Author's Note:
Hello! Long time no update! But now here I am. Oh God, I am always apologizing here, but I know that you're always out there waiting for my update. Thank you! (tears of joy) . . Don't worry, I'm not planning on leaving this fic unfinished. And because of that, I'll be uploading the Chapter 11 later. Thank you for reading my new short fic, "The Naked Payback", it was supposed to be uploaded during the Rivahisu Week but something just came up and you know that personal stuff should come first.
So about this chapter, it will still be about the Special Operation's Squad spending their night at the Orphanage. So the setting will last until the next chapter. I hope I'm not tiring you huhuhu. I'm praying. .
Laters babies. – C18
Levi
The atmosphere was already in a blush orange condition with the wavy ray of clouds. It carries two shades of phases on either side that distinguished the two gradient times of the sky. This is the part that twilight and day collide before the atmosphere turns into complete dusk. He thought it would be wise for the people to settle inside the premises. The air was chilly in the naked surface of his chest as he plunged the ax on the ground and piled the newly chopped firewoods.
He noticed Eren and Historia walking back towards his location from a distance. They were both carrying something, and Jean, Armin, and Connie were walking behind them.
He recalled what had happened in the garden four days before. They fell on the dirt and suddenly a spark ignited deep inside him and suddenly made him felt awakened. It was a quick blow like a quick punch from his guts, his world shaken when Historia grabbed his hand.
He felt thousands of needles dug inside his nerves and all he wanted to do is let go from her grasp.
It was like being hit by a thunderclap, he felt all his senses were sensitive in every aspect. His muscles, his eyes, sense of hearing, and strength were on a full different level.
When Historia grabbed Levi's palms, it felt like a spark was crawling into his veins. That's how he usually feels when he's in the midst of a fight before. And up until now, he was dying to know the answer of why his strength was awakened when this damn royal brat pounded on to him.
It was so unexpected that he still can't believe that he felt it. It was different and new, like a whole another level and if only Kenny was here, Levi would want to hold the information about his blood connection to the true royal family. If ever there was. It was as if there was a link with his attachment to Historia. There was more that he has to know about his true strength now that he stares into Historia's face from afar.
And that was scaring him; it's the reason why he doesn't want to tell anyone about it yet. As a result, he would do anything to keep that information to himself, even if it is still perplexing.
It would be a great help if he could ask Hange and Erwin about this to make research. But he thought about their opinions. He was not entirely sure that it happened. He needs to gather some observations and details before he makes this into complete research.
That's why he needs to speak with Historia alone in private to conduct his investigation.
But the scene was forgotten, like a chapter being torn out of a book when something else happened when they arrived at the house in the middle of the vast farm. He was so consumed with himself that he forgot about Historia. He was preoccupied with his damn guilt and problems. Fuck the Rals and it made him so selfish.
"Ackerman," he said as he noticed Mikasa holding a bouquet of lavender flowers. Levi can't help but raise an eyebrow when he sees Gideon with her. What was the point of having the old man around all the time? And now he has Mikasa in his grasp.
Tch.
The two turned to him.
"Yes, Captain" With that flat expression, Ackerman asked him attentively.
"Remember what I said about keeping an eye on Yeager? They've been there for quite some time." He shot her a dismissing look as he slides in his shirt.
Mikasa and the old man both shrugged. She immediately roamed her eyes around to find Yeager as Gideon dryly glanced at him while taking the Lavender flowers back to his hands. She rolled her eyes away from him. Then it got worse when she saw Historia and Eren from a distance.
"I'll get him." As Mikasa moved towards Eren and Historia, her shoulders were down and Levi could see the whites on her knuckles. And her eyes darkened...
Eren and Historia appeared to enjoy talking alone, and he can even see Historia's shy blushing face.
Why does she have to blush nearly every time? Levi hated it. Maybe it's the reason why they find her so cute. Oh well.
He looked at Gideon, who was now standing alone, holding his shitty grass. The old man, with his greyish eyeballs and wrinkled eye bags, also looked at him in return. The old man is aware that Levi was not pleased by his presence.
"Mr. Vader, put your grass in a vase to avoid flaunting it around. You're causing my men to slack off like you." Levi murmured as he followed Mikasa's trail to Historia and Eren.
Gideon just shrugged his shoulders. "Woman loves beautiful things, Levi, that Ackerman is a woman too if you're so careless to remember. I didn't realize I have that kind of effect on your men." he slouchy replied.
Levi made an effort to hide his frowning expression. Gideon was taken aback by this.
"Don't get carried away and get lost; instead, look for broken items within the premises and repair them, to put yourself and your grass to use."
"Unfortunately, Captain, you're not seeing things correctly. It's already useful; the scent alone is enough to calm the minds of those around you. Its oil can even be used to soothe. And, just for the record, kid, inside the orphanage, there are eleven vases, all of which are filled with my lavender flowers; where do you think I should bring this one?" Gideon tightened his grip on the bouquet.
