He's too slow.
Too slow, too sluggish, too imperceptive to save those that are just out of reach, not fast enough to stop Isabel from being decapitated or to stop Eld from getting crushed or to keep Petra from getting kicked into a tree. Then he's not fast enough to save Hange as they get stuffed into the mouth of a titan, or Erwin as his head is ripped from his body. He may as well be a spectator with how slow he's moving, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't make a difference- he can't go fast enough, can't hit hard enough, can't get there soon enough.
But he's not too slow to save you from a titan's jaw. He pulls you out, all in one piece, and he's relieved until you look up at him with wide, confused eyes and ask, "who're you?"
Who're you?
Levi wakes up in a cold sweat.
He gasps, trying to force air into his lungs and nearly coughing. The chill of the fresh air overwhelms him at first until he remembers that he's outside- he came up here with you after you couldn't sleep.
You.
Levi lifts his head. You're buried into his side, your breathing soft as you sleep, forehead pressed against his shoulder. He forces himself to calm down, to slow his heart rate- no sense in waking you up too.
Damn it. He'd actually been sleeping well up until then.
He studies you again. Levi hadn't realized his subconscious fear until he'd seen you in the back of that cart, passed out, bandages wrapped tight around your midsection. It was horribly irrational, painfully stupid- but he couldn't help but remember seeing Mike and Hange load you into a cart after that first expedition, yelling about how you were still alive, blood everywhere-
And then you'd woken up with nothing. You'd lost everything. He'd lost everything.
It's stupid. He knows that. But Levi doesn't know if he'd be able to handle watching you wake up like that again. Waking up with concerned eyes, pinched lips, caution in your gaze and confusion in your tone.
He can't handle that. Not when you two have come so far, not when he feels the way he does.
Levi glances up at the sky. It's still dark- he has no idea how long until the sun comes up.
He looks back down to you. You look peaceful, which is most definitely an improvement from before. He has the strangest urge to wake you up- his desire to hear your voice, to hear you say his name, to hear that you're here is strong, so strong that he reaches for you, fully intending to shake you awake just so he can hear-
You shift and Levi freezes. One of your hands drifts over his stomach and he hears you mumble, "Levi."
The overwhelming relief that comes from just hearing his name is dizzying. Levi lets his head fall back against the roof, exhaling slowly. You're just sleeping. You're not injured. You're going to know who he is in the morning.
Levi leans over slightly and presses his mouth to your forehead for the sole purpose of feeling your skin under his lips. He squeezes his eyes shut, trying to rid the remnants of the last nightmare from his brain.
Then, he shuts his eyes, and Levi does his best to fall back asleep.
.
You wake up when the sun comes up.
Normally, with Levi, you'd only ever watched the stars at night, or the occasional sunset. You'd only ever seen the sky in its final minutes as it gave way for the evening. Seeing it at its beginning is something else entirely. It makes your entire body feel warm.
Well... it's definitely not the only thing keeping you warm.
Slowly, you blink your eyes open and try to take in your surroundings. You're on your side, with your head tucked into Levi's shoulder and your arm across his stomach. You can feel his hand on your shoulder, his head tipped against yours. His cloak is still covering you; part of the wool blanket that he'd brought out is flipped over his side.
He must feel you stirring, because you hear him murmur, "L?"
"Yeah," you say with a yawn.
You feel him sigh softly, some sort of relief, and his hand squeezes your shoulder. "Sleep at all?"
"Yeah. You?"
"A bit."
You smile softly to yourself. Levi doesn't sleep much, so it's a victory for you. "Sunrise is pretty," you say, glancing at the rising sun.
You feel Levi twist his head, and he kisses your forehead. You sigh happily, snuggling back into his side. "Eren's getting sent to the MPs tomorrow," Levi says. You wish you didn't have to get straight into business, but you know there's a lot to do and time is a luxury you don't have. "Erwin's going to have a plan. We're sitting this one out."
"We?" you muse.
"We're injured," Levi points out. "This kind of shit only gets worse if you stress it."
"My ribs are fine," you protest softly. You shift yourself up to a sitting position and press down on your sides. Still a bit tender, sure, but nothing that's going to require a few weeks off. "I'll take it easy, but if there's a mission, I want in."
He frowns at you, then sits himself up. "Don't be stupid."
