Hello! Another friday, another update! Hope you enjoy!

ROBYN POV

When I woke the next morning, it took a few moments to realise where the hell I was. High pale ceiling, papered walls, a rather fancy lampshade. Light filtered in from long windows, soft curtains floating in the early morning breeze. Cobbles. I could hear a horse and cart rattle over cobbles outside the window, down in the street at least two stories below. I blinked. Not HQ, not the Trost base either – I flinched, it couldn't be Trost, it was in ruins. Oh right. My mind caught up. I was near the courthouse where Eren was being kept. Right. It was coming back to me now.

Movement beside me. What the hell?

I yipped in surprise, jolted out of the bed and landed hard in a mess of sheets.

A dishevelled head of black hair peered at me from the bed. "The first night, sure, that would have made sense. The second night, less so. But the third?"

Oh.

Oh.

Right, following our dalliance in the supply cupboard, things had escalated from there and the evening disappeared between fresh sheets. My Captain wasn't usually so pushy, but yesterday evening he had been very insistent on returning to his quarters. I hadn't had it in me to refuse. After the ridiculous questioning of Nile Dawk and then the Commander's crap afterwards, I just wanted to forget the outside world for a while. And between clasping hands, kneading thumbs, devilish tongues and bloody astounding staminas, we had accomplished that blissful oblivion. One which I think we had both been craving.

I pinked and clambered back into the sheets. "Sorry."

"What're you apologising for?" He laid back onto the pillow, light eyes keenly watching me as they lit with consciousness. "Just wanted to know if the reactions get more and more dramatic as it goes. Will you be on the ceiling eventually?"

I jabbed him in the ribs. "You're oddly sassy in the mornings."

"Mm. Hanji says I get my civility from my morning tea."

"I think she might be onto something." I rubbed my eyes and slipped under the sheets again. "I was just confused, new space, weird sleeping place. Wasn't sure where I was. All been a bit of a blur the past couple of days."

"True."

The quiet was odd. Only interrupted occasionally by rattling wheels below, or conversation floating on the breeze as the morning continued beyond our bubble. It was peaceful, despite the carnage that had just occurred. Weird. We humans are pretty good at adapting, aren't we?

I sighed. "How long do you think it'll be before the trial?"

"A few days." He yawned. "Lets the idiots get themselves properly tangled in paperwork and bullshit bureaucracy. Why? Don't think Jaeger can handle a couple days in a cell? Will likely be the most rest the kid has had since Maria was fucked."

The curtains drifted with the breeze again. I didn't agree with that at all; there was a big difference between being restful and being in a cage. Eren didn't even know if it was daytime in all likeliness. Did he even know which, if any, of his classmates had survived Trost? And it didn't seem like the MPs would be anything but horrid to him if Dawk was any kind of indicator. Then again, were the MPs ever nice to anyone other than themselves?

"Hey…" My Captain tucked my hair back, his eyes intent when I finally looked at him, that tiny crease of concern between his brows. "Seriously, what're you so worried about?"

I hesitated. Would he get it? Would he find it silly? I guess it didn't matter, he had asked, I could answer. If he was an ass about it I'd shove the blankets in his mouth.

I closed my eyes. "I'm worried about a kid being turned into a lab rat."

His hand stilled for a moment, and when I looked, he slowly nodded and lowered his touch, gently caressing along my cheekbone with his fingertips. It wasn't clear to me or not whether my Captain knew how unlike a 'fuck buddy' a lot of his mannerisms were. So gentle, so caring. But considering how tough and aloof he normally had to be, I didn't dare question it. If he felt comfortable enough to be open. That was wonderful. Beyond that, I found myself liking it. Someone being careful with me, like I was precious. Being so open to it was probably dangerous for us both, the lines getting more blurred by the moment, but after such a weird few days, I didn't have the strength to pull back. I liked this feeling. I wanted it to stay.

But what was clear was that Levi didn't find my concern silly. He was attentive, thinking. I'd been heard.

He propped himself up on his elbows. "I can't confirm what Erwin intends for the kid or not, but I know his kind of scrutiny would be better than the MPs. For one thing, no scalpels would be involved."

"Assuming we can keep a leash on Hanji." I snorted and rolled closer to him, his hand settling against my shoulder, thumb moving in small circles against my skin. "I just can't stand to think of Eren caged, being poked and prodded at like some kind of animal. He's a good kid, a bit demented in his determination maybe but… good."

