Death: Forgive my brain I don't understand it at all at this point. And I must be ready for Halloween already cuz I almost typed Family Skellingtons.
Whoops. Good thing I caught myself.
Chapter Seventeen Family Skeletons
=3=
He didn't have the key, and for once the house was locked. It didn't take long for him to break in, using the same method in his teen years of escaping in the late night to venture the inner city and then sneaking back in through his bedroom window. Which happened to be on the second floor.
Levi felt his muscles ache after he climbed up and opened his window, and then proceeded to crawl in with ease. He stood up, taking in his former bedroom curiously. It was the same as he left it. Same bed, same bedside table. Only, the mattress seemed poor condition now. And even the closet door was barely hanging by the hinges.
This was the only differences. He lightly tapped his boot on his hiding spot in the floor, just next to the bed. It was still hallow, and he knelt down to pry it open. Levi saw to his surprise, everything he had stored in here for safe keeping before he left.
They were only keepsakes of Isabel and Farlan. There was Isabel's little wooden carving of a sparrow. After she died, he saved it in memory of her. And then there was a book Farlan had given him on one of their anniversary's.
It was a book that speculated what was outside the walls. From what Levi understood, there were few copies of this book left. And it was one of Farlan's favorites. Yet he gave it to Levi as a token of their love.
He always did want to venture out of the cage of these walls.
Levi didn't understand why Farlan didn't take the chance to join the Survey Corp when he offered. That man would have been a great Scout, and with his skills with the gear he would have been a good asset to the cause.
He felt his mood darken, and he picked up the book, wanting to rip it to pieces. Then he noticed something that hadn't been in his hiding spot before. It was a small envelope, placed underneath the book. Levi reached in and opened it, noted that it was a little heavy.
There was a single piece of paper, and a necklace. Curious, Levi fished the necklace out. He felt his heart throb upon holding it in his hand.
This was my mother's.
He knew it by feel, not by sight. It even had the same chain, still strong after all these years. He rubbed the heart shaped pendant out of habit, something he always did when he was a child. He was surprised to recognize the material, now seeing it for the first time. He was remembering it can open, but his mother said he wasn't to open it until he was older.
The locket and the chain are silver. How did she afford it? And why did Kenny hide it until now?
He placed the necklace down to read the short and brief letter. Levi recognized Kenny's horrible handwriting.
Levi,
I don't have much time left. Some disease took hold of me, but that's not how I plan to die. If I die by your hands, then I can at least die a warrior's death. It gives me something to look forward to.
I took this when I found you, as something to remember my sister by. I didn't know a good time to hand it over. If you end up succeeding me, think of it as a congratulations gift.
Kenny
Levi blinked, finding he wasn't surprised it wasn't some meaningful note. It was short, brief, and to the point, just like Kenny. He folded the paper and placed it back in the envelope, then placed it inside the book. Levi held the locket, studying it, seeing it for the first time.
It was plain, no designs on either front or back. He opened it, blinking. The paintings were old, and very small. He wasn't sure how someone did so much details on a tiny canvas placed in each side. However, the paintings weren't taken care of very well. He could see one of the faces had to be his mother, with the long dark hair.
The faces were blurry, and all he could make out with the other face was blonde hair. Levi stared, trying to find any other features in the face. After squinting for so long, his eyes began to hurt. He closed it, feeling disappointed.
Well, there's part of the mystery. But why did she flee to the Underground City? She could have just moved to one of the smaller cities along the walls. Why go into that hellhole to raise me?
These questions burned in his mind more than his want to find out who fathered him. He had a strange feeling it had to do something with his father's family, though. Levi stood up, placing everything but the locket back in his hiding spot.
He decided to look around the house. Levi found the place a mess, and some of the furniture was broken. The house had not been taken care of, and Levi resisted the urge to clean everything. Right now, he was on a mission, as he tried to distract himself from the knowledge he had a fucking daughter and he didn't know about it until fifteen years later.
Levi searched each room thoroughly. He was almost about to give up, when he went through each room when he remembered there was an attic. He had never been up there, for he wasn't allowed. Levi found the entrance, and pulled the latter down. He climbed up, pushing the little door up and over.
Upon peeking his head up he covered his mouth and nostrils from the smell. The scent of rotting wood was strong, as well as layers and layers of dust. Taking a deep breath, Levi held it in as he climbed into the attic. He searched around, finding only wooden crates with papers that was no longer readable.
