Year 854: Libero Internment District

Day of the Festival

Summer.

For many, summer is seen as the height of the year. Not only in temperature, but in spirit and festivities. This year in particular was exceptionally lively.

It wasn't often that the Eldians of the Libero District came together to celebrate anything. However, with the conclusion of Marley's most recent war it seemed as though Libero had just as much to celebrate as Marley itself.

From food to crafts, the summer market was brimming with life.

For many of those who'd previously been out fighting Marley's war, this was the first summer in nearly four years where they were actually back home. This was especially apparent for a select few who, due to a mission across the sea, would be attending their first festival in nearly a decade.

Porco Galliard had never been one for festivals. Sure, he enjoyed the lively atmosphere and excited smiles, but he'd never really understood for himself why festivals were so great.

Not that he was trying to be a stick in the mud or anything. He'd never go out of his way to make others feel like a festival such as this one was not worth enjoying, and it wasn't that he wasn't enjoying himself, but he just never really understood the excitement.

For the most part, Porco was content with trailing behind the Warrior Cadets in their quest to find the most intriguing foods at the festival. However, a small part of him longed for something. He wasn't quite sure what that something was, and he had no idea how to find it. He doubted he'd be able to find whatever that something was here at the festival.

"Aren't you hungry, Pokko?" asked the Cart Shifter, Pieck.

"I'm not usually hungry in the mornings."

"But it's not morning anymore. It's almost two in the afternoon."

"Oh," Porco shrugged, "I guess I just haven't been very hungry."

"That's a shame. There looks to be so many good foods here! The children are certainly enjoying themselves."

And sure enough, they were. Porco hadn't really been paying attention to what the Warrior Cadets were getting the vice chief to get for them, but it seemed that in particular this case it had been the Crystal Shifter who'd bought something for them. As a matter of fact, it seemed that she had gotten something for herself and the vice chief as well.

While Porco didn't think Pieck had meant to bring his attention to something like this specifically, (Y/n) and Reiner seemed to be sharing a rather... intimate moment.

They weren't doing anything particularly couple-like, but something in the way they laughed together seemed to rub Porco the wrong way. After all, it wasn't as though Reiner had confessed feelings for the girl, had he? Perhaps Porco's jealous side was getting the best of him. He and (Y/n) weren't in a relationship or anything. He doesn't owe anything to her, and she doesn't owe anything to him.

Even so, Porco suddenly found himself a lot hungrier than he had been before.

"Hey!" Emanon, the girl named to be the successor of the Crystal Titan, skipped up to her predecessor, "is it alright if I head to the other side of the festival with Colt? He says that he saw a few stands set up with games, and I want to try and win some prizes!"

(Y/n) turned towards Emanon, "and how exactly do you plan to buy the tickets to play games?"

"Right... well, about that..."

(Y/n) shook her head for a moment, "and what about Colt? I know everything that's happening is rather exciting, but try not to get too ahead of yourself. The two of you are still only Candidates."

Colt was a blushing mess, clearly embarrassed for others to know that he invited Emanon to the other side of the festival alone. Something for just the two of them. Such a small and cute act of puppy love which garnered a sort of pity from the Jaw Shifter.

Porco figured that it was only natural for Colt to have developed feelings for the ginger haired girl. Not only would they know each other for the majority of their lives, but the two of them had lived through a war together. And, despite how much Porco hopped otherwise, they would likely have to live through another war together, too.

Situations in which people are pushed to the brink of who they are will always reveal a person's true colours. And when that true person is revealed, it can either strengthen a bond or tear it apart completely.

In the case of Emanon and Colt, they had grown closer to one another.

Perhaps this was also true in the case of (Y/n) and the vice chief? After all, the only people who really understood what life was like in Paradis were those two...

Porco shook his head. This wasn't the time to be thinking about those kinds of things! This was supposed to be a festival, was it not? He should enjoy himself! He should go out and do something he might not get the chance to do ever again.

As the ginger haired girl opened her mouth to reply, Porco found himself ushering a reply instead. "I can head over with them if you'd like." He suggested.

"That's really nice of you, Porco, but you don't have to feel responsible for them." (Y/n)'s attention turned to Porco faster than he had anticipated. Her gaze was a lot different from what he would've normally expected. It almost looked... guilty? Perhaps guilty wasn't the right word to describe it, but it certainly wasn't anything Porco could describe accurately.

Porco thought that iIf not guilty, she almost looked sad.

Like there was a hidden truth that refused to make itself known.

