This is My Last War (Attack on Titan // LeviHan) - Part 3

Where the Fuck is Eren?

The tall, elegant woman who came down the stairs in tightly laced ankle boots and billowing skirts was a stranger to him. Levi could do nothing but gape up at her dumbstruck, only one thought tumbling around in his skull... damn.

"Do you think it looks strange?" She grimaced, touching the coquettish little hat balanced on top of her head.

Help.

The apparition had Hanji's voice and there was the eye-patch over her left eye. But the rest...? There even were two ringlets bouncing merrily around her ears with every step she took towards him! She held a silly thing in her hand and he blanked on what it was called, that's how confused he was. Para... Para... something.

"I don't think I gave you permission to get out of bed," someone addressed him from behind. Ugh. Hanji's doctor. Lucky for him Levi was too preoccupied with staring at that... that person on the stairs to kill him for sneaking up on him like this.

"Last time I checked, you weren't my father and you sure aren't my Commander," Levi snarled at him viciously, taking pleasure in the visible recoil his aggressive demeanor caused.

The brown-haired man was so tall he had adopted a slouch, likely because he was afraid to hit his head on door frames. He may have the stature of a giant but Levi was confident he could knock him over with a mere flick of his fingers. The doctor might be tall but he was also soft and flabby and his tongue was probably his strongest muscle.

"Easy," Hanji quickly sauntered down the last few steps to stand next to the doctor. Had she grown in their time apart? Levi frowned up and then down in displeasure. The shoes! They added several inches to her height, how rude! "Let me properly introduce you two: Levi, this is Doctor von Bergmann, his late wife was from the Oriental Clan. He has been of tremendous help to our cause and to me in particular. Ernst, this is Levi Ackerman, Captain Levi, my lieutenant and right hand man, I trust him with my life."

Ernst, was it? Levi glared up into the curious face of someone he instinctively hated like the plague. Which was probably unreasonable, the Doctor seemed to know what he was doing, he had sutured his knife wound expertly, it barely hurt to move - and if Hanji said he had been helpful to her, it was a very good thing, one to be grateful for. Hanji's health had been a constant worry of his for years, Armin just wasn't ready yet to take over as Commander and Levi sure didn't want the position.

"Shake his hand," Hanji whispered, elbowing him in the ribs.

The Doctor had extended a hand expectantly. Ugh, if I must. Levi squeezed the giant's hand with enough force to make the saggy being wince in pain.

"Hey," Hanji hissed angrily, "didn't I tell you to work on your manners?"

Maybe she had, Levi thought sullenly, lessening his grip a little, on that ship that had carried them across the salt lake. He had hated every second on that thing, having no control over its movements nor over its functions. Why it should not sink but actually move forward at reasonable speed was beyond him and he had hardly slept a wink in expectation of the worst.

"Do something about that sour mood," Hanji had scolded him before their arrival, she had only been half-joking. "You stand out like a sore thumb with this perennial pout of yours!"

He had no reason to be in a good mood though, even if she seemed to think there was nothing more delightful than to put her life into the hands of others and their stinky, loud machines. In his opinion, this overseas mission was far too risky, and the potential gain too elusive. The arrival of the Azumabitos may be considered a stroke of good luck by the brass - when it was clearly almost only an economic calculation on the foreigners' part - and their thorough dependence on that Clan's benevolence was a source of great anxiety to Levi. Going up against Titans was what the Survey Corps was good at - but taking on a whole nation, potentially the whole world on their turf with only two handfuls of soldiers? Only an absolute lunatic could come up with a plan like that! Hanji was possessed by Erwin, he had concluded back then.