Promise me [Levi Ackerman x OC]

XLVI: Risks

The store was empty and in silence. Levi was at the counter supporting his head over the hand and playing with his other hand's fingers over the wood, showing how anxious he was. He wanted to go with her to the doctor, but she hadn't let him in order to kept the business open. His nervousness was growing with every minute that passed until the damned door bell, which he hated, ringed, bringing his attention to who was entering.

"Mr. Ackerman, we came with the week's orders!" The young Isabel entered with her usual box of goods and a big smirk, followed by Furlan, her loyal companion.

"Tch. It's just you." He growled and take the previous position looking bored and uninterested.

"What's with that attitude, Mr. Levi? We heard the news, shouldn't you be more excited?"

"Why would I be excited for? My wife has being ill." His attention dispersed again looking to the outside through the front window.

"Being pregnant isn't an illness." Isabel let the goods over the counter with a furrowed face.

"Pregnant?" Levi was startled putting the pieces together. Nauseas, pukes, cravings, a slight increase in weight, changes in her humor.

"Sweetheart?" He was so lost in his mind that he didn't noticed her coming his way to the counter until she grabbed him by the face.

He was pale and had to gulp, making the knot in his throat disappear. "Is it true?" Emotionless, he finally looked at her. She nodded and smiled with tears of joy. Taking her tightly by the waist in an embrace, he made her spin in the air celebrating and putting up a smile.

⟿

Hazel waked up by the tightened of his arms around her waist enjoying the great feeling of having him this close giving her warm and remembering the amazing night they had. She yawned and suddenly jumped out of bed breaking the hug. "The meeting!" She ran for her uniform and started dressing while Levi was yawning and rubbing his face still sleepy with his messy hair.

"Why are you always in a hurry? I was really comfortable, stay with me." He pouted watching her already adjusting the straps in her legs and thighs.

She looked up to him with a smile finding cute he begged her. Then sitting in the bed's edge, she began to put on her boots giving him her back. She felt in the mattress' movements that he was approaching her, Levi run his hand through her neck and grabbed tenderly a lock of hair pulling her head a bit to the side to exposed the terse skin and caressed it with the tip of his nose before leaving a kiss in the right spot to made her gasp. "Don't you want to stay?" His sleepy voice made it sounded quite alluring, making bit her own lips.

"I need to go, you know it." She closed her eyes trying to build some courage to leave the urge of staying. "Erwin might kill me." She turned her body to face his, and give him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I will kill him first." He laid on his back again when she stood from the bed. "Have a good day, sweetheart."

She looked at him a bit surprised by her new nickname and blushed a bit, smiling. "I'll see you later, Levi." Her heart was melting by love.

Hazel rushed to Erwin's office for the post-expedition meeting. As she got outside panting by the short run, she steadied her breathing and knocked before entering. She made it to her seat watching the dreadful bodies of her comrades surely hungover by the night before. Erwin was evidentially pissed. "It took you long to made it here."

"At least I'm not dead." Referring to Hange who was snoring over the desk, messy hair, and saliva spilling out her mouth, and Miche sitting in the couch supporting his elbows over his knees and his hands covering his face.

Hange suddenly screamed waking up from her dream. "Titans!" Her head ached by the quick movement making her groaned in pain. "Oh, baby, you're here. We were waiting for you."

"Sorry, I overslept."

"But you never... Ohh I get it, busy night, huh?" She gave Hazel a mischievous look with a smirk.

"You bet it was." She rose an eyebrow letting her know that what she was thinking was correct.

"Enough about bets." Erwin look at both getting the hidden message and decided to ignored them. "Miche, come here and let's talk about what really matters."

They made the stats about the expedition letting them know that only achievement was lowered the mortality of the soldiers, but they didn't get any relatable information about the titans. "If you just let me catch a titan, we could..."

"Hange, I've told you several times that you need to have a plan, other way I will have to reject you all the necessary times." Erwin was firm with her to the point to almost yell at her.

"Erwin, if we want to make a change in this world, we need to be able to take risks." Hazel firmly interfered as well.

"I will decide when they are ready." Hazel couldn't argue anymore with him when he changed the topic. "What about the tested leaders?"

"I think Levi it's a good one." Miche accepted it caressing his mustache and a thoughtful face, which was more concentrated in trying not to throw up his breakfast than in the meeting. Hazel smiled by getting to know that he was accepted by her friends.

"I think that Dieter and Marlene would fit the rank. Nifa let her emotions lead her actions, she acted by her own, I'm not sure she could be a good leader, but her skills are above the average, she could be more like an officer like Moblit. "She sighed just for the thought of him. "And Levi, he's unbelievably skillful and strong...he needs more experience in the field though, but in prospective I think he will do it more than fine."

Erwin stood thinking about her reports, while everyone waited. Hange was still thinking about the lack of information they had. "If we had an elite group, catching a titan would be easier." She said this like a vague idea in a whisper to herself.

"What did you say, Hange?" Erwin seemed to be interested in her thoughts, so was Hazel and Miche.

"An elite squad where the most skillful scouts could be. It would be like having us in just one squad, Wouldn't that be amazing?" Everyone looked at her clueless while she walked excited around the office. "Com'on guys! Imagine this, the shorty leading an elite squad. A squad where he can teach his techniques. A squad who can manage any titan situation, including catching them, of course."

"I will stop you right there. I just told you, he needs experience and you want him to lead an elite squad?"

"And also, you yourself said that we need to take risks and that he is 'unbelievably skillful'." Erwin surprised all with this, sounding convinced by Hange's idea, not the catching a titan part though, but having an invincible squad which anyone could rely in difficult situations.

⟿

"Good afternoon, soldiers." Erwin, along with the section commanders were standing in the stage in front of the hungover soldiers, incapable to stand the sunlight in their eyes. "I'm going to made some announcements. First I'm glad to present you the new squad leaders, congratulations for your great effort, Dieter and Marlene." He made a pause so everyone could clapped. Nifa was beside them clearly ashamed and Levi had no expression in his face, but the ones at his surrounding were surprised he didn't make it. "Next, we have decided to make a brand new branch of the regiment, the special operation squad, which will hold our finest and skillful soldiers."

The soldiers were confused of course, looking to each other discussing. The soldiers' names were called to stepped to the front and congratulated by everyone.

⟿

"What should I do? Was it your idea?" Levi couldn't believe that he had been named Captain even though he recklessly disobeyed her orders in the last expedition.

"As if. I like to have the power in this relationship, remember? Why would I offeryou as a Captain instead of a Squad Leader under my command?" She giggleda bit joking and poked his nose with her finger then got back to read her book.She was laid in the couch resting her head in his lap while he was drinking teaand with his other hand stroking her hair.