Hiraeth || Levi X Reader ||

Chapter 4; Lost

The sunlight beamed through the window, shining upon (Y/n)'s face. Her eye fluttered slightly as she awoke, stretching her arms above her head. Today was a break day, a day where she could rest her muscles rather then carrying around the extremely heavy gear for missions.

Grumble...

(Y/n) awkwardly clasped her stomach. "Guess its time for breakfast."

---

Setting her bowl of oatmeal on the wooden table, (Y/n) sat alone, as usual, and began to neatly take a few bites.

As she ate, she recognized a few of the newest scouts.

The infamous Eren Yeager, whom (Y/n) had seen so closely when he was... Well... A titan. What a strange thing to think about.

She also recognized a few of his classmates, as well as Hanji Zoe and Mike, one of her trusted allies.

(Y/n) looked back at her meal, which was still steaming hot. Her hands rested on the table as she hummed a soft lullaby. The morning sky was visible through the windows, and she could spot a few cadets training on their day off. She admired their determination, but she had no intention of wasting her resting day like that.

(Y/n) finished up her meal, cleaned up her mess, and headed outside. Her foot stepped in the tip of a puddle, sending ripples through it. Plants dripped with water, and the pavement was covered in splotches of mud.

"Disgusting," the familiar voice of Levi echoed from inside the garden. He seemed to be tending to the weeds, ripping them out from between bricks that created a path to walk through. His hair bounced every time he yanked out a weed, grumbling as he placed them in a tin bucket.

"Need some help?" (Y/n) offered, stepping over to him.

He just stared up at her, crouched behind a bush that separated them. Then, seconds later, he handed her an empty tin bucket. "Here."

(Y/n) smiled. She'd always enjoyed tending to gardens, and the one in the courtyard was especially beautiful and full of interest.

Bending down, (Y/n) began plucking the ingrown plants from the soil, humming her soft lullaby that replayed in her head. She and Levi minded their own whilst caring for the elegant garden.

The wind ruffled her hair gently as the clouds ever so slowly passed by. "It's a nice day, isn't it?"

"Its is," Levi replied, still keep his eyes on the work ahead of him. Then he stood, bucket in hand. "I'm going to dispose of these," He spoke, turning away from her and began walking off.

"Oh, uhm, okay!" She smiled politely as he left her sight.

The sun was brightly shining, and (Y/n) had to block it out using her hand to avoid eye strain as she glanced up at the sky. The glossy clouds floated high above, and (Y/n) could still see a few darkly colored storm clouds.

The distant grunts of the cadets who trained could be heard when there was nothing but silence. (Y/n) grasped her hair, brushing her fingers through the strands, however long they were.

The wind picked up a bit, her hair tugging out of her grasp. "Ah," she smirked. So the storm wasn't completely gone just yet.

"This wind is irritating," Levi walked up from behind her. He was holding his bangs with one hand, the bucket with his other.

"I find it comforting," (Y/n) told him with a soft smile. Levi blinked.

"How so?"

"I'm not quite sure, but the feeling is somewhat soothing. The cold touch of the wind makes me feel..  Alive."

She stood up her head turned over her shoulder to look at Levi. His eyes were locked onto the darkening sky. "I see..."

His voice trailed off in the howling wind. "Looks like the storm is back for seconds," (Y/n) acknowledged. The dark clouds grouped together, a small roar sounding above them. The cadets who were training were marching back inside, not wanting to be soaked by the rain. Levi flinched at the rain, this time pouring much harder then it had last night.

"H-hey!" Connie Springer, a boy who had just transitioned into the Scouts shouted. "Captain Levi! There's a horse on the loose!" 

Levi turned his view toward where the boy pointed. "I'll get him."

Levi dashed into the trees nearby. Though not as thick as the redwood fires beyond the walls, it was still a pretty big place to search for a horse.

"Captain Levi, you'll catch a cold!" She shouted. He didn't reply.

"..."

(Y/n) sighed. She knew he could handle himself, but ran after him anyway. 

---

"Captain Levi?" (Y/n) called out. She'd been searching for him for quite awhile now. The sky was pitch black and the rain splashed icily against her skin. You could barely tell it was still daytime. "Captain!" She shouted, louder this time.

"Hey? Yknow it's pretty cold out here!" She shivered, her white shirt drenched in rain water. 

Her teeth chattered together, her arms shaking.

Hes probably already back... I'm an idiot.

She turned around. "I'll just head back."

...

She bit her lip in fear. "Where... Am I?"

(Y/n) huddled against a tree for warmth, cold and alone. "This... Was a bad idea."

You knew he could handle himself, and the horse, so why did you even come...?

Her own words seemed dull. She look up at the sky, squinting as the rain slammed down onto her eyes.

She knew she wouldn't die, so she wasn't scared. It just sucked that she was in this situation in the first place. "This really does suck."

She shivered, trying to stay comforted by her own body heat. The mud around her soaked her long skirt she'd dressed herself in previously. (Y/n) heaved a groan. 

She stared at the darkened areas around her. The trees loomed overhead, as if they were titans. Her mind drifted back to when the abnormal had nearly killed her, all for the pleasure of eating her. 

Nobody ever admitted it. It was something they were all forced to get used to, something that was meant to be considered normal.

Yet it wasn't, it never was. Titans, giant humanoid creatures who feed off innocent humans just for sport, wasn't something you could just, "get used to."

No, the sight of someone crying out for help, the screams and wails of horror, the desperate attempts to escape, none of it was normal.

(Y/n) held her trembling hand. She couldn't tell if it was from fear or the freezing and damp air.

Something inside her was crumbling. This world sucked. All of it. Nothing mattered except survival, and that alone was a sickening thing. The joys of life they should experience were never considered normal.

"This world is sick."

"Everything is sick."

"We all know this."

"But we still fail to truly realize it."

She bit her lip to stop her teeth from clattering together, her eyes drifting off tiredly.

A figure suddenly approached, getting closer and closer.

(Y/n) shivered as she stood, her whole body dripping in water.

"(Y/n)?"

(Y/n) stumbled into the figures arms, her shivers slowly corroding as warmth seeped into her body. Her face sunk into the figures shoulder, sighing in relief.

But no amount of relief could help the fact she was tired, and her eyelashes fluttered softly until her eyes shut.

She was okay, she was always going to be okay, but now she was truly... Truly... Okay.