As always, spoilers for those who don't keep up with the manga!

Chapter Summary:

A beautiful lie is revealed.

Game-Changer

Atop Wall Rose

Nightfall

(Eren POV)

Eren fiddled with the straps of her 3DM Gear as she watched Connie deposit an unconscious Krista into Rico's (a Garrison Guard) waiting arms.

Rico gave Connie a stern glance from behind her glasses' lens. "Drink some water. No Titans will reach us here on the Wall so there's no need-"

Connie fell to his knees and clutched his head in his hands.

"-to worry."

"I can't… can't believe I'm still alive." His words were little higher than a whisper amongst the chaos, but Connie may as well have shouted them.

Eren stopped fiddling with her straps and looked away abruptly as tears spilled free from Connie's eyes. She should have kept helping with the transport of people onto the Wall. It's why she'd been given the 3DM Gear in the first place, and she had done exactly that, kept busy for a few hours on it.

But now she was here, amongst what was likely to be the only real survivors of the 104th minus the obvious few (Reiner, Bertholdt, Ymir). Those latter being names she'd managed to keep out of her mind by the sheer power of her single-minded focus.

Now though, she couldn't help but to think of it. To think of all that occurred.

It was too real, too raw, and right in front of her face.

She couldn't escape it any longer.

Her eyes fell on her brother, one of her steady anchors.

Armin's thin hands currently wound bandages around Jean's head-wound. He'd always been best at dealing with injuries.

"We've got the luck of the devil," Jean spoke up, eyes on Connie. "Coming back from something like that."

Eren locked gazes with her brother, both frowning as Armin tied the bandages off.

"How is she?" Armin asked once he made his way to her.

They both looked down at their sister, whom lay between them.

'Mikasa.'

Eren clenched her fists at her sides.

"She has a few broken ribs and a nasty bump on her head. Riding back on horseback could have only further aggravated her injuries, but she should make a full recovery so long as she receives proper medical attention," Nanaba announced. A solemn smile curved Nanaba's lips, "I… apologize. I wasn't very careful with her, not as I should have been."

Eren shook her head and aimed a grateful smile at the person who'd looked after her sister since they carefully got Mikasa atop the Wall. The person who saved Mikasa when she… had taken off after the other Shifters.

"If Mikasa were conscious she'd insist she's fine, and she wouldn't even be alive if not for you, so thank you." She looked down at her sister, "And I'm sorry Mikasa, I shouldn't have left you behind."

Armin clapped a hand on her shoulder as they watched some unknown Scouts move Mikasa away on a stretcher. "She'll be okay," he told her.

"I know," she responded, quickly.

"Commander!"

The two siblings started and turned around, shocked to find Commander Erwin collapsed in Captain Levi's hold.

They rushed over.

"What happened?" Armin demanded to know.

Levi gave the pair a brief look. "Lost consciousness." His hard gaze traveled the gathering crowd and he snapped, "He needs medical transport in case you haven't noticed or have you not had your fill of watching people die today?"

The crowd parted almost instantaneously, helped along by Levi's glare if his words weren't enough. In next to no time the Commander was loaded up onto one of the carts and was moved ahead of the rest.

A knot formed in Eren's throat and her lips pressed firmly together out of reaction. 'How many…? How many were lost?'

"Don't."

She blinked and turned to Levi. "What?"

His eyes narrowed further. He was going to tell her off about something, probably, and she would have deserved it.

But, Connie's sudden and strangled sob reached them before Levi could say a thing.

Eren moved before she fully realized it, mind rushing through several bad scenarios. 'No! Connie!'

Jean however, was faster, and at Connie's side, crouching over him before Eren could arrive.

"C'mon Connie," Jean consoled. "Take a deep breath and stand up. We're all okay now."

Connie shook his head and stuttered. "So-sorry… I'm alright… really."

'No, it's not alright.' Eren's lips trembled, eyes wide. 'It's not alright at all.'

Connie wasn't alright.

Nor Mikasa.

Not even the Commander himself.

'Nothing is alright.'

The faces flitted before her. The faces of those right before they were eaten. The faces of those right before they fell.

