#pikupokko

[lavenderhummingbird]

the porco and pieck scene this week really has me sure those two have kissed i know it

[pickalilywrites]

i haven’t uploaded this onto tumblr yet b/c i’m lazy but it’s been on my ao3 for at least a month 😱

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When I Met You

GalliPieck. Canonverse. 

6766 words.

Read on AO3!

Pieck stumbles up the dirt path and wonders how she had managed to walk up this same hill every morning back when she was still a Warrior candidate. Back then it had been a struggle for her too - she never had the best stamina and was always one of the last people to arrive, her cheeks flushed and sweat dripping down her back - but now it’s especially challenging as she hobbles forth on her crutches, which don’t seem to be helping her at all. General Magath hovers behind her worriedly, hands stretched out behind Pieck as if to catch her in case she falls. He always does this, worries too much about Pieck despite the Devil blood that runs through her veins. The man has always been strangely kind even back when Pieck and her companions were still students training to be Warriors. 

“I won’t fall over, so stop looking at me like the wind will blow me away,” Pieck tells the general with a fake pout. She waves him away with a crutch, laughing at his scandalized expression. She turns back to the path, moving forward even though her arms ache and her feet are numb. “I don’t know why I let you lead me here, General. I feel like I have to walk slower just to stop those worry lines from permanently wrinkling your face. It might have been better to just go on my own.” 

“Go on your own?” Magath splutters as if the idea is unthinkable to him. It’s strange how fragile he sees Pieck when just days ago she was on the battlefield killing hundreds of enemy soldiers at the bat of an eyelash. As if she’s not a monster and just an ordinary soldier that needs to rest after a battle. Then again, the man has always been strange that way. Now, his frown deepens, Pieck’s lighthearted words doing nothing to lessen his concern. “I don’t understand why you couldn’t wait for Zeke or Porco to accompany you or wait a week or two until you’ve recovered. It’s not as if the academy is going anywhere.” 

Pieck fights the urge to sigh. Sometimes, General Magath acts more like her father than her superior, but she’d never say this out loud. Instead, she rolls her eyes and says, “Zeke is meeting with a few officials and Porco agreed to meet me here later. He’s grabbing snacks for the kids, but it’d take too long if he brought me along-” Here, Pieck leans over to pat her leg, ignoring Magath’s grimace. “-and today is the perfect day to visit, besides. They have their evaluations today.” 

“Ah, evaluations,” Magath says with a nod. He should know better than her. He had been an instructor for a good time before returning to the field, the new Warriors in tow. He must have evaluated dozens of children before the final candidates had dwindled down to Pieck, Marcel, Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner. “Anyone interesting?” 

Pieck nods. “Zeke might have mentioned them a few times. Zofia is good at working with others and doesn’t crack under pressure. She’s also quite clever; she does incredibly well with written exams. Udo is also quite good - at least on paper. He’s smart, but he lacks confidence.” 

Their last evaluations were quite impressive, if Pieck recalls correctly. Zofia, a slender girl with a thin nose and half-lidded eyes, had bragged to Pieck about her test scores the last time the Cart Titan had come to visit. Pieck recalls the girl making an effort to point out that not only had her test scores improved, but they were much better than the other candidates. Udo was a little more reserved about his accomplishments, but he had shyly offered his evaluation for Pieck to look at and his marksmanship scores and weaponry grades were particularly memorable. 

“And Grice’s younger brother?” Magath asks. “I believe his name is Falco. You know Colt’s brother, of course.” 

“Of course,” Pieck says, the corner of her lip turning upward into a smile. Of course, Magath would take the time to remember the name of a soldier’s younger brother. He’s the type to remember details like that even though other people in Magath’s position would think such information to be useless. “He’s …. well, he’s very passionate. He works hard.” 

Truth be told, Falco fades into the background when thinking about the other candidates. The boy is talented enough to be considered a candidate, but he’s not more impressive than the others in any way. His stamina is decent, his strength is passable, and his written exam scores are acceptable. Falco hadn’t seemed to inherit the strategic mind and perseverance that his older brother Colt possessed, which is a shame. Of course, it’s not necessary for him to become a chosen Warrior when his brother’s future as the Beast Titan is guaranteed, but it’s always an honor for a family to have someone be chosen as a Warrior. It’s even more of an honor to have two. It’s not Falco’s fault. He isn’t even bad, he’s just not outstanding like the rest of his peers. 

Still, Magath nods as if this is enough. “Character like that is hard to build. The instructors should continue to keep an eye on that boy.” 

Pieck doubts this, but she doesn’t say it out loud. Magath knows a thing or two about Warrior candidates after all, so maybe she should keep an eye on Falco. He might be a late bloomer. 

“I find Gabi Braun the most interesting though,” Pieck says. 

The general raises an eyebrow at the name. “Reiner’s cousin?” he asks. He hums when Pieck confirms with a nod. “Another Warrior in the Braun family. Perhaps it’s in their genes. They’d be lucky to have the Armored Titan handed down to a relative.” 

They’d have to call it luck. Gabi is the clear candidate for the Armored Titan. She excelled in nearly everything with the exception of written and oral exams. The young girl was a model Warrior candidate - something that her cousin Reiner never was. In fact, Pieck still thinks it’s a miracle that the Armored Titan had earned his position because she had never found him a formidable opponent when fighting for her spot as a Warrior Candidate. He lacked in nearly everything and his evaluations were poor aside from writing and oral assignments. Reiner was, in every way, the exact opposite of Gabi. Pieck had thought Porco would inherit the Armored Titan for sure, so she was surprised when it was announced that Reiner would be chosen as the inheritor. Some days she still can’t wrap her head around it. 

“Lucky indeed,” Pieck agrees with a murmur. 

They near the top of the hill where the academy is located. There are children outside, some running around and playing now that today’s lessons have concluded while others lie in the grass to rest. Most of them don’t notice Pieck and Magath strolling up the hill until they’ve reached the gate. It’s a girl that greets them first, shouting Pieck’s name loud enough to have the other children turn their heads and begin running towards Pieck. Pieck’s popularity must surprise Magath because he’s alarmed at the crowd of kids that rushes at Pieck. The kids throw their arms around her, hugging her with so much affection that they nearly knock her to the ground. 

“Ah, did you miss me that much?” Pieck laughs, struggling to stay upright with all these kids piling on her. She pats one affectionately on the head, ruffling their hair. She almost forgets about Magath for a second until she turns her head and sees the man, his forehead wrinkled as he wonders if he should pull the children off her. She grins widely. “No need to worry, General. You’ve left me in good hands with these kids. They’ll take good care of me.” 

At the mention of Magath’s title, the children quickly unstick themselves from Pieck’s limbs and turn towards the general, their hands held up in a salute. Their faces, which had been filled with smiles just seconds before, are now solemn as they look up at Magath. Pieck wants to laugh at the contrast. 

“I’ll leave her in your capable hands then,” Magath says, giving them a salute of his own. The general has the decency not to laugh, but Pieck sees an amused sparkle in the man’s eye before he turns to leave. He gets along well with children. Pieck thinks it’s a shame that the man stopped being an instructor. Nobody speaks until the man disappears from view. 

“That was General Magath, wasn’t it?” a boy says, his voice filled with awe. He turns to Pieck, admiration in his eyes. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him up close before.” 

“Work harder and maybe you will,” a voice Pieck recognizes as Zofia says. The girl is in the back, her face smug. Zofia is a little thinner than Pieck remembers, but the girl still has the same half-lidded eyes and choppy blonde bangs that she had when Pieck first met her. “You have to get better if you want to be chosen for missions. You’ll never meet the generals and commanders otherwise.” 

Zofia is referring to the military operations that the candidates are sometimes picked for. Only top candidates are chosen; it’s a way to reward the candidates for their hard work and at the same time offer them experience on the battlefield before they acquire their Titan. It’s no use to have a Titan and not know how the battlefield works. Pieck herself had been on a number of missions when she had been a candidate. Zofia has as well, but not a lot of other children are picked for such missions. Not everyone gets that honor. 

