Chapter 15

"Six...weeks?"

Levi's expression was not one he wore often. Typically, a petulant, childish look didn't suit him, but he wore it in full glory today.

"Why? Why the hell do we have to wait that long?" He asked Hange. The woman laughed, folding her fingers together on her desk. Rui smiled, sitting in a chair beside Levi who'd practically jumped out of his.

"If you want Miss Stone to EVER recover from giving birth to YOUR child, you'll have to keep yourself out of her until then. It's been just about a week already, so, lucky you only have to wait five more weeks. But it's extremely important that you follow this rule," she said, tapping her pen against her lips. Rui looked at Levi with amusement.

"It's...not so bad. It will be over before you know it," she said. Although six weeks did seem like a painfully long time.

That night was cold, as every night, but inside the room they shared was warm and cozy. It wasn't exactly as comfortable as the farm house, but it was quite a bit better than the shack they had stayed in for three days.

"You never answered me, you know," he said as they got into bed together, Farlan between them, already sleeping soundly.

"Was that seriously your proposal? I know you're not the most romantic, but I expected a little more out of you," Rui giggled. She kissed her son on his belly, laying down. As much as she adored their newborn, she did miss cuddling with Levi. But it was for the best that they try not to touch each other for a while.

"It wasn't a proposal, it was a proposition; a question," he said. She blew from her lips.

"Whatever, that's cheating. You either ask me to marry you or you don't. I'm not going to tell you what my answer WOULD be IF you thought you MIGHT want to ask," she laughed. Levi laid on his back, staring at the ceiling. Another night of laying in the quiet for hours and hours without actually sleeping. This time, Rui woke often to feed Farlan, but that didn't stop it from being a little boring, especially without being able to rub her belly or legs while she slept.

The last time he tried to rub Farlan's little hand while he slept, the baby started stirring and his beastly mother at three in the morning asked rather clearly if he had a death wish. So he just had to lay still.

"Hey..." He whispered into the night. Rui grunted, having almost drifted off to sleep.

"Lay next to me. I want to touch you," he said. Rui groaned.

"We can't, what if Farlan falls off the bed?!" She asked nervously. Levi rolled his eyes.

"Then put him in his actual basinet," he said grumpily. She snuggled closer to her baby.

"What? We can't do that, he'll get lonely," she cooed. Levi glared at his damn adorable child.

"He's unconscious," he argued. "I'm not, so put him away and pay attention to me," he insisted. Rui giggled again.

"Father of the year getting jealous of his own infant?" She smiled. Levi looked at her through the darkness of the room.

"I spent three days without food or sleep while you recovered from birthing him. I pulled him out of you, latched him onto you while you were suffering from fatigue and blood loss. I also take him as often as I can, bathe him, change his diapers and play with him. So he can move the hell over now and again, yes."

He had a point. Rui sighed, gathering up her baby as slowly as possible. He didn't even budge when she laid him into his own bed. She missed him already.

"Okay, Mr. Ackerman, rub away. Just don't touch the no zones. You know what they are," she smiled, laying down facing away from him. His hot body pressed immediately onto her back, pulling her into him. His nose buried into her hair, his hands found her belly right away.

"I'm not pregnant anymore..." She mumbled, feeling his fingers slid up under her shirt.

"Stretch marks feel good," he said into her hair. She sighed, fully content. He'd always had a weird fascination with her body. From wanting to make her gain weight to being weirdly obsessed with her pregnant belly. Now this. It wasn't anything new. He always found something. She felt his fingers move over the dips of her marks, his arms squeezing around her and holding her close.

She could marry him.

000

"Levi, come to the front. Someone is here to speak with us," Erwen said, stepping into the bedroom. Rui had just finished feeding Farlan who was fast asleep in her arms. Levi stood, kissing him gently before leaving. They walked to the front enterence to the scout headquarters, a few men were standing and waiting for them. The man in front, most likely a new General, seemed twitchy and uncomfortable. Levi hated those types of people.

Rui followed them quietly, holding Farlan tightly against her chest, not wanting to be seen. She stopped some distance away.

"Good afternoon Commander. How are you?" The twitchy MP asked Erwen. The Commander raised an eyebrow, wearing his gear like every other scout.

"Doing well. Are you ready to give up this foolish mission and leave the Ackerman clan alone?" He asked. Levi stood next to him, his arms crossed.

"Actually, I've come to tell you we have an order from the King for Levi and Mikasa Ackerman's arrest. However, we also come with a bargain. For the retrieval of every Ackerman in your possession, the King is willing to pardon every crime against the crown committed by the scouts and also by Rui Stone. To refuse will be a direct act of treason and every scout will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

"So scary," Levi taunted. The military police eyed him warily.

