-Chapter 35: Season of Giving-

T'was the night of the winter solstice, and all through the base, Squad Four's leader ran from hall to hall, giving her crew quite a chase.

For she had heard from Marlene that her dear comrade was returning home, causing her to drop everything she was doing in the workshop, literally as the machine she dropped nearly fell on Moblit's foot. Receiving an apologetic look from her friend the squad lifted up their work and went off to catch up with their leader, who was already far ahead of them.

Though the sound of her laughter echoing across the halls was very audible. Only matched by the loud tone of one Captain Levi.

"Watch it!"

Turning a corner the squad were met by the small statured scout, who was reclining on the wall, looking at the end of the hall, as the echoes of Hange's laughter reverberated. Dusing himself off he turned to see Moblit and the other juniors.

"Oi, what's up with her?" He asked. Moblit took a moment to catch his breath before answering.

"Just got word from Marlene. Ness spotted Maverick's carriage approaching the interior." Levi's pissed expression fell to a calmer and more neutral look as that certainly explained her far more erratic behavior.

"Ah. What it's been, almost a month now?" He scratched his chin. It had certainly been some time since the giant left. I was almost like the olden days.

"Month and a half, roughly." He let out a semi amused huff, that was certainly a long time. After a quick apology on Hange's behalf Moblit and the boys continued on in their pursuit, with Levi somewhat reluctantly following along, though he was in no real rush.

Meanwhile Hange was already reaching the front doors to the building, just in time to see both Erwin and Dieter talking among themselves.

"Ness, Ness! Did you really see him?!" Her voice caused Ness to jump slightly, while Erwin simply turned and smiled, long having grown used to her gleeful outbursts.

"Like I was telling Erwin, I spotted a certain carriage while I was taking Charlotte out for a little-"

He was interrupted as Hange ran between the two, slamming the double doors open and sprinted across the plaza.

"And there she goes." Ness chuckled. Just goes to show how much she missed the man. Erwin too had a humored look, though it quickly subsided as he wanted to hear more of his report.

"Anything else?" Ness leaned his head forwards wanting whatever he was about to sat to stay between the commander and him.

"Saw that there was a small cart attached to the back." Erwin's bushy brows raised in interest as Ness spoke in a serious tone. "Whatever was on it was covered Sir, hard enough to see with the snow. But not hard enough to see it was glowing."

"I see." Erwin found himself both intrigued and concerned. He recalled the main reason for Maverick's departure was only to oversee the construction of new artillery pieces.

"*Sigh* I'm sure Maverick will explain himself. But, for now let's gather the others and welcome him home."

Ness nodded and joined the commander as they headed for different sections of the plaza, only to take pause at the sight of the members of Squad Four as they ran in the direction of their leader, one nearly tripping on the snow.

-oOo-

Outside of the Survey Corps Headquarters

Adorned in their fur pelts the scouts stood outside the HQ's main entrance patiently waiting for their comrade's return, minus Hange who rocked her feet back and forth, anxiously hoping to see the carriage appear. Her hand grasped at her deer hood as she began to lose herself in her thoughts, thinking of all the things she wanted to do as soon as he got home.

She was soon reminded of her conversation with Marlene a while back and could feel her cheeks reddening. She covered herself with her cloak, blocking out the idle chatter around her, listening to her heartbeat. She had time to cement those feelings of hers and she hoped to be able to express them once he returned.

'You're not the only one…'

Those words repeated in her mind, leading to her to look in the direction of another woman among the group, Nanaba.

It was no secret she was fond of Maverick as well, what with her efforts to win his favor. She remembered that big dish of Shepard's pie she made for him, or the time they went off to skin deer, by themselves. Gods above only know how many other times they bonded without her knowing.

Oh yes, she was the other one. Sure, there were others possibly both inside and outside the scouts, but if she was honest Nanaba was the one to make the most progress.

As if sensing her eyes on her Nanaba turned her head to Hange, the two caught in a short staring contest, each of their faces showing tints of red, before quickly looking away from one another. She could only wonder if she was having any similar thoughts.

She would have plenty of time to think about her apparent rival, as soon the sight of a horse drawn carriage appeared from the nearby street, driven by two MP's. The conversations around her fell silent as it approached. Her eyes were glued to the approaching cart, her smile returning after seeing a certain familiar glow shining from the windows.

Some of the others however took immediate notice of the glow emanating from behind the carriage. As it got close they were able to see that the object of interest was a small cart, with whatever was glowing hidden under a fabric.

Some began to talk among themselves again, theorizing the contents inside. Was it some sort of new weapon? A piece of technology from an advanced era from a world beyond? Or perhaps it was some sort of giant elaborate night light.

All of course would be answered by the man inside the carriage, which had finally stopped, right in front of the gathered crowd.

"Were here!" Sounded one of the MP's. Hange perked up excitedly, only to be met with what sounded like were snores. After a few more minutes the officer handed the reigns over to his partner and got down, grumbling to himself and at the apparently sleeping passenger. Some scouts took an interest in the officer, specifically at the multi barreled rifle strapped to his back.

"Oi!"

The MP rapidly knocked on the door. It immediately did the trick as the carriage shook as the man inside was abruptly awoken from his slumber. "H-Huh?!"

Opening the door the officer let out a click of his tongue at the sight. "Rise and shine, you audience is waiting on ya!"

