Recall - Levi Ackerman x Fem OC (An Attack On Titan /// Shingeki No Kyojin ff)

Chapter 19 - Beast Titan

The following day tensions were high. Everyone knew that as the sun began to set on that day, the mission to retake Wall Maria would be go and then there'd be no turning back. Leah, being characteristically over prepared, was packed and ready with her gear by late afternoon. She decided to take her Captaining duties seriously for once and made her way to the wall lifts of Trost where a handful of soldiers had been tasked with moving the horses en mass over the wall and into titan territory.

Leah took the initiative to help with the loading and unloading of horses. Thanks to Hange's invention of the Executioner from Hell - the titan killing machine - outside the Walls of Trost the world was barren of titans. This meant that unloading the horses was far from a nerve wracking experience. Leah calmly led the horses from the lifts and lined them up on the grasslands, ready for soldiers to mount later. Not a single titan in sight.

The whole process was rather repetitive, but made a few hours fly by, something Leah was grateful for. Everytime she thought about returning to Shiganshina, a wave of nausea hit her like a tsunami and left her weak in the knees and out of breath. Distractions were a must if she was going to make it to sunset.

And so once the horses were taken care of, Leah began her journey back through Trost towards the Barracks. Their last meal was in motion but Leah didn't feel like eating. She sat on the bench next to a few other Scouts, poking at the food on her plate with her fork. Her stomach grumbled in protest. Leah knew she stood in greater stead of not throwing up if she didn't eat anything. She vowed to make it up to her stomach with the best meal of her life after this was all over.

Her main worry was she'd have to set her eyes on the street she grew up in, or worse, the rubble of her childhood home and by extension the unofficial grave of her Mother and Brother. Leah had spoken to Eren before about growing up in Shiganshina; he'd describe the area he lived in and Leah was reassured when she realised his house was on the opposite side of the District from hers. Leah grew up in the markets in the centre of Shiganshina, while Eren's house sat on the hill close to Wall Maria.

This meant that, unless something went terribly wrong, there was a good chance she could avoid her neighbourhood altogether. "Leah. Let's go, the Premier wants to see us." When the female looked up she met Levi's eyes. He was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed, his usual cold hint in his gaze. Leah nodded and stood up, taking her plate of food with her and scraping it into the bin as she passed. She piled the dirty plate with the others and joined Levi at the door.

"You didn't eat much."

"Not hungry."

Levi shrugged and led the way, Leah following behind him silently. "How are you feeling about going back to Shiganshina?" Levi tried to make small talk as they walked through the military base of Trost. Leah furrowed her brow. Levi never made small talk, usually their travels would be in silence unless Leah initiated a conversation.

"I've been trying not to think about it."

There was a long stretch of silence before Leah added, "I have a bad feeling about this, Levi." The male, who had been walking a few paces ahead of her, stopped and turned to face her. His hands were buried deep in his jacket pockets. Leah slowed to a stop, looking at him with anxious eyes. Levi sighed and looked away from her, "I can't reassure you that everything's going to be okay. You know as well as I do that there's every chance we could all die out there."

Levi's words offered no comfort, something Leah appreciated. The cold, hard truth was sometimes the hardest to accept, but at least she wouldn't be disappointed when he turned out to be right. Leah looked at her feet until she felt a hand gently grip her arm, slowly increasing in pressure. "You need to stop worrying, it's not going to help you. I know you're a skilled soldier, but at this rate you're going to end up being useless when it comes to executing the plan. Please, just care a little less for once. Out there, everyone is responsible for their own life. You just need to focus on keeping yourself alive and following orders." By the end of his rant, Levi's hand was taught on her arm.