Character ages: Levi - 31; Natalie - 26; Erwin - 36; Miche - 35; Hange - 28; Moblit - 27; Eld, Gunther - 26; Petra, Oluo - 23; Eren, Mikasa, Armin - 15
So from here on out I won't be providing character ages any longer, given that most of the story takes place in the year 850. As soon as the time switches, I'll list them again to keep everyone on the same page with how old everyone is.
Alright, so as always my lovelies, go ahead and enjoy this chapter and don't forget to toss me a little review, to let me know what you think~ ;)
P.S. All Attack on Titan characters belong to Isayama Hajime. I only own my OCs.
8. That kind of man
~ 850 ~
'How did this happen again?'
Watching Levi as he comforted their dying comrade, while Petra tried in vain to stop the bleeding from where the Titan had nearly bit him in half, Natalie felt yet another sliver of her soul withering as she exhaled a long, heavy sigh. Once the woman had confirmed his death, she turned away from the gruesome sight. They had lost so many men fighting the pack that attacked as they were trying to set up camp in the abandoned village. And what was it all for?
'What the hell am I doing here?' she pondered. 'Wasn't she the smarter one, for running away?'
"Hey, pay attention." Levi startled her when he grasped her shoulder. "You can mourn later... unless you want to follow him into the grave."
"Yes... I apologize." she sighed, doing her best to refocus on their mission.
"Levi!" Erwin called out, approaching them. "We're ending the mission early; we're going back to Trost."
"What? You mean all our men died for nothing?" the young Captain scowled.
"The Titans have suddenly started moving North." the Commander replied, undisturbed. "Something feels off... it feels the same as the day Shiganshina fell. There's a strong possibility that Wall Rose was breached. We're heading back."
The ride back to the district was surprisingly smooth. All the Titans in the area seemed to have vanished, yet Natalie only felt her anxiety rising as Erwin's words kept replaying in her head. Were they really about to lose the second Wall, as well? At first as they approached she thought their fears were unfounded, when they found a group of Titans clawing at the Wall as usual. But then she realized that what she had thought was the closed gate, was actually a huge boulder.
'How...? Is there... another shifter here?'
That seemed the only logical explanation as to how the destroyed gate had been sealed.
"Levi!" Erwin called out, startling her out of her thoughts. "Take your squad over the Wall and assess the situation. We'll handle the Titans out here."
With his order relayed, he then turned to the left flank to order two squads atop the wall so they could bring lifts for the horses and wounded, while the rest of them took down the Titans. When a couple of the creatures noticed them as they approached the wall, Eld and Gunther reached for their swords.
"Leave them be!" Levi ordered. "Our orders are to see what's happening inside. As soon as you're close enough start climbing, but don't go in. Wait until everyone makes it atop the wall. We'll survey the district from there first, and then decide what to do."
Narrowly avoiding the Titan that tried to grab her out of the saddle, the redhead was the first one to hook into the wall and start climbing. A few dozens of meters up she saw Levi passing by her some distance away, and glanced over her shoulder to see the others following closely. Arriving at the top a few seconds after their Captain, she gasped at the sight of Titans wandering the streets and the soldiers' half-eaten corpses strewn about the district.
"Armin! Hurry up!"
The female voice – and most of all the mention of that vaguely familiar name – drew her gaze directly below them where she saw exactly what she had expected. So there really was another shifter within the Walls! It seemed he had carried the boulder there and sealed the gate, and his friends were now trying to pull him out of his Titan while two of the creatures were converging on them.
"I'm trying but... he's stuck! He's... burning up..."
"You have to save them!"
Her twin's voice nearly made her scream in surprise, and got her body moving almost against her will. Stepping off the edge she began running down the vertical wall, hoping to reach them in time.
"Hey!" Levi called out, before scowling and following her. "Idiot..."
To her great fortune he was still faster than her, and so by the time she had reached ground level he had already taken out one of the Titans. The second one lost its arm to the redhead's blades after it had tried grabbing them, almost at the same time when Levi got its nape.
"Are you guys alright?" she asked, landing next to him.
"Y-yes!" Armin replied, snapped out of his shocked state. "Thank you!"
