Crystal Clear
Of course Levi had to have a damn broken leg. Of course, Erwin was ready to sacrifice himself to the damn MP’s. The man always had a plan, and this time not even Levi seemed privy to what the next moves were. As the scouts moved to immobilize Annie and Erwin rattled away his philosophies with the Military Police, Levi stood watch over Winnie’s unconscious body.
Winnigan flying through their roof was more than unexpected, to say the least. After her eyes rolled back into her head, Erwin and Levi made quick work to check her vitals. Her heartbeat was fast, but steady. As far as injuries went, she had just pummeled through a wooden roof at full speed from Walls’ knows where. She would be concussed, at the very least. Levi had flipped her onto her back and could see a few lacerations here and there, including one stretching the length of her right cheek, but the internal damage was yet to be seen.
Before Erwin interacted with the MP’s, the two men had laid her out across Levi’s side of the carriage, which happened to be the side unaffected by the carnage that Morgan had caused. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully, which was honestly more convenient. If she was awake, he’d have to tend to her injuries. Then, he wouldn’t be able to keep watch over Erwin. If he couldn’t fight, he had to do something of use.
“Stay there, brat,” he grumbled, knowing fully that his words fell on deaf ears.
“Erwin! Your arrogance has brought Hell right to our door!” Nile Dawk, Commander of the Military Police and a man Levi had come to know as an ass over the years, trained his rifle in Erwin’s unfazed face.
“I know,” Erwin responded simply. Levi watched him from the corner of his eye, torn halfway between being at Erwin’s right hand, and Winnie’s aid. “I acted entirely on my own authority. And, I offer no excuses.
Nile trembled slightly, anger coursing through him as he fought to hold his composure. Shouldering his rifle, he opted to grabbing Erwin by the collar. “You knew what this would do to us, you son of a bitch!” He exclaimed. “You knew and our lives be damned! Why? Damn you, why?”
“For humanity, for victory.”
Erwin spoke in one of those voices that Levi had grown to tolerate over the years, the high and mighty tone that placed Erwin on a pedestal above all else. Every move of his was calculated, and sometimes heartless, despite the oh-so-noble cause. Levi bit back a scoff.
Nile continued to berate Erwin, pointing the barrel of his rifle into Erwin’s face once again. Though he threatened his life, the sweat beading on Nile’s brow betrayed his intentions. He was too much of a coward to do it. For that reason, Levi didn’t even feel the need to step between the two.
“Do as your conscience dictates,” Erwin replied calmly, unblinking. “My post is yours. The Female Titan must not escape. Deployment is through Peer, and Beirer is in command of provisions.” The blonde rattled off the responsibilities incessantly, without so much as a hint of fear in his voice. The more Erwin explained the duties Dawk would have to assume should Erwin be killed, Dawk’s demeanor faltered accordingly.
“Shut up!” Nile finally ordered, trembling under the weight of the events transpiring around them. “Do you really think… that this is for the good of us all?” He gestured widely to the burning city of Stohess, which was in ruin not much unlike Shiganshina, and the other cities of Wall Maria. The distant sound of screams and gunshots reverberated through the otherwise empty streets. It was an eerie reminder of the attacks inside the walls just five years prior, a day that even had Levi shaking in his boots. If the Armored and Colossal were shifters just as Annie and Eren were, Annie clearly knew important information. Information Levi planned to get out of her, no matter the cost. That was a sentiment that Levi and Erwin shared, even if Erwin was willing to make greater sacrifices than he.
“I have faith it’s a step forward,” Erwin replied.
Nile sighed, squeezing his eyes shut tightly has he lowered his weapon in defeat. “Everyone, lower your rifles,” he ordered. “Place this man under arrest.”
With a salute, the other MP’s surrounding Dawk obeyed his orders, as he made a motion to have all troops deployed to both evacuate civilians, and secure the Female Titan.
“Erwin, I hereby wash my hands of you, and leave you to the high court,” Nile announced, the sweat beading his brow finally running tracks down the side of his narrow face.
