Shelter from the Rain Vol. 01 Levi & Moblit Berner
Heavy drops of water poured down from an ashen sky to beat against the stone pavement.
"Whoa, there… What should I do now?" said the man as he ran under the store's eaves, his hands full of paper bags. A customer already inside replied to him in a surly voice.
"…It's just a passing shower."
"Captain Levi!" the man said as he tried to give a salute, nearly dropping all his belongings in the process.
"As you were. You… You're Hange's aide, aren't you?"
"Yes, sir! Vice Captain of the Fourth Squad, Moblit Berner."
"Yes, buying books and medicine, as well as daily necessities for the Squad Leader… And you, Captain?"
"Erwin summoned me. He said it's not something we can talk about in the barracks."
"…And you're not taking a carriage?"
"They kick up mud whenever they stop."
"I see," Moblit said, recalling that when out of battle, Levi was obsessed with cleanliness.
Captain Levi is the complete opposite of Squad Leader. But… I know the two trust one another.
A special kind of bond from spending many years together. It's something that Moblit didn't have with his commanding officer. He felt something similar to envy building inside, but Levi only looked towards the rain clouds and began to talk, almost as if reflecting to himself.
"Must be hard being an aide for someone like that."
"If something interests Hange enough, Hange will ignore everything else--including your life."
"…I consider it as my job to protect my leader at times like that."
"Yeah. It's a job that only you can do."
Moblit was unable to fully understand the depth of the words, but Levi continued, his eyes still turned away.
"No matter how far back we go, it's not like we're stuck together all day long. You're the only one who's always by Hange's side, Moblit."
The pouring rain had began to turn into a light drizzle, and the clouds went flying by in the sky.
"Be more confident. I know you can't always stay upbeat, but still."
I see… So he's asking me to keep taking care of Hange.
Before they knew it, the rain had disappeared. Sunbeams shone through the clouds to illuminate the two men under the eaves.
"It's cleared up. Now give me those."
"Wait, Captain! You know that one's heavy!"
Levi grabbed one of the paper bags from Moblit's hands and walked into the open. Without so much as looking back, he urged Moblit to do the same.
"We're going back to the same barracks, anyway. It wouldn't be bad to have Hange owe me one."
"…I just hope the Squad Leader notices that you're even there, Captain."
"That's easy enough to solve with a kick in the ass," Levi said.
Walking behind him, Moblit couldn't help but smile as he imagined an embarrassed grin on Captain Levi's face.
SOURCE: Attack on Titan: Short Stories
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