Birdie (Levi x OC)

seventy-three

"I'm gonna beat that kid's ass when we get him," Levi seethed. He was seated in my workshop, a slew of paperwork on his lap as I tested the triggers on the new and improved ODM gear we would be using for the attack on Liberio.

I glanced up at Levi, who had wandered into my workshop at some point this afternoon. He had brought me tea; but what usually was a quick visit became hours of Levi cleaning the workshop. When he finished that, he left momentarily and came back with his own work, sitting next to me and rifling through attack details.

I reached across and placed my hand on his knee. He looked up. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Fine," he muttered. "Just pissed off."

He didn't elaborate, but I knew. He was angry at Eren for putting us in this predicament, for forcing our hand and endangering our lives.

"I know it's hard, but in a strange way we have to trust that Eren knows what he's doing. That he is still protecting us."

"You have faith in him still? After all this time?" Levi raised his eyebrows.

I felt my eyes water but I kept it in. "Eren is still my friend. Eren is still a part of my family. I love him like I do the others and would do anything for him. I just have to have hope that there is a reason he's doing this that is beyond my understanding."

Levi said nothing as he set his papers on my workbench and moved behind my chair, placing his hands firmly on my shoulders. He leaned down to speak directly into my ear. This was not a captain addressing a soldier; this was a husband grounding his wife.

"Eren is our friend," he murmured, his breath warm against my cold skin. "He is our burden. But you are my responsibility, Birdie." He squeezed my shoulders, making the truth undeniable.

"I know," I said, leaning into his touch. "I wish things played out differently. I had hoped for peace."

I sighed. "Labeling us devils, keeping us behind these walls, turning their prisoners into titans to feed off us. It's all so unfair."

Levi said nothing, just released his hands from my shoulders.

The silence wasn't empty; it was comfortable and thick with shared understanding. Levi walked back to my workbench, pulling his chair close again, and immediately resettled the slew of paperwork back onto his lap. The sound of his pen scratching against the documents was a low, steady sound, cementing us both in the reality of the coming mission. I knew he was working, but I also knew he was present, and that was enough.

I held up the new and improved Scout uniform, the one designed for our upcoming attack. I flashed it to Levi. "Thoughts? I didn't know 'seamstress' was in my job description, but I think this could work well."

The material was dark; the perfect shade for a night raid. We also took inspiration from the Interior MP's anti-personnel models. The ODM gear was rigged with the cannon-like guns.

Perfect for human enemies.

"It looks good, impressive," Levi said, taking the gear gingerly from my hand and running his fingers over the improved reinforced plates sewn into the thick black suits. "Tell me about the design."

My face must have lightened up because he smiled softly.

"Well, when Onyankopon was here last year, he and Armin and I tested so much fabric and so many designs that I thought for sure we had settled on a new uniform. But I figured we could make something even better for this upcoming raid. I went with black material because it absorbs light better; perfect for nighttime. I completely redesigned the harness, too. The new gas cylinders are lighter, but they're longer, so that changed everything. I integrated the Anti-Personnel Cannons right into the gear. If we angle the grip just right, the recoil is manageable even mid-swing! Oh, and I insulated the inner layer with this special fleece because those altitude changes over the coast are going to be brutal, and..."