Time passed, as it was wont to do; as much as Historia sometimes wished that it didn't. It was particularly during the days she spent at one of the orphanages that she really wished time would just come to a complete standstill, allowing her to remain there with the children indefinitely. This sentiment would always grow stronger with every day that passed, niggling in the back of her mind that soon she would have to return to the capital and its affairs of state.
It was important she did, of course. Not only for the children, but for everyone who lived inside the Walls. Especially after finding out how large the world truly was and what they were up against, it became more important than ever for her to focus on being queen and leading her people.
But that did not mean she didn't often wish, however selfishly, that she could just stay in this little piece of paradise she had built.
Those seductive thoughts never remained for long, though, realising how similar they were to the self destructive wishes of old King Fritz.
So instead she endeavoured to maintain a stable balance between the two parts of her life.
"I don't know how you managed to talk me into this," grumbled the voice next to her.
Historia suppressed her giggle.
Yes, time passed. The seasons gave way for one another, and one more winter had finally arrived. But some things would always stay the same.
Her old captain was still a ray of sunshine, for one.
"Oh, shush now," she said. "You know exactly why you agreed to this."
Historia helped Captain Levi adjust the pillow underneath his red jacket, ensuring it was securely held in place by the belt going around his waist. It wouldn't do for it to slip.
"It's for the children, that's why."
Levi gave up fiddling with the false beard he'd been trying to fasten around his face. Reacting quickly, Historia grabbed the beard before he could throw it away in frustration.
"No, no, no," she chided. "You've got to wear the beard."
"It itches," he said, giving her a pointed look.
"Oh, poor you," she said as she stood up on her toes to help him put the beard in place. "The great Captain Levi, beaten by an itch."
The look he gave her then would have made her freeze in terror back when she called herself Krista Lenz. Unfortunately for him, she'd grown used to it by now.
The captain had been a constant in her life ever since she ascended the throne. He'd followed her every step of the way in the creation of the orphanages, all the way from arguing against her opposition, to securing funding, and accompanying her on every single trip to find children in need of help. This was already more than she ever would have hoped for from him, and she certainly didn't expect anything more.
But then he'd stayed.
When the orphanages had been built, and the children were safely looked after, he'd still been there.
Like her, Captain Levi spent every spare moment he had available at the various orphanages, helping out with odd jobs and spending time with the kids; whether that be entertaining them in ways he felt comfortable with or teaching them various skills.
Suddenly Historia didn't find him quite so scary anymore.
Seeing that his death glare had no effect, Levi broke eye contact.
"What difference does it make if I go without the beard? I'm still wearing the bloody getup you brought."
Despite his complaints, she noted that he made no move to swat her hands away as she worked to fasten the strings behind his ears.
"Well, you've got to have a beard," she said. "Same as the fat belly, really."
Historia patted the pillow fastened against his stomach, earning herself another look from the captain.
"The children will expect the beard and the stomach when they see Santa, just as they will expect the red and white suit."
"They will still know that it's me," Levi countered.
Historia hummed in response as she finished the last knot on the false beard.
Of course they would know it was him. Despite what a lot of people might say, children weren't stupid. Foolish, maybe, but not stupid.
"Maybe so," she said, lowering herself from her tippy-toes, happy with how the beard looked on him. "But they'll be happy to play along with us when they see how much effort we've put into this."
She saw his eyes soften slightly. It would have been impossible to spot had it not been for all the time she'd spent with him over the past two years, but it was there.
She went for the kill.
"But the very youngest of them probably won't realise it's you." She paid attention to the miniscule movement in his eyes as they flickered to look at hers for only a moment. She knew she had him then. She'd learned after working so closely with him on the Orphanage Project that he truly cared about the happiness of the children (or brats, as he tended to call them) they'd raised up from the filth together.
If it was for their sake, then he would do almost anything.
"Besides," she continued, knowing that he wouldn't say anything in reply to her appeal to his caring side. "It's not like you're going at this alone. I've dressed up, too, you know."
Levi slowly turned his head towards her, giving her an utterly unamused stare.
Historia coughed and looked away in mild embarrassment.
"You're wearing a dress," he drawled. "You're always wearing a dress. The only difference is that it's green."
Taking a look at herself in the full body mirror they were standing in front of, Historia had to acquiesce that out of the two of them, she looked the least out of the ordinary in her green velvet dress. The biggest difference was that the skirt reached her knees, rather than her ankles, and the fluffy white wool trimming the edges.
