You hadn’t moved.

The steel cables dug deeper into your Titan flesh, groaning under the weight. Steam hissed from every inch of your body, spilling into the forest like fog. And still—you sat there in silence.

Frozen.

But not out of fear.

Not out of weakness.

Because he was still sitting on your shoulder.

Levi hadn’t left. He hadn’t attacked. He hadn’t spoken again since that final sentence. But now—his stillness cracked.

His fist clenched. His shoulders dropped slightly.

And then, he whispered:

“…Come out.”

The words were soft—almost swallowed by the wind.

He looked at your massive eye, half-shadowed behind your curtain of blond Titan hair.

“Annie… come out.”

Your heart clenched deep inside your Titan’s chest.

Still, you didn’t move.

So he stood. Turned to face you. Walked right to the edge of your shoulder again. This time, the anger wasn’t there. Only desperation. Something raw, hollowed out behind his eyes.

“Don’t do this,” he said, louder. “Don’t stay in there like a coward.”

Silence.

The trees around you creaked again. Your body dripped steam like rain. You weren’t fighting. You weren’t fleeing. But you weren’t answering, either.

He took another breath—shaky, uneven. His voice dropped to something almost human again.

“…If you were going to disappear like this, you shouldn’t have looked at me that way back then.”

Your Titan eyes twitched.

That moment.

Back then.

You remembered— His gaze locking with yours in the chaos of battle. The understanding that passed in seconds. The way he had stopped his blade.

The way he had seen you.

“I don’t know what the hell you thought you were doing,” Levi muttered. “But I didn’t follow you here just to stare at the shell you’re hiding in.”

He stepped closer to your cheek again.

And then—his voice cracked.

“Annie.”

The name sat heavy in the air.

“Please.”

That word.

It was barely spoken. But it cut deeper than any blade could.

Steam swirled around him like smoke, clinging to his jacket. His hand—trembling just slightly—rested again on the curve of your cheek.

He wasn’t a captain in that moment. He wasn’t Humanity’s Strongest Soldier. He was just Levi.

A man who had lost too much. And didn’t want to lose you, too.

“Don’t make me ask again,” he whispered.

“Come back to me.”

A slow, deep exhale left your Titan lungs. The cables trembled. Your muscles twitched.

Inside, behind the armor and silence—

you were crying.

And somewhere, you knew…

If you shifted back, he wouldn’t hurt you. He’d catch you.

Not with arms.

But with something gentler.

Something only you had ever gotten from him.