“I’ll accept their judgement. Thank you, Nile,” Erwin said with a nod, surrendering himself to the soldiers who put him in cuffs.
Having grown impatient from the interaction and antsy from the sounds of battle and distress surrounding them, Levi finally had enough waiting around. Though he was in formal clothes, he strode over to the back of the carriage where his gear was securely hidden.
“Levi,” Erwin ordered, as the police began to escort him away. “Stay put and watch over Cadet Morgan for now, a pointless death wouldn’t suit you. Besides, she’s in no condition to be left defenseless.”
Levi hung his head, nodding reluctantly. He glanced back into the cabin of the carriage, where Winnigan hadn’t even so much as shifted in place. “No, I doubt it would,” he responded coldly, looking at the Commander over his shoulder. “Any more than it suits anyone else.”
Levi leaned against the side of the carriage, his injured leg throbbing with each passing moment. His eyes never left Winnigan's unconscious form, studying the rise and fall of her chest to ensure she was still breathing. The cut on her cheek had finally stopped bleeding, but bruises were beginning to bloom across her visible skin.
"Tch." He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, carefully dabbing at the dried blood on her face. "What a mess you've gotten yourself into."
Another crash in the distance made him tense, his hand instinctively moving to where his blades should be. But Erwin's orders echoed in his mind. Stay put. Watch over the cadet. He gritted his teeth in frustration, feeling utterly useless with his broken leg and babysitting duty.
Winnigan stirred slightly, a small groan escaping her lips. Levi's attention snapped back to her, but she didn't wake. "At least one of us is getting some rest," he muttered, settling back against the carriage wall to continue his vigil. “Seems I’m taking care of you more often than not,” he grumbled to himself.
Not far from here, perhaps a street or two over, was the same staircase that showed him the light of day for the first time. That same staircase sealed his fate, and sealed the graves of his closest friends. Then, just days prior, he returned to that same staircase with the cadet now unconscious under his watch. Though he did his best to appear aloof at all times, not even the stoic Levi Ackerman could miss the fear in Winnie’s eyes and voice when they went under the surface. This wasn’t the same fear of the unknown that any other cadet would have; those who grew up on the surface in villages and cities alike, their fear was unfounded.
Winnigan’s was real. She had been there.
Then, when they approached the brothel, it all made sense. Of course, Levi knew the Morgan fortune was built on escorts and brothels, but knowing how straight-laced Winnie and Pietro both were, he assumed these escorts were the exceptional few who led happy lives. As happy as a whore under the ground could be, anyway.
Levi could argue he was as taken aback by the sight of Lord Morgan’s brothel. This place was not unfamiliar. Sure, his mother never worked there. He never lived there. But, as he got older, he had to find means of his own to survive. Kenny had taught him a great deal of how to fight, steal, cheat. He even taught him to kill. So, when casing a joint to loot, little Levi stumbled upon the most disgusting of men doing the most disgusting of things. To a child, no less.
He was still a child himself, at the time. He had yet to meet Furlan and Isabel, the other two scrappy kids that he did his business with in his teen years. He had his own knife, tucked safely into his boot, but one glimmering on the cobblestone before him was readily available. He remembered the flash of anger, the flash of power that overtook him as he took a man’s life for the first time.
Of course, no child is made to understand what it means to draw the last breath from another. So, before he could even think of what he had done, he saw the pricey bottle of liquor between the corpse and the child. If he didn’t end up drinking it, it’d be worth a couple days of fresh food.
“Thanks for the booze,” he recalled yelling as he disappeared into the darkness of the Underground.
As he got older, he used his power to keep his head above water. His strength was a weapon, one that many a merchant bartered for. Whether it be a safe walk home, a jealous lover’s revenge, or simply a lesson that needed taught, Levi was easy guns for hire.
He wasn’t a young lad without charity, though. While some brothel owners and whoremasters sought him out to take care of unsavory customers who ‘spoiled the merchandise’, Levi often found himself gravitating around brothels on his own.
