Levi's POV
I was sick and tired of seeing Hanji fawn over a piece of meat.
When we had pulled Eren out of his titan form, a slab of flesh about a meter long had stayed intact, even after the rest of the body had crumbled away. The damned Four-Eyes had squealed in excitement, passed out, then ordered Moblit to cart it away into her lab, where she had been locked away in the past 48 hours doing Sina knows what, emerging only to ambush us with some new discovery she had made.
"LLEEEEVVVVIIIIIIIIIIEEEE!"
I choked on my tea, coughing the blackish liquid all over my desk. I stared for a moment, saddened at the wastage of tea and irritated by the mess, before looking up and seeing the source of my irritation bouncing excitedly on its feet.
"What is it Shitty Glasses?"
"Levi! Levi! Look!" Hanji excitedly held out a pair of laboratory tongs. In them was a piece of blackened, charred meat about the size of my pinky.
"If you're this excited over a piece of charcoal, i should warn you that we have hundreds of them in a storeroom outside."
"No Levi, you don't understand!" she threw her arms up dramatically. "This is a piece of titan meat which i exposed to an open flame. It burned! Don't you see? Titan meat is flammable! The possibilities and implications are immense!"
I could see no implications other than the one that Hanji was probably a lousy cook.
"Welp, I'm sure you want to learn more Levi but science doesn't wait!" She practically skipped out my office, holding the tweezers like she's carrying the world's biggest diamond. I hear more enthusiastic ramblings drift in from outside as Hanji ambushed some other poor soul, and a few minutes later a disheveled looking Gerhardt peeks into my office, clutching two thick forms.
"Um, Captain?"
"What is it?"
He walked up to my desk and held out one of them. "It's the status update from the Garrison. They have not found any trace of Reiner and Bertholdt since the incident. They're wondering if the Survey Corps wishes for them to continue the search, or move them to the list of deserters."
"That's not my decision to make. Bring it to Erwin."
"Yes sir." He holds up the other. "This one is from the Military Police, asking that we allow one of their officials into the interrogation."
"This one, i can decide." I grab the form and tear it up, before dropping it into a wastepaper basket. "Is that all?"
"Yes sir. But Captain," his eyes flicker to the ground. "Is Eren still unconscious?"
I nod.
"Then if you don't mind me asking sir, do you think that maybe Eren is faking his unconsciousness?" He wrings his hands and swallows nervously, rushing out the question."I mean, two days is a very long time to spend knocked out."
I pushed myself up from my seat, causing Gerhardt to stumble back. Conspiracies like these were already spreading across the Garrison and MP, i was not going to let them take hold in the Survey Corps as well.
"I think, Gerhardt, that it has been established quite firmly over the past two days that Eren's current state is genuine. I think you of all people will remember the multiple attempts that have been made to wake him. He is either the world's best actor or genuinely passed out, and we both know he is not that good an actor."
Gerhardt winced. Of course he remembered, he still had the bruises from restraining Ackerman when i had tried to wake Eren by cutting his arm.
I heard footsteps, and a panicked, sweaty Petra burst into my office, taking a few deep breaths to catch her breath before speaking.
"Eren's awake, they want you downstairs now for questioning."
Erwin's POV
I sighed and buried my face in my hands. This was not going well.
"I'm telling you, i don't remember anything!"
I massaged my temples in a vain attempt to clear my rapidly developing headache, and judging by the way Levi was gritting his teeth and the fact that Pixis was on his third flask of alcohol, i knew they were feeling as frustrated as i was over the past hour of fruitless questioning.
Levi growled. "Don't try that bullshit with me Eren. I've done my fair share of interrogations, and i can tell when someone is withholding information. Now spill."
Eren abruptly stood up, as much as the restraints allowed him, causing the guards near him to point their weapons at him nervously.
"Make me."
Dot Pixis pulled out his flask and took a long swig from it. I briefly considered asking for some as well, before dismissing the thought.
"Look brat, don't make us resort to stronger measures."
He sat back down, much to the relief of the guards. "There's nothing you can do to me that i won't heal from."