"What's going on here, you brats?" Levi called out, turning his attention to the trio now that no other Titans were nearby.
Natalie's soft gasp drew his gaze to her and he frowned at the unsettling look of sheer horror on her face. The boy they had pulled out of the Titan had just come back to his senses and looked up at them, and she was staring at him like he was about to murder her.
"I... I'll go join Eld and the others. We'll secure the perimeter..."
She was doing a good job of keeping her voice in check, but being so close to her he could still pick up the faint tremor when she spoke. It was obvious even to him that the boy was one of the 'other eight' she had mentioned, but he knew for certain neither of them had met him before. However, she took off up the wall to rejoin the squad before he could question her further, leaving him to heave a sigh.
'What the hell was that...?' she berated herself.
She was shaking so badly, it was a miracle she could still adjust her gear without missing a shot and falling to her death.
'I've seen his face before, but...'
Even now she could picture him – a taller, slightly older version of him – against a backdrop of light, watching her with those same piercing green eyes.
"I just want you on my side..."
The terror his emotionless voice instilled in her made her hands clench onto the hilts, causing her to shoot the anchors just a second too early. At first she didn't even register that she was falling, too dazed as she stared at him in her mind – she could see him with her waking eyes so clearly, as if he was standing right in front of her.
"Natalie!" she heard her twin's voice echoing faintly in her ear.
"Natalie!"
Blinking when she realized it was actually Eld calling out to her, she saw him diving towards her just a couple seconds before they collided and he wrapped an arm around her waist, stopping their fall by hooking into the wall.
"What happened?" he inquired, feeling the way she was shaking like a leaf. "Are you alright?"
"Thank you... I'm fine." she nodded, readjusting her gear and hooking into the flat surface as well. "I just... I was probably moving too fast and got a bit dizzy."
"If you're not feeling well, you can head to HQ with the others. The Captain would probably order you to do the same."
"No, I'm fine really. I'll stay and help you guys..."
~ oOo ~
"Captain... I promise I'm alright. You can put me down..."
Ignoring her pouting protest, as well as the stares and whispers of the other Scouts as he walked the hallway carrying the redhead, Levi eventually set her on the couch in one of the rooms. Without a word he closed the door, removed his gear and walked back to her. Setting one knee onto the floor he grabbed her left leg and peeled off her boot.
"It doesn't look like it's broken..." he said, his fingers carefully checking the ankle.
"I told you!" she retorted, her face flushed in embarrassment. "Besides... even if it was, it'd probably heal in a few minutes. It's not like it matters if I get hurt, anymore..."
Having glanced away towards the window she failed to see Levi scowling at her last words, until he grabbed a fistful of her hair and forced her to look back at him. He was suddenly so close, kneeling between her legs; she could feel his body almost tantalizingly brushing against her thighs.
"Don't you ever say that again!" he scolded her with nigh a growl to his voice. "Do I have to keep reminding you what you swore to me?"
"Th... that's what I'm saying, you don't need to worry about me getting injured anymore!" she frowned back, despite the blood rushing even more to her cheeks with him all up in her face.
"Look here, you..." he spoke, after a moment of staring at her in surprise when she raised her voice at him.
His suddenly calm tone sent a tingle down her spine, leaving her confused as to whether she should have been scared or not.
"Do you really think I could not worry, when I know you're injured?" he inquired, as if he had somehow guessed her innermost thoughts. "Or are you still hung up on that stupid idea of yours that you're not human? I told you I don't care what you think you are... you're still you."
All at once the anger in her face disappeared, and the hurtful look it left in its wake offered him all the confirmation he needed before she even replied.
"But I'm n—"
"If you dare to say you're not, I'll..." he scowled, leaning in so closely that she swore she could feel his breath on her lips as he spoke.
Whatever he was about to say, however, was interrupted when Hange burst into the room startling both of them.
"Say, Levi... I hea—" the researcher called out, before blinking in surprise at the scene and then promptly grinning while a blush spread across their cheeks. "Oh... ooohhh... did I interrupt something? Or... is that some new method to lure Titans? So how does it work? Do you just have to stare into their eyes for a long time? Say, Natalie... can I try it?"
While Natalie buried her flushed face in her hands, Levi rolled his eyes and leaned away.