Safely concealed in the shadows, he would watch for men who took more than they paid for. He’d converse with the ladies of the night regularly, taking note of the men they were wary of. Then, when he saw those men again, sometimes, they would disappear.
If Kenny the Ripper was considered a serial killer, Levi could be, too. Of course he would be, he was raised by the Ripper, after all. Though he had channeled his anger into titans, Levi could’ve sworn he found himself gravitating towards his old ways as he watched Winnigan break under the heavy weight of the Underground and their memories. It was then, in her father’s office, seeing how little she truly knew of Pietro’s life… let alone his demise, that Levi vowed to stay by her side. While some stories were not his own to tell, he swore that when things finally calmed down, he’d be honest about what he knew. As someone who grew up knowing so little about his family and origins, it hurt to see one of his own cadets go through the exact same thing.
Of course, clearly, he was protective over all of his cadets. She was no exception… even if there was a pull he could not quite explain.
Another explosion rocked the streets of Stohess, drawing Levi's attention back to the present moment. His eyes darted between Winnigan's unconscious form and the chaos unfolding beyond their carriage. Despite his injury and orders to stay put, his muscles tensed instinctively, ready to defend his charge should any threat approach.
“Winnie, I think our attention is needed elsewhere.” He knelt down to where she lay, patting her cheek firmly. No response. “Oi, Morgan,” he snapped, giving her a firmer smack across the face. She groaned slightly.
“What time is it—” she slurred, attempting to prop herself up on her elbows. She winced, clutching her side.
Levi scoffed. “Comical. You did a bit more than sleep in, we’ve nearly missed the whole battle thanks to you. How are your injuries?”
Though he sounded cold, Winnigan could hear the concern laced into his words. She rubbed her eyes in a desperate attempt to get her bearings. “My head… it hurts. And everything’s spinning. And, my side hurts, and—”
“You got anything that doesn’t hurt?” Levi asked dryly.
Winnigan shook her head. “My feelings, if that’s what you were trying to do.”
Levi chuckled despite himself, looking once again in the direction of the explosion. His face paled. “Winnie, she’s climbing the wall.”
Winnigan tried her best to whip around and see what exactly Levi was speaking of, but the pain in her sides and her skull sent stars across her vision.
“I have to go, Winnie, they need me.” Levi said gruffly. “You’re in no condition to move. Stay here, until someone comes back for you.” With that, he geared up as quickly as he could, before whizzing off on his gear to join the others, bum leg be damned.
Before, Winnigan could even protest, the pain and dizziness of her concussion claimed her once more. Her thoughts weren’t adding up. Annie had just been here, but now, she was with Levi? Why was she in a busted carriage? Her final memories were of being in the Female Titan’s grasp— at Annie’s mercy. What in the world led to this?
Her consciousness ebbed and flowed like waves against a shore. Each time she surfaced, snippets of chaos filtered through: the thunderous footsteps of the Female Titan, screams echoing through the streets, the distinctive hiss of ODM gear.
In one moment of clarity, she heard Eren's titan roar—a sound that made her bones vibrate even from this distance. The next time her eyes fluttered open, she caught glimpses of steam rising above the buildings.
Another wave of darkness took her, and when she next stirred, the sounds of battle had changed. There were voices shouting about crystals, about containment. The word "underground" made her flinch, even in her semi-conscious state.
The final time she came to, before fully losing consciousness again, she heard Hange's voice nearby, speaking rapidly about preservation and study. The urgency in their tone suggested something significant had happened, but Winnigan couldn't piece it together. Her head throbbed, but despite the instinct to sleep, she gave herself a sharp smack across the face to bring her to her senses.
“Section Commander?” Winnigan asked hesitantly. Hange whipped around suddenly, eyes blown open in surprise, before briskly shuffling to her side. Winnigan took in their surroundings as Hange grabbed her face, inspecting her pupils. The damp smell of the dimly lit room brought unease, gooseflesh creeping up her arms. She had heard underground, there was no mistaking it, but there was no indicator of whether this was the city, or just some basement.
