INSTANT CRUSH: AOT One-shots

Mike » I Know...

m.zacharias ; canon

I KNOW...

━━━━

The ground rumbled beneath you as a group of aberrant titans followed, trotting after you and your comrades as you galloped your way towards the wall after yet another failed mission.

"No. Just abandon the corpses. Otherwise, they'll catch us." You heard Captain Levi command the two cadets who rode the wagon carrying the bodies of your dead colleagues.

"B-But..." One of the cadets attempted to argue but was cut off by Levi.

"On past expeditions, dozens of bodies never made it back. These guys will be no different," he said, his words twisting a knife in your heart.

Amongst those corpses was Petra's, how could he?

As the titan's wavering build drew closer, the two soldiers were left with no other choice and began dumping the bodies one by one.

Corpses flew in the air, repeatedly swirling around before hitting the floor and bouncing on impact; a few of them instantly got crushed by the beast's moving feet.

Yanking the reins forcibly and spurring your horse to gallop faster, you darted your head back to look one last time. The welled up tears in your eyes began streaming down your cheeks when you saw it—the white drape unwrapping to reveal the identity of one of the last corpses tossed. It was Petra's.

You squeezed your eyes shut and turned around to face the road, the thunderous sounds of the horses' sprinting quelling your loud sniffles.

Once you had succeeded at outrunning the titans, the soldiers took another break to ascertain the location before resuming the route.

Looking around from above your horse until you located Dieter, you hopped off—your eyes puffy and cheeks tear-stained—and started walking towards him. You halted just a few feet away when you spotted Captain Levi approach him.

"This proves that they were alive; to me, at least," Levi said as he handed him the Survey Corps' emblem—The Wings of Freedom. "This was Ivan's."

Dieter looked down, his bottom lip quivering. "Captain..." he called before breaking down, torrents gushing down his strained face.

Levi simply rode back on his stallion and trotted to a nearby tree, away from everybody else. Stepping down, he took a seat on the grass and leaned back against the huge trunk, propping his arms on his bended knees.

You jumped back on your horse and followed after him. Mirroring his actions, you slumped next to him on the grass and looked away at the splendid, verdant fields spread before you. Levi did not waver nor acknowledge you; at that moment, formalities and chain of command had evaporated and were of no necessity, and you both knew it.

After a few moments of contemplating the marvelous scenery, you broke the hefty silence. "She truly loved you."

Levi remained unfazed and simply kept his stare locked away at the vastness. You both knew who you were referring to, and you both acknowledged each other's pain. You had seen it in his eyes earlier when her body was dumped; they unleashed the same surge of emotions as yours—the pain of losing somebody you loved.

"I know..." Were the only words he uttered.

━

Back at the camp, you crept your way up to the roof, gently shutting the door after you. You had taken a warm shower to ease the excruciating discomfort in your muscles and skipped dinner to lock yourself on top of the building.