Still writing, though I'm having a bit of trouble getting through the chapter I'm currently working on. But I'll find a way to break this blockage I ran into, don't you worry lovelies. I took a little break the past two days and I'm getting back into writing this weekend :D
As always my lovelies, go ahead and enjoy this chapter and don't forget to toss me a little review, to let me know what you think~ ;)
P.S. All Attack on Titan characters belongs to Isayama Hajime. I only own my OCs.
29. The right time
~ 850 ~
That morning Erwin was enjoying his tea in the office, having just started reading the first book about Grisha's life which Hange had given to him the previous evening, when the door burst open as Eren stormed in.
"Eren!" Armin called out behind him, gasping at the fact that his friend had made such a rude entrance into the Commander's office. "Commander Erwin... I apologize, but Eren—"
"I need to see Natalie and talk to her, right away!" the boy interrupted him, saluting their superior.
"She and Levi will be out tomorrow... can it not wait another day?" Erwin arched a brow at that.
"I have important information that I must confirm with her, urgently!" he insisted.
Once the man had beckoned him closer, the boy approached the desk and spoke again while Armin closed the door behind them.
"Last night I saw more of my father's memories. I believe it was the day he inherited my Titan, just before he arrived at the Walls. There was a man there with him, on a wall at the edge of the sea. His name was Eren Kruger, but he was known as the Owl... from what I gathered in their conversation, both of them were members of some kind of resistance group fighting against their government. The Owl was their spy among the ranks of that government. He's the one who sent my father here, telling him to retake the Founding Titan so they could restore the nation of Eldia... the nation of our ancestors. Also... there was one more thing... something about how a Titan shifter only has a lifespan limited to thirteen years, after they inherit one of these powers. That afterwards they must pass the power on by having someone else eat them, or if they die the power passes to... he said 'a subject of Ymir yet to be born'."
In the stretching silence, Erwin mulled over his words and had just opened his mouth when Eren spoke again apparently having not noticed that.
"Commander! I request permission to see Natalie and discuss this with her... I need her to tell me if she had any idea of this, or if she knows more about it."
A moment longer was all Erwin took to decide before standing from his desk and gesturing for the boys to follow him.
"Um... Commander—" Armin spoke up as they walked the corridor.
"Given that I am now the same as Eren and Natalie, this issue is of importance not just to the Survey Corps or to humanity, but also to me on a personal level." the man interrupted him, leaving Armin and Eren to exchange a glance.
Leading them down into the dungeons, he first halted in front of Levi's cell as the young Captain arched a brow at his presence.
"What? Don't tell me you missed us."
To an untrained ear his voice would have sounded the same as usual, however Erwin's brow twitched in concern at the defeated tone underlining his words. He also looked somewhat more ragged than normal and if he squinted a bit, he could swear the man's cheeks had somewhat hollowed out like he had lost weight. Had Natalie known and told him during their confinement? Or perhaps it had simply been a matter of good timing and she had seen something related to that during the night, as well.
"Are you alright?"
"...Huh? Why wouldn't I be?"
"Levi... you know I get daily reports from Arlert and Kirschtein, don't you? I know you have barely eaten anything for the past five days. If you need to see a doctor..."
In the way the Captain frowned stubbornly at him he got his confirmation that what ailed him wasn't of a physical nature. So then, she had told him...
"Natalie." he called out, stepping over to find the young woman seated on the bed staring at the floor. "I'll hazard a guess that you might already know why we're here."
"Did you see anything, Eren?" she replied, her voice sounding as empty as her gaze was when she looked over at them.
"Y-yeah..." the boy hesitated, growing concerned when faced with the broken state both she and Levi were in. "Did you learn about it too? The—"
"The Curse of Ymir?" she interrupted him. "The previous holder of my Titan told me... is that why you came here?"
"If you knew... why didn't you say anything?" Armin spoke up softly, as though he was afraid she would break just from his voice if he spoke any louder.
