This sheet went on… this pile. This one… on… this? No. It didn't. Where was the pile for government relations again?!

"Shit," Zoë exclaimed with a flash of irritation and shoved the pile of documents in front of her so hard it slid off the table, the pages scattering all over the floor with a gentle rustle as if to mock her.

"Bullocks," she swore.

She went down on her knees to collect the documents back into a "needs to be sorted" pile. Her damaged eye shot spikes of pain into her brain. The struggle to adjust to a one-eyed life was real; her neck was painfully tense from turning her face this way and that to make up for the loss of vision in her left eye. And her ears… the constant buzzing was becoming a real nuisance.

For hours she had been in the Commander's office at the Trost headquarters, trying to get a grip on her new duties as a Survey Corps Commander. She missed Moblit like crazy. By the Walls, it gutted her to recall his face the moment he had pushed her down that well to save her from the Colossal Titan's heat wave… the knowledge that he was about to die in his eyes… joined by the deep satisfaction to see her saved. Had she told him enough times how much she valued him? Had he understood how grateful she was? How easy it was to take people for granted. And then suddenly, they were gone and…

… emptiness. Pain that sat deep in your chest. The feeling of being strangled by grief in your throat. It was so damn hard to get up in the morning.

She had received at least one hundred applications for a new assistant already though she had advertised in the newspaper only three days ago. Maybe a mistake: a mere civilian was probably not suitable to assist her in the long run. She should just have asked someone suitable. Like…

There is nobody.

Nine including her had returned. 199 had perished. Their flesh was devoured by roaming Titans by now. Their regurgitated bones would be picked clean by scavenger birds and then bleached in the summer sun - just like the bones of their horses. Memorial stones needed to be erected for their fallen comrades as soon as they were able to get to Shiganshina again, Zoë knew.

Nine Survey Corps members. Two veterans, seven recruits. Celebrated heroes. Retaking Wall Maria was one of the biggest successes in the history of the military branches... but was it really? The knowledge they had recovered from the basement in Shiganshina was a blow to the gut.

She had read Grisha's notes many times since coming back - Zackly had been happy enough to leave the books in her care. She knew the words by heart by now. The path. Subjects of Ymir connected through the Coordinate, all of them capable of transforming into Titans. Humanity had not perished like they had been made to believe... there were lands out there where many other people lived in luxury, with wondrous things such as photographs.

Since making everything public like Queen Historia had insisted, a huge number of men and women had signed up for the military. Yet, it would take years to train them. And… train them for what? To kill other humans? As the 14th Commander of the Survey Corps, she had to ready her soldiers for a new kind of fight she was sure could not be won. If only their sole enemies were Titans whom they knew how to handle... Had they not always believed they were fighting for survival, for freedom, for a better future? Now they knew they were considered to be a race of demons by the civilized world out there.

The only thing keeping outsiders from invading them was the threat of millions of gigantic Titans inside the walls that could be released by the Founding Titan at the first sign of aggression. Zoë shuddered at the thought. Grisha had claimed that the Eldians of old had used the power of the Titans without mercy to subjugate the world. Until something had happened a hundred years ago, compelling the Eldian King to move his people to this island and lock them behind Walls, wiping their memories in order to make them compliant and complacent.

That hadn't gone so well, had it... Because their enemies - some of which were of their own race! - had tried to steal the Founder so that Paradis was without the ability to release the Wall Titans. Only… it seemed that King Fritz had never actually meant to make good on the threat, damning his people to certain annihilation by forcing the Founder to renounce war completely. It was… disturbing, to say the least. What were they to do? Eren wasn't of royal blood, he couldn't even use the full power of the Founding Titan if he wanted to. If he were of royal blood, he wouldn't be able to use it either even if he wanted to.

Did this make sense? Zoë sighed deeply.

"I had a good life when I was just trying to research Titans," Zoë murmured to herself. "Now look at me. Erwin, why did you have to select me as your successor? I'm struggling. Struggling, struggling, struggling. Fuck."