Levi paused when his foot stepped on a hollow floor. He knelt down, knocking on it. The hollowed area was small, and his fingers had difficulty grasping the wood to pull it off. At some point he had enough struggling and stood up, kicking down on the floor. He only needed one kick, to break the fragile wood.
Levi cleared away the broken pieces to find a small book wrapped carefully with fabric. He picked it up, and unwrapped it. Levi couldn't find anything on the cover that showed what it was. But when he opened it he found neat handwriting. The inside cover read Kutchel Ackerman.
Excited, Levi sat on the floor, not minding the dust for once, and began to read.
=3=
Erwin had a suspicion where Levi had gone. And just as he and Hange got ready to head to the house, suddenly the ground shook. They both looked up to see a titan with longer arms than legs tore through the palace. They recognized the appearance as Ylmir from the reports of the night she disappeared, the night titans appeared between the walls.
An arm reached into the courtyard, where the Special Forces Squad were hanging out. Erwin and Hange ran towards the comotion just in time to see her snatch Eren before leaping away from the castle with him.
"Eren!" Mikasa screamed, trying to run after them.
"Mikasa! There's a storage room of gear just down the hall to your right, first door on the left!" Hange skidded to a halt so as not to be squished from debris.
"Special Forces Squad! Go and chase her down! Our objective is to rescue Eren! I'll gather up the others. Now, go! We don't have a lot of time!" Erwin ordered, taking the initiative.
In an instant the squad ran to the storage room Hange mentioned. In a flash they were in the air, scrambling to catch up to Ylmir. Bells went off in the palace, and soon the entire city was going off as all the bells sounded the alarm.
The queen met up with them, and members of Military Police and Wall Garrison on her tail.
"What's going on!?"
"Eren Yeager has been kidnapped by a chemical titan! Send word to Wall Garrison to hold it off at the wall, we cannot allow it to climb over! Military Police, be the crowd control! If you fight it, it's at your own risk!" Erwin had already formed a plan.
In an instant everyone scrambled to get to work. With the rest of the Survey Corp gathered, Erwin lead them in the tight knit formation that copied the formation outside the walls. With this, he was going to surround Ylmir from all sides, while the Special Forces Squad and Wall Garrison held her off.
With members leftover, Erwin sent the rest of the Survey Corp on horses to race out of the gate to intervene should Ylmir escape. A group of Military Police sent a few squads of their own to spread the word to villages and Wall Garrison stationed on Wall Rose.
Erwin was closing in on Ylmir. He caught sight of the Special Forces Squad doing everything in their power to stop her, while avoiding her free arm. It extended much further than normal arms, nearly making up more than half her height. The commander briefly wondered why Eren hadn't transformed yet, when suddenly Ylmir jumped onto the wall and began to climb.
Cannons fired down upon her, and the rest of the Survey Corp had finally caught up to her. Just as she clung to the wall, nearly curled up and seemed everything was going against her favor, a bolt of lightning just on the other side of the wall rumbled in the air. Everyone knew what that signified.
Suddenly a head with no skin, just muscles and bone peared over the wall.
"IT'S THE COLOSSAL TITAN!"
It swung a hand on the cannons, wiping them away as if they were mere flies to him. Suddenly Ylmir continued climbing, and just as the Colossal appeared, it disappeared, and the whole area of where it stood, even on both sides of the wall, became covered in smoke.
Suddenly Ylmir released a primal scream of pain. Erwin could barely make out a figure who had leaped down from above and stabbed her eyes. Ylmir didn't lose her grip on the wall, though. But she couldn't fight off the figure when both hands were busy.
The same figure then turned their aim on the hand that held Eren. With one swipe the hand was in pieces, and Eren fell, unconscious. Mikasa raced in to catch him. Suddenly, Reiner raced in and halfway there he transformed. Everyone gasped at the sight of the Armored Titan in all his glory. He caught Eren in a hand, then bolted to the gate entrance.
"Stop him!"
Erwin caught sight of Levi, speeding after them. It was then he realized it had been Levi who stopped Ylmir. A sense of pride and hope swelled in Erwin's chest. He watched as Levi twisted in the air as he took a slice at the nape of the neck.
The blades broke, pieces went flying, one of them scraped the captain's face. Levi didn't even stop there, as his furiousness took control of him. Despite the blood going over his eyes, he replaced his blades and went for the eyes again.
