Let It All Out, an attack on titan/進撃の巨人 fanfic

Disclaimer: Themes of grief and loss of family.

I also incorporated some translated lyrics of the song "Let it Out" by Miho Fukuhara into this story, so all rights go to the artist and music company.

Levi Ackerman is a busy man.

With at least 70-hour workweeks that consist of covering up his clients' asses, Levi's job as a first-year partner at Paradis Marley, a law firm, keeps him occupied. He rarely gets the necessary sleep for a normal functioning human being, but nevertheless can survive on a cup of coffee for all the shit he has to go through during the day. He's constantly on his phone, checking for client updates and making sure his associates aren't running around like headless chickens trying to do their work.

No day is really the same for him, but there is usually a routine he has: prepare for a case, get fucked over with new evidence against their client, do research to get around said evidence or find counter information, and then decide to either settle or continue to litigate — all while keeping old and incoming clients in line with the firm's objectives.

It feels like a "normal" day for him when he gets into the office at 8am and proceeds to ask for the necessary files for a litigation case from a too-enthusiastic first year-associate.

Which is why Levi is surprised later that morning when the 36-year-old man gets a phone call notifying him that he now has custody of his 13-year-old cousin.

He's not sure what to expect when they first meet. Mikasa Ackerman's parents died in a car accident two weeks ago. The family court judge determined him as the next available kin who could take her in; in addition, given that he had the suitable means to take care of her, responsibility fell on him to become her guardian unless another family applied for adoptive custody.

To be completely honest, Levi has never met the girl. He didn't know she existed until the phone call and then hung up on the lawyer calling him, convinced it was a scam. But then, he promptly received an official mailed letter from the family court office giving him the details of the custody and his new guardian rights.

His first instinct is to tell the lawyer to find someone else. Levi has no idea how to take care of an adolescent. He's constantly swamped with work, so he doesn't even have the time to care for a goldfish, let alone an individual. There's no parental figure he has to seek advice from (Kenny doesn't count). Levi also has high standards for cleanliness, and a budding teenager might mess up his living space and give him an aneurism. His sarcasm and crude speech leave clients feeling uncomfortable and jittery at times — enough to keep them in line and not make decisions that would fuck things up for the company and subsequently the law firm — so he can only imagine the effect it would have on a teenager.

Basically, he's not suited to care for someone.

When Levi sees her though, on the bench outside of the lawyer's office for a meeting, he stops. She's wearing a light pink winter jacket over a pair of jeans and boots. Her feet are tucked up on the bench and her arms hug her legs, pressing them to her chest. Half of Mikasa's face is hidden behind her knees, grey eyes peeking down at the floor. The position she's in reminds him of an armadillo that would shrink back into its shell if suddenly touched or approached.

Mikasa doesn't notice when Levi tentatively comes up to her side, a supposedly impassive face observing her. She's not crying, and he can tell that there's no sense of life or hope within her. Her eyes have no feeling, and it looks like she's become senseless to everything in her environment. It looks like all the warmth in her entire world has been taken away. It appears she's been left in a cold dark tunnel with no end.

The girl looks like him when his family died.

So, even though he has no idea how to do so, Levi's instincts tell him to make the decision he'll regret the least and to take her in.

Mikasa is quiet, which is to be expected from a teenager whose life changed within the span of two weeks. She's orderly, which he appreciates. And she doesn't respond to his attempts at conversation other than the occasional sentence, so they get along moderately well. The teenager is also not put off by his speaking mannerisms, which gives him less pressure to watch his language.

It's not bad. However, he realizes a week into their living arrangements that he needs to start thinking about school. Levi asks around his office, and those that aren't intimidated by him (i.e. Hange and Erwin), give him the names of some public schools within the areas they live in. There's a longer application process for some, but Erwin is able to help expedite the process for one because of his friendship with the principal, Nile Dok. Within a month of living together, she takes the necessary tests for class placement and then starts school in the middle of February.

Through it all, Levi tries to be supportive. His apartment is minimalistic — and arguably dreary and drab — but he refurnishes the study room into her own room. He gives her a phone that they can communicate by. He buys her a computer so she can order anything she needs and use it for classes and leisure. He opens a small bank account for her so that she has the means to buy food, school supplies, clothes, and anything else. Mikasa has a set of keys to the apartment so she can go in and out while he's at work.

He thinks he could be doing worse, given how Kenny raised him. The old man was a hedge fund manager who basically only gave Levi food, shelter and money. He was never around the house and was an absolute dick most of the time. There was never the touch of warmth that his mother had. No hugs when he came home from school to find her taking time off work to be with him. No walks after school around the neighborhood, holding hands and swinging him around the sidewalk.

No playing around in her tea shop as she gave him tender smiles and stroked his hair lovingly.

Levi knows he doesn't have that warm touch and doesn't believe he can emulate what his mother did. So, he continues to do things the way he thinks is normal.

He's in the middle of a merger when his phone vibrates. It's been about two months since Mikasa started school and Levi is trying to control his temper so his client can stop being a greedy asshole and just sign the damn agreement before the other party backs out. When he checks it after the migraine-inducing meeting, he sees a voicemail notification.

Levi listens to the message telling him that Mikasa and four other people are in the principal's office and to come at his earliest convenience. He swears vehemently in front of the first-year associate coming up to give him the files for a pharmaceutical lawsuit, causing said associate to startle and drop all the files in a clutter on the floor. Levi flashes him a dirty look and strides by the skittish mess, telling his secretary to clear his afternoon schedule until he gets back.

After he arrives at the entrance of the school, Levi tries to not cringe at the number of teenagers gathering around the front. It's the end of the school day and people are eager to leave the confinements of the building and enjoy the fresh spring day. He looks at the directory for his location and makes his way through the hallways. The place is cleaner than he expected, but there are kids are everywhere, having no regard for personal space or the number of germs they could carry by being so close to one another. He skirts through the horde and arrives at the principal's office.

When he opens the door, he sees Mikasa and four boys. Two are sitting with Mikasa: one is a blonde-haired boy with a mushroom haircut, and — upon first impression — the other looks like a stubborn brat with a purple bruise across his cheek.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Ackerman," says Principal Dok, reaching out to shake his hand. Levi gives him a curt nod and carefully reciprocates the handshake.

"So, what happened?" Levi asks, getting straight to the point. He glances at Mikasa swiftly, who is simply staring at the floor. With a perfectly blank expression, her features seem very harsh and old for a young girl. Her posture is upright, hands folded in her lap and feet touching the floor. The teenager looks like she's about to play at a piano recital rather than be lectured for whatever occurred.

"Well, I was notified of a little skirmish that happened during lunch with Mikasa and her two classmates, Armin and Eren. We spoke with both sides separately before I called you. Apparently, the three of them got into a fight with these two"—Dok gives a little wave of his hand to the two disgruntled looking brats on the other side of the room—"who say that the fight was unprovoked."

"That's not true!" The dark-brown haired boy sitting next to Mikasa speaks up heatedly, his green eyes fueled with anger. "They were — "

"However," Dok interrupts and gives Eren a stern look as if to tell the boy to sit down, "we did hear from another student who witnessed the fight that they overheard these two boys calling Armin some unpleasant names and proceeded to call Mikasa some slurs today. Apparently, this wasn't the first time this situation occurred, so we believe that the fight may have been in retaliation to those remarks."

Levi gives another look to the three of them. Eren looks indignant, while Armin looks nervous and fidgety. Mikasa, on the other hand, still looks like nothing. He has a brief flashback to sitting on a seat outside his mother's hospital room while doctors talked in hush tones down the hallway. Feeling a stab of discomfort at the sight and memory, Levi turns away, clearing his throat.

"So, I'm assuming you're calling me here because you still want to discipline them for fighting back?" Levi asks, shifting his silver eyes to the two bullies on the other side of the room. One of the little shits makes eye contact with him and then immediately shrinks upon meeting his cold stare.

"Yes, so I still want to discuss some disciplinary measures with you since a verbal provocation doesn't warrant a physical retaliation," Dok explains.

"My cousin and her classmates were standing up for themselves against these two little shits and you want to give them a punishment?" Levi asks, his tone measured. The two bullies look at him offended and angry, and Eren and Armin swivel their heads at him stunned. Mikasa also slightly lifts her dark eyes upon hearing his reaction.

Dok looks a bit put off and just says, "We have a zero-tolerance policy towards fighting at this school, Mr. Ackerman. And please watch your language."

"If these pricks have a history of bullying and the school didn't decide to do something about it until this fight, then how long would this have gone on?" Levi asks, clearly ignoring the tidbit about "language". Boring his glare into that of the taller man, his voice takes on a more heated tone.

"Mr. Ackerman, we don't believe a physical retaliation is acceptable in any way in this school," Dok replies more sternly than before.

"Why don't you first discuss a punishment with these two pricks and their parents," Levi says giving the bullies a side glare, to which they drop their angry expressions and look away, "before you discuss something with me. I don't think my cousin and her classmates deserve to be talked about disciplinary measures when they were the ones who were provoked."

Levi gives the Mikasa and her friends a glance and a head jerk to the door, striding out while ignoring Dok spluttering some bullshit about school protocol. He turns back briefly to see the three of them scrambling out the office trying to keep up with him.

Eren is the fastest of the trio, jogging through the hallways and when he catches up to Levi's side, the kid asks, "Um, Mr. Ackerman, why'd you say that to Principal Dok?"

Levi just shrugs and looks to see Mikasa and Armin coming up behind him. Armin seems a bit embarrassed but thankful that they walked away without any sort of discipline. Mikasa still has a blank expression, however, he recognizes that the corners of her mouth are not as set in that harsh line as it was prior. When Levi sees that, he gives a small unnoticeable sigh and then proceeds to walk out of the doors.

A low grumble erupts by his side and he peers at Eren, who is rubbing his stomach sheepishly. He then looks to Levi and asks, "Can we stop for food?"

