AN: Bonus POV chapter. You may want to double-check the name of this chapter again... I will be writing a non-Levi, non-Historia POV every now and then as a filter chapter. It's a tool I often use so we can get an outside perspective on a budding romance between two POV characters, see how their body language matches up, etc, so it seems more authentic.

Besides, I was getting too stuck in Levi and Historia's thoughts. Going from jaded captain to sweet queen the next can be jarring 😂


...

Mikasa

Historia begged me to stay after I got Tilly to cry again.

She'd gripped me by the arms and gazed at me intently with those ridiculously blue eyes and in the end, I caved.

So as painful as it was to watch Eren ride back to Shiganshina without me, I swallowed my pride and did what I needed to do.

I'm not about to let that poor child suffer. She needs me after all.

No offence to the queen and the captain, but there's no one better for the job. Historia means well, but she's too kind-hearted. And the captain. Well...

Armin decided to stay too. At first, I wanted him to go back with Eren and make sure he was safe from Yelena, but Jean assured me he would not let that "suicidal maniac" get up to any mischief while I'm away.

Hange let us keep hold of Erwin the II, telling us we would need his guidance at such a difficult time. It's not that I believe he's the ex-commander reincarnated, but he was a gift from Kiyomi, my distant relative from Hizuru. So I like keeping him around to acknowledge her kindness.

As the last living member of the Shogun Clan, I have to act as an intermediary and show her that the people of Paradis are worth saving.

Armin and I sit on the porch steps outside the farmhouse while the children run around on the grass. Historia runs amongst them, playing tag, and Armin chuckles.

"Look at her go…" he says.

I hold on to Erwin as he purrs loudly in my arms. I know he's just a cat, but I've still apologised to him about the time I stopped him from getting the injection.

No hard feelings, Commander Erwin. Wherever you are…

Besides, the cat seems fond of Armin, anyway. So I guess he's already made peace with the captain's decision.

He may not have gotten to become the Colossal Titan in the end, but a strange cat from my mother's native homeland.

I close my eyes.

Great, now Hange's got me at it.

I glance at Historia again. A few of the kids tackle her to the ground, and they all burst into laughter.

She's really come around since our Cadet days. I still remember the time she used to put the tap on in the girl's toilets so we wouldn't hear her peeing, but now look at her, running an orphanage.

We also happened to get our first menstrual cycle together too, so we're kind of like sisters, I guess. We were both so scared, but we came around and helped each other get through it. In fact, quite a few of the girls in the barracks started around the same time as us. But unlike the other girls though, I used the deadly cramps as fuel to work harder, stronger.

No excuses.

The door opens to the farmhouse, and the sound of little feet catches my attention. I turn to see Tilly's big, black eyes.

The other day, I finally got her to smile. I even introduced her to Armin, who she was a little afraid of at first, but she's come around.

She hands me a drawing. It's of me and her. I'm wearing my green military coat and red scarf while she has on her pink dress.

I meet her eyes, and she gives a bashful grin.

"Thank you, Tilly. It's wonderful."

She gazes down at her shoes, and the smile doesn't leave her face.

I let Armin look at her drawing, and his eyes widen. "Did she really draw this? It's surprisingly detailed for a four-year-old. Look at the Wings of Freedom on your coat."

I take another look, and he's right. She got every detail down to memory.

Armin beams, peering up at Tilly. The little girl turns bright pink. "This is amazing, Tilly. Historia's gonna love this!"

"Historia's gonna love what?"

We turn to the sound of the captain's voice. In the darkness of the doorway, his eyes glow ominously — a look that would scare anyone else.

But I'm not like anyone else.

I'm just as strong as he is, if not stronger…

I know two years have passed, but I still won't forget the crazed look in his eyes when he beat Eren to a pulp in the courthouse. I know it helped Eren, but he took it too far. Thank the Walls Armin was there; I'd have done something I'd have deeply regretted.

Even so, I still respect him as my captain, and as one of the Corps' last veteran members.

Captain Levi steps out from the shadows, holding a teacup in that ridiculous fashion of his. His cold eyes fall on Tilly, and my fingers itch for my blades. Why does he have to look at her like that?

Tilly tenses in his presence, and now she becomes a terrified little child once again.

I may have gotten her to warm to Armin (the boy's as harmless as a daffodil, even if he is the Colossal Titan), but it's going to take some time with the captain.

A real, real long time...

However, the other kids are fine with him. They think he's some kind of hero and I scoff whenever they ask to see his sword.

If they think he's good, then wait till they see me in action...

"Tilly," he remarks casually, taking a cool sip of his tea, and I roll my eyes.

