A/N
Okay guys PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU START READING thanks. SO for the best results while reading listen to AmaLees cover of reluctant hero's. It is absolutely beautiful and I listened to it the whole time while I was writing. Also if you're a fast reader try to slow down when reading. I have that problem myself and when I read through I saw that if you read really quickly the story sort of loses its feel. The stories not that's long in the first place. Okay thanks
Disclaimer- I do not own Attack on Titan/Shingeki No Kyojin
The Reluctant Heroes
Eren was tired. There had been a surprise attack on the north wall and it hadn't ended well. They didn't even have their maneuver gear straps on when it happened, they had been celebrating in the main hall when they got the call to go out. They lost a lot of soldiers. A lot of comrades. A lot of friends.
He leaned against the wall and gripped his arm that had gotten injured. He let a tear escape, then another. He slid down the wall and let the sobs wrack his body.
Eren was tired.
Levi walked past the area where the injured were being tended to. He had to find Hangi. They had gotten separated during the attack and he hasn't seen her since. He had asked around they pointed him in this direction.
He picked up a badge that was lying on the ground. It was Hangi's. It was stained black from ink she spilled on it in her newbie years and …blood. It must have fallen off during the battle. He always told that shitty glasses to sew it on tight every time it fell off but she never listened.
He felt his eyes water up and dropped to his knees. He let the tears fall.
Marco rushed through the dining area of the castle. They were gathering bodies of the dead and putting them there. He needed to find Jean and know he was okay, he needed to see him alive. Finally, he spotted him across the room and ran towards him.
"Marco," he heard Jean whisper before he crushed him into a hug and started to sob into his shirt.
"Jean thank god you're okay, I was so worried," he managed to say through the sobs.
Jean rubbed his head and lowered them to the ground.
"Shhh Marco it's okay now it'll be okay," he rested his head in the crook of his neck and let a few tears slip and turned to look at their fallen comrades.
"We'll be fine"
Sasha ran into the main hall where they ate. She didn't know who she was looking for she just needed to find anyone. Jean and Marco were embracing on the floor. Mikasa was in the corner helping a medic lower a body. Where was everyone else?
She let her eyes briefly look over the faces of the dead. Ymir, Christa, Hannah, Mel, Ar-Armin.
She started to hyperventilate. No, no, no they're not gone they can't be. Ymir, sweet Christa, Armin they couldn't be they were the strongest of them all.
She felt a pair of arms wrap around her. She let out a wail she didn't know humans could make.
"Sasha, hey Sasha breath," Connie.
Sobbing, she turned around and squeezed him.
"Co-co-connie," he looked down at her with tears in his eyes and let her cry into his chest.
Eren couldn't catch his breath. It was too hard. It was his fault he could have been faster. He could have transformed into a titan but there were to many people and-
He couldn't finish the thought.
He sat there for a couple more minutes before wiping his eyes and rising to his feet. His tears still spilled down his face just not as hard. He walked out into the yard and looked around. There were bodies everywhere.
He saw someone in a Survey Corps cape by a body. Levi, and the body was…. Hangi.
Eren shut his eyes and leaned against the wall behind him. There were too many bodies. It was all his fault.
He turned and punched the wall behind him, then again, and again. Once he started he couldn't stop. Every punch represented how many people died that day and more. He let out a sob and let his fists torrent the bricks in front of him.
Levi was straightening Hangi's body while trying not to cry. 'Why her? Why did it have to be her? Damnit. The world wasn't fair, I should've figured that out by now.'
He heard a wail and turned. Connie was pulling Sasha from the dining area. She fought the whole way reaching for the handle on the door.
He turned to Hangi again before he heard it again. Closer this time. He looked behind him and saw Eren pounding the wall with all the fury of the human race. He got up and ran towards him, grabbing his wrists.
"Jaeger, Jaeger, EREN," he stopped struggling and looked towards Levi. His knuckles were broken and bloody and he had tears running down his face.
"Levi I'm – I'm so sorry it was all my fault I-," he choked and I fresh wave of tears washed down his face. Levi pulled him into his arms and rocked him back and forth.
"Eren it is not your fault alright. No body knew this would happen. It's not your fault," he started to cry near the end of the sentence. He didn't know who he was telling this to. Eren or himself.
Levi let everything out he had been feeling for the past hour, and started to sob. They both did. They cried for Hangi, Armin, Christa, Ymir, Mel, Hannah, Petra, Farlan, Isabel, Gunther, Oluo, Thomas, and countless others.
Marco opened his eyes and saw he was in his bed. Had it all been a dream. He looked beside him and saw Jean. No I guess not.
"Who all died," Jean didn't answer.
He heard a sob and saw Connie comforting Sasha on his bed. She looked up he talked. She stood up shakily and put her hand over her heart in a salute. With tears running down her face she spoke.
"In the line of duty the members of the Survey Corps, Armin Arlert, Ymir Tolu, Christa Reiss, Mel Ingrid, Hannah Kin-," her voice cracked and Connie tried to pull back down but she continued.
"Die-Died honorably in an attack on the Survey Corps base. They will be remembered in our heart and spirt," she fell to her knees and started to cry again.
Marco started to shed tears he didn't know he had. All this loss, for what? He felt Jean pull him into a hug and rest his head on his shoulder. He couldn't cry anymore but he did, he did and it hurt so bad.
Years later after the Titans had been defeated, they went to the beach. Eren, Levi, Sasha, Connie, Jean, and Marco. They gathered seashells, hundreds of them and painted them blue and white. They wrote the names of their fallen comrades on them. It took hours. When they were done they put them in formation so they looked like the Wings of Freedom. They had about one-hundred fifty seashells left over. Too many for their liking.
During the first hour they were quiet. They didn't want to think about what they were doing. Then, they started to tell stories.
How Hangi blew up her lab one time because she was trying make titan bones glow in the dark. Armin and his book about the outside world. When Sasha had to run the entire Cadet Corp area. When Mikasa thought Levi was a girl.
Levi told them about his life in the underground and his friends Isabel and Farlan. Eren told them how he and Mikasa met. Sasha talked about her experience as a hunter in the woods.
They laughed and they cried. They stared at the stars when the sun went down and swam in the water when it came back up. Levi complained about sand in his hair but everyone could see a small smile on his face. Jean and Eren argued over who got to put Mikasa's name on a shell and Sasha dumped water on them when things got too heated. Connie and Sahsa chased each other and threw sand until Levi threated to slit their throats in their sleep. Marco drew figures in the sand while Jean stood watch making sure no one ruined them. Eren sat by the water in vigil in honor of Armin with Levi by his side.
Even when they remembered what they were really doing none of them were sad. They felt the presence of their friends all around them living in their memories and hearts. When they laughed they felt Hangi laughing with them. When they cried they felt Christa comforting them. When they snapped at each other they felt Mikasa grabbing at their ear.
These were the reluctant heroes. Broken but still fighting their battle. Mourning but still pushing on.
Let's sing for them
A/N
Well it's over. It didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it but I still think it's pretty good. I hope you enjoyed and aren't crying has much as I am right now.
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