Chapter 15 - Lawbreaker
You heard the door clang again and when you looked up, you saw Kepler walking in your cell this time. His blue eyes glowed menacingly under the dim light of the torch.
"I told you to stay put, you shouldn't have attacked her," Kepler grunted as he took steps closer to you.
"I didn't, she attacked me first. I didn't move an inch," you spit out blood.
"You expect me to believe you?" Kepler sits down on the edge of the bed next to you and you move away from him warily.
"Don't you dare touch me," you glare at him.
Kepler sighed. "You know, you'd actually be much more attractive if you weren't so hissy and aggressive," he suddenly shifted closer to you, eyes turning into a mocking glare. "Now that I look at you more closely, you're actually kind of hot."
You glared at him and slowly backed away to the wall. Even making small movements hurt because of your now bruised-up leg and stomach.
"Maybe if you weren't involved in all this, I would've considered going for you myself," he smiled and you felt a shudder when you saw his hand slowly make its way from the bed and to your thigh. You froze, not daring to move. If Johanne was crazy enough to beat you up, there's no saying what this sketchy scumbag MP would do. You felt his hand on your thigh, starting to make its way up to your hips.
Your eyes widened and you looked outside the cell. The cell door is closed, and there is nobody outside. Is it locked? Is anyone there? Maybe if it isn't, you could kick him right now and make a break for it. Kepler starts to lean in closer to your body, his hand now on your hips.
Is he armed? MPs usually carry guns, don't they? If you attack and he shoots you, you're really done for.
"Get your hands off me, bastard," you growled.
"You're not resisting though," he smirked, his body now hovering above you. "If you keep calling me names like that, then I'll really have my way with you."
"No you won't."
Your eyes shot open. That voice, it sounds like–
For a moment, you saw a blur, and then an instant, a dark figure towering over Kepler's body. Something struck the back of Kepler's head, you heard a crack and then shouting. Kepler was ripped away from you by a pair of frighteningly strong arms.
You held your breath. The figure has his back turned to you, but you saw a familiar crown of jet black hair with a buzzed undercut.
And that person is unmistakably–
"Levi?" you gaped. You stared at him holding the back of Kepler's neck against the stone wall. Suddenly, the mountain of emotions and anger you had been holding back the past few days crumbled to the ground. You were just happy and relieved to see him again. He turns around to look at you, and although you saw his features softening a little at the sight of you, you caught a brief flicker of a murderous gleam in his black eyes.
Levi took a good look at you, a streak of blood falling down the right side of your face, bruises on your dirty body, hands bound with handcuffs, and eyes brimming with fear and confusion.
Blood stains were visible on your sleeve, and your cheeks were uncharacteristically pink, as if they had been slapped. You had been assaulted and harmed. His face contorted with anger, emotions erupting in flames. Levi tightened his deathly grip on Kepler's neck.
"Which one of these hands did you use to touch her?" Levi said, positively wrathful.
"Who are you? Let go of me!" Kepler yelled, the grip on his neck so strong that he could barely look back to see his perpetrator.
"I said, which hand?" Levi growled, dark eyes manic with anger.
"What?"
Levi lost his patience and within a split second, Kepler's body was slammed to the ground. Levi towered over him, raising up his leg.
"Is it this one?" Levi asked and you watched in horror as he brought down his leg violently on Kepler's right hand. You heard bones crunching, and Kepler screaming in agony.
"Or is it that one?" Levi scowled, this time raising up his leg above Kepler's left arm.
"No, no! Please!" Kepler begged. Kepler opened his eyes and he gawked after properly getting a good look of his perpetrator. "Aren't you the infamous Captain Levi of the Scouts? W–what's someone like you doing down here?"
Levi put his leg aside for a moment, face contorted with disgust. Kepler began to breathe heavily, not expecting to come face to face with Captain Levi. "W–Why is someone like you going this far just for a mere woman," Kepler spat, clearly unhappy yet puzzled at the heavy beating he just got, only because he touched you a bit.
"Because you messed with someone you should've never messed with," Levi replied coldly to him. "I don't want lowlife bastards like you touching someone important to me with those filthy hands."
You involuntarily widened your eyes at Levi's words.