“Great, you’re awake! You’re definitely concussed… I’m seeing now that we probably shouldn’t have let you sleep so much.” Hange began to ramble on about pupil dilation and the possibility of going comatose, a word that quickly brought back Winnigan’s attention. “Though, I really hate that they always entrust the injured people to me… just because I’m a scientist does not mean I’m a doctor.”
Winnigan only blinked in response, her eyes struggling to adjust to the dank surroundings. Everything still had a haze surrounding it since she hit her head, though Winnigan could have sworn she saw something twinkling a couple yards away. When she tried to focus her vision, her head spun, and Hange quickly grabbed her for support. “Though I daresay I’m the best you’ve got,” Hange quipped with a restrained laugh. “Where does it hurt?”
Winnigan forced a chuckle. “Captain didn’t tell you? It hurts everywhere. Where is everyone? Where are we?”
Hange sighed, sitting on the edge of the cot and squeezing Winnigan’s hand. The sudden show of resignation from the Section Commander worried her. “We’re in a secure location underneath Wall Sina, with Annie.”
Winnigan perked up.
“She’s unresponsive. I’m here to study her, and you’re here in hopes you can illicit some reaction from her. If I’m not mistaken, the two of you had a sexual relationship of sorts?”
Winnigan choked. “No! Not sexual. I guess you could say we were… romantically involved? If you could even call it that?”
Images of days prior flashed through her mind. The way they had devoured each other in the alleyway entirely, lost in the heat of newfound lust. Winnigan pushed the memory away and followed Hange's gesture toward something glinting in the darkness. Her eyes searched the darkness, still unable to make anything out clearly. Hange smiled sympathetically, grabbing Winnigan’s forearms and helping her to her feet. The room spun and her sore legs nearly buckled beneath the weight and Hange’s grip elicited a yelp from her.
“As I suspected, there’s likely a fracture somewhere in your forearm. There’s significant bruising, but no clean break to make it obvious. Don’t take any deep breaths, your ribs are likely shot as well.”
“What the hell, Hange?” Winnigan gritted, dropping all formalities. “If you knew my arm was broken, why would you grab it like that?”
Hange shrugged, leading her to the other end of the room. “I was just trying to help, like I said, I’m no doctor!” They scrutinized her eyes for a moment, before adding: “We’ll see about you getting some glasses. Here,” Hange guided her to a chair in front of what Winnigan finally recognized as Annie.
She was encased in transparent stone, or… ice, Winnigan wasn’t certain. Though Annie’s eyes were closed, she looked far from peaceful. Her eyebrows knit together, her arms clutched around her chest. She was frozen in anguish.
“Annie…” Winnie whispered, a gut-wrenching sob suddenly overtaking her. Her ribs were on fire from clutching in on herself, but it couldn’t be helped. Hange’s calloused hand patted her back lightly, before pulling a pair of bifocals from their pocket and inspecting the stone material closer.
“It’s some sort of crystal,” Hange mused. “It’s indestructible, as far as I can tell. I believe it’s made from a sudden crystallization of the titan flesh surrounding the nape?”
Winnigan heard their words but listened to none of it. She placed her palms on the crystal, sliding off of the chair and onto the floor to be nearer to her. Annie looked so scared… despite all that she had done, was there a chance that it wasn’t her choice? “She didn’t want to do this,” Winnigan whispered.
Silence followed as Hange scribbled hasty notes into a small notepad, occasionally glancing at Winnigan in their peripherals. The stone floor was cold, as was the crystal that Annie resided in. Winnigan began to shiver as she realized her jacket had been taken from her at some point.
“I need to talk to Erwin,” she demanded suddenly, attempting to push herself to her feet. The pressure on her arm, chest, and the impaired vision sent her reeling. “Please,” she hissed.
Hange tsked, pocketing their notebook and peering over their bifocals. “No can-do, Winnie. You must’ve still been knocked out, but Commander Erwin was taken into custody during the battle.”
