Chapter Text
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With Erwin in the lead, Mike escorted Levi towards the staircase, footsteps echoing in the stilled silence as people stood watching, shocked to see the trio that once caused havoc in the underground finally being captured. Two other soldiers were following behind with Isabel and Furlan, while the three MP's that had first set chase on them carried crates with their few possessions. The gang that manned the stairs waived the toll, much to Isabel’s shock, and the group ascended the stone steps to the surface, Levi glaring daggers at his guard each time he jostled him around causing him to stumble and trip. They reached the surface and stepped out from the shadows, their faces at once scrunching up as the sunlight burned down on them; years of low light exposure had left them unprepared for this level of brightness.
A nudge from Mike encouraged Levi to walk towards the carriage and step up. He went slowly as he didn’t have his hands available to balance him, but the motivational shove from Mike sent him stumbling and he hit his cheek on the side of the doorframe. Isabel yelped and tried to dart towards Levi but was held back tightly, Furlan knew better and kept his mouth shut, turning his head. It was the final straw for Levi, and he kicked out, hard, catching Mike in the stomach. His response was instant, he grabbed Levi’s hair and slammed his knee into his face, blood splattering over his uniform trousers before he dropped him to the ground again and spat on him. Mike helped get Isabel and Furlan into the carriage first before he dragged Levi up and forced him through the door onto the wooden floor. Erwin followed him, helped him up and sat him down between the others. He undid Isabel and Furlan's cuffs but left Levi’s on. Mike joined Erwin on the bench opposite, and the carriage headed off on the journey towards the Survey Corps Headquarters.
Isabel and Furlan were leaning across to see out the windows in complete awe as they stared at the world outside of the underground, chatting eagerly and asking the surface-dwellers countless questions with the sun beaming down and warming their skin. Levi sat still with his head down, dark locks of hair clumped to his face with wet mud, his pale skin was streaked with dirt, small scrapes and scratches, deep maroon bruising spreading under his eyes like a cloud while two dried streams of blood led from his nose to his shirt, remnants of his scrap with Mike. He could vaguely smell something like burning emanating from nearby, but it was overwhelmed by the metallic tang in his nose, not that he could inhale much anyway from the swelling. He glanced to Erwin, trying to focus on his scent but he eventually gave up and breathed through his mouth.
"Do you get off on rubbing my face in the dirt or something? Mutt.” Levi spat, leaning down to try and gently wipe his face off on his knee without aggravating his nose.
"Shut it, you little rat." Mike hissed, repositioning his gun to make its presence known. His nostrils twitched as he sniffed the air, smirking at Levi. "Sewer rat."
Levi gagged discretely, swallowing the bile that rose in his throat. As much as he tried to feign ignorance, he knew full well that sewage flowed into the streets. He knew Mike had held his face in the puddle deliberately, trying to show dominance. He knew Mike was one of those knotheads who had to make their status known to everyone.
Erwin looked at him almost apologetically, pulling his handkerchief out of his pocket and extending his arm, tipping Levi's chin up with his index finger. Levi inhaled sharply, expecting to just be gagged and beaten to shut him up and he closed his eyes, bracing himself but instead he felt the handkerchief wiped across his cheeks. The finger under his chin disappeared and he opened his eyes to see Erwin pouring water out of his canteen onto the handkerchief and he reached out again, tilting Levi's head up to meet his gaze as he wiped over the dirt again then trailed down towards the streaks of blood. Careful to avoid his nose, he tentatively swiped at the mess, glancing up at Levi's eyes for any signs of discomfort. Erwin didn’t manage to clean it completely but the reprieve on Levi's face said it was good enough for now, so he reached up to push the black hair back, his wrist just inches from Levi’s nose. Levi’s nose twitched slightly as a delicate spiciness seeped past the blood, eyes fluttering shut as any resentment towards Erwin was washed away and replaced with a sense of calm and peace. A sigh left his parted lips, and he dropped his gaze back down to the floor.
"Better?"
"Thank you." He muttered, repositioning himself for the rest of the journey.
Isabel was utterly mesmerised from the moment she stepped into the sunlight. Every few minutes she was nudging Levi and calling out to Furlan, eager for them to see all the fascinating things she saw. Birds flying overhead, trees in all different shades of green, clouds drifting across the blue sky, children clutching their parents’ hands as they made their way down the paths. When her face wasn’t pressed against the window, she chatted happily with Erwin, answering questions about underground life, Furlan chiming in with how they’d self-taught their use of ODM gear while omitting details of how they’d acquired it in the first place or how they manage to refill their gas canisters and blades. Levi remained silent the entire time, wrists aching as they stayed cuffed behind his back for hours.