||Manga Spoilers! || Promises {LeviHan}

Chapter 8: It's Time

Levi's POV

As per usual, Hanji was passed out when the sun rose. After that nightmare... she couldn't go back to sleep. I had to hold her and rock her to sleep. Calming her down seemed to take hours... but I didn't mind spending those hours calming her down. What she experienced... I'm glad to be the one to comfort her. When she cried about that nightmare... I let her vent it out to me.

Funny...

We were able to analyze it- only one of the few methods that Hanji used to keep herself from going insane. It's a weird thing to do, but it seemed to help Hanji cope with her nightmares. From what it seems like it... she was afraid of the mission... and losing more babies. Those... I understand.

I had kissed her before I left the room. Since she would be sitting out of the battle... she didn't need to know what would be happening. I don't want her planning her little schemes or anything. She stays out of battle... and that is my firm belief.

Walking down the metal hall, my footsteps echoed. Hallow. 

These sounds... how much it reminded me of how the castle was right after the battle in Shinganshina. Everyone was dead... just only a few. No more random chatter filling the stressed and fearful Scouts. Just dead silence. Grief filled the air... and nothing else.

"Captain Levi." I turned around to see him, pausing in his tracks. "What you said yesterday... that wasn't true... right...?"

"What do you mean? I said the truth-"

"About Commander Hanji being pregnant- yes. She is pregnant. But... you were... lying about who's baby it was." Armin said, slowly coming to the truth. "I've been by her side whenever we had to do things between the different regiments... Commander Hanji Zoe and Instructor Keith Shadis never seemed to be... intimate... it's always been you, Captain Levi."

He was almost a complete clone of Erwin. I can just see it. "I don't want this out, Armin."

He nods his head, understanding. "I-I understand. But I just need to confirm..."

I take a deep breath, nodding my head. "Yes... it's mine." Finally, the truth was out. But it wasn't what I expected- I knew that Armin would figure it out. The gears in his head were clicking into place. "Honestly... this is at least the 6th or 7th time we tried... we always lost them..."

"C-Captain... I-I'm sorry."

I waved it off, scoffing a bit. "After this many times, I want her to have a chance to be a mother. She deserves it. She needs it. That's why I'll take her place. Give her a chance to be one. Other times, it was the titans always getting in the way. Other times... people just didn't know..."

"And know people know." 

"Yeah... hopefully it keeps her out of the fight. Armin, I don't want her in the battle at all."

"Captain," he says, stepping forward, "please... I can ensure that she'll be safe-"

"Ensure it? How?" I growled, looking towards him. "Your plan was to talk him out of it. Go directly to him. You have more of a connection than Hanji. You will be out to Eren- and where will Hanji be? I cannot protect myself and Hanji- not in my current state."

Armin was left with his mouth agape. Unable to say anything to me. 

"Exactly. I don't need her to be in danger. You haven't lost that many kids. Some of them nearly got to 6 months... and we lose it. When we found out we lost it... it was a baby boy. Hanji was heartbroken... she would've had a son. That was last year. It was a boy, Armin. A boy. And some idiots decided it'll be fun to practice hand-to-hand with her. She broke her ribs that day. She was heartbroken."

Those words echoed in the hall as I turned my back on him.

"Let's just hurry it up. Go over the plan for tomorrow. Not a word to anyone else, Armin. You're a shifter now- torture wouldn't be such a bad idea, huh?"

"C-Captain... n-not a word..." He said with a stutter, following after me. 

"Good."

Now... I didn't mean it, but I just got too overprotective over it. The fact that Hanji's child is mine... I didn't need it to come out to everyone. I'll apologize to him later on. But for now, I'll let it sink in for him.