Chapter 3:
Levi entered the experimentation field just in time to see Hange nearly get eaten by one of her new titans.
"Oh, Bean, I love you too!" Hange cooed, laughing it off as if she didn't just experience a life or death situation.
"How are the new experiments?" Levi asked, coming up behind his comrade.
"Oh they're perfect! This is Bean, and that's Sawney. They're so sweet that I just hate to hurt them. However, SCIENCE NEVER SLEEPS!" Hange proclaimed, her eyes harboring a crazy glint. From the looks of it, she hadn't slept since she got her new pets.
"Any new finds?" Levi asked.
"Well, I've started testing how they're reacting to lack of sunlight. Sawney was down for the count after only an hour. However, Bean kept going even after 3 hours. I deduce that their height may have something to do with how long they can maintain mobility without sunlight. However, I would need more specimen in order to test that theory." Hange explained.
"Interesting," Levi stated.
"On another note, how is our sweet Isabel?" Hange gushed.
"Tch, she's not ours, Hange. I'll be putting in an adoption notice as soon as possible. If we leave her here with you, she'll surely get eaten by those monsters." He scoffed, gesturing to the titans staring at them in hunger.
"Then why don't you just send her to an orphanage if it's that dangerous?" Hange rolled her eyes.
"She won't be here long, so it's not necessary. There's got to be some naive couple within the walls who want to take in a traumatized child."
"And if there's not?" Hange asked.
"There will be." Levi retorted.
"Fine, fine. I'll be sure to tell you when I make any new discoveries. In the meantime, go back to Isabel. She's most comfortable when you're around and will probably get worried if you're gone for too long." Hange said.
"After Erwin, I'm the first to know," Levi called out, leaving Hange to her own insane devices. Hopefully, she wouldn't get any ideas about introducing Isabel to Sonny and Bean. That would be a whole new issue, and he didn't need a bigger headache.
…
Thankfully, his quarters were not trashed when he got back. Gunther was running around with Isabel on his shoulders, and the girl giggled with delight. Petra weaved her way around the two, picking up toys as she went. Oluo and Eld stood to the side, deep in discussion.
"Captain!" Petra called out, saluting with a stuffed rabbit in her hands. Gunther quickly stopped and saluted as well. Isabel followed suit, and a twitch of a smile pulled at Levi's lips.
"Hange is starting to make some new discoveries. It's not a lot, but knowing her, she'll work until she learns everything," Levi said.
Isabel crawled down from Gunther's shoulders and waddled over to Levi, smiling up at him with her big bluebell eyes. "Play horse?" She asked, holding up her arms.
"What?" Levi asked, looking at Gunther and Petra.
"She wants you to run around with her on your shoulders. She has a blast." Petra smiled.
Levi looked back at the girl, who waited patiently for his answer. "I can't. Go play with Gunther." He said, leaving the dejected three year old with her other playmates. He walked to his office and shut the door behind him, ready to face the countless piles of agonizing paperwork.
A few minutes later, Levi's office door opened to reveal Commander Erwin. Levi sat up at his desk. "Yes?"
"Why...why do you have a child?" Erwin asked.
Levi stifled a laugh. "I found her during the clean-up." He said.
"That doesn't answer why she is here." Erwin continued.
"Hange wanted to keep her." Levi lied. Apparently, it was a good one, because Erwin relaxed a bit. As if she was summoned, Isabel appeared behind Erwin, grabbing on to one of his legs. He jumped at the sudden touch, and the little girl giggled, hanging on tight.
"Levi…" Erwin started.
"Isabel, get off of the commander," Levi said, and Isabel tumbled off. She skipped over to Levi and crawled into his lap, ignoring his blatant "no". She continued to sit and played with a stuffed pony.
"Isabel? What a coincidence." Erwin said, raising one of his large eyebrows.
"I named her," Levi answered, and the girl smiled up at Erwin before resuming her game, humming as she did so.
Erwin stared at his friend in shock. He cleared his throat and said, "Isabel, can you leave me and Captain Levi so we can talk?"
Isabel looked up at Levi and he nodded, whispering "go play." She obliged, leaving his lap and the office only after giving one more sad look in his direction. Erwin shut the door behind her.
"She needs to go," Erwin said. "You're already getting attached."
"I'm not getting attached."
"You let her sit in your lap, Levi! You took her in! From the looks of it, you even gave her toys! If that's not getting attached, I don't know what is!"
"I'm sending out a notice that there's a three-year-old survivor from Trost that needs a home. Hopefully, someone will pick her up within the next couple of weeks."
"Send her to an orphanage or something. This is no place for a child! She could get hurt." Erwin demanded.
"There is no way I'm sending her to that kind of place. She's staying here, and I don't care that you're my superior. Isabel is staying put." Levi snarled.
"Levi...is this really best for you? Or her? What happens if you get too attached? She could be taken for ransom. Or what if you die? You'll leave her alone with absolutely no one."
"I won't die," Levi concluded.
"You can't promise that."
"Then Hange will look after her! She's staying until we find her a good home! The streets are no place for a child, Erwin, and that's where she'll end up if she goes to an orphanage. Isabel could get into trouble; people are evil. I'm not going to yield." Levi said, standing up and narrowing his eyes.
Erwin scoffed. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you." He opened the door. "However...if you get too attached, I'm taking her away. I don't need a little girl compromising my best soldier. Especially when she reminds you of your old family." With that, he walked out of the door, leaving Levi speechless.
Levi slammed his fist onto the desk in aggravation and then sat down, ready to resume his work. His door creaked open once again and Isabel walked inside, sitting down on the ground with her toys in hand. She said nothing, but her presence was enough to calm Levi's nerves. He glanced at her and his eyes went wide. For a split second, he saw his little sis, smiling back at him. Her green eyes seemed to stare right into his. Then, the vision was gone, leaving the current Isabel in her namesake's wake. Her auburn hair was pulled back into pigtail braids and her new blue dress pooled around her as she played.
Levi sighed. Perhaps he was getting too attached. But...maybe this little girl was the best thing for his team. After all, he had never seen Gunther that happy. And...she might be the best thing for him too.
"Hey, Isabel. Mind if I join you? I need a break from work." Levi said, getting up from his desk and kneeling beside the young girl.
"Sure!" She beamed, handing him a toy of his own. She hummed to herself as she played, so Levi didn't really know what to do, so he just made the stuffed rabbit jump around, giving Isabel's stuffed horse a hug from time to time.
As Levi looked closer at the little girl, an epiphany went off in his head. She had seen what the real world was like. She survived a living hell. But somehow, that smile never faded. Almost like…
Levi sighed. They were completely different. He shouldn't be comparing those two girls. He continued to play by her side for a while before having to retire to his paperwork once again. Isabel resumed playing alone, not leaving his office until Petra had to drag her out. Levi stifled a laugh. Despite her sweet demeanor, this little girl sure was stubborn. She would be hard to deal with when she got older. But...she would be gone. He wouldn't see her grow up. It was just some stupid fantasy.
Levi excluded the thoughts from his mind. He needed to focus on getting rid of the titans. That was his only mission. He had to focus. There wasn't room for anything else. He couldn't care about anything else. Because the moment he cared, the moment it was all over. He had to keep his eyes on the mission. For the good of humanity.
AN: Hello everyone! So obviously Levi's in denial, but oh well. The more angst, the more Isabel gets to show off her adorable self. Erwin seems like a stick in the mud now, but maybe Isabel will soften his heart too… Anyway, thanks for reading! :)