(One) Of Many Happy Endings

by Yuna Yami Mouto

Sequel to (Not) Another Story About Love, following Levi in the wake of the Rumbling and how having a soulmate makes even death seem like an annoyance rather than an obstacle. (Full summary inside)

(One) Of Many Happy Endings

Summary: Sequel to (Not) Another Story About Love, following Levi in the wake of the Rumbling and how having a soulmate makes even death seem like an annoyance rather than an obstacle. Read about the new life Levi lives as he watches the world change in the wake of Eren's sacrifice, waiting for the moment when he can finally truly be with his soulmate in the manner they had both been waiting for their whole lives. Their happy ending.

Things changed, after the Rumbling. And not just because 80% of the world population had been wiped out underneath the giant, scorching feet of the Colossal Titan army Eren Jaeger had unleashed on the world. Things changed, after the Rumbling, and not just because the world no longer had to fear the threat of Eldians turning or being turned into Titans.

Things changed on Paradis, with Historia's new policy, her new government regimen, the Eldians' new determination not to bow their heads and let others decide their fate, steal their freedom from them.

Things changed in Liberio, after it was rebuilt from practically scratch. Eldians could move about freely, the remaining non-Eldian people realizing they had created their own worst nightmare with their prejudices and discrimination.

Things changed in the whole world, with Eldian emissaries traveling everywhere to make allies, to reassure other countries that there was no need to attack Paradis or what was left of Marley anymore, that they were as human as anyone else.

Things changed within Eldians. They no longer feared themselves, nor did they fear the world. They became proud to be themselves, they were proud to speak their mind, to have their own opinions, to have their own representatives.

Things changed for the Special Operations Squad, the last veterans of the old Survey Corps, once led by Captain Levi Ackerman under Commander Hange Zoe's orders, and their allies in the Battle of Heaven and Earth.

Armin Arlert and Annie Leonhart became diplomats. Connie Springer returned to help the Blouse family run their restaurant in honor of his late best friend. Jean Kirstein finally got his own place in the interior for him and his mother, married a nice girl and was expecting a child with her, finally happy, despite everything. Reiner Braun and Pieck Finger moved their families away at the beginning while Liberio was still a hot spot just begging to be attacked by non-Eldian nations.

Mikasa Ackerman moved back to Shiganshina and stood vigil almost the whole day, everyday, over the grave he'd made for Eren Jaeger, the man whom she'd loved and was never destined to have. Her friends visited her, visited the grave, over the months and years that she spent there before deciding she still wanted to pursue her dream of having a big family. (They even say that she asked to be buried next to him, after her death, many years down the road after a long and finally peaceful life, so she could keep vigil, keep him safe, even in death.)

Levi Ackerman, though, remained in Liberio with Onyankopon, Gabi Braun and Falco Grice, the four of them living in a house Levi was gifted for 'helping slay the devil Eren Jaeger'. Onyankopon helped him open up the tea shop Levi had always dreamed of having since he was but a rugrat from the Underground under Mitras and Gabi and Falco, who had all but adopted him as their parental figure after the tragedy their own families had suffered in, helped him run it. The four of them became an unconventional family that would protect each other rabidly if it came down to it. Onyankopon didn't even have the excuse of instinct to fall back on, being a non-Eldian and thus having no secondary gender. Not that any of them needed an excuse. What they've been through was reason enough to be protective and possessive.

Still, life had changed, the world had changed, after the Rumbling, and some people took far longer to get used to it all than others.

Levi was one of those rare few people that had almost immediately adapted to the new world order around him.

He'd always been good at that, adapting. He'd adapted to not having a mother, to living alone after Kenny left him, to trusting Farlan and Isabel when they came into his life, to life without them when he'd lost them, to friendship with Erwin and Hange and Mike, to the life of a Scout, a soldier, to being Humanity's Strongest Soldier and the people's biggest hope of one day leaving the Walls ... He'd adapted to life with a soulmate rather younger than him, always laughing and screaming indignantly in his head. He'd adapted to losing all that noise.

He'd even adapted to life with Eren Jaeger ...

And it was the only thing he'd never have to adapt to living without.

Eldians were a strange sort, practically a whole other species than other, 'normal' humans. Besides them all having the potential to be turned into giant, naked, man-eating monsters, each and every person of Eldian blood had a secondary gender: Alpha, Beta or Omega, on top of the usual male and female the rest of humanity had. But that wasn't even the end of the Eldian's uniqueness, no. Oh, no! Eldians also had two other concepts that the rest of the world could only write fairytales about: destined mates, which indicates an almost perfect compatibility on a physical level, and soulmates, a happenstance so rare it was almost a legend even among Eldians themselves, where two people share such a perfect compatibility, both physically and mentally, that within the Coordinate, their Paths are intertwined, allowing them to share a mental connection and, sometimes, even each other's strengths or abilities.

Almost every Eldian - at least within the Walls - had a staggering 86% chance to meet their destined mate. Destined mates were a concept created to increase the Eldian population by King Fritz, two thousand years ago, therefore he'd wanted it to be easy for Eldians to find their perfect pair. Alphas and Omegas are usually each other's destined mates and Betas most often paired up among themselves. It was rare for an Alpha to be paired with a Beta and even rarer still for an Omega to have a perfect match with a Beta.

But soulmates had no rules, no rhyme or reason. They were so rare that no one even knew how likely a pair was to meet in life. Scientists of both Paradis and Marley, who had been keeping a close eye on Eldians interactions and relations between them while keeping them within their camps, would give their right arm and leg to be given the chance to observe a soulmate pair.

Which is why Levi was grateful Hange had never pushed the issue, despite knowing his best friend was desperate for more information.

Which is why Levi was left today to wade through the confusing waters of being the surviving member of a soul bond while his mate was beyond his physical reach, in the afterlife that still existed within the Paths connecting all Eldians together.

Levi had been just a child when Eren was born into this world and their bond established. Destined mates and soulmates; Levi, to this day, didn't know if that was simply how things should be or not, but he was glad it was. It meant that, for his whole life, he'd never once desired another Alpha but Eren Jaeger and though that had made his heats unbearable, the touch of another Alpha felt like poison burning his skin. It made it possible for him to resist rutting Alphas or idiots who would try to make him submit through their scent just because he's an Omega in the Underground, or later just a thug picked up by Erwin to play soldier because he was good with 3DMG. He'd been able to put plenty of Alphas into their place and he'd been able to live a relatively normal life.

There had been complications with having Eren as a soulmate, too, of course, like when he became Levi's charge. Or like when he disappeared from the shared mindspace they had shared until, as it turns out, Eren got injected with the Titan serum. Or like when Levi had to watch Historia or Mikasa get so close to his Alpha but he had to bite his tongue, not make a scene. Or like when Eren defected, when he became a war criminal, when he started the Rumbling ...

When he died ...

There was a good number of people who were devastated with Eren Jaeger's death and Levi would have probably followed him right into death, as was often speculated to be the case with soulmates, had Eren's unique abilities not somehow created a new sort of connection for them to share, for Eren to veritably live inside of their shared mindspace through Levi, the mindspace he somehow managed to connect to the Coordinate, the Paths. Eren never tried to tell Levi how he had done it, how it works, how it was even possible, and Levi didn't care overly much.

He only cared that he had a chance to continue living with Eren, even if it meant he would never be able to touch him in the physical world ever again. Just having Eren's essence wrap around him all day everyday soothed his soul, his instincts, and Levi was able to live through the physical death of his soulmate.

No one knew that Eren Jaeger's 'ghost' followed Levi's every step. They didn't know he hovered around him and watched the world he'd set alight slowly rebuild itself with pride in his beautiful green eyes. They didn't know that he welcomed Levi with open arms every night in the realm of dreams, dragged him into the Paths so their touch would be real, so he could leave his claim on Levi's scent gland so no one would dare look at his mate ever again. They didn't know that Levi goes to the beach or the docks every warm Sunday to watch the rolling waves of the sea overlap each other, just so he could see Eren, for the first time, enjoy seeing the ocean he'd been reading and dreaming about with Armin since they were kids. They didn't know Eren helped Levi walk around the house when no one was around when the former Captain got restless in his wheelchair, full of energy and so much strength even long after all Titan powers, including the Ackerman ones, were gone. They didn't know it was Eren who begged Levi not to go to his grave in Shiganshina because he didn't want his mate to go through that sadness and suffering again.

They didn't know Eren lingered, that he was never far away, that they just needed to look to Levi to find Eren, as it had always been, for almost whole five years.

And Levi ... Levi doesn't know if he should tell them.

00000

"You have visitors," Eren whispered in Levi's mind while he was reading a book in the back of his shop. Eren couldn't physically help, as he was but a specter only Levi could see and sense and hear, but he could keep alert for Levi, letting Levi read, nap or just relax with his thoughts if he wasn't outright speaking with Eren. "And they don't seem like the pleasant kind. I don't think the kids would know how to deal with these ones."

Levi frowned and rolled to the front of the shop, where they served customers, just as the little bell above the door jingled violently as three big men burst in. One look at them and Levi knew they were drunken police officers or soldiers on leave and he needed less than a glance to know they were not Eldians. It was something he relied on Eren for, because there were many a times when some former Marley high officials would walk around these streets and try to harass Eldians or even just anyone not of 'pure Marley blood' because they were the 'superior race' to their 'filthy blood' or whatever it was they spouted. Levi preferred to keep an eye on anyone who might endanger his brats or his customers and business with their bullshit and Eren was only too happy to oblige.

