Chapter 53

Levi

Upon arrival, as advised by Hannes, Levi traveled to Sarton, a little town where he reserved a hotel room for a few days. People were polite here, no one asked about anything, the town was quiet and peaceful. Ackerman almost felt like he was on vacation. He spent the first day sleeping after the trip. He needed to rest and regain strength. Sleep was good for not thinking too... Knowing that he was in an unknown place, so far from Eldia, terrified him more and more. He was also irritated by the unbearable thought that he was all alone here.

It was quite funny after all, to think about it. He would never have thought that, of all places in the world, he would end up on an island.

Another day came and it turned out to be even more problematic. Levi dragged himself out of bed, silent and resigned. He washed his face, combed his hair, dressed in a navy blue shirt and dark pants, and then ... Then, he had no idea what to do with himself. He was well aware that he could not stay in the hotel forever. He needed to go outside and explore this place a bit. He still felt insecure and unfamiliar in this completely strange town, but he hoped it would change soon.

So he left the building and decided to wander around a bit first, to think about where to find a job... he knew he would have to do it eventually.

The town he had ended up in was quite small actually. The houses weren't high, three-story at most, mostly made of brick, with wooden shutters and charming gardens. Levi walked through the narrow streets, looking around and trying to believe that now it would be his everyday sight. The terrain was a bit uneven, the city was situated on a hill. As a result, it was a magical sight.

Levi suddenly found himself in the part of town that must have been the center of it. He saw more passers-by here, as well as open cafes and shops. He stopped in front of some of them, looking at the goods, fresh bread, vegetables or fruit on the shelves. He tried to memorize the locations of individual stores in order to know where he should go when he would need specific products.

He stared at the small square, in the main part of which was the historic town hall. He felt like a tourist again, he only needed a camera and a map... Levi suppressed a smile and finally moved on, turning into another alley.

He was just passing the back of a building that must have housed some service facility. He stopped when he saw an old man unloading some big sacks from a delivery truck.

The man grunted softly and put the package down, quickly clutching his back. It's no fun getting old, crossed Ackerman's mind. He walked briskly towards the man.

"Do you need help, sir?" He asked, looking at the unknown man.

He saw a gentle face, marked by the passage of time. The wrinkled forehead smoothed a bit at the sight of him and the blue eyes gently widened. The man had short blond hair that was thinning at the temples and was starting to turn gray in some places.

"I'll be very grateful!" The old man exclaimed blithely, straightening himself up and studying Ackerman intently. This answer was enough for Levi, he reached for a large package and slung it over his shoulder. Only now did he feel the characteristic smell. It had to be a bag of garden soil. Before he could say anything, the man waved his hand at him. "This way. We can use the back door, it will be faster!"

Levi followed the man, walking to the wide open door and stepping over the threshold. He saw a large space that had to be a supply room. He quickly guessed what kind of business the man was running.

The smell of plants and flowers in the air left no illusions. It had to be a florist's.

"You can throw it here," The man said, pointing to the right spot. Levi put the fertilizer on a pile of other packages, then straightened up.

"Do you need help with the rest?" Ackerman asked, for he had noticed earlier that there were still some items left in the car. The man was surprised, but nodded gently.

"If that's not a problem... You can actually use a trolley..."

"No need," Levi replied, ignoring the man's suggestion, and without reluctance he left the building and took care of the rest of the delivery. He could actually use some exercise. He moved all the packages from the trunk to the storage area in minutes. When he was finished, he felt the fabric of his shirt sticking to his back. He got a little tired, he had to admit. The fertilizer packages were quite heavy, he had no idea how the man wanted to deal with them all by himself...

He flinched in surprise as the man stood beside him and handed him an unopened bottle of water.

"Thank you for your help, mister...?"

Levi didn't hesitate even for a second.

"Kenneth Beck."

"I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Ben Grice. I don't know how to thank you for your help."

"Really, there's nothing to talk about…" Levi muttered, unscrewing the bottle and taking a few sips of water. The man, however, wanted to talk. Ackerman guessed that considering the man's age, Grice liked to talk way too much.

