When I grow up I want to be decisive.
Elizabeth took a deep breath, watching her guys intently. They had grown quite a lot and bore the signs of that war, that had just ended, on their faces.
But they had to go home, they had to go back to Paradis. They had already wasted enough time getting treatment and recovering their strength, Historia needed them.
"I'll miss you so much." murmured the blonde, openly admitting her feelings. She was no longer treating them as her subordinates but as those guys she had seen growing up and to whom she cared immensely.
"We'll miss you too." Jean answered trying to hide the sad and slightly broken tone. He didn't have to cry, not in front of Mikasa. And to the Captain, of course. "How am I going to do without your advices now?"
"Write me everything. I want to know everything that happens to you." Elizabeth said seriously, pointing her finger at them and making Reiner smile amused behind Jean.
"As if we could deny it to you. And you let us know how the pregnancy goes on."
Connor, next to his friend, instead pointed his attention to the woman's still flat stomach, too early to already see any signs of pregnancy. And also a little sorry that he would not be able to see her with the baby bump.
"Mikasa, you will keep an eye on Elizabeth, right?" Jean asked, giggling in the direction of the blonde and hinting at the battle that she had taken part in. They all knew that soon Levi would scold her for having fought and they would have wanted so much to be there but the Captain was just waiting to be alone in the room with her. If he was going to scold her, he wanted to do it right.
"Sure. If I don't do it, he'll let her do what he wants."
At the answer of the younger Ackerman, Levi raised an eyebrow. Although, he had to admit, he was partly right.
"I'm her husband, not her father."
"It will do you good to think of something different." Armin exclaimed to Mikasa, changing the subject before the new General decided to assert her authority and shut them all up. She would not have done it and they knew it but it was better to avoid provoking her. "When will we be able to see him? Or her."
"I'll send you a photo after the birth. And try to come back."
"Are you their superior or his mother?" Reiner asked, acquiring a little more confidence. She had granted it to him, despite everything that had happened she hadn't shown the slightest resentment towards him. She had managed to surprise him when he had granted help to Gabi by telling her not to beg, but he would not have expected to find himself joking with her as if they were teammates. As if he had never betrayed them.
And for her that betrayal had been forgotten the moment he saw his resentment. She didn't find it right to condemn a person who was already condemning himself, who had attempted suicide, -because he had been able to admit it aloud with her, albeit in extreme confidence-, and who, however, had helped them by risking his own life.
He respected and admired her.
"I'm the person who will break the bones of anyone who touches them." Elizabeth answered, changing her expression to a more serious and menacing one, frightening enough to make not only Reiner tremble, but also Jean and Connor. And the two of them were much more used than the first one...
"Clear."
"And will you miss us, Captain?" Connor asked, giggling playfully, already knowing what he would answer but we might as well get rid of any weight. He wanted to take the risk.
"No."
"Oh shut up, we all know you love them too."
Elizabeth nudged him lightly on the arm, without putting any strength into it, and Levi rolled his eyes. She was really forcing him to admit it out loud. And that was another thing he would add to the list of things to make her pay for.
In their own way, sure, but he would make her pay for it.
"Okay."
Jean put his hand to his chest with emotion and Connor opened his mouth wide in shock at that admission.
"Aww the Captain loves us."
"Don't push it too far." Levi threatened them with a thin look and the smile on their faces disappeared once again, making them swallow empty with fear. Perhaps it was better not to overdo it.
"Oh my God..." Elizabeth exclaimed, spreading her arms and pulling everyone against her in order to create a group hug in which even Levi took part, pulled hard by his wife. Levi stretched out his hand to touch his wife's side but limited himself to that, it was already enough that he was in the middle of it.
"Look what I have to do ..."
"Practice for when your child is born." Mikasa answered him, laughing with amusement and looking at the scene from outside, just behind Elizabeth. She managed not to get caught but the blonde didn't leave her there for long.
"Why aren't you here?"
Mikasa joined her embrace, feeling Elizabeth's hand gently squeeze her arm and understood why she was doing it. That contact wouldn't be repeated for long and that was how she wanted to split up, in harmony, happy and looking forward to the day when they could all huddle together again.
Levi just closed his eyes, letting himself be lulled by the movement of the boat that moved on the sea and the water itself that swayed and joined the sound of the wind.
It was a strange feeling.
