Always Worth the Risk || Levi x Reader

Chapter 29

Y/N's Pov

It's chilly, the night dark as we trek through the forest. Levi is by my side, lantern in hand. We're almost at Shiganshina, and my stomach is in knots. The cover of the new moon is protecting us from those new types of Titans but being out here still makes my skin.

I've been having this same nightmare these past few nights, the repeat of the day the wall fell, the day my parents died. I wake up to screams ringing in my ears. I look around, expecting to be covered in blood, but I'm not, I'm clean and in bed. I always shake, coated in a cold sweat. That's when Levi reaches across to me, tugging me in closer.

The first time it happened he tried to get me to talk about it, but I couldn't stomach it. Since then, he just wraps me in his arms, holding me close and reminding me that I'm safe. It's odd to think about, how all those months ago I never would've thought that we would be capable of something like that, yet here we are.

A sense of foreboding sets in my stomach as we draw closer to Shiganshina. My heart is still pounding after that brush with that Titan. Even though he was sleeping, we didn't notice him until he was right on top of us, that didn't sit right with me.

I can hear the faint sounds of the river, and a trail opens up in front of us. I know we're close, I recognise this area. Unwanted memories swarm me, creating a stabbing pain in my chest. I glance over my shoulder to Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, their faces show how I feel.

As the sky lightens, dawn breaking, the trees part and reveal our hometown, Shiganshina. My heart twists. Even though I know what has happened to it, some part of me still expected it to be intact, to be like I never left.

I'm wrong.

It's in ruins.

~~~

"Yeah something's not right."

Everyone looks over at me, and I shrug, scanning the horizon. Mikasa has given Eren her cloak and the Scouts down on the ground set off green flares to indicate that mission was a success, the wall is plugged.

"What do you mean?" Eren asks, hood pulled over his head.

"That was way too easy." I shoot Hanji and Levi a look, they must be thinking the same thing. "We haven't come across a single Titan, and there's no sign of Bertholdt or Reiner."

"Yet," Levi says. "They could still show up."

"We can't waste time worrying about what could happen," Hanji points out. "We need to seal the inner gate while whatever luck this is still holds."

"You call it luck, I call it a trap," I mutter.

"Eren," Hanji turns away from me. "How are you feeling?"

"Not even tired," he responds immediately. "All that training we did paid off."

"Perfect, let's get going then. Everyone, head for the inner gate!" She takes off running and everyone follows.

I jog up beside Levi, keeping pace with him. "You know what I mean, right?" I murmur to him. "You feel it too? Something's off." I shiver. "It feels like a trap, like we're being watched."

"I know," he replies. "But there's not much we can do now. We need to plug the inner gate. If and when they show themselves, we'll deal with it."

"It feels like we're playing right into their hands."

"We'll just have to deal with it."

We're almost at the inner gate. I can make out Erwin and the others gathered atop the wall. I blow out a breath and look around. It doesn't make sense, why would they let us plug the outer wall without a fight? Are they not here? Do they have a different plan?