Broken Bodies, Severed Feelings (Erwin x OC)

|32| Death

"C'mon, Petra, we know you have a crush on someone. Just gotta tell us who,"

"Let's just not talk about it here, girls!"

"Pretty please!!! C'mon, you already know I find Vice-Captain Moblit cute,"

"Ugh! Fine! I... might have a tinsy little crush on... Captain Levi..."

"No way!"

"I too think he's cute. Going all around and being grumpy whilst I'm pretty sure he's soft on the inside,"

"Yes! He's caring... in his own way,"

Nathalie couldn't hear any more of this conversation. Apparently, walking around the HQ at night was a bad idea because this was the sixth time, she found some cadets just hanging around and having a gossip talk in some random hall or room or corridor. And now there were actual cadets salivating over Levi. Highly unprofessional. Nathalie repeated that over and over because there was no way she was admitting that other girls were crushing over a man that she had once loved dearly, and it bothered her.

"Girls," Nathalie walked out of the wall and all three of them tensed up and saluted her – the new Section Commander of the fifth squad. "I do believe you're out past curfew. Back to bed,"

"Y- Yes, ma'am!" The three of them said in unison before they started retreating in different directions.

"Petra," Nathalie said at the ginger head girl who turned and looked at her and saluted her again. That girl was a member of Levi's squad. She was slightly shorter than Nathalie and far younger. But she was beautiful, and she seemed nice. She was the youngest member of Levi's squad. "Be a dear and take these to Captain Levi," Nathalie handed her a set of papers.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Oh, and..." Nathalie stopped her from walking away. "...friendly advice, if you wanna get on Captain Levi's good side, jasmine tea is his favourite. He drinks it with one tablespoon of honey, but only when he's in a good mood," Nathalie smiled at her, and Petra's face lightened up immediately.

"Thank you so much, ma'am! Excuse my asking, but... you know him?"

Nathalie chuckled. "Of course! I helped Commander Erwin drag him from the Underground," Nathalie turned to leave. "Goodnight, Petra,"

Nathalie's smile faded when she turned her back on Petra and headed for her own office. She knew she should be happy in case Levi moved on. Levi had to move on and give his heart elsewhere – to someone who would never break. Someone who would treat it kind and better than she ever could. And maybe Petra could be that someone. Levi had to move on and be happy. If he was happy, she'd be happy for him. Or at least she'd try.

She knew how it felt to be loved by Levi. Levi gave everything to the partner who would stand by him. It was like a fairytale when she was with him. And then it was Erwin who just... wouldn't do anything. And she had chosen the man who couldn't even clarify his feelings for her. Who would try to kiss her and curse himself for wanting to. She had Levi's love, but she tossed it away. She deserved this.

Fuck this. Stop thinking about this. Nathalie dived into her paperwork which had gotten immense when she became a Section Commander. Running both experiments and writing her thesis and doing paperwork and attending to all the duties that she had to attend as a Section Commander, life had become exhausting.

A knock came on her door after a while and Nathalie realised she had drifted off to sleep on her desk, but the knock snapped her back to reality. She stood up and ran a hand through her tired eyes and opened the door revealing Erwin with a few extra papers in his hands.