He stepped back to allow the man the space he needed. Just in time, as the carriage began to shake as its passenger roused himself up and slowly began to make his way out. With one large hand on the frame of the door he slowly revealed his face to everyone.

At the sight of the man she had not seen in almost two months Squad Four's leader let out a boisterous and joyful greeting.

"Welcome ba-!"

Only for said greeting to be cut short by his current appearance. Besides his slightly disheveled hair and beard, what caught the eyes of everyone present was the series of bandoliers and other oddities strapped to his body. One belt of what looked to be shells was secured around his waist above his belt, with another worn over his shoulders like a trippet.

And strapped to his legs were three large rectangular containers for each leg, making six. All in all, he looked as if he was ready for war.

While his mind was still trying to fully wake up Mav was conscious enough to hear and acknowledge Hange's voice. Through his half-lidded eyes he saw the faces of his comrades and lazily waved his hand to greet them.

"Hey, how y-Guh!" He had foolishly used the hand he was holding onto the frame of the carriage to greet his fellows, thus causing him to take a misstep and nearly fall flat on his face. Hange and some others took immediate action and quickly rushed to support him and keep him steady, a rather daunting task.

After managing to miraculously keep him from falling Maverick regained his footing and leaned back onto the side of the carriage. He took a few moments to massage his head, before letting out a soft chuckle. "S-Sorry. I honestly just woke up."

"You okay?" Hange asked still holding onto his left arm, rubbing it unconsciously. Still rubbing his temple Maverick responded, trying to put on a strong face. "Yeah, yeah…still a bit drowsy is all."

That's when she noticed his face, well what was visible, what with his long dark beard covering most of it. She saw that his usually warm and tanned complexion was of a much lighter shade. His hands as well had loss some of their color "You look a little pale Mav."

He heard the concern in her voice and already had an alibi ready. "Been really busy for the last few days." A small laugh escaped his lips as he kept himself steady. "May have skipped on a few meals on my last days."

Hange and the others looked at him with both surprise and concern. It wasn't like him to skip out on his three meals per day, especially with his mass and weight. Just what on earth had he been up to?

"Skipped a few showers too." Came Miche's voice, after getting a whiff of the large man. There was also another certain scent mixed in that made him quite curious.

"Miche, I swear…" Maverick muttered, turning his head to stare down his comrade with a narrowed look. Miche simply gave a humored smirk, while holding on to Maverick's right arm. "Gotta take care of yourself big man."

"Miche's got you there Maverick." Swiveling his head he met the blue eyes of his commander. "Taking care of oneself is important."

Maverick let out a sigh but nodded in agreement. Taking a few more steps he motioned for his friends to let him go, as he was conscious enough to make it on his own. "So, I trust your trip was fruitful?" Erwin asked.

"Oh, more and then some." He chuckled while adjusting his shell trippet. Erwin's lips curved into a small smile, while his eyes drifted to the glowing object in the back cart.

"What's with the belts Mav?" Hange spoke, asking what everyone was thinking at the moment. "And what are these?" She pointed to the rectangular box-like objects strapped to his legs. Looking down where she pointed he smirked, and took out one of them for all to see.

"These are magazines, mags for short." Hange's eyes widened, as she recalled him speaking about them some time ago.

"What are they for?" She asked, though she chastised herself almost immediately in her head. There was only one reason as to why he had created them, and the thought made her inquisitive mind even more excited.

"Why for my newest anti-titan weaponry of course!"

Mutters and looks of wonder and intrigue formed on the scouts faces as he went back into the carriage. His squad mates moved close to see what he was doing, only to quickly back away and look on with utter awe as the man had pulled out two massive and imposing looking guns.

"This is K'Boom!" He raised the massive, retrofitted cannon in his right hand. "And this is Lahkesis!" And lifted the over and under shotgun in his left respectively.

"Can I touch them Mav? Can I? Pleeease?!" Hange practically begged, as she grasped his shirt and looked into his glowing eyes with the possibly her best attempt at puppy eyes. Despite having grown a strong resistance to such looks he still decided to indulge his dear squad mate's plea and slowly placed his launcher down on the ground, barrel down, for all to touch. Hange let out a giddy squeal as her hands were almost immediately on the massive gun, only for Maverick's large hand to stop her.

"Just don't squeeze the trigger. I didn't install a safety." His sudden serious tone surprised her for a moment, but she quickly gave him an equally serious look, understanding his concern. Giving her a smile he backed up to give her and others some room to marvel at the weapon, while he shimmed around to show off his new shotgun to the others.

While he was explaining to everyone about its apparently high-quality walnut stock and engraved cobalt blue steel one among the group left to ask a few simple questions to the MP's who were currently talking among themselves and showing off some interesting firearms on their persons.

"Oi. What's up with him?" Levi asked calmly. The young officer looked taken aback as the small scout stared him down with a look that could give an inquisitor of Holy Terra a shiver.

"E-Eh?"

"His face is far paler than usual." He leaned close, making the young officer sweat under the collar. "And he looks like he's about to pass out."

The MP was at a loss on what to do. He personally didn't know why the man looked that way, and he couldn't think of the many established MP answers to civies, as the shorter man's less than friendly gaze was seriously messing with his head. Thus, all he could do was mumble and stutter, making a bit of a fool of himself.

"Most likely what's in the other cart got to do with it." Levi turned to meet the older MP, who stepped in front of his partner before he further elaborated. "The last few days into his trip he locked himself inside one of the workshops, didn't come out for anything besides the bathroom. When it was time to finally go, he came out looking like that, with whatever's inside that cart."