Well, that and the jolly green hat with a golden bell on the end which tinkled merrily everytime she moved her head. Levi had somehow managed to leave that detail out, though this was probably on purpose since it did nothing to improve his argument.
"I'm Santa's little helper, me. This is how I'm supposed to look." She put her hands on her hip and puffed out her chest, proudly. "And I happen to think I look cute in it."
Levi snorted and rolled his eyes at her. But even with the false beard in the way, Historia could tell that he was giving one of those little smiles of his.
A shame the beard blocked her view.
Taking a step back, Historia gave the transformed Santa Claus one last look over.
"There," she said, happy with how he looked. "You're ready."
Letting out a sigh, Levi muttered, "Let's just get this done before my squad gets here…"
Grabbing the large sack placed against the wall, he effortlessly swung the heavy laden thing over his shoulder.
Looking at Captain Levi's back, Historia put her hand atop the pocket she'd had sewn into her skirt. Even though she knew the little object was securely placed in her pocket, she found herself continuously checking if it was still there. She wasn't sure if it was because she was worried that she'd lose it, or if she was hoping she'd lost it.
No. I can't lose it. Focus.
Seeing Levi was headed for the door, Historia pulled on her knitted green mittens and followed him out of the servant's quarter they'd been preparing in.
The biting wind and cold of midwinter made Historia glad for the thick woollen stockings she was wearing. Dyed a radiant red to fit the yuletide cheer of the rest of her outfit, they kept her legs warm underneath her shorter skirt.
It was snowing quite heavily, but fortunately they didn't have far to go. A hundred or so metres ahead of them stood the grand country manor they would be spending the night in.
It was one of the properties that had come with Historia's crown. She'd wanted to tear it down and make a better use out of the land the manor stood on, since it was too large for her to actually have any personal use for. Now, however, she was happy she hadn't since it made the perfect place to house all the orphans from every one of their orphanages for yule, including all the volunteer workers who'd agreed to help out tonight.
By now, they should be just about done with dinner.
"At least I don't have to go down the damned chimney…" muttered Levi.
Historia giggled into her mitten. That would have been a sight to see.
He'd said it so quietly he'd probably not actually meant for her to hear the comment, but since she had she decided to have some fun with it.
"Oh, I don't know," she said with faux innocence. "The main hall has a large fireplace, and you're small enough that it might be possible for you to fit."
Stopping his march through the snow, Levi slowly turned his head and gave her a truly dark look from behind his false beard and red hat.
Historia blamed the cold for the shiver that ran through her body.
"I am not covering myself in soot," he said in a voice like a gravel path.
Historia couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled from her lips at that. Leave it to Captain Levi to ignore the comment on his stature and focus on the important things.
Upon hearing her laugh, the angry tension seemed to leave his body. He must have realised I was just teasing him , she thought.
"Come on, captain," she said, placing a hand against his back. "They're waiting for us."
Levi exhaled through his nose and nodded. They trudged the last bit of distance through the snow before reaching the entrance.
Levi held out a hand to open the doors.
"Remember what I told you," Historia said quickly. She wanted everything to be perfect tonight.
Levi closed his eyes and let out one last sigh. He'd clearly not wanted to be reminded.
He gave the doors a mighty shove, slamming them open and basking the two of them in warm orange light.
Some seventy young faces turned to them as one. The happy hubbub which had been filling the manor's great hall suddenly quieted.
It was like the whole world held its breath in anticipation.
Gritting his teeth, and with a slight twitch in one eye, Levi said:
"Ho… Ho… Ho…"
Historia had never heard a less lively 'ho, ho, ho,' in all her life. Not that she had heard many, but this sounded like his vocal chords had had to drag the words out of his mouth kicking and screaming.
Before she could chastise him for the monotone delivery, however, the children exploded into excited shouts of, "Santa!"
Levi flinched at the natural volume of a child's inside voice, but gathered himself impressively quick.
"Right," he grumbled, adjusting the sack on his shoulder.
Historia watched Levi, dressed as Santa, plunge on with the air of a man determined to get it all over with.
He did not get far before he was accosted by several dozen over excited children.
Smiling softly to herself, Historia took off her little mittens and stepped into the entrance hall to begin the work of closing the two large doors Levi - sorry! - Santa had swung open. It wouldn't do for anyone to become sick because she let the cold seep in. All the while she listened to the familiar sound of children, interjected with the voice of Santa Levi going, "One at a time, you brats! Damnit, one at a time!"
