Levi
Levi stared, slack-jawed, as the biggest Titan he'd ever seen began taking shape on the cave floor. It was the stuff of nightmares, and it hadn't even finished transforming yet. The air was skin-searingly hot and the cave was gradually collapsing in on itself as the Titan started to burst through the ceiling. The noise was almost deafening and for a moment Levi simply watched as red ribbons of flesh whipped about before binding themselves to the Titan's hulking great skeleton. He was startled out of his revolted fascination when Anya's arm shot out next to him. He directed his gaze to where she was pointing, down to a sloped ledge on the other side of the cave.
"Look! Eren and Historia!"
To his relief, both of the brats were alive and seemingly unhurt, though for how much longer was anyone's guess. Eren had been stripped of his shirt and was bound by thick chains. Crawling towards him against the force of the Titan's transformation, Historia was desperately fumbling with a set of keys.
"LET'S GO!" Anya yelled.
The Squad moved at once, darting past the Titan and heading straight for Eren and Historia as another violent burst of steam blasted them all. Mikasa caught Historia just as she was about to smash head-first into the wall, while Levi, Anya, and Jean went to free Eren.
"Give me the keys!" Levi ordered Historia.
She tossed them over with shaking hands and he set about opening the first shackle.
"Captains? You guys?" Eren asked, dumbfounded.
Levi unlocked a wrist shackle and passed the keys to Anya.
"Forget about me! Hurry and escape!" Eren pleaded.
"Shut up, you topless wimp!" Jean yelled. "It's not just a Titan! There's dudes with guns coming for us!"
Anya handed the keys up to Jean.
"Quickly, Jean!" she urged.
"Th-that's way bigger than the Colossal Titan, isn't it?!" Sasha cried.
"Just a bit!" Anya called back over her shoulder, her eyes wide with a mixture of terror and awe.
"The ceiling!" Mikasa shouted.
Levi glanced up at the roof of the cave. It was about to fall and crush them all.
"GET BACK!" he yelled.
Jean freed Eren without a second to spare and pulled him back to the cave wall. Levi grabbed Anya just as huge chunks of rock crashed down onto the ledge with such force that they snapped it in two, leaving the squad with very little at all to stand on. Pressed tightly against the wall, for a moment all they could do was watch, despair flooding their hearts, as the Titan continued to form.
"Shit! There's no way out!" Jean shouted.
Levi and Anya stood on the far left of their little group, and he glanced at her as she took his hand. He squeezed back tightly, brushing his thumb over her skin. Anger was bubbling up within him with each passing second. Anya'd fought so hard to defy the odds and survive beyond the walls, clawing her way back to him with the last of her strength, and yet it looked as though they were both going to die anyway. No, he wouldn't allow it. He wouldn't let her struggle be for nothing. Their story would not end there. He was about to say something to the squad to get them moving again when Eren sank to the floor sobbing.
"I'm sorry everyone... I've been nothing but useless. Ever since the very beginning, I was never the hope of humanity," he wailed.
"What's this?" Jean replied. "You think you're some tragic hero? When have you ever accomplished anything by your strength alone?"
"What a weakling!" Conny added. "We've been through much worse than this."
"Not that I wanna get used to it," said Sasha.
"Still, it's going to suck, trying to navigate through all that."
"I'll take Eren," said Mikasa.
Levi almost shook the girl. The squad were trying to rouse Eren to do what was necessary and she'd completely missed the point. Or she was simply choosing to ignore it so she could save the boy she loved and well, screw the rest of them. He looked at Anya and despite the severity of their situation, she rolled her eyes, bringing a fleeting smirk to his face.
"We can't go nice and slow for you, so hold on with your life," Jean told Historia.
"Right!"
"It's useless! We can't escape!" Eren protested.
"So do nothing?" Historia snapped. "You wanna sit here and hold hands until we're crushed or burned to death? Because we're enemies of humanity?"
"Sorry, kid, but I don't really fancy that," said Anya, strolling over and hauling him to his feet.
"You know," Levi said, "I hate doing this to you every time, but... Eren. You've gotta make the choice."
He locked eyes with the young recruit, and he saw the determination blooming within.
"You can do it," Anya told him, offering him a small smile.
Eren clenched his teeth, snatched up a small, glass bottle that had been lying on the ground nearby, and ran towards what remained of the ledge. He shifted into his Titan form as he jumped and landed on the cave floor. Almost immediately, a hard, pale blue material began covering the floor and growing rapidly upwards. It seemed to be the same rock-like substance that the cave itself was made of.
"What...the...?" asked Conny.
"Everyone!" Anya cried. "Get underneath Eren!"
YOU ARE READING
The Path Back to You | Levi x OC
Fanfiction"Reveal yourself," Erwin ordered, though Mikasa detected uncertainty in the commander's voice. It was almost as though he were afraid of who lay beneath the cloak. The entire regiment held its breath as the rider reached up with pale hands and lowe...
