Levi couldn't remember the last time he had been so tense when charging into battle. It certainly hadn't been during the many times Eren had gotten himself captured, and Levi himself had been the one to step forward and retrieve him. Nor had it been during the years when he'd had his squad—not even when they'd died had Levi been so on edge, because there had still been a mission to complete: to take down the Female Titan.

The fear in battle simply wasn't in his recent memory; it hadn't been since the first mission outside the Walls after he had lost Farlan and Isabel.

But he was tense now, and for good reason—charging directly forward, little more than targets for the Beast Titan, were the recruits of the Scout Regiment. And leading them was Yavena fucking Verman, the Pumpkin Head, who had insisted on dying for Erwin never mind the promise that she had made him: the promise to live.

Levi's blades were just a millisecond behind his omni-directional gear, slicing into the Titans' necks with unaltered force. He knew he should take more care to not attract attention, but his usual calm demeanor was gone. His shaking hands betrayed him, because that was Yavena, one of the last people that Levi had remaining.

The Beast Titan leaned his arm backwards. Even from so far away, he could hear her scream, "It's coming! MOVE!"

Clouds of dust and dirt blocked his vision of the recruits, and screams filled the air. So did many crunches of rocks hitting bones.

Levi returned his attention to the Titans ahead of him; he was halfway there. He grit his teeth and committed to using more gas from his tank. If he was fast enough, he might be able to prevent a second onslaught and spare whoever lived through the first one.

Four more Titans had fallen to the ground by the time the dust cleared. When he glanced back towards those who remained, his eyes widened.

Yavena was still riding forth—she'd somehow escaped the barrage. Only a dozen or some extra recruits still accompanied her, but they revealed their loyalty in joining her screams and continuing to rush forward.

"Tch," he muttered. Those recruits deserved better than to be smashed to bits.

She deserved better.

Four more Titans collapsed to the ground. For better or for worse, it seemed the overgrown monkey hadn't noticed the fall of his lackeys; his eyes were only for the soldiers riding forward.

As the Beast Titan grabbed another rock from the ground and crushed it to bits in his hand, Levi tightened his grip around his blades. He already knew he wouldn't be able to make it before the second barrage was launched, there was just too much damn distance—

Another cloud of dust and dirt, and more screams and whinnies from horses met Levi's ears. He was closing in on his target, but instead of locking his gaze on the Beast Titan, he was staring towards the recruits…

She was not hard to spot, with that orange hair. She was lying on the ground. Her head had collided with one of the rocks, and blood was already pooling out from underneath her.

Levi looked away, his throat tight. "Shit." He gazed back to the Beast Titan, who was stretching his arms. "You piece of shit."

There was little to no distance between them now—he would be there in only a few more seconds, and then Levi would be free to carve it up like the animal it was.

"Ahh… you poor things…"

Shut up.

"Telling themselves that if they're going to die, they may as well die proud… it's bullshit."

I said shut up.

The monkey didn't even see him coming, thanks to the last round of green smoke that Yavena and the others had fired—Levi used one hook of his cables to latch onto the Beast Titan, keeping the other free just in case. Only when the spikes buried into its shoulder did the monkey seem to notice; its pensive expression immediately changed to one of fury, and it reached out one gangly arm to grab him.

Like hell he'd be caught so easily. Levi turned slightly to the side, arcing his blades, dragging them through the beast's skin in crescent patterns. Chunks were severed from the Beast Titan's arm, and as they began to fall towards the ground, he used his other cable to reattach to the area behind its nape.

The Beast Titan used its remaining arm to cover the back of its neck. A grim satisfaction settled across Levi's mind—it was as stupid as it was slow, and it was very slow. He was slicing across its eyes before it could even blink.

Levi couldn't remember the last time he'd been so angry. That was the best word for it; he had spent the last number of years offing Titans with a cool hatred, a held-back loathing.