"And who would have believed me? Other than Levi..." she said after a lengthy silence, when the boy had started thinking she wouldn't reply at all. "I'm not Eren... it may seem like I always try to see the good in people, but when it comes down to it... I can't easily accept that they'll just believe everything I say, no matter how true I know it to be. Yes, I knew more than all of you all this time; not everything, but certainly more. Even so, until recently when the previous holder of my Titan started speaking to me... even I didn't know the true scope of humanity beyond the Walls; I didn't know how severe things were, how utterly and irrevocably the rest of the world hates us. All I knew were the bits and pieces my... other self showed me; the one you saw when you were there with me, Eren."
"But!" Eren protested. "The Captain believed you all this time, didn't he? Why was it so hard to try telling us? We all believed everything you told us back at the cabin! I'm sure the Commander and Hange-san would have believed you, too! Is it really that hard to trust people?"
"If you sincerely believe what you just said... then you're a far better human than I am. And you're also painfully naïve, if you think people are so easily separated into good and bad. Even if I had known everything from the beginning, do you really think everyone would have believed me if I told them all of it? Humanity... or at least our people... have lived safely within these Walls for more than a hundred years now. All they've known was that there was nothing outside except monsters who wanted to eat them. They were so content to live like cattle..."
More than anything it was her last words that drew a gasp from him, leaving him without any counterargument, reminding him that those very words had fueled his desire to join the Survey Corps.
"At best I would've been considered insane, or delusional... or my words would have destroyed everyone's morale." she continued, startling him into raising his gaze from the floor back to her. "At the very least until the nobility and the Military Police would have had me assassinated, to cover it up. Like they did to Erwin's father... like they did to so many others until now. Even if I had somehow avoided being killed; just how much do you imagine people are willing to accept, before they start denying the truth when it tears down their comfortable lives? When it challenges everything they've ever known about the world, about each other, about themselves? You should know that better than anyone, Eren... even with all the evidence in front of your eyes, how hard was it for you to accept the truth about Annie? About Bertholdt? About Reiner?"
Taking a deep breath she tilted her head back against the wall, turning her gaze to the ceiling.
"I believed it was better if you all were allowed to learn the truth on your own. And even then I tried pushing certain people towards it. I pushed Hange to analyze and talk about Annie's crystal with Armin, hoping they could figure it out together. I was the one who suggested to Levi and Erwin that Reiner and Bertholdt might have been like her, hoping I could get them on our side. I told you all about the Founding Titan and why Reiss really wanted Eren and Historia. As for Levi... I put this burden on his shoulders, because I knew I couldn't do it alone. Because I was terrified of the responsibility, because I needed someone to guide me, to advise me – I needed someone to be there for me. Because I knew that even if the whole world turned against me... he would always be on my side. But I never imagined I'd end up doing this to him..."
Her last words came out barely louder than a whisper, fading into a crushing silence as she covered her mouth to drown out the sob struggling to leave her chest.
"We'll need to have a little talk about that when we get out." Levi at last spoke up, startling everyone except Natalie who smiled bitterly behind her hand.
"So then..." Armin chimed in, as if the Captain's words had broken some spell that had befallen everyone. "It's really true? You all have just thirteen years left?"
"Erwin's the only one who has thirteen years left." the redhead sighed, trailing a hand through her hair. "I only have ten, at most..."
"Then I'm... down to eight..." Eren replied, staring forlornly at the floor for a moment before scowling. "Fuck this! Even if I die young, it's not like I just have to lie down and wait for it. Right, Natalie?"
Startled to hear him addressing her in that resolute tone she knew so well by now, the young woman looked over to find him staring at her as he gripped the bars of her cell like he was trying to crush them. His eyes had lit up in a green blaze of determination and courage, and yet deep down she could still see that he was anxious; he was simply choosing to not submit to his fate without a struggle.
"We all knew we could die any day, when we joined the Survey Corps! It's not like we signed up to be soldiers so we could live until we're old and grey! So what if we only have a few years left? That doesn't mean we can't fight to the end... that we can't help humanity as much as possible, while we're alive! If we don't do it, who else will?! Remember what you told me in the caves, when I'd given up! You told me to stand and fight... you told me you'd help me bear this burden; that you wouldn't leave me to struggle alone anymore!"