Suddenly the cell door slammed open, causing everyone except Levi to flinch. Hanji walked in, holding a syringe filled with yellowish-brown liquid.
"Hi Eren! I'm here to give you your flu shot."
"Flu shot? But I'm not sick."
"Yes, but you've spent a considerable amount of time outside these walls. You could be carrying some sort of strange disease that you're immune to but we're not. Better safe than sorry after all." Eren looked slightly offended at the suggestion, but he held out his arm and let Hanji administer the shot.
My brows furrowed in confusion. Flu shot? We never had policy to give shots to outsiders coming in. We had never had any outsiders to give flu shots to to begin with. And if there was anybody who didn't have to worry about succumbing to external diseases, it was the Survey Corps.
Hanji finished administering the shot and walked out the door. As she left, she winked at us and shifted her fingers slightly, revealing the letters TRUT SERU IV, printed on the side of the syringe.
Truth Serum. This particular type took a while to take effect. We needed to keep Eren talking and unsuspicious until it did.
I leaned forward, staring at Eren straight in the eye. "Ok Eren, since you can't answer these questions, we'll start simpler. Did you have a constant source of food, when outside the walls?"
He blinked in surprise, before reluctantly relaxing. "I hunted for animals, and i plucked wild fruit."
I nodded, noticing that he didn't give me a straight answer. "Where did you get the new clothes?"
"I made them."
"You made them?" Levi gave him a glare that was stern but not unkindly. "Eren, you expect me to believe that? You, who has never even so much as repaired a broken seam without poking his fingers full of holes? Did you really make them or did someone make it for you?"
"I-I" He bites his lower lip, as if trying not to say something. "Yes I made them, all on my own."
"So you've survived out there all on your own, without any memory of anyone within these walls?"
"Yes."
"In that case why did you attack Reiner and Bedtodlt?"
At the mention of their names his face contorted in rage. "Because they're traitors." He slams his fists onto the table. "All of them! Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, they're all traitors! They betrayed the Citadel for the Stronghold! They-" His eyes widen as he realizes what he said.
"Eren, what are the Citadel and Stronghold?" Are they external factions, or fortresses of some sor-"
"I don't know anything."
Levi makes a sound of complete exasperation. "For fucks sake Eren, resisting us is one thing but at least try saying something new. You just blurted out that much info and you claim you don't know anything?"
Eren bites the side of his mouth. "I-I may have lied." The feeling of triumph surges through my body. The serum, it's working.
"So Eren, what is the Citadel?" The room stills, the excitement and anticipation in it palpable.
"Its...Its a..." Suddenly his eyes widened. "That wasn't a flu shot was it."
I force my voice to stay calm. "What is the Citadel Eren?"
"What you gave me was some sort of truth serum!"
"Eren, what is-" I am cut off by a horrible cracking sound. I look down in horror at Eren's hands, which are clenched together in an attempt to fight off the serum's effects. Another cracking sound rang out as his leftmost knuckle bone broke, poking out from the skin.
"Eren!"
"I can'-I wo- It's a-" His eyes are wide and full of terrified panic.
"Erwin, i think we should reschedule this."
I make my voice gentle yet commanding. "It's ok Eren, you don't have to tel-"
"I won't betray my friends!" with that defiant cry Eren launched himself downwards. Levi desperately shot his hand out to catch his head, but failed to keep Eren from slamming his head into the table, knocking himself unconscious.
Mikasa's POV
"Look, I'm sorry, if all you're here to do is interrogate me, I have nothing more to say to you."
I watch as Jean dejectedly shuffles out of the staircase door that lead to Eren's dungeon cell. As soon as he sees me his expression brightens and his face reddens slightly. "Hey Mikasa, I've got a favor to-"
I shake my head. "No Jean."
He frowns. "No?"
"I know what you're going to ask me, and the answer is no. I'm not going to question Eren, not when he's just recovered from a serious head wound.".
"No Mikasa, that's not what i mea-"
"You think i don't know that Erwin has asked several trainees to try to coax some answers out of Eren after his interrogation? You think i haven't seen Connie, Sasha and some of other recruits go down there and come back disappointed?"