"I ordered larger packages than the last time, you know, they come out much cheaper. However, I didn't think that I wouldn't be able to deal with them. I won't be any younger... My son said he would help me, but he works during the day and I didn't want to bother him. All because my employee stopped coming to work. I wasn't surprised, but I still hoped he would come today. That's how it is sometimes with these young people, not all of them, of course, but you know..."

Levi blinked suddenly and looked at the man with more interest than before. One particular part of the man's speech caught his attention.

"Are you looking for a worker?" Levi asked, looking at him with a twinkle in his eye.

The older man looked back at him. He also lifted the corner of his mouth.

That was how he met Ben Grice.

Grice hired him for a trial period, although he was mumbling every day that Levi - or rather, Kenny - was the best worker he could ever ask for. Ackerman helped him with almost everything: with deliveries, counting the assortment, stacking goods on shelves, caring for flowers, cleaning the workplace, and at one point even with customer service.

They began to spend almost every day together, so whether or not he wanted to, Levi had to start telling Grice about himself. Fortunately, the man didn't put too much pressure at him. He bought the story that Levi is a florist who came to the island because he ended an unhappy marriage and needed a change.

He also found a way to deal with Ben. When the man was starting to ask too many questions and was a little too interested in his past, all Levi had to do was to ask him about something, and Grice always began to chatter endlessly. He liked talking about his children the most. One of his sons worked in the port, the other in the sawmill. One of them was married, the other led a very party life. One had children, the other didn't.

It was Grice's second favorite subject: his two grandsons who stopped by the flower shop every now and then to say hello to their grandfather, or just to get some change from him. Levi quickly got used to the older Colt, who often helped them in the shop, and to the much younger, cute Falco, who was naughy sometimes, but made up for his behaviour with a disarming smile and deep devotion to his grandfather.

There weren't too many clients, although there were sometimes days when both men suddenly had a lot of work. Some time ago Ben also launched an online sale, which, however, was completely beyond him. The more he was glad that his new employee knew this internet stuff. Ackerman completed the catalog on the website, adding the missing elements to it. He also took care of the appearance of the website itself, as well as the advertising. Every day they received more and more orders.

Levi quickly got involved with his new job, which was salutary for his mind, exhausted by the latest events. He also quickly got attached to a new place and new responsibilities. He began to adjust to the current situation, slowly getting used to his new identity as well. He even bought a cell phone, but only used it to communicate with his employer.

The only problem now was finding an apartment. It's been two weeks since he arrived on the island. He couldn't live in a hotel room forever... The fees for the room were perhaps not as high as they were in Trost, but he didn't earn that much in the florist's shop.

He was saved by none other than Ben Grice, offering him a tiny apartment to rent, close to the very center of the town. The place belonged to his son, but he was currently outside the island and that wasn't going to change soon. Levi agreed to this offer with genuine gratitude.

The apartment was located on the first floor. It consisted of two rooms, a tiny kitchen, a corridor with a large wardrobe and a bathroom with a bathtub. Maybe there were no luxuries here, but Ackerman was fine with that. What was most impressive was the view from the bedroom window, which overlooked the endless waters.

As the place hadn't been inhabited for a long time, it required thorough cleaning. Levi went about it not without his usual satisfaction. He loved turning cluttered and dusty interiors into shining clean, better versions. He threw a cotton handkerchief over his face, put on gloves on his hands, and then set to work.

He wiped the dust off all the countertops and window sills, shook the carpets, washed the windows and set the curtains bought in a nearby shop. Then he cleaned both the kitchen and bathroom, swept the floor in all rooms, and then thoroughly washed it. When he was finished, he examined the place and admired the tidiness silently.

He moved into the apartment with all his belongings that actually fit in his backpack. He put the clothes in the wooden wardrobe, the toothbrush and cosmetics were placed in the bathroom. Eren's pendant took its place on the bedside table, on the right side of the bed. Fortunately, the kitchen was equipped, so he didn't have to supply it with any pans or crockery.

It wasn't until he sat down on the couch in Grice's apartment that Levi realized he was... completely alone.

It was true that during the day he spent time with Ben, his grandchildren or clients, but in the afternoon the crowd around him thinned until no one was left. When he was still staying in the hotel, he would have casual chats with its employees. Here, however, he couldn't do that. He hadn't met his neighbors yet, and he wasn't someone who would impose himself on others.

