Birdie (Levi x OC)

thirty-seven

"Get ready!" Hange yelled, her voice strained. "Multiple Titans approaching!"

"They aren't all running this way, Erwin," Levi seethed, his eyes tracking the perimeter. "The big ones are still standing, surrounding us."

"They are trapping us," Erwin said, his expression grim and unreadable. "They'll kill the horses, and we will have nowhere to go."

A large crumbling sound resonated from the outer side of the Wall, shaking the ground slightly beneath us. I peered over the edge, the Armored Titan getting closer.

"He's scaling the Wall," I reported to Levi, the fear heavy in my voice.

"What now, Sir?" Armin glanced worriedly at the Commander.

Erwin inhaled slowly, preparing for his final move.

"You finally ready to do something, Erwin?" Levi's voice was smooth, but laced with a hint of controlled frustration. "Give me your orders. Now."

"Derek Squad and Marlene Squad! Join Klaus Squad and protect the horses," the Commander ordered quickly.

"Squad Levi and Squad Hange," he continued, his voice sharp. "You go after the Armored Titan. Employ the Thunder Spears at your discretion. Do whatever it takes to achieve your objective!"

He scanned the faces of his remaining troops, then looked back at the Beast Titan. "This is our moment. This is our time to strike. The fate of humankind depends on this battle. Lay down your hearts and lives one final time for humanity!"

A chorus of "Yes, Sir's!" resounded. Everyone immediately jumped into action. I began to jog beside Hange and the others, awaiting their direction.

"Wait," Commander Erwin ordered, halting the momentum. "Levi, Hange is going to lead both squads. I need you here."

I looked frantically between Levi and Erwin; Hange's brows furrowed in confusion beside me.

"What? You want me to protect the horses instead of Eren?" Levi questioned, glancing at Eren, then at me, his face hardening.

"That's right," Erwin ordered, his voice final. "And when the time comes, I want you to kill him." His blade stretched out toward the Beast Titan. "You're the only soldier I can entrust to kill the Beast Titan."

"But—" I began, my nerves causing my mouth to open in protest, the desperate thought of being separated from Levi overwhelming me.

"Quiet, Birdie," Levi snapped, silencing me instantly.

I snapped my mouth shut.

This felt wrong.

"I understand, Sir," Levi spoke, his voice settling into cold determination. "I wasn't fast enough to dispatch the Armored Titan. I will atone for that by taking the Beast Titan's head."

Erwin had already turned his back to address the remaining troops. Hange, Moblit, and Levi's Squad were moving toward the edge of the Wall, preparing for descent. The noise of their gear and the rumbling of the distant Titans created a brief, loud pocket of silence between Levi and me.

I didn't move. I could only stare at him, the sudden, terrible finality of the separation twisting my stomach into a knot. I wanted to beg him, not to stay safe, but just to stay.

Levi didn't look at me fully. His eyes were already fixed on the chaotic distance where the Beast Titan stood, calculating the impossible odds. But as he turned to move toward Erwin, his hand flashed out, catching my left shoulder.

It wasn't a gentle touch; it was a hard squeeze that lasted barely a second—a transference of warning and absolute finality.

"You stick to Hange," he commanded, his voice a low, gravelly rasp meant only for me. "You follow her orders. If she tells you to stay back, you stay the fuck put."