Your POV:
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! Now what the hell do I do? I was too focused on chasing down Jean, I didn't even notice we were by the Mess Hall. And of course, I also didn't expect the Commander of the Survey Corps and my squad to be there.
There is no getting out of this one.
Jean is walking beside me, and I keep catching him looking at me out of the corner of his eye. I punch him hard in the side, causing him to stumble a bit and groan in pain, "Stop staring at me, Jean. You're lucky this time, but remember I am short so my punches land low."
His face turned completely red, and he avoided looking at me for the rest of the trip to Erwin's office.
We file in and Erwin motions for me to sit in a comfortable looking black chair, in front of his desk. Hange, Mike, and Jean sat on a couch, while Levi chose to stand behind Erwin and slightly to the left, leaning against the wall.
"So," Erwin'a deep voice made me jump a little, "Who are you really?" I bite my lower lip and remain silent, not really knowing how to begin. What should I say? Should I try to lie? No, that's a terrible idea, he would know in a heartbeat.
When I didn't answer, Erwin looked over at Jean, "Who is she?" Jean's face went completely red again, and he stared down at his hands, "I don't remember her name, I just recognize her face."
"Okay," Erwin sighed, "where did you meet her?"
"My real name is (y/n) (l/n)." I say before Jean has a chance to answer. Erwin looks towards me again and waits for me to continue.
"Are you familiar with a man named Lawrence Pearson?" I queried, finally meeting Erwin's gaze. As soon as my eyes met his, I could see a faint blush appear on his cheeks.
"I've heard the name before," he acknowledged, "however, I do not know the person attached to the name."
"He is a prominent member of the King's council, and he owns a number of miscellaneous establishments." I looked down at my hands, I don't have to be completely candid, maybe I can innocently omit some parts...
"I was sold to him by my mother and her husband." I continued, looking up at Erwin again.
"Your mother and father sold you to some man from the capital?" Hange challenged, not quite believing me. "I said 'my mother's husband', I didn't say he was my father," I answered simply.
"Why?" Erwin asked, bringing my attention back to him.
Shit. One of the pieces of information I was hoping to withhold.
"My mother has 4 children including myself, my three siblings are older than me. Her current husband is the father of my siblings. But my mother ran away with a man from the underground, and that man was my father." I look down at my lap again, dreading what questions may come next.
"So you were born and raised in the underground with your father?" Levi asked me.
"No," I answered, "my mother and I lived together in the underground. I only remember my father visiting me a handful of times. My mother was hiding from her husband and his men. He denied my mother a divorce and tried looking for her. A man of his prestige would be looked down on if people knew he was getting a divorce, or that his wife ran away with some other man. I don't think he realized, at the time, that she was in the underground."
"When I was 13 she fell ill, and the quality of health care in the underground is dismal at best. It already wasn't safe for us in the underground under normal circumstances; my father isn't exactly a popular man." I shift in my seat uncomfortably, "I have my mother's looks but my father's hair color; it's a unique shade of (h/c)." I nervously run my fingers through my hair.
"People know whose daughter I am right away, in the underground when they see my hair colour. My father is an elusive one, so they would love to get their hands on me." I remove my hand from my hair and smile sadly to myself.
"Seth (l/n)." Muttered Levi, probably more to himself than to me. I nodded, "I thought you may figure it out."
"So you're hiding from people who know your father?" Mike asks, "No, I'm mainly hiding from people who are associated with Laurie, um I mean Lawrence Pearson, whom I mentioned earlier. Sorry, I'm used to using his nickname."
"And why is he looking for you?" Erwin asks as he starts writing notes.
"When my mother got sick, she went back to her husband. She knew she would get the best care if she returned to him, and there is still very little we actually know about her illness. But her husband wouldn't allow her to come back, unless it was without me." Erwin stops writing notes and gives me his full attention again.
"Since my mother was born above ground, she still has full citizenship here. I do not, as I was born underground. So I couldn't stay above ground unless someone agreed to be my guardian, since I was under age at the time and couldn't go with my mother."
"You didn't have anyone you could stay with underground?" Jean asked, speaking up for the first time.
"No, as I said it's too dangerous for me to be down there without my mother. And I'm sure anyone she would have left me with, would have gladly sold me to those dangerous men who love my father oh so much." I retort, was he even paying attention?
"My mother's husband is an acquaintance of Laurie's, and he knew he is always looking for attractive men and women to work for him. So Laurie met with me, and he agreed to take me in right away." I started shivering a bit as the memories of my past come flooding back.
