Paradis' Strongest Soldier

They had been all alone. Everyone else was either outside or in the bedrooms after a painfully awkward dinner in which someone or the other was turning a cold shoulder or avoiding any topics at hand. Onyankopon had stopped by briefly after leaving from lunch to drop off Levi's things for the night and took the completed letter to Mikasa along with all the notes about their findings. It was great to get that burden off, but they would never stop being reminded of it. Soon, it would be reviewed before being expedited to the island in an envelope with no markings, and then to be reviewed by the ambassadors and most hopefully of all, Mikasa. It was their clan story they shared, a story that could have been lost to time and under Eren's procession of doom.

Damn it, it was really happening. He should never have been so closed off from her in the first place. But now, this was his life as it was. He had been sitting in the armchair, away from Karina while the others were in sight and as Reiner emerged from his room, not acknowledging his presence but taking Martino and Gabi in tow outside the house, the former looking petulant. If he had a guess, it had to do with Martino's desire to follow the family footsteps and their desperation to keep him away from it.

Levi didn't want to participate in this. It was Martino's own choice to make.

"Are you happy with it? Last call," Onyankopon said, stirring him from his thoughts..

"It's what it is." Levi sipped some cool tea.

"Alright," he slipped the writings into his briefcase. "Are you feeling okay? You were rather quiet today."

"It's what I needed to be today. They're all doing fine sorting this out."

"I agree. But when are you two going to tell Reiner?"

Levi set his tea down. "We're not ready for that. We don't know if this is going to last either."

"You're not as good at hiding your life as you once were, Levi. Giuseppe has got his eyes on you two. You're certainly not the first pair of Eldians from opposite sides of the ocean to be in love, let alone working together," he noted. "Perhaps even less prominent given you tend to stay out of the public view."

"It's not the public speculation I'm worried about. Plenty used to that. It's the private gossip we get here. And Reiner's not dumb. He's going to figure it out sooner or later. I'm almost sorry we had to dump our epic of Ymir Fritz and the Ackermans upon him the way we did. We can't drop something like this on him in his state. And like I said, it might not last for more than one reason, and you know very well why." Levi rubbed his bad leg.

Onyankopon sighed. "I don't suppose you would put your trust in Ymir as a goddess for any matter, or anyone else, but I think you need to trust me when I say this: you need to be at ease with being part of a family. It's more than being comrades. That anyone can have one in this world now is a blessing, let alone of one this large."

It was true. The Braun's were one of the only surviving families from Liberio to have an entire set of siblings and all their children to make it. Almost every other family was missing siblings, children, parents, and extended members were out of the question.

"If I could go back and save Dodzi, his wife Abena, my nieces and nephew, and Abena's parents, it would be worth every disagreement, argument, and criticism we got from Abena's parents for being from the pasturelands and our rituals we upheld as opposed to theirs from the city which had a much more 'progressive theology than ours'."

Tch. Progressive, he meant as in, "let's move the Eldian ones we deem marked by some evil spirit to the slums on behalf of Marley, then Esereso will be all sunny and clean".

Levi appreciated the sentiment, although nothing from high society in-laws was comparable to being considered an inhuman enemy who ended up terrorizing the other's homeland, not to mention nearly killing two of their children on separate occasions. But he was getting rather tired of discussing this. And Onyankopon was right. The fact he had anything that he had not since childhood on the streets was a feat itself, even if undeserved and unearned.

"Well, they're not going to smother me in my 're not killers at heart."

"No, quite the opposite." The kitchen cabinet shuttered loudly. Onyankopon looked. "Here, I'll be off. You two need some time alone. I'll run by tomorrow after I drop by to see Dolph and I get this to the administration." Onyankopon left, holding his briefcase as if it contained some precious jewel. Theo looked up from his containment, longing to follow. Levi eyed him, reminding him of his punishment for attempting to steal his crutch once more. The mutt snorted contently and went back to sleep.