Recruitment. Logistics. Even just running one headquarters was a huge pain in the ass and they had several. Supplies. Horses. Government relations. Weapons. Should they manufacture more thunderspears? Shiganshina had proven the necessity of those beauties… If it was true that there existed nine major Titans altogether, they were in for a treat. With Annie still their prisoner, the enemy likely had five at their disposal. Five! While they had three, though two were in the same teenage body. The image of the four-legged monster who had almost devoured her appeared in Zoë's brain. Yes, more thunderspears were definitely in order and they should try to improve the design while they were at it.

Scribbling another note on a notepad that held a growing To-Do list, she thought about calling a meeting with Pixis and - bleh - Dok in the upcoming days to discuss defensive strategies. They should also discuss the situation within the walls while they were at it. For the moment, the military government was doing well but already, the discontent were rearing their heads, grumbling about too much power in just a few hands. They wanted Queen Historia to rule properly. The displaced nobility wouldn't keep quiet for long either of course, crawling out of their holes to shout "told you so! Wasn't it better to be ignorant?"

"They are not my business," Zoë murmured and straightened her back, wincing when it cracked.

And then she winced again when she noticed a pair of piercing grey eyes leveled at her from the door.

"Levi," she stammered. "When did you come in…?"

"Did a thunderspear explode in here?" he looked at the chaos before him like he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Well, you know…," she made a helpless gesture.

He turned his disapproving grey stare back at her. "This is a disaster," he remarked.

"I agree. I already advertised for a new assistant," she defended herself. "I'll get this sorted before the Ceremony, you'll see!"

Something changed in Levi's eyes. "A new assistant, huh," he said. "Yes. That's a good idea."

They hadn't talked about Shiganshina. Of course not: Levi didn't talk about people's deaths. He moved on like it meant nothing, simply turning a little more of himself into a stone in the process. In a way, she was glad he had stayed away and would not seek her consolation because she had none to give. Worse, she felt like she'd start bawling at the merest sign of an emotion from him. She felt… she felt damn guilty for leaving him alone out there with the Beast Titan while Erwin and the recruits got slaughtered, guilty about feeling strong relief she wasn't the one who had been given that syringe, therefore not having to make this horrible choice of whom to save and whom to let die. It was too much to heap onto one man's shoulders, these kinds of responsibilities. But they had heaped it on Levi gladly, all these years, burden upon burden, perhaps hoping the label "humanity's strongest" would make up for it? Levi had never complained, not once - but he had to be tired, hadn't he.

Levi bent down and lifted up some paper she had rumpled in an attempt to get rid of superfluous stuff earlier and threw it into the bin.

"Do you want to have a look at the applications?" Zoë made a few hasty steps toward the binder where she had collected them, suddenly panicking a little because even the most superficial conversations with him felt so precarious these days - as if saying one thing meant a thousand others.

"Uhm… now?"

She nodded.

Levi shrugged. Zoë found herself smiling nervously when she handed him the folder. She realized how worried she had been about him these last few days as if a part of her feared he would simply not find the strength to live on. How exhausted he had been on that rooftop, how deeply weary and subdued. But now… now he looked really good in the spiffy dark grey suit he was wearing with a light grey shirt underneath. His hair was freshly washed and fluffy, strange that she noticed such a thing, but she simply loved the smell of the soap he used.

For the briefest of moments she thought about telling him how she had almost panicked when Erwin had ordered him to help with the horses instead of protecting Eren with her and the others. How she had wanted to beg him not to go because she had suddenly feared it was the last time she would see him. But it had been a silly impulse then and it was a silly impulse now. Nobody stayed by your side forever, you had to look forward, always. And she should have more faith, because Ackermans were not that easy to kill, right?

Wasn't it strange, she thought as she watched Levi flick through the applications, that there was nothing at all about the Ackermans in Grisha Jeager's memoirs. Were there none of them on the outside?

