The Titan Queen - Levi X Reader

Chapter 21 - The Extermination

"Are we ready to have ourselves a party?" You asked, opening the door to the boys' bedroom and raising an eyebrow at the chaos inside. For some reason, everyone had chosen to inhabit this room instead of your room – or even the girls'.

"Are you entirely sure we're leaving tonight?" Sasha said, pulling the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder as she kicked a pair of Connie's shoes away from her.

"Entirely," you said, baring your teeth at her. "Now, Petra, I think I asked you for something?"

Petra dug around in her neatly-packed bag and threw a few packs of dye in your general direction. You snagged them easily. "Dare I ask why you need hair dye?" Petra ventured, leaning towards you. You were nearly about to answer before Connie cut across you.

"She doesn't like to answer things outright – don't believe anything she says."

Isabel snorted, eyeing Connie with a frank disgust that was amusing to see. Sasha merely nudged the boy with her foot, flicking her brown eyes deliberately to Marco – who was merely standing against the wall, as he had been for what you'd predict to be most of the night. Right – they had all come to the decision that this was Marco's fight to pick with you. Not anyone else's. "As charming as that notion is," you replied, bagging the dye that Petra had brought, "I just need it for some children in addition to Mikasa and Christa. To keep them safe, and all."

"You're dying Christa's hair?" Ymir repeated, her eyes flickering in warning.

"It's only temporary," you said, waving a hand. "It's only meant to last long enough to get her out."

"So she gets out, but not Jean," Marco hoarsely muttered, before nodding to himself. Ymir shot him a look of pure dominance, signalling to find some other topic to grouch about. You straightened at the quiet doubt, more than ready to go up to the boy and fight about it. You were sick of being doubted and sick of being snapped at.

As you opened your cruel, smirking mouth to begin making Marco suffer, though, Petra caught your eye and raised an eyebrow.

That one movement stopped you dead in your tracks. It said that she understood, she really did, about what you were thinking. It was hard to have people hate you – she would know. But with the lift of one slender eyebrow, you heard the unspoken question of 'do you really want to do this?' as loudly and clearly as if she'd said it out loud. So instead of going to fight, you merely took a long breath and forced your posture to relax.

Your allies were few and fragile. Already, they were splintering from you – and that was the last thing you wanted to happen. So you would not prove them right in your hot-headedness. You would let them think whatever they'd like – but you would not prove their misguided thoughts correct.

Petra relaxed at the same time that you did, falling further into what must have been Armin's pillows. You shot her an impudent glance that you knew would amuse her and began walking back to the door. Isabel shied away from Ymir to walk with you, her steps light and quick.

"Why do you need dye? Really?"

You looked at Isabel with an exasperated sigh as she closed the door to the girls' room behind her. "I literally just said – I need to get Mikasa and Christa disguised. We're all leaving tonight."

"All of us?"

"I'm going with you," you nodded, making your way towards one of the children's rooms. It took you three steps to realize that Isabel was not at your side any longer; you turned slightly, eyes finding her easily enough. She'd only stopped a few steps back.

It took you a beat longer to realize that when she'd asked if all of you were leaving, she wasn't really asking about you. For a moment, you weren't sure how to feel about that.