Reiner knew what he was doing. He covered his eyes with an arm, and Levi didn't have enough time to draw back. Erwin felt his heart sink as the blades broke again, and this time the pieces cut the short captain all over. And still he was undeterred.
By now Levi's squad had caught up, but they couldn't do anything when Reiner swatted at him. Taking his chance, Levi went in again for the eyes. However he had to dodge a hand from grabbing him, and he only got to pierce one eye. The blade barely made it halfway through, as somehow even the eyes were made of tough stuff.
Finally Reiner was angry. He roared as he charged, and broke through the gate. Levi and his squad went after him. They were on the ground running until they neared some trees to be in the air again. Erwin lead the reast of the Scouts through, and watched as the group he had placed to wait for a titan to come through slowed Reiner down.
They had completely forgotten about Ylmir.
She jumped down from the wall, leaping after Reiner. She climbed onto his back while she focused on fighting off anyone who came too close. Erwin grit his teeth at the sight. They made a good team, and he noted someone was on her back, exhausted.
He didn't get a good look when his eyes were drawn on Levi. The short captain was bleeding all over, and yet that didn't stop him. His movements were rapid and nearly frantic as he tried to get close to Ylmir and take her out. Mikasa was by his side, and together they moved in perfect synchronization.
They almost became too much for Ylmir when Reiner took a swing at them. With their top speed, both Ackerman dodged the oncoming swipe. Erwin noted they were closing in on Wall Rose. But Reiner was aiming for the quickest escape. He wasn't going for a gate. He was aiming for the wall itself.
We can't have him break through Wall Rose!
Suddenly, Reiner was slowing down. Ylmir got off of his bback and smoke surrounded them as Reiner transformed into his human body and got on Ylmir's back with Eren. The other person helped keep Erwin steady. The Survey Corp increased their speed frantically to catch up with Ylmir as she leaped faster to the wall.
She made the distance in a short time. The majority of the Scouts couldn't catch up, despite their top notch speed in the air. The only two who managed to keep up were Levi and Mikasa, as they tried to stop her from climbing any further.
Reiner went into the air and began fighting them off with his own blades. He was strong enough to take on both at once. Levi tried to keep the fight betweven only them so Mikasa can get to Ylmir, who was halfway up the wall.
Cannons rained down on Ylmir. Most of them grazed passed her, and she was quick to dodge them as she climbed up. Erwin finally reached the wall, and he could hear the shouting back and forth between the three fighting above him.
"You would dare turn against your own, after all that has happened!?" Levi growled.
"You should understand the feeling! You betrayed the assassins!" Reiner threw back.
"You were our friend! We all went through training together! We lost comrades together! And you do this? What is your goal, Reiner? Was everything a lie?" Mikasa yelled as she tried to get around him to reach Ylmir.
"No...it's..." Reiner lost track to what he was saying when he tried to stop her with the blunt of his blade. Suddenly Levi intervened, taking the hit.
The captain didn't even scream, even as the loud crack reached all ears of anyone nearby. Erwin sped towards them, while Mikasa hesitated between Ylmir and her captain.
"Go! What are you waiting for, bitch!? Just go! I can hold him a while longer!" Levi ordered, which snapped her to reality and sped upwards.
Levi turned on Reiner, releasing his full force. He was like a storm that was released after being held back for so long. Reiner, despite his strength, had a hard time fighting off the barage of attacks. Erwin was upon them, aiming a blade towards the younger man, careful to avoid the captain.
Reiner grunted as he blocked both of them at the same time. With great difficulty, he pushed Erwin away, sending the Commander down several feet. Thinking quickly, Reiner cut both lines of Levi's gear, sending the captain falling.
"Levi!" Erwin switched to dive down after his lover.
Reiner raced after Ylmir, on her back once more just as she reached the top of the wall. Mikasa watched as they disappeared over the other side. She stood on the wall, watching them disappear. She fell onto her knees as one thought crossed her mind.
Eren...I failed you. Levi's sacrifice was for nothing.
Behind her, Erwin caught the short captain just before they reached the ground below. He held the bleeding body close with one arm while he quickly made the gear pull into a hard stop. Levi held on tightly, suddenly feeling dizzy.
"Erwin...I tried..." Levi breathed.
"I know, you did good. You were of great help. However, I am worried about your injuries." Erwin said as he slowly lowered them down.
