A/N: Lame title, I know. This piece is self-indulgent Levi whump feat. the Shiganshina trio and a mission beyond the Walls gone wrong. Feedback and critique is always appreciated! Please keep in mind that English is not my first language - I'd be glad if you point out grammar mistakes, though! (Time skip at the end is intentional - somehow it felt right.)
Beyond the Walls
It was chaos. Titans advancing in the narrow streets, not much room to maneuver.
Mikasa swung around one 10m-class, intent on finishing it off when she suddenly noticed a smaller, most likely an abnormal, titan advancing. Her eyes narrowed. She knew for a fact that Eren was somewhere behind here, Armin was sticking close to his side and Levi-heichou was finshing off a mob of titans to her left. She had to deal with those two on her own for now.
Mikasa felt a shift in the air and instinct took over. She changed her angle mid-flight and narrowly escaped the bigger Titan's hand. However she had lost sight of the surprisingly fast abnormal one.
Until it screeched in triumph right behind her, gnarled fingers outstretched. Mikasa gasped and felt her eyes widen, no way she could dodge that, she had already lost too much momentum. Shit!
In the last possible moment, someone barrelled into her from her left side and knocked her out of the Titan's way.
Levi grit his teeth when he felt the swoosh of air from the Titan's movement ruffle his hair. That had been too close for comfort. He adjusted his grip around Ackerman's middle and threw a quick glance over his shoulder to gauge the speed of the two Titans.
The 10m class had tripped over the smaller abnormal in its haste to follow its human prey and for now, they were twitching in a mess of entangled limbs on the ground.
Levi fired his hooks at the nearest rooftop and tried to slow them down at least a bit from their upwards momentum.
Landing with twice the weight the gear was meant for was always hard and not even his veteran skills could stop them from slamming into a wall.
Levi had twisted sideways at the last moment to control the impact at least a bit but he still heard his ribs crunch upon violently meeting the plaster wall.
Fuck Arlert and his bright ideas.
Ackerman was moving, throwing off their balance. "Freeze, brat", he hissed, pulling on his cables and dragging them both over the railing and onto the rooftop.
Ackerman was looking embarrassed, hiding her face half in that ratty old scarf of hers. "Thank you", she muttered.
"It's my job, so no need to thank me. I'm not letting my squad die again", Levi growled and focused on the advancing Titan, keeping track of the bigger one's movements out of the corner of his eyes.
"Watch out for that bastard. Erwin warned me we could face some trouble within this city. The latest reports claimed an unusually high number of abnormals."
That being said, Levi pushed off the roof and swooped in for the Titan's neck.
A clean slice later he changed trajectory back to the roof when he was momentarily blinded by a signal flare going up at close range.
Cursing under his breath he spun into the other direction, then released his hooks so he was in free fall for a moment then pushed on the gas, hopping up the roof before the Titan snapping at him from below could zero in on his new altitude.
"Fuck those asshat Titans. Seems like the others are in trouble, go help them. I'll finsh up here."
Ackerman saluted. "Yes, sir!"
Levi found himself spinning and twisting mid-air dodging the grabbing hands and snapping teeth. Letting his instincts take over, he swooped in for the kill and easily outmaneouvered the hulking Titans. However, there seemed to be a neverending stream of monsters coming out of the narrow streets and most of the rooftops were too low to properly use the 3DMG. One Titan smashed its fist into a brick wall and debris was sent flying.
Something sharp grazed his shoulder and Levi hissed a curse, pushing off a wall and speeding up his manoeuvres.
Five down, two more to go.
That's when he heard Armin scream.
"Eren, no! I'm okay, really!"
Levi growled deep in his throat. Damn those brats. "Heichou is going to kill you! Eren, stop!"
Quickly finshing off the last Titans, leaving behind a pile of gigantic steaming bodies, Levi took off into the direction of Arlert's shouting.
Armin was kneeling on a rooftop, bleeding freely from a head wound, supported by Mikasa, while Eren was perched halfway up a wall, hand half-lifted to his mouth.
Levi's ribs were aching when he took down two approaching Titans in one fell swoop but he ignored what was going to be a spectacular bruise tomorrow and swivelled around to finish off the next one.
"No shifting, Jaeger!", he yelled and leveled a murderous glare at the kid. Eren seemed to snap out of his trance and nodded. He mumbled something that might have been an apology, but Levi wasn't listening anymore. He was occupied with a quick headcount of the Titans. The results weren't encouraging.
Following Arlert's plan only Eren, Mikasa, Armin himself and Levi as the senior officer supervising the operation went out into the abandoned district, the rest of the Survey Corps staying behind at HQ. Their mission was to scout ahead and check on rumours of the Beast Titan hiding in the rocky territory east of the Walls no-one ever checked on.
However, no one had expected the mass gathering of Titans in the streets, somehow only showing up after they were almost at the center of the crumbling city. While they did add some credit to the possibility of the Beast Titan indeed being nearby, they weren't prepared to fight that many on their own. Evading the Titans was also hard since all the streets were leading to the main square they were only one block away from now.
Levi made the decision, even if he hated giving in and running. He touched down on the roof next to Armin and slammed a fresh set of blades into his hilts. "Listen up, brats. There's too many of them to fight our way through and because luck decided to spit in our faces today, they're blocking our way back, too."
Arlert looked like he was about to cry. Probably blaming himself. Ackerman just nodded while Eren fidgeted in place. "We're going to go west and circle around the city, then return to HQ. Seems like our mission was a failure but what the hell."
