☙ ''Do you have no regard for human life?''
''In this position, I can't.''
The world is crumbling and with it, is their relationship. War is coming and with it comes another tale of lost love- and found. ☙
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The last expedition had left a stench of grief in the air. Levi, for all his strength, was weighed down by the sullen shoulders and Erwin's ever-present guilt. Eren, usually so bright and happy, had fallen into a miserable self-reflection that looked so ill-fitting on such an irascible teenager.
The three of them, silent and brooding, sat in Erwin's office, looking at the papers in front of them. 'The soldiers aren't ready to fight, not this soon.' Erwin complained, his eyebrows furrowed as he read the decree again.
'It's the king's orders. We either have another expedition or the Survey Corps will be dissolved. That should be enough motivation.' Levi spat, his pity only stretching so far.
'I agree with Levi. The soldiers will fight if it means that the Survey Corps will survive. After all, they just saw a lot of death, that will spur them on to fight.'
'I know that that drives you forward, Eren, but I cannot go into this without knowing that it is the same for all the soldiers.' Erwin claimed, the probabilities flickering through his head- they had no good options left.
'Revenge is the strongest motivator.' Eren urged, leaning forward, his hands clasped in his lap, looking like he was physically trying to suppress another tantrum.
'Look, kid, I know you've been thinking about this and that's great and all but this is up to Erwin. He's the Commander.' Levi cut in before an argument could start. Despite Levi's temper, he was a good mediator. He had experience in both fields, the revenge-stricken soldier and the leader, if anyone could control the situation, it was him.
Eren sulked and fell back into his chair, arms crossed and a scowl etched onto his face, not meeting either of his superior's eyes. 'I'm not devaluing your ideas, Eren. You bring up a good point but we cannot work on such shaky probabilities. If there's a way to prove it then we can move forward but-' Before Erwin could finish, Eren had stood, his eyes glistening and the frown falling from his face like water.
'You need proof? I'll get it.' Eren smirked and fled the room, racing with that unmovable smile.
Left alone in the office, Erwin finally let his mask fall and looked up at Levi sullenly. 'Eren's optimism is surprising.'
'It's not, the kid's fucking full of it, he just doesn't often have the chance to show it- it's like the world wants to prove him wrong.'
'What do you think he's doing.'
'Rallying the troops, I assume. I'm not sure how well it will work. It's a fifty-fifty split between soldiers who love him or fucking hate him. And, now that he's working with us, those in favour of him are becoming fewer and fewer.
'We need the soldiers to believe in him...'
'We're not kicking him out if that's what you're suggesting. He's here to stay, that's the deal.'
'I agreed to let you two be together, not for him to work with us.'