“Miss Pieck,” the child whines, clearly offended. He tangles himself around her arm, sulking into her side. 

“You’ll get them soon,” Pieck says soothingly, patting the boy’s back. 

He looks up, surprised. Maybe even a little bit excited. “I will?” 

Pieck nods. “If you work hard,” she says, pressing her finger to his nose. 

The boy groans, his arms falling away from Pieck as Zofia snickers behind him. The other children laugh too, poking the boy and teasing him. A few have worried looks on their faces, probably worried about not being chosen for a mission anytime in the near future. Pieck used to worry about such things too when she was younger. She has other things to worry about now. 

Udo grabs Pieck’s crutches from her while other kids take her by the hand and lead her to the schoolhouse. They tell her about their day - some long-distance running, lessons on surviving in the wilderness, and history classes before their evaluations were handed out to them - and Pieck nods as she only half-pays attention to their stories. Some even show her their reports, although she only really pays attention to Udo’s and Zofia’s. They have high marks - much higher than their peers - and she makes a mental note to tell General Magath and Zeke when she sees them again. As they get nearer to the classroom, she notices that a familiar head of black is not here with them. 

“Where’s Gabi?” Pieck asks, looking around. It’s strange not to see the lively girl hovering around her with the others. Usually, Gabi is the first one to greet her, pushing her classmates out of the way to get Pieck first. She feels a bit guilty about not noticing the girl’s absence earlier. 

People look away at the mention of Gabi, their gazes fixed on their feet and the dirt road. Pieck isn’t entirely sure why, but she sometimes has the feeling that Gabi isn’t well-liked among her peers. It might be because of jealousy or perhaps the girl’s accomplishments intimidate the others. Nobody offers her an explanation of Gabi's whereabouts, so Pieck wonders if the girl had gone home early for a moment until Zofia speaks up. 

“She’s in the classroom right now. She told us not to bother her,” Zofia explains. Out of everyone, Zofia seems to be the closest to Gabi, although it was more like the two got along alright instead of being actual friends. Even now, Zofia’s voice drops to a whisper as they all approach the schoolhouse. “I think she’s upset about her evaluation.” 

That’s strange. Gabi’s incredibly well-rounded. Even with written and oral exams, the girl’s biggest weakness, Pieck can’t imagine Gabi scoring low enough for it to be worth nothing. 

“Do you know what her evaluation was?” Pieck asks. 

Zofia snorts and looks at the schoolhouse door with a pout. “Of course not. Gabi won’t share that with anyone,” Zofia says, rolling her eyes. It’s not something Zofia would understand, Pieck decides, because her scores were good all-around. Even if the girl had a bad score, she’d probably bounce back quickly. Gabi, on the other hand, takes every ounce of criticism to heart. 

They all stand there, Pieck at the door while the kids huddle behind her, wondering if they’ll actually go in. It’s like they’ve approached a dragon’s lair - half of them are too scared to enter while the other half is curious as to what awaits inside. Is Gabi fuming? Is she crying? Is she sitting in silent shock? Whatever it is, Pieck feels like it’s only polite to grant her privacy instead of trying to talk to her about her evaluation in front of a dozen uninvited children. 

“I’ll talk to her myself,” Pieck tells them with a smile. The disappointed looks don’t go unnoticed and Pieck almost laughs. Children are so strange when they’re competitive. Then again, she might have been the same way back when she was their age. 

The students leave, some a little more reluctantly than the others. Some even straggle behind until Pieck shoos them away, telling them to look out for Porco instead because he should have some treats for them when he arrives. The promise of food - snacks, sweets, and other goodies that they aren’t normally allowed - is enough to get them to leave, any thoughts of eavesdropping on Pieck and her conversation with Gabi forgotten. After the coast is clear, Pieck waits a minute before knocking. 

“Gabi?” Pieck calls. “It’s me, Pieck.” There’s no answer, but Pieck spots a lone figure slumped over a desk when she cracks open the door to take a peek. She raps her knuckles against the door frame to make her presence known in case Gabi hadn’t heard the first time, but the girl simply lets out an angry groan. It’s not exactly an invitation, but Pieck takes a seat beside the sulking girl anyway. 

Gabi doesn’t lift her head up when Pieck sits down next to her, but she does turn her head, her lower lip sticking out in a pout. “Hi, Miss Pieck,” Gabi says. Her tone lacks the girl’s usual abundance of energy. In her hand, she clutches a crumpled piece of paper. It most definitely is the evaluation that Zofia mentioned earlier. 

“What are you doing here by yourself?” Pieck asks. She touches Gabi lightly on the arm, and the girl doesn’t flinch away from Pieck’s hand. That’s a good sign. “Everyone else is playing outside and waiting for Porco to bring snacks. I told him to bring your favorites. You like those chocolate candy cigarettes, don’t you?” 

There isn’t even a hint of a smile on the girl’s face at the mention of her favorite snack. She continues to sit there moodily, rubbing the corner of her evaluation between her two fingers. “I don’t feel like eating.” 

“Are you sure? It might be a while before we visit again, and you know Reiner can’t afford to keep buying you snacks all the time.” Pieck lays her head down on the table next to Gabi’s. When she smiles, Gabi returns it with a scowl. “All your friends might eat the snacks before you get a chance to have even one.” 

Gabi’s frown deepens and she turns away from Pieck, hiding her face in her elbow. “Doesn’t matter. They’re not my friends anyway.” Her voice is muffled by the sleeve of her shirt. 

Pieck raises an eyebrow. Gabi’s never been incredibly sociable, but she’s never been this hostile towards her classmates. Curious, Pieck sneaks a peek at Gabi’s evaluations. There aren’t any horrible marks - they’re all in the nineties, a few high eighties, and even a hundred here and there - but there are a few subjects that Gabi’s elbow is covering. She purses her lips, finger tapping on the desk. After a moment, Pieck asks quietly, “Are you upset about your evaluation scores, Gabi?” 

Gabi finally sits up, a terrible glare on her face. Her classmates were right to be afraid. Her face is flushed red, although Pieck suspects it’s from anger rather than embarrassment or crying. Gabi isn’t the type to cry about these things. “Did Zofia tell you?” Gabi’s eyes narrow as she glowers at Pieck. 

Pieck decides not to tell Gabi that Zofia had told her about the evaluations. If anyone can handle an angry Gabi, it would probably be Zofia, but Pieck doesn’t want her to deal with that if she doesn’t have to. Instead, Pieck rubs soothing circles on Gabi’s back. “Can I take a look at them? It probably isn’t as bad as you think it is.” 

The girl continues to glare at Pieck, but the Cart Titan just stares back, expression neutral. After a while, Gabi finally sighs and removes her elbow from the paper, allowing Pieck to look at the paper. 

Pieck takes the paper in her hand, her eyes scanning through the subjects and their corresponding scores. As expected, Gabi’s grades are stellar. Her lowest grades are in history and speaking, but even those scores are an improvement from last term. Pieck’s eyes continue to wander downward until she finds an anomaly among the high scores - cooperation. The box beside it is marked with a large 0, somehow angrier and more savage-looking than the other scores despite being written with the same red pen as the other numbers. Gabi’s teamwork skills have never been that high, but a 0 is abysmal. No wonder the girl is miserable. 

“...Do you have a problem working in teams, Gabi?” Pieck asks, trying to keep her tone light as she sets the paper down. She looks at Gabi cautiously, gauging the girl’s reaction. 

“I don’t,” Gabi says. Her thick brows furrow and she sucks in her cheeks the way she does when she’s angry. “Everyone else just sucks.” 

Pieck has to stifle a laugh, coughing behind her hand to hide her smile. She really shouldn’t be encouraging this behavior, but some of the things the kids say are so ridiculous she can’t help laughing. “I’m sure they’re not that bad,” Pieck says. She hopes that her stoic face is convincing. Then again, Gabi is too busy glaring at the 0 on her evaluation form to pay any attention to Warrior’s facial expression. 

