Blood (Levi x Reader)

24. ** Truth **

I knew it may have been pointless to ask, but I needed to know. Had anyone else known about Viktor's discovery, other than Kenny?

Erwin inhaled deeply, then stood from his desk and made his way toward the back of the room where Levi stood. Uncrossing his arms in skepticism, Levi's eyes stalked Erwin closely as he moved to crack open the door. There, standing in the doorway, was a familiar face.

"Eren..." I breathed.

My eyes shifted over to Levi who was making his way back to me, choosing to stand by my side instead of returning to his seat. Erwin escorted Eren over to us, and seeing that Levi was protectively standing over me, Eren decided to take his empty seat.

"Captain. (Y/N)." Eren said, greeting us cordially.

I shook my head and scoffed lightly. "Of course. You knew about me from that vision of yours. We were never able to finish speaking about it though. So, other than the four of us in this room, who all knows about this?"

"(Y/N), don't get the wrong idea. My vision didn't tell me much of anything. It just... gave me snippets, clues. I told Levi and Mikasa about it, but Levi thought it would be better not to involve you. He didn't want to upset you since it was a traumatic experience, and seeing how you were working so hard to move past it-"

"Eren," I interjected. "Before we were forced to abandon our cabin, you had something to tell me... Something you kept even from Levi..."

The atmosphere in the room thickened with adversity, as Levi's menacing gaze burrowed into Eren. I watched the adolescent fidget in his chair for a moment, obviously feeling threatened by his superior, and for good reason.

"Captain Levi, I'm sorry. I know how much (Y/N) means to you, and I didn't want anything to come between you two."

"And nothing you have to say ever will, Yeager. Now spit it out," demanded Levi.

My heart softened at Levi's reassuring words as we anticipated Eren's confession. When the young boy looked at me again, my eyes pleaded for answers.

"I saw you with Viktor, and now I know it was Kenny he was speaking with...so it seems they were memories from the Founding Titan's holder before me, before my father, before Historia's sister Freida. What I didn't tell Levi, and what I was about to tell you before we had to flee, was the secret they kept between each other about Ackerman blood. It's why I told Levi to make sure you stayed close to Mikasa when he wasn't nearby. Other than that, I don't know anything else... I'm sorry."

I glanced up to find Levi practically fuming. I rested my hand on top of his arm, trying to request that he calm down. When his fiery eyes caught sight of mine, the raging flames cooled to a glowing ember, and he took a step back. Tilting my head, I caught sight of Erwin from out of the corner of my eye. He was quietly listening to his soldiers speak, holding a calm, understanding stare. Lowering my shoulders from where they were hunched so anxiously, I groaned to break the silence.

"I guess it's my turn to speak, huh? Eren, I understand why you withheld that bit of information from Levi, so I really can't be upset with you. Honestly, I halfway still think it's a bunch of made-up bullshit, but unfortunately, it makes too much sense when you add it all up. This will take some time for me to wrap my head around everything, but for now, I just want to make sure this is kept quiet. For Levi's safety, for Mikasa's safety, and, well, I guess for my safety too."

I felt Levi rest his hand upon my shoulder, and I automatically met it with mine. With that, Erwin released a low sigh, setting aside the reports. We respectfully turned our attention to the Commander, awaiting his input.

"I believe I can entrust you all to secrecy concerning (Y/N)'s identity. What we have learned today brings us one step closer to understanding our past, and may somehow aid us in the future. However, without drawing any unnecessary attention, I want (Y/N) to align with either Levi or Mikasa whenever we are in battle. This is to ensure the safety of both parties. Have I made myself clear?"

As if on cue, we all stood up and saluted Commander Erwin, bringing our fists to our hearts. Such eager professionalism brought a smile to his face and his eyes shone proudly.

"You're dismissed. I'll see you all at the ceremony."

The three of us quietly left Erwin's office, making our way down the hall to our rooms. Eren seemed rather sheepish walking beside me, knowing I was the only thing keeping Levi from throwing him out the window. So I slowed my steps and paused, making both Levi and Eren turn to face me.

"I appreciate both of you very much, and I hope you realize that you each withheld information at some point during this craziness, but it was with the best of intentions. I hope we can forgive each other and just be grateful that we're standing here together now."

Eren and Levi glanced at each other for a few tense moments before Levi uttered a "tch," and looked away. I smiled contently, recognizing this was Levi's way of letting it go; Eren instantly exhaled as if he had been holding his breath in anticipation. I walked forward and gave Eren a simple, amiable kiss on the cheek and patted his shoulder.

"Thank you, Eren. I don't think I've said that enough to you, for all you have done for us. Now, go take a moment to rest before we leave for the ceremony," I suggested lightly.

Eren's face flushed a light pink tint as he bashfully turned and left for his quarters. Levi just rolled his eyes and swiftly accompanied me back to our room, leaving little space between us as we strode. Reaching for the handle, Levi held open the door for me, then followed me in. The moment the door clicked shut, I felt Levi's hand gently take hold of my wrist, lightly yanking me back to him. A warm smile traced my lips until I laid eyes on Levi's expression. His eyes were downcast and his body was slumped forward. The way his mouth remained partially open as if he were too afraid to speak, created an odd worriment within my gut. I placed my hand on his chest to calm whatever was causing him such anxiety. With his free hand, he combed his fingers through my hair, barely making eye contact before shying away again, too ashamed to look at me.

"Levi...?"

"I really could have saved you that day."

"No, Levi, don't do this."

"I could have prevented everything you went through, had I just stopped you from running."

"Levi, we've been through this! It's done, it's over with! I chose to run because I was literally dying to see the sun one last time. You chose not to chase after some random girl who was about to bleed to death, which would have risked your own capture. You always say not to regret your choices, so why are you doing this now?"

"Who the fuck knows why!? Maybe it's because this is the first time in a very long time that I am ashamed by how my choice affected someone else's life so horribly! All of the soldiers I've watched get slaughtered and eaten? They followed me into battle, but I didn't make them go! They charged forward on their own accord! Who knows why they did it, but I wasn't the reason for the suffering that followed them into death. With you, it's different!  I watched you run thinking it would be fine to let you go; you would be dead soon anyway... but I was wrong.  It's because of me that you're still alive in this hell!  It's my fault that you weren't able to escape such a cruel fate, full of pain and endless suffering.  If I had only... held you... back then..."

The amount of pain flowing from Levi's voice was heartbreaking, as I witnessed his indestructible shell crack into a million pieces, revealing the vulnerable, imperfect human who was hidden beneath. The man who stood before me was exactly the same as before, only void of the silent indifference that had kept him at an arm's length from everyone he had ever met. So, taking advantage of Levi's beautifully rare predisposition, I wrapped my arms around his defenseless frame and guided his head down to rest upon my shoulder. He instinctively returned the embrace, ensuring no space had been left between us, shuddering out a whispered apology. It was my turn to caress his hair, running my fingers through the soft strands that fell over his face. We stood there for some time, just breathing in each other's warmth, and only the sound of my voice requesting that Levi meet my gaze broke our hold.

"Levi, the truth is, that no matter how we met, no matter what choices we make, no matter what type of blood runs through our veins, we are in this together now. No matter what happens in this life, I will always come back to you."