Humanity's Hope || Levi Ackerman

A QUESTION OF TRUST

Marta was left breathless when their lips finally detached when they heard the sounds of footsteps approaching only to soon have Commander Erwin standing before them with one bushy eyebrow quirked.

She really hoped her hair wasn't a mess, clearly showing what Levi and her were up to just a moment ago. She let her eyes wonder over to Levi and cringed slightly when she saw his hair was slightly disheveled as a result of her running her hands through it. Erwin soon had Levi trudging away alongside him with some vague words about 'slight changes in the formation.'

Marta let out a small sigh of relief when they were both at a safe distance and patted her hair back down to a neater style before heading out to watch some of her old trainee squad members train. She was probably meant to be back with the Levi Squad by now but truth be told, she couldn't bring herself to face them.

She found out Eren felt the same when she overheard his conversation with Levi later in the night.

"That was quite a wake up call, let me tell you. Until their blades were drawn, I didn't realise how little they trusted me," he admitted to Levi. Marta could relate, the squad had been so welcoming and kind to them over the past few weeks (with the exception of Oluo) but now she felt like that was all an act. She felt stupid, given her past, of course they were only pretending. Anyone could pretend.

I should've been more cautious.

If not for my own sake, then for Eren.

"Well, what did you expect?" Levi replied and all Marta could think is that they should've expected this. "A suspicious nature was the top of my criteria." Of course it would be, Marta saw the way Levi acted around everyone else. She knew their relationship was very different quickly. At first she thought he just pitied her, especially because of the pitiful ways she had acted on their first few encounters but now she had realised just how different their relationship was.

"Traditionally, you're not considered a real scout until you come back alive," Levi continued, "but out there there's always so little intel to go on, so many uncertainties and unknowns that it's a miracle any of us come back alive. You have to be reactive, quick, hit the ground running while anticipating the worst. That doesn't make them heartless, though, they're not just a bunch of machines.

"Whatever that might of looked like out there today, I can promise that every single one of them was conflicted."

Marta nodded at Moblit as he rounded the corner and decided to make her presence know as well as his. He spoke up first. "Captain Levi, Section Commander Hanji would like a word."

Her heart pounded in her chest as Levi opened the door to reveal his squad as well as the eccentric Section Commander. The only comfort she felt was that Eren felt the same in that moment.

"Man, how long of a shit were you taking anyway?" Trust Levi to greet someone so eloquently.

"Oh, long enough to get the job done, thank you for asking." Hanji's cheerful reply was just as typical. "Meeting the brass can do a number on your bowels. But enough about that," she took out something that was wrapped up in a white handkerchief and her expression turned serious. "Feast your eyes on this." She unrolled the handkerchief to reveal...

A small silver spoon.

Marta suppressed the urge to scoff, thinking Hanji was just being dramatic but Eren seemed to recognise the object.

"That's the spoon, right?"

"The very one," Hanji replied to him. "Your spontaneous Titan armed ruptured into being when holding it, like so." She mimicked Eren's action earlier, holding the spoon up in her hand. Eren seemed shaken by the not-so-revelation. "The world operates on chance so coincidences are expected. But this begs something more..." Hanji looks down at the spoon pensively. "This utensil wasn't warped by the heat or by the pressure. Any thoughts on the matter?"

Marta was thinking why Eren was transforming into a Titan for a spoon when she could do it at will, apparently.

"Uhh... All I know is that I went to pick it up. When I did the arm came out of no where." A bead of sweat was rolling down Eren's forehead at Hanji's questioning, clearly not reading any deeper into the situation.

"Interesting..." Marta quirked an eyebrow at Hanji's reply. "This might explain why you couldn't turn into a Titan earlier. I'm certain of it. Killing Titans, blocking cannon fire, lifting big rocks. In each instance before assuming Titan form, seemingly at will, there was a distinct goal in mind. I believe it's possible that self-harm isn't the only catalyst of transformation. It appears as though objective is a crucial ingredient as well."

Marta wandered what her clear objective was when she transformed earlier other than to get it over with. It sent her thoughts down a familiar path she had been travelling ever since the first time she had transformed. Eren needed an objective and she didn't so maybe that did make her a monster after all. Maybe her mother was right about all the things she had ever done to Marta as a girl.

"I think you might be onto something," Eren's confirmation made Marta feel just that little bit worse. "This last time was a lot like that time with the cannon ball. But I... I transformed into a Titan to pick up a spoon? That's insane."

Marta thought her whole life was pretty insane at this point.

"So what I'm getting from this is that what you pulled wasn't something you did on purpose," Gunther said and she felt like punching a wall. How dare they think Eren would endanger them on purpose?

"No, sir," Eren confirmed, calming down slowly.

Gunther took a deep breath at this before looking to Eld. The two held each other's eyes momentarily, nodding at each other, before one by one they bit down on their thumbs, clamping their mouths down harshly.

Eren and Marta were shocked. Hanji was clearly distraught by this too.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Eren finally spoke up about their strange behaviour while Marta looked questioningly at Levi, who just held her gaze with his steely eyes.

"Ow," Gunther groaned.

"Okay, that hurts like a bitch." Eld admitted, looking down at the teeth marks embedded in his hand. "Damn, I'm surprised you two can both sink your teeth in that deep without shrieking."

"We made a judgement call today that was wrong," Gunther said, "consider this our way of apologising, if you can find it in your heart to forgive us."

Eren looked shocked.

"We have to make in the moment decisions, okay! Make the best call we can with what we know! It's our job to keep you in check!" Oluo practically shouted in their faces.

"The truth is we were scared. That's no excuse I know." Petra's voice became softer. "You have every right to be upset. But, all that aside, we're doomed if we can't trust one another, just as you are if you can't trust us."

This struck a chord within Marta. One minute it seemed like she was being told to trust no one and the next she had to trust these people. The people who just tried to kill her brother.

All she could manage was an almost timid nod before she had to leave the room. Today had been too emotionally exhausting.

Levi stormed out of the room after her and called her name in a relatively empty corridor.

"Yes, Levi?"

"I know whatever happened today left you shaken but you have to trust them out there." He was slowly walked towards Marta who had stopped to turn towards him.

"I know that. It's just harder than I thought. It was all going well until today. Being called a monster for years is not as bad as being made to feel like a monster." She quickly found herself in Levi's strong arms again - they made her feel safe and protected.

"I know it's hard to trust but you trust me so you should trust them. They might be the only ones between you and death out there. I don't want to lose you," Levi spoke with a strong voice but Marta could feel his fear in the way he wrapped his arms around her slightly tighter, squeezing her to his chest.