Fleeing the city seemed like an even better idea when suddenly an overwhelming mass of Titans crept towards them through the narrow streets.
They ducked into a cave by nightfall, the terrain to unstable to keep travelling. Eren was expressively forbidden from shifting and after Armin had wobbled along, balance severely impaired by his head injury, they hadn't risked open combat.
Eren and Mikasa were searching for firewood while Levi was unpacking and Armin was leaning against the wall.
His head wound was no longer bleeding but he was still dizzy and disoriented, staring off into space. Levi huffed. "Sit down before you fall down, brat."
After they got the fire burning, Mikasa took the first watch and the others lay down to sleep.
When Mikasa heard some sort of scuffle at the entrance of the cave, she gripped her blades and got up. If she managed to catch some kind of animal, they would have at least have something to stock up their rations.
What she didn't expect was someone waiting behind the bend and pushing a burlap sack over her head, muffling her protests and then hitting her hard on the head, knocking her out, before she could scream to warn the others or even get a retalitory kick in.
When Mikasa came to, her wrists were tied and she was laying on the floor. Blinking her gritty eyes open, she took stock of the situation.
Armin was still out cold, Levi was kneeling next to him, empty hands upturned on his knees, looking furious and the bastard that attacked her was holding a sword to the nape of Eren's neck.
She would later be told that Levi had been woken up by her brief struggle with the intruder but the bastard had walked in pressing his blade to her neck and forced the Captain to drop his weapons and stay on his knees at a distance.
The man wore nondescript black clothes, had an ordinary plain face and greasy brown hair. His eyes were sharp and cruel and the way he held his weapon illustrated that he knew how to use it.
"What do you want?" Levi's voice was icy enough to make even Mikasa shudder a bit. The Captain didn't look the slightest bit intimidated and stared the intruder down.
The corners of the man's lips turned down. "End that abomination here. And then take out you and your little cadets here, which will be a serious blow to the survey corps."
Levi narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
The guy turned a bit and Mikasa caught Levi subtly shifting his weight.
"As if I'd tell you." Catching on to what her Captain was trying to do, Mikasa lunged forward as well as she could with her arms immobilized. The man's grip on the blade was steady, but he smoothly turned towars her. Mikasa lost her balance and went down, biting her lip.
But that moment of distraction was enough. Levi moved faster than Mikasa could follow from her position on the floor, picking up his blade and blocking the guy's sword from cutting Eren.
Levi used his height to his advantage, ducking underneath the attacker's arm in fluid motion and slamming his elbow into the guy's stomach with enough force to knock him back a few steps.
Wheezing, the man backed up only to be drop-kicked into oblivion by the Captain.
"Tch. You okay, Jaeger?" Eren coughed and the tiny red line was already steaming. "Never been better."
They used the rope tied around Mikasa's wrists to bind the unconscious man to a stalactite out of earshot then returned to the fire.
Deciding on questioning him in the morning and letting him stew until then, Mikasa returned to her watch. She was cursing herself for being overwhelmed so easily earlier.
Levi had decided that it wouldn't make any sense to speculate as to how that guy had followed them and who he was working for when they would question him later.
About half a hour before Mikasa was due to be relieved by Eren, she heard what sounded like a muted yell from the entrance.
Sleeping beauty woke up, huh. Curious, she went around the bent.
Meanwhile Eren was tossing his head around and moaning in his sleep, then his eyes snapped open and he stood up with stiff movements. For a moment he just stood, his body awkwardly leaning forward, the his head swiveled around, gaze falling onto the sleeping forms around the smoldering embers.
He picked up a knife from his pack and walked towards his two companions.
Levi was startled awake when someone dropped down onto him and slammed his head back onto the hard floor.
What the...
A knee was slammed into his already sore ribs and Levi saw stars for a moment. When his vision cleared he gasped in surprise upon seeing Jaeger's face, wearing an emotionless mask.
"What are you... "
He was cut off when Eren slammed into his side again and this time he felt something break.
Levi fought back, trying to buck Eren off but the teenager was holding him down with unnatural strength. Levi got in a hit on Eren, but it seemed like he didn't even feel it. The boy's eyes were strangely glazed over.
Eren shifted his weight digging his elbow into Levi's chest hard, making the older man wheeze for air.
When a knee slammed into Levi's side again, he felt something give and the wave of pain made his vision go dark again.
No no no don't pass out.
The frantic drumbeat of his heart echoed in Levi's ears. His vision slowly cleared and he focused on the boy's face, still as expressionless as a mask. Eren leaned in close and whispered into Levi's ear, dragging a sharp blade over his collarbone. "I'll carve out your heart."
Levi twisted with a snarl but the thing possessing Eren had him immobilized.
His attempt to get free earned him another kick to the exact same spot and Levi struggled to breathe through the pain.
He felt the point of the blade digging in directly over his heart, drawing blood and a desperate survival instinct gave him the strength to move.
Instead of piercing his heart, Levi jerked to the side so the knife dug into his shoulder.
The move dislodged Eren enough for Levi to draw in enough air to howl in pain when Eren twisted the knife.
The teenager angrily crunched his knee into Levi's side again and the Captain blacked out for a few seconds. Shit...
When the roaring in his ears cleared he noticed that while he still had to fight for every breath with Eren's weight atop of his chest, the boy had shifted a bit and was staring at something.
Levi gritted his teeth and tried to move, his shoulder and side protesting the movement but eventually he was able to roll out from under the teenager.
He wasted no time in hitting him hard on the back of the head, watching him crumple to the ground.