You roll your eyes, then glance at his foot. "Your ankle?"
Levi follows your eyes. "Your doctor wrapped it," he says. "Fizal." You nod along. "Said I had to stay off of it for a while. I'm out until Erwin tells me I'm in."
"So you wait for Erwin's word and then I wait for yours," you muse. "Weird little power system we've got going on here."
He doesn't reply, eyes trained ahead.
The two of you sit in silence. The sun rises in front of you, highlighting the trees and the fresh dew on the grass. Funny how these things work- so many people die, everything seems to hit a new low, but the sun still comes up anyways.
You glance sideways at Levi. He looks calm, almost serene. He sat out here with you, lay with you as you slept. He looks rested. You're getting better at being able to tell, because for the most part, Levi always looks the same; you're becoming more watchful of the darkness under his eyes and the crease of his eyelids. He looks like he got sleep, which is good, but there's a haunted look in his eyes that tells you he didn't sleep as well as you could hope.
You wish you could stay here forever. On the rooftop. Day in and day out. You want to freeze time and keep the two of you here for the rest of your lives.
"I need to go meet Erwin," Levi says.
No such luck, then.
"Alright," you agree. You hand him his cloak, and he takes it. Levi stands up, and you shove yourself to your feet, wincing at the soreness in your side, partially caused by your injury and partially because of the way you slept. "The blanket was a good idea," you say as Levi collects the material. He nods slowly, folding it carefully into his arms.
The two of you start to walk down the roof. You see where you two came up: the balcony. You hadn't gotten a very good look at it last night. The balcony is lined with a thick stone wall; easy for getting up and getting down. You wonder how often Levi came up here on his own, if at all.
You're about to step down onto the ledge when someone bursts onto the balcony and you nearly stumble. "Logan!"
"Hange?" you say in surprise. You feel Levi's free hand clamp down on your shoulder to keep you steady. You'd be fine without it, but you appreciate it all the same. "What're you doing here?"
"Looking for you!" they say, glancing up at Levi. "And you! I heard footsteps on the roof and figured I'd check- wait, did you two spend the night up here?" Their grin widens and you feel your cheeks heat up. "Aw! I want all the details! Wait- I don't have time for details. Well, I suppose maybe a few-"
"Shut up, Four Eyes," Levi snaps.
You roll your eyes and hop down onto the balcony. Levi follows. "What'd you need me for?" you ask.
Hange straightens up. "You weren't in the barracks- there's been orders for all of the 104th to change into regular clothing and report to Mike at the stables. You have to go get changed and meet him there."
You blink in surprise. "What? Why?"
Hange shrugs, but it's not convincing. What aren't they telling you? "Oh, but the doctor lady wants to see you first," they add. You nod- probably just a follow up. They spin to Levi before you get a chance to urge them to elaborate on whatever information they're avoiding giving you. "Erwin wants to see you," they say.
"The fucking sun just came up," he says with a scowl. "How long has he been up?"
"We're up and running!" Hange says enthusiastically. They grab Levi's arm. "C'mon! Let's get going. Wait! Give her a kiss before you go!"
Hange's certainly very excited at such an ugly hour of the morning. You roll your eyes at their antics as Levi shoves their arm away. "Get off of me before I break your arm."
"Come on, Levi," they whine. "Just a peck!"
"Are you a fucking pervert, Shitty Glasses?"
Feeling a bit bold, you lean in and quickly press your lips to Hange's cheek. "There's your peck, Hange."
Levi's eyebrows raise. "There. We good now?"
"Aw, Logan, that's sweet!" Hange cooes, grabbing your face in their hand and squeezing your cheeks. You laugh, which is kind of hard with Hange's fingers shoving your cheeks into your teeth. "You're adorable. Be careful, Levi, or I might just steal her."
"Yeah, and I'll go fuck Erwin," Levi snaps with a roll of his eyes. "Can we get going?"
You laugh again, and for the hell of it, you press a quick kiss to Levi's cheek. "See you soon."
"Yes!" Hange shrieks.
"For fuck's sake." Levi shoves Hange away, then turns back to you. "See you soon," he replies.
He and Hange leave, heading down the hallway with Hange squabbling the entire way. You smile dumbly, watching your best friends leave, happy for some sort of normalcy despite all of the chaos from yesterday.