At that his mind suddenly replayed part of the words the Owl had said to his father, and he found himself repeating them to her; more than any conscious decision, he could feel that it might have just been what she needed to hear.
"We started this story when we joined the Survey Corps... so we have to push forward until we pay the price of our actions! Until we die... even after we die! So fight! Fight until you can't move anymore! Fight until your last breath! Don't let something like this put you down! Just keep fighting, damn it!"
He was trying his best to keep up a brave front, but on the inside he was terrified; not because of what they had found out, not because he now knew he wouldn't even live to reach his father's age. But because something told him that if she gave up, he would become the monster he had seen in her memories. If she gave up, there was no changing that future anymore... and at first her unreadable expression made his stomach lurch in fear. But then she stood and walked up to the bars, reaching out to tousle his hair gently.
"Thank you..." she said and her warm smile had him reach up to grab her hand, squeezing it in a vice-like grip.
"I won't say I understand how hard it was for you to trust people, because I'm a gullible idiot." he replied, leaving the redhead to stare at him in surprise. "But you're not alone and you never were. If you really can't trust anyone, other than the Captain... at least trust me."
~ oOo ~
"This is a waste of time. I have a week's worth of paperwork piled up that won't handle itself, thanks to you getting your kicks out of putting me in a tiny cell. I just hope Hange's weird-ass bondage experiments with those Titans didn't give you any creepy ideas; because I'm not planning on letting you lock me up again." Levi complained, as he and Natalie followed Erwin and Hange across the front yard of the royal palace.
"The Queen wishes to reward the Survey Corps survivors for our success in retaking Wall Maria." the Commander replied, sounding mildly amused by the young Ackerman's rant. "It's only natural that we all be present there; especially you, as an officer."
"Tch... it's just a pointless ceremony to parade us in front of those fat pigs from the Interior." he spat with nigh a pout, clearly still irritated that he'd spent the previous week in jail.
"Speaking of that... Natalie, I heard your family will be present at this event." Erwin spoke again, offering the redhead a glance over his shoulder.
"Great..." she sighed.
"They should be proud, shouldn't they?" Hange chimed in. "Their daughter's a hero..."
"I'm sure my father won't see it that way."
"He doesn't get to decide for you anymore." Levi replied.
"You belong to me and no one has any say over you anymore." his words echoed in her memory, bringing a tender yet bittersweet smile to her lips as she watched his serious profile. 'You deserve better than me...'
It was a thought she hadn't been able to restrain ever since she had told him about her limited lifespan, in the cells. He truly deserved so much better; he deserved someone who could live a full life with him, someone who wouldn't abandon him like she was going to do, so much sooner than she had imagined.
"Stop it..."
His words made her blink as she realized he was now watching her.
"What—?"
"This right here!" he retorted, reaching out to squeeze her cheek between his fingers. "You're making that face again; the one that says you're thinking stupid thoughts. Stop it..."
"I'm not..." she pouted, rubbing the sore spot.
"Yes you are. And I don't care if you're going to die tomorrow or a decade from now; I don't care if you think I deserve someone better, or if you found some weird way to conclude this is your fault. If you absolutely want to hear me bragging... what I deserve is exactly a woman like you." he stated, smirking in the face of her confused expression. "Well... you'll get it tonight."
"That was beautiful, Levi." Hange chimed in while Natalie lowered her head to try and hide her burning cheeks.
"No one asked you, three-eyes." he retorted, drawing a chuckle out of the Section Commander.
With the ceremony having started at noon, it was almost an hour later that the Scouts were allowed to stand from where they had knelt in the grass of the palace courtyard. As Historia finished handing out their medals, returning to stand before them and the large crowd of military and nobility alike, Levi and Natalie were worriedly side-eyeing Eren. The boy's expression had changed to a disturbing note of horror after he had kissed the Queen's hand, and even now he had trouble keeping it in check.
