The meeting room was nearly empty.

Only the low rustle of maps and the scratch of pen on paper filled the silence. Levi stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, eyes narrowed at the mission roster. His jaw was tight. His fingers tapped once against the wood.

He was stalling.

He wouldn’t admit it—not to Hange, not to Erwin, and certainly not to himself—but something about this mission felt wrong.

No. Not the mission.

You.

Your name was on the list.

You were one of the youngest in the Survey Corps—sharp, fast, reckless in the way only the young could be. You weren’t weak. Far from it. You’d proven yourself more than once. But Levi had been watching you lately. Not just as a captain. Not just as a soldier.

He noticed things.

The way you smiled even after a long patrol. The way you always offered to carry extra gear without being asked. The way your eyes lit up when you talked about the world beyond the walls.

He didn’t know what it meant.

He just knew that when he imagined the worst-case scenario—the kind that always came true in this line of work—it was your face that flashed before his eyes.

And he couldn’t have that.

So when the final list was being confirmed, Levi spoke without hesitation.

“Take their name off the mission.”

Hange blinked. “What? Why? They’re one of our best scouts.”

“They’re not going,” Levi said flatly. “That’s an order.”

No one argued. Not out loud. But Hange gave him a look—curious, knowing, almost amused.

Levi ignored it.

Later, when you found out, you stormed into his office, eyes blazing.

“Why did you take me off the mission?”

He didn’t look up. “You’re not ready.”

“That’s not true and you know it.”

He said nothing.

You stepped closer. “Is this about me messing up last week? Because I’ve already—”

“It’s not that,” he snapped, sharper than he meant to. Then, quieter: “Just… stay here. That’s final.”

You stared at him, confused, frustrated, hurt.

And Levi stared at the floor, jaw clenched, heart pounding in a way he didn’t understand.

He didn’t know what this feeling was.

But he knew he couldn’t lose you.

Not you.