Until the End || Levi x Reader Insert Fanfiction

Ch 35- The Beginning of the End

"Now then... Let's come up with a plan." Your tired eyes look up to Armin who stands before you all. Your squad members have started to settle, sitting into the available seats on the aircraft, heavy emotion in the air, but knowing you had to push it aside and move on... as always. Armin continues, grabbing a piece of chalk and drawing on the wooden floor of the airship. "Pieck, Captain [y/n], Captain Levi, is this roughly the shape of the Founding Titan?" You had to be honest, you hadn't had much of a glimpse of it, only seen a faint outline in the distance but you recognised it. Eren's founding Titan was massive, its head attached to a large skeletal body that was larger than even the Colossal Titan. The drawing Armin had created depicted it well, a massive spine and bone-like structures that were attached to it like ribs. "Yes, though I didn't get a great look at it." You reply, as Pieck also nods before voicing the same thoughts.

"Basically, it's a humongous bundle of bones that moves like an insect," Levi says from next to you, voice dull but blunt. "If it's like a normal Titan, Eren would be in the neck near the head, but given the War Hammer's abilities, that's not guaranteed," you add, remembering the ability the Titan had to alter the location of its holder from its nape. "In other words, we don't know which part Eren is in." Armin finishes your line of thought as he looks down at his drawing, deep in thought. "Even if we don't know where he is, we can blast the whole thing away," Pieck mutters as she leans further forward. "The same way you annihilated Libero's port... with the Colossal Titan." A long silence reaches the inside of the airship as your squad members along with Reiner look on at the tense conversation.

"That certainly would be the most effective method." Armin voices his agreement, only hesitating slightly, as Mikasa lets out a gasp at the proclamation, no doubt because it put Eren's life in danger. Armin quickly continues, however, knowing what his words imply. "But we'll leave that for after we've exhausted our chance to talk. If there's still no other way to stop Eren, that's our last resort." He turns to Mikasa who nods sullenly but maintains a spark of hope in her eyes that it wouldn't come to that. "It's great to have a last resort and all," Levi speaks up once more, tone maintaining his sharp front, "but isn't Eren controlling the Founder through Zeke? Won't the rumbling stop if we kill Zeke first?" Armin looks up, surprise catching onto his face as though in wonder he hadn't thought of that before. "True. That might work!"

"There's no definite proof, but Hange thought it would." Levi finishes his ramblings with the last voice of credit to the Commander who was no longer with us. "But if we don't know Zeke's location either..." Pieck starts contemplating the depths of the plans you all try to build, only to be interrupted by Levi once more. "We'll just have to find that shithead, the Beast, in those bones." There is a deep silence before Levi takes a breath in the quiet of the small airship. "I'll take Zeke out," you turn to him and are surprised to see his gaze is on you all. "Help me do it." Everyone looks to Levi, the ever-so-stoic Captain, asking for help. Their gazes brim with determination, and Jean is the one who speaks for your subordinates. "Of course. We killed many friends and comrades to get this thing in the sky. We can't allow that slaughter to have been for nothing. Everything is to stop the rumbling. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Jean..." Reiner looks to Jean, sentiment clouding his eyes as Connie also speaks up. "I shot Samuel and Daz and sliced up other people I knew. I got called a traitor as I did so, all the while telling myself it was to save the world." Connie then sits up from where he is slouched, burdened eyes looking to Reiner who meets his troubled gaze. "Hey, Reiner. It was agonizing for you, Bertholdt and Annie too, wasn't it?" Reiner's face contorts into dire nostalgia, as he lifts his hand as though reminiscing all it had done. "I can't even make up for the sins I committed anymore," he replies, "even if we save what remains of humanity, I doubt I'll ever forgive myself." Your squad member's eyes look to the floor of the airship at his words, Connie's eyes filling with tears and his face contorting into one that looks like regret. But he looks up once more when Reiner leans forward and clasps his hand onto his shoulder.