He chose to ignore the irritating feeling of loneliness.

At first he was quite successful at it, but with each passing day the emptiness in his heart seemed to grow larger. He missed Erwin and Hanji, whom he had parted with so suddenly. He missed his home. He had no idea what was happening to his property now, whether it was up for sale or whether it was even cared for at all.

Most of all, however, he missed Eren.

He thought about him when he went to sleep. He thought about him when he got out of bed in the morning. Eren was in his mind as he paced the narrow alleys and quite unexpectedly saw someone who looked like him in appearance. It was enough that the man was tall and had long brown hair. Ackerman's heart was always beating like crazy then, until he realized it was just an illusion, and the man wasn't Yaeger at all. It could never be him, Eren was far away in a place unknown to Levi. Eren was also in his mind every time the door of the flower shop opened, and the tiny bell placed just above it made a soft, pleasant sound... But when Levi looked there, he always saw another unfamiliar face in the door, and not the one he wanted to see.

The days passed, and the longing did not leave him. He had promised Eren that he would think about him, but he had not expected that it would be so painful for him to think. He could only guess where the young man was now, whether he was happy and safe. Levi deeply hoped that was the case.

Ackerman rose from the couch and looked around once more at the clean but empty and quiet interior. His mind drifted back to a conversation he had once had with Eren. He had not expected these words to come back to him at such a time and that they would turn out to be so prophetic.

"I'm afraid of… this silence and emptiness. A phone that will never ring. A door that no one will knock on."

Ironically, his greatest fear had apparently come true. He was in a strange town, far away from home, and he was completely lonely here.

As evening fell over the city, Levi began getting ready for sleep. He watered a few more plants that he had recently brought from Grice's florist's to liven up the interior of the apartment a little: a calathea, a monstera and two ferns. He gently stroked the green leaves, feeling their smooth surface under his fingers.

"So, we're stuck together here, aren't we?" Levi asked in a low voice, staring at the plants. They didn't answer him, and Ackerman raised the corner of his mouth. Eren had told him once that talking to flowers has therapeutic effects. Maybe it was true. Or maybe he was slowly going crazy?

He buried himself in the bedding as quickly as possible, separating himself from the whole world with the duvet. He reached for the silver, cool pendant, and, clutching it in his hands, fell asleep.

After a few weeks of saving money, Ackerman decided to make a bigger purchase. In the only electronics store on the island, Levi bought a computer. It wasn't the latest generation laptop, well, but the former detective didn't need much. All he needed was the hardware he could use to browse the internet and help Grice to run the store.

When he finally turned the device on… he just couldn't help himself.

As soon as he went online, he first checked the news about Grisha, but there weren't many. Ackerman guessed that the Intelligence must have classified all information, which didn't surprise him.

At one point, he entered a social network and found a profile of a certain person. He perfectly remembered Hanji liked to add a new photo to her profile every now and then, and it apparently didn't change... Levi looked through the photos, melancholy on his face. He paused a moment longer, staring at the last photo. His eyebrows went up.

The photo showed her and Moblit sitting at the table in Zoe's living room, holding hands. Judging by the slight blurring of the frame, it was very possible that the photo was taken by Erwin, who was not a master in these matters... Berner was looking at his girlfriend with real tenderness in his eyes. Hanji, in turn, was staring directly at the camera, grinning at the person taking the photo. Levi saw a diamond ring on his friend's finger.

"I think ALL my friends should see this! Changing my name in 6 months!:D"

Ackerman smiled to himself. So Hanji and Moblit weren't idle… They seemed really happy, so taking the relationship to the next level felt like a natural thing. What surprised him was the word "ALL" in capital letters... Levi wanted to move on, see other pictures, but suddenly something else caught his eye. Something that was behind the couple, on the refrigerator.

The former detective zoomed in on the view. There were a lot of sticky notes on the wall of the refrigerator, but one of them caught his attention. Now he was sure it was a number. It looked like a phone number. Levi felt his heart speed up.

