A/N: Hello, my lovelies! I'm so, so sorry for this stupid delay. I had exam block and then I had post-exam block stress (the ah, sh**, I messed up those exams) and my lovely friend Luna96 had to prompt me to update. Thank you once again to all my darling reviewers – they make my day, honestly!
Much thanks to Luna96 (again) for her lovely writing of Max!
Heads up, there's mild swearing (but really, with Max and Levi around it's to be expected). Enjoy!
YOU STUPID, STUPID GIRL ADELHEID GRÜNBERG HOW DARE YOU LEAVE YOURSELF OUT THERE TO BE EATEN!? WHAT IDIOTIC DEMONS POSSESSED YOU TO DO SUCH A THING!? DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW FUCKING WORRIED I WAS THAT YOU WERE MISSING!? The minute I saw that you weren't with the company I started screaming at everyone demanding to know where you were! Schreiber had ordered me to stand down when he heard that I was going back for you but I went anyway. You should've seen Levi you gave the poor boy a heart attack! We set out together to find you until bloody Erwin was ordered by Schreiber to stop me. It took him and three others to get me off my horse and pin me to the ground. I'm disgusted to admit that I only managed to knock out two of them before they rendered ME unconscious.
Apparently I was yelling and thrashing like a madwoman. I'm Glad that Levi managed to slip away during the commotion at least. You wait till I get my hands on you, you little shit DIDNT I TELL YOU IF YOU DIED OUT THERE I WOULD KILL YOU!? You don't understand what it was like for me waiting for you to come back. I sat at those stupid gates for a whole stupid week struggling to stop myself going over only because I know it's going against every oath I've taken and it's punishable by death, not that I care but apparently the commander does. To be honest I tried to climb over more than once.
Schreiber sent Erwin to deal with me since I was under 24 hour watch and you know how he doesn't take my bullshit. He yelled at me for about 3 hours straight demanding me to swear I wouldn't try to get over again. Instead I sat on the top of the wall waiting and watching for any sign of you. I've never felt more like shit in my whole entire life. I was worried sick! I couldn't eat or sleep or even leave that damned wall for more than an hour. For some reason Erwin was there the whole time, bringing me food and holding my hand and whispering comforting things to me that I don't even remember at the moment. He was acting so nice and he held me in his arms and rubbed soothing circles onto my back and I don't even know why. I won't apologise for trying to murder you when I saw you walk through those gates giggling like a madwoman with the captain slung almost unconscious over your shoulders.
Now you're both unconscious in the hospital wing at HQ and I swear sitting here waiting for you to get up is more infuriating than waiting for you to come back. I swear the second you open your eyes in going to strangle you and send you straight back to the darkness for making me worry so much, you hear me, Grünberg?
*Deep breaths* I'm struggling to put together coherent sentences right now. Now that you're alive at least I can commend you on your excellent seduction skills. YOU FUCKING KISSED HIM OMG ITS ABOUT BLOODY TIME! I WAS SO RIGHT YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH EACHOTHER AND I GET TO RUB IT IN YOUR FACES FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY HAHA!
Wow I wouldn't have thought of grinding on my captain to keep him from slipping out of consciousness. You're a cheeky little one aren't you? I never knew you had it in you but I'm so proud anyway! (I probably would've just hit him till he opened his eyes!) all I can say is that you must be a natural! You better brush up on your skills though if he's wanting to make sweet love to you anytime soon hehehe.
AND DIDNT I TELL YOU HE LOVED YOU! But NOO no-one ever listens to little old Maxie, everyone thinks it's all brawn and no brain in here you know? Ahh who am I kidding, I know they all only like me for my killer body! Actually I'm sincerely pissed off at the moment. Get this, so I've been training harder and longer than ever and my once glorious abdomen (it's better than half the guys I reckon) is going...well...flat! No definition, no nothing. I'M GETTING FAT CHERUB, I DON'T UNDERSTAND!?
