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clare-875 · 28 days ago

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Until The End (Levi x Reader)- Chapter 24

[The Silent Descent]

_____ A/N: Posted on Wattpad (@CLARE_875) but also decided to post here :)

Summary:

"You can push me away, but I will still fight by you, and I will still follow you… until the end."

The ever-so-stoic Levi Ackerman has only ever known the terrors that living in a cruel world could bring. This all changed one fateful day when he encountered [y/n]; a girl renowned for her looks and abnormal speed. As they escape the confines of the Underground together, they soon discover that freedom doesn't come easy in a world full of Titans. As they rise through the ranks, [y/n] becomes known as "Humanity's Angel", a beacon of hope to humanity as she melts the walls Levi had built around his heart. However, she has her secrets too, and a dark past that might just threaten to pull them apart.

The storyline and characters of Attack on Titan do NOT belong to me, but all to Hajime Isayama; however, I do own this story, and all that occurs disparate to that storyline.

[Series Masterlist] [Chapter Twenty-Three] <--> [Chapter Twenty-Five] _____

(Warnings: Descriptions of injury, canonical violence)

As you make your way across to the other side of the walls, your eyes widen at the scene before you. Houses in the abandoned town of the Shiganshina District have been set aflame, blazing smoke rising to the skies, no doubt the work of the Colossal Titan; Bertholdt. Your heart pounds as you search the vicinity. First, you would check for survivors, then you would fight, with or without backup, though the latter would probably mean an imminent death. You shake that thought from your head. You'd made a promise to Levi. Until the end. You're not dying here. You can't. Flinging yourself through the buildings, you look to see the Colossal Titan, body somewhat smaller, or thinner somehow, trudging through the area towards the wall. But then, you see it, a mop of blond hair; it was Armin.

You let yourself breathe out a sigh of relief that not all the Scouts had diminished with Bertholdt's transformation earlier as you flash to their vicinity in a second. "Armin!" you shout out as you land next to him, looking down and seeing that Jean and Mikasa are also present. Your squad is still alive. "C-Captain [y/n]!" The voices of your team stutter in surprise, relief instantly filling their faces at your presence, almost like you were an actual angel descended to Earth. They must've really had it rough. ‘Even your presence, Captain [y/n], brings people hope. Do not underestimate yourself.’ Somehow in that moment, Nurse Frida's voice rings through your mind. Was this what she meant?

You turn to Armin. "The Colossal Titan, it's slimmer than usual," you state as Armin looks at you, relief clouding his eyes in your understanding as he frantically nods. "It's just as Hange said! The Colossal Titan is weak in a battle of attrition!" His bright blue eyes shine at the revelation. He reminds you of Erwin. "Eren's experiments," you say looking at him. "He could only transform three times. If that's the case for his 15-meter Titan, a 60-meter Titan must be less efficient." Armin continues to nod to your words in agreement. "And, there's the steam attack, too!" He adds as his mind collects the pieces and puts them into place. "I bet it's consuming everything except his skeleton to produce that steam!" You voice your agreement before turning to Jean.

"The other members of our squad are they still alive?" You ask looking at him. "Y-yes Captain! Apart from Eren who's still on top of the walls, Sasha and Connie are still in the vicinity." You nod in confirmation. "What of Hange and their squad?" To this, Jean frowns before looking down slightly. "All within close range to Bertholdt when he transformed. We don't think any of them survived." Your heart shatters at that proclamation but you try to keep on a steady face, lips downturned. Hange... "C-Captain!" You turn to Armin who looks nervous but certain. "I have a plan!" You nod, allowing him to continue. "If I could ask you and the rest of the squad to draw Reiner away and defeat him. Eren and I will defeat Betholdt ourselves." Your eyes widen at his words, but his gaze does not falter. "The two of us can win and I'm going to prove it."

You watch as he comes back to his usual self though as he stutters out, "I mean, p-please Captain! I swear-," but you interrupt him before he gets the chance. "I trust you, Armin, as does the Commander." You look at him in his widening gaze, you grasp him by the shoulder firmly. "Trust in yourself." You watch as he hesitantly nods, face becoming more determined and confident once again. "Leave Reiner to the rest of us," you say as you call Mikasa and Jean to your side. "Roger! Thank you, Captain!" You hear Armin yell out as you turn and give a firm nod, before flying to where the Armoured Titan should be.

