Petra sipped her cocktail and stared out the balcony window onto the sea. A cool night breeze made the palm trees sway. Below her, the lights of Waitea, Kawani's capital city, glimmered along the shore.
"Are you enjoying the sights, Miss?" a man asked. He was Nambian, probably the ambassador. Considering he was at a reception with the nations that had conquered his own, he looked surprisingly cool. Or at least, he was very good at hiding his emotions.
"Lieutenant, actually. I'm in the Paradisian army," she said quietly. The man simply nodded.
"Then how does it look?"
"It's beautiful here," she said. Actually, beautiful was an understatement. The Kawani islands had the clearest water she'd ever seen, the whitest beaches, the most verdant and luscious greenery. Her cocktail was made with fresh pineapple juice. Even wearing a loose, strapless gown of pale blue silk, she felt herself starting to sweat. She also liked the Kawani islands because they were one of the few neutral places left on earth. They were small enough that the Triple Alliance allowed them to self-govern.
"Is it as beautiful as Paradis?"
"Well. Paradis is home," she said, being a little evasive. She smiled as Levi came over, scowling as usual. "This is my husband, Mr.?"
"Abioye. Southern Nambian ambassador. It's nice to see our 'liberators' are so polite."
Petra flushed at that. Levi grunted; he wasn't about to snap at a guy whose country was under their control.
"Yeah. Uh. Nice to meet you," he muttered. He put an arm around her waist almost as if to grab onto something to steady him.
"If you'll excuse me, I should speak with the hosts of this gathering," Abioye said. He gazed at Willy Tybur, Lady Kiyomi, and Erwin near the center of the room. They were surrounded by the most influential rulers and ambassadors in the world. "Pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant."
He kissed her hand and walked off. Petra puffed her cheeks, and Levi guided her onto the balcony.
"Think I'm gonna sweat so hard my fucking skin's gonna come off," he said.
"Why did you wear a cravat and such a heavy jacket?" she whispered.
"It's night! I thought it gets cold at night!" he grumbled. She smiled and kissed him when no one could see. His cheek was fairly dewy, actually.
"Baby, why don't we at least take off the cravat and unbutton your collar?" She helped him do that quickly, folding the cravat and slipping it into his pocket. "Here," she whispered, sliding the jacket from his shoulders. Levi gave a soft groan of contentment; dark circles of sweat made his shirt cling to him. What a nice view. "We can let you cool off a little before dinner."
"Oi, you don't have to mother me," he said. But he kissed her anyway.
"Well. Pretty soon I'll have another baby to look after," she teased.
"Pet." His eyes widened. He took her hand. "Fuck, are you—?"
"Oh. No, not yet." She sighed, and kissed him. "But I was thinking… After dinner, why don't we slip away from the assembly and go skinny dipping? I saw the most beautiful little place near the hotel."
"Skinny dipping?" He looked baffled. "What?"
"You know. We get naked and go for a swim. The water's supposed to be so warm here, even at night."
Levi dropped his eyes and glowered. "I can't swim," he muttered.
For some reason, that caught her completely by surprise even though it shouldn't have. It made perfect sense. He'd grown up in the underground city, where there were no lakes or rivers. Once he'd entered the service, they'd never had swim lessons. They didn't fight titans on water, after all.
"Oh. Well. I could teach you a little?"
Levi thought about it. "You'd be naked."
"Completely. And the cove I saw looks very shallow. What do you think?"
He looked around the reception room filled with swank people in beautiful, expensive clothes. They were deciding the fates of millions over the next couple days, this handful of people. That kind of power and responsibility made Petra dizzy.
It made her yearn for that simple farm even more.
"All right. I can still learn a few things, even being ancient."
"You're thirty eight!" She struggled not to laugh at him.
"And a half. I can feel it coming in, like Erwin said. Forty. Fuck, it's coming."
"Well. After tomorrow, we're going back to Wall Rose and we're raising horses and children. And tea."
"You don't raise tea, damn it. Have I taught you nothing?"
She laughed and hugged him. Despite his surly countenance, she could tell he struggled not to smile.
"This is really it, huh?" he muttered.
"It is."
"I never thought it'd be like this." He trailed his fingers along her arm. "Fuck, I want to leave the service."
"The titans are dead. It's natural. There are no more wars to fight."
"No. But I was thinking, the Ackermans. Shit. They were…we were made to be fighters. Some old king had them experiment on us, make us the way we are."
"They gave you strength. They didn't say how you had to use it."
"Didn't they, though? We were the king's blade or whatever."
"His confidants."
"The second we didn't please him, he had us hunted down like dogs." His expression darkened. If Levi's great-great-great grandfather hadn't spurned King Fritz, his mother would have grown up a lady. She would never have suffered, or died in a whorehouse. But she also wouldn't have had Levi.
"That's why it's good that Erwin is king. If there's one man who would never hunt you…"
"Yeah." He eased up a bit. "But I spent my whole life fighting. I fought to survive underground; I fought to survive titans; I fought to survive these wars. When I don't have to fight anymore, what the fuck am I going to do?"
"You're going to be very deeply loved. The way you already are." She kissed his cheek. "You're going to have all the tea you want, and play with your children. You're going to look after the 104th kids the way you already do. You're going to go drinking with Hange and Erwin and talk about old times. You're going to keep looking after Paradis's orphans and refugees, the way you already do. You're going to ride every day, and have lots and lots of sex with me."
"Fuck. That all sounds too good to be real." He kissed her. She felt him relax. "I just don't trust peace."
"You've never known peace. Starting tomorrow, you will." The idea of peace felt the same as the idea of summer vacation when she was a child. The two months of the planting season, when children helped in the fields to get everything done. Even though it'd been work, it'd also been freedom. She always felt so weightless and joyous when the teacher finally declared class over for two months. She'd rushed out those doors thinking the whole world was spread out before her.
That was the closest she could come to describing this feeling.
"Excuse me?" Erwin appeared on the balcony, a martini in his hand. Levi cleared his throat as Petra helped him back into his jacket. "Levi, that material is so…heavy."
"Yeah, now everyone fucking tells me," he growled. Petra drained her cocktail, took her husband's arm, and led him indoors.
"The ambassador from Hybernia wanted to meet you. She heard you were the man who singlehandedly took down a tank outside of Camru."
"You did what? You never put that in your letter home!"
"Well. It was just a tank, for fuck sake."
Petra and Erwin both struggled not to laugh. That was Levi all over.
They went into the long dining room, which was open to the tropical night. Torches flared on the walls to create traditional Kawani ambience. The meal was delicious, sea scallops, a curried coconut soup, a light fish with Macademia sauce, a dense pineapple cake for dessert. The ocean whispered along the shore, enhancing their conversation. Petra spoke with Mr. Abioye again, as well as a woman from Zhonghu. She loved hearing about their different countries, their cities, their families.
She wished she could have seen all these places before Erwin and the others took them over…
As an Eldian, you couldn't have gone anywhere if Erwin hadn't liberated us. These men and women would have spit on you or killed you on sight before he saved us all. Show some respect.
"This may sound like a strange question," she said to Mr. Abioye. "But…what do you think of Eldians?"
"As you're an Eldian, this seems like a loaded question." He smiled.
"I suppose you don't like us much now at all."
"Well. In truth, Marley has been the chief occupying force my entire life. The Triple Alliance has actually helped lift restrictions on our people in exchange for more protections for Eldian rights."
"Before this all happened, though. What did you think of us?"
"I thought, quite frankly, that you all were monsters. But not cruel monsters; you simply were monsters, the way a bird is a bird or a fish a fish. Like any other animal, you ought to be left alone."
"Mmhmm." She pursed her lips. Animals. Of course.
"But over time, I realized that our prejudice was allowing us to do the most horrific things. Truthfully, Lieutenant, I don't blame your king or you at all for what you've done. When I think of how the world has treated your kind, I feel shame. I really do. That level of hatred, well. Maybe it's right to be fearful of Eldians. You can, after all, become titans, that's simply truth. But the way you were hated was wrong. It always made me uncomfortable—I saw it as a mark of ignorance and fear. Now I know that it was. Even though fear was, perhaps, the right emotion." He smiled softly.