"What sort of work was it?" Erwin asks when I paused. I was still lost in thought when I heard Jean speak up, "She was a performer in a play. My mother saved up enough money for her and I to go see a show in the capital. They are very expensive shows, but she wanted to see one badly." Jean paused and looked over at me, "(Y/n) was advertised on the posters that were made for the shows. She has this presence on stage that really drew you in; everyone talked about her during and after the show."
"Yes, I acted in plays. I was a popular performer, so Laurie liked to use me for various jobs..." I paused again, not wanting to go on.
"What other types of jobs?" Levi demanded when I didn't go on.
That's it, I'm done with this, "Okay, I've entertained this long enough," I glare angrily around at everyone in the room, "You have no right to question me like this. I haven't done anything wrong. You're only wanting to satisfy your own curiosity. But my past is MY past, and it's not easy to explain."
I stand up from my chair and glare at Levi and Erwin, "I'm not an open book for you to read, a button for you to push, or a toy you can play with when you're bored. I'm hiding from Laurie because he has people everywhere, that's why I conceal my identity and that's really all you need to know."
I spun around and headed towards the door, opening it and slamming it behind me. I ran to Hange's office, grabbed my hood, and returned to my room, without further incident.
Erwin's POV:
I did feel bad for putting (y/n) on the spot the way I did, but I just couldn't help it. I wanted to know more about her... needed to know more.
I understand it's a selfish way to think, but I'm far too curious to stop myself. After (y/n) left I tried questioning Jean more, seeing if he could tell me anything more. But he just blushed and said he knew only that she worked at a famous theatre in the capital.
I left my office with Levi, Hange, and Mike, theorizing about the details (y/n) gave us. When we parted ways, I started heading toward Dr. Peter Thompson's office.
Hoping he hadn't left yet, I knocked on his office door. I hear him grumble a 'come in', and I open the door finding him sitting at his desk, with a stack of papers. I can relate to how that feels.
"Erwin," he greeted me politely, "what can I help you with?"
"You can confirm some information I have about (y/n)." Thompson tensed as he realized I used (y/n/n)'s real name, and wide hazel eyes looked up at me.
"I just want to confirm what I have as the truth," I explain
Thompson bit nervously at his lip, deciding whether or not he wanted to cooperate I assume. "Very well," he sighs, "But before I do, how did you come by this information you have?"
I sat in the chair across from him, "One of the cadets, Jean Kirstein, saw her without her hood up and recognized her." Thompson's eyes went even wider at my explanation, "(y/n) chased after him, not paying attention to her surroundings. She caught up to Jean, but we heard their little scuffle and came out to investigate."
Thompson remained silent, waiting for me to continue, "I brought them both back to my office and questioned them. But before revealing too much, she stormed out."
"I see," Thompson replies, sitting back in his chair, "So you're talking to me now because you don't trust her?"
"Trust, but verify," I say simply, "Her real name is (y/n) (l/n), correct?"
"Yes, it is."
"She is originally from the underground, and moved above ground when her mother fell ill, and sold her to a noble from the capital, whose name is Lawrence Pearson."
Thompson nodded.
"Who is Lawrence Pearson, and why is she hiding from him?"
"She didn't tell you?" Thompson asked, eyebrows raised. "No, this was around the time she left," I answer with a sigh.
He paused, not knowing how he wanted to answer, or if he even wanted to answer, "Yes, he is a nobleman from the capital who bought her from her mother. She mainly worked in his theatre and host/hostess lounge, within the capital."
A host/hostess lounge... Interesting.
"She is running from Lawrence because he is not the man who he appears to be," Thompson continued, "He's a pretty horrible human being."
"How do you know him?" I ask when he doesn't go on. "I am the doctor he brings his 'employees' to," he answered, using the word employee ironically, "it wasn't hard to determine what was really going on behind closed doors."
"Is that how you met (y/n)?"
"Yes, and no. I knew about her because I am her mother's primary doctor. I met her working for Lawrence."
I raise my eyebrows, surprised by the new revelation, "I assume you're not going to tell me what exactly happened to (y/n) during her time working for Lawrence."
He smiled sadly at me and shook his head, "It's not my story to tell. It was very traumatic for her, especially her final year before I took her away. She doesn't remember all of what happened to her those final few months she was there. And that's probably for the best."