Winnigan gasped, grappling the chair in front of her to steady herself. “What, why?”
“Insubordination,” Hange said simply, unclipping their cloak and draping it over Winnigan’s shoulders. “Treason. You name it. There’s no telling how many casualties happened in Stohess.”
They glanced at Annie, then back at Winnigan once more. “She had no visible reaction to your presence… but that doesn’t mean anything in particular. I had hoped there would be some sort of reaction. Armin tried as well when he helped carry you in here. The medics have probably arrived by now, so I’ll walk you to them. However, be prepared to return at any time. I’m not done experimenting yet!”
“Yes, Section Commander,” Winnigan sighed.
…
A handful of soldiers were receiving medical treatment when Hange and Winnigan arrived at the makeshift infirmary set up in the wake of the Stohess battle. Among them was Captain Levi, in civilian formal wear, his broken leg propped up on a pillow.
“God, what happened to you?” Winnigan asked as Hange helped her into the cot next to him.
He sneered. “You should see yourself. I had to babysit you while your lazy ass was sawing logs in my carriage.”
"I didn't ask to get knocked out cold," Winnigan retorted, wincing as a medic began examining her ribs. "And I certainly didn't ask to be hauled around in your fancy carriage like some noble's daughter."
Levi's expression softened slightly, though his tone remained stern. "Next time try not getting yourself thrown around by a titan. We didn’t haul you anywhere, you flew into us."
The medic silently pulled a curtain between the two as Hange helped Winnigan undress. He poked at each of her ribs, scrutinizing the purple and green blotches blooming around her ribcage. “It’s a miracle she didn’t puncture a lung. I think more ribs are broken than not,” he retorted to Hange, who nodded, eyes glued to Winnigan’s torso. If it weren’t for the blinding pain, Winnigan would’ve felt embarrassed.
“Hey, my eyes are up here!” Winnigan quipped, scrunching her eyes shut as she fought off another wave of nausea that accompanies the splitting headache.
“Oi, Hange, stop perving on my cadet,” Levi barked from the other side of the curtain.
Hange shook their head as they assisted the medic in wrapping tight bandages around her sides. “A little hard to focus on your perky tits when you look like a corpse,” Hange laughed, patting Winnigan on the shoulder lightly. Winnigan blushed a deep scarlet, and she could’ve sworn she heard Levi choke on his tea through the curtain.
The medic cleared his throat, returning to his work. "You'll need to stay in bed for at least a few weeks," he instructed, carefully splinting her forearm. "And absolutely no ODM gear until further notice." Winnigan groaned at this, knowing she'd be relegated to house chores for the foreseeable future. As Hange finished up covering Winnigan’s chest in bandages, they thew open the curtain that partitioned Levi from the rest of the group. Suddenly aware of her bare shoulders and lower stomach, Winnigan slumped further into the cot.
“The head injury alone was gonna keep you out of the gear,” he said, setting his tea on the table between the two of them. “Did I hear them say you can’t see right?”
Winnigan sighed, slightly nodding her head. “Everything’s blurry, except whatever I’m focusing on. It’s gotta be close up, though.”
“She was two yards from Annie and couldn’t see her,” Hange offered, unhelpfully.
Levi nodded curtly. “Noted. We’ll get you some glasses, but I’m sure that’ll clear up as you recover.”
Winnigan stared at the ceiling, her body aching with each shallow breath. Annie's crystallized form lingered in her mind, haunting her thoughts. How had everything gone so wrong, so quickly? Now Annie was trapped in a prison of her own making, and Winnigan couldn't even see straight enough to make out her face clearly.
Her vision blurred, though this time it wasn't from the head injury. She quickly wiped away the tears before they could fall. There would be time for grief later. Right now, she needed to focus on healing, on getting stronger. Because something told her that Annie's crystal wasn't the end of this story - it was just the beginning of something much bigger than all of them.
As sleep began to overtake her once more, Winnigan's last coherent thought was of Annie's anguished expression frozen in the crystal. What were you so afraid of?