The Wings of Truth

8.

The click of Maria's hooves on the cobbled streets was monotonous and steady as he rode back, his heart weighed down from mourning. The walls were quiet now that he had returned, making the Rose guards curious as he had returned prior to when the estimate was. They almost hadn't noticed him, but it was inevitable as the titan he had fought just outside the wall collapsed against the wall a few yards from the gate. Blood dripped from his red pant leg, dyed from an incident in his trip. He'd dropped a broken blade while in the air and the titan smacked him into it, part of the blade was still snagged in his calf. The Garrison that met him on the ground were incessant about the blood, but he did not pay them any mind. He passed through without delay or words. There were a few kids peeking their heads out the windows of their homes at him at the sound of the gate's opening, but he paid them no mind, only pausing at a pair that rushed out of the house to greet him. They were a brother and sister, one clearly adopted. The boy had blonde, shaggy hair and the girl has her red hair pulled into a braid over her shoulder. They squealed when he looked at them and he let them pet his horse before shooing them back to their parents gently. They reminded him of Farlan and Isabel, and he couldn't simply ignore them. They lit up and giggled happily at the small interaction, running back to their parents excitedly at the door. He gave a weak smile to the parents before leading Maria away, ignoring the pain of the blade in his leg that the adults were eyeing with concern.

The cadets that saw him returning were quick to help him get a medic to come look at the injury and to take Maria to her stall while he made his way with a hardly noticeable limp to go to where the medic always met him when he got hurt on this mission, the spare medical room by the main entrance. They quickly met him and tended to the wound, getting him on his way up to his room like always. She told him how to care for it before he was sent on his way, and not a single word had left him since he had gotten inside Wall Maria. His steps from his left foot were heavy on the stairs as he made his way up to the second floor.

"You're back," Mike stated when they passed on the stairs. Levi looked up at him and paused on the steps as he made his way down to him. "Your leg," he paused and Levi shrugged. "Everything go alright?" His response was a nod and him heading up the stairs. His leg hurt and he wanted to lie down. It had been a long day and he wanted to pretend it never happened. "I'll let Erwin know you're back safely. It's not too bad, right?" Levi shook his head and disappeared around the corner of the stairs and Mike sighed. He was distant when he was bothered by something, and it made others worry. They worried the most when Levi wouldn't speak when he got home. It usually meant his voice was wrecked from crying.

The upper floor was dark, a small light illuminating from under the door on the end. Hanji was up and in her room, or she left a candle burning in there. It was dark, many cadets were in their barracks getting ready for bed and most higher ups were doing the final duties of the day. The doors were all shut and he debated which room to go to. He could go to his normal room and have to deal with Erwin later or go to Hanji's room and possibly have to deal with her now, but there would be a chance of him being left alone until morning. He chose the lesser of evils because Hanji was most likely asleep at her desk with the light on at this hour.

Her door was one of the few well oiled ones, so it opened fairly quietly, a fact he was often thankful for when a migraine had seated itself in his head. He took two steps in quietly before looking up to see if he was right about Hanji falling asleep. She wasn't even in the room. He came face to face with Eren who had turned around in his spot at her desk to greet Hanji, only to find Levi standing there, shocked and injured. He jumped up and Levi shut the door behind him. "Where is she?" He croaked before Eren could shoot off all kinds of questions. The sound of his voice left Eren speechless. He'd never heard Levi's voice so destroyed... He'd heard it wrecked from sex but not destroyed by emotions. The sound scared him a little. That little part of his mind saying if everything was alright was screaming that Levi was in pain. Levi made his way to the bed opposite of Hanji's and sat down, taking his weight off the wounded leg. His uniform pants would need to be replaced for the medic had cut the fabric off from the knee down to get at the wound.