Your smile dips slightly. Rani. Uri. Levi's whole squad.
You smack your cheeks and huff. You've got your orders; you've got shit to do.
Turning on your heel, you head back towards your barracks. You pass a few other scouts on the way, rushing around, but no one from the 104th. You wonder what's going on. Levi mentioned Erwin was going to have some sort of plan. You still don't entirely understand what just happened in the last expedition, but you're not overly inclined to ask.
You find the barracks, and the only one there is Sasha. "Hey," you greet. "What's going on?"
"There you are," Sasha says with a smile. "Where were you?"
"Doctors overnight," you lie. "Ribs were bad. What's going on?"
"Oh, right." She shrugs, pulling on a vest to go over her collared shirt. "Not sure. They just asked anyone in the 104th to meet by the stable. I think it might have something to do with Eren."
You nod along. Makes sense. "Alright. I've got to see the doctor first- just a check in before I head out- but I'll be there in a minute."
"Sounds good," Sasha chirps, and she waves. "See you soon!"
Sasha takes off, leaving you to get changed on your own. You change out of your clothes and throw on a pair of black cotton pants and a plain white button up. After fussing with your boots, you stumble back down the hallway, messing with your collar.
You try to remember what you know about Eren's situation. He was given to the Survey Corps under the condition that there'd be some sort of success in the next mission. As far as you know, there was no success to be had. The mission was a failure.
There's no way Erwin would just... let Eren go. Levi's right- he's got to have some sort of plan.
Sighing to yourself, you head down the hall, finding your way to the infirmary. The door is closed, so you knock twice. "Doctor Fizal?" you call. "You wanted to see me?"
There's no reply, but there's light coming from inside- you can see from under the doorway. You try the doorknob: it's unlocked. Frowning, you open the door, glancing around inside.
The light is coming from a lantern on a corner desk; the curtains are drawn, blocking the sunlight from the large windows. Your eyes sweep the room: there's a file laying open on one of the two patient beds and a first aid kit open on the other. It looks like she was in the middle of working. Maybe she just had to run and grab something?
Something's not right.
Then, you feel it. The shift in the air. You hear the step of a boot across stone from behind you and you spin, throwing your arms up to block the incoming strike. Your assailant had been hiding behind the door, and they've swung a wooden pole of some sort at you- it looks like it's been broken off of a broom.
Your arms sting from the strike, and you raise your foot, lodging your boot into the attacker's gut and shoving them backwards. They stumble back into the wall, and the pole clatters out of their hands.
You bring your hands up to your face in a fighting position, then narrow your eyes at your attacker. Almost immediately, your hands go slack.
"Willem?" you say in surprise.
He spits, drawing himself up to his full height. "That's father to you," he snaps, and you bring your hands back up in front of your face. "Insolent girl. Do you know how hard it was to finally get at you?"
"Where's Doctor Fizal?" you ask, your voice low. "What did you do with her?"
"Couldn't get to you when you were training," Willem continues, like you'd never spoken. He steps towards you and you step back. "You just had to make life difficult, didn't you?"
"Where," you snap, "is the doctor?"
"Too many eyes on you and no way to get you off the grounds, no way to," he mumbles, sounding deranged. "So we said wait until you choose your branch, then get at you, but there was still too much damn training and too many eyes-"
"What, you going to monologue me to death?"
"So we wait until after the expedition, when things are scrambled," he says, his eyes flashing with a mania that you've tried hard to block out of your memory. "And then you're not even there."
You raise an eyebrow. "Sorry?"
"So here we are. You're coming with me."
"Like hell I-"
Willem lunges, and you sidestep, shoving him past you. He goes crashing into one of the hospital beds. You glance around frantically, looking for anything you can use as a weapon, but Willem is already coming at you again with the medical kit in his hand, swinging for your head. You block him, grab his hand, and twist his wrist so hard that he yells out loud. The kit falls to the ground, clattering open and spilling its contents.
You shove him backwards and finally take a second to get a good look at him. His nose is crooked- broken and then naturally healed, from when Levi assaulted him. His hand has a nasty burn scar over the back of it that looks like it hasn't healed well.
"What the hell are you doing here?" you ask.