Levi waved a worried Falco away from the counter and called Gabi back from where she was wiping a few tables down after a customer. She almost refused to go into the back, as protective of him and as stubborn as ever, but one look from Levi had Falco dragging her away. Once they were gone, Levi turned his attention back to three men leering mockingly at him, clearly finding his injuries from the Rumbling funny and pitiful. He could already feel Eren getting riled up at the yet unvoiced insult to his mate and Levi had to reign him in. They still had no idea if Eren had any power over the abandoned Coordinate or not and Levi would rather not find out by three men suddenly dropping dead in the middle of his tea shop.

The other customers - a couple of his regulars along with a few newcomers - were tense and watching the incoming interaction, some looking ready to flee, but Levi paid them no mind at the moment, focusing on the troublemakers. "May I help you, gentlemen?" He asked as politely as he knew how, which was still bordering on rude for most people. But, then again, he wasn't really trying too hard. These men were drunk in the middle of the day and clearly looking for trouble. They didn't deserve Levi attempting to be nice.

"Y-yeah, you could go drown in the sea, you E-Eldian scum!" One of them spat and the other two howled with laughter. Levi suddenly wished they were Eldians and that they could smell just how pissed off both he and Eren were. Eren had a rather aggressive, dominating scent that could make even other Alphas bow their head. Combined with Levi's deadly glare, it can make anyone run away with their tail between their legs.

"Y-you'd be doin' the whole wo'ld a favor!" The one on the left said.

"'Cause you're ugly!" The third one crowed, laughing his ass off, far too proud of himself for his 'creativity'.

"S'riously, just go an' do it! You'd be doin' yerself a favor, since not even the sex-crazed Alpha lot would wan' someone as disfigured an' ugly as ya!" The first one said, making the other two laugh again while the tension in his shop started skyrocketing.

"That's it, I'm starting another Rumbling!" Growled Eren in his head and Levi had to push him back into his half of their mindspace so Eren wouldn't actually try something so stupid because of a couple of drunken idiots who deserved a good beating, not the quick end the underneath of a Titan foot would provide.

Instead, Levi nodded along and pretended to ring up their order as if they'd said they wanted some mint tea with cookies. "Do you want your order here or for go?" He asked in a sarcastic drawl, causing a few of his customers to choke on their tea in shocked hilarity and Falco had to put a hand over Gabi's mouth so she wouldn't crow in victory at Levi's deadpan sarcasm.

The drunkards narrowed their eyes before the 'leader' reached over the counter and grabbed a hold of Levi's neatly ironed button up shirt. "Ya wanna get the fuck beaten outta ya, ya devil scum?"

"Sir, if you do not release my shirt on the count of three, I will not be responsible for what I may do," Levi warned, his good eye flashing and unconsciously releasing some of his and Eren's combined scent. The Eldians in his shop all flinched when they got a whiff of it and the two drunken lackeys reeled away when they saw Levi's eye filling with deadly predatory intent.

The leader, though, was either too dumb or too drunk to sense in just how much danger he currently was. Instead, he bared his teeth in a grin that was supposed to be an imitation of how Alphas tried to intimidate others. "Make me."

Not a second later, with Eren's spiritual help, Levi was flooded once more with his Ackerman abilities and he stood up from his wheelchair, grabbed a hold of the man's arm and twisted until it broke, making him release his shirt. The drunkard cried out in shock while his cronies tried to reach for their guns or something to fend Levi off. The Ackerman looked down at his shirt and wrinkled his nose when he found it creased and even dirty from the man's hold. "You messed up my shirt."

The people outside of his shop definitely got a scare when he launched all three of the idiots out of his shop, scrambling to get out of the way lest they be taken down with them.

"And stay out," Levi called after them as the two 'wiser' ones grabbed their 'leader' and hauled ass, trying to get away from Levi as fast as possible.

The whole shop applauded as Levi made his way back to his wheelchair with some difficulty, Eren keeping his steady as if he were physically holding him up while Falco ran back out of the kitchen to meet him halfway with his wheelchair. Eren helped him settle back into it, crooning to him the whole time how he was the best mate, the most beautiful Omega, which made it rather hard for Levi not to blush as he tried to brush off his mental cuddling and nuzzling.

"That was so awesome, Mr Levi!" Cried Gabi as she brought out some of his favorite tea and set it on a saucer on the counter in front of him. "Though you really shouldn't overdo it, you might worsen the state of your leg," she scolded gently before going off to finish her task of cleaning the tables.

Falco returned to his post at the counter but there was a strange look in his eyes as he looked at Levi. Levi arched an eyebrow at him and the young blond shook his head just as a new customer walked into the shop. He focused on them, leaving Levi to his thoughts.

And his soulmate.

"He's still too young to have presented, but he's definitely a fine Alpha in the making," Eren commented in his head.

'So it's not just me who thinks he noticed that was most definitely not my scent?'

"Falco may or may not have been exposed to my protective or angry scent a few times," the Alpha commented sheepishly and Levi demanded stories. That's how he spent his afternoon until Onyankopon came back in the evening, scolding Levi for throwing people out like sacks of rubble, going on how it was bad for business and for Levi's leg while Levi was a bit too distracted with trying not to laugh at some of the rather hilarious or too-cute-to-be-fair stories about Falco Eren was supplying him with.

00000

The lady trying to flirt with him while he was in the market shopping with Gabi faltered for the fifth time in their one-sided conversation when she smelled another spike of angry Alpha scent despite Levi's face remaining expressionless. Levi arched an eyebrow at her and she tried to get the courage back to speak again, but thankfully, that's when Gabi finished buying their new tea leaves stocks and returned to Levi to push him away from where the woman was trying to 'make small talk'.

"What's with her?" Gabi asked when they were far enough away that they wouldn't be overheard. "I mean, I know all sorts of couples exist, but it's extremely rare for a female Omega to approach a male one the way she did."

Gabi, who was bound to present any day now as a Beta, did not have nearly a strong enough sense of smell to recognize that Levi's scent often palpated between his distinctly vanilla and mint scent of an Omega and the raging thunderstorm at sea that was Eren's Alpha scent that clung to him ever since Eren bit his scent gland in the Paths not long after Levi had finally recovered from the injuries he'd sustained during the so-called Battle of Heaven and Earth. She was oblivious to how Levi used his deceased mate's scent to ward off interested Alphas but how that also, unfortunately, convinced Omegas he was an Alpha himself. Levi knew he was vaguely good looking and he was technically a war hero to the people on this side of the sea. He's not surprised someone would have an interest in him, though he'd rather prefer it if people stopped. It was getting ridiculous.

Ignoring how Eren was still snarling in their shared mindspace about Levi being his and how no one else had a right to touch him, because it was a spiel he'd heard many a times before since they established this connection nearly two years ago, the Omega just shrugged as they met up with Falco and Onyankopon from where they were getting the other essentials for running their tea shop.

And if that night Eren left far too many hickeys on his neck and shoulders in the Paths, so they would carry on into the physical world for all to see, well, that was Levi's business.

00000

After the third time some random person had flirted with Levi in one week alone, Eren finally managed to convince Levi to go ring shopping. Levi didn't even know why he had resisted so much. A wedding band, compared to the bite on his shoulder, was insignificant and just a formality. Back on Paradis, rings were almost useless in the function Marleyians seem to have given it, symbolizing a supposed lifelong bond of marriage, as if Eldians needed something so fickle to show they have found their lifelong partner. No one on Paradis searched for a ring to find out if the person is up for grabs or not; they instead glanced at the neck scent glands. But in Marley, in Liberio, things were different, even among the Eldians that lived there.

Levi had at first been shocked how little the bite on his neck meant to some, how they still seemed to think he was single just because he didn't have a band of shiny metal around his left hand ring finger. No wonder Eren was getting more and more possessive, more and more on edge with every person that disregarded that Levi was a mated and claimed Omega. Levi was getting rather pissed off, too.

He'd waited practically his whole life for his Alpha to make that mark and yet these people, because of their completely skewed view of all things naturally Eldian, natural to all three dynamics, were calling it insignificant and unimportant.

They were truly lucky Eren was already dead, or else the roads of Liberio would be cobbled with knocked out and broken teeth instead of stone.

So here Levi was now, on one of his better days, walking around slowly in the market with his cane in case he gets tired or his leg cramps, going from jeweler to jeweler until Eren picks out the ring he wants Levi to wear to keep noisy fuckers away from his mate. Eren wanted something extravagant. Levi wanted something that won't make his every day tasks and chores more difficult because he has to avoid the ring. Eren wanted blue or gray diamonds. Or opals. Or sapphires. Levi wanted jade, or emeralds or amazonites. Eren wanted silver and Levi wanted gold.

"How about those?" Eren asked as he pointed out a pair of rings in a cushioned little velvet box on one of the stands. Levi followed his gaze and found a pair of near identical rings, except for the color and the stones in them. The yellow gold one had an amazonite with two lapis lazuli on either side of it. The white gold band had a gray diamond with two emeralds. The stones were small, subtle. Both bands were rather slim and when Levi looked closer, he found that the rings were actually made to click into place like puzzle pieces. He'd never seen something like that before.

