in the middle of the chaos | jean kirstein x fem!reader

16 | in the middle of the lift

Y/n let out a cry as she spun to cut the nape of a Titan that was about to swipe a bunch of her comrades. She didn't have much gas to spare, but she couldn't let her friends die. Not like this.

''Follow Mikasa!'' Jean yelled as Y/n fell into a run next to him. ''This will be a swift, decisive battle! Charge to HQ before you run out of gas! Y/n, no more recklessness!''

''Shut up!'' Y/n yelled back, though she knew he was right.

''Really, Mikasa's amazing,'' Connie commented from the back. ''Just how does she move that fast?''

Y/n looked at Mikasa at that. Her gas . . . why's she using up so much? It wasn't long before Mikasa crashed into a building, running out of gas. ''MIKASA!'' Y/n yelled along with Armin.

''Damn!'' Jean yelled. Both he and Y/n turned to follow Armin, as if on instinct.

''Jean!'' Connie called, stopping him in track. ''Take the lead for everyone! Y/n, make sure nothing too bad happens! I'll stick with Armin!''

''No, us too!'' Jean yelled, the three of them flying next to each other now.

''No! There are still more Titans left!'' Connie stopped them again. ''We need your skills!''

Y/n scoffed and continued ahead, praying that Connie, Armin and Mikasa would get back in one piece. Another Titan appeared in front of them — Y/n rose up again, twisted her body and slashed its nape, then landed on a rooftop, panting.

''Y/n!'' Jean yelled, landing next to her. ''If you're going to slay Titans, don't waste too much gas!''

''You think I don't know that?'' Y/n asked as she straightened up. She knocked on her gas tank — she could afford one more kill at most, as well as the sprint to HQ if she ran along the rooftops. Things weren't looking good. She and Jean both stood at the edge of a building, looking at HQ in the distance. It felt like they weren't getting any closer.

''This is hopeless. We can't even get close to HQ,'' Jean voiced her thoughts.

''There has to be a way,'' Y/n said. ''There has to be a way we can win, right?''

Jean's voice lowered. ''Without making sacrifices . . . '' She knew how the sentence ended, but she was glad he didn't say it out loud.

Whimpers sounded from down below. A cadet was stuck on the ground, out of gas. ''Jean, we have to—'' Y/n took a step forward, but Jean put his arm in front of her. Titans surrounded the cadet. There was no saving him unless they wanted to sacrifice themselves, too.

''Tom, I'm coming!'' a boy flew behind them.

''Stop! It's too late!'' Jean called, but the boy didn't listen. A girl followed him.

All three of them were caught within seconds. They could do nothing but watch.

Y/n's mouth hung open at the sight. Her comrades, people she'd trained with for the past three years . . . just got swallowed in front of her eyes. I'm gonna throw up again. She couldn't, not now. The sight of the fresh cadet blood running down the Titans' arms didn't help.

Slowly, Y/n looked at Jean, who looked petrified at the scene. No, he couldn't be petrified, he was the smart one, the level-headed one in such situations. Grabbing his shoulders, Y/n moved him to face her. ''Jean! Jean, snap out of it!'' Jean's shell-shocked eyes moved to hers, but his expression didn't change. ''Jean, you couldn't have done anything for them, okay? This . . . This was their choice. We have to make those sacrifices worth it and get to safety.''

Jean's mouth moved soundlessly a few times. ''I . . . I'm not . . . I can't . . .''

''Jean, please!'' Y/n said. Her hands moved from his shoulders to his temples, causing his eyes to widen even further. ''I know it's too much to ask for, but please, lead us to safety. Only you can do it.''