"Well." She wished he didn't think her scary, but then again…she did carry the ability to become a titan in her blood. It was one thing to hate a person for their skin color, which was completely absurd and irrational. Hating a person because they could grow to fifty feet tall and kill you? There was at least a reason there.
It wasn't right, but it was a little bit reasonable.
She didn't like that.
"I hope things are better for your country now, at least," she said.
"Thank you. I hope the same for you."
Across the table, Levi studied her and Abioye. When their eyes met again, she smiled a little. He nodded.
They were okay.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Willy Tybur said, standing and raising a glass. "To a unified future. A world at peace, and in our time." He gestured to Erwin, seated at the opposite head of the table. "To the king of Paradis, the architect of our future happiness."
"The king." Everyone toasted Erwin, who bowed his head in thanks.
After coffee and cake, Petra couldn't wait any longer. She could have cried with relief when the party began to break up. She went and took Levi by the hand, leading him along the hallway and to the elevator. They went up to their room, where she started to change.
"If we're going skinny dipping, we don't want to ruin our good clothes."
"We're jumping in with them on? Thought we were supposed to be naked."
"We will be. But things get wet." She smirked as he grabbed her around the waist from behind.
"Yeah. I like when things get wet." He nibbled at her bare shoulder.
"Soon. Be a good boy."
They got dressed more casually, Petra in a cotton sundress, Levi in a loose pair of black slacks and a long sleeved gray shirt. Petra had tried to get him to purchase shorts, or at least a short sleeved shirt. Then she tried to get him to buy something in another color, or at least white. No luck. He liked what he liked.
They walked out the lobby and into the warm tropical night. The breeze carried no chill at all, only ruffled her hair delightfully as they walked out of the hotel's gate and turned down a road into town. The streets of Waitea were alive with light and noise. They passed bars and hookah parlors, stands that sold spears of fresh pineapple and coconut juice. Music poured out of clubs, and people chatted at the tables of sidewalk restaurants. There were cars and taxis, and also horse-drawn carts and bicycle cabs.
"It's so alive here," Petra said, her hand in Levi's.
"Tch. All tourist crap. The guy at the hotel said so. This is for the foreigners who come here and want to spend cash on cheap shit to make 'em feel like they had an authentic experience."
"Levi. You talked to someone?"
"Don't be a brat. Yeah, the guy who brought the bags to our room. Nice kid. Said he was grateful for the money that comes in from the tourists, but gets tired of having to make this place a sort of pretend paradise."
"Well. I understand. I'm just glad we're not taking the islands over. I want there to be one place in this world we don't control."
"We're not in control. Not like Marley used to be." He sounded defensive. They passed into a square strung with paper lanterns. A band was playing on a wooden stage, and people danced. Petra stopped them, hugged him around the neck.
"You're right. Let's not talk about this now. Let's just enjoy the time."
"Yeah." He didn't dance—she knew he wouldn't—but he kissed her deeply. His nose brushed against hers. He cupped her jaw, stroked her cheek with his thumb. "You sure you can teach me to swim?"
"Well, there are a few strokes we can try. The dog paddle, the freestyle, the breaststroke—"
"Let's do the last one first," he growled in her ear. Petra laughed and led him away, finally leaving the commercial strip behind. They took a path down to the beaches, and walked across the sand. Moonlight glistened on the waves. Petra breathed in the salt tang of the ocean air. "The world was so much bigger than we could have imagined," she whispered.
"Yeah." Levi sounded subdued. "That Armin kid. Just wanted to see the ocean."
Poor Armin. Petra squeezed Levi's arm.
Eventually, they came upon some rocks. Petra led him up a dirt path, skirting the more jagged stones. Eventually, there was a shallow inlet surrounded by rocks on both sides. The water here was so gentle. Petra smiled, slid out of her shoes, and untied the back of her dress.
"I'm glad we came," Levi muttered as she stood naked on the lip of the cove.
"You next." She tested the water with her foot. It was so warm, almost the temperature of a bath. Perfect. In the far distance, they heard the steady pulse of music. She walked into the water up to her knees, then to her waist. She swam a few strokes out, and discovered that it went over her head about halfway across the cove. Perfect. Levi would not accidentally drown if they stayed closer to shore. She swam back, and laughed to find him naked with his arms rigid at his sides, glaring at the water like it had threatened him. "Come on. It's so lovely. And look, I'm standing." She stood in the waist high water. Grunting, Levi walked in slowly.
"Huh. Feels kind of like a bath." She knew he'd like it. He walked in up to his waist, then froze. He looked around at all the water on every side of him. "Never been in this much water before."
True. Even when they went to the beach on Paradis, he always stayed on shore and watched her and Kuchel frolic in the waves.
"New things can be wonderful."
"Or deadly. Are there any poisonous fish around here?"
"I think they're much farther out to sea."
Eventually he calmed down, especially when she started to kiss him. They were wrapped in each other's arms in waist deep water, and she felt him start to get excited.
"Before that," she whispered, "I want to teach you one move."
Levi groaned, but followed her a little deeper. She felt him tensing when they were up to their shoulders. She stopped him.
"All you have to do is paddle your hands like this." She showed him, moving her hands in little circles. "Keep your legs pumping, too."
"Hmmph." But he observed her. He saw her swim around. Levi grew determined, and pushed off. He almost went under a couple times, but did not panic where another man might have. Ackermans had a high threshold for panic. After a minute, she laughed to see him earnestly paddling around her, looking determined. She swept around him, kissing him every time he made a full circle. It didn't take too long for him to grow more comfortable. He still wasn't the swimmer she was, but now that he could stay afloat and not drown it would be easier to teach him. They swam back to where they could stand, the water just above the tops of Petra's breasts. There, she wrapped her legs around his waist and held onto him. Levi grunted, but held her steady. Easy to do in water; so much of her became weightless.
"Thank you for always trying things for me," she said.
"If I hadn't, we wouldn't be here. You pushed me to do everything that scared the shit out of me. That's why I've got you and Kuchel. You're the brave one," he whispered.
They both held their breath while he slid into her.
"Let's be brave again." She kissed him.
Petra loved listening to his hurried breath as the water lapped against their bodies. His hands caressed her ass as he thrust into her. Making love in the ocean was so different, even from when they'd been together in the forest. She felt entirely part of nature now, not just in it. The splashing grew more frantic as his hips moved faster.
"God, I love you," she whispered in his ear. When she came, she swallowed her scream and only gave a full, breathy exhale. She felt how hard he was inside of her, how soft she was around him.
"You're the only woman," he growled, "ever touched me. Only one…ever will."
"Sometimes I wish I'd waited for you." He was bringing her to a second climax. "I wish you'd opened me."
"I'm glad it was the way it was." He sucked at her neck; he'd leave a livid spot there tomorrow. "I'm glad…I was special. Better than the rest, oh fuck."
He came. She clung to him, and joined him in his climax. When they uncoupled, her limbs felt almost rubbery. They went to stand waist deep in the water, where they stayed in each other's arms for a while. Eventually, they walked back onto dry land. They stood naked together, sheltered by the natural walls, waiting to dry a bit before they dressed. The music from the clubs echoed across the beach. They stared up at the stars. Away from all artificial lights, they were scattered about in an endless expanse.
Petra gasped.
"What?" He looked concerned. She touched her stomach.
"I think we just made a baby," she whispered.
"Huh? Really?" He was amazed, even thrilled. "Fuck, seriously? How can you tell?"
"It happened with Kuchel, too. This feeling like something warm is sitting inside of me. I was right last time, wasn't I?"
"Holy…fuck. Holy shit." He hoisted her into his arms, looked at her with light in his eyes.