As the last door clicked into place, securing the cosy warmth of the hall from the elements, Historia heard a delighted young voice behind her.
"'Storia!"
She turned around to find little Heidi, one of the youngest children they had here, barely three years old, looking up at her with barely contained excitement.
The volunteers hadn't told the children she would be visiting them tonight. She'd wanted it to be a happy surprise. In addition to Santa Claus, of course.
Kneeling down so she was at Heidi's eye level, Historia whispered, "I'm not Historia. I'm Santa's little helper. See," she brought a hand up to her jolly green hat and jingled the bell. "I have the hat and everything."
Heidi was awestruck. Looking into those expressive brown eyes of hers, Historia could practically see the thoughts running around inside the little girl's head.
Not only was she the queen; she was also Santa's little helper! Official!
Giving Heidi a wink, Historia brought one finger to her lips.
Adapting a serious look, like she'd just been let in on the world's most important secret, Heidi lifted her own finger in a silent promise not to tell anybody about her part time job.
Well, not entirely silent. She made a very exaggerated shushing noise.
Looking back up, Historia saw that Levi had managed to make his way through the nearly solid mass of children to sit on the large chair the workers had prepared for him in front of the main fireplace ahead of time.
The plan was for him to sit each child on his knee and give them a present from the bag. Judging by the look in his eyes, he was keen to finish up as soon as possible.
Best not to make him wait, she thought. She needed to do her duty as Santa's little helper.
Standing back up, Historia dusted off her red stockings before extending her hand to Heidi.
"Come along, sweetheart," she said. "Do you want to meet Santa?"
Heidi nodded with a wide open smile and grabbed Historia's hand.
Walking into the great hall together, Historia thought they made a nice pair. Heidi was wearing a similar dress to her, only in red with white wool stockings in contrast to Historia's green and red. The only thing the little girl was missing was a little pixie hat of her own.
Something to get her for next year, Historia thought to herself.
She thought the orphanage workers had done a wonderful job with the decorations. They had secured a tall fir tree of some 3 metres which had been placed in the middle of the hall. According to the report the workers had given her, they had organised it so the children had decorated the tree themselves (apart from the very top for safety). The dining tables were bedecked with holly and pine cones, while the walls had various wreaths and garlands put up. But Historia's favourite was the countless stockings which had been hung on the mantelpieces of the many fireplaces that littered the mansion's great hall; one for each child. And tomorrow the children would wake up to find their stockings filled with homemade sweets.
Historia was very happy with the work that had been done. But the most important part still remained.
Seeing the veritable mob of children cramming themselves around Levi on his chair, Historia briefly wondered how they were going to do this in all that chaos.
Only briefly, mind you, because an overcrowded Levi decided to fix the issue moments later.
"Right, that's it! Get your scrawny little asses in a line right now, or the only gifts you bloody brats will be getting are your own intestines for belts and garters!"
Historia stiffened momentarily at Levi's choice of words, but calmed down when she saw that none of the children were frightened. Probably due to extended exposure to the captain and his particular way of endearment.
In fact, Little Heidi was letting out pearls of laughter next to her.
"Santa's on the naughty list," she said between happy giggles.
"Yes, what a naughty man, indeed," said Historia.
Historia walked forward and quickly placed Heidi into the fast forming line. She didn't want the poor girl to have to wait too long before her turn came, but they'd been a bit slower than the other kids, so Heidi ended up near the end of the line. Historia hoped the poor girl didn't get too impatient waiting.
"Now, you be a good girl and wait patiently for Santa to call your name, alright?"
"Yes, 'Stor-" Heidi's eyes widened as she caught herself. "Yes, Miss Helper."
Historia gave her one last smile before making her way over to Levi. She was still amazed at how quickly the children had quieted down and formed an orderly line.
If only they listened to her like they listened to Captain Levi, but no, when she gave them instructions, they decided to run circles around her just because they found it fun to wind her up.
She couldn't help but notice as she approached him that Levi looked far too satisfied with himself.
It was a personal discovery of his, he'd once told her when asked how he always got the kids to do as he said with no issue, that ridiculous threats didn't worry or scare them at all; but they were obeyed. In fact, the more graphic the threat, the more likely it was to get done.