A few weeks ago, she had asked Mikasa what she knew about her family. Preciously little - her parents had not shared any knowledge before getting themselves murdered. But apparently, Mikasa had felt what she called "a strange surge of power" that day, which had stayed with her. Clearly, she was also obsessed with Eren ever since. Imprint, her father had called it. And those words that had haunted her ever since: Whatever you believe he feels, it is not real. It is how he was programmed. He understands this, as you will be able to assure herself. Well, she had indeed tried to assure herself. For example, she had tested Levi's protective impulses. Mikasa normally exploded into rage when someone attempted to hurt Eren. Levi on the other hand… he had not even flinched on occasion when she had gotten herself into fistfights. In fact, she felt that Levi had gone out of his way to prove to her there was no such thing as an imprint. Or maybe… to prove it to himself.

But then, he had said that standing behind her in a tiny closet in her father's mansion was the best thing that had happened to him in months, which... okay, it flustered her and made her question things.

"And?" She cleared her throat. "What do you think?"

"I am appalled," Levi pulled a face. "Did you read what they wrote in their letters?"

"Well, yes… ?"

"Those are love letters with horrible grammar." He threw the whole binder into the bin.

"Hey!"

"Merchants, teachers, clerks, starry eyed boys who'd do anything just to see the new Commander of the Survey Corps up close… I won't allow any of those near you."

"Excuse me… what?" she shouldered him aside to fish the applications out of the bin. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"

"No," he folded his arms and glared at her. "It's a matter of security. They are all unsuitable."

"Levi, I need a new assistant," she moaned. "I'm drowning in paperwork. I always had Moblit to rely on for… for this kind of stuff," she threw her hands into the air, "I'm going insane here! I worked all day and I got nowhere!"

"You just need to delegate," Levi lectured her. "That's how Erwin did it."

"Delegate…? To fucking whom?! There's no..."

There's you. Levi's grey eyes blinked up at her, realizing the same thing at the exact same time as her.

"I'll have a look at that folder again," he grumbled. "There might be one who suits after all."

"No. I'll delegate. You can help me. Please, Levi. Please, you love this kind of stuff, no? Ordering things. Imagine how tidy it will look in here after we're through!"

"I like cleaning, not office work," he murmured, "and I'm horribly busy with…"

"You can clean my office every day!" Zoë got so excited over the brilliant idea, she grabbed Levi by the shoulders and shook him a little.

"Okay, I'll think about it," Levi frowned. "Once I'm back."

Only halfway listening, Zoë began imagining how tidy everything would look. How Levi would busy himself in this and that corner while she sat at the desk doing other useful things. She'd sometimes watch him of course because she liked watching him do things. It was the way he moved, always so smoothly and decisively and…

"But now we should go," Levi interrupted her train of thought.

"Go…?" she frowned at him, had she forgotten something…?

"Yes, it's time."

"Time for…"

"It's Friday night," Levi informed her, like that should explain it.

A glance at the windows informed her that indeed, it was evening, the rooftops shimmering prettily in the orange light of the setting sun.

"And we are going…?"

"Out," he was starting to sound irritated, "or do you mean to tell me you don't know about this tradition?"

She blinked at him. Well, quite obviously, she didn't know.

"Erwin always went out on Friday evenings," Levi informed her. "It's a tradition upheld by all the Survey Corps Commanders before him too."

Erwin had always gone out on Friday evenings? Zoë tried to remember whether that claim could be true. Surely not? But however hard she tried, she couldn't come up with a single instance to prove Levi wrong because when had she ever paid attention to weekdays?

"We're... going out?" she asked again to mask her confusion.

"Yes," Levi pointed at the door. "No need to wear your coat, it's warm outside."

"Okay, let me just go find a purse…"

"Not necessary," Levi threw the mess in the office one last, disdainful look on his way to the door, "Drinks will be on the house! Let's enjoy this current outpouring of love from the people - it won't last, that much I'm sure of."