"When it's all over tomorrow, we can go home and tell Kuchel. We'll have to wait until a doctor confirms, of course, but…"
"Fuck it. I don't want to wait. I don't want to wait for the kid to show up, either. Tell it to hurry."
Petra laughed as he took her out deeper into the water, where they kissed and made love one more time. All she could do now was be excited. All she needed to do was go home, and then go north. This time next week, they'd be living on a farm, awaiting summer. And the baby.
For tonight, she held Levi close and loved him.
God, she was beautiful.
He shouldn't have looked, but Erwin watched Levi and Petra as they came in through the hotel's front gate. His room overlooked the courtyard, and he stood on the balcony and stared as Petra turned around and around in a giddy circle. Her shoes were in her hand, her hair was damp. Levi was fully dressed, and Erwin could hear the man chiding Petra for not wearing shoes. He'd probably beg her to wipe her feet thoroughly before going upstairs.
But she was still so beautiful. And Levi was so happy.
Erwin had not been with Marie for over five months now, and was certain their time as lovers had ended. He hadn't been whoring, either. He had too much to do as king, and a façade to maintain. Erwin's bed was lonely. Tonight, Levi would sleep in the arms of a woman who adored him.
Erwin had once done the same. He felt its absence keenly.
Why couldn't he be like them? Was it a curse? His duty? Or, Erwin feared, his temperament.
Levi would give up the service for her. He would give up his identity for her.
Could Erwin ever do the same?
With her, I could.
But he never pictured himself fucking her. Always Levi. It was like Erwin hovered over them in their lovemaking, a voyeur.
Erwin wearily watched the couple as they entered the hotel. He turned away from his balcony and went inside to his own empty bed. As he often did, he rebuked himself. He had been given one chance at the type of happiness Levi enjoyed. He had been given Marie, and he had lost her. Not through any fault of her own.
The truth was, much as he had loved her, she had never been enough for him. Nothing ever could be.
He could never love as Levi did. He could never give all of himself to anyone.
But Petra was so beautiful and free. So alive. Erwin hated himself as he thought of her, as he touched himself and pictured her beneath him. And as always, eventually Levi took his place and made love to the woman in Erwin's stead.
For a few delirious minutes, he called Petra's name silently until he finished. He imagined Levi calling her name. Then he calmed down, cleaned up, and tried to sleep.
But in his dreams it was Levi and Petra together, laughing at him.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
He looked down on Petra, still asleep, still naked and wrapped in the sheets. He loved the way her lids fluttered in the middle of a dream, the dark amber color of her lashes. He kissed her mouth, felt her stir.
"Morning, brat," he whispered.
"Morning, Papa." She grinned.
"Tch. Don't call me that in bed, makes it feel weird."
He got up, fell to the floor and did a few push ups. He did his daily stretches while his wife yawned and woke up. Levi felt unstoppable today. Though it wasn't an official diagnosis yet, he was going to be a father again. When he went to the bathroom and flipped on the light, he looked at himself in the mirror and realized he didn't know this man.
A few years back, he'd lived in a dingy world full of titans. He'd been a harder man, harsh even when he tried to be kind. He never thought once about marriage or children; the idea of being intimate with a woman was more than he could wrap his brain around. Now he was married with a kid, ecstatic at the thought of another one on the way. Now he lived in a world with elevators and electricity.
It was all because of Erwin. Erwin had brought him and Petra back together once, when they'd been on the verge of breaking apart. Erwin had changed this world so that Petra and Levi could live in peace with their family.
He owed everything in his life to Erwin Smith.
He could see that the man was unhappy. The crown was weighing on him. Levi ran the faucet and stared at the water, thinking hard.
Can I really just leave? Can I let him take on the rest of this burden for the rest of his shortass life and go be happy on a farm with kids? I'm the reason he's suffering. I brought him back.
"Hey." Petra appeared in the doorway, wrapped in a loose cotton robe. Her hair was mussed, her cheeks glowing. She grinned. "Room service just arrived. They set up breakfast on the balcony." Her smile faltered when she noticed his taut expression. "What is it?"
Levi turned the water off.
"Pet, I don't know that I can leave the military." He didn't look at her. She said nothing. "It's Erwin. You've seen how stressed he is. I can't abandon him now, not after everything he did for us."
Petra stood behind him and laid her cheek upon his shoulder.
"I know you have two great loves in your life," she said quietly.
"It's not like that—"
"I know. But it's still true." She sighed and kissed his shoulder. "I want you to do what you want. If you want to stay and work with Erwin, I'll support you. But do me a favor? Let's see how this demonstration goes today. Maybe Erwin's burden is about to get a lot lighter."
Yeah. He could do that.
"You really wouldn't be pissed if I changed my mind about the farm?"
"I wouldn't be thrilled. But I'd be okay with it."
They showered and ate on the balcony, watched the sun rising on the waves. Levi didn't taste the orange juice or the tea or the eggs. Petra nibbled a pastry, her mind clearly elsewhere. Fuck, he'd made a promise to her, too. Why did he ever have to choose between the two of them, Petra and Erwin? Didn't they both know he couldn't be right without them?
They got dressed and packed. The bellhop came and took what little luggage they had. They were off to Kiyomi's plane now, and then it was a two hour hop down to the Lotani islands. Levi hadn't been there the last time, but if Hange's hesitation had been any hint, they were in for a hell of a thing.
It was a small plane, with Erwin, Willy Tybur, Kiyomi, Levi, Petra, and Hange. Hange hadn't been at the reception last night; she would've liked it, but she'd been too absorbed in some research. As soon as they landed on the cruiser, she was going to spend time with the Marleyan titan shifters, poking and prodding them.
Levi sat between his wife and Erwin. They all smiled…well, Erwin and Petra did, and made small talk. Levi glanced at Erwin.
Maybe he'll be okay. Maybe this is really the last step.
Maybe…I just don't want to leave him.
Most men would put their wife and children first. Levi wasn't most men. Just last night, the wife he adored had probably conceived his second baby. The thrill of that was fading with concern for Erwin. Fuck, why couldn't he just give Petra everything she wanted? Why did he feel this stupid way, wanting to always make sure Erwin's plans went forward? Maybe Levi just didn't want to admit he wasn't gonna be that important anymore. His role as Humanity's Strongest had been less and less crucial as the years passed, as politics became more important than killing titans.
They flew to the islands, and he felt his mood worsening with every mile.
"Do you have to brush your teeth when you're in titan form?" Hange asked cheerfully. The sleepy-looking young woman seated on the stainless steel table gave her an incredulous look.
"That's a very rude thing to say to a woman," Pieck muttered.
"Ah. Sorry. I only thought that since you can live in it for months at a time, you might have some basic hygienic needs." She felt her face heat up a little. Maybe Levi was right. Maybe she really was too damn weird for the world.
But Pieck only gave a tiny smile.
"They said you were the titan expert."
"Maybe an expert on pure titans, but not shifters." Hange kept the conversation going while she tied the tourniquet around Pieck's arm and found a vein. Upon their arrival, she'd remained on the Hizuran ship for a bit while the rest of the party went to shore. She'd join them soon enough, but she had a couple things to do first. She'd already examined Zeke and taken his blood. She certainly preferred Pieck's company, even though she remembered the girl from Shiganshina. Pieck had brought Zeke rocks to use against them. That…was a little hard to think about.
Especially since the girl was charming but a bit odd. Hange liked that. The girl seemed kind of funny. And her titan interested Hange most. Its endurance was highest of all the shifters, while Erwin's was the lowest.
"What exactly are you looking to find?" Pieck asked as Hange inserted the needle and drew blood.
"I'm trying to compare shifter blood and the blood of a regular Eldian. I'm hoping there'll be some differences I can pin down."
"Why do you want to do that?"
Hange thought of Erwin insisting he wanted to live out his less-than-ten-years and then be eaten by a successor. She shook her head.
