xv. HIDDEN TRUTHS

episode 24: compassion; raid on stohess district, part 2

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

HIDDEN TRUTHS

•••

"Hey–"

"No."

"I–"

"Don't."

The dainty and teasing grin that Freya held up on her lips had disappeared, replaced with a pursed frown. Her blue eyes squinting in a tormenting manner as she gazed at Levi with a vain and astute look. She ignored how quick he was to immediately turn her and her words down without hesitance, avoiding the chance for their eyes meet as he solely focused his attention on the fuming cup of tea in his hand, fingers holding the rim and steam drifting in the air. Flickering candles shone somberly in the dining hall area of the Headquarter Castle, lining the stone walls with orange and yellow hues of light, vying the dark shadow of the lonesome sense in the disquieting room.

"I mean–"

"I said, don't." He snapped, grey eyes quickly flicking to Freya's blues as a cold chill had crept down the woman's spine. His voice had echoed within the empty space, deep and firm that had her skin crawling at the sudden sharpness of it. Loud that it rang in her head. A lock of raven hair fell in front of Levi's face as he continued to stare at her from where he sat, taking place at the head of the long dining table and Freya to his right who crossed her one leg over the other. His eyebrows furrowed disdainfully just as his jaw clenched, sudden irritation coursing through him as he knew. Inferred well that upturn of her lips meant no good to him whatsoever. Mischievous that her words were better left unsaid. His left leg ached.

Discarding off the arduous look he gave her, Freya tilted her head to the left. Snide integrity gleamed behind her burning gaze, boring into his with an ominous bounce meandering her comeliness. Casts and tinges of blue veered off in wandering moves. Splashes and drops of water. A clash of plangent storms with rain drowning the grounds in navy tints. The sky. Peaceful as ever. Bright and beaming. Mingling, melding into one stare that contrasted with steel grey. It was captivating, really. All so alluring that he couldn't look away. However, beyond the sinister look her irises held, a chaste and unstained smile broke out from her curving mouth. Her voice lulled out a soft tune, Levi's eyes catching her rosy lips as she knowingly beamed at him. "I told you so."

Levi sighed as he quickly looked away, the crease between his brows disappearing. Face nonchalant, he felt as though he's been caught. Jaw clenching once again, he directed his gaze over his cup that he held, his fingers burning from the liquid temperature . "They're so slow. Erwin and the others making me wait... I'll be escorted out by Military Police Brigade at this rate." Tilting his head back, the rim of his cup connected with his lips, throat burning as he drank its contents with a familiar bitter taste abiding on his tongue. Softly settling down his cup on the table, he had suddenly captured Freya's watching eyes. Levi scowled. "Or worse."

"You and me both." Clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth, Freya laid her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her open palm as her other hand began to drum a rhythmic beat on the surface. A complete blank look fell over her features, disparate to her lucent smile seconds ago as she glanced down at the silver that were lining her fingers.

Levi stifled an eye roll. "If I were to guess, he's probably dealing with constipation."

"Your humor... amazes me." Freya said, sounding enamored.

Sitting across from Freya, Eren released an uneasy laugh, shoulders shaking and green eyes discomfiting between the two, constantly flipping from one other as they spoke. Waiting with the two of them felt odd, listening to a conversation that he didn't really think he should be a part of. It had been like that for the past five minutes, Eren wanting nothing more for the sudden meeting called to be finished as soon as possible. Although a part of him found the interaction amusing, there was a feeling and sense of discomfort and waggering looming in the atmosphere. Eren cleared his throat. "Lance Corporal, you're rather talkative today."

"You noticed, too?" Freya arched an eyebrow.

"Don't be ridiculous. I've always been quite talkative." Levi scoffed. The brash silence that soon followed after was comical. Freya held back on a chuckle, gnawing on the inside of her cheek as she contained an amused smile. Bringing his teacup up to his lips, Levi finished its steaming contents after a sip or two. A sharp clang echoed as he laid the cup on the table, suddenly feeling tender soreness circulating his limb. Bones aching as he clutched his left leg. He tried to conceal the grimace that made its way on his face. However, Freya was quick to observe. Quiet for a moment, eyes noticing his state just as her chest tightened.

