Tybur was the Panther. Of course he fucking was, what else? It wasn't like they could live an easy and carefree life after securing Wall Maria for humanity, was it? Humanity, ha. If only! They were just a small bunch of deranged freaks to the rest of the world. Zoë wanted to laugh, but shame burnt through her at how gullible, at how easy a prey she'd been. That asshole had to be laughing about her stupidity. And yet…
"You should have told me what he looks like!" It burst out of her. Her shame wanted her to shake Levi and rail at him, however unfair that impulse was. "Fuck, Levi! Just knowing his name would have helped to be better prepared! That asshole flaunted his knowledge in my face, smiling all the way, making the biggest fool out of me!"
"So this is my fault?" Levi asked grimly. "Okay, if it makes you feel better..."
Zoë groaned and hid her face behind her hands. Of course it wasn't his fault! It was fucking hers. Because she was too stupid, too trusting, and thoroughly incapable. Erwin should never have given her command over the Survey Corps!
Levi got up from the bed to grab his shirt from the floor. He picked up his pants next, shook them, flicked something off that displeased him, then pulled them on and buttoned up.
"We'll figure it out together," Levi said, looking for his shoes. He sounded cold and annoyed, which made Zoë forget her shame for a moment.
"You know what your problem is?" she jumped out of bed, finding her legs a little wobbly and her head dizzy, making a grab for the headboard to steady herself. "You never talk about anything. You pretend never to be rattled. I tried to help you five years ago, I wanted to help you get over what happened to you. But instead of talking to me, you put up a wall. Is the thought of confiding in me that horrible to you?"
Levi frowned and pressed his lips together. Then he stomped over to the window and opened it. Cooler air flooded the room and Zoë shuddered involuntarily. This was bad. The Panther had his claws in her. In them. In Levi. She had fucking delivered Levi to this guy on a platter.
"It doesn't matter what happened to me five years ago," Levi said, staring out of the window. A bunch of kids ran across the courtyard, she heard them shout, laugh and squeal as they sloshed through puddles.
"I think it does," she disagreed. "Was my father involved?"
Levi threw her a dark look over his shoulder.
"Was he?"
"You know he was."
"Yes, but was he the one who tortured you?"
Levi looked taken aback. "No. He is the one who got me out."
"Then that asshole lied. Tybur claimed my father wants to breed Ackermans and that you have information about a serum that is needed to fully transform…"
"Huh?!"
"Yeah, I guess that sounds quite outlandish if you think about it," she mused. But Levi looked much too pensive. "Not outlandish?" She made a few steps in his direction, suddenly feeling miserable. They couldn't be fighting. Not after all they had been through. Not after sleeping together after such a long time of keeping their distance and suffering for it. She just wanted to hold him and feel at home.
"Hmmmmm," he turned towards her.
"It makes sense to you?"
"They did ask me about a serum," Levi shrugged.
"But you don't know what they meant."
"No," Levi took a deep breath. "I believe my mother took great care to make me forget anything that could be useful to our enemies - if I ever knew."
"The Panther is the one who wants to breed Ackermans?"
"Probably," Levi shrugged again but Zoë wasn't fooled by his nonchalant demeanor. The Panther's reappearance meant big trouble, Levi knew this better than anybody else.
"Come here," she said and pulled him into an embrace. He felt warm, almost feverish. She halfway expected him to pull away from her but the opposite happened, he buried his face against her neck. "I always knew you were special," she attempted a halfhearted joke.
"It doesn't matter to me," he murmured, pressing her to himself, his one hand travelling down the length of her naked back to cup her butt. "This is about Eren and Historia. We need to protect them at all costs."
"But he is after you, Levi."
"Is he?" He lifted his head to look at her.
Or Mikasa. The realization made Zoë feel nauseous. "Fuck. I led him here," she groaned. "This is a disaster."
"It is not," Levi growled. "I cannot wait to get my hands on him. Let him come."