It was gone. The letter, all out of his hands. They'd spent all this time on some crackpot theory, and this was where it got him: in a family home. He hadn't ended up dead on a roof with another's dream fulfilled from beyond the grave, a tormented face who would not see it come to fruition, one who would only receive assurance from beyond the vanishing of that sandy hell on that horrible day. Or that's what he wanted to believe for his sake. For all of their sake.

It wasn't the time to give up on another set of comrades. No, damn it. Not that. He had to call them something else no matter how much he wanted to resist it. His family.

Karina stepped lightly into the living room, checking her surroundings as if a ghost from the past would jump out, or a sibling and his wife, doing who knew what in the privacy of their rooms. "He's right. Don't call us comrades. We're getting a little tired of the military around here."

"Can't help it. Sometimes, you're just dragged into that life kicking and screaming."

"I wish we'd tried more of that on our side of the ocean." She settled on the sofa, ready to be done with another battle in the home. She motioned for him to join her. There was nobody around. The doors creaked if anybody opened them, and the mutt was always listening even while dozing. He was so drained, but something in him told him to move and stop acting like he was a corpse to add to the mass graves. Only a few meters to hobble. He almost made it. She had to help him the last step as he covered his mouth, trying not to make a damn show of his pain.

"Damn it," he gritted his teeth as he slumped back. "Thanks. I didn't want another nap on the floor." He waited for the throbbing wave to pass. "Now we wait and see what happens."

Karina nodded and folded her hands.

"You alright?"

"I don't want to think about it. If we're wrong… I don't know if we'll ever find out what's right. And for them all too. If it's just a waste of time and I'm simply just…." She trailed off. "But if it keeps the memory of Ymir Fritz alive, then that's good enough for me. For us. Isn't it?"

"Yeah." He'd only caught one glimpse of the woman of many speculations, more like a girl, in that landscape of cold sand and dim stars. She was so empty, her eyes hollowed out, as she stood in alliance with Eren, her son and pawn, as their shared rage was unleashed upon the world, and nothing he could do to stop either of them. "You've done more than enough for me too."

"Don't start this again," she warned.

"No, I mean it. And you know you don't have to be a great goddess to have my appreciation."

"Oh, stop that. You sound like you're trying to write love poetry. It's so unlike your writing."

"Tch, what? Do you like it better when I speak like a filthy island devil?" Was he really that soppy, turning into a romantic fool?

"Are you teasing something?"

"You like it when I'm a caged wild animal ready to pounce. Don't you?"

Damn it, he was. Her face showed "yes" without words. His pain fleeted away, yet he was cautious enough to be in a gentle caress. It was as if the world around him came to a halt. His damn useless body was no more. He didn't need his strength to put on a show for respect. He was a son of Ymir, under the curse and further tainted by the King's men toward his clan, yet a freakish abomination turned into the freedom for the world from the girl whose name was invoked in wars, rituals, and poems. And in his suffering, he gave his life meaning.

This all felt more natural than the first time they kissed. He knew how to conduct himself, only used to conduct on the battlefield. Trusting in comrades had a different pattern, only bonded in unspoken spirit for each other's sake. Here, trust was physical. A body upon the other, giving in to each other, one not overpowering the other.

"Hey, Mom? Falco's here an-"

These words interrupted the passion between the two connected by a path unseen. It was like a pesky damn bird trying to barge into the house, some noise he thought he could ignore. But it wasn't until the noise registered were human words that his panic set in, and hers too, as their act was caught and entangled in a giant yarn ball of knots that had grown so tight, they had no room to escape.

"Shit!"

"Fuck!"

They split off. Tch, that was the fastest Levi had moved since his leg got fucked up. But it was too late to cover their tracks.

And there were two others tangled into this. Falco winced as he hid himself behind Reiner. What the hell was he doing here? His grimace was so tight his teeth looked like they were going to crack. As for Reiner, who stood by with the most deadpan expression, coming up with an explanation for this was going to be more difficult than writing the whole letter.

…..

"Falco, what are you doing here?" Karina struggled to control her volume, diverting her attention to the issue that was less dire than having her son meters away, stumbling into… this. Levi didn't blame her. It was as if they were a bunch of greenhorns who snuck off and got in trouble. He'd have to pick his words very carefully.