Historia had gone from horrified to amused, and later, back again to horrified when she found out that some of the orphans had taken to using complicated words like disembowel in everyday conversation. She'd had to do a lot of lecturing to both children and (alleged) adult after that.
The captain had not seen the issue.
Stepping up on the slightly elevated black marble hearth where Levi was sitting, Historia took her place between him and the gift sack so she could perform her sacred duty as Santa's Little Helper.
"Are you ready?" She whispered, linking her hands in front of her skirt.
He glanced up at her from his seat. "Do I have a choice?" He did not wait for an answer, instead he called up the boy at the head of the line.
And so began their work for the evening. Levi would call the person at the front of the line by name, sit them on his knee and ask if they had been good this year. The child would naturally say ' yes ,' and Historia would dig into the sack for a present. She would then hand it to Levi, along with a fruit (they'd manage to get their hands on a bunch of oranges), who in turn gave it to the kid on his knee with the promise they'd be good for another year.
All in all, the process became very automatic considering the amount of children they had to go through. It may not have been absolutely perfect like she'd hoped, but Historia thought the fact Levi called each and everyone up by their name was a wonderful detail on his part. It added a touch of magic with Santa knowing who each of them was.
A little more than halfway through, Historia could tell Levi's patience was really starting to wear.
"And be good. I'll know if you're not," he said in a slightly threatening voice, handing Ludwig his present. "Hohoho," he added in a quick exhale.
When the boy scurried away, she leaned over to whisper, "How are you holding up?"
"My leg fell asleep after the first ten asses, the beard still itches, and the cushion is uncomfortable." Levi hitched his belt. "I'm not used to having a fat stomach."
"You're doing very well, captain. Only a little bit more to go. Here's a tip, though. Just 'be good,' will do. Don't say, 'or else,' unless you want them to grow up to become usurers or some such."
"Habit," he said, as if that explained everything. It was a bit worrisome that it kind of did.
Setting his focus back on the line of children, Levi called for the next person.
Upon hearing her name, Heidi (who'd practically been vibrating while waiting for them to finish their conversation) ran up and climbed bodily onto Levi's lap. There was a muted 'oof' when Heidi's hand slipped from where it was holding purchase for her scrambling body on Levi's upper thigh, and smacking it into his crotch. Historia breathed in a sympathetic gasp.
Not wanting any more flying limbs from an over-excited three-year-old to hit him in any other sensitive areas, Levi quickly grabbed Heidi underneath her armpits and hoisted her onto his knee.
Child securely in place, Levi adjusted his own posture. "So," he said in a slightly strained voice. "Have you been a good girl this year, Heidi?"
"Yes, Mr. Santa. I do all my chores, an' I don't even complain."
"Really?" Levi raised one eyebrow at the girl. Even though she was seated with her back to Historia, she could hear the pride in her young voice. "That's very good, Heidi."
Heidi nodded her head. "Mhm! Ev'ryone helps out so we don't make trouble for our uncles and aunties."
Historia felt warmth surge in her chest at the familial term for the volunteer caretakers. She'd felt it important that, despite being orphanages housing many lonely children, they would be considered real homes with everyone living and working there being family. The children also referred to one another as brothers and sisters. Historia had thought it would be more difficult to achieve this, considering how long some of them had lived as strays and waifs before arriving at the orphanages, but it had been a surprisingly quick adjustment for most of them. And now, whenever new children were brought into the fold, the others were diligent in helping the newcomers feel like they were part of a growing family. Even those who'd ended up formally adopted by other families occasionally came back to visit and help out.
Even at the tender age of three, it was clear that the little girl sitting on the captain's lap took this shared philosophy seriously.
"An' I also don't want to bother Cap'n Levi or worry 'Stor-"
Heidi suddenly stopped her explanation of how good she'd been this year. She gave a tentative, wide eyed look over her shoulder at Historia before looking down into her lap and fidgeting. Historia raised a curious eyebrow at the sudden change in the excitable girl. Heidi looked up at Levi's disguised face, and then threw another cautious glance at Historia. This time Levi turned his head to give Historia a questioning look. She could only shrug back at him, equally as confused.
The three year old then looked back up at Levi, stretching her body up toward him. Taking the hint, Levi bent his neck so he was level with her. Heidi cupped a hand around her mouth and whispered something into Levi's ear. Historia found herself leaning closer to catch what was being said, but it was too soft for her to hear.
