Birdie (Levi x OC)

eighty-three

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The sound of the heavy footfalls were rhythmic, bone-deep, and terrifying. The small shack groaned, its wooden frame shuddering with every step as the colossal titans moved closer, their presence turning the morning air into a wall of oppressive heat.

I was shaking uncontrollably, my fingers white-knuckled as I clutched Levi's shirt, burying my face into his chest with every soul-crushing boom that echoed through the forest.

"It's okay," he soothed, though his own voice was tight with the strain of his injuries and the situation. I felt his hand press firmly against the back of my head, holding me against the steady, frantic beat of his heart. "You need to stop shaking, Birdie. We have to get moving."

"Levi," I gasped into the damp fabric of his shirt. "I'm really scared. This is...this is the end, isn't it?"

"I don't know. But we'll get through it together." Levi said. "We need gear. We have to go back to the camp and scavenge what's left. Then we're heading toward the capital. We need to see the scale of this, and we need to find Hange and the others."

Levi gave me precisely one minute more of his comfort. For sixty seconds, he let me exist in his safety, tucked into his warmth and the familiar scent of him, while the world outside the cabin walls began to tear itself apart.

Then, the Captain was back.

I felt his posture shift instantly, the tenderness in his muscles hardening into readiness. He pulled away just enough to look at me, his eyes narrowing into a sharp, clinical focus as he cataloged his thoughts.

He made to stand, his face tight with a sharp grimace of pain as he forced his battered body to cooperate. He reached down, offering me a hand that was steady despite everything.

"Now, Birdie," he said, his voice dropping into that low, commanding rasp. "On your feet."

I stood shakily, my palm sliding into the calloused hand he offered. My brace, now clean and functional, felt heavy as I locked it into place. It gave me back my mobility, but it felt like a cold reminder that the time for resting was over.

Levi led the way. He was slower than usual, yet he was still faster than me. He pulled me through the thick brush, his head constantly swiveling back to ensure I was still on two feet.

"I thought sterilization was their plan," I breathed heavily, my lungs burning as we finally crested the edge of the camp. "Or maybe a small-scale rumbling as a show of power. Not...not all of them."

I flinched as we navigated the clearing, my boots crunching near the body of Ross Almer. He was still lying there, eyes wide and fixed on the permanent blue of the sky, dried blood caked at the corners of his mouth. He was a silent witness to a world that had moved on to something much worse.

"Did Eren double-cross Zeke?" I whispered, almost to myself.

"I'm guessing so. Zeke was set on his 'euthanasia' plan," Levi said, his eyes scanning the horizon where the steam was thickest. "If the walls are down, it means Eren's in control. I suppose the bastard is still alive somewhere in the middle of that."

The thought hit me like a physical blow. If Zeke was alive, it meant the igniter to my grandfather's fate was still in play. It meant he could be turned into a titan. He may already be one.

I swallowed thickly, a bitter surge of bile rising in my throat. My stare went distant, my mind wandering toward the carnage that must be happening in the capital.

Levi noticed. He reached out, his fingers circling my wrist with a firm, grounding pressure. "Birdie." His voice was calm, but it held the weight of an absolute order. "You cannot think about it right now."