Only then he lifted his gaze and found what had Eren so distracted: One completely shocked Mikasa standing about two meters away, lower lip trembling.
She stared at the blood on Eren's hands then met Levi's eyes.
Mikasa had tied up Eren, checked on Armin, who had been woken by Levi's yelling, but had laid low, still dizzy from his wound and then fetched their first aid kit. Levi stripped off his shirt, hissing in pain.
Mikasa first checked his ribs: two broken, two cracked and his lowest rib seemed shattered into multiple pieces which really worried her, then pressed a clean cloth against the still heavily bleeding gash on his shoulder. Eren shouldn't even be physically able to overpower their Captain like this.
"What happened?"
Levi glanced over at Eren, who was still unconscious. "Fuck if I know. It was like he was being possessed by something."
Mikasa lifted the cloth, satisfied that the bleeding had almost stopped and started to bandage Levi's shoulder.
When she tied it off, Levi snatched his blanket and straightened up with a grunt of pain. "You go get some sleep, I'll take watch."
Mikasa started to protest. "But you're injured!"
"Which is exactly the point. I'm pretty much useless in a fight now, Arlert's never been a grade A warrior and that Jaeger brat is a wild card right now. If it comes to trouble you're our best shot which is why I need you in top condition."
Levi pushed to his feet and sat down at the fire, blanket around his shoulders, one eye on Eren.
Levi woke Arlert in the morning and filled him in while checking on his head and re-bandaging it. The kid already had that calculating look in his eyes and Levi gladly left the unravelling of the plot against their operation to him. His head still hurt from violently meeting the stone floor earlier.
He nudged Mikasa with a boot and nodded approvingly when she was immediately awake and alert.
He left it to her to wake her adoptive brother, leaning against the wall and pressing his hand to his fiercely throbbing ribs.
Eren mumbled something when Mikasa shook him awake, then groaned and tried to put his arm over his eyes.
"M'head is killing me."
Blinking his eyes open he squinted up at Mikasa. "Why are my hands bound?"
That was everything Levi's temper could take. "Don't you dare to tell me you don't remember?"
Eren's eyes wandered to his face then to his bandaged shoulder and bruised and swollen side and the green orbs widened in shock.
Eren looked down at his bound hands, the dried blood on his sleeves. He made a sound halfway between a gasp and a sob.
Tears ran down his cheeks while his shoulders shook. "I'm so sorry!"
Levi rolled his eyes. "Stop crying and tell me what happened, idiot."
Eren sniffed. "I was dreaming. Of Titans. No, the Titan, the Beast Titan. He was taking to me and then it was like I was sleepwalking. I felt my body move but I couldn't stop. I-I..."
He started sobbing again.
"Goddamnit brat. It's not your fault if that thing controlled you. As if I didn't already have enough reason to go kill that furry bastard."
He turned to Arlert. "Question is whether this only happens while Eren's asleep or whether he could suddenly be controlled anytime."
Armin looked sure of himself when he replied. "I think it's only possible when he is unconscious, otherwise the Beast Titan would have used it to kill the Commander at headquarters."
Levi habitually made to cross his arms in front of his chest, then stopped when the sharp pain reminded him of his wrecked side and shoulder.
"Hmmpf. Fine. We'll keep you tied up at night. Eren, you have any idea why that furry ape used this ability of his now? And on me?"
"I only got distant feelings. I suppose he thinks you're the biggest threat, heichou."
"Damn right I am. Can't wait to get my hands on him. That bastard's nothing but trouble."
When Mikasa went to check on their prisoner, he was gone. The ropes he had been tied with had vanished as well, leaving all of them with an uncomfortable feeling.
Just how many people were out for their blood? And how was the Beast Titan connected to it all?
They quickly ate their rations, then packed up. Levi spared a regretful glance at his gear, then stuffed it into a pack. Armin only carried his own 3DMG and Levi's stuff was divided between Mikasa and Eren.
They started walking over the rough terrain, keeping an eye out for titans.
Levi kept his good arm wrapped around his ribs, forcing himself to take deep measured breaths even though it hurt like a bitch. He had been prodding at his side during night watch and didn't like at all how messed up his lowest rib was. If he wasn't careful, that one could tear into something vital.
Around midday they spotted a Titan wandering around and Levi clenched his fists, hating his uselessness as Mikasa and Eren dealt with it.
"Heichou?"
Levi was not in the mood for conversation when all he wanted to do was curl up and not move until his frigging bones had mended back together. "What?"
Arlert had that look again. "Could it be possible that the man that attacked us last night injected something into Eren?"
Levi thought for a moment. "It's not impossible. You think this has something to do with the Beast Titan controlling him?"
Armin nodded. "It would make sense, wouldn't it?"
"One more thing to worry about, great. Who knows what else could happen if that ass really injected Eren with something."
They stopped for a break a while later and Levi gratefully sank to the ground. The pain radiating from his side had steadily gotten worse until even breathing was a chore.
He realized that he hadn't hidden his condition well enough when Ackerman immediately strolled over and scanned him.
She changed the bandages on his shoulder and frowned at his awfully discoloured ribs, then prodded at Armin's head.
Eren looked so guilty it was annoying. Levi could practically feel his self-loathing from where he sat.
"I told you it's not your damn fault", he huffed.
By dusk, Levi had to concentrate on not wincing with every step he took and Arlert stumbled over rocks and branches from exhaustion.
What no one expected was Eren to suddenly cry out and tumble down a slope, slamming into Levi.
