Work Text:
A light breeze ruffled Levi's hair as he reclined, hands behind his head, in the grass. The sound of the long grasses rustling was lulling whilst the warmth of the sun seeped into his body. He cracked his eyes open and turned his head to look beside him. Erwin was snoozing peacefully there too, gone was his uniform, instead a white shirt and brown trousers replaced it. Levi's own uniform was missing too, he wore a similar white shirt with black trousers. He watched Erwin sleep, noting the sereneness of the moment.
"Oi, Levi. Are you going to sleep the whole day away?"
"Huh?"
Levi looked up squinting, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the sun. Hange walked over, standing over him and casting him in shade. He looked her up and down, she was still donning the Survey Corps uniform, her medal glinted as it caught the sunlight.
"What, Hange?"
She sighed, falling to her knees beside him.
"Levi, do you really intend to stay here?"
He eyed her curiously.
"I don't see why not. It's peaceful." He looked over the rolling hills of green, littered with patches of wild flowers.
Hange's eyes cast down.
"I see. Then you won't come back with me?"
"What are you talking about, Hange? Go back where?"
A strong wind from the east blew across them bringing with it clouds that hid the sun. Hange turned in that direction.
"I have to go."
She rose and started to walk away. Levi sat up, watching her go.
"Oi! Hange! Where are you going?"
The wind must have stolen his words because she didn't respond. He made to get up and go after her but a hand on his forearm halted him. Levi looked down.
"Erwin."
Erwin was now turned towards him, a solemn look in his eyes.
"Let her go, Levi. She's still needed."
Levi's brow furrowed as he turned back to the retreating Hange. His eyes widened with what he saw.
What had previously been an open and green plain laid out before him was now a battlefield. Bodies lay strewn across the way and the land was now ablaze in flames. On the horizon hundreds, no, thousands of titans could be seen closing in. Some of their hideous, deformed faces seemed familiar somehow...
"Hange! Wait!" Levi tried to get to his feet but Erwin held him back with an iron grip. "Erwin! We have to go! We can't let Hange go out there alone!"
Erwin stared past him, the flames reflected in his eyes.
"It is not our fight, Levi. Not anymore."
Levi looked at him incredulously.
"What are you talking about, Erwin!? They're getting closer! It'll be everyone's fight soon enough!"
Erwin's passive expression didn't change.
"It won't reach here. None of that will reach us anymore."
Levi looked on helplessly as Hange crossed the ruined landscape, flames licking at her heels. He gazed back down at Erwin.
"What are you saying?" The fear and confusion rolling inside of him caused anger to tint his words.
"Isn't it obvious?" Erwin finally turned his gaze away from the carnage. "The woes of the living are no longer any concern for the dead."
Levi's pupils retracted as his eyes widened.
"The dead?"
"Yes, Levi." Erwin's stare held his. "Our fight is over."
Levi once again turned back to see Hange reach for her swords, a mirage effect sweeped across revealing Armin, Eren and Mikasa, Jean and Connie too, as they all walked closer to certain death. The flames grew higher to the point where his view of them was obscured. Levi rose to stand.
"No." Fists clenched at his sides. "I am still needed. My fights not over yet." Levi left Erwin behind in the blooming fields, running towards Hange and the others. They only seemed to get further away though no matter how much distance he ate up. The flames had reached them, all but consuming them. Levi's legs pumped faster as the titans closed in around them. He reached out a hand, realising he would be too late.
"HANGE!"
Levi gasped, jolting awake, his eyes flying open, correction: one eye. Why couldn't he open his other eye? He raised a hand to touch his face but pain shot through that whole side of his body. He gasped for breath, pain with every inhale and exhale. His one eye looked up, fuzzily focusing on a thick beamed ceiling.
Where am I?
"L-L-Levi?"
Levi couldn't turn his head but he was certain whose voice that was.
"Han-ge." His voice was raspy and weak, it hurt to form words too. "Th-at you?" A few beats of silence and Levi thought that maybe he had imagined hearing her voice.