###

That had gone well, Levi thought smugly. He had lured Hanji away from work with a rather flimsy lie but he had no scruples about lying to her if it meant getting her out of headquarters, which meant getting her away from the sadness that hung over its empty halls like it meant to smother them. He had been damn worried about Hanji these last few days, it had to be extra hard for her to be swamped by so many new responsibilities when she had lost so much. She didn't eat properly, she didn't sleep and then she looked like a ghost, too pale, too haggard and with an absentminded expression on her face as if she were halfway here, halfway… elsewhere. Where the dead went.

If they are watching us like Erwin suggested, Levi thought, what are they saying? 'What an unlikely pair, wanna bet she's going to trash Levi to a pulp before the night is over?' His lips twitched. Avoiding her for years like you fear to catch fire when you get too close, huh? Watch me relax a little and be astonished, Erwin.

A few times he had thought about how to ask her what had happened to Moblit but in his head, it had always sounded extremely embarrassing so he had left it there. He had to make sure she'd get a worthy assistant though. Someone she could rely on fully. A diligent, hard-working, subservient… woman. Yes, it had to be a woman. He felt much better at leaving her alone with a woman.

The streets were buzzing with life. People recognized and greeted them reverently from left and right. One elderly woman with a colorful headscarf grabbed Hanji's hand to thank her for giving them hope and then asked when the invasion would begin.

"Er…," Hanji stammered, her cheeks turning a little red as she looked over as if she expected help from him, "we will make sure there is no invasion."

"No invasion at all," he supported her lie, watching the woman walk away happy and comforted. Truly, lying was an excellent thing.

Levi half-expected Flegel to appear from behind a corner next, the merchant was very infatuated with Hanji and his people were always hovering about the headquarters in case help was needed, but they made it to Levi's favorite Tavern with no further interruptions.

The "Raging Bull" was already very full, Levi noticed as soon as they had stepped through the door, and it was barely 7pm. It was like the retaking of Wall Maria had freed the people of Trost from such a horrific burden, they could barely sit still these days.

"Captain Levi! Squad L… Commander Hange!"

Levi's face fell. The brat squad. Of course, he had taken them to this place before. Apparently, they liked it.

"Oh look!" Hanji beamed. "It's Eren with his friends!"

"Oh look," Levi grumbled. "There goes my relaxing evening."

"Come sit with us!" Armin waved excitedly, "I'm sure we can find two chairs for you..."

They found two chairs immediately because everyone around them seemed to push chairs at them. That was the love of the people for you.

"Don't tell me it's true… are you two on a da…?," Connie began with a puzzled expression before Jean slammed an elbow into his ribs so hard, Connie doubled over with a grunt of pain.

"Daytrip," Jean finished the sentence, catching Levi's eyes. "Is what he wanted to say."

"Daytrip?" Hanji mused. "No, I've been working at the office since first light before Levi told me about Erwin's tradition to go out every Friday night. I seem to be the only one who didn't know about it."

"Ah," Armin suppressed a grin, "ahhhh… yes, the tradition."

"An excellent tradition," Eren nodded, coughing to hide a giggle.

"Where's Blouse?" Levi asked to change the topic. "Still not well?"

"Still resting, but the doctors say it's a matter of days," Connie sounded saddened. "We made sure she has enough to eat. Oh, Jean - remind me to bring her some of those sticky sweet pastries they sell on the street corner?"

"You told me five times already."

"I did? I really hope she likes them. Or do you think eating apples all day is better for her?"

"If you want to make her run to the toilet all day, yes," Levi murmured.

"Gosh, I'm suddenly very hungry," Hanji beamed. "Do they serve food here?"

"They do!" Eren exclaimed. "Pies, stews and crispy chicken!"

Levi lifted his eyebrows and looked at Armin but the girlish looking young man didn't seem to connect his own half-dead state a few days ago with the dish that had just been mentioned.

"What can I get you?" a smiling waitress stood at the ready to take their orders. "Oh, hello Captain Levi! The usual for you?"

"Thank you," Levi nodded, watching the pretty woman's smile grow even bigger. "And for her…"

"What kind of pies do you serve?" Hanji asked, sounding a little snippy.