The Captain stumbled, not finding enough purchase on the rubble and they both fell down the slope in a tumble of limbs.
They landed in a bush and Levi groaned, pushing Eren off him. That kid had seriously sharp elbows. What concerned him more than the scrapes and bruises was the mind-numbing pain coming from the area around his lowest rib.
He tried to sit up and fell back with a gasp. Rolling onto his good side he carefully pushed himself up on shaking arms, holding his breath for ten seconds before straightening up.
Shit, that one hurt.
"Jaeger! Watch your damn feet!" Levi didn't really care about his temper when he was this miserable and yelling at the dumb brat made him feel better.
Arlert and Ackerman were hurrying down the slope to meet them while Jaeger was sheepishly staring at his feet.
Mikasa zero-d in on the way the captain was panting and pressing his hand to his side. Of course Eren had knock down their already injured leader.
She scuffed him upon the head and then turned to Levi who looked a shade paler than usual. "Are you okay, heichou?"
"More or less", he growled and tried to walk away when Mikasa caught his sleeve. "Let me check."
As a matter of fact, he was tense and flinched away when Mikasa prodded at his ribs.
She gently traced over his side and was relieved when nothing seemed to be damaged any further. Until she spotted the mottled lump around his lowest rib, the one she had already been worried about before. It seemed like Eren with his usual bad luck had directly slammed his elbow into the exact spot.
When she tried to evaluate just how badly the fall had aggravated the already messy break, Levi gasped and tried to twist away.
She clamped down one hand on his good shoulder and then carefully felt along the break again.
The jagged edges of the shattered bone were definitely digging into tissue now. Mikasa only hoped they hadn't penetrated the layer of muscle and torn anything important.
Well, shit.
When they found another small and rather damp cave to hide in it was almost dark outside. The shelter had the advantage of only having to defend one entrance and it being to small for Titans to enter. Levi had been trudging along stubbornly but it was clear that his body wouldn't take much more.
Armin was practically asleep on his feet and Mikasa was relieved to finally strip of her gear and set down the heavy pack.
She snuck a glance at Levi who was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, trying to control his breathing.
Eren left searching for firewood, unable to deal with the injuries he inflicted.
Armin was keeping watch at the entrance of the cave while Mikasa helped Levi take off his shirt and then checked on the gash on his shoulder then on the swelling on his ribs.
The bruising around his lowest rib had spread and turned an angry dark colour. The whole area was inflamed and tense, strongly suggesting internal damage.
Levi was panting through gritted teeth and Mikasa could feel the tension thrumming through his body.
She rummaged through her pack for fresh bandages and finished treating his shoulder as well as checking on the stitches in his back.
Mikasa couldn't help but be worried. The bloody stab wound on his shoulder, she could deal with. That was easy to treat and while it hurt a lot, not fatal. Internal injuries where so much more insidious and far out of her realm of competence.
She had gained some medical knowledge from Dr. Jaeger but this? She had no idea what to do.
She tossed Levi a blanket and went to relieve Armin.
Mikasa woke first and untied Eren before putting on more wood. She looked at Armin, a huddled lump underneath his blanket and felt a tiny smile sneak upon her lips.
The her gaze wandered to Levi, curled up on his good side, blanket pulled up to his ears, so only a messy heap of black hair was visible.
He was still sound asleep which was a clear testament to his condition. Normally the Captain was fine with some odd ours of sleep then and now and he certainly was on his feet at the slightest disturbance. Now her morning greeting to Eren and her working on the fire hadn't woken him.
She sighed and went over, tapping his shoulder. He moved and blearily blinked up at her.
Mikasa decided to give him a bit of peace before heckling him about his wounds again and marched over to Armin.
She did see how carefully Levi pushed himself up, wincing and biting back a noise of pain out of the corners of her eyes.
He gingerly stretched, testing out how stiff his injured shoulder and side were and then hobbled over to the fire, sitting down next to Eren.
She heard him growl something at Eren that made her adoptive brother swallow nervously. At least his situation hadn't damped his usual grumpiness.
Mikasa didn't back off until Levi let her check his side again. When he lifted his shirt, Mikasa had to stifle a gasp. The bruising around his ribs had turned a nasty blue-black. She actually felt guilty about having to prod at the discoloured and swollen flesh, imagining how much it would hurt.
If it was any consolation, it didn't look that worse than yesterday.
The hitch in Levi's breathing when her fingers ghosted over the break told her that it had to hurt more than it had yesterday, though.
"How bad is the pain?"
"Huh?"
"On a scale from one to ten."
Levi just stared at her. "What scale?"
Honestly? Mikasa lifted an eyebrow.
"Say one is stubbing your toe on the doorstep, ten is screaming bloody murder and writhing on the floor."
Levi considered this. "Six?"
Mikasa shook her head. "Just tell me when it gets worse."
They started at a leisurely pace with Mikasa and Armin taking the lead and Eren creeping after Levi.
After a few hours of uneventful travelling, Mikasa turned around and noticed how Levi had gone an interesting shade of pale. Guiltily, she remembered Dr. Jaeger saying that internal injuries meant strict bed rest.
"We're stopping here for a break."
Armin let out a relieved sigh and Levi practically collapsed onto the ground. Eren looked torn between trying to help and being afraid of getting a boot to the face for the fact that the Captain's miserable state was actually his fault.
It had to be bad when their normally that neurotically cleanly Captain was sitting half doubled over in the dirt.
Mikasa shooed her adoptive brother away and plopped down next to Levi.
"You okay?"
Levi squinted up at her through sweaty bangs. "Do I look okay, dumbass?"