Despite the Crystal Shifter's strange expression, Porco grinned. "I know, but a festival is a great excuse to spoil them, don't you agree? And if you're so worried, you could always just tag along."

The look in (Y/n)'s eyes softened as she replied "I suppose you're right. Do you want to come along too, Reiner?"

Ah, right. Him.

Porco had never really had a good relationship with the vice chief, Reiner Braun. When the two of them were only children, Porco had always picked fights with the boy. There was just something about Reiner that had always seemed to irritate the young Porco Galliard.

Although Porco hadn't fully understood what it meant to become a Warrior as a child, Porco knew that it wasn't everything that Marley chalked it up to be; that it wasn't everything that Reiner thought it was.

Perhaps it was Reiner's never ending ignorance and loyalty to Marley that set him off as a child. After all, how could someone be so mediocre and still become a Warrior Candidate? His resentment only seemed to grow when it was Reiner who had been the one to inherit the Armoured Titan instead of himself.

Reiner, the one last in every race, last in every hand-to-hand combat trial and dead last in every single test, was the one who got to inherit one of the greatest titles available for Eldians in Marley.

Everything seemed to reach a climax when it had been Reiner Bruan to return from the island instead of his brother.

Of all the people to return from that mission, why did it have to be him?

Everything had hurt so much more than it should have, and losing his brother for someone like Reiner only served as a punch to the gut for Porco. In all honesty, resentment was probably one of the kinder words used to describe how the Jaw Shifter felt about the vice chief.

"What?" Reiner wondered "oh, umm... I think I'll just stay and watch over the children."

(Y/n) tilted her head slightly, "are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. You guys go have fun."

"Alright then," (Y/n) handed Reiner a bag, likely whatever she had bought for the children, before turning towards the others. "Don't forget to have a little something yourself, okay?"

There it was again. That annoying sting of jealousy.

Porco hated feeling this way. He hated how, despite his title and powers, jealousy always served as a reminder as to just how helpless he really was.

The Jaw Shifter suddenly began to ache. It wasn't the kind of pain that was often associated with the heart, but it wasn't the kind of pain that came with transforming into a Titan, either. He could barely remember the last time he'd been this exhausted.

Perhaps when he had still been a cadet? No, he doubted he'd remember an ache from back then so vividly. Then perhaps something more recent... something that had happened during the Mid-East war? The War had concluded nearly five weeks ago, though. If something from back then had been festering, then surely it would have crossed his mind earlier.

Oh God... Was he really about to slip into another memory?

There was nothing Porco could do to stop himself from slipping away, and he hated that. He hated not being able to do anything! He was a holder of such a powerful ability, yet things as fickle as emotions and memories were enough to bring him to his knees.

In the end, they were always enough to bring her to her knees, too.

Ymir. Not Ymir Fritz, the first Eldian to hold the powers of the Titans, but a mere orphan girl picked off the streets and made to be worshipped as a goddess. She was just a child when she was shoved into this position of power. It wasn't her fault for being chosen, yet she threw herself into the line of fire for people Porco doubted even really cared for her.

While Titan Shifters could not hear the thoughts of their predecessors, Porco knew for certain just how selfish of a girl Ymir was. Or at least, how selfish she wanted to be.

Not only had she stolen the life of his brother, Marcel, but once she had received the chance to live again, Ymir lived a dishonest life. She stole from most people and cared for only herself. Yet somehow, through a series of events brought about by forces Porco could only describe as fate, Ymir joined the Cadet Corps.

"What are the three of you doing out here?" Porco, or rather, Ymir asked. "Are you guys trying to be do-gooders or something?"

Veiled in darkness, Porco couldn't recognize the petite blonde girl, nor could he recognize the brunette who feasted on a piece of bread. Who he did recognize, however, was (Y/n). Her features were soft, but not soft as they were when he'd known her as a child. Porco knew that the (Y/n) who stood in front of him was a version of her he never got to meet, but it was her nonetheless.

The petite blonde and (Y/n) turned to look at Porco - well, Ymir.

"I guess you could say that... but what about you?" Asked the petite blonde. "You're here to help her too, aren't you?"

"I just... happened to be in the area." Ymir lied, turning her attention towards (Y/n). "What about you? Why are you out with these two in the middle of the night?"

"No particular reason," (Y/n) shrugged, "perhaps I just enjoy the sight of the stars?"

A rather short exchange later, (Y/n) and Ymir were carrying the passed out brunette (who'd previously been devouring bread) somewhere while the petite blonde ran ahead.

