Some of Erwin's observations concerning his strongest soldier and the unusual interest he has developed in a certain member of his squad.

Takes place from chapters 2 all the way to 29 of OMWF. Quite the throwback, I know.


Observations and Truth


"Yes, Levi?" A short glance up from his desk was enough to tell Erwin that his comrade in arms hadn't come for a casual late-evening chat, this time; he would have brought tea, in that case. With their busy schedules, those off-duty visits were far and few in between, anyways, and always rather short-lived and brisk, as conversations with Erwin's strongest soldier—as loyal as he was cantankerous—tended to go.

No, Levi's expression was all business. "Nora Weiss. Let me see her documents."

"You want to see the paperwork on a new recruit? That is unusual." Frowning, Erwin riffled through the stack of papers on the corner of his desk.

"Seeing as I chose the brat for my squad, I supposed it would be good to know what I'm dealing with." Levi took the opposite chair, sprawling in that careless way of his Erwin's fellow higher-ranking colleagues from other military branches considered disrespectful. Something they only ever complained about when the captain in question wasn't in hearing range.

Erwin might be a betting man, but he wouldn't have put his money on that outcome. "You recruited a transfer from the Garrison for your squad? So this is why you asked me about her, before lunch?" He straightened in his seat, the requested document in hand.

"What did you think? That I was making small talk?" Levi crossed his arms in front of his chest, his expression as flat as his tone, still leaning back in the chair as if he hadn't a care in the world. Erwin did what he often did when he wanted to extract info from his most difficult friend; he did not comment on the caustic remark, instead waiting for the real answer in silence. Usually, the fastest way to go about it, and it proved effective once again. "She showed promise at ODM practice, today. Petra operated the ropes, so the brat had to think quickly and pull quite the manoeuvres. Still, she managed to take out every one of the dummies, not a single cut too shallow." The recount was concise and factual.

"I see," Erwin said slowly. Pyxis had not oversold the young woman, then. Not that a commander of the Scouts could afford to be picky, but it was always good to add another capable soldier to his ranks. "And does Weiss already know of her luck?"

"Yeah. Had a nice little chat with her, earlier." The corners of Levi's mouth curled down, his answer tinged with an undeniable, not-so-offhand undertone. Interesting. "Now give that here." He snatched the document from Erwin's hand before he could react.

"What's your first impression?" he asked, considering Levi closely.

Levi didn't look up, frowning at the paper between his fingers as he answered, sounding bored. "Insolent, sarcastic, hot-headed. Worst attitude I've ever seen in a soldier." If he noticed the irony of his statement, he didn't let it on. In any case, he did an impeccable job ignoring Erwin's raised brows. "She'll be a mighty pain in the ass."

Now he certainly had a vague idea how their talk must have gone. Definitely not how Levi was used to being treated by his subordinates—or anyone, for that matter. Erwin doubted she was solely to blame, however, seeing as Levi's diplomacy skills barely exceeded those of a titan. "Why not let someone else take responsibility for her, then? I expect Hange would be happy to—"

"I don't give a shit if she'd be pleasant company at a tea party. What matters is if she's got the potential to cut apart a bunch of titans instead of ending up as food right away."

Crude, unapologetically honest assessments like this were exactly why Erwin gave Levi free reign over the members of his elite squad. Hardened as the man seemed, he cared about the lives of his comrades—more than Erwin could allow himself to. And Levi knew best what qualities were essential in a member of the Special Ops squad, certainly had the eye to pick them out.

"And you think she does?" Erwin asked, because while he knew the answer, he did not know if Levi would give it.

"She just might. Provided she doesn't shit herself, out there," Levi said absently, still engrossed in the written information on his newest addition to his squad. "She seems to realise what she's getting herself into, though, I'll give her that much."

That was a 'yes', then.

The permanent frown on Levi's face deepened. "Twenty-six, already? And still behaving like a goddammed brat…"

In hindsight, Erwin thought he could have noticed something right then and there.

#

This time, Levi had brought tea.

"How is your newest squad member doing? Any progress?" Erwin added two spoonfuls of sugar to his cup, well aware of Levi's disapproving gaze, nose wrinkling.

"The shitty brat doesn't know when to shut up and simply obey and gives me an attitude over cleaning duties." The captain rolled his eyes over the cup of tea in his hand, lounging in his chair with one arm slung over the headrest. He paused, taking a sip. "That aside, she's doing fairly decent in training. Improving quickly. Might even be useful in the next expedition—provided I don't kill her first."

A smile tugged at Erwin's lips. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't. That would be a waste of a valuable soldier, not to mention the paperwork."

"Of course." Levi's eyes narrowed. "Rather get the most out of her and have her slaughter a few titans before she ends up being eaten, anyways, that right?" The disproportionately sharp reaction was unexpected.

Why so testy, Levi? Your kind of humour, is it not?

"You seem to be coping well enough at mealtimes," Erwin said evenly, ignoring the prickly remark, watching closely, probing. "Despite your complaints, you're regularly sharing a table with her of your own volition, are you not?"

"Tsk." Levi scowled into his tea. "That's Hange's fault."

#

Their constant bickering across the table during mealtimes wasn't what tipped Erwin off. The main thing—the most significant abnormality he had observed—was Levi's staring. He looked at the young woman with single-minded, intense focus, the shred of indifference left in his gaze nothing more than a façade.