The next day, he asked Grice for a day off. He had bought a ferry ticket and three hours later was on the mainland. He rented a car and went for a drive. He wondered how many kilometers he should drive to feel relatively safe... He hoped three hundred would be enough.

He stopped at a random inn. He ate his lunch quickly without really considering what he was eating. He was too excited. After he had sufficiently soothed his hunger, he left the restaurant and walked over to the telephone boxes.

He entered one of them and, with trembling hands, he dialed the phone number he remembered, but entered it in the reverse order. He waited impatiently until the person on the other end answered the call.

"Han...?" Levi asked, his breathing quickened with nervousness.

"No way…" He heard in the handset. After a moment, Ackerman's ears heard a cheerful chuckle that he knew very well. His lips stretched into a smile. "So, we did it."

"How secure is this connection?"

"Pretty safe, but you know how it is. We don't have much time. How are you?"

"Fine. And you? Congratulations, in general."

"Yeah, thanks. It's a pity you won't be at the wedding. You would definitely make the prettiest bouquets for us."

Levi made a sound that sounded like a dry laugh, trying to hide the despair that flared in his heart.

"Actually, it's funny you mention it. About flowers."

"Seriously? Is that what I think about?"

"I don't know. I can only communicate with Eyebrows without any words, not you."

"He's not with me at the moment. You know... He misses you like hell. Though she seems to be trying to cheer herself up because he has a new boyfriend."

"What?" Levi growled, a little sharper than he intended.

"Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. Some guy at the gym keeps hitting on him, but Eyebrows isn't interested yet. I wonder for how long."

Ackerman saw in his mind Zoe's eyebrows twitch in his characteristic, feisty manner. He suppressed a laugh.

"Make him finally go on a date."

"Oh? You're not jealous? Are you also keeping an eye on someone?"

"Yeah, um, I am. He's a sixty-year-old man."

"I didn't know you preferred older ones."

"You didn't ask."

"Okay, time is running out."

"Have you thought about a vacation in the near future?"

"Yes, but... it's not very safe. Not yet. Though I could use a hint."

"That's okay. I'll send... a postcard."

"I'll be waiting," Zoe replied, the tone of her voice allowing Ackerman to guess that the woman was smiling.

Levi hung up. He replaced the receiver, then rested his forehead against the cool glass of the booth in which he stood. It was a brief conversation, no one should have tracked him down in such a short time… He stifled the longing that was tightening around his heart, then took a few deep breaths.

It must have been enough for him, at least for a while.

It has been roughly four months since he arrived on the island when he decided to keep his promise.

To implement this idea, he again traveled to the mainland and took a long ride. In one of the bookstores, he bought a newly released horror book that Zoe might like. He addressed it to Moblit's cottage. He knew he was taking some risks, but decided that it would be the most neutral place. With a pencil, he marked the correct numbers and letters on the random pages. It was a specific code, the solution of this cipher was the location of the island. Levi hoped that Erwin and Hanji would deal with his riddle and that such a combination would be a sufficient safeguard in case the book fell into the wrong hands.

Then he returned to the island and managed to help Ben close the flower shop. It was about time to throw out the garbage, so Levi came out to the back of the building with bags full of rubbish, and that's when something unexpected happened.

Ackerman jumped as he noticed the strange shape under his feet. He stepped back, looking at the little puppy.

He was likely a shepherd, the dog had brown fur and erect ears. He wagged his tail and cocked his head as he stared at the man. The dog was little, he reached Levi's knees.

"What are you looking for?" Levi asked despite himself. He should go back to the florist's shop and start cleaning, but for some reason the dog dragged his attention.

The animal sat down across from him and raised its paw as if it were giving him a signal or just wanting to say hello.

Levi sighed, then crouched down and held out his hand, placing it on the pup's head. He stroked it gently as the pooch began wagging his tail more vigorously.

It was only now that Ackerman noticed that the animal's fur was dirty in some places, its left ear a little scratched, and it's right paw was limping a little.

"Look who we have here!" Grice's voice was suddenly heard. Levi rose quickly to his feet, staring to the side. Ben also went out to the back of the building to dump the rest of the garbage and help Levi. He did it, then bent down to pet the dog himself. Levi heard the old man's knees creak softly. "He was here this morning. I gave him food, apparently he came back for more."