"What do you think?" he retorts, straightening up. "I'm not done with you. I'm going to kill you," Willem threatens, shaking his fist at you. "Kill you and sprinkle your blood on-"
"It'd be a lot more convincing if you actually looked threatening," you reply, narrowing your eyes.
Growling, Willem steps forward, hand swinging at your head. You vaguely remember fighting him back at the farm before Ethel knocked you out: back then, you'd been terrified, and now, he seems like he's moving in slow motion.
You block his punch and then kick him twice, once in the knee and then once in the head when he crumbles. You're hoping it's enough to knock him out, but he kicks at your ankles and you have to jump back to avoid him.
Your ribs make you wince as you step back. He hasn't hit you there, but if he does, you're going down.
"I'm going to kill you," Willem threatens, standing up again.
"You could try," you retort with a scowl.
He seizes the wooden pole that he had tried using earlier and swings it again. You lean backwards as the pole swings by your chin, too close for comfort. He swings again and you block the pole, grabbing it and tugging hard. Willem holds on tight, so you kick him in the stomach, and he finally lets go.
You turn the staff back on him. "I'm not going back with you," you snarl, jabbing the end of the pole into his sternum. "So good luck making me."
"Fine then," Willem jeers, backing up until he's pressed against the window. "Then I'll go kill those two that saved you, that Levi and the other one- Hange, was it?" He cackles. "I'll kill them and you'll have to know it was your-"
You see red.
You're not sure why you do it, but it happens nevertheless. You charge towards him, blood boiling, and you tackle Willem into the wall. At least, you tackle him into where the wall should be- instead, the two of you go through the window, the glass shattering around you. You tackle him to the grass, shattered fragments of the window raining down around you.
Willem kicks up and shoves you forward; you go flying over him in a roll. As soon as you pop back up to your feet, you spin around and run back at him, fists clenched. He kicked you in the lower stomach, so he missed your ribs, but the roll across the ground still makes them sting.
"You really want to do anything in front of your squad?" Willem says quickly, his voice low.
Your steps falter. He's right- to the side is the stables, where the 104th is gathered and where you were supposed to meet. Everyone's coming out to observe the commotion, but you can't see them well enough in your peripheral as you're trying to keep your gaze locked on Willem.
To hell with it. "Yeah, I do," you snap, and you drive your fist towards his face.
Gritting his teeth, Willem blocks with his forearm and swings with his other hand. You drop your weight, grab his arm, turn, and pull; he goes flying over your shoulder and hits the ground hard. You shove your knee into his chest to keep him from getting up, then smash your fist into his face.
"You touch them," you threaten, pressing more weight onto him as he struggles, "and I'll tear you apart," you continue fiercely, punching him again, "you good for nothing-"
Someone grabs your arm, holding you back from swinging on him again. You try to punch down with your other hand, but someone grabs that arm too. You're being pulled off of him, restrained.
"Let me go!" you snarl, shaking off one of the people holding onto you. "Let me- go!"
"Logan!" a voice snaps next to your ear, and you realize it's Reiner holding you back on one side. "Hold up a second!"
"Come on," someone else says, and hands reattach to your other arm. You stop struggling; it's Bertolt, holding onto you. "You okay, Logan?" he asks.
Willem sits up in the grass. There's blood pouring out of his nose and streaming down his face. Good.
"I'm going to kill you," you threaten, your voice low. You shake Reiner off of you, then tug your other arm out of Bertolt's grip. Neither of them grab onto you again; they must realize you're not going to attack him for the moment. "If you ever threaten them again-"
"What's going on?"
You look up and immediately straighten. The entirety of the 104th is at the stables, glancing warily at you, and Mike is standing in front of you with his arms crossed.
"Mike," you say in surprise. Then you realize he's supposed to be your superior and you salute. "Sir."
"Logan," he greets, and he glances down to Willem. "Identify yourself and state your purpose."
He wipes more blood from his nose. You resist the urge to kick him in the face. "New medical assistant," he lies, and you can feel your blood boil in your chest. "Was supposed to run a quick check up, make sure she was fit to go. I must've scared her."
"Like hell!" you snap, surging forward again. Reiner and Bertolt immediately grab onto you again, and you struggle against them only temporarily before relaxing. "He tried to kill me," you insist, head swimming. "He's my..."
Father.