A tense silence lingered in the air, but no one seemed to notice it except for Porco. No, that was a lie. It wasn't that Porco was the only one who noticed it, but that it was only him who was in the moment. Despite not being able to know what Ymir was thinking, he knew that she must've slipped into one of Marcel's memories.

How Porco envied Ymir for being the direct successor of his brother.

While he would've preferred to have been a Warrior at the same time as his brother, he hated that Ymir was the one who got to see all of Marcel's memories and experiences, and not himself. After all, she wasn't Marcel's brother, he was!

Why should Ymir, an orphaned girl lucky enough to have a second chance at life, be the one who got to understand his brother? It wasn't fair.

Ymir wasn't the one who'd spent years of her life training to wield a Titan, and she certainly hadn't had any intentions to return what she had stolen from Marley. So why, Porco wondered, did Ymir end up returning the Titan?

"(Y/n) (L/n)."

"What?"

"I figured since you already knew the first part of my name, I might as well tell you everything. So how about you? What's your name?"

Porco felt his heart tremble as his eyes met with the (e/c) ones of (Y/n) - or perhaps it was Ymir's heart that trembled as she caught (Y/n)'s gaze? To be honest, Porco had nearly forgotten just how it felt to look into her eyes.

When Porco had told (Y/n) what his favourite colour was on their date a few weeks ago, he had haphazardly chosen green because it was the most abundant colour around him at that moment. Now, Porco was certain that if he could go back he would've said that his favourite colour was (e/c).

While yes, a big factor in that change was because it was the colour of her eyes, there was just something about (Y/n)'s gaze that made Porco feel at home. He supposed that being with her and looking into her eyes just made him feel safe.

While now (Y/n)'s left eye was covered with an unnatural shade of blue, Porco still found solace in her gaze. It was one of the many things that hadn't changed about her over the years.

For a moment, Porco couldn't help but ponder on the strange phenomenon. After all, not every Titan Shifter experienced this specific change. In fact, only Crystal Shifters seemed to experience it. Perhaps it was due to the Crystal Titan's ability to wield crystal outside of the user's Titan form, but Porco could only ever speculate as to why such a thing happened.

But wait...

In all of the memories Porco had received from Ymir, he'd never felt her heart race like this. Ymir's heart beat was usually harsh and rapid, and Porco's heart always seemed to flutter, but this sensation was soft.

It was familiar in a way Porco never thought was possible.

Was this, perhaps...

"My name? It's... Ymir... just Ymir."

Porco hadn't been the one to speak, but the words felt bitter against his tongue. There was a strange kind of hesitation he hadn't felt from Ymir before. Porco thought the brunette to be a rather blunt and straightforward person, yet this moment seemed to suggest otherwise.

Honestly speaking, Porco had no clue how or why Titan Shifters inherited the memories of their predecessors. He often just chalked it up to the fact that the memories came with the powers and left it at that, but this was probably the earliest memory he's ever received from Ymir. He often heard from the other Warriors that the longer one held the power of the Titans the more memories they tended to see, but nothing was consistent.

Pieck and Reiner had only ever seen their predecessor's memories, but Zeke and (Y/n) were able to see further back than their immediate predecessors.

Porco was in the same boat as Pieck and Reiner, and he should've been okay with that, but he wasn't. The Jaw Titan was the Titan his brother had possessed, and now he was gone. This power... it was the only remnant of Marcel Porco had left.

So why on earth did he have to be stuck with Ymir's memories instead of his brother's?

"Porco? Hello, earth to Porco, are you there?" (Y/n)'s voice rang in Porco's ears. It took him a moment to realise that it wasn't the young version of (Y/n) who called though. It was the one who stood in front of him right now.

"Sorry, were you saying something?"

"No, but you were muttering to yourself. Were you... somewhere else?"

"No..." lied Porco, "it's fine. I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"Well when you say things like that, I can't help but worry, silly... if something's been bothering you, you can talk to me about it." (Y/n) smiled as she held Porco's hand in her own. Despite how her skin burned against his own, he liked how her hand felt in his. It was comfortable.

Porco wondered if (Y/n) would think him pathetic for regarding Ymir in the ways he did. The two of them, (Y/n) and Ymir, had seemed to be quite close. They had been able to sit in each other's company without the need for conversation - something Porco had never been able to do himself because he was too afraid that his presence alone wasn't enough.

Despite how selfish Porco thought Ymir was, he knew that he was no better than her. At the end of the day, Ymir had returned the Jaw Titan back to Marley and Porco had taken it. Not because he had wanted to serve Marley, but because he wanted to prove to himself that he could do it. He needed to prove to himself that he was enough!