"Ah, you have quite an eye, young man!" Exclaimed the old woman working at the stand, making Levi look up. She furrowed her brows in worry when she noticed his one practically blind eye. "I apologize if I offended you. I only meant-"

"It's fine," Levi reassured her genuinely, both because he could see she was sincere and because he'd rather not talk about it. "May I see these rings?"

"Of course!" The woman said as she reached over and handed the box to him. "The idea is based on some faraway country's myth about legendary rings meant for lovers whom not even death can do apart," the woman explained as she carefully showed Levi how the rings attached and detached. "This type of ring is called The Lovers. They're supposedly promise rings rather than wedding ones, but what is marriage but the biggest promise of all, right?" Her eyes flitted to his neck and she chuckled. "Though, it seems you've already made that promise with your mate, huh?"

Levi stared at her a bit warily. "You don't mind that I'm an Eldian?"

"Goodness, no!" Exclaimed the old lady. "In fact, I think you Eldians have it down right, the whole partners for life and romance thing. Once you choose, there's no going back, right?"

Levi couldn't help but smile. "Yes."

Eren crooned to him, wrapping around him in essence the way they had never gotten the chance to do in real life.

"Is it true that soulmates exist?" The old lady asked with a smile and Levi considered her for a long moment before he nodded. Now it was her turn to consider him for a long moment before she nodded, determined. "Then I guess these rings are meant for you."

"I do like the idea," Eren whispered in his mind, clearly charmed by the supposed legend behind such a concept.

"Though I do have to wonder why you'd need them, anyways?" The old lady wondered, more to herself than actually asking Levi and the Omega stiffened. "I'm sure your lovely mate could chase off all those ignorant fools who might try to hit on such a fine young man like yourself! Oh," she said in understanding when she saw how stiff Levi was and how he had unconsciously put a hand protectively over his bite mark. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she stated but Levi waved her off.

"Don't be," he said, hand tightening over the mark. "There's a reason why those rings caught our attention, you know," he said matter of factly and the old lady's eyes widened. Levi gave her a bittersweet smile even as he just wanted to go back to his house, curl up in his bed and disappear off into his mindspace with Eren so he may reassure himself his mate was really still there, even if he could no longer touch him.

"Levi ... "

"Then I guess ... That these rings were yours even before you found them." The old lady packed up the box and shoved it into Levi's hands, refusing to take any money from him no matter how much he insisted. "No way, young man! I will not be taking any payment from you whatsoever! You've just restored my faith in humanity and in romance, in love! Surely if any two people can love so fiercely that even in death, they are not separated, then there is hope for all of us to be decent human beings! Off you go, now! Those rings are yours to keep noisy fools from disturbing your and your mate's peace. And I sure do hope you don't follow your mate too soon! It would be a waste for such a love story to leave this world before anyone's even told it!"

Levi looked down at the gift he'd been given and tightened his hand around the box and around Eren's mark on his scent gland. "It's not just another story about love, you know."

The old woman arched an eyebrow at him. "Then what's it a story of?"

Levi offered her a smirk as he started to walk away. "Come to my tea shop. I'll be glad to tell you over some tea and biscuits."

00000

The old woman did come, a couple of days later, when she found it.

She smiled at the golden ring on Levi's finger and the white gold one on a cord around his neck next to a strange brass key.

They did have tea.

The old woman left the store long after closing time, eyes red and puffy from crying, but a beautiful smile on her lips, a determination in her gaze and a bounce in her gate.

Levi and Eren watched her go and wondered what she would do with their story.

Nearly a whole year later, Levi received a package to the shop's address. Falco had brought it in with the other mail, mostly consisting of letters and bills. When he'd opened the package, he found a book inside, the cover showing hands that wielded crossed swords, each hand wearing a very familiar ring.

With Eren peeking through his eyes, Levi smiled and started to read.

00000

It was not often that Levi received guests from Paradis, be it his old comrades or people just passing by.

He most certainly wasn't expecting the Queen herself to set foot into his humble tea shop one very ordinary day of the week.

It was just before closing time when Historia Reiss walked through his door, announced by only the bell hanging overhead and having no one else but her daughter's father as an escort. Historia nodded to her lover before he left the shop, waiting outside for her and blocking the door so no one else would come in without their permission. Levi narrowed his eyes, hand unconsciously reaching for the blade he kept strapped to the underside of the counter right beside the gun he intended to be for Falco's or Gabi's use if they ever felt the need to protect themselves.

Eren, sensing his unease, stirred within their mindspace until he was at the forefront, wrapping around Levi like an invisible, intangible shield.

'Any idea what she might be doing here?'

"Levi, my dearest Omega, I may have once held access to all Eldian minds in the world and I may practically be like some sort of guardian of the Paths now, but that does not mean I have mind reading abilities."

'A simple no would have been enough, you dramatic fuck.'

"I think you like how I fuck. You've never had a complaint before~!"

'Shut the fuck up, you shitty brat.' He arched an eyebrow at Historia. If it was a bit challenging, then it definitely didn't have anything to do with the fact that he knew Historia had indirectly propositioned Eren before she'd found someone to be the father of her child, not at all. "To what do I owe this honor?" He asked, only a tad bit of sarcasm entering his otherwise deadpanned words.

"You do realize you have nothing to worry about in regard to that, right? Even when I didn't realize you were my soulmate and destined mate, you were still the only one for me," Eren said fondly and Levi had to consciously ignore him lest he turn into goo in front of Historia when he was aiming for pissed and unapproachable.

"And mind telling your hubby to get away from my fucking door? My brats should be coming back so we can go home any minute now and you don't want to trigger Gabi. She's very trigger-happy as is, she doesn't need to think I'm in danger on top of it. I'm sure you've heard all about her aim."

"There's no need to be so defensive and aggressive, Captain Levi," Historia returned, trying to act regal and strong in the face of the strongest Omega ever seen in Eldian history.

Levi snorted. "Captain? Captain of what?"

"My heart~!"

'I swear to the Walls- Wait, I can't swear to the Walls anymore. And I can't swear to Ymir, either. What the fuck am I supposed to swear to now!?'

"You can always swear to me," Eren commented cheekily and Levi sent him a mental slap at the back of his head. "Ow!"

'That's what you get.'

"You may no longer be part of a military, but you were still the man who had once been my superior officer, who had protected me and stood beside me as I made my first steps as Queen, who had guided me in things no one else but you could understand when dealing with the people who had lived their whole lives in the Underground," Historia said. "I respect you, sir, and the fact that I am Queen will never change that."

"You sure as hell didn't respect me when you and your Jaegerist pals made plans to remove me from the picture so I wouldn't be in your way, so I wouldn't be able to stop Eren and the Rumbling," he pointed out and Historia flinched at the reminder. Eren suddenly grew deadly serious. Seems he hadn't known that it had always been in the plans that Levi should be removed from the picture, to put it lightly. "But I guess I get it. If anyone could stop Eren, it was me or Mikasa and all of you were betting on Mikasa throwing in her lot with Eren due to her borderline obsession with him."

"I can't deny that," the blonde said. "We knew that you would be dangerous even if we had Mikasa on our side, even if we somehow managed to get even Armin on our side, playing the childhood friend card. After all, we know you're ultimately stronger and faster than Mikasa. And we all knew Eren himself would never hurt you. He respected you too much, cared too much, carried too much guilt, I'm guessing. You had a degree of control over him that was dangerous for his resolve if he was going to do it to save Paradis. And we all knew you'd never join our cause. You had a promise to Commander Erwin to keep and you wouldn't leave Commander Hange's side, either. Poor Eren; you never chose him over everyone else."

"Historia, do you want to know why I chose to fight against Eren? Why, even if you'd all approached me way before the Rumbling, I wouldn't have gone along with your plan? Why even if Erwin was still alive and he was the one to ask me to stand by his side, why I wouldn't and would fight him and his allies instead? Because I grew up around death and I came to hate it," Levi replied with a sneer. "You were maybe abused or neglected by your clearly incompetent mother, but before the fall of Wall Maria, you lived an almost normal life, all things considered. You didn't stare death in the face every moment that you're living in this shitty world. You didn't see how ugly it was every day, you didn't spend an almost entire decade losing comrades to it. I hate death, I hate the loss of lives if it can be helped. And while the Rumbling may have, indeed, been the only way to save Paradis, how many more have died for our sake? Millions. Whoever gave the right to anyone to decide whether one life is worth more than any other?"

"You say that now only because you are alive to," Historia retorted in a snap, her tone disturbing her young daughter, who was still far too young to understand what was being talked about by the adults. Levi snapped his eyes towards the child for a second and felt an immense longing in his chest he knew nothing would ever satiate, because the only one who potentially could was long gone, nothing but a lingering ghost which kept Levi alive and as happy as he can be without his mate by his side. "Only because Eren made it so that we 'island devils' can live freely instead of being wiped out or mere slaves to the rest of the world."

"Historia, why have you come here? I have no desire to argue over semantics or morals with you. What's done is done. Eren is dead. The war is over. We have peace. Give it a rest before someone hears the Queen of Paradis speaking like this and ignites new doubts and conflicts with Eldians," Levi said tiredly, running a hand over his face. It had been a long day and he just wanted to go to sleep.

"Soon, Levi. I'll even give you a massage as soon as you fall asleep, okay?"

