Walking Among Spirits (Levi x Reader) [REWRITE]

[ Chapter 28 ]

Content Warnings:

•Mentions of Decapitation
•Season 4 Part 3 Spoilers
•Mentions of Death
•Strong Language
•Violence
•Blood
•Panic
•Gore

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Flashback

The first time you noticed your brother's absence was one particular night when you forgot your favorite toy in his room. You had climbed back out of bed and snuck into the other room across the hall to retrieve it. Afraid to disturb him, you took your time to be stealthy, otherwise you would have gotten an earful from him.

The doorknob clicked as you opened it, holding your breath in case that alone already woke him up. When you did not hear a peep from inside the bedroom, you ventured forth, determined to get in and get out. You simply could not rest until you had that stuffed (animal) back in your possession. You feared what Quincy might do to it without your supervision, like holding it hostage until you agreed to do his chores for him. He was always scheming on how to bribe you out of his work.

In the soft moonlight of your brother's bedroom, you spotted the toy near the open window, exactly where you had left it. Quincy had allowed you to sit in his room and keep him company while he studied one of the various workshop books your father had, passed down from his own father. You scurried as quietly as you could to reach your prized possession, your heart raced in fear of Quincy waking up to scold you for sneaking into his room plus making a lot of noise. However... none of that happened. As soon as your short/long fingers brushed the plush toy, your head darted to the bunk beds to your left. Neither were occupied. Obviously, Tristan was gone at Cadet Corps, but... where was Quincy?

That's strange.

You had thought. You wondered if he had gone to the bathroom and would have returned any second which meant you were screwed. He would walk in the second you made your escape. Before you had more time to question exiting, an oddly familiar whizzing sound caught your attention. You knew it from somewhere, it just took a moment to connect the dots. You remembered hearing that sound from the workshop when your father would test the ODM Gear anchors. He would fire them at a wooden test board, then retract them. That had meant someone was using the gear outside-

*thump*

One blink and in the open window, your brother perched, his (opposite color) eyes wide like yours. You each stared at each other for a solid ten seconds, unspeaking, unmoving. Neither knew what to say or do in that moment. It was obvious your brother had snuck out of the house to do things he shouldn't, but you didn't know how to address that.

"Don't tell dad." "I won't tell dad." You each said at the same time, relieved you had each other's backs on that. Heaven forbid your father found out about Quincy's little stunt and the boy would have been grounded until he was eighteen probably. Maybe forty.

"I wanna use it!" You had gasped, mouth instantly being covered by your brother to shush you. Your father may have snored, but sometimes it felt like he lived in the walls from the secrets he had heard between you and your brothers. You obeyed and kept quiet, realizing it was in your best interest to keep it down. You really did not want to lose the opportunity to learn how to use the gear. "Really? You want to learn how to use ODM Gear?" Quincy scoffed like it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard, and that remark made your face fall. You had his back a second ago, but he was still acting like a jerk. "First of all, you're way too small to fit into any of the straps, let alone carry the weight of it all. Second, its not something you can just pick up right off the bat. It takes a lot of practice and patience to get good at it." Your brother tried to talk you out of it in any way he could, but no matter what he did, you were still desperate to learn. Nothing would make you back out of it. You were ready to be just like him, soaring through the sky like a bird. To be free.