Freedom: Levi Fanfiction

| Awake

23

        "How is she?" The tall blond walked into the room, asking Levi about Iris's state. It's been a few weeks, her breathing has been normal and Hanji continuously worked on creating better inventions for her best friend's survival. Every day the odds of her dying decrease, thankfully so. 

        Levi, whose eyes were closed, replied, "She's doing fine." 

        The commander's eyes jolted toward Iris. "Let's talk-"

        "Erwin, I know you got the message." They both looked at each other, one look was enough for Erwin to nod and sigh. 

A frown appeared on Erwin's face as he took a seat on a chair opposite Levi. "I know. I realized how much of a burden I placed on her and only thought about myself. I just wanted to give her this." He reached for something in his front pocket, a medal of some sort that looked like a bolo-tie. Levi's expression softened. 

        "When she wakes up. She will wear this proudly as a sign of her bravery..."

When the raven-haired man reached for the medal, he looked at Iris with a small smile. Their talk quickly ended when Hanji walked in with a worried expression on her face. 

        "What's with that look on your face?" Levi narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms. 

        "Idiot. I don't have time to joke around. I wanted to talk to you two about Iris." The two men looked at her with interest. Hanji not having time to joke around? That alone was quite baffling. But then again, they did get a taste of how serious she could be when Iris's life was in danger. 

        Impatient, Levi quirked a brow. "What? Spit it out."

         A grave sigh escaped the woman's mouth. Can this runt be patient for at least two seconds? The news she was about to deliver was a hard enough pill to swallow. Soon enough, her eyes mellowed. "Iris's little brother, Eren Jaeger, is alive. He... wasn't saved by Iris. He was saved by someone named Hannes, his father's friend. This means that Iris chose to save all those people first. And the MP's are blaming it on her for the food shortage going around."

        "Are you fucking kidding me?" Levi's tone shifted into agitation. It's always the MP's. As if their superiority complex wasn't enough to make them the most hated. If Levi could punch all of them he would've done so the minute he'd see them. 

Erwin shut his eyes, his hatred for them grew even larger but he intended to keep it in. Hanji gritted her teeth in anger. "In a few more weeks, the government is planning to retake Wall Maria by sending a bunch of civilians to their deaths. Do they think of us as fools? All of Iris's efforts are wasted once they do that!"

With her fists clenched, Hanji turned toward Erwin. The truth was hard to digest. In this day and age, the Survey Corps' power is weak. There was nothing he could do and that annoyed him the most. Erwin stood up and furrowed his brows. 

         "The government is far too powerful for us. Even if we oppose their decision, we'll only be seen as a hindrance. There's nothing we could do about it. Besides, how else can we solve this famine?" 

It was tough... but even Levi agreed with Erwin's words. Granted, the government's plan is more messed up than they make it seem. They were basically planning to sacrifice half the refugees' population to solve one thing and while they were in no position to oppose, they had all rights to judge. 

        "So. I assume the boy wants to see his sister... That poor kid might have more hope once he sees her." The three looked at each other, their minds working on the same wavelength and agreed on one decision. 

~

The three adults stepped out of the room and leaned their backs against the wall. When another adult, who seemed to be in his late 30's, hesitatingly walked toward their direction, Erwin and the two acknowledged his presence. 

         "Are they his friends?" questioned Levi. Hannes looked behind, a look of guilt was all that was shown on his face. 

A small blond boy poked his head out and looked at them with confusion. "Mister Hannes, where are we going?" he asked. 

Levi's eyes landed on the boy with brown hair, his emerald eyes filled with resentment and pain. He looked as if he had no interest in what was about to unfold. That was the same boy that he had seen happily smiling at Iris a year ago. Hanji raised her hand and granted them access into the room. Rest assured, when they walk in, there was going to be a lot of tears.

Iris's three friends stayed outside, providing the kids with the privacy they needed. When Eren's eyes latched onto a woman in deep sleep, his mind couldn't process the sight before him. His sister was alive. 


She was alive all along.

Mikasa noticed the turmoil on his face, her own eyes turned glassy after realizing their big sister was in fact breathing and alive. Armin ran quickly toward Iris, his small hand holding hers. 

        "B-big sis Iris!" he began bawling, hiccups interfered with his words. 

       "Eren! Look... she's breathing! She's not dead. I told you. She won't leave us like that..."

Eren and Mikasa dropped to their knees, speechless and full of relief, sorrow and confusion. Hannes, who stood beside them couldn't help but feel even guiltier. His self-hatred grew stronger. 

         After gathering the strength, Eren finally walked toward her. Their faces were streaming with tears. He gently held her hand and wiped his own tears and snot. "Sister... I swear on my life... that I'll protect you from now on. I-I'll join the scouts. I'll kill all of the enemies. Just please, come back to us!" 

Mikasa curled her brows upward. Carla, Iris, reminded her so much of her own mother. She probably wouldn't handle losing her big sister, the only person who understood the pain of having her parents die in front of her. 

Levi couldn't bear the guilt he was feeling inside him. Had he never left Iris's side, would these kids still bawl their eyes in pain? Those kids almost lost someone who could nurture them into sound adults with a strong sense of justice and freedom. He clicked his tongue and walked off. He needed fresh air-- a lot of it. 

Days and weeks rolled by fast. Within the blink of an eye, it had already been a year. Their hopes of Iris waking up were slowly diminishing-- but not Levi. He promised himself that when she'd wake up, he'd scold her. Scold her for leaving his side, scold her for missing his birthday, scold her for not giving him a lot of hugs. 

Visiting his girlfriend had basically become a part of his daily routine. If there was a day that he couldn't, his mood would plummet down the rabbit hole. Luckily, today wasn't one of those days. He walked into the room after letting out a sigh in disappointment. Every day, Levi was hoping to walk in with Iris awake, smiling at him like an idiot. But today... was another disappointment.

           "You sure love sleeping..." He smiled sadly, caressing her face with his touch.  Levi bent over her, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. 

          "Captain Levi." He quickly turned around, slightly embarrassed and cleared his throat. It was Petra. His eyes turned toward the small basin filled with water resting on her hands. 

         "You almost scared the shit out of me." 

She smiled and chuckled. "My bad. You have to leave now, though. I'm in charge of cleaning her up." 

The raven-haired man nodded. Needless to say, he was glad Petra was the one in charge and not some random individual who has no connection toward Iris. Levi rested his hand on her shoulder before leaving. "Thanks. Take care of her well."

        Petra nodded. "Understood."