Birdie (Levi x OC)

forty-four

The military ceremony was soon upon us. The nobles in the capital insisted that everyone who went to Shiganshina attend, as they were going to award us with special honour for our bravery.

The morning light in our bedroom was bright and warm. I was standing, balancing carefully on my left leg, gripping the bedpost as Levi secured the top half of my brace. I was dressed in a simple white button-up blouse and a pair of thin cotton stockings that helped protect my leg from the consistent rubbing and pressure from the brace.

Levi clicked the last leather strap onto my upper thigh. "Hold still," he instructed, his voice low. He didn't look up, just focused on getting the brace to the appropriate tightness.

"I am holding still," I hissed, pushing against the bedpost. The brace already felt so tight and the last buckle hadn't even been done up. "Do I have to go today, Levi?"

He secured the last buckle, standing up straight and eyeing the brace. I winced at the tightness, the last buckle resting the closest to my wound that had started to heal but was still quite tender. He did one last once over before responding to me. "Unfortunately, yes. It's a ceremony for the returning forces, you can't get out of this one."

"This is embarrassing!" I gestured wildly to the brace. "I can't even walk without the crutches yet."

Levi picked up the simple military skirt laying on the bed.

"You're being a brat," Levi retorted. "You deserve to be there. You fought, you survived. If the sight of an injured soldier offends the public, that's their shame, not yours."

"It's not the public I'm worried about," I whispered, shame washing over me. "It's the other officers. My old comrades at the Garrison, the Military Police. It's everyone looking. I don't want them to see me like this. I don't want them to see the brace."

He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off his body. He reached out and, with a practical touch, carefully helped me step into the skirt and guided the waistband around my hips.

"You're a soldier, Birdie," he murmured, his fingers brushing my hip before he started fastening the buttons of the skirt. "The brace is a part of your gear. It is what allows you to continue standing. There is no shame in that."

He zipped the back of the skirt and smoothed it around my hips. The skirt, mercifully, covered the bulk of the brace on my thigh. However, the metal and leather that encased my calf were on full display, running all the way down to my heavy boot that held it in place.

His hands stayed rested on my hips for a long moment as he ensured my shirt was tucked properly into the skirt and the skirt hung correctly. His touch made me hold my breath. I was used to his help now with daily tasks, but his attention to detail in the way I dressed made me flustered. His touch always lingered a second longer than needed.

I adjusted to the feel of the brace, testing my weight out slightly with it as I gripped the bed post.

"Jacket," Levi lifted the familiar green long coat and slipped it over my shoulders. He buttoned it up, the length of the jacket hitting the middle of my thigh.

Levi wordlessly passed me the hair brush, guiding me to the chair in our room to let me deal with the tangled birds nest.

As I tamed my hair, I watched Levi get dressed, his back to me as he peeled off his night shirt for a white button-up long sleeved. I admired the way his back flexed as he changed, the muscle that he had developed from years of using ODM gear and killing titans. I averted my eyes as he changed his pants, not wanting to be caught gawking.

Okay, maybe I wasn't used to everything yet.

"Should I just leave my hair down?" I asked Levi as he buttoned his own jacket that matched mine.