Chapter Text
Those long 3 years of training were finally going to pay off after all. All the sweat, tears and blood- all the relentless hassle that came with it- it'll all be worth it after all.
Trost District was attacked and all the new recruits were sent out, including you. Holding your breath in, you set out and launch yourself across the houses, looking for a Titan to cut down, until your squadron has them all down. The people you just spent 3 years with, getting to know them, were probably all about to die- but you had accepted that already. The first Titan you encountered grabbed two of your comrades and ate them, without a second thought. Most of the others suffered the same fate, as the battle went on.
Eventually, your sector was cleared- or so you thought. Titans were heading for the middle of town and you didn't know what to do- would you and your handful of squad members chase them down? Or would you stay here and save whoever might still be alive from the other squadrons? You were all exhausted- pushed to your limit, both physically and mentally. Just how much more could you take? So you decided to stay here, and defend whoever might need it- even if it cost you your life.
You lost someone else trying to save another person. You watched them get eaten, torn apart by that beast. You wanted to throw up so badly, you hated those damned things so much. Why? Why did they cause such chaos? What did they gain of it? But you had to remember- the Titans aren't capable of intelligence. They do it out of instinct, just like how you survive out of instinct. You fired up your gear and launched yourself by using a nearby roof and swung your blades across it's nape, landing on a nearby roof. The others were safe, but just as mortified. Soon, none of them were going to be left if this kept up. We needed new orders and quick.
The time we spent thinking, we wasted it if anything. More Titans started to corner us, we simply just met up again, grouped up in a square formation- not the best, but it's what 4 rookies can do best. Our gas was low and we had very few options- run, but for how long? Stay here and hope for help? Maybe let ourselves die? None of these options were good, really, but neither was being born in a world like this. Maybe if you could jus-
"Hey! There's a squadron over there! Surely they'll notice these Titans!"
You turned to your teammate, yelling at us in some form of last ditch hope that we might make it. His plan wasn't good or even sound, but what other choice did we have?
"And what if they don't? Do we just stay here?"
"Of course not!"
"Then you better have a second plan coming."
Great, you thought, now they're fighting each other. As if we needed any other enemy right now.
In the middle of their argument, something flew from the corner of your eye. Petrified of what it could be, maybe some new sort of abnormal, you slowly turned your head, shaking, tears forming in your eyes. Is this how it would end? But suddenly, the sound of ODM gear snapped you back to reality. No, this isn't how you die. Right infront of your squad, some Scout members were cutting down those Titans- without any problem either. They easily slid by and glided across the red Titan-blood sky, taking them down at an incredibly fast paste. You caught a glimpse of one of them- Captain Levi. His stoic expression wasn't masked at all by the smudged blood- you could see the courage in his eyes. He was every bit as amazing as you've heard.
More Titans showed up, and after seeing the Scouts fight, it gave you the courage to follow them. Perhaps it was reckless, with your almost empty gas tanks and last blades, but dammit it was worth it- to prove to the Captain that you were worth saving. In some unlucky miracle, an abnormal was running head first towards Captain Levi, so you hooked on to a roof far behind it, and swung yourself around. For the first time, you felt free. The air hitting your face covered in sweat and blood, drying it off as you were heading to what's probably either your death or your ticket into being a better soldier, either way it didn't matter. In perfect sync, you jabbed your blades into the beast and sliced it's nape clean off.
There was one thing, however. You failed to notice one thing. Captain Levi had the situation under control. You were too busy trying to "save" him to realize it, but he was heading straight for that thing. Realizing that you wasted your resources like this, you completed forgot where you were- and forgot to hook on to something else. Watching the Captain's eyes widen, you heard his voice yell out at you. It took you seconds to realize what he was saying.
"What are you doing?! HOOK ONTO SOMETHING!"
You finally heard it and snapped back to reality. You were still free flying in the air, and in a desperate effort, you tried to hook onto something else, but it was too late. You slammed into a broken roof, and nearly fell off. You laid there for a few seconds, unknowingly. You felt a sharp pain- one that couldn't be ignored. It hurt so much, but what was it? Did you break something? Did you lose a limb? Were you being devoured?
You looked behind you and saw the rest of Captain Levi's squad lead your squadron to safety. The Captain himself, however, was heading straight towards you. In some dumbass honor ideal, you lifted yourself up and examined yourself. No broken bones, no Titan chewing on you. But there was a slash in your thigh and you were bleeding at an alarming rate. No time to think of help, you took off your jacket and tried to rip off your sleeve, but no longer had the strength to do it after ramming into a rooftop like that.
Captain Levi landed about 3 feet infront of you and ran to your side. You could see the disappointment in his eyes- you knew this wasn't going to go well.
"Captain Levi, I-"
"We'll talk about it later, for now let's make sure you can drag your ass back with the rest of them."
You tried to pull at your sleeve again, but you were still too weak to get it. The Captain gripped it firmly and ripped it off for you.
"Lift up your leg."
You tried as you could to move it, but the pain was getting to you- you were holding back your tears and your cries of anguish. The Captain caught on immediately that you had trouble moving it, which wasn't a good sign. He grabbed your thigh from below and lifted your leg above his shoulder, then used both of his hands to carefully tie the piece of cloth around your wound. It hurt- a lot, you tried to hold it back, but couldn't help it anymore and let out a sharp cry of pain.
"You didn't break anything, but you're in no condition to fight. Hold on, brat. I'll get you with the rest of your shithead friends."
"N-no, Captain! I can still fight!", you tried to get up as you expressed your need to go on to him, but stumbled flat on your ass. He was right, but you couldn't admit it.
Captain Levi let out a loud, exasperated sigh.
"Listen, either you get your shit together and just accept that you can't fight anymore or you die right here to some Titan."
Even if you wanted to fight on, it was obvious what was going to happen if you tried, so you didn't insist and dealt with retreat for now. You REALLY made yourself look like a fool now. With shame written all over your face you held onto the Captain, as he brought you with the rest of the injured.
"Captain, I wanted to thank you. For saving us back there."
He didn't say a word and looked straight ahead. Did he even hear me? Should I say it again? Or is he ignoring me? Well, it's definitively best if I keep my mouth shut. He probably already hates me for trying to play hero.
The rest of the exhausted and injured were arguably in a worse shape than you, but that didn't mean you were in any form ready to fight on. Captain Levi left as soon as he dropped you off, and you were being handled by a few Scouts who stayed behind for whoever needed it.
You sat out the rest of the fight, and before you knew it, everything was under control again. So, you were rushed to the infirmary, to check on your leg. On your way, you heard whispers of a recruit turning into a Titan, but that was probably someone who just started hallucinating after losing a close friend.
The infirmary bed was soft, strangely comforting but still cold and distant. It didn't quite feel right, maybe because it wasn't made to tailor to you specifically. Regardless, you fell asleep after the sharp, never ending pain had calmed down. A good soldier's rest.