"Bring them back to your farm. You can also plant them elsewhere." He remarked sarcastically.
"Oh, yes. You know more than I do. You'll end up like me if you don't stop hating me, you'll be old, alone, and decaying." Gideon walked away, tilting his head as he said those words.
Levi simply rolled his eyes in disagreement. He doesn't know from where this old man got that kind of bullshit, that he always gets under his skin.
"By the way, how is Pedro?" Levi asked subtly.
Gideon glanced at him and snorted a little. Levi admits that he was a little embarrassed by asking, but he can't ignore the old man's condition according to what he heard from Historia and Gideon's conversation from this morning.
"After you all left at the garden, Pedro felt a little pain in his chest. We ignored it at first, thinking that he just overworked himself, and then the following day, we saw him lying in the middle of the field, unconscious. An hour inside the house, he gained consciousness; he told us that he can't breathe. Wena panicked, but one of the farmers that were there immediately went and called a nearby physician. The doctor said that he needs to rest because he was stressed. His heart problem was getting worse because of emotional distress." Gideon just kept on brushing his beard with his bare hand while the other was holding the bouquet lavender.
Levi just turned his head away from the old man; he thought that he could be one of the reasons why it happened. He remembered that Petra mentioned it to him before, Mr. Ral collapsed when Petra told him that he wants to enter the Survey Corps.
"I asked the Queen for help even if Wena already warned me not to mention it to her or you, but I can't watch my friend die. They were still anxious about their financial expenses even if it was already covered by the Queen. I just don't understand her fucking pride; it was dragging them down to their filthy grave."
"It would be better if you kept all the goods instead of donating them here." Levi placed his hands on his hips, he knows that the Rals wanted to prove that they are not after his wealth, but Levi thought that his wealth is useless because he doesn't have anyone to turn in to.
"I already fought with Wena, but she's as hard-headed as a brat, telling us that she would make a scene in front of your Headquarters if the wagon was not taken away."
"Tch, I don't mind if she does that." Levi flatly replied.
"Yeah, you already lived as a shitty Captain, now you also lived as a shitty son-in-law. You are a Pretty shitty Captain in distressed," Gideon murmured, but Levi can still hear it from where he was standing.
"Get lost.." He scowled at him.
Then Gideon laughed. "I admit that I know about you and Petra. There's no faking about it anymore, but I would like to ask you to pay them a visit sometimes. .. Before it's too late." Gideon simply placed his calculating eyes on him and turned away. Now he poorly held the bouquet of lavender, letting it sway along with his hands as he stormed towards the house. The small stems fall on the ground harshly and Levi felt sorry for it.
Levi hang on the old man's words. Would it be truly okay to face the Rals again? How can he do that when one of them gets a heart attack because of his past relationship with their daughter? Honestly he wants to visit them, because frankly speaking, he fucking cared about this people.
Before it's too late. Does that mean before he regrets everything?
Tch.
After a few hours, it was already evening. They had just finished their meal. They cleaned and assisted with tasks inside the orphanage all day. Levi can hear the disappointment in Armin's voice; they thought that all they had to do here was catch up on her Majesty's career and personal life.
Well, good for them, they'd stop blushing because Historia proved to them that she's the Queen of the anti-slacker. Even though they kept their voices low, he could hear their complaints that Historia was just like their mothers in this regard.
Levi reflected on his mother as well. Would she be like their mothers if she was still alive? Will he be swayed by her eternal precepts and become bored as well?
He still remembered when he was a child, when they lived in the rotting corner of the brothel, and how he helped his mother rub their floor inside that four-cornered room until it resembled glass, reflecting their pale complexion. If Levi's mother was still alive, he would probably never tire of her commands.
That was only if she didn't pass away.
Gideon
For God's sake, he was still here, thinking that after the old man fixed some things in the place, he would finally go back to where he truly belongs and vanish from his sight.
But was fucking not.
His companions were currently finishing up the kitchen, while Historia went upstairs to check on the kids. Gideon proceeded to the stables.
Levi brought his teacup to the living room while everyone else was doing their thing. At the same time, the two maids were conversing in the corner as they prepared the fireplace for the evening. Levi sat quietly on the chair because they didn't notice him.
"It's fine, Diana; I can stay here tonight because I didn't do much work today. I'll sleep with the kids; you can go home and rest now." The redhead brat stated.
"Uhm, wasn't it your turn to stay here yesterday? So it's your turn to go home today." Diana responded hesitantly.
"Yeah, but I didn't see myself as being particularly useful today, because the visitors had completed the majority of the tasks." Anna laughed softly.
"Neither does me. I ended up standing in the corner while they all did their chores." The two maids burst out laughing.
"So you're taking turns here, aren't you?" Levi interrupted their conversation in the middle of it.
The two maids looked at him. Diana appeared surprised and hesitant, while Anna frowned at him from behind the black-haired woman.