"Levi... you're... alive?"
Levi tried to see where Hange was but his vision was limited.
"Oi... where," He took a wheezing breath. "A-are you?"
Hange finally showed herself, coming to stand by his makeshift bedside. Levi was able to look at her properly, he had imagined that in the state he was in she wouldn't be in any better condition, but he was relieved to see that there wasn't any glaring injuries. Her hair hung over her eyes, she didn't meet his gaze.
"W-what... is... it, H-Hange?"
Her lips pressed together firmly and her hands clenched so tightly by her sides that they shook.
"I tried not to hope too much..."
Levi stared up at her silently. She dropped to her knees, head bowed as she continued.
"I told myself I'd patch you up the best that I could but I wouldn't try and make you cling to life, that I'd let you go if that's what was right, I wouldn't put you through any more hell... But, I'm sorry..." She took his left hand that was now missing a few digits between both of hers. "I'm sorry, Levi, but when I saw you were alive, I was happy. I was so glad that I wasn't going to be alone. Forgive my selfishness." She pressed her forehead to their clasped hands and finally met his eye. She felt tears burn her eyes at seeing his slashed face that would eventually scar. "Please, forgive me Levi for asking you to carry on a little more."
Levi's good eye held her gaze.
Idiot. Like it's your fault.
He opened his mouth to tell her exactly just how stupid he thought she was for thinking like that but she put her fingers to his lips, shaking her head.
"Don't speak. Not yet. You've still got a lot of healing to do. Let me get you some water and then I'll check and clean your wounds if necessary."
Levi watched her stand and heard her step outside.
He stared up at the ceiling doing a mental rundown of his bodies condition. The first thing he noted was that pretty much everything hurt, but when he concentrated on pinpointing and isolating certain areas he concluded that the most critical injuries were located on his torso and face. He wondered what he looked like, not that it really mattered. Hange returned with a small pail of water, she retrieved a ladle that lay on a small table before coming back to Levi.
"There wasn't a lot left in this place that I could make use of but I was just glad that we were lucky enough to come across someplace to hide out for a little while. It seems that they didn't bother coming after us, so we shouldn't have to worry about that either." She put a hand behind his head and gently lifted, wincing when he grunted at the slight movement. She brought the now filled ladle to his lips. He gave a grimace and turned his head. "Come on, Levi. I know it's not ideal, but I washed it as best I could in the river. Now drink, I'm not having you die of thirst of all things."
Levi grunted again but allowed Hange to bring the ladle back to his mouth and took a small sip. The water was a welcome relief to his throat but even that small effort caused him to cough which pulled on the wound on his stomach.
Hange got rid of the ladle and placed a hand on his chest to try and soothe him through his coughing fit. She laid him back down gently and brushed his hair back.
"I'm going to have to take a look at your wounds. Just try your best not to move too much."
Hange pulled away his blood stained shirt to peek at the wound beneath that she had wrapped in torn up pieces of her cloak. She had removed the shrapnel and the bleeding had seeped into the makeshift bandages. All she could do now was to make sure that his wounds were kept clean and dry, even though he had suffered enough blood loss and still seemed to be bleeding slowly, what was really an issue was infection, she would have to remove his soiled clothing and try and keep him warm. She'd have to go collect some firewood after this and try and find anything else in this small cabin that might be of use.
"Hey, Levi." She looked up at him, noticing his closed eyes. "Are you awake?"
"Mm."
"I'm going to have to strip you of your bloody clothes and clean you up some. Is that okay?"
Levi cracked his eye back open to look down at her.
Fine. But don't try anything.
Hange rolled her eyes.
As if you'd be so lucky at a time like this.
Hange...
Alright, alright... geez.
She started to unbutton his shirt, beginning at the bottom, being careful to go slowly and peel away the material from his wounds as efficiently as possible. She successfully managed to push the shirt over his shoulders and slide it down and off of his arms, she wouldn't lift him quite yet but this was enough. She surveyed the damage now that his shirt was out the way. It was pretty bad she had to admit and it made worry churn in her stomach.
