DILAN'S P.O.V.
It was a few days later. Evening. More specifically, the evening of the ball.
Everyone had spent the last few hours getting ready. Dilan had spent half of that time helping Petra pick between 2 dresses, both of which looked exactly the same to her. In the end, Petra ended up going for a third option that Dilan had suggested in the first place. She had never been more infuriated with the redhead, but she remained calm and told her she looked lovely.
Petra was dressed in a navy blue ballgown with ruffles and long white gloves, her hair pulled back into a bun with black high heels and a white shawl.
The boys were dressed in simple tuxes with bowties.
Dilan had been given a dress by Hanji that apparently, she brought especially for her after seeing it in the store. Dilan had protested that she shouldn't spend money so carelessly, but Hanji had been stern, claiming the dress was meant for her. Dilan wasn't sure but she didn't argue.
When she opened the box, she couldn't deny that it was beautiful. It may have been the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. And yet she still felt ridiculous putting it on. She had never worn anything so fancy before. It was a full-length dress, flowing down to her ankles. It had an open back and was made with high quality silk, a rather large V-neck in the front with a high slit in the front, showing off a decent portion of leg and it had thin straps that crossed over at the back. Its colour was a beautiful mango-orange that brought out her eyes.
Thankfully, Hanji had thought of everything. She had been given these tights to wear that were skin colour to cover her thigh scars and some gloves that reached her elbow, covering her arm scars.
She was also given black strapped heels that Dilan had scowled at but promised Hanji she would wear. Her hair was half up, half down in a bun at the top, kept in place by this shiny pin that Petra gave her that looked like shiny sliver leaves. Whatever it was made of it looked fucking expensive. The rest of her hair was down, lightly curled at the ends by Petra's hot stick that Dilan was very reluctant to let anywhere near her.
Petra had done her hair and makeup before she was dressed. The make up being light with just a bit of mascara, eyeliner in a cat eye and a bit of nude pink lipstick. Dilan disliked the makeup, but Petra insisted and that girl sure was scary when it came to clothes and makeup.
She had just finished getting dressed but was having trouble with the tie at the back. She looked over at her door as she heard a knock.
"Oi, brat. You almost ready?" Levi's low voice rang out. Dilan smiled.
Perfect timing, grumps.
"Yeah. Can you actually come in?" She asked, needing help and he was the only one available.
The door was pushed open while Dilan looked back in the mirror, attempting to do the knot at her back once more. No such luck. She could slit a man's throat in 1 second flat but she couldn't do bows for the life of her. Perhaps she just disliked the idea of something so flimsy keeping her clothes together. "Hey, could you help me with this-" She started before she looked back at Levi and her mouth went completely dry.
Holy fuck he is sexy in a suit. Her brain thought without permission.
Levi was dressed in black slacks, black jacket, black shined shoes and a crisp white shirt that had a few of the top buttons undone creating a casual look. His hair was gelled back and while it was definitely less him it looked surprisingly good, especially since a few of his bangs escaped the gel and hung in front of his eyes.
Sexy indeed.
Dilan bit her lip subconsciously and blinked, snapping out of her balking. It took a second to realise Levi was standing there, balking at her too. She blushed and looked away, cursing herself for such a reaction.
Levi cleared his throat, refocusing.
"What did you... want?" Levi asked, having to clear his throat again in the middle of the sentence. Dilan shook her head to herself slightly, refocusing as well.
"I can't do this fucking knot up. Can you tie it please?" Dilan asked, frustrated. Levi cracked a small smirk but nodded and came closer. He got behind her and Dilan watched him in the mirror.
She felt her heartrate speed up dramatically as his fingers brushed over her own as she passed the string to him, the only thing holding her dress together.
Levi held the string in one of his hands, using the other to gently brush her hair over one of her shoulders so it wasn't in the way. He started tying the knot and Dilan felt a shiver run down her spine as she felt his warm breath on the back of her neck due to their close proximity. She had no clue what was happening to her body or why it was reacting this way.