Point for him. Before Mikasa could retort anything, he turned his head away and mumbled something. "Eight."
"What?"
"On your fucking scale."
His voice was rough with underlying exhaustion and pain, but he still sounded as irritated as ever.
Mikasa bit her lip and fiddled with her scarf. She knew it was risky to keep moving with Levi practically out of commission and Eren being a time bomb, but they had to go back to HQ. Without their horses they had no other choice but to walk.
Getting up she started pacing restlessly. She glanced at Eren nervously wringing his hands and made a decision.
"Alright, fifteen minutes break, then we move on."
"Who made you the boss", Levi snorted from where he was sprawled on the ground.
He couldn't be that bad off when he still kept the comments coming, Mikasa thought.
They marched on and the sky kept getting darker and darker with heavy grey clouds.
Levi caught up to Mikasa, breathing through gritted teeth, one arm wrapped protectively around his side. "If we're caught out here in the middle of a storm, we're fucked."
She knew he was right. They wouldn't notice approaching titans fast enough, probably lose orientation and on top of it, catch the flu.
"I'm already looking for a place to stop."
In the end, they found an odd set of boulders with a small dry alcove underneath an overhang just as the first fat rain drops were falling.
Levi slid down to the floor, back against the wall, not caring about the moss and dirt staining his uniform.
Armin brushed the worst dirt away before sitting down, too.
Eren fidgeted in place until Levi barked at him to sit the fuck down.
Mikasa pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and pulled their blankets out of the packs, passing them around.
"We can't risk a fire, so it might get cold."
"Right, we're not fucking dog piling until someone's face is blue", Levi snarled, sounding dangerous but looking rather harmless wrapped in his blanket.
It got cold really fast, too. They were still up high and winter was well on its way.
Eren and Armin were huddled together while Mikasa got up with a sigh and marched over to Levi.
The Captain had been quietly sitting in his corner, legs stretched out in front of him and staring into the rain.
He still looked far too pale, so Mikasa quickly put her hand on his forehead before he could pull away.
"What are you doing?" The low growl did nothing to stop her from pressing two fingers to his neck and taking his pulse. Strong but too fast. "Great. You have a fever. Meaning something's infected." No comment. Mikasa shook her head. "You could have told us."
"And you would have done what? Hold my hand?", Levi bit out.
Which was the sad truth: Alone beyond the walls there was nothing they could do with their limited supplies.
"At least let me check your shoulder."
By nightfall it had gotten even colder and even a reluctant Levi had joined the younger scouts' huddle. When Mikasa woke up, she found her head on Armin's shoulder, Eren's arm thrown over her and saw Levi's dark head pressed against Armin's side.
Armin stirred and smiled at her. "Good morning!"
Levi grunted something like "Shut up, fuckheads" and hid underneath his blanket. Mikasa grinned at that and got up, causing Eren to roll over and wake up with a startled snort.
Armin carefully skirted around the captain-sized lump of blanket and searched for his canteen.
When Armin's rummaging got to loud to ignore, Levi emerged from his cocoon and gingerly sat up, finger combing his hair. "I would kill for a cup of tea."
Mikasa looked around, noticing how wrecked they all looked. Dirty, greasy, the boys a bit stubbly, their uniforms displaying various stains. There was still dried blood in Armin's hair and Levi's jacket looked like it had been Titan bait at some point.
She also noticed how the captain's movements were stiff and how he carefully avoided to put any strain on his side. Outside it was still raining a bit and none of them looked all enthusiastic about going outside.
Surprisingly it was Levi to make the first move after they had eaten their rations and packed up. "At least it will get some of the filth off", he mumbled before heading out. Mikasa could see him wincing with every step but setting a stubborn pace. She followed closely, tugging her scarf half over her face and listened to Eren and Armin bickering in the back.
When Levi stopped and scowled down at the mud Mikasa's eyes widened. Those were definitely Titan footprints.
"Alright. Ackerman, you're our vanguard. Eren, rear guard. Arlert, you're in charge."
It was logical. Levi wasn't in any shape to use the 3DMG, so he transferred command to someone who was.
Armin still gulped and sputtered, hurrying alongside Levi with a horrified expression on his face.
Mikasa kept an eye on their Captain and noticed him getting more and more tense while the morning passed.
By the time he stumbled over a root and almost went down with a grunt of pain, Mikasa had enough. Before she could say something though, Levi set his jaw and marched on.
When Levi finally gasped out that he needed a break, she was surprised he stayed on his feet and moving for so long.
He sunk down to the floor in a graceless heap and stayed there, panting. When he tried to shift his weight off his injured side, he couldn't help but moan at the wave of pain washing over him.
Mikasa was seriously worried now. She knelt down next to him and met tired grey eyes when she pressed her fingers to his pulse point.
His heartbeat was far too fast and somewhat irregular.
"Heichou!"
Armin and Eren exchanged panicked glances. What now?
That was when they heard the unmistakable footsteps of a Titan approaching. Without thinking, Mikasa threw Levi's arm over her shoulder and heaved him up. The captain barely bit back a scream as the move jostled his wounds and forced himself to stand.
"Can you move?"
"Do I have a choice?", Levi gritted out.
She transferred him to Armin's shoulder and sped off towards the Titan with Eren.
The terrain was far from optimal for using the gear and she realized a moment to late that she had misjudged her angle and was hurtling right towards the Titan's mouth.
Mikasa tensed her body, twisting to the side and hitting the dirt hard.