You don't want to say it, you really don't. It'll cause more problems than it's worth. But he's pretending to be Doctor Fizal's medical assistant- who knows what he's done with her, you can only assume the worst- and he was ballsy enough to come after you in broad daylight. He needs to be gone.
"What the hell, Logan," you hear Reiner hiss in your ear.
"She's a bit delirious and confused," Willem suggests, standing himself up. "I'd recommend she stay back from..." he glances at the 104th, all gathered around the horses. "Whatever you're up to."
"Oh, in your professional medical opinion?" you snap, venom dripping from your voice. "Bullshit."
Mike studies Willem, nose wrinkling, then glances at you. You see it in his eyes: he believes you. Thank fuck. You visibly relax, and you feel Reiner's hands finally leave your bicep and shoulder. "Private Survey Corps business," he says, his voice clipped. "Logan, are you alright to ride?"
"Yes."
"Then you're coming."
"Great."
"Really," Willem protests, brushing bits of grass and glass from his shirt and pants. He shoots you a look, and bloodlust flashes through his eyes. You nearly flinch. "If you don't believe me, ask the doctor. She's right there."
She's what?
You swivel back towards the window you two crashed out of. Doctor Fizal is posed at the edge, eyes sweeping over the damage caused to the infirmary glass. When you meet her eyes, she sighs. "Of course it's you. What happened?"
Of course it's me?! You want to smack her.
"Scared her," Willem says before you can say anything. "She thought I was attacking her."
Because you were!
Wait- Doctor Fizal is the one who introduced Willem to you in the first place. She'll know who he is. Immediately, you relax. She won't be fooled. She's the one who patched you up after the whole farm incident. She knows that Willem is a psychotic, lying piece of-
"I'm sure it was an accident," Fizal says, and your jaw slips open. "Yes, this is Eliot, my new assistant. I'm sorry if he frightened you," she adds, turning to you with a pointed look.
What the fuck?
"You're joking," you say flatly, looking from Doctor Fizal to Willem and back again. "You're- you've got to be fucking joking!" You surge forwards again. Both Reiner and Bertolt lunge for you, barely managing to get a grip. "You know full well who he is," you snap, struggling against Bertolt's tight hold on your elbow. "I don't know what the hell you're playing at but it's not going to work!"
You're trying desperately to figure out how to prove this when Doctor Fizal speaks up. "Clearly, she's distressed, and not in her right mind," she says, and the calmness in her voice boils your blood. "Perhaps it's best if she remains behind."
"Like fuck," you snarl, and Reiner's grip on you tightens as you pull against him. "I'm not-"
Mike raises a hand. Immediately, you fall quiet and drop your shoulders, relaxing. He's on your side; he can help settle this. "I'm under direct orders to take all of the 104th," he says firmly. "That includes Logan, regardless of how... mentally healthy she is." You want to laugh.
"Nonsense," Willem says, adjusting his coat. "She's not well."
"I'm plenty well," you retort, glaring at him. "How's that nose?" He scowls, swiping more blood from his face, and an idea occurs to you. "I could go get Levi or Hange," you suggest. "I'm sure either of them would be able to clear up who you are."
Levi and Hange were both at the farm; they'd both recognize Willem. Levi himself is responsible for Willem's crooked nose. The man scowls and glances at the doctor. Fizal shakes her head slightly and says, "alright. But please stop by again when you get back."
"Not likely."
Willem retreats across the grass, nodding to Mike before he climbs inside the broken window. Once inside, Fizal pulls the curtains shut. Her eyes lock on you and hold your stare until the curtain's in the way and you can't see her anymore.
Why the hell is she working with your father? What does she have to gain?
"Let's get ready to go," Mike says quietly.
With a huff, you stomp over to the rest of the 104th, avoiding the gazes of the people around you. Angrily, you snatch at the reins of one of the lone horses, ready to swing yourself up.
You hope Levi's meeting with Erwin is going well- hopefully, he's doing better than you are.
.
Frankly, Levi isn't doing much better than you are at all.
He glares at Erwin, trying to comprehend the scope of his plan. He gets it, he does- it makes sense and the logic is sound. It's a hunch, sure, but Erwin's hunches always seem to be dead on. But the fact that he's throwing you into the middle of it doesn't sit right with him, especially when you're injured.
Levi leans forward onto Erwin's desk. "There's a fucking titan shifter in the 104th."