Unfortunately, Falco was a smart enough brat now to know that questions and people could have underlying intentions. And he was too anxious. Had he told Reiner? How had he let this slip? They had trusted him to keep this a secret. "I-I didn't say anything! He-he figured it out all on his own! Didn't you, Reiner? You told me and made me tell you to confirm it!" He pleaded to Reiner to come to his defense..

"Yeah. I did." He crossed his arms. His voice was oddly matter-of-fact, as if he was asked if he was once the Armored Titan.

"But Falco, why are you here?" Karina begged for an answer.

"Mom, he wanted to see me. He needed to talk some things through. He's fine, but his parents don't know he's out. It looks like he's going to have to stay the night though."

Karina sighed and rubbed her temples. "Yes, it's fine. Fine. What's one more?" Levi felt her shame around her even as she got up to pretend as if nothing happened, straightening out her sweater. He wasn't fairing much better. Tch, why had he let his guard down so easily? He only hoped the other two wouldn't follow them in.

"Come on, it could have been worse. We could have walked in on you at another time."

Why was Reiner so nonchalant? Karina ignored him completely despite this.

One of the bedroom doors flung open. "Is everything alright? You're all shouting." Giuseppe's voice sounded. He meandered down the hall. He looked ruffled up, and his shirt buttons were off by one slot each. Tch. He'd sure been in a rush to dress. "Falco?"

"I'm sorry," the brat apologized, shuffling his feet and putting on his best beggar's face. "I startled everyone. I burst in without knocking and they thought I was a vandal. That's why they were loud. I should have come in after Reiner. I shouldn't even be here and my parents are going to be mad at me."

"I see. I won't inquire about why."

"Ms. Braun was about to call my parents. I'll talk to them too. They'll want to mention this to the psychiatrist. Because I'm a bad kid who snuck out at night" Falco urged Karina to follow him to the kitchen. She was happy to comply, avoiding her brother's expression which contradicted his statement. Theo rattled his cage as he shook his tail in excitement at all the activity. Levi could only hope the rest of the Braun's stayed back in hiding.

"You okay, Mr. Ack- Levi?" Giuseppe corrected himself. "You're looking a bit flustered." He didn't sound like he was trying to be an ass for once.

"Didn't know it was Falco or an intruder or another damn bird. Field of vision's horrible. Add not being able to move, and I'm a cornered animal."

"Right. I'm sorry about that. We'll have to get the other two in soon. It's dark enough for anyone to slip by now. And maybe Martino should sleep out here instead in case someone comes by. If he's so desperate to sacrifice his life for the country, he can start here at home."

"Gabi and I have shared enough stories with him tonight," Reiner butted in. "He's not going to follow the family tradition anytime soon." He rubbed the bandages over his hand. "Sorry about the commotion. Looks like we interrupted you and Aunt Tina."

"Hmm?"

"Your buttons are off-centered."

Giuseppe struggled to reply, going slightly red himself. Tch, it looked like he wasn't the only one caught in the act.

"Hey, calm down, we're all adults here. And we rarely get privacy. Got to take advantage of enjoying yourself when you can. That's how Viola and I were born."

"You're rather cheeky tonight."

"Thanks. If I'm going to be alive, got to make the best of it."

Giuseppe sighed. "We do. I'd tell you to stop being so crude if you were a little boy, a naughty little devil, but I guess I never saw you as one, and this is simply who you'll be. Here, I'll go get your cousins." Giuseppe made his way to the door. "You shouldn't have to act like a parent here. Whatever will help you, Reiner." He nodded at his nephew, whom he addressed by name. Then, softly, "I'm sorry." He slipped out. Something in Reiner's face grew soft. It was rather eerie. Was this the same Reiner that nearly strangled him this morning?