"He is most likely from the outside, right?" Zoë surmised. "He might have valuable information on what Marley is planning. Don't kill him. At least not without getting him to talk"
"True, he isn't working with the Warriors," Levi frowned. "I remember that he was very displeased when he heard of the attack on Wall Maria."
"Good," Zoë said. Enemies that were divided were the best enemies to have. She bent forward to give Levi a brief kiss. Mmmmh, she loved the feeling of his lips against hers. He kissed her back. Okay, this was not going to be brief, was it. Lust laced through her again at the firm stroke of his tongue against hers. Her nipples stiffened eagerly.
"We should go have dinner," he broke the kiss, but his eyes had darkened, like the sky before a storm.
Dinner? Her stomach rumbled loudly at the suggestion.
"Is it evening already?" she asked, a bit shocked because she had not realized the passage of time.
"Why do you think it's getting dark outside?" he scoffed. "Dummy."
"Oh," she looked over to the window. It was quite gloomy indeed. "Are you hungry?"
"Mhm," he nuzzled her neck and nibbled at her earlobe, his hands wandering from her butt over her hips to her breasts, cupping them gently. "All kinds of hungry."
"We should go to dinner," she echoed him meekly.
"Yeah," he licked her neck and she shivered languorously. "We should."
"Seriously," she put her hand on the growing bulge in his trousers, her mouth watering. "And you just got dressed."
"And you didn't," his fingers began stroking her below, finding her already soaking wet. "We have to do something about this."
She squealed when he lifted her by the hips like she weighed nothing and dumped her on the wooden table against the wall.
"Open your legs, Commander."
"Oh fuuuuck," she moaned when he went down on his knees to suck and lick her, bringing her to the brink by flicking his tongue against her nub. "We cannot continue behaving like randy teenagers, Levi, oh goooooood."
"Don't see why not," his wet face appeared from between her legs and he licked his mouth like a content cat. "Does it make you feel good?"
"Oh gods, yes," she almost sobbed, her nether regions pulsing greedily for release as she wiggled forward for what she hoped was coming. "Why did you stop?"
"Anything that makes you feel good is a priority." He dropped his pants, grabbed her hips and smoothly pushed all the way into her with a throaty groan. "Dammit, fucking you is better than killing Titans."
"I'm glad you're such a romantic," she spluttered, grabbing his shoulders when he began slamming in and out of her, making the entire table slide back and forth, boom, boom, boom against the wall. "Ahhh, Levi…!"
He lowered his lips to her throat, touching them to her pulse, sucking the tender skin, grazing his teeth across her jugular possessively. Zoë whimpered and threw her head back as she came, baring her entire throat to him, feeling him swell inside before he began to jerk and shoot his load into her.
They lay slumped on the table on top of each other to catch their breaths afterwards. Until both their stomachs growled loudly, reminding them there were other things to think about.
"It's time for dinner," he said, pushing his upper body away from her to gaze at her face. He looked satisfied, she thought. That made her happy because… making him feel good was her priority too.
"I'm not sure I can walk, Levi," she groaned, wiggling her toes. "My legs are like pudding."
"Tch," his lips curled. "I'm not going to carry you. You can crawl, it's not far. Just down the stairs."
Not far…? Zoë blushed. He lifted his eyebrows at her and grinned. The sight took her breath away. And she realized with something resembling an epiphany that she was still in love with him, had never stopped being in love, that the only one who could make the ache in her heart go away was Levi.
As she got dressed with difficulty because she was so shaky, she made a vow - this time, she wouldn't let it scare her. She would love him with no fear. Yes, they were going to die, probably soon. But not loving as much as possible before that was a damn waste of time.
###
Approximately one hundred eyes turned in their direction when they entered the dining room together.
"Oh shi... hiiii," Zoë lifted her hand and waved at the gaping children that sat on long three tables, the food before them temporarily forgotten, feeling the blood rise to her cheeks under their grim scrutiny.
