Chapter 13: The Burden He Carries

                                    

                                          
tw: anxiety, panic attacks and gore
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You hadn't heard a loud noise like that in a while, especially not up close, your whole body jolted and you grabbed onto Eren's shirt for stability. 
Floch was immediately tackled by Jean and Connie as you were left with a strange ringing sound in your ears. You started to feel dizzy, like the room was spinning... and you fell to your knees. 
Levi's face appeared before you—wide blue eyes and sweat across his skin. He was holding you by your shoulders and yelling something. Everything felt like slow motion, as if you were underwater.
"Levi... I can't... hear you... What are you saying?" You mumbled, your eyelids slowly dropping. 
Your lower body felt numb, you looked down at yourself. You were on the ground, sundress stained in red near the torso. You looked back up at Levi, slowly realizing what had happened. "No..." You whispered.
Not like this. 
Please.
"Please help me." The words left your lips in a drowsy whimper.
Your arms fell to your sides. Levi held you with one hand on your back and the other around your head. Your breathing started to accelerate as the reality of what had occurred, set in. 
"Shh, it's okay, it's okay. Save your energy. Just breathe. It's okay, I'm gonna take care of you. You're gonna be fine." He reassured you. 
"Eren damnit she was supposed to be behind you! Your wounds heal!" Levi exclaimed.
That's when Mikasa stepped forward... "I pulled him away sir." She whispered guiltily, looking down at her knitted hands.
Levi shut his eyes, this was something he'd do when he would get so overwhelmed. He would close his eyes for a moment, gather his thoughts, and try his best to remain level headed before opening them again.
He knew the girl had an undying devotion to Eren so it was no surprise to him that she'd do that. He just wished he would have calculated that sooner. 
"Mikasa! You know I heal, that was the whole point of having me take the bullet!" Eren replied.
"I'm sorry." She mumurmed.
"That's not enough! Y/n's gonna die now! She's not like me, she's not a shifter!" The boy walked up to her face. "If she doesn't make it, her death is your burden to carry."
Levi quickly tried to contain the situation. "Eren, calm down. Go grab the aid supplies for me, they're under the bathroom sink. Hurry up. Mikasa, get some towels and clear the table. We'll put Y/n up there. Connie, Jean, I want you guys to keep that gun out of his hands. Hanji, Armin-."
"It's no use..." Floch interrupted, as his body was being held back by Jean and Connie. "This place is about to be overrun with scouts any minute." 
"...What?" Levi grunted.
"While you idiots were all farming earlier. I took the pleasure of informing the rest of our remaining soldiers of the plan to take this place over. They should be here any minute. If she doesn't die from that gunshot, they'll certainly kill her."
Eren walked over and grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Why! Why would you do that!"
"Because it was the right call. None of you had the balls to do it. Someone had to and you know it. We weren't gonna survive in that makeshift hideout."
"You can't take away someone's home..." Eren said sternly, although there was something in his voice that felt a little broken... as if a flashback had just washed over his eyes.