"Levi, stand down," you heard a familiar voice outside.
"Commander Erwin!" you exclaimed, surprised to see him here.
"This bastard touched her," Levi barked. This time, instead of breaking Kepler's left hand, he went to kick his face instead. You've heard about Levi's eye-watering, limb-breaking kicks, but to see it in person was a whole other thing. You winced at the sight of Kepler's limp right hand and battered jaw.
You heard another familiar voice call out your name and you whipped your head up, catching a familiar blond head and warm brown eyes. Your eyes almost watered at the sight of your best friend.
"Mario? What are you doing here?" you gaped.
"Getting you out of here, of course!" Mario ran to your side and quickly assessed your injuries. Behind him, you spotted Catarina and Gabriel, your recruits. Mario fiddled with a bunch of keys he grabbed from Kepler and unlocked your handcuffs.
"How did you know I was here?" you asked as you were slowly being led out of the cell by Mario. You looked around the exterior of the cell and it looked like you were in some underground centre for detainees. There were other cells in the dimly-lit hallway, but they were all empty. There's a small window on the upper wall, it looks like evening has fallen.
"Gabriel saw you getting carried out of the HQ, Catarina overheard that you and that MP were heading for Sina, and I had a feeling Johanne was behind this. Commander Erwin, well.. he has his ways," said Mario, his voice trembling a little with worry after seeing your bloodied form.
"What's the situation?" Erwin asked. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay. They're going to take me in for questioning. I'm—" you hesitated, realising the possible implications of telling this to your Commander. "I'm.. guilty of illegal medical practice in the Underground, and.. illegal medical-grade drug smuggling as well," you averted your gaze in shame from Erwin, Levi, and Mario.
"We know," Erwin said, his voice sounding calm.
"What?" you stammered. "Then why—"
"But it seems like we arrived just in time," Levi muttered.
You heard the sound of a door closing and when you looked back, you made eye contact with Johanne who was standing at the entrance of the hall, gaping in shock.
"C–commander Erwin!" she exclaimed, "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Neither did I, Doctor Olbrich," he hummed.
"This is perfect timing then! Commander, I have important news," Johanne chimed with utmost confidence and walked up to you and the group. Suddenly, she pointed a finger at you, "She is guilty of illegal medical practice in the Underground. She went down without a legal permit, and smuggled medical-grade drugs to strangers."
"Is that so," said Erwin. When Johanne sensed no signs of alarm or shock from Erwin's expression, her confident demeanour begins to falter.
"I investigated, and found evidence against her. Commander, she needs to be removed from her duty immediately," Johanne kept talking. "I'll make sure to see it that she gets the punishment she deserves, and I'll be happy to take her place as–"
"You're quite the initiative-taker. Do share what kind of evidence you've collected," Erwin crossed his arms, "and the methods of collection."
Hearing this, Johanne appears to grow nervous. "My friends in the Military Police had caught her sneaking into the Underground. She asked them for their help and she went down without a permit."
A bad lie, you thought. Johanne must be more nervous than you thought, it must have been an unexpected shock for her to find Erwin and Levi down here.
"And your friends.. they just let her go?" Erwin raised a brow. Johanne's eyes widened at the realisation.
"No, sir. What I meant was–"
"It seems that your MP friends are not so responsible themselves, considering the fact that they were the ones who allowed her to enter without a permit," Erwin said. "In that case, they are accomplices to this same crime."
"Speaking of permits, your MP friend over there had no right to enter our premises in the Survey Corps HQ and take her away," Mario growled. This was your first time seeing him so provoked. "You didn't have a proper arrest warrant, did you? Or else, why was he stalking around in a white coat and drugging her."
Johanne hesitated. "...We do."
"Really?" Levi shot a glare at Kepler who was now standing up again, albeit weakly. "His superior over there tells us otherwise."
Kepler's mouth hung agape. "My superior..? Commander Nile?"
"Yes, your superior is an old friend of mine and it was such great luck that I bumped into him just moments earlier. Apparently, he's unaware of any MPs conducting an arrest at the Survey Corps HQ," Erwin crossed his arms.