Those telephone lines must have been busy at this hour because Levi could hear Karina mutter impatiently. At least she had something to keep herself busy with to avoid confronting Reiner, who moved in closer to Levi. He tried not to picture himself in the Underground as a child, surrounded by men seasoned with experience and bruises to prove it. Skirmishes over food, money, goods, and sexual experiences were common, though Levi had never considered himself to fall into fights of the latter category. Though that was about to change, and he had no idea how to address it.

"Hey, my uncle thinks I'm worthy to be called by my name for once," said Reiner. "That's the second most surprising thing to happen today, the first being the enthusiasm for Ymir Fritz."

Levi sat at full attention. Was this really how Reiner was going to react to him doing this profane act with his own mother? Or was there something in his mind that he simply wouldn't be able to deal with? He was calm, but he had been calm before his breakdown.

"As he should," Levi said. "Far time to beat that Marleyan propaganda out of him."

"Seems the case for the whole family," Reiner concurred. "Though some more than others, it seems. I don't know what you've done, but it seems to have worked." Reiner sat next to him on the sofa. Shit, this was uncomfortable. Goddamn it, he was either being ridiculously coy, or something in him was about to snap.

"I figured there was something going on between you and my mom. I know a facade when I've lived one my whole life." He paused. "You're looking rather tense. It's not like you. Do you think I'm going to beat you up over it?"

"Tch, you could."

He chuckled. "I can't control who's feeling up who- unless we're talking about Gabi and Falco, then it's getting stopped. It's probably the least of all the bullshit that could be fucking with me right now. Look, I think you two are absolutely deranged for trying to invoke Ymir Fritz to save the world from the island's wrath, but hell, snogging on the couch? You don't need to ask me permission."

"Reiner, are you sure you're alright with this?"

"You're asking me about whether you should be doing this? Come on, that's not like you, and you've clearly got something figured out about your life. I don't, except for living for the absurd. That's my plan you asked about, by the way. Don't we both, Falco?"

Falco returned from the kitchen. He twiddled his hands as if he had some string between them. His face had gone a bit pale, probably balancing the stress of the secret being out and upsetting his parents. His horror only amplified at seeing the two sitting together and straightened his stance to intervene. .

"Falco, Reiner's not going to kill me," Levi reassured. "We're not going to kill you either."

"Heh, good. Because I think my parents are tomorrow." He eyed Karina, who was speaking pointedly over the phone behind the wall.

"Hey, I promised you I'd vouch," said Reiner.

The door clicked open. "-and her guts were everywhere! We saw her intestines and some of her ribs. Any stronger hit and there would have been a hole in her back!" Gabi concluded her tale of a war exploit involving maybe Pieck Finger, a very graphic one at that, to the displeasure of her cousin and father in front of her. The lingering scent of cigar smoke filled the doorway. "I bet you don't wanna see that now, do you?"

"Alright, Gabi. You've done enough," said Giuseppe, probably not wanting to lose his dinner from disgust. "Let's hope none of us have to see something like that again." His voice dripped in guilt, knowing it wasn't him who subjected himself to see the most inhumane things known to humanity.

Gabi turned her attention to another person."Falco… are you doing okay?" She reached her hand toward where the brat's face had been clobbered into a black spot. He pushed her away.

"I'm fine. Not now, okay?"

"Oh… okay." Her face crumpled.

"It's nothing against you. I just wanted to see Reiner because of… you know…."

"Yes, and you two are not going to be sharing a bedroom tonight," Karina warned, stepping from the kitchen. "Not that we don't trust you to control yourselves, but we're not going to allow these little escapades to continue."

Reiner coughed. Tch, he was clearly trying to stifle his amusement in this. Falco looked at his feet in embarrassment. His blushing made him look like a fancy marble statue with red paint smeared on him while Gabi looked on quizzically. Her ignorance of both reasons was blissful. Karina tried not to look their way. "Giuseppe, is your room… ready so Gabi and I can settle down for the night?"

"Should be. Viola's all settled down. Falco, why don't you take over Martino's bed? He can share the living room space with Levi here. Get some spare blankets, would you, darling?" He asked Gabi.