Levi's brow raised. "What kind of things?" The old MP shrugged, to the displeasure of humanity's second strongest. "Weren't you supposed to keep an eye on him and on whatever he did?"

"We did." Levi held a very disappointed look. "Hey, as long as he keeps on making stuff like this-" He gestured to the repeater rifle on his back. "-I'm not gonna bug him. Besides, the king gave him his blessing, and I'm not young and stupid enough to go against his majesty's word."

That was all the officer had to say as he soon got Maverick's attention, motioning him to remove his cart. Sending a thankful wave the demigod detached the carry on allowing the MP's to go on their merry way.

"What's inside the covers Mav?" Hange asked, trying to take a peek inside the fabric.

"Oh just my suitcase, smithing tools, and some things I made on my trip." His reply only made the squad leader even more curious as she began to ask him more about his trip. Unfortunately most of his answers were rather cryptic as he couldn't quite go into detail about everything about his time in the city, what with his agreement with the MP high command.

Opening the giant doors the demigod was let in and met with an unusual sight. Usually the H.Q would be absolutely teeming with scouts, going about their activities. But now, there were fewer than four dozen, many of those around being the veterans he met when he first arrived.

"The plaza's looking a bit emptier." He remarked, listening to the howling wind. The commander met his comrade's slightly lumbering speed and filled him in.

"Well with the current weather we decided it was better to enjoy some rest and relaxion. Many, if not all of our juniors decided to return to their families."

"Oh good, good." Maverick's lips curved into a smile. The youngins could use some R&R now and again. He hoped they would enjoy the time they had to the fullest.

"You had anything to eat?" His commander suddenly asked, just as they passed by the bronze statue in the plaza's center.

"They had a farewell breakfast for me back in the city. That was a couple hours ago, I think…" With a small, concerned smile Erwin patted his shoulder.

"Well, you're in luck. We were just getting ready for our solstice dinner."

"Oh-Ho-Ho!" The mention of dinner seemed to greatly invigorate the man as there was a rejuvenated pep in his step now as he rushed to the main building, making it an amusing sight to everyone present.

Once he secured his cart in the lounge and placed his new weapons in the barracks, he quickly went to rejoin his comrades and partake in the winter solstice feast.

-oOo-

Inside the Mess Hall, Survey Corps Headquarters

The mood was lively inside the hall, as the scouts that remained enjoyed an assortment of food best served and enjoyed during the winter months. All were basking in the warm and pleasing atmosphere, talking among themselves, reciting old stories, and simply enjoyed in one another's company.

Among them were two of the Corps' most recent members, Marlene, and Lynne. The two were currently observing the group that had seated near the Corp's returning member, who was partaking of the many meat related foods available, as well as a nice tall stein full of apple cider, which had been purchased from this year's harvest festival and had been stored just for his return.

They watched as he began to converse with those around him, mostly to his squad leader who seemed to take this chance to monopolize his attention.

"So, still think she has a chance?" Marlene whispered. Lynne's eyes shifted to see a cat like smile appear on her face. Her eyes then turned to her senior squad mate, who was currently seated across from the giant, simply watching as Hange continued to speak about whatever.

"I have faith in my captain. Just needs to find the right moment." The assurance in her voice surprised Marlene, before a soft chuckled escaped her lips. The two went quiet once more, as they watched the scene play out before them.

"Feeling better Mav?" The man in question was currently chewing on a large piece of ham. Swallowing the food in his mouth he took a breather before releasing a content sigh.

"Toasty." He said leaning back to feel the heat of the nearby fire pit to warm his back. "I swear they got me a shoddy carriage." Leaning his head further he continued. "Even with the covers the winds still somehow managed to seep inside. Not to mention I couldn't tell if the storm was getting heavier, what with being blindfolded and all."

"It's been coming and going all afternoon." Moblit spoke. "Lucky you didn't get stuck in, or go off the road."

A huff escaped Maverick's lips. That was the last thing he needed to happen on his trip, just thinking about it was more than enough to start a headache brewing. He sent his praises to the great winter deities in his head before turning back to his friends.

"So, how's things been on the home front Commander?" Erwin wiped his mouth before responding.

"Well enough. The decrease in titan sightings has allowed us to plan out the next expedition in peace, though of course we'll have to wait for the snow to pass to actually set off." The man nodded before taking another bite of his food.

"And you'll be glad to know Mav…" Lifting his head Maverick raised a brow, as he saw a satisfied smile curve on Erwin's lips. "That we've gone ahead with your explosive modifications to our flare guns."

His eyes widened before he smirked. That was a bit of a surprise, though he expected this to happen sooner or later. "Did' ya now?"

Hange immediately scooted closer to him. "We made a bunch of them while you were gone!" Still chewing his food she went on. "We went through our entire supply of empty casings!"

"Not really something to be glad about." Levi muttered. She sent him a quick glare before turning back to her giant friend. Leaning close to his face she whispered.

"I'll show you later." She sent a wink to the man and a more than friendly smile, making him raise his brows. "S-So boys, anything else going on since I left?"

"Same old, same old." Dirk answered. "Like the Commander said, titan's haven't been showing up in many numbers. Sure they still show up now and then, but not in those big packs like in years past." He took a swig of his drink, while Klaus continued in his stead, raising his own to Maverick.