"Done." Levi's voice sounded deeper than usual and he hesitated before letting go. Dilan turned around to look him in those steel grey eyes, swearing her heart skipped a beat. They remained standing like that for a moment, both breathing slightly faster than normal.
"Dilan? You ready?" Eld's voice came down from the hall and the pair blinked, snapping out of whatever they were in the middle of. Levi looked down, taking a step back. Dilan bit her lip and did the same, grabbing her cloak and purse as Eld rounded the corner and his eyes widened. "Wow, you look amazing." He said with a wide smile. Dilan smiled back, sparing her friend a glance before walking towards the tall blonde.
"Thanks. So do you." She replied kindly and Eld's smile widened. He offered his arm for her to hold onto and Dilan did so, albeit reluctantly. She wasn't used to his whole dating thing.
"DILAN! I THINK I CHOSE THE WRONG DRESS!" Petra wailed and Dilan's eyes widened in dread, pulling Eld along to Petra's room. They did not need a dress crisis right now. They'd be here for another five hours.
LEVI'S P.O.V.
Levi sighed as he heard Dilan walk always with Eld.
"Fuck." He hissed under his breath, rubbing his forehead. That was too close. He almost lost all his resolve staring into her eyes. He almost kissed her. In his defence, she looked beautiful. Too amazingly beautiful that Levi almost did something he wouldn't be able to take back.
Did he regret her decision to let her go? No. Because first and foremost he wanted her to be happy and she wouldn't be able to get that with him.
Did that mean he was okay with Dilan and Eld together just now? HELL, TO THE FUCK, NO!
Levi had known he was a jealous shit for a long time now but seeing them together, officially on their date? Levi had never felt more jealousy in his life. He knew it was only going to get worse if they became a couple and he needed to prepare for that. Especially considering they lived in the same house together. And especially considering Dilan's room was right under his.
Oh god. Do not think about that right now.
Levi shook his head of the thoughts and walked out of the room, down the stairs and out the door where everyone had gathered. They were chatting amongst themselves as two carriages drove up. Levi frowned slightly supposing horses were off the table.
Guess they needed to make sure no one had an escape from the horrible evening.
Hanji hopped out of the first one, dressed in a black dress with a massive feather in her hair that wobbled about when she moved around. The outfit was... very Hanji.
"GUYS! YOU'RE READY! OH MY GOD YOU LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL!" She gasped, seeing all of them. Levi rolled his eyes while the others laughed. "DIL!" She squealed, bolting out of the carriage and jumping on the younger soldier. Dilan laughed and hugged her back. "You look so hot! My, my, if I swung that way, I would be ravishing you." Hanji said shamelessly with a grin and Dilan blushed.
"Hanji!" She said, embarrassed and Hanji cackled loudly, grabbing Dilan and pulling her into the same carriage as her. Petra, Oluo and Gunther went in the first one while Eld followed Dilan and Hanji and Levi was about to follow Gunther in before he realised Moblit was in there and it was full up.
Scowling and cursing under his breath, Levi climbed into the second carriage, sitting next to Eld as Hanji had nabbed the seat next to Dilan, a seat apparently everyone wanted. The door was closed, and the carriages started moving. Levi had to look out the window to stop himself from staring.
Why did she have to look so stunning?
"You boys like the dress I picked for little Dil?" Hanji smirked. Eld blushed and Levi rolled his eyes.
"I'll admit, Hanji. It's a nice dress but it's pretty impractical. How the fuck am I supposed to kill someone in this?" Dilan asked, elegant as ever.
Levi had to suppress a smirk.
"I don't think-" Eld started with a nervous chuckle but Levi ignored him.
"You could use the string at the back to strangle someone." Levi offered in a deadpan. Dilan hummed.
"True but I could also just choke them. Inefficient." She played along casually. Levi crossed his arms, a very subtle smirk on his lips.
"What about the shoes?" He countered. Dilan blinked, looking down at her sharply pointed footwear before a psychopathic grin spread across her face.
