"Ryder!" I was snapped out of my memory when Levi raised his voice. I shook my head free from the daydreams and looked at the black haired man in front of me. "We have to talk to everyone about the plan." He explained to me.
"Are you truly not phased by this at all?" I asked him.
"Huh?" Levi's head tilted to his right slightly as he looked at me with a confused face.
"Levi, this exact bed we…we made-"
"Yes, I know, but we can't let that memory distract us right now." Levi told me. "We have to focus on our objective." I slapped my cheeks a few times with my hands, so I could kick-start my brain.
"I remember. Now, let's go talk to everyone." I said with determination. I walked passed a stunned Levi before stopping in my tracks. I turned back around and placed a kiss on Levi's cheek.
"What was that for?" He asked me.
"What? I didn't know I wasn't allowed to do that. I mean…that was the most innocent thing we've done in this room." I playfully winked at him before turning on my heel and walking out of the room with Levi in tow. "Okay, come on! Everyone grab a chair and sit down! We need to talk!" I announced as I clapped my hands. I walked into the kitchen and everyone looked at me with large eyes. "Why are you all looking at me? Come on! We have to get the ball rolling." After that, Eren and his friends frantically went to grab chairs as Levi stood beside me. "See, now was that so hard?" I looked at Levi with a smile.
"Your banshee screeching made it difficult for them to understand what you were saying." He told me before walking towards the table and taking a chair at one head of the table as I took the other. "Well…a lot has happened in a short time, but it doesn't mean our main objective has changed. In short, we need to plug up the hole in wall Maria. If we can fulfill this then anything else doesn't matter. It also seems like some titans are hiding inside the walls." Levi announced to everyone. "Hey, Armin. You said something good about plugging up the hole quickly…I'd like to hear about it once more."
"Yes…my idea was to plug up the hole in the wall using the ability of Eren hardening himself as a titan. The wall seems to have been made from titan that were able to harden themselves and if we could produce the same mass to plug up the hole at the actual scene…if…only such a thing was possible then…it wouldn't be necessary to continuously carry materials by cart like it's needed for most plans. In other words, we could think of a way to aim for the site that'd be based upon the non-activity of titans at night. It'd be possible to reach there overnight by horse either from Shiganshina or from Trost. If this could come true then the time it'd take to recover the wall would be less than a day." The blonde boy to my left explained his idea to his comrades and they all seemed shocked by the new information that was presented to them. "But as expected, now that I say it again…it sounds about as likely as catching clouds."
"Whether those clouds can be turned into something all depends on this guy." Levi nodded his head towards a nervous looking Eren.
"Yes. Understood."
"I want everyone to feel safe as soon as possible. I want a world where people can live without fighting against each other. That's why…I want to test Eren's power even if a minute sooner." Hanji said from her spot. "Of course, I want detailed information on your titan transformation and on your hardening ability too. Especially on how you manipulated the titans…it's an impressive possibility. If such a thing really is true, then it could mean a turnaround in mankind's stalemate." I had heard about how when Eren yelled at one of his previous comrades who was now a titan – all the other's went towards him and attacked. That allowed for the Survey Corps and everyone else to escape and bring back Eren safely. "Which is why…I can't stand to sit like this! We have to move quickly, however…I want Eren to keep a low profile for a little while longer."
"Eh?" Eren looked at Hanji with a confused face as his back straightened.
"But why is that?" Armin asked Hanji.
"Well…the situation is more complicated than we had thought." I added. The 104th squad all looked at me and wanted me to continue, but Levi interjected.
"C'mon now…I'm sure that since you guys came here, waiting has been like struggling not to shit yourselves when it's on the verge of leaking out. You're even making those faces now. As to why you guys need to keep waiting to shit…Hanji, tell us why."
"Pastor Nick has died."
"Huh?" We all looked at her with confused faces now.
"This morning, within the grounds of the Trost District Military Barrack, Pastor Nick was found dead. The cause of death is unknown, but he was killed. Nick was tortured by the Central First Military Police Brigade and killed. I thought that the wall religion wouldn't just leave Nick be after he had cooperated with the Survey Corps – which is why I had concealed his true identity and had him placed within the Military Barracks. To think they'd kill him by using the Military Police. I was too naïve. I have responsibility in his death."
"Torture…the Military Police tortured Pastor Nick. Were they trying to find out how much he had said to us?" Armin asked out loud.