But this… this was a hot maelstrom of pain and fury, something he'd only released one other time in his life, against a Titan who walked on all-fours and glared at him with crimson eyes. Debilitating it wasn't going to be enough—he needed to decimate it.

He swerved down towards its ankles, knowing that he was expelling too much of the gas in his tank and yet not caring either way. One blade struck through its ankle, and then the other; the Beast Titan was collapsing to the ground.

"What happened to all that fun you were having?" asked Levi, his blades extended. He noted that the Beast Titan was trying to harden the area around its neck, but he knew that he could make it in time. "Come on, try to enjoy this!"

Levi had made the calculations before, when first considering how to mutilate Eren should he ever spiral out of control. His blades cut through fur and muscle like paper, taking off the ends of the Beast Titan's real hands and feet, causing as much pain as he possibly could. Even though he received what he wanted—the Beast Titan was screaming and howling—it did little to assuage the maelstrom in his chest.

With one final stroke, Levi hurled the Beast Titan's operator out of its Titan form. It was a tall man with scraggly blond hair; utterly unimpressive. One blade was directed straight into the man's mouth, and then his body was pinned underneath Levi's boot.

"After transforming, if your body is severely damaged, it's too busy healing to let you transform. Isn't that right?" he asked.

The man didn't respond, not that he could've. Levi's silver blade was occupying all of the available space within his mouth—but he didn't care. He shoved his weapon through the man's cheek. "Oye, answer me. Learn some manners."

Still no response, but that was no longer Levi's concern. He had just remembered a weight in his jacket pocket: the serum, the one that would turn anyone, even someone on the brink of death, into a Titan.

Yavena…

He glared down at the man in front of him; so unremarkable out of his monkey suit. He couldn't transform, he wouldn't be a threat—Levi had time to search for survivors, but… no. He couldn't do that; he couldn't trust to hope when it was almost certain there was none. Levi had seen the carnage himself, the number of corpses bedecking the grass, the ferocity with which those boulders had been tossed.

Kill the Beast Titan for me. All right? Promise me.

Those had been her last words to him? What bullshit. After everything they had gone through together, eight years of knowing each other, the last of which had been… different… that had been the best she could do.

Levi had never been a man well-acquainted with poetic words, but even he knew that was pathetic. Just like his own response to her had been.

I will. For you. I swear it.

Damn it. There was so much left to say… he should've just said it already.

That nagging little voice in the back of his head was insisting it wasn't too late. The injection, the one he had been entrusted with, was still intact. He didn't know that Yavena was dead yet. Not yet.

It was his choice. Erwin had given him that ability.

Yavena was one of two Section-Commanders of the Scout Regiment. She was one of the best soldiers the branch had ever beheld, one of the topmost veterans—and her leadership abilities were still growing, even if she didn't see it. It was true the brats would claim he chose her because of favoritism, but…

He stopped. That wouldn't even be an issue. All of those new recruits, the ones who so loved chattering about his and Yavena's personal matters, were dead. They'd all been crushed to bits.

If he'd gotten to choose between the gossip or the deaths of those fifty young soldiers, he'd have chosen the gossip. They'd been kids.

Even if Yavena couldn't be saved, maybe one of them could be…

Levi's grip loosened around his blade, and he began to retract it from the Beast Titan's mouth. He could at least look for her, to see if she was alive. And if not her, then the next person, and the next one after that—

A rumbling in the ground stopped him. He knew that particular quake; Titans.

Levi leapt from the Beast Titan's steaming carcass just in time. That quadruped Titan, the one that Erwin had pointed out at the beginning of the battle, had just seized the Beast Titan in its mouth and was beginning to run off.

He froze for a moment, watching it go. One hand reached fruitlessly after it. That was his only hope at saving her, saving anyone. "Oye. Where the hell are you… stop…"

"What are you doing? All of you, go kill him!" shouted the Beast Titan.