"Why are you here, you damn four-eyes?" he cut them off.
"A-ah, right... Erwin's on his way." Hange replied, smacking their forehead before taking out a piece of paper from their pocket. "That boy you told me about; according to the two other cadets who were out there with him, his name is Eren Jaeger and he just recently graduated from the 104th Cadet Corps."
Natalie's muffled gasp drew both of their gazes, prompting Levi to place a hand on her knee out of reflex only to realize she was shaking again. So he hadn't gotten the wrong impression back at the gate. The question was: did she know that boy? And if yes, from where? Or was this – again – related to those visions she kept having?
'I swear, if you're keeping secrets from me again...' he contemplated, feeling a twitch in his eyebrow at the prospect.
"What's wrong, Natalie?" Hange inquired, as if having read the Captain's thoughts. "Do you know him?"
"No, just..." she whispered, lowering her hands onto her lap. "I'm sorry, Hange-san... do you know where he is now?"
"In all the chaos, the Military Police arrested him saying he was dangerous. I asked Erwin about it, but he said he wants to talk to Commander Pyxis first, before he makes any plans. When he asked about Levi, Eld told us you got injured and that Levi brought you to HQ. So Erwin sent me ahead to let you know he wants a private meeting with both of us."
"Took you long enough to deliver that message, idiot..." Levi retorted, at last becoming aware of his hand and letting it fall at his side.
"Sorry, sorry..." Hange laughed. "So? Can I try that method now?"
"You... you got it all wrong... Hange-san..." Natalie stammered while Levi got back to his feet.
Reaching over for her boot, she pulled it back on just moments before Erwin appeared in the hallway.
"Hange... you're in the way."
Stepping into the room once the way was clear, he closed the door behind him gesturing for Natalie to stay seated when she made to stand.
"I wanted you to be here for this, anyway." the Commander replied to her confused stare. "Now that Karl is gone, I'd like your opinion in his stead."
"B-but... Commander, I don't think I have the experience to—"
"You won't gain any experience either, if you don't take on new challenges. Now, I trust Hange delivered all the information we were able to gather so far on that Cadet. Levi... you and Natalie interacted with him directly, according to Eld. I'd like to hear your opinions."
"Huh? What opinion?" Levi inquired. "He was passed out for most of it, after his friends pulled him out of that Titan."
"Commander Pyxis confirmed that Eren was indeed controlling that body, and carried the boulder there to seal the breach in the gate. What do you think about that?"
In the silence that followed, Natalie kept gripping the edges of the couch trying to mask the fact that she was still shaking slightly, despite all her efforts to calm down.
"Hange-san said the Military Police arrested him..." she eventually spoke up.
"That's right. They claim he's a threat to humanity; he's currently awaiting trial to decide his fate."
It was that very statement that made her immensely happy and grateful that Levi had kept her secret to that day, though she was unaware the young Captain shared her line of thinking. She had always known that would be her exact same fate, if humanity ever found out she possessed a similar power.
"But... wouldn't he be an asset, rather than a threat?"
"That's right, Erwin!" Hange immediately backed her up. "Just imagine all we could learn, if we study him. He's a human who can turn into a Titan!"
However, when the Commander raised his hand, the researcher went silent leaving him to stare intently at the redhead.
"Elaborate." he ordered, curious to see her reasoning at work and compare it to her brother's.
"Well... if he really can control that Titan's body... he would be invaluable in fighting other Titans, wouldn't he? He could take humanity that much closer to victory. If he joined the Scouts, he could be our greatest weapon. And if you make the claim that he could help us retake Wall Maria, I'm sure the court will be forced to at least consider the possibility."
"You're exactly right..." the fair haired Commander smiled, glad to see she had reached his own line of thought. "That's precisely what I was thinking while speaking to Commander Pyxis. I would have you elaborate, however, on your thoughts about retaking Wall Maria."
"It's obvious, isn't it? If he plugged up the gate here in Trost, why couldn't he do the same for Shiganshina? If we could somehow reach the city, he could use the rubble from the destroyed buildings to plug the outer gate. That would ensure no more Titans enter Wall Maria's territory. Then at least we'd have a fighting chance to eradicate the ones that get trapped within. It sounds insane, I know... but if we can make it to Shiganshina with Eren, then Wall Maria is as good as reclaimed."
