"You're the kind of soul anyone would be lucky to be with,

and you don't even know it,

the best ones never do."

~Adrian Michael

"Good afternoon, Levi, Cadet Ackerman," Erwin greeted earning a shy smile and blush from me. Not caring about formalities at the moment, I limped over to him and gave him a hug.

"Thank you for approving the marriage between me and Levi, Erwin," I thanked him quietly. He gave me a soft smile as he returned my hug. Mike and Hanji looked at us with happy smiles on their faces. They had seen firsthand how much we had struggled to mend our broken relationship as brother and sister and were clearly relieved to see us interacting without me snapping or crying anymore.

"No problem. I don't know any other man who I trust more to protect you or put up with you," Erwin teased with a teasing glint in his clear blue eyes. After that, we separated and returned to formalities with me sitting beside Levi on the chairs in Erwin's office as we began discussing the plan to prepare for the next month leading up to the next expedition.

It was then that Erwin informed of his suspicions of their being a traitor within the 104th Training Corps cadets. He explained that he planned to tell each squad a different location of the Levi Squad during the expedition in order to keep Eren the safest and to potentially weed out the traitors. After that discussion was over, Levi and I got up to leave and head back to the old HQ.

"Emmryn, I need you to stay back to discuss something with you," Erwin stated in a serious tone that concerned me, but Levi took my hand in his.

"I'll be staying too, then," he informed Erwin, his tone making it clear that he wasn't asking. Erwin simply nodded in response.

"It's probably best that you were here to hear this too," Erwin agrees before continuing with a sigh, "I've been working since you escaped the Underground to try and find your captors and have them apprehended. Turns out that a man named Friar Reed gained citizenship above ground shortly after Emmryn escaped. Him and his cohorts' locations are currently unknown."

At the name Friar Reed, I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. I can't go back. I'd rather die than go back to that hellhole. My right eye started burning and I gripped that side of my face in pain as my body began to tremble, whether from fear or anger, I wasn't sure.

"That bastard managed to pay for citizenship using money he got from selling my body," I growled in between gasps for air as I finally felt my world going black, the last thing in my sight the sight of a furious Levi Ackerman.

-Levi's POV-

As Emmryn passed out from her panic attack, I caught her before gently laying her on the couch in Eyebrows's office before letting out a pissed off breath.

"I'll fucking kill that bastard," I growled. I was livid. How dare that bastard sell my wife's body to scumbags in the underground! It wasn't new information but hearing Emmryn gasping that information out in a panic and realizing how much he had made off of her made me sick to my stomach and made me want to fucking break something.

"Levi, we need to focus on our mission right now. Humanity's survival depends on it," Erwin tried to reason, his commander persona full blown at the moment. Hell, at this point, I don't think the dumbass knew how to turn it off and be a big brother when the two conflicted. I glared at his dismissal of what Emmryn had just said.

"You did hear what Emmryn just said to us right?" I questioned, irritation heavy in my usually bored tone.

"I did," Erwin replies nonchalantly earning a full on snarl from me.

"Then you know that this Friar Reed is the bastard that raped her first and the one that destroyed her right eye, yes?" I further interrogated, trying to give the blonde bastard the chance to show semblance of concern for my copper haired lover. Ya know the one that is HIS LITTLE SISTER. He took a deep breath, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration.

"I'm well aware, but his whereabouts are currently unknown, so we need to focus on our upcoming expedition which will have much further reaching implications than this little issue. Humanity's victory against the titans must take priority," he explained slowly as though trying to reason with an irate child, but his words made me see red. The only thing stopping me from coming across that desk and beating the shit out of him was not wanting to wake Emmryn and make her hear this kind of shit again. She'd been through enough already.

"You'd better be fucking ecstatic that she isn't awake to hear you spew that shit out of your mouth. She'd never forgive you if she was," I seethed, not raising my voice despite wanting to yell at the blonde bastard in front of me. He raised in eyebrows in what appeared to be amusement.

"Are you going to tell her?" Eyebrows questioned, clearly already knowing the answer to his question if the smirk on his face was any indication. I simply clicked my tongue and gently picked up Emmryn in my arms before going to the door, determined to ignore Erwin before I did something that I would seriously regret later.

"Levi," Erwin called out, his voice a bit more… emotional than before, "Please keep her safe." At that I noticed Emmryn's hands clutch my uniform jacket as I looked at the commander with a glare evident on my face.

"That was supposed to be your job too. Listen, Eyebrows, either work to be a part of her life as an older brother or leave her the fuck alone. The last thing she needs is for you to half-ass your concern for her," I bit back as I walked out of the door and into my office/room at this HQ before entering and shutting the door behind us. Erwin had kept it empty since we didn't have that many high ranking officers anyways, and this allowed me and Emmryn to have a place to stay when she wanted to visit him.

As I went to put her on the bed, I noticed tears flowing from her closed eyes, and I sighed silently as I felt a bit of pity for the woman in front of me.

"How much did you hear?" I asked cautiously. She opened her eyes showing her blind eye and clear blue eye which were both full of pain.

"Enough to know that I still don't mean shit to him," she lamented, "This shit is why I gave up ever getting out of that hellhole alive after 2 fucking years. I really am worthless." This pissed me off, and I've never been great at words, so instead, I grabbed her chin and crashed my lips into hers trying to express my love and affection for her as well as my determination to keep her safe before pulling back with a fire in my eyes.

"Don't say shit that you know damn well isn't true," I growled, my voice coming out harsh and irritated, "That bastard didn't take away your worth. You're a soldier AND an Ackerman goddammit! Stop with the damn pity parties and shit. It's a waste of your time."

Despite my harsh words, I was sure to be gentle as I wiped her tears away. Actions were the best tool I had to show her that I cared for her and that I would be here for her, but sugarcoating things would only make things worse for her in the long run. Just as I was getting a bit concerned that I had gone too far this time, Emmryn looked up to me with tears still in her eyes, but I felt relieved when I saw a grateful smile grace her pink lips. In moments, those soft lips were on mine in a sweet and loving kiss that lasted almost no time at all before she pulled away.

"I love you too, Levi," she replied with a sad smile earning a small smirk from me. This woman was better at reading me than anyone else. How far she has come from the girl who would snap or cry every time I used harsh words with her. I thought with pride before my thoughts drifted to the reason for the tears in her eyes as I pulled her towards me in a protective manner making a silent challenge to that Friar Reed bastard.

Besides, I fucking dare that bastard to try and lay a finger on her now.

Song: False Confidence by Noah Kahan

A/N:

I'm back! Sorry it took me so long to update! I've been moving (I'm finally done). And been sleep training my daughter (getting her to sleep in her own crib) and it's been rough. But now, hopefully, I'll be able to update more often. I won't have a schedule per say but I will be trying to get out at least one chapter per week. Thank you so much to everyone who has continued to read and support this story while I have been MIA! It means so much to me! (I even have a space in my bullet journal for all the encouraging comments I get from readers!) 3 Always Taeha.

P.S. → I hope everyone is staying safe :)