The moment after those words had exited his putrid mouth, the remaining Titans that Squads Dirk and Klaus had been tasked with exterminating were rushing forward. All of them had blood around their maws, revealing what had happened to the rest of the forces on this side of the Wall…

Levi glanced over towards the deceased recruits. He could not spot Yavena amidst the mess of entangled bodies, both of men and horses. Then he looked back towards the two intelligent Titans that were getting away.

"Wait," he murmured. That heat was returning to his chest, because there was still something he had to do, even if she was dead—especially if she was dead. "I made her a promise… that I'd kill you no matter what! I promised!"

Yavena had always been good at keeping her promises, exempting the last one that she had made to him. But she had been right, as always—not that he'd ever admit it. That promise she had made him, the one about staying alive… she had never had the power to keep it, and it had not been fair of him to ask it of her.

They were soldiers of the Scout Regiment. Death lurked around every corner.

Nevertheless… she had always been good at keeping her promises, and Levi would be keeping his.

He swapped out his blades; there was only one pair remaining, and less than a quarter of the gas remaining in his tank. It would be enough—he leapt into the air and dodged around the first Titan's meaty hands, taking painful consideration of his limited supplies. That cold hatred, a familiar token of morbid comfort, was mixing into the red-hot storm in his chest. It kept him grounded, so to speak…

Levi lost track of how many more Titans were heading in his direction. All he knew was that he needed to catch up to the Beast Titan—he'd promised.

His blades were wearing down; he didn't need to check them to know. There was a concerning rattling from his gas tank, one that was only present when it was nearing emptiness. But the Wall was right there, right in front of him, and then he'd be in the city and could catch up to that slippery fucking monkey.

But when Levi at last stood atop the Wall, covered in splashes of Titan blood and steam, he realized how much of his energy he'd exerted. His legs were all but giving out from underneath him, and it was hard to get a good breath in. Levi couldn't remember the last time he'd been so spent after a battle…

On the other hand, the Beast Titan was just below, talking to Eren. It was good he had survived, at least.

This was his chance. Levi slid down the Wall, which only prompted that quadruped Titan to speed off, with the Beast Titan upon its back. He landed upon the roof in front of Eren and discarded his blades.

"Captain!" cried Eren.

"That was the last of my gas!" Levi shouted, and for the first time since that suicide charge had been conducted, he realized how unhinged he sounded. "I'll chase him! Hand over your gas and blades!"

"Right!"

"Hurry!"

There was a tiny cough from behind them. Both Levi and Eren turned towards a body, one burnt to a crisp…

"A… Armin?" asked Eren.

Shit.

The body—Armin—began to breathe. They were ragged, unsteady gasps, but it was enough for Eren to entirely forget the orders that Levi had just given him. Instead of handing over his gas and blades, the brat started conducting compressions on Armin's chest, shouting, "Keep it up! Keep breathing, Armin!"

Mechanical whirring signaled that someone else was nearby. "Armin!"

Levi recognized it as the gloomy one, Mikasa. Her eyes were already filled with tears, just as Eren's now were. Without bothering to explain why, she raised her smoke signal gun and fired a red signal.

The comfort that Levi gained from knowing there were at least a few others who had survived on this side of the Wall was negligible. His quarry was retreating; the four-legged Titan was disappearing, and he hadn't been given fresh supplies.

There would be no chasing it anymore, he knew that.

Some promise he'd made.

"Captain! Get the syringe!" shouted Eren.

Levi did not reply. Everything was heavy with exhaustion, rage, resentment. His hands were steady now as he slowly retrieved the syringe, wondering all the while if he wasn't just going to go and check, to even see if she was alive.

In truth, he wasn't sure what he would do if she wasn't. He knew that it was likely she was dead. There had been a lot of blood underneath her body when last he had seen her, and nobody else seemed to have survived the Beast Titan's warpath either.

But didn't he owe it to her to at least check?