.....

You had met with Sasha and Connie, now the two of them along with Mikasa and Jean flying behind you in the streets. "We trust that Armin and Eren can handle the Colossal Titan, our focus is to prevent Reiner from interfering!" You call out to the rest of the squad who shout out in confirmation "Roger!" You all approach Reiner at full speed, but suddenly the Armoured Titan changes direction and sprints past you. A strong gust of wind hits you all, causing some of you to lose your balance. You grit your teeth as you realise his focus has changed to Eren. "It's too late!" You call out to the Scouts. "We're going to have to stop him by force!" You don't wait for an answer as you flash by to where the Armoured Titan has gone, the Scouts following you in acknowledgement.

You grip one of the Thunder Spears you had taken as you fuelled up on gas earlier. Your body moves swiftly through the barren streets before you turn and fling the spear through the back of the left knee on the Armoured Titan. You release the handle trigger swiftly as the others catch up to you, watching Reiner's Titan lose balance. It reaches for the surrounding buildings, trying to stabilise itself but ultimately topples to the ground in a heap of debris. There is a thunderous boom at the impact as you turn to the squad. "If we can't distract Reiner from going to Eren and Armin, we finish him off here!" Connie, Sasha, Jean and Mikasa nod grimly. They would have to stop Reiner, someone they used to call a friend and comrade, but it was the only way.

"We have three remaining spears!" Connie shouts out from behind you and you nod. You had one more strapped to your waist, Connie had one and so did Sasha. Suddenly a wave of hot air comes from the distance. You look up. The Colossal Titan that Armin and Eren had been fighting now emitted a warm gold glow, another wave of its steam attack rising in the air. You watch as Mikasa also turns and stops in worry, looking as though she wants to go to them. You grip her shoulder and she turns around. "Trust them." You say as she turns hesitantly back to the scene before meeting your eyes and nods determinedly. You still had to put an end to Reiner.

The Armoured Titan is now on the ground, unable to get up, wondering how one blow had rendered his knee useless. You use his vulnerability to quickly turn to the squad that gathers around you. "We have three remaining spears. We have to take the chance now that he's immobile. Here's our plan. Jean and Mikasa, you go first, act as the decoy and make sure you get Reiner's attention." The two of them nod determinedly as you continue. "Sasha, Connie, while he's distracted you fire your spears at the jaw of the Titan. Once his Jaw slackens, I'll go in and kill him from the inside with my spear. Understood?" Sasha and Connie nod. "Either way this fight goes, this is where it ends!" You would all use the last remaining bits of your energy and resources on this final blow. Your last chance.

Your squad yells out in confirmation, faces grim. They knew if they didn't succeed this would likely be the end of it all. No doubt, all of the Scouts on the other side of the wall have already met their deaths; you were alone. You could only hope that Levi would fulfil the final oath he took for Erwin and kill the Beast Titan, you could only hope that Armin and Eren succeed in stopping Bertholdt, you could only hope that you all would stop Reiner. "Alright then," you say as you turn to the Titan before you all, "get in position." At your words Jean and Mikasa shoot forward attaching to the Armoured Titan and surrounding buildings, letting out yells to gather his attention.

Reiner reacts. Though unable to walk he uses his arms to destroy the buildings around him, trying to attack Mikasa and Jean. Using the destruction and distraction to their advantage, now Connie and Sasha go forward readying to fire their Spears. Connie shoots, aim sure as his spear ingrains itself into the Titans jaw, but then, there's a mishap. You watch as debris strikes Sasha in her head as she tries to shoot, rendering her unconscious. Her form falls, but Connie goes to catch her, shouting her name. You fly in front of Reiner, landing on a rooftop in front of him, but you know it's useless. Though Connie's spear damaged one side of his jaw, Sasha had missed, there wasn't an opening wide enough for you to throw in your spear.