Can you prescribe me some kind of vigorous work-out routine to get me back to normal!? Which reminds me I've been meaning to ask you, I know I don't get periods often anyway and that's fine by me to be perfectly honest but it's been almost five months since my last and they usually come every three? What's going on? I mean I'm not as stupid as I look And I know what that means but, I've also been told it's not possible so how!? Help me, cherub, I'm scared out of my mind right now, this can't be happening! I shouldn't have been so careless, I know, but I wouldn't have been if I hadn't been told it wasn't possible. I just can't do this right now, not with Erwin, not with the war I just CAN'T UGHHH PLEASE HELP ME!
Year 841
Friday evening, September 27th
Scouting Legion Headquarters (Wall Maria)
Hospital Wing
I don't know how to begin.
So much has passed in these last few days – ugh.
Levi and I managed to make it back to the wall in one piece. We did come across a few titans, but we burrowed into the mud before they got a good look at us, and they wandered back on their way. Erwin's squad was at the gates when we came in.
All I remember is sobbing and laughing indecipherably, clinging to Max like a lost child, and the immense relief of the pack and 3DMG being taken off me. The journey back to Headquarters was a blur (I think Mike put me on the front of his horse?) and I vaguely remember a bath of some sorts,
I woke in the Hospital Wing only to find Levi staring at me.
"You were snoring," was the first thing he said.
I laughed, and he laughed with me until we were almost in tears. Erwin (who was sitting between our beds) must've thought we were soft in the head, but he merely smiled and shook his head, "How are you feeling, Heidi?"
I yawned before I replied, rubbing wearily at my eyes, "I'm fine," I told him. I was fine, of course, with a few bruises and scrapes, but my only ailment was the exhaustion from dragging Levi back. "What did they say about your leg?" I asked Levi, shifting my gaze to him with a smile.
"Exactly what you told me in the cave," he murmured, eyes troubled. My diagnosis had been correct, and the Captain's left leg was fractured from the ankle to the knee. He'd need a few months for it to heal completely.
"Ah," I nodded, knowing why he was downcast, "no missions for a while then?"
Both he and Erwin shook their heads, faces grim.
"Oh, well at least you can keep Max company!" I chirped, hoping to see him in higher spirits.
Their gazes snapped over to me, "What? Max?" Erwin's confused tone made me wince.
Whoops.
Heh.
"Uh," I flushed red to the tips of my ears, "she… well, uh I-"
"Spit it out, Heids!" Levi urged, face anxious.
"She's got to tell you!" I burst out at long last, hoping they'd let the matter go, "It's – It's not my news to give! In fact, go speak to her now, Erwin. If you don't approach her she'll stay in denial until she goes into la-" I slapped my hand over my mouth, wondering what my mouth was trying to get itself into.
"Goes into what?" Erwin questioned, leaning forward in an intimidating manner.
I shook my head furiously, pointing to the door, "Go," was the only word I let beyond my hand.
He sat there for a moment, and by the look in his eyes I think he was plotting to strangle the information out of me until Levi intervened, "Do what she says before you give her a hernia, Erwin," he drawled, though the humour in his tone was apparent as he watched my face redden dangerously.
With some hesitation, the blond man stood (staring me down as he went) and turned on his heel to stride out of the doors. When he was finally out of sight, I breathed a sigh of relief, and then felt as though I were about to cry, "Oh, Max is going to kill me!"
Sensing my impending bout of hysteria, Levi pushed himself higher up on his pillows, frowning, "Shh, come here," he murmured, patting the space beside him.
I rolled out of my bed and stumbled over to his, dressed only in a long nightgown, my hair a mess atop my head. Sniffling as I crawled in beside him, I burrowed my face into the crook of his neck, revelling in his scent and his arms as they wrapped around me.
"What's wrong?" his voice was soft, gentle.
"I'm going to get murdered," I whispered, "she's going to come and hack me to pieces right before your eyes, and then she'll feed me to the dogs behind the butcher's-"
"Shh," Levi soothed again, pulling me tighter, "you know that's not true. Tell me what's so bad that Max would kill you for it."