"Make Armin into a Titan to eat Bertholdt! Hurry up and inject him!" shouted Eren, who had clasped Bertholdt into a choke-hold.

A number of others had suddenly appeared atop the Wall. Then a familiar voice was saying, "Upon noting that the Armored Titan was once again active, I went to assist those that remained on this side of the Wall, and was thus unable to see what became of our plan. What's the situation, Levi?"

Levi stopped, holding the black syringe box in his hand underneath his cloak. He did not yet give it to Eren. "The Titans outside the Wall are dead. The Beast Titan was taken by that four-legged one before I could kill it, or check to see if there were survivors."

There was a pause. Levi took the opportunity to spare a swift glance to who had arrived; it seemed his squad had survived. No doubt thanks to Yavena—she'd spent the last number of months training them in his stead…

Erwin. Four-Eyes. Conny. Jean. Marlo. Sasha, though she was injured. And of course, Eren, Armin, and Mikasa.

A paltry sum of the lives the Scout Regiment had once encompassed.

"What happened to Yavena?" Erwin prompted. "Squads Dirk and Klaus? The recruits?"

Levi glanced back towards Erwin. He had always trusted Erwin's judgment, respected him. They had an inexplicable camaraderie, one that few other soldiers could ever emulate.

"Squads Dirk and Klaus were eaten by the Titans. The recruits were smashed to bits. All of them that I could see. And Yavena." Levi's head lowered because he was unable to even support the weight of it.

Dead silence came over the accumulated space.

"What do you mean, 'and Yavena?'" asked Hange, a quiver to their voice. They took a step forward to place one limp hand upon their Commander's shoulder. "What happened to her? Where is she? Erwin!"

Levi did not answer again. It was one thing to think that she was dead, and another to say it. He had never been one to vacillate on memories—only a small percentile of them had ever been good—but now, he couldn't stop himself.

On their way back from Rod Reiss's lands, Yavena had asked him to be there with her, sitting on a back porch with a cup of tea at sunset, when at last the Titans were dead.

Levi had been rather dismissive of this activity when she'd first mentioned it, but in truth… it had sounded nice.

Now, it sounded like one of the best things in the world.

Erwin's voice shattered the tense disquiet. "Yavena led the recruits in a direct charge towards the Beast Titan to buy Levi enough time to kill it. But… the Beast Titan was adept at throwing rocks, decimating our cover and threatening the horses. It seems that they have all been killed by the boulders that it launched towards them."

There wouldn't be any tea, any world free of Titans. At least, not one with her in it. Now all Levi could think of was that broken promise, to kill the Beast Titan; one he might never get to fulfill.

He rose to his feet, his hand still clasped around the box concealed within his cloak, and said, "She may have survived. I'm going to check—before I hand over the injection."

"Captain!" cried Eren. He was still hunched over Armin's body. "We don't know how long Armin is going to keep breathing! Please, we need him!"

"Yavena Verman is a Section-Commander of the Scout Regiment, one of few leaders and soldiers of exceptional skill that has proven essential over the fifteen years she has been enlisted. She sacrificed herself for Erwin, who is just as essential for humankind's impending victory," said Levi, voice clipped. "I'm going to check."

He didn't get even three steps in before something told him to stop.

For no reason at all, Levi was remembering the last look that Yavena had given him, sitting upon her horse. She had been smiling, and he wasn't stupid, he knew that it had been for his own sake. To her credit, she had been good at concealing her fear—if indeed she felt any—and despite the situation, it was… a pleasant final memory of her to hold onto.

And then Eren's voice was in his head, hissing at him like a snake.

Armin's the reason we saved Trost by plugging it with a rock. He revealed Annie's identity. It was Armin who came up with the idea of moving at night. The only reason we uncovered Reiner's hiding spot, and the only reason we defeated Bertholdt, was because of Armin! The one who's going to save humanity isn't me or the Commander—it's Armin!