You grit your teeth. It's true, his mouth might not be open, but you'd have to try anyway. You would rather risk your own life over the lives of your subordinates. "Captain [y/n], wait, it's too risky!" Connie calls from a distance, as you ready yourself, heart pounding against your chest. You didn't know if you would make it. But then, a familiar voice fills the air and relief fills your system. "No, it's perfect!" You look up to see Hange, bloodied and injured, but alive. More importantly, they flung through the air, another Thunder Spear in their grasp. They shoot and aim perfectly, and the final spear connects and explodes on the other side of the jaw which Sasha had missed. You watch as finally, Reiner's jaw slackens. "Now [y/n]!" Hange calls as she flies out of the way.

You let out a yell, as you fly to Reiner. His hand shoots out to you, but you're too fast. You flash across space and land inside the Titan's mouth. You shoot the spear in your hand down his throat towards his nape. "Reiner!" you shout out as you let the trigger go, and flash out of range of the explosion. Soon enough, there is a massive explosion and you watch as the Titan finally falls, Reiner's disfigured body protruding from the destroyed nape.

.....

You stand behind Hange as they approach Reiner. His body is badly injured and steaming as it tries to heal. He sits slackened on the side of the building, lack of limbs, and a cloth covering his eye. "Reiner... What's this metal case you had in your left chest pocket?" Hange asks as they kneel down to him. "Before we chopped off all of your limbs, you tried to grab it with the strength you had left. Suicide pills? Or perhaps a bomb?" There is a brief silence. Mikasa bandages Jean next to you. He had been badly hurt by the debris of Reiner's attack. Then, Reiner's slow and gravelly voice reaches the air. "A letter..." Hange looks at him in surprise. "A letter? What kind of letter?" There is a pause again as Reiner tries to gather the energy to reply. "A letter... from Ymir. You have to... give it... to Christa..."

"Only after we've inspected it," Hange replies as they put the metal case away and stand up. "Now then, I've got a mountain of questions for you, but... your lips seem as tight as your armour is hard." You react to her words pulling out your sword as you point it threateningly at Reiner. "Are you going to cooperate and tell us everything that we want to know, or not?" You ask as Hange crosses their arms and stares down at Reiner's unmoving form. Hange now has a bandage on their head, no doubt from when Bertholdt transformed, one of their eyes completely covered from the damage. "No..." Reiner mutters out at your words. You frown before turning the hilt of your sword. "Well, at least you're prepared for this," you mutter, as you push your sword against his neck, blood seeping from the wound.

"Hold on!" Jean shouts out from behind you. "Are you sure Captain, Hange? We might be able to steal his power." You think back to an earlier meeting. Levi had been entrusted with the syringe and vile given to him by Kenny. It could transform one of us into a Titan. We could feed Reiner, or any of the Titans with abilities to that Titan and we would, in turn, retain its powers for ourselves. Hange turns to Jean at his words as you keep your sword pressed against Reiner's throat. "I don't think all the conditions for that have been met." They say to him, as Reiner chokes on his blood at the pressure you hold him to. "We don't know the situation with Levi and the other side. Neither do we have the time to go confirm it ourselves. The reason being, there's no way for us to gauge the full depth of their powers." Hange turns to Reiner at their last words.

"Even if we cut his head off, we can't be too sure!" They continue to shout out. There is a silence before Jean's words reach the air once more. "This isn't like you, Hange. If we back down because of not knowing something, down the line, can we ever hope to beat the Titans?" Reiner lets out another gasp, blood seeping from his lips as Jean's words linger in the air. "When are we ever going to know all there is about the enemy?" There is more silence, as finally, Hange turns to look at Mikasa and Jean. "Mikasa," they say, as the Scout looks to them in acknowledgement, "how much gas do you have?" Mikasa replies, dark eyes looking at Hange. "It's almost entirely gone. But it should be enough to reach Eren and Armin at least." Hange nods, "That's more than me, or [y/n]."

"Mikasa... I need you to go check out their situation. Fill up your gas and bring back the injection from Levi. If for any reason, you're unable to do so, fire a smoke signal. That will be our signal to end Reiner." At Hange's words, you finally release your blade on Reiner's throat as he gasps out in relief. "Roger," you hear Mikasa say, as she flies off into the distance. You stand, sighing slightly before Jean starts to speak up. "Hange, I-" But they quickly cut him off in response. "The decision was mine. You were just a factor." Silence takes over but you still eye Reiner warily, not liking your predicament, even though you had won the battle. Levi. You had hoped he was okay. You hoped he had succeeded in the task of killing the Beast Titan. Hange walks over to Jean, as they check over their bandages.

