Chapter 1: Petunias

A/N: Hi there! I'd just like to point out that this story carries on from the events of the manga, chapter 138, so there will be spoilers for anyone who only watches the anime or who hasn't read up to that chapter. Also, this story deals with some heavy subject matter (grieving, PTSD, major character death), so please do not read further if you're uncomfortable with any of these themes. You have been warned!

Also yes, I know chapter 139 comes out less than a week from now, but this story has been stewing in the back of my mind for a while and want to get it out before chapter 139 blasts all my ideas to bits! I wanted to study Levi's and Mikasa's characters and explore how they could develop and grow feelings for each other. This story also has an underlying theme which I'll clarify at the end, though I hope you'll understand it without prompts after reading it for yourself!

Finally, this story has been rather difficult for me to write, so apologies if there are any mistakes or if anything is unclear. Let me know in a comment and I'll work on it as soon as I can. And of course, if you like the story, please leave a comment or kudos!

Mikasa still remembers the day Eren died as if it were only yesterday.

She had zipped through the opening Levi created into the Founder Titan's mouth to find Eren just inside.

Say something, do something! She had mentally urged him.

Instead, he had just sat there, silent and still, watching her with haggard eyes buried in a pale, sunken face. It didn't matter if he looked like shit, or if he had come this close to destroying the world. He was still her Eren, and she had found him.

She knew what she had to do, but at that moment, the pain of doing it was almost unbearable. Partly in despair, partly in hope, she had kissed Eren to buy them both some time, hoping something would happen to save them all. Like when Hannes had salvaged them from the carnage in Shiganshina, or when Eren had accidentally discovered his powers as a coordinate, or when Falco had swooped in at the last second to save all of them from the clutches of Titans past.

But nothing happened. No knight in shining armour appeared, no freak power manifested, no winged beast swooped in to save them. It remained just her and Eren. And as the earth shuddered and roared around their brief farewell kiss, there was nothing left for her to do but kill him. One slice, separating his head from the vertebral column of the Founder Titan, was all it had taken. There was no regeneration, no attempt to reconnect spine to head, just immediate death.

For someone who had almost destroyed the entire world, it had taken piss little for him to die.

She remembers holding the blade to her heart at that point, ready to take her own life. But the dull ache in her head flared up again, and in the searing white pain that followed she had dropped it. In that moment, she had heard Eren's dying whisper:

Don't do it. Live, for my sake.

In the end, she had listened, helpless in the one moment when her survival instinct and Eren's will aligned. She had fled the cage of bones as it collapsed about her, bitter at her loss, ashamed of her cowardice, and painfully aware of the truth everyone believed was myth. Ackermans, once awakened, are bound to serve their master and have no free will of their own.

With Eren's death, Ymir had also dissolved into the ether, and all the pure titans around them had collapsed and disintegrated. Reiner, Annie, Armin, Falco, and Pieck reverted to their human forms, suddenly devoid of their titan-shifting powers. And just like that, titans became a thing of the past, leaving a pathetic, straggling community of humans behind.

In the year 855, humanity formed one united republic governed by representatives from each surviving race. Thanks to the disappearance of titan-shifting abilities and the valour of the 'island devils' in the great war, the Eldians earned themselves a spot in this motley assembly and chose Armin to be the Eldian representative. This was a popular decision, as Armin was recognised as the leader of the resistance against Eren in the war. The arrangement also carried the convenient advantage of shielding former Queen Historia and her newborn child from the paranoid eyes of other former nations and allowing them to sink into peaceful obscurity. Over the year, towns and infrastructure were rebuilt, and with the fortune of a bountiful harvest, food supplies were replenished. In the New Republic, the previous threat the Eldians posed is all but forgotten, and humans, against all odds, learned to cope with each other and co-exist in peace.

Oftentimes, Mikasa thinks about Eren and his plan, and compares it to the reality she now lives in. Back then, they all believed that Eren was hell-bent on destroying the world. But when she recounts the events to herself, she feels as if something is off. Despite Armin's strategic brilliance, their plan was overly simplistic and had many holes. For example, it would have been easy for Ymir to summon titans to guard his mouth, stopping Levi from blasting a hole through his teeth, and equally easy for Ymir to kill her while she was kissing Eren. It would have been even easier for the Founder Titan's spine to reconnect to Eren's head after she had severed it. It was almost as if Eren had been waiting for her to come and kill him…but no, that couldn't be, he had wanted to destroy the world. Hadn't he?