"Whatever you did really trimmed the horde." He gave a knowing smile. The titans he coerced into service were doing as they were ordered, though with the winter he guessed they too would succumb to the lack of sunlight.

"Oh actually-" Darius began. "Some Wallist a while back went to heckle your guys at the old church." A look of concern formed on the marked man's face. "Heh, don't worry. You'll be surprised to know though that the Order had the situation more than handled."

Maverick's concern turned to intrigue. "How so?"

"They just talked the Wallist down. Spooked the hell out of them from what some people were saying."

"It was like a parent dealing with a screaming bratty kid." Klaus added. "Think they were just looking for a reason to fight, but Cornelius and the others weren't having it." He chuckled. "They just kept rebutting every insult until the MP's came to break it up."

A very satisfied grin stretched across his bearded face. He was proud to see that they could handle a little haggling. The Wallist could learn a thing or two about accepting other beliefs.

Soon however a very concerning thought began to form. While this was a small incident there was no doubt many others would be inspired and commit other acts. Going from the only major religion to having to share the space with a new rising following would not go easy. He made a note to teach them and spread some self-defense techniques among themselves whenever he had the chance.

"Well. Hope the Wall huggers can learn to lay nice. The last thing they need is to lose any more members. I'm sure their desperate for new blood as it is." Dirk snickered in response.

"Yeah, like that one cult I remember you told us about." He raised a brow, as it did little to narrow down which of the many cults he was talking about. "Y'know, the one's that worshiped that water goddess."

Immediately Maverick held a look of shock, before going into a chuckling fit, as he knew which group of weirdos Dirk was referring to.

"Oh God them." Memories of that life poured into his mind, recalling the day he had visited that tourist trap of a city. "Lord have mercy on us should they ever become like them."

"What cult Sir?" He looked at his junior squad mates, who held confused looks.

"Have I never told you about the Axis Cult?" To his shock and horror, they all shook their heads. He turned to Hange and Moblit for confirmation, their smiles and shaking heads answering his question.

"Oh, well strap in boys, it's time for another story!" All gathered to hear the Mav's tale, though many had heard it already, the juniors were in for a doozy.

"It all began when I died and was reborn! Wounding up in the country of Belzerg. A kingdom beset by all manner of nasties! All under the lead by a sole troublemaker...a DeMoN kInG."

"Why'd you say it like that?" Keiji asked. Maverick softly slammed his fist into the table.

"Because if I had a dollar for every time I had to deal with a demon king I'd be a very wealthy man three times over!" That earned him a few laughs. "Besides you meet one, you've met them all."

"Anyways in order to provide for myself in this new land I became a sellsword, and luckily for me I wound up near a small town called Axel, where I became affiliated with the local guild."

"For the next few years or so I made a name for myself. Traveled around the land whenever I could, but I always found myself going back to that small little town. It came to a point where I pretty much became the go to guy to get things done around the area."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. Local drunks get into a knife fight, get Maverick. Giant mutant gators in the lake? Go find Mav. One of the demon king's lackeys show up at the town's front gates? Go get the big man!" He let the laughs die down before continuing.

"So, after returning from a bounty one day, I heard from the local bar gossip about a far-off city renowned for its hot springs. Seeing it as a pretty good place to relax I joined a traveling caravan and soon made my way to the city of Arcanletia." His juniors were enthralled as some repeated the foreign name.

"And it's there I had my first interaction with the followers of the water goddess, The Axis Cult." They could already tell Maverick didn't hold this group in his regards, as his smile disappeared, and his face hardened.

"Bad enough they named themselves after a group I fought against in the war, they were just downright annoying."

He recounted a few specific events of those who had tried to get him to convert to their cult, trying all manner of tricks and schemes.

From the young to the old, they were hellbent on getting him to worship their beloved goddess, and solely worship, as even when he claimed to worship other pantheons, it seemed to only strengthen their attempts, as they saw him as a lost soul in need of saving.

"Nearly decked an old woman when she wouldn't leave me alone for an hour." Maverick's remark caused some to either give him looks of shock, or laugh.

"That bad Sir?" Said his goggled eyed squad mate.

"Believe me Abel." He took a swig from his stein mug before continuing. "Think about the most pushy and desperate salesman you can think of, and multiply that by ten!"

The vets snickered, knowing his pain. "And God forbid if you worshiped the lands other big goddess, then they'd spit on the ground near you and literally give you trash as food."

"No!" Someone shouted.

"I'm serious! They were insane!" Laughs erupted from his table, as he recounted more tales from his time in the city. "But besides that, the hot springs themselves were very relaxing, and the food they did offer wasn't bad either."

"Not enough to go back, right?" Maverick waved his hand around in response.

"I made it a mental note to avoid that place for the rest of my lifetime. Though there was one time I had to chaperone a group of kids who were going there for vacation." The table erupted in laughter again, as the image of this massive fully armored giant, following a group of half-pint adventurers was the most amusing thing his juniors ever heard.

Before long, his plate had been emptied of food which of course he could not tolerate for long. Excusing himself he made his way to the open window leading to the kitchen.

"A refill Jules, if you please." Handing his plate to the chef he waited to get his second serving, until a familiar voice spoke up.

"Nice to see the color back in your face Mav." Turning he was met with his dear comrade Nanaba, who had a very warm smile.

"Hey you, how've you've been?" Idly fixing her bang she answered.