And to him, there really wasn't anything more selfish than that.

"Do you... like being able to see your father's memories?" Porco wondered.

"Well, there are upsides and downsides to it, just as there are two sides to every story. The experiences my predecessors gained on the battlefield have saved me more times than I can hold on one hand, but their memories and heartaches have kept me awake for more nights than I can count."

(Y/n)'s grip on Porco's hand tightened. It almost felt as if she was trying to keep herself from drifting away from the moment.

"You know, I can't count the amount of letters my father had left around the house. I read every single one of those letters, too. All of them were for the people he loved, but I never found a single letter for me. So I figured that... he just didn't love me. I thought that inheriting the Crystal Titan after my father would finally make him love me the way he loved my sister and mother, but when I told him I would be the next Crystal Shifter he didn't come home from the facility for three months.

"War Chief Reed did that? But... why?"

"He never told me why, and believe me, I asked. It's actually only recently that I found out what he had been doing during that time."

"Trying his best to get drunk?" Porco scoffed.

"Trying his best to take me out of the Warrior Program."

"What!?" Porco burst, "why would he do that? He supervised our training more times than I can count! He should've known just how hard you worked to get to where you were, so why would he disrespect all of your hard work like that?"

"Love takes many forms, Porco. I think you'll find that the same way my father loved me, Marcel loved you."

"What?" Porco was taken aback. He supposed that (Y/n) had always been the kind of person who could read between the lines of conversation, but he just hadn't expected her to catch on so quickly. Or perhaps, Porco wondered, had his initial question been too obvious? "What does Marcel have to do with this?"

To Porco's surprise, (Y/n) smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, but it wasn't a pitiful one either. She was simply... smiling.

"Well, when people hate each other enough they often wish death upon each other, but when you love someone enough, the thing you want for them most in the world is for them to live."

---

Stinger - Like Boats in the Night

Three weeks before the festival

Of course the icy eyed woman would end up being someone he knew.

(Y/n) (L/n).

Who didn't know (Y/n) (L/n)? Marley's prodigy Crystal Shifter.

One of the five Titan Shifters that Marley controlled.

One of the two Warriors that had returned from their five year mission to the 'devil island,' Paradis.

And, the girl who was just shy of placing among the top ten of the 104 cadets.

'Mister' was simultaneously freaking out and realizing what kind of opportunity that this was. There was a high possibility that 'Mister' would end up saying something that would compromise his position, yet there was likely a lot of important information that he might've been able to get out of her.

Now that the auburn haired male actually thought about it, he did think that it was rather strange that she didn't recognize him earlier. While she had been drinking the first night that he had approached her, she wasn't one to get drunk - even if the drink was a heavy one. Perhaps he was just so unmemorable that he hadn't stuck in her memory? Had he really just been another drop in the ocean that was her life?

Truthfully though, the auburn male hadn't exactly recognized her at first either.

Her appearance had changed a bit from when she was younger. While the young (Y/n) had always been cute it seemed that she had grown into her features better. Having finished puberty seemed to have done wonders for her. Her form seemed much stronger than it had been when they were younger, but the thing that separated this (Y/n) from the young one that 'Mister' had met was the confidence she walked with.

Before, 'Mister' thought that the (h/c) haired girl had always walked around as if she were nervous. As if she didn't belong. At first, the auburn haired male thought that it might've been because she had been born closer to the exterior and was nervous about her new surroundings. Then, he had assumed it to be because her 'sister' Mina had died.

Now though, he understood the reason why.

A confidence that commanded soldiers and made enemies fall to their feet was what followed her; and it was that confidence which prevented 'Mister' from recognizing her at first. The confidence was intimidating, demanded attention and most of all, was attractive.

'Mister' had always considered (Y/n) to be cute, but he hadn't thought of her as attractive before.

Regardless of how the auburn male felt there was still a mission he needed to complete. An assignment that needed to be fulfilled.

Everyone who had been assigned with infiltration had been told not to interact with the Warrior Candidates or Warriors - especially the Crystal Titan Shifter, but that didn't stop 'Mister' from going to the very same bar that he met her.

The first few nights could be argued as incompetence and confusion.

Tonight though, would be him directly going against orders.

Orders were the last thing on his mind though as the icey eyed girl took a seat beside him, ordering the same drink she had last time.