It wasn't like the voice of one's own consciousness speaking; it was like Eren had physically infested Levi's own head and was speaking to him. But of course that was impossible, because Eren was standing right in front of him, not to mention it was physically impossible too.

But that voice was right. The kid was a brainiac. He was easily as smart as Erwin, if not even more so. It was he who had come up with some of the Scout Regiment's most successful plans… and he still had a dream, something to fight for.

Not that Yavena didn't. But she… she had always been willing to sacrifice herself for the Scout Regiment, for the cause of humanity. She made the choice: to save Erwin, for the good of everyone still remaining… and to leave him alone.

No. Not alone.

Levi glanced over his shoulder. Erwin was still standing there, as was Four-Eyes. His whole squad had survived, too. Even if they were the only ones, they were still people that Levi would consider comrades... friends.

Yavena had known that he'd be okay, so long as there was one person standing with him. She had left him, and… that was that.

His eyes fell towards his feet, and his throat was tight again. Levi knew what choice needed to be made… it was part of the job… making the tough choices that no one else wanted to…

"Everyone get out of here," he muttered. He retrieved the black box from within his cloak and began to assemble the syringe. "I'm going to have Armin eat Bertholdt."

Levi could feel rather than see the shocked gazes upon his person. He would not meet the eyes of any of them. This was difficult enough as it was.

"Now," he added.

The sounds of mechanical whirring signaled that at last, his orders had been obeyed. He knelt to his knees beside the charred crisp that constituted as Armin's body and fastened the needle to the vial, making all the necessary preparations so they could finally get that Colossal Titan pain in their ass out of the way…

A tiny smile overcame his face; even if Yavena was alive, she'd probably hate to get stabbed with the damn thing. He wouldn't have put it past her to lose her mind and slap the injection out of his hands.

The smile disappeared.

"Damn it," he said. He glanced over the Wall again, knowing that before long, he would have to lay eyes on it once more. He would have to see her body. "This damn world…"

He sighed and injected the medicine into Armin's veins.

The reaction was mildly delayed, giving Levi just enough time to sprint to the other side of the roof. A yellow-orange explosion had taken over the rooftop, and now a six-meter Titan was crawling around in the place where Armin had just laid.

The others joined Levi where he was standing. Together, they watched as Armin's Titan plucked Bertholdt off of the rooftop—their enemy seemed to have woken up. He was screaming in the direction of his former friends, the same ones whom he had betrayed, begging for mercy.

His cries were abruptly cut off as Armin's Titan bit off his head.

Levi sighed as the Titan fell to the ground, steam beginning to rise from where it had collapsed.

That was it, then. No going back, and… no regrets. Just like Erwin had once told him. Just like every other decision he had ever made in his life.

"Captain—" Eren started to say.

"Just go get him," Levi interrupted. He didn't want to hear any platitudes from the brat. Despite how badly Yavena cared for him, how much she had done for his sake, not once had he seemed to consider using the injection on her instead, on even taking the time to look for her.

Eren seemed to hear the edge in Levi's voice and nodded towards Mikasa. Just before they could set off for the place where Armin had fallen, however, a voice captured their attention.

"Captain Levi!"

Down the Wall came one of the new recruits. Levi didn't know who he was; he had red spiky hair that was undoubtedly supposed to make him look taller, but… there was someone strapped across his back.

"I finally found you!" the recruit gasped. He sank to his knees upon the rooftop, and upon seeing the orange hair, Levi almost did the same. "Section-Commander Yavena is badly wounded! Her stomach is gouged, and she hit her head… the blood just won't stop! I thought that injection might be able to help, but… what do you think?"

Levi stared at the recruit. Everyone did. Even Eren and Mikasa stopped in their tracks, despite the fervor with which they had been racing towards that steam.

And then—

"Is this a joke?"

The recruit shook his head, apparently startled by Levi's words. He knelt and, as gently as possible, placed Yavena upon the rooftop; a sharp gasp escaped her lips as her head rested upon the roof's shingles.

