Attack On Titan 4 (aot x oc)

24- Pride

--- somewhere within Wall Maria, before the rumbling started ---

"Hey, Oliver! Are you okay?" a member of the Jaegerists asks as he jumps off his horse, running to one of his fallen comrades, only to be shot down as well.

He looks over in the direction of the shot as he spots Hange peering over a bush, rifle in hand as tears slip from their eyes.

"That's the last of the pursuers, Levi" Hange says as they take the tall leaves off of Levi as they tried to cover him.

Hange picks up Levi as they take him back to where they had set up camp. They get to work, remembering what Evelyn had taught them about threading stitches as they close up Levi's wound, right over his eye.

"Everyone got turned into titans and only you and Evelyn survived" Hange says as they finish off their work, "probably for the same reason you haven't died yet: because you're an Ackermann. I just hope Evelyn made it to Shiganshina safely. She had to have, right? She's Evelyn for God's sake, of course she did. What are you saying, Hange? But what to do now? We can't stop Zeke anymore, so it's up to Evelyn, Commander Pixis or Armin. Even supposing that Eren does betray Zeke, if the Jaegerists control the island with spinal fluid, we'll be fugitives for the rest of our lives. Looks like my time has come... even though I thought I did the right thing. Times change and you end up in a cell. What do you say you, Evelyn and I all live together for the rest of our lives, huh?" they say as, for a moment, they're taken into the Paths before being taken back out again, "that was...! No way...! Eren's going to...! Levi!" they says as they look at Levi who starts to sit up.

"The Beast... where'd that shithead go?" Levi asks as he looks around.

"Lie back down" Hange says as they make Levi lie down again, "it's been half a day since Zeke and the Jaegerists left for Shiganshina. What happened?".

"We botched it. He was fully prepared to die... and we didn't see it" Levi says as he remembers everything, "he got away again".

"That's unfortunate. But right now--" Hange says as they look down.

"If we run and hide, what will be left? Will Evelyn ever make it back to us?" Levi asks as he looks at Hange.

"What? Well, I guess you heard me talking to myself" Hange says shyly.

"What are you building? Are you going to pull me on that... with a horse?" Levi asks as he gestures to the pile of wood and wheels from the carriage that weren't burnt up, two horses tied to the trees, "there's no way in hell you can stay out of action".

"Yeah, you're right. I can't" Hange says as they smile softly.

--- present time in the same place ---

"My goal is to kill Zeke" Levi says as he looks at Pieck and Commander Magath who wound up finding himself and Hange, "looks like our interest align, Theo Magath, Pieck Finger".

"Levi Ackermann. It seems like you can stand up to one of the nine, but... how do you plan on dodging a bullet like that?" Magath asks, referencing to Levi's current state.

"I can't dodge a bullet, but I've come to you in this sad state" Levi says as he looks down at himself, "whether you shoot or listen is up to you".

"Then, I'll ask you this first: you say you'll kill Zeke, but where is he now?" Magath asks as he stops pointing his gun at Levi.

"Zeke's probably being held by Eren to make use of his royal blood" Hange says as they take a step forward, "no, by the Founding titan".

"It seems like the titan expert Hange knows everything-- even more than Marley" Pieck says as she looks at Hange, "have you seen the Founding titan?".