Y/n wanted to call them stupid, but if it was someone she loved, she'd probably do the same. The h/c girl watched as the man's friend was swallowed whole after trying to bring back his comrade's corpse. The other failed in his attempts to save him soon ending up in the titan's hand himself.

Thankfully, Mikasa was there to save him, striking the titan's nape with power. Soon enough, the titans trailed dangerously close to the rear of the Scouts. A large thump hit the ground, a dead body began rolling on the grass, white cloth wrapped around what remained of the person.

The wagon in front of Y/n began dumping bodies in a desperate attempt to lose extra weight on the wagon. She watched as Petras lifeless body flung from the carriage, the cloth revealing her face. A grim expression crossed Y/n's features. The horses sped up, eventually losing the titans on their trail.

                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Eren!"

Eren awoke to Y/n's concerned face, her brows knit together. The boy had sweat dripping from his forehead, a look of shock on his face.

"Easy, you're in bad shape right now. It's better if you relax your body." Y/n informed her hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Where's the female titan?" Eren blurted out, his breath exhaling and inhaling quickly.

"She escaped," Y/n said, looking down at her hands, disappointment on her features.

"What do you mean- she was- we were- what about the mission?" The brunette could barely even form a sentence due to his shock.

"The mission, it didn't go as planned in the end."

"Let me guess, you had to step in and save me?" Eren questioned sadly.

"No, it's the opposite actually. If it wasn't for you I'd be dead." Y/n mentioned as she pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her head on them. "So thank you, I just wish I could have helped you more. Instead, I did absolutely nothing."

"You did more than enough, you gave me time to escape. The only issue was I chose to ignore it. If anything happened to you, I couldn't live with myself. I watched as the rest of Levi squad was wiped out but I couldn't sit and watch you die." Eren's eyes glazed over as he attempted to hold in his tears, he lay back down weakly.

"I wonder how many times you're going to have to save me before my luck runs out." Y/n laughed dryly.

The ride home was painfully long, thankfully Eren felt at ease knowing Y/n was safe beside him. Riding through the gates was torture as each civilian commented on the Scout's failure. Eren was about to yell at them until he saw those two kids again. Eyes twinkling with admiration for the soldiers.

"Awsome beat but they're still ready to go! You gotta be made of nails to ride with these guys!"

Eren couldn't hold in his tears any longer, his turquoise eyes began to pool with the salty liquid. He buried his head in Y/n's neck, his sobs muffled by the warmth of her shirt. Y/n rubbed his back comfortingly, in an attempt to ease the boy.

"It's going to be okay." She hummed.

To be continued...

(A/n): Sorry for the short chapter, I wrote this in a short amount of time so hopefully, my next one will be longer. Thank you for reading!