Thirteen Years | P. Galliard

2

** I will be using they/them pronouns throughout this book to make it as inclusive as possible. Of course, use whatever pronouns you use and go by. I simply put they/them as "umbrella" pronouns for all. Thanks for understanding and please enjoy! -Dodger 

--

One Month Prior

The male panted and wheezed, out of breath and struggling to breathe. The steam that emitted from both his former Titan body and his own were thick and covered the air around him. Blood dripped into his eyes from the wound on his head and partly covered the shifter marks above his eyes. The dark red marks stretching from the under eyes to his cheeks, and other jagged marks etched across his cheek bones special to only him. He struggled to get down, his Titan body left to disintegrate as he tried to place his feet on the ground. He felt weak and his vision was blurry, on the verge of passing out from over excursion and exhaustion. 

The wounds he received were from his training, and nothing short of near death. The Marleyan officials were relentless, damaging him and working him just enough before death. He healed quickly, able to regenerate with ease if nothing injured his nape, and his superiors took advantage of the fact. They did with every Eldian Warrior, telling them "muscle has to break down before it becomes stronger." Despite their brutal tactics, this was an honor to him and deemed his training a necessary evil to be able to fight for the motherland. 

His boot clad feet stepped down, finally, on the grass before he fell, unable to hold himself upright anymore. The officials turned and walked away, calling it a day, as the other Warriors went to his aid. Pieck and Zeke swiftly made their way over to the young man on the ground, but Reiner stayed behind and watched. The young woman who held the Cart Titan, whom also called Porco a friend, was the first one to his side. "Can you stand?" She asked softly and gently touched his arm, as if asking permission to help him up. 

"I'm fine," he groaned out and jerked his arm, causing Pieck's hand to move. Zeke stood over the beaten and bloodied male, as he again tried to stand. The eldest of the Warriors empathized with the young man before him, each new Warrior had been in his state before. Porco shifted his position, putting his feet under him and using all of his strength to try and stand. Zeke's hand caught the male's arm just before he fell once more, and he pulled him up. He placed Porco's arm around his shoulder's and propped him up, helping him stand and when he was ready, to walk. 

"Let's get you home," he commented generously. Zeke knew better than to crack jokes with the hotheaded blonde at a time like this, humor definitely wasn't Porco's coping mechanism. "What you need is a nice meal and a good night's sleep."

"What I need is for you to get off of me," he male snapped but couldn't find the strength to fight back. He felt helpless in this state, unable to move and barely able to take a deep breath. Zeke took a step and Porco struggled to follow, but soon found a broken rhythm that both worked for them. Pieck followed on the opposite side of Zeke, ready to catch the blonde if he so happened to fall. "Thank you," he mumbled, a rare sign of grace to his comrades that was well received by the pair helping him. 

Porco regained more of his strength while walking and the wound on his head was almost closed by the time the trio had made it to the gate. "It looks like you're healing well," Pieck spoke with a soft smile after the gates to the internment zone had closed behind them. The blonde hummed as an answer before taking his arm off of Zeke's shoulder's and taking a step on his own. His steps were wobbly and slow, like a baby deer trying to walk for the first time. 

"I wouldn't try walking just yet, unless you want to spend two hours hobbling to your house," Zeke's words made the young man groan, but he knew the man was right. He placed his arm, willingly, over the man's shoulder and limped along. His house wasn't far from the gate, but it was far enough to dread taking another step. His whole body ached, no longer damaged but still feeling the effects. The trio walked in silence as they finished the short path to the Galliard household.