"Well, the Curse of Ymir isn't magic. You all don't die after thirteen years because of an actual curse. More likely there's an enzyme or protein in your blood that starts to break down after a specific length of time. If I can isolate it, I might be able to reverse the breakdown, or at least stop it from happening. That way, you could live a full life as a shifter before passing on your titan."
"I have only eighteen months left. I doubt you'll be able to find a cure in time for me," Pieck said. Hange felt the young woman evaluating her reaction.
"Ah. Ha ha. Yeah." She didn't want to tell the woman that Erwin was her sole concern. She filled the vial with blood, stoppered it, and took out the needle. She pressed cotton to the injection point while removing the tourniquet. Pieck worked her arm up and down.
"It's all right. If I were a Paradisian, I'd want King Erwin to live for a long time, too."
The girl didn't miss anything, did she? Well, Hange also had a tendency to 'be fucking obvious' as Levi delicately put it.
"Well. You are an Eldian. He'd be protecting you as well."
"Eldian doesn't mean to us Warriors what it means to you." Pieck shrugged and gave that slow, odd smile. "I know King Erwin's teaching a new history to younger Eldians from Marley, but he'll find it hard to compete with a lot of what we've been taught our entire lives. A lot of us from the camps almost like to think of ourselves as the world's monsters. Having to pretend our kind have been helpless victims throughout history doesn't sit well with many proud Eldian Marleyans."
Hange really didn't understand human nature. She laid Pieck's blood sample on a tray.
"Well. Thanks for the blood. If I find anything, I'll let you know."
Pieck got off the table, and Hange gradually realized the young woman was standing entirely too close. She looked at Pieck, the smaller woman's expression very neutral as she regarded Hange. Her long, dark hair curtained her face; she smiled rather like a cat.
"Uh. Yes?" Hange said.
"You have a very pretty brown eye. I like how your glasses make it look bigger."
With that, Pieck took her crutch and went her merry way out the door. Hange almost dropped the vial of blood, her entire face now boiling hot to the touch. Heh. Heh. What a nice girl. She adjusted her patch, as if wanting to make up for having an empty socket. No two eyes to praise, sadly.
Hange now felt extremely embarrassed about asking if she could ride around on Pieck's titan the first time they met.
Anyone would've done the same. Her titan's like a giant pony! With lips!
Hange quickly decided to stop thinking about Pieck's lips and focus on the shifter girl's blood instead.
But she had to stop her experiments when she heard the clang of a bell, signaling it was time to go ashore.
The demonstration was about to begin. Hange put her microscope and blood away in her little travel case, snapped the lid shut, and swung out of her lab coat.
Time to end this war at long, long last.
Zeke walked along the beach to find Erwin Smith talking with Kiyomi. The plane had landed a little while before; the cruisers were fifty miles off shore, objects against which to measure the imminent explosion. Sweat was beading on the bridge of his nose. Zeke began to regret his choice of wardrobe today; a casual linen suit and fine Marleyan leather shoes always looked dapper, in his opinion, but the beach's sand was a little too…uneven for comfortable walking. He'd never really spent time at a beach before today.
Zeke wasn't exactly the outdoors type.
"Majesty. Lady Kiyomi." He smiled graciously. Erwin and Kiyomi looked on him with polite benevolence. Once the three of them had met at Zeke's stash house in Liberio for a secret meeting. Once, he had instructed them. That evening, he had been the one in control.
Now, of the original trio, he was the least important member. He should have watched Erwin Smith more closely.
"Hello, Zeke. How are you?" Erwin asked.
"Fine. Majesty, can I have a word?" The king took leave of Kiyomi and followed Zeke along the shore. "It's been six months since the Liberation." Huh. As Erwin called it. Such optimism. "I've been corresponding with my brother, and hoped I might come to the island soon to meet him."
"Yes." Erwin kept smiling. "You've certainly been a great help to the Triple Alliance in our wars."
A help. Zeke had helped mastermind this whole damn thing. He'd been in the original triple fucking alliance.
"Thank you." He had to stay polite. "I'm sure you remember that we agreed I'd have residency on Paradis after we made our move. I've got about eighteen months left; no, maybe a little less. I want to spend time on Paradis before the end."
"Why is it you want to see the island so badly?" Erwin asked. Still smiling. "I know you can't have many pleasant memories of it. Between Ragako and Shiganshina."
The man's voice chilled at those words. Murder a man on the battlefield and he holds a grudge forever.
"It's the place where our people have been freest the last hundred years."
"If you call living behind walls, caged in by titans as free, then yes."
"Also, I'd like to spend time with my little brother. He's my only remaining family." It was true. Zeke's grandparents had died three months ago, days apart. He was certain the shock of the new world order had done them in.
"Zeke, you've been a help to us, despite our bad beginning. So I'm going to speak frankly with you." Erwin stopped them. "You are never going to meet Eren alone. Ever."
He had to remain calm.
"I don't understand."
"I think you do. Eren possesses the Founder, and you are a titan of royal blood. If you touch, he can access the full power of the Founding Titan."
"Are you suspicious of my brother?"
"I'm suspicious of the both of you. Even if Eren told me he wanted to use the Founder—even if he told me exactly what he planned to do with it—I wouldn't allow you to meet alone and face to face. That kind of power, quite frankly, outstrips even my hyperfusion bomb. It can cause the rumbling." He glared at Zeke. "It can alter Eldians."
How the fuck did he find out?
"Excuse me?"
"If Eren wanted to use the Subjects of Ymir for any purpose, he could do it. He could alter our memories, including mine." Yes, and Erwin Smith must retain control at all costs. "He could turn us all into pure titans. He could play god. I won't allow him that kind of power. Not him, not anyone. At least, not anyone who does not have my complete and total trust. Eren has my affection, my appreciation, but not my entire trust."
"You can't get rid of the Founding Titan."
"No, I never can. But I can control the Founder's access to the full spectrum of its power."
Zeke's blood chilled.
"You…you wouldn't feed Eren to someone else before his time is up?" Real brotherly outrage surged in Zeke's breast.
"I would never want to. I would not…so long as I was given no reason to. Eren Jaeger has helped me remake this world. For that, he will always have my respect and gratitude. For that reason, I want to let him live out his life to the fullest. But if you try to come in contact with him, you risk his life. As a brother, I'm sure you don't want that."
Zeke felt dizzy. Mr. Xavier…Dad. He'd failed.
"You go back on your promises," Zeke muttered.
"I'll allow you to live on Paradis for the last three months of your life." Yes, so he could feed Zeke to another royal—maybe Historia, or maybe a child of hers. Erwin Smith would take the Beast Titan from Marley under the guise of doing his duty. "You'll be made comfortable. And you can meet Eren in the flesh. But you'll always be kept a minimum of ten feet apart. The Armored and Jaws titans will be there to take one or both of you out should you try anything. If you can agree to those terms, you can see your brother. But you will not touch him. Ever."
Zeke knew he wasn't going to get anywhere by arguing about this. The more he fought, the harder he'd make it for himself later.
"You drive a hard bargain," he said.
"Life isn't fair. Tell that to the villagers of Ragako."
The faintest tinge of anger laced Erwin's voice then. So. He was raw about that as well, it seemed. Perhaps Levi's idiotic valuing of life at all costs rubbed off on people.
"All right. Thank you, Majesty."
A false king. Zeke had the actual royal blood, like Historia, his long-lost cousin or whatever she was. He had to bow to the false king Willy Tybur in Marley, and the false king Erwin Smith on Paradis. The red king and the white king, they were called. Willy was red because of the blood spilled by Marley; Erwin white due mainly to how he'd allowed himself and his wife to be photographed by journalists on Paradis. They dressed in simple white robes, and worked on a farm with orphaned children.
Historia, Zeke knew, lived on that farm most of the year. Erwin did not. A publicity stunt, but an effective one.
Erwin Smith walked away. Zeke had to grin and suffer through the rest of that infernal meet-and-greet. He had to see Levi and that simpering little wife of his. Petra glared at him as she walked past. He approached her, desperate to make someone else feel as bad as he did.
