"He was my best friend."

Aubrey felt like she was shaking, though her hand appeared alarmingly steady. On the inside, she was losing it but on the outside, she was calm. That was fine. As long as she could get the words out.

"Well, him and my roommate, Tika. We all met in the Training Corps. They were family to me."

Aubrey glanced at Levi's expression. Neutral, as always. She went on.

"Those three years of training were the happiest of my life. I'd found something I was good at and for the first time, I'd found people who cared about me."

Aubrey sighed. She hadn't thought about her time in the Training Corps for quite a while. Usually, it was overshadowed by the pain of grief.

"But I had my heart set on joining the Scouts."

Aubrey felt herself choke a bit but she pushed on.

"They were both good soldiers and I thought that they'd end up with the Military Police. I thought they'd choose to be safe in the interior."

Aubrey paused again. It was going to take a while to get to the end of her story.

"But when the choosing ceremony came, they didn't step forward. I was horrified. The chance to join the Garrison had already passed and if they weren't going to go with the MPs… that meant they were joining the Scouts."

Another deep breath.

"When I asked them why, they told me I'd inspired them."

Aubrey scoffed at the memory. It was the part of this story that hurt her the most. Knowing that she had been the one to lead her friends to their deaths was crippling. It was what kept the wound open and festering.

"I think I knew that day that I would lose them, but I refused to admit it. I told them I would protect them, that I was strong enough for all of us. They believed me."

Aubrey bit her lip, holding back the tears that were beginning to creep up.

"All three of us were placed on Flagon's squad. We did well. I was hopeful. I thought that we might actually make it."

She dared to peek at Levi's expression. It was still unreadable but she thought she could see the interest in his eyes. He was listening.

"The expedition came so quickly. Before I knew it, we were at the gate."

Levi's hand found hers and squeezed. He could guess what was going to happen next.

"I remember looking at the sky. It was so… blue. Everything was so open, so free. It was everything I'd hoped it would be."

Aubrey shook her head, clearing her mind.

"But things went wrong fast. We saw our first Titan. I insisted on killing it and I ended up straying too far from the group."

Aubrey clutched at Levi's hand. This was the part that haunted her. The moment that refused her sleep, that rotted away her soul, that wounded her forever.

"I took it down but I was too slow. When I got back…"

Aubrey's face crumpled in horror. A silent tear leaked from her eyes and she internally reprimanded herself. Only when Levi's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close, did she finally find the strength to continue.

"Th-there was… a horde."

A few shuddering breaths.

"I-I… watched them d-die."

Aubrey pushed her forehead into Levi's chest. She had to get a hold of herself. She wasn't done.

Levi pulled her tighter against him, their bodies practically crushed together. Her story sounded too much like his own and he was beginning to realize that she understood his pain more than he ever could have expected.

Aubrey inhaled sharply and leaned back. She had to continue before she got lost in Levi's arms.

"Erwin found me. I-I'd torn the titans to shreds but at that point I didn't even care. I was just so… angry."

Deep breaths.

"When Erwin tried to talk to me… I think I slapped him. And I probably had a right to. He'd once told me that he would sacrifice human lives for the advancement of humanity. But I couldn't see any advancement that had been achieved by my friends'... deaths."

Deep breaths.

"He told me that the loss would make me stronger. That if I tried hard enough, I could help humanity all on my own."

Aubrey closed her eyes. Her story was coming to an end and yet her urge to cry had passed. Maybe she was going numb or maybe the relief of finally telling someone was enough to calm her.

"That was the day that I decided I would follow him anywhere. I've been with him ever since. He was… everything to me."

Aubrey pulled away, looking Levi in the eyes. It was important that he understood what she was about to say next.

"Until you."

Aubrey felt his breath hitch ever so slightly and her hands automatically moved to his face, holding him tightly.

"I love you, Levi. I love you."

Her lips hit his with an urgent intensity. She never thought she'd feel for anyone the way she felt for Levi. He somehow managed to soothe her soul and set her on fire at the same time. He was like a bandage on all of the wounds she'd gotten over a lifetime of pain. He wouldn't fix her but, with his presence, she knew she could begin to heal.

Levi heard the truth in her words and felt the emotion on her lips. He kissed her back, hoping she could tell he felt the same.

Aubrey moved her head into the crook of his neck, burying herself in the comfort of his arms. One of his hands had found its way into her hair and the other was wrapped around her back, holding her steady.

She breathed slowly, allowing her emotions to settle. Every so often she would feel Levi press his lips to her hair and the sensation would soothe her further. It didn't take long until she felt completely content in his embrace. She could stay there forever.