Levi sent a silent thanks to his Alpha just as Historia's breath hitched, obviously having seen the wedding/promise ring on his finger. She laughed bitterly. "Mikasa tried for her whole life. I gave it a shot as both his comrade who understood his pain of wishing to have never been born and as a Queen, the strongest and most powerful figure within the Walls, on all of Paradis. And yet you, who always held his favor, moved on so easily. And with some Marleyian bitch. Poor Eren."

Levi growled, letting his scent spike dangerously, making Historia flinch back at the sudden Alpha aggression she wasn't expecting. She knew he was an Omega, everyone on Paradis and especially in the Survey Corps, former or current members, did. "You know nothing, so speak nothing lest I tear out your tongue and feed it to you with a side of dry biscuits so you can choke on it, you disrespectful, ungrateful piece of shit. You speak to me of loyalties and bonds when you are married to one man, write love letters to Reiner but yearn for another Alpha entirely who gave up everything for you. When you learn a sense of decency, you may return to my shop. Now, get the fuck out of my eyesight lest I drag you out by your pretty blonde hair until it's not so pretty anymore."

Historia sneered at him, head held high even as Levi saw her wanting to crane her neck in submission. He found it interesting that she didn't recognize Eren's scent despite definitely having been all over him on several occasions.

"I never let my scent spread too far from me. I had no reason to try and entice others, when I always knew who I wanted," Eren said, though he sounded extremely pissed off, probably from the argument Levi and Historia were having.

"You know, Eren was convinced you were his soulmate," the petty Queen said with a mocking sneer. Levi arched a challenging eyebrow. "But it was always painfully clear he was meant to be Mikasa's, never yours."

The Ackerman barked a laugh at that, so triumphant and smug that Historia bristled. "Oh, my gracious Queen, take it from someone who had seen every possible dynamic combo in the Underground: it is more likely to have two Omegas as a fated pair than you will ever find two Alphas, regardless of their primary gender."

And it was the truth; Levi had never once seen two Alphas who were destined mates, let alone soulmates. It's simply physically impossible. In most situations, even two family-related Alphas repel each other in certain degrees on a daily basis. It's in their nature. Alphas are aggressive, possessive, territorial. You name it, they're all 'macho men', even if their primary gender is female. Their physiology and psychology would not allow them to be so intimately connected as destined mates or soulmates are. There is simply no compatibility. And it was obvious in Mikasa's and Eren's interactions. Mikasa may have loved Eren, or was obsessed with him, or whatever, but there was no true connection there. Her controlling behavior more often than not left Eren angry and irritated, despite her best intentions. Alphas compete, dominate, possess, protect. They don't like to be on the receiving end, even if it's from their life partner. Not even if it's their soulmate. Which is why an Alpha-Alpha pair will never be soulmates; the required level of trust in intimacy would never be ideal for the first purpose with which secondary genders were given to Eldians for.

Even two Omegas would have a hard time creating anything other than a familial bond with another Omega rather than a romantic one. The two extremes on the dynamic scale, Alphas and Omegas, simply can't form a connection the likes of destined mates or soulmates with someone who is too similar to them, unlike Betas, who are the most compatible with those of their own dynamic.

It's simply how things are.

"Now run along before I launch you back to Paradis with my boot up your ass."

After an indignant Historia left, almost immediately Gabi, Falco and Onyankopon poured into his shop, warily checking over the shop and then Levi himself to see if the aggressive pheromones they'd - Falco and Gabi - scented had been indication enough of a ferocious cat fight happening within their place of business. Levi waved them off and just asked to be wheeled off home, too tired to deal with anymore bullshit.

00000

That night, when he joined Eren in the place where their mindspace lazily mingled with the real of the Paths, his Alpha was awfully quiet. Levi let him be and just buried his face against Eren's scent gland, breathing him in, trying to forever memorize his scent so he doesn't have to wait for moment like these to get his fill.

Suddenly, Eren spoke. "Do you think Commander Erwin would have approved of what I did? Would Petra, Gunther, Olou and Eld hate me?" He squeezed Levi tighter against him. "Would your mother approve of me? I know already that Kenny wouldn't, not really."

"Where did all of this come from?" The former Captain asked, leaning back to study his mate's face. Eren had left his hair down, clearly in an attempt to hide from him, but Levi brought up a hand and forced Eren to lift his chin. "Eren?"

"Do you want to see them?"Levi gaped in shock.

"I- How? Is that even possible?"

Eren shrugged. "I'm basically the Founding Titan now. I can take you through the Paths as I please. You're my mate, after all. And you're special in ways no one ever told you or could tell you, on top of it all."

The shorter of the two narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The Alpha quirked his lips. "Maybe I'll tell you one day. My offer still stands." He ducked his head to hide his face against Levi's throat. "I kind of want you to meet my mom, too."

Levi studied the long brown locks presented to him from Eren all but trying to melt into him. He sighed, bringing up his good hand, with the gleaming wedding band on it, to run his fingers through it. "I guess it only makes sense that I should meet my in-laws. Though I've heard that's usually done before marriage."

Eren laughed, shattering the tension between them that's been lingering ever since Historia's unwanted visit.

"Then, what are we waiting for!?"

00000

The second Eren and Levi appeared before their friends and family, hand in hand and with practically identical rings on their fingers, their mothers smothered them both in happy tears and reproaches for living such dangerous lives. This was quickly followed by smothering hugs from Hange and Isabel on Levi's side and a much tamer reunion between Eren and the fallen members of 104th. Farlan and Erwin, Mike, Nanaba and Moblit approached at the same time Shadis, Pixis and Hannes did. Then both Levi and Eren were tackled to the ground by the original Levi Squad and they both clung to the quartet as tears poured down their faces.

Grisha and Zeke Jaeger held back with what must have been the monkey's mother, while Kenny was waiting for Levi with another man he didn't recognize but whom Eren told him was Uri Reiss. Kenny's Omega.

There was crying, laughing, screaming, berating, arguing, whistling and hugging and kissing. Congratulations were in order. Then so were the condolences when they realized Eren's fate.

But it was all Levi and Eren needed, so when they returned to the flowery field that was their mindspace, both were at more peace than they have been in years.

"Thank you," they both whispered to each other as they lay among the flowers, just feeling each other's existence.

00000

Falco presented when he was almost eighteen as an Alpha and he immediately fell into a very severe rut. Onyankopon had no idea how to help and Betas and Omegas were usually advised to stay away from Alphas during their presentation rut, but Falco had no idea what to do and so Levi had no choice but to endure taking care of him through it.

Luckily, Levi was a bonded Omega whose Alpha had such a strong scent that Falco didn't dare lay a hand on him, even as lost to his instincts as he was.

When it was over, Falco couldn't look Levi in the eye for an entire week, which was kind of adorable, but Eren certainly didn't like Levi paying so much attention to a young Alpha when he couldn't even touch him properly without their weird soul connection. Still, Eren never felt threatened by Falco, even viewed him as family and had been extremely helpful with tips throughout the week that had seriously eased the way for poor Falco.

Life went back to normal. Well, excluding some grumpiness from Falco for a couple of days since his first rut really did a number on him, but even that passed after Falco had some good sleep.

And then Levi went into heat, a week earlier than usual, probably as a result to being around a young rutting Alpha. The pheromones permeating the house would mess with anyone's hormones. The brats and Onyankopon began to fret but Levi waved them off and locked himself up in his room, only requesting for Onyankopon to leave his meals in front of his door, which the man did. And that was when Eren, the ever dutiful, dotting Alpha, stepped in. It was far from the first heat Levi had gone through since Eren's death, but usually Eren helped him ride through a week of heat in just two or three days.

This time, though, Eren had decided to be a little shit and had made Levi ride through the whole week, just because he'd missed their alone time while they were busy making sure Falco doesn't die or castrate himself in his first rut. It's not like Levi was complaining. Eren was a wonderful Alpha.

And rather unexpectedly kinky.

And tended to use the Paths in rather inappropriate, if delicious ways.

Hands down, the best heat he'd ever had.

And Eren was awfully smug about it, too.

The kids watched him warily since the day he came out of his room, satiated, relaxed and refreshed, the complete opposite of Falco's almost zombie-like state right out of rut. Levi had arched a questioning eyebrow.

"How are you feeling this morning, Mr Levi?" Gabi dared to ask and Levi was now really confused.

"I'm well, thanks for asking. My heat finally passed, so i'm set for the next month or so."

"But how are you so, uh, refreshed?" Falco asked shyly. "I mean, my rut really wore me out and yet you look like you've just slept through it all."

"Or fucked-"

"GABI!" Falco and Onyankopon, who had just entered the kitchen to ask the kids about Levi, yelled reprimandingly while Levi just chuckled.

In truth, the answer was both. His body slept while his mind/soul was taken cared of by Eren in the Paths, which transferred to his body, satiating his body's needs.

Onyankopon left Falco to scold Gabi about her language - not like they all hadn't heard much worse from Levi - and came to stand by Levi's side. "I may not know nearly enough about your dynamics, but the children are right. You truly seem well rested and satisfied for someone who had just gone through your heat alone."

Levi quirked an eyebrow. "How do you know I spent it alone?"

"No one entered this house, Levi. We made sure of it."

"You had no control over my window."

"Gabi and I patrolled under it."

Well, Levi was now really touched. "Thank you."

"You still haven't answered my question," pointed out Onyankopon.

The Omega smirked. "You still haven't asked one."

The taller man had to concede the point. "How are you like this," he indicated the whole of Levi's form. "When Falco had barely functioned after his rut?"