"I imagine your husbands don't know about your deal with me?" he said.
"Stop calling them my husbands," she snapped. Ha. Hit a nerve. "Besides, Levi knows most of what happened in Fischer's house."
Most, but not all. Good to hear.
"Also," Petra said, this time with a smug smile, "it doesn't matter anymore. No one would be angry if you told what happened that night."
"Erwin says I won't ever meet Eren in the flesh." Zeke wanted to gauge her reaction. He expected more smug triumph.
Instead, she paled considerably. Well now. What was that about?
"I…" She cleared her throat. "I don't know what you want me to do about it. I'm not obligated to you now."
"No. You're not."
He watched her walk away, noted the hesitation in her steps. Hmm. Very, very interesting. Maybe Petra Ral Ackerman hadn't ceased to be of use to him after all.
Zeke thought about his problems as the heads of state and ambassadors were herded into concrete bunkers, as he received a pair of dark glasses to wear to protect his eyes. He was a bit bored as he listened to the Hizuran at the controls count down, coordinating with the plane hundreds of miles away.
Then the bomb went off.
Zeke heard the screams around him; in truth, he almost joined in. His hand clenched in a fist as he watched that cloud billow skyward, balloon at the top into a mushroom shape. He watched a wave of water vapor rush over the ships and spill uncomfortably close to their own shelter on the island. When Zeke removed the glasses, he saw that the sky around the explosion had gone orange.
"Well. The Pearl Choker is definitely empty of all sea life now," that scientist woman said, reading the schematics as they came in. She was the lanky brunette with the eye patch. Levi and Erwin both seemed to listen intently to whatever she said. "Looks like it'll be barren for hundreds of years at least."
"My friends," Erwin Smith said, facing the assembly. Willy Tybur looked physically ill; Kiyomi inscrutable. The heads of nations faced the man who held such enormous power. "A single ounce of treated Titania crystal enabled that explosion. We have mined over one hundred million tons of the stuff in the years since we started production. Our raw material can be used to make you the finest weapons and greatest, cleanest sources of energy on earth. Or." He gestured to the window, and the still-erupting cloud. "They can do this. Paradis wants peace, as do Hizuru and Marley. Please enable us to draw this meaningless conflict to its end. You know what we want: release your Eldian citizens, give them full rights, agree to minor occupation by our Alliance forces, and all will be well. If you don't?"
He let that question go unanswered. The room supplied their own answers, silently.
"This is very impressive," a woman said. She was pale to the point of bloodless, with vibrant red hair. The ambassador from Hybernia, Zeke recalled. "But why should one man have all this power?"
"He shares it," Kiyomi said slyly. From Tybur's long face, Zeke did not think the red king was on the receiving end of that largesse.
It went about as well and as quickly as Zeke had anticipated. The entire world fell gently into Erwin Smith's grasp.
Zeke looked away from the scene of surrender and noticed Levi Ackerman and his wife. The man had his arm around her waist, discreetly so that none would notice unless they watched closely. She nestled against her husband. She whispered in his ear; he nodded. The picture of marital bliss.
It made him sick, quite frankly.
But he also noticed that they regarded Erwin with hesitant eyes. Hmm. Good to know.
Very, very good to know.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Levi muttered. He and Petra were walking the small perimeter of the island, watching as the ambassadors and other important people took boats back out to their ships. The last to go would be the Hizuran battlecruiser, which carried the titan shifters.
His wife, meanwhile, was doing that thing where she glared at him but tried not to let him know she was glaring.
"Are you really going to stay in the military after that?" she asked.
"What? You think it'd make me some kind of monster?" He really needed to take a shower; he felt grimy for some reason.
"No. But what can you possibly do that that thing can't?" She gestured to the still-orange sky, the pink and purple clouds of fallout on the horizon. Fuck, just looking at that shit made Levi sure he'd never sleep again. And he didn't sleep all that much anyway.
"Erwin can't explode that bomb only a little bit. He can't talk to the bomb or give it instructions. He still needs me." Levi quickened his pace, stared out to sea. He looked in the direction that was still blue and calm. "I thought you'd support me. You said you would."
"I'd support you if I thought any of this made sense. But it doesn't, Levi! The entire world is Erwin's now! He needed you to help him conquer it. He doesn't need you to help run it."
"Tch. You think that just because we got the world that's it? No more trouble? You're smarter than that, Ral."
She made an aggravated noise. She'd taken off her uniform jacket because of the heat. Her collared shirt was looking a little damp with sweat. "Admit it. You don't want to leave because you can't stand the thought that the world doesn't need you."
"Excuse me?"
"You were Humanity's Strongest for six years. Everyone's hope against the titans. But now the titans are gone, and they're not coming back."
You don't know that, he wanted to say. Fuck, a childish part of him almost wished for it. Almost, not quite, but then at least he'd have a fucking reason to get up in the morning…
Isn't that the point of having a family?
"Levi? What is it?"
"I can't leave him yet. Look, it wouldn't be for that much longer. Just a year until Erwin's sure in his role—"
"He'll never be sure!" She rarely snapped at him. He glared at her in reply. "You're always going to find some reason to put Erwin Smith over our family."
"Over? That a fact?" He crossed his arms. "Guess all that 'best father I've ever seen' crap was just that. A load of shit."
"That's not what I meant." Her voice softened. She was backpedaling.
"If you want to leave the service, you can. But Erwin's got less than ten years left, and I've got to see his plan through."
"Do you even agree with his plan anymore?" she whispered. Levi froze.
"Fuck did you say?"
"You heard me. That bomb… I've never been that scared in my life. Not even of the Female Titan. Levi." She was gentle again. "It's okay to admit you think it's going too far. You told me about stopping people like Floch from—"
"That's not Erwin's fault," he snapped.
"No, but it happens because of Erwin's plan! I don't see how holding the whole world hostage is going to make them like Eldians!"
"You sound like Hange," he muttered. The scientist was getting sick of the violence as they made their way across the continent. But that was over now. "Erwin gave us all peace today."
"Do you really believe that?" She looked suspicious. Damn everything.
"Yes. I do," he snapped. He paused, then took her face in his hands. "I need you on my side on this, brat."
He spoke softly, stroked her cheek with his thumb. Petra shut her eyes, leaned in to the affection…
"I don't know that I can be. Not on this." She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Levi. Please. This isn't about our family, it's—"
With a heavy sigh, he walked ahead of her. Petra gave a short exclamation of annoyance, but let him have his space. She just couldn't see. He was doing this for her and their family, after all. It's not like he wanted to stay in the military. It wasn't fun for him.
Erwin needed him. He couldn't turn his back on that.
Speak of the Eldian devil. As Levi came around the bend of the shore, he saw Erwin, Zeke, and a handful of others standing around and talking. The king of Paradis stood limned against the blue sea…and the orange sky. Levi shut his eyes, felt the ocean breeze mess up his hair.
She was going to understand. She'd see in time. He'd just disappointed her, that's all, but damn it sometimes husbands and wives disappointed each other.
Erwin walked away from the group of people, smiling as he saw Levi. He must have noticed Levi's constipated expression, because the smile shifted to a frown.
"Are you all right?" Erwin lifted a giantass eyebrow.
"Tch. Fucking great. Took a real smooth shit ten minutes ago. Feeling amazing." Levi stared at the battlecruiser, now the only ship left. "So what comes next?"
"Next? We go home. We monitor the situation worldwide."
"Can we do a job that big?"
"If the Alliance holds true, we should be able. We're dividing the world into three parts. Hizuru centers its power in Nambia and the southeastern provinces, Marley the Mid East and the Colombian territories, and Paradis much of Aeropa and Zhonghu."
"Thought you told Tybur that Marley got everything and we'd just take a commission."
Erwin shrugged. "I think Willy sees this is too big an operation for one country alone."
"Think the Alliance'll hold?"
"I trust Hizuru. Well, mostly. Two can hold Marley in check, especially as they don't have the weapon."
