Hand in Hand

36. Unapologetic

Levi never did make it back that night.

Instead, he spent hours huddled over his desk, which was flooded with wills, familial testaments, and Royal documents to be signed, squinting profusely at his paperwork as a single lamp dimly lit his work area throughout the night.

In fact, he never made it back for the next two weeks. By then, (Y/n) had been, for the most part, feeling better and getting used to her body's weight again.

The Commander was nowhere to be found around the base either. While Levi was a shut-in in his office, Erwin found himself unable to leave the Royal Palace. He had been busy with the new ruler, who was once a young Scout herself and convincing the regime to fund the taking back of Shiganshina.

The two conveniently avoided any labor the rest of the Scouts were putting into rebuilding the base that the Military Police had destroyed while searching for them. There was only one time when (Y/n) had seen the two of them together with Hange... and she wasn't allowed to follow along.

While on bed rest, Hange filled her in on Eren's newest discoveries about the Titan powers and his personal connection to their origin. (Y/n) didn't fully understand the bits and rambles from Hange about a cellar in Shiganshina and a key looped around a necklace, but she caught the part about Erwin.

"All he wants to do is find this damn cellar," Hange had told her, throwing her arms up, exhausted. "I'm not sure he even cares about the Armored and Colossal Titans."

(Y/n) sat up from her bed with intent ears. "What's so special about this cellar?"

"I don't know why Erwin wants to see it so bad, but apparently, Eren thinks his father had a part to play in how he received the Attack Titan; that's what he's calling it now." Hange straightened her glasses, her eyes somewhere far off behind them. "Whatever is in that cellar could change what we know about Titans... how we go about killing them, telling them apart, and even how normal humans seem to take possession of them."

That was the reason behind the Scouts' mission to regain control of Shiganshina. That and the fact that they had absolutely no idea where Reiner and Bertholdt were. Wall Maria seemed to be the best bet. And there was also the question of the newest Beast Titan. What was its connection to the Armored and Colossal? Where was it now? It was last seen at the battle at Utguard Castle, but Commander Erwin wanted to leave well enough alone.

While (Y/n) wasn't in the best shape, she had to admit that the idea of getting back on a horse outside the walls seemed enticing. That feeling shocked her because when had she begun to like being a Scout?

When did the fear go away?

Everything seemed to fall into place with the mission approved and her healing on track. Tonight was the last night before the Scouts were to take off tomorrow evening. And Commander Erwin wasn't shy about spoiling the entire lot of them.

"MEAT!" Sasha Braus yelled as she ran into the mess hall.

"Dammit, Sasha, save some for the rest of us!" Jean cried out with his arms around Sasha's waist, restraining her from snatching up the roasted and thickly sliced steaks on each table.

What a difference from the milk porridge and stale bread diet the Scouts usually survived on. The energy that the rich aroma of the food alone gave the Scouts was almost enough to stuff them full. Everyone drooled over their plate with glistening eyes and bright smiles. It was a beautiful and rare site to see.

(Y/n) smiled at the Scouts as she found a spot next to Hanji at one of the dinner tables. "When was the last time we had a nice meal like this?" She asked as she settled into her seat.