"Ryder." I heard my name being called as I past by an open door. I turned around and entered the room. Erwin was sitting on a chair by the window, looking out at the city underneath us. I walked over to him and looked at him with a quizzical look, but he didn't turn his head to face me. "Please, sit down." I silently sat in the chair across from him. "Look at them." I turned my head to look out the window. Eren, Armin, Mikasa and Connie were all sitting outside talking before Jean came up and threw an apple at Eren. The apple hit him square in the forehead and sent Eren falling backwards. Connie was rolling on the floor laughing as Eren stood back up and began to yell at Jean. While the two continued to yell at each other, Armin sat off to the side and Mikasa intervened by pulling the two a part just to slam their foreheads together again. A laugh escaped my lips.

"They're all better now." I commented.

"That's what I was thinking." I looked over to Erwin and saw that he was smiling while he looked at the group of friends. "I don't know what they saw or what you all went through, but" Erwin looked at me "thank you."

"We just did what we needed to do." I explained as I shrugged my shoulders. "Obviously it wasn't easy and we pushed our morals. We all had to leave our morality at the door. Especially when Hanji and Levi were torturing those two men. I was having trouble stomaching what had happened that night, so I can't even imagine how these kids were feeling."

"I see. You went above and beyond when we needed you, Ryder. You showed those kids that we are a family here." Erwin told me.

"I'm glad. You know…after everything that happened between us with us wanting to kill you and everything – I'm really glad we didn't."

"I'm glad you didn't kill me either." Erwin laughed.

"I'm pretty sure that if we were one-on-one you would've beat me anyways." I joked with him.

"I don't know about that. You're a lot stronger than most people think, you know?" I sighed at his comment.

"I blame Levi for that. He's always intervening whenever someone comes near me, so no one actually knows how tough I really am." I joked as I flexed my arm to show off my muscles.

"Like with Jonas, Stephan and Tom?" Erwin asked.

"You know about that? Can you believe that happened! They're so rude! Erwin, we don't need them. We can tell them to jump out a window." Erwin laughed at my suggestion, but I only smiled at the thought of seeing those three sexist pigs fall out of a window and land on the cobbled streets underneath – cracking their heads open and allowing their brains to spill into the streets.

"Ryder, you can't just go throwing people out windows when they make you upset." Erwin tried to reason with me.

"Why not? Levi would've let me do it before." I explained. Before, when we were underground, Levi would let me do whatever I pleased with whomever disrespected me.

"That was before, but not now."

"Well, did I ever tell you this story?" I questioned aloud before continuing my story. "We had a deal with this other gang that was in the local area. I was the only girl in any of these gangs throughout the whole underground, so when they first met me they weren't very friendly. They were saying I should leave because this was 'mans' business or they would tell me to just listen to Levi because I don't know what I'm doing. Levi didn't do anything because he knew what my temper was like – and I think he got a weird kick out of it too. So, basically, I was holding two beers in my hands and walked over to the two men and when they went to grab it I smashed both their heads with the bottles. They learned not to disrespect me again."

"So then what changed?" Erwin questioned.

"Well this one day I was out late, later than usual, I was just grabbing a few things for myself. I saw a dog and it was the first time I'd ever seen one, so I followed it. I went down an alley just as three men were coming out of a nearby house. They were all a lot taller than and bigger than me, so I knew that I wouldn't be able to take them on. I tried finding a way out, but they cornered me and…oh Erwin. I thought that they were…I thought…" I paused as I remembered the overwhelming fearful scene. I could feel the cold brick against my back through my shirt and the sweat begin to pile on my forehead. My heart was going to jump out of my chest at the moment. "I screamed. I screamed so loud that I thought I was going to make myself deaf. Then that's when I heard Levi. He came running in with Farlon and the two of them took the three men away from me and I just collapsed on the floor as I watched the two of them beat them to a pulp. Afterwards, Levi basically carried me back home. He never let another man come near me after that." After a few seconds I finished with, "They said that they were in the area doing their own thing, so that's why they heard my scream and were able to come help me. However, I always believe that Levi is secretly around every corner whenever I'm alone."