'Mister' wondered if the (h/c)ette had done something to alter the colouring of her eyes. If it had something to do with Marley's technology or with her Titan Shifting abilities.

"So, do you live here?" (Y/n) asked, resting her head on her hand.

The auburn haired male turned to face her, "this happens to be my first time here this week, Miss (Y/n). If anything, I'd think you were the one who lives here. Though, if I had the chance of seeing someone as attractive as myself here, I'd keep coming as well."

(Y/n) playfully rolled her eyes, "you're cute, but don't you think you're flattering yourself a little too much, 'Mister'?"

"Really? I can cook, clean and fight! Not to mention that I'm quite the looker." the auburn haired male gave the girl a wink, "the whole package deal if you ask me."

"Perhaps we just have different ideas of what 'the whole package' is."

"And what is your ideal man, or woman, Miss (Y/n)?"

The girl let out a chuckle, "I find guys with short, dark hair attractive, so I might not be the right person to judge your physical appearance. Personality wise, I think it's humble guys that really get me going."

"And what do you mean by 'get you going'?" Teased the auburn haired male.

"I'm going to need a few more drinks before we get to talking about personal things like that."

"A few? More like an entire store's worth."

Her eyes cleared up as she looked at 'Mister' curiously, "do I give off the impression of a heavy drinker?"

Oh shit!

"Well, it was just that on the first night we met you were drinking a heavy drink and didn't get very drunk! I just assumed that-"

"Oh!" She let out an airy chuckle, "I wasn't talking about myself getting drunk! What I meant was that you'll need a few more drinks before I tell you anything."

"And why is that?"

"Well, you know who I am and I don't know who you are. I wouldn't want to tell you anything if you'll remember it. Can't have you telling all my secrets and then slipping away in the night, can I?"

'Mister' was curious to know if his cover was blown yet. Or was (Y/n) always this protective when telling people things about herself? It seemed that the latter was more likely. After all, even before he had known who she was she was still hesitant when talking about herself.

"Then how about another drink then?" The auburn haired male asked.

"Sure," (Y/n) smirked, "on me, of course."

"Of course."

---

"So, you can't remember who you had your first kiss with?" (Y/n) asked.

'Mister' -whose face was already flushed from drinking- nodded, "yes! Because of my late shift I had just joined in on the little get together a few of my fellow soldiers had arranged. They thought it was a great idea to start playing a drinking version of truth or dare as soon as I arrived. I had about five too many drinks when the person sitting next to me was dared to kiss me."

(Y/n) smiled, "you sound like you've had quite the entertaining life as a soldier."

"Yeah." 'Mister' took another swig before grinning, "So who was your first kiss with, Miss (Y/n)?"

"My first kiss was with a boy when we were around... ten?"

"Ten! That doesn't count!" the auburn haired male exclaimed, "what about back when you were a cadet? You had all the boys chasing you back then, didn't you?"

"Well, that's a bit of an overstatement."

"Perhaps we should start thinking of ways of getting you home, 'Mister'." (Y/n) chuckled, "do you need me to walk you home?"

"You know, I used to wonder why you six didn't get drunk! If I had known about the shifty thing about you shifters and your drinking, I wouldn't have agreed back-"

"Oh there you are!!" exclaimed a young boy who had entered the bar, "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

If the auburn haired male had been in the right state of mind, he would've noticed the stiffness of the newcomer as they (the newcomer) spotted the Crystal Shifter. He would've been able to stop himself from saying such careless things.

It was just lucky for him that (Y/n)'s own relief had kept her from putting the pieces together at that moment or 'Mister' might've found himself encased in crystal.

"Ah! Tom! I was wondering if you'd come to find me today!"

"And of course you had to be drunk."

(Y/n) gave an apologetic smile, "sorry! That might've been my fault."

"Ph! It's alright ma'am!" 'Tom' exclaimed, keeping his head down, "my... uncle! Yes, my uncle here has a... problem with drinking! My parents have been worried sick about him!"

"Oh! I'm sorry for helping him indulge in a bad habit then."

"Hey!" 'Mister' exclaimed, "I am not your uncle! We're practically the same age!"

(Y/n) laughed, "well, as long as 'Mister' here is in good hands. I'll be heading out now."

"Goodbye ma'am!" squeaked 'Tom'.

With the final shutting of the door, 'Tom' let out a sigh of relief before turning to 'Mister' with a scowl in his face.

"I thought you said that you had the Crystal Titan Shifter under control!" 'Tom' exclaimed.

'Mister' looked serious but a response never came as he passed out, falling face first onto the table.