"I'm sorry." Eren looked down at his lap. Hands clenched into tight fists. And eyes casted into a glum look of guilt that was evidently shown on his distressed features. "It's only because I made the wrong choice back then..." His voice tightened with uncertainty and lament. "That we're in this situation."

"I've said this already." Levi stated as he rested his arm behind his chair, leaning back to stare at the boy. "The result is a complete mystery."

A small squeak resonated in the room. All three turned their heads towards the double doors of the dining hall entrance that had swung forward and open. Nothing but a dark shadow drew on from the other side. Heavy footsteps paved on the stone floor, heels of boots clicking as five figures now entered the room, forming a straight row in front of them. Standing at the very left, Commander Erwin straightened his back, posture direct and tone formal as he gave a simple nod of his head towards Freya, Levi, and Eren in acknowledgement. "Apologies for the delay."

"It's fine." Eren stood up, barely registering a nod back as he took notice of the other four people beside the blonde man. "You guys..." Armin, Mikasa, Jean, and another female cadet who Freya couldn't recognize, averted their staid gazes down on the ground, their silence leaving a worrisome notion to fall on heavy shoulders.

"I thought this meeting was just between the four of us." Freya drawled out as she lolled her head to the side to glance at the newly arrived group. She had no complaints whatsoever with the odd the number of people she was looking at the moment. However, was curious as to what their involvement denoted.

"U-Um..." Confused as ever, Eren shifted one foot to another.

"We've found a suspect who's believed to be the Female Titan." Erwin declared. A small breath escaped Eren, his green eyes going wide with the news. The eery silence that hung in the air had everyone heard him.  "We'll definitely apprehend them this time." Everyone had stayed quiet as Erwin moved to the other end of the table, the group of young cadets following so as they took their own seats. Unwrapping a rolled piece of parchment in his hand, Erwin situated out a map flat on the table. An outline of the Eastern Wall City district laid in front of Freya. The blonde man took a seat, back straightening as he continued. "Our plan is for the day after tomorrow during our passage to the capital where we are to answer the summons at Stohess District. It will be our first and last chance."

"Last chance?" Freya questioned with a raised brow.

"If we miss it, the capital will take custody of Eren." Erwin clarified.

She could feel a few gazes set on her. Watching. She stayed still as a statue. Yet, spoke, slightly afraid for a response. "And what happens if they take custody of Eren?"

She didn't hear Erwin's lucent and comprehensive voice. She waited a second. Another. No one wanted to answer. A few not knowing what to say. Another knowing it wasn't their right. One being so hesitant. Her question lingered over everyone's heads. Oxygen strained with tension heaving in her lungs. She gnawed the inside of her cheek. Sudden anxiety seeked into her nerves, hating wasted time tick by. Levi finally spoke, sounding nonchalant and distant. "It'll likely become difficult to investigate those who plot to destroy the walls."

Freya snapped her blue eyes at him, stare turning rigid. Voice sharp. "That's not what I asked."

"And it's the only answer you'll get." He firmly said.

She narrowed her eyes. "I wasn't talking to y–"

"Consequently, the fall of mankind will draw even nearer. We'll wager everything on this plan." Erwin cut in, speaking again. Freya bit her tongue, holding herself back from asking once again. However, a part of her didn't want to even know, feeling already aware of what was to come. "The plan is as follows: As we pass through Stohess District, Eren will act as bait and lure the target to this underground passage. Upon bringing them to the lowest level, judging by their size and power, their movements should be fairly restricted, even if they transform. However, on the off chance they transform before that, you're the only one we can count on, Eren."

"Sir." Eren began, seen visibly nervous as he asked. "So the main target is, without a doubt, in Stohess District, correct?"

"Yes. The target is part of the Military Police Brigade." Erwin answered.

"The Military Police Brigade?"

Freya hummed, her face falling into a look of repulsion. "I never liked those people." Her stare had turned dark as she caught Levi's eyes, brows furrowing as she clenched her jaw.