As soon as this sound was heard, Hange dove to their knees upon the rooftop. They picked Yavena up, cradling her body in their arms.

"Yavena!" screamed Hange, filled with unhinged mania. "Yavena! Hang in there! We're going to help you!"

Hange doffed the jacket that they were wearing and, with trembling hands, pressed it against the wound upon Yavena's stomach. Upon hearing the whimper of unconscious pain exiting her mouth, Hange tossed the jacket aside, their hands scrabbling to find something, anything, that they could do, babbling all the while. "Eh, we can—we can—there's already a cloak around you, but maybe… maybe stitches would help, if they're administered right away, and—Levi! What the hell are you doing, HELP ME!"

Levi was standing shock-still, his eyes wide and fixed upon Yavena's face. He did not reply to Hange's fury. He merely sank down to his knees upon the rooftop, listening to the barely-there sounds of Yavena's breathing.

He should've checked. He should've fucking checked.

The kid was part of his team, sure. He was smart, sure. But the Scout Regiment already had Erwin, they had the leader, the strategist, that they needed.

Levi had lost too many fucking people in his life, and now he would lose another because of himself. He had had the chance to save her and he blew it.

Hange choked, teary eyes staring at him. "Help me…"

What sort of shitty world would laugh at him like this? That had to be what it was doing, laughing—it had decided to take away the one person he'd ever cared about like… like this… after stripping away his mother, his closest friends, his squad, his damn uncle.

"This is a joke," he muttered. "What is this… if not a shitty joke?"

"Captain, the… the injection…" the recruit stated weakly.

Levi's hands seized his hair. It took all that remained of his willpower to not pull it out as he bellowed, "Don't you get it, you idiot?" He gestured towards Eren and Mikasa, who were frozen in between what was happening on the rooftop and the place where Armin's revitalized body had fallen. "I've already used it on Armin!"

There was a feral look upon Levi's face, unchecked, unrestrained; for once in his life, he couldn't give less of a shit if others were able to see how afraid and angry he was.

He felt like screaming, like tearing his damn hair out. All those people he had lost, he had lost because it had been beyond his own power to save them.

Yavena was going to die because he'd been lazy.

"Go… away," he rasped. Everyone turned to stare at him. Levi kept his head turned towards the ground. "Just give me a minute. Without the injection, I don't think she's…"

"No. No!" shouted Eren. He rushed towards Yavena's side and placed a hand upon the side of her face. "There's got to be a way! We can still save her! Right?"

There was no response. Levi could hear his own heartbeat pounding against his skull.

"Let's get up to the Wall," said Erwin. His voice had always been burdened, distressed, after issuing orders following a particularly bad mission. But this time, even Levi could tell that the guilt was worse than usual. "We can regroup and plan from there."

There was a brief pause.

"Yavena. Thank you," Erwin added. He nodded towards Levi only once before using his gear to travel to the top of the Wall.

Hange looked back down to Yavena. They retrieved a handkerchief and wet it, dabbing at the blood around Yavena's eyes with a quaking hand.

"I'm sorry," whispered Hange. Tears were leaking out of the corner of their eye, trailing past thier broken goggles; for the first time, Levi realized that Hange's left eye was covered by bandages and a thick ball of gauze, as though it had been blinded. Three-Eyes now. "I'm so sorry. I… I should've—"

And then they burst into tears, their forehead resting upon Yavena's chest.

Eren and Mikasa exchanged subdued looks. They dove towards the steam, disappearing for a few seconds.

"Shit," muttered Jean, who was staring at Yavena. "Shit."

"You've got to be kidding," Marlo whispered, a hand to his forehead. "Fuck."

Conny did not say anything. His hazel eyes were wide, and were blinking constantly to try and rid them of tears or ghosts. Strapped to his back, unconscious, was Sasha. She was bleeding just as Yavena was, but… not as badly.