So many damn faces-

"Don't," Levi spoke, tone harsh. His fingers caught her chin. "Blame. Yourself."

Her throat tightened momentarily, before a set of hard coughs burrowed their way out.

Levi moved his hand to her shoulder and squeezed.

"Hey Eren, you did another freaky thing back there."

She glanced over at Jean once her coughs died. Levi must have glared at him because Jean instantly paled.

"I meant that- that you- do you know how you did it?" Jean stammered, standing up.

Eren looked down. "No, it just happened."

"We're all that's left of the 104th, aren't we?" Connie too stood up. "Just us… and Sasha, maybe."

"Sasha?" Armin prompted.

"I haven't seen her since we separated, back when we first thought Wall Rose had been breached," Connie explained. "She's probably still alive."

"I'm sure she is," Armin supplied. "Sasha's as good as getting out of trouble as she is getting into it."

Connie managed a weak smile at that. "Yeah, she is that."

"No."

Eren's single word startled them.

"No," she repeated, whirling about. "There's still- where is-" She began to move. "Where is he?"

Armin was clearly startled. "Eren?"

"I can't believe… I forgot…"

Her mumbles only drew further concern.

Jean narrowed his eyes at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

It was Levi's tight grip on her arm that stopped her from going off. "Eren, what the hell is wrong with you?"

Her mouth parted open. "I-"

Several screams cut through the tense air.

Eren ran once she located the source of the screams.

A couple of Scouts panicked as they referenced to something that caused them great fear. They were clustered along the edge of the Wall, and pointing down.

The young female pushed her elders out of the way and looked down.

Her heart leapt to her throat, and it had nothing to do with Levi arriving at her side.

"What is that?!"

"There's something climbing up the Wall!"

"We have to stop it!"

Something small and dark made swift progress up the side of the Wall. The creature's ends flayed in the wind, making it look all the more unnatural.

But, it's most distinguishing (and scariest) feature was in the way it climbed. There was no gear of any kind being used. Instead, out of its blackness, Ice-like spears struck out; one to hook a hold and the other to push up.

It was Titan-Ice.

"I've got him!" Eren yelled, dodging Levi's attempt to grab her as she leapt off the Wall and plummeted straight down.

(Levi couldn't follow her without any gear of his own and the rest were too frightened to move)

Shouts followed her down. They went ignored. She focused on her body catching the right angle so she could activate her 3DM Gear, hooking it into one of the outer indents of the Wall.

Eren swung into it, until she could brace her feet against the Wall. She changed her angle once more, but this time merely extended her lines so she could move straight downwards from her hook.

The thump in her ears grew louder as she came eye-to-eye with a familiar hooded-figure.

They stared at one another.

"Give me your hand," Eren finally said, giving herself a small shake to focus.

The hooded-figure moved towards her, climbing sideways along the Wall. Once close enough, they reached for her with a regular hand while the other remained a stem of Titan-Ice embedded into the Wall for balance.

"It really is you," Eren whispered, eyes welling with tears as she wrapped an arm around their middle and pulled them in against her.

"It is."

She leaned into him, pressed her face into his neck. They both tightened the one-arm hold they had on one another. "I thought…" Her head shook against his neck, unable to finish the sentence.

"A lot of things, I'm sure." His tone held a smile.

Eren blinked her tears away before she pulled away from him. "Let's go up. I'm sure they'll give you a hell of a homecoming."

"Lead the way."

This time she saw the smile and couldn't help but to mirror it.

"Climb onto my back and hold on tight," she instructed. "It'll be easiest that way."

He did as she bid.

Eren herself disengaged her lines so they could be pulled back up to where she'd hooked into the side of the Wall. The pandemonium coming from atop the Wall became prevalent as they reached the end of Eren's hooks.

"Use your hands, will ya?" she asked.

He understood immediately. His thighs re-secured themselves around her middle and his chest pressed into her back as he dug his Titan-Iced arms into the Wall.

She unhooked her lines completely and pressed her knees against the Wall, pushing back on the dark figure behind her as much as she could. "This isn't the best angle," she muttered as her lines shot out and hooked.