I took a deep breath and pulled myself out of his arms, sitting up and folding my legs beneath me so I was facing him, "I noticed a few things before we went on our last expedition," I began, hands shaking slightly, "food that Max had loved her whole life suddenly made her sick at the smell of them. She craved things I'd never heard of and was sick a few mornings."
My Captain frowned, not quite piecing the clues together as I had, so I pushed onwards, "I was going to confront her after the expedition. Levi, she's missed her monthlies. Twice."
The frown stayed on his face for a fraction of a second before his brows shot up and his mouth fell open with a pop.
"Yeah," I whispered, burying my face in my hands, "and you, of all people, know who the father is."
"Shit..." was the only word uttered from his lips.
"And he had no idea until just then when my stupid mouth decided to run off track," I whined miserably, "I've ruined it for them!"
"Shh," Levi comforted absentmindedly, his mind obviously far away from the distant look in his eye.
"What're you thinking?" I asked, peering at his face anxiously.
"I… I think Max has just earned Erwin the position of the next Commander," Levi whispered, eyes finding mine. Taking note of my confusion, he explained, "Schreiber is getting old and blunt. Erwin is a prime candidate for the thirteenth Commander, and maybe his show of responsibility with Max's pregnancy and his choice to father the child is what will show Schreiber everything he needs to see about Erwin's skill set."
I nodded, frowning at the thought, "Max… I just never imagined her ever having a child. She's so much like a child herself, I just… I don't know if this is the right time for her, you know? I don't want to say that to her because she might take it the wrong way, but we're in dangerous times and-"
"You don't have to explain yourself to me," Levi soothed, hand reaching up to stroke my cheek, "I know you mean well."
"Yes, but Max doesn't," I groaned, "she's going to kill me, Levi, I know it."
"Ah," he chuckled, pulling me forward to lie close to him once more, "I'll protect you, my princess."
I blushed at that, glad my face was buried into his neck so he couldn't see the influx of colour.
"I can't believe we made it back," I murmured, tracing patterns onto his pale collarbones as I supressed a yawn.
"I can," he replied, one hand rubbing circles onto my hip while the other came to rest over my own. He started humming a tune then, something sounding like a lullaby, and I couldn't help my eyes from drifting shut, though I lingered on the edge of consciousness.
At the back of my mind I heard the Hospital Wing door creak open, but my eyes were too heavy to open, so I kept my eyes shut and my breaths even as I heard a slow set of footsteps approach the bed (no, I wasn't eavesdropping… I was just… pretending to sleep).
"Commander," the deep hum of Levi's voice revibrated through his chest and over to mine.
"Captain Rivaille," came the reply, not too loud as so not to 'wake' me, "I see you're beginning to recover."
"Yes, sir," I felt his chin brush against my hair as he nodded.
They were silent for a few moments, and though I felt eyes on me I didn't pretend to stir.
"I see you've retrieved our doctor. Thank you for your good deed, Captain," the Commander's voice was calm, betraying no emotion as Levi neglected to reply. "You'll be off the field for a few months."
"Two and a half if the healing goes to plan," my Captain replied, warm hand gripping mine a fraction tighter.
"Hmm," Schreiber hummed, and I could picture him nodding in my mind, "and was she worth it?"
"Yes," Levi didn't falter or pause, and a bubble of warmth swelled in my chest. It took a conscious effort not to smile.
"Very well then," the Commander said, a sense of finality in his tone, "inform Grünberg I wish to see her in my office as soon as she is released from the Hospital Wing."
"Yes, sir. Goodnight."
The tapping of boots faded away, but I remained 'asleep', too comfortable to move. Levi's fingers moved from my hand to my hair, and he began stroking through it, smoothing it out of its knots and into its full length.