Erwen cleared his throat. "You are of course aware that one of the Ackermans within our possession is an infant," he said with a clear voice. The General didn't seem to waver.

"I am quite aware and while taking a child would be an extremely unfortunate occurrence, we have the best interest of humanity in mind and intend to cause no suffering upon the child," he said.

Rui heard from far away and held her baby tighter. These people were insane.

"Touch my son," Levi said darkly, "and I'll turn your skin into shoes."

"It is precisely that kind of talk which got you into so much trouble in the first place, Ackerman. You started your life as a worthless dog and you'll end it the same way. Do the world a favor and remove yourself and your wretched clan from it," the General shouted. Erwen looked at his nails, seemingly checking out of the conversation.

"I'm afraid I cannot condone pointless killing, especially of an innocent child. Despite being born of the Ackerman clan, Farlan is completely innocent. He's done absolutely nothing but exist and I as well as the rest of the survey corps will protect him with every life available. I imagine it was difficult to bribe your men enough to convince them to go outside the wall to hunt down Levi and his pregnant partner. I believe that's why it took so many months to get them out there. I also imagine you never once stepped foot outside these walls yourself. If you believe you have a chance, you're fooling yourself. My men will step into danger at my command. They are loyal to me and my Captain. The reason being is that when they step into battle, General, we are by their side. And so I cannot give you Captain Levi, Rui Stone, or our honorary scout Farlan. They will be protected under the fullest extent of our power, down to the last scout."

When Erwen was finished speaking, he turned and began walking easily back towards headquarters. Levi allowed him a few steps ahead, glaring threateningly at the General, before turning as well. This new General of the military police may be even more of a problem than Walker. They would have to keep close to the scouts and be very careful with Farlan. Rui let out a breath, nervously watching as the military police turned to leave. They had to have expected that answer. There was no way they actually suspected Levi to give himself up. They were even more foolish if they thought they could simply have Farlan.

She returned quickly to their room, wanting nothing more than to hold her tiny family close. If she'd ever had doubts of joining the scouts, the last remnants was completely pulverized into dust.

000

Rui laid Farlan down in his basinet, having swaddled him tightly for the night. She kissed his tiny nose and lifted away. Levi had been late coming into the room, most likely needing to speak with Erwen about important matters for a long time. Life would never be the same. She knew they were essentially trapped at headquarters. She felt bad for her son, being forced to live here with no other children. But thankfully, he couldn't be better protected.

The door eased open in the dark room. Levi stepped inside quietly, gently locking the door behind him. He looked at Rui, taking off his jacket without saying a word. The tense feeling in the air was nearly tangible.

"Is everything alright?" She asked nervously. His grey eyes shined from the light of the dim oil lamp. His boots stepped heavily towards her. She was reminded of how exciting his presence was to her when they'd first met. He was dangerous and thrilling. He had promised her nothing but trouble and that's exactly what he gave her. His face was serious as he came closer, reaching to touch her cheek. She almost hadn't expected his lips on hers, but he held her close, tightly squeezing her hip and wrapping his other arm around her shoulders. His kiss was intense and hot, just as it always had been. She didn't think for a moment that his love for her extinguished how lethal and terrifying he was. It only made her more attracted to him.

He broke the kiss, holding her tightly in an embrace. She inhaled his masculine scent and rested her head on his shoulder.

"All I can think about all day long is coming back to you two. From the moment I can first remember to recently, I've always assumed my end would be in the jaws of a Titan. I figured that one day I would run out of luck and lose my life. Then, people would grieve only for the loss of humanity's strongest soldier for a small amount of time. What would I leave behind? Who would miss me? I didn't care. My reputation was my legacy. It gave me very little to live and fight for. In fact, I've wanted to die most of my life, but something inside me simply won't let me give up. Every time I look at you or into the eyes of our son...it all suddenly makes sense. I have something, for the first time in my life, that is truly mine and mine alone. I have a family...a true legacy," he said into her ear. His voice was caressing her, his deep tone rumbling through him.

"That said...I see no reason not to take the next step and make you my wife. For no other reason than to call you my wife. For even if we were to never marry I would never leave your side. So, will you be my wife?"

Rui looked up at him. After everything they had been through, it made no sense to say anything other than what she wanted to say. His eyes burned into her, his smell ingrained in her senses forever. She placed her hand to his chest, her mouth opened, her love for him seeping from every pore in her body.

"Yes."

THE END

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