"They must have asked if he revealed the connection between the wall religion and the Reiss family. They also probably asked where Eren and Historia were." I told the group in front of me.
"Of course, since the vents of this morning, the situation has been shared with Chief Erwin, Commander Pixis and the rest of the Survey Corps. So now the Central Military Police is being monitored by us, so they shouldn't be able to move too recklessly. However, looking at it another way, now they have any number of ways to find this place out, right? Now we don't know who is friend or foe any more." One of Hanji's men spoke. "When coming here today as well, we split up and made sure we weren't followed. I think this place hasn't been discovered yet."
"So…have you been thinking about the preparations for Eren's experimentation, Hanji?" Levi asked the brunette.
"Yeah…as soon as Eren's titan power became clear 'something' within central has been moving desperately to get its hands on Eren. However, after the disturbance this time, their sense of urgency has clearly changed. They've walked into previously uncharted territory and thought nothing of splitting the military into two camps. Moreover, with everything within the wall unsettled, as well…when you think about this situation normal, the comrades of 'enemies from outside' like Reiner and the others were really always in central this whole time. In other words, what we should really dear is a fatal stab in the back while we're busy looking beyond the wall."
"So? Are you trying to say that we should just wait quietly and have a tea party or something?" Levi sarcastically asked.
"There are still many things you can do inside…sewing and so forth…please, just for now." Hanji asked Levi to cooperate with her.
"Just for now? That is mistaken. It's the opposite. Do you think they'll just give up as time passes? They'll find this place eventually. If we're just running away, the more time passes, the more we'll be driven to the wall. Hanji, you're usually quite sharp. However, after feeling responsible for Nick's death, you've become a defeatist. How many of Nick's finger nails were torn?"
"Huh?" Where was Levi going with this question?
"You saw, didn't you? How many?" Levi pushed. Hanji looked down at her hands as she spoke.
"I don't know. I could only see for an instant, but…as far as I could see, all of his finger nails were torn off." I was surprised at what she had said because that kind of torture would be hell to go through. Yes, Pastor Nick didn't give us much information on the titans, but he didn't deserve to go through that.
"A guy that will talk will talk just with one, but…a guy that won't talk will be the same no matter how many are pulled out. Part Nick…I thought he was just an idiot, but he didn't deviate from what he believed in, even until the very end." Levi said more to himself than to the rest of us in the room. "If chances are high and Nick didn't spill, then perhaps that 'something' from central hasn't taken notice that the Survey Corps is monitoring the Reiss family. Well…as I see it, there are two ways to go on now. Go out before we get stabbed in the back or go out after eliminating the one that will stab us in the back. Which will it be for you, Hanji? Go out before getting stabbed?"
"Both. Let's do both at the same time." Hanji said with determination as she made eye contact with every single one of us in the room.
"Damn…that's exactly what Erwin would say." I mumbled as I crossed my arms over my chest.
"What are you all doing here? Go to sleep." I heard Levi order the 'children' before he walked into my room and closed the door.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"This was supposed to be my room, but someone decided to come along uninvited." Levi sighed as he walked up to the bed and kicked off his shoes.
"Then if you're going to sleep here…where am I sleeping?" I asked him. Levi didn't look at me as he quickly took off his clothes and climbed into bed. I caught a glimpse at just how defined his muscles had become over the past few years. I bit down on my lower lip as my brain continued to play his body in my brain. God…why did I find this man so attractive?
"I didn't say you were going to sleep anywhere else." He said with his back towards me. A smile spread across my lips as I quickly took off my clothes and slid under the blanket. I stared at his soft back like I did all those years ago, but this time I moved towards him and clung to his back. His body became stiff with my touch before he sighed. Levi relaxed into my arms before he groaned and turned around. His eyes bore into mine as he looked at me intently. "Let's get one thing straight…" I didn't understand what he meant until he flipped my body over, so my back was now facing him. I felt his arm snake around my waist lightly as he pressed himself up against me. I could smell him so clearly and I never wanted this moment to end. I allowed my eyelids to become heavy, so I could go to sleep, but I could've sworn I felt the softest kiss on the top of my head.
SORRY FOR BEING LATE! HAD A MIDTERM THIS MORNING SO TOTALLY SLIPPED MY MIND! Hope you guys enjoy and tell me your thoughts! WOOHOO~