Birdie (Levi x OC)

seventeen

Distant voices threatened to awake me from my slumber. I stirred, consciousness beginning to set in.

"Should we wake her?" An unrecognizable voice asked quietly.

"Leave her. Take the rest to the infirmary, now," a sharp tone snapped back.

"Yes, Sir!" Rustling ensued along with the sounds of footsteps, bodies moving, and quiet chatter.

I blinked, my eyes opening wearily, my head still leaning against the hard, wooden wall of the wagon.

Captain Levi was crouched at my side, his narrowed eyes and furrowed brows filling my line of vision.

"Captain...?" I croaked; my voice was raspy from sleep.

He nodded. I could see his eyes scanning my body from head to toe, likely for any and all signs of injury. After his assessment, his eyes met mine, a strained expression evident on his face. I sent him a small smile in an attempt to communicate to him that I was okay.

I then noticed the wagon had been emptied, including Nifa, the weight of her head gone from my lap.

"Is everyone else okay? Did they get to the infirmary alright?" I questioned, lifting my head from its resting place against the wagon, a sudden sense of urgency falling over me. "Were they careful with Nifa? I'm worried she has a concussion; she hit her head pretty hard."

"Shhh. They're fine," Levi shushed. "Can you walk?"

I breathed a sigh of relief, "I think so."

I slowly made my way out of the back of the wagon, grimacing when my leg rubbed against the hard, wooden surface.

"Here," Levi reached his hand to help me off the wagon. "Easy now."

I did as I was told and slowly maneuvered my way down, making sure to avoid any direct contact with the burnt part of my skin.

"Seems I tend to get burnt, don't I?" I lightly laughed through winces in an attempt to lighten the mood.

My laughter slowly died as it was met with Captain Levi's serious expression, the mood turning sombre once more. 

His eyes searched mine in an attempt to read my thoughts. My eyes turned glassy at his stare, the intimacy of his gaze leaving me emotional.

"I-I"m sorry." I met Levi's eyes with my own glazed-over ones, "we failed, Levi. Eren and the other titan girl got taken, and so many of us got hurt."

He listened to me quietly for a moment before speaking up, hindering my confession. 

"It's fine, Birdie." He shushed me once more, "leave it for now. Let's get you to the infirmary first."

I nodded, biting the inside of my cheek in order to keep the sobs that threatened to release from my throat at bay.

Levi and I carefully made our way to the infirmary. It was a slow and steady process as my legs felt weak. The Captain offered me his shoulder for support. I hesitated, knowing that he was still injured, which was retaliated with Captain Levi's unimpressed expression.

"If you don't fucking lean on me, I'll just have to carry you there myself," he snapped.

"S-Sorry," I muttered before reluctantly accepting his support. 

If his ankle was bothering him, he didn't show it. He supported much of my weight as we maneuvered our way through the halls.

Soon, we made it to the sickbay. The once empty infirmary was now full of my comrades who were laid on the beds. I noticed that both Moblit and Keiji had already been treated and were looking after the other three on my squad. Hange and Nifa were still unconscious, but both their injuries had been properly cared for as bandages and ointments were applied to their burns. Abel was also awake but lay still, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling in one of the beds.