'Close enough,' she figured as the Titan-Iced arms retracted and slid around her shoulders.

They both flew up at a fast enough pace to give them the last bit of momentum they needed to land together in a slight roll atop the Wall.

The crowd instantly backed away, giving them a wide berth.

Eren wasted no time and tackled the hooded-figure into a real hug.

The person laughed, revealed as their hood fell back in the action.

"Ma-Marco?!"

Eren pulled away, though her arms were still on Marco.

"Armin!" Marco smiled, confirming it was him despite the lank hair and heavy scarring. Both he and Eren stood up.

Armin looked positively bug-eyed. "How- how are you…?"

"Still alive?"

"Yes," Armin nodded, taking a few tentative steps towards them.

"Well," Marco laughed lightly. "That's a bit of a story…"

Eren tensed. She'd only just noticed Levi. He had his eyes narrowed quite dangerously upon Marco. 'Shit.' She took a step in front of Marco, just as a precaution. "Levi, it's not what you think."

A sudden commotion cut her off, one she couldn't say she wasn't glad for, given the many there'd been just recently.

It was Jean, of course. He burst through the front of the crowd.

Connie and a now-conscious Krista followed right after the duo-colored male.

Scouts still chattered away, though much more subdued now they realized Marco was human (as far as they could tell at least).

But, no matter what occurred around them, Eren doubted anything could disrupt the attention Jean and Marco held on one another right then.

'Jean… and Marco… together again. Marco's alive and here with us, with Jean.' Eren held her breath. The atmosphere between the two was absolutely magnetic. 'It's still hard to believe, and this isn't my first time seeing Marco either.'

"Is that you… Marco?"

Jean's voice was tight and lined with clear disbelief. The look in his topaz eyes were almost too pained to watch.

"Jean…" Marco couldn't look any happier. His radiant smile shone through his grim state, eyes alit. "Yeah, it's me."

It seemed to happen in the space of a few blinks.

Jean- eyes blown wide.

Jean- mouth agape.

Jean- in motion.

Jean- tackling Marco down with the strength of his hug.

Eren bit her lip, hoping she wouldn't cry like the two males in front of her were. The drip of tears on her cheek told her she absolutely failed at that. Luckily, Armin was there to place a hand on her shoulder, which she immediately touched with her own hand, reveled by the show of comfort and understanding.

"Marco! Marco!" Jean cried, arms locked around the freckled young man, tears dribbling freely. "You're not dead. You're not really dead."

Marco laughed as he pushed Jean and himself to sitting positions, Marco bent at the waist while Jean rested on his knees.

Disbelief still painted Jean's features, even as he shook his head as if to dispel it. "Man, I could fucking kiss you right now."

It might have had something to do with the look in Jean's eyes right then- so utterly awestruck. Whatever it was, it tipped Marco forward. The taller male pressed his lips to Jean's, swift but purposeful, before pulling back.

They were stared at, of course.

Connie was the first to react.

"Holy shit!" Connie expressed, mirroring Eren's thoughts.

Armin blinked. "Wow."

"Seconded," Eren announced. "Seconded to the both of you."

"Did you just?!" Jean sputtered, eyes wide.

Marco shrugged. "You said it."

'He's more… confident, isn't he?' Eren wondered in awe. 'Then again…'

His words may have been nonchalant, but Marco's face had become so suddenly forlorn she wasn't surprised when Jean reached for Marco again.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Levi cut in.

Jean and Marco sprang apart, identically flushed.

Jean stuttered. "You- you don't understand-"

"What I understand," Levi loudly intoned, but with an edge to his voice that sent the stragglers around them scattering rather than drawing them closer. "Is that Marco there is supposed to be dead. Therefore, you've either developed necrophilia-" Jean choked. "-or he was never dead to begin with."

The grey of Levi's eyes leveled on Marco. "Well, speak up shit-head, which is it? You're another Shifter aren't you?"

The freckled man's lips thinned, and he was looked almost unrecognizable without his smile. "No, I'm not a Titan-Shifter."