"Armin was the one who inferred that." Erwin continued. Eren glanced at Armin from his left. "According to him, the Female Titan may be responsible for killing the two Titans we'd captured and is possibly a member of the 104th Training Corps, like you." The look of utter devastation on Hange's face flashed in Freya's mind. The corner of her lips tugged down, suddenly recalling her loud cries.

"W-Wait just a second." Eren tracked back upon the mention of his graduating class. "The 104th..."

Erwin nodded. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he intertwined his fingers together, a shadow looming over his face. "The name of the female suspected to be the Female Titan is..."

"Wait..." The young boy shook his head.

"Annie Leonhart."

Disbelief. Betrayal. Deceit. Freya could see them all flash on Eren's dismayed features. Green eyes widened. Sweat forming as he nervously fiddled in his place. He swallowed. His breathing went heavy. Inhaling shallow breaths and heavy exhales. His chest heaved, weighing with brute denial. She was all too familiar with the look. She didn't know how long the people around her waited. Eren's reaction was small. But noticeable that really no one could say anything. Eren peered at his friend, his mouth drying as he spoke. "Annie's the Female Titan? Why... Why do you think that, Armin?"

Armin released a shaky breath as he set his eyes on the map, unable to glance at Eren and meet his dejected look. His hands went clammy by his sides, shoulders going tense. "The Female Titan knew what Eren looked like from the start. Furthermore, she reacted upon hearing Eren's nickname, 'the reckless idiot', when only our generation should know about it. And above all else, Annie was likely responsible for the murders of Sawney and Bean, the test subjects."

"How can you be sure of that?" Eren asked.

"Advanced techniques were required to pull off those murders, so she must've used her three-dimensional maneuver device, which she's proficient with." Armin replied.

"Yeah..." The green eyed boy nodded. "But that's what the equipment inspection was for. Annie came out clean."

Armin swallowed, his eyes peering at the other boy across from him on the table for a fraction before he spoke. "That's because the device Annie had was Marco's. It's the reason she got past the inspection" Beside Freya, Jean froze. With all the unfamiliar names being tossed into the conversation, like a hurricane of enigma that she had to solve with nothing but patience on her own, her head had began to throb. However, she didn't miss how the always assertive boy to her right was stiff as a statue. Quiet and in a world of his own. Eyes dying at the mere mention of a name. The room suddenly went cold.

"Huh?" The name seemed to have set off a reaction of sorrow as Eren was taken aback. "Wh-What are you saying? How is Marco involved in this?"

"I don't know." Armin's shoulders fell.

"Couldn't you have been seeing things?"

"No, that was definitley something I–"

"We've already heard that." Levi's voice had cut through. Avidness clear in his tone. "Isn't there anything else?"

Armin looked down. "Not that I know of."

"I belive that Annie's face resembles the Female Titan's." Mikasa chimed in from beside Armin.

"I've never even seen the girl." Freya scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back on her chair. It was evident enough to her that their clear target was a young girl. Strong. Capable. Though, nothing but a blank face came up to mind in Freya's head.

Immediately, Eren jumped to his feet, fists landing on the table. Riled by the accusation as he glared at his friends. "Reasoning like that is—"

"So basically, you have no evidence, but you'll do it?" Levi questioned, hawing through Eren's sentence. Unwavering and set.

"Do what?" Freya arched an eyebrow, narrowly unsettled by the resolved missive disguised in Levi's words.

"His job. It's why he's here." His grey eyes flickered towards her. Blank and void. A pause. Letting a single second tick by before he added. "It's why you're here."

Something unpleasant gnawed in Freya's chest from that statement. Hatred transuded its way to her heart. At herself. She didn't particularly like feeling this way. Annoyance creeping in her bones as she shook her head. "It's too risky."

He didn't miss a beat. "For you or for him?"

"Does it really matter?" Freya asked, brushing off his question.

"You're not the one making plans here." He nonchalantly said.

Her brows scrunched up as she peered at the watching faces by the table. "Is me being here not enou–"

"It's not." Levi quickly replied. His gaze intensified. Almost seeming to prove a point. And Freya didn't know what. They were cold. Dull that the grey color of his eyes started to turn a shade of steel. It reminded her of walls. Thick barriers that caged dark secrets within, sealing her out in a puzzling world that felt like winter. It made her breathing fall short, vessels constrict, and blood solidify. "Know your place."

