A/N: Hi guys, I'm finally updating more often now, sorry these chapters weren't much, I'm less active because of some gut-wrenching, earth-shattering medical news I received the other day... 💔 😫

(I'm fine, I just found out my initial ankle sprain was actually a broken foot, torn ligaments and stress fractures and I've been walking on that shit for 5 weeks! 🤪)

Hope you guys enjoy! ☺️

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Y/n couldn't take it anymore, she was on the brink of insanity. Days had passed and she still had neither seen the sky nor taken in a fresh breath of air. The damp grime was all she'd been breathing in. Night and day blended together, as though the world had solely narrowed down to the confines of this hell.

She was sat up on her bed with her back leaned against her headboard, barely able to keep her eyes open. The stabbing in her head persisted, fiercer, sharper. It felt as if someone had cracked her head open with a rock and rewinded time to do it all over again.

Yet worst of all was the gnawing hunger, like a feral animal was clawing at her stomach from the inside.
Y/n couldn't remember the last meal she had.

However, it felt strange; she had starved before, sometimes for even multiple days, but none were as bad as this. Y/n had begun to crave the fabric of her clothes. Even her own arm had started to look tempting.

She felt insatiable, an appetite which nothing in the world would satisfy. She was afraid the more she went on without proper sustenance, the worse she'd do to attain it. Enduring and trying to ignore it was barely getting her by.

Eren took notice of the pallor in her face, how her fingers twitched and how her eyes threatened to fall shut.

His mouth twisted in a frown, concern plaguing his mind.

"Excuse me," he turned to one of the guards. "My sister is unwell, could we please get something to eat today?"

Nothing. Only a stone cold silence and nervous sweating. They refused to even look at them.

"Just some water would be enough."

"Hey."

Eren turned to the other guard, surprised at the sudden acknowledgement.

"Know your place, animal."

"But if I could just-"

"You heard me, so shut the fuck up!"

Y/n watched as Eren was taken aback, his mouth hung open in a stunned silence. He had no other choice but to lie back down and hope for a miracle. It seemed to be all they could do. Seeing the disappointment on his face, she would have assured her brother that it would've been alright — if it weren't for the guards. Though his gesture was sweet.

This was it for them. Commander Erwin and Captain Levi had forgotten about them. No one would come for her and Eren until they starved to death.

Why were they so hated? What harm could they possibly impose? It's not like they intended to break out into the cities and eat their own people alive. They were just dumb teenagers after all. Were they really monsters that deserved to be chained up?

Maybe she was just lucky she wasn't already dead yet.

And it was thanks to two people she and Eren hadn't been blown to ribbons: Armin and Mikasa. They weren't even scared of Eren after his reveal, not one bit.

Y/n wondered what they were up to now and if they were safe and sound. She made a note to squeeze them as tight as she could the next time she'd see them again. But if anyone was coming for her and Eren, it would be, without a doubt, those two.

Her thoughts trailed to the others, Sasha, Jean, Connie, Marco, Reiner, even Annie and everyone else she had grown up with in the Trainee Corps. What had happened to them? Were they still alive?

Ever since the invasion of Trost, it felt like she'd been trapped in her own bubble, closed off from the rest of the world. She could hardly keep up with all the news, let alone process the fact that she was a Titan.

It was as if that bell tower was all that existed.

And... Felix.

Had he gotten the help he needed? Was he alright? How was he holding up? Was Felix even alive? Or had she been too late?

Maybe if she hadn't stalled, if she hadn't considered betraying him and escaping on her own — after she promised Erik she would keep him safe, just moments before the life was squished out of him. Or Nia, when she fought to protect her and Felix in her final moments.

Dear, God. Nia.

Y/n felt sick all over again. The darkness of the mound, her hauntingly pale face, the pole, the blood, the desperation in her eyes — it was all still fresh in her mind.

Her hand found the inside of her pocket, checking to see if it was still there. Relieved, she weakly pulled it out: Nia's military patch from her uniform, stained with crisp blotches of red. As Y/n cradled it in her palms, new tears resurfaced in her eyes. She could've sworn she'd already cried all of them out.

A sudden crash shattered the silence.

With a jolt, Y/n looked up to see a woman had hurled herself at the cell, hands gripping the metal bars with desperate urgency. The look in her eyes was wild, almost deranged, as she peered through the opening.