'He is definitely different,' Eren figured. 'What happened to you, Marco?'

Levi took a step forward.

"He's telling the truth," Eren proclaimed.

"Is that so?" Levi's gaze slit to her. "You know this for a fact, do you?"

"I'd stake my life on it, Sir." The last part she added with emphasis.

It was a poor attempt to sway him; she knew it, he knew it.

The Scouts that approached Levi then did more of the swaying however.

"Captain, we're ready to head out, by your leave."

"What?" Levi spat. "There's no one around with more authority than me?"

The unknown Scout shuffled their feet, but shook their head firmly.

"Very well." Levi nodded to the group of veteran Scouts before turning back to the small group of the 104th.

Jean and Marco had stood up, Eren and Armin lingered side-by-side, Connie still looked bewildered, and Krista simply remained as quiet as she had been- her bulbous blue eyes assessing.

"We don't have time for this, right now." Again, Captain Levi's gaze fixed itself on Marco. "Stick to Eren, as she's still under my care you too will be under my watch. Do anything to make me believe you are a threat and I'll cut you down myself. For now, this discussion will have to take place later."

Levi turned away from them and walked far enough away that the 104th were relatively left to themselves.

Eren watched Jean and Marco stray close together once more and caught Connie by the arm, blocking the latter's attempt to go to them.

"Wha-"

"Just let them be alone for a bit, yeah?" she reasoned.

Connie blinked, beguiled. "Oh. Oh! Ah, yeah. Sure, I can do that."

Eren let him go and nodded to her brother, falling into step together as they went up to Levi.

"Anything we can do, Captain?" she asked once they reached him.

Levi gave her a sharp look. "Keep to Marco, and make sure no one falls behind. We'll be heading out real soon."

Brother and sister nodded alike.

"Back to it then?" Armin acknowledged.

Eren smiled thinly at him. "Is it ever any different?"

"Hey Eren, Armin."

The two turned around to find Krista looking sternly at them.

"Can I talk to the two of you?" Krista asked in such a way as to let them know she wouldn't let up if they said no.

'One thing after another,' Eren couldn't help but to observe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With Jean And Marco

(Normal POV)

They stood next to each other, but silence won them over for the moment.

Jean couldn't think of a thing to say other than, 'You're alive,' which would be redundant as they already established that Marco was indeed alive.

"Who is he?"

The question startled him. "What?!" Jean squeaked, thoroughly embarrassed for the sound he just emitted.

Marco gestured. "Who is that?"

It was a simple question.

Jean could handle simple (distracting) questions, easy. It was what he needed right then and he was thankful (always thankful concerning Marco wasn't he?) the other had asked. "You mean Captain Levi? You don't recognize him? Humanity's Strongest?" He inadvertently turned towards Marco and sucked in a breath.

Marco shook his head as he reached up and carded his bangs away from the unscarred side of his face.

Topaz eyes catalogued everything: the broad jaw, straight nose, face peppered with freckles. He couldn't stop from taking in the features he thought he'd never get to see again.

Naturally, Jean's reaction to what he realized he'd been doing was to burst out with talk. "He's also Eren's boyfriend so doubt ever upset her when he's around if you value your head."

Marco gave him a double-take, grey eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

A blush stole over Jean's cheeks, unsure. "Y-yes?" he rushed. "I mean, technically, they're not together, not really, but it's obvious they've got 'something' going on between them."

Marco hummed.

"Yeah…" Jean drawled, far more relaxed now. "Just don't take his threats lightly."

"I got that before I even knew who he was." That same, soft smile from what felt like ages ago graced Jean, "But thanks."

Jean couldn't hold it back any longer. "You're… really alive."

Marco turned to face him fully. "I never died… and it's a long story…"

Jean rolled his shoulders. "Don't need to hear it, not right now at least."

"I missed you," Marco admitted, after a beat.

"Y-yeah," Jean murmured thickly. "Missed you too." And then he smiled, for the first time since he thought Marco died.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At a room at

5 Days Later

(Eren POV)

She shuffled into the Commander's room behind her brother. Levi, Commander Pixis, and one of Pixis' Garrison Scouts were already in the room; orbiting Commander Erwin's bed. Major Hanji, Marco, and Connie entered behind her.