"No... it sounds viable, considering everything." he replied, his smile fading to show that he was contemplating her idea with all seriousness. "However, that doesn't guarantee that the Scouts will be given custody of him. The true reason why he was arrested, in my opinion, is because people are afraid of the power he wields."
Having turned to look out the window as he spoke, he failed to notice the disturbingly pained look which crossed Natalie's face for a moment, before she regained control of her expression.
'That could have been me right now...' she pondered. 'And I can't even blame them for being afraid...'
"There is something that could convince the court... rather, someone." she at long last replied, prompting Erwin to turn back to her. "Yes, they'll likely fear that Eren might go on a rampage or turn against humanity. But... have Captain Levi take personal custody of him. I was part of the Military Police for years; I know what those cowards will do if they get their hands on him – he'll be executed before we can learn anything. However, no one can deny that the Captain is humanity's strongest. If you play him as your trump card, they'll have to give Eren to us."
"So if Eren can control himself, he's an invaluable asset... and if he ever goes rogue, Levi would kill him before he could do any harm to humanity." Erwin contemplated. "Can you do it, Levi?"
"Why even ask the question? The only thing I'm worried about is that I won't be able to avoid killing him, if it comes down to a fight."
"Then... I'll have you accompany me at the trial. Depending on how things play out, I'll trust your judgment. You can act as you see fit in the moment. Until then, I'll see if I can get them to let us visit Eren... I'd like to meet him in person."
~ oOo ~
Four days after their return to Trost, Natalie was once again in her home district of Mitras. She had requested permission to accompany Erwin and the Scout delegation, so that she could visit her parents while they dealt with the trial. But, with the suspicion that her own father had sent someone to spy on her still looming on her mind, she hadn't been able to bring herself to go home. So she was instead waiting in one of the common rooms of the courthouse that afternoon, watching the half-empty streets below, when the sound of voices in the hallway drew her attention to the door just when Erwin opened it. Following were Hange and Moblit carrying a bloodied, half-unconscious Eren, with Levi and Miche entering calmly behind them.
"What's this?! What in the world did you do to him?" the redhead gasped, her concern overtaking her fear for the moment as she hurried over to the couch to check on him.
"We had no other choice..." Erwin replied, while Hange grabbed a bottle of antiseptic from the cabinet handing it to her along with some gauze. "But Eren endured admirably; his resilience allowed us to gain custody of him, under certain obligations. Squad Levi will be responsible for him, and we will use our next expedition to prove that Eren can and will be an invaluable weapon for humanity."
"Thank you..." Eren muttered while she cleaned the blood from his face, as his wounds were already nearly healed.
Doing her best to keep her expression in check, the redhead nodded and even managed what she hoped was a smile rather than a grimace.
"Don't worry about it. You did good hanging in there."
As if on cue Levi plopped himself on the couch, causing the boy to recoil in fright while Natalie had to make a conscious effort to hold in her chuckle.
"Say, Eren... do you hate me?"
"No, sir! I... I understand why you had to do it. I'm grateful you got me out of that."
"That's good then."
"Still, you could've held back a bit." Hange scolded him, taking out a handkerchief in which they had gathered what looked like a tooth. "You even knocked his tooth out."
"Don't pick that up... it's disgusting." the Captain retorted.
"Say, Eren, can I take a look?"
"It's alright, just do it if you want to get off the hook." Natalie whispered, moving aside to let Hange crouch in front of him while the boy opened his mouth.
"It... already grew back..." the Section Commander gasped.
'Of course it did; we heal just as fast as any Titan.' the redhead mused with an internal sigh.
Not that she would ever reveal that; Hange seemed to be on the right track anyway, it wasn't like they needed her help.
"Well, I believe Eren's had enough excitement for one day." Erwin at last concluded. "Hange, Levi, take him to the barracks and get him settled in for the night. I'll finish up here and join you soon... Miche."
At his call the man followed him out of the room, leaving Hange and Moblit to take Eren with them once they were assured that he was feeling well.
"Aren't you two coming?" Hange inquired just as they were about to step out the door, seeing that Levi hadn't moved from the couch.
