Chapter Text
When she had first laid her eyes on him, Rapunzel didn't know what to think.
Dressed in a Commander's uniform, drenched in brown and eyes unwavering, his chest bleeding out as he walked towards the architect of humanities destruction with just a gun as his Nikkes tried to drag him away.
It felt odd to her. So odd. Looking over peaks where she would not be noticed; could not be noticed, his visage stuck with her mind. She did not remember many Commanders she had come across, their hats too similar and faces too shattered to recognize, but this one took her eye almost immediately. The burning determination present in his eyes fueled a section of her mind that she had once abandoned, an increasing interest that lit her heart on fire, until it quickly faded away by the realization of this Commander's longevity.
He was too passionate. Too kind. He had Nikkes at the brink of survival, trying to help him survive instead of themselves, and instead of following their directions, he stood up and took aim at the Rapture himself.
And though he had survived that encounter, what about the next? Or the one after that? Such behavior, as noble as it was, could not resist the horde that was the world above and under ground.
With that thought, she frowned, and walked away from the view before her so as to not see the life of another good soul die, just as the Rapture's core had been shot down by him and his Nikkes hugged his figure as if their lives depended on him.
And so, he lived another day.
The next time Rapunzel saw him, she was shocked. In the desert tundra, walking through the deep white with nothing but a coat and two other Nikkes--one in a latex-pink suit and another that looked like a noble, white hat and all. He had survived, much to her surprise, and he still kept going on missions. Most people would quit after an experience like his, and yet, he kept going.
From the distance she was at, she could barely see his face, but his figure was clearly shivering, and he looked like he was about to collapse at any moment. It was clear that she was not the only one that noticed, as the Commander's companions saw his visage and immediately responded. Normally, in cases like this, Rapunzel expected them to give him an extra coat, or maybe a blanket to warm up. That's what they usually did, after all.
Rapunzel saw how other Commander's demanded for such amenities from their Nikkes. This would surely be the same.
But that's not what his Nikkes did. Instead, they went to him and began hugging him, warming him up with their bodies. Looking at such a sight, she gaped, unable to believe that such a bond could still be formed between Nikkes and Commanders. They trusted him that much? She thought, that they'd give their safety, the potential that they'd be shot, all to protect one person from the cold?
Her heart twisted in her chest. She smiled on the outside, but something felt so different... she didn't know why, and it didn't feel right to her.
Thus, she left, and the Commander and his Nikkes went off, successfully making it to their location.
And so, he lived another day.
The next time he met him... no, heard of him, it was from Snow White. It had been at their monthly meeting, and Snow White, as she ate her soup (that was expired), she had brought the topic up.
"I met a Commander recently," she said, the dingy, broken down home they had met in barely echoing her voice, "Helped me take down a Heretic."
At that suggestion, both Scarlet and Rapunzel perked up, looking at her inquisitively.
"Oh? Now that is quite remarkable, I must say," Scarlet poured herself a shot of sake, spinning it around as she looked at Snow White with curiosity in her eyes, "Pray tell, what is his name?"
"I don't know; he never told me," Snow White chewed her soup between every word, the hardened soup making her teeth work more than they should, "But it was odd."
"What was?" Rapunzel asked, fiddling with the magazine she had just been reading (the contents, of which she could not disclose).
"The entire thing. The meeting, the Heretic, Chatterbox, him. Everything."
"Are Heretics not naturally odd? Their existence is rather perplexing in its own right," Scarlet took a sip of her sake, her thoughts mellow as usual.
"No... This one... This one knew him," Snow White responded with a pause in between her words, as if she could not comprehend what she was saying.
"Had the Heretic and the Commander met before?" Rapunzel asked.
"Maybe, but it seemed a lot more personal than that. Her voice... her eyes, even her tone... Everything about her changed after the Commander spoke to her, said a name... Marian, I think it was. I don't know what it is, but..." Snow White looked off into space, seemingly miles away from where Scarlet and Rapunzel were currently sitting, before returning her attention back to the present and shaking her head, "Nevermind. It's nothing. Forget I said anything."
"You say that after you have uttered so much? I doth not think I shall forget that for a moon's cycle," she spoke while stirring her cup, showing more interest than ever.
"That's... I can't believe it..." Rapunzel wasn't sure what to say. The Heretic knew him? It recognized a name? That wasn't... not from her experience...
"Cinderella!" She screamed; bright lights, panic, red scattered, everywhere.
And cold red eyes staring back, knocking everyone cold.
"I... don't remember it like that..."
"Huh, what do you mean?" Snow White arched an eyebrow, while Scarlet seemed similarly confused.
Rapunzel simply shook her head.
"No... it's nothing," Rapunzel looked down, her magazine now firmly on the floor, not paying attention to it any longer.
The topic never came up again in their discussion, but the effects of it lingered, as if it had made the room more quiet when it was brought up.
The next time the Commander came up, it wasn't just through word or far away. She had met him, face to face.
It was with Snow White, a nervous smile on his face, walking up with him on a hot summer day. Snow White had briefly introduced him and the reasons for introducing him to them, simply giving out that the Commander was the one she had been referencing in their past meeting, and that she thought it necessary to give the Commander knowledge of Scarlet and Rapunzel so as to increase his survival odds.