That's not how you speak to a child. For one, he needs to add more inflection to his voice. He's too emotionless. It's frightening.

The girl doesn't move, keeping her frightened onyx eyes on him, and my heart aches.

I was the same way too. I couldn't move when the men kidnapped me, and my migraine returns.

The memories still hurt to this very day.

Historia finally comes to the rescue and approaches the steps to the porch. A gaggle of children follows behind her. While the captain's distracted, Tilly dashes back into the house, and I sigh.

Just when I was getting through to her…

"Cappin' Wevi!" little Krista shouts, and she takes me right back to a young Historia during our training days. So cute she was, yet I still flipped the future queen onto her back when we had hand-to-hand combat.

The captain narrows his eyes as if the very sight of Krista disgusts him, but I do catch that faint smile.

Maybe he does have a heart deep down.

"Krista," he acknowledges indifferently.

Thomas runs up the steps and stops by the captain. "Can we see your sword again, Captain Levi?"

The captain takes another casual sip of his tea. "After supper, kid."

The kids moan, and now Historia ushers them into the farmhouse with a pleasant laugh. "You heard the captain, Children. Supper first, then he can show you some neat tricks with his sword."

I sharpen my eyes; I bet I could do some neat tricks with that sword.

I focus my attention on Historia and the captain again, remembering the strange moment they had the other day when I finally got Tilly to open up.

It was weird. There Historia was, crying into the captain's shoulder like he was her rock.

I get it. Eren's my rock as he brings out my tender side too, but what was she thinking? Would you hug a mountain lion?

She's definitely different around him these days. For one, she actually looks him in the eyes now and smiles, and that's a real feat (every time I look into his squinty, grey eyes, I just want to punch him). She's not the same girl who helped me chop firewood several years ago, confessing to me in private that the captain scared her.

Now look at her. You'd think she was looking at a… well, knight...

They also act like a married couple around the kids too, and it's odd. I mean, it's Historia and the captain.

It's like a cat and a dog raising rabbits…

Historia gets all the kids inside and turns to face me. "So, I saw Tilly up here just a moment ago. Did you finally get her to say something, Mikasa?"

I sigh. "No, but she drew me this. Armin says it's very detailed for her age. Look at the Wings of Freedom."

I hold up the picture, and Historia and the captain step forward, fascinated. I suppose it is kind of fascinating; it's a glimpse inside Tilly's head after all.

Yet once again, they make me think of a married couple with the way they pull a similar facial expression (I never knew the captain's eyes could look so big).

How the sweet Historia could ever resemble the miserable captain is beyond me, but they do look eerily identical right now.

Maybe they are spending too much time together.

"It's… a picture of you…" the captain says, unimpressed.

My blood boils. "So? And what of it? Tilly sees me as her friend now."

"It's beautiful…" Historia breathes, and it's good to see one of them has an appropriate reaction.

She takes the picture and smiles. "It actually does look like you, Mikasa. Do you really think this is detailed, Armin?"

"Definitely," he replies. "I've read several books on the matter. Drawing is a way for a child to express their thoughts, so it may help Tilly communicate with us."

The captain releases an exasperated breath. "Great... She's going to start drawing shit she's seen from the underground, isn't she?"

Armin and I look up at him surprised.

Wow… that was blunt. And rather insensitive.

She's a four-year-old girl.

"Captain! That's an awful thing to say." Historia whacks his shoulder, and my mind goes back to the day I encouraged her to punch him in the face. Back then she'd almost peed herself, but now it comes to her naturally.

The captain takes an offhand sip of his tea again, meeting her eyes, and his face softens.

"I could go a whole lifetime without ever having to see anything from that shithole again, Your Majesty. Twenty-five years it took me to get out of there..."

Historia steps closer and puts a tender hand on his shoulder. She even squeezes his bicep, and Armin and I lock gazes.

I know he's thinking it too, and he's the brains of our group.

He sees everything…

"Levi... I… I mean… Captain…" Historia adds after giving me and Armin a cursory glance. "It'll be fine. I know this may be some triggering stuff for you too, but please… for Tilly."

They gaze into each other's eyes for way longer than is necessary, and it's like melted steel against shimmering diamond.

Finally, the captain exhales and turns to go back into the farmhouse. "All right. So long as it stops you from looking at me like a hopeless brat again, Your Majesty."

I roll my eyes. And there's the captain we know and love again.

Just before he leaves, Historia says. "Wait…"

He looks back, his face impassive.

Historia chews her lip. "So, you left the underground when you were twenty-five? But you joined the Survey Corps eight years ago. So…" she counts with her fingers.