"Then we better do all we can to get him to the Scouts, hm?"

"Yeah." I smiled softly and wondered why I wanted to seal the moment with a kiss so badly, like I was talking to a real partner. I'd never really had one of those, but it seemed a fitting thing. But that wasn't what this was, was it? Levi had said Fuck Buddy, or rather, I suggested it and he agreed. But he wouldn't have time for the likes of me. In fact, I was probably already trying his patience by always sleeping over.

Then again, he said he was glad, didn't he?

Or was he just being polite?

Fucking hell, stop overthinking!

I sat upright, holding the sheets to me. "What're our orders for today?"

"Basically Erwin has said 'stay alert', so I would assume training until told otherwise. Another breach is still on everyone's minds, considering that the Armoured never showed."

I frowned. "At all?"

He quirked a brow and sat up as well. "Why, did you see evidence of it?"

"No but… I assumed it had simply come and gone, maybe failing to get to the inner gate. It didn't turn up at all. The hell does that even mean?"

"It means it didn't–"

I nudged him. "I meant for us. Why did they come as a pair before? Or was it just a coincidence last time? Too close to be that, surely." I sighed and started to pace, dragging the sheet along with me. "I'm guessing the Commander is cooking up some theories?"

Levi flopped back into the sheets. "Try and stop him."

"Does Armin Artlet know all this?"

Levi waved a hand. "Who the fuck is that?"

"Blonde boy that was sat across from us yesterday. One of Eren's pals."

"Oh, the one with the weird hair, right. Probably, he was there in Trost for the whole day. Why? You suspect him of something?"

"Of being a damn good strategist, yeah."

If we got Armin's head cooking on this stuff too, between him and the Commander, I'm sure they'd have a solution in no time. I could figure things out in the small scale usually, but those two were on a whole other level of intelligence.

My pacing slowed. "Can I visit Eren? I assume I need a higher ups permission?"

"Probably. They're being very careful with the brat. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to see him though, couldn't hurt to keep him on side for the foreseeable future. At least, that's how I'll present it to Erwin." He added when I looked at him with suspicion. But then I softened and shook my head at myself, what am I doing? Levi was many things, but he looked after people. He now knew that Eren was someone I held highly, so now he would likely seek to protect Eren as well. Levi was a loyal man, not one I had to be so suspicious of. I wasn't about to become a damn fool for him or anything, but I needn't be so quick to assume the worst.

"Thank you." I let the impulse take over, going over and kissing him gently.

He hummed and threaded his fingers into my hair. "If you're not planning on staying in this bed for the foreseeable future, you better move."

"Noted." I slipped out of his grasp, winking before I headed into the ensuite bathroom and locked the door.

With the water heating up, I stared at myself in the mirror. The world was mad, it always had been, it just so happened that right now I was a bit more in the know than previously. On the front lines, as it were. I could handle this. Of course I could. The main thing was not to let myself get lost in the shuffle. But I had my squad; Petra, Eld, Gunter Oluo and of course Levi. A team to support me, and I them. How much the others knew yet was kind of unclear to me, no doubt Levi would want to let them know as much as possible, as soon as possible, because a soldier left with only half the information was as good as dead. At least, that was what he had said to us at one point. It was why we were all made to read every report, stay informed in every way.

Ignorance wasn't bliss, it was just a quick way to die.

For the remainder of the morning I ran drills with Petra and the others, working on our manoeuvres and getting our gear on extra fast. A well oiled machine, that was what we were. Petra wanted to practise our team ups a little more as well, she was needlessly worried about being too slow, but if she wanted practise, that was fine by me. It kept me busy. Kept me from thinking too much, and if I kept going there would be smoke coming out of my ears.

"One more run, Robyn?" Petra panted, her hair in disarray and cheeks bright red.

I grinned, always having had that bit more stamina than her. "Nah love, we've done it a solid ten times now, not missed once. We can work on it again tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure thing, sounds good. I'm gonna go find a bath, there's gotta be one in this big fancy place." She laughed breathlessly and wandered off, head hanging back as a breeze fluttered by.

I wiped my brow and sheathed my blades, heading over to where Eld and Gunter were doing some sparring. Occasionally, and at random, Oluo would bark 'go' and they would stop sparring and scramble for their gear with him timing. It was a decent system, kept them on their toes and kept us all alert. Though I think Oluo was enjoying it a little too much.