One by one, they began to leave the rooftop. His squad members all issued whispered goodbyes, and Levi wished that they wouldn't. She was still breathing, after all, still… still… going to die.

Eventually, it was only Eren, Hange, and Levi left. The first to speak was Eren, who grabbed Yavena's hand and whispered, "Yavena, please… you're one of my closest friends. Fight."

Then he too was gone.

A strangled sound left Hange's throat. "I'll—I'll be back in a few minutes. I want to say goodbye, too."

Before Levi could speak, they had disappeared.

There was the far-off sound of a flock of geese flying overhead; likely returning from wherever south they had flown for the winter. Their crows were both muted and deafening, an uncomfortable duality.

Levi moved forward and cast Yavena into his arms. She was light to him, just like she had been during the other times that he had carried her. He supposed part of that was because of his Ackermann blood, but… it didn't really matter either way.

He had to say something. He knew that he did, despite the cracked throat.

"You idiot Pumpkin Head. I should've known you'd pull something like this. Only you would do something so stupid."

No response, not that he would've expected one.

He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. There was blood upon his face, Levi knew that. It was his own blood, too. But he couldn't bring himself to care about how unsanitary it was just yet.

"You weren't expendable."

Humanity's Greatest Soldier. What a chock of crap. Levi squeezed his eyes shut, but one of them escaped anyway—proof that he was still human, no matter what all those braindead gossipers liked to say about him. It landed upon Yavena's cheek and began sliding down her face, towards the sun-bleached rooftop.

"You weren't expendable," he repeated, hoping that this time, maybe she could hear it.

Levi held her close, one hand lost in her orange hair. Yavena had once teased him about his preference for her long hair—he knew it wasn't practical considering all of the fighting they did, but she'd never complained about it all that much. And she seemed to prefer it long, too.

He kept his eyes closed, sitting quietly. She was still alive; he could hear the steady rhythm of her breathing, second after second. As the moments passed, they seemed to almost become stronger—although that was likely just his own mind playing tricks on him.

Her blood was beginning to stain the rooftop. Levi could feel it seeping against his uniform pants, slow but sure, a stream of crimson.

The warm day was a mockery for how broken down Levi felt. More than anything, he was just exhausted. It had been a little while since he'd been forced to reacquaint himself with loss, but now it was returning in all its power.

Some people liked to say that it got easier as time went on, or with each additional person that passed. Levi thought that was stupid, because that certainly wasn't how it went for him. They could tell it to the tight throat, the maelstrom that still hadn't abated within his chest.

There had been so much left to say.

"Levi."

He opened his eyes. Staring back at him was Yavena, whose eyes were hazy, whose face was pale but set in determination. There was that tiny furrow in between her eyebrows that she wore whenever her mind had been set to something.

"Yavena," he said, and Levi surprised himself by how strong his voice was. "What the f—"

She cut him off by smiling and placing a weak hand upon his wrist. Her touch was cold but familiar, and even this simple gesture was enough to help escort his heart back into his chest from where it had leapt to his throat.

"I told you," she said, soft but firm. "I'm not letting… some bastard Titan… take me away from you."

I promised you guys a looooong time ago that I would attempt to write a chapter from Levi's perspective, and that I had the perfect idea of where to put it. Well... here it is. I hope you liked it, and that I did Levi's character some credit, because he is one of my favorites (as if that wasn't obvious already) 3

In case anyone is wondering: I do have a long-term/end-game plan for this fic. I know what changes to canon I'm going to make, who is going to be part of S4 that wasn't before (i.e. Erwin Smith and Marlo Freudenberg!), and how the fuck to explain how Yavena lived through this one. I assure you, it's all part of a plan!

As always, thanks so much for reading. I'll be back to post the next chapter either Thursday or Friday (I work Thursday, so apologies in advance if I don't update that day). I'll see you then, and until that day, take care of yourselves. :)