"Well enough. Winter months are usually calm." The sounds of a tankard dropping caused Maverick to take a glance at what happened. Nanaba however knew who was responsible, as a certain pompadoured scout's voice followed suit, followed by the rest of her squad.

"Mostly." Mav chuckled as he placed a sympathetic hand to her shoulder.

"Juniors must be keeping you on your toes ey?" She patted his hand while giving a nod. "They're certainly a handful…" An almost vicious looking smirk formed on her face as she continued.

"But, nothing a grueling session of team building exercises can't fix." Maverick chuckled again. Her sweet and sour attitude was one of the many things that endeared him to her, as well as some other aspects of her, but that's neither here nor there.

An odd yet comfortable silence soon followed as the two seemed content to just gaze into each other's eyes. It went unnoticed by some scouts seated close by, seeing the sight as both endearing and amusing considering the differences in their sizes.

"So, what's on your mind Nana?" He finally spoke. She shook her head a little, coming back from whatever trance she was in and tried to answer.

"I-I made you a little something for your return." At the sight of his raising brows she looked away from his eyes, her cheeks showing a small tint of red. "Just been trying to find the right time."

Maverick smiled while stifling yet another chuckle. It was quite adorable to see this side of Nanaba, and for some time now it became rather clear that she would only show this tender part of herself to him.

"No better time than now Miss." Turning back to the kitchen window the two were meet with the Survey Corps' head chef, who had in his hands a large jar, and at the sight of what was contained he let out a short but audible gasp.

"Jules!" Nanaba exclaimed. The chef simply smiled while presenting the jar of pickled eggs to the giant.

"These have been stewing for almost as long as you've been gone." He smirked, as his eyes shifted to the flushed and flustered captain. "Courtesy of the lady by your side."

"Oh Nana! You shouldn't have!" Maverick wrapped his left arm around her, giving her a warm and thankful embrace. She remained in shock for a few seconds, until she melted into his hug. A small smile formed on her lips, as she secretly was enjoying this.

"W-Well I wanted something to welcome you back. This was the first thing to pop in my head."

Thanking her for the snack he wasted no time in opening the jar, taking a sniff of the scent of vinegar and other spices used in the broth. With a fork gifted by Jules he pricked the first egg he saw and took a bite, while Nanaba looked on with a little apprehension.

"It's not too sour is it?" He shook his head before swallowing and reassuring his comrade.

"As if. If anything it's brined to perfection!" Nanaba felt a sense of relief and joy. She had worried she may have screwed up, but the smile on his face proved otherwise. The flood of joyous feelings caused her to lower her head, hiding both her pleased look and reddening cheeks.

"You're too much sometimes."

Many in the room watched the scene unfold before them, but wisely chose not to comment or interrupt the moment. A few tables away Marlene and Lynne observed the two, with the latter having a pleased smirk on her face.

"She's got the lead." Lynne whispered, causing her comrade to click her tongue. Sure Nanaba's meals had certainly earned her much favor, but it paled in comparison to how much he and Hange had developed. They were in the same squad after all, and more often than not the two were nearly inseparable.

"Your second helping Mav." Thanking the chef the two returned to their seats. As Maverick continued with some other stories, he was made very aware of the looks his squad leader was giving to Nana. In his peripheral vision he could also see two junior scouts whispering and giggling to one another.

'Lord give me strength…'

-oOo-

Some hours later…

By the time the feast had been finished the sky outside had darkened, as the winter storm continued to bellow from above. Seeing no better time than now the Commander motioned for everyone to gather into the main building to continue the festivities. Though the look he gave Maverick told him they were meeting for another certain purpose, one he knew immediately.

Moving the group into the lounge room of the H.Q everyone made themselves comfortable as others began to set up the fireplace. Though some couldn't help but lay their eyes on the cart that Maverick brought in from his trip, the continuing glow emanating from underneath it's cover practically tempting all to just rip it off, like Hange whose feet tapped continuously on the floor, barely able to control herself in her seat.

If it wasn't for Maverick giving her (and her specifically) a stern finger wag she would have been all over it. The man himself seemed keen on saying nothing, instead helping Peer and Moses get the fireplace started. At the snap of his fingers a small flame engulfed his fingers, causing some shock, and awe from his peers.

"Tch, of course you can." Muttered Moses. Maverick gave a cheeky smirk before flicking the small flame into the wood pile, quickly engulfing the wood logs, and lighting up the room with a warm glow.

"So Maverick, care to finally explain what you've hauled into our headquarters." Erwin asked. The man in question remained silent as he warmed his hands by the fire before making his way to his custom chair. Crossing his legs and getting himself comfortable he finally answered the commander with a question of his own.

"Do you all remember the last time it snowed? What it reminded me of?" He said while tapping his fingers together. His question caused some questioning looks, wondering where he was going with this.

"Your days back in Kislev." Hange answered. He nodded to her, glad to know she remembered. With a soft chuckle escaping his lips he spoke again.

"There was a little bit more to it than that."

His small little revelation earned him some very interested looks, mostly as to why he had chosen to disclose this until now.

"During the winter months..." He began. "Near the end of the year, there's a holiday I used to…no, still celebrate back home, a little holiday called Christmas."

He had their attention almost instantly. It was always a treat for the scouts to hear of his more personal anecdotes, especially with how little info they had when they first encountered him.