They end up going to a café about a 10-minute walk from the school. Apparently, it's a popular place for the students around the area. The three of them have gone here quite often in the past few months. He learns Eren and Armin have been receptive to Mikasa ever since she started school and he's wordlessly relieved that she has some people that she can hang around with.

Even if the Eren brat seems like an impulsive dumbass.

The three of them take over into an empty booth, while Levi glances at the seat, studying the cleanliness of the area. Once the sight has passed his cursory inspection, the man tentatively sits down and picks up a menu, which is full of tea, snacks and desserts. Eren gives him his order and then sends a look to Mikasa and Armin. Armin also states his order to the man — unsure if the man would be willing to pay — while Mikasa just points to what she wants. Levi suppresses an eye twitch when he turns his gaze upon Eren, scoffing inwardly at how the brat assumed that the older man would pay for the trio. Tch.

He goes up to the customer counter and waits for someone to serve him. As he stands there, Levi looks around the shop. It's a quaint place with white walls, green booths, and brown tables and seats. Each table has a vase of a single flower and some candles, producing a refined, yet casual, atmosphere. The scent of the shop smells nice: a mix of sugar, floral and subtle earth. He has to admit, the place seems relatively clean for being filled with teenagers all day. Levi can see why students would be attracted to the shop because of the aesthetics.

"Hello, welcome to PATHS Café! What can I get you?" a cheery voice says behind him.

Levi turns to the register and behind the kiosk is a young woman in her late-twenties with short honey-auburn hair and wide hazel eyes. He then notices how petite she is: she's probably only an inch or two shorter than him. The woman is smiling at him, her eyes crinkling at the corners and he finds himself being struck slightly by the specks of gold twinkling in them. Her presence seems to exude friendliness and he imagines the place lights up a bit when he sees her.

Collecting himself from the momentary lapse, Levi rattles off the orders for the brats at the booth. The woman taps some things onto the monitor in front of her. "Anything else?"

Levi is about to say no, but then finds himself asking, "What cup of tea would you recommend?"

The girl looks up at him, giving him a thoughtful glance and tapping her chin once. She then perks up and replies, "You look like you'd like our signature Earl Grey Lavender."

Levi nods and proceeds to pay for the items. He goes back to his booth where Eren seems to be trying to balance the candles from the table on top of his head, while Armin is trying to put them away and Mikasa just stares at the two. Tch. At least the candles are electronic.

He sits by Mikasa in the booth and then glances down at his watch. He has about an hour left before he has to go back to the office and deal with whatever shit went down in his absence.

"Why did you get us out of any disciplinary action?" Mikasa asks in a soft voice. This is the first thing she's said to him in the past hour that they've been together. Levi sneaks a quick look at her. She's still sitting rigidly in her seat and doesn't make eye contact with him.

Levi merely replies, "You brats shouldn't have gotten punished."

Eren then pipes in. "But I thought adults were always saying stuff about being the better person and not fighting back."

Levi gives a little snort. "There's no such thing about being the better person in certain situations. You stood up for yourselves. End of story."

Armin then speaks up timidly and asks, "But won't this affect how they act later? The reason why we tried to not do anything before is because we were afraid they'd just make things harder, but Eren reached his tipping point today."

The dark-haired teenager then gives Armin a half-hearted scowl, to which the blonde-haired boy ignores the expression.

Levi leans back cautiously in the booth, trying to not imagine any germs that could be on the seat, and responds nonchalantly, "The world is full of leeches and you have to learn to fight back at times. No matter how you do it, you pick your battles to get ahead of the person fucking you over."

He ignores the cringe from the two younger boys. "I'm not saying I approve of violence. I'm saying I approve of not letting someone stomp over you."

"Well, this certainly sounds like an interesting conversation," comments a familiar bright voice.

Levi turns his head and sees the woman from the counter with their orders. She sets everything down at the table and when she leans past Levi to give Mikasa her dessert, Levi catches the subtle scent of her sweet aroma. The woman glances at Eren and then her eyes enlarge in shock. Reaching forward to touch his shoulder, she exclaims, "What happened to you?"

Eren rubs his cheek embarrassedly and says, "I punched those bullies who were picking on us… Sorry Ms. Petra, I know you told us to not physically fight but today they said terrible things about Armin and racist things about Mikasa, and I just couldn't tolerate that!"

Levi peeks at the teenager sitting by his side and is a bit surprised at the light red dusting her cheekbones.

The young woman purses her lips, puts one hand on her hip and just says, "Well… you already did it so there's no point in me telling you off. I can't say I approve, but I recognize that you thought you were doing the right thing during the situation. So please try to defend your friend next time without feeling the need to fight."

She reaches over and ruffles Eren's hair, giving him a gentle smile. At the sight, Levi is reminded of how his mother would sometimes do that, even though he pretended to hate it as a child, and she'd just chuckle at him. He remembers how he did it occasionally to Isabel and she would beam at him, pleased with the action.

Brushing those thoughts out of his mind, he directs his gaze to the cup in front of him. Levi uses his hand to grip the rim of the cup, blows on it and then inhales the fragrance emitting from the drink. The scent is lavender mixed with citrus and earthy tones. He gives a little sip and lets the flavor roll on his tongue. The tea is not scalding on his tongue, nor is it lukewarm: the temperature is just right. The taste is savory and flowery. It leaves a mildly bitter aftertaste from the floral leaves, but it becomes sweeter as the seconds go by. His mouth feels warm and the feeling spreads throughout his body, allowing him to momentarily feel relaxed in the comfort of the shop.

Memories of his childhood briefly flash in front of his eyes: Levi thinks back to his mother's shop and how she'd always make him a cup whenever he stopped by on his way home from school. He'd sit at a little table, sipping on the tea while she'd gently stroke his hair and his cheek with the back of her fingers. She'd give him a smile and no matter how his day was, Levi's world would always light up and be filled with ease.

Levi blinks to come back to the present and glimpses sideways to Ms. Petra. Her eyes look at him expectantly, assessing his reaction. He clears his throat, lays the cup down in its saucer and simply comments, "It's good."

She breaks out into a grin, displaying her dimples. The golden specks in her eyes twinkle even more so than before as Ms. Petra merrily declares, "Looks like I've got a new regular."

"Tch. I only said it was good," Levi responds indifferently, not wanting to admit that he hasn't felt this satisfied with a cup since the ones his mother made.

Ms. Petra tilts her head a bit, gives a little hmm and then cheekily replies, "Whatever you say, but I know a tea connoisseur when I see one." She then gives a little giggle and practically floats away like a pixie to take care of another customer when the door rings.

Levi lets out a little scoff, but the corners of his lips turn up a bit as he continues drinking his tea quietly. The fuzzy feeling doesn't go away but instead grows stronger with every sip he takes. Reveling in the peacefulness, Levi starts to tune the three brats out when they talk about how the shop should start selling something called "bubble tea".

Today is an absolutely fucked up day.

One of his pharmaceutical clients is getting hit with a lawsuit and the plaintiffs have been pushing back hard lately. New evidence came up that puts his client at a severe disadvantage and Levi blows his fuse at the unfortunate senior associate who had to give him the news. Erwin calls him into his office and tells him they might need to revise the contract to pay a higher settlement amount, which then gives Levi a splitting migraine.

Refusing to talk to anyone and shutting off his phone, he goes for a walk to clear his mind and figure out a damn solution. It's the end of the workday for most individuals, but for him, it's still too early to go home. He navigates through the crowds of people, steaming at the situation and mentally cursing out his client for being a greedy bastard.

He'd been telling Erwin when their attorney-client contract expired two years ago to drop the company, but the man said it wouldn't be wise due to how reputable the organization was. And then this lawsuit happened. He couldn't have given a shit for any other business this could've happened to, but because this selfish pig was his client, Levi had to figure out a way to keep everyone happy. Otherwise, Erwin (and the firm) would get fucked over.

While he's fuming over his thoughts, Levi finds himself in an unfamiliar destination. He looks around and notices that he must've lost track of time. Glancing down at his watch, Levi realizes that he'd been walking for almost 30 minutes. He closes his eyes briefly and represses the urge to kick something. Levi focuses on breathing and then pinches his index finger and thumb in the space between his brows to mitigate the familiar tingle of an oncoming headache.

Letting out a small groan before making his way back to the office, he hears a "Mr. Ackerman?" from behind him.

Turning around, he sees Ms. Petra about six feet from him, holding a blackboard stand with a handwritten message of a new tea and a new dessert. Her hazel eyes are wide and inquisitive, but regardless she looks happy to see him. The sunset bounces off her honey-auburn hair, giving her aura a soft glow, and Levi can't help but think how this young woman just radiates warmth as he gazes at her.

"What're you doing here?" Ms. Petra asks, adjusting the blackboard in her hands.

Levi snaps out his reverie. "I was on a walk to take my mind off work and then happened to lose track of time." Glancing to his right, he notices that the sign for PATHS Café is just a shop away from his current position.

She makes a little humming noise and then uses one hand to motion to the door. "Would you like to come in for some tea?"

Levi gives a small shake of his head and then begins to walk away.

"I think you'd like the blend of the Earl Grey Lavender I just made," Ms. Petra calls out, her voice still chirpy as ever.

The delicious fragrance of the tea he first had at the place fills his senses. Levi really needs to get back to work, but nevertheless, he pauses in his steps. He glances down at his watch and then becomes cognizant of the sting suddenly erupting between his eyes. Levi thinks about how he really doesn't want to deal with the shit show at the firm right now without a resolution and takes a deep breath.

Strolling back to the young woman — who seems like she's trying to suppress a small smile — Levi moves past her to the front doors and opens them for her, stepping off to the side and saying, "After you, Ms. Petra."