"You three go ahead..." he replied, his gaze telling Natalie that he wanted a private talk with her.
"Alright, see you at the barracks... play nice."
With that cheerful reply and a wave of their hand, Hange followed the others into the hallway closing the door and plunging the room into a deep silence. Only once the footsteps completely faded from hearing did Levi stretch and tilt his head back onto the couch's backrest.
"Well don't just stand there..." he said.
By now he had grown to enjoy seeing just how many times he could make her blush in one day – well that moment marked the first, given that he had been busy with Eren's trial earlier. But she did obey his roundabout command and moved to sit at the other end of the couch, briefly eyeing the arm he kept stretched along the backrest as if it was a wild animal ready to bite her.
"Is everything alright, Captain?" she finally asked in that soft, concerned tone she used whenever he acted odd around her.
"I just had to beat the shit out of a fifteen year old kid... what do you think?"
"I apologize, that was a silly question. I know it couldn't have been easy, but... you saved his life."
"It was such a shit show..." he groaned, frowning at the ceiling. "And I kept thinking... what if that had been you chained out there? What if I had to do that to you? Could I have done it, even if it meant saving your life?"
Startled to learn that he did share her fears, Natalie tried her best to hold back the smile struggling to curve her lips.
"You would have done it." she said, the certainty in her tone prompting him to look at her. "And I would have been just as grateful as Eren is. I don't doubt you would have found the resolution to do it, if it meant you could save my life. Because... you're just that kind of man; the kind who values other lives and does all he can to preserve them, even when no one else does."
"Speaking of lives..." he spoke after a lengthy silence in which he had simply stared at her, lifting his head. "Did you visit your parents?"
"...No. I'm not sure I want to see my father anymore. If it turns out to be true that he was the one who set that spy on my tail... I don't know how I'd react."
"Still, you should go see your mother. You haven't been home since Karl's death... isn't that a bit too long?"
"And what if they try to cage me there again?" she whispered, clenching her hands on her lap. "Karl's not here anymore to get me out."
Yet another long silence passed between them, until Levi spoke again.
"I'll go with you." he offered, startling her when she realized he had heard her.
~ oOo ~
"Are you sure, Captain?" Natalie asked for what felt like the hundredth time.
After she had tried to turn back several times, the young Captain had had enough and grabbed her hand, dragging her along the street after him. For the rest of the way he was silent, only speaking again as they drew near her father's estate.
"You understand that even with your powers, you could still die out there... right?" he said, stopping in his tracks. "I know you feel confused or angry with them... but you can't run away from your family. Good or bad, they're still your parents; treasure them while you have the time."
His words left the young woman staring at him and in her eyes he saw that she understood, as usual, more than what he had meant to reveal. Yes, he was thinking of his mother... of how much it had hurt to see her slowly succumbing to her illness, until it had claimed her life. He would never allow Natalie to bear the regret of cutting ties with her parents. Was he being a hypocrite, for preaching about how she should make her own choices... and then choosing for her? Perhaps, but somehow it didn't feel like the wrong thing to do in that instance. On that thought he lowered his eyes to where he was still holding onto her wrist, letting his hand slide down until he could lace their fingers together with a reassuring squeeze.
"Try... that way you won't regret it, at least. I'll be right there with you."
Knowing from the change in her expression as she nodded that he'd gotten through to her, he tugged on her hand and led her up to the open gates. A few feet along the pathway leading to the house they ran into the girl's mother, out on a walk with Elena. Spotting them, the two halted in their tracks, and then the older woman broke off running towards them until Natalie found herself wrapped up in her mother's familiar embrace.
"Oh, my darling girl..." the woman sobbed, stroking her hair and cheeks. "Let me look at you... are you well? Were you injured?"
"I'm fine, Mother." she replied softly, shaking her head at the question.
Levi had been right; she had missed her mother so much, regardless of what her father had done. Now that she was seeing the woman, all the times she had longed for that had piled up making her heart squeeze painfully. To her relief she was distracted from that for the moment, when Elena caught up to greet them and she saw the baby her sister-in-law was holding.
"I was hoping you'd visit one day, to meet him." the young woman smiled, placing the child in her arms.