The twins froze, unsure of how to react. It was then
Y/n could scope out a better look at the woman. She wore her coppery brown hair in a high ponytail, and rounded spectacles. It appeared to be she was part of the military, wearing the emblem of the Survey Corps as a patch on her jacket: the Wings of Freedom.

Then, as if nothing had happened at all, her eyes softened as her mouth twisted into a sweet smile, all within a second.

"So you're Eren and Y/n, huh? Are you doing fine? Anything new?!" she then reached for a pouch that hung from her waist and pulled out two small bread rolls. "Sorry to keep you waiting, you must be starving. This was all I could get for you two."

She held out both hands through the cell, presenting each piece of bread to the twins. While Eren hesitantly reached for his, Y/n instantly snatched it from her hand, shoved it into her mouth and devoured it all in one bite.

The woman only blinked while Eren stared at her bewildered, his mouth hanging slightly apart yet no words came out. But Y/n payed him no mind as she chewed, eyeing his bread roll.

"Uh... I guess you were very hungry?" she quipped, though with uncertainty.

Oh, she wasn't just hungry. She was ravenous. Y/n had been planning on eating her way out of the prison at that point. And was she wrong? They were the ones keeping her stuck down there for days with barely any food or water and one bathroom visit a day.

Yet she said nothing, continuing to chew before swallowing hard a large lump of food. The meager bite of bread had barely even begun to scratch the surface of her hunger, leaving her only more famished.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" the woman's original frolic had returned. "But it seems you're finally getting out."

Though Eren was relieved, letting out a sigh, Y/n raised a brow. This had to be some sort of trick, maybe a spy they sent down? That smile, those eyes, so sickly sweet. She couldn't be trusted.

But then again, Y/n had just inhaled the food from her hand the first chance she got — without a second thought. So was she really one to talk?

Keys clinked and jingled as the woman began unlocking the lock to their cell, a sound Y/n never thought she'd hear. "Sadly, you'll have to wear these once you're out."

A second Survey Corps soldier appeared at the doorway, tall and blonde with a scruff. He walked over next to her, expression unreadable, and bearing a pair of ironclad binds for their wrists.

Great, more chains.

* ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈•ﾟ｡ *

With a group of Survey Corps soldiers, Y/n and Eren went up the stairs leading up to the outside world, their hands secured behind their backs. The door swung open and a bright flash of light violated their eyes. Y/n squinted as a warmth enveloped her face; the sun. To her it was so foreign now, she almost felt afraid to step into its presence, like one would in a stranger's. How long had it really been?

"Apologies for my manners! I was so excited to meet you, it's slipped my mind to introduce myself." the woman with the spectacles cheered.

"I'm Hanji Zoë, a Survey Corps leader."

Just as Y/n was about to say something, she felt a sudden sniffing behind her ear. Even Eren pulled a disgusted face.

"What the hell are you doing?" she and Eren snapped away from the tall, blonde soldier.

"He's another squad leader, Mike Zacharius."

"Um... Why is he sniffing me and my sister?"

"Ahh, don't mind him! He has a habit of smelling new people he's just met..."

Mike leaned back and paused for a moment. A fulfilled smile then tugged at the corners of his lips.

"...And then smirking."

Neither Eren nor Y/n knew how to react. The best they could do was take a few steps away as he proceeded like normal.

"I don't think it has any real meaning... After all, Mike's a decent enough person to have been given a squad."

"Wh- wha- huh?" each question remained unfinished. The soldiers continued to stroll as if this were a daily occurrence. Maybe this was just how the Survey Corps was?... Would she also have to get used to it when she'd join? Obviously that was only if she'd make it past today — assuming she and Eren weren't being walked to their own deaths.

"Ohhh, sorry! Too much chit-chat. We're already here," Hanji stopped abruptly before a pair of large, wooden doors. She gripped the handles and the doors swung open. "Don't worry, it's actually better not to get any explanation in advance."

"Hey-"

Two of the soldiers grabbed them firmly by the arms, manhandling and shoving them towards the doorway.

Y/n tried to resist, planting her feet into the ground. "Wait! What's happening-"

"I know it's selfish, "Hanji's demeanor switched to a more stern one. "But we have no choice but to blindly trust you."

"You?! Blindly trusting us?" Eren gritted his teeth.

"Good luck!"

And with that, the two were pushed inside as the double-doors slammed shut.

Fate wove its tapestry, each thread spun from decisions that felt both chosen and imposed. Just how would it twist their lives now?

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