Her eyes zeroed in on the stump of an arm Commander Erwin now had without meaning to. The brightness of her gaze flickered away just as quick.

Major Hanji stepped forth. "We've got several reports to make, Sir. If Commander Pixis can get the ball rolling?"

Commander Pixis nodded and caught Commander Erwin's undivided attention. "According to our intel, the inhabitants within Wall Rose that caught wind of the supposed breach took shelter in a former underground town within Wall Sina."

'Former?' Eren frowned. 'They don't really believe that, do they?'

"As we estimated," Commander Pixis continued. "More than one half of what we had in store for such emergencies were eaten within the week."

The fairly old Commander of the Garrison Guard grimaced and tucked his hands together before him. "In other words, had Wall Rose really been broken through, the relative peace would have only lasted a little longer than a week. Afterwards, the people would have been compelled to either starve to death or fight and steal to survive, at which point the Military Police would have been called up to take them out."

"To sum it up, although all the refugees are currently returning to their lands within Wall Rose, the potential for all hell to break loose was right on the cusp, and that realization has spread everywhere now. As far as we're all concerned," Commander Pixis swept his hand through the air. "Should Wall Rose truly fall, it will only take a little longer than a week for chaos to break out."

Levi eyed the bedridden Commander. "This couldn't wait until you've fully recovered."

"It's alright," Commander Erwin assured. "I was getting tired of sleeping."

"It's too bad about your arm too," Levi added.

Eren winced.

She wasn't the only one either.

Commander Erwin smiled down at his stump; but it was a tight smile. "How many hundreds of people have I fed to Titans? One arm is nothing, my true payment is yet to be collected until I end up in hell."

Armin tensed beside Eren.

'Yeah,' she agreed. 'Makes me mad too.' Her brow furrowed. 'Who would have thought the Commander would think like that though?'

"You won't be alone there," Commander Pixis commiserated.

"Is that so, old man?" Levi angled a look. "You'll need more liquor than you're used to for that."

"That sure would be nice right now though," the female Garrison Scout that leaned against the wall behind her Commander spouted. "I could use a drink, or four."

"It's all been confiscated at the moment," Commander Pixis said morosely.

Eren resisted shaking her head. She spied both Marco and Connie out of the corner of her eyes, wondering what was on their minds given the rigid way they stood.

Commander Erwin chuckled. "That's quite a subordinate you've got there."

"That's Anka for you," Commander Pixis agreed.

Anka made a low sound.

'Enough already,' Eren thought impatiently.

Thankfully the Major brought them all back again. "We still have 3 more reports to get through. To start, this boy-" Major Hanji thumped Connie on the back who let out a surprised, 'oomph!' "- came forward to me after the spectacular incident was wrapped up. He is… uh."

"I'm Connie Springer of the 104th," Connie introduced himself, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Right, right," Major Hanji waved it off. "Anyway, his birthplace is Ragako Village within Wall Rose. I'd already planned to roam the areas of interest within Wall Rose with my Survey Squad once I was well enough, but with Connie coming forward with his very interesting information, Ragako Village became the focal point of interest."

"Connie," Levi addressed.

The bald, young man stiffened.

Levi smirked lightly, "Good work."

"Yes, ah," Connie blushed, clearly not expecting that. "Thank you."

Major Hanji grinned. "Let me point out that outside of Ragako Village our search yielded no results. But in Ragako Village, here are the facts: all of the houses in the village had been destroyed by something that exploded form inside the homes, despite all the destruction… we couldn't find even one single bloodstain, none of the inhabitants could be found and lastly, the number of Titans that were eliminated within Wall Rose corresponds to the number of the missing inhabitants of Ragako Village." The Major looked up from their paperwork. "Given these observations, it's my hypothesis that the inhabitants of Ragako Village and the Titans that supposedly breached Wall Rose… are one in the same."

"But, there's more to it than just that," Major Hanji nudged Connie. "His report corroborates my hypothesis."