“I don’t even understand why I have to learn how to work with others,” Gabi mutters. She leans back roughly against her chair, slouching with her legs splayed out. “It’s not as if I’ll be controlling the Armored Titan with others. It’s not like the Cart Titan where you have to work with other people to be fully operational.” She glances at Pieck for a moment and, as if remembering who she was speaking to, tacking on a mumbled, “No offense.” 

Pieck shrugs off Gabi’s words, not at all bothered. It’s true that the Cart Titan is the least capable Titan for combat. Its form made it too awkward to fight in combat and it was not anywhere near as agile as the Jaw or Armored Titan. Its strength lay in its ability to transport equipment and carry military weapons, requiring soldiers to work alongside it to operate the machinery. While the other Titans didn’t need extra equipment to be useful on the battlefield, that didn’t mean that cooperation was useless for them. 

“Do you think your cousin Reiner got where he was from doing whatever he wanted and not listening to others?” Pieck says with a laugh. 

Gabi has stopped glaring now, but her lower lip is still sticking out in a pout. Still, she looks at Pieck curiously, wondering what the Warrior has to say, so Pieck proceeds. 

“The only reason why the Warriors work so well together is because we’re able to work as a team. We listen to Zeke, our commander, as well as our military superiors. If we didn’t, we’d be a mess out there on the battlefield. The enemy would massacre us and it wouldn’t matter how powerful our Titan forms are,” Pieck says. She brushes away a stray lock of hair from Gabi’s forehead. 

The young girl’s brow is still furrowed and she looks as if she wants to argue with Pieck, but there isn’t anything to argue about. It doesn’t matter what Gabi thinks. Pieck is the one with more military experience and the one with a Titan. She knows better than Gabi. After a moment, Gabi asks, “How am I supposed to work with people if they don’t like me?” 

It seems like such an ordinary question to ask - not at all about how to get better in combat or improve stamina or anything about surviving during a battle - that Pieck almost laughs, but the girl is looking at her so earnestly that Pieck swallows her smile. “You guys don’t have to like each other, at least not at first,” Pieck replies. There are still people in the military that she hates working with, but she’s not going to tell Gabi that. That’s something the girl can figure out on her own. “Just try to work well with them - listen to them, take into account their concerns, be open to suggestions - and maybe you’ll like them better.” 

“That’s impossible,” Gabi scowls, arms folded over her chest. Her mind has already been made up about her classmates. The girl is incredibly stubborn. It’ll take a while for her mind to change about her classmates. Gabi sneaks a curious glance at Pieck and then, without warning, asks, “Did you get along well with Porco when you first met him?” 

“Porco?” Pieck isn’t sure why the name startles her so much. Maybe it’s because she was expecting Gabi to ask about someone else like Zeke, who Pieck has worked with much longer than Porco. 

Gabi nods. “My instructor said you two work incredibly well on the field together. ‘Perfectly in sync,’ she said.” As she says this, the girl looks almost envious. She looks at Pieck suspiciously as if the Cart Titan has been hiding some secret from her. “What did you think of him when you first met?” 

“When we first met?” Pieck says with a laugh. “That was so long ago though…” Her voice begins to trail off as she recalls meeting Porco. 

------

Pieck had, of course, met Porco before. They had been Warrior candidates at the academy and trained side-by-side. She had even had a few conversations with him back then - ordinary conversations about the weather and musings about the lessons they would have - but nothing they discussed was memorable. Of her classmates, Porco had been one of the more memorable of her peers. He was good on the field, skilled at fighting, and had an intellectual acuity for battlefield strategies, especially in large formations. She, along with many others, had thought Porco was the logical choice for the Armored Titan, so it was a surprise when Reiner Braun was announced in his place. The surprise didn’t last, however, and Pieck had been quick to accept it, her memory of Porco and his discontent scowl fading in the back of her mind. It was only five years later that she saw him again, only this time he was no longer Porco Galliard, the candidate that had failed to become the Armored Titan, but Porco Galliard, the one chosen to inherit the Jaw Titan. 

“Meet the Jaw Titan,” Zeke says as he introduces (or, really, re-introduced) Porco to Pieck. 

“We’ve met before,” Porco says at the same time Pieck is thinking it. Still, he offers a hand for Pieck to take and she shakes it, noting how rough and weathered it is in hers. He has a strong grip though, which she takes as a good sign before she lets go. 

“We trained together,” she explains to Zeke. 

“And fought together,” he adds. There’s an awkward silence between them - from Pieck because she can’t recall seeing Porco on the field and from Porco because he doesn’t know how to proceed from there. It must be that the silence is getting to him because Porco clears his throat and clarifies, “I was a part of the infantry.” 

“Ah,” Pieck says with a nod, pretending like she remembers even though she doesn’t. There are so many people on the field every day. The only people she really knows are the ones that work alongside her, manning the artillery on the Cart Titan’s back. 

The commander claps the two on the back. “Well, you two will be fighting side-by-side more often once Porco takes hold of the Jaw Titan,” Zeke says. He looks at Porco. “The ceremony is this weekend, isn’t it?” 

“Ah, yes,” Porco says, a bit startled at the attention. He offers up a bag that he’s been holding. Inside are snacks of every kind - sweet things like muffins and cookies and savory snacks like sausages and jerky. They’re the types of things Eldians can’t afford to buy unless their families had a member that inherited a Titan. Zeke and Pieck both stare down at the snacks and Porco clears his throat. “I bought them to celebrate. Er, if you want any.” 

“Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” Zeke asks, raising his eyebrow. He reaches in and plucks out a bag of jerky. He tears open the wrapping easily, snapping off a piece of the dried beef with his teeth. “Ah, but this is good. Thanks, Porco.” He ruffles the man’s head as if Porco were a child and not a man about to inherit one of Marley’s most powerful weapons. 

“No problem,” Porco mumbles, cheeks flushing at the simple words of thanks. He notices that Pieck still hasn’t taken anything so he offers the bag to her, holding it under her nose. “Take some.” 

Pieck looks down, observing the wide selection. There are only three of them, so there wasn’t really a need to get so much food. These are all snack foods besides, but maybe Porco enjoys snack foods or maybe he’s hoping to save some for his family later. After a moment she looks at him, frowning as she jokingly tells him, “You don’t have my favorite in here.” Behind her Zeke snorts, but Porco looks at her in alarm like he’s afraid he’s actually offended her. 

“Which one’s your favorite?” 

“Don’t tease him when he’s nervous enough as it is, Pieck,” Zeke says with a chuckle. He’s already halfway through the packet of jerky already. 

“Those little sweet crackers. The ones with the scallop edges and sprinkled with sugar. You know the ones?” she asks Porco. She feels bad immediately afterward because the man’s now frowning down at his bag of food. It almost looks like he’s trying to will one of the snacks to transform to Pieck’s favorite treat. Hastily, Pieck makes a grab for a random pack of food and pulls out a licorice wheel. It’s not ideal, but it could be worse. She makes a show of waving it in Porco’s face, a smile on her face. “Nevermind. These will do. Thanks, Porco!” 

He grunts in response but still seems troubled. Even as Zeke continues to talk to them - discussing future plans now that they’ve reacquired the Jaw Titan and the need to prevent neighboring countries from invading - he seems distracted, nibbling at a chocolate wafer nervously and nodding every once in a while. Watching him makes Pieck feel guilty and she almost wants to put down her licorice wheel and apologize, but doing that in the middle of a conversation with Zeke might make the poor man feel even more awkward so she unwinds the licorice wheel and eats it inch by bitter inch. It’s only after Pieck has eaten another licorice wheel - a raspberry-flavored one, which was more bearable than the black licorice wheel before - and Zeke has inhaled nearly all of the jerky and sausage that Porco abruptly gets up to excuse himself, mumbling something about coming back soon. 

“Do you think I made him uncomfortable?” Zeke asks before Pieck can. 

She snorts, nearly choking on her raspberry candy. “You? Why would you make him uncomfortable?” 

“Because,” Zeke says solemnly, “I am his superior, so I might intimidate him. Also, I’ve been told that I’m very handsome.” 