"Oh, really?" said Levi in an almost amused voice. "You don't say? Well, aren't I lucky?"
It was a strangely alluring sound, so unlike the stoic tone she was used to hearing from the man. It made Historia's lips twitch into a small smile as she fingered the little bundle she was keeping in her skirt pocket.
"Your secret is safe with me," said Levi while leaning back again. "Well, I think it's clear you've been a very good girl this year, Heidi. I know you'll continue to be good next year as well."
Catching her cue, Historia broke from her thoughts and took her hand out of her pocket. Digging into the fast emptying sack, she handed Levi a present wrapped in red paper as well as an orange.
"I will, Mister Santa. Promise!" With her gift and orange in each hand, Heidi slid off Levi's lap. "Thank you!"
Before she ran off to join the other children already unwrapping their presents, Heidi did a clumsy little curtsy which made Historia nearly melt. She really was too cute.
Taking the opportunity before Levi could call for the next person, Historia sidled closer to him. "What did she say to you?"
When Levi turned his head to look at her, she saw the same amusement she'd heard in his voice glint in his eye.
Before he could answer, however, the front doors slammed open. The fire burning behind them flared with the gust of wind that went through the great hall. Having grown used to the cosy warmth of the hall, Historia felt an uncomfortable shiver run through her.
Just like when she and the captain had entered, everyone in the hall turned to look at the newcomers who were letting in the cold.
"HO, HO, HO! " The voice rang loud through the hall. "I hope you've all been good this year, 'cuz Santa is here!"
Next to her, Historia heard a quiet, "Oh, no…"
They hadn't told anyone other than the people working at the orphanages about them dressing up as Santa and his helper, so perhaps it shouldn't come as any surprise that Commander Hange would take that duty upon herself.
The commander hadn't gone all the way like they had, however. There was no hat, no beard, and no fat stomach either. She'd just donned the suit. And Historia had never heard of Santa wearing an eyepatch before. She did have Levi beat in the energy department, though.
Behind her stood Levi Squad, looking a mix of amused and embarrassed at the commander's antics.
They all marched into the hall, and Hange looked around.
"Aww… they've already handed out the presents? But I wanted to-"
There was a snort from Mikasa as her eyes found them by the fireplace. A heavy sigh left Levi when Hange, too, looked their way. Her single eye widened, and she pointed at Levi.
"No way!" she said, voice full of glee.
Behind her, Connie and Sasha burst out into raucous laughter. Eren, Armin, and Jean were staring in a sort of horrified disbelief. Mikasa's shoulder's were shaking in repressed laughter, her smirk hidden by her hand.
Historia felt a bit of heat rise in her cheeks. While she hadn't actually intended to change out of her outfit before her old squadmates arrived, she now realised how 'unqueenly' her yuletide outfit was. Having played the role of the Queen of the Walls for so long, she felt a bit embarrassed at being caught wearing such a cutesy seasonal outfit, even if they were her close friends.
Oh, dear… She dreaded to imagine how Captain Levi felt. She hazarded a sideways glance at him.
The glint he'd had in his eyes earlier was gone. Instead it was replaced with the empty look of a man who'd resigned himself to his fate.
"Ho, ho, ho…" he said morosely.
While there hadn't been many more children for them to hand out presents to when Hange and the others had showed up, it seemed to take a lot longer than all the previous ones. The fact that their comrades sat smirking smugly at them the entire time certainly didn't help matters. The embarrassment was only alleviated when Heidi, bless the little girl's heart, stomped up to them and told them off for laughing at Santa. She even threatened that they wouldn't receive any presents if they kept being naughty like that.
Though, in Levi's case this seemed to only worsen his embarrassment.
It had almost been an hour since they'd finished up now. The children had been reluctant to let the dressed up captain leave. Historia suspected this was mostly to tease him since most of them knew it was really Levi underneath the heavy costume. Even so, it had still made for a heartwarming scene with the children not wanting Santa to leave, as well as a perfect ending for the evening. At least for the children.
There was still one last thing to be done before she could say this had been the perfect evening she'd been looking forward to. But she needed the captain to return first. She fiddled with the little bundle she'd kept hidden in her skirt the whole evening as she felt her nerves play up.