Connie took that as his lead to talk.

Eren already knew what he would say. Hearing it again wouldn't make it any easier.

"When the 104th received word of the Titan breach, we were released from the post we were being held at and scattered into groups. Naturally, I went to my village and when we got there, it was as Major Hanji described."

Connie clenched his fists. "Atop my home was a Titan. It was… odd; arms and legs and body much too small to support its head. So, how did it get there in the first place?" He shook his head. "I remember thinking that when it spoke to me, 'Welcome back.' They were my mother's words… and it had my mother's eyes, no doubt about it. But, I'd expressed all this out-loud at the time and… Reiner had been so quick to call me crazy, and Bertholdt too, they'd both been with me then. All this time they knew the truth- fuck!"

It was Marco whom tried to soothe Connie, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"So, we have no other conclusion than that those Titans were humans," Commander Erwin surmised.

'It's more than that,' Eren's lips thinned. 'It was Connie's home, his people… he's lost it all.'

"Well, we have no proof all Titans are like this or how the process even works, but if that's the case," Major Hanji spoke up. "That Titans are- or were- human, it could explain some things, like why Titans have brains that are like a human's. That part we know because of their weakness, how when their nape is cut and the spine is severed from the brain they lose all body function and can no longer regenerate-"

"Major," Commander Erwin smiled. "You're rambling."

"In other words," Levi spoke, and his tone was so uncharacteristically discord that he commanded everyone's keen attention. "I've only been killing people left and right… all this time?"

'Levi…' She wanted to go to him. She wanted to cross the room and throw her arms around him.

But, Eren couldn't.

How could she?

How could she when it was true? When she's done some of the same?

"There is no proof though," Major Hanji stressed, smile severely strained.

"Say it is all true, how does it explain how Eren here and these other… Shifters are so different from ordinary Titans?" Commander Pixis asked.

It was a good question.

"Marco here may be able to give us some insight on that with his report," Major Hanji revealed. "But before that, we should get through Eren's. She found out some interesting facts while she was kidnapped."

"Well now, making use of you own kidnapping?" Commander Pixis smiled at her, "Very nice."

Eren hardly felt she deserved it. She licked her lips before she began. "I wasn't unconscious the whole time. Reiner, Bertholdt, even Ymir talked about things… things I'm not sure they meant to give away."

"Such as?" Levi prompted.

"Ymir isn't with them, to start. They threatened Krista, Ymir's girlfriend, and so she did whatever they asked of her," she shrugged. "Neither Reiner or Bertholdt even knew Ymir was a Shifter until she gave herself away at Castle Utgard."

"I understand you wanting to clear your friends's name, but how is that relevant to us? Ymir still chose to act against us, threatened or not," Commander Pixis pointed out.

She shook her head. "It's important because of all else I learned because of it. Reiner… he admitted that there are others, out there-" Her hand lifted and gestured to the window. "-beyond the Walls. He said, 'There are more worlds out there.' He claimed to be protecting his."

"Other worlds," Major Hanji repeated. "But it's unspecified if he meant to imply other people, or other Shifters, right?"

"He just kept mentioning his home." Eren's voice lowered, "And that ours was no longer good."

"Other people," Commander Pixis focused on. "To think, there's a good chance there are others out there."

"Others who don't care much for us," Commander Erwin reminded.

"Yeah," the Major mused. "That's quite the problem."

Eren briefly mulled over Reiner's 'Princess' comment. It'd stuck in her head. She hand't been able to shake the feeling Reiner had slipped up big time there given how he tried to backtrack.

She could be honest with herself, when it really mattered. The statement merely made her uncomfortable too. There was something so… wrong about it, something she couldn't put her finger on.

It made her flesh crawl whenever she thought about it.

She hadn't even told Armin or Mikasa about it yet, though she knew she would. Eventually, she always did, whether of her own volition or because the two had figured out something was wrong.

She likely would have told the both of them already had Armin and herself not been separated from Mikasa. The latter had been forced to go on with the others to some remote (and unknown) hideout. Only Marco, Connie, and herself had stayed behind so they could give concise reports to the Commander when he awoke.