All his life he had only thought about fighting and surviving while now... now there was something different. He was thinking of a new life, he was thinking of the possibility of giving life to that little dream that had been going on for too long. He really thought he was happy.
The sound of Elizabeth's regular, relaxed breathing soothed him as his fingers glided delicately between her blonde locks, caressing her.
To interrupt the flow of his thoughts was a light knock on the door, before Mikasa's head peeked out.
"Can I come in?"
"Yes, do you need something?"
"I wanted to know how's Elizabeth. I saw her quite pale before."
Levi turned for a moment to look at his wife's sleeping and relaxed face before standing up and walking towards the younger one. Elizabeth had spent the first twenty minutes on the boat throwing up, and considering her first voyage, he highly doubted it was due to the sea. It was probably a reaction to her pregnancy and he just hoped it was all right.
"She had a lot of nausea but she fell asleep. Come on, let her sleep."
After Levi closed the door behind him, the two leaned with their elbows on the balustrade, feeling the wind and the smell of salt on their faces.
"So… you will become a father." Mikasa murmured calmly, keeping her gaze straight ahead.
"Yeah..."
"You will be a very good father." she smiled, talking to him like that for the first time. With Shiganshina destroyed and no longer wishing to be part of the army, Elizabeth had offered her, not to say forced, to stay with her, claiming that the house Frank and Marie had bought was big enough to keep her too. "Even if you have easy kicks."
"If I hadn't done it, they would have killed him." he replied, noting that this was really the first time they talked about it.
"Yes, now I understand it. But I still have to take revenge."
Mikasa turned to him smiling slightly and Levi returned that same look.
"Isn't it a bit late?"
"Nah. I'll give you that punch back, know that."
"If you want it so much..." he commented pretending indifference but hiding a certain pleasure in parrying her in that way. They were the last two Ackerman, three if you counted that little creature that was yet to be born, and that thought gave him a particular sense of belonging. "Who would have thought it..."
"That you would have fallen in love?" the raven asked, looking again at the great expanse of crystalline salt water in front of her.
"That I would find myself talking about my own business with a brat."
"I bet Elizabeth wanted us to get close for our last name."
And Levi could not deny it. She was someone who had created such a beautiful relationship with everyone and had become their fixed point, someone they can always count on. Even if she hadn't said it openly, the thought of going back without all of them made her suffer but she also knew that, just as Eren himself wanted in his own way, they had to take flight and discover that new world.
"Yeah. She never pressured me about it though, I think that's why I've never talked to you more than necessary."
"But you always believed in my skills." she added, noting the honesty in the Captain's gray eyes. So stoic and stern, he now looked just like a man.
"I'm sorry for Eren."
Those words struck her. She had never really stopped herself to see how much he too cared about Eren, how much trust he had placed in him and how much he loved that boy that, after all, he had saved from the beginning. And it was true: if it hadn't been for him, Eren would have died at that trial.
"It hurts. It hurts a lot, but maybe it had to go like this. I just hope that now he can have found peace and that he has stopped suffering."
"I have no idea what I would do if I were to lose Elizabeth. But I wouldn't take it so philosophically, certainly."
Levi couldn't look at her face as he admitted that out loud The only people he had admitted to love Elizabeth were Erwin and Hange, and they were gone, but perhaps it was worth opening up a little more to her too.
"That's sure. In Shiganshina you were so destroyed you couldn't even react."
"Now don't overdo it, brat." Levi answered, returning, however, that small smile that Mikasa had given him.
When they got off the boat, there was a Paradis waiting for them that was not at all different from the one they had left a few days earlier. The revolts of the Jeagerists had not stopped yet and Historia had found herself alone. But she was there waiting for their return.
Her big blue eyes focused on them, checking them from head to toe to make sure they were okay but besides a few wounds and a few bandages she saw nothing serious, except for Levi's face which was the worst. She took a sigh of relief and walked over to them, determined to immediately stop the havoc that was born.
She had to restore peace, then they would have time to talk and discuss in private.
Paradis took precedence.
They reached the capital with extreme speed, finding the various Jeagerists who provoked the crowd in search of the 'traitor soldiers', that would be them. Many raise their fists in trust, screaming with them, but the crowd stopped to see the Queen's serious and angry face, with some of her guards following her and the three returning directly to Marley.
