Will of the Fallen (Levi x OC)

Chapter 23: Young Acquaintances

Before we knew it, nearly two months had passed after that night. The Scouts became popular leading to mass transfer and recruitment. Eren had come clean about his visions, which concerned the hell out of me.

There was a lot that happened.

Historia had kept her word, even getting Levi, and me, involved with an important meeting with the brass.

A new assembly had to be made after all, and this one was much more reasonable than the last. They even agreed to meet with us again to discuss what should be done with Kenny's Titan serum.

They had almost immediately agreed to Historia's proposal, and together we made a plan for the children. Who I was desperate to see.

Maybe Emma and John would be there when I went to visit, but either way those orphaned or needy kids were almost everything I stood for.

The future.

Thanks to Eren it was possible. The future, to come, was an expedition to Shiganshina District. Our regiment had grown significantly in size since our popularity grew with the Queen. People both joined and transferred to us, as if we were the best thing to happen.

There, in Shiganshina, we would hopefully learn the secrets of the world, finally, after all this time. All these years of fighting.

As I got ready for the evening ahead of me, I thought about the Executioner from Hell. Hanji had sat down with me for a long time to discuss its design. That, and thunder spears, which were designed using the prior interior Military Police's equipment.

They'd be gone over soon, just like the Executioner. We were just waiting on engineering.

Suddenly thinking about them made me shudder. We were going to test both within the next few days. And with the hardening experiments under way, we'd soon have a clear path to get to Shiganshina by clearing out the Titans.

Maybe... just maybe with enough time, they'd all be gone.

I let out a deep breath as I fastened the last belt into place across my chest.

The ring strung around my neck shifted over the strap as I jerked it into place with firm but gentle tugs.

I continued to lock it in place with the hardware as the fingers of my left hand grabbed the dangling piece of jewelry.

I felt some way about the silver object in my hand. It made me feel light, like I could float with the clouds and never come down. But at the same time, I felt defensive or... protective over it. Rather, the thoughts tied to it.

This was what really solidified me and Levi as a pair. With these rings we were marked as one another's partner.

As equals, we stand together.

I tucked the ring into my shirt and grabbed my tan jacket, tugging it onto my body and then walking to my bedroom door.

My heart nearly left my body with a gasp as my eyes caught Levi standing in the corner of my office with one of my strategy novels in his hand.

"Levi!" I hissed, closing my bedroom door roughly. "What are you doing here?"

He tilted his head to the side slightly while he considered me with some regard.

If I could say it without dying, I'd call him adorable to his face.

I sighed and walked over to him looking at the volume in his hand. It was a strategic novel about warfare that I had read not too long ago.

The way a civil war would go at least. Based on that one novel, I could create other scenarios and develop new strategies for each one.

Correction - I already have.