She fights her doubts desperately and distracts herself with other thoughts. Thoughts of how alone Eren had been in his final moments. Of how he should have consulted them before carrying out his plan, that they might have talked sense into him and prevented the war. Of how they had decided to eliminate him, although she had needed more persuading than everyone else. Of how she had volunteered to end his life, because no one else had the right to.

These thoughts cycle through her mind every night, and when sleep finally claims her, her dreams are painted with the memories of Eren's apathetic face, the cold taste of death on his lips, and the dull thud of his head hitting the ground.

After the war, many of Mikasa's comrades continue to work for the military or shift into the government, as these positions are the most stable and pay the best in a fragile new world. However, Mikasa opts to become a farmer. Unsurprisingly, Annie makes the same decision. Although they never discuss it, they each understand that the other has lost someone irreplaceable to them, and that no further amount of fighting can put their grief to rest. And so they live together for one year, working the land and finding solace in each other's quiet company.

In the winter of 856, the government implements a repopulation programme. Mikasa remembers returning from the well with Annie to find Armin and Levi waiting for them. Both men are dressed in fur coats and thick, leather boots, compliments of their occupations. In the past year, Armin's eyes have gained a steely focus, and his mouth, drawn into a taut line, is accentuated by a strong, sharpened jawline. In his regal bearing, he shows the world that he has finally donned Captain Erwin's mantle and assumed his destined position. By contrast, Levi has not changed much. He is clean-shaven and prim in his pressed uniform and stands to his full height, shoulders thrown back and feet in a wide stance, cutting a slim yet assertive figure. The scars down the right side of his face and the limp in his right leg as they approach do nothing to diminish him.

After exchanging some stilted pleasantries, Armin starts.

"You've probably heard the government's decree that men and women should marry as soon as they can to have children. The government is looking to force marriage on anyone who is still unattached."

"Is it just the Eldians forced to repopulate?"

"No, the programme is for everyone. I tried to argue against it, but many of the housing projects in the Eldian sector are still ongoing and we need urgent funding and labour to make sure everyone is warm and sheltered for winter. As the repopulation programme required unanimous approval to pass, the other representatives used our needs as leverage to force me to agree to the programme."

Mikasa stares at her feet silently, knowing where this is all headed. Even though she and Levi are not strictly Eldians, they are still classified as such based on their home country. At some point, the Azumabito had come forward to claim Mikasa as their representative, but she had vehemently declined their proposals on the grounds of lack of knowledge and interest in the needs of the Azumabito people.

"I-I was thinking that you and Levi could live together, though you will still need to officially register as a married couple under the New Republic to avoid being paired off by the government."

"What about you?"

"I will be with Annie. Annie, if you want to be with me – "

"Arrogant of you to think so."

"A-Ah, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have assumed – "

"But I do."

"Oh. O-Okay, then." Despite the awkwardness, Mikasa notices the tender, relieved smile on her childhood friend's face, and even Annie's sharp eyes look a little softer. She then realises that they are the lucky ones who can still be with someone they love and almost resents them for it.

"Tch. So we're the cast-offs." Levi spits. His saliva hits the ground and steams like a festering grudge. "Isn't it funny how hard they fought to kill all of us, only to turn around afterwards and force us to breed like rabbits?"

Mikasa wants to scream. She's already given humanity Eren; why must she give her unborn children, too? But for once, she doesn't have the energy to argue. Instead, she nods her ill-given assent and stalks off without another word, anger coiling tight within her chest. A week later, she marries Levi in a claustrophobic box of a town hall and moves into the small cottage he keeps at the edge of town.

Levi's injuries from the war prevent him from engaging in active field duty, but he retains an admin position within the military that provides a modest income. When Mikasa moves in, Levi procures an extra bed for her to sleep in and gives her what little is left over after daily expenses and maintenance costs to do with as she pleases. As society deems farm work below her station as the wife of a military officer, she is forced to leave the fields and spends time at home.

Despite the allowances Levi grants her, Mikasa is resentful of the programme and directs her anger at her husband. Why did he have to take her as his wife, knowing full well how she still feels about Eren? She ignores him at first, determined to show how little he means to her, and refuses to spend any of the allowance he gives her. But as the days drag into weeks and then into months, the lack of work to occupy her mind forces her to dwell increasingly on the war, so much so that her dreams of Eren devolve into nightmares and leave her restless and sleep deprived. Initially, Mikasa romanticises the nightmares as her just punishment for killing Eren. But over time, the lack of sleep takes its toll. She becomes clumsy, unfocused, erratic, and tearful at the smallest things. Even Levi, who is initially determined to let Mikasa do as she pleases, is forced to intervene.