Pieck almost rips off a piece of licorice and pelts it at the commander. She doesn’t, of course. That would be a waste of food. She rolls her eyes instead. “I probably shouldn’t have teased him like that when I barely know him, but I didn’t think he’d be so sensitive.” Pieck takes another bite of her licorice, gagging at the strange mixture of artificial raspberry and bitter licorice taste. She probably shouldn’t have taken another licorice wheel, but she decided it would be an apt punishment. “Do you think we’ll get along well?” 

Zeke shrugs as if it doesn’t matter. He’s surprisingly unconcerned about all this. “It’ll all work out eventually,” he says before giving Pieck a wicked grin. “And if it doesn’t, we can say it’s your fault.” 

“You’re terrible,” Pieck grumbles, sitting back in her chair. 

“I’m sure you’re just overthinking it,” Zeke says reassuringly. He leans forward and looks through the bag of snacks, frowning when he doesn’t find what he’s looking for. “He’s probably just the shy, quiet type. He’ll warm up to us eventually.” 

“Or maybe,” Pieck says, pointing at Zeke, “he’s had enough of us already and ran away.” It seems to be the only logical explanation as to why the man hasn’t returned yet. 

“He probably just went to the bathroom.” 

“That’s an awfully long bathroom break.” 

“It happens,” Zeke says sagely. 

Just then the door swings open and in barges Porco, another bag in his hand. It’s not filled to the brim this time and Pieck and Zeke can only see its contents when Porco haphazardly tosses it between them, peering in curiously to find the sweet sugar crackers that Pieck had spoken about before. They look at him, eyebrows raised, but Porco simply slouches down in his chair, his head hanging so that he doesn’t have to look either of them in the eye. Pieck can’t decide if the man’s just shy or awkward. It could be a combination of both. 

Gingerly, Pieck takes a packet of crackers, holding it up and inspecting it as if seeing the treat for the first time. “Did you,” she asks slowly, “buy this just because I said it was my favorite?” 

“No, of course not,” Porco snaps a little too quickly. He must feel that his response is too harsh because he says, quieter this time, “I just started craving them because you were talking about it earlier. You can have some if you’d like.”

“Thanks,” Pieck says, trying hard not to giggle. He’s both awkward and shy then, she thinks as she rips open the plastic wrap and nibbles on the cracker. And thoughtful. That’s a good trait to have in a teammate. 

Porco grunts in response, taking a pack of crackers of his own and chewing them silently across from Pieck. Zeke, however, does not take any. The commander just frowns at the bag a little unhappily and, after a moment, says, “You didn’t buy any more sausages on your way back?” 

“I’m sorry, sir, I’ll go get some immediately!” Porco says, already getting up to run out of the room. 

Pieck grabs onto his shirt and yanks him back down before he can escape. “Relax, he’s just kidding!” She gestures to the unfinished crackers in his hand. “Eat up.” 

Confused, Porco looks from Pieck and then to Zeke who’s smiling at him rather apologetically. It’s only then that Porco truly relaxes, sitting back against the chair and eating his crackers a little less carefully now, crumbs spilling onto the front of his shirt. 

He’s most definitely awkward, Pieck thinks as she hides her smile behind another bite of cracker, but that’s nothing that she can’t work with. They’ll get along well for sure. 

----------

“When I first met him?” Pieck repeats. She looks up at the ceiling thoughtfully, staring up at the boards that she used to stare at as a child. She then turns her gaze back to Gabi, a mischievous smile on her lips. “Cute.” 

Gabi’s surprised for a moment, the answer unexpected, and then her nose crinkles in an expression that’s almost like disgust. “Cute?” 

“Yes,” Pieck says cheerfully. She wants to giggle at Gabi’s scowl. She probably should have given the girl a more serious answer, but Gabi needs to learn to lighten up a little if she wants to work with others. “Some people think he’s quite handsome, you know.” 

“I guess,” Gabi mumbles, although the frown on her face says that she hasn’t really thought about it. Or maybe she just doesn’t think Porco is handsome. Pieck will have to tell Porco about this. 

“Well, it’s fine if you don’t get along with them immediately,” Pieck tells Gabi. She reaches out to play with the loose strands of hair that are falling out of Gabi’s bun, smiling fondly as she does so. “Just pick someone that you think you can work with well. Someone you can tolerate. And then maybe you’ll learn how to be a team with them. Who knows, you might even become the best of friends.” 

Gabi sulks for a bit and side-eyes Pieck. “Do they have to be ‘handsome’?” 

The elder snorts. “No. It doesn’t matter what they look like.” 

The girl sits there thinking for a bit, mulling over the possible candidates. Her brown eyes flicker over the empty desks in the classroom as she recalls all her classmates. After a bit, she finally says, “I think I’ll work with Falco first.” 

Pieck is only a little surprised. She probably would have picked Zofia - her skillset is more evenly matched to Gabi’s than Falco’s is - but it does make sense that Gabi would choose the boy over Zofia. He isn’t as headstrong as Zofia is and is less likely to clash with the stubborn Braun girl. The two might also make a surprisingly good pair, Pieck thinks. Falco could improve Gabi’s cooperation scores and might also get her used to working with others and Gabi might be able to help the boy improve in all the subjects he’s having trouble with. Pieck definitely approves of the match. 

“I think that would be a good idea,” Pieck says with a smile. She rubs the top of Gabi’s head. “Why don’t you go find him right now? Working on the field is good, but team building is easier if you get along well in your downtime too.” 

Gabi looks a little aggravated, but she gets up anyway. “Fine,” she huffs. The girl grabs her bag and tosses it over her shoulder, her evaluation crumpled in her hand. She maneuvers around Pieck and heads toward the door. She only turns back when her hand is on the knob. Her expression isn’t exactly happy right now - the girl is probably still focused on improving her scores for next term - but she gives Pieck a quick smile and a wave. “Thanks, Miss Pieck. I’ll let you know how it goes.” 

“See you later, Gabi,” Pieck says cheerfully. 

The young Warrior cadet leaves, the door just about to swing shut before someone’s hand reaches out to stop it. Outside, Gabi speaks to someone, but her voice is too quiet for Pieck to pick up the conversation. The other voice is much lower, much more mature, and Pieck realizes just who it is although she can’t hear a word that the speaker is saying. When the speaker steps in, Pieck greets him with a wide smile. 

“Porco.” 

“Pieck,” Porco replies. He raises a hand, showing her a bag that’s less than half-filled with treats. Her friend approaches, dropping the bag onto the table. He takes a seat on the desk, ignoring the many empty chairs around them, and folds his arms across his chest. “Those little gremlins nearly ate everything. I gave Gabi a few biscuits and chips before she left. You’re lucky I still have some things leftover for you.” 

Pieck purses her lips as she takes a peek inside. There are different flavored licorice wheels - strawberry, raspberry, and the original black licorice - and a few packs of sugar crackers. The Titan Shifter takes the crackers, ripping open the wrapper and biting a cracker. It’s nice and sweet and flaky on her tongue. “How blessed I am to have you as a friend,” Pieck hums.

Her companion rolls his eyes as he takes a licorice wheel and bites into it, not bothering to unravel it and eat it in a strand like most other people would. “Blessed is a word for it,” he mumbles. 

Pieck takes another bite, savoring the taste of butter and sugar on her tongue. Truth be told, sugar crackers weren’t really her favorite snack, at least not back then. She had only said that in jest and hadn’t bothered to tell Porco afterward. He had gone through all that trouble to bring the crackers for her that night. It gave her a deeper appreciation for the snack. After she polishes off a pack, she leans forward on the desk, tipping her chin upward so that she can get a better view of Porco. “Porco, what did you think of me when we first met?” 

“What did I think?” Porco repeats. He bites off another piece of the licorice wheel, chewing thoughtfully as he remembers their first meeting. He swallows and answers, “I thought you were weird.” 

Pieck wrinkles her nose. It’s not exactly the answer she was expecting. “Why weird?” 

“You ate, like, three licorice wheels when I first met you,” Porco replies. He finishes his licorice wheel and reaches for a pack of crackers. He pulls one out first and looks at it before licking the sugar crystals on its surface. “Nobody likes licorice that much.” 

