Chapter 2

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I reluctantly opened my eyes– biting back the urge to let the overwhelming drowsiness win and pull me back to sleep. A white ceiling towered over me – the brightness forcing me to squint.

I sat up, doing a big stretch and letting out a yawn. Breathing in, fresh air filled my lungs coming from an open window on the other side of the room. Birds chirped in the warm morning light, sitting on a tree branch just outside. More windows covered the wall, reaching from the floor up to the ceiling high above.

Had the ones in my room always been so large?

Looking to my left, there was no wall or any navy blue wallpaper I had grown so accustomed to. Instead, the room continued, sparsely furnished with white beds. At the end of it stood a wooden desk, next to it a... skeleton?

Was I in the hospital? Or more likely, the hospital wing?

Turning my head to the right, I spotted someone sitting beside me. The person had slumped back in his seat, head leaning on his left shoulder; not perking up even as I lifted his dark hair. The man's face was relaxed, the dark circles under his closed eyes making him appear older than his sharp nose would suggest. Through his slightly parted lips, calm breaths traveled until they reached my wrist, and I drew my hand away; noticing the bandages covering it.

They looked... new. There was no frilling at the edges, no discoloration– and if I brought them close enough to my nose, I could still depict the distinct smell of sterilization.

I scrunched up my nose– dropping my hand to my side. Eyeing my hospital gown I contemplated lifting it to see if the rest of my body also had suffered the same fate, but ultimately decided against it. If I concentrated, the stiffness from the bandaging on my hand continued down my arm, covering everything it could reach.

Suppressing a groan, I settled on watching the wind ruffle the lush green leaves of the trees outside. The birds took off, the branch becoming surprisingly empty. I sighed, now left with nothing but a quaint room.

What could I have done to end up like that?

My limbs cramped more and more as I came to my senses– even the smallest movement left them aching for more.

Just how long had I been asleep?

Once again I stretched; savoring the sweet release of built-up tension in my body.

Settling back against the bedframe I winced at the coldness of the metal. A sensation such as that would have easily passed above my head before, but now I kept my head against the chipped white paint. It was weirdly... pleasant. Perhaps it was my body desperate to feel anything but the sensation of the linen bed sheets I had been laying on.

Weeks may have passed since I last went on an expedition. It wasn't unusual for injuries sustained from a titan or an odm gear accident to take a long time to heal, it was actually quite uncommon for soldiers' wounds to be so minor that they could return to work after only a few days.

A sigh escaped my lips; just imagining being outside with my odm gear sent a shot of longing through me.

The wind blowing through my hair as I'd fly through the air– my odm gear wires' hooks grasping each treetrunk, allowing my gas to blast me past the branches, the leaves grazing my cheek. Behind them, a titan would come into view. Locking eyes on the 20-meter target, I'd draw my blades– grasping them tightly as I'd get closer and closer to it.

As my hooks finally dug into its flesh it would let out a groan and bring its hand up, trying to swat me away like a fly. Taking a deep breath, I would have dodged– bringing my shining blades above my head, aiming straight at its neck.

U̶n̶dying love ~ Levi x ReaderWhere stories live. Discover now