"Originally, this little holiday was meant to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the messiah, the son of the Almighty himself-" He quickly stopped himself and got back on topic.

"*Ahem* But, as the centuries went on, it became more of a…cultural, festivity. Families and friends would come together, drink, eat, be merry, and exchange gifts."

The scouts were fascinated as he continued to entail about the traditions and specifics, especially at how similar it sounded to their own winter festivities. They could only surmise that their species held the capacity to follow and hold near identical values and cultures, regardless of wherever they were in the expansive worlds beyond.

"So when I saw the snow falling back in the city I figured, why don't I bring a little bit of that festive spirit here?" Rising from his seat he slowly walked towards the glowing cart. "I mean you all have the winter solstice, you practically celebrate it already."

The room was absolutely silent, as all were left speechless by his words. Had he actually done what they were all thinking in that moment? All in the effort to celebrate a holiday? Thinking he may have heard him wrong Gelgar pointed at the cart.

"So in there is?" The man turned back and nodded with a visible smile across his face.

"Gifts. From me to all of you."

No words could explain how they felt at the moment. Even his squad mates, his squad leader in specific, felt a multitude of feelings erupting inside her.

"Mav, you've already done more than e-" Erwin was interrupted by Maverick's raised finger.

"You've all given me so much in the last year. Only natural I return the favor."

He lifted up the cover, though only halfway. The scouts were unable to see what laid inside, as Maverick's large body blocked their view. All they could do was wait while he took out his suitcase and tools from the cart.

Eventually their gift bearer let out a gleeful "Aha!" and soon brought out a rectangular object wrapped with a cloth and string knot. As the muttered words from the scouts continued, he walked up to Erwin presenting his gift.

"Merry Christmas Commander!"

Erwin's surprised look switched to a thankful smile, it had been some time since he last received a gift, so it was both an honor and a pleasure to get one from the man standing before him. Loosening the knot he opened the top flaps of the cloth, and nearly gasped at what was inside. His assistants and close comrades approached to see what had surprised him, and at the sight they immediately understood.

In his hands were two finely crafted blades. Single edged with a silver sheen they looked absolutely beautiful, and deadly. Their engraved and detailed edges shined with bits of a bright blue glow from the runes inscribed. "Mav…w-what is this?"

Maverick just smiled as he unveiled the blades in all their glory. "Why, they're your new set of friends. The Liddell Blades."

The Liddell Blades. He repeated the name of these-his, new titan slaying tools. He eyes darted back and forth, admiring the quite bizarre yet wonderous details, and of course the set of runes inscribed. While he wasn't as knowledgeable on their specifics and origins like Hange, he could make out some that looked familiar based on what she had shown him during her initial studies and Mav's own words, such as one shaped as the omega symbol.

"This is Alice." Mav said pointing to the blade Erwin held his gaze to, followed by its sister blade, which had the engraved symbol of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and the second planet of Mav's world. "And this is her sister Lizzie."

Erwin slowly ran his finger along the twin blades. Out of all the gifts he'd received, these two certainly took the cake. His eyes soon meet and were surprised by some words engraved in their language on Alice, even more surprising was the passage.

~When is a kitchen knife like a guillotine? Whenever you want it to be.~

His eyes turned to Lizzie, and sure enough there was another passage.

~When you stand on the shoulders of giants, aim for the nucha.~

He wasn't sure what to make of it, nor why Mav had written these verses. Though as far as he knew it obviously related to his past ventures. Continuing to ponder on their possible meanings Erwin was unaware just how close his fingers were nearing the edge.

"Careful now commander! They're far sharper, and more durable than our usual stock." His large fingers swept across the runes. "Enough to last for years, I've made sure of that."

Erwin stayed silent, processing his words. It was quite a boast, yet he found himself believing it wholeheartedly. If anyone could make a weapon last for years to come, it was him.

"I'm at a loss…" He said, this was the greatest gifts he had ever received, ones he would treasure for as long as he lived. With a genuine look of happiness he patted his comrade's arm, his voice showing nothing but admiration. "Thank you, Maverick."

"My pleasure Erwin." Turning back to the cart he picked up another wrapped package, taking a small peek to see which one it was. "Miche you're up!"

His squad mates cheered him on as the tall blonde stepped forward, his flat expression hiding his inner curiosity and anxiousness. With a cheery "Merry Christmas" the giant handed humanities third strongest his gift. He took a few whiffs of the contents, giving Maverick a narrowed look before opening, and his brows raised.

Like Erwin's gift he too received a new set of blades. Double edged, a clear white sheen, and serrated sides, made this seemingly blade of old a force to be reckoned with. His eyes stared at the engravings from bottom to top. A glowing circular swirl to start, followed by crosses and other runes, and in between them a glowing passage written in their language.

~Deliver the Beast a bite of your own fangs.~

"To Miche, I present the Thuringian's Wrath. Modeled these after Beast Slayer, a blade that was gifted to me long ago. Should make cutting into napes easier, and leave the giants with a very nasty wound." Miche's stoic expression finally gave way to a smile. He showed his gratitude with a quick brotherly hug.

"Thank you." His voice was a bit livelier, to Maverick's and many others' surprises. With his second gift received he turned in Levi's direction, motioning for him to step up.

Carefully taking it in his hands the halfling slowly unwrapped the gift and was meet with a pair of slender and curved blades. He was impressed by their clean and pristine condition, followed by a curious look at the engravings of some sort of canine-like creature appearing out of swirls, and spewing out lightning bolts across the blade. Probably some sort of beast the killed long ago, he guessed.