“Hmm.” She supposes she won’t tell him the real reason she was eating the licorice wheels. Or the fact that eating all that licorice at once has given her a fondness for the snack now. 

“Why?” Porco asks. “What about you? What was your first impression of me?” 

Awkward. Shy. Endearing. Pieck grins up at him. “I thought you were perfect,” she says.

It’s a comment that might have made him blush in their earlier days together, but now Porco just shoves a cracker in her mouth. “Don’t be weird,” he tells her. He hops off the desk, grabbing the bag of snacks. “Let’s go grab some food now. This stuff is good, but it’s hardly a meal.” 

“Get me my crutches? I think Udo left them leaning against the schoolhouse,” Pieck says. She pushes herself out from her seat and grabs the arm Porco offers her, letting him help her up. She smiles when he reaches over to push her chair in as well as the chair Gabi had left out when she left, and leans against his broad shoulder. 

“What do you feel like eating tonight?” Porco asks as he leads them to the door. 

“Pork?” Pieck says, tilting her head to see how Porco feels about it. 

He nods. “Jägerschnitzel?” he asks. 

Ah, pork cutlets with a crispy breadcrumb crust and chopped mushrooms, a rich gravy sauce poured all over. It’s perfect with a side of steamed beans and mashed potatoes. Pieck’s hungry just thinking about it. She really can’t think of a better meal right now. 

“Perfect,” Pieck says, squeezing Porco’s arm. She looks up at him fondly. “We make a good team.” 

“Yeah,” Porco replies. He pushes open the door for Pieck, letting her go out first before he shuts the door behind them. He collects her crutches for her, handing them to her, and waits as she adjusts herself. “I guess we do.” 

[reikukaja]

I wanted to give my sweet boy Porco some fluff for his birthday. xD 

Words: 3197 Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Porco Galliard/Pieck Characters: Porco Galliard, Pieck (Shingeki no Kyojin) Additional Tags: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, pikupokko, gallipieck, Manga Spoilers, Canon Universe

Additional Tags: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, pikupokko,

Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, and Marcel were sent to Paradis five years ago. Over the course of those five years, Pieck managed to become a friend to Porco and helped him learn to control his temper. Despite Porco's initial impressions of the girl, the bond between them has grown into something that Porco cannot imagine living without.

[pickalilywrites]

gallipieck having a baby au

I’ve been writing this ship for like 9 months and i still don’t know what the proper ship name is

Ours

Gallipieck. Canonverse. 

1126 words. 

Buy me a ko-fi!

After everything is over and done with, it’s difficult to tell who has really won. Both sides have lost too many to count, and the claim of victory feels like a hollow one no matter whose mouth it comes from. At the same time, it feels untrue to say that they’ve lost when the war is finally over, and they no longer have to fight. Porco can’t say that they’ve won or lost, but he can say that they’re finally done. No longer is he a warrior or a weapon; he is his own man now, free to pursue his own dreams.

They don’t speak about the path about Reiner chose, and they choose to forget about the things that Zeke had done. As for Annie, no one has heard from her since the end of the war. The last time anyone had seen her, she was drifting around the world allowing the wind to take her wherever it went. Porco doesn’t know about Paradis and the Eldians who lived on there, whether they’re happy with the outcome or dissatisfied. He does his best not to think about the island and the monsters they created there. He stays in Liberio, one of the few survivors who chooses to do so, and allows himself to heal.

He doesn’t ask her to stay, but Pieck also remains behind.

“Not because I want to,” she tells him jokingly, “but because it’s getting way too hard to walk on these useless legs of mine.” When he runs a hand up and down her thigh, she smiles.

“I could carry you,” he murmurs into her shoulder, but she only laughs. He brushes her hair back, but it’s still as messy as ever. “Where do you want to go?”  

“Oh, I’ll just stay here with you,” she says, settling against his chest. While he’s gotten used to the weight of her from all the time she’s leaned against him, she feels lighter somehow.

They’ll never be okay, but they learn to heal with each other.

When Pieck reaches out, Porco catches her before she falls. When he has nightmares, Pieck is the one to wake him. She never has to ask why he was stirring or crying in his sleep. She always holds him without another word, stroking his hair and telling him that everything is fine now because she’s here and suddenly he can calm down. He’s easily startled by loud, sudden noises, but Pieck is always there to hold his hand and assure him that everything is fine. And when he’s with her, admiring the setting sun at the end of the day, he finds that the world is even more beautiful than he ever noticed.  

Pieck is never able to walk without crutches again. There are days when even standing up properly is more difficult than others, but he’s always there for her if she needs a shoulder to lean on and she smiles more often than she ever did. Her hair is always messy because she’s never gotten into the habit of brushing it, but she lets Porco run a brush through her hair sometimes if he really insists. On some rare occasions, she even puts it into a low ponytail similar to one she used to wear when she was younger. She never talks about the past or the limited future they have, but she always talks about the present with Porco – how nice it is to be here, how nice it is to be with him, and how beautiful the world is.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” she asks him. “Because it’s ours now.”

He thinks this is true and that nothing can take this away from him. It’s only when he finds Pieck vomiting in the early morning that he remembers that this happiness, even if it is theirs for the time being, is fleeting. Like all things, it will soon be taking away.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she tells him with a weak smile that doesn’t fool him for a bit. While she does eat after that, she hardly keeps any of the food down and when she does eat, she wrinkles her nose as if she can’t stand the smell of the food at all.

It gets worse after that. She’s usually tired, but it seems she’s always exhausted now. She never leaves the room if she can help it and if she does, she tries to sit down as soon as possible. If she can lay down, that’s even better. She complains about her body aching – her feet hurting, her stomach cramping, and her limbs feeling immovable. He thinks she surely must be dying.

“We could go to a doctor,” he says even though he fears it’s too late.

She reaches up to caress his face. “I’ll be fine, Pokko,” she says with a tired smile. “Don’t worry.”

But he worries anyway because it’s the only thing he can do now. He schedules the appointment as soon as possible, getting into arguments with both the secretary and the doctor because they can’t book a checkup fast enough for him. He’s far more worried about it than Pieck is. He should be the one holding her hand and assuring her that everything will be alright, but it’s the other way around. When Pieck is torn away from him, whisked away to the doctor’s room to be poked and prodded and inspected, Porco paces back and forth in the waiting room as he waits for the results.

“Mr. Galliard,” the doctor begins, but Porco doesn’t even wait for him to finish.

He rushes in, running to Pieck where she lays on the examination desk. He cradles her face in his hands but is surprised to see that she’s smiling at him. Confused, he searches her face for an answer but finds none. “What is it?” he asks her, but no words come out when she opens her mouth. She simply places her hands on his, shaking her head as she smiles.

“If you had let me finish, Mr. Galliard,” the doctor coughs from the doorway. He lets the door close shut behind him. The doctor walks to them, fixing his tie and clearing his throat once more. “She’s pregnant. Congratulations to the both of you.”

Now it’s his turn to be speechless. Even if he had words, he knows they would never be able to speak them because he’s so overwhelmed, so instead, he kisses Pieck hard on the mouth, holding her tightly because this is better than he could have ever imagined.

“Why are you crying?” Pieck teases, wiping away a tear he didn’t even know he was shedding.

“Because,” he whispers. He takes her hand and presses her fingers to his lips. “It’s ours.”

[pickalilywrites]

Can you please do a gallipieck

Here is one inspired from a hc that popped up in the Gallipieck discord. (If it was your hc, please let me know so I can credit you! Thank you :)) It was something like Porco being jealous over Zeke’s relationship with Pieck until he finds out they’re really just friends or something like that ^-^

A Strange Guy

Gallipieck. Modern AU.

1244 words. 

He wants to ask if it’s necessary to hang out with Zeke, but he feels like it would be rude to Pieck. She seems to enjoy Zeke’s company even though he’s older than them (just by a year but still) and is always inviting him to eat with them or watch movies. He thinks it might be because Zeke has been her neighbor or since they were both young, but he’s never felt such a bond with Reiner and he’s lived next to the guy his whole life. 