"The answer's thirty-three…" Armin says, looking uncharacteristically bored.

I've seen him doing numbers in his sleep, so I'm not surprised he got the answer right out of the bat.

Historia beams. "Thank you, Armin!" She points at the captain now, and I see the furrow forming between his brows. "Captain… you are thirty-three!"

He growls. "Enough talking, I'll see you inside."

Finally, he slams the door and Historia throws her arms up in victory. "I did it! I finally figured out the real mystery of the walls!"

"Historia," Armin gasps as we both stare at her in disbelief. "Don't you think you're taking it a bit too far? I mean, he is the captain..."

She puts her hands on her hips. "I'm not scared of him. Besides, I'm the queen now, there's nothing he can do about it."

She goes to follow him inside, but then she turns around, facing us again. "You'll join us for supper again, won't you? I made apple pie for dessert!"

"Sounds delicious," Armin replies. "We'll see you inside, Historia."

Smiling perkily to herself, Historia disappears into the farmhouse, leaving me and Armin speechless.

"Please don't tell me I'm the only one who sees it," Armin says at last.

"No. I see it too."

He laughs from out of nowhere next, and I look at him curiously.

"I mean, who would have thought?" he continues. "Historia and the captain..."

I cock a brow. "Do you think we should say something? I mean, he's so much older, and… well… you know what he's like. I don't want to see her heartbroken."

"I don't know about that… Did you see the way he looked at her? He was almost a different person. I… guess it's kind of sweet..."

I give him my best deadpan expression. "Did you just honestly call the captain sweet, Armin? Come on, I raised you better than that."

"No! I'm just stating that the circumstances are sweet. It's the basis of a lot of romance novels after all. A seemingly heartless man falling for a gentle girl like Historia. The one to change him and break the spell, so to speak…"

My stomach gurgles just hearing him talk like that. I've never been one for romance. Give me action-packed, kick-ass war scenes any day. "I think you need to stop reading fairy tales and get back to facts, Armin. It's making you soft."

He scratches his blond head, embarrassed. "S-sorry… the volunteers just had some really good books to share with us all."

Silence passes between us again, and now we listen to the sound of Erwin's purring. He's still on my lap, blissfully unaware to everything around him.

"Also… the age gap can be explained..." Armin continues.

I peer up at him again. "How so?"

Armin's cheeks turn bright red. "Well… it's genetics. Her mother did go for a much older man herself after all."

I narrow my eyes. "Historia's nothing like her mother."

"That's not what I'm saying, but there are still some little personality traits we inherit from our parents from time to time, whether they're intentional or not. It's all hypothetical really, but you see it often. I mean, I inherited my parents' desire to explore and travel. It's in my blood."

I produce a small smile. "You're so smart, Armin."

He blushes again. "Thanks, Mikasa."

My blond friend hesitates a moment before looking my way again. "I just hope it's enough to get us through the next few years… Tough times are ahead."

I see the regret dancing behind his blue eyes, and my heart tugs when I think back to the day Eren and I challenged the captain on the rooftop in Shiganshina.

I still don't regret the choice I made. Armin and Eren are my family, and I will protect them to the bitter end.

To lighten the mood, I pass him Erwin the II.

He looks at me confused.

"He'll help guide you when you're lost. Hange's right. He's a good listener."

Armin smiles and holds the cat up in his hands now. "So, Erwin? What do you say? Do you think you can help me out?"

"Meow."

That almost sounded like a "no".

We both laugh, and now the door opens as Historia stands there with her hands on her hips, smirking. "That apple pie won't eat itself, you know?"

Armin and I rise to our feet, and now we join Historia, the captain, and the children inside for supper.


A/N: I loved writing Armin and Mikasa here. I love these two so much, I think these are the true best friends of this show. Sure, they probably wouldn't have ever met if it wasn't for Eren, but for once... it's just nice to see them talking about something other than Eren. He gets way too much air time.

That's something I often wonder about with the female soldiers in this anime since we don't see much of the girls' barracks in Cadets, but I can imagine that's true of Mikasa. She uses her cramps as fuel to do better. Since this is old-world, they had no tampons, and I doubt they just handed out painkillers freely. They would have been expensive... ouch... a hot towel it is then.

Historia is just assuming Levi's age, but she's pretty close. I think I said I imagined him to be 34 in this fanfic, right? Or more or less around that age. Though he slipped here and confessed his age indirectly pretty much... oops.

Who's POV would you like to see in future chapters? Let me know.

CartoonPrincessSigningOff