Chapter Text
Armin
“Annie, you won’t believe what things have become now. Marleyans in Shiganshina. Getting along with Eldians after all we’ve been through. It’s a strange sight.” Armin said, looking up to the crystalline capsule that now held Annie Leanhardt. This had become a regular occurrence for Armin. It was probably pathetic of him that it was so much easier to recount the happenings inside and outside the walls to a statue than even his own comrades. Here in this basement room where they kept Annie he could speak freely. Openly admit what he was feeling. If he was angry or scared, embarrassed. How much he sometimes felt like a failure. How often he felt like Captain Levi had made a mistake when he saved himself over Commander Erwin in the battle to retake Wall Maria.
Annie never answered back, never judged what Armin said. She simply stayed frozen in place inside that hardened shell of hers, like a child’s doll on display, waiting to be played with.
Without having to worry about suffering Annie’s wrath, Armin studied her in her glass cage. She was pleasant to look at, but in a subtle way. Her skin was fair, fairer than his. The pale blonde strands of her hair framed her face. That slender, sharp nose and her rose colored lips stayed in a permanent expression of ironic peacefulness, given everything that was going on above ground. Annie’s eyes were closed so he couldn’t see them, but he found he often wished she’d open them. He’d forgotten what they looked like and something inside of him longed to see them again. Something about her pulled him to her now, as he sat in front of her and poured all of his feelings out. It was nice to have someone to listen. Well, metaphorically anyways.
–-
Armin sat at the table that had so kindly been provided in the cell the Jaegerists had thrown them in, wishing he could be in that room with Annie again, telling her all about his feelings. But wishing for that gave him a new wave of feelings. Confusion, as to whether his fondness of Annie was really just remnants of Bertholdt’s feelings that now flowed through his body thanks to his inheritance of the Colossal titan. Anger, at the possibility Eren wasn’t lying and Armin had been oblivious enough not to realize the feelings that had blossomed were not his own. Sadness, at the realization that the Eren Jaeger he once knew was long-gone.
Truthfully, Armin was torn. They had met with Eren just hours before and he had done nothing short of attacking Armin and Mikasa with his words exactly where he knew it would hurt. And physically attacking Armin, leaving him with bruises and a black eye that, according to Jean, was darkening by the minute, before Mikasa smacked the back of his head to shut him up. Armin hadn’t had a chance to examine for himself, but judging by how much Eren’s fist had hurt his face, he knew it was bad.
He knew he could take a few punches, no matter how much he paid for it later in bruises, but what Eren had done to Mikasa, calling her a slave and reducing her to nothing? That was something he knew Mikasa would not recover from. If only he had trained harder in the art of hand to hand combat. But it wasn’t much needed in their line of work.
Even after all of that, Armin couldn’t let himself believe that that hardened older shell of his childhood friend was the Eren Jaeger he knew and loved. That wasn’t the bright-eyed, fiery kid Armin had grown up with, had dreamed of reaching the sea and exploring the world with, side by side. No, that was the shadowy eclipse of that kid. The real Eren had to be inside of there somewhere. He just had to. This sick, twisted game they’d been forced into had changed Eren into something unfamiliar. But Armin hoped, desperately, that his Eren was still there. He had to have some good reason for all of this. For abandoning his friends. Armin just wasn’t sure what it was yet.
After their meeting with Eren, Mikasa and Armin were shoved into a cell with the rest of their squad, waiting for… well Armin wasn’t sure. They hadn’t really seen any other action since they were put in here. Things had to be going on above ground. Eren was looking for Zeke, there were other Scouts’ troops in the forest guarding Zeke, but how would they fare if there were a surprise attack from people they thought were their friends?
Footsteps approached around the corner and Armin stilled, fearing someone was coming to retrieve them for whatever devious plans they might have for them. Or maybe it was Eren, coming back to taunt them again.
But it wasn’t Eren. No, this person was small and slender, her movements lithe like a cat. Like she’d spent plenty of time crawling around. Her hair was coal black, wild around her face, and her eyes a diluted grey.
Pieck Finger. She’d somehow managed to get down there undetected, but she appeared to be alone.
Armin stood suddenly, stalking towards the iron bars separating them, preparing for the worst. He tried to do a quick assessment. If she had gotten in undetected it meant security was not very tight or occupied with something else. The first option gave him hope, the second… he hoped they wouldn’t be stuck down there for long.
