Chapter 14

The scouts came closer, shooting off more smoke signals. They were looking for him. He smiled, never having been so happy as to see the scouts in his life. They turned slightly, traveling straight in his direction. A green smoke signal shot up into the air followed by several more in the distance.

"Found us," he said with a smile. They must have spotted him on the roof. Every single scout available was now headed straight for him. The sky was too cloudy for Titan movement. There may be a few here and there, but regardless...they would be going home.

000

Mikasa stood in front of Levi, looking to the baby in his arms. Her expression was serious, though once the child reached her eyes, a flash of uncertainty filled them. She looked into his face, saluting him fiercely.

"Captain...I'm here to repay my debt and ensure your safe recovery back to headquarters," she said, the entire fleet standing and saluting behind her.

"You set this up?" He asked. She nodded.

"I arranged it. Originally it was only to be myself coming to get you. The rest of your men had other plans. The commander is here too," she said. Behind her both Hange and Erwen waved happily. He smirked.

"Thank you, Mikasa. Excuse me," he said, stepping around her. She nodded, watching him walk over to the increasingly excited Hange. By the time he reached her, she was jumping up and down in anticipation. She shot her arms out to accept the tiny bundle before he'd even offered.

"Yes! Yes! Let me see it! Boy or girl?!" She shouted, Erwen rubbing his ear next to her loud mouth. Levi tentatively handed her the baby.

"Boy," he said proudly. She squealed, looking at the child's face.

"Oh, what an adorable specimen! Look at those perfectly clear eyes! And his mouth has no cleft and," she reached inside the bundle, "yup, all fingers present with no extra digits," she said enthusiastically. Erwen easily took the baby from her, not allowing her to be any stranger with him.

"Have you decided on a name?" He asked, looking at the child with a smile.

"I was considering Farlan," he said, scratching his chin. Erwen looked up at him.

"I think that would be...appropriate," he said softly. Hange clapped her hands.

"Where's Stone? We need to get moving before we attract attention if you know what I mean," she said. Levi nodded.

"She's sleeping. I'll go get her."

As he walked away, many of the scouts surrounded Levi's son, still amazed that someone like him would have a child in the first place. He entered the small house and sighed as he looked upon Rui's sleeping form. She seemed so sad, even now.

He stepped over to her, kneeling down to her. He rested a hand on her shoulder, her eyes fluttering open. The moment she made eye contact, she threw herself at him, engulfing him in a warm embrace.

"I'm sorry, Levi...I didn't want you to think...that I didn't love him. Please believe me, I love our baby. I'm so sorry if I worried you," she cried into his chest. His arms tightened around her. He smiled, rubbing his face into her hair, inhaling deeply. He loved how they smelled...his family.

"I never thought you didn't. We will get through this as we have everything else. I love you, Rui," he whispered. She sniffed again at him, holding him close. There was nothing better in the world.

"I was thinking of the name Farlan," he said. She pulled away and looked into his eyes.

"Really? Why that name?" She asked. He looked up at the ceiling.

"It's not stupid," he answered. She giggled, wiping her eyes.

"Okay. I like that name. Is he sleeping?" She asked, looking around. Levi stood, helping her up as well. He smirked, taking her hand and leading her to the front door. The door creaked as it opened, blinding light making her squint. When she opened her eyes, several scouts all smiled back at her.

"Ready to go home, Rui?" He asked behind her. A wave of joy washed over her like a thousand pound weight being lifted from her shoulders. She stepped out, still covered in blankets. Mikasa came over to help her walk. They lifted her up into a cart, handing her the baby.

"Farlan, is it?" She smiled, kissing his nose. Levi stepped into the cart as well, sitting protectively next to her. A few scouts spoke to one another briefly before the cart started moving. Farlan began squirming in her arms. She looked over to Levi.

"Can I...feed him?" She asked. Levi looked around the scouts, some of them glancing at the crying baby.

"Obviously feed him," he said, his sharp eyes on those whose looks lingered. She gulped, nervously undoing her chest coverings. Rather suddenly, Hange was in her face. She jumped in surprise.

"Oh! Are you feeding him! Oh, PLEASE let me watch! I've never actually seen it in person-" she said excitedly before she was grabbed by the back of her collar.

"No, back off," Levi growled. Rui cleared her throat.

"Actually...I would appreciate it if you stood there and blocked me. It's kind of embarrassing..." She admitted. Hange's eyes widened considerably.

"Oh, Rui, you shouldn't be embarrassed! It's exactly what you're supposed to do! How else is he going to live?" She said, pulling against Levi's hold.

Rui's cheeks dusted pink.

"You say that but...it's still..."

"Actually..." Mikasa spoke up from her horse next to the cart, "I've...never seen it either..." She said softly. Eren leaned over to her from his horse and shushed her loudly.

"That's rude, Mikasa!" He harshly whispered.