"That's typical..." Levi said, watching Ben stroking the dog's brown fur. The animal was wagging his tail cheerfully, apparently very happy about it. "Does he belong to someone?"

"I don't think so. I asked about him, but nobody knows anything. You know, I would take him, but Falco has a terrible allergy," Grice straightened and looked curiously at his employee. "How about you, Kenny? Would you like to take him?"

"Wh-what?" The ex-detective asked, raising his eyebrows high and shifting his shocked gaze to Ben.

"I got a feeling you two would get along. It could be good for you. You've been walking around sad and more silentently than usual... I understand that after an unhappy relationship it's not so easy to recover, but sometimes you have to help yourself. And don't worry about the apartment, you have my permit."

"I... I don't know..." Levi looked again at the pooch, who was happily walking between them.

He never planned on having a four-legged friend. Not because he didn't want to, but because he simply didn't have time for it in his life.

When he worked as a detective, there were days when he didn't even come home around the clock, sometimes longer. Such a system of work wasn't suitable for caring for an animal. But now… Now everything was different. He had too much free time.

Ackerman himself didn't know how it happened, but in the evening he put some warm water into the tub and bathed the puppy in it. He scrubbed the brown fur thoroughly, wondering how well-mannered the dog was. Apparently, the puppy had to understand that what Levi was doing was necessary. Then Ackerman took the animal out of the bathtub and tried to dry its wet fur with a towel, but he didn't do it quickly enough. The puppy shook himself off, splashing droplets of water all around himself. Levi laughed softly, then wrapped the towel around the doggy and wiped him as much as he could.

He wasn't prepared for this situation, so he had to use two kitchen bowls. He poured water into one of them, and into the other he put some food, which he had bought in the store that day. However, they didn't have dog bowls there.

The animal ate the meal, then laid back on the carpet. Levi sat on the couch and picked up the book Colt had recently lent him, but froze as he saw the little dog get up and leap onto the sofa next to him.

"Oh no, kiddo. Your place is on the carpet," Ackerman said, looking at the animal with displeasure. "Come on, go back there."

The dog, however, had no intention of returning to the carpet. Levi snorted and grabbed him by the sides, then placed him on the soft cloth that was on the floor. Then the man returned to the couch, but the dog didn't want to listen to him. The puppy jumped on the piece of furniture again, and before Levi could protest, the animal placed its head on his lap.

The dog looked at him with huge eyes... and it was then that the ex-detective thought that this one time he would allow him to win.

He stroked the animal's head, then began reading the book.

When evening came, Levi took a bath and changed into a loose-fitting t-shirt and shorts. He also prepared a soft place with blankets in the living room for the pooch to lie down on. For this purpose, he used a wide basket that he found in the wardrobe and a few blankets. The man smoothed it with his hand, stating that the seat is incredibly soft and will fit the puppy. He looked around, but he couldn't see his pet anywhere.

He entered the bedroom and froze. The dog was lying on his bed clothes as if it were a place intended especially for him. Levi quickly shook off his astonishment and stepped closer.

"Buddy, come on! I know you got a bath and all, but this is my bed! Dogs sleep elsewhere. Who raised you?"

The animal lifted its head and... looked at the man almost resentfully. Then the dog rose to all four legs, turned its croup toward him, and laid back down again.

Levi shook his head. He grabbed the puppy in his hands and carried him to the living room, putting the dog in the basket. He stroked the animal briefly, then rose to his feet. He returned to the bedroom without closing the door behind him.

The locked bedroom door was irritating to him for some reason.

Levi jumped under the covers and laid his head on the pillow. Just then he heard the door swing open, followed by the silent footsteps of four paws. The puppy jumped on the quilt next to him, where he made himself comfortable. Brown, glittering eyes looked at Ackerman, and the man could swear he saw amusement in them.

"Buddy... Just for one night, okay?" He asked, reaching out and stroking the soft brown fur. The little dog barked softly and Levi snorted. He was already sure that this animal would do what he wanted at the moment. "You remind me of someone, you know?"

The dog barked again, and then his eyes closed. Ackerman rolled over and closed his eyes as well. When he fell asleep, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised.