"Sanshi."

I stopped and saluted my Captain as he left the main building, all business, looking every bit the stoic man I'd always known. Little did anyone else in this courtyard know how he had looked earlier, bed-head in place, sheets falling away from his naked form as he sleepily bid me good day and headed for the shower while I headed for breakfast.

"Sir!"

"At ease." He nodded to my gear. "Good training session? Looked like you wore Ral out."

"Think she had morning patrol sir, so she had done extra." I smiled and lowered my salute. "You need me for something, sir?"

"I talked to the Commander and he's fine with you going to talk with Eren now. We just did and… Well, Erwin's got what he wants for the time being, put it that way."

I did not like the sound of that, but again, I was trying to trust in my Captain. The main thing was that I had permission to visit Eren, and that was a big win. I'd doubted it would be allowed before the trial at all. MPs would be present, but I was good at ignoring idiots.

"Can I go right now, sir?"

"Sure thing, just keep in mind who's listening."

I nodded and headed past, noting the light brush of his fingers against mine. Try as I might, I couldn't keep the smile from my lips, and once again had to question how much I'd managed to blur those lines between us. Or rather, both of us had.

The building was so large and cold, endless corridors empty of people other than the odd guard or official looking person in a suit. So much space. So many wasted resources. Ridiculous. I put my head down and concentrated on reaching the dungeons, hating how often I got a side-eye from the MPs, soon followed by whispers. What annoyed me most was that I didn't know why. Was it simply due to me being a Scout? Did they know about Vincent's death? Or was it the fact I was known as someone who knew Eren from Training Camp? Or, had word spread about me giving Dawks a verbal thrashing? If the latter, I really would have wanted to know, as then I could be that little itty bit smug.

No it wasn't good to gloat. But allow me a few vices?

The door to the dungeons was guarded by two guards whose faces looked ready to sour milk. They looked me up and down like I was an oversized rat. I saluted, explained my permissions and then waited patiently for their slow minds to make the conclusion that as much as Dawk might bitch at them, it likely wasn't worth risking the wrath of Captain Levi.

They let me pass.

Descending the stairs I got a chill up my spine. So dark, damp and cut off from the world, barely any noise came from below, just the echo of my footsteps. Lanterns burned on the walls every few metres, but they failed to do much against the dank gloom. Damn, what a shitty place to lock up a kid. A shitty place to lock up anyone really.

"State your business."

Another set of guards. Guess that made sense, they had no idea what kind of power Eren had or not, so they were being a bit paranoid.

I gave another salute, no harm in buttering them up. "Here to pay a visit to Eren Jaeger, sir. Given permission by both Commander Erwin Smith and Captain Levi. May I proceed?"

"Mm. All right, no touching or trying to pass things through the bars."

"Yes, sir."

The cell was small, dark and right in the corner. Made sense, meant that two of the four walls were against solid earth at least. The rattle of chains was clearer, and as I pulled the stool closer to the bars, Eren sat up.

He blinked slow and then smiled softly. "I wasn't sure who it was, sounded so official."

"Gotta play the part sometimes, eh?" I smiled, hating how tiny he looked in there, chained like a beast in that small bed. His eyes were dulled, his hair a mess and his shirt rumpled. At least they had changed him out of the clothes he'd been fighting in. Were they even remembering that part? The bit where Eren saved the city? Probably not convenient to their narrative.

Focus.

I clasped my hands and leaned forward on my knees. "How're you feeling?"

"Confused mainly." He shrugged. "I got to talk to your Commander earlier, and the Captain. They were uh… Intense." He bit his lip, likely worrying over whatever had been talked about. He frowned down at his lap and then looked up again, uncertain. "They had my Dad's key…"

"The one you wore around your neck?"

He nodded.

I pursed my lips. "No doubt it's being held as evidence or something, part of the case on both sides. Did they say anything about it?"

"They wanna reach my Dad's basement. And the uh… Captain Levi, he said he'd take responsibility for me or something, like I'd be under his charge?"

I had no idea.

Had Levi decided to do that because he felt it was the best strategic move? Have Humanity's Strongest step up to take charge of the unknown element in Eren. Or had my Captain done that because of what I had said earlier in bed? I suppose either way he would claim it was the former. Either to continue fooling himself, me, or both of us.

I smiled. "Then you'll be in good hands, and likely near me and the rest of the squad. They're a great group, Eren. You'll be well looked after. But… It won't be certain, not yet. The uh… There's still things that need to happen."

