Birdie (Levi x OC)

thirty-three

The weeks following the funeral for my squad members crawled by. Yet, the simple routine of life back at Survey Corps headquarters offered a strange sense of peace I valued. Our days were full: Hange, Moblit, and I were engaged in tireless Titan hardening experiments with Eren. Since his emergence from the underground chapel, Eren's ability to harden his Titan had been reliable, giving us a massive boost of confidence that the goal to retake Shiganshina was finally possible.

I saw little of the Captain in this period, as he was preoccupied in the capital with Commander Erwin handling the repercussions of the Coup. This involved widespread arrests and establishing new governmental control. Eren mentioned, however, that the Captain and Historia were also starting the work of establishing orphanages for children from the Underground and those made refugees by the Titan attacks.

The couple of time I had seen the Captain were brief - a quick hello typically followed up by 'everything okay at headquarters?' I would only have time to give him a short update before he was off again.

I was sitting comfortably in the mess hall, sketching diagrams and taking notes for a new anti-Titan contraption Hange wanted me to develop - a way to defend the walls by use of a battering ram that would fall directly on the necks of titans who wandered too close to the wall. The mess hall was peaceful, my sketching illuminated by the flickering light the lanterns produced. I had also poured my self a cup of tea, the warm drink and atmosphere reminding me of my days back at the Garrison.

The quiet concentration broke instantly when something heavy slammed onto the wooden table. I looked up, my gaze meeting Hange's before snapping down to the object she had placed in front of me. My eyes widened in immediate recognition and shock: it was the cannon-like gun Kenny had used on our squad.

"Hange?" I managed, my voice barely a whisper. The sight of the gun was a blunt force, dragging back painful memories that had just begun to fade.

"I know," she sighed, her tone uncharacteristically solemn. "But I need your help with it."

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to nod and meet her gaze as she slid onto the bench across from me.

"I believe these have the potential to kill Titans," Hange said, her expression entirely serious.

I nodded slowly, then gingerly picked up the piece of equipment.

"Specifically, the Armored Titan," she finished.

My eyebrows shot up. I tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear, turning the cannon gun over in my hands. The chamber was empty of the brutal bullets the Interior MPs had used to kill my friends.

I tilted my head and furrowed my brow in concentration. Definitely needs bigger bullets, and the velocity of the projectile would need to be much higher.

"Let me tinker," I said at last, looking up at her, the trauma momentarily eclipsed by the problem.

She nodded, a wide grin spreading across her face. "I knew I could count on you."

She got up and gave my back a slap, a little harder than necessary. "Captain Levi and Commander Erwin got back from the capital this evening. Talk to the Commander in the morning about anything you may need."

I nodded, feeling the back of my neck warm at the mention of the Captain. "Have a good night, Hange."

"You too," she waved as she walked toward the exit.

After her footsteps had retreated, I glanced warily back at the strange weapon in front of me. I checked the clock on the wall, letting its steady ticking ground my thoughts. Not too late...