A little death [Levi Ackerman x OFC]

Chapter 14: Closer

Kaia woke up slowly, her body aching in ways she hadn't experienced before. Her head throbbed painfully, her cheek swollen and bruised, and her hands and forearms were etched with deep cuts. As she took the bandages off, the sight of the wounds —lines of red, raw flesh—made her stomach twist. She already knew they would leave ugly scars, marks she would carry forever. But it wasn't the physical pain that weighed her down. It was everything that had happened.

The memory hit her like a wave—her sister nearly being taken, her father standing there, useless, while the men dragged her away. Then the fight. The men overpowering her. The man she killed. The way that bastard had cut her shirt while she was tied up, helpless. She had fought as hard as she could, but even her strength hadn't been enough to stop him before Levi appeared. The terror of that moment still clawed at her, tightening in her chest like a vise.

And then there was her father. The man who was supposed to protect her, to protect them all, had betrayed them—had betrayed her.

Kaia's breath hitched, her throat tightening. Her mind swirled with a horrifying, suffocating realization—the suspicion that had begun to creep in after years of unanswered questions about her mother's disappearance.

A sob escaped her throat, harsh and sudden. She pressed a trembling hand to her mouth, trying to stifle the sound, but it didn't stop the flood of emotions from crashing over her. All of it—her sister, the man, her father—it all felt too much, too heavy to bear. The betrayal, the fear, the memories that twisted inside her—it made her feel like she was being crushed from the inside out.

Hot tears slid down her cheeks as she gripped her chest, trying to stop the raw, jagged sobs from breaking free. Her shoulders shook with the effort, her fingers tightening into fists as she buried her face in the crook of her arm. She didn't want to cry. She didn't want to feel this way, but it was as if the dam had finally broken, and she couldn't stop it.

Levi had been about to enter the room, moving quietly, but as he approached, the sound of Kaia's sobs made him freeze just outside. There was no door between them, just a thin wall, but it was enough to separate them, enough to make Levi pause.

He stood there, listening, and the sounds of her muffled crying sent a strange ache through him. She was breaking down, and it made something twist painfully in his chest. He wasn't good with emotions—not his own, and certainly not anyone else's. He'd seen countless soldiers cry, break under the weight of battle, but this... this was different.

Levi leaned against the wall for a moment, unsure of what to do. He didn't move, didn't make a sound, just stood there, taking in the weight of her grief, feeling it press against him. He thought back to how distant he had become, how much he had pulled away from her, and now, hearing her like this, he wasn't sure if he had been right to do it.

The sobs quieted, fading into the soft rustle of her breathing, and Levi forced himself to move. He wasn't sure what to offer her—comfort wasn't something that came naturally to him—but he knew he couldn't just stand there. He made his steps louder on purpose, giving her a chance to collect herself.

When he entered the room, she was sitting on the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, her gaze fixed on the floor. She didn't look up at first, didn't react to his presence, but her body was tense, her face still streaked with tear stains. Her eyes were distant, hollow, as if she wasn't really there, lost somewhere where he couldn't reach.

Levi crouched down beside her, his movements slow and deliberate, trying not to overwhelm her. He wasn't good at this, didn't know how to handle it, but he knew he had to be here, at least in some way. He spoke her name softly, his voice quieter than usual.