Recall - Levi Ackerman x Fem OC (An Attack On Titan /// Shingeki No Kyojin ff)

Chapter 15 - Spy (Season 3)

"If things continue how they are, it won't be long until the Government passes a law to control Scout activity. That'll mean we'll have to proceed as outlaws, and while Pyxis agreed to keep me in the loop, I'm sure there'll be information he's going to withhold. This is where you come in. Your job will be to keep your head down and find out as much as you can without drawing suspicion to yourself.

"I'm almost sure the Garrison will be working closely with the MPs. They're bound to slip up and spill some information we can use to our advantage. When you hear something you deem incriminating enough, you feed it back to me and I can work to clear the Scout's name and get us back on the right side of the law and with any luck, fix this corrupt government."

Leah let Erwin finish, her bottom lip quivering towards the end. "And then I can come back?" She asked in a voice just above a whisper. Erwin's face looked pained as he gazed back at the Captain.

"Leah, nobody else can know about the plan. As far as your squad's going to know... you've just betrayed them for you own safety." The final bit of strength inside Leah corroded and she felt her heart break in her chest. She shook her head frantically, finding it hard to believe Erwin was doing this to her. These people mattered to her now, she cared deeply for them and the idea of them hating her for a fabricated truth anguished her soul. A tear snuck out the corner of her left eye.

"What about Levi?"

Erwin looked away, not able to meet her heartbroken eyes anymore. "Not even him. Please try and understand, Leah. You care about these people, and that's not one sided. If they knew about the plan, they'd act recklessly. We need them to believe it wholeheartedly. So they can't know. Especially not Levi." Leah couldn't believe this was happening. Despite all the death, and loss she'd faced in her months back as a Scout, she couldn't even imaging returning to Garrison. This was her life now, these were her people... her family.

Tears flowing freely, Leah shakily lowered herself into a chair by the door, as far away from Erwin as she could get in the small hospital room. "I can't do this to them. It's not the spying. It's the leaving. They need me and I need them." Her eyes remained trained on the wooden floorboards as she spoke, before she promptly buried her face in her hands, unable to hold back a soulful sob. "I can't do it, Erwin. Please don't make me go."

The mattress creaked as Erwin clambered out of bed and carefully approached Leah. She was crying softly into her hands, not bothering to look up when Erwin's footsteps ceased and a large hand rested on Leah's head, smoothing her hair. "As of tomorrow morning you are to begin your new position as Squad Leader of the Garrison."

Leah's head snapped up and she let out a sharp gasp. Erwin stood over her, swimming in her vision as her tears continued to well. He'd gotten her a promotion. A promotion she didn't want. She began to shake her head, at first gently, but eventually becoming frantic. "No- no! I can't believe you're doing this." She roared, reaching up to push him away by the midsection. He remained planted before her.

"Leah, please try to understand why I'm doing this. I'm doing it for you!" But she just shook her head harder and her tears spilled in torrents. Erwin took a step closer, placing a hand softly on her shoulder, which shook with every sob. "I'm sorry."

Resting her forehead on his navel, as Erwin cradled her head, Leah cried uncontrollably into his white bedshirt. The red-head grabbed fistfuls of the fabric on his torso and clung for dear life. She couldn't believe this was happening. She wanted to scream at him, punch him and blame him for her pain, but this wasn't Erwin's fault. Not really. He was just doing what he thought was best for her. So she sobbed, and continued to sob with Erwin stroking her hair in comfort, until her eyes ran dry and her body ached with fatigue.