"We sit over there," Levi nudged her towards the back of the room where the 104th sat with equally reddened ears and faces, throwing each other furtive, embarrassed looks.
"Captain Levi," a small girl with pigtails and freckles jumped up from the bench when they walked by, "are you alright?"
"Huh?" Levi cocked his head at the girl. "Why?"
"Did this lady hurt you? We heard scary noises." The glaring girl gripped her spoon like it was a weapon and pointed it at Zoë accusingly. "We wanted to come help you but Jean said not to!"
"Hurt? Not in the least," Levi said with a twinkle in his eye. "Do you not know who she is, kiddo? This is Zoë Hange, Commander of the Survey Corps! The smartest woman humanity has ever known."
"Oh! Ah!" Craning their necks to see better, all the kids in the large room now looked at Zoë as if she was a rare, precious creature. The belligerent girl sat back down and stared at her with her mouth open.
"Yes, hi, I'm Zoë," she waved again, not a bit less embarrassed at the sudden awe directed at her. "I'd never hurt Levi," she told the freckled girl. "I mean, not unless he deserves it. Which he often does. But never really hard. Maybe just a little spanking and…"
"Food. Eat. Stop talking," Levi pushed her forward and onto a chair that he pulled back for her.
"My Queen," Zoë bowed to Historia who looked barely older than the orphans in her plain farmers' clothes and simple hairstyle.
"Ah, no!" Historia shook her head and hands vehemently in protest. "Here I'm just Historia, an orphan among orphans. Welcome, Commander! Have a seat! It's great to have you as our guest!"
"It's good to see you, Commander!" Armin smiled at her.
"What happened to you?" Zoë asked in shock. His face was spotted with pus-filled blisters that looked irritated and painful.
"Our genius fell into a fire ant hill," Jean gleefully informed her. "He tripped."
"Imagine carrying the scariest and biggest fucker inside of you and being unable to defend yourself against ants," Levi mused. "Sucks."
Eren grinned but when Levi threw him a dark look across the table, his smile faltered.
"Did you do something to piss me off?" Levi asked with narrowed eyes.
"Wh… what?" Eren stammered, losing all color in his face. "No, Captain Levi. I swear!"
"Hm," Levi took a seat next to Zoë, still observing Eren with displeasure. "Feels like it though."
"Armin," Zoë addressed the hapless fire ant victim, "we should start testing your Titan abilities and let you practice transforming until you're fully comfortable with them, like we did with Eren."
"Mother Goddess, save us," Levi muttered, drawing a surprised look from her. "Not inside the Walls," he added grimly, misunderstanding her look as a prompt to explain himself. "That thing is a destructive power I do not want to see used anywhere near what I'm sworn to protect."
"I am sure there are areas within the walls where the Colossal Titan is not an issue," Zoë frowned. Since when did Levi refer to their Mother Goddess Ymir? She had never heard him use that phrase before.
"Ah yeah?" Levi challenged her. "And what if he forgets that he's human? Happened to Eren more than once. How exactly would you stop the furnace from sauntering over to a territory where there are lots of people and incinerating them?"
"I don't know yet," Zoë bristled. "I'll come up with something."
"Water balloons, maybe?" Levi snarked. "You can train our orphans here to throw them."
"Yeah, maybe," she narrowed her eyes on him. She had no interest in being challenged like this in public. But then… she sighed and relaxed. He had done it to Erwin too, every day a thousand times. Erwin had endured it because a good Commander knew it was necessary to be challenged by someone like Levi. Whether she would listen was a different question.
"Here! Food!" Jean ladled vegetable soup from one of the big pots on the table and put a plate of it in front of her and Levi, clearly aiming to disperse the tension that had begun to sizzle between them.
