Hand in Hand

25. Sannes

The rendezvous spot Erwin had mapped out was an abandoned warehouse, previously owned by the Military Police for holding fugitives. There was nothing special on the inside, just a bare, large square layout with a few tables and chairs. Trost was full of old places just like it. The Military Police always seemed to have money lying around for new projects and bases.

The convenient part of it was its basement. With soundproof, stone holding cells, it was the perfect location for what Levi had planned next. Although they seemed to be at odds at the moment, Levi and Erwin were always in sync, always thinking two steps ahead.

"So what's your plan this time?" Hanji asked Levi.

It was the dead of night when both squads had finally met up. While Sasha and Connie stood guard outside, the rest of Levi's squad and the remaining members of Hanji's regrouped inside. They sat together at one of the old tables left inside the warehouse.

Mikasa sat alone in a corner. The image of Eren rolling away in that wagon replayed in her mind.
(Y/n) watched her pay the rest of them no mind as they spoke. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Mikasa. Regardless of the circumstances, they both experienced what it was like to have loved ones taken away.

"Do you remember the man who killed Pastor Nick?" Levi asked Hanji.

She rolled her eyes and groaned. "Don't tell me Sannes has something to do with Reiss."

"In a way, you could say he's like Reiss's secondhand man." Levi looked at Mikasa, ready to say something, but stopped himself. Sighing, he added, "One of the men who fell for Armin and Jean's disguises was Dimo Reeves."

"He's a merchant within Trost," Armin said keenly.

"Yeah," Jean scoffed and shook his head. "He's a merchant alright, a shady bastard too."

From beside (y/n), Moblit pulled a chair up to the table. "I've heard of Reeves," he said as he sat down. "He's a pretty prominent merchant in Trost but the majority of his earnings are earned under the table if you know what I mean."

"What does he have to do with Sannes and Pastor Nick?" Hanji asked impatiently.

Levi slouched back in his chair and rubbed his temples. "After my squad lost Eren and Historia, we doubled back to where Reeves and the other men had first been captured. It took some convincing, but Reeves-"

"Ahh!" (Y/n) frantically fanned her nose before sneezing twice. Levi's lips were pursed together in an aggressively straight line. Beside her, Hanji chuckled into her hand. Giving Levi an apologetic smile, she mumbled, "It's dusty in here."

Jean and Armin nervously glanced at their captain. They sat rigid, anticipating the sharp scolding they were used to whenever their squad annoyed him. When it didn't come, Levi's previous words to Mikasa had begun to make sense. He wasn't just spouting nonsense, there was a meaning behind that outburst.

What they didn't know was how this new relationship formed without anyone noticing. When did the walls of their stoic captain begin to crumble?

The truth was, even after realizing how selfish he had been earlier, Levi had a hard time understanding how he wanted to move forward. Unfortunately for him, there were so many things he wanted to say to (y/n) but the Scouts were pressed for time. It would be even more selfish of him to pull her aside and say all the things that were on his mind. He knew that when they did speak, he wanted all the time in the world.

Levi cleared his throat, ignoring (y/n). "As I was saying, it took some convincing, but Reeves finally cracked. He told us that Sannes worked under Reiss, and how he worked for Sannes doing all the grunt work."