"Buddy" had settled into his life much faster than Levi could ever have believed.

He was a charming, graceful animal, but at the same time had endless energy, which made him different from his owner. He was also stubborn and loud.

As Levi walked the streets of Sarton with him, the puppy had a habit of barking loudly at strangers. Ackerman tried to wean him away from this habit. He found various guides on the Internet on how to train a dog and persuade him to behave in a certain way, but "Buddy", because that was what Levi started to call him, seemed to be immune to any attempts to subjugate him. So it happened all of the time, that the doggy jumped happily towards strangers, barking at them in such a way that people looked at him with fear or indignation.

Ackerman took him to work occasionally when there weren't many customers. Ben didn't mind it at all, on the contrary, he was playing with the dog then or offering him dog treats, which he bought especially for these occasions. Colt and Falco were also happy with the presence of the pet, although the youngest Grice had to limit this contact due to his allergy.

Levi's days merged into one sequence. They were filled with work, after which it was time for a walk with the pet, and then an evening spent in the four walls.

Every now and then, Grice would invite him to his family for dinner. Levi was grateful for that, because although he was not a talkative type, he liked to spend time in the company of the man and his relatives. Grice's daughter-in-law cooked (and cleaned) really well, and his son had a very similar character to Ackerman, so they got along pretty well.

As for other aspects of his life, the former detective preferred not to think about them. He still felt a void and a longing in his heart that he didn't really want to fill with anything.

One day, a tall, well-built dark man looked into their flower shop. He blinked gently at the sight of Ackerman, then his cheeks flushed. Levi didn't understand this reaction, especially since he just politely asked the stranger if he could help him.

The former detective had left a client to fend for himself, and focus on preparing the bouquets, which would have to be sent by flower mail that afternoon. The unknown man wandered around the flower shop, then finally walked to Ackermann to talk about some unimportant stuff. Only at some point Levi realized that the man was simply... hitting on him.

He quickly dulled the man's enthusiasm, responding reluctantly, and that made the man quickly disappear. Admittedly, his sad face confused Ackerman a little, but it had to be that way. He didn't feel like flirting.

Grice must have noticed that his employee's mood was changing for the worse overnight, so he did what Levi found almost tragic. He ordered him to take a day off.

The former detective accepted the news with genuine reluctance, but he couldn't argue with his employer, who clearly meant well for him. It's been six months since he came to Sarton, and so far he has only taken a two-day of vacation... Ackerman knew he wouldn't win against Ben. So he decided to plan this day in such a way that it would be different from the rest.

He got up early for his morning training. Then, after a shower, he put on a gray shirt and calf-length comfy pants, along with sneakers. He wore a small straw hat on his head. He preferred to avoid over-tan. He took a book and a small bottle of water under his arm. He attached the leash to Buddy's collar and he and the pooch took a slow, strolling walk towards the sea.

They descended the hill to the bottom of the land, to make their way across the beach that stretched all the way around the island. At one point, Levi took off his shoes to feel the sand under his feet. The day was relatively warm, a light wind gently blew his dark strands. The sun would appear from time to time from behind the clouds, then disappear behind them, and so on.

Ackerman released the dog from the leash, allowing him to run around free and happy. Levi regretted his deed only once, when Buddy started barking merrily at some couple. The young couple got scared and ran away, and Levi took it with a kind of relief. A whole beach for them.

About halfway through the day, he went with Buddy to a nearby restaurant to eat dinner. The place was pet-friendly, thanks to which the puppy got a portion of the ration on a separate plate, as well as a bowl of water to quench his thirst.

After the dinner, they returned to the beach.

This time, however, Levi didn't have the strength to walk anymore. The sun was slowly setting and the wind was getting stronger, so the man took off his hat and put it on the sand, covering it with a book. He fell to the soft sand and stared into the distance. Buddy was running around happily, doing some important doggy stuff.

Ackerman watched the restless waves, feeling strangely calm in his chest.

Maybe he was far from home, maybe he missed his friends, but he was slowly finding himself in this new place. He was free, after all. He was safe. He could do whatever he wanted. That's what life should be about, right? Besides, he finally managed to fulfill his unspoken dream of a career as a florist...