Freya blinked. Once. Twice. She bit her tongue. Hard. She didn't like his tone. Made it sound as if she didn't belong. She knew that. More than anyone, really. Though something in her twinged, confusion swelling in chest with the constant shift of senses and emotions that left her reeling. Her jaw clenched Freya exhaled, nodding as she licked her lips, voice clipped. "Right."

Levi continued as he switched his attention to Eren. "You have no evidence, but you'll do it?"

Eren's wide eyes seemed to stay open forever. A hint of bafflement in his gaze as he quickly glanced at the blonde woman across from him. He swallowed, shaking his head. "No evidence? Why're you doing it then? What'll you do if it's not her?"

"If it's not Annie, she'll simply be cleared of suspicion." Mikasa rendered.

"Should that be the case, I'll feel sorry for Annie." Armin said sincerely. "However... If we do nothing because of that, you'll just end up becoming Central's sacrifice."

"Suspecting someone like Annie is ridiculous." Eren still looked doubtful.

"Eren, has anything come to mind after hearing all this? When you fought hand-to-hand with the Female Titan, did it use any techniques that are unique to Annie? You realize now, don't you?" So convincing. Conniving. Freya had never heard the girl induce her words in a way that had the people in the room win them over. She had always sounded so reserved. Quiet. But stern. Vigilant with every deed. Protective over Eren that Freya often wondered why that position had twisted its way and turned into her responsibility and not to the girl who seemed so devoted on the young boy's survival. Determined. "The Female Titan is Annie."

A minute passed by with the news setting in their minds. Erwin cleared his throat, firm as he spoke. "Dismissed."

Six chairs screeched against the floor, heavy boots marching towards the door as people left one by one. Erwin had been the first to take off. His stature straight and formal, never once looking back as he moved for the door and seeming to have some unfinished business left for him to chart and lay out. Jean and the female cadet scurried off after a second or two, their gaze set on the ground without a word. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa had a little silent conversation of their own. Three different set of eyes locked on each other and quiet, stuck in a world of their own for a moment. Without a word, the three had stood up all together, giving a simple nod before exiting the room as well. Two remained. The air seeming to rear thick.

"Know my place?" Freya could hear the constrained anger boiling in her own voice.

"Leave."

She ignored his order. "I'm not some tool for you people to use."

"I won't say it again."

"You can't just dispose me once everything is over."

"It's not."

"It feels like it." She stood up, scoffing.

"You're wrong."

Her legs paced back and forth on the floor, moving until she stood at the other end of the table. She  stared at the man in front of her, leaning forward as she placed her palms flat on the wooden surface. "How delusional can–"

"It's not my call." He didn't appreciate the insults. Didn't like the look she gave him. The angry glare that adorned her face was bothersome. Unsettling. But he had to get used to it. He gave a subtle shake of his head. "So again, I suggest that you know your place."

"Oh." A laugh. It sounded anything but humorous. No longer a teasing melody that rose from her chest, escaped her voice. It was dry. Bland. Pained with fear. "My place? And where exactly is that?"

"Me."

Her chest burned the second his answer came slipping from his mouth. There wasn't a single emotion passing through his features as Freya stared at him, her brows knitting together as she swallowed. Her running heart fumed in her rib cage, distaste sitting in her tongue, but her stomach churned, a slight flutter having her thoughts sway on where she stood. "I was never even meant to be here in the beginning."

"And yet, here you stand." It was like talking to a damn wall.

"You don't get it." She breathed out in realization, tired of how meaning the conversation began to sound in her ears. "Of course, you don't." She licked her lips, staring at the door past his head. "If I leave..." Her destination was no hallway. No room. Wanting the outside. The air. To breathe. To leave. "Right now?"

"You won't." He sounded so sure. Confident.

"Are you sure?" She challenged, the temptation swirling in her veins.

"What do you want?" His voice grew heavy now.

"To escape from this hell hole."