"Yes, Dad. Oh, stop your stupid pouting. You slept on the ground in the camp, and that was full of dried blood and dead animals. Not too different from military drills." She dashed off to a hallway closet after she scolded her cousin, who was probably more annoyed at the prospect of sharing a space with Levi for the night after this morning's events than the discomfort of the floor. He trailed off to ready himself for bed with his family.

Falco shuffled his feet and looked at Karina. "Um, I need to get some leaves out of my clothes before bed, but thanks for letting me stay. Have a good night. Reiner, are you coming?"

"Just a minute."

Falco trotted off to remove the plant matter from himself- for one who hated the sight of birds, he sure had gotten close to trying to be one for some reason. He'd be safer where he went in case an explosion happened here. Karina was bracing for it with nothing to distract herself with. She approached them but still kept a distance. The shame glimmered in her eyes.

"Reiner, we- I didn't want to tell you this way. But it seems that nothing gets by unnoticed in this house."

"Mom, stop apologizing," Reiner said. "We had a talk, and I get it. You're free to live your life." He spoke far less casually than he had with Levi. Tch, it was far more difficult with his own mother. "There's things you've done to hurt us all, but I wouldn't consider getting close like this with an islander one of them." She didn't flinch. "Hey, I'm the one who befriended them in the first place."

Karina sat in the armchair. Relief washed over her face, and amusement. "I have a propensity to fall for all the illegal unions, don't I?"

"We've all got habits we hang onto."

Gabi trotted back with the pillows and blankets and dropped one batch on the floor and another batch at Levi, a precise shot. He eyed her, wishing she wouldn't be throwing things at him in his condition. "Are you coming to bed, Aunt Karina?"

"Yes, dear. And please stop throwing things. You're not your little sister."

"It's cute when she does it though, huh? Well, maybe I'm retraining to help teach her to be more skilled at her aim like me." She yawned. "Come on, let's go. Good night, Reiner!"

Karina got up. No goodnights were given. She was still ignoring Levi, their fill of intimacy done for the time being. It would just have to do. Gabi waved at Reiner and left likewise. Reiner nodded and tracked them until they were out of sight. He looked as if he wanted to say something more to his mother. When she was out of earshot, Levi spoke to Reiner. Tch, why was he having to sort all this out on Karina's behalf?

"So you really figured this all out?"

"Yeah. Gave me something to concentrate on instead of the pieces that won't come together. Good to have a yes or no to a question sometimes."

Just why had they come together? He didn't want to take the time to recount every possible person's actions that made this possible, for good and bad, including Reiner."Wasn't sure if we'd ever be able to explain why the hell we're in this, Reiner, but we are."

"Good enough." Something in his hazel eyes glimmered as if he had another thought. "Hey, does this mean I have to start calling you Da-"

For once, Levi did not winge from his physical ailments but from this proposition Reiner had jokingly brought forth, his realization from that morning coming back to bite him in the ass. "No. Don't. Don't. Don't you dare." He felt like he was going to fold into himself. Damn it, he was not willing to get used to being called that. "Don't ever call me that."

"Nah, I won't. Won't say anything either to the rest of the family either, not when an island devil and good Eldian union is the second worst thing after a Marleyan-Eldian union." He snorted and looked at his bandaged hand. "Though like you said, I guess we got ourselves into this mess too long ago. Gabi also told me about Falco's strings that he likes playing with. To think he's putting those knot-tying skills from training to soothe himself. Poor kid. Glad he has something to help himself through this."

"Your mother was the one who came up with that."

"Really? Does it have something to do with Ymir Fritz or a Great Titan War story?" He asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"No. Nothing about that."

"Well, it's good to know she has some independent thoughts for once. Even if I don't like where they're coming from." He paused. "Not talking about you."

"I know."

"Like I said, I don't know what you've done, but whatever it is, it's changing my family."

"Think of it like an overdo ass-kicking," said Levi, not wanting to correct Reiner on just whose family it was. "It hurts, but it's to get everything under control before it turns into another Rumbling." He immediately wished he hadn't used that expression as he shook off wanting to speak to and scream at and whoop and bloody up another young man for the final time. He wasn't going to wallow in regret, not after he'd lectured so many against such.