"That's the theory."
"So you're isolating the 104th."
He nods. "Yes, with our best scouts, provided that you're off duty until you heal. Mike is more than capable, and he's got Nanaba and-"
"You're sending her out there," Levi says lowly, fingernails digging into the soft wood of Erwin's desk, "with people who might be fucking titans, and you're not giving her gear."
"None of them have their equipment."
"Like hell you're sending her out there without her shit."
"Levi," Erwin says calmly, lacing his fingers together, "I understand your feelings, but-"
"No you fucking don't," Levi interrupts, nearly snarling as he continues, "if you did, you'd give her the damn gear."
His eyes shut, then reopen. "I cannot express favoritism towards any of the scouts."
Levi presses his palms to his forehead and starts to pace around the office. It's not that he doesn't trust you; he does. It's not that he doesn't have faith in your skills; he does. It's the fact that without your gear, you don't stand a chance. If Erwin's theory is right and someone in the 104th is a titan, then you're fucked.
"Everyone is a suspect," Erwin says slowly.
His head snaps up; he thinks he hears a bone in his neck crack. "You seriously think she's a- a fucking titan in disguise?"
He doesn't reply.
"That's bullshit and you know it," Levi snaps, glaring hard at the commander. "She was in a fucking coma when that wall fell-"
"Actually, no one checked on her for several hours while evacuations were being completed," he replies calmly, and Levi has to resist the urge to smack his head off of the wall. "When-"
"You seriously fucking think that she got up to break down a wall and then went back to sleep?"
"When speaking with Eren," Erwin says, continuing as if Levi had never interrupted, "he can't recall how he gained his titan powers. He talks about painful flashbacks, occasionally appearing as nightmares, but he can't recall specifically how he obtained his gifts- a bout of amnesia, if you will." His eyebrows raise. "Remind you of anyone?"
"She-" Levi wants to laugh. "She was in a fucking coma and has amnesia because I fucking dropped her on a damn rock!" he snarls. "Not because she's a damn titan!"
The blond shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Levi. There are very few cadets among the 104th that I can rule out as completely innocent, and your word isn't enough to keep her here."
"Then your word," he snaps. "You can pull her out, you can-"
"Levi."
He clamps his jaw shut.
Erwin sighs. "I know these squad leaders trust me enough that pulling Logan back wouldn't be questioned. But I want them to trust her, not me. They trust my word, now I want them to trust her."
Levi's throat feels dry. He can't vocalize his thoughts, so he punches the bookshelf instead.
"Levi."
He raises his head.
"I know she's not a titan shifter," he says. "I can say it with almost one hundred percent certainty. But you must see how it looks to the other scouts, especially the squad leaders. I just told you the facts, and it paints her as a suspect, like everyone else in the 104th. None of them have the same connection to her that you do-"
"Yeah, like you'd know shit about that," Levi snaps.
Erwin's eyes are pained as he forges on. "And I cannot make exceptions," he says, repeating his words from earlier. "So she goes."
"You're making exceptions for three of the fucking kids."
"Their innocence has all been proven."
His words feel venomous as they drag themselves up from his throat. "Fucking fine," Levi hisses through his teeth. "Send her off without a way to protect herself because you can't show fucking favoritism. Fucking fine." He slams his palms onto the desk. "But did it occur to you that this would be a perfect opportunity for these titan freaks to take out one of the best damn scouts you have?" he demands. "When she's defenseless and injured?"
Erwin stares at him for a long time. Levi doesn't back down.
Finally, he does something that surprises Levi: he relents. "Alright," he agrees, and Levi blinks in surprise. "I'll send an extra set of gear with Mike with specific instructions that it's meant for her in a state of emergency. That's the best I can do."
He can't express his thanks properly, so he just nods. Erwin seems to understand.
"I'll go see them now," he says, standing up from his seat. "Mike isn't leaving without my say-so anyways. Wait here, I'll be back."
Levi nods again, crossing his arms and feeling an awful lot like a dog. But he won't complain, not when Erwin is leaving to ensure your safety- at least, he says he is.
He jerks his head up right as Erwin's leaving the room. "I trust you," he says.
Erwin meets his eyes. He understands the implications: he's trusting him to provide extra safety for you, and in turn, he's trusting Erwin with your life. That's not something Levi takes lightly, and he's sure the commander knows it.
