Chapter Text
Kohta Yamamoto: All of the freedoms
Year 735, the Eldian military headquarter
Steam blasts from the pulp that used to be a titan. Blood seeps everywhere, when he pulls the screaming and kicking boy out from the heat. Most shifters are barely conscious once done fighting, but this one's always had a strange ability to just stay awake. Birk holds tightly onto him, like he always does, when Markell has his fits of rage. But today it’s different: today he’s desperate, like a scared animal crept up in a corner. Today he killed someone, and tried to kill even more. Today, Birk doesn’t just have to wait for him to cool down, but has to drag him off to meet his judgement.
Mathilda comes running, because she can never mind her own business. Most of the time, Birk doesn’t understand why she even comes along on missions, considering she rarely does anything. He assumes it’s the king’s way of showing dominance: that the shifters stick together.
Her hand clutches harshly around Markell’ arm, as she begins to yell at him, so out of it that it all just comes out as nonsense with no end nor beginning. She’s in shock, like they all are, except for Markell who continues to scream and kick and attempt to escape Birk’s grip on him.
“I have to save her!” he yells, his teenage voice doing a pathetic crack. “Birk, if I don’t do it now, then—then she will—”
His voice dies out when Birk promptly bashes the kid’s head into the cold ground. It won’t kill him. Markell’ body will just regenerate again, and he’ll become conscious sooner than they can get him back to the capital, but still he can feel the burn of tears in his eyes. Birk’s throat feels tight and sore, as he keeps in the sobs that are trying to escape. It can all wait till he’s alone, till this is all over.
Markell hits and screams and kicks. His fingers clutch around Birk’s shirt, fingernails digging so harshly into his skin, that they draw blood. Tiny red spots appear on the pale fabric, causing Birk’s breath to hitch as he desperately attempt to calm down the boy.
“Don’t let her eat me!” Markell cries out in an agonizing scream that causes Birk’s blood to run cold. His tone of voice is riddled with pure terror, but who can blame him? Birk himself is itching to get off the ground, where a stray mindless titan who haven’t been cleaned up yet can come running. And then both he and Markell will become a titan snack.
“Come on Markell, let’s go” he mutters low, “everything will be alright, if you just follow along without fighting.”
But the teen continues to trash around. He’s always been so quick to rage, so violent, though he has always been the youngest. Back then though, Michel was always around to calm him down. Back then Markell’s temper hadn’t caused any deaths yet.
“I killed them! I killed them, didn’t I?! It should all be over now, I’ve saved her!”
Thud, Birk throws the boy over his shoulder and begins to march through the rubble, back towards the camp, where they’ll take Markell into custody.
“Yes, you did. She’s safe now.” Birk agrees, though he has no idea what the teen is rambling about. His head must be all scrambled eggs by now, after getting beat so harshly in his titan form. There is none left of the little coherence he had possessed before.
Mathilda has gone quiet, but trails behind them like a wolf on hunt. Not that he planned to, but if Birk or Markell were to make just one slight, wrong move, she’d pounce quicker than he’d ever be able to react. Her blue eyes are like ice against his skill, causing cold shivers down his back.
“It’ll be alright” he mumbles to Markell, who’s finally calming down.
“Just breathe.”