"Today marks the greatest victory in humanity's recent history." the Queen spoke up, drawing everyone's focus back to her. "The Survey Corps, through their devotion and outstanding bravery, have retaken our land from the Titans and have shown us what it means to dedicate our hearts to humanity. Each and every one is a model of courage, selflessness and integrity that shines within our society as a flame of hope for a better future. Let me be the first one to thank them for how valiantly they faced the ones who threatened to destroy us all."
At that she leveled her gaze at Erwin and offered a salute, which all of the Scouts returned led by the Commander himself.
"As you all know, not all of the Scouts have made it back from Shiganshina alive." she continued, the shift in the air almost palpable as she addressed the issue. "However, that does not make their fearless sacrifice any less important for all who live within the Walls. Let us remember those who gave not only their hearts but also their blood to defend us, to free us from the Titan terror, to ensure that humanity will have a future. Their names will forever live on within our memories, as long as humanity endures."
As if on cue, a maid approached her with a small tray bearing a silver goblet while an army of servants spread out goblets of wine to everyone present.
"Eternal glory to the victorious dead!" the Queen said, raising her goblet before taking a sip, prompting everyone to follow suit.
=0=0=
The feast had been going on for at least two hours now, and Mikasa and Armin were growing worried. Eren had slipped away at some point after barely eating anything, and hadn't shown up again.
"I'll go look for him." the brunette offered. "You stay here in case the Commander needs you."
Nodding, Armin watched as she discreetly stood from her seat and slipped away. Leaving behind the bustle of the outdoors banquet, Mikasa took to walking the alleyways in the large gardens until at long last she found the boy in a secluded corner, seated on one of the marble benches. Even before she had approached she could tell something was seriously wrong in the way he was holding his head, and the tears she could see dripping onto the paved alley.
"Eren..." she called out softly. "Why are you crying?"
Startled by her voice, he stared up at her with a horrified look that unsettled her to her very core.
"What happened?" she insisted, sitting next to him and weighing a hand onto his shoulder.
"It's... nothing..." he at last replied, wiping his tears on his sleeve and doing his best to put up a brave front.
"Eren... don't lie to me."
More than her words it was her tone that made him jerk in surprise. There was something there that he hadn't heard from her before, even if he couldn't put his finger on what it was. But it did make him realize he had been pushing her and Armin away lately; that he was being a hypocrite for doing exactly what Natalie had done all that time, while lecturing the redhead on how she should have trusted people more.
"I... saw more of dad's memories... when I touched Historia earlier." he confessed, eventually won over by his need to confide in someone.
"Was it something... unpleasant?" she said barely louder than a whisper, reaching to cover his trembling fist with her hand. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Even now she could hear Natalie telling her that Eren needed to know she was there for him; that she was ready to be by his side no matter what. When he tensed at first, at her unusually bold gesture, her heart froze and she wondered if maybe that hadn't been the right time or the right thing to do. But then she felt him turning his hand over to return her grasp, felt him squeezing onto her fingers in a way he never had before. And when she raised her gaze to find him staring at her, she was surprised to realize that her love was mingled with pity.
"Tell me..." she goaded him gently. "I know you're always trying to protect me by bearing everything on your own, but you don't have to do that. I want to help you; I want to share your burdens. Not because you're my brother, or a child – just because you're you. So tell me..."
In the way his eyes widened almost comically at her words, she got her confirmation that Natalie had been right. And then she saw it in his gaze that he had decided to confide in her, even before he opened his mouth to speak.
"I think... it was the night when the Reiss family died." he said after heaving a sigh, lowering his eyes to the square stones making up the pathway. "It was him. He used his Titan powers to take the Founding Titan from them, but... it felt so real... like I was the one doing it."
"What do you mean?"
"When... when I see my dad's memories, I see them through his eyes. It's as if I'm the one inside his body, doing those things."
At that he raised his free hand, staring at it with an unsettling mixture of horror and fear, as though he could still see the blood staining his skin.
"It was like I was the one who crushed those children. I can still feel their bodies distorting under my hand... I can still hear the blood exploding from them... their bones breaking into thousands of pieces... their mother screaming their names..."