Just breathe, Hange. Clean him up and take it from there.
She took a piece of torn uniform that was clean and used the water from the pail to soak it before gently wiping away the blood. It wasn't ideal but it was the best that she could do given the circumstances. After a few journeys to refresh the water and making sure to clean his face and hands, she looked over her work. The wounds ideally needed to be stitched but she had no medical supplies, the wound on his stomach was the worst one and was most susceptible to infection.
There is one way...
If the wound was unable to close and heal on its own, which was likely, she'd have to seal it herself. If she had a fire started and she had something metal that she could heat enough to sear the wound closed... It would be painful but if Levi was going to have a fighting chance. She left him be to rest whilst she went out and collected firewood.
When Levi came to, he hadn't realised that he had drifted off in the first place. The last thing he remembered was being tended to by Hange, he must have fallen asleep at some point because it had become significantly darker, a warm orange light flickered from the corner of his eye.
"Hange?"
"I'm here." Hange came into view. Her uniform jacket had been discarded and her shirt sleeves had been rolled up. "How are you feeling?"
"Like shit." Levi answered flatly.
Hange nodded.
"Of course, stupid question." She took a breath to steel herself for what she was about to say. "Listen, Levi, your stomach wound, it's pretty bad and I don't think merely cleaning and keeping it wrapped up is going to be enough. The bleeding hasn't seemed to have stopped and if it continues like that... I'll have to seal it before you bleed out."
Levi stared up at the ceiling despondently.
"Ah... I suppose," He took a few laboured breaths. "You should... get on... with it t-then."
Hange knew that it was their only option but her eyes widened all the same.
"Are you sure? It'll be painful, a-and I can't-"
"Oi!"
Levi's outburst stopped her rambling but it cost him. His teeth clenched as he breathed through the pain.
"W-we don't... ha-have time... to... waste."
Hange dropped her shoulders and knelt by his side, laying a hand over his.
"I know. Then... Forgive me, Levi... I'll try and be quick."
She went and retrieved a sword blade. Her hand shook, she used her other hand to steady it as she held it up. It would only take a few seconds but it would be excruciating pain, there was no other way for them if Levi was going to recover. He'd made it this far, she just hoped that the pain wouldn't be too much for him. She stood in front of the fire, taking a steadying breath before holding the tip of the blade into the flames. When it was ready she looked back at Levi who was watching her.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
He said nothing, just returned his gaze back up to the ceiling. Hange nodded once and took the blade out of the fire. She counted to five in her head and took a sharp inhale as she placed the burning hot metal to his wound.
Hange had heard screams of pain before, many times before, it never got easier to hear, especially when it was herself that was the cause of said painful screams.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's done!" She threw the blade to the ground as if she had been the one burned by it and took his hand back into hers which he squeezed painfully, but she didn't mind. She let him work through it, all his muscles were tense and his breathing was ragged, sweat soaked his hair causing it to stick to his forehead. "I'm going to get some fresh water. I'll get that wound wrapped up when I get back."
She made the fastest water run she could and with one of the few remaining scraps of clean material she wiped him down and carefully cleaned around the freshly cauterized wound. She managed to wrap it up, sitting back with a relieved exhale and wiping her forehead on her sleeve.
She looked to Levi who was now unconscious again.
I'll let him rest for as long as he can. We'll have to move on eventually but we both need to rest for now.
She monitored his steady breathing for a few moments before turning to look out the window. It was pitch black outside, it would probably be better to move at night but that was impossible right now. She wondered what was happening with the others, those so very young soldiers who were on their own, very much capable but with the amount of enemies coming out of the woodwork lately they were fighting rising odds.
A yawn escaped and she realised just how exhausted she was. She threw more wood onto the fire and placed a cool cloth onto Levi's forehead before folding her arms onto the side of his bed and resting her head on them. Tomorrow they would have to once again jump into the fray, she traced a finger along Levi's upturned palm, laying her own atop his. Her eyes slipped closed and listened to the sound of his breathing, letting it comfort her into sleep.