Armin stayed behind as a given, Advisor to the Commander as he was and all.

"We have more enemies than we believed," Levi commented, eyes closing briefly. "How pleasant."

"Ymir called them small fry."

Everyone turned to Eren.

She repeated herself without needing to be prompted. "They made me angry." The quirk of her lips told them how much more there was to that statement, unsaid. "I promised to be the one to bring them down, but Ymir…" A frown settled her mouth. "… Ymir said she wouldn't respect me if I made them my enemy. She called them small fry."

"That's great," Levi deadpanned.

A minute smile flitted her lips, more of a reaction to Levi than based on anything she really felt. "They also implied about knowing who the 'real enemy' is."

"Only implied?" Commander Erwin pushed.

"Reiner threatened Krista again so Ymir refused to say anything more." Eren crossed her arms, "It could be the Ape-Titan, maybe."

"The one from Castle Utgard?" Major Hanji questioned, perking up.

"We know about it," Commander Erwin commented. "From Connie's earlier report upon Wall Rose before we took off to get Eren back."

She stiffened involuntarily at that note, but carried on nonetheless. "They talked about it a little. How it was the Ape-Titan that brought those Titans on within the Wall, and how it could lead Reiner and Bertholdt back home."

"What do you mean by that?"

Eren frowned once more, though this time it was directed at the man in bed. "I don't know. It was simply mentioned it. I can't even tell if Ymir meant it worked with Reiner and Bertholdt or if it was only a means for them to get home. The Ape-Titan could be the real enemy, could just be another enemy."

"Whatever it is, it's important," Levi mentioned.

"Dangerous," Connie whispered.

"So not only do we have a lot of enemies, but a lot of them are Shifters," Commander Pixis looked to her. "While we've only got Eren."

"Do we?" Levi's eyes cut to Marco.

Eren could understand his point. When Marco learned they were all due to give reports to Commander Erwin when he awoke, the freckled-man decided to withhold saying anything about what had happened to him until then.

Even Jean hadn't gotten anything out of Marco before the 104th was separated.

It wasn't that Eren didn't get it, she did, she could see the 'why' in Marco's eyes.

(He had a story to tell that he did not want to have to repeat over and over again)

She understood, but that didn't mean she thought it was right either.

"We don't," Marco stressed. "I'm not a Shifter, not really."

"Then what are you?"

"Who are you?" Commander Erwin interrupted.

"Oh!" Major Hanji jumped at that. "This is-"

"Marco Bodt of the 104th," Marco answered for himself in a sharp tone. "Previously believed to have perished in the Battle of Trost."

"You were amongst the assumed dead?" Commander Erwin's eyes held a certain spark, like he already knew the answer before it would be given.

"No, I was fully believed to be dead, Sir. My body was burned in one of the funeral pyres," Marco's jaw set. "Except it wasn't my actual body, it only meant to look like it."

"What are you smiling for Erwin?" Levi cut in abruptly.

"Nothing," Commander Erwin returned, light smile still plastered on his face despite all attention in the room focusing on him.

Levi sniffed. "Creep."

The blond Commander's smile stretched. "I was often called that as a child."

Levi shook his head and swiveled his gaze back to Marco. "So, what's your story then?"

Eren shifted. She knew she wasn't the only one that wanted to know what had happened to Marco, though she had less tactical reasons than some.

Marco had kept his long strands, hair now healthy and newly-black. Without the grime on his face or the tattered clothing, he looked as handsome as ever. Even the scarring visible on his face and neck did nothing to retract from that.

The freckled-man took a breath, and spoke.

End Notes:

This fic will be going on a hiatus. However, next update will be an official Marco Interlude!

The next update in the manga has me wanting to wait a bit. There's a picture on Tumblr going around of a possible Marco being alive! Even though my fic will eventually be very AU, I want to stick as close to canon as I can for the time being.

Here's a link to the maybe Marco spoiler (just be sure to get rid of the spaces):

hanakodyke . tumblr post/ 90793140604/ guess-whos-back-back-again