orders || levi x oc

twenty three.

In a quick stride, I was over in front of Floch before he had a chance to blink. I shot my hand out, grabbing hold of his collar to pull him down to my level.

I squinted my eyes at him, "I would listen to Eren this time if I were you. Or do you want to see what happens if you keep talking..."

The corner of Floch's mouth twitched at my sudden threat. We shared a brief stare before Jean pushed him and I apart, sending us both a step back. "Hey! What the hell's wrong with you two?!"

He kept his arms up to keep us apart before bringing his attention to the left. "Floch. Let's not do this during a funeral for our fallen comrades, all right?"

Our eyes stayed locked on one another as Conny made his way over to the rest of the group.

Conny brought his arms out in effort to stop the escalating tension between Floch and I. "What's done is done, so let's just drop it."

Floch's eyes finally broke away from mine to land upon the others, "And you guys... you didn't stand up to your superiors. You didn't even stop Eren and Mikasa. All you could do was watch." he left out a disgusted scoff, "Medals for what? A funeral for who? You guys better start telling the truth when you go to enlist more recruits. That way, you won't get cowards like me joining by accident. What the hell are we supposed to do without Erwin?! Because... even fodder like me, I get that I'm completely expendable, but even fodder like me has a right to decide if it's worth dying for." he lowered his chin to hide his wavering eyes.

None of us knew what to say. We went quiet for a short moment before Armin began again.

"Floch is right... Commander Erwin is the one who should have lived. I'm not the one who could turn the situation around." Armin became quiet as we all gaped in shock.

His eyes stayed away from any of our stares, his shoulder slumped forward.

I took a slow step toward him, "Armin, how could you say that..." my voice faded out as I felt my heart wrench.

Seeing this side of Armin... it was heartbreaking. How could he think so lowly of himself? I just couldn't understand it.

Eren let out a breath, "I really can't say if it was the right decision or not. None of us know what the future holds. For starters, have you even seen beyond the walls? What is there beyond the walls?"

This last question grabbed Armin's attention. His eyes widened as he looked up at Eren. "The sea."

Eren gave him a small smile, "That's right. The sea. You haven't seen it yet, right? None of us really know anything! Fiery water, lands of ice, sandy snowfields! The possibilities are endless out there! On the outside of the wall, freedom is—"

Armin's eyes lit up right when Eren froze up. He stopped short, unable to finish his sentence as he got lost in thought. I took that as my cue to step forward.

"And you'll lead us to see all that." I rested a hand on his shoulder, "Armin, you will."

I watched his blue eyes soften at my words, but they were still filled with doubt. Guilt. My words were not nearly enough to make him believe me.

Just then, Levi called out to all of us, interrupting any chance I had to worry for my friend.

"Hey, brats." we all turned to the captain. "It's time. Line up." he stated, directing his thumb over to his left before turning to get ready for the ceremony.

At first the group didn't move. After a nudge on his arm, Eren went first, followed by Mikasa, and then Armin. That's when Floch started following right after him.