"Do something with yourself. I didn't sign up to live with a moping mess for the rest of my life, though it'll probably be a short one anyway."

Mikasa sends a withering glare in response, but after she breaks down when Levi asks her to boil some water, she grudgingly decides that he is right. The next day, she uses her allowance to purchase a wooden ring, scissors, a pen, white cotton cloths, several skeins of colourful thread, and needles of various lengths and widths. Levi arches an eyebrow when she returns with this odd assortment of supplies.

"You're not thinking of adding more stitches to my face, are you?" He jokes humourlessly.

"I'm taking up embroidery," she says defensively. Levi gives her a long look. She stares him down, and he returns to his work.

Although she remembers the basic concept of embroidery from her mother, Mikasa initially struggles with the delicacy of the art and with finding subjects. But fortunately for Mikasa, winter is just turning into spring, and on her routine morning walk she notices the first blossoms peeking out from the cold, hard earth. Dropping to her knees, she scratches at the dirt, her breath unfurling and misting in the crisp, cold, air, and eventually resurfaces with a fistful of snowdrops and crocuses.

Over the next few days, Mikasa spends hours studying the flowers she gathers, observing and working each detail meticulously into the fabric until her fingers are sore from all the pinching and pushing. Eventually, Mikasa tries selling her embroidered cloths in the market. Her creations, unique to all races aside from the smaller Azumabito population, are met with warm reception and quickly become popular gifts. During this time, she says nothing to Levi, who is content to ignore her in turn. He converts the basement into his study as she works in the kitchen, and their evenings are spent in complete isolation until they retire to their beds.

One day, Mikasa returns from the market unusually vexed. Entering the house, she pulls her hat off, letting the silken, jet black locks she has allowed to grow out since the war tumble down around her shoulders. She shrugs her shawl off, worrying her lip, and throws her basket of embroidered cloths onto the table. Levi, who has just returned home himself, notices the force of the latter motion.

"Throw that any harder and you're getting us a new table."

Mikasa frowns a little, ignoring him. "Usually the women love my embroidery, but I'm having trouble selling off the cloths embroidered with petunias. Much of what I make usually sells the next day, but I've had these ones for three days now." Although petunias only bloom in summer, she remembers making them when she was a child and likes them because they are simple to embroider.

Levi walks over to her basket and examines the leftover cloths. "They're beautifully made," he states, and she shifts a little with the rare compliment, given so offhandedly. "If I had to guess, it's because of what the flowers represent. Petunias represent comfort, but they can also represent anger and resentment. They are not common around here, so people might not give these as presents to avoid the double meaning. Roses on the other hand are more universally known to symbolise love. Every flower has a classical meaning, though that meaning can change depending on the colour."

Mikasa is surprised by the unusual source of this knowledge. "How do you know all this?"

"My mother used to talk about these things." Levi shrugs. Mikasa forgets herself in her curiosity.

"What's your favourite flower?"

"Hyacinths."

"What do they represent?"

"Regret. Asking for forgiveness."

Mikasa puzzles; it's an unusual choice, even for someone as eccentric as Levi. Levi explains as if he, too, is aware of this anomaly.

"They remind me of my mother. Maybe also because I've killed a lot of people, and nature knows there are many people like me in this world who need ways to ask for forgiveness." He turns away, suddenly embarrassed by his admission.

For the first time in her life, Mikasa feels something besides hate, respect, or cold indifference towards Levi.

"You're the strongest person I know, and you've helped a lot of people." Including me. "Don't forget that."

Suddenly, Eren flashes into her mind, and she quickly discards her feelings with shame. An awkward silence fills the air, and she speaks again to dispel it.

"So you said different flowers have different meanings. Tell me more."

As the crisp, clean, airs of spring melt into the languid heat of summer, Levi gathers seasonal flowers and explains their meanings to Mikasa, who does her best to capture their images in her embroidery. Mikasa's dreams, though not completely devoid of Eren, become more peaceful.

As Levi walks to work, he realises that he and Mikasa have now been married for six months. He remembers when Armin first suggested he marry Mikasa. Levi had stated outright that he didn't want her. He had noticed that during her time in the fields she had lost weight and her features had grown sharper. Nevertheless, her once flinty eyes had acquired a softer quality that spoke of a greater understanding of human sacrifice and loss. This added complexity made her more beautiful and intriguing to him, and he suspected that the occasional passer-by would agree with his observation.