"I like it, Captain. Practically attached knifes. You think I could slit someone's throat with these things?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't see why not." Levi shrugged, ignoring the horrified expressions of Eld and Hanji. They were in the middle of something. "Pointless question though isn't it? It's not like your weaponless." He scoffed. Dilan chuckled, slipping out a dagger from her purse and flicking it around her fingers.
"Obviously not." She rolled her eyes. Hanji gasped.
"Dil! We're going to a ball! You can't bring weapons!" Hanji exclaimed. Dilan blinked at her.
"Why not?" She asked. Hanji gave her an exasperated look.
"Because!" She retorted.
"I think the section commander is right, Dil. If someone saw, you with that-" Eld tried to reason.
"It's not like they're going to check high class soldiers." Levi interrupted, looking at his own dagger that he had materialised out of nowhere.
Dilan snickered while the others balked.
"Levi!" Hanji whined. Levi ignored her, slipping the dagger back into his shoe. He was still pissed at glasses.
"We'll be fine, Hanji. Stop worrying." Dilan reassured with a smile.
Hanji sighed in defeat.
"Fine, you little weapon junkies. I don't suppose you have any ammunition on you either, Eld?" Hanji asked, rubbing her forehead. Dilan laughed as Eld chuckled and shook his head.
"Anything goes down, I think my date has it covered." He smirked. Dilan blushed a bit but smiled back. Levi received a knowing look from Hanji which he ignored, turning his gaze out to the window, he tried his best not to let the pain in his heart show on his face.
A while later they turned up at the building and the doors were opened, immediately filling Levi's ears with the laughter and the excited chatter of the upper class in their ridiculous outfits. Levi had to try hard not to outright groan. He had a feeling this may very well end up being the longest night of his life.
He stepped out of the carriage regardless, taking in the large building. It was a white mansion, an estate in Sina that was rich enough to have a surrounding area of grass with a well-kept garden.
"Captain." Erwin's firm voice called out and Levi turned to see the commander walking towards him in his formal uniformed jacket for specialised events, decorated with his medals. He had told Levi to wear his medals too.
Obviously, Levi declined.
On the tall man's arm was a girl. She was his height, perhaps even a bit taller with her heels. She had long shiny blonde hair, a type of shininess you can only get from expensive shampoos and soaps. Her pale face was dainty with soft features like a porcelain doll. She had a long excessive royal dress on, in blue and white, a large bow on the back of her dress with thick blue ribbon. There was a clear corset shape to her figure and a fair bit of cleavage on show.
Levi supressed a sigh, supposing this was the girl he had been rented out to for the night. She wasn't ugly but honestly Levi couldn't see what was beautiful about her. He only had eyes for one person anyway.
"Levi, this is Charity, your delighted date for the evening." Erwin introduced and the girl blushed, smiling and giving him a little curtsey. Levi simply nodded in reply. "I expect you to show her a good time." He added, giving Levi a serious look. Levi suppress a scowl as the blonde walked away and this Charity chick walked over to him.
"Good evening, Captain." She smiled, tilting her head slightly. Levi pursed his lips, not liking the look in her eye. "I was pleased my daddy could arrange this." She continued, sliding a hand onto his bicep and leaning closer to him. "I always wondered what Humanities Strongest would be like in bed. I guess I won't have to wonder for much longer, right? You don't have to answer. It's not like you have a choice." She said with an evil smirk and Levi was astounded at her shift in personality.
This girl was a devil.
Before Levi could even think about how he was going to reply considering he couldn't exactly curse this girl out like he wanted to, there was a flash of orange before Dilan was forcefully dragging the bitch away.
"Hey!" She protested. Dilan gave her a terrifying smile.
"Don't worry princess, I just need a moment of your time. The good Captain will be there for you after a moment." She reassured and Levi could see the glint in her eye. Little miss bitch was about to get threatened by a scary ass fox. Levi almost smiled, wondering how one person could be so amazing.