"Indeed, Captain. We take turns so that one of us can take a break. We need to go home to our respective families at least every other day." Diana spoke
"I see," Levi said as he sipped his hot tea. He can see the smoke from the liquid beverage. What a lovely sight for him. Unfortunately, it was one of Gideon's homemade creations. He may dislike the man, but not his taste; in fact, he enjoyed the tea that he brought for the orphanage.
"All right, you can take the day off tonight. You two can go home now." He casually said to the two ladies...
The two maids turned to face him, simply processing what he had just said.
"Excuse me, what are you talking about? Do you like us to take our days off together, without one of us remaining?" Levi could see Anna's eyebrow rise when she heard what he said.
She acted as if he said something ridiculous to them.
"I'm staying with my Squad here; we can fill your spot while also guarding the Queen... So you can both rest and return here tomorrow morning before me and my squad leaves for the barracks." Levi stated unequivocally.
He can sense their emotions; they were perplexed by his offer, but he can't blame them.
"I don't think that's practical..." Anna spoke up. "We understand that you can protect her better than us, but we can't break the accords that"- - -
"I certainly understand what you mean." Levi abruptly cut her off. "I was present when you took ought, but one night with my Squad wouldn't do her or the kids any harm. If that's what you meant, not even a single bug can touch them when I'm around. When you see them again tomorrow, they'll still be in one piece." He clarified coldly to the two young women.
The two of them exchanged glances as if they were unwilling to accept his offer.
"I'm sorry, but one of us needs to stay. I'm going to take the day off tomorrow." Anna stated sternly with a frown on her face, while Diana breathed slowly, wondering if she had made the right decision.
So, hopefully, they'll think it was all for their benefit and that he was just being nice here. Diana grabbed Anna's arm and dragged her into the kitchen.
"Anna... it's all right. You seem to have forgotten how difficult it was for them to protect Historia in the past. So you don't have to be concerned about her safety." Diana smiled at the lady with the red hair.
"But… Dia-". . .
"Thank you very much, Captain. You've been very gracious to us. Tonight, we'll all go home together." Diana gave him a gentle smile while still holding Anna's resisting arm. When she hears it, Anna's eyes widen in protest... "It's all right, Anna. It's only for one night." Diana jerked Anna's arm. They both looked at each other as if they were talking to each other through their eyes...
Levi sipped his tea while crossing his legs and resting his free hand on the couch's back support.
"Hey, what's the fuss?" then he heard the queen's voice.
Levi had not expected Historia to appear at this time. She was now standing at the top of the stairs, but he remained low and silent, sipping his precious tea.
"Your Majesty... How are the kids?" Anna smiled as she approached the blonde Queen.
"The kids had already washed their hands and feet. "Would you both be able to dress them for bed?" Historia spoke in hushed tones.
"Your Majesty, yes." Diana went upstairs right away.
"Um, Diana, I'm coming with you." Anna trailed behind.
Levi just sat there silently when they left. He is well aware that Historia is watching him from the side. Hesitant to speak up or attempting to find a way to approach him.
"You want the two maids to leave tonight, but who will look after the kids?" Historia made a statement.
The last time they spoke was when Gideon tried to ruin the whole wagon story thing for her; after that, they never spoke again.
"I've already spoken with Braus and Mikasa about it..." Levi sipped his tea, which was nearing the end of the cup.
"How thoughtful of you." In a sarcastic tone, she said. Levi simply pressed his lips to his cup, restraining himself from responding. He doesn't need to say much. "How about you? What will you do?" Historia went on...
He became giddy as a result of her question. The way she said it was strangely different and he wants her to leave him alone already.
"Tch, I'll be keeping an eye on everyone." He stated unequivocally.
"Does that mean I'm included?" Historia.
He fisted his other free hand, which was resting on the couch's leaning board.
"Yeah. You and I will have a serious talk, so I need the maids to go away. Just for tonight, I don't want them to hear our discussion."
She crossed her hands. "You see the children are a difficult task, so we need people to get up every minute to send them to pee, drink water, put them back to bed from a nightmare. So I think sending Anna and Diana is not a good option." She explained to him expertly. And Levi can't set the thought to say that Historia talks just like a mother. She changed while she spent her time here at the orphanage.
"and you think Mikasa and Sasha can't do the same?" he gave her dark piercing eyes telling her to back off and shut up with her trying hard dry sarcasm.
"Right." She let out a sigh.
Levi just rolled his eyes.
He stood up after squeezing the last drop of tea from his cup. "Let's talk tonight in your study. Because I have to return to the barracks tomorrow, we won't have much time to catch up" Levi stated. He could always feel her stare across the room, and it made him feel strange. It may appear ridiculous on his part, but he needs to settle their minor argument from this morning. At least he can make a little progress when eyebrows ask him about his task.
"I'll see you later, thank you." She said and proceeded to the other room. Completely abandoning Levi's humid presence.
Levi just stood there staring at his white empty cup.
"Tch, yeah, later," he says.
