Longing to Be Known | Levi Ackerman x OC

67

[A/N: thank you all for 100k <3]

-Levi-

The rumbling stops.

It's eerily quiet with exception to the left-over rocks tumbling down the destroyed area. I feel Kaisa's chest raise up and down beneath me, comforting some of the anxieties coursing through me. Moving up, I hope to see her eyes flutter open like earlier today in bed.

"Kaisa, can you walk?"

I shake her slightly, noticing her skin is paler than I've ever seen it. Her breathing is shallow, and her body is completely limp. My stomach drops. I stare at her, leaning over her body as my thoughts are silent. Placing the back of my hand on her forehead, it's clammy and cold. Touching her pulse, it's weak. She's dying right in front of me. My body wants to move, but for once, it's frozen. My eyes dart around the destroyed building, only to see the piling of rocks on all sides of us in a circle.

My fist clutches her sweater.

You idiot, what did you do?!

I hunch over her body—what do I do?

First, I undo her gear, tossing it to the side freeing her from the restraints. I slide my arms underneath her limp body, pulling her into me before calling out for the others on the other side of the boulder.

"Oi, are the rest of you okay?" My voice rings.

"Captain! We're fine, how's it looking there?" Jean responds.

I sigh in relief, missing his question while hoisting Kaisa onto me, shooting a hook onto the boulder. With arms supporting her weight, it's evident she's unconscious as her body sinks in my arms as I land. Leaning over, all of the brats are perfectly fine surrounding Eren who's sitting on the floor. His head turns to face me in disbelief.

"It worked. Look." He points towards a crystalized form of his titan which ended up protecting the rest of them.

In front of it is a huge hole leading above, where the titan drags himself from. There is no more ceiling; only the sky where the moon resides. I click my tongue before adjusting Kaisa's weight on my body, holding her bridal style; without her holding on, it's difficult to keep her up.

"Not bad." I approve of his work.

Jean cackles to himself, only to be punished by a loose shard falling from the remaining ceiling. Damn, he's so loud--it's no surprise he's breaking apart this place.

"Is Kaisa okay?" Tobio asks from below.

"She's fine--just tired." I lie.

"Sasha, Connie," I call out.

Their heads turn to me in anticipation.

"Find a way out of here. The rest of you, see if you can salvage any of the instruments that fatass may have used to turn into that abomination."

They respond with understanding, immediately dispersing, leaving me with the unconscious woman in my arms.

Moving down from the boulder, I slide against the wall to the floor, cradling her in my arms. Her lips are slightly parted, eyes are closed, and her nose has a tint of red across the tip. Loose hairs are glued to her face from the heat earlier, and sweat rests on the temples of her forehead. When moving my hand to tuck the hair behind her ear, a breath hitches in my throat.

I'm trembling.

My hand, it's shaking; my exhale--unstable.

I throw my head back against the wall, staring into the ceiling as the negative thoughts race through my head. All these years, for her to die like this? Not to die from a titan, but a building collapsing. Not to die from her own mistake, but to die from protecting a boy from the underground.