DILAN'S P.O.V.
Dilan pulled the bitch around the corner. She had been listening to their conversation and did not like what she heard. No one, no matter who their 'Daddy' is, had any fucking right to lay their hands on her best friend. Not if she had anything to say about it.
"Hey! Excuse me, I don't know who you are but-" The blonde bitch tried but Dilan cut her off. While her smile was normal there was murder in her eyes and clearly the girl noticed as she gulped, audibly.
"Ever heard of the titan ripper, sweetie?" Dilan asked, playing with her dagger. The girl gulped again.
"Y-yes." She whispered. Dilan smirked, looking at her with fiery orange eyes.
"Well, miss, that's me. And the man you were just ordering to fuck you, is my best friend. I'm sure you're aware, honey, but I'm not completely stable. Who in their right mind would be if they were labelled the titan ripper, am I right?" Dilan laughed without humour and the girl shivered.
"I...um..."
"Here's what's going to happen because I don't follow the rules or care about social status bullshit. I'm an off the rails underground bitch and you have no fucking control over me." Dilan started in a dangerous tone and she paled considerably. "You're going to go in that mansion with him, and you're going to be a nice, considerate date. You will make polite conversation and be pleasant. You will, under no circumstances, touch Levi without his permission. You will not ask him to do anything for you as he is not your slave. You will treat him with the respect that he deserves, and you will apologise for that disgusting comment you had the nerve to throw at him a few moments ago. Are we clear on all of those terms?" Dilan warned with dark eyes.
Charity took a step back.
"And-and what if I refuse?" She asked shakily. Dilan smirked and took a step towards her, taking a piece of her shiny blonde hair and enjoying the flinch she enlisted.
"Well... I could do a number of things. Of course, I can't kill you. There are stupid laws for that, but we could have some fun. Fun that couldn't be traced back to me." Dilan said in a dark tone, leaning closer to whisper in her ear. "How would you like me to take this pretty hair? I think you could really pull off bald. Of course, you'd be a scandal, a laughing stock but I'm sure you would get over the humiliation in time. Meanwhile, I can make a nice juicy profit down in the undergrown." Dilan continued in a low voice, feeling Charity tense. "I know this man, his names Gabe the pig, he buys hair for good prices too. He's a sick fuck. He likes to glue the hairs to his body and then he likes to brush and braid them. How would you like these pretty locks to be part of his collection, hm?" Dilan asked, scraping the dagger over her hair and Charity gasped, tears in her eyes.
"No! Please no!" She begged. Dilan clicked her tongue and Charity shut her mouth.
Dilan smirked in approval.
"I won't, sweetie. Agree to my terms and you can still have a lovely night." Dilan ordered, dropping the smirk.
She gulped yet again.
"O-okay." She choked out. Dilan nodded in approval, taking a step back and slotting the dagger back into her purse.
"This conversation remains between us, princess. I don't care much for repercussions but I'm a sucker for revenge." She drawled, giving her a dangerous look. Charity was almost shaking, and Dilan felt a strong burst of pride. It had been a while since she'd intimidated anyone. She couldn't deny she missed it.
"I-I u-understand!" She sniffed, her eyes glossing over. Dilan smiled and nodded.
"Perfect! Let's get back out there then! The party is waiting." Dilan grinned and the girl nodded, sniffing again. "One more thing." Dilan added as they got back around the corner, seeing Levi and the squad in the distance. "If he wants to leave at any time, you let him." Dilan ordered.
The girl looked at her in shock.
"B-but to be without a date- it-it's social suicide!" She declared. Dilan gave her a deadpan look.
"Does it look like I give a rats ass about social impacts." She growled and Charity yelped a bit. "If he wants to leave. You. Let. Him." Dilan glared. Charity nodded quickly and Dilan lifted the dark expression from her face as they got back to the others. "Fantastic! You got a great girl here, Captain. I think she'll make a suitable companion for the evening." Dilan informed with a wide smirk, shoving Charity in the Captain's direction and delighting as she stumbled a bit before catching herself. The girl looked down at her feet with wide eyes, not daring to look at Levi in case Dilan didn't like the way she looked at him.