Thus, Levi was confident that they could find someone younger, livelier, and less grumpy than he to help her forget about Eren. But Armin had argued back, pointing out that Mikasa was still mourning Eren, that she was uncharacteristically headstrong for a woman, and that any man who didn't know any better would try to seduce her, only to find himself with his head under her boot and embroiled in an abusive marriage one way or the other. So, after much wheedling and whining on Armin's part, Levi agreed to protect Mikasa by being the old, crippled husband that no woman wanted. Aside from a few moments that he can count using the remaining fingers on his right hand, she has been cold and indifferent to him in their short time as a married couple. Still, he is happy enough that they have gone six months without killing each other. Unexpectedly, he is also beginning to enjoy her company. Although taciturn, Mikasa only speaks sense when she speaks, and shows pleasing resilience and resolve in perfecting her embroidery.

She may get over Eren's death yet, he thinks hopefully.

He enters the military headquarters and checks his schedule, scowling. First thing in the morning, a bi-weekly progress review. What a stupid waste of time. Erwin would never have put up with such bureaucracy. Taking the stairs to the top floor, Levi walks down the corridor into a small, cramped office and salutes, his eyes narrowing as he scans the panel of stuffy suits before him.

"Officer Levi, thank you for coming. Please take a seat." He sits down in a chair facing the panel, leans back, crosses his arms and his legs, and automatically wears his most displeased look. He succeeds where others with less practiced and intimidating airs would turn into sulky children.

"How are you?" One of the members of the panel, a large man with a moustache that creepily curls upwards at the ends, asks.

"Eager to get this drivel over and done with." This snarky comment is ignored by the panel with an accustomed ease, as Levi's bad mannerisms are generally confined to his minor role in filing paperwork and to private meetings such as these. On the one hand, Levi enjoys the freedom to speak as he always has, though it wouldn't matter anyway since he doesn't give a rat's ass what anyone else thinks. On the other hand, it rankles him that the only thing years of devotion and sacrifice have yielded him is a forced marriage with a girl who doesn't want him and a dead-end job that he just manages to scrape by on.

"We'll make this quick, officer. All your reports are in on time. We're very pleased with your performance and hope you keep up the good work." Another man, smoking a smelly cigar, states.

Levi taps an impatient finger on his thigh. "Are we done then?"

"No." Cigar man pulls the cigar from his lips and gives a big puff. "We'd also like to know how you're getting on. How are things at work, at home?"

There is more emphasis placed on the latter setting than Levi cares to notice. "Stop polluting my lungs with your smelly breath and maybe I'll answer you."

"Officer, you know how tolerant we are of…unconventional behaviours, especially when it comes to the heroes who fought so valiantly to fend off the titans," yet another man says, his voice dripping with condescension, "but remember, you are talking to your superiors. You should be grateful that we have given you a desk job. In your current state, you wouldn't last a day against the filthy thieves and thugs of the back alleys."

If Levi had had his way, he would have opened a tea shop and lived the rest of his days in peace. But in this new world, he cannot afford to open a shop. Besides, he needs to support Mikasa, and they need the money to make repairs around the house before the next winter kicks in. And even though the once-tedious task of patrol is more appealing to him than day-to-day paperwork, condescending man is right. In a society where ODM gear is no longer produced or relied upon, his injuries make him a liability, and he would no longer be able to hold his own against even three rowdy meatheads.

"Enough, Karl, that's no way to talk to the hero who saved all of our lives. But tell me, Levi. How are things at home?" Cigar man presses. "Is your wife with child yet?"

"Things are fine. Mikasa is still embroidering, and her products sell well in the market."

"I've seen your wife's creations; they are very beautiful indeed. The other day, my wife bought one of her handkerchiefs. It has delicate roses embroidered along the edges," cigar man smiles. But the distraction isn't enough. "So is she with child yet?"

"Your wife? You tell me."

"Be serious, Levi. I mean your wife."

"None of your business."

"I'm sorry, but it is our business. The government needs to ensure that the human population is re-established before some freak accident or threat arises to wipe us out again," curly moustache man says, and then, offers, "for example, I and my wife of three years had two children prior to the war, and we have since had another boy and are expecting a little one in three months' time."