I can't get cold feet now, she thought to herself. She looked down at the great hall from where she stood on the first floor balcony. Sasha and Connie were chasing after a group of smaller kids who were screeching their pleasure. Over by the fireplace where she and Levi had been handing out presents, Armin sat and read a storybook he'd brought to another group of children. Jean, Eren, and Mikasa had found a corner for themselves where they talked quietly with each other, and by one of the other fireplaces sat Hange and sipped on a drink. And all around them were more kids who happily played with their new toys.
Historia felt a lump rise in her throat. The children were all warm, they were fed, but more importantly - they were loved and happy. She wiped at her eyes, trying to remove the wetness before the tears could fall. This was everything she'd wanted for herself as a child. The warmth, the happiness, the love. At least she'd manage to give these little ones what she'd so severely lacked growing up.
No, she thought as she heard soft footsteps approaching behind her. We did this.
"Thought it would never end. The damned outfit made me sweat like a pig." Though he complained, there was no real heat behind the captain's words. He'd changed out of the Santa costume into some black slacks and bracers. He was rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt. It was tucked in and he'd left the two top buttons undone, showing a bit of his clavicle. His hair was slightly damp from the shower he'd clearly taken. That explained why he'd disappeared for nearly an hour.
Historia hurriedly wiped the last of her tears away and coughed to clear the lump in her throat before he could join her at the bannister. If he noticed her emotional state, he didn't comment on it. He never did.
"Your 'ho, ho, ho' could use a bit of work," she said when she was certain there would be no waver in her voice.
"Oh?" The captain's tone of voice said he didn't appreciate the criticism.
"It's too lifeless. You should have a big fat laugh, like the commander did. You need to sound like… like you're pissing eggnog and crapping gingerbread!" Historia blushed. It would seem the captain had rubbed off on her, as well. "Excuse me…"
"Really?" The captain seemed amused by her slip of tongue. "And how would you know all this?"
"I was young once, too, captain. Hung up my stocking on the mantelpiece like a good girl every year." It hadn't really been a proper stocking. Just one of her socks. Not that it mattered since she'd never received anything. No sweets, no presents; nothing. Just a cold, empty sock when she woke up in the morning. But she'd still done it year after year because she'd still had hope at that time in her life.
"You're still young."
Historia knew he didn't mean anything by the comment, but it stung anyway. She shouldn't be surprised that this was how he saw her. She could feel the lump in her throat returning, though for a different reason.
"Still, you did very well tonight, captain," she said after forcing the uncomfortable feeling away deep into her soul.
"We do the best we can," he said with a sigh. He placed both elbows on the bannister and looked down on the crowded ground floor. "But I'll be glad when tonight's over. That was much worse than I expected."
"Surely, it wasn't that bad?"
"It was humiliating having to do the last few brats in front of my squad. Hange especially is never going to let me live it down…" He had a frown on his face as he followed Connie and Sasha with his eyes. The children had turned the tables and were chasing them now. "I'll up their training next year. That'll put the fear back in them," he decided after a moment's thought. His gaze shifted. "I'll smack Hange later."
As if realising they were talking about her, Hange looked up to where they were standing and raised her glass in a toast, a cheeky smirk on her face.
Levi huffed and turned away.
Historia smiled. There was something about the captain's annoyance which pleased her to no end.
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, captain, because we're doing this again next year."
He turned and gave her a sharp look. "Oh? Who's this 'we' you're talking about?"
"You were such a success as Santa, after all. The kids would be disappointed if you didn't show up next year, so of course we have to do it. Otherwise they'll think they did something wrong." As an afterthought, she playfully added, "Your queen commands it."
"Oh, must I? For peace, and goodwill, and the tinkling of fairy bells?" He glanced at the bell on her hat. It jingled when she cocked her head. "I think not. He's just some fat clown who prowls children's bedrooms at night."
"But look at them." Historia gestured below. "You made them so happy."
Levi stared quietly for a long while, his eyes flickering between the children playing with their new toys, the group listening to Armin read, and the ones running after Connie and Sasha.
Historia looked at them, too, but instead of the pressure of tears, she now felt warmth suffuse her chest.
"We've done well here, haven't we?" She said it more to herself than as a question to him. But she still wanted to hear him say it.
"Hmmm. You've done a good thing here, Historia."
"We," she said sharply. She wouldn't have him play down his own contribution to the children. "We've done a good thing."
He let out a long breath, but didn't say anything. He was used to her stubbornness by now.
She looked back down at the laughing kids.
"What do you call that warm feeling you get deep inside?" she said quietly.