She lets out the smile she'd been holding back and begins to move inside the café. And then she stops in front of him before entering the doorway. There's a light pink tinge spreading on her cheeks and with twinkling golden flickers in her hazel eyes, she then says, "Call me Petra."

Levi blinks at the beaming woman and dumbly responds, "Well then, call me Levi."

The dimples by the corners of Petra's mouth show as her grin becomes even more large (and charming). She moves ahead of him to go to the kitchen, again seemingly gliding across the floor like a pixie.

Levi sits down at what he thinks is a clean table in the corner by the window and looks around the shop. The place is more deserted now compared to when he first came. There are a few students on their laptops still studying, but most of the tables are empty. Due to the end of the day, the café is lit with an orange glow from the sunset filtering through the glass windows. Levi looks outside to the diminishing crowd of people rushing to get to their next location. He brings his phone out from his jacket pocket and contemplates what to do about the settlement. Twirling it on the table with his index finger, he stares absentmindedly at it, becoming oblivious to his surrounding environment.

A cup appears in his line of sight, and he looks up to Petra smiling down at him. He gives a little grunt in thanks and then picks up the cup, blowing on it and giving it a taste. The essence of the tea appeases him, and the flavor makes his shoulders unwind from their tightened position. He feels the pain in his head lessen and he inadvertently lets out a small sigh of relief.

"Rough day at work?" Petra inquires softly, her prior cheeky smile replaced with a more sympathetic one. Her hands are holding the tray to her stomach and she's tilting her head.

"Tch. Doesn't even come close to describe it," Levi responds before taking another sip. The irritation between his eyes fades a little more. He puts the cup down on its saucer, noticing how sore and constricted the muscles in his neck are. As he rolls his head from side to side and massages the back of it, Levi states roughly, "Client's being a pain in my ass."

Petra nods in empathy. "That does sound difficult, to put it mildly." Levi snorts a little at that.

She stands there in silence for a bit as Levi continues to drink from his cup. Petra gazes outside the glass window and then absentmindedly comments, "Everyone's going through something, huh?"

Levi looks up from his cup and quirks an eyebrow at her.

Realizing the remark slipped from her mouth, Petra flushes at his stare and then quickly clarifies, "I mean, you're not the first person that came in today with problems from their life. A lot of customers stop by the café because they want some time to themselves to think. Maybe it's something that happened at work, something that's wrong in their personal life, or even something a classmate did to them."

At that last part, Levi has a flashback to Mikasa, Armin and Eren and how familiar they seemed with Petra. How close they could be if Petra had no problem rumpling Eren's hair like that and if they confided in her about their problems at school. A little nudge in the back of his mind wonders if he could've known about Mikasa's problem earlier, but then it disappears quickly.

Petra then smiles sincerely, and a faraway look emerges in her eyes. "But no matter what, I'm glad most are comfortable enough to let out their thoughts to me. It's nice that they're able to talk about the things troubling them. Otherwise, keeping all those worries and emotions confined leads to something like shaking a soda can: everything explodes when it opens."

Levi doesn't comment at first but just blows and sips on the tea. He then sets the cup down and says in his usual manner, "Sometimes there's no time for things like that to get in your head. The world is how it is. If you get fucked up, you continue walking and moving. Otherwise, it all goes to shit if you start letting those emotions press you down."

Petra gives a little puff of her cheeks at that and slowly nods. She doesn't seem offended by his manner of speech or his thoughts — like most regular people would.

Fiddling with the tray in her hands, she then replies, "Perhaps. But moving forward can meet a lot of different things. Some might consider it as simply coming to terms and not looking back. Others might consider it as an outlet to figure out what happened in the past and then where to go from there. In the end, though, isn't the process just a way for someone to lose and find themselves to grow?"

He pauses from his cup and looks up to her at that. His dark silver eyes meet her hazel ones, and he sees traces of an indescribable emotion in them mixed with thoughtfulness. Her cheeks are tinted a light pink and her expression is looking down at him softly.

They gaze at one another for a bit, before he breaks eye contact, sets down his cup and just questions gruffly and a bit tightly, "Does it matter if people 'grow', as long as they can get through the rest of their life?"

Levi thinks about his mother taking away all the warmth and comfort in the world upon her death. He thinks about Furlan and Isabel taking away all the laughter and promises when they left. Levi's reminded of the cold and darkness that entered his world. He remembers the hopelessness in Mikasa's eyes when he saw her outside the office on that bench.

People definitely change. But not everyone grows from their experiences.

Surprisingly, Petra doesn't seem put off. She giggles and shakes her head while answering, "Well when you put it like that, I guess not. But that seems like a pretty dull life, right?"

Levi stares at her twinkling hazel eyes, his silver ones widening marginally at that response. Feeling his heart beating a little faster than usual, he just settles for replying in a bland voice, "Who knows?"

The door rings and another customer comes in. Petra moves to the counter to take her order and Levi stares at his empty cup, contemplating their conversation.

Lose and find to grow, huh?

And then Levi has a streak of inspiration. He turns on his phone and nearly cusses out loud at all the missed calls, emails, and unread messages flooding his notifications. Immediately calling Erwin and telling him he has an idea, Levi practically hears the blonde-haired man smile through the phone. He brings out some change and lays the bills on the table before rushing back to the firm.

When it's 9pm and they're revising the contract, Levi only realizes then that Petra remembered his first order from almost two months ago.

Summer comes and school ends for Mikasa. Levi's not sure what he's supposed to do with a teenager who will now be at the apartment for the entire day. When he carefully asks about her plans one weekend, Mikasa tells him she plans on taking some summer classes to prepare for the next year. Levi sighs inwardly because that means one less thing for him to consider. He briefly feels a pang of guilt for not doing more for the kid, but it's not like he has the time to take her on a vacation when he has clients up his ass all day.

Mikasa says she's taking the classes with Armin and Eren, and Levi suppresses the urge to roll his eyes at the latter name. He hears the subtle fondness in how she says Eren's name and sees the softening in her expression. Kid could do a lot better in his opinion.

So, they continue to stick to their regular routine: he goes to work and tries to stifle the urge to maim people, while she goes to school and hangs out with Armin and Eren afterwards.

And then one fine late June afternoon — meaning there are no clients bitching about a case that they would've lost if they didn't have Levi — he gets a call from Mikasa's cell phone. He's a little surprised because she never usually calls him during work, but answers it knowing that it must be something serious.

"Hello?" A female voice asks on the other end, a bit out of breath.

"Mikasa?" This tone doesn't sound like his cousin's.

"Oh, Levi! It's Petra. Do you think you have some time to come down to the shop right now? Mikasa's had an accident here," she says, traces of anxiety leaking into her typically cheerful voice.

Levi starts moving out of his office and taps his secretary's desk and gives him that look to clear his schedule. "Is she all right?" he asks, while pressing the elevator button, cursing in his mind for the slow speed.

"She got burned from some tea, so I applied some salve and got her some bandages, but I think you should come down and take her home," Petra replies.

"I'm on my way," Levi says before hanging up as the elevator doors finally open.

When he arrives outside of the shop, he sprints through the doors and sees Mikasa, Armin and Eren at the back corner booth. Mikasa is seated at the edge looking down into her lap while the two boys are standing around her. Armin looks like his perpetually nervous self and Eren looks disgruntled and apologetic. Levi strolls up to them and notices that parts of Mikasa's hands are bandaged. The table has a pile of papers that look like they'd been stained with various shades of liquid.

Taking a guess at what happened, he looks to the two boys with a dark gaze and asks, "Oi. The fuck did you brats do?"

Armin and Eren flinch, the former more so, and Eren rubs the back of his neck while muttering, "I was trying to see Mikasa's answers and then accidentally knocked over our cups of tea when she wouldn't show them to me…"

Tch. Levi gives another glare at Eren, who immediately scowls down at the floor. The older man then directs his gaze towards Mikasa. The girl is still refusing to make eye contact with him. He clears his throat before asking clumsily, "You all right?"

"Yes," the teenage girl responds in a monotone voice.

"Good." An awkward silence follows, to which Levi breaks by saying, "Let's go back to the apartment."

Mikasa tells him in a lower voice, "We broke a teacup."

At the same time, Eren just raises his gaze from his shoes and comments in disbelief, "That's it?"

Levi blinks slowly and tries to not cuss out the kid. Instead, he breathes out through his nose and attempts to say in a calm voice, "I'll go talk to Petra."

Turning on his heel, the man finds her standing by the counter a couple of feet away. She's observing the scene with a contemplative expression. Levi gives her a nod and walks up to her saying, "Thanks for calling me. How much are the teacup and medical supplies?"

Petra widens her eyes and then shakes her head while responding, "It's no trouble at all! It's just a teacup, I have plenty of more."

"Well then, consider it payment for cleaning up the Yeager dumbass's mess," Levi counters, bringing out his wallet from his jacket pocket.

Petra lets out a little chuckle. "No, really. I don't want the money." She steps backwards and waves her hands in front of her, hoping it would deter the man.

However, Levi disregards her as he fishes through his wallet and prepares to draw a bill. Petra, however, notices what he's about to do and then instinctively steps forward to put a hand gently on top of his to stop the action. Jerking back in surprise, Levi feels his breath hitch quietly and something in his chest flip-flops. Her hand is warm and smooth, and he can't remember the last time someone touched him like this. Looking to her face, he notices glints of amusement shining in her hazel orbs.

Petra gives a sincere smile as she repeats, "It's fine."

Levi gapes, a bit dumbstruck while Petra lets out another soft giggle upon his reaction. Realizing their position, he quickly takes a large step back and then her eyes also widen at what just transpired between them. She immediately clasps her hands behind her back and then blushes a bit, smiling embarrassedly. Levi looks back over his shoulder to see the three brats staring at them.

Ignoring the two boys, he gives a look to Mikasa and just says, "Get your things. We're leaving."