"Uh Elizabeth is here, now it's your business." commented a soldier, brought to his knees in front of the crowd by the Jeagerists. The young man who was holding him by the shoulder, a blond boy with an arrogant look, turned to her, challenging her with his gaze before of his words.
"Elizabeth is only the Vice Captain, she doesn't have all this power."
"You are wrong." Historia exclaimed, taking advantage of the fear that she still managed to instill in them, even if they were good at hiding it. She remained the Queen and, for how they benefited from the changes she had made to the island she was not hated; with time and the right advices, she had transformed into a ruler worthy of that term.
"Your majesty."
"Zackly took care to sign this official document before you blew it up, naming her as his successor." Historia explained pulling out a stamped and signed sheet, showing it to the rioters and watching carefully their faces change expression. They were boys with firm principles and great courage but, with the exception of Captain Levi, she was the only person everyone feared. She was small, beautiful and deadly, she was terrifying to many and at that moment they couldn't even hide it. Ever since they learned that she had remained impassive to pain as the Captain pulled the bullet out of her leg, that fear had turned into terror as well. "To you the honor General."
Levi and Mikasa watched with a grin Elizabeth take a few steps forward and overtake everyone, proud and terribly serious.
"You are all under arrest for betraying your homeland and the oath you swore, for the murder of General Zackly and for helping to almost euthanize the entire Eldian people." At the word 'euthanasia' the crowd stopped completely, they lacked that detail and knowing it immediately changed their opinion of the young people who had tried to revolt the army. They wanted freedom, yes, but not their own euthanasia. Everyone remained silent as many looked down at the ground as Elizabeth's words hit them hard. And she concluded with the young blond that she had challenged her. "And to you in particular because I don't like you."
They didn't have to know about Zeke's real plan either, or perhaps they ignored it, convinced that everything would turn out for the best. They had no idea what had happened across the sea.
Among them she saw different reactions: from the ones who trembled to those who could not find the courage to look up, even to those who did not believe in the madness of euthanasia.
But there were also those who could not hold Elizabeth's accusing gaze and let themselves be overwhelmed by feelings of guilt.
The soldiers in defense of the Queen prepared to carry out the order of their new leader, handcuffing under the serious gaze and with a high chin not only of the woman who reigned but also of Elizabeth. They had done a good slaughter and now it was their turn to put everything back in place, but it was true when it was said that the truth always comes out and is more accepting than a good lie. And soon, all the people would know everything.
"What a drag..." Levi murmured closing the door of their room behind him. They hadn't seen that room for over a month but it was all exactly as they had left it, albeit with a little dust around. Levi held back the urge to clean only because there was one thing that he took precedence. The thought of it made him smile momentarily, she also took precedence over his obsessions and phobias, but the worry and the thought that things could have turned out differently hurt his heart.
"Mh?"
"First you had to lose your brother to blindness and now that bearded shit has blown my eye."
Elizabeth approached him calmly, reaching out her arms to fasten them behind her husband's neck and approach him until their noses touched.
"Mmmm I don't know, it looks good. You look even more dangerous and sexy." she whispered maliciously, blowing on his lips. "Besides, it could have been worse, you could have ended up in a wheelchair."
"That would have been embarrassing." Levi commented bringing his hands on Elizabeth's hips and running her thumbs over her belly, caressing it. "And now that we'll have a baby, I need my strength to raise it."
"I would have taken care of you anyway, you know." she affirmed softly, making the tips of their noses rub little. Levi smiled at her in response.
"I know. You always have, ever since you decided we were friends."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow and Levi continued to explain. "Do you think I never noticed? You always made sure I ate, when you made tea you always gave me the second cup because you are convinced that the first one gets colder faster, you bought me that blend of tea... I always noticed everything."
"And I would do it again." affirmed the blonde. She knew that Levi was a man who noticed everything but she didn't think he could ever give those little gestures the same meaning she had given them and she had to hold back her tears. "I would do every single thing again."
"But that won't prevent you from a good scold."
Elizabeth just laughed at him, pulling her head back and giving her husband a perfect view of her neck, where he left a quick kiss.
"I was hoping you had passed over it."
"You fought pregnant. What if something happened to you or the baby?" he asked scolding her and just tightening his grip on her hips. With that slightest gesture he had managed to make her feel all his concern and she felt she had to give him a few more details.