“Does he even like hanging out with us?” Porco whispers to her as the trailers begin. He leans over to look at the slumbering figure on Pieck’s other side and frowns. “He’s always sleeping whenever he’s with us. If he’s bored, he shouldn’t come. What’s the point of going to the movies if you’re going to sleep through the entire thing?” It’s not just the movies that Zeke sleeps through. He sleeps when they study. He sleeps when they’re talking on a bench after a walk through the mall. He sleeps after he finishes his meal before them during restaurants. Porco thinks that Zeke must think they’re boring if he sleeps through almost everything they do together. 

“He’s just like that,” Pieck tells him, looking at Zeke affectionately. She pats his head gently and turns back to Porco. “He sleeps through everything, even math class. He’s just one of those people who absorbs things even if he’s not awake. It’ll just appear to him a weird dream, probably.” 

Porco frowns, not believing that Pieck can make such a silly excuse for her friend. She should know when to admit that her friend is weird. 

Porco hates watching people eat. It’s disgusting watching them chew and swallow, especially if they chew with their mouths open. He thinks it’s even more disgusting when people eat disgusting things. He doesn’t understand how Zeke can eat French fries dipped in strawberry smoothies, although Pieck has mentioned that it doesn’t really matter what flavor the smoothie is. As long as it’s sweet, it will do. 

“Do you really have to eat it like that?” Porco grumbles as he watches Zeke dip another fry into his drink. “It’s better this way,” Zeke replies, not bothered by how repulsed Porco looks. He pops the French fry in his mouth and munches on it happily. “Isn’t it nice to eat salty things with sweet things?” Pieck says, taking her own fry and dipping it into Zeke’s smoothie. She offers it out to Porco who gives her a disgusted look. “You’re supposed to eat it with ketchup. Ketchup is sweet,” Porco points out. He demonstrates by eating his own fries with ketchup, hoping the two will follow suit. “It’s not really the same though,” Pieck says, popping her smoothie-coated fry into her mouth. She licks the salt from her fingers and smiles. “But if you don’t understand, I guess you never well. But at least Zeke knows.” “It’s delicious,” Zeke says, eating more of the disgusting combination. Porco hates them both for forcing him to eat with such weirdos. 

Porco thinks he wouldn’t dislike Zeke so much if the guy were less strange, but even the things Zeke talks about are just plain weird. It’s a pain to be alone with him when they’re both waiting for Pieck. He suspects that Pieck often comes late just to leave Zeke to torture him. “You’re finally awake this time,” Porco says, sitting down next to Zeke as they wait for Pieck to arrive before heading to the movie she wants to watch. It’s some cheesy rom-com with whatever Hollywood star people think is attractive that month. Zeke lifts his head, blinking a bit before resting his eyes on Porco. “Hmm?” he says. Zeke fixes his glasses and pushes them up the bridge of his nose. “I was sleeping actually. I’ve just been learning how to sleep with my eyes open. That way it wouldn’t be rude when we’re all together and I’m sleeping.” He tries hard not to let his jaw fall open. He’s not sure if he should point out that sleeping during any sort of group outing is rude or if he should comment on the whole sleeping-with-your-eyes-open thing (which is admittedly pretty impressive), so he just stares back at Zeke in disbelief. “Guys!” Pieck says, appearing behind them and wrapping her arms around their shoulders. “It’s always so nice seeing my favorite boys getting along so well. Having a nice conversation?” “Yes. Porco is quite the interesting young man,” Zeke tells her even though Porco had hardly said anything. If anyone is interesting, it’s Zeke. And interesting would be a kind word to use to describe him. “Lovely,” Pieck says cheerfully. As soon as they stand up, she loops her arms through theirs and leads them towards the theaters. “I’m glad you two are becoming such good friends!” Porco wants to scoff. As if anyone could be friends with such a strange guy. 

There is one thing about Zeke, however, that bothers Porco the most. It’s a thought that’s been hanging in the back of his mind ever since he had gotten to know Pieck and Zeke, but he never knew how to bring it up. He thought the answer would reveal itself after he got to know them both better, but it’s still a mystery to him. At one point it’s too much for him to keep to himself, so he finds himself asking Zeke, “Why aren’t you going out with Pieck?” 

Zeke turns to Porco, a confused look on his face. He looks like he’s just woken up again, but that’s not really a surprise. “Going out with Pieck?” Zeke repeats. He’s stunned for a second before a rare smile appears on his face. “Why would I do something like that? Pieck is a dear friend to me, but I have no interest in becoming romantically involved with her.” It’s difficult to describe how Porco feels right now. There’s the feeling of embarrassment for making the assumption that perhaps Zeke would be romantically interested in Pieck, but there’s also a strange feeling of elation knowing that it’s something Zeke isn’t interested in himself. Underneath all that, there’s the thought that Zeke clearly doesn’t see what he’s missing out on when it comes to Pieck if that’s all he thinks of her. He really is the strangest guy that Porco has ever met. 

“You know, that friend of yours asked me why we aren’t dating,” Zeke says absentmindedly as he flips through channels on the TV. “I told him I wasn’t interested.” “Did you really?” Pieck asks. She pretends to be offended, an exaggerated pout on her face. “That offends me greatly, you know. Don’t you think I’m such a catch?” “It seems that Porco thinks you most certainly are, so I don’t know why he hasn’t asked you out himself,” Zeke replies. Pieck takes a seat next to him on the couch. “He’s just very shy, although he likes to act like he’s tough. It’s cute, don’t you think so?” Pieck laughs. “The only reason I haven’t asked him out yet is because it’s so funny to see Pokko try to do it himself.” “Hmm.” Zeke has to agree that it’s amusing to watch Porco fumble over his feelings over Pieck, mistaking his jealousy as a dislike for everything Zeke does. Zeke doesn’t very much mind. Still, he really should ask Pieck out. Why waste time? Then again, Porco has always been a strange guy like that.

[pickalilywrites]

I just read your last post, I hope you have a great new semester (: and for the Valentine fic, what about GalliePieck first valentine together, like, Porco wants to give something to Pieck and he has a hard time choosing but in the end they both end giving themselfs the same gift :) oh and I hope your health is fine. Greeting ~~

Thank you for the well wishes ^-^ February and January were pretty rough since I was sick a lot throughout both months but I have been healthy for a while now so it’s alright. Also the weather is getting nicer (aside from the rain which makes it a pain to drive to school ;~;) This is really late but I still hope you like it ;~; 

Zeke Knows Best

Gallipieck. Modern AU. 

1576 words. 

It’swhen Porco is dialing Reiner’s number on Valentine’s day because he’s sodesperate for advice from someone – anyone, really – that he realizes he needsmore friends. While it’s true that Reiner has (quite surprisingly) been in thelongest relationship out of all his friends, Porco suspects that most of it hasto do with luck and the fact that Bertholdt is easy to get along with Reiner,of course, would attribute his long-lasting relationship to his good looks andcharm, but Porco’s pretty sure the relationship is shortening Bertholdt’slifespan because of how wild Reiner can be.

“Youmust be really desperate if you’re asking me,” Reiner says. Porco doesn’t evenhave to look at him to know that Reiner has that smug smirk on his face.

“Everyoneelse was out,” Porco lies. He hates to admit that he’s desperate. He nevershould have waited until the day of to get a gift for his girlfriend. The thingis that he was pretty sure he knew what to get Pieck only to wake up thismorning and realize that his mind was completely blank.

“Sure.”There’s a snicker at the other end and hearing it makes Porco regret hisdecision.

“Istill have to go out and buy whatever the fuck it is, so just hurry up and tellme,” Porco snaps.

“Yousure you don’t want to change your mind?” His tone is a little cocky andmischievous, but he continues before Porco can tell him that he actuallydoesn’t want to hear about his Valentine’s Day plans with Bertholdt. “I was goingto take Bertholdt to a really nice restaurant – one of those Italian places hereally enjoys going to – and then I was going to take him to my place and…”

Hethen goes into explicit detail about what he was planning on doing withBertholdt under the sheets. Far too much detail. Porco’s sure his entire faceis red just from listening to all of it. He’s too shocked to even hang up andjust listens to everything with his jaw hanging up.