"Well, first, I have experience and this wasn't my first heat, so I know how to take care of myself without a mate or a partner to help me through it." Onyankopon nodded at that. "Second, there's so little you outsiders know about bonds between our dynamics that it's no wonder you all think the only way we can go through these things is by fucking like rabbits. Don't get me wrong, that's the healthiest way to do it, for the most part, by physical sex isn't the only way."

Understanding flashed through chocolate brown eyes. "You have a soulmate, like in that popular book." Another understanding followed a second later. One that Onyankopon didn't need to voice. Levi walks away before the man can offer him his condolences. Levi doesn't need those. From anyone.

00000

About two months after the rut and heat thing, Falco goes into his first normal rut and Levi marks it on the calendar so they can keep track of it and anticipate it. Falco's cheeks burn with both relentless arousal and embarrassment when Levi hands over the rut essentials to him before he locks himself in the room for the next few days, leaving Levi and Gabi to work in the shop. Onyankopon offers them help, but he's been planning on going out on a date with a nice lady and neither Levi nor Gabi want him to miss his chance with the woman he likes. So when Onyankopon reluctantly leaves, Gabi tapes a 'HELP NEEDED' sign in front of the tea shop and they go on with their day.

Before noon, they receive their first job applicant. Levi offers a hefty salary for a week of work as long as the applicants can start immediately, and they have some luck just before the lunch rush hour in the form of a young Alpha eager to earn his first paycheck and getting some money after just a week of work seems to be fin by him. Levi and Gabi exchange a look, silently communicating to be wary of the newcomer, but they welcome the young Alpha onboard regardless. They really do need another set of hands, even if most of the world outside of Paradis seems to be obsessed with coffee and hardly enough people appreciate tea.

The first two days, there seems to be no incident. The new worker is diligent, if not clean to Levi's standards but he seems to be improving. Gabi has nothing bad to say about him, either, so Levi wonders if he should just employ him outright because he knows it won't be long before Gabi starts helping Falco through his ruts. They were childhood sweethearts, their innocent love for each other slowly taking on a more sensual form as they see each other grow into the people they are meant to be. Falco towers over the Beta and Omega at almost Onyankopon's height and he still has more growing to do and Gabi has gained her feminine curves as puberty hits her hard. Sooner or later, one or the other will relent and they will become a couple, which means Gabi will be helping Falco through his ruts, leaving Levi to tend to the shop alone with only Onyankopon's help. Another worker would be of great use.

He shushes a pouting Eren who grumbles about not being able to be the help Levi needs.

Day three, though, shows a concerning behavior in his new - temporary - employee. He's a flirt. And not the harmless type. He's an actual, sometimes even literal, skirt-chaser. On day four, Levi caught him 'sweeping the floor' just underneath Gabi while she was on a ladder, checking the tins on the top shelves for their inventory inspection. Later on during that day, he'd seen him all but cornering a girl even younger than Gabi against one of the tables when she'd tried to leave after finishing her drink. And just before the end of his shift, he'd tried following a male Omega into the bathroom and probably would have, had Levi not caught him and sent him out to take out the trash.

At this point, Eren was a seething mess within their mindspace, growling possessively about Levi not being safe around the pervert and how he didn't want even Gabi to be exposed to someone so rotten. (Yes, Ere had warmed up to Gabi, despite her killing on of his friends. It was hard watching someone grow up and continue hating them.) Levi had to keep a careful control of his scent lest Eren's Alpha pheromones start dominating the air of his shop, scaring off his customers, even if it would have been useful to put the little fucker in his place. But Levi can't really do anything unless someone complains about the young Alpha's behavior or he sees him acting inappropriately in a manner that might be harmful in any way to another person. Though, if he ever tries peeking under Gabi's skirt again, Levi swears to himself that he will personally rip out his spine.

Day five is the last drop. Falco's rut breaks early, during the lunch hour, but he's still in no condition to work and still reeks of rut pheromones so Levi sends him back up into their private quarters to wash off. It's a good day for Levi, so he walks around a bit. His regulars always cheer when they see him on his feet. Levi on a good day was a Levi in a good mood and Levi's good mood usually somehow brought out the good mood in everyone else. Probably because his face takes on a softer neutral expression instead of the near on scowl he usually wears. Gabi was doing something behind the counter, Onyankopon was serving the drinks and snacks and Levi had been doing some light cleaning. The young Alpha employee had been tasked with rearranging some tables.

When Levi had climbed up on a step stool to wash the windows of his shop, he felt a presence behind him and the scent in the air told him it was the Alpha. Since he could hear him moving around, Levi didn't react, but then, suddenly, he felt like something was too close to him and he looked over his shoulder, only to find the Alpha frozen behind him, hand positioned in such a way that suggested he had been about to grope Humanity's Strongest Soldier's ass, only he had stopped and he looked petrified. Levi followed his line of sight and saw Eren, expression dark and murderous, eyes glowing with his inner Alpha and the air crackling threateningly around him.

The Omega almost jolted and fell off the chair if not for his reflexes. A subtle glance around the room showed that no one else could see Eren. But Onyankopon looked over at that exact moment to check if Levi was straining himself and all he saw was where the Alpha's hand was headed.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!?" He thundered and the young Alpha jumped in fright, his hand accidentally touching Levi's ass and that ripped a rather terrifying growl out of Eren that had the other Alpha screaming and running out of the shop before anyone could do anything.

"What the hell was his problem?" Gabi asked as she walked over to help Levi down from the step stool, despite it not being all that high. Levi let her fuss over him since he knew his good days really were a rarity and no one wanted his current health situation to get worse if he gets injured again.

"Does it matter?" One of their Omega regulars says with a sneer. "Good riddance!"

"Here, here!"

Levi secretly rolls his eyes at his preening Alpha. He'll have to interrogate him about that newfound ability of his later.

Falco is good to come back to work the next morning and life goes on as usual.

00000

Two years after the book retelling his and Eren's 'love story' is published and becomes practically an overnight hit, Levi receives a summons. It's from the family of the old lady who had gifted him the rings he wore now to ward off advancing idiots who didn't believe in the sanctity of a bond mark. Apparently, she was on her last ropes and she wanted to speak with him before she died. Her family didn't understand why some 'random Eldian' was the last person she wanted to talk to before she died but it was her last wish and so they were willing to fulfill it.

When he got to her house, it was full of already grieving family and friends. Clearly the old lady was well liked and Levi couldn't quite understand what she would want with him, who had only met her twice, even if he'd told her every intimate thing about himself as gratitude for the rings.

"Well, that book did sell out in the first two weeks," Eren pointed out. "It must have made her a pretty penny."

'I doubt she cared about money all that much if she has this many people at her bedside.'

"Maybe that's just the thing," the Alpha mused.

'Maybe,' Levi conceded before he let a relative lead her to the old lady's room. She smiled a toothless grin, looking really run down and like she really was barely holding on. There was a chair beside her bed, where Levi was led. He was just thankful it was a good day so he could move around without a wheelchair. "Hello," he greeted politely as people started trailing out of the room.

"Thank you for coming," she whispered in a raspy voice.

Levi couldn't help but smile at her. "It's the least I could do." He rubbed the ring on his finger as he said it and she noticed. Tears sprung to her eyes but she waved him away when he tried to wipe them away for her.

"These are happy tears," she said by way of explanation. "You must be wondering why an old hag asked you to come to her death bed."

"I'll admit to curiosity but I wouldn't call you an old hag."

The woman laughed at that. "Please, young man! I am a hundred and six years old!" Both Levi and Eren reeled at that information. She certainly hadn't looked that old, the day she had gifted them these rings. "Which means that, yes, I have lived before your people began their exodus to that island and I have seen both good and bad sides of your history. But I have never, in my whole, long life, met someone like you." Levi didn't know what to say to that. Soulmates were scarce, rare, more so than diamonds or gold or iceburst stone. But still, to hear that in one hundred years, this woman has never met a soulmate pair ... "It's why your story fascinated me. It's why I called you here."

"I ... I don't know what to say," he admitted.

The old woman coughed a few times, refusing the glass of water he tried to give her. After she calmed down, she looked him dead in the eye. "I know your story, perhaps more intimately than anyone else left alive. I don't know if you've read my book-"

"I have. You gave it justice the likes of which no one else could. Thank you," he said sincerely and the woman gave him another smile.

"But my point is ... I know you, in a way no one left alive could. So I know you won't lie to me to comfort me in my last moment." She took a deep breath while Levi gave her a confused look. "You're the only one who can tell me ... Should I fear death?" That had Levi's brain stalling. He didn't know what to say. "What is death? Is there something after it? What does this old woman have to look forward to?"

"... I've stared death in the face more often than probably any other person alive on this world," he began, almost not recognizing his own voice. "In the Underground, outside the Walls, off of Paradis ... My every waking moment I've faced death head on and my every night I've been haunted by it like it was an innocent puppy desperate for a forever home."

"Levi ... "

"But death does not just take, doe not just destroy, does not just cause pain," he continued. "There is peace in death. No more pain or suffering. Nothing more to lose. Death is not something you should fear, because it is proof you have lived at all. Because what would be the point of life if it wasn't so fleeting? Why would it be precious, if it was not so fragile, so wondrous, so finite? This world shows us cruelty, but it also shows us how beautiful it can be to be alive in it. Death is just part of the journey."

"And after death?" She asked with a serene smile.

