Erwin scanned the white surface of a paper. His eyes darted about, going from little sketches to small passages beside them. Y/N's reports were always interesting little adventures to partake in.
"He likes to draw?" Levi asked. He had a page of his own to look over. For what reason was his own.
"I ask for these." Hange added. A smile was on her face as she looked over a drawing of a field of grass and flowers. The scene was serene but had a little heading warning them of buried Titans.
"I know your sense of judgment," Levi handed the page back to Hange. "So what's going on? I know four-eyes here didn't try and bring a puppy home. Why bring in Y/N?"
"I think he's more of a cat." Hange said.
"He spent time in the Engineer Corps. Unfortunately, his time was cut short when he dropped out. From there, he was sent to the fields." Erwin explained with a sharp glint in his eyes. He set aside a page of Y/N's report and continued, handling each page with care. "His XO labeled him as a loner. A black sheep, if you will."
"I can see why." Levi took a sip of his tea. He savored the taste and aroma before continuing. "Never seen anyone like him."
"Precisely..." The Commander hummed. "The majority of his experiments were labeled as failures, deemed too dangerous or costly to produce. To his instructors he was reckless, but to a trained eye..."
"Hmph." Levi's gaze wandered to the nearby window. He wondered why he doubted Erwin's decision in the first place. "He used it as a testing ground."
"One of those failed experiments is here," Erwin showed them the page he read. On the white parchment was a crudely drawn blueprint with no specific measurements. Levi recognized every ingredient, the food can, the black powder, and the nails. Everything. "It would seem he perfected his craft."
"Which begs the question," Hange took the paper for herself and looked it over. "Why didn't he turn this over to the Engineers? Why hide it? A weapon like this would—"
"Which brings us to his track record." Erwin raised a hand to stop Hange's incoming rant. "He's shown a certain distaste for the inner authorities."
"Don't we all." Levi grumbled.
"He told me earlier that he was a hunter." Hange almost murmured. "Always, in fact."
"That brings us to the present. He made quite a reputation for himself delivering packages. Most were letters and packages within the walls. However, after Wall Maria fell he moved on to more risky opportunities. He began venturing beyond the walls, and sometimes into Shiganshina itself. His prices are steep, yes, but if you're willing to pay then he's willing to move or retrieve just about anything."
"Explains why you paid an arm and a leg for some Titan." Levi scoffed.
"That was merely a test." Erwin gathered the report and stacked it neatly, readying it for safekeeping. "A test of strength and will. And he pulled through, wouldn't you say?"
"Sure. The only problem now is keeping him here." Levi looked out the window to see him laid out on the picnic table bench. His hood was up, keeping the sun out of his eyes as he slept. "I'm sure brass will be excited to hear your request for a bigger budget. Again."
"They can't deny the results." Hange added. "With his help, our expeditions could take an entirely different approach. He's proven he's able to not only traverse the land but lure any Titans away, clearing a path. Just think of the possibilities!"
"That's great and all but you seemed to have forgotten that you hired a mailman. You can't exactly order him around." Levi had an unusually ornery frown on his face. At least one that seemed stranger than usual.
"So defensive." Hange hissed and held her chin. Upon her lips was a grin, an unsettling sight when the light from the window hit her glasses at just the right angle. "What's the matter, Levi? It's almost like you know more than us."
"He's in it for himself." The Captain replied. "I've seen people like him more times than I cared to count. He'll realize his worth and sooner or later that price'll go up. Once he makes enough he'll be gone."
"The others thought the same of you, Levi. Who or what he fights for now doesn't matter. When he truly realizes what he fights for is the real question." Erwin's words were as sharp as his wits. He spoke with authority but it was enough to silence the Captain. Levi withdrew from the conversation entirely and helped himself to his lukewarm tea.
Winter was right around the corner. The white falling from the sky could happen any day now. The season wasn't something Y/N looked forward to. The snow made mud and mud was bad for business. The Scouts would return and wait out the weather until next year, starting yet another expedition.
Y/N could almost feel it today. Gray clouds lingered in the distance, bringing a cold chill down from the nearby mountains. It wasn't snowing now but up North was a different story.
"Hey." Y/N began to wonder if Levi was capable of social interaction because by now they had a very similar way of starting conversations.