The runes inscribed were also of a curious nature, as they almost resembled their own language, albeit with a few different alterations. Of course the only rune he seemed to recognize was the lightning bolt, inscribed right on top of the monster's head.

Alongside them were two controller grips, each wrapped with some sort of blue fabric in an intricate and honestly impressive pattern. Levi could only wonder just how he was able to do it, considering his giant fingers made delicate tasks more difficult.

"Levi, for you I present the Raijū's Fangs. Modeled them after the blades of the far east."

Levi hummed as his eyes followed along the lightning bolts. He recalled the tales he spoke about his time in the east and interactions with its people, such as his travels with a well-endowed kunoichi in the lands' ancient past, or the hijinks that entailed from his time in Kawakami City in the modern era.

Taking ahold of the grips he carefully connected the blades. As they clicked in place a small but visible arc of lightning surged through, giving Levi a bit of a shock. Looking back at Maverick he was met with a knowing, cheeky smile.

Levi gave an unamused look before lifting and doing something no one, not even those who knew him longer, would have ever expected him to do.

He chuckled. It was short, and feint, but those close enough were able to hear it. Maverick as well raised his brows in surprise, stunned to see that the man was capable of such a thing. He was left even more startled as the small scout gave him a small smile.

"Thanks Mav."

The room was shocked into silence. Who was this small man, and what had he done to Levi? Ignoring the whispered voices the two men shook hands and Levi returned back into the crowd. Taking out another gift Maverick took a peek to see which one it was and smiled.

His head turned to the woman standing next to Miche, immediately causing the rest of his squad mates to eagerly pat her back and egg her on. She sent a small scowl before slowly approaching the smiling giant, her heart beating faster the closer she got to him.

Nanaba could count the times she had ever received a gift on her fingers. So to receive one, especially from the man she had been strongly admiring, was nothing short of joyous.

"Merry Christmas Nana." Her cheeks reddened as she met his eyes, even more so when she felt her hands touch his as he presented his gift. She unwrapped the knot and opened the flap, and held her hand in her mouth at the sight of her new blades.

The first immediate thing she noticed was their color. Somehow he was able to make them black as the night sky, minus of course the very interesting looking runes than ran across the blade, which glowed like stars.

Next was its form, which was something she had never seen before. The closest Nanaba could compare it to was a backwards hook, or a sickle she'd seen some farmers use some time ago.

It's grips were of remarkable design too. Exquisite designs and smoothly shaped, and black like the blades they were attached too. Her hands drifted to them, feeling the warm cool colored fabric that encased the grips themselves.

"Mav…they're beautiful." She spoke, her heart skipping a beat, and her eyes getting misty. He gave a warm and thankful smile in response. Her blades took a little more time to craft, as he had to make the molds for the Khopesh swords from scratch. The look on Nana's face was all he needed to know that it was all worth it.

"I try." The two shared a few chuckles before he continued. "Anyways, these beauties are the Moonlight Blades."

"Moonlight?" She repeated, curious about his naming choice. His shoulders rose and fall as he let out a small snicker.

"Take em out the next time a full moon shows up. Then you'll see."

Nanaba smiled, feeling her heartbeat quicken as she excitedly wondered what sort of special touch he added. It was such a lovely, as well as practical gift! With these she doubted she would ever need to use her old ones, or the extras in her scabbards. Truly he had put much thought into it, and she wanted nothing more than to show her appreciation.

"Thank you...Mav…" She pulled him in for a one-handed hug, lowering her head. Though that did little, as he could hear the sounds of sniffling coming through as her grip increased. "T-thank you."

He looked down at his comrade with a bit of surprise, before his face softened, softly rubbing her shoulder. He knew she'd love it.

"I hope you haven't forgotten us Mav." He turned to see Hange, with an unusually flat expression on her face and hands on her hips, while Moblit waved and smiled.

Sadly separating from Mav's warm and comforting body Nanaba quickly retreated back into the fold, to receive some amused and comforting looks from her juniors. All the while Maverick addressed his seemingly upset squad leader.

"Me? Forget to bring the joy of Christmas to my own squad mates?! Perish the thought!" His act earned a little smirk from Hange. He turned on his heels towards his cart and fished out their gifts, grinning as he knew these would no doubt knock their socks off. As well as everyone else's.

"Now these took a little more elbow grease than the rest. He explained finding and taking a small peek to see if it was the one meant for Hange. "I had to create a few additions in order to make it work."

"What kind of additions?!" Hage asked excitedly. Grinning he took hold of the gift's wrappings, and ripped them off in a showy fashion.

"See for yourself!"

Jaws dropped and eyes nearly bulged out of many scouts' sockets at the sight of the utterly alien blade in Maverick's hands. It was something they had never ever seen in their lives. Hange slowly walked forwards, her eyes never leaving the odd-looking blade until it was practically in her grasp.

"My God…"

She took everything in. The blade's main body wasn't made out of ultrahard steel, instead made completely out of a metal casing, with an assortment of gears, interior mechanisms, wiring, and what looked to be two tube vents poking out the side just above a small, connected gas tank.

It's controller grips looked to be welded into place, with some tubes connecting the grip and the area near the bottom mechanisms.