"Is he...?" Natalie inquired, looking up at her with wide eyes. "And Karl never told me?"
"He didn't know..." Elena sighed. "By the time I was certain, he was already..."
Lowering her eyes back to the sleeping babe, Natalie finally smiled more genuinely than she had in the past weeks.
"He looks just like Karl..." she whispered, kissing the child's soft cheek and making him stir from his slumber.
"I'll go let your father know that you're home." her mother at last said, turning to head back to the house. "You two are staying for dinner at least, right?"
"I... don't think we can. Captain Levi is—"
"We can stay." the man cut her off, weighing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
With her mother gone, Natalie handed her nephew back to Elena who was watching them with a knowing smile.
"So? When are you two planning the wedding?"
"I don't believe this..." Natalie sighed, trying her best to will her blush away. "Does Father still have that idea in his head?"
"But..." the woman blinked in surprise.
"The Captain isn't secretly engaged with me, or anything of the sort. He just had to lie for me, because Lord Schmidt was being an obnoxious lecher. Father caught wind of that and took it seriously, that's all."
"I see... well, your father has always been very stubborn." she nodded sympathetically. "Once he gets an idea, it's not easy to sway him. Still... I've heard the servants' gossip recently."
Glancing around to make sure no one was nearby to hear her, she stepped closer and lowered her tone.
"Apparently your father is planning to have you removed from the military. Now that Karl is gone, he wants you to marry so he'll have someone to take over the family business. I've seen him speaking to a young man quite often lately, dressed in a Military Police uniform."
"Spying on his own daughter..." Levi huffed with a measure of disgust in his tone, getting the confirmation that he had been right all along.
While he was certain Natalie was glad to have been able to visit her mother, he had a feeling that seeing her father would be the completely opposite experience. But now he certainly was glad he had tagged along; Natalie's fears no longer seemed so unfounded anymore. And when he saw the merchant himself approaching them with what looked like a fairly sized group of men, his intuition told him they were in immediate danger. If it was about to play out as he expected, it was going to be a pain in the ass to handle without any gear. Then again, he did sometimes miss the good old days where he could break some jaws and shatter some bones.
"I appreciate that you took the time to bring my daughter home." the man spoke, barely holding back a grimace as he eyed the hand Levi still had on her shoulder. "However, I've spoken to your superior. Natalie... you're no longer a soldier. It's time you take your place as my heir, now that your brother's gone."
For a moment Natalie was left gawking at him in shock of how direct and frank he had been.
"What are you—?" she finally gasped when her mind finished processing what she had heard. "Commander Erwin would never..."
"Erwin doesn't get to decide on this; Darius Zackley is the one who gave me permission to bring you home. It's time you end this nonsense with the military... I won't have you die out there."
"...What makes you think I'm just going to accept that?" Natalie replied. "I'll have Commander Erwin go and speak to Zackley... I told you before; my decision to join the military wasn't impulsive. It wasn't something I did without thinking, and it wasn't just some attempt to rebel against you like you always thought. Father... this is what I want to do with my life."
"There's no getting through to you, I see. I can't even imagine what kind of nonsense he and Erwin filled your head with." he scowled, gesturing to Levi. "But enough is enough! Your brother's dead... before long, your mother and I will be dead... you will be all that remains to succeed us! I won't have our family name dying in the belly of a Titan!"
"And why wasn't I informed of this, as her direct superior officer?" Levi at last interjected. "Why wasn't Erwin informed of this decision? If you had really spoken to Zackley, we would have been told about having to release one of our subordinates."
"Don't test my patience, Levi." the man growled.
"I'm only testing the truth of your words... lying to your own child seems like a poor parenting choice."
Gritting his teeth for a moment, the man at last regained control over his expression and the shift in the air made Natalie's muscles clench.
"Has anyone ever told you, you're too smart for your own good?" he said, gesturing for the men with him to move forward. "You leave me no choice, Levi..."
"Are these chumps supposed to scare me? I've been killing far more dangerous trash, since I was six." the young Captain retorted, glancing over at Elena who had watched the whole scene in utter shock. "You should go... wouldn't want to put you or the kid in harm's way."
"It's alright..." Natalie nodded to her with a reassuring smile. "Just go."