"Trespassing military territory, arrest without a proper warrant, insubordination, attempted abduction of a Section Commander, and physical assault," Levi spat. "The list goes on. Don't think you'll get away so easily with sexually assaulting a detainee and a Section Commander."
Levi's eyes fell on you, his gaze softening. You look so scared and confused right now, and Levi wanted nothing more than to whisk you away out of this dirty, dark prison cell. Did you have any idea how worried he was for you? Levi was on a brink of panic the moment he realised you disappeared.
"W–what?" Johanne spat. "Yes, we didn't get an arrest warrant because it would take too long and I'd rather take things into my own hands, but that doesn't change the fact that she still has crimes to pay for. She will still be questioned, in fact, the MPs are waiting for her upstairs!"
"Listen, Olbrich," Levi growled. "You're going to go back upstairs and tell those shitty MPs that this has been a misunderstanding and that you're sorry you've wasted their time. There will be no crime and no one will be charged."
"And let her get away without having her crimes punished?" Johanne trembled with rage. "Why are you all defending her? Even you, Commander Erwin and Captain Levi! She's just.. she's just a nobody!"
Levi's eyes flared with anger at Johanne's blatant disregard for your entire being.
"She is, as a matter of fact, not just a nobody. She is a Section Commander, our comrade, and our dear friend," Mario cried out.
"Your inhumane treatment of a detainee cannot go unexcused either, she is your comrade and superior, yet you've deprived her of basic human needs, even water, and physically harmed her," Erwin said. "Now, just like Captain Levi said, you're going to explain to the MPs that this is just a misunderstanding, and let her go."
"You can't just threaten me and play that card," Johanne seethed.
"Oh, but you played dirty first," Mario sneered. "Did you think we wouldn't do the same?"
"We have built up quite a case against you, Doctor Oblrich," Erwin remarked. "We have witnesses of your accomplice kidnapping our Section Commander." He turned to face Gabriel and Catarina who braved a face against Johanne.
"If you must bring this case into trial, then we will bring our own witnesses," Erwin continued. "And we will put forward a case against you and your accomplice on behalf of the Survey Corps."
Johanne and Kepler made a choking noise at Erwin's words, his powerful presence overwhelming the both of them. The realisation was starting to dawn on them that a political battle against the Commander of the Survey Corps was one they were not ready to face, or rather, one they knew they could never face.
"Let's see, for Doctor Olbrich, you are facing charges for physical assault of a detainee and a superior." Erwin raised a brow. "Then, there's assisting in impersonation and abduction with intent to extort or harm, assisting in usage of an illegal anaesthetic, falsification of an arrest warrant, insubordination and ignorance of duties, and suspected bribery of Military officials, and more. Also, your MP friends who helped her go to the Underground will be dragged into this mess."
"You, you selfish dumbass!" Kepler screeched at Johanne. "Look what you got me into!"
"Don't think you can get away from this unscathed, Johanne," Mario jeered, his grip on your arm tightened. "Whatever she has done, you have done worse. Unpermitted entry to the Underground for voluntary medical care cannot compare to the long list of heinous crimes you've done."
"He's right, and don't forget that Judges also assess intent of crimes," Erwin posits. "Hers is of good intent, while yours, are clearly with the intention of harm."
Johanne's face is as pale as a sheet of paper, hands visibly trembling. Pressure is rising.
"So, Doctor Olbrich, what will it be?" Erwin hummed, eyes sly as a fox. "Pursue the case just to poke a little fun at her and risk spending the rest of your youth behind bars?"
"Or if you're smart, you'd walk away and nobody gets jailed," Levi narrows his eyes.
Johanne and Kepler look at each other hesitantly, fear evident in their eyes.
"Johanne, just drop this, this is suicide!" Kepler yelled. "I shouldn't have agreed to this! You never told me the Commander and Captain Levi would be involved in this!"
Levi shot a deathly glare to Kepler as if saying I'm-not-done-with-you, eliciting a squeak from Kepler's throat. Kepler and Johanne continued to exchange glances for another few seconds, as if warning each other that taking on Commander Erwin head-to-head is the equivalent of digging your own grave, climbing into the coffin, and hosting your own funeral.
It's just not a battle worth fighting, or rather, there is no battle to be fought at all. Because they have clearly lost.
