Will of the Broken (Levi x OC)

Chapter 26: Comfort

A day has passed since then, and we were making our way back to the walls.

On the returning trip, I was deemed unfit to carry out my duty by Erwin, and Hanji.

Whatever that was supposed to fucking mean. There were others around me in worse condition. I had patched them up with minor difficulty, and sat in my spot with a feeling of massive protest.

Then again, I felt it was a... Decent assessment to my situation.

I was dealing with a poorly relocated shoulder, which was now wrapped as I rode in a wagon. A bruised wrist, on the other hand, which was now swollen from overuse. That's not all folks, a rib was definitely cracked. It left my breathing a little uneven.

The cherry on top is that my torso was bruised from being hit so many times.

I felt it all, including the emotional drawbacks. It was beginning to build, and what made it worse was looking at the soldiers in the wagon with me. They had suffered so my more. I was lucky to be in this condition.

I'd say, the only silver lining was that Levi had traveled beside the wagon the entire way back, refusing to stray from his own position.

Several times superior officers rode up to him and told him to get back in formation. They were often met with;

"Fuck you."

"Tch."

And, my personal favorite.

Silence.

Yeah, turns out, blunt, mysterious, cold, and deadly Levi can be entertaining.

I didn't know if he was staying for me, or if he just needed reassurance. At that moment, I could have sworn he was repenting. It was almost like he was staying just to make up for his 'mistakes'.

I ignored that, and tried to think of a way for him to answer me on his behavior, later. I didn't feel worthy of his protection if that's what his problem was.

"Squad Leader Strauss, thank you for helping us." One of the men to my right said quietly. I leaved forward with a wince and looked at them all.

Their eyes were on me already.

"All of you are fellow soldiers. I'm happy I could help." I answered politely and sat back against the border. In truth, I wanted to do more. I had failed the Squad I was assigned to, and that alone was enough to make me feel insignificant.

I had to inform Akita that her boyfriend had died on the battlefield, write letters, and deliver them to the families. However, I would likely have Benjamin and a couple cadets make the run. It would be hard on them for sure, but they'd get experience.

"Oi! Get out of your head! I've called your name twice now!"

"Ah! Sorry." I faced Levi who had pulled up to the side of the wagon.

"Tch, we're approaching the walls." He mentioned, keeping his eyes on the towering structure ahead.

The sun glared down upon us and I shuddered. Yesterday, we went further out and settled in an abandoned village. It was still amazing that we found several places to lie low despite being in titan territory.

However, it reminded me that Isabel and Farlan weren't with us. Speaking of which, Levi was nearby then too. He was in the same house as me and stayed right outside the door from where I slept.

I found that odd as well. He wasn't the type to be clingy.

"Was there a question you had for me?" I asked after a moment of silence. It was clear he was working through his grief, by rushing it. That would backfire.