What Lies Beyond || AOT Boys x Reader

Chapter 20: The 62nd Expedition Part Two

It was a rash decision.

Purely selfish.

But damn it all to hell if it meant you were still breathing.

Levi grabbed you just before you fell, its jaws closing with a snap a mere second later. The Yeager boy ended the titan's life just after the Corporal saved you and swung towards the ground with you in his arms.

"Filthy brat." He growled out, his grey eyes traveling across your face with unnerving thoroughness.

You didn't know whether you wanted to cry or to scream in joy upon hearing that flat, unemotional voice. So instead you settled for something that sounded like something in between a squeak and a strangled laugh. The world around you spun for a moment and then came to abrupt stop when Levi landed gently on the forest floor with you practically draped over his arm.

And once he set you down, bile instantly rose up from your stomach. You doubled over and you clutched your stomach, heaving up whatever remained in your stomach from that morning. You trembled and collapsed to your knees as the bone-crushing weight of watching two of your comrades die pressed on your shoulders. You didn't understand why you suddenly felt this way towards them, you were always somewhat comfortable with death surrounding you and you weren't close to them, but here you were. Tears slipped from your stinging eyes while you scoured your brain for some type of explanation as to why you felt, why you hurt for them so damn much. A sob racked your body as Marlo's panicked features before she died resurfaced; you didn't even know the girl and yet she saved you.

You of all people.

A warm hand trailed over your shoulder, the contact reminding you of your current location. You couldn't cry; not here of all places. You sniffed and furiously rubbed away the tears streaking down your face and sucked in a shaky breath. In the distance you heard the familiar whirring sounds of 3DMG seemingly geared towards you.

You didn't look up when another pair of boots padded over, too numb at the moment to do anything but stare blankly at the grass surrounding you. The green blades gently swayed under the faintest of breezes and for a moment you wished you were a piece of grass.

"Corporal...Is..Is she ok?" Someone said softly.

"I wouldn't know, cadet." The man retorted, letting his hand slip off of your shoulder.

You inhaled another breath and shakily stood, painfully aware of the two sets of eyes that watched you carefully. You hesitantly met their eyes, one of the pairs belonging to Eren who looked at you with deep concern that almost made you want to break down crying again, but you promised yourself you wouldn't.

A call of your name wrenched your (e/c) orbs away from the brunette and the Corporal, an almost inaudible sigh of relief leaving you when you caught sigh of the person who spoke. Thomas landed a few feet away and trotted over with a slight limp in his step. The black-haired male flashed you a small smile despite the sharp pains coming from his ankle and wobbled over to your side.

Thomas placed a hand on your head and ruffled your hair. You would have scowled or grumbled in protest under normal circumstances from his touch, but now any kind of comfort from your friend was welcomed. Your eyes met his and although Thomas smiled you could see the agony behind it.

"It wasn't your fault, (F/n)." He said quietly after a moment of silence between you. "I hope you know that."

You nodded even though you knew it was just a lie to make you feel less shitty about everything right now. You cast your gaze up to the canopy of leaves and caught glimpses of Clarisse and Foster still hacking away at some straggling titans around you. There was one left in the general area of where you stood, but even one of them could take down more than two soldiers with ease. A flicker of movement in the trees caught your eye, alarm filling you a second after your mind registered what it was.