Dormant Wings | A Levi Fanfiction

二十三 Spread the Blame

~23~

"It seems that we've got a traitor in our midst."

Commander Erwin's sudden news causes a faint gasp to ripple throughout the crowd of scouts gathered around him, followed by curious glances being cast at one another.

"Did you know about this?" I whisper to Levi, who is still standing by my side.

He scoffs. "How could I have? I've been with you this entire time."

I ignore his snarky tone and turn my attention back to the commander. Hange yells out for everyone to shut up and listen, which eventually shushes the confused audience.

"To some, it may seem far fetched," Erwin starts, "but somehow this man named Elias knew almost our every move. He knew when and where we'd go to investigate, where our backup was stationed, and specifically where Eren would be located within all of that. It's too much information to guess on a whim, which means that an intruder leaked that to the enemy. The only question is, who is it?"

Next, Hange steps up to add onto his words. "We don't want any of you placing blame on others. If anyone notices any suspicious behavior, report it to a higher up, and with good reason. With all that's going on, there isn't any time to deal with unimportant details."

Commander Erwin goes on to explain how they will be investigating each and every member of the Survey Corps to discover who the traitor is, and a certain question creeps into my mind.

"Why would they tell us this?" Levi mumbles to himself, voicing my own thoughts.

"That's what I was thinking," I respond. "Shouldn't they keep it a secret from the perpetrator in case they make any plans to avoid it?"

Levi continues to think for a moment, before casting his skeptical gaze on Erwin's form. "Erwin is smart. Unfortunately, so is Four Eyes. If they're releasing this information to all of us, then it's for a reason. I can ask them at the meeting they're going to call when we return."

I nod subconsciously, still cooking up my own theories. "Perhaps they want to keep a lookout for the person who does try to avoid being interrogated? People with nothing to hide won't feel the need to stay away, but rather prove their innocence. Unless this mystery person is some kind of master mind that will see through that idea, it shouldn't be too difficult to uncover them."

"You may be right," Levi huffs, and continues to listen to Erwin's orders before returning home.

——

Just as Levi suspected, Erwin approached him just before arriving at HQ about a meeting. He sent me an 'I told you so' look before leaving with the commander.

It's not until the captain is gone and I'm alone that I realize just how odd it was that he stuck by my side all the way from when we left the warehouse. It's also not until he's gone that I realize just how grateful I am for that constant feeling of his presence.

Every time my thoughts went downhill while in that tunnel, he nudged my shoulder and managed to temporarily convince me that I wasn't at fault for what happened. He was there for me like he never has been before, and as strange as it was, I don't mind one bit. Maybe I can consider him to be a friend. My heart warms at the idea.

Unfortunately, it cools back down when my fluctuating place of blame comes back to me. This time around, he isn't here to nudge my shoulder. Straightening my posture as someone walks by, I composedly make my way back to my room after the long day.

Just as I arrive at the room and the door is shut behind me, I feel the flood of emotions overwhelm every bone and muscle in my body.

I immediately collapse onto the wooden floor, burying my already tear stained face in my trembling hands. From the ground, I assume a curled up position and cry for what feels like an eternity.