I was just drifting off to sleep when the hospital doors burst open with a massive bang. My fright was real enough to rouse me, and I sat bolt upright in Levi's bed with a startled yelp.
My worst nightmare greeted me.
Max stood in the doorway, face red, steam almost pouring from her ears as her whole form quivered in anger. I hopped tentatively out of the bed, edging to the foot of it and slowly beginning to back away, "Now, now," I called, voice shaky, "c-calm down, Ma-"
"You stupid little minx!" her screech sent fear jolting through me, and I couldn't help but shake (in fear, of course – hello, world's number one coward here!)
"Max, wait!" the sound of running feet accompanied Erwin's voice, and his dishevelled form skidded to a stop in the doorway, "We need to talk about this!"
"Shut the fuck up and stay out of this," if her growl had been directed at me I'm sure I would have passed out from fear. Her eyes trained on me, and she began her slow stalk forward, like a predator cornering its prey.
"You," she snarled, voice echoing dully around the room, "I confided in that fucking diary and you went and told him before you even inspected me?"
"N-No, I-"
"What the fuck made you think you had the right to tell him before you told me, huh?" her eyes were dark and her hands were twitching at her sides. I continued backing away all the while, legs shaky beneath me as I tried to formulate a reply.
"I didn't n-need to inspect you!" my voice was several octaves higher than it ought to be, "I noticed – on the expedition, but-"
Eeeeeeeh, wrong thing to say.
I realised my mistake as my heel hit the stone behind me.
"You what?" she advanced towards me and grasped me by the scruff of my shirt, lifting me up and slamming me into the wall.
"Hey!" I barely registered Levi's shout as the stone bit into my back.
Pain was the last thing on my mind, her face was only inches away, "I asked you a question."
"I-I-"
She pinned me up on the wall with her left arm against my throat, and her right arm found my wrist and twisted (I think I cried out, but her commanding aura had me silent in seconds).
"Speak," she spat, arm pressing harder into my windpipe.
"The food," I choked, "you w-wanted d-different – food!"
"And?" her growl spurred me on.
"M-Morning sickness!" I gasped, tears prickling at my eyes as her grip on my wrist tightened.
"What, and those few things made you absolutely fucking sure?" her shout made me start crying in earnest.
"Y-You're in denial-" I tried to tell her, "just a-accept it, Max!"
"I'm not fucking pregnant!" she raised her other arm and slammed me into the wall again, "I'm not! I- I can't be!"
"M-Max, please!" I was sobbing at that point (mature of me, I know), but she only slammed me against the wall again. Levi was shouting again, but Max ignored him.
"Stop crying for one fucking minute and tell me the truth – tell him the truth!" she jerked her head towards Erwin, who was still frozen in the doorway. Her eyes were pleading, begging almost.
She wanted my words to fix everything – but the deed was done, and the life in her womb was growing steadily. I couldn't deny that.
"I-I'm sorry-" I choked out, watching through blurry eyes as her face contorted into rage.
"Don't-"
Bam! She smashed me against the wall.
"-fucking-"
Bam!
"-lie-"
Bam!
"-to-"
Bam!
"-me!"
Bam!
But my head was fuzzy and someone was yelling and Erwin was rushing forward and she was crying now too and I couldn't speak and with a final slam against the wall everything turned black.
I woke up to the sound Hanji cooing over something nearby, "Oh, so cute! I wish I could take a picture – where's the camera-"
"Shut up, Shitty Glasses, you'll wake her," came an ever familiar voice from beside me (or beneath me…?).
"Aw, but you're the cutest couple - both little shorties!"
To my surprise Levi didn't reply to the jab at his height or the fact we were called a cute couple.
"I'm going to kill Max," was the only thing he said.
"Oh ne, you can't do that, Levi!" the scientist exclaimed, "You'll kill their little baby too! I think Erwin would castrate you if that happened!"
"She knocked Heidi out for telling the truth!"
"Ah, but you know how Max is when she's angry," Hanji tutted, "Adelheid should have known better!"