Levi held her tightly, doing his best to make her feel safe. Yet again, his incompatibility with words was hindering him. All he had were his actions.

For a few minutes, they stayed there but, eventually, Levi broke the silence. His mind had been churning, making connections and forming questions. If Aubrey was going to tell him such a painful story, he wanted to make sure understood it. All of it.

"The stone?" Levi had a strong suspicion that the rock had come from one of her lost friends. If that was true, it meant even more to him that she'd chosen to give it to him before the expedition.

Aubrey understood what he was asking almost instantly. She moved her head from resting on his shoulder to resting on his chest so that he could hear her answer.

"Yes, Tika gave it to me as a birthday present one year. She didn't have any money so she just picked up a pretty rock, declared it lucky, and gave it to me."

Aubrey laughed softly. She remembered how happy she'd felt when Tika gave it to her. It was the first gift she'd ever received that she'd actually liked.

Levi paused, listening closely to her small chuckle. The sound was magical. After the last day of silence and anguish the laugh was like medicine.

He admired it so much that he almost didn't ask his next question. It surely wouldn't be something to laugh about.

"And your nightmares?"

This time, it took Aubrey a moment to answer. This was another topic she'd only ever discussed with Levi. Even Erwin didn't know about her habitual nightmares.

"Yes to that, too. It's... the same dream every night. I rewatch, relive, their… deaths."

Levi tensed. Her admission disturbed him. She'd been reliving her loss every night?

Levi felt a sense of alarm rise within him. He'd had his own troubles with sleep and he'd had his fair share of nightmares but he couldn't imagine what that continuous loop of torture had done to her.

Aubrey could feel his distress in the way his arm tightened around her. Even his heartbeat sped up.

She lifted her head, placing her chin on Levi's chest so that their eyes could meet. She was happy that she had an answer that might actually solve his anxiety.

"Luckily, I think I've found a solution to that problem."

Levi couldn't help the way his brows pushed together in confusion. A solution?

Aubrey smiled again. Her solution was lying beneath her.

"You."

Levi's confusion didn't lessen. He didn't see how he could be any kind of fix.

Aubrey smiled even wider, amused that he hadn't caught on. She couldn't really blame him, though. She'd never heard of a person being a sleep aid.

She continued with her explanation.

"Your presence helps. The other night, at the pond, was the first night I've slept without a nightmare since…" Aubrey trailed off. He'd get the picture. She switched to a different point. "Well, except for the full moon, of course."

Levi felt his confusion shift to intrigue. He was amazed, and rather elated, by the idea that he could have such a soothing effect on her. But his mind was also chasing after her last statement.

"Why is it that you like the stars so much?"

It was Aubrey's turn to tense. She hadn't been expecting to discuss her childhood. That was, after all, where her love of the stars came from. It was the reason, she thought, that the full moon managed to lull her to sleep every month.

She sucked in a breath. Was she ready to do this? Was she ready to tell Levi… who she was?

It seemed like too much. She'd already confessed so much to him. Surely that was enough for one day.

She had no guarantee that confiding in him would end positively or that he'd be willing to bear the weight of her past. Telling him about Tika and Jack had been a relief but telling him about her childhood… about her father… that was something entirely different. It was the wound at the very center of her soul.

And yet, a piece of her wanted to go on, to tell Levi exactly who she was. She couldn't think of a person she wanted to tell more than him. In fact, she'd denied Hange the information just so she could save it for Levi. If anyone was going to know her past, it was going to be him.

Aubrey sucked in a mouthful of air after she realized that she hadn't been breathing for a while. Was she doing this? Was she doing this?

Aubrey's mind spiraled out of control until she felt a warm hand on her cheek.

"You don't have to answer."

Aubrey felt his hand retreating from her face and she automatically reached out, stopping him from pulling away.

"No."

Shit. She was doing this.

Aubrey took what felt like her thousandth deep breath of the day. And it was still early morning.

"It's just… to answer your question I have to tell you… more."

Levi raised an eyebrow.

"More?"

Aubrey nodded.

"I have to tell you about my father."

A/N: Okay, this is a shorter chapter but I wanted to break up the story-telling a little bit lol. We get Aubrey's backstory next! Very exciting lol. I feel like Levi might have been a little passive/out of character in this chapter but it's just what came out on the page soooo… I'm rolling with it. This part of the story is rather difficult to write because there are so many things that need to be addressed/revealed, so many emotions that need to be worked through, and it all happens in the span of a couple days. BUT, I'm enjoying it. Let me know if you have any suggestions and as always, leave a comment :) They make me smile.