Good choice bitch.
Levi looked at the girl with slightly shocked features before back at Dilan, a smirk making its way onto his face.
"OKAY! Follow me!" Hanji bounded back, gathering the gang and they started walking off to the entrance.
Levi gave her a grateful look, mouthing a 'thank you'. Dilan smirked back, mouthing 'got your back, grumps', to which he rolled his eyes before Eld appeared out of nowhere, taking her hand and that was the end of her conversation with Levi.
Dilan ignored the disappointed feeling knowing she had to give Eld a chance like he asked, or all of this was pointless. With that thought she forced a smile and squeezed the hand as they got to the entrance. Eld smiled back, seemingly happy with the returned affection.
LEVI'S P.O.V.
Levi observed the almost catatonic girl next to him, having to supress the smuggest of smiles from breaking out on his face. Seems Dil had done a real number on her. Levi had never been more grateful for his badass best friend.
They got around to the entrance with Hanji leading them, Moblit beside her as her date for the evening. Levi still found the pair confusing. Were they fucking or not? Levi certainly didn't like the image but Moblit seemed to be the only person who could handle the crazy shit. Even if they weren't on the best terms right now, Levi would still give them his blessing. It seemed unlikely though. Moblit was too shy and Hanji was too... well... Hanji.
"Okay gang! Erwin's already in, mingling and warming up the crowd. You are the key guests of the scout regiment and everyone will want to talk to you. More specifically Humanities Strongest and the alleged Titan Ripper." Hanji explained with an apologetic look as both Dilan and Levi himself, sighed.
This was going to be a long night.
"This first part is likely to be crazy but him sure it will calm down. Let's go have some fun, yeah?" Hanji asked with a grin and the naïve cadets grinned back, nodding.
They had no idea what a shit shows these things were.
Hanji nodded and they walked up to the exit, the doors opened for them by the service men, they stepped inside the lavish building. Levi looked around them as they stepped through the entranceway. The floors were marble, and the ceilings were high, made of some sort of polished white stone and engraved with gold décor. Their shoes and heels clipped on the floor as they walked towards the next door, behind which sound was radiating.
"Prepare for hell." Dilan mumbled under her breath and Levi held back his amusement as the doors were opened and all the senses were thrown into their faces.
The smells of the exotic food, the sounds of the orchestra in the corner, the warmth of all the bodies and the incessant chattering and laughing of those below. The ball room was massive, decorated similarly to the entrance. Everything was either white or gold.
To the left was the stage in the corner with the orchestra. There was a buffet table along the edge of the hall, a few white-clothed tables, dotted around the left side. Most of the room was empty of furniture, filled with dancing and mingling. To the very right was the open bar, next to which was a hallway. Levi hoped he would be able to make his escape down there at some point in the night.
A server of some sorts with a dreary face walked up to them, asking Hanji for their names. She told him and he looked down at his sheet nodding. Before walking to the edge of the staircase that they were about to walk down.
"Hanji what's happening?" Dilan whispered. Hanji smirked.
"Just follow my lead." She replied.
"SECTION COMMANDER HANJI ZOE, SCOUT REGIMENT." The crier announced and realisation hit Levi over the edge. He barely resisted a groan. "AND HER DATE, MOBLIT BERNER." He added, reading from a scroll. Hanji took Moblit's arm and they walked down the long line of steps towards the crowd, eager to meet them like some sort of swarming herd.
Levi wasn't sure if he could hate this more.
"Escape plan, go." Dilan whispered, somehow materialising next to him. Levi glanced at her, supressing the smirk.
"Grab that shit, use him as hostage." Levi whispered back jutting his head to the crier. Dilan nodded in approval.
"Use the exit near the bar, we can grab a few drinks on the way out." Dilan continued.