Levi didn't have an answer for that. He'd never been dead. He'd come close, on a few occasions. Just a few years ago, he'd been on the very precipice until Hange and his own stubbornness - or perhaps Eren's? - had pulled him back and planted him solidly on his feet again. Levi didn't really know what came after death.

But Eren did.

"Death is endless," Eren whispered in his ear. "It is not dark, but it is not so bright like some religions depict it. It does not hurt your eyes to gaze upon the world after death. The lands shimmer under an endless night sky with countless stars. There is tranquility in death," he said as Levi echoed his words out loud so his captive audience may hear them. "It is not silent. The world whispers to you its welcome. It sings to you its stories, about all the people who have come before you and all those who will come after you. It wipes away your tears of either sorrow or elation. It lets you fly as if you had wings or swim as if you had fins. It lets you run like you will never get tired. And it leads you to the one place where you will meet all hose who you love and all those who love you. Death is both instant and endless. Its world is no different. It is a world where you will know true freedom. There is no judgement, for all are equal in death."

The old woman was crying by now, with a huge, bittersweet smile. "Oh, how wonderful it must be to be an Eldian and to have such a paradise await for you."

"I don't believe in heaven or hell," Levi told her gently. "Because I've lived in hell my whole life and I've only ever found true paradise in the arms of my Alpha-" Eren jolted at that and Levi nearly smiled at his surprise regarding that admission. "And yet he was taken from me, too. I don't believe in god, because gods are only beings we construct them to be."

"And the devil?" The old woman asked and Levi couldn't help but smirk, even if it had a soft, fond edge to it.

"Oh, I've met the devil, alright," he said and laughed at her shocked face. "Don't look so shocked! Humanity made this devil, created it, was creating it for nearly two thousand years. And then humanity was shocked when this devil decided it was time they all paid for their sins. Only the devil is a small boy who lost his mother and was traumatized by it beyond any help. The devil was a young man who already lost so much that he was unwilling to lose anymore. He nearly lost his world, he was going to lose his world, so he decided it was time for the world to lose instead. The devil did atrocious things, but the devil was just a young man with a broken heart and an expiration date on his life. And the devil may be a monster, but I've never seen a more beautiful monster than him and I never will." He smiled at her. "If it is the devil you fear, then you really have nothing to fret about. This devil would welcome you more warmly than any god or goddess ever could into their so called heaven." He gave her a searching look. "I'm surprised you're so shocked by all of this. From what I know, only one man led an army of gigantic Titans to flatten the world. Well, technically, two men and the ghost of a girl from two thousand years ago, but let's not get tangled up in the semantics."

"No, I knew who you and your soulmate were even before you finished telling me your story, two years ago," the old woman countered. "I'm just surprised."

"That I can critique my mate but love him? That I, ultimately, had a hand in his defeat and death?"

"That you would share one more story with me," she smiled gently and Levi was beyond shocked by that. "I wish I had the strength, and the time, to write it down. The story of the devil, to match the story of the lovers never meant to be together." Levi's heart pounded painfully in his chest at that reminder. Eren was quick to try and soothe him, but Levi knew he was just as affected. "I wonder how many people would realize it's the same story told from completely different points of view?"

"... Not many, I imagine," Levi whispered in response.

"Fools," she countered and Levi had to chuckle at that. "But I guess, now that we've spoken of all of this, I have only two questions left to ask."

"And what may those be?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow. He noticed she was getting more and more tired and he knew there was little time left before she would depart this world.

"First, I would ask ... your mate ... Is there an afterlife for people like me? ... Those not born ... to any Eldian bloodline ... "

Levi felt his eyes burn and he knew Eren had somehow pushed to the very forefront so he may be the one to answer the question. He knew, because he could see the old woman's eyes widen almost comically when she noticed what was happening. He would smile if he had control over his mouth.

"Yes," Eren answered through him, speaking directly into this world for the first time in six years. "There is an afterlife for everyone. We just can't share it."

"That's too bad," she whispered but smiled nonetheless, looking more peaceful than Levi had ever seen her before. "Thank you. If I may ask my second question? It's ... more of a ... request ... honestly."

"Go ahead," they both answered, in sync in a way no other two humans could ever be besides, potentially, another pair of soulmates.

"May you ... tell me ... your story ... one last time?"

Levi smiled sadly. "It would be my pleasure."

She smiled. "Thank you."

00000

Levi stayed with her for two more hours. She passed away half-asleep just as he was finishing up his tale. Her youngest grandson had sneaked into the room at some point and had been sitting in Levi's lap for at least one third of the story.

Levi carried him out when one of the relatives came in to check on them just as her last breath left her body and all the mourners rushed into the room or started crying all around the house.

Levi took out the young boy, barely five years old if he had to guess, outside of the house and sat with him on the doorstep for a little while. He'd spent a whole lot of time with the old lady. It was nearly midnight. The kid should be in bed, not leaning against Levi and staring blankly ahead.

"Grandmama wanted to hear the other story," he said out of the blue and Levi glanced at the kid in confusion. There was a determined fire in the boy's eyes that Levi found almost painfully familiar. The boy was on the scrawny side, dark hair not unlike the 'style' Levi had worn before Kenny found him and with eyes as dark as coals. But the fire in his eyes reminded him painfully of an angry recruit who more often than not yelled or cried or got himself kidnapped or eaten. Eren protested inside of their mindspace but Levi ignored him.

"That she did."

"She wanted to write it down."

"Indeed," he returned.

The boy stared up at Levi with determination. "Tell it to me and I'll do it!"

The Ackerman quirked an eyebrow. "Can you even spell properly, brat?" He asked somewhat fondly.

The boy huffed. "Even if I can't write it right now, I'll do it when I'm older! But I want to know the story!"

Levi hummed mock thoughtfully. "Should I tell you? It's not a pretty story."

"Neither was the one with the lovers!"

Levi whacked him over the head for that one. "Show some respect, brat! It may have been gruesome, but it's nothing like what I have in store for you if you decide you want to take on the full story behind the love story."

Those dark eyes suddenly looked like saucers. "You'll tell me!?"

"Are you sure you want to traumatize that kid, Levi?" Eren asked with amusement and Levi waved him off.

'Better he gets traumatized by a 'story' than by going back into the house when no one's looking and sitting beside his dead grandmother for hours.'

"Well, shit, damn."

"I guess I will," he answers the kid with a smirk. "But you were warned."

"I can handle it!"

"If you say so." The kid cheered and Levi chuckled. "Say, kid, what's your name?"

"Oh, right! How rude of me, I never introduced myself! Grandmama would be so disappointed!"

"Now that I think about it, I don't think she ever officially introduced herself, either."

'... Well, shit, I think you're right.'

"It's nice to meet you, Mister! My name's Hajime!"

Levi shook his hand, smirking. "Nice to meet you, too. I guess you can call me Levi Ackerman-Jaeger."

He nearly laughed his head off when Eren started choking on his own non-existent spit because that was the first time Levi had acknowledged out loud that he belonged to one Eren Jaeger and him alone.

The only thing stopping him was because he'd rather not laugh right after someone died.

He knew Eren was going to make him pay for that one, though. Later.

For now, he had Hajime as an audience and a story to tell.

00000

One day, among the mail, two very interesting envelopes arrived. Falco handed both to Levi, as they were addressed to him.

One was a personal letter from Armin Arlert, which peaked Eren's curiosity.

The other had his found family far more intrigued, as it was a letter from marital court.

Levi smiled as he opened that one first.

Eren seemed to spontaneously combust in their shared mindspace before he ran off to the Paths so Levi couldn't laugh his ass off at him.

Gabi gawked, Onyankopon had a hearty laugh while Falco shouted an over-exuberant "I knew it!" When Gabi gawked at him and Levi just arched an inquiring eyebrow, the blond shrugged a bit defensively. "What? It wasn't hard to guess after I presented! I remembered how 'Mr Kruger' smelled and Mr Levi reeks of it after every heat or whenever he does that thing to make idiot Alphas, rude Betas or insistent Omegas back down! It wasn't hard to guess they were mates! Though I never knew you were bonded ... " He trailed off questioningly and Levi waved his three companions into a seat.

"Sit down. I have quite a tale to tell you. Now, before we begin, tell me what you know about soulmates."

00000

There were very few days in the year when Levi refused to open his shop.

They worked half the day for everyone's birthday. His shop worked during the annual celebration of the end of the war, seeing as how he had no reason to celebrate Eren's or Hange's death, or the death of any and all Eldians or just all around people who died that day. He worked half days for other, more asinine holidays, a mix of Marleyian, Eldian and any other surviving culture and traditions.

He didn't work on certain death anniversaries: his mother's (an estimate, if anything), Isabel and Farlan's, his squad's, Mike and Nanaba's, Kenny's, Erwin's, Sasha's. Eren added a few more dates: Carla Jaeger's, Grisha Jaeger's, the days Wall Maria and Wall Rose were breached, Hannes' death and Ymir's capture, Bertolt Hoover's death, Keith Shadis and Dot Pixis and Nile Dock's.

It hurt them both not to mourn Hange but Eren understood why Levi would rather ignore that date than seemingly celebrate with the rest of the world the death of another loved one. Hange understood. After all, they asked her.