Was he allowed to know about the trial? I had no idea.

He nodded. "Sure, I get that. I just wish someone would tell me something… Gonna guess you ain't allowed to do that though?"

"Bit low rank, sorry. Not really my call, though you know I'd love to." I added, wanting to ensure he could trust that I was still the woman he had met at the Training Camp. Because I was, I just happened to have two nosy MPs sneering from the hallway, ready to report any possible thread of misconduct. I wouldn't risk anything being used against Eren.

He smiled, a bit more genuinely that time. "How're you doing? I saw you flying around in Trost right before I passed out, when Captain Levi saved us from those Titans."

"I'm good. Helped clear out some Titans then clean up… the fallout." I swallowed and clasped my hands tighter. "I saw Armin and Mikasa by the way, they're doing all right."

He breathed out. "Good. I was worried they'd been thrown in a cell or some crap."

"Why?"

"They stood by me through all of it… Even when that guy tried to kill us with a damn cannon."

I jolted. One of the captains in Trost had done that? Fired cannons at Eren? When? Bloody hell, how mad had things gotten before we got back from the mission?

"I thought your power was revealed with the boulder thing."

"Uh… N-No, there was some stuff before that. I'm sure the uh C-Commander can tell you more though. He'll have the details I'm sure, Pixis does at least." He swallowed and looked to the side, to where the MPs were, listening away. Ah, he didn't know what he was allowed to say either. Didn't want to be seen as leading me on or anything. Gotcha.

I winked at him. "Don't worry about it, not your concern anyway. Leave that information bullshit to us adults, eh? Mikasa and Armin were good, and they seemed in fine spirits as well. Worried about you of course, but nothing more than that. The others… Well I dunno, sorry. Not seen anyone else from the 104th, they're probably still helping with the clean up."

"Yeah… The city was a mess." He sighed and then leaned back against the headboard. "So much waiting around now, after everything was such a blur. How… How long has it been?"

"Couple of days at most." I smiled softly and then tilted my head. "You need anything? Water? Food?"

A guard cleared his throat. "We can attend our prisoners."

"And I can ask a friend a damn question." I snapped back and the guard glared at me, which I matched with my own.

"I-I'm good." Eren said, nervously looking towards the guards again. Poor kid. He was so bold, brazen and proud at the Training Camp. He didn't suit being this beaten down by the world. Not one bit. "Robyn I… Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." I said, looking back to him, the guard had blinked first.

Eren looked down and then back up, uncertain and trembling. "Do you… Do you think I'm a monster?"

I stood from the stool and approached the bars, leaning against them and smiling warmly. "Not for a second, Eren. You saved the city, and countless other lives on top of that. You gave humanity its first real victory against the Titans in a century and right now? Right now, this is just a prelude. We will get you out of here."

"Promise?"

"I can't do that, because I can't predict the future. But I will never stop trying, Eren. That I do promise." I gestured my head towards the MPs. "Regardless of those shitheads, we all know who's got better sticking power. And on top of that, who's the most stubborn."

He chuckled and nodded. "Ah, yeah… Glad you're on my side."

"You're a good kid, Eren. Keep that in mind, regardless how many ignorant fuckwits are using that horrible word beginning with M."

"Times up." A guard barked.

"Convenient." I rolled my eyes and then winked at Eren again. "I'll see you soon, kid."

"Thanks for coming to see me, Robyn."

"No trouble at all, Eren. None at all." I nodded and headed off, not bowing down before those disapproving looks. Fuck it, let my stance be known to these idiots. I believed in the kid. So what? Even if it turned out to be wrong, I at least had enjoyed a sliver of hope. Fuck giving that up for anything, even being able to be 'right'.

Back in the sunlight, I took a second to lean against the nearby wall.

Do you think I'm a monster?

A kid who had been jokingly called 'suicidal maniac' for three years of training and didn't bat an eyelid, the guy who grinned when folks called him daft or overbearing. Now? Reduced to an unsure kid, looking for some kind of validation. From anyone. I had a connection with Eren sure, but I wasn't especially close to him. Yet in that cell, I had felt like nothing short of a lifeline. That in itself was a pretty big indication of what kind of situation Eren was in, relying on the likes of me. Poor kid.

Ta Dah! We're sneaking closer to the trial! Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading, following, faving, and leaving reviews when you can folks. Cya next friday!