"Get outside, steal a couple horses from some rich bitch's carriage." Levi kept it going.
"Get shitfaced at a bar, play some cards and pass out on some street bench." Dilan finished and Levi grimaced.
"You had me until street bench, brat." Levi replied and Dilan laughed quietly. And by god, if it wasn't the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.
"If only it were that simple." She sighed. Levi nodded in agreement. "Good luck." She mentioned as Hanji and Moblit reached the bottom of the steps, engulfed by the crowd. Dilan was right, he'd be next.
"Depending on how long this night lasts, we may have to move up the death pact." Levi pointed out and Dilan hummed in agreement.
"Good plan. Have fun, Captain." Dilan teased, stepping back over to Eld. Levi sighed and stepped closer to Charity.
"CAPTAIN LEVI, HUMANITIES STRONGEST. SCOUT REGIMENT." He continued and Levi barely supressed an eyeroll as he heard gasps from the crowd before most, if not all eyes were on him.
Long night indeed.
He heard Dilan snigger at his misery and was sure to send her a furious glare before he reluctantly offered his arm to Charity, to which the girl took almost as reluctantly after sparing a glance to Dilan to check if it was okay.
Levi bit back a smile.
Dilan had certainty put the bitch in her place.
"AND HIS DATE, CHARITY GABRELL." He continued and with that they were walking down the steps towards the ever-growing crowd. They were on the ball room floor less than 2 seconds before the questions kicked in.
"Captain! Captain Levi!" A woman gasped.
"Wow, humanities strongest! Just how strong are you?" Another female asked. Variously similar questions continued, and Levi was barely supressing the scowl.
God, he hated crowds.
"DILAN, TITAN RIPPER. SCOUT REGIMENT." The crier continued. Levi glanced back at her, catching an eyeroll from the girl and his heart warmed. He could never get over how beautiful she was. Some of the crowd looked up, eyes widening at they saw her.
"Captain is it true you trained the Titan Ripper?"
"I heard she's from the underground!"
"That can't be so! Such a gorgeous specimen couldn't be bred down there." Another scoffed. Levi bit back a growl, wanting to shove his boot into their faces. Thankfully he didn't get the chance.
"Yo. Try to be a bit louder. Yes, I'm from the underground. Any of you shits call me a specimen again and I'll shove those bowties up your asses." Dilan deadpanned as she reached the bottom steps.
Levi choked on a laugh, coughing to cover it up as the crowd flinched slightly and took a step back. Dilan smiled in approval.
"Perfect. This isn't a public attraction people. Give the stairs some damn space, hm?" She encouraged, dangerous orange eyes daring them to disagree with her. Reluctantly the crowd backed off a bit, starting to mingle back with the main factions.
Dilan sent Levi a subtle smirk which he returned before they took their dates and were forced to separate. Guess he was on his own from now. Dilan couldn't protect him forever.
"U-um, Captain?" Charity practically whispered, averting her eyes and playing with her hair nervously. Levi raised an eyebrow at her. She blushed and looked away. "I apologise for my earlier comment. It was rude of me to suggest such a thing and I promise to be on better behaviour the rest of the evening." She said quietly. Levi bit back a smirk of satisfaction.
The brat had skills in the art of intimidation.
"Sure." Levi replied in a bored tone.
He made his way over to Erwin who was finishing a conversation with an odd-looking man dressed in a bright purple suit that looked more like pyjamas than evening clothes. Erwin sent him a pleasant smile as he left before the smile dropped and he grabbed a drink off of a passing waiter, downing it in one as he glared at Dilan's direction.
"I knew bringing her was a bad idea. She has no social skills in the slightest." Erwin hissed.
Levi smirked, guessing the blonde heard Dilan's most graceful entrance.
"How can someone look like that and then curse out 10 nobles in one go is astounding." He continued, shaking his head.