Mikasa nods and the other two proceed to help her, alleviating any pressure on her hands. Levi turns to Petra again and gives her a nod before preparing to move out the door.

As he's about to take a step though, Petra calls out hesitantly, "Levi?"

He faces her partially. Petra clasps her hands behind her back and looks a bit unsure. She reduces the distance between them and says gingerly, "It's not my place, but Mikasa is a sweet child."

Annoyance floods through him and he glares at her with a raised eyebrow and cold expression, knowing where the conversation is going. Petra is, however, undeterred by his response and then her demeanor becomes more determined as she continues speaking, "I'm not saying you're not trying. I'm just saying I think you two are similar. Maybe she'll find what she needs in you."

Levi maintains his irritated demeanor, but she holds his gaze and is unwavering. From the corner of his vision, he notices Mikasa coming around up to his side. Levi then breaks his gaze from Petra's and moves out the doors, opening them for his cousin. When he looks back though, the man sees Petra brush Mikasa's hair, and a tiny unpleasant feeling nudges him. The teenager then walks out the café, giving her older cousin a little head dip in thanks. He then turns away from the shop without a backwards glance.

As they silently walk back towards the apartment, he tries to push the tense feeling away, but it still sticks there in his chest.

You two are similar.

If they're similar, then they're tough. They don't need to be coddled with sympathy or pity. They can get through their problems just fine without the incessant help of others. World is like that. Better to learn how to be independent early on than to realize the necessity of it later in life.

And then Levi thinks of his mother's warm touch whenever she'd stroke his face, the hugs she gave him whenever he came home from school, and the tender smiles shared between the two. And then an image of ruffling Isabel's hair while she grinned at him pops up in his mind.

"What kind of food do you like?" He winces inwardly at the attempt to converse.

"Anything will do," Mikasa replies in her standard monotone fashion.

Levi fights back the quick pang of exasperation shooting through him. "What was the best food your mom made?"

Mikasa is mute for a long enough time to make Levi consider calling off his attempts to "connect" and just order takeout for them when they get back to the apartment. And then she replies in a more authentic tone, "She made the best tonkatsu curry."

He pauses at that and lets out a small breath of relief. Peeking at the teenager by his side, Levi then says, "I know a good Japanese restaurant. Want to go tonight?"

Mikasa rotates her head, and he sees her grey eyes are more mellow. Her posture is still as proper as ever, but there is a loosening to her shoulders. The lines on her face aren't so sharp and she finally looks like a young teenage girl. When she nods shyly and gives him a tiny smile, Levi feels the corners of his mouth turning up and thinks the sunset gives an approving beam.

The day after, Levi shows up at the shop during his lunch break and almost backs out due to how busy the place looks. But then he sees Petra coming from the backroom and begrudgingly advances towards the front counter. She looks surprised to see him, but then masks her expression into a joyful air and asks, "Earl Grey Lavender?"

Levi gives a low grunt in acquiescence and then seats himself onto a stool by the top counter and waits for his drink. He crosses his legs and taps his fingers slowly on the granite surface, vaguely observing the shop.

The cup is placed in front of him, and he nods at Petra in thanks as he blows on the tea but stops upon noticing that the aroma is a bit spicier and sweeter than prior fixes. He casts a questioning look to Petra. She beams, pleased that he noticed. "I used a new blend of Ceylon leaves and added some honey to your drink today. I thought you'd like it."

At that, she suddenly blushes. Her face becomes timid, and she folds her hands on the counter. Looking down at them, Petra then says, "Well, I guess I got ahead of myself. Just like yesterday…"

She gives a little forced chuckle and meets his gaze. "I'm sorry. It wasn't my place to say those things. I just —"

"Thank you for the tea. It's good," Levi interrupts, taking a sip. Setting down the cup, his usual gravelly voice changes into a more authentic one as he softly says, "And thank you for yesterday."

Petra looks stunned for a moment. And then she breaks out into that friendly smile again, revealing her lovely dimples. Her eyes lose any prior hesitation, scrunching at the corners to highlight her happiness. In that moment, Levi imagines the café to be a little more illuminated. His heart beats a bit quicker at the sight, so he directs his attention back to the tea. While Petra goes back to the counter to help someone, Levi's own mouth forms the smallest smile as he continues drinking from the cup.

He stops by the shop whenever he has time from work. Sometimes it'll be during lunch. Other times he'll just have a shitty day and go there to cool off for a brief period of time. Regardless, whenever he walks through the doors and makes eye contact with Petra, she'll beam and give a little wave. In return, Levi will give a head motion and then proceed to that corner table by the window he first sat at all those months ago. He doesn't notice until later how much cleaner that spot is compared to every other table in the café.

Levi will ponder over his thoughts related to something giving him trouble for the day and then Petra will come by with a usual cup of Earl Grey Lavender. Sometimes she'll add lemon, citron, honey or some other blend of leaf to make the flavor different, but he always enjoys whatever she makes. On busier days, Petra will give him the cup and then take care of another customer walking in. On slower days, she'll make conversation with him. Eventually she starts pulling up a chair to sit and talk with him.

No matter what kind of day though, Petra will always stay long enough to gauge his reaction to her tea. He'd always let the scent fill his nose and then give a sip, allowing the flavor to take away the stress of the day and calm him down from whatever shit was cluttering his mind. He'd open his eyes, not realizing he had closed them in the first place, look at her beaming face and then his heart gradually would start fluttering at the sight.

Levi genuinely enjoys the conversations they have. She does most of the talking and he's content to listen to her and chime in from time to time. He always feels comfortable enough to share his thoughts with her — which she never gets offended by for some strange reason. He's pleased to find some sort of friendship with her, since the only other people he's gotten to know on a more personal basis are Erwin and Hange. Petra went to college in the city studying business and then worked at a large financial institution after graduating. After about three years, she left to open her own tea shop.

When he inquires as to why she made that switch, Petra looks outside the window at the crowd of people walking by and says, "I didn't plan on it at first. While I certainly liked my previous job, I couldn't imagine myself going down that road for the rest of my career. To others, setting up a café wasn't a practical decision. But for me, it was always about the person. Whether it's because they like my tea or because they just need a haven for 10 minutes, it didn't matter. I just wanted to know that I could be there for anyone on their path who needed it."

The gleam from the end of the afternoon bounces off her hair, even through the glass, making the air around her glimmer. She then giggles and looks at Levi in a way that makes his ears tingle. "Hence the name of the café."

He's silent at first. After folding his hands in his lap and then tapping the top hand's index finger onto the back of his hand, Levi simply remarks, "Your tea is lovely."

Petra throws back her head slightly and lets out a chiming laugh that makes him self-conscious at his choice of words. She then gives him that cheeky, yet pleasant, smile that shows off her dimples. "Thank you. That does mean a lot coming from my best customer."

Tch. He pretends to be annoyed and simply hides the twitch of his mouth behind the cup. Yet, Petra sees through his charade and continues grinning at him, resting her chin on the back of her hand and chattering away about something else. For the rest of the day, Levi thinks the world looks brighter and feels warmer.

Levi finds his relationship with Mikasa improves also ever since that afternoon. They make it a routine to have dinner outside at least once a week. Eventually, when they converse, she'll respond with more than one sentence. He sees more of Armin and Eren than he would like to. Sometimes they'll run in at the tea shop, to which he'll say hello briefly and then ignore their stares as he chats with Petra. Nevertheless, Levi's glad that she has friends that she can be with.

As the months go by, he learns more about her interests and hobbies. He finds himself growing used to having her in his living space. There is a different companionship he was with the teenager compared with Erwin, Hange and Petra; however, it's not unpleasant. Rather, the man starts to appreciate the time he has with her. Gradually, Levi begins to envision tints of soft light filtering through the apartment, making the place seem cozier and more like a home.

Initially, he had no plans to do anything for Thanksgiving (because he never did for the past five years, even upon the insistence of Erwin and Hange). But the Yeagers' invited Mikasa over and the invitation was extended to Levi. He brings it up to Petra one afternoon in the shop, and she encourages them to go together as a family.

However, Levi is not sure if that's what they actually are. While they are certainly more friendly with one another now, it doesn't feel like a family just yet. It's also not like they're friends, despite their companionship. They're more like roommates, which he's honestly fine with.

So, he drops her off at the Yeager's in the afternoon when the holiday comes. Levi maintains his traditional routine by going to the empty firm and lounging in his office, working on some case files at his own pace. When he's done, he pulls out a glass and bottle of scotch, sits on the couch in his office and pours himself a drink, enjoying the time to himself.

A loud ring from his office phone disrupts the tranquility, and Levi groans before moving to go pick it up. He's notified of a visitor for him on the other line from the front desk. When he goes down to the lobby, Levi stops in his steps.

Petra is there by the desk. She has two bags lying around her feet. Upon seeing him, her expression morphs into one of delight.

"What're you doing here?" Levi questions, surprised at her appearance.

"It's Thanksgiving! Mikasa told me you were working today, and I wanted to stop by with food," Petra replies, gesturing to the bags on the ground.

Levi stares at her for a moment before declaring, "It's fine. I don't need food."

Petra purses her lips. "Well, I can give you company so that you're not alone today."

He gives her a look as he repeats, "It's fine. Go home."

"Levi."

About to go back up to his office, he pauses upon hearing her say his name. Peeking over his shoulder, Petra is staring back at him, flickers of uncertainty trickling into her previous joyful expression. The dark-haired man feels his chest begin to constrict in discomfort.

Petra has her hands clasped in front of her, one thumb trailing over her other hand's knuckles. Her brow is slightly furrowed when she asks softly, "Please?"

Levi swallows thickly. His heart is beating a bit quicker than normal currently and he feels a brief pang of guilt shoot through him. Making a head motion to the elevators, Petra immediately perks up and scrambles to pick up the bags around her.

"You really told your client that?"

Levi nods, picking up his glass of scotch and downing the remainder in one gulp.