Rui sighed. She may as well get used to it. She had felt weak lately. Emotionally she wasn't at her best. What had happened to the woman who broke into the courthouse to save two Ackermans and slice through anyone who stood in her way to escape with hers and her unborn child's life? When had she become this small? She had a child with humanity's strongest soldier. She had killed nearly a hundred titans in her life.

She sat up, fed up with feeling miserable. She undid her shirt, placing her son to her breast. Levi's arm came around her, his legs crossed outstretched in front of him, his head leaned back against the carriage and his eyes closed. Even after her personal pep talk, he was still cooler. She smiled.

"Well, he sure is going to town! You must have a good supply. I'm surprised, what have you been eating?" Hange asked, leaning particularly close. Mikasa looked closely as well, oddly interested. Most of the men averted their eyes, but Rui was no longer embarrassed.

"Mostly canned things. Would you happen to have anything on you? Levi hasn't eaten in three days," she said, brushing her fingers on Farlan's little shoulder.

Zoe snapped at one of the scouts. They moved their horse to another cart, searching through a few boxes. They pulled out a few raw potatoes, handing them over. Levi cracked an eye open before grunting and closing it again.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with that?" He asked. Rui snorted. After not seeing it for so long, it amused her to see his attitude towards other people. She'd forgotten how much of a prick he could be.

"Eat it, obviously. You should have something to eat, three days is a long time," Hange said, trying to hand him the potato. They only brought food because they didn't know how long they'd be searching.

"And how long before we make it to the wall? An hour? I think I'll wait to get edible food," he said with his hands behind his head. Zoe laughed heartily.

"Stone, you've spoiled him! Look, now he's a picky eater!"

Rui rested her head against Levi's shoulder. His sweat still smelled good, though it wasn't as strong considering the temperature and the fact that he hadn't been working all day. She missed the summertime when he would come up the steps to the farmhouse dripping and his skin was a thousand degrees. She missed practically climbing him like a tree to get to him while he fought valiantly (although pointlessly) to pry her off so he could bathe.

"I miss your sweat..." She mumbled.

"That's weird and disgusting," he smiled, kissing her head. Showing her tender affection had become second nature, so the strange looks he received from his subordinates were justified.

000

"Explain it to me. Why did the entire corps come for us? I thought the scouts didn't want to get involved with the Ackerman manhunt," Levi wrapped the cloth diaper on his son, finally able to touch his skin. Farlan's tiny body was so soft, he almost didn't believe it. The chill of the outside was finally staying outside. He had laid his son onto a bed, sitting and playing with him. He didn't move much, but Levi liked his facial expressions.

Erwen smiled as Levi played with Farlan's tiny feet.

"Your home will be headquarters for a while. We are setting up more security and setting things in place to seperate from the Military Police. We decided quickly upon finding the charred remains of Rui's family home that they had taken it too far. Once we returned, Mikasa came out of hiding, saying she needed to find you. We all decided it would be best at that point. It was one thing when you were living off on your own not bothering anyone. They could have left well enough alone. But they went through quite a bit and it didn't sit well with me," Erwen reached out to touch Farlan who gripped his finger inside his little hand.

"Well...that's quite a grip," he smiled.

"He does that. Every time you touch the palm of his hand he grips onto you and he doesn't let go," Levi said as if he'd had a bad experience. Erwen laughed.

"He's just a baby, Levi, what's the problem?" He joked. Levi rubbed a sore spot on his head.

"Nothing. Watch him for a moment, I'm going to check on Rui," Levi bent down and kissed Farlan's forehead just between the eyes. He eased off the bed, making his way over to their shared room. It was a bit more cramped than an entire farmhouse, but it was good enough for now. Rui was laying with a body pillow in nothing but underwear. Her belly had stretch marks and still stuck out a bit. Her breasts were larger, though had lost much of their original perkiness. Her hair was a complete mess all around her head and a small trail of drool seeped down her cheek in sleep. Somehow, this was still beautiful to him. He smiled, wiping her face and kissing her lips. She stretched her entire body, her arms pressing against the headboard.

"Sorry for waking you, but it's been two hours, as per your request," he whispered into her ear. She yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Where's Farlan?" She asked in a deep yawn. Levi rubbed her belly, the stretch marks feeling like little dips in her skin. He was fascinated by them.

"In the other room. The commander has him. Want another hour?" He asked. She sat up, yawning again.

"No, I want my baby," she said softly. He smiled, taking her hand and rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. They were just as beautiful as the rest of her. Honestly, it was stupid, how attracted to her he was. When they had first met, she was rail skinny and hardly interested him. His interest in her pregnant body was more than alarming. But he supposed it didn't matter now.

"Let me ask you something," he said quietly. She closed her eyes as he rubbed her hand. She hadn't cried at all since returning to headquarters. The people around her seemed to lift her spirits. Though she seemed to have a discomfort for crowds, perhaps absolute isolation had become too much.

"Sure, what's up?" She said, enjoying his attention.

"What do you think about getting married?"