"She's true to herself, Erwin. You can't change her." Levi replied, eyes on the brat as she glanced over to a guy who was choking on something, idlily walking past and slapping him on the back with a harsh force and direct precision. The man coughed something up and breathed normally again, turning around to thank whoever saved his life but Dilan was already off with Eld, walking over to the bar.
"I suppose you're right." Erwin muttered. Levi bit back a smile. Dilan would always be Dilan. She's unbendable.
Erwin was about to turn to leave and continue mingling when Levi stopped him. He was done taking his shit. It had to stop now because while it had been him taking the brunt of Erwin's hits lately it wouldn't be so long before he got back around to Dilan.
Levi couldn't let him hurt her again.
"Erwin we need to talk." Levi said seriously. Erwin raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?" He asked. Levi nodded, glancing at Charity.
"Give us a minute." He asked. Charity nodded imediatley, walking away. Levi supressed a smirk as Erwin looked at her in confusion.
They had both met the bitch. You didn't have to be well acquainted to know she wasn't normally that obident.
Then Erwin sighed in realisation.
"Dilan?" He asked.
"Yup." Levi replied, fighting harder to hide his smirk. Erwin seemed to sense his smugness as he let out a small chuckle and shook his head, starting to walk to a more secluded area so they could talk. Levi followed him, getting his thoughts straight.
They got to an abandoned table and Erwin sat down.
"So, what's this about?" He asked as Levi sat down too.
"You Erwin. You need to back the fuck off because I am this close." Levi said seriously. There was a point where it was too much. Where you couldn't lay down and take it anymore. He was the commander of the regiment. He wasn't god. He had no right to do any of the things he had done to them.
"Charity?" He interpreted. Levi gave him a look.
"Not just the bitch, Erwin. Everything." He explained. Erwin heaved a sigh, raking a hand through his hair and looking out at the happy crowd.
"Yes I suppose this conversation has been a long time coming." He mused. Levi scoffed, crossing his arms.
"Yeah. It fucking has. What the hell is wrong with you? No bullshit, Erwin. At the beginning, sure. You wanted my loyalty to stay with the corps but it's been three years. We both know that, no matter what, Dilan has my support. That's not going to change and you punishing me like this isn't going to gain it back. What is the goal here? Because all you've done is succeeding in making me resent you. You used to have my trust and you've lost that too. I want the truth or I'm walking." Levi demanded, needing answers. Sure, they were never really friends but they used to understand each other. Levi hadn't understood Erwin for a long time.
Erwin breathed out, closing his eyes. Levi was surprised by how tired he looked.
"It must have seemed like I enjoyed doing those awful things, didn't it?" He asked quietly. Levi's eyes widened in surprise. What was he talking about?
When Levi didn't reply, Erwin opened his eyes and continued.
"You must understand Levi. Long ago, there was a time where I was like you. I was ambitious, arrogant and... I was in love. I was completely infatuated. She was my everything." Erwin admitted and Levi didn't think he could be more shocked if he tried.
Erwin... and emotion!?
"Suprising right?" Erwin chuckled, rubbing his forehead. "But it's true. Before I joined the survey corps, I knew a woman. Marie, her name was." He smiled fondly. "She had no idea. No idea how much I loved her." He admitted and Levi's face softened slightly, seeing the distant pain in his normally stone cold eyes.
He knew the feeling.
"What happened?" Levi asked curiously. Erwin sighed.
"The time came where I had to chose. Humanity or love. I could tell Marie and give up my dreams to give her the life she wanted, the life she deserved... or I could follow the harder path, the path that would hurt but the path that I needed to go down. For my sanity, if anything. Marie wanted marriage, large house, children, grandchildren. I couldn't have both." He explained. "So I made the hardest decision of my life. I chose. I killed a part of myself but I chose. I chose humanities future." Erwin said.
There was a moment of silence before Erwin looked at him.
"At the beginning, I'll admit, I wanted your loyalty to stay with the corps. I wanted to keep you two away from each other, I wanted to destroy your connection so I could keep using you to help humanity push forward. So my decision to abandon my dreams with Marie wouldn't all be for... nothing. I couldn't let it be for nothing." He mumbled the last bit.
