Riverbank {LeviHan} [Manga Spoilers!]

Chapter 1: Riverbank

Levi's POV

The first thing I remember was... pain. My breath felt weak and I was struggling to take a deep breath. My hand ached and felt like multiple needles prickling me- digging deeper into my skin every time it pricks. How my face was cold, especially my right side. My arms felt like lead, and as I tried to raise my arm, it only managed to fall back down. I even struggled to speak, for my voice felt like it was scratched deeply. I couldn't make a sound. Blinking my eyes, my right eye felt too sore to even move- even felt like something was caked on it. But my left eye felt okay. 

From that, I saw myself in a dark cabin, and there was this bright flame to my right. I struggled to shift my weight to my right side to see what it was, but I couldn't even more. I managed to grunt softly and breathe heavily. 

"Levi, calm down." My heart started to pound when I heard that voice. Hanji... I then felt her hands on me, patting me down. "You're hurt... badly. Glad we found this place- it's perfect."

"H-Han..." I felt myself coughing, and Hanji seemed to yelp in surprise. 

"You're pushing yourself too much." She says as she used a towel to wipe my mouth. I heard her sigh heavily, using another towel to wipe my right side of my face. "Do I have to repeat myself to you, Levi? You're badly hurt."

I couldn't resist her helping me. But knowing I almost said her name out loud, I had to speak to her. I felt too cold- even the flames weren't good enough. "Hanji..." I said slowly, feeling satisfied I finally spoke.

"Levi... calm down..." 

"N-No..." I say, breathing heavily and almost lifting my left hand up. "W-What ha... what... what happened...?"

Based on her voice, she was hesitant to tell me the story... but it was me. "Zeke... he... he got away. He's alive, thanks to his titan powers. You got badly hurt... and Floch was ready to kill you- I stopped him. We escaped into a river and we went down it- I didn't pull you out of the river until I spotted this house."

"A-And?" I groaned, opening my eyes. I panted, seeing her worried and rubbed her eye-patch. "What's going on there...?"

"I don't know, and I rather not go and investigate it. Those Jaegerists are after your head. It's best if you stayed here and out of the way. I'll stay here with you... just until we know you're safe. Levi, I'm not leaving you to die."

I groaned in response, panting softly as sweat dripped. "H-Hanji..."

Once more, she seemed to yelp and wiped the sweat. I could see it in her hazel eye. How worried she was for me. "No no no no no, Levi, don't leave me. Don't leave me." The more she repeated herself, the colder I felt... and the more of a smile grew on my face. 

"H-Hanji..."

"Levi... I'm begging you to not leave me- don't be like the others..." She began to cry with a little tear slipping down her cheek. "I lost Moblit and Erwin... don't do this to me... don't you dare leave me- that's an order from your commander!" I hear it in her voice... how desperate she was to rescue me. 

"I..." I coughed more, feeling it tearing through my throat. My guess...? It was blood. "H-Hanji... I-I know... I know I'm not gonna make it..."

She shook her head, practically screaming at me. That was the Hanji I knew and remembered. How she always used to scream at Erwin whenever he disapproved her ideas for the titans. How she used to beg me to go outside the walls for one night- just one night. How she spent endless nights studying and preparing her proposal for titan experiments... and how I used to tuck her to sleep. She never knew- always thought it was Moblit... but it was me. I didn't have the guts to admit it....

"Don't... don't leave me." She had lifted my hand to her cheek, almost nuzzling it. "Please... I beg of you..."

"Hanji..." I felt the warmth of her skin, but I felt water on her cheek- wet. "I-I'm dying... I'm not... not afraid of admitting it..." 

"You're not. You're gonna survive this- I swear!"

"I love you..." I say with my dying breath, which was quickly escaping from me. "N-Not surprising to you... huh?" I chuckled softly with a soft cough caught in my throat. "Don't cry... Hanji... don't cry..."

She looked at me with those sad... sad eye of hers. "Levi... don't leave me..."

I couldn't... she lost so much... I was just gonna be that one man who left her alone again. I didn't want that for her- not ever again. But... I-I... I didn't want things to be like this. Once we solved this... Eldian and Marley crap, I wanted to be with Hanji. We were the two people who went through hell together, and came out together. We belong together... not apart. 

"Don't leave me..."

I felt my fingers go cold. My eyes grew heavy and I just... wanted to stop fighting. Over 30 years, my life was completely made up of violence. It's like... I've given up already. My breathing grew shallow, and I was struggling to breathe. "I-I... love... you..."

My eyesight went blurry, and I saw everything almost fading to black. I heard her crying, softly crying for my name. The last thing I remembered was: "Don't leave me."