"Heartburn," replied Levi.
Historia let out a very unladylike snort that would have made Frieda horrified. She nudged him with her elbow.
"Do I detect a note of unseasonal grumpiness?"
This time it was Levi who let out a snort. Historia couldn't look away from the content little smile that adorned his face, no longer hidden by the false beard. Her skirt pocket burned against her thigh.
"Fine," he muttered. "I guess I did inadvertently promise I would see the brats again next year…"
That reminded her…
"By the way, what was it Heidi said to you?" Levi turned his head to look at her, one eyebrow raised in question. "You know, when she whispered in your ear?"
The amused glint in his steely blue eyes returned, making him look younger - closer to her own age. "Ah, she asked me if I knew my helper was the Queen of the Walls." He let out a soft chuckle and shook his head.
The warm, rare sound that came from the captain made Historia's chest swell, and the revelation of Heidi's words brought her own laughter out.
Still leaning his weight on the bannister, Levi turned to look at her when she laughed.
"I thought you'd like that." There was still a slight upturn to his lips.
"Really," she said when her laughter died down. "That little girl truly is too precious."
Levi hummed his agreement. "They all are."
"Oh?" she couldn't stop the teasing tone of her voice. "I thought they were annoying brats."
"They are, but that doesn't prevent me from enjoying their company occasionally." He shot her a sideways glance. "You and the brats on my squad are perfect examples of that."
"You only enjoy my company occasionally, captain?"
His lips twitched. "Occasionally," he repeated.
Her heart was beating hard in her chest. She decided to go for it. In one quick movement she dug her hand into her pocket and pulled the bundle out.
"Levi?" Just his name. No title, no prefix. Just his name.
He turned his head fully to look at her. He followed her outstretched arm to where it hung over him, eyes finally landing on the bundle of green branches and white berries held in her hand.
Before he could process what he was looking at, Historia stood up on her toes and leaned forward. She kept her lips pressed gently against his cheek for several seconds before she pulled away.
Lowering herself from her toes, Historia brought down her arm and quickly looked away. Her face was burning, and if she thought her heart had been beating hard earlier, then it was beating up a storm now.
"Happy birthday, Levi," she whispered.
No answer. After a few seconds of silence, she hazarded a look out of the corner of her eye. That charming little smile of his was gone, as was the youthful light in his eyes. Instead they were replaced with the stoic, blank look everyone was used to seeing on him. She looked away. She shouldn't have done it. It had been a mistake, after all.
She was about to apologise when she felt the weight of his larger hand placed atop her own where it was gripping tightly at the bannister.
Historia looked sharply down at their hands, then over to Levi's face. He was looking dead ahead at the opposite wall, his expression still blank. She lowered her eyes back down to their hands. It was amazing how much larger his hand was compared to hers, despite them being so similar in size.
"Thank you…" His voice was quiet and even, but Historia picked up on the subtle emotion behind it. She blinked rapidly, her eyesight growing blurry with the press of tears. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her voice feeling thick.
"You're welcome…"
Historia loosened her frustrated grip on the bannister and gently turned it so her palm faced upwards. She carefully intertwined her fingers with his. She felt him stiffen next to her, but after a short moment of hesitation, Levi intertwined his own fingers with hers.
"I…" he began, but nothing more came. Historia didn't need him to say anything. She knew it was difficult for him to talk about how he felt. It was difficult for her as well.
Instead, she shuffled a step closer to him and leaned her head to rest her cheek against his shoulder. He was still standing a bit stiffly, but eventually he loosened up when it became clear she wasn't going to move away. His grip on her hand, so careful and gentle until now, tightened.
"Thank you," he repeated quietly. "Thank you, Historia. I…" he hesitated again. "I'm not leaving," he eventually decided.
It was enough. Historia squeezed his hand back. She brought her other hand over to hug his arm.
"Did you carry that mistletoe all evening?"
Historia giggled. "I decided to get it a few days ago when I was wondering what to get you as a gift."
Levi went quiet again.
"I didn't get you anything, though," he said hesitantly.
Historia pressed herself better into his side.
"Yes, you did."
Enjoying the warmth coming off his body, and the reassuring pressure of his hand on hers, Historia closed her eyes and listened to the happy hubbub coming from below.
The future might be more uncertain than ever, but she refused to keep making the same mistakes. She would still have him by her side.
It was enough.