"Bread. Butter. Cheese," Mikasa pushed everything in their direction with a small smile. Then her eyes fell on something on Zoë's neck and her ears turned red again. Zoë hand moved up to touch the spot, finding it rather tender - and then she caught Levi's satisfied half-smile. A love bite? The little bastard. Marking her, huh. Maybe she had been altogether too nice to him so far?
"Did you have a… ah, er…. good… discussion?" Mikasa blurted out.
"Excellent," Levi drawled. "It was quite long and thorough. What did you kids do in the meantime?"
"That woman… Caroline. She left," Mikasa informed him. "I saw her run away before the storm. I followed her for a bit, she was heading South-West."
"Hm," Levi surmised. "Seems like things are bound to get interesting around here."
"She wouldn't be so stupid to run to her brother, would she?" Armin asked incredulously. "She has to know we're ready and waiting for him!"
"She didn't strike me as particularly stupid," Levi said. "She might have just gone to warn him. Hanji, Caroline is a shapely maid who likes to seduce virginal boys for information…," he paused briefly when he caught Mikasa's vicious glare, "... plenty of virgins here of course, I'm not talking about anyone in particular, she might prefer green eyes though. Anyway, apart from that, the intruder from the award ceremony who shot arrows at me is her brother."
"I came at an interesting time, huh," Zoë observed.
"Why have you come?" Eren blurted out. "Surely not only to…" his eyes flitted to Levi who shot him another death stare.
"I came to fetch Levi back to Trost," Zoë said, managing not to blush for a change. In her defense, glorious sex had not been at the top of her mind when she had decided to make the journey herself but now that glorious sex was on the menu, the trip felt even more justified. "But now I'm thinking that's not where we're going."
She began to spoon soup into her mouth. It was delicious. Levi cut off some bread and buttered it for her. He touched her hand when he put it on her plate, managing to caress a very sensitive spot between her fingers in passing. Fuck, the instant reaction of her body…
"Good," he sounded damn smug as he let his eyes drop to her stiffening nipples. Things were going his way, huh?
"We're not staying either," she told him, putting her hand out of his reach for the moment.
"No?" he frowned.
"No," she took a hearty bite, damn, she was so hungry, famished, actually. "No, we're going up north. We're going to visit my father."
###
Levi was impressed - and very horny. Hanji was gutsy. Taking on Council Hange head on like that? On his own territory? Gutsy and a little bit crazy - or maybe a lot crazy - and certainly completely unpredictable, which had always intrigued him about her. Let's face it, she was the sexiest woman he had ever met and now that she was the Commander, his Commander, he found her almost unbearably sexy. When she got a little bossy, he almost got weak knees.
"No, you're not joining me in my bed tonight," she had told him at the door of her bedroom. "We need to concentrate on prepping for our departure tomorrow."
Concentrate? All throughout dinner he had thought about about the sounds she made in her throat in the throws of passion, about the look on her face when she came, about the softness of her breasts, her perky nipples that he longed to suck and bite, the exquisite feeling of her warm, juicy cunt around his dick, squeezing and kneading him until he exploded. He had managed to hide his raging cockstand underneath a napkin. Before getting up he had forced himself to think of the Beast Titan, which had made his blood boil but had taken quick care of the tent in his trousers. Scandalizing the younglings in his team was fun but there was a limit. Besides, the joke was on him.
After feeling justifiably outraged by her words, he had almost begged her to reconsider. Almost. How could she already deny him this shortly after their reunion? He was in no way done. He felt the greatest urge to join his body with hers, again and again and again, to make up for all that time they had lost due to their stupidity. He wanted to lose himself inside of her and never come back.
But an order was an order. She was the Commander. So he obeyed.
"I'm in trouble, old boy," he complained to his horse who snorted angrily in response. The night was damp and the sky was overcast, forcing Blitz to trot much slower than he wanted to. "I will probably die if she doesn't let me sleep with her often. Which means once every day, at least."