They'd taken to calling the hyperfusion bomb that. Just The Weapon.
"What do you need me to do in all this?" Levi asked. Erwin looked genuinely surprised.
"I got the impression you'd leave the military once this had ended."
"Yeah. Well." Levi looked up into the sky, where the sun was starting to lower itself. "Petra thought the same."
"Don't you want to retire?"
Fuck, wasn't that the question?
"I want…fuck." He scratched the back of his head. "I want to watch Kuchel and my other brats grow up on a horse farm. I want to stay in the capital and work with you. I want to run a tea shop with my wife, and I want to be on the front line of defense if any of these Alliance assholes get funny ideas about betraying us. I want to be two different men."
Erwin sighed deeply. "I know my…foreign policies…have added strain to Paradis. And you."
"Yeah. Well, if you hadn't gone on the attack, we'd be getting railroaded by Marley and have no way to defend ourselves except maybe the fucking rumbling. And who wants that shit?" Levi sighed. "No. If I want to leave my kids something that'll last, I need to stick it out a little longer."
"Levi…" Erwin's smile grew. "I'm selfishly glad to hear that."
He looked up at the giant blond asshole. The king. The god.
"Not sick of me yet?"
"I think you're one of the few people on earth I don't get sick of," Erwin said softly. Levi looked away, careful lest this turn into an emotional moment.
"Well. Same. Shithead."
"Is that any way to speak to a king?" Erwin feigned horror. Levi tried not to smile. Didn't quite succeed.
"You'll always be that pathetic asshole who got his arm chewed off by a titan 'cause he was giving some bigass speech."
Erwin laughed then, big and unafraid. Levi rarely heard the man laugh like that anymore. Made his day to hear.
"And no matter how many titles or lands you receive, you'll always be the man with the crudest mouth I've ever heard."
"Dress classy. Talk shitty. That's how I live my life." Levi fluffed at his cravat for emphasis. Yeah, if he gave up the military, he'd have to give up some of his swankery. Not much use for cravats on a horse farm. The cravat was part of who he was. He wasn't ready to give all that up just yet.
Petra'd understand. Eventually.
"Well," Erwin said. "I think it's about time we headed back."
Petra sat silent in their short boat ride out to the ship. Levi let her have her space, but he felt his gut constrict. They didn't fight much, but when they did it hurt his damn soul.
When they reached the ship, bad news awaited them.
"Lady Kiyomi." One of the Hizuran soldiers saluted them. "We regret to inform you that there's a problem with the plane." He talked about propellers or nose gauges or wonky wheels or something, Levi couldn't follow it. He wasn't plane folk.
"What?" The lady looked incredulous. "How is that possible? It had a thorough inspection before we left Kawani."
"And it can't be fixed here?" Erwin asked. Apparently the answer was no. Fucking bad luck.
"My lady, I'm sorry. If you would like to talk to the engineers, we can call—"
"So. Does this mean we sail back?" Willy asked. He looked around the deck of the battlecruiser. "It shouldn't take that much longer, should it?"
"A few hours more." Kiyomi sighed.
"Well, that's a pity." Erwin shrugged. "Still, not much we can do about it."
"Not in that plane, at least," Kiyomi said. "But we could always take the Grasshopper."
"The what?" Levi said.
"It's a small private plane designed for short jaunts. I like to have one on hand on every cruiser, for my own personal use. Just in case of emergency."
"I didn't know you had another private plane." Willy Tybur looked impressed.
"As I say. I like to be prepared." She nodded at the soldier. "Would you please ready it?"
"Yes, my lady." Another salute, and the kid was gone.
"There is still one small problem," Kiyomi said, sounding apologetic. "The plane we came down in had enough seating for all of us, but including the pilot the Grasshopper can take only six. That means—"
"One of us has to take the ship back." Erwin sighed, then lifted his hand. "I'll stay."
"You out of your mind?" Levi said. "You're a damn king."
"Well, I could stay." Hange brightened. "I could spend more time with the titan shifters, getting to know them."
"Didn't you say you needed to get your samples back to the lab on Kawani as soon as possible?" Levi asked. Hange couldn't deny it. "Look, Erwin. It's simple. You, Kiyomi, Willy, Hange, and Petra go back on the plane. I'll take the ship. It's only a couple extra hours."
"I'll stay with you, then," Petra said.
"Come on. I don't need to be looked after," he grumbled. When she started to argue, his look shut her down. "Maybe this'd give us a nice chance to think some things over. Alone."
She frowned. She was struggling to hide how pissed she was.
"If you plan on doing some thinking, then okay," she said crisply. Damn, they were getting close to arguing in front of the Triple Alliance. And Hange.
Well, Hange wouldn't mind.
About thirty minutes later, the Grasshopper was ready. Levi walked with his wife and Erwin to the aircraft, placed at the very start of the sleek ship runway. Pretty ingenious, having a boat that could also launch planes. What would they think of next?
"See you back at the hotel." Erwin shook Levi's hand. "You'll be in time for dinner. We'll toast to the day."
"Eh. I'll just have tea."
Erwin hid a smile and left husband and wife alone. Petra was staying stubborn, refusing to look him in the eye.
"Oi. I'll think it over. I said I would."
"So you haven't made a decision yet?"
"What do you think 'think it over' means?"
"Well, don't get snippy." She sounded cross. Fuck, maybe it was proof that she was pregnant. Pregnancy could make you mean.
"You ought to get on the plane. I'll see you in a few."
"Yes."
She walked away from him. Levi cursed and turned around, hating when they fought. But he had to be firm. He couldn't just let her have her way on every single thing. Even it it'd make his life easier, and happier. He liked giving her what she wanted, damn it. But on this one, he had to think. He just had to think…
"Hey," Petra said.
Levi turned around. She put her arms around him and kissed him once, then again. Everything in his body relaxed.
"Oi. Don't want to make a spectacle in front of the most powerful people in the world," he grumbled. Petra smiled, and kissed his nose.
"I'll think about it. I promise," she said. Her voice was gentle again.
"Okay. I'll do the same."
"Be good. Don't let Zeke get the better of you."
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
Another kiss, and then he watched her hurry down the runway and climb into the tinyass plane. Kiyomi wasn't lying; he had no idea how even two people fit in that thing. The propeller started, and Levi watched the plane speed down the runway and then take off into the sky. He sighed as the Hizurans shouted orders all around, as they turned the ship and started back for Kawani. Levi walked over to the railing and stared at the vanishing island with its concrete bunker and its view of total destruction.
Erwin. I wish to hell there was another way.
"Enjoying the view?" Zeke Jaeger drawled as he strolled over. Levi didn't trust a man who strolled.
"I was," he growled.
"Don't be rude." Zeke leaned on the railing beside Levi as the island vanished in the distance. "They say that the sea air is a real tonic for the nerves."
"Who's they?"
"Medical professionals. Celebrities. Everyone." Well. That sounded nice and bullshit.
Levi walked away, not even taking his leave, because fuck politeness. Especially with Zeke Jaeger. Levi headed along the great length of the ship, leaving the prow and wandering towards the stern. Around him, Hizurans in gray uniform went about their tasks. They mostly spoke in Hizuran, which he didn't understand, and which left him feeling like he was drifting alone across the cruiser. Not the worst feeling in the world.
He came to a grinding halt when he saw Pieck's titan waddling across the ship. The Cart Titan had some kind of gigantic vest strapped to it, studded with bulging pockets.
"Uh. Hi," Levi muttered. He'd met the girl a couple times in human form. She seemed nice enough. In titan form, however, she crawled around on all fours and had a freakishly long face with giantass lips.
"HELLO," the titan said. One of the few that could speak. The nightmare sound of its voice, like a car revving its engine if that engine tried to communicate with you, made Levi wish it couldn't talk at all.
"Why're you wearing all that?"
