Hand in Hand

5. Regret

The refugees from the night before had all found places to stay and the streets were finally clear. Military Police were still patrolling Ermich. Some were passed out from exhaustion on the side buildings from the night before. A small group of cadets gathered in the middle of Ehrmich's town square. Commander Erwin Smith stood in the middle.

Erwin Smith was the thirteenth commander of the entire Scouting Legion. He was a tall and broad man who towered over most other cadets but his presence was always calm, and no matter where he went, people respected him. Not many knew but he was highly intelligent and charismatic; it helped that his ice blue eyes and warm voice lulled everyone who spoke to him. Almost all military tactics and strategies that the Survey Corps used were created by him. No one, besides maybe Levi, could ever say anything bad about him. His one flaw, however, was his curious nature. Erwin Smith was selfish, he had always been. He worked and molded the Survey Corps to serve his curiosities of the outside world, even if it meant more lives on his conscience.

"Levi! (y/n)!" Erwin waved at them from inside the crowd.

After leaving the hotel, Levi and (y/n) barely spoke. They had walked to pick up Pastor Nick out of his cell in silence right after leaving. It wasn't so much that they were feeling awkward from the night before, but that they kept replaying the events in their head. (Y/n) wouldn't even look at Levi.

As they walked, she stared at her boots and kept asking herself why when he got close to her she felt hot. She had hated Levi for two years, a part of her still did, but last night was like walking into the light after wandering around in the dark for so long, looking for a way out.

Levi hadn't even noticed they weren't speaking. He was too busy looking back and forth from (y/n) and his hands. They had held her last night, grasping her upright as she unfolded right before him. How could she be that vulnerable in front of someone who she barely knew? Was it just because he was... there? Would she do that with anyone? 'It doesn't matter,' Levi thought to himself, massaging his right hand.

"Hey, Erwin," (y/n) said as she, Levi, and Pastor Nick walked closer.

Scouts and Military Police were all standing together, huddled around two soldiers from the Survey Corps, Phil and Sasha, who sat on the ground. Commander Pyxis, the top officer of the Garrison Regiment, was kneeling in front of them.

(Y/n) walked over to where Erwin was standing and asked, "What's going on?"

He lowered down to her and whispered, "We were all getting ready to head out to Wall Rose when this scout came and started yelling about his squad."

"Commander Pyxis, a situation has developed," Phil announced, out of breath. "As my group and I made our way back to Trost we ran into another group. It was Scout Unit led by Section Commander Hanji and the entire Unit wasn't equipped with gear. Some were from the 104th cadet corps. They were completely defenseless!"

(Y/n) stepped forward. "Was Hanji with them? She left last night for Utguard Castle with her gear, I saw her! So what the hell are you saying?"

Phil looked up and shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't see Section Commander Hanji. I only saw her squad before-

"Bullshit!" (Y/n) yelled. Kneeling, she grabbed Phil by his collar and shook him hard. "Tell me she's alright!"

Levi's eyes widened when he saw her eyes start to get glossy. Her teeth were bared and the grip on Phil's shirt was so tight that the veins on her fists were protruding.

'Why does she get this protective over Hanji?' Levi clenched his jaw. She was making a scene over nothing. Soldiers were not supposed to let their emotions get in the way of their work, that's always how Levi operated. Being emotional led to regrets. He started angrily making his way towards her when a large arm moved in front of him. His eyes met blue.