Petra lets out that laugh making his ears tingle. "I don't understand how you managed to keep your job after all these years when you have the personality of a grumpy old man."

Said man scoffs and replies, "Tch. Believe me. I don't know how either." He picks up the bottle again and pours himself another glass, ignoring Petra's look telling him to at least eat something before drinking.

They're sitting at the table in his office with containers of leftovers from lunch with her parents. She sits in the seat next to him and props her elbow up on the glass surface, resting her chin on her hand. Traces of laughter are apparent in her hazel eyes and Levi loosens his tie again to give him some room to breathe.

"Levi?"

He grunts in response.

"Why did you decide to go into corporate law?" Petra asks curiously.

Levi takes another swig of his drink and twirls the glass slowly, so the ice cubes make a clinking sound. "My friend from high school wanted to go into law and I decided to pursue the field with him."

She nods, seemingly satisfied with that answer. Petra pours herself a cup of water and then asks, "Did you ever think of doing something else?"

Levi thinks back to his childhood. He remembers telling his mother he wanted to take over the café one day and provide the same contentment he always had for others. The place was like his second physical home. However, wherever his mother was, that was his real haven. The glow of the sun on a blazing summer day couldn't compare to that of his mother whenever she was by his side. Even though days would change into nights, Levi thought that she'd be the same in his life forever.

He could've easily said "no" and been done with the question. He doesn't know if it's because of the alcohol (although he rarely gets drunk), or if it's because this is the first time he's been with someone for a Thanksgiving in five years. It could also just be how Petra has a natural way of making him feel at ease and prone to talking more.

Regardless, Levi gingerly responds, "My mother owned a tea shop also. I wanted to take over it one day."

Petra lets out another small smile. "What changed?"

"When she passed away, there wasn't any need to."

There was no way to bring back the warmth in the shop because she wasn't alive anymore.

They sit in silence for some time. Petra puts down her cup gently on the table. The corners of her mouth turn down and her eyes become more compassionate. Her fingers twitch as she says delicately, "I'm sorry."

Levi gives a grunt. "It's in the past. I've moved on."

Petra's gaze lingers on his face, her hazel eyes indiscernible. He doesn't see pity — which he appreciates — but doesn't understand what's going on in her head, so he continues drinking from his glass.

She then grabs her phone and makes some quick tapping motions before some mellow tune starts playing. Levi raises an eyebrow at the sound and asks a bit incredulously, "What is that?"

"It's one of Spotify's autumn instrumental playlists," Petra responds cheerily. She then stands up and smooths out her golden knit sweater dress. If Levi thinks the outfit complements her personality and makes her look more captivating than normal, then he keeps that thought to himself.

Extending a hand to him, her eyes take on a glimmer as she asks him charmingly, "Dance with me?"

Again, maybe it's because of the scotch that he can't get drunk from, or the fact that he hadn't had dinner with someone for a Thanksgiving in a long time. Or it could've been because Petra was looking at him like this request actually meant something important to her. Whatever the reason, Levi knew he didn't think he could ever turn down those beautiful eyes and that sweet smile.

The man heaves a sigh, puts down his glass and then takes her warm, smooth hand slowly, and then lets her lead him to the center of the room. She gently holds his left hand, while putting her left hand on his shoulder. He's not sure what to do with his right hand, so he just self-consciously settles it loosely in the middle of her back. Petra giggles a little bit, but doesn't move to correct his movements, so he thinks it's fine. They're about a foot apart currently, so he can see the fullness of her eyelashes. The golden specks in her eyes have been emphasized by how much she'd been laughing throughout the night. Levi clears his throat and then directs his gaze to a spot in the bookshelf behind her head.

They sway to the soothing beat for a bit, and he notices how warm Petra's hand within his grasp is currently. Levi can also feel the warmth of the hand on his shoulder, even through his clothes. As the song continues, a cozy feeling spreads from his hand to eventually his entire body, making him feel weightless. A pleasant rush goes to his head, emptying his mind of all other thoughts. Her subtle flowery aroma fills his nose, and he exhales quietly. Unconsciously, he tightens his grip on Petra's mid-back, inadvertently bringing her the tiniest bit closer to him.

Levi flexes the hand holding hers and then tentatively brushes his thumb over hers twice. Petra gives a pleasant hum and nonchalantly runs the hand on his shoulder down his right arm. She then steadily slips her left arm around his waist, moving closer to him. They're about half a foot apart now.

He can feel the quickening of his heartbeat and their breathing falling in sync with one another. The heat from her body makes him glad that he took off his jacket prior. But it's a comfortable heat. Levi can't remember the last time he felt this at peace with another person. He feels himself going into a trance and his hand slips down from her mid-back to rest on her waist. His shoulders loosen and his posture slumps while he's holding her. They're practically touching now. Levi feels the tickle of her breath against the side of his neck.

His eyes widen marginally when she rests her head against his shoulder in the crook of his neck. He stiffens at first, but then she rubs her hand lazily up and down his back, as if to calm him. The motion works and he can feel himself relax again. Closing his eyes, Levi takes in the feel of her body against his and lightly rests his cheek against the side of her head. In the back corner of his mind, he marvels at how perfectly she fits into him. Her scent faintly reminds him of the Earl Grey Lavender she usually makes and how that fragrance always seems to make him feel like he's floating.

Except what he feels right now in her arms is that ethereal feeling multiplied by infinity.

Taking a deep breath, he reopens his eyes and takes a glance at the young woman in his arms. Petra's eyes are also closed and there is a serene smile on her face. She leisurely opens them, and silver meets hazel. They gaze at one another for a bit. She straightens her posture and the arm wrapped around his waist becomes tighter. Petra gently removes her hand from his and Levi finds himself uncharacteristically disappointed from the lack of warmth. She moves her hand to stroke his cheek with the back of her hand and then rests her palm on his cheek, her thumbs stroking his cheekbones and fingers caressing his jawline.

Levi rests his other hand on her waist. Their foreheads fall against one another and their noses almost touch one another's. Her eyes are closed, and he can see a pink tinge spreading through her cheeks. Struck by how angelic she looks, he swallows thickly and thinks about how beautiful she's always been to him. Her personality that always seems to brighten up his life, no matter what kind of day he's had. Her sweet smile that relieves him and comforts him. Her eyes that carry so much emotion that they bring back all the warmth and feeling into his world.

Her eyelashes flutter against her lids in anticipation and he knows what he feels for her is not strictly friendly anymore. The room is dimly lit, but Levi clearly sees her as if the sun is shining down on them. He recognizes that if they were to take the next step, his world would be lit in this same glow again. They could spend every day like this in satisfaction and peace. He has visions of more memories being made in the café, basking in the tranquility of the shop. Levi sees a home that doesn't feel like a physical space and is instead filled with a calm warmth that hasn't appeared in his world for a long time.

Levi imagines promises of a family in her. He wouldn't be alone anymore.

But a familiar feeling that he hasn't experienced in a long time shoots through his veins, turning his blood to ice. And then Levi doesn't know if he wants those things anymore.

So, he grits his teeth and takes a deep breath before pulling back and removing her hand from his face. Her hazel eyes fly open when he does that, and confusion leaks through her peaceful expression.

"I'm sorry," Levi whispers, trying to mask his features and not let his voice waiver.

Hurt floods her face, and he sees moisture forming in the corner of her eyes. She frowns and shifts her eyes away from his silver ones. Petra then asks in a raspy voice, "Why?"

Levi doesn't respond. He stares at her, forces down the remorse bursting through him and just says, "I think you should go."

A tear slips down Petra's smooth, porcelain skin, and she roughly disentangles herself from his grasp. Levi immediately feels the loss of the warmth he came to enjoy pressed against his body. Grabbing her coat and purse from the couch and using one hand to wipe her cheek, Petra walks out of his office without a backward glance.

Levi merely stands there in the center of the office, long after his body grows cold and loses the comfort felt earlier.

One month passes and it's getting to the Christmas holidays. He hasn't seen Petra since Thanksgiving. Mikasa had mentioned to him at one point during one of their weekend dinner's that the woman seemed distant and troubled at times, throwing a curious glance at him. Levi swallowed the various feelings spiking within him by taking a large bite of his curry.

He copes by throwing himself more into his work. As long as it keeps his mind busy and focused; even though he feels responsible for her mood shift, Levi doesn't have the time to think about shit like that. Even if he did, it would do them no good because what's done is done. Therefore, there's no point in explaining anything to her. Nevertheless, Levi also undergoes some more erratic mood swings, prompting those around the firm to be even more wary around the partner. It becomes enough of an issue for Erwin to call him into his office and ask what's wrong.

The shorter man merely shrugs him off and prepares to leave through the door.

"I haven't seen you like this since Isabel and Furlan passed away," Erwin comments in a seemingly casual manner as he sits back in his seat.

Levi pauses and clenches his jaw while turning to the blonde-haired man. He puts his hands in the pockets of his Armani trousers and responds in a tight voice, "You got something to say?"

Erwin sighs and folds his hands on his lap. "This past year hasn't been the easiest for you. And there was a recent period when I saw you more relaxed than you'd been in the last five years."

The older man stands up from his desk and buttons the clasp on his suit jacket. Walking over to Levi, Erwin looks down at him and says quietly, "As your friend, I want to say you don't need to be alone and close yourself off from others when there's the potential for something more."

Erwin gently claps his hand on Levi's shoulder. "You deserve some happiness."

He strides out, leaving the darker-haired man in the office.

Mikasa is at the Yeager's again for Christmas and Levi is alone. Again. On his birthday.

He usually doesn't care. He's gotten through the holidays just fine for the past five years and there isn't any reason why this year should be any different.