"Don't make me stay behind on the rescue mission. Please, Erwin..." Levi tried to stand on his own feet, but he was too wobbly.
"I can't make any promises. In a few hours I am going to gather everyone for a rescue beyond the wall. It might be too late in the day to venture beyond the wall. If you are better before the dawn, then you can come." Erwin steadied the short captain.
Mikasa landed close to them with a solemn look on her face. She couldn't even look at Levi.
"I'm sorry. I failed."
"I don't hold it against you. I have no regrets about what I did. You shouldn't, either."
=3=
That night, no one could sleep. Erwin had gone over the plans with everyone, and they all knew what to do tomorrow. Erwin was in his bedroom, bandaging Levi. Hange was there to help, as the injuries were extensive and need care. Levi had already been seen to, but they were being overly concerned as they changed the bandages.
"I'm fine, I've had worse." Levi sighed, reminding them of the scars all over his body.
"Yes, but you have lost quite a bit of blood. It's too much of a worry for me to sit back and watch you get worse." Erwin spoke softly, eyeing the stitches Levi did to himself earlier.
"How do you feel? And I mean your body. Please don't say you're fine, again, Levi." Hange tried again.
"If you must know, I feel like shit. All of the stitches sting, my shoulder with the burns are sore, and I think my leg is acting up again." Levi finally gave in.
"What about your ribs?" Hange inquired, as they took notes.
"Hurts to breathe, but I'm used to it. It's not the first time I had a broken rib."
"Well, your wounds from a week ago are fully healed. Maybe the titan gene is working over time to heal you. Your wounds already look better, and it's only been six hours." The scientist noted, but they didn't want to give the captain the go ahead just yet.
"But, even with that fast healing, I don't know if you should still go on the rescue mission."
"I am going, and that's final. Even if you say no, I will sneak my way outside and go. And don't think I have ways to get over a damn wall." Levi glared, still being stubborn.
"Levi, I don't want to see you die in front of me. If you are not physically able, then you have to remain behind. Mikasa is your second in command, she can do the job." Erwin said with a stern voice, finally voicing his opinion.
"And you don't think I don't want the same with you? If you die, and I'm not there, I can never forgive myself for it. I can't stand the thought of being without you, especially when you were locked up. I was an utter mess without you. At least with me in the field, I will make sure you or anyone else close to me doesn't die." Levi growled back.
"Why are you insisting to go so badly? You're never this defiant with me." Erwin commented.
"My instincts are screaming to go. Whatever happens tomorrow, it's going to be bad, Erwin. And I can't sit back like a fucking wife, anxiously waiting for your return. I know my body, I have been pushed to the brink and back, I know what I can and can't do. And I know I can do this." Levi stood his ground.
Erwin flinched at the mention of wife, his mind briefly went to the girl he could have had as a wife but let her go.
"Your body can't keep up this up forever Levi, you're getting up there in age." The Commander scowled.
"Yeah? And you're sixteen years older than me, old man. You're old enough to be my father, and you're pulling the getting old card on me? Bullshit! I should be using it on you!" Levi spat back.
"But I don't pull reckless moves to the point of near death, Corporal."
"That's my fucking job, Commander. You don't fight in the front lines, always taking the risks involved in this. You always had pawns to move as you please like a King on a chessboard. If I'm supposed to be the Queen, I have to take risks as your most powerful piece. I can at least walk head high and say I am ready for death if it meant you or anyone in my squad survived."
"You made a promise to me, Levi." Erwin glared, his voice dark.
"And I can't hold that promise! What's the point of me being here, then, if I can't take risks? You know above anyone else, it is better to have one person be the sacrifice over the lives of many. Or are you actually forgetting your position and willing to throw away lives just so I can live? Am I worth the entire Survey Corp?"
"Don't you dare question my position, corporal. And for the record, you mean everything to me! Don't you think that for one second I have to force myself not to put you above anyone else in the field? Do you not understand I have to force myself not to drop everything and focus on you? But when you pull moves like you did today, I cannot ignore it! You say you can't stand the thought of being without me, well it's the same for me, too!"
Silence filled the room. Hange remained perfectly still during the entire ordeal, feeling very uncomfortable and anxious. They couldn't exactly leave them, but they couldn't add an input without sparking a worse argument. After a moment of silence, Hange put the clipboard down on the bedside table, gaining full attention from both men.