Orders were placed, the brat squat's excitement surged when huge tankards of frothing ale were put in front of them.

"Aren't you brats too young to drink?" Levi asked with a frown. "I don't think they should serve you alcohol."

"Pah," Armin waved his concern aside. "Eren gets everything he wants in this town. People are so grateful for what he did!"

"Oh yeah?" Levi threw a group of eagerly drooling women a dark look. "Has your mom ever told you how babies are made, Eren?"

How fast their little faces colored, Levi noticed, but at least they were quiet now.

"Just checking," he said, leaning back a little with folded arms. "Unless you want little Erens all over town, of course."

"Eren is not like that," Mikasa ground out.

"Oh, I'm sure," Levi nodded in her direction. "He's a very unusual fifteen year old."

"Whatever you do, make sure to use protection," Hanji piped in. "There are condoms for sale at the big pharmacies but you have to check the quality before using them. Otherwise…"

Levi watched the faces around the table with satisfaction. Nobody lectured about embarrassing things better than Hanji. From the reactions her detailed account drew, he guessed that Mikasa, Connie, Armin were in the group with no experience - Eren and Jean in the other. Sometimes, he felt almost sorry for Mikasa. Eren was an idiot if he didn't notice where her devotion came from and outright mean if he noticed and didn't care.

That thought gave him pause. Why did he care? Mikasa was visibly suffering, yes... but why did he think those feelings were real?

"We were discussing the other day that we should give Colossal Armin here an exceptionally nice present for his birthday," Connie was grinning, "and we thought we could take him to the Undergr…"

Jean's elbow was efficient in shutting Springer up, but not fast enough.

"The Underground, huh?" Levi asked amiably. "An excellent idea - but illegal for a bunch of kids like you. If I catch you trying to go there, I'll make sure you serve an ample prison sentence to celebrate your birthdays."

"Have you ever been… oh," Connie frowned at a sudden recollection. "Oh, Captain Levi, you grew up in the Underground, didn't you?!"

"Yup," Levi said, taking his cutlery from the waitress who was beginning to set the table for him and Hanji. "You want to hear about it?"

Hanji didn't need to look so worried, Levi thought, he was not going to eat his brat squat alive, he much preferred crispy chicken.

"The Underground is the worst kind of hell," he said, gracing everyone around the table with a predatory smile. "It's dirty, dangerous, you catch all kinds of diseases from just breathing the air, and there are gangs who will kidnap pretty kids like you to force them into the sex trade and then harvest their organs."

"Levi is just trying to scare you," Hanji tried to save the mood. "It's not so bad."

"Oh, you have been there too?" Connie shouted. "Oh, tell us about it Hange-san, please!"

"It's…," Hanji looked at him with her good eye and Levi suddenly felt a little flustered. "It's actually… it's an adventure you won't forget. The people are a little rough, yes, but they want to live a good life like everybody up here. So they're trying to make the best out of what they were given."

"Did you spend quite some time down there?" Eren sounded curious.

"A fortnight," Hanji looked down at the table, knotting her hands in front of her. "It was the best time of my life."

Levi shouldn't have looked at her then. His heart slipped into his throat at the sight of longing and sadness on her unguarded face. The best time of your life. I took that away from you, didn't I?

"Did you gamble?" Jean wanted to know. "I hear there's all kinds of places to…"

"Well, I didn't get to gamble," Hanji smiled. "Just to watch. Probably better. They cheat."

"Oh, do they?" Connie looked at Levi with big eyes. "Captain Levi, do you know tricks that you could show us?"

"I know them all," Levi nodded. "But the Underground code forbids me to share them with you Above-Grounders."

"Come ooooon!"

Even Mikasa looked intrigued.

"Will you play cards with us, Captain Levi?" Armin asked, sounding so excited his voice went several octaves higher.

"Pleeeease!"

"Okay, but don't cry afterwards," Levi grumbled after several minutes of being badgered with big eyed pleading. "We're going to play with real money, okay?"