"BE PREPARED IS THE CART WAY." Was that a joke? Could titans tell jokes? What a fucking horrifying world. With that, Pieck ambled off in search of some other people to scare so bad they'd shit their pants. Levi shook his head and walked to the back of the ship. He leaned against the rail, stared down into the churning water. His stomach rippled at the sight. Too much water, everywhere. It made him feel unstable. He was the most fearsome thing on earth, but on sea…?
Still, he didn't feel like talking to anyone. He spent a pleasant hour parked at the rail, watching the sun sink lower against the horizon. He thought about Erwin, and Petra. He thought about Kuchel. He thought about that little farm up north, and making love to his wife in the forest. If you'd told Levi when he was younger that he'd do any such thing, he'd have broken your jaw.
Erwin and Petra had changed him. He owed them both everything. He owed Erwin his purpose, the whole trajectory of his life. He owed Petra his humanity; she'd taught him how to touch and be touched. Both of them were more important to him than he could ever express. But he couldn't make both of them happy.
Flip a coin? Pick a name out of a hat?
What would I regret most?
Would he regret leaving Erwin alone in the military? Would he regret not going to that farm with Petra?
He loved them both so damn deeply. The choice was eating him alive.
And he wondered, secretly, if he was afraid that, given peace, his aggression would need a new way out. He was a violent man; that would always be part of him. He'd tortured people as a young man to survive; he'd killed and tortured people as a soldier to survive. Would he relax into retirement and love when he left the military? Or…or would his wife and children be on the receiving end of his pent up anger? His violence?
That thought scared Levi so bad he almost couldn't think.
"You look sour," Zeke said. Levi nearly leapt out of his skin; that fucker could move quiet as a cat when he wanted. Or an ape. Nah, maybe a cat; apes didn't seem all that quiet.
"You sure are observant," Levi drawled. "Fucking genius."
Zeke leaned his back against the railing. Apparently Levi giving a 'go fuck yourself' look meant 'come talk to me' in Zeke-ese.
"I'm not going to get to meet Eren." The brashness left Zeke's voice.
"No. You're not."
"You promised me."
"And you killed the entire Survey Corps, not to mention Ragako village. Given that, not killing you makes me real merciful. You shouldn't look for more."
"It's human nature to want more."
"You're not human. Neither am I. We're two non-humans." Levi pushed away from the railing and walked off, hands shoved in his pockets. Fucking ape ruined his solitude.
"That makes us a pair, doesn't it?" Zeke grinned, showing all his teeth. Hange said apes did that to show aggression.
"We're so fucking far from being a pair, Beardy, we might as well be on opposite sides of the world." He stopped, jabbed a finger into the guy's chest. "Tell me. Why are you so damn desperate to see Eren?"
"He's my brother. Isn't that reason enough?"
It was weird. Levi knew there was more to it than that, yet he oddly felt like Zeke was telling the truth.
"It's not enough for me."
"What would be enough?"
"Your head on my wall. Like I said."
"Oh, come on. Must you be so hostile?"
"Have we fucking met?"
Zeke grinned. Disconcerting. "You know, I've studied our files on the Ackermans. Mr. Xavier was an expert on titan science and Eldian genealogy. You fit the Ackerman profile to a T."
Levi frowned. "What'd you say?"
"Your family—"
Whatever Zeke was about to say got lost in the blare of a siren. Some lights started flashing on the ship. Red lights. Not a good sign.
"What's going on?" Levi started running, not giving a damn if Zeke followed or not. The two men came to a sudden halt when they saw what sat in the waters just ahead of their cruiser.
It was a battleship. Much larger than theirs. The cruisers were built for speed; the battleships were built to crush everything in their path. If the cruiser wanted that speed to mean shit, it had to get away. Now.
But even if it did, the damn battleship was too close…
"It's not one of ours, is it?" Zeke said quietly. He already knew; he just had to say it out loud.
Given the way the Hizurans were running to get to the guns and cannon, seemed the other ship was looking to be hostile. It had happened so fast, Levi was almost dizzy. Who the fuck would dare take them on? The Triple Alliance wasn't going to stand for this bullshit. But that didn't change the fact they were currently in shit up to their eyes.
"Zeke." Levi's throat was suddenly dry. "They got anything for you to throw?"
"As a matter of fact, they keep large chunks of iron on hand for my titan's particular strengths." Zeke swallowed audibly. "Be prepared and all that."
Levi nodded. "Go."
The bearded bitch didn't argue or act smarmy. He only raced down the length of the ship, headed for the prow. A minute later, there was an explosion of lightning as Zeke transformed. Even from back here, Levi nearly got bowled backwards by the wind of the transformation. Hopefully the soldiers were hanging onto something.
With a roar, the Beast Titan picked something up and threw. Some projectiles struck the hull of the attacking ship, but many fell in the water. The ship was a little too far away for Zeke to do maximum damage. Shit.
Levi heard the guns start to go off as they launched an attack on the battleship. Levi realized he was now in a unique position: for the first time in his life, he didn't know what to do to help in a fight. This was the ocean. He barely knew how to dog paddle, for fuck sake. He wasn't a gun sergeant, or a shifter. He was functionally useless on this ship.
You wanted to think you were still Humanity's Strongest.
What an arrogant prick he was.
Zeke roared again, and the guns fired again. Levi could see the other ship better now. No mistake: it was Hybernian. So the little island nation thought they could take on a fucking battlecruiser from Hizuru.
But why? Why attack this ship? Sure, it had some titan shifters, but only two. All the diplomats and ambassadors were gone, as were the Triple Alliance leaders—
Wait.
The plane had "malfunctioned," even though it'd worked perfectly on the flight to Kawani. With all these people crawling all over the ship, sabotage wasn't impossible. If Kiyomi hadn't so happened to have a backup plane like the be-prepared woman she was, all three of the Triple Alliance leaders would be on this ship right now. So would Hange, the woman who created the hyperfusion bomb. Trying to sink a ship with all that power on it would be worth the risk.
Instead, they were going to take down a short, cranky man on the cusp of middle age. A man out of step with his time.
Fuck, it'd be funny if it wasn't so sad.
Another roar from Zeke. Levi watched the ape pick up another handful of iron, ready to launch. Fuck, could they get around these assholes? What if there were more waiting up ahead? What if—
There was a colossal boom from the enemy ship's cannon. As Levi watched, the blast caught Zeke through the center of the neck. The Beast Titan staggered, then collapsed over the railing and into the water. The impact sent a wall of spray over the side of the ship, soaking Levi in an instant. Blood steamed on the deck.
No. They'd…killed him?
"Zeke!" Levi barked. He gripped the railing, trying to look down to see if the shot had been fatal or only wounding. The Beast Titan bobbed on the ocean, kind of ridiculous when you looked at how fucking big it was. Like a giant furry island. But no pilot emerged from the titan; it stayed facedown in the water. It didn't move.
Impossible. How could he wish with all his heart that Zeke Fucking Jaeger would get back up and fight another day? How was Levi on Zeke Jaeger's team? How crazy was this world?
He had no more time to think. An explosion rocked the ship. He nearly pitched over the railing, but managed to keep himself upright. He stumbled to the center of the rear deck. A soldier in gray uniform ran past Levi, who shouted for him. The Hizuran looked pained, wanting to get to his station. Levi kept it brief.
"Did we get them yet?"
"A few direct hits. We're lucky they're not going after our guns. They seem to be trying to sink us."
With that, the kid ran off. Levi doubled over, hands on his knees. He thought.
Sinking them wasn't a bad idea, but their ship was made of a sort of titanium-Titania alloy. Pretty near indestructible. Trying to blow their cannon away would be the smarter move. If they were going for the hull, it'd take a fair minute for the ship to sink. Not very quick. Which was no problem, but then why not try for the guns as well?
