Attack on Titan: Survival and Dedication - Male Reader

CHAPTER FIVE - PART ONE

REPRIEVE

Year 824
No man's land
400 kilometers South of Marley

The smell of blood was the first thing to come to mind. It was thick and mixed with a hint of wet dirt, creating an atmosphere of poignant relaxation.
   Then came the distant, indistinguishable voices drowned out by bloodcurdling screams.
   Yvonne attempted to sit up, making pain thread its way up from her right knee to her shoulder.
She grit her teeth and pushed, bringing a growl from her throat. Her muscles ached and felt fatigued, yet the horrible screams pushed her forward.
   Darkness surrounded her. Pain overwhelmed her senses, making the room pitch-dark and the bandages covering her head a dimmed afterthought.
   "Alright, that's enough." A pair of hands were rested on her shoulders, ushering her back into a stiff cot. "Relax, you're in the infirmary."
   After a dry swallow and momentary groan, Yvonne found her voice.
   "The... fight." She rasped through a dry throat. "...Fight."
   "The fight's over, ma'am." The voice, a woman, soothed her. "There's been talks of peace since the enemy's surrender."
   "Sur—render?" Yvonne's tired muscles lost all tension and she allowed the supposed nurse to guide her back into bed.
   "That's right." The nurse hummed. She tugged on the layer of bandages over Yvonne's face, leaving an impression of warmth and velvety skin.
   "How long?" Yvonne sighed with a disheartened tone.
   "A couple of weeks now."
   "My company—unit...?"
   "You're the only one I managed to find, ma'am." She laid a hand on hers with another on her shoulder; expecting an outburst, the nurse instead found sadness. "I'm sorry..."
   "How?" Yvonne asked. "Everyone else—t-the ones who advanced with me...? They're all...?"
   "Our superiors stated we didn't have enough supplies to treat you all. But... I found you myself."
   "Eldian—"
   "Shhh." Her fingers shut her lips with a ginger touch. She continued in a whisper nearly drowned out by another scream. "As far as everyone else knows, you were a survivor of the first Marleyan wave. A real hero from what I've heard."
   "I don't..." Yvonne shook her head and felt pain shoot down the right side of her neck. "No... I should've..."
   "It's okay." The nurse murmured with a tone matching her own. "We won. Isn't that what we all wanted?"
   Her hand rubbed a small line into Yvonne's shoulder. The kindness wasn't the first thing to come to mind, nor the warmth she left on a cold patch of skin.
   "You're... Marleyan?" Yvonne swallowed.
   "Pure-blooded, yes." The nurse sighed. "And now so are you."
   Somehow that left a pit in her stomach. Narrowing it down to dumb luck wasn't what she wanted. If she were to be Marleyan it was to be as an honorary member, not as a fraud.
   Yvonne shook her head, expressing her displeasure.
   The nurse remained, holding her hand and shoulder in a show of pity but also guilt that had been misplaced.

"Have you heard about Cassius?"
   "Hm?"
   "You haven't??"
   "What??"
   "He caught an infection. The doctor doesn't know if he'll make it through the week."
   "Damn..."
   It had been a week since she woke and all Yvonne could do was listen. She heard a pair of men nearby discussing the current situation. Their friend, Cassius, an aspiring young man, had lost his leg in the aftermath of an explosion. He was one of many who had lost a limb in their long, dark wait.
   Supplies were beginning to run thin. From what she had heard, they would run out of food by the end of the week and water the next.
   Disinfectants and painkillers were next and reserved for only the most critical patients. If you weren't deemed important to the brass or doctors, the odds were your leg or arm was being taken.
   The nurse, Yvonne still hadn't gotten her name, was adamant about her condition being fine, and she was.
   "How much longer do we have to wait?" A nurse asked one of the two doctors. "Can't we just—leave?"
   "Not until the armistice is signed." A doctor sighed a puff of smoke Yvonne could smell.
   "Armistice?" The nurse asked, confusion evident in her voice.
   "A treaty." Another nurse replied. "You know, a ceasefire?"
   "That's right." The doctor finished his cigarette with a squealing puff exiting his chapped lips. "You walk out there now and you'll be shot."
   "And how long will that be??"
   "It's hard to say." The nurse Yvonne was most familiar with sighed. "The message was carried over pigeon a couple of weeks ago... It could've been signed already."
   "Doubtful." The doctor grunted. "But... I'm hungry so maybe I'm just being pessimistic."
   "Yeah..."