The ground shook and the blood curdling roar told her that Eren had shifted.
She heard Levi yell something, then Eren barrelled into the Titan and knocked it down before it could reach for Mikasa.
He made short work of the 8m class and then turned, steaming blood still sticking to his jaws. Mikasa had rolled with her landing and was standing at his feet.
"Get away from him, Ackerman!"
Months in Levi Squad had drilled her into obeying orders without questioning and so she barely hopped out of the way when Eren's fist came smashing down where she just stood.
"Cut him out! But watch out, he's not himself!", Armin's voice cut in.
Mikasa did as he said and managed to swing around Eren's neck, cutting through his nape with a shout.
She had only taken off his hands at the wrist and legs from the shin down and the stumps were already steaming.
Eren however, was deeply unconscious.
"Fuck that bastard of an ape", Levi growled and Mikasa found herself wholeheartedly agreeing.
Armin was patting Eren's cheeks and begging him to wake up because the transformation could have attracted other titans. That was, until Levi lost his patience, walked over and kicked Eren into the ribs. Hard. The teenager was groaning and moving but Levi still delivered a particularly vicious kick to his side before stalking off. "That was retribution."
Mikasa silently fumed but couldn't really blame him.
Now they had a serious transportation problem. Levi was keeping up, but barely and Eren had to regrow his limbs first.
"Hurry up, lizard boy, we haven't got all day." The Captain was obviously on edge about being out in the open like this.
Mikasa looked for some shelter but only saw an old big tree ahead. "We'll have to climb up there until Eren's recovered enough."
She ended up carrying her adoptive brother to the tree and then cursed the fact that her cutting him out had damaged his gear.
She looked towards Levi who was putting on his own harness, the lines of pain in his face deepening whenever he tugged a strap tighter. He couldn't quite choke back his groan when he closed the buckle on his bandaged shoulder.
He did, however, catch her glance and narrow his eyes at her.
"Don't worry about me, I've been using this gear since before you were shitting in your diapers."
Mikasa went up the tree first, searching out sturdy branches to land on. Armin shot up second, then Mikasa wrapped her arms around Eren and put him on the thickest branch.
After seeing Levi move in battle and training for some odd months, his movements seemed painfully slow and clumsy now, but he still was up the tree and crouching on a branch before she could give him the OK sign.
While they were waiting for Eren's hands and feet to regrow, they saw some Titans wandering past at a distance but none seemed to be interested in them.
It took about two hours until Eren was completely recovered. Mikasa watched Levi land on the ground with a wince, his face shuttered, Armin following on his heel.
She guided Eren down, then went on to set the pace. It was already afternoon by now and Mikasa was already worrying about a place to spend the night since the terrain here was pretty open and clear – no shelter in sight.
They had provisions for three more days, five if they rationed. That should be plenty of time to get back to the outpost.
They kept on walking, coming across a rocky plain. Mikasa noticed how Levi kept a healthy distance between himself and Eren, obviously not trusting the Titan shifter not to fall over his own feet.
The Captain was clearly struggling but stubbornly refusing to slow them down.
Mikasa kept silent on how he had kept his gear on. Out here, beyond the walls, you felt naked without your only weapon against the Titans on hand.
Further along there were some trees but still no suitable night camp in sight.
When the sun slowly neared the horizon, Mikasa stopped. Before she could even open her mouth, Levi hissed. "I'm not sleeping in a tree! There has to be a better idea."
Eren beamed as illumination struck. "I could shift and dig a cave! Or build a shelter out of trees!"
"Yeah, dumbass, and lure every single damn Titan in a fifty kilometre radius here."
Eren's shoulders drooped. "Sorry, heichou."
Levi looked a bit unsteady, but was glaring at Eren nevertheless. Mikasa sighed softly and looked around. Sleeping on open ground would be suicidal with those new "moonlight Titans".
She narrowed her eyes, searching the horizon. Wait? What was that? It looked like some sort of... building? She strained her eyes, trying to make out the silhouette more clearly against the sparse forest.
"What's that?"
"What's what?"
"Can't you brats talk like normal people? Whole sentences, is that too much to ask for!"
"I see it, too!", Armin piped up, pointing.
Levi squinted even more than usual and scoffed. "Who would have thought that."
They just made it to the mysterious building, which was revealed to be a ramshackle hut in questionable condition, when dusk settled over the lengthening shadows.
Levi gave the hut a long look. "Seems good enough to me. Roof's mostly intact, we should have a good vantage point from up there."
Mikasa went in first, coughing at the dust swirling after her footsteps.
Levi gave the floor a disgusted look, then his face lightened up when his gaze fell onto something. He looked almost happy for a moment.
"Jaeger, put your Titan ass to some good use and sweep!", he proclaimed, throwing a broom at Eren.
The room wasn't clean by a long shot after Eren had been chased all over the hut twice – even less by Levi's standards – but it would have to suffice.
Mikasa went to investigate the roof and found Levi and Armin brooding over a stack of dusty books when she returned.
Eren was dusting the shelves with a single-mindedness that could only origin from several death treats coming from their Captain. "What are those?", she asked curiously, leaning over Armin's shoulder. "Journals. Of the man who lived here."
Who would build a house in Titan territory?
"Why would anyone live here?", Eren voiced the question hanging in the room.
Levi cleared his throat. "Apparently, his name was Leon Rother. He came out here to study Titan behaviour. It seems that there were only a few Titans living here when he decided to settle down here, none of them able to move at night. He had a set of 3DMG and hid in the trees whenever one came too close."
