The Vogel

5 - Family

Levi came up behind Reiner silently and listened to him talking to Mea. The way he talked to her... He cared about her. When a silence fell, he stepped forward, purposely making his presence known.

Reiner looked at him. "Your family is out there. Calm them down. Now."

He sighed. "Alright. Will you watch Gabi?"

"Whatever."

Reiner murmured a thank you and went out to his parents. Levi sat in Reiner's place, looking at her wrist carefully.

Reiner prepared to confront his family. Before anyone could say anything, he said, "We're going outside." He led them out, clearly not going to listen until they were in private.

"What is wrong with you?" his mother asked.

"Mea took care of Gabi. She made sure Gabi ate, she slept, that she was okay. Mea isn't like anyone on this Earth. While I was there, I thought I was looking out for her. She grabbed my hand whenever she was scared or nervous. But she was faking it. She always touched my wrists, looking for cuts. Do you understand?"

"She's a devil, Reiner," Gabi's father said flatly.

"The Yeagers wouldn't have kept Gabi alive, even for leverage. Gabi said Zeke would kill Mea for tricking him. It wasn't a coincidence that he grabbed her. She played his games and kept Gabi alive. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have been Gabi's guard. She probably fought to keep Gabi alive, Falco too. She knew who Gabi was all along, that she was related to me and that she killed Sasha. She kept my family alive even though it's my fault hers is dead. Does that sound like a devil to you?"

They all remained silent, too stunned to speak.

"If I'm responsible enough to be a warrior, I'm responsible enough to decide who she is. So is Gabi."

"She's going to hurt you both," Gabi's mother said slowly.

"She physically can't. She's in a coma. It's more likely than not that she will die. Let us have the time...she has left to be with her. If you refuse to let Gabi do what she wants, she's going to feel more miserable than she did on that island."

"Are you...in love with that woman?" Karina demanded.

"First off, you have no place to judge. Secondly, I just want you to treat her as a person."

"Are you?" Gabi's mother echoed.

Reiner just let out an exasperated sigh and went back inside. His family followed him silently. He sat in the waiting room across from Armin.

"I'm guessing Levi went in to see her again?" Armin asked, startling Reiner.

"Yeah. My family isn't happy."

"I suppose not. Family's tough."

"Yeah. Eren... It must be hard."

"It is."

They sat in silence, unaware of Reiner's family in the shadows.

"I feel bad for Levi. He's lost so many people... If Mea leaves too, that might be his last straw," Armin said slowly.

"I can't believe he chose you instead of the commander. They seemed..."

"Close? Yeah, they were. Levi decided it was his time to go. Part of me still doubts if he made the right choice..."

"He trusted Levi, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but...still."

"It's in the past," Reiner said with finality.