So his most skilled, stoic soldier had developed… an interest, of sorts. They all did, once in a while—even Erwin had, a long time ago… But his priorities had always been clear; the truth, and therefore, the Survey Corps.

Most of those interests his comrades developed were fleeting; a means to an end, an occasional night of solace to take a break from the burden of the path every single one of them had chosen for themselves, the path they'd decided to follow their commander on.

And in this case, while unprecedented for one of the most antisocial people Erwin had ever known, it would probably lead to nothing. Levi was the unlikeliest candidate to trouble himself with an entanglement with a fellow soldier, and his subordinate to boot.

Nora was harder to read, for him. He didn't know her that well, yet. Alternating between quiet and surprisingly outspoken, though agreeable enough, if you asked anyone but Levi. Yes, she paid an above-average amount of attention to her captain—but, as it appeared, largely not of an affectionate nature.

Normal indicators might not apply in this particular case, however. Those two were both… peculiar, and Erwin's first impression was that their personalities clashed due to a certain degree of alikeness.

It was probably nothing of relevance, and it did not concern him, or his—no, their—goals. Erwin usually saw no need to interfere with his soldiers' private matters. He just noticed. Observed.

#

They were drinking a lot of tea together. Whenever she went over to the counter, Levi was already there, or somehow ended up joining her. Talking or glaring at each other. Sometimes both, sometimes neither. And through it all, Levi was always watching.

This had been going on for almost a year, now, without any detectable change in their dynamic. Their unusual friendship was certainly… interesting. Maybe Erwin would ask Hange about the two of them, someday.

#

"Seems you've got good taste, Levi," Pyxis said, laughing.

"I'd sure think so, old man," Levi drawled.

The evident discomfort on the flushed face of the woman in question, shifting back and forth on her feet, was what convinced Erwin—rather abruptly and without any lingering doubt—that she was sleeping with her captain. Something must have changed while he'd been in his coma, or perhaps even during the month before the 57th expedition which the Special Ops squad had spent largely secluded. He'd bet on it, in fact.

Maybe not his remaining arm, though. Even if losing it, too, would be no more than he deserved.

Erwin took a closer look at his trusted, ever-reliable, unflappable comrade. And there lay the truth. While his demeanour towards Pyxis gave away nothing, his appearance did, if one knew what to look for. Levi was wearing black trousers and a simple, light-grey shirt, no jacket, no cravat. There was the faintest shadow of a beginning stubble on his typically clean-shaven jaw, and his hair, while not exactly messy, wasn't quite as orderly and neatly combed as usual.

As if he'd gotten up and dressed in a hurry.

What are you doing, Levi? Do you even know?

He must be in love with her, and must have been for a fairly decent amount of time. The only explanation why he, of all people—as cool, distant, and controlled as a living and breathing being could be—would do something as ill-advised and messy as getting involved with another soldier.

Of course, this did not simplify matters. Quite the contrary.

A knock on the door put an end to Erwin's contemplations for the moment. There was no time and no room to dwell on such things amidst this chaos. In the life of a Scout, there never truly was, and he assumed Levi as well as Nora—both valuable, determined, level-headed soldiers—knew.

#

To his front, the Beast and his army of titans; to his back, the Armoured; far below his feet, boulders and terrified recruits, and all around him, chaos and shouting.

"You are Levi's second in command, after all," Erwin reminded her, steeling himself against the anguish on Nora's face.

She did not refuse, and neither did Levi utter a single word.

Erwin had not mentioned the issue since Levi had stormed out of his office in a fit of rage, and he had never seen any reason to point out the obvious to his friend; that this thing between him and Nora probably wouldn't have a happy ending. But end, it would. It was the way of the Survey Corps. Judging by the resigned expression on their faces, the devastation thinly veiled by cold determination, they knew.

Levi took off, without looking back, and so did she, in the opposite direction.

If he, their commander, ordered them to die, for humanity and freedom and his own godforsaken obsession with the truth, they would; because they shared his vision, believed in his decisions and his willingness to do whatever it took. He had probably just issued two more death warrants, especially in Levi's case. Another one to add to Erwin's impressive body count, and one of his only two closest friends still alive, at that.

It was all on him, and he'd known exactly what he was doing every step of the way.

In order to fulfil their goal, he might just have sent each and every last one of the soldiers under his command into their deaths—from young recruits, to old friends, to lovers who separated in the knowledge they would likely never see each other again.

For his dream, Erwin had always been willing to stop at nothing, even back when he'd been too naïve to realise. It had started with his poor, prudent father, and the pile of corpses beneath his feet would continue to grow as long as he was still standing.

Was this the kind of hell someone like him deserved?

Pain shot through his right arm; the one that wasn't there, anymore. He gripped the stump with his left hand, clenching.

The battle had yet to start in earnest.

He was so tired.

And yet, he couldn't help but press on, maybe dooming them all in the process. He was so close, could almost hear the truth calling out to him, waiting to be uncovered, waiting to be told.

He was so close, he had to make it. Had to.

Who would be left, then? And what would he do next? Levi had asked him this, and Erwin still could not say.

Maybe he would just go to sleep.


AN: Now that POV was tough. Great practice, though.