Armin's eyes were shining. "Fascinating."
"Fucking crazy, if you ask me. Damn, Hanji would have kittens if we brought back some of his scribbles."
"Right, let's take them with us! It's valuable research material!"
Levi levelled a dubious stare at Armin. "Don't you start, too."
Seeing it as her duty as a friend, Mikasa interrupted before Levi could traumatize Armin into silence. "I'll take first watch, who comes next?"
"You always take the first. Sit this one out, I'll take the first bloody watch", Levi cut in.
Before Mikasa could say anything, he went on. "There's nothing wrong with my eyes and I can holler if something's coming. Besides, it aches too much to sleep anyway."
It was obvious how much Levi was impaired in his range of motion by his broken ribs when he tugged the pack closer instead of bending over it.
His point, however, had been made. He grabbed his canteen and a blanket, then used his gear to get to the roof.
Eren bullied Mikasa into going to sleep by claiming big-brother-righteousness and Mikasa was tired. She was out cold the moment she lay down.
Armin and Eren huddled up next to her, almost immediately asleep.
Levi sat down on the roof, releasing a shaky breath. He had spent the entire day trying to ignore the all-encompassing pain throbbing in his side with every step.
His shoulder wasn't bothering him too much except for complaining about sudden movement. The frigging rib stabbing into Walls know what below his ribcage however, that one was steadily shooting fiery complaints into his nerves. Thinking hurt. Breathing hurt. Sitting hurt. Walking hurt a lot more. 3DMG manoeuvres made him want to scream until he passed out.
No way in hell he would be able to get any sleep. A bit scared of what the shit storm actually looked like, Levi lifted the hem of his shirt and glanced at the area that was giving him so much trouble.
Well, it was an interesting shade of colours for once. Secondly, it looked quite fucked up, all swollen as it was. The actual pain had spread as well. When Eren knocked Levi down the slope and his rib into his flesh, the part where it had torn through had been hurting. Rather badly, too. Now everything on his right side from below his chest down to his hip was sending out waves of pain.
Probably internal bleeding. Man, Hanji would have a field day patching him up when they made it back to HQ. Levi knew the injury itself wasn't fatal, him straining his already stressed system could be, though.
At least he no longer felt as light-headed and shaky as he had during the morning. The fever had almost burned itself out, but he had no idea whether it was a good or a bad thing. Fever meant his immune system was fighting back.
He forced himself to take deep, even breaths, even with his ribs protesting every single rise and fall of his chest. Levi knew enough about first aid to know how common and deadly fluid in the lungs after broken ribs could be.
Tiredly dragging a hand through his (filthy) hair, he settled back on the roof and spread the blanket around his shoulders.
Levi would give a lot for a hot bath and a clean bed now. It wasn't by far his first sleepless night, that was the norm for him, or the worst place he had ever spent such a night in, an involuntary shudder swept over him when he thought of underground trash heaps and backyards, but years in the Survey Corps had made him appreciate the luxury of clean water and heated rooms.
Counting his breaths from one to two hundred, then starting over, Levi kept watch and hoped that the pain would dull at some point.
It hadn't when half the night had passed and Levi was not giving a flying fuck about his damned pride anymore and was squirming whenever it got too bad to sit still.
Gritting his teeth on a whimper he shifted (again) and checked the hut's surroundings thoroughly.
At least during the day he had a goal to focus on, which essentially was "don't break down", now he had nothing but his sluggish thoughts to keep him company.
A particularly vicious wave of pain had him digging his nails into his thigh and moaning quietly.
Was this his eroding self-control or was it getting worse? He was no stranger to pain. Levi had had bruised and even broken ribs before and while it had hurt like a bitch for some weeks he couldn't remember it being this bad. Breaking his ankle pushing off the Female Titan's hand had hurt, but he had been merrily limping around afterwards. He had gotten shot and stabbed more times than it was probably healthy, and still had been going on with his life almost as usual.
This whole internal damage was new though. Levi had seen enough exposed guts in the gutters and on the battlefield, he did not want to think about razor sharp bone fragments digging into his own.
Levi felt around his side again, morbid curiosity taking over after all. The muscles and sinew and general tissue on his side were hardened, not giving the slightest bit when he prodded. He bit down onto his lip and traced over the broken fragments of bone.
Two parts of his rib were where they should be, and that thought made him faintly nauseous, the third part was twisted and barely discernible through the swollen skin and how deeply it was stuck.
The pain drove tears to his eyes and he withdrew his hand, resisting the urge to double over to ride it out. Levi blinked and checked the shadows around the hut. All clear.
I need to set this somehow. It's only getting worse the more I move around.
Levi was aware that he didn't have the knowledge to do this properly, plus he would be delirious with pain, considering only touching along the breaks hurt enough to make his vision go double.
He felt his concentration slipping after about two more hours, thoughts drifting and his head swimming from the constant pain. After he startled upwards with a gasp twice at a branch moving in the breeze, he steeled himself for the return trip inside the cabin.
Levi managed to land almost soundlessly, but had to bit down on his forearm to stifle a cry of pain as his ribs were jolted, sinking to his knees.
When the dark edges vanished from his vision, he was braced on hands and knees on the floor and panting, sweat dripping into his eyes.
Levi scratched together what strength he had left and rose to his feet making his way over to his squad.
He shook Arlert's shoulder gently. The blond boy blinked awake and frowned in question. "I'm done. You take watch." Levi was surprised how steady his voice was considering he was keeping a tight grip on himself in order not to break down and curl up into a whimpering ball of misery right now.
