Love you always (Levi x Reader x Erwin)

Relief never seemed to last long.

"Commander! Captain! The Armored—it's coming this way!" a scout's panicked voice rang out behind us.

Erwin and I yanked our horses to a halt and wheeled around in unison.

There he was Reiner, his Titan form crashing forward with the fury of a thunderstorm. Titans clung to his armored body like parasites, clawing, biting, desperate. But his armor held, and one by one, he flung them aside like broken dolls. Each time he freed a limb, he moved faster, more determined. More dangerous.

"He's headed straight for us," I said, eyes scanning the carnage.

"Commander, I don't see Eren or Mikasa anywhere." My gaze darted in every direction, searching for any glimpse of them through the crowd. Nothing.

Reiner hurled the last Titan off his back with a guttural growl and broke into a full sprint toward us. Toward Eren. He was looking for him too.

"Erwin," I said, voice tightening with urgency, "let me borrow your gear."

He didn't even hesitate, his answer was a hard shake of the head. "Absolutely not. You'd be running on fumes, and there are no spare blades left. I'm not risking it."

"But Erwin—"

"That's an order. Stand down." His voice cracked like a whip, sharp and commanding. His blue eyes burned into mine, filled with fury, desperation, and something deeper. Something more personal. 

And it hit me. He wasn't just trying to protect a soldier.

He was trying to protect me.

I let out a frustrated sigh. "Then what the hell do you suggest we do, Commander?"

"Eren is still the main goal. We need to find him and retreat."

Suddenly, every Titan around jerked away in unison, their heads snapping toward the same point on the horizon before they took off, thundering across the field in the same direction.

"What the hell? Why're they—"

"Look! Eren and Mikasa!" I shouted, arm extended. There they were, Eren sprinting with Mikasa clinging to his back, his steps wild but purposeful as he charged across the open field toward us.

As if the very world decided to shift its weight, the swarm of Titans turned on Reiner, assaulting him without hesitation. He roared, flailing against their attack, but they overwhelmed him, and his progress slowed. Good. Let them keep him occupied.

Armin rushed forward, breathless and trembling, dragging Jean's limp form behind him. Without missing a beat, he handed Eren a horse.

"This might be our only window! Soldiers, retreat!" Erwin's voice boomed across the fields. It wasn't a command, it carried the weight of our survival, the sheer will to endure.

And like that, we moved.

The Scouts surged forward in one sweeping tide, every horse charging toward the promise of safety, of life, of home. 

By the time we had put real distance between ourselves and the chaos, the sky had surrendered to the embrace of night. Blue layered over blue, the world deepened into shades of sapphire and ink, a masterpiece unfolding one quiet stroke at a time. 

The stars were spilling across the sky like scattered dreams. Unreachable, untouchable, and achingly beautiful. I pulled in a breath, sharp and clean, letting the air cool the fire still raging beneath my skin. For a moment, I allowed myself to feel it. The crispness of survival. The fragility of calm.