"You agreed yourself into it." Something started to leak from his tone. His words. He narrowed his eyes.

She sucked in a sharp breath. "And now, I'm starting to regret it."

"You act as if it's all for nothing."

"It is all for nothing." Freya hissed, frustrated.

Immediately, Levi stood up. The loud bang of his hands connecting with the table had Freya widened her eyes for a second, his chair skidding back. Ignoring the painful ache shooting down his left leg at the stand, his eyes darkened. Voice gruff. "This is a war we're fighting off here. Not some little heist you finish overnight. Wake up." He said coldly. Ice on her skin, body freezing. Freya's stomach churned. Her ears rang. She could feel it, hear them. Voices whispering from the back of her head. She tried not to wince, the pinch nagging from her skull that her chest twinged, her heart stopped.

"You're doing it again." She struggled to even find the capacity to steady her voice. The candles burned dimmer, emanating a dark contrast that laid upon her features, smoke wafting through the air like transparent lines of white. Her whole demeanor had darkened. Distaste sat on her tongue as her mouth dried. It was the same look she noticed from before on Levi's face. From many night, days, and those innocent glances that he thought she wouldn't notice had returned. A single rooftop talk. The moon beaming above them, clouds fanning in the blanketed sky, the air nipping at their skin. If she closed her eyes, lids fluttering down to cover her blues, she could just almost imagine it happen around her. But the air was tight. Suffocating. Mixed with untruths.

"What?" Something flashed behind Levi's eyes. Dire. Dismay. A flurry of confusion that he didn't know. He was proficient with it. Concealed within a second or two. Secrets coiling beneath icy greys, locked and barred down before she could even figure out what it was. What he knew. His thoughts. It's what he did his whole life. To bury away ignorant chords that played with his heartstrings, before it could tangle him in a mess he couldn't escape. He was looking at one right now. All so alluring. Trouble wanting to sink him in. Standing in front of him with vigilant blues, Freya's bottom lip tucked between her teeth, seeming to hold back.

"Why?" Freya asked, her voice falling low. She sounded so small in her ears that it irritated her. The urge to know more grew. To understand. To be free from the shadows of the unknown. She thought she was bare of it. Out in the light and within. She searched his piercing gaze. They were conflicted, constantly switching between her left and right eye, unknown where to look as they seemed to swirled with varying hues. It was nothing more than a glimpse. A sudden flicker of his features morphing into a look of quick understanding as he knew what her question meant. However, she was met with his all too familiar silence of a man staring at a ghost.

She gritted her teeth together, jaw clenching with frustration. Her nails dug deep in her flesh. She should've known better. Had learned and gotten used to it. Primitive to think that she would get an answer so easily. So simple. She was sure a minute had passed by. Engulfed in complete silence that it was driving her mad, hearing a light whisper in the back of her head. Her eyes fell on the floor, the first to break. The sound of her boots clicking on the ground hauled Levi out of his thoughts. The sight of her leaving had him without a chance to prepare. Her figure moved, heading straight for the door that eventually, he gave in. His cold hand shot out towards her, fingers enclosing around her bicep as he roughly tugged her close to his side, their shoulders brushing before Freya could get past him. Her heart stopped for a moment, breathing falling uneven.

"When I look at you..." Levi's words died as soon as Freya's lost irises met his grey eyes. Wisps of blonde swayed atop of her furrowed brows, gaze silently waiting. He was taken aback, his face softened, found himself thinking blank. His mind disarrayed with what his actions took over. His chest tightened. Burned. A flame erupting in his lungs. And smoke clouding his mind. A simple truth. That was all he needed. Ever wanted. Really, to him, it didn't feel like a secret. His grip on her tightened. To her ears, his voice was soft. Aching. To him, it sounded so broken. He breathed out a shaky exhale. Encaged in a box of his own hidden truths. Lies. "All I see is a dead soldier."

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— AUTHOR NOTE —

PLS WHAT THE HECK WAS I ON WHILE WRITING THE ENDING i don't really know how to write angst dialogues but i hope this works. comment out your thoughts about the story and any suggestions about my writing, i really love and appreciate hearing from you guys!