"Eren!" the brunette called out, snapping him out of the state he had worked himself into. "It wasn't you... you didn't do that to them; you wouldn't ever do that to anyone. Dr. Jaeger had to do this, for everyone's sake. But it wasn't you."
In her desire to comfort him she wrapped her arm about his shoulders, feeling him lean into her until his temple was resting against her forehead.
"It wasn't you, Eren..." she repeated softly.
She couldn't tell how long they sat like that, in silence, with only the cheerful birds as their company and the distant echo of music and laughter from the banquet. All she knew was that at some point she felt him loosening his grasp on her fingers just enough to be able to properly wrap his hand around hers in a gentler hold. And that when he spoke his tone was so unexpectedly vulnerable yet so tender, that it made her heart leap; nothing like the brash, strong Eren she had always known.
"Thank you... Mikasa..."
=0=0=
"...isn't that right, Levi?" Hange inquired, turning to the young Captain. "Levi...?"
When he didn't answer, the researcher leaned over just enough to catch a glimpse of his profile as he was seated sideways on his chair, with his back to them while enjoying a cup of tea. Following his gaze halfway down the long table, where Natalie was sitting with Elena and cradling her nephew, the Section Commander slapped their hands onto his shoulders startling him nearly into dropping the cup.
"So when are you two going to go ahead with it?" they grinned, ignoring the way he was glaring at them over his shoulder.
"Did you hit your head? What even are you talking about?"
"That..." Hange chuckled, pointing at the redhead. "Ever since Historia opened that orphanage, you two have been really skirting around this issue. Why not just go ahead with it?"
"Quit saying stupid things!" he retorted, slapping a hand onto their forehead to push them back.
"Eh, why?" the researcher asked, wrapping their arms about his neck. "You're starting to make it quite obvious lately, so why not just do it? I'm sure Natalie wouldn't refuse..."
"Cut it out, three-eyes!"
"But, Levi... I think it'd be so cute..." Hange complained, still clinging to him. "I could teach them all about Titans and get them to help with my experiments and—"
"As if I'd ever leave my kids anywhere near you!" he scowled, trying to pry their arms off. "Now get off me!"
With Hange insisting on clinging to him it took him a couple minutes to free himself, and by then he just wanted to head back to the barracks before he punched those stupid glasses off their stupid face. But the same was true that he didn't want to leave Natalie alone there with her family, so in the end he had decided to take a bit of a walk and cool off. Stalking off in search of a secluded place to get some peace and quiet, he soon ended up in what seemed to be the gardens starting his trek along one of the alleyways.
He had just sighed in relief, as the annoying noise from the banquet dulled to only a faint echo, when he raised his gaze to spot Mikasa seated a couple meters away on a bench.
'...Hell no!' he decided, knowing he wasn't in the right mood to handle her spoiled bratty ass.
He had just turned around to leave when she called out to him, freezing him in his tracks and making him roll his eyes.
'Fuck me...' he sighed to himself before turning to give her a sideways glance. "What is it?"
"C-could I... uh... um... t-talk to you for a bit?" she mumbled into the scarf, fidgeting like a pup with fleas.
Frowning with a measure of concern at her unusually meek reaction, and with his curiosity piqued to learn just what in the world could have brought her to such a state, he walked over and halted just a few steps away, crossing his arms and waiting while she took a deep breath to calm down.
"How do you know when... the right time is?"
"...Huh? You look at a clock, didn't you ever learn that?"
"I thought you might have some other method." the girl replied without missing a beat in spite of her flushed cheeks. "I didn't know you were the type who could afford a clock; unless you kept spoils from your distant youth, that is."
'You damn brat...' he mused, narrowing his eyes at her when he felt a chuckle rising in his throat, before he reached out to tousle her hair. "You've got some mouth on you today. So? What happened?"
As if his words had flipped a switch in her, he saw her cheeks reddening a deeper shade and she again started fidgeting in her seat.
