𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙩 || Eren Jaeger

𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙚

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"DOES IT HURT? It's okay to show weakness, Jo."

I barely acknowledge Jean's voice. I'm out of touch with the world. My mind needs a break after all that I've survived so far. And that's just in the span of seven hours. The day isn't over yet.

Jean frowns at my stubbornness. He dampens the cotton swab with some more alcohol and presses it to the wound on my head. It stings like hell, but its oddly comforting. Maybe because I'm so numb emotionally... Its nice to at least feel something.

So here we are. The remaining ones. The survivors. We left the forest and traveled on horse as far away as possible to outrun any titans behind us. When the area was clear, we made a rest stop here in an open field. Some soldiers feed the horses, others get getting medical attention (like myself), and others help load the dead bodies onto wagons. Those are the brave ones.

Jean finishes bandaging my head with long strips of gauze. It feels tight and uncomfortable, but I guess if I want to get better this will have to do. He leaves, saying something along the lines of "get you some water". I remain in the same spot, lacking the energy or the motivation to move. Even lifting a finger seems like a daunting challenge.

"You alright, soldier?"

I snap out of my trance and notice Commander Erwin and Levi standing in front of me. Their solemn stares display a hint of concern for the first time ever. Just a hint. Well, mostly the Commander. Not so much Levi.

"Peachy." I reply tonelessly. Looking down, I see Corporal Levi has a brace on his ankle. I quickly look away before he notices that I noticed, unsure of how to address the elephant in the room. When should I apologize? And how? There's no sugarcoating it— I'm the reason he got injured. I know it all too well.

"I simply thought you should know how grateful we are. You and Corporal Levi are the reason we have Eren safe and alive. Good work, miss Ack-" Commander Erwin stops and clears his throat suddenly. I wasn't listening very much before, but I certainly am now.

"Ackerman?" I say, amused. "No, no- thats Mikasa Ackerman over there." I nod towards the short-haired girl, currently overlooking a sleeping Eren in the wagon. "I'm Archer." Gee... Nice to know the commander cares about each and every one of us enough to know our names... I think sardonically. But that's just me being petty. I won't hold it against him.

"Um, yes. That- Thats what I meant to say." Commander Erwin says apologetically.

Corporal Levi appears... well, it's hard to describe. Livid is a good place to start. He looks at Erwin pointedly, and Erwin looks back at him embarrassed, and for a moment they seem to communicate telepathically.

I watch them, confused. "Um," I chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. "It's not a big deal. Relax. I won't take it personally, I promise."

Commander Erwin coughs and smiles. "Yes, of course." He nods as if to part ways. "Excuse me."