"Congratulations." Levi says contemptuously. He scornfully bets that the elder two children were killed in the war and the new children are just bandages for their parents' emotional wounds.

"Be respectful, officer. Is your wife – Mikasa – with child yet?" Condescending man pushes, and Levi can tell from the look in his eye that his patience is wearing thin. Join the club.

"No, she is not. She is still suffering trauma from the war. It would be unsafe for her to have a child now."

"But a child brings so much hope to a family. I believe it would be better for her nerves if she had a child to care for." Cigar man says, coughing lightly. "You have been married for six months now, but she has yet to conceive. I am sorry to say this, but if she remains without child after the next three months, we may need to explore different…options…to help her conceive."

Levi feels an angry, bitter taste rising in his throat. "What do you mean?"

"Your medical records show that both you and your wife are still healthy enough in body and mind to conceive. But if that doesn't happen in the next three months, we will need to transfer her to another man who can help her do so. This is standard procedure in the programme, though nothing would make us happier than to see you two raising a young family together."

What kind of shit job was Arlert doing, that he had to agree to such draconian measures?

"Why can't Mikasa be exempted from this rule? Having a child will be tough on her. Hasn't she given up enough for humanity?" Levi pushes.

Curly moustache man shakes his head in a shameless show of skin-deep regret. "You and your wife have done much for mankind and we are forever indebted to you. Unfortunately, we are still on the brink of extinction and need your efforts still. I admire you for fighting on her behalf, Levi, but unfortunately we cannot make allowances for anyone outside of medical reasons, and we have no reason to believe that you or your wife cannot conceive."

"If I had known this would happen, I would have told Mikasa to fall back and let Eren massacre everyone outside Paradis Island," Levi says bitterly, even though the words ring hollow in his ears.

"For yours and your wife's sakes, I will pretend I did not hear that, officer. Now go back to work and remember, you have three months to get your wife pregnant or we will have her transferred to another partner. Given your appearance, I think you'll be hard-pressed to find another opportunity as good as she," condescending man sneers.

Barely able to control his anger and humiliation, Levi rises and stalks out of the office.

Mikasa is embroidering at the kitchen table when Levi returns from work. She glances briefly at his face, her eyes scanning the hardened scars that span from his right temple across his eye and down to his strong jawline. But what catches her attention is the subtle tilt of his head and the way his shoulders hunch ever so slightly forwards. His right eye, which is still able to make out hazy shapes, looks slightly unfocused, but his left eye has the same grim, determined look it had when he had ordered them to kill Eren. She puts her embroidery down.

"How was work?" She doesn't really want to ask, but she has to.

Levi is silent for a moment, then speaks. His voice is low with anger and shame. "They want us to have a kid in three months, otherwise they'll try and make you conceive with someone else."

Mikasa stares at her work, stunned. She has always known this day would come, but she is still unprepared for it. "I can't," she whispers. "I can't do what they want anymore."

She feels Levi's hand on her shoulder. That hand, a familiar presence whenever she had been riled up or desperate for Eren, now feels like a cold, lifeless deadweight on her shoulder. "I know you're still grieving for Eren and a kid is the last thing you want, but they'll pass you onto another man if you don't have a child. They leave us with no choice."

"What if I pretend to be ill in the next check-up?"

"We can't keep up that charade forever. And if you try to act mentally unstable, they might send you elsewhere anyway," Levi says grimly. They petrify into statues of grief and resignation: Mikasa in her seat, hunched over with her fists balled in her lap; Levi, standing motionless behind her, one hand on her shoulder. After what seems like an eternity, a small sigh escapes Levi's lips.

"What you decide to do is up to you. But for what it's worth, I would rather do this with you than let you be forced by a stranger who doesn't give a shit about what you're going through."

The words ring, romantic yet cruel, in Mikasa's ears. Typical of the captain to give her the choice; less typical of him to give his opinion before she has made her decision. She thinks of Eren, who so violently rejected Zeke's ideals and chose to sacrifice the world over Paradis Island. He had been strong and true to his beliefs to the end. Right now, he would tell her to disobey Levi and kill everybody forcing her into this humiliation. Even so, she cannot bring herself to see things the way he did. She turns in her chair and embraces Levi around the waist, feeling him stiffen at the contact.

"Fine," she whispers bitterly, "if they want a child, we'll give them a child. If they want two, or three, or ten, we will give them that many. And they can keep demanding more and more from us until we're cold and dead in our graves."

