Leave of Absence

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The world beyond the wall always fascinated you. Your skills were passable, and they'd have to be for you to survive this long, but your training had never been motivated by the desire to kill titans. There were so many of them, it was impossible that in your lifetime they'd all be destroyed.
So the scouts was your only chance to see the outside world. Huge rivers, landscapes covered in snow, thunderstorms. Even the sun seemed that much brighter when you felt free. This truly was a feeling close to bliss, and the payment for that feeling...

"There's an abnormal headed this way! Prepare for combat!" The shout makes you look in the direction of it, and a plume of smoke in the air catches your attention. An abnormal... It's rare to encounter one so quickly. It comes into view, an eighteen, perhaps twenty metre titan, definitely not easy to take down.

The circumstances could've been better. Perhaps as an act of kindness, Levi has convinced Erwin to put you in command of the rearguard. Something about how you're old enough to start taking control, although it's obvious what he's done. The control should be easy in the rearguard, and the chances of encountering a titan are low. He's protecting you. Although you can appreciate that, the last thing you want is to be coddled by the man you've called captain for years now. Especially when you're not with him, or Daniel. The two of them are riding at the head of the group, lost to sight long ago.

You almost refused this job. But it was a command, and of course you understand how these things work. Succeed in this, and you'll climb your way up, perhaps even becoming a captain like Levi in a couple more years. But if you fail... Yeah, that's not going to happen.
"Sirus, Lisa, with me!" You shout at two of the people with you, the two most skilled in your opinion. And it it's an abnormal you're taking down, that'll be necessary. The two waste no time coming to your side and asking for orders. So this is is, the first time you have true command over people's actions, and potentially their lives.
"Right, see if you can distract it first, if it gets the wagons then it'll be a disaster. Me and Lisa will break it's knees and immobilise it. Sirus," you look over to him, a boy who's barely worn his wings for a year, yet skilled enough to hold your trust. "You'll make the kill once it's down." It's not a suggestion, but an order, and you like the firmness of your tone. They nod to show they understand, though their fear is palpable, and the three of you begin to move...

*************************************

"It was all my fault." You say blankly, arms crossed against the tabletop as you lean on them heavily, wanting to bury your face in them and scream. But you have to maintain a certain amount of composure, hence your presence with Levi. He invited you to his office an hour ago, and you've been there ever since, trying to get ahold of yourself.
"How can it have been your fault? You weren't there."
"Exactly. I should've been... I could've helped him."

You succeeded in killing the titan that had attacked the rearguard. That had been no problem, everything had gone to plan. It was what you didn't plan for that had gone wrong. Another abnormal, but this one had headed straight for the front of the column. With the confusion of the attack at the rearguard, by the time they'd realised it was already upon them. The people brought it down easily enough, but not without their own losses. Three people injured, and two dead.
"Daniel..." You whispered to yourself, your voice breaking as you buried your face in your hands. "He should've been with me, not out there at the front!"
"(Y/n), he wanted to prove himself, and he handled himself well."
"He died, Levi!" You snap, hands balling up into fists as you stare across the desk at him. To his credit, he doesn't retaliate, he only sighs softly and holds a letter out towards you. "What's that..?" You shouldn't care, but you take it and turn it over in your hands.
"Daniel was your friend, and you failed to perform basic procedures. The other titan came from the rear, but your men didn't signal it. As a consequence, it reached the front." You wince, not wanting to be reminded of your failure. There is no malice in Levi's tone, it's actually rather soft, almost sympathetic. He goes on, "So me and Erwin have decided to give you a temporary leave of absence. Officially it's to mourn for your friend, but we both know that's a polite way of demoting you. You won't have any command for a long while."
"Our..."
"What?"
"He was our friend. And I don't want to go, the scouts are everything to me. Please, Levi." He sighs and shakes his head, indicating that there's nothing he can do.
"Just take it. It's only for a month, when you come back you'll feel better. You're quite lucky, most people don't get these kinds of things when someone they care about dies. They get a few days to mourn and that's it."

You sigh and get to your feet, avoiding his eyes even as you step back.
"I'll leave in the morning." You finally decide. It's evening now, and leaving in the darkness wouldn't help in any way. Better to go when the light of the sun is present, ready to wash away any fears or doubts.
"I'll inform the others of your decision." Weird, but when he's in his office Levi is always so... Professional. Anyone walking in would never have guessed that you were friends, unless they were to look closely. But he goes against that, and offers you a warm smile.
"(Y/n)." He calls out, before you've reached the door. "It'll be okay soon, I promise." He says, sounding so sure of himself. You nod and say a word of thanks before you leave, shutting the door behind you and making your way to your room.

Behind the thick door, Levi has gotten to his feet. When he's sure you've gone, he lets out a quiet giggle that fills the air. The perverse sound soon becomes a soft laugh, and he's shaking his head as if someone's just told him a good joke.
"Oh, the little sweetheart. She's so..." He left that hanging in the air, and hurried from his office, knowing he couldn't waste any more time.


// Whew. I thought that part was quite long and text heavy compared to what I'm going for, but I felt it was necessary.
I'll try not to leave authors notes too often, as well.
Thanks for starting to read this, I hope you enjoy it.

(Yandere!LeviXReader) Obsession, Possession. Where stories live. Discover now