“So,”Reiner says when he’s finished. “Was that helpful?”

“Igotta go now,” Porco croaks. He hangs up but not before he hears Reiner’s laughat the other end.

Hecan’t call Bertholdt – not after talking to Reiner and having to listen to allof that – so he calls Annie next. He could call Marcel, but Marcel’s alreadytold him what he was getting for Annie. It’s over the top and cheesy, typicalMarcel, and he can’t really see Pieck enjoying the same things. But Pieck andAnnie are rather close friends, so Porco figures she’d have a good idea of whathe should get Pieck.

“Don’task me,” Annie says when he asks. “I have no idea.”

He’sa little frustrated but at the same time, he probably should have expectedthis. Even when Annie’s close to people, she’s not one to express her affectionwhether it’s through public displays of affection or just giving gifts.

“Noteven one thing?” Porco asks. He taps his finger impatiently on the countertopand reminds himself not to snap at her. She has quite the temper and he’s sureMarcel wouldn’t be very happy if Porco made his girlfriend mad. “Well, whatwould you be happy getting from Marcel this Valentine’s Day?”

“Nothing,”Annie replies easily. “We’re not getting each other anything. It’s simpler thatway and we both agreed to it.”

“Youreally think that Marcel would be the type to keep that kind of promise?” Porcosnorts. Annie does seem to be the kind of person to just do away withValentine’s Day completely, but Porco’s brother had no issues with expressinglove and affection. If there’s a day for it, he’s going to go all out. Which hehas. Poor guy.

There’sa long silence at the other end before Annie speaks again. “Porco. Did Marcelget me anything?”

Hecould lie and just leave her surprised when Marcel finally delivers the severalValentine’s Day gifts he bought for her. He’s sure that Marcel really wouldn’tmind being the one who’s empty handed. Then again, it’s amusing to seecool-headed Annie Leonhardt so frazzled over something like this.

“Yes,”Porco finally answers. “He’s pretty excited about it too. Thinks it’sfantastic.”

“Shit,” Annie hisses. There’s the soundof drawers opening and slamming shut and more shuffling on her end. “Hey, Ineed to go buy something now, so I’ll talk to you later.”

Asmuch as he’s enjoying this, Porco still hasn’t found a gift to give hisgirlfriend and he’s about to lose one of the only people who can give himadvice. “Wait,” he says hurriedly. “What about…?”

She’salready hung up though and Porco can only blame himself.

Desperatetimes call for desperate measures and Porco finds himself phoning Zeke of allpeople. Zeke gets along more with Pieck than Porco, but that should be fine. Itmight mean he knows what Pieck would want, right?

“Achocolate fondue fountain?” Porco finds himself repeating. Chocolate fonduesounds delicious, but couldn’t he just take Pieck out to a restaurant withchocolate fondue?

“Mmm,”Zeke says. He seems like he’s only half-listening to Porco. It’s especiallycruel considering the situation Porco’s in right now. He really shouldn’t haveexpected Zeke to understand though. He’s not even sure if the guy even has agirlfriend. “I was at the store the other day and saw them. Chocolate fonduefountain for two. Very lovely to have at the home around Valentine’s Day, don’tyou think? You can have such a luxury in the comfort of your own home. I wasplanning on stopping by after Valentine’s Day to buy one for myself since theymight be on sale.”

Hereally should have known better than to ask Zeke. Why does Pieck enjoy thecompany of such a strange guy? He’s asked her once, but she only smiled andtold him he’d never understand. He’s not sure he wants to at this point.

“Alright,”Porco says through gritted teeth. “Thanks for all your help, Zeke.”

“Noproblem. Have a good Valentine’s Day with Pieck,” Zeke says cheerfully beforePorco hangs up.

Porcosupposes he has no choice. He’s going to have to go out there and buy thatfucking chocolate fondue fountain.

Hetold himself he wouldn’t feel bad about it. Pieck isn’t a difficult person toplease, but it seems like that fact just makes him feel even more guilty. Shelooks so giddy about the wrapped package in front of her.

“Howexciting,” she says as she tears the paper away. “I’ve been waiting for thisall day, you know. Aren’t gifts fun? It’s like you’re saying, ‘I love you thismany dollars.’”

“Andhere I thought you’d be happy with just my company,” Porco grumbles.

“Youknow I’m a material girl,” Pieck jokes. She frowns when she sees that her boyfriend’sface is twisted up in a scowl. “What’s wrong? You know I’m only joking. Itdoesn’t matter what you get me or if you get me anything at all, you silly.”

“It’snothing,” Porco says to her, but he’s sure she can tell he’s lying. It’ll beover soon though since she’s nearly done tearing off all the wrapping paper.

“Oh!”Pieck says, pulling the gift away from the discarded gift wrap. “It’s a…chocolatefondue fountain?”

Hecan’t look at her face right now. He’s sure it’s filled with disappointment.Standing up, he reaches for the box. “Just hand it here. I know it’s lame, so I’lljust return it tomorrow and get you one of those big ass bears or something.”

Tohis surprise, Pieck grabs the box away, clutching it to her chest. “Not achance!” she says. She sticks out her tongue at him childishly. “I wouldn’ttrade this for a stuffed bear or anything for the matter! It’s perfect!”

Unsurehe’s heard her right, he finally looks at her face and sees that she’s completelythrilled with the gift for some weird reason. “You’re not fucking with me, areyou?” he asks.

“No,of course not,” Pieck snorts. She cradles her present in her arms and looksdown at it loving like a mother looking at her newborn child. “Chocolate fonduefountains are such a luxury, and isn’t it amazing that you can have one rightat home to share with someone?”

Herwords sound so strangely familiar to him. He just has to ask…

“Didyou happen to talk to Zeke about these or something?”

Herface lights up. “I did! He was talking to me about how he saw them when he wasout getting groceries and how clever a gift they’d make,” Pieck sayscheerfully.

Porcosits back down, relieved that his girlfriend was pleased with his present. She’sstrange, but as long as she’s happy that’s all that really matters to him.

“Hey,Pokko,” Pieck says, walking over to take a seat next to him on the couch. She’sstill holding the box the fountain is in, tracing the edges with her fingersand not really looking him in the eye. “Do you really think these are lame?”

Hecould say yes because, well, he still doesn’t really see the point in them, butshe likes them so he can’t exactly say that. “Why do you ask?” he says instead.

Shegives him a wide grin. “Because I got you one too.”

[reikukaja]

otp?

Easy!

Mikasa x happiness. ❤︎

In all seriousness… I don’t really have an OTP at the moment. I am just crazy for both of my big Mikasa ships: Jeankasa and Eremika. I like them for very different reasons, but they are both very dear to me.

The ship I have been getting the most enjoyment out of recently….. Zevi for sure. XD

I’ve also really been liking Mobuhan, Hankopon, Hilow, Nikosash, and Pikupokko quite a bit recently. (All ships I want to write for soon if I can get to them)

I’m open to pretty much anything though. ❤︎

Thanks for the ask!

[reikukaja]

Reiku’s Fic Masterpost

So I hit a milestone recently of 10 fanfics (that I’m not completely ashamed of). This is probably a good time to organize everything into one nice post. 

To start, I’ve implemented some new tags on my blog. Anything new I write/publish will be tagged with #Reikufics. I will also continue posting everything on my AO3. 

Everything in this list is rated T or below unless otherwise noted. 

Ships! 

Eremika

A Place of Safety (2608 words)

Takes place in Shinganshina 1-2 years after the retaking of Wall Maria. During the reconstruction of the city, Eren and Mikasa have finally found some time for themselves. After everything Mikasa has been through, she knows that Eren is the one person she can always depend on - the safe place where she can always go. 

Jeankasa

Jeankasa Series (WIP)

Someday I will give this series a less-generic name. 

