Birdie (Levi x OC)

thirty-nine

Captain Levi

Levi looked out over the ruined Shiganshina district. The mission's failure was a crushing weight; he realized with a tight grimace that this retreat was temporary: they had to get out, but he had to come back for that damn basement.

Hange put a hand on Levi's shoulder. "We'll come back. As soon as Birdie is stable, we'll return for the Basement."

She looked to Eren. "We promise, Eren."

He nodded in understanding. "Of course, Hange."

Securing Birdie was the immediate priority. Levi used their combined harnesses and spare straps to bind her tightly to his chest, leaving his hands free. Birdie was shivering with fever, her weight stabilized against him. He grimaced at having to jostle her this way, the sealed gates leaving them no other option.

"Ready, Hange?" Levi asked, his voice strained.

"As I'll ever be," Hange replied.

They started their perilous ascent, leaving the silence of the city behind them.

They reached the top and descended the inner face of the wall. The area was a scene of carnage. The ground was slick with blood and the mangled bodies of dozens of soldiers and horses. The medical wagon itself was overturned and splintered. Thankfully there were a few horses—shaken, injured, but alive.

Levi gently unstrapped Birdie from his chest and laid her flat on the crude cart. He knelt beside her, his fingers immediately checking her pulse and the packing around her thigh wound. The fabric was already damp.

"It's a miracle she didn't bleed out during the climb," he murmured to Hange, his tone tight with relief and frustration.

Hange said nothing, instead soaking a rag with her canteen and gently applying the wet cloth to Birdie's neck.

"Your eye needs to get wrapped, Hange," Levi told his friend, glancing at the damage to the left side of her face.

"This is nothing," Hange whispered, leaning away. "Not compared to what my squad went through."

Levi sighed. "At least get Sasha to bind it, quick."

Hange hesitated before nodding, wandering off briefly to find Sasha.

Levi stood up to face the few remaining Scouts. They were all haunted by the sight of the battlefield, but they had no time to ponder. The rough cart was quickly hitched to one of the surviving horses.

"Keep your eyes sharp," Levi ordered his squad. "We are moving. Slow and quiet, all the way to Trost."

~

The path back to Trost was long and slow. Levi sat at Birdie's head, his posture rigid against the relentless bumps. His fingers were pressed lightly against her throat, counting the slow beats of her heart.

Slow. Everything was so damn slow.

They were under the cover of darkness now, the horrible day fading to night. The cart was being pulled even slower than before, but this was the only way she could get back without fatally jostling the wound.

Levi grimaced. His remaining squad was intact. Armin was riding with Eren. The surviving soldier, Floch, trailed behind, staring blankly into the distance.

Hange walked beside the cart. She leaned in, dabbing a damp cloth to Birdie's neck and forehead.

"Fevers spiking, Levi," Hange murmured, her face grim. "The infection is already starting to take hold."

"It means her body is fighting," Levi spoke, his voice rigid.

Suddenly, the cart hit a root hidden beneath the tall grass. The jolt was violent. Birdie's body instantly seized and her back arched. The sudden movement ruptured the tight packing. A fresh wave of thick, dark blood immediately soaked the white bandages.