Pieck approached from the other side of the bars, her eyes intense but giving nothing away. In fact, Armin swore he saw a glimmer of playfulness dance across them, though her face stayed still as stone. It was the perfect porcelain reflection of an expressionless doll. Unflawed and untouched. Armin couldn’t help but compare her expression now to that of Annie. Though Annie didn’t have control over the expression on her face now, making Pieck’s seem odd in comparison. Something told Armin Pieck’s movements were calculated. He didn’t trust her.
“What are you doing here?” he asked her, eyeing the Scouts’ Jacket she had somehow managed to swipe. The others were involved in a heated discussion on the other side of the cell so they hadn’t noticed her approach yet, but they wouldn’t have stirred at seeing someone outfitted like them, neither would anyone in the building above. Armin had a feeling she knew that. It can’t have been easy for her to have acquired the disguise, which meant she was cunning enough to figure out how or she had help in Paradis. Reiner would have known where to find those items.
“Armin Arlert, is it?” she asked, stopping in front of him. “That’s quite a shiner you’ve got there. Trouble in Paradis?” Her voice was like melting honey; saccharine sweet with a playful lilt. Armin’s name rolled off of her tongue like a lullaby.
“You’re the Cart Titan.”
“Mm. I heard you were a smart one. I was told to watch out for you.” Her fingers trailed lazily along the bars under his hands, careful not to touch, but it felt as if the heat from her hand lingered there.
“What do you want?” Keeping direct and straight to the point seemed the best plan on strategy here. He could steer their conversation better that way.
“Wow, not as diplomatic as I’ve heard, then.” Her expression was even, but her eyebrow quirked up ever so slightly.
“Things change.” he grumbled.
“Indeed they do. Where are they keeping Gabi?”
“How should I know? If you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly free to roam the building.” Armin glowered at her, but she returned his stare with steady gaze. Was she risking her life just to rescue the child? If she’d gotten this far surely she could find Gabi on her own.
“So it seems. That’s unfortunate. I’d love a tour of the grounds sometime.”
“Easy to say from the other side of the bars.”
“I wouldn’t disagree. Maybe if you answer my questions I’ll help you out of your current predicament.” She leaned in closer, her face almost touching the iron rods between them. Her eyes stayed on his, “Let’s help each other out.” She rubbed her cheek along the side of Armin’s knuckles. Her skin was soft and smooth against his fingers. Armin was surprised at the heat that flooded his face at her touch. He was surely turning a rainbow with the blushing and the bruising mingling. But he recovered quickly, narrowing his eyes at her.
“This won’t work on me.”
“Oh? Is that why you’re leaning into my touch?”
“I—I’m not—“ Armin abruptly released his grasp on the bars, backing away to put space between them.
His eyes flitted to her lips without his permission There was a hint of a smirk on her mouth at Armin’s reaction. And he hated himself for letting her get to him.
“Calm down, Arlert. I just need the kid.” Armin’s brow furrowed as he studied her for a moment. He had already been wary of involving the Marleyan child prisoners that had snuck aboard their airship in Liberio. This war was no place for children.
“I really don’t know where she is. Last I saw her was when we were upstairs in a meeting room with Eren.” It’s almost unnoticeable but she perks up at the mention of Eren.
“Jaeger? She’s with him?”
“Like I said, I don’t know. I can’t imagine they’d have any reason to keep them together. To keep her…” he trailed off. They may be enemies but Armin didn’t want to be the one to imply that they really were island devils, slaughtering children. Even children who slaughtered their own. Then again, he had no idea what Eren was thinking as of late.
“Yes, so time is of the essence. Anything you know?”
“Why should I tell you? What are you planning?”
“I imagine you’re not hanging out in jail cells for fun?” She asked, peering at the others behind him, “So it seems we may not be on the same side, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
“You’re not just leading a rescue mission are you?”
“So perceptive.” she purred, “I see why you’re such an asset to them.”
“Likewise. You’re the one who found out Yelena in Marley?”
“Ahh, yes. Your bearded friend.” She smiled at the mention, but it didn't reach her eyes.
Armin contemplated the risk of letting her know where Gabi was. If Eren really was going along with Zeke’s plan, she and Armin might be farther from enemies now than before. Even if he didn’t tell her exactly where Gabi was, there was a good chance she’d find out on her own. At least if he told her now she’d have a chance to get the child out safely. “There’s another cell block down that hallway. Turn left, then right. Maybe they’re keeping her there.” he said, finally.