Individual stories listed below - I expect maybe two more installments before this series is “complete”. (In quotes because I’d be totally open to coming back to it if another idea strikes me.)

1. Life Without the Sun (2387 words)

861.  

Mikasa has found peace in the aftermath of the war, and learns to appreciate the joy in her life - despite everything she has lost.

Originally a one-shot based on a dream I had, but has slowly expanded into a little series.  

2. The Second Time  (2737 words)

860.

Two years after Eren's death, Mikasa and Jean have developed a close friendship built upon mutual support in a time of despair and loneliness, and Jean has become like a father to her son, Deron. The friendship becomes complicated after a heated moment transpires between the two of them, and Mikasa wants to make things better again. 

3. Someone To Look Up To (3174 words)

861.

Jean takes Mikasa's son to Trost for a day at her suggestion. He uses the trip as an opportunity to teach the boy about his father: Eren Jaeger.

Pikupokko/Pokkopikku/Gallipieck (whatever tf the ship name is) 

Five Years Waiting (3198 words)

Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, and Marcel were sent to Paradis five years ago. Over the course of those five years, Pieck managed to become a friend to Porco and even helped him learn to control his temper. Despite Porco's initial impressions of the girl, the bond between them has grown into something that he can't imagine living without.

A Lunch to Remember (790 words)

Porco, Pieck, and Zeke enjoy some burgers together.

A shortfic inspired by that one panel (you know the one) from SNK chapter 104. 

Reikuri/Reihisu

Her Armor - WIP longfic (6 chapters - 17,848 words)

Rated M to be safe. (Implied sexual content.)

Begins at chapter 38 of the manga.

Titans have been spotted inside Wall rose, and a group from the Survey Corps have made camp at Utgarde castle. With Krista/Historia’s help, Reiner begins to realize exactly how much his comrades from the 104th Training Corps actually mean to him. He will have to reevaluate who exactly he is - a warrior, a soldier, or something else entirely.

A canon-divergent AU – What if things had happened differently? What if Reiner had made different choices, starting at this point?  

We Were Just Kids - WIP (2 chapters - 4341 words)

What if we had different lives, but we were still the same people? What if our families and the people around us remained the same, but everything else was different?

A modern AU, where Reiner, Bertholdt, and Krista are children (to start). I wanted to give the characters backstories that mirrored their canonical backstories as best as possible, in a modern world with no titans.  

Lots more characters and pairings will be addressed, eventually.  

Trigger warnings: implied domestic violence, neglect, and terrible parenting in general...But don't fear - It's not all sad... and will be more cute fluff than anything else.

CRACKFICS!!! (because why not? )

Reddit Festival Series (Individual stories listed below)

1. Armin’s Important Research (4042 words)

Armin stumbles upon the research of a mysterious doctor, which hypothesizes that a man's height is the biggest factor in determining his... penile length. This discovery sets Armin on a harrowing journey that will change the way he views the world – and how the world views Armin.

2. What the Actual Floch?! (2830 words)

While cleaning the barracks, Floch stumbles upon a book hidden amongst Armin's things. Floch knows he shouldn't open it, but lets his curiosity get the best of him.

Written for the r/ShingekiNoKyojin Chapter 103 Festival. Expect a lot of butt puns and humor.

[reikukaja]

Hello~ I read your Jeankasa fics I love love LOVED them. I was surprised to see some good Jeankasa written by someone with your username. What are all your favorite snk ships?

Woah…! Hello there, thank you for the kind words and the ask! I never get these so I am going to put some thought into this reply. Long response, incoming!

I accepted long ago that I am absolute shipping-trash. I swear I have (at least) one ship for every character. Some of my favorites:

OTP Level: 

Reikuri. I probably didn’t need to tell you this one. I actually intend to someday write an essay explaining all of my reasons for loving the absolute shit out of this ship. The tldr version of that essay is basically 1) compatible backstories 2) compatible current predicaments (Reiner wants to die, and Hisu has a soft spot for people who don’t think they should exist) and 3) the fact that I am a complete sucker for an adorable crush (like the one Reiner had on Krista in the 104th). I have written some fics for this pairing but my favorite is my modern-childhood-AU.  I am still actively updating this fic, but the premise is that their backstories/families mirror their canon backstories/families - so it’s kind of sad, but also cute and fluffy because… well…. they’re kids (I plan on slowly aging them up though)

Almost-OTP level:

Pikupokko: This one doesn’t really need an explanation. The chemistry between these two is just…. wow. I love that Porco is such a salty boy, but shows Pieck a softer side. My headcanon is that Pieck is the closest thing Porco has to a best friend, and that she kept him sane during the years RBAM were MIA on Paradis. I have written a fic for this pairing too, which I plan on expanding on… someday.

Eremika: This one absolutely does not need an explanation. Childhood friends-turned-lovers. Basically soulmates. The ship sails itself. I have written one Eremika fic as well. Will probably do more someday.

Jeankasa: Yes. I love Eremika AND Jeankasa. This was once a source of a lot of inner-turmoil for me, but I have just learned to accept it. To clarify, I can only really ship Jeankasa in a universe where Eren is dead… (which kind of sucks, because it means Jean really has no primary-ship for me…. rip). I’ve written two Jeankasa fics - and they are probably my two favorite things I have written. I love writing Mikasa POV, despite the fact that I usually prefer to write from male perspectives (Reiner and Porco are my boyyyys). 

Beruani: Ooof. I love this one so much. Haven’t written for it yet though. I do have plans. 

Rivetra: Again. I love this one - but it breaks my heart. Not sure I will ever write for this pair - I think I would have problems trying to write an in-character Levi. Maybe someday. 

Mike x Nanaba: Sad af. I really like thinking about what would have been, with this ship. I have a fic planned :)

Zeke x Frieda: Probably the highest-ranking crackship I like.  These two never had a chance to even meet in canon, but I think they would be cute together - both physically and personality-wise. I can’t really imagine Zeke with anyone else.

Kruger x Kiyomi: Maybe a crackship. Maybe not.

Other Ships I LIKE:

This is where things get kind of crazy…

Springles: Nobody messes with Springles. Honestly, this ship would rank higher if it had a bit more….angst to it. I prefer my ships to have a bit of darkness. Hurt/comfort is my jam. Springles seems to be all “sunshine and rainbows” but I do have a fic on my ‘to-read’ list that will hopefully change that perception for me. 

Aruani: I really need to see what happened to both of these two over the last four years. I admit this ship is heavily influenced by my hope that Armin has become more Bertl-like. If I didn’t ship Beruani so hard I would probably not ship Aruani.

Beruyumi: I know it’s weird. There is some really cute fanart though. Don’t judge me.  /shrug

Marcelani: @cherrimarts is solely responsible for this.

Eruri: Wholesome. I normally prefer hetero ships. but I have to say I still like this one. 

Any ship that involves a happy Reiner (and makes sense): Reibert and  Gallirei (thanks @kaschy for showing me how wholesome this can be)

Gabi x Falco: Cute childhood crushes. What’s not to love? Falco is basically a little cinnamon roll and I love him (plz be safe!!)

Carla x Shaddis: (weird AU idea)

Marlowe x Hitch:   /cries

Annie x Hitch: A friend is cooking up an AU in which this happens, and I kind of dig it.

Hisu x Floch: Complete crackship. If Reiner dies, my only option left for Hisu is Floch. 

Zoco (Zofia x Marco): This could be cute. Zofia might have a one-sided crush for a long time… but I think Marco would eventually meet her halfway…. I am a horrible person XD

Zofranzia (Zofia x Franz): (See Zofia x Marco: I have a horrible sense of humor.)

Wow. That’s a lot. I am worse shipping trash than I thought. XD … and I probably forgot to list some…

There really aren’t many ships I hate… but the ones I do are semi-popular and can probably be inferred by what isn’t included in this list. heh. I am pretty flexible overall, and it is totally possible to bring me to the dark side convince me to like other ships (See Marcelani and Gallirei) - as long as they are healthy. =] 

Thanks again for the ask!! I can talk about ships all day.