I sit back quietly in my chair, absorbing all the information from Thompson. I'm interested in what happened to her, but I also don't want to bring up memories that may be too painful for her. All I know is I want to do everything I can to keep her safe.
"Do you think Lawrence is actually looking for her?" I ask, finally breaking the silence.
"I have no doubt he is," answered Thompson simply, "she was his favorite girl, and also his most popular. He would never just let her go by choice."
"How long has she been on the run from him?"
"3 years."
That's surprising, has he perhaps given up?
I stand up from my chair and head towards the door, "Thank you, Dr. Thompson for your time."
"Don't push her too hard for information," I pause at the door, waiting for him to continue, "I don't know everything that happened to her in those months she doesn't quite remember. But it was bad enough for her to develop some sort of dissociation from that part of her life."
I nod at him before leaving his office and headed to my own, deep in thought.
Your POV:
I was lying down in my bed, waiting for sleep to take over, but my eyes refused to stay closed. I thought I would be able to fall asleep quickly since Sasha was not back yet, but no such luck.
There was a knock at the door, which made me jump out of bed, defense up, "What?" I say cautiously, making my way slowly toward the door, making sure my hood is still up.
"(Y/n/n), is that you?" Answered the voice from behind the door. I opened the door slowly to see Jean standing outside, "Sorry, I didn't want to use your real name in case Sasha was here too."
"Okay, what do you want?" I ask suspiciously.
"Can I come in?" He asks back, looking up and down the hallway.
I pause but open the door wider and stepped aside, letting him come in. I closed the door behind him and leaned by the window of my room, arms crossed.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to make you panic and come running after me," he said, shifting his weight around nervously, "I was just really surprised that it was actually you."
"It's okay, Jean," I sigh, meeting his gaze, "Sorry for tackling you."
"Yeah, for someone so short it felt like a brick walk hit me." He laughed as he ran his hand through his hair. "For the record, it was supposed to be a compliment that I remembered who you were. You know how to make an impression on people." He was blushing a very deep red now.
I knew he meant well, so I pulled my hood back a bit and gave him a small smile, "Thanks."
Before either of us said anything else, there was another knock at the door. "(Y/n/n), I know you're in there," it was Levi, "open up."
"No I'm not," I said with a smirk, "try again later."
"Amusing," Levi groaned before walking into my room, "What the hell are you doing here, Kirstein?" He frowned at Jean as he entered my room.
"Nothing sir, I was just apologizing to (y/n)." Jean stammered out. "Have you apologized already?" Levi growled at him, "y-yes," Jean stuttered. "Then get out," Levi said, holding the door open for him.
I was a little confused by Levi's hostility towards Jean, but it was also kind of funny.
After Jean left, Levi closed the door and glares at my still hooded face, "Take that disgusting thing off, it's covered in blood, what the hell is wrong with you? Plus I already know who you are."
"What if Sasha comes in while it's off?" I retort hesitantly. "If you weren't so distracted by chasing after Kirstein, you would have noticed that more people than us saw you without your hood on," Levi countered, "take it off."
If I were alone I would have slapped myself. I slowly take my hood off and blush angrily.
"Why are you here?" I asked Levi, "Haven't you guys interrogated me enough?"
"You know you can trust us, right? We can help you." Levi said quietly.
I laughed sarcastically, "Trust you? I barely know any of you. Sure, I've been here over a month now, but I'm not about to reveal my full history to people who are essentially still strangers."
"When are you going to grow up and learn that not everyone is out to get you?" Levi said angrily, raising his voice a little.
"Shut up! What do you know about my past? Not much! Not everyone is like you, Erwin, Hange, and Mike," I was getting really pissed off now, "You think the criminals in the underground and the titans are scary? At least they are predictable! People in the capital are horrible, most of them are out to get you. You never know what they are going to do next, what lies they are going to tell. And the last time I trusted someone, I..." I couldn't continue, it was too painful.
"I won't let anyone hurt you," insisted Levi, "You can't guarantee that." I smile at him sadly.
"Just trust us, okay?" Levi sighed as he stepped closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder. I stiffen at the contact and avoided looking at his face.
He brushed some hair out of my face, "When you come to breakfast tomorrow if I see you wearing that disgusting hood, I'll make you run laps until you pass out."
With that, he turned on his heels and walked out the door. I stood there nervously, not knowing what to do. Is it really okay to trust them? Even if people recognize me, Laurie never gave away our real names to patrons... maybe it's okay to trust them...