You woke up with a terrible headache. The sun was shining brightly through the window, making it extremely difficult to open your eyes.
"Here, drink this," a familiar voice grumbled next to you.
You squinted at Levi while you sat up, then took the glass from his hands. "What is it?" you mumbled.
"Something that will help," he replied. "Try to drink it fast so you don't taste it."
Still feeling bleary, you obeyed, hacking a little at the terrible sensation on your tongue.
"Water," Levi muttered as he took the first glass and handed you a second one.
You drank greedily, wanting to wash away the awful taste. Once you had emptied the glass, you handed it back to Levi.
"Where are we?" you asked.
"MP barracks," Levi explained. "Kogami let us use a spare room."
"Oh," you muttered, the mention of Kogami suddenly brining back a lot of images from the night before. However, you couldn't remember much after drinking the alcohol – just bits and pieces. "Um...did we..."
"Tch. Of course not," Levi grumbled, though his tone lacked its usual bite. "I wouldn't do that to you."
You stared at the floor, unable to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry," you mumbled.
Levi sighed. "It's not your fault, brat. You were drugged."
"But you warned me," you insisted, wrapping your arms around yourself. "I was stupid –"
You cut off when Levi hugged you, so surprised by the comforting gesture that you stopped speaking. His fingers gently petted your hair, soothing you further.
"Levi?" you breathed.
He pressed a kiss to your cheek. "You weren't stupid, (f/n). You were scared. I should've done a better job of protecting you."
Your brow furrowed, and you hugged him close, willing him to understand that this wasn't his fault. "But you did protect me," you reminded him. "I mean, the details are a little fuzzy, but I know you kept me safe last night. I know you prevented me from doing anything I would regret. I know you didn't take advantage of me." You turned your head to face him, your nose brushing his own as you looked into his eyes. "You're a good man, Levi. Thank you."
The moment led to a tender kiss between you, slow and soft and sweet. You always marveled at how carefully Levi handled you, as if you were the most precious thing in the world. Most people wouldn't have expected that this scarred, calloused man was gentle with the things he loved. But he was.
"So, how badly did I embarrass myself last night?" you asked sheepishly.
"It was pretty bad," Levi teased, the slightest smirk pulling at his lips. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone. And I don't think Kogami will, either."
You groaned, facepalming as you recalled that Kogami had seen you in your drugged state. If word of that got out, your already-precarious position as vice commander would be completely trashed.
"By the way –" Levi began, but he was cut off by a sharp knock on the door.
"Hey, is she awake yet?" Kogami called.
"Yeah," Levi replied.
Without waiting for permission, Kogami threw the door open. "They found another body," he stated tightly.
Both you and Levi stiffened. "Where?" you asked.
"At the Garrison's headquarters," Kogami explained. "Commander Pixis has been arrested."
------------------------------------------
"Why would they arrest Commander Pixis?" you asked as the carriage bumped along the road, racing to the scene of the crime.
"All the evidence points to him," Kogami explained. "I get what you're saying, though. The three of us know he didn't do it."
"And nobody else does?" you pointed out incredulously. "No one thinks it's strange that two regiment commanders have been accused of separate murders within a day of each other?"
"I think the public outcry has them worried more than anything," Kogami muttered.
Your brow furrowed. "What public outcry? These investigations are confidential."
Kogami glanced at Levi.
"I didn't have time to tell her before you showed up," Levi grumbled.
"Tell me what?" you pressed, feeling your chest fill with dread.
Kogami reached inside his jacket, pulled out a newspaper, and handed it to you. "They printed the article this morning."
You quickly glanced over the front page and gasped.
"Allegedly, Commander Dawk had been gambling at Club Spade for quite some time – discreetly, so that his wife wouldn't find out. He got into debt, and the club sent Mardlin to collect. That's when Commander Dawk murdered him."
"But...that's insane!" you exclaimed, still staring at the paper with wide eyes. "They can't just print stuff like this without any proof! And who told them about the murder, anyway?"
"I sent some of my subordinates to check it out," Kogami stated. "Apparently, the source was anonymous, but they provided some incredibly convincing evidence, like gambling receipts with Commander Dawk's signature. The journalists felt that it was their 'civic duty' to print the story, or some bullshit like that."
"It was their civic duty to let us carry out our investigation before publicly shaming an innocent man," you uttered angrily.
"If it makes you feel any better, I had them arrested for libel and obstruction of justice."
You sighed and flopped back in your seat. "Well, at least they can't print anything else that makes our job harder. So, did Commander Dawk really go gambling in the Underground City?"
"Guess we would have to ask him," Kogami said with a shrug.
You shook your head wearily. "I'm not sure it even matters."
The carriage jerked to a stop, and you all piled out quickly. An MP was waiting to lead you to the crime scene.
You nearly stopped dead when you saw it. Almost everything was different about this scene – the arrangement of the body, the cause of death, the victim. Yet, there was something so eerily familiar that you couldn't help but connect it to the body you found at the MP's headquarters.
"I'll ask the officers if they've found anything," you stated. "You two have a look around. See if you can find any clues."
Levi and Kogami nodded, then began their inspection. You spoke to all the officers who had been there since the body was discovered several hours prior, and they all said the same thing: the evidence pointed to Pixis. The only real bit of information you were able to glean was that the victim's name was Lola Sanguick, and that she was a prostitute from the Underground City.
When Levi and Kogami returned, their sour looks told you that they hadn't found anything. You were disappointed, but not surprised. If Specimen hadn't left any clues the first time, you didn't expect him to start now.
"Great," you grumbled bitterly. "Now, two innocent men are in jail, and we have nothing to show for it."
"Well, you are Vice Commander of the Military Police," Levi commented. "You could probably just order their release, if it bothers you that much."
"Technically, yes," Kogami stated. "However, now that the public knows about this investigation, there would be an uproar if (f/n) released the prime suspects – or at least, the people who the public thinks are prime suspects."
You hummed bitterly. "Specimen is really putting a lot of effort into making sure that Commanders Dawk and Pixis take the fall for this. But for what? Why kill people from the slums and go through so much trouble to pin the blame on military leadership?"
"As for the victims, it's doubtful that Specimen had any personal animosity toward them. People from the slums are just easy targets, since they're not as likely to be missed," Kogami muttered. "As for why he's framing the commanders, hopefully we'll find the answer to that soon."
"Well, since we're on the subject, I've been thinking..." you began, casting a slightly nervous glance at Levi. "We know Specimen is targeting regiment commanders, so we should put Commander Erwin under a constant watch. He can't be framed for a crime if the police are his alibi."
"Erwin won't like that," Levi grumbled. "Besides, you don't even know if this is the Specimen killer."
"Maybe not," you conceded, "but someone is committing these crimes, and until I have their actual name, I need something to call them." You turned to Kogami. "Can you pick a few trustworthy officers and assign them to guard Commander Erwin?"
"On it," he stated, turning to go.
"Actually –" you blurted, stopping him in his tracks. You took a deep breath, then explained the thought that had just entered your mind. "Kogami, I think you should stay with Commander Erwin too. If Specimen does show up, that might provide a good opportunity to catch him. While you're doing that, Levi and I can investigate Lola Sanguick."
Kogami grunted thoughtfully. "Not a bad idea. But let me know if you need anything. Alright, Fairy Dust?"
You gasped, then quickly looked around to make sure no one else had heard. "Don't call me that!" you insisted, feeling your cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Kogami only chuckled.