One other occasion when Levi didn't open his shop was March 30th. It was self-explanatory, really. He just wanted some time with his Alpha and it just so happened to coincide with some random festival or something, so Gabi and Falco were eager to go out and even Onyankopon had a date. The kids tried insisting the first few years that he go with them, but after continuously being turned down for that particular festival, they let it go, leaving Levi alone in their tea shop slash home for the day.

On this day, Levi would make a small cake with strawberries and the tea he and Eren used to share before everything went to shit. He'd sing the birthday song to Eren and blow the candles for him while watching his soulmate smile at him so lovingly from within their mindspace. He'd usually then scuttle off somewhere private where he could safely doze off and spend an eternity and just a second with Eren within the Paths.

Today, Eren asked that Levi put on some music. "I want to dance with you."

"We could always do that in there," Levi had pointed out, speaking out loud since he knew he was alone.

"Well, yes, but I don't know how to sing and you don't really know any songs. So radio it is!"

"Fine, you spoiled brat," he said with an amused huff and did as Eren asked. Then Eren surprised him by turning up in front of him, all ghost like. "Wha-"

"Only you can see me," Eren explained with a slightly sad smile. "But I wanted you to be able to see me at all as we dance."

Levi felt tears sting his eyes but ignored them as he carefully stepped into Eren's 'embrace'. Not that he didn't feel it, but he must look fucking crazy, dancing by himself, leaning on an invisible chest, listening to a nonexistent, non-beating heart.

"Shh, don't think about it," Eren whispered into his ear. He could practically feel his smile. "This is a moment just for us. Don't think about anything else. Just feel it."

"Eren ... " He couldn't help how his voice shook.

Eren just held him tighter. "Oh, my beautiful, wonderful, amazing Levi. You have no idea how much I love you."

"I think it's you who's the clueless one," Levi muttered as they swayed around the room. Levi wound his arms around the apparition in front of him. "I want to touch you so bad."

"Then come to me," Eren said and Levi followed, though their mindspace and right into the Paths, both so caught up in each other that they didn't notice two blonds frozen outside the shop, about to walk through the door until they saw the scene inside.

They left just as the couple went into the back, into the private part of the two story building that acted as a home of three, occasionally four, and as a shop.

00000

The blonds returned the next day early in the morning before the shop was to open for customers. They were the newly married Mr and Mrs Arlert. Levi was both surprised and not at all to see them. After all, Armin had announced a visit in the near future, Levi was just not expecting him the day after Eren's birthday. He arched an eyebrow as he left it to Falco to finish bringing things out front so he can converse with his short-time Commander and his one-time nemesis.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Armin smiled and almost saluted to him but aborted at the last moment. This wasn't the first visit the blond had had with Levi and it certainly won't be the last. "Can't I visit an old friend?"

Levi arched an eyebrow at the boldness.

Eren narrowed his eyes skeptically. "Did Armin start doing drugs?"

'I sure as fuck hope not. The little shit's practically a mix of Hange and Erwin as is. I don't need him finding the 'special stuff' and becoming as hyper or as chaotic as them.'

"Wait, Commander Erwin did drugs?! Hange doesn't surprise me, but Commander Erwin!?" Eren paused. "Did you ever do drugs?"

'I tried it once and saw no point when I realized I can't get high just like I can't get drunk. And yes, Pixis once roped Erwin into trying drugs, said it would be an excellent stress reliever. Erwin thought it was sleeping meds.'

"So he became hyper?"

'He became chaotic,' Levi corrected and had to repress both a chuckle and a shudder as he remembered a high as a kite Erwin. 'Can we just focus on your blond friend who suddenly has the guts to call me his friend when he could barely stutter out my name last time we spoke?'

"Yeah, that is suspicious."

They both, though no one could see Eren, gave Armin a searching look. Finally, Levi asked. "You're not on drugs, are you?" Annie snorted at that. Armin spluttered.

"Wha- No! What gave you that idea!?"

"The friends thing, Armin," answered Annie for Levi, still snickering. Levi only nodded.

"Do you not consider us friends, Captain?" Levi arched an eyebrow. "Wow, harsh."

"Don't take it personally, but I usually don't befriend my former subordinates," he said sarcastically and Annie snorted.

"But you do bond them, right?"

"Annie!" Shouted Armin, scandalized, while Levi just stared at her.

"Fuck, they saw us yesterday."

'No shit, Eren.' But Levi didn't let his cool mask drop. He instead arched an eyebrow. "What gave you that idea? Did Jean start spreading rumors or something? No, wait, that'd be her Roayl pain in the ass, Historia."

Annie was the one who arched an eyebrow this time. "I was unaware you had such a dislike for the Queen."

"It's probably because Historia propositioned Eren to breed her."

"Okay, what the actual fuck is wrong with Armin?"

'He grew up, is my best guess. That or politics. It sure can ruin a man.' Eren grumbled at that. "You sure developed quite a mouth on you, huh, Arlert." Armin shrugged. "Well, with balls like that, you've surely surpassed Erwin Smith in your fucking daring."

"Wait, do you mean that literally or-"

'For fuck's sake, Eren!'

"Fortune favors the bold and all," Armin replied with yet another shrug. "I can't help but notice that you're not denying what I said."

"Should I?"

Annie stared. "Well, damn. I never knew the suicidal idiot had it in him!"

"Why am I suddenly being insulted?"

"Why did you guys never do anything about it?" Annie asked, her usually impassive mask falling to show a genuine curiosity. Levi didn't answer and instead pointed to the shelf of books available for public use. The book the old lady wrote was the only one facing the customers with its front page. Annie's and Armin's jaws dropped. "Wait, are you for real!? You wrote that?"

At that, Levi laughed. Falco answered for him. "It was a gift! The author died a few months back, unfortunately."

"Is everything it says in there true?" Armin asked almost desperately and Levi shrugged with a small smirk. "Don't be like that, please!"

'Do you want them to know?' He asked Eren, who only waved him off.

"Nah, leave them guessing! This is one of the few times in my life that I had a riddle Armin couldn't solve!"

"Tell you what," Levi answered. "In a good few years, the author's grandson might publish something of a sequel. You can find out then."

"But you might die of o-" Armin cut himself off with wide eyes.

Annie looked ready to either die of embarrassment or of laughter.

"Oh shit," Falco muttered and was quick to scramble to the safety of the back of the shop.

"Did you just insinuate I'm old, Arlert?"

"No, sir, Captain, sir! I-"

"Ten laps around the neighborhood and make it snappy!" He commanded and Armin fell into a proper salute.

"Yes sir, Captain, sir!" And he was off, looking like Abnormal Titans were chasing him, like in the good ol' days.

Annie stared after him like he was an idiot. "He does realize we're not soldiers anymore, right?" Levi just snorted and accepted the cup of tea Gabi brought him to prevent him from turning into a 'grumpy gremlin', as Eren liked to call him, the fucker. "So, is everything in the book true or not?" She asked and Levi shrugged. "You do realize your silence can be taken as an answer, right?" Levi shrugged again. "Oh, you're just fucking with me now, aren't you?" And Levi shrugged. Again. "Urgh!"

'That's for Petra, bitch.'

Eren was laughing so hard that if he had them, he'd bust a lung.

00000

Falco and Gabi married as soon as it was legal at eighteen years old. They had a baby on the way by the time they were twenty. Levi was named godfather and honorary uncle. He'd nearly cried.

Armin and Annie started visiting more after the Arlerts found out Eren lingered in one way or another. They started talking more about their friends, about their efforts to build political allies for Paradis, about Paradis' rebuilding efforts, all that shit. Levi listened for the most part but he knew these stories were primarily for Eren's sake. But even Eren listened only halfheartedly; he says he'd already seen what the world might look like after the Rumbling, so he was more interested in the personal stories than the political climate.

Reiner and the Arlerts were the only ones Gabi and Falco invited for the baby shower and Reiner was the only one officially notified of her birth.

The little brunette girl with Falco's honey colored eyes was named Sasha Grice and Levi was her favorite thing in her whole wide baby world. Gabi often teased she didn't know who was stealing whom from them: Sasha Levi or Levi Sasha. Either way, all jokes aside, the young married couple were infinitely grateful to Levi for helping them care for the baby in the first few hellish, sleepless months.

Levi tried not to look at Eren too much when he held the baby, because he knew what he'd find in those beautiful oceanic eyes: longing. Eren wanted for Levi to be holding their child as desperately as Levi wanted it, but little Sasha was not theirs regardless of how protective they became of her or how often only Levi's Omegan scent might calm her when there is no logic to her crying. It hurt Levi considerably less not to look at Eren when he longed, craved, wanted in those moments.

When he would join him in the Paths later on, they'd hold each other and imagine together a cute little boy running through the field of flowers that made up their shared mindspace, would imagine it being a real place, somewhere. The boy would run to a hut that was their home and he'd beg Levi or Eren to be allowed to hold his little sister despite definitely not being strong enough yet o carry her. It was a wonderful, if painful dream, one that could never come true in this world of theirs which had proven more cruel than beautiful.

Then Levi would get up again and live through another day and Eren would watch from death's door, giving Levi love and comfort in the only way he can, thanking their soulmate bond relentlessly for allowing him to do even that.

00000

One day, right after one of Levi's heats, the Arlerts came to visit again.

Only this time, they weren't alone.

And Levi wasn't ready for Mikasa to all but tackle him off his already barely steady feet and bury her nose into his neck before growling like a beast. Reiner and Jean barely managed to wrench the near feral female Alpha off of him before she could rip into his throat.