He hoped that maybe after some time Hanji and Erwin would be able to visit him, if the intelligence wasn't on their tails. Levi was still afraid that this might be the case, that his friends were still being watched. Therefore, they couldn't risk it yet.

His thoughts were suddenly disturbed by the loud dog's barking. Levi looked up from the foaming waves and shifted his sight aside. In the distance he saw the silhouettes of some people walking along the beach. Then he quickly looked at his pet, raising an eyebrow.

"Buddy... What did I tell you about barking at strangers, huh?"

The dog turned its head, looking at Ackerman almost in surprise, then wagged its tail happily and began barking again, of course, in the direction of the slowly approaching figures.

Levi sighed heavily and shook his head with a soft smile.

After a moment, for some reason, his gaze wandered to the right again, to where the puppy was barking. There were three walkers. Their tall, slender figures slowly approached them. Levi looked at them thoughtfully, but without much interest.

Suddenly, something about their way of moving, or maybe their appearance, made the heart tremble in his chest, and a shiver ran down his spine. He didn't know where this feeling came from. After all, he didn't know these people. He couldn't know them. But they were getting closer, and with each step this strange sensation intensified... Levi could already see that they were two men and one woman.

He moved his excited gaze back to the sea.

He had no idea why his heart was beating so fast. Was it that these three figures reminded him of someone? No, no way. He was hallucinating, that's it. He should stop staring like that, those people might find it rude.

He knew it, but he couldn't help it. He turned his face that way again. The silhouettes of the strollers were getting closer… and with each step they seemed more and more familiar.

Ackerman's gray-blue eyes widened slowly. His lips parted in amazement.

His heart believed it much faster than his brain accepted it. His body moved by itself, Levi rose from the sand and lowered his arms freely along his torso, feeling as if something had paralyzed him. He couldn't move, he could only stand and watch the three people approaching him.

One person suddenly left the rest of the group behind, because he started to walk faster. At first, he only quickened his pace, and at some point he began to run. Levi was still standing like a stake, perfectly still, his ears buzzing. The sound of foaming waves mixed with Buddy's joyful barking.

Levi looked at the figure approaching faster and faster. He could see a laughing green gaze as well as brown hair, shoulder-length and gleaming in the setting sun; he could see muscles flexing, the man was wearing shorts revealing his legs, and a short-sleeved t-shirt.

As Eren was one step away from him, Levi felt his arms encircling him. The boy didn't slow down, so he didn't have time to brake, and Levi didn't have to be good at physics to know what the consequences would be. Eren ran into him and they fell heavily on the sand.

Ackerman hit the soft ground with his back, making a soft gasp. He felt the weight of the slim figure on himself. Eren quickly embraced him.

Yaeger's body pressed against him as if it were magnetically attracted. Levi felt the boy's shoulders tremble with emotion. Eren snuggled into the man, pressing him against the sand. The puppy was still jumping around them, still making joyful sounds.

Eren rose a little so they could look at each other. He put his hands on the former detective's chest. Levi kept widening his eyes, distrusting his senses. He reached out and touched Yaeger's smooth cheek, trying to convince himself that it was not a dream. Eren grinned at him widely, then leaned in and pressed their lips together.

Levi felt a wave of incredible heat pass through his body. He shivered slightly as he felt tears appear under his eyelids. The kiss they exchanged was extremely gentle, longing, so different from that desperate kiss they exchanged during their farewell those few months ago.

After a while they broke away from each other to exchange glances again.

Eren twitched in surprise as the cold, rough tongue suddenly landed on his face. He looked with surprised eyes at the puppy, who apparently also wanted a welcome caress. The boy laughed and petted the animal, still pinning Ackerman with his body. Meanwhile, Levi was staring at Eren's face with the same disbelief.

"It's impossible," He muttered stupidly, because since Eren was real and not just his imagination, it must have been possible in some way.

"Well... see for yourself," Yaeger replied, returning his gaze to Levi and raising the corner of his mouth higher. Then he got up and helped the man to stand up.

It was then that the other two strollers caught up with them. Levi saw Armin and Mikasa smiling broadly at him. Eren's friends also wore loose-fitting clothes, Arlert had black t-shirt and shorts, Mikasa wore cropped jeans and a flowing blouse, wrinkled at the front.