Moments pass in silence as Hange stands by Jean and you remain in front of the disfigured Reiner who pants in pain. Suddenly, a smoke signal rises in the air. You remember back to Mikasa's words. It was the signal to kill Reiner, that there had been a disturbance of some sort that rendered his life useless to them. You look to Hange who nods from a distance eyes flickering between you and then Reiner. Jean looks like he is about to say something but stops himself as he swallows. This wasn't the Reiner he befriended; this wasn't the Reiner he knew. He was the enemy; if he were in the same position, Jean knew that Reiner would kill him. You unsheathe your sword once more, taking in a deep breath, and looking at the man in front of you. You point your sword to the man, about to deal the finishing blow... But then you hear Reiner’s stuttering voice fill the air.

"C-Captain... [y/n]... to think... that you... were one of us..." You turn to Reiner, your eyes widening at his words, the sword in your hand faltering. Hange and Jean look at you from a distance but they can't hear the quiet exchange, confusion in their features as they watch you hesitate to kill the man. "What do you mean by that." You mutter pointing your sword at him. "We... we needed Eren... but... he said... we needed you too..." Then you hear it, the sudden trembling of the Earth below, a thrumming beat of giant footsteps making their way to you. But you also feel it, the sudden wave of drowsiness that hits you, along with a prick on your upper arm. You look down. Sure enough, a strange syringe-like form had flown across space, from where you didn't know. It embedded itself into you, and with it, your vision started to blur. You lose your hold on the sword you had held onto Reiner, suddenly feeling yourself falling to your knees, your body slackening.

You hear Hange and Jean's screams as they yell out to you. But your churning vision now turns to your right, and you see the large Titan you had seen in the distance with the Beast Titan approaching you on all fours, thunderously. Jean tries with his weakened frame to hold Hange back as they scream your name, but you don't have the energy to move or reply. You feel a large hand wrap around you, suddenly being hoisted into the air and landing next to... a man you hadn't seen before. Your eyes are now half-lidded, unable to do a thing, barely able to make up the features of the man. Blond hair... glasses... a lack of arms on his body. "Hange!" you hear the dwindling voice of Connie as he looks at the scene in shock, "They've taken Reiner and Capatin [y/n]!"

Your ears are now muffled, as you continue trying to move, trying to fight the black descending on your vision. You can make out the sounds of ODM gear in the air. You can hear Hange's voice yelling out to you in desperation. But you can do nothing. You're getting further away from them, your friends, from Levi. The last thing you hear just as the movement of the Titan stops, is the man's voice next to you, uttered softly.

"I've been waiting to meet you [y/n] [l/n]..."

Your shock is clouded as you finally lose consciousness. The last thing on your mind... Levi.

.....

Hange looks in utter defeat as they finally come to a halt. Lack of gas evident in their tanks. They are in a state of complete disbelief, how could they have lost not only Reiner but you as well? Just a moment ago, they had had the upper hand, Reiner in their clutches, you just fine. What's worse, they would have to inform Levi. Hange could only imagine what devastation would be left in the wake of your absence. They turned to Connie, whose face mirrored one of shock and loss. "C-Captain..." his voice reaches the air wavering and barely a whisper. Hange grits their teeth squeezing their eyes shut before they turn to Connie. "We head back, regroup!" Connie shakes his head slowly, "B-but..." Hange interrupts him swiftly. "We have no gas to chase them, we have no more thunder spears to help with our attack, and we're utterly useless right now. We regroup... let's go!"

