Birdie (Levi x OC)

seventeen

The distant drone of voices pulled at me, threatening to drag me back from the merciful void of sleep. My mind felt like it was submerged in lead, every thought heavy and slow as consciousness began to seep back in.

"Should we wake her?" an unrecognizable voice asked, hushed and hesitant.

"Leave her. Take the rest to the infirmary, now," a sharp, familiar snap barked back.

"Yes, Sir!"

The world around me filled with the frantic sounds of the living: the rhythmic creak of stretchers, the heavy thud of boots on cobblestones, and the low, pained murmurs of the wounded. I blinked, my eyelids feeling as though they were lined with sand. My head was still resting against the splintered wood of the wagon, and for a moment, the world tilted precariously.

As my vision cleared, Captain Levi came into focus. He was crouched at my side, his silhouette cutting a sharp, dark line against the bright afternoon sky. His brow was deeply furrowed, his gray eyes narrowed with an intensity that felt like a physical weight.

"Captain...?" I croaked. My throat felt like it had been scoured with ash, my voice a dry, raspy ghost of itself.

He didn't answer immediately. His gaze was clinical, scanning me from head to toe, looking for the telltale signs of trauma he had spent a lifetime cataloging. When his eyes finally reached my face, they lingered for a long, painful beat on the angry, blistered skin along my jaw; the souvenir of Bertholdt's steam. I saw a flicker of something raw and strained in his expression before he jerked his gaze away, his jaw tightening.

I tried to offer a small smile, a silent plea for him to stop looking at me like I was something broken.

I realized then that the wagon was empty. The heavy, comforting weight of Nifa's head on my lap was gone.

"Is everyone else...?" I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. "Did they get to the infirmary? Were they careful with Nifa? She hit her head so hard, I was worried about a concussion..."

"Shhh. They're being handled," Levi muttered, his voice dropping an octave, losing some of its edge. He didn't look back at me, his focus shifting to the logistics of getting me out of the wagon. "Can you walk, or are you going to make me carry you?"

I breathed a shaky sigh of relief, the tension in my chest easing just a fraction. "I think I can manage."

I shifted, my muscles screaming in protest. As I slid toward the edge of wagon, my leg brushed against the rough wood, sending a jolt of hot pain through my body. I let out a sharp, hissed breath, my hands gripping the side of the wagon until my knuckles turned white.

"Here," Levi said, his hand shooting out to steady me. His grip was firm, his palm warm against my skin. "Easy now. Don't be an idiot and fall on your face."

I slowly maneuvered my way down, careful to avoid any direct contact with my burnt skin. "Seems I tend to get burnt, don't I?" I lightly laughed through a wince, attempting to lighten the mood.

My laughter died immediately, met by Captain Levi's serious expression. The mood turned somber once more.

His eyes searched mine, and the intimacy of his gaze made me feel suddenly emotional.

"I-I'm sorry." I met Levi's eyes, now glazed over with unshed tears. "We failed, Levi. Eren and the other titan girl got taken, and so many of us got hurt."

He listened quietly for a moment before speaking up, halting 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 to keep the sobs at bay.

Levi and I carefully made our way toward the infirmary. My legs felt weak, and the Captain offered me his shoulder for support. I hesitated, knowing he was still injured, but his unimpressed expression immediately snapped, "If you don't fucking lean on me, I'll just have to carry you there myself."