"I have not reasoned. Hange told me while you were unconscious and then it all happened so quickly that I didn't have time to realize it until I sat next to you against that boulder. "
"It's not a valid justification." he answered but there was really no anger in his tone, it was a trivial statement to underline the obvious. A part of him was sorry for the weight that she had had to carry, one thing after the other, and almost understood her. He certainly could not imagine what it meant to her to discover that she has a child inside her and fight not only with her role and responsibilities but also with the thought that the person you love could die. She had broken down and done something terribly irresponsible.
"And I don't want it to be. You are right."
Levi looked at her for a long moment and then leaned his forehead against hers. That little gesture was handled terribly and he almost did not feel all that peace that now surrounded them. Of course, Paradis still had to face the war that had taken place and its consequences, but there was hope.
A real one this time.
"I swore to protect you, to protect you, but it's hard considering you're so unconscious."
"There will be no more reason." she affirmed calmly and confidently, intriguing her husband.
"What do you mean?"
"That I want to leave the army."
Levi looked at her in bewilderment, his eyes barely widening in amazement. He wouldn't have thought to could really heard her say those words. He had hoped for it but hearing them was quite another thing.
"Seriously?"
"Yes. It is not in this world that I want to have our child born. I want it to have a normal life."
"It's our baby, it will never have a normal life." he commented placing a hand on Elizabeth's belly and caressing her gently. "But I understand it. For me it is the same. Time to put down the swords."
"And then Frank and Marie start getting tired, the tea shop needs someone to run it."
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?" Levi immediately replied, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her against himself until their bodies adhere. Her laugh was a beautiful melody
"What? Propose them to change their business in favor of a more peaceful one which, coincidentally, is also my husband's dream just to make sure that he could take it one day?" she asked with feigned innocence, putting a genuine smile on Levi's face. "What makes you think so?"
"You're amazing."
But he was grateful. Terribly. She was allowing him to make his dream come true. "Thank you."
But what she had said came back to his mind as soon as they entered the room and he couldn't help himself anymore.
"Were you serious about the scar?"
"Yeah. Seen apart, you're so sexy."
"Don't provoke me." he replied with his lips terribly close to hers, sensing her warm breath and listening to her low, mischievous voice. "You can't exaggerate."
"The doctor said I can't fight and exert too much effort, but he also said that, in his words, I can do some things if at a suitable pace."
And Levi was unable to deny her anything.
He calmly made him adhere their bodies and their lips, holding her to him and lifting her from her thighs, exactly like the first time they had joined in that same room.
Just like it was the first, would be the last.
He undressed her slowly, kissing her, savoring her, recovering not only all that time spent without even being able to kiss, but also all his energy. Like water in the desert.
Her clothes hit the ground with little rustles and a few giggles due to the touch of her skin that caused a slight tickle, until he felt the mattress behind her back.
Her hair surrounded her face as if they were a halo, an ethereal creature with her light.
With the lips he seductively descended from her lips to her neck, lingering in the points that made her sigh as she writhed and pushed their naked bodies closer. Slowly, too much for her taste, he reached her flat stomach, kissing it, first passing over the scar that seemed to stain her white skin, too evident compared to the others smaller. Each of those little signs was a story their child would have liked to know and the same goes for his own; perhaps, one day they would tell it, hoping that they would remain so and that its eyes would never have to see those horrors.
They weren't two survivors. They were two soldiers. Two lovers.
His lips then moved lower to her belly, giving small kisses with tenderness, and Elizabeth buried her fingers in his hair, smiling happily at him.
Her heart was beating so hard in her chest that she believed it would explode with her joy, but her heartbeat increased as the time of the cuddles ended.
With a slow push he was inside her, filling her completely and waiting for her to get used to the intrusion before starting to push. Slow at first, then gradually faster, showing particular attention not to put pressure on her belly, as if he could somehow harm that little creature that still had to start forming.
The pleasure grew until it was no longer possible to hold back and they let everything die in each other's mouth, kissing and caressing each other.
The last thing Elizabeth felt before falling asleep was Levi's hand caressing her belly with fear, using only his fingertips to avoid applying too much pressure. She smiled at his bare chest, leaving him a little kiss near the shoulder and pressing his hand a little more against her belly.
Levi indulged that hold and squeezed her a little tighter against himself.
And in that moment he knew it wasn't the end. It was just a new beginning.