###

These brats had a way of turning him soft, Levi thought an hour later. However hard he tried, he just couldn't help it. Here he was, playing cards with kids that had gone through hell themselves and still kept a starry-eyed excitement about the world - and he was enjoying himself.

He had won all their money and they were still smiling. Armin was catching on to some of the easier cheats, well done. Without a partner, his repertoire was limited - he'd share some of the techniques with Hanji for the next time. Levi scoffed. The next time? When had he ever thought in 'next times' like someone who believed there actually was a future to plan?

You started to once… the best time of your life, a lost sweetness that holds only pain now.

"I will ask someone for more money," Eren was just saying, frantically searching the room.

"Bullocks you will," Levi slammed his cards down and glared at the Yeager boy. "You cannot win against me. Just accept it and move on. To bed, where kids like you belong at this time."

"Of course I can win," Eren gritted his teeth. "Just a little longer."

"You sound like a real gambler, Eren," Hanji laughed. "You need to know when to quit."

"Yeager doesn't know when to quit, don't we all know it?" Kirschtein grumbled, unhappily eying the pile of money in front of Levi.

"Ah yeah?" Eren snapped. "Says who, the king of quitters?"

"Uhm, at least I'm not running against walls until my head bleeds but assess a situation before I act? It's called intelligence, shit-head!"

"Intelligence!" Eren sprang up with blazing eyes. "And where would that be in your long head? In your pointy chin?"

"Stop insulting my face, you should see yourself when you're in Titan form, I've never seen anything uglier!"

"Guys," Levi pushed back his chair and got up. "I give you two options: You either sit down and shut up or go outside with me to be shut up by force. We don't only love to gamble in the Underground, we also like to beat the shit out of noisy brats like you. Get it?"

They chose option one and once they sat there shooting enraged glances at each other he ordered more drinks for everyone and more crispy chicken to share. Did Hanji like sweets? He wasn't sure but he also ordered some of the famous sponge cake they served here and pushed it in her direction.

The conversations moved on to the Ceremony with Queen Historia in a couple of days. He'd have to make them shine their boots to perfection, Levi thought, and those military coats sure needed a brush up. He was looking forward to seeing Historia again and felt a little apprehensive at the same time. Come as soon as you can, she had asked of him. He hadn't. Kinda busy with almost getting slaughtered at Shiganshina, he thought. But now that he was back against all odds, that needed taking care of.

###

Zoë felt like her tummy was about to burst - she hadn't eaten or drunk as much since their feast before going on this fucked-up mission to Shiganshina. And still she couldn't stop herself from putting more of that delicious cake into her mouth, which always seemed within reach and never ran out.

"I'm going to grow so fat I won't fit into my current uniform," she smiled at Mikasa who seemed to suffer from a similar sweet tooth tonight.

And then she colored when she caught Levi looking her over slowly. Feeling a precarious heat rise inside of her, it made her pluck at her blouse nervously, smoothing out wrinkles in the fabric and checking whether all buttons were closed properly.

A bit later, a bunch of people busted out instruments and began playing a jig. Soon, tables and chairs were pushed aside to make space for dancers. In pairs, groups, and by themselves, people hopped and twirled and laughed and shouted.

"Wanna dance?" Connie pulled at Jean's arm.

"I don't dance," Jean grumbled but got up anyway when Mikasa did to follow Eren.

"Who can resist this!" Armin laughed and jumped up too, clapping his hands enthusiastically.

Zoë watched them push their way forward to join the moving bodies.

"They're doing alright," she said to Levi, feeling a strong sense of relief.

"Does your eye hurt?"

Levi's question took her by surprise. She turned her head to look at him.

"Sometimes," she admitted. The truth was, it was always throbbing. Had she touched it earlier without noticing? Levi was very perceptive.

"Did you get it checked by a doctor?"

"Of course."

"A good doctor?"

"Well… the usual doctor," she looked away. The medic had confirmed what she already knew: that she retained only a very little eyesight in her damaged eye which she was likely going to lose too.

"Go see another one. This one only knows how to stitch wounds and he doesn't even do that properly."

