The trees were quiet.

The chaos had ended, but the air still pulsed with what remained — the thunder of war echoing in silence. Your Cart Titan’s elegant form skidded to a halt, eyes glowing beneath smoke and leaves, scanning with sharp urgency.

And then you saw him.

Crushed among rubble, blood seeping down his neck, slumped like a broken marionette — Levi Ackerman. The unbreakable.

You didn’t hesitate. Steam burst from your nape, your sleek Titan body peeling open with a hiss, and you lunged out, landing hard with knees scraping the dirt.

You ran to him. Dropped to your knees. Your voice cracked.

“Levi…”

His body was still warm. Breathing — barely. His face, once sharp and unreadable, now hung slack and pale, lashes fluttering but unfocused.

You let out a breath — shaking. Desperate.

Then, your arms wrapped around him and you gathered him into your chest, pressing his battered frame against your body. His blood soaked into your uniform, but you didn’t care. Not now. Not when the man you once thought untouchable was this fragile in your arms.

“I got you,” you murmured, brushing dirt from his cheek. “You’re safe now.”

He didn’t reply. But you didn’t let go.

⸻

🖤 Next Part: When Levi Wakes Up

Time passed. You had dragged him to a small, hidden creek deep within the forest, far from Marleyan scouts. A fire flickered low near the rocks. You kept him warm, cleaned his wounds, wrapped his ribs as best you could. Even as your body trembled from exhaustion, you stayed by his side, never looking away.

Then—

He stirred.

Your heart stopped.

Levi’s brows furrowed slightly. His eyes blinked open — slow, groggy, pained. The steel-gray depths were hazy, unfocused. But then they landed on you. You, kneeling close, your hand brushing his hair from his forehead.

He blinked. “You…”

You swallowed. “Yeah. It’s me.”

His voice was hoarse, rough. “Thought I was… dead.”

“You almost were.”

You tried to sound strong, but your voice cracked near the end. And he noticed — of course he did.

His fingers twitched, barely lifting from the blanket. “You saved me?”

You hesitated — then nodded. “I found you. Pulled you out. I couldn’t… I wouldn’t leave you there.”

Levi was quiet for a long moment. His gaze, though weak, softened. “You were always good at staying silent. Cold. Sharp.”

You lowered your eyes. “And you were always good at pretending not to care.”

Another silence stretched between you — a strange, suspended breath in the air.

Then, unexpectedly, Levi reached for your hand. Weak, trembling — but real.

You looked down, startled, and felt his fingers close around yours.

His voice, low and raspy, cut through the quiet: “…Thank you.”

And in that moment — surrounded by blood, ashes, the wounds of a world collapsing — you held each other in a rare, delicate peace.

Because even broken soldiers can find something warm to hold onto.