The Scout sat up with a grunt of effort. He gave the man his attention but not something so obvious. He was listening but found an equal interest in the grass still covering his arms.
"Why do you always have to be so grumpy?" Hange added. She was talkative, making them feel like rocks a crazy person made friends with. "Y/N. I understand you have something of interest. May I see one?"
Y/N reached to his side and set down his last bomb. If one didn't know any better they would think it was just a can of muck with a cloth hiding the label.
"Interesting..." Hange marveled at the simple design. To think it had enough power to shred a Titan's face off while looking no more than a can of food fascinated her. "May I...?"
"Sure." Y/N's muffled voice came from behind his mask.
"For free?" Hange asked with a sparkle in her eyes.
"No."
"Levi. Pay him."
"Like hell I am." The Captain immediately pushed back.
"Okay." Hange groaned. "How about... an extra shipment of rations?"
"A whole crate?" Y/N raised a brow.
"Yes!" Hange nodded vigorously. "It can be anything. Even the peaches the interior police like to hoard so much."
"Hey, don't be making promises you can't keep." Levi chastised. Even he knew how valuable such food was.
"Oh, fine!" Hange rolled her eyes. She was unsure about her approach so she treaded lightly. "Would the crackers you like so much be enough?"
How does she know about that? Y/N thought. The frown on his face was misinterpreted, panicking the researcher.
"Then as a favor?" She gave a smile that wavered.
"You're paying for the idea, not the can itself." Y/N's demeanor changed, turning him into more of a merchant from the wall's cutthroat guild than a Scout.
"You're driving a hard bargain." Levi said, his eyes narrowing. "Why not offer it to the MPs? They'd have those peaches you want. But then again, if you gave it up to the Engineers you'd have been commended for your work. That alone is worth more than what Hange's got."
"Fuck the MPs," Y/N stated rather bluntly. There wasn't any anger in his words or expression, just a disdain most branches of the military shared. "I never cared for the Engineers but I was smart enough to—"
In the corner of his eyes, he saw onlookers. Members of the Corps were curious and he couldn't blame them. Shaking his head, he left it at that.
"I've got my reasons." He continued vaguely.
"It's because I'm so likable, isn't it?" Hange smiled.
"Right." Y/N said dryly. "Just know that this isn't some secret."
"It... isn't?" Hange's head tilted with confusion. She learned from her last mistake and she wasn't about to make it again.
"No. You'd be surprised what the Engineers cook up in their labs." At this point, Y/N's voice dropped to a gravely whisper. "But good luck asking them about it."
"That why you dropped out?" Levi asked in a hush "The interior doesn't take too kindly to smart asses like you."
"Same reason you left the Underground." Y/N challenged his hostile nature. He doubted he could take him in a fight but he wasn't a coward. "You've got opportunities but you only take the ones you want or the ones to keep you alive. I'm trying to stay alive. And letting the MPs know what we built is a bad way to die."
"We should discuss this somewhere private." Hange interjected with a dash of authority.
"I told you everything I want," Y/N took hold of his bomb and planted it firmly on the table. "So you either pay up or don't. Fine by me."
"Hange." Levi grumbled her name. It was one of the moments Hange knew she shouldn't bother asking. With only a curt nod she was off.
"So you're just being coy, huh?" The researcher grinned. "You know more than you let on."
"He's an opportunist." Levi said. "You jumped into a deal with a price you couldn't pay. Now he's expecting things along the line of peaches."
"I was referring more to your apparent history," The researcher shut a door behind them and made sure it was locked. "But thanks for the lesson in bargaining."
"We've crossed paths once or twice before." The Captain revealed. "He ran deliveries for Councilor Lovof, a real piece of work noble. Still, he didn't seem to care when we stole from the local Underground vaults."
"So his history stretches beyond our reports."
"More than you think. With that brain of his, it makes you wonder why he resorted to being a mailman of all things."
"It seems we've got a real mystery on our hands." Hange grinned. Mysteries were something she excelled at.
"Right." Levi took up a broom in the closet they hid in and handed it to the Section Commander. "Here, you tracked dirt in."
Hange sighed.
The sun had gone down and the clouds cleared. An ocean of stars stretched over the sky, allowing its silver light to pour into a nearby window. It was a lot of light but Y/N kept a lit candle at his side for the sake of normalcy when eating dinner.