Armin nodded and silently put on his gear. When he disappeared onto the roof, Levi snatched another blanket and tried to find a way to lay down that didn't make his side scream.
When Armin went to wake Eren for his shift, he snuck a glance at the Captain, who was curled up on his good side, the pained hitch in his breathing showing that he didn't find relief, even when asleep.
Mikasa woke first, as usual, feeling extremely well-rested despite the hard floor she was laying on. Then, realization swept over her and she felt anger rise from within her when it became clear that nobody had woken her for her watch.
She elbowed Armin and Eren into awareness, then looked over at the Captain, who calmly met her gaze.
While Armin was handing out rations, Levi broke the silence. "Any of you know how to fix this shit?", he asked, gesticulating towards his side. "I mean, set that bone?"
Eren hesitantly looked up. "I've watched my father sometimes."
"And I've read some anatomy books", Armin added.
"Reassuring", the Captain drawled. "But seriously, this just keeps getting worse, I don't care if you brats end up finally gutting me, I want this bone set and out of my way."
Mikasa bit her lip behind the cover of her scarf. Eren looked determined. "Don't worry, heichou, I'll fix it! Alright, we need a thin knife and tweezers would be really good but we'll have to improvise."
Levi reached into his boot and pulled out a sheathed dagger about as long as his hand. The blade was razor-sharp. When Eren reached for it, Levi slapped the hilt onto his wrist. "You sterilize that first before you come anywhere near me."
Eren nodded. "We have any tinder left?"
Levi had shooed both of them outside before they burned the hut down. Mikasa couldn't help but feel restless and she went over to his side.
"Are you sure about this? Nobody of us has actual medical experience-"
"I don't care. This goes on for another day and you'll have to drag my unconscious ass. Even if Eren cuts to deep, that's all already messed up anyway."
She looks at him, really looks. He is absolutely wrecked by the constant pain, that much is obvious. But in his storm-grey eyes there is no trace of resignation or fear, only hard determination.
"Nothing like some old-fashioned field surgery", Levi leers while taking off his shirt when the two boys come back, red hot glowing knife in hand. Armin fidgets. "Should we wait or..."
"'s good as it is. Will cauterize the edges of your cut so you'll actually see what you're doing."
Levi takes off his belt, folds it double and bites down on the tough leather. He leans back on the floor and Mikasa holds his shoulders down.
Eren gulps and gets into position. Armin presses down on Levi's legs.
Tracing along the shattered bone, Eren ignores the way the Captain tenses underneath his hands, his laboured breathing.
He pinpoints the fragment that's tearing into tissue and takes the knife. Armin actually found a pair of tweezers in the hut. All is sterilized and ready to use.
Eren tries to copy his father's self-confident calm in situations like this and starts to cut. Ignores the way Levi writhes despite Mikasa's and Armin's grip. Ignores his harsh breaths and choked noises of pain.
Cuts until he's deep enough, seeing the white of bone. Grabbing the tweezers, he tugs. Blood wells up. Tugs again. Levi jerks underneath his hands. Adjusts his grip and – finally – the bloodied white piece of bone aligns with the other pieces.
He frowns at the deep tear it left behind, bright red blood bubbling up, considers the extensive bruising suggesting a serious amount of internal bleeding.
He reaches for the still glowing knife, widens the tear and presses the flat of the blade down.
After he's done and cleaned the wound with fresh water, Armin races outside, vomiting beside the door, Eren leans against the wall staring at the blood on his hands and Mikasa stitches up the incision since her needlework is the neatest.
Levi is mostly out of it, breathing still fast and thready, eyes unfocused and half closed.
When Mikasa ties off the rows of stitches in bruised flesh, he stirs with a groan.
Eren rushes over. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, heichou!", he wails.
"Shut up, brat." Levi's voice is weak and hoarse, but he's awake and comparatively well.
With Mikasa's help, they get him upright against the wall and Levi tips his head back after peering at his side. "You did a good job."
Eren almost cries at that. "Now wash up, this is just creepy." The Titan shifter remembers that he still has Levi's blood all over his hands and hurries out of the hut. It had rained enough two days back to find a good puddle somewhere.
Levi enjoys the feeling of the cool wall against his overheated skin. Despite the fact that his side hurts worse than ever right now, the pain is different. Feels like he's actually starting to heal.
He's not exactly feeling well, but what did you expect after having a teenage brat poking around with a hot knife in your guts.
Mikasa bandages up his side in order to avoid any dirt getting into the fresh incision and gives him some space afterwards, looking after Armin.
Levi lies down and drifts in and out of consciousness. At some point, someone, the way he did it, chaotic yet well-meaning, suggests Eren, dumped a blanket on top of him.
When Levi wakes up fully, it's already late afternoon judging by the shadows. He curses the lost day but silently admits he needed the rest. The biggest miracle of all is how the pain in his side has receded to a low throbbing.
Levi congratulates himself on his underground-bred immune system, making short work off all the coagulated blood and whatever else that has been ghosting around in his body.
He slowly sits up, hiding a relieved upwards-curve of his lips by tipping his head forward when the dreaded rush of pain doesn't come and gets up, making his way over to his squad.
"Yeager, you'd make a decent doctor if you weren't such a bloody complicated brat, you know?" Which is Levi's way of making a compliment. It is a testament to how well they know him by now, that his brats, yes at some point they became his brats, shoot him a knowing smile and make room in their circle.
Levi still misses his old squad, the original Levi squad, and while they will never be replaced, he'll take down anyone messing with his new squad, hard.