Except as he's sitting on his couch nursing another bottle of scotch, Levi unintentionally thinks about Erwin's words from the prior week and reminisces on the past with his mother. How her presence always filled him with happiness and warmth. How her touch always seemed to put him at ease, no matter what he was going through. Her tender smile and hugs made him feel cherished and loved like no other. He was always a stoic kid, but with her, he let out whatever emotions he experienced.

Levi is reminded of how her death took all those things away and left him alone in a cold dark tunnel. He remembers seeing her body on the hospital bed, the cancer making the once vibrant and beautiful woman into a gaunt shell of a human being. He has recollections of her attempting to smile and laugh for him, even though he knew what was about to come. And then he thinks of her stroking his hair one last time before the monitor went off, prompting the doctors to usher him out of the room as fast as possible.

Although the tunnel was cold, there was never any pain. Because of that, Levi never cried once — even when he knew his mother was about to die — because he was numbed to everything. He didn't break down when Kenny walked into the hospital room and gently brushed what was left of his mother's silky hair. He didn't cry like others did during the funeral when he saw her body lowered into the ground. Levi just stood there, ice to anyone who tried to console him, because he felt nothing.

Kenny took him in, but there was no warmth, light, or comfort in that house when he had to move. The new place he had to live in was dim and chilly, with no clear sight of his path. However, Levi met Furlan and Isabel. Isabel was two years younger than him and Furlan, but the three of them stuck together throughout high school — more like Isabel and Furlan clung to him initially, and Levi in time got used to the two.

Slowly, he began to see the road of the tunnel he was in. He began to hold his head up high on his course and steadily began taking steps towards the end.

Furlan and him went to the same college together. The former decided to study law. When considering his career, Levi had a brief flashback to his mother's tea shop. But then he realized that the tea shop could never come to fruition because she was gone. So, he decided as long as he was with his friends, I didn't matter what he did. Levi then joined Furlan on the law track. Isabel was able to join shortly after and then the three were together again.

As time passed with the two of them, Levi felt the cold dissipate. Feelings of warmth, happiness and peace came back. Laughter and smiles re-entered his world. Looking to the future, he saw promises full of hope with them. From friendships, a family emerged. His path became clearer and clearer as the years went by and he wasn't alone when walking on that road anymore.

Furlan and Levi graduated first, worked for three years and then went to law school together. Erwin — who was a second-year associate at the time — met the two during a recruiting event their first year and invited them to apply for Paradis Marley. They got full-time offers from the firm upon their graduation. The work was hard and grueling, but Levi and Furlan both persevered. Isabel followed in their footsteps after to join the firm, and he was finally near the light at the end of that tunnel. He saw a future with them, and this next step was the start of their new chapter.

And then they left him one freezing winter night in an accident. Once again, every warm feeling —comfort, peace, happiness, joy, laughter, hope — in his world disappeared within the blink of the eye. The possibilities of a future under the open sky faded. His family was gone again. He was forced back to that tunnel: lonely, cold and blind. And this time, the cold became unbearable to the point that he finally felt the pain, crippling him as he hunched over with his head in his hands on a hospital bench outside the emergency operating room. Levi, for the first time, thought there was no point in going on.

Why did he get to live while the ones he loved left him alone?

But as quickly as the agony hit him, Levi also immediately promised himself that wouldn't break down. He had to keep moving and walking for his family. He couldn't lose his balance and stumble. Levi couldn't be weak. Otherwise, there would be nothing in this world left for him. He refused to let himself feel the weight of what he went through. If he did, everything would crash on him and there was no way he'd have the will to live.

So, Levi swept away the feelings and focused on stabilizing his footing. Progressively, walking became natural to him again and he resumed holding his posture straight and head high. Although there were days when he felt like caving, he never did because wavering on his road would mean failing his family. Even when people gave him varying looks of pity to empathy, Levi got angry because he didn't want those sentiments to interfere in his life. As a result, he closed himself off from others even more.

He'd been fine walking this way for the past five years. He found friendship with Erwin and Hange, and though it wasn't the same family he loved and cherished before, he was content. Step by step, he felt like he moved on from their deaths. The world was still mostly dull and cold, but there were soft flashes filtering through here and there — enough for him to see bits and pieces of the path laid out and continue moving on.

Gradually, he realized it wasn't so bad being alone. He could know for certain what would happen. He could control how he walked through the tunnel and look out for himself. It was easier that way. Levi didn't have the desire to look for another family when his track record failed to prove that personal attachment could flourish for him.

This past year though, changed everything for him. He had another relative and he wasn't shit at taking care of her. He got used to Mikasa's presence and found some sort of instinct in being her guardian, even though he was deprived of that care from a parental figure in his early life. The teenager was like him in so many ways and while it was unnerving to begin with, Levi also found that he understood the things she was going through. The awkwardness waned and he grew used to the friendship.

And then there was Petra, who brought back every feeling he thought he lost back into his world. Whenever he spent time with her, there was sure to be laughter and smiles. Her touch reintroduced the comfort and warmth he thought he'd never have again. From the moment he danced with her, he saw the promises of a future. Levi saw everything in the tunnel illuminate and could clearly envision the end. He knew he didn't have to carry on walking alone, because she could represent every assurance and hope that came with having a family.

But then Petra also unlocked those feelings that night they danced, making him uncertain about a family. So, he didn't want to go down that road in case it didn't work out. If it meant severing a relationship now to save him from any possible risks, he'd do it.

Walking alone wasn't bad. He could be content with the soft light streaming through sporadically. His friendship with Erwin and Hange would be enough. His companionship with Mikasa would be enough. He didn't need another relationship with Petra.

Levi downs the rest of the scotch and then sets the glass on the table. He leans over with his arms propped up on his legs. Bringing his hands to his head, Levi rubs his temples and tries to get rid of an oncoming headache. Lying back on the couch again, he throws his arm over his eyes and tries to assure himself that he made the best decision. He makes the resolve to get over these feelings and continue as he's done before.

It works until about a week later when the night of Isabel and Furlan's deaths arrive.

He's outside on the balcony looking over the city in the night. The lights twinkle amid the darkness and the chill January air tickles his bare face. Levi, again, is finishing up another bottle of alcohol. Distantly, he realizes that he's been drinking more than usual. In the back of his mind, he recognizes why, but doesn't want to admit it. Right now, the man wants to be disconnected from everything because it's more convenient this way.

As he stands there though, the feelings he thought he moved on from are resurfacing and he doesn't have the effort to deal with that bullshit.

Quickly telling Mikasa that he's going outside for a walk, Levi steps out of their building and into the city streets. He walks for what seems like ages but has no destination in mind. The whiskey hasn't made him a hobbling drunk, but he does feel disassociated with each step he takes. There's a faint humming in his ears and he thinks this is probably the first time he's ever experienced being buzzed.

Unfortunately, the alcohol has made him more sentimental today. He wants to get rid of those thoughts and feelings. And he's done so for the past five years, so why can't he now?

"Bro, trust me! I'll become the best first-year associate at the firm!" Isabel exclaimed, raising her glass and then throwing her head back to down the drink in one shot.

Furlan laughed, while Levi made a tch noise. The dirty blonde also tipped his glass back, threw his arm around Levi's shoulder and then responded slyly, "Well, we can't all be like Levi in his first year, right? The managing partner wanted to know who was responsible for the 'fantastic' briefing for a major case and your bro here just said, 'The name's Levi.' Shadis looked like he was about to wring Levi's neck."

Isabel and Furlan hooted in laughter and Levi let out the smallest smile at the sight in front of him. He also tossed the liquor in the glass down his throat and in that moment, everything was complete and whole: Levi had his family with him, and the three would walk towards the end of that tunnel — together.

Rubbing his fingers to his temples, Levi lets out a hiss at the memory. A tingle shoots in the back of his skull. He continues walking until a familiar fragrance fills his senses. Looking to his right, Levi sees up ahead the sign for PATHS Café. Checking his watch, he realizes that the store probably is already closed. He plans to move in another direction away from the place, but his feet won't do so. Unconsciously, Levi hesitantly walks to the shop, the smell of tea and sugar getting stronger with each step. Standing outside the window, he sees the dim lights on the ceiling creating a golden gleam in the café. The place looks like it's in the middle of being cleaned.

The door from the back room opens and Petra comes out with a rag and small bucket of water in her hands. She sets the things on the counter and starts cleaning a table. Like every illumination seems to do, the ceiling overhead reflects her beautiful honey-auburn hair and gives her an angelic glow. Her face is furrowed in slight concentration as she tries to remove a stain from the table, and he unintentionally thinks it's endearing. Putting the rag back into the bucket, she wipes her hands on a towel and looks up to see him outside the window.

Levi realizes a little too late that he'd been entranced when watching her, causing them to just gape at one another for a minute. He averts his gaze and starts to turn to walk away. Yet, he sees from the corner of his vision Petra moving to the front door and unlocking it.

One of her arms open the door partially and she peeks her head out. Her usual joyful expression when greeting him is replaced with a moderately forced upturn of her lips. Hazel eyes that used to sparkle upon seeing him are now dull and he feels the repressed emotions from Thanksgiving coming back up.

"Do you have something to say, or did you come to stare at me?"

Levi looks down at his shoes at that and scowls. He shuffles his feet a bit and tucks his hands into the pockets of his black coat. Responding in a gruff voice, Levi confesses, "I was walking and didn't realize where I was going."

Petra studies him for a moment, before exhaling and then opening the door a little further and then asking gently, "Would you like some tea?"

A gust blows through the door, the chill making Petra's shoulders shiver. Levi notices and immediately moves to move her back into the heat of the shop, closing the door behind him. He doesn't realize what he's done until he notices Petra looking at him with questioning eyes and a little bit of frustration.

Her face morphs into surprise as she delicately sniffs the air and then it transforms into disbelief. Petra points to a table and the look on her face tells him to sit down. She goes to the back room without a glance at him.

Levi pulls the chair out and then sits down, feeling a tad heavier than usual. After a few seconds, the headache bursts, forcing him to close his eyes and pinch the space between his brows.

