The Captain and the Assistant

Chapter 22: Bound

Levi walks further into the cockpit and you follow him. The second you're out of sight from the others, Levi grabs you and pulls you in, kissing you passionately. He grazes his hands up and down your body greedily, searching for any signs of pain.

He pulls away from the kiss and you laugh, "You're acting like I was the one in battle."

"You just seemed nervous. Your face is pale. Is everything alright?" Levi asks sincerely.

Are you going to tell him? Is now the right time? You look down at your ring finger and fiddle with your new ring. It feels even heavier than before. You have to tell him. You are his fiancé.

You open your mouth when you hear commotion coming from the other room. Jean bursts open the door, holding two children with their hands roped behind their backs.

The girl looks to Zeke in shock. "You're alive! But... I can't believe they captured you!"

"Who are these kids?" Levi demands, entering view of everyone else.

"The girl shot Sasha. She's not going to make it." Jean says holding back tears. You hear Mikasa whimper and follow her and Armin as they dash out of the cockpit. Not Sasha. Please let this be some kind of cruel joke.

Your heart sinks when you throw open the door. You double over and put your hands on your knees to support your weight. Blood reaches your boot and you throw up immediately into your hands.

....

You attend the funeral for Sasha. Things feel like they are moving in slow motion. Ever since you got back your brain has been fuzzy. You regularly feel like you're going to faint from all the stress of an impending war. everyone knows it's coming after an attack like that, but when?

What's even worse is the minute you all land, Levi is sent away to keep watch over Zeke with some other scouts in an undisclosed location so that Eren and the other anti-Marleyans can't go save him. He's needed for the plan and nothing more.

Hange insisted you stay with them in the capital. You're needed there for help with the anti-Marleyans and deciding what next steps you should all take. You wish Erwin were here to help. After everything that's happened, you can barely focus on the battle plans. You need to see Levi and soon before you go crazy.

It's weird being in his room back in Trost without him. You had gotten so used to your barracks by the ocean, listening to the sound of waves crashing on the beach while you both held hands and stared up at the stars. There's no tea left on your bedside table in the morning and you don't even know where he is. Is he safe? You don't trust Zeke and you know Levi doesn't either. His guard will be up. You tell yourself he will be fine. You vomit occasionally from the stress of your separation.

Protests start to break out in the streets when the public hear the Eren has been arrested. There's so much upheaval at meetings it makes your skin crawl.

Some people want Eren eaten. After all, the Marleyans gave you a few viles of titan serum. You insist this would be a terrible idea. The public would never stand for the death of Eren. After everything, they see Eren as their savior and the only hope for humanity when really it has been the survey corp the whole time. Laying their lives on the line when Eren twists your arms. It's not that you don't want Eren killed. You know Levi probably would agree with you. You just wish you could talk to him.

As you walk out of yet another unsuccessful meeting in Zackly's office, Mikasa and Armin cross paths with you in the hall. You shoot them a concerned look. Why are they going to Zackly's office? Sure they are important, but what could he need the two of them for? You know this has to be about Eren. You want to stick around, but your stomach is growling and you feel exhausted, so you figure the concern will have to wait. You round the corner and set your sights on somewhere you can grab a bite to eat. You usually don't have beef jerky, it's expensive and you don't enjoy the taste much, but for some reason today, that's all you feel you could get down at the moment with your stomach in knots like this.

You pay for your food and walk past more angry protesters, who scream profanities at you as you walk past in your scout uniform. You didn't fucking deserve this. After everything you've given to the scouts, you deserve to be praised. You practically deserve to be worshipped. You are too tired to put up a fight, so you continue on. Only turning back to see smoke rising. Your ears are ringing. Did the ground just shake?

...

Of course there's no time to rest. You're pulled into another meeting at headquarters where it is revealed the Zackly was assassinated by a bomb put in his chair earlier that day. Armin explains how Zackly had disclosed that some new recruits had brought him the new chair that morning.

A man bursts through the door, "It's an emergency!" He yells frantically, "Eren Jaeger has escaped from his cell!"

Hange grabs hold of your arm, "Go to him. The female titan forest. Tell him everything," Hange says before running out the door.

Despite your exhaustion, you sprint out of the room at top speed. You'd do anything for that man and if it meant riding through the night on an empty stomach, feeling like you could fall off your horse, you'd do it.

You mount your horse and look down at the ring on your finger. It gleams up at you in the light from the full moon, almost as if to say, "I'm here."

...