"If you have something to say, just spit it out. I don't want to stand here all evening."
"I... with Eren... I was... talking to him... and then I wanted to... b-but then I didn't..."
'For fuck's sake... if those idiots gave her any wine, I'll have them run laps until they drop.' he pondered, stepping closer and grabbing her chin to examine her eyes.
"Wh-what are you... doing?" she gasped, blinking in surprise and blushing yet a shade deeper with him suddenly so close to her face.
"Just making sure you're not drunk." he replied, letting go of her and straightening his posture.
"Why... would I be drunk? I only had tea..."
"Then speak normally."
Waiting until the brunette at last gathered herself enough to tell him what had happened, the young Captain reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
'I can't believe I'm discussing stuff like this with her... what the fuck is my life coming to?' he mused, before eyeing Mikasa again. "Well, you did well to not blurt that shit in his face right now. This certainly wouldn't have been the right time. Still, why are you asking me this? Why not just ask Nat again?"
When the girl blinked at him before her lips twitched into a soft smile, he again narrowed his eyes at her.
"...What? Why are you smiling like that? It's fucking creeping me out."
"I just think it's nice... that you no longer call her by her full name. My mother used to do that with my father."
While at first he had intended to snap at her for blurting out idiocies like that, in wake of her last words he sighed and reached out to plop a hand onto her head, tousling her hair a bit more gently than he had earlier. If he were to be honest, had Natalie not reminded him so often that Mikasa was still just a kid who had lost her family, he likely would have never allowed her even these clumsy attempts to get closer to him.
'Damn it, Nat...' he huffed, annoyed that the redhead's insistence for him to bond with his last living relative was getting to him. "Listen up, brat... you can't keep thinking about when the right time is, whenever you're with Eren. Otherwise, when you do blurt out all that crap at him, it'll feel fake and forced. Just let things happen the way they do and it'll come to you. Sure, you can let him know you want to be there for him like Natalie said. But don't go confessing some eternal love to him until you feel it's coming naturally to you."
Again he tousled her hair before she could respond, prior to pulling his hand back. And as she watched him walking away, Mikasa reached up to touch the spot where she could still feel the weight and warmth of his hand on her head.
'The Captain's... actually nice when he wants to be, huh?' she pondered, feeling another smile tugging at her lips as she spoke up. "Thank you..."
Her unusually soft tone stopped him and earned her an over-the-shoulder glance before he resumed walking, leaving her to her thoughts.
~ oOo ~
The knock at her door startled Natalie from her lecture; it had to be past midnight already and she had figured Levi would spend the whole night in his office working, to make up for the past week.
"Why didn't you answer?" the young Captain inquired upon entering the room, seeing that she was awake.
"Sometimes it's nice to just have you walk in on your own." she giggled. "Besides, I'm too comfortable to get up..."
She had settled under the blanket, propped up on the soft pillows against the headboard with her book and a cup of tea on her nightstand. But as he stepped closer after locking the door behind him and throwing his coat over the backrest of her desk chair, her humor faded into a soft sigh as she saw his face in the light from the lamp's flame.
"Levi... you look so tired..." she said, unable to bring herself to properly scold him.
"Do I?" he replied, plopping himself down onto the bed while loosening his cravat.
Watching him for a moment, mesmerized by how gracefully he removed the scarf, she at last reached out to brush her knuckles over his cheek.
"I'm fine..." he replied to her unspoken concerns, leaning over to press his lips to her forehead.
Dropping the book next to her on the bed, she reached up to cup his cheeks.
"I heard Erwin saying you hadn't eaten in five days... Levi, you—"
"I said I'm fine." he insisted, this time kissing her properly to shut her up. "I'll just put that bit of weight back on, in time."
"You don't eat enough to put any weight on." she pouted.
"Cut me some slack, will you?" he groaned softly, nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck and taking a deep breath of her pleasant scent. "I don't want to think of food right now... I want to sleep..."
"Then at least take these uncomfortable clothes off." she retorted, unable to withhold a chuckle at this rare show of affection.
