Birdie (Levi x OC)

forty-five

Captain Levi

Levi stared at the sleeping girl next to him as he sat up against the headboard. She was fully undressed, the sheet tucked just below her collarbones. He casually curled one of her long, blonde strands of hair around his index finger. Her hair was wild, all waves and tangles that were splayed around the pillow like a golden halo.

Slight raspy snores escaped her soft lips, a small, imperfect sound that Levi was well accustomed to now. There were nights his mind reeled, trapped in memory; the sound of her deep, steady sleep was the only thing that calmed him.

She looked utterly comfortable. She had slept deeply that night after they had finally collapsed, exhausted. No nightmares, no sudden gasps of panic. Just long, peaceful rest.

Levi leaned his head back, glancing at the clock in the room. It was past the time she'd normally be up to stretch and treat her leg, but when he looked back at her peaceful form, he decided against waking her.

He rarely lost his discipline, but last night had been an exception. He hadn't intended to finally take her, just push the boundaries a little. She had looked so strong and beautiful at the ceremony. But her confession, her devastating honesty, had made him snap the reins of his control. She had wanted him, fiercely, just as much as he wanted her.

He had known, somewhere deep inside him, that from the moment he had first kissed her, there was no going back. This was it.

After her injury and their shared quarters, that certainty was cemented. She was his to protect; his responsibility. That was never going to change.

He often considered the origin of that fierce, protective feeling.

Hell, maybe it began the day she stubbornly walked into Erwin's office with that damn letter. 

If he could go back, he'd tell her to get lost. To walk away, secure her useless, soft life, and never look back. He'd tell her to get the fuck out while she still could.

But the thought was pointless, and frankly, a lie. The fact was, she was here. She was broken, devastatingly beautiful, stubborn, and drove him up the damn wall—but she was his. And fuck, was he glad he didn't have to face this world without her.

In the beginning, even in the early days, it hadn't felt proper. He felt as though he wasn't allowed to feel this way for some younger, bright-eyed soldier; someone he could very well send to her death. Those thoughts, those soft, hopeful emotions, weren't allowed for people who lived the life he did.

But it happened. His emotions had overpowered the persistent, nagging voice of duty in his brain.

And now Levi didn't know any other way he could go forward.

A soft groan escaped Birdie's lips, and his eyes instantly snapped to her. He watched her injured leg flex sharply underneath the sheets. A cramp, he recognized.

He had been careful last night, ensuring her injured leg remained supported and steady underneath the grip of his palm. Had it been too soon? He narrowed his gaze on her face, silently willing her to sleep through the discomfort.

She quieted, settling back down. A wave of quick relief washed over Levi. He didn't want this morning to be disturbed by her injury. He didn't want her to feel pain, not after the way she had trusted him last night.

Last night she had asked him to accept her despite her brokenness. The memory made a sharp ache bloom in Levi's chest, almost enough to pull a strangled laugh from his throat.

Broken. Yes, she was broken. Physically scarred and emotionally wrecked by the cost of being a soldier.

Bu she wasn't the truly broken one. Her heart was still intact; her conscience, whole. It was him. He was the one who should be pleading for her acceptance.