Soldier, Brave and Strong

♚

"Sweep the area for any leftovers, and return to camp," Levi ordered. "I'll sweep over here myself."

His men nodded, and zipped away across the rooftops. Levi fired his own hook, and swooped over the street below to cast his sharp gaze around the area. Bodies were littered about, but there was nary a twitch. Levi ignored the clench of chest muscles at the sight, and moved on.

This mission had been rough, or rather, rougher than usual. The Scouting Legion had just received a fresh batch of recruits, so they had gone on a brief scouting trip in a city just outside Wall Rose to give them experience for the upcoming month-long expedition. It quickly turned into a jaunt through Hell; there had been an unusual amount of deviant class titans about, which were tough even for Levi to kill let alone some wet-nosed kid fresh out of training. Levi gritted his teeth, and continued to scan the area for titans.

He landed on a rooftop, but froze before taking off again. Did he hear something?

A soft keen floated on a light breeze. Levi followed the sound, and dropped down onto a side street. There, he found a soldier, one of the new recruits. Was it Donovan? The only reason Levi remembered his name at all was because the kid had short, flaming red hair and a wide, expressive face that openly displayed admiration for the Legion.

Donovan was dying.

Judging from his injuries, he was flung or crashed on the rooftop of the building next to them, and then fell off the edge. His head was a wreck on one side; his hair was now two shades of red, and the left side of his face was a shredded mess. His 3DM gear was missing, so the safety releases had functioned properly, but he must have landed on his sword at one point, for his stomach had a large wound in it.

Donovan keened again, and Levi crouched by his side. Lifting the soldier into a somewhat upright position, Levi could feel that several ribs, his collarbone, and a leg were broken. This would be Donovan's first and last mission as a Scout.

"C-captain..."

A small croak came from Donovan's mouth, and a weak light came back into his previously foggy green eyes. He struggled to bring his arm into the salute, but Levi stopped him.

"At ease, soldier," Levi said, firmly.

"Tha..nk you, sir," Donovan wheezed. "Titan..swatted me...out of air. I'm...sorry, sir."

"It isn't your fault. You did your best under that situation." Levi of course had no idea what situation that had been, but Donovan's failure was clearly giving the boy added stress to his severe condition. He had been naïve and immature, but the respect he held for his superiors never wavered, even now, half out of his wits.

"Captain...I'm dying...aren't I?"

The fear in his voice was obvious. Levi felt his chest constrict again – Donovan was so young – and a small voice in his head wished he had never came to Donovan's side. This was never easy.

"Yes."

Donovan's breath sucked in sharply and his face clenched, though Levi doubted the boy could feel any physical pain at this point. He was too far gone in shock. The words he heard next proved it.

"Then...a favor...can you hold me, sir? Until...the end?"

Levi maneuvered the boy gently towards his chest. Affection was something he rarely gave, so the motion was extremely awkward, especially as it happened that Donovan was a gangly youth. Levi ignored the blood getting all over his clothes. For all his childishness and immaturity, Donovan was still a soldier, one who was dying on the battlefield. He wasn't even in Levi's squad, but to Levi, they were still comrades, regardless of rank and age. There was no one else to see, anyway. Levi wondered if the boy himself could even feel Levi's slightly hitched breathing.

They sat like this for a moment, and just as Levi was about to check Donovan's pulse, a small whimper was heard.

"Da..."

Levi stiffened.

"Da...I'm sorry..." Small shudders wracked the boy's body and tears were mingling with blood. "I'm sorry..."

Levi shifted his hand to pet Donovan's head. He flinched when it came into contact with a wet, sticky mess, but pushed his disgust aside and softly ruffled the boy's hair.

"You did well," Levi grunted. Why a grunt? He meant to say that clearly, but the words chocked him.

"Da...Da...did I...did I finally make you proud?" Donovan's voice was weak, and Levi noticed his eyes were foggy again. "I'm sorry, Da. I'm sorry I...was an embarrassment. I tried...I tried..."

He sobbed the words "I'm sorry" a few more times into Levi's chest. Levi guessed that he and his father had been on rocky terms with each other, and Donovan joined the military either to prove himself or to spite his father.
Well, this is where it got him. His father won't have any remains to bury, just a memory of his last time with his son, whether good or bad.

"You did well," Levi repeated. This time, he sounded hollow.

But Donovan was silent. Levi reached around and checked his pulse. It was still there, though sluggish. Levi sighed. He had hoped the soldier would die peacefully and quickly. He needed to complete his sweep and return to camp. The boy stirred against him, eyes shut tight. The pain of his wounds was beginning to attack through the haze of shock. At this rate, Donovan could still live for a half hour at least, but in pain and misery. Levi didn't have a half hour to give, but he did, however, have mercy.

"You did well, soldier," Levi said again, but this time his voice was the firm, steady voice of authority. "Your father will be proud. His son will die an honorable death as a brave soldier."

Levi saw a smile flit across the boy's face, but he didn't open his eyes. Levi reached for his blade handle and quietly attached a blade. It wasn't the first time he performed a service like this, but he cursed the slight tremble in his fingers. Killing a person, no matter the reason, wasn't like killing a titan. It felt dirty to take a life. As he placed the tip at Donovan's chest, he thought he heard a quiet whisper.

"Thank you, Captain."

And that was it.

---

Levi headed back to camp after finishing the sweep. This was why he always tried to live without regrets. He had enough burdens to carry. It was like another ghost joined the crowd that rode his shoulders. When he reached camp, no one said a word about his tardiness or the blood covering his clothes. Levi reported the "all clear" to the Commander, then left to write his report...and a letter.