A thud sounds in front of him, and he opens his eyes to find a glass of water on the table and Petra leaning on the edge with one hand on her hip. Giving him a look, the young woman stares as Levi lets out a sigh and takes a sip of the water.

Folding her arms, she exhales and then asks, "Is there a reason why you came drunk to my shop this late at night?"

Levi makes a tch sound and answers, "You know I don't get drunk."

Petra rolls her eyes. "Well, you smell like a bar, so your body's probably dehydrated." She then jerks her chin and Levi picks up the glass to drink.

A lull falls between them as Petra continues observing him and Levi drinks the water deliberately. Her eyes become a bit more tender as she stares at him and then she asks quietly, "Why did you come here?"

Levi doesn't say anything for a moment before responding faintly, "I don't know." It's the truth: he really doesn't know what compelled him to walk here.

"That's not an answer," Petra says tightly, her eyes hardening a touch. Sighing, she then continues in a softer voice, "Since you're here, I would appreciate it if you could be honest with me."

Pulling up another chair and sitting down on it, she folds her hands into her lap and then fiddles with her thumbs a bit before asking hesitantly, "Did I overstep last time?"

He picks up the glass but doesn't drink from it. Rubbing his fingers along the cool glass, Levi contemplates his next words. He wasn't sure if he wanted to lie to her face and say that he didn't wish for something more to come forth from their relationship. So, Levi avoids answering the question by saying, "It doesn't matter."

Petra's eyes flash with anger and he winces inwardly at his poor tact. She then responds heatedly, "Of course it matters. If I did something to make you uncomfortable with our relationship, then I should apologize for it."

Crossing her arms, she then asks a bit cautiously, "I thought you liked me more than a friend… Was I wrong?"

Levi tries to delay responding by drinking his water. Petra's gaze is steadfast as she waits. He feels a twitch of annoyance jab at him. As the seconds pass, the pain in his head aggravates the situation more. Finally losing his patience and deciding he doesn't want to deal with this right now, Levi stands up and pushes back his chair, proceeding to walk to the doors.

"If you don't like me, then what was on your mind for you to come here?" Petra asks, hurt apparent in her voice.

Levi pauses and turns around. Petra also stands up. "You looked upset outside. It's been less than a year since I've known you, but it's been enough time for me to tell when you're feeling down. If this isn't about what happened on Thanksgiving, then why did you feel the need to come in when I invited you in?"

Her hazel eyes are full of confusion, anger and desperation. Levi's close to losing his temper. Trying to mask the irritation from creeping into his expression, he plainly responds in a controlled voice, "It's no concern of yours."

Levi can feel the tension radiate from his body and knows that any other regular person would be backing out of the conversation right now. However, Petra is not like most people.

"Why are you shutting out someone who's trying to help you?" Petra raises her voice at him, and this is the closest he's heard her yell.

But Levi has also reached his breaking point, so he turns around and murmurs, "Help me?"

Stepping closer to her, his face must carry ice and anger because surprise leaks into Petra's eyes. Nevertheless, she stands her ground as he asks louder in a cold voice, "What makes you think I want your help?"

Recovering from her surprise, Petra narrows her eyes at him. "You came to me. Yes, you could've been wandering outside with no idea about where you were heading, but you didn't need to come in. And you had multiple chances to walk out the door. We both also know you don't stay for conversations that you dislike. This exchange could've been done earlier."

She steps closer to him, enough for Levi to see how the golden glints in her eyes even shine when she's angry. "I want to understand what's going on with you because I care about you."

Levi gives a little chuckle that sounds anything but happy. He then looks at Petra dead-on, his expression serious and bland, and merely asks, "Can you give me back my family?"

Petra was obviously not expecting that question, so the anger in her eyes is replaced with shock. Her mouth falls open and she's silent for a moment before asking faintly, "What?"

He's not sure if this is what being buzzed feels like. Maybe the alcohol made him a little more loose-lipped. Maybe it's because it's Petra and the woman just knows how to get him to open up about certain things.

Or maybe it's because he's just so damn tired.

"Today's the day my two best friends died. They were my only family after my mother passed away," Levi declares, thinking that he would just say these things, walk out the door, be done with this conversation and then move on.

He doesn't know why he keeps talking but he does.

"Going to others for help is meaningless and letting out your grief is pointless. It won't bring back the dead. Those emotions only fuck up your mind. If you lose your head, then you lose the footing on your path. You fall and you run the risk of being unable to get back up. You then lose the will to live, and it's an insult to my family if I let my emotions get the better of me and dictate how my life would go on."

Levi lets out another little dry laugh and then gazes around the shop. "That's just how the world is. You face something, you accept it. There's no need to find yourself — as you said all those months ago — because you shouldn't be losing yourself to begin with. Otherwise, you'll be weak."

He practically spits out the last sentence, shifting his eyes away from Petra's because he doesn't want to see the pity that will be on her face. Levi knows what he's gone through. And he's had enough of that look from others and he has no desire to see it from her. Levi's body is riddled with friction and emits an acerbic aura. When he hears nothing, he turns to gauge her reaction.

Petra is staring at him with an indiscernible expression. Then, she steps forward to him until she's about a foot away from him. Gazing into his silver eyes, Petra then asks in a gentle voice, "Is it so bad to be weak and lost though?"

Levi stares at her after that question. Petra slowly inches forward and uses both of her hands to grab each of his. She runs her thumbs across the back of each knuckle. Levi doesn't realize how much he longed for the warmth circulating from her touch. He finds the tension being released from his body.

Why?

Gazing at his hands, Petra states quietly, "Emotions are complicated, especially in times of hardship. Sometimes you feel like you can take on the world and sometimes you feel like all you want to do is die. Grief can take over us. It can cause us to make poor decisions and make us 'weak' as you say."

Petra then lifts her hazel eyes to meet his silver ones and she asks, "But isn't that the beauty of grief?"

His breath hitches.

"No one knows what will happen in life. We may be weak if we allow our emotions to control us during our most vulnerable moments. We can get lost on our path and we might fail to pick ourselves up."

She grips his hands a little firmer. "But it's when we recognize that we're weak that we can find ourselves if we get lost. That recognition fuels the emotions to stand up if we fall and not lose our footing again. It fuels the determination to not let our head be dictated by grief. It fuels the desire to not let our family down."

Petra takes one hand and strokes his cheek, caressing his jawline. He feels the warmth from her hand spread throughout his face and then it spreads to his entire body.

"We find who we truly are through all those moments. And then with each step we take, we endeavor to live our life and walk forward. For us and for our loved ones.

The golden glints in her eyes glisten with hope when she says, "We may struggle, but that's how we grow. And that's how we move on for the ones we lost, honoring their memory. So, isn't it all right that we're weak?"

Levi feels his throat close and tries to breathe. In that instant, he realizes the hidden, familiar emotion that he'd been experiencing for the past month was fear. The fear of losing his footing. The fear that those he loved and cared for would leave him lonely and cold again. The fear that he wasn't as strong as he could be for his family.

And he didn't realize until now how much it hurt to put on a brave face and lie.

"I know it may seem useless to you, given everything that you lost. I know it may seem frightening, but isn't it also relieving that you don't have to be strong at all times?"

Petra gives a small smile at that last question and Levi can feel moisture forming in the corner of his vision. The sight in front of him, though, becomes brighter and brighter as the seconds pass. Pictures of his mother smiling, Isabel and Furlan laughing, and every memory made with his family flash before his eyes.

"And if you still doubt that beauty, then just think about all the times you spent with your mother and your two best friends. Remember the times you spent with Erwin and Hange. Remember all those times that you spent with Mikasa, caring for her and getting to know her. And remember all the days you spent in this shop with me and every moment we had together."

Petra then runs her fingers through his black locks tenderly.

Like how his mother used to do.

"Because all those times you've experienced happiness were fueled by your steps to persevere for your family. To live the way your family would've wanted you to."

A tear slips down Levi's cheek and Petra brings him in for a hug. He doesn't want to break down. His chest feels like it's about to rip itself apart from the inside. All these things he thought he got rid of are threatening to choke him up and this situation is exactly what he wanted to avoid.

But in her arms, Levi feels warm. He feels secure. He feels peace. The fear dwindles within him as another emotion overtakes him. And then something lifts off his shoulders, making him feel lighter. The pressure of standing up tall with his head held high is alleviated and his posture slumps. Levi suddenly feels fatigued and sways a bit on his feet. A soothing glow radiates forth at the end of the tunnel, showing the way to the end.

He becomes aware that she also has some tears leaking from her eyes. Her face is tucked into the crook of his neck and some drops land on his skin. Petra whispers to him, "I'm here. You can let it all out."

The tunnel silently crumbles. The sun shines forth in the open blue sky, blinding him but also freeing him because he can finally feel the warmth of the world glaring down on his face.

She wraps her arms around him and holds him close as he lets out everything. He lets out his fears, grief and worries from the past and for the future. He lets out his sorrow and pain for everything that he lost.

But Levi also lets out the comfort in everything he gained — from the past and for the future. He lets out the peace, happiness, laughter and smiles. He lets out all the memories and touches of warmth. In all these emotions, he feels the agony in falling and losing his balance, but he also feels the relief and hope in regaining his footing to stand back up and persevere in moving forward.

And he finally sees an expanse of endless promises and possibilities in the horizon, waiting for him to take the next step.

Levi's knees cave from the weight of all these feelings being released from him. They both sink to the floor, each one quietly crying onto the other's shoulder.

I'm here.

Bringing his arms around her waist, he tightly hugs her as they stay in that position well into the night.

Two weeks later, he finds Mikasa in a more sullen and reticent mood than usual. He's not sure why that is but doesn't know if he should ask. It's only when they have dinner together one night that he realizes that Mikasa had been living with him for almost one year already. And that today is the anniversary of her parent's death.