Martino slowly paced through the hallway into the living room. He hadn't bothered to wash the scent of cigar smoke off himself despite having changed his clothing. Lovely, it was going to be like sleeping outdoors next to the smoldered ashes of a firepit. Not that the young man seemed to care now that he was stripped of his comfy bed and was obliged to share with his newfound enemy.

"Alright, I'm off to bed," Reiner said as he got up. "I promise I won't attempt double-murder tomorrow morning." He looked at his cousin who stood at his eye-level. "Behave yourself." It was good to hear he had no will to lash out, intentionally or not, at them, or him and Karina. But that didn't mean he was free of thought to harm himself or worse. He hoped Karina would have more guts to speak to him in the morning. He wasn't going to be the parent here. He was just part of the family, whether everyone else knew it or not.

Everyone else. Were they simply going to have to reveal everything now that the person with the most prioritized needs for Karina knew the truth? He hadn't had the chance to ask Reiner to keep quiet about that, though he'd been silent for too long for horrible reasons pertaining to himself to think he would try to use this to blackmail them. Giuseppe was right. His nephew was suddenly a cheeky bastard. He'd seen this in Reiner before when teasing the other ambassadors. Maybe he really didn't care as long as his family went about living free from their old lives. Tch, Levi didn't know if he should have thanked Onyankopon's Creator and Its spirits for making this go infinitely better than he imagined it would have.

Martino wasn't in the mood to have a heavy handed talk or another bitching session before bed. He went straight to aligning one blanket on the floor in a fold to give some support to his body and using the other blanket for warmth. He fluffed his pillow out. He was not gentle about this. Levi changed his mind. Maybe he needed his own nudge. It worked for Reiner. And when was the last time he'd spoken to Martino other than one apology? He couldn't recall.

"Good, you've got the basics down," encouraged Levi. "Soon you'll be reaccustomed to not having one, and you'll be able to sleep anywhere at any given moment."

He didn't find that amusing. "Not you too. Forget it. Just forget about what I said at lunch. My parents and cousins are giving me enough hell as it is. I won't join the engineering corps." He muttered in defeat as he smoothed a nonexistent lint off his pillow.

"Hey, I wasn't shaming you. It's not easy watching Reiner, Gabi, and Falco go through hell when you can't put out the flames no matter how much water you douse it with. They don't want you to join them just because you're out of solutions."

Martino glanced over.

"I'm not going to tell you what you should or shouldn't do. Like your Aunt Karina said, think about it first. You've had this privilege to have all this time to do it when planning your life out with what you've got, and we haven't. When I first joined the island military- by force, mind you- I was only in it for my… my… friends' sake." He stammered, not sure what to call them. "A sense of obligation. But it always becomes more than that. You simply want to spit on the world after you see things we've seen. Sometimes, you have to be the normal in the world where the abnormal is hurled at you. Keeping the anchor down, as the Marleyan proverb was. And that's okay too. Lots of new recruits walked away after one of the island districts was overrun by Titans. As with the dead, we carried them on in our memories to give us more will to fight."

At this point, Martino looked lulled.

"Sorry, didn't mean to sound like a Church priest. Spent too much time over our own Eldian roots lately. Point is, it's fine to hang out in the background. We need people like that. They're the ones who work their asses off to keep us fed and sheltered. You can forget all that or take it to heart. Okay?"

"Thanks," he said.

"But one thing you can't…. Next time, wash that smoke off yourself before bed. You smell like a tar pit."

Martino did not find that statement amusing either. He turned over to go to sleep. Tch, Martino had never loved his sense of humor. Levi took the opportunity to sort his arrangement on the sofa. His mind was refocused on avoiding as much pain as possible as he shifted into a sleeping position. He would have offered Martino the sofa if sleeping in the chair didn't make him feel like he'd been trampled by a horse.

He let himself be comfortable. If only someone else wasn't separated from him out of shame and a door, he thought he'd feel better. He was in a home with people he could consider his family.