"I–I will tell them that there was a misunderstanding," Johanne averted her eyes, gritting her teeth.
"I'm glad we have reached a compromise," Erwin smiled slyly.
"If you try to do anything funny or reopen the case, we won't be silent. We have plenty of evidence against you and your accomplice," Levi growled.
"U–understood. I won't," Johanne nodded.
"Also, Doctor Olbrich, when you return to the HQ after your 'leave of absence', have all your things packed. You've been relocated to the Garrison for duty," Erwin remarked coldly.
"Commander, what?" Johanne whined in disbelief. "What do you mean?"
"The Survey Corps may not be pursuing you for charges legally, but you are culpable for insubordination and harming your superior. I do not tolerate such behaviour in my faction, and you are a walking danger to everyone else in the Survey Corps," Erwin asserted. "I'm very disappointed in you. You are dismissed from the Survey Corps, and after a two-week probation, you will start your work at the Garrison instead."
"No, sir please. You can't do this," Johanne croaked out.
"Doctor Olbrich, after assessing the situation, you bring more trouble than you're worth," Erwin looked at her indignantly. Ouch. "Section Commander Y/N brings us much more value and I'd rather prioritise her safety and comfort in our own HQ. I can't let her perpetrator just walk around freely, it'll distract her from her duty. Keep a low profile and work quietly at the Garrison, and we won't do anything to you."
Mario stifled an 'oof' and you nudged his elbow. Levi had a faint smirk tugging on the corner of his lip and Catarina and Gabriel simply watched in awe. Johanne looked like she's ready to crumble into dust and disappear from the face of the Earth.
This is the true power and legitimacy that Commander Erwin holds. He is what you call a true schemer.
"And you, MP," Levi shot a glare at Kepler. "Your assault charge still holds, there's no way I'm letting you get away with that."
"B–but you said we'd get out charge-free," Kepler croaked out.
"Not for you. This one is unforgivable," Levi growled and sent another flying kick to Kepler's body. "If you dare to try to do anything funny again or rat about this, I'll make sure to break both of your legs next time." One look at Kepler's eyes and Levi already knew this man was traumatised by him beyond repair. Serves him right.
After making sure that Johanne and Kepler carry out what they're supposed to do, and clear up the misunderstanding with the MPs, you left quietly with Erwin, Levi, Mario, and the two recruits to upper ground. As soon as you're above ground, you breathe in the fresh air with relief. To your right, Erwin and Mario are discussing something with an MP soldier.
Nearby, Catarina and Gabriel are guarding Johanne and Kepler. Meanwhile, you had one arm sling over Levi's shoulder. Along the way up, Levi had been particularly attentive to you, carefully making sure that you're walking just fine and unhurt. The events that just transpired left you in some sort of shell shock, so you didn't say much on the way.
"Are you okay?" Levi asked. God, how you missed seeing him this close and hearing that soothing voice of his.
"I'm alright, I think," you reply and force a weak smile.
"God, I can't believe that Johanne brat seriously–" Levi clicked his tongue and looked visibly irritated. "And that MP scum, where did he..?"
You realise he was referring to Kepler who almost assaulted you earlier. "I'm okay, he didn't do anything... yet. Most of my injuries are from Johanne anyway. Well, all of them actually."
Levi looks at you, his expression doleful and eyebrows knitted upwards. He raises a hand to your face and gently tucks a falling strand of hair behind your ear. You hold your breath.
The last time you were with Levi, you were hot and angry with emotions, not wanting to get anywhere near him and avoiding him like the plague. And now here you are, melting in his touch.
"And you, you should've been more careful when things involve the Underground," Levi muttered and you mumbled, "I know".
Levi sighed.
"I was just worried about you," he said almost inaudibly. You blinked at him, startled that Levi openly admitted that. You feel your bottom lip tremble, eyes starting to sting.
"It's okay, I'm safe now," you said and smiled at him.
Your conversation was cut short by Mario who called out to you both that it was time to leave. The way back to the HQ was a rollercoaster of emotions and events, with Mario and Levi aggressively fussing over your injuries, Catarina and Gabriel praising Erwin like a god, and you thanking them all profusely.