Levi's eyes widened a fraction in realisation.
"But then... then I learnt of how you felt. I knew it wouldn't be long before you had to chose. Before you had to make your decision. Perhaps I am a 'sick fuck' and maybe I got a little carried away at some turns but I wanted to save you the pain and make the choice for you. I hoped that maybe you're feelings weren't deep yet, that perhaps if I forced you apart you would both be able to move on. But I was wrong, wasn't I? You can't move on." Erwin asked and Levi was starting to understand.
He was wrong to try and take his choice away but the bastard thought he was doing it for the right reasons. He must have hoped by giving him a date tonight, it wouldn't only separate him from Dilan but he might be able to try and move on. Of course, Charity was a bitch but she wanted to fuck him. Maybe Erwin thought it would be healthy to get it out of his system. Insane but this was Erwin they were talking about.
Levi looked away from the blonde to glance at Dilan across the room, talking and laughing with the squad at the bar.
"No. I can't move on." He replied softly. She was the only one for him. Erwin smiled.
"I know the feeling." He sighed, downing his drink. "I'm lifting you of your promises, Levi. Although I'm rather certain you have already told her of your relation to Church." He added with a smirk. Levi glared at him.
Observant bastard.
"I wouldn't advise you to go for it... but it is your choice to make. I apologise for trying to take it away from you." Erwin said genuinely, standing. Levi looked at him in surprise, standing too. He frowned slightly, a lot of thoughts going through his head. "Perhaps one day, I'll be able to get that trust back." Erwin said hopefully, extending a hand.
Levi looked at him for a moment, sighing.
"You're still a bastard. But humanity needs you. Il trust you to get us out of this shit." Levi replied, shaking the hand.
Erwin chuckled.
"It needs you too, Levi. I wish it didn't but it's true. Humanity needs you desperately." Erwin said seriously. Levi looked at him for a second before nodding in understanding. Erwin smiled and moved to leave before stopping to say one more thing.
"I hope you don't mind but I am going to hang onto that favour. In my defence, I did work hard with my plotting to get it." He said with a smug smirk. Levi gave him a deadpan look.
"Course." He said flatly. Erwin laughed as he walked away.
Levi sighed and raked a hand through his hair.
That was the last outcome he expected from his talk with Erwin. In truth he expected one of them to come out of it with a black eye. Most likely Erwin. What he didn't expect was... freedom. Minus the favour.
Dilan was right there. She was so fucking close...
He grabbed a drink and downed it in one. He had a lot to think about. But for now, he supposed he better get back to his delighted date. He still had a few more hours of this shitty evening to get through yet.
A/N: Finally. Erwin had his talking to. Did u see it coming? Erwin was wrong but he was guided by his past experiences. A lot of the stuff he did was over the top for sure but in truth he still doesn't like Dilan that much and he is still a sick bastard. But most of what he did was in order to try and get them away from each other before the connection ran too deep and Levi would be faced with the same painful decision that he had to make. He wanted Levi for humanity but he also didn't want him to go through that.
As toxic as their relationship is from the beginning, Erwin does consider Levi a friend. He's a fucked up person but he does do everything for a reason.
But even Erwin can tell when enough is enough. When Levi asked him for the truth, he gave it to him. They were both tired of his constant bullshit. It needed to stop. Hopefully they will be able to amend their relationship enough in time for cannon. Although Dilan and Erwin are always going to hate each other. That's unlikely to change in the continuous battle for Levi's affections lol.
Besides that I had fun with the Charity bit at the beginning. If you are wondering, I'd say quite a bit of Dilan's threats came from jealously that she doesn't understand but most of it was from protectiveness. Either way, no one touches her best friend.
You guys are killing it with the comments! Thank you all for being so invested. I love to hear what you think and how you believe the story is going to continue. It will be interesting to find out who is right. I hope you all stick with me to the end.
Thanks for reading! X