"Look, both of you. I'm not taking any sides, but I am going to say something. I can see both sides, and you both have a point. However, this needs to be addressed. Levi, a while ago you scolded Mikasa to stop pulling a Yeager. Well, now I'm going to say the same thing. Stop pulling a Yeager."
At that, Levi looked away, his pride hurt.
"Erwin, calm your nuts. Maybe you need to bust one, because I haven't seen you like this in all the years I have known you. I noticed earlier today when you both walked in to meet the queen, and there was sexual tension in the air. I don't know if that's playing a part in here, or not, but I'm just saying what I observed."
Both men wouldn't look at Hange. They were too embarrassed, and they suddenly felt stupid. When no one spoke, Hange picked up the clipboard and their bag, leaving behind the extra bandages, as Levi wasn't done.
"Now, I'm going to leave, and let you guys talk or romp it out. I'll come in and check on you guys to make sure you're both alive and calmed down an hour before dawn." With that, Hange left them alone in the bedroom.
Levi was staring at the bed, realizing it was different than before.
"You got a bigger bed." He commented, trying to break the awkward silence. He didn't see a sly smirk on the commander's face.
"The better to fuck you with, my dear."
Levi blushed, feeling hot all over just from those words. He rarely heard Erwin swear at all.
"Are you really pulling the wolf from Red Riding Hood?" Levi looked at blue eyes curiously.
"Yes, yes I am."
"If you're the wolf, does that mean I'm Red Riding Hood?"
"I suppose it does. And, is the big bad wolf going to have his meal tonight?" Erwin was suddenly playful as he leaned over, making the short captain lean back until he was down on the bed.
"Depends. Are you going to allow me on the rescue mission tomorrow?" Levi smirked coyly.
"You're going to deny the big bad wolf his meal over that?"
"Maybe."
Blue eyes darkened with a mix of lust and authority. Erwin crawled on top of the smaller body, enjoying the sight of the usually fearless captain squirm a little. His eyes caught sight of the silver chain around his neck for the first time. Erwin had been curious earlier about the pendant earlier, but he didn't get the chance to inquire about it.
"Where did you get that? It looks like silver."
"It was my mother's that Kenny kept. I found it in my old room with a note saying it's my graduation gift in succeeding him. It used to have paintings of her and my father, but they were in poor condition and I couldn't make out faces so I removed them." Levi explained.
"So you still don't know about your family history?" Erwin blinked, knowing that this had been bothering the captain for a while now.
"I do now, but I don't care anymore. I found a diary that was my mother's in the attic. She fell in love with a man who was already married, and the fool was too much of a coward to end his unhappy marriage to be with her. When someone in his family found out she was pregnant, they threatened to have her killed. So she fled to the Underground City to ensure I lived."
Levi didn't seem at all sad or hurt about it. This troubled Erwin, for if something wasn't being shown on the surface, then he was hiding it inside. He leaned down to kiss the pale forehead.
"I'm sorry to hear that. The drama of nobles is always overshadowed with incidents like that."
Levi blinked, confused, staring into those eyes while their foreheads rested against each other. A pale hand cupped a smooth cheek.
"Why are you sorry? It happened a little more than thirty years ago."
"Because, I can sympathize. I have witnessed such things in my time growing up in the inner city." Erwin kissed over the pale face.
"It doesn't bother me, honest. I am more focused on the future, the past is the past. There is nothing beneficial to me to dwell on it. The future and present are more important."
"Why the future? The future is nothing without the past. We cannot plan for the future without first learning about what happened in the past." Erwin frowned.
"Because...I dream of your future. That humans one day overcome the titans. And I want to see it come true. But most of all, I want to be by your side when it comes true." Levi wrapped his arms around broad and strong shoulders.
"Keep hold of that dream. It's a good one to strive for. Tell you what, if you can handle me taking you roughly, then I'll let you come on the mission. But, promise me that you take it a little easier." Erwin suggested.
Levi frowned a little, but nuzzled into the neck, inhaling the scent that was Erwin. He was eager to finally have Erwin like this. He pulled the other into a heated kiss, his silent agreement to the deal.
=3=
Death: Okay! This chapter was a little hard for me to write. I had a hard time to figure out how exactly Eren gets kidnapped. And I was like, no what, I'll just make it bold as fuck and go from there.
And, anyone want to see their love making? I ended it here because I honestly don't know if having that scene would be good for the story? But if people want to read that, I'll add it in the next chapter.
Please leave a review~