"I'm sorry..." the young woman apologized, before hurrying back to the house.
With her out of the way Levi removed his jacket and his cravat, throwing both into Natalie's arms and startling her. Rolling up his sleeves, he stepped forth and popped his collar open before cracking his knuckles. He was still angry from the trial and being forced to beat that poor kid senseless, so the current situation only worked in his favor.
"Captain—"
"You keep quiet and watch. I need to blow off some steam..." he cut her off. "Anyone who wants you has to go through me, first."
"I've had it with you pieces of shit! If you want to sacrifice her, you'll have to get through me."
The nearly overlapping words startled Natalie, and she placed a hand to her head in confusion. Why did those words sound so familiar? Was that... her other self's memory?
'I swear I heard him say that before...' she mused, overtaken by a strong sense of déjà-vu as she watched him standing like an unbreakable shield between her and everyone else.
For a moment he seemed like the largest man there, and she couldn't fully restrain a smile which mixed so many of her feelings towards him.
She was so out of it that the crunch of breaking bones startled her back to reality. Two of the thugs had tried attacking him at the same time, only for the Captain to grab them by the collars and smash their heads together. The blood pouring generously out their noses told her they wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon. A third one tried to stab him, only for Levi to lean to the right before grabbing his arm and snapping it from the elbow. His scream of pain died swiftly when he was slammed onto the pavement, passing out from hitting his head. In the same fluid motion, the young Captain grabbed his would-be killer's knife and threw it into another's thigh leaving him a bloodied, sobbing mess on the ground. It was when one of them got close and pulled a pistol into Levi's face that she panicked, for a split second fearing she would watch him die. However, Levi himself didn't seem impressed, only using one of the hand techniques he had picked up from the redhead to divert the man's arm. Grabbing his wrist in the process, he twisted viciously until he heard the telltale cracking and his victim yelped in pain, dropping the gun. With a leg sweep he brought his target down, stomping on the man's face and knocking him out. The remaining five, seeing their friends downed so easily ultimately cowered beneath his glare and took off running.
"What are you doing? What did I pay you for, you idiots?" her father called after them.
It was when Levi picked up the pistol and advanced on him that he finally realized he was alone, tripping on his feet when he tried to back away.
"Wa-wait..." he pleaded, staring down the barrel of the gun when Levi pointed it between his eyes.
For a moment the young Captain did seriously contemplate putting a bullet in his skull. But in the end, when Natalie's smiling face came to his mind again, he couldn't bring himself to do that to her.
"You should thank your lucky stars that you're Natalie's father. Next time I won't be so lenient." he growled, instead using his free hand to punch the man unconscious.
Getting down on one knee he placed the gun into the merchant's hand, grimacing as the disgust of the man's actions toward her made him want to vomit. Standing afterwards, he heaved a breath and turned back to see the young woman approaching with that concerned expression he never wanted to see on her face.
"Are you alright, Captain?" she asked, catching him off guard as he hadn't expected her worry to be directed at him.
"That's not important right now... we need to let Erwin know about this, before the Military Police gets involved. At least we'll have a good alibi, if it comes down to an investigation. But I doubt your father's going to want word getting out that he lied about talking to Zackley."
Readjusting his sleeves and his collar, he had just reached to take his jacket back from her when she startled him by latching onto his torso.
"What are you saying? I don't give a shit about that! Do you know how scared I was when they pulled that gun on you? I thought you were going to die..." she sobbed into his shoulder. "I thought it would've been better if I'd come alone, so you wouldn't have to go through that."
"Idiot... do you really think I wouldn't have come to get you, if you didn't come back?" he huffed, reaching up to stroke her hair.
When she tried leaning back, caught unprepared by his reply, he gently pressed against the back of her head to hold her in place.
"I told you before that I'll protect you, if you let me." he said, lowering his voice as he tilted his head to kiss the hair just above her ear. "I won't let anyone take you from me against your will."
Reclaiming his jacket and cravat from her, he adjusted his attire while Natalie still stared off into space in wake of his gesture, before leading her away from her unconscious father. She likely would never want to go back home again, and he couldn't blame her. But he couldn't understand for the life of him why parents felt such a need to fuck their children up.