Even without seeing his face she knew he had rolled his eyes at being forced to move, but at last she goaded him into undressing. And while she watched him removing his attire and folding it neatly onto the chair – internally scolding herself for getting turned on so easily for him – he at last told her about his little chat with Mikasa.
"I'm sure she's happy that you're not avoiding her, at least." the redhead smiled, earning a side-eye from him. "Don't look at me like that... you guys only have each other, of your entire family. She's still so young; she needs someone with experience in her life."
"Yeah? Then maybe I've made a grave mistake by taking you instead."
"Is that so?" she retorted with a mock-pout to his snarky comment. "Well, if you prefer them that young..."
She had just taken up the book again, when the sudden weight falling on the mattress made her entire body jolt and she was again trapped between his arms.
"Don't worry... you're bratty enough for me." he smirked, huffing in amusement when she smacked his arm with the book and pouted still, even as he locked lips with her. "I wouldn't trade you for anyone else, ever."
Even after so much time, it never ceased to amaze him how her expression could soften like that, how so much love and warmth could flood her gaze, how her eyes could still light up like the sun coming out from behind the clouds when she looked at him.
"Just come here, you stubborn asshole..." she retorted, pulling the covers aside to reveal that aside from the plain shirt she was only wearing her panties. "You said you wanted to sleep."
"Now I have to sleep, with this kind of invitation." he huffed again, eyeing her bared thighs with an amused look.
Though she had meant for him to lie down next to her, it startled her when he instead settled between her legs clearly intending to use her as his mattress. But she had to admit that feeling his body weighing down on her, his warmth seeping into her and spreading throughout her body, his arms wrapping around her... to her that had become the definition of 'home'.
"Don't think I'm going to forget that, just because you act all cute now." she mock-scolded him, pulling the covers over his back as he nuzzled his face between her breasts.
"I love you..." he said, after staring intently at her for so long she had thought he wouldn't even answer.
"Wha—" she gasped, feeling her face heating up at the unexpected reply. "What's with that, out of the blue?"
But he didn't bother answering anymore, instead only closing his eyes with a content sigh, as he allowed himself to sink into the warmth and comfort only her embrace could give him. And in doing so he didn't see her loving smile, only felt her fingers tenderly sifting through his hair to help lull him to sleep, only heard her soft whisper so heavy with emotion.
"I love you too... Levi..."
Sooo today's replies for my lovely reviewers :D
1. MordredVisor - As always love, thank you so much for taking the time to leave feedback! I can never stress enough how much this means to me, that I get to see you taking this journey along with everyone in the story. I cannot tell you how much I love you and how much I love seeing you so invested and excited to read my little attempt at an interesting story :D
(ch. 29) - I'm really happy that you liked the intro scene. I had been debating whether or not I should show at least parts of the memories he would have gotten from Bertholdt, but in the end I decided to do it. It's not like we got to see what Armin saw in the canon version, so I thought it would be an interesting addition. Plus, it helped Erwin grow as a character because it gave him a level of understanding of their enemies, that he would not have gotten otherwise.
I actually have never played Skyrim, but it's interesting that I subconsciously did a similar bit. Honestly, Levi and Erwin have such a good friendship that I cannot imagine Levi not throwing snark at him every chance he gets. It just seems like a part of their friendship that's so dear to both of them. And let's be honest, Levi being a smartass is a great reason why we all love him ;)
Yesss the big reveal about the Curse of Ymir. It had to happen at some point, and I knew from the start that by this time it would destroy Levi to hear about it. Or at least I was hoping that by now they would have a strong enough relationship to where it would trigger a powerful emotional response from him, but really that scene wrote itself. I hadn't really planned to have him react THAT strongly to it, but then as I was writing her telling him about it I remembered all the trauma he went through with his mother being ill and dying. And the ending literally wrote itself after that. And you're right, that's why Natalie was so distraught when she realized Erwin had taken Bertholdt's power. Because she had just learned that she and Eren were doomed to die young, and she didn't want that for anyone else, especially Erwin whom she put so much effort into keeping alive.
So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