Pieck backed away, checking down the hallway she had just come from, “I’d free you if I could, of course, but I’ve got bigger plans. You’ve proven quite useful, though. I do hope our paths cross again, Armin.” She smiled at him as she turned and slinked down the hall Armin had pointed out. Her steps were featherweight.
“You’re an idiot.” Mikasa said from behind him, shaking her head.
Pieck
Pieck didn’t know what she expected Paradis to be. Not a nightmarish hellscape, she wasn’t that nonsensical. But it was, after all, very much like Marley when you ignored the giant looming concrete cage that housed its so-called devils.
She had encountered them firsthand in Marley. And though they were trying to kill her at the time, she had found their methods so… fresh. Humans in Marley didn’t kill titans. They ran, they feared, they screamed in terror as the titanforce was dropped upon them or charging at them, but they had never even dared to attempt fighting them. It was somewhat thrilling, if Pieck was being honest with herself. She had been growing bored of the one-sided fights with opposing nations. This was a real fight. The Scouts of Paradis had weapons. Titan-killing weapons! Exploding spears, ODM gear that let them fly around high above the titans’ heads. They had learned much after years of Marley hurling mindless titans at them and had come to Marley more than prepared to fight.
It helped, of course, that they had had the element of surprise. If Pieck hadn’t been on the opposing side she might have admired their attack strategy. Even with Reiner returned to them, Marley hadn’t seen it coming.
They were hovering above the city of Shiganshina now, where the kids and Marelyan prisoners were kept. Commander Magath had instructed Pieck on what to do before she leapt from the airship, soaring out and heading for the ground far below. She had pleaded with him to let her save Gabi after they’d found out she had survived up until the last time the Marleyan prisoners had seen her. She could save Gabi and lure Eren Jaeger into the Marleyans’ carefully planned trap without Pieck even needing to change form. Jaeger was a dead man walking.
The journey to save Gabi had proven fruitful for Pieck. When she entered their headquarters she wasn’t sure where she would need to go so she wandered for several minutes, staying out of sight of the guards upstairs. She figured they must be keeping Gabi in the basement cellars she had overheard some soldiers mentioning earlier. Hopefully Gabi was still alive.
If Pieck knew anything it was that Gabi was tough beyond her years. She surely would’ve inherited the Armored from Reiner if this whole mess hadn’t unfolded. Gabi would’ve been tough enough to live with it. She had been trained for it just as Pieck had all those years ago.
She remembered the pride in her Father's eyes as she was announced as the next Cart titan. How the other Eldians had treated her with a new level of respect. How the Marleyans revered the Cart in a way they never had when she was human. She realized it quickly. And maybe she had tucked that idea away, never to revisit it but to let it subconsciously dictate her actions.
Pieck spent a good portion of her time as the Cart. It was what it was specialized for, she just hadn’t anticipated the after-effects of feeling wrong in her human form. She was one with the Cart now. Walking on two feet felt… odd. But being on all fours would have drawn too much attention here. Everyone in Marley had grown used to seeing her crawling around or curled up on a couch. Porco often teased her about it but it was with an unspoken acceptance of the odd preferences.
The hallways of the cellars were cold and damp as she advanced through them, careful to follow the directions of the Paradis Scout called Armin. She went through their interaction again in her head as she made a right down a narrower hallway. Her thoughts were caught on those cerulean eyes of his.
What a pleasant surprise it had been when she came across half of the Devils that attacked them in Marley. They were all forced into a large cell underground, presumably by Eren Jaeger. The question was why? Weren’t these Scouts on Eren Jaeger’s side? Had they tried to usurp him? They had seemed a united front in Liberio. What had changed on this side of the sea?
She had approached cautiously, wondering if she had somehow foolishly walked into a trap. But there were no sneak attacks from any soldiers, or trap doors this time around. Pieck approached the cell and saw one of the Scouts inside watching her, realization flashing across his face. He rose in an instant, but casually walked over to the bars between them without causing too much notice for his comrades who seemed to be bickering in the opposite corner of the cell. She had seen this one before, in Liberio.
Armin Arlert. One of the members of Paradis’ Scouts. And now the colossal titan, according to Reiner. What Reiner failed to mention is that he was delicious. He had a thick golden blonde head of hair. Blue eyes, clear and unwavering. She’d never gotten a good look at him in Marley. A tad difficult when someone’s trying to kill you. But she had seen in that cellar that he had this pure essence about him, yet he seemed to be brimming with so much more under the surface. She wanted to dig into him and find out what was underneath.
She wanted to ruin him.