A bit dramatic, maybe. But how the fuck had he survived without having her for so many years? The eye patch also held a lot of allure, it made her look so incredibly badass but underneath that badassery, she was so soft and almost unbearably cute. They had had no time to talk about her health - yet. They would have a lot of time to talk about all kinds of things, he felt quite excited about it. Or… he swallowed nervously.
"Do you think she feels it's wrong?" he mused. "It's not that the situation has changed from before… well, it has, now she's my Commander. Or maybe screwing one's Commander is better than just screwing a comrade?"
In his head, Levi went over the rules of the Survey Corps but he came to the conclusion that there was nothing in there that applied.
Given he was a little preoccupied by the problem he was confronted with, Levi reached the little forest in what felt like no time. Going around in a semicircle, he dismounted when he spotted a small fire up ahead, told Blitz to wait and crept closer.
Who the fuck lit a fire when they were there to be inconspicuous?!
Annika sat on a flat stone, cleaning her knife with a rag, whistling softly under her breath. An arrow from the dark would instantly kill her.
"Psst, Anni."
She yelped, clutching her heart. "Levi, is that you?!"
"Are you fucking stupid lighting a fire out here? It's visible for miles!"
"I wanted to cook meat," she sniffed. "I had a huge appetite tonight."
"Treibel around?" Levi got up and stepped next to her, looking at the two small tents they had pitched - on opposite sides, as far apart as possible. Not much domestic bliss to be found here either.
"Why?" she scoffed and pointed at one of the tents. "He's sleeping. It's my turn to keep watch."
"I need a word."
"With him?!"
"No, with both of you. Wake him up."
"You go wake him up! Are we going to Trost?"
"Nope," Levi said. "We're not."
He stalked over to the tent she had indicated and ripped open the flap. "Up, Treibel," he snapped, "change of plans and orders."
Treibel's disheveled head appeared from amidst the blankets. "What, what, what?" he asked in confusion, "who… Levi?!"
It didn't take long for Theodor to crawl out of his tent and stare sullenly at Levi. And Annika. Who glared right back like she wanted to bite his head off. These two were still at it, it seemed. Ah, Levi felt a wave of sadness as he remembered the gossip among the Survey Corps - when there still was one that consisted of more than a handful of greenhorn teenagers, himself and Hanji.
"Right. So," Levi cleared his throat, "Pack your things. You need to follow us up north in the morning, to guard our backs."
"What?" Both said in unison.
"By my Commander's orders," Levi added.
"Fuck her," Annika spat.
But Treibel just nodded. As long as they were stationed out here, they were to follow Zoë's command, that was the deal she and Nile Dok had agreed on.
"What is it, Levi - is there a problem?" Treibel asked concerned.
"Not really. We're going on a trip. All of us, including the Queen."
"So you're no longer expecting an operation directed at her?"
"We're very much expecting an operation directed at her," Levi shrugged, "that's why we're going."
"Are you crazy?" Annika narrowed her eyes on him. "This makes no sense."
"I doubt that anybody will be foolish enough to attack us when we are in motion," Levi continued. "Everybody knows we're trained to hunt and kill anything that moves and bothers us."
"What if they have a Titan?" Treibel asked.
"We have two." And two Ackermans, he added in his head.
Treibel nodded, biting his lip. "We'll be ready. How far behind you should we be?"
"Half an hour," Levi answered. "I'm going to track down two other posts stationed out here to flank us."
"I hate riding," Annika complained, "my ass feels like it's flattened and out of shape for hours afterwards."
Treibel instantly glanced at the body part in question with a look on his face that clearly said 'but I like it just the way it is' and Levi shook his head in disbelief. How much power did women have over men? He had never quite realized the extent of it until now.
"Don't let us down," he told Treibel sharply.
Treibel nodded. "You can count on us. Where are we going?"
"Hange estate, Treibel. To see your relatives. Rejoice!"
Straight into the lion's mouth.