Lullaby - Gunther Schultz/Reader [SnK]

Lullaby

      You swung through the trees, your cloak billowing out behind you. You latched your grappling hook into another one of the massive trunks, keeping a steady pace as you whipped along. It was the 57th expedition beyond the walls, and it was a disaster. With the appearance of the Female-type Titan, which seemed unnaturally intelligent, everything had fallen apart; soldiers were getting slaughtered left and right, never even knowing what hit them. You just hoped he wasn't one of them.
      Your (h/c) hair blew in the artificial wind; a rustling sound was present in your ears, as well. You gasped in short breaths, the force of your speed and your anxiety piling onto one another.
      All of a sudden, you remembered a song:

     'My dearest, come home to me
     A life is there that has yet to be
     Flames in the hearth and the children are here
     Laughing as they play with flowers in their hair.
     Dearest, come back to me
     To the life that could be.'

      You knew that lullaby; you knew it all too well. It was the one your mother used to sing to you when you woke up screaming from a nightmare. And, oh, how fitting it was for this cruel occasion. You had to keep going.

      You almost stopped where you hung when you saw the sight before you. Body parts were strewn everywhere, eyes held the glassy luster of death all too sudden, and faces were twisted into contortions of pain and sheer terror. Blood soaked into the ground beneath, and the air was cold with the bitter chill of grief. Your eyes widened as you lowered yourself to the ground, and you almost recoiled as you landed on the dark red grass and soil with a squish.
     You took in the sight around you, heart almost stopping and yet pounding at the same time. Your (e/c) orbs fell on the faces of those you knew well: Petra, with her words of encouragement, figure now flattened against the side of a tree; Auruo, always prideful, now only partially intact; and Eld, second-in-command, bitten in half, it seemed.
     "But where's... Oh, Sina.." you whispered, voice failing fast as you laid eyes on...him. He hung from a limb, his wire still tethered to it, somehow. His brown eyes, like all the others, were cold and lifeless, and he hung limp upside-down. His once tan skin was now a shocking pallor, and he had a laceration at the back of his neck: a cruel parody of the way Titans were killed. The now chilled blood dripped from his neck and back of his head to the ground monotonously, emptying him of his life essence.
      "G-Gunther..." you breathed, a (s/c) hand coming to cover your mouth. Your whole body shook as you slowly approached the hanging man. "O-oh, goddesses...." You could feel your heart constricting more with every breath you took, and you felt tears stinging your eyes. You stepped closer, the darkened forest floor squishing beneath your boot-clad feet. With every step you took, realization dogged close behind.
      You stopped almost directly below him, crystalline tears threatening to spill over at any moment. Your breaths came in short gasps, and your fists clenched tighter, nails digging into your clammy palms. You stared at the corpse, your (b/t) figure shaking as the image was burned into your mind.
      You fell to your knees as you looked away, blood staining your stark white pants, but right now, you didn't care. Levi could yell at you later. A choked sob ripped through your throat, hands covering your face as you let the tears cascade down your (s/c) cheeks. Sobs racked your body as you you wrapped your arms around your frame, trying in vain to gain some form of comfort.
      As you grieved the loss of your lover and friends, the wind grazed through the foliage overhead. Its soft whistle rang a familiar tune: one that once brought you comfort, but now only brought pain and regret.

      'Dearest, sleep soundly now
      All your troubles soon shall cease.
      Dream of peace and the warmth it brings
      When you drift off to sleep.
      Dearest, sleep well, I pray
      As you dream of the life that could be.
      Remember your family, dear
      We'll be waiting here for you.
      And I will count the days each morning makes
      Until you're home again.'