Be Kind (Doctor Reader x Levi Ackerman)

Chapter 8: Forced Proximity

"The Captain is more understanding than I thought. That was nice of him to let you off the hook," Mario sighs with relief.

"I know, I could have gotten in serious trouble," you muttered. "And as for Johanne—?"

"She's awake. Recovering in the infirmary with a bruised body and face. She'll manage!" Mario scowls. "She shouldn't have provoked you anyway, this will teach her not to mess you with anymore."

"I hope so. We have more important things to worry about than her," you stared out your window at the sinking sun.

"You mean about whether we're going to get eaten by a Titan tomorrow?" Mario's lips quirk up just a fraction, but you know he's forcing it. Thinly-veiled anxiety.

You don't dare to offer him words of reassurance and promises you can't keep. It's going to be your first expedition and no amount of preparation and training could resemble the real thing.

"Don't say that," you simply huffed.

Mario sighed. "When I signed up for the Survey Corps, I already knew that I could potentially die out there and yet, I still submitted my application anyway. I didn't think much of it back then, but now, things are starting to feel too real."

"Don't dwell on it, it'll just make you more anxious. At least we've got Captain Levi and the Special Ops squad near us, and it's one of their minor resupply missions. I do hope it's as straightforward as Commander Erwin described."

"Fifty percent of Scouts don't survive their first expedition. I just hope I'm the other lucky fifty," Mario sighs.

"Whatever happens, I'm here," you reassured him. Mario smiles back and the two of you finish your coffee in silence, deep in your own thoughts about the expedition tomorrow.

–

The next day, you are eagerly waiting by the gates of the Wall among many other soldiers, already in position for the long-range scouting formation. You gave Jungfrau's mane a little rub and glance at Mario for reassurance. Eren and the Special Ops squad were in front of you, along with Levi.

You took a deep breath to take in the atmosphere of this very moment, your first ever expedition. Everyone was blanketed in the Survey Corps' signature green cloaks. Once Erwin finished his speech, the Survey Corps wasted no time to charge straight out of the gates, most remaining silent with concentration.

Then, you saw green. Lots and lots of green. As a Wall Rose and Sina citizen, you never stepped out into Wall Maria before, so you never really knew what the outer walls looked like. You wanted to explore Wall Maria years ago, but lost the chance when the Titans invaded. Now, for the time ever, you set your eyes on the uninhabited land of Wall Maria.

You all eventually scattered to get into your respective positions for the scouting formation, maintaining a good distance between each person. You, Mario, and the other soldiers carrying the medical cart travelled much more closely to each other.

You continued riding for about another ten minutes or so, when you heard a firework-like bang in the distance. It was very far away, but you saw a red smoke signal on your right side. Remembering the lessons taught by Erwin, you recalled that this meant a Titan had been spotted. A green smoke signal followed shortly from Erwin's position, and you shifted accordingly to avoid the Titan's direction. If we could just continue this until we reach the Titan forest, we should be safe.

–

Levi and his squad were metres ahead of the Military Doctors in the formation. The mission was simple; get to the Titan forest to resupply the base hut, and investigate the abnormal Titan activity as mentioned by the wall guards. According to them, some of the Titans that usually loiter outside the walls have suddenly wandered off on their own, and more abnormal Titans than usual were spotted. They were behaving rather erratically, such as suddenly running off nowhere for no reason. This information was crucial to this expedition, and everyone is on high alert for abnormal activity.