The pain before happiness (Levi Ackerman x Reader)

Thirteen [Live for us]

It was that night when thunders roared, lightning strikes and it rained as if there was no tomorrow. Levi woke up, groaning at the pound on his head when he remembered.

"RAVEN!" He shouted, wishing all of it was just a dream. He was chained to the wall. His legs and hands cuffed with the strongest material the regiment had.

Levi struggles against it, screaming out her name as he tugged upon the chains. Why was this happening?

"Levi, please calm down." He saw Erwin running to him. "Please."

"Where is Raven? Erwin, where is she? Why am I chained this way? LET ME GO!" He bellowed in agony.

Erwin took a step back, flinching at the sudden sight of the former captain.

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" Levi looked up at the entrance to see Eren being dragged by the guards.

"What?! DON'T HURT HIM!" Levi screamed to the guard. "Erwin! WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"

"Levi, please stay calm. This is the monarch's order."

"You must be kidding me. This is all a joke. Why am I chained this way? Why is Eren here?"

"I will only tell you when you are calm. Eren, too." Erwin said to both and left the two in the dungeon.

"What the fuck?" Levi whispered to himself as tears came streaming down his cheek.

Raven rode on her horse, heading to the Yeager's place. It was raining so heavily that there was no way she could see ahead. It was filled with mist, almost impossible to make out whatever is in front. It was no going to stop her from charging ahead. Another clap of thunder engulfed the sky, her horse screeched and tripped over a fallen log sending Raven flying off it.

"Fuck," She cursed when her leg wound reopen. Prince, her horse had fled. "I won't make it this way." The wound on her leg was oozing with blood. She took off a cloth to make a temporary bandage before proceeding ahead again.

A week, it was a week later when Levi and Eren were finally calm enough to listen to Erwin. They were released from their chains but, not from the dungeon. Erwin started to explain. Raven had gone to a suicide mission to kill the founder of titans. Levi could not believe his ears. The last time she existed in that place, she almost died in his arms. The reason why Levi and Eren were chained up was because they held Raven's bond. Erwin was assigned to make sure that the withdrawal signs of the broken bond does not caused the death of them. Levi scoffed at him, laying on the filthy floor, curling into a ball. He would rather die from the broken bond. He was exhausted, all he wanted was having Raven wrapped in his arms and never leave him, again.

It was late at night, or that was what Levi thought. There was no way he could be able to know what time it was under the dark basement. Hange had gone into the dungeon, putting some food for the two of them but, none of them touched it.

"Levi, Eren. You need to eat. It's almost a week since you ate anything." Hange softly called out. To no avail, no one moved or even said anything.

"I'm cold," Eren whispered. Levi mutely held out his hands and the younger crawls into his embrace. He made himself comfortable in the former captain's arms. "Captain,"

"Let's not talk about it." Levi said.

"You are a useless child," Grisha spat on her face when she held him down to the ground with her sword to his neck. "I brought you to this world and this is what you repaid me with?"

"If you had not been the founder of titan, I would have spared your life but, you caused human to suffer. You turned your children into monsters without any hesitations. You are despicable." Raven said.

"Well, both you of meant nothing to me. You were just an experiment after all."

"Then, die." Raven pierced her knife through his heart. Grisha gave her a smile and he fell to the ground lifelessly. "I... killed him. I actually did." The titans in the cages roared in agony seeing their leader fall dead. Raven felt a tear rolled down her cheek as she glanced over the massacre she caused. She was exhausted. Three nights straight of raging to get herself in front of Grisha. She felt her eyes dotted in black clouding her vision, she swayed as her body felt heavy and drops to the ground with a loud thud.

Levi did not show it but, he was trembling in fear feeling the burn on his nape. He knew Eren felt it too and it was not a good sign. A broken bond meant that the person they were bonded to is on the verge of death.

"General Kim." Eren growled.

"We'll make it." Levi assured the titan.

Levi and Eren had broken out of the dungeon, knocking everyone out of the way. They had secretly planned to run after Raven. In a vulnerable state, they ran out of Wall Maria and Levi knew where she would be. The Yeager's crib. In all honesty, Eren was not ready to face his past childhood. He remembered being tortured by his father and his mother getting killed by titans but, nothing rang a bell for the general. Even though he knew General Kim was someone very important in his life, he could not grasp the memory that hid at the back of his mind.

They were there. They arrived at the Yeager's crib and all they saw was the massacre. Half of the buildings were licked with raging flames and there were so many dead humans laying around. Titans were running around freely, eating all the dead humans. Eren broke through the wall in his titans form and every other titan tried running away from him but Eren killed them in a blink of an eye. Like an angel flying over the moon, Levi flapped his pair of wings roaming around the Yeager's crib trying to spot the love of his life. It was hectic almost everywhere.

"Levi." His eyes widened upon hearing the whispers from her.

"Raven,"

"I am so sorry for everything I've done to you. You were right, I lied to you. I love you so much that it hurts to know all I have ever done was hurt you. You were my one and only. I cannot bear to see you hurting. Levi, I'm letting you go freely now, I apologise but, I cannot return home to you."

"Raven, tell me where you are!" Levi demanded as he flew closer to the ground in search of her.

"I'm sorry Levi."

"Raven, please. I beg you, just tell me where you are."

"I'm sorry Levi." It was barely heard, and Levi felt the burn on his nape worsen.

"Captain." Eren called out and signalled the captain to a direction. Levi flew over and there she was.

"Raven," he breathed. "Baby, please, please." He gathered her frail into his arms. She was cold, her complexion had drained out of her body. If it were not for her chest that rose extremely slow, everyone would have thought she was dead. She was covered in blood, almost drowning her own frail. Her right arm was broken, and Levi could see the bone weirdly shaped in it. There was a cut that runs over her right eye and stopped on just above her lips, almost similar with the one she already had. Levi gently ran a hand to push her fringe away from her bloodied face.

"Raven," Levi puts his forehead on hers, "Live for me. Live for us," He whispered, "you're going to be okay." He lifted her up and flapped his wings strong, flying off the ground. "EREN! Let's leave." He called, just in time as the transformed titan defeated their last enemy.