Jean holds up his hands, hus expression pleading. "Look Mikasa, i get it. But aren't you curious at all? Eren has seen the ocean, Mikasa. Armin is going nuts right now, and-"
"I am curious Jean, but Eren's well-being comes first. He hasn't eaten in two days, we need to make sure he's healthy before asking him any questions.". Without waiting to see his reaction, i push by him, gripping the basket i carried down tighter.
I walk up to the door, which is now guarded by four heavily armed soldiers, all holding rifles and with pistols stuffed into their belts. Upon seeing me one of them pulls out a key and opens the door to Eren's cell.
He looks up at me, expression guarded as i enter. "I swear, if you're here to ask me where I've been, I'm going to-"
I hold up a placating hand. "Don't worry Eren, I'm not here to interrogate you." His expression softens as I hold up the basket i have in my hand. "I'm here to bring you food."
He looks slightly surprised. "Um, why?"
I huff. "You've been out for the past two days Eren, and you haven't eaten anything since." I open up the basket, which has half a loaf of bread and a canteen of water. I tear out a chunk from the loaf and hold it out to him. "Now eat."
"Ummm… I would if i could, but…" his eyes drift down to his arms, and only then do i notice that they're chained to the wall. They can still move, but the chains are too short to allow Eren to eat on his own.
"Oh." I tear off a smaller piece and slowly hold it out to him, bracing myself for the inevitable outburst. But to my surprise, he grabs my forearm, and gently sucks the bread off my fingers, his lips and tongue leaving traces of warmth on my skin.
My heart rate doubles, and i quickly retract my arm. I look away, trying to calm my beating heart.
The cell door opens, and Armin peeks in hesitantly, causing Eren's face to darken.
"Hey Eren." He walked in, carrying a plate with a hunk of cheese and a knife. He sat beside Eren and held it out to him with a soft smile. "I brought you this. It's a little bland to eat bread on its own."
Eren's expression morphed into one of skepticism. "You're not here to question me?"
"I don't want to force you to tell us anything you aren't prepared to tell us. Whatever it is, you'll tell us when you're ready."
"Oh." Eren gave a sheepish smile. "Thanks,i appreciate that."
We sat in silence for the next few minutes, the air punctuated only with the sounds of Eren chewing and me cutting up the cheese.
As Eren polished off the last bite of bread, Armin turned back to him. "Eren?"
"Hm?"
"You've seen the ocean, haven't you?"
"Yes, but-"
"Could you describe it to me?"
Eren tapped his chin for a moment. "Well, the ocean is a huge expanse of water, stretching out as far as the eye can see, and it tastes salty. In places its so deep you can't see or even reach the bottom. Its color changes a lot too, it's not just plain blue, sometimes it's a dark, stormy grey, sometimes it's a bright vibrant turquoise. When there's no wind it's tranquil, like a mirror, completely calm and unmoving. Sometimes it's violent, turbulent, with waves almost as high as your walls…" He trails off when he notices that Armin's eyes are shining. "Armin? Are you- it wasn't even that good a description!"
"No! " Armin wiped at his eyes. "It's-It's just nice to hear it firsthand, from someone who has seen the ocean in person."
His eyes flicker over to the door. Two of the guards are dozing off, another is preoccupied with cutting her nails with a knife and the last is nowhere to be seen.
He lowers his voice. "Mikasa, Armin, can you guys keep secrets?"
My eyebrows shoot up. "Eren, what are you saying?"
He briefly glances at both of us. "If i tell you guys something, can you promise me you won't tell anyone else?"
I grab his hand gently. "Eren, it's ok if you don't want to tell us anything, we don't want to pressure you into telling us."
He shook his head. "You two have been nothing but kind to me since i got here. I don't want to keep seeing you two grasping for answers when i am in a position to give you most of them."
"Okay Eren." Both of us looked at him expectantly.
He took a deep breath. "The Citadel is a country of Titan shifters."
If i had been less surprised, i would have noticed the soft surprised gasp coming from underneath Eren's bed.
