Your Wings - Reader X Levi Ackerman

Chapter 8: Settling In

You sit there for a while, trying desperately to regain your composure. With trembling hands, you wipe the tears from your cheeks, forcing your breathing to slow into something steady.

Eventually, you push yourself up and walk out through the same door Levi disappeared through earlier.

Your mind races with a whirlwind of thoughts—the way Levi spoke to you, the rawness in his voice, the brutal truth about your friends... friends you didn’t even know were gone until today.

Anger. Sadness. Regret. Guilt.

It all churns violently inside you, but you wear a straight face, holding yourself together the only way you know how: by pushing forward. Even though it feels like everything is unraveling, you move your feet, one step at a time.

This isn’t going how you hoped.

You make your way down a hall, too lost in your own head to notice the figure leaning casually against the wall, nose buried in a battered journal.

"Hey! I'm right here!"

The voice snaps you out of your fog. You glance over your shoulder, spotting Hange hurriedly pushing off the wall to catch up with you.

You stop, waiting, though you say nothing.

"You're a pretty fast walker," she pants lightly, an awkward chuckle escaping her. "Sorry if I was a bit hidden. Would explain why you didn’t see me." She scratches the back of her head, laughing again—this time a bit nervously when she realizes you're still staring at her with a blank expression.

Clearing her throat, she straightens up. Ahem.
"Anyways, Erwin asked me to show you around. So... that's what I'm here to do!"

You remain silent.

Hange doesn’t seem fazed. "You're not much of a talker, huh? That's okay! You just gotta follow and listen. I’ll get a word outta you eventually," she grins, undeterred. "I can already tell we’re gonna be great friends!"

She spins on her heel and motions for you to follow.
"Come on, this way~!"

You trail after her, your footsteps quiet compared to her light, animated ones.

She leads you outside into the crisp air and across the grounds to another building. Inside, the mess hall bustles with life—dozens of soldiers eating, laughing, arguing. Some sit alone, hunched over their meals, while others chat animatedly with their squads.

Hange gives you a quick tour, rattling off names and explanations at a speed that's hard to keep up with.

The training grounds come next—wide fields lined with obstacle courses and target dummies.
The supply rooms, filled with shelves of dusty gear and weapons.
The classrooms, plain and utilitarian.
The offices, full of strict-looking personnel moving about in stiff uniforms.

And finally, she brings you to the sleeping quarters.

The room is large, lined wall-to-wall with bunks placed side-by-side. There's barely any space for privacy.

You stare for a moment, your shoulders sagging.
"We share rooms... with all of these people?" you sigh out.

At the sound of your voice, Hange gasps dramatically. "Oh! You finally spoke!" she beams, eyes wide with excitement.

You shoot her an unamused look.

"You know..." she adds with a playful smirk, "You give me the same look Levi does. You guys really did know each other back then, huh? Must be an underground thing."