So, he knocks on her door after dinner and then peeks in. Mikasa's doing her homework and looks up at him with a curious expression.

Levi gives a little awkward wave. "What homework are you doing?"

Mikasa responds in her usual stoic voice, "Math."

Levi nods and tries to think of something to say. He tucks his hand into his pockets and then asks, "You good?"

Mikasa nods and then turns back to her homework. Levi really wants to close the door and walk away, but he recognizes the tightening of her shoulders and spine upon being asked that question.

He slowly walks into the room. Sitting down on her bed, Levi asks delicately, "Today's the day right?"

Mikasa says nothing and the only sounds filling the room are the scratch of her pencil against paper.

"I lost family also," Levi confesses.

The scratching falters.

In a low voice, Levi goes on, "Everything felt cold. It didn't seem like there could be any more laughter, hope or promises in the world. Crying wouldn't do shit, so I told myself that I couldn't break down. Even when I wanted to, I told myself that I had to be strong, in order to continue living."

The room is silent.

"But someone helped me realize recently that being strong doesn't mean sweeping away your emotions. Everyone is bound to lose their way sometimes to different degrees. But we keep on walking. We may lose ourselves, but we can also find ourselves by letting ourselves feel."

Mikasa's shoulders start to tremble a bit. He walks over to her desk and looks down at her hooded eyes. Her hair falls in front of her face and her stance is hunched over.

"And that's how we continue to live for the ones we lost."

Tears stream down Mikasa's face and Levi just wraps one arm around her shoulder and brings her into his abdominal area gently. She lets it all out into his grey sweater and he gingerly pats her shoulder. Levi then cautiously uses his other hand to pat her head. He gradually starts to brush her hair, in hopes that the action would placate her.

"Thank you," Mikasa whispers amid her tears. And then Levi feels the corner of his lips turn up in a sincere smile when the room lights up a little bit.

He stops by the café after he gets off work one night. When Levi gets to the closed shop, he sees Petra is clearing away the teacups and plates on a table. He carefully goes up to the door and taps on the glass. She looks up to the door and there's some surprise in her expression at first, but she gives a little smile and walks forward to the front to unlock the door. Petra steps out of the way for him and he enters the comfort of the shop. Levi takes in the sugary and earthy fragrance in the air and surveys the half-cleaned tables.

Without a word, he walks over to the table Petra was at before, grabs the rag and proceeds to wipe down the wooden surface. After a minute or so, Levi sneaks a look at the woman by the door and quickly looks down to hide the softening line of his mouth when he sees Petra's smile grow more genuine and the twinkle emerge in her hazel eyes.

They clean for about half an hour or so, occasionally casting glances at one another but then quickly turning away before the other notices. However, despite the attempts to appear natural, they would've been lying to themselves if they said they weren't conscious of each other's actions and stares.

When all is done, Petra silently goes to the kitchen and Levi sits down at the counter. He crosses his legs, leans back in his chair and taps his fingers against his thigh. In a short amount of time, a teacup appears in front of him. Petra puts the tray down on the table and sits across from him. Holding the cup in his unique fashion, he breathes in the aroma and then takes a sip. Warmth coats his insides, and he feels his muscles relax. His mind is relieved of all thoughts and the serenity of his environment makes him feel lightheaded.

"Long day?" Petra's soothing voice asks, jolting him back to reality.

"Tch. The usual," Levi replies casually, putting the cup back onto the table. He folds his hands into his lap and then observes the woman sitting in front of him. Her eyes are softly sparkling at him and he distantly becomes aware that he's becoming lost in those orbs. Levi thinks about seeing that color everyday for the rest of his life. He might've been scared these past few months — and he's still scared now — but Levi wants this.

Taking out his phone, he taps the screen a few times before music starts playing from the device.

Petra unsuccessfully tries to hide the grin growing on her face as she asks, "Spotify?"

Tch. Levi attempts to shrug off the question as he answers, "Someone told me they have seasonal playlists."

Petra lets out a tinkling laugh and Levi stands up before extending his hand to her. Her eyes widen for a second, but then she gives him that sweet smile and takes it. He grips her hand, reveling in the security and warmth. Running his thumb over the smooth skin, Levi rests his other hand on her waist and brings her in close enough to inhale her floral fragrance. Petra wraps her arm around his waist, and they sway to the beat a bit. She gradually puts her head against the crook of his neck and takes a deep breath of his scent of laundry and earthy tea leaves. Levi turns his head slightly so that his lips just barely graze the side of her forehead and closes his eyes.

He gently removes his hand from hers and uses it to caress her face and cup the back of her neck. Petra's eyes are closed, and he sees the faint freckles that are scattered on her cheeks. The lines of her face are so soft, and she looks so content to be in his arms. He tentatively places a kiss on her forehead and then whispers against the skin, "Thank you."

Petra opens her eyes slowly and her eyelashes flutter against her lids. Her hazel eyes carry a hint of astonishment mixed with happiness. A light red blush creeps their way into the hollows of her cheeks and the golden tints in her eyes sparkle even more.

Levi runs his hand up and down her neck and tenderly touches her jawline. She also brings up a hand to thread her fingers through the ends of his silky black locks. Her hand comes to rest on the back of his neck and their bodies are pressed against one another's now. Wherever her fingers touch, there is a trail of warmth that imprints on his skin and it eventually spreads to everywhere on his body. He feels like he's sitting by the cozy flames of a fireside in the solace of a home.

And he knows that with her by his side, he could have this feeling wherever he was on his path.

"I'm not the easiest person to get along with," Levi says and Petra chuckles at that.

Levi also allows the corners of his mouth to turn up. "But no matter what, would you want to walk together on our roads?"

Petra's breath hitches in her throat and then she chokes out a laugh as water forms in her vision. She brings the hand on Levi's waist to his cheek, stroking it while responding, "Levi… we'll all lose our footing at times. But we'll be by one another's side throughout those situations." Pecking his forehead and then his cheeks, she whispers, "And that's something that will never change."

His lips meet hers firmly, yet softly. She gives a small sigh of bliss and kisses him back, tears trickling down her cheeks. And Levi finally feels the sunshine again — this time, everything to stay and grow.

"Hey. How you guys doing?"

Levi stands there in the crisp, spring air. He lies a bouquet down on the ground in front of a headstone. Sticking his hands in the pockets of his black trench coat, the dark-haired man falls silent for a bit.

"A lot of things have changed since I last came to visit. Therapy's done. Mikasa's graduating from high school in a few months. Going to college. Tch. Gonna miss the brat. Turns out I'm not such a bad guardian."

The only sounds in response are the delicate flutter of leaves in the wind.

"It's been two years since we've been married. Never thought that'd happen."

A few squirrels scramble through the cemetery and climb up some nearby trees. His rough voice transforms into a gentler one as he states, "I'm happy."

The sun shines down on him a little brighter.

"There are still days when I miss you guys. Still times when I feel alone, cold, and like nothing… But now I realize those emotions are the reason why I continue to live for you guys. And now I have someone to stick by my side through it all."

Levi gives a little upturn of his lips. "And soon I'll do the same for someone else."

He feels a presence on his right coming up to him and turns his head. Petra is carrying another bouquet in her arms. A tender smile is on her face and the wind picks up, brushing through her short hair and tickling her cheeks. Levi immediately reaches forward to button up the jackets of her coat, but not before rubbing the growing bump on her stomach.

Petra rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "Levi, it's not that cold out."

Her husband gives a grunt in response. "Just in case."

She sends him that smile, revealing her dimples. After leaning forward to give him a peck on the cheek, Petra hands him the bouquet, to which he lays by the other headstone. They stand with one another, holding onto each other's waist.

"You know they'd be happy to see where you are now, right?"

Levi murmurs a noise of agreement. A lull falls between them.

"It's a bit frightening to think that I've come this far," he confesses quietly. Petra rubs his back slowly.

He swallows and takes a deep breath, his stance relaxing against hers. "But we'll go on step by step. For us and for them."

Petra faces him, and the golden flickers in her hazel eyes sparkle with the emotion that brought light into his world. She takes his hand and then places it on her stomach. "And for him."

Levi sends her a blank stare. "You mean for her."

His wife looks at him, mischief leaking into her eyes as she asserts, "It's a boy."

"Tch. We doing this again now?"

Petra giggles in that way that makes his heart flutter, even after all these years. "I guess we'll find out in a month."

Levi lets out a small, genuine smile and places an affectionate kiss on her forehead. When he looks at her, his dull silver eyes become livelier and more mellow. The wind caresses their faces lovingly and the sun radiates a cozy beam. A few birds fly and chirp above them. The sky is blue and there are little clouds covering the expanse.

It's a beautiful day.

As they stroll hand in hand together out of the cemetery, Levi feels complete and whole in this warm world.

A/N:

In the words of Vision from Marvel's WandaVision: "What is grief, if not love persevering?"

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this long story! Sorry, I don't know how to write less than 10k words apparently.

This fic was inspired by the song, "Let it Out", which is the ending theme for FMAB season 2. Specifically, this whole story came from the scene in the recap episode with the conversation between Trisha and Hohenheim. I wanted to capture that dynamic with Levi and Petra.

I also hope I didn't make light of any of the experiences in this fic. I feel like I was beating Levi up a little bit in regard to how he handled everything, but at the same time, I thought it followed his characterization in the manga/anime. Isayama has said before that Levi is one of the most emotional characters in AOT but needs to control his emotions for the people around him and this was my way of exploring that aspect. I hope nothing was too OOC, but I tried to make it so that Levi would still have that "stoic emotionless" demeanor, while still having the heart to care for others and then coming to terms with expressing his grief for him to move on from his past experiences. If anyone was triggered by my writing, I'm so sorry and that was not my intention.

Thanks for reading this A/N! I hope you guys enjoyed the story! Please let me know your thoughts if you have any.