Birdie (Levi x OC)

twenty-three

The dim light filtering through the barn's cracks cast long shadows, illuminating the dazed faces around me. Watch duty rotated, each of us lost in our own weary thoughts. Losing Eren and Historia felt like a physical blow, but the added weight of being branded criminals pressed down even harder.

"That man...Reeves," Levi's voice cut through the silence, sharp and direct.

"The one who helped us track the Military Police with Eren and Historia?" I confirmed, the memory of the tense pursuit still vivid.

"Yeah," he replied, his tone flat. "He's dead. Saw a poster in town. They're pinning it on the Survey Corps."

A bitter laugh bubbled up from my chest. "It just keeps snowballing, doesn't it? A losing game."

Levi flinched, his hand instinctively going to his forehead, where a shallow cut bled sluggishly. "Seems that way."

"Hey," I said softly, pushing myself to my feet and crouching beside him. "Let's bandage that." The wound looked clean enough, but the persistent trickle of blood was unsettling.

"Tch," he mumbled, avoiding my gaze.

Ignoring his usual grumbling, I located the first aid kit – the very same one he'd used on me not long ago. As I rummaged for a clean bandage, my eyes snagged on a faint crimson stain blooming on his shoulder.

"Captain..." A sigh escaped my lips. "Why didn't you say anything about this?"

He took a slow, deliberate breath. "It's nothing. Just a graze from my little chat with Kenny."

I leveled him with a look that conveyed my disbelief.

"Take your shirt off," I said, a small, wry smirk playing on my lips, echoing his earlier command.

He scoffed, shaking his head ever so slightly.

"Captain," I said, my tone now serious, all traces of teasing gone. "At least let me take a look."

He sighed, the sound heavy with resignation, and peeled his shirt off, folding it neatly beside him. A wave of heat rushed to my face, my ears burning. I forced myself to focus, pushing the unexpected blush aside.

Turning my attention to his shoulder, I gently probed the cut. "Levi," I hissed softly, my fingers tracing the edges of the wound. "This is deep."

"Sasha," I called out, not giving Levi a chance to protest, "pass me the thread and sterilize that needle from the kit."

Sasha moved swiftly, placing the requested items in my hand. I set to work on closing the bleeding gash on the Captain's shoulder.

"You a doctor now, Pixis?" Levi asked, a hint of his usual wryness returning.

"Not in the slightest," I replied, testing the thread. "But I know my way around patching up rips in socks."

My attempt at a lighthearted jab didn't elicit a reaction. "Just get it done," he sighed, his gaze fixed on something beyond me.

Carefully, I inserted the needle, meticulously stitching the wound closed. Not even a flinch, not a sound escaped the Captain's lips.

"Tough as nails, you are," I murmured, admiration coloring my voice.

His reply was so quiet I almost missed it. "I could say the same about you."

I glanced up at him, a sudden warmth spreading through my chest as we made eye contact.

"I wouldn't say that," I murmured, my gaze returning to my task. "My mind is a mess. Like, how am I supposed to tell Hange that almost her entire squad is gone?" I continued, the sarcasm sharp, "Oh, except for me... the newbie who somehow survived while they all died."