"You two…you're so complicated." Erwin smiled at me. I knew that Erwin was thinking about all the memories of Levi and I with our complicated relationship.

"We're complicated? What about you! Levi told me about what you said to him. Erwin, you're being suicidal." I told him. Erwin had told Levi that he was willing to be bait for us when we go to recover wall Maria if he needed to be, so he was planning on dying out there and never coming back.

"It's my decision, Ryder. Besides, I'm not afraid to die. I know that you'll all be fine even if I'm gone."

"I don't know how you can say that when you're the brains behind every operation that we've ever had." I explained to him.

"Our newest troops. Especially, Eren and his friends, give me hope for even when I'm gone, Ryder. They're smart kids and you'll be here too, so I'm not afraid. Besides, I could see my father again." I leaned forward and took his left hand in mine.

"But can't we be more selfish and keep you with us? Levi has grown quite an attachment to you." I wanted to beg Erwin to change his decision. I wanted him to stay here and let us deal with everything, so we'd come home to him at the end of the day.

"Ryder," Erwin took his hand out from underneath mine, so he could hold mine in his. "Levi will be fine because you're here with him. I know that if he had to choose between the two of us he'd pick you without a second thought."

"But Erwin-"

"Levi and I spoke again, you know?"

"Levi." Erwin stood against the wall as Levi leaned up against the wall across from him. It was early hours in the morning when Erwin had come to wake up Levi, so they could chat once more.

"Look, I know about your suicidal plan, so-"

"Let me speak." Levi sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. He looked at his friend and waited for him to begin. "You need to get your act together with Ryder." Levi was taken back by Erwin's statement. "You need to stop being stubborn when it comes to your feelings and just admit them. Your love for her doesn't make you weak Levi, it makes you the man you are and pushing her away whenever you're scared will only hurt both of you. I might not be around to bang your heads together, so you need to grow-up and tell her you love her. If you don't and I die then I swear – I'll come back to life and kill you myself. Do I make myself clear?" Levi was shocked by the words that had just flown out of Erwin's mouth. Was he being serious? How did he know? Why does he care?

"What does my personal life matter to you?" Levi asked his blonde haired friend.

"I've watched both of you grow and change over these few years. I have grown a liking to both of you, so my wish is for you to both be happy…together." Erwin looked at Levi and he could read him like a book. Erwin smiled as he shook his head. "I know how you feel about Ryder because of the way you look at her, the way you act around her, the way you talk to her, so I'd be more surprised if someone didn't know how you felt about her. You make it pretty obvious."

"Why should I tell her? What's the point if there's no guarantee that we'll stay alive?" Levi questioned.

"Because you deserve happiness, Levi. You are both remarkable soldiers that deserve to see the world and all the happiness that it holds. Besides, would you really want her to die doubting if you ever truly loved her? Would you be able to live with yourself then?" Erwin watched as Levi avoided his gaze at that moment. He knew that Levi would never want to cause any harm to Ryder. Erwin walked over to Levi and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Just tell her. Commander's orders."

"He didn't tell me that." I told Erwin as I sat back in my chair and looked at him with amazement. I just received confirmation that Levi was, indeed, in love with me.

"He'll probably tell you in due time. I hope I'll still be around when he does say it though. I'd like to hear you telling me that he did." Erwin smiled at me.

"Why do you sound like you're going to die soon?" I asked Erwin. He turned his gaze back out the window.

"Because I have a feeling this next expedition might be my last." Erwin turned his head and looked at me once again. "Thank you, Ryder. I'm happy that we had the many years that we did have together." That's when I felt my heart fall out of my chest and land in the pit of my stomach. My gut was telling me that Erwin wouldn't be coming back with us next time, but I didn't want to accept that. He was my friend. He was the only other person I felt comfortable enough to talk to. He always treated me with such kindness, but he always pushed me to be better. Losing Erwin would be like losing another family member and I didn't want that feeling ever again.

I didn't realize I was crying until Erwin handed me a tissue.

OMG WHAT?! I think Erwin is the best wingman...like damn!