When Jean looks up to see the lack of your presence he swears out, pounding the ground with his fist in defeat. "It's my fault..." He speaks out, voice dull. "I've done something terrible..." Hange knows he thinks it's his fault for not having killed Reiner immediately. Maybe then you would have been more on your guard, maybe then they wouldn't have approached you at all. Hange's face is dark as they look away from the boy. "I said the decision was mine. Let's regroup with the others." Jean's heart pounded against his chest. "C-Captain Levi... what will he say?" Hange is silent, as both Jean and Connie look like they're going to be sick. Ultimately, they decide not to reply to Jean's words. "Let's go." Connie silently puts an unconscious Sasha on their back, as Jean grasps onto Hange, flying through the air towards where a gold glow fills the air. A Titan Transformation.

.....

By the time Hange, Jean, Connie and Sasha had arrived where Eren and the rest were, they were met with a shocking sight. The body of a Titan lay steaming on the ground, protruding from it, was the body of Armin, Eren and Mikasa crying as they held him. On a nearby roof, Levi was sitting next to a deceased Erwin looking down at the sight, a lone soldier by his side. Connie and Jean quickly made their way to Armin as well, after gently leaning Sasha against a nearby building. Questions quickly spilled from their lips as Eren and Mikasa shakily gave their answers to them. Armin, on the brink of death, was chosen to be transformed into a Titan. He was chosen over an also dying Erwin who had somehow survived the suicide charge towards the Beast Titan, found by the lone soldier, Flock, who stood by Levi. Armin had then been fed Betholdt, and given the powers of the Colossal Titan, allowing him to survive.

Hange approached Levi who gave the same answers. He told them about his choice, why he had chosen Armin over Erwin, and how he saw it unfit to bring him back into this hell after being in it for so long. A short moment passed when Eren and Mikasa finally calmed down, collecting Armin and following Hange's orders to take him to the top of Wall Maria. Jean and Connie also listen to Hange's words, taking Sasha as well to set up a makeshift area on top of the walls to allow her to recover away from the destruction in the streets. Flock, the only soldier left from Erwin's suicide charge also nods and goes to help Jean who is still badly injured. The seconds go by tensely as Jean and Connie still have a haunted look in their eyes, their Captain... you... missing. Hange gives them a silent look as they hastily, almost shamefully set off to the walls, following Eren and Mikasa.

Hange can feel it.

They can feel the suddenly tense atmosphere in the absence of the other Scouts as they make their way back to the walls. They can feel the way Levi's eyes now scour the area in realisation. They can feel the way he now turns to them, grey eyes ingrained on their backs along with the rising thrumming of his heart. They can feel the anticipation in the next few seconds. They know the question brimming through his mind. Hange feels their heart drop along with their gaze as their face darkens. First, the loss of the entire Scout Regiment, then Erwin... and now...

"Hange... where's [y/n]?"

Hange can scarcely look up at him, still staring at the ground, facing away from Levi. On the other hand, Levi starts to slowly lose his sanity in the silence that consumes him. Where are you? Why hadn't you arrived with Hange? What happened? Were you hurt? Did you go ahead to the basement? Were you still on the lookout for survivors? Where are you? Were you- Levi's heart pounds relentlessly against his chest, a strange sensation fills his senses, an unfamiliar feeling of dread... of genuine fear. His hands tremble at his side, eyes wide and pupils contracting. Where were you... where were you... where were-

Levi suddenly moves forward grabbing Hange by the collar of their shirt tightly, forcing Hange to look at him. Anger fuels his movements, impatience causing the rough movement of his hands as he roughly shakes them in his grasp. He sees it in their eyes, the sorrow, the regret... the loss. Levi slowly shakes his head in disbelief. "Hange... where is she?" Hange's silence only makes his rage increase. "Where is she Hange?! WHERE IS SHE!!" Hange finally speaks up, looking pitifully at the smaller man in front of them. Never had they seen him lose his composure as he does now. His eyes are wide, his features fierce, dread filling every rim of his face. "She's gone, Levi... They took her away with Reiner. The strange Titan we saw earlier today and a blond-haired man; the Beast Titan."