"Commander, Captain, Mario, I can't thank you enough for this," you looked at them gratefully. "I'm so sorry that I worried everyone and got you all into this mess."
"You really scared us when you went missing, I can't believe that bitch would actually kidnap you," Mario glowered.
"I'm also really sorry that you had to find out about my past actions this way, I'm truly ashamed, Commander," you apologise to Erwin.
"What's there to apologise about helping those in need?" Erwin let out a hearty laugh.
Erwin glanced at Levi, who looked back at him with a hint of gratefulness in his expression. Even before that time when Levi approached him to ask for advice for a friend, Erwin already had an inkling something was going on between him and you. Erwin also knew that it would plague Levi's mind and heart to no end if something really happened to you, hence, he decided to push for your rescue.
Besides, Erwin knew better than to leave you, a valuable Section Commander of the Military Doctors, in the hands of those greedy MP snakes. Erwin can only chuckle when he sees the way you're acting right now, so flustered and needlessly guilty.
"I should have at least informed you before I was recruited," you bowed your head down. "I was afraid I had let you all down."
"There's no way you'd let us down, Section Commander!" Catarina cried out.
"All of us recruits really look up to you and we're just glad you're back." Gabriel nodded fervently.
"I'm really glad that you guys came for me, I really thought that was the end of my time at the Survey Corps," your voice falters.
You really thought it was over, this life of yours in the Survey Corps. You thought you'd never train with the Scouts or see all your friends again. You thought it was the bitter end of your short-lived career as a Survey Corps member, almost accepting your fate as a prison inmate.
In that cell, you were just a small and helpless girl who committed a crime involving the Underground, facing the Military Police all alone. Seeing Erwin, Levi, and Mario come to your rescue, you were shaken to your core and touched that even the Commander would go this far to defend you. Oh god, here comes the waterworks. Your vision blurs and tears start watering around your eyes.
"Oh no, don't cry!" Mario whines.
"You idiot! If you say that then I'm really going to cry!" you yell at him half-angry, half-laughing.
"Now I'm crying because you're crying!" Mario cries, tears pooling around his eyes.
"Why are you crying, you stupid idiot!" you punch his arm in embarrassment as the tears start to flow out of your eyes.
For some reason, while you and Mario began to cry and wail, Catarina and Gabriel started to tear up as well and they hastily tried to comfort you two. Erwin watched the whole spectacle and laughed heartily. Levi's eyebrow twitched in confusion, watching the scene unfold like a circus.
–
As Levi watched the doctor cry and laugh with Mario, he turned his head away to hide a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. After her conflict with him, she had been smiling and laughing significantly less, and Levi couldn't get used to seeing her so down. He was happy to finally see her smile and laugh again after a while.
He's wracked with guilt for hurting her feelings and hastily cutting her off like that, all because of his own cowardliness. He realises that it's unfair that she had to be the receiving end of his trauma and fears, unfair that she had been led on by him, only to be cut off when he changed his mind.
After this entire incident, Levi realises that he still deeply cares for her despite trying so hard to distance himself. Why was he so determined to find her the moment he realised she was missing? Why did he react so violently after seeing the way Johanne and Kepler hurt her?
He had told her that he didn't mean what he said about his feelings for her, and that she was a mistake. Bullshit. It's clear to him that she's something he can't ever ignore or cut out from his life. It's too late, much too late. He's fallen for her and she's much too important for him to turn his back to.
She's the type of person who prioritises the lives of mere strangers in the Underground over her own safety, brazenly putting herself in danger to save Eren's life, and even killing off Titans to save her squadmates despite her inexperience. She's the type of person who stands up for herself and does not do things half-heartedly.
The craziest part of it all, she somehow chose him out of everyone else. It is truly a privilege to know someone like her, and Levi wonders how stupid he would be to give her up to his fears.
Swirling in a whirlpool of thoughts, Levi wonders how on earth he is going to explain himself to her. Words were never his best forte after all. If he apologised, would she even forgive him?
Notes:
Yoooo I didn't expect this story to get this many hits in such a short amount of time! You guys are so nice as well leaving the funniest and most heartfelt of comments, thank you thank you!! 🥹🥰