Zoë turned her head back at him. He looked somber and concerned. And much too sober.

"It's okay," she shrugged.

"No, it's not," he insisted. "Can't you listen for once? And get those ears checked too."

"How do you know…?"

"You stagger too much, your balance is shit. I have no interest in becoming a Commander, get it? You are the only senior officer left and you need to do this for many years to come. So get yourself checked out thoroughly."

"I'm not sure this is any of your business," she grumbled.

"Aren't we… friends?" he said it like the word meant something dirty.

Oh… she colored again when she remembered putting her head on his shoulder. Feeling… at peace. In an alley not far from here. She had made a fool of herself, hadn't she?That was easy with someone like him who never got drunk.

"Yes," she cleared her throat, "of course. Friends."

"Do you still want to shoot me?" Levi asked moodily.

"I don't want to shoot you," she replied. "I said I would if I had to. But it doesn't look like I have to."

"It doesn't?"

"No. You gave me no reason to."

"Hm," he emptied his tankard in one go.

It gave her pause to realize that he still doubted himself. However much betrayed she felt that neither Erwin nor Levi had deemed it necessary to tell her about Levi's role as a double spy, she had now seen Erwin's records of Levi's activities and had realized how difficult it had been for him all these years. It had to be like poison, this fear not to be in full control of himself.

"Do you want to dance?" she asked on impulse.

Levi set his tankard down hard. "What? Are you nuts?"

Despite her disappointment at his gruff dismissal, Zoë shrugged nonchalantly and skipped away to join the other dancers, soon finding herself surrounded by a group of eager men vying for her attention. Yes, Levi was right, this current outpouring of love from the people was very enjoyable! The music flowed around her like the current of a swelling river, sweeping everyone up and away.

"Hands off," a well-known voice snapped at a particularly well-built dancer who had just begun to spin her around.

"Levi?" a little out of breath, she smiled down at Captain Doom-Eye, "I thought you didn't want to dance."

"I changed my mind," he said and grabbed her by the waist.

Her balance really was shit, but his strong grip held her upright. The music went on and on. The faces around them became colorful blurs, only his was clear before her. The look in those somber grey eyes took her back in time, to that one night... Do you remember the last time we danced? The best time of her life. And at the same time the one that had broken a part of her. Dancing with one of the champions was meant to bring seven days of luck… look where that took us. I lost you.

"Enough," Levi said and guided her towards a free spot at the counter.

She was sweating like crazy, she realized, and her legs were shaking. His arm was still around her middle, steadying her. He looked thoughtful.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked once she had caught her breath. That waitress who had made moony eyes at him all night was no longer around, she noticed. Good.

"Ships," Levi mumbled without looking at her.

"Oh! That is so interesting!" Zoë felt excitement surge inside of her. "Grisha Yeager seemed to imply there are ships that can cross that huge lake called ocean. They must be gigantic! I wonder what energy source they use? I would think it's..."

She went on for a bit, getting really into it when she caught Levi looking at her strangely. Zoë faltered.

"Not interesting?" she asked. "Sorry."

"There's something I need to tell you, Hanji," Levi seemed a little embarrassed.

"Yes?" Why was her heart suddenly beating faster?

"I'm leaving after the Ceremony."

Talk about an ice-cold shower. "Leaving… where?"

"Queen Historia needs my help."

Oh. The orphanage?

"Okay. For… for how long?"

Levi shook his head. "Can't say. Weeks… months, maybe."

But I… no. If the Queen is asking, he has to go of course. I can manage without him, right? It's just a bit of paperwork and logistics and supplies and meetings… meetings with Pixis and Dok and Zackly and all these other men who...

"Come back soon," she said and turned her head towards him so she could breathe in his scent, knowing she would miss him a lot… miss him too much, but what could she do? She hadn't lied when she had said that the fortnight with him in the Underground was the best time of her life.

"You want me to?" Levi asked, pulling her a tiny bit closer.

"What do you think, you stupid man," she said, leaning against him just a little. "You're all I have left."