On the far side of the mess hall, a loose board chirped. The sound was sharp and momentary, but overall without hindrance. That at least soothed the lone Scout.
"Mind if I join you?" Erwin approached and asked. He had a little bag of his own rustling with paper and clinking with full metal. Y/N merely pushed the candle over, sharing his light.
Opening his bag, Erwin laid out a couple of utensils. A cup and spoon were all he needed. The same went for Y/N.
"I read your report." The Commander said before tearing open a package and revealing the large cracker inside. Rations were common out in the field and the large, dried crackers were a dime a dozen. Neither man minded the lack of taste.
"Hmm." Y/N grunted in reply. There wasn't a question or open-end statement to halt his jaws from crushing the dried cracker in his mouth.
"I have to ask, what led you to have those men killed?"
A long pause went between them both. A moment to appreciate their meals.
"Is it any different than you sending them to Trost? We both know they would've hung." He replied, unbothered.
"Hmm. And your conversation with Levi and Hange?" Erwin was utterly focused on the conversation, yet his bushy eyebrows were slightly curled, giving a sign of what was to come. "You implied something that had to do with the interior police."
"You know exactly what I mean." Y/N stated rather ominously. "They have anyone killed if they so much as breathe in the wrong direction."
"How would you know that?" Now Erwin's interest was piqued. "I never told anyone within the Survey Corps..."
"The Engineers were..." Y/N paused to take a good long look at their surroundings. Without a sound or suspicion in mind, he extinguished his candle and continued. "They made an oath."
"An oath to what?" The Commander whispered.
"We promised to never share our findings with the MPs." Y/N sighed. "The only reason I'm telling you is because of your father."
Erwin's breath stilled. Only a select few knew about his father's demise and only he himself had suspicions. But now it seemed to be unveiled for an unlucky few.
"I dunno what it is that they're hiding but it's something to torture others for. Ripping off fingernails, having someone commit suicide. That sort of stuff. We realized that if we played dumb and only did the bare minimum we'd get by."
"What do you know of my father?" Erwin asked, his eyes pleading for an answer.
"That he died like the others? That they made it look like an accident, just like that couple in the balloon or anyone running their mouths about the church."
"You're saying the MPs had something to do with it??" Erwin frowned.
"Yes and no." Y/N took a sip of his water in the darkened room. "We never trusted the division in its entirety. None of us were dumb enough to get names. Better safe than sorry, we always said."
"That's why you dropped out."
"Yea'. Make myself look dumb enough to never pose as a threat. It worked then and it's working now."
Y/N's words created more questions than answers. He was an enigma, a mystery Erwin thought he figured out only to play right into another hand.
"Who are you really?" Erwin hoped for a straight answer. It didn't have to be narrow or gray, just an answer to all these questions.
"A mailman." The Commander sighed at his reply. He knew he clung to an identity others made up for him.
The matter of trust was irrelevant. Erwin had tested him a long time ago. If his letters were compromised they wouldn't be having this conversation and Y/N wouldn't be wearing the patch on his shoulders or over his heart.
"Why give us your invention?" Erwin then asked. "Why not give it to anyone else? The Garrison, the Underground."
Y/N pondered the question with a couple of bites of his cracker. There was a look of deep thought in his (Eye Color) eyes. To say what for was just another mystery.
"Couldn't tell you." He sighed into his cup. "God knows I would be living pretty if I gave it up to anyone else."
"Hmm..." A ghost of a smile stretched over Erwin's lips. It was there, shining faintly in Y/N's eyes, a deeper desire for their success and a faint sense of empathy. Of course, Y/N would never see it, not when he seemed to have trouble looking into his analyzing gaze, or anyone's for that matter.
"I appreciate what you shared with me. Your trust isn't misplaced." Erwin began to bag the remainder of his meal but not without leaving behind an unopened can.
"Trust?" Y/N grunted. "I just know that if you say anything we'll both be dead. You're too smart for that."
"I see." Erwin said with a faint chuckle. "Thank you."
The Commander retreated to his room. As he rounded the distant corner, Y/N twisted the can with a huff.
Peaches... He thought. As much as he would like to trade it for something else, he knew he would enjoy it more right here and now.