They have sex every night, at times desperate, at times perfunctory, at times animalistic. During these episodes, Levi sometimes displays small signs of affection, such as a gentle brushing of hair from her face or a tender kiss on her forehead. But in these moments, Eren's sad, hollow face floats before her, and she tells Levi to stop being so sentimental. Each time, he obeys her without question.

Two months later, Mikasa announces that she is with child.

Levi goes to work and Mikasa continues her embroidery. Some of her former comrades visit to express their congratulations. While Mikasa smiles and gives thanks, she feels a tightness within her chest. This tightness grows when Armin and Annie visit. They conceived early in their marriage, and Annie is almost at full term. Seeing how happy they are, Mikasa places a hand on her stomach and wonders whether she will ever develop feelings for Levi. Doing so would allow her child to grow up in a loving family, and despite not knowing the little tyke, she's already determined to love it with all her heart and give it everything she can. But while a part of her considers reaching out to her husband, another part holds back. Loving Levi would mean letting go of Eren, and that to her is an unspeakable betrayal.

As Mikasa's belly grows, her mood swings become more frequent, and her grief for Eren morphs into aggression towards herself and her husband. How could she, dead and barren as she feels, still support life within her? How could the father of her child not be wild, proud Eren, but a short, crippled man with no ambition in life except to get by? If only she hadn't followed her comrades, if only she hadn't listened to Levi, if only she had run away with Eren as in her dream, then they might have had four years of bliss and she a few children to remember him sweetly by! These negative, irrational thoughts renew her resentment for the man by her side. He has ruined any hope of happiness she could ever have.

Around this same time, Levi, oblivious to his wife's feelings, begins to demonstrate small gestures of affection towards her. Whilst painfully aware that Mikasa will never forget Eren, Levi still hopes that with their shared bond and the child growing within her, Mikasa will allow him to forge a place in her heart. Therefore, he suggests they share a bed, and when Mikasa does not object, makes slow advances. First, a tentative hand on her shoulder, then an arm around her waist, then a full, close-bodied hug from behind as they sleep together. He notices that while she never pushes back, she also never encourages him. But the idea of the child she carries within her encourages him to continue his attentions.

Unbeknownst to the former captain, his well-meaning gestures only stoke Mikasa's animosity further.

To think he believes he can work his way into her heart with small, superficial gestures of love!

Mikasa's feelings, bottled up for months, boil over one cold winter's night. As they get ready for bed, Levi suddenly reaches out to cup her face, and his thumb lightly brushes over the scar under her right eye, the same scar that Eren inflicted when he was still adjusting to his new powers as a titan shifter. This simple motion is the all the trigger she needs.

"Don't touch me!" Mikasa snarls, pushing him away violently. In the dim light of the candle on the night table, she sees Levi start.

"Am I not allowed to touch my wife?"

"You've touched me more than you have a right to," she snaps. "If I had a choice, we wouldn't be together like this. You ruined my life. You forced me to marry you, and now you debase me by making me bear your child!"

"With your silence these last few months, I couldn't have guessed. Where is this coming from?" Levi asks coldly.

He has the gall to feign ignorance! "Eren should have been with me. Eren should have shared my bed, been my first, given me children, and been my husband until the end. Instead, I gave him up so I could be lumped together with you, a cripple with no ambition who only fights to keep himself alive. It's a pity I'm not as strong-willed as Eren was, or else I would have refused to marry you from the start!"

These thoughts have stewed in Mikasa's mind for so long that they have become practically irrefutable. But even in her unwavering, grief-fuelled conviction, the words sound small, unfair, and childish as they fly like daggers from her mouth.

"Calm down, Mikasa, and think. Eren has been gone almost three years. The best we can do for him is to be strong and move on." Levi says quietly but firmly.

Eren's words whisper to her from a faraway dream. Be free. Please…Mikasa. Forget about me.

Mikasa's resentment surges with a vengeance. "I will never forget about Eren, and nothing you say or do to me will earn you a place in my heart," she hisses.

Shadows flicker across Levi's face and highlight the sharp angles of his chin and cheekbones as he fixes her with a flinty stare. Anger is the primary emotion in his steel-grey eyes, but Mikasa sees something darker shifting in their depths. After what seems like an eternity, he starts to get dressed. She watches him, fear suddenly spiking through her. She had expected retaliation, not resignation.

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know. But I won't stay where I'm not wanted," he states simply, and leaves.

A/N: Thank you for reading, please review!