The fact that Snow White had so much faith in this Commander surprised Rapunzel, that she was willing to introduce the Commander to them so that he could continue living. For a while, he remained prone, unmoving, looking nervous as Scarlet and Rapunzel stared at him. Eventually, he gained the courage to speak to Scarlet, deciding it would be best to talk to them individually, before going to Rapunzel.
"So... uhm..." He said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "You're Rapunzel... right?"
At his nervousness, Rapunzel slightly chuckled, but chose to stifle it for now, "Yes, that is me. So, you're the Commander that Snow White talked about?"
"Well, I-I guess so. I was lucky she saved me back then. Almost lost my life out there before she shot Chatterbox down. Can't thank her enough, to be honest," he smiled, before quickly frowning, "but I kind of wish I did more..."
"Hm...? And why is that?" Rapunzel arched an eyebrow. What did he mean?
"I don't know... I guess it's kind of stupid, but... I wish I did more than just sit around. Doing nothing during battle. Every day, when I'm with my squad, I'm just... doing nothing but yelling orders. I can't shoot a gun too well, can't even take down the weakest Rapture. I get why but... Rapi's always so clinical and sharp--she can make a damn good plan non the fly. Anis is always so funny and boisterous--I can never feel down when she's around. And Neon's got a lot of passion for what she does, which makes her a combination of everything. Me, though? I guess I just feel like I'm wading around while they do the work..." He chuckled weakly.
"But... is that not a blessing?" Rapunzel asked, slightly disbelieving his words, "To not have to face such brutality?"
At that, the Commander frowned, "No. Not even one bit. Everywhere I go in the Ark, it just feels like everyone thinks they're some machines. But I can't think that of them. They're not just Nikkes. They're my friends, and most importantly, they're--" he choked, "They're my squad mates, and I'm not going to let them die. They have desires, they have hopes, they dream of weapons and firepower all night, but that's just what makes them special--human."
For a few seconds, his words lingered in the air, Rapunzel digesting them slowly. She looked into his eyes, that same determination she saw the first time on that peak being invigorated once more, her mind and heart lit aflame, the genuine care within his reflection and voice blinding her figure, before Rapunzel's mouth stopped shaking and began moving.
"You..." Rapunzel smiled, "You're quite kind, you know that?"
"W-well, I'm glad you think that," and with that, their discussion had ended, and he looked at her for a second before walking off to Snow White once more.
Eventually, Snow White and the Commander departed, and Scarlet and Rapunzel remained.
"So, what dost thou think about him?" Scarlet asked, looking at the Commander's disappearing figure.
"He's... he's kind," Rapunzel admitted.
'And he's similar to him. So similar,' Rapunzel wanted to say before realizing that Scarlet would not understand her or what she meant.
There was no point. No point in divulging what she knew if the rest could not even remember what she was talking about.
Over the course of the next few months, Rapunzel and the Commander would meet. Sometimes with others, sometimes alone, but every time, she found something new about him, something that reaffirmed and dissuaded her beliefs. She would look at him, eating a can of soup that was expired because he "wanted to try out Snow White's diet," and other times, be cool, composed--his emotions complex and simple.
Eventually, her own brain caught up with her, and her fantasies had returned with a vengeance; not that they weren't there in the first place, but it had been a long time since her thoughts had been so center around one man. No... it was the only time, in her recollection.
When they had started talking, her heart would continue to twist, contort, find itself unsure of why it was feeling such a way. But she understood now.
He was so similar to someone in her past. Of him, his passion, his wild, unpredictable attitude, and his determination. All of it was just so, so similar. But something... something was noticeable different as well.
As she spent time with him, she could see how he acted. Sure, he could be a goof, but back then, her Commander was always quick to correct himself. This one, however, went along with every mistake, took it as his own, and used it to his advantage. His mistakes were his weapon, and sometimes, he could throw them back against the foes he went against. This Commander could make jokes, crack them endlessly, while in the past, her Commander didn't make jokes more than he fell into them. This Commander was determined, yes, but it wasn't about saving the world. That had been the goal that the Goddess Squad was set out to accomplish.
This Commander's goal was simple: to liberate Nikkes. He didn't care about anything else, he didn't care about what opposed him, he just wanted to save the people around him, no matter the cost. His dedication to all Nikkes, not just those close to him, was unbelievable to her. But he wanted nothing more than liberation, and his dedication to such a goal was proven by every injury he had on his body.
He bled, he would freeze, he would face adversity and lose those he loved, and yet, even as he did, he would fight and claw his way to get them back, to reach a future for those around him.
And even as he degraded, he did not care.
Rapunzel looked on at the Commander, his smile on her mind as he bled profusely. As his friends tended to his weakened body.
And within her heart, two emotions blared bright--hope shining the most of them all.
And the second one? Well, she would have to figure that out on her own.
One more glance at him, and her heart beat faster.
"Rapunzel, something wrong?" He asked as he sat beside her, looking off at a great field of flowers.
"No... Nothing," she rest her head on his shoulder, eliciting a slightly shudder from him before he relaxed into it.
"Nothing at all, Believer."