"But how…?" Levi looked at each one in turn, unable to express himself. He knew he must look ridiculous, but he was too shocked to care. "How did you...?"

"It's nice to see you too," replied Armin, laughing softly under his breath.

"Armin managed to contact Hanji and Erwin," Mikasa replied, placing her hand on the blond's shoulder. The girl also smiled broadly. "They sent each other encrypted messages, so we knew where to find you. Well, almost… it took us a while to find the right florist shop."

"Encrypted memes, to make it clearer," Eren added, who was just trying to calm the barking Buddy. The dog in turn was trying hard to get his attention. The boy leaned down and stroked the puppy again, only this gesture silenced him.

"Mikasa is right. We didn't know exactly which flower shop on the island you work at, so we've already visited a few," Armin continued, adjusting the glasses on his nose. "Surprisingly, when we finally found the right one, it was very easy to find out that you have a day off... Your boss is a terrible babbler."

"We just asked if he was running this place by himself," Yaeger said, still stroking the pooch who was looking at the boy with sparkling eyes. Levi had the impression that Buddy immediately fell in love with Eren. "He immediately started telling us about his gorgeous Kenny, who is a cleaning master and who has a day off, so he must be walking on the beach right now..."

Levi lifted the corner of his mouth and shook his head.

"So you're alright? What about Jean?" Levi wanted to know.

They sat down on the ground, facing each other. Buddy waved his tail cheerfully, then trotted towards Mikasa, and this time he let her pet him.

"He works as an assistant in a medical clinic. Hannes couldn't get him a doctor's license, so he just uses his knowledge. We also landed in a small town..." Mikasa explained, scratching the puppy behind the ear. "He couldn't take the day off, so he asked me to give you my regards. He expressed the hope that you're fine and taking care of yourself."

"Yeah, I care even too much lately. I still have a hard time getting used to such a quiet life," Levi muttered softly, resting his elbows on his knees and looking from Mikasa to Armin, and then looking at Eren. "I'm glad you're okay. I was so worried."

"Unnecessarily. It all worked out," Eren replied, returning the man's gaze. "Hanji briefly explained what happened."

Levi nodded slightly. He stared at the sand as he remembered that fateful evening that had changed everything. The night he killed Grisha.

"It probably wasn't easy," Armin replied in a soft, gentle tone. He looked at Ackerman, obviously guessing what he was thinking. "But we're grateful to you. It's good to be aware that he will never find us, because… well, because he is no longer there."

Mikasa nodded. Buddy lay down next to the girl, placing his head on her lap. In turn, Eren reached out and took Levi's hand. His green gaze was calm and full of silent gratitude.

The weather suddenly changed. The wind grew stronger and the sun was completely hidden behind the clouds. It was a sign that they should be returning to town as it might soon be raining.

"Will you stay longer?" Ackerman asked hopefully as they rose from their seats. When he lived in Trost, he hated having guests. His own house was his temple, to which almost no one was allowed. But that's what Levi was like. Kenny might have had other habits.

"Actually... We can stay until tomorrow, if it won't be a problem," Armin said, raising the corners of his mouth. Mikasa took the leash from Levi and attached it to the puppy's collar. Buddy seemed very pleased with this turn of events.

"Not a problem at all," Levi replied immediately.

Knowing that this evening his apartment might be filled with human voices and with joyful laughter made his heart beat faster.

They walked slowly down the path that led straight into town. Just then Eren took Levi's hand again and smiled like he was up to something.

"You know... As for me, unlike Armin and Mikasa, I'm not in a hurry. And… I took some more clothes with me. Well, if there was room for me, I could stay here for a few days. Or a couple of weeks. Or…"

Eren shrugged with an innocent smile and just then broke off as Levi embraced him and hugged him tightly.

He wasn't paying attention to Buddy's jealous barking. He didn't know how it was possible either, but the emptiness he had felt for so many weeks now somehow magically evaporated. It felt as if it wasn't there at all anymore. And, damn it, he felt tears under his eyelids again... Apparently he was getting damn sentimental.