Erwin nods. Then, he's gone.
.
"Extra gear?"
"That's right," Erwin says. "Which one of your squad leaders do you want to trust with this?"
Mike thinks for a moment. All of the 104th are on horses, milling around nervously, waiting for orders. He sees you, tense on your horse, hands gripped so tightly around the reins that he half expects you to rip them off. Your jaw is locked, and your eyes are trained forwards, drilling holes into the wall that you're looking at.
"Nanaba," he says finally.
"Good. Nanaba!" Erwin calls, and Nanaba heads over to join them, saluting. "Grab an extra set of ODM gear," he says. "Just in case."
Nanaba looks confused. She glances at Mike, but his face is impassive, and she's not getting any information out of him. "Yes, sir," she says, and Erwin watches as she heads towards the equipment shed.
Mike looks back to Erwin. "Levi's request?"
Erwin smiles. Mike's perceptiveness serves him well. "You and I both know she's not our titan," he says. "She's one of your best. Her skills would be wasted in an emergency without that gear."
"Yes, sir."
The commander nods, then glances one last time at you. You're still glaring at the wall, eyes burning with a fury that he doesn't recognize.
"Someone attacked her today," Mike says after a moment. "Claiming to be the doctor's new assistant. Did you clear anyone?"
"I did," Erwin agrees. "Someone under the name of Eliot Reinburg?"
He hums thoughtfully. "They came through the window," he says, nodding at the broken infirmary window. "She was spitting fire. Never seen her that riled up."
Erwin wonders how often Mike has seen you at all, but decides not to comment on it. "What happened?"
"Didn't see. He claimed that he accidentally spooked her. She was shooting him down. Seemed like she knew him."
Hm. "You believe her?" he asks.
Mike nods. "Yeah."
Erwin sighs softly. "The mission today to capture Annie Leonhart is the priority. I'll put this next on my list and talk to Logan when she gets back. If required, I'll remove him."
He nods again, glancing back at the commander. "Good."
There's a short silence. The two men watch as Nanaba drops an extra set of ODM gear onto one of the horse carts, tucking it between some of the crates.
"Besides," Erwin says as an afterthought, turning back to Mike. "If she is our titan, then you know good and well that her having gear won't make a difference."
"We'd be fucked," Mike agrees. "She's that good."
"That she is," Erwin says, watching you punch your hand into the wall of the barn. "That she is."
.
"Hey, doc!" Hange chirps brightly as they poke their head into the doctor's office. "Just wanted to see if you had any spare..."
They pause.
The infirmary is a disaster. One of the windows has shattered; glass is everywhere. Tools are scattered everywhere and one of the beds is dislodged. There's a lone broomstick pole laying on the ground. The doctor is seated on the edge of one of the beds, bandaging the nose of a man sitting next to her.
Hange stills.
That's your father. They've only ever seen him briefly- once when he was picking you up from the hospital, and then again when they were rescuing you from the farm with Levi. But Hange would never forget his face. What's he doing here? Are you still here or are you on your way to the settlement in Wall Rose with Mike?
Moblit sucks in a breath on their other side. "What happened? Are you both alright?"
"We're fine," the doctor says politely, glancing up. "The kids were throwing a ball around before they left."
"Broke the window and hit me in the face," your father says, gesturing at his bloody nose. "Fell into a few things and made a mess. I'm fine."
"Must've been a hard throw to break the glass," Hange says, looking to the window again.
There's an awkward pause. "It was," Doctor Fizal says. "We're fine. Thank you."
Hange nods tersely and steps out of the infirmary, closing the door behind them. "Not going to grab the extra bandages?" Moblit asks, stepping up next to them as Hange starts off down the hallway.
"The glass wasn't inside," Hange mutters, one hand rising to adjust their glasses.
"Sorry?"
"The glass. A few pieces of glass inside, nothing huge, and no broom or dust pan. The glass was outside the window, so it was broken from the inside." They purse their lips. "I know that man. Last time I saw him, he was trying to kill Logan."
Moblit's eyes widen. "Really?"
What did he say his last name was... Castello? Something like that?
"Moblit," Hange says, lips twitching in determination. Moblit has to jog to keep up with them as they start racing down the hall. "How do you feel about a new research project?"