Levi freezes his movements, his grip slackening as he takes a step back. The Beast Titan. The man he failed to kill. The man that escaped his clutches. The man he had stopped pursuing to save Armin. The man that took you away... The man that could've killed you by now, for all he knew. It was his fault. Hange watches as the once stoic Captain turns silent at their words. They watch as he falls to his knees gripping his hands into fists that slowly start to cause blood to seep through his fingers. They watch as his eyes are barely visible under the darkened expression on his face. Levi struggles to keep himself from hyperventilating. Thoughts fill his head at a pace he can't keep up with. You. His lifeline. Torn away from him, in the clutches of the enemy he swore to protect you from. He had lost so many people in his life. You had been a blessing, graced with your strength, with your smile, with your warmth... he had dared believe that you wouldn't leave him like the others did.

You promised him.

You swore you'd be by his side, until the end, no matter what end he met. He swore to himself and you, that nothing would touch you. How were you gone? Levi stumbles to his feet, breathing heavily as he struggles to control his emotions. He readies his ODM gear. He would chase you down he would find you by foot if he had to. He would do anything if there was even a slither of hope you were alive. He moves forward, mind in a haze, but something stops him. He looks up, a deranged look in his eyes as Hange almost relents at his gaze. "What are you doing?" They ask as Levi tries to continue on his path whilst Hange continuously stops him. "What will you do?!" They suddenly yell out, their own grief and frustration catching up with them. "Chase them to the ends of the Earth?! Die among the Titans outside the walls?!" Levi interrupts Hange quickly, outrage filling his words, "What would you have me do then?!" He yells, voice echoing the abandoned streets.

"I don't care if I die, I'm going. Stay out of the way shitty glasses." He mutters darkly. "I thought you hated pointless death." Levi freezes, cold aversion filling his system as Hange mutters the words Erwin had spoken to him many months ago. The man who was now also dead among too many of the soldiers he was ashamed not to be able to count. "I did," he replies but then whispers in a voice barely heard by Hange. "But my life is pointless without her." Hange is taken aback by the vulnerability he allows himself to show for a single moment before he moves forward again. "What will [y/n] say?" They ask as they look at Levi who refuses to meet their gaze. "We have a job to do, we have to fulfil the mission. If you die before we're even allowed to come up with an actual plan to save [y/n], if you die before we fulfil the mission so many soldiers gave their hearts for... [y/n] would kill her yourself."

With that Hange relents, releasing Levi from their observation and attempts to stop him, they fly off towards the walls. They feel their own heart sink in your absence. You had been their friend too. Always supportive of their experiments no matter how extreme their love for science and Titans grew. They had known you for so long, rising the ranks and growing as soldiers together. Now you were lost to the clutches of an unpredictable enemy because of a decision they made. Not only you but they had watched their squad die before their eyes. Watching as Mobilt pushed them out of the way from the bursts of hot air as the Colossal Titan transformed. Coming to find Levi, only to see that Erwin was also lost to the clutches of death. Hange pushed against the overwhelming depth of their grief as they approached Wall Maria where the other Scouts were tending to each other. Levi was lost in his despair, the other Scouts were lost in their survival and someone had to continue the mission.

Meanwhile, as Hange left, Levi was rooted to the spot unable to do anything. His heart still hammers against his chest, the heavy feeling of grief filling his chest and making it hard to breathe. He knew Hange was right. That he couldn't save you right now, especially in this state, no matter how desperately he wanted to find you. He was still a Captain of the Survey Corps, with the overwhelming lack of Scouts left, his subordinates would be relying on him. But in that moment Levi allowed himself to think only of you. He walked over to a nearby crate hidden among the destroyed homes. He sat down holding his face in his hands and grip tightening on his locks as his mind reeled in his failure. Your smile. Your touch. Your everything. He felt the warm beginnings of tears run down his face and he yelled out in frustration before losing himself in his sorrow. Utterly defeated he let himself sob, something he didn't know was possible after the many losses making him feel as though he was a hollow shell of emotion. Well, until you showed up.

He let himself lose himself in your loss, and many long moments passed. But then the instant came when he knew he had to complete the mission. For the sake of you and humanity. So, he loathingly lifted himself from the crate. After several moments he decided to join the rest of the squad that diverted their eyes in the presence of his evidently deathly aura, and darkened face. He prayed to whatever God was out there that this retched day would come to an end... and maybe he'd wake up to you by his side, telling him it was all just a dream.

_____

[Chapter Twenty-Three] <--> [Chapter Twenty-Five]

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