Unless…
What had Hange said? They'd been coming down to Kawani, and the two of them had been hanging out at the ship's bar. She'd told him about the types of Titania-based weapons they'd be carting around on every Hizuran cruiser from now on, part of a deal with Kiyomi. Levi had drunk his tea and not paid much attention, but Hange had gone on and on about the rifles and handguns she'd designed, as well as…
On board every ship, we'll have about eight thousand barrels of treated Titania powder. Don't worry, it won't have a hyperexplosion or anything. Think of it as very, very potent gunpowder. It'll give us three times as much regular gunfire as normal artillery. Just make sure you don't light up a cigarette nearby—
The yellow lightning was everywhere. It crawled over the deck; it wrote itself in letters in the sky; it screamed through his blood. It said one word.
JUMP.
"Everyone! Everyone!" Levi rarely screamed, but he screamed now. He ran across the ship, desperate for attention. "They're going for the powder! They're trying to blow a hole in the fucking ship and hit the fucking powder!"
Through the gunsmoke, Levi saw the enormous enemy cannon pointed straight at their ship. The yellow lightning spoke to him in the same way it spoke to him when an enemy was coming up behind him or which way to move to parry a blow that hadn't been dealt yet. When it spoke to him, it never lied.
JUMP NOW.
This was it.
The Hizurans couldn't hear him. Weren't listening.
Kuchel was waiting for him. Petra was waiting, pregnant with his baby. Erwin was waiting.
Apologizing profusely in his heart, Levi raced to the railing and launched himself off of it. He landed in the ocean, not too far from the Beast Titan's corpse. It was cold and dark in the ocean; the warmth of last night was gone. He wanted to take a breath, but kept his lips clamped shut. He struggled to paddle as Petra had shown him, but his boots instantly filled with water and his clothes weighed eight hundred pounds. He kicked off the shoes, which helped a bit, and paddled desperately for the surface and the ape. Zeke. Was Zeke—?
Then everything was on fire, and Levi went away.
"I'm sorry if I'm putting a strain on your marriage," Erwin said. Petra sat beside him in the car, headed back to the hotel. She gazed out the window at the palm trees along the highway.
"I know you're just doing what you need to do." She sighed. "I only wish you'd tell Levi you don't need him."
"But I do, Petra. I can't lie to him. Or to you."
She studied Erwin Smith. He was nothing but deferential to her, but he was firm.
"What do you need him for? What can he do that no one else can?"
"He's the eyes I wish I had. Everything he sees, he sees for what it is. He's clear. Politicians like Pixis and Nile filter everything through their own perspective. They color things with their agenda. They don't come close to doing what Levi can do for me."
"Okay. Then at least promise me his days of combat are over."
Erwin looked uncomfortable, and like he was being extremely patient.
"Petra, he's still the best soldier I have. If Kenny Ackerman was any indication, Levi will be a formidable combatant until he's in his sixties. I'd be a fool not to want to utilize that."
She could have told him that he'd set them on the path for never ending war, but Petra just didn't want to. She was tired.
She was only twenty-five now, but she looked back at the person she'd been four years ago as a girl. Not yet a mother. Still not in love, at least in a reciprocal relationship. Not yet killed anyone. Back when titans were the only threat the world had to contend with. Back when she knew exactly who she was and what she was doing with her life. She thought back to the blushing, starstruck girl she'd been at the midwinter ball in Mitras, the night her whole life had changed forever. How could you transform so completely in four years?
Petra Ral had been a romantic, happy girl. Petra Ackerman was getting weary and sick of all this shit.
I could be that person again if we'd just go to the country and live out our lives on a porch, watching our grandchildren play.
Then again, if Erwin thought Levi was indispensible, maybe they couldn't achieve that golden future without sacrifice now. Petra rubbed her eyes. She wanted a nap. Levi's ship wasn't supposed to dock for another couple hours. She'd go upstairs, grab a shower, and fall asleep.
"That's an odd welcome committee," Erwin said. Petra looked up. They were pulling in to the hotel courtyard, and a whole group of Hizurans stood directly outside. Kanada Azumabito was among them, and he looked ill. Very ill.
Petra began to feel cold.
"What's going on?" she said. When the car parked, she got out. Erwin followed. The car behind them arrived with Hange and Kiyomi. The Hizuran lady approached her nephew.
"Kanada? What is it?"
"I have some unfortunate news." The young man looked briefly at Petra, then snatched his eyes away. Why would he do that? "Approximately one hour ago, a Hyberian battleship launched an attack on the cruiser carrying two of the Marleyan titan shifters."
Levi. Petra began to shake her head. No. No.
"What do you mean?" Kiyomi paled.
"A Hizuran fleet twenty miles to the east received the signal for help. The signal cut out abruptly about five minutes in to the call. The fleet of course went to aid them as quickly as possible, but when they got there nobody was—"
"No." Petra didn't care if everyone looked at her with shock. "No."
"Petra." Hange wrapped her arms around Petra from behind and held her tight. Why was she comforting Petra? When Levi was out there and needed them? When every second counted? When he…
"The enemy knew what they were doing. They breached the hull. The Titania powder ignited, and the entire cruiser went up in flames. By the time help got there, the Hyberian ship was gone and the remains were a smoking shell. There were no survivors."
"That isn't true," Petra barked. Now the men looked uncomfortable. Fuck them. Hange held on tighter. "What about the shifters? There were no titans around?"
"They found a few decomposing bits in the water that indicated titan disintegration. We do not know if it was from the Cart or Beast. They searched the area, but—"
"What about a raft? Did they look for a smaller boat? Did they—"
"Lieutenant. I assure you that if anyone were alive and afloat, we would have found them. But there was no one. They checked the wreckage. I just received a call confirming our suspicions. The cruiser was lost. There were no survivors."
Petra turned around and got back into the car. She'd do it herself. She'd just do it herself if these fuckers didn't want to work hard.
"Uh. Ma'am?" The driver looked shaken. The fuck was his problem?
"We're going back to the airfield. Hold on." She looked back at Kanada, who seemed to deflate further every second. "I need you to radio ahead and get them to prep the plane again! I have to go back!"
"Petra." Hange got into the car as well. Good, she could come, too. But Hange only wrapped her arms around Petra. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
And then Hange started to fucking cry.
No. No. Fuck this. Fuck all of them.
"Get the fuck off me!" Petra tried hitting and shoving the woman away. Didn't Hange realize they were wasting precious time? It would be dark soon, and these idiots weren't going to search the area. She'd do it herself. She could fix this. They just had to let her get to the fucking plane.
Last night she'd held her husband in her arms. They'd made love in the ocean. She'd teased him, and he'd grumbled. It was only a few hours ago. It was so close. He couldn't be here ten hours ago and gone now. She'd only given him a quick kiss before she got in the plane. Those weren't the last words she wanted to speak to him. No. This wasn't right. They'd made a mistake. She had to fix their idiotic mistake.
"Drive the car!" she bellowed at the cringing driver.
"Petra."
Erwin leaned into the backseat. He looked at her with such openness. Such a lost expression. She'd never seen him that vulnerable before.
There were tears in his eyes.
"I'm…" He bowed his head, covered his eyes with his hand. He couldn't look at her.
That was when everything shattered around her. If Erwin Smith wasn't going to go after Levi, the man he needed more than anyone, then that meant Levi was—
Petra started to wail. She screamed and wailed as Hange rocked her and whispered gentle words in her ear. She kicked at anyone who tried to touch her; she screamed to the sky, to the moon and stars. No. No. Not Levi. Not him. He wasn't supposed to die. He was the one that survived, always.
God, I love you. She'd whispered it in his ear as he made love to her and held her. Hours ago. Mere hours. And now she'd never feel him inside her again. They'd never sleep together again. He'd never wake her with 'Morning, brat' and he'd never hold Kuchel and he'd never see their new baby and he'd never open the front door again and he'd never come home and he'd never—
Petra dissolved into tears. She felt herself losing control. She clawed at her hair, at the seat as they dragged her from the car. She caught glimpses of Hange's face, Erwin's face, Kiyomi's face, and then she felt the quick sting of a needle.
Her feelings muted then. She began to fade away, dipping into sleep.
And when she woke up, he would still be gone.