Baby Sasha started crying at the aggressive scent Mikasa was emitting and while Gabi was busy trying to calm her down, Falco glared death at the raven haired woman.

Mikasa, though, only had eyes for Levi and they were murderous. "Where is he, you bastard!? Where is Eren!? Where have you been hiding him this whole time, you sick bitch!?"

"Mikasa, calm down, it's not what you think!" Armin tried to calm her down but Historia sure as hell wasn't helping, all but goading her on even more. Levi couldn't concentrate on anything that was going on around him because pain was shooting through his whole body. And to think it had been such a good day, one of the ones that were becoming all the more frequent as of late. Now his whole leg felt like it was on fire yet it was also numb at the same time. He was actually struggling with breathing.

"You have to breathe, Levi, come on!" Eren urged, wrapping protectively around him and trying to drown out everything else so Levi would focus only on him. It was an attempt to calm him down, but as Eren's scent rose in the air from Levi's scent glands, combining with his own, Mikasa only became more feral until Eren's infamous anger issues finally reared their ugly head. "Will you shut the fuck up or will I have to make you!" Everyone froze at the clear Alpha voice coming from an Omega's mouth. Levi whined as his vocal chords strained under the unnatural tones Eren was making. Eren immediately stopped growling and instead internally cooed at his mate, finally allowing Levi to breathe through the pain. "Hey, are you okay? Answer me, Levi, please."

"Fuck, shit, fuck, hurts like a motherfucker!" He hissed in a hoarse voice. "I think something snapped."

Falco and Eren snarled at the same time and Gabi even pulled out the gun strapped under the counter while still holding a wailing Sasha on her free arm.

"... Eren?" Armin dared to ask in a hopeful voice. "Is that really you?"

"Get out," Falco said in his most authoritative Alpha voice, making Mikasa bristle.

"Didn't you hear him?" Eren said through Levi, even manifesting in his ghostly projection to show everyone his glare. It as something Eren could do only occasionally, but it put a strain on their bond as the Paths tried to suck in their mindspace and Levi's very soul into them so Eren did it very rarely. "He told you to get the fuck out."

"Eren-" Mikasa started, tears surging to her eyes but Eren was in protective mode and probably not even his own mother would be able to get a favorable reaction from him.

"And don't you dare come back if you're going to talk that way to my soulmate, or I will rip you to fucking shreds in the most painful way possible that will make you wish you perished in the Rumbling. Is that understood?"

Jean, clearly the smartest of the lot, was quick to start ushering everyone out with Falco's too gleeful 'assistance' - if physically hauling Mikasa out could be called assistance; Alpha's and their unreasonable protectiveness, though it was cute on the only two Alphas Levi allowed to get away with it - while Onyankopon, as the only person without any dynamic or offensive scent that could trigger an instinct-driven Alpha, came to check on Levi. Judging by the grimace on his face, Levi's prediction that something snapped was, unfortunately, true.

"We need to get you to a doctor."

"Yeah, no shit."

"Sass me all you want, but I'm taking you to a doctor."

"Make it snappy," ordered Eren and Onyankopon stared at Levi in that same weird way the old lady had when Eren had spoken through the Omega.

"Is that going to be a thing that I should get used to or ... ?"

"Just get going already."

00000

Eren was not happy when he learned the extent of Levi's injury, to say the least. Onyankopon had to go and inform their friends that they can't come anywhere near Levi until the cast comes off it else someone will shred them to death and it looked like a photo-finish race between Gabi, Eren and Falco. Onyankopon refused to answer any questions the others tried to ask and even Mikasa's death threats wouldn't sway him.

By the time Eren allowed them to come back, Levi was going through extensive therapy to walk again but was forbidden to hobble about on his own in his free time until his doctors cleared him. The Omega was almost more pissed off than Eren at the news, but he simply didn't have the bottomless wells of anger that Eren had in spades.

Baby Sasha was in his lap when his former squad was allowed entrance to the tea shop - closed for the day - and Gabi and Falco were seated on either side of him like watchful guard dogs, ready to snap at anyone who came too close. Mikasa tested this boundary right off the bath and didn't back off until Levi released some of Eren's dominating scent to make her back off before the kids really tried to fight her. She started crying as soon as she smelled Eren's scent but calmed down otherwise. All aggression left her and she genuinely apologized for her reaction.

She also remained genuinely dejected for the rest of the visit and just listened to what everyone had to say. It seems that not all of her feelings for Eren had faded into the background of her new family, whom Levi was introduced to since, in a way, though distantly, they were his relatives, too. Hisotira looked like she'd sucked on a lemon for the whole visit to the point that Levi had snapped at her to leave if she was so displeased to be there.

She did.

No one stopped her.

Eventually, after a whole day spent talking, they left, which Levi was grateful for. His new medication for the leg were making him sleepy and he had no reason to fight it. Sleep usually meant quality time with Eren and he would never have enough of it.

00000

Historia never visited them again, but the others sure did. It became a regular thing, once every couple of months. Only Mikasa tried o make Eren come forth to talk with her while the others understood the set, unsaid boundaries that Levi's body was his own and Eren preferred to stay in the Paths than invade his own mate.

Seasoned changed, years passed, baby Sasha grew, Levi started getting old. Like, it actually started showing. Onyankopon joked that it was about time. Levi told him to shut up.

Eren told Levi that he was the most beautiful Omega to him no matter what, which really melted Levi on the inside.

Some international unrest and tensions started rising when Sasha was about eight and Levi, Falco and Gabi were invited to move to Paradis to avoid a shitshow. Levi refused to go back; the Griece refused to go without him.

Levi didn't think they'd have a reason to refuse for long. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew. So he told Onyankopon to prepare, just in case. The man had looked at him as if he were crazy but Levi had given him a stern look and Onyankopon had accepted. They both knew Levi slept more and more as days passed. They knew that, despite not being all that old, let alone looking it, Levi's lifestyle had taken a toil on him. His body, born for the power of Ackermans, was clearly not coping as well with the loss of his abilities as Titan Shifters were. His loss of his soulmate, too, drained him. It was a miracle at all that he had survived Eren's physical death.

Levi knew his time was close and running to Paradis would be pointless when he could die on the ship or zeppelin, which would potentially force the people on board to throw out his body. Gabi, Falco and little Sasha did not need that kind of trauma.

Levi still had a hard time believing it had been sixteen years since that day ...

Sixteen years since the Rumbling.

Sixteen years since Eren's death.

Sixteen years of Levi's Omega desperately crying out for the touch of his Alpha and only barely being satisfied with the only way they can touch with Eren already waiting for him in the realm of the Paths.

He won't have to wait for much longer.

00000

Levi opened his eyes at the very edges of their shared mindspace, where one of the 'walls' of their private little paradise bleeds into the realm of the Paths, his head on Eren's thigh as he absently ran his fingers through Levi's hair and stared off into the distance, towards the Coordinate.

Levi brought a hand up and untied Eren's hair, making the brunet locks swoosh down from the man bun Eren seemed to prefer to wear. It brought Eren's attention to his now awake Omega and he smiled fondly down at him. Yet there was a sad glint in his eyes that told Levi everything he needed to know.

Before he could ask, Eren all but hauled him up until he was sitting in the taller's lap and Eren buried his nose into Levi's scent gland, taking in long, deep whiffs of him. He stayed there as he began speaking. "You know, there are whole other worlds out there, Levi. Worlds the likes of which I can't even begin explaining to you. They're so completely different from everything we know, and yet because we're Eldians, because the Coordinate is both instantaneous and timeless, we could see it now despite it happening many, many years into the future."

"... Is this your way of asking me if I want to see it all with you?" The Ackerman asked, burying his own nose against Eren's throat and breathing him in. Eren nodded. "What about your friends?"

He shook his head. "No. This time, it's just you an me. Sorry, but I would like to not share you with anyone else for a while."

Levi chuckled and held onto Eren tighter. "That's fine by me."

00000

And so they did. They traveled every world the Coordinate would let them see and Eren held onto Levi as tightly as if something could take him away from him. And Levi held on just as tightly, if not even more so.

In an instant and a whole infinity later, they returned to their friends, their bond stronger than ever, prepared to listen to what stories they had to tell and their many happy endings.

DAS ENDE

Bonus:

"My goodness, Isayama-kun! How ever did you come up with such a masterpiece with your first attempt at creating a manga? This is fabulous! The story is so intricate! Oh, and the subtle relationships are so charming and so heartbreaking!"

"Yes, and the story has such a realistic message! I'm so glad you came to us with your story! We'll make sure it's the greatest story ever! Everyone will want to read Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama-sensei!"

"I am very humbled that you think so greatly of me, but I feel like I can't take this much credit," the mangaka tried to say but only more praises came from his new editors.

Unnoticed by everyone else in the room, in one corner of it stood two figures, one rather short and the other considerably taller than the first. The taller figure seemed to be rather intimidated by the shorter one. If one were able to see them, it would be very obvious why, as both figures would become rather iconic in the upcoming years thanks to the very mangaka everyone was praising.

Eren gulped uneasily as Levi continued tapping his foot, arms crossed over his chest and a heavy scowl on his face, or as you could call it, the typical 'disappointed/angry mom pose'.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me Hajime has Eldian ancestry? Eren, what the fuck!"

"I, uh, wanted our story to be told?"

"When I get my hands on you-"

"Eep!"