Along the casing's edges she eyed the chain with numerous small teeth-like slabs running along both sides. Upon further inspection she was shocked to see they were ultra-hard steel razors, each with a small glowing rune!

"Mav, wha…w-what the hell did you make?" She asked, her fingers moving across the silver-colored blade, her voice being a mix of glee and confusion.

"The next step in blade evolution, the Chainblade." He responded. He could see the looks of disbelief and fascination on the other scouts, as it was quite a boast. "I installed a rotation gear inside, which is activated by the hammer switch in the back. It'll make cutting napes a hell of a lot easier."

"And now, it's yours Hanji. Merry Christmas." She held her breath as her hands fully grasped the grips, still feeling the warmness left by her ma-squad mate. She turned the blade around, and her breathing hitched, as near the bottom where the blade and grip were connected was a few small words.

-Born in Workshop No.9, 846-

-For Hanji. Give em' a taste of the 41st millennium-

She was speechless. A wave of all manner of warm and happy thoughts flowed through her head, as her heart skipped multiple beats. So much so that the conversations around her went unheard as she continued to admire her new blade.

"Only one?" Erwin asked, as he noticed Maverick hadn't brought out the entire set.

"These blades are literally the first of their kind, had to make much of the integral parts from scratch. I was also a little strapped for time." Just as he said that the sound of the blade roaring to life filled the lounge!

*VRRRRRRRRRR!*

Many a heart nearly stopped beating as all eyes were on Hange as she held the blade with two hands, watching intently as the teeth spun around, as if caught under some hypnotic spell.

"Hange?" Someone spoke, but she didn't hear.

She was absolutely mesmerized. She couldn't believe a weapon like this could ever exist, much less be in her hands. But now here it was, made just for her, gifted by the man she had grown very, very fond of. Such feelings began to bubble up inside her.

She felt a familiar large hand on her shoulder, immediately making her turn to see Maverick look down at her with a humored smile.

"I take you like the gift?" He asked. A shaky smile formed on her face, making him chuckle. She flipped the hammer switch to stop the sword, before suddenly taking hold of his lower body, nearly tackling him to the floor.

"I LOVE IT MAV! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"

She went into a fit of giggles as she rocked both their bodies back and forth, to the surprise of both Maverick and everyone. Maverick silently thanked his lucky stars that she turned off the blade, before giving her a small head pat. That was when she looked up and gave him a sparkling and very, very endearing look that made his hearts ache and his mind twinge with a small hint of sorrow.

For he knew that look. He'd seen it before, on many before her. He'd have to have a talk with a certain someone later. But for now, he simply enjoyed the moment, and ignored the amused looks and snickers from everyone else.

Eventually the two parted, allowing Maverick the chance to gift the rest of his squad their own chainblades, each with their names and personal messages inscribed. As Moblit and the boys admired their new toys, he went ahead to give out the rest of the custom blades to the veterans.

"Sooo, is the rest of them inside that glowing thing?" Gelgar asked, just as Maverick gifted the last blade to Moses. The man released a sigh, knowing this would more than likely shatter their immediate hopes.

"Unfortunately I was only able to make so many blades with the time I had left in the city. And considering there's so many of us, there was absolutely no way I would have made any more on time."

The disappointed looks on his junior's faces ached him, but only for a few seconds.

"Buuut, I had enough time to get this little number made."

Excited looks returned on their junior faces, while the older scouts looked on with wonder. Wasting no time he took out the last gift he had stored in the cart, and placed it down with a resounding thud. All eyes were now on this mysterious object that their dear comrade had not mentioned or even acknowledged until now.

With a grin on his face he grabbed ahold of the fabric hiding this mysterious and glowing creation before speaking to everyone gathered.

"Now I'm not one for bragging, but I can guarantee that with this, we won't have to worry about broken blades ever again!"

"What have you done Maverick?" Erwin pressed, giving the demigod a stern look.

"A great machine." Was his response. "A machine that will give all of our blades a little more punch, that I guarantee."

His sales pitch enticed them all, though some kept a healthy amount of skepticism, others just wanted to see what on earth was under that damn cloth.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my last gift to everyone in the Survey Corps!" He finally unveiled the mystery object for all to see, leaving the scouts completely baffled at what they were seeing.

It was a large oven-like container of sorts, standing on four legs above the ground. A large opening in the middle filled with all manner of machinery completely alien to everyone present.

The glow, of course, was revealed to be the multitude of runes marked across this odd machine's body, the greatest of them being the large cross-like marking in the top center. To those knowledgeable about Maverick's markings these were completely new. Whether they were individual power runes, or a language of sorts were a complete mystery, one that a certain goggled scout wanted to immediately unravel.

All in all its was a very odd-looking machine, an oddly fascinating looking one, but an odd machine, nonetheless.

"Presenting, the latest in M&M hybrid technology, The Pack-A-Punch!"

And it had a very odd name as well. The moment he allowed it Hange quickly approached the box, quickly fishing out her notebook to scribble down everything she could.

"M and M?" Moblit repeated.

"Machine and Magic." Moblit and the rest of the scouts immediately understood. He suddenly felt his shirt being pulled, as Hange looked up to him with gleaming goggles and a bit of drool on her bottom lip.

"W-What does it do Mav?" H-How does it work? How!?" The man just chuckled as he gently removed her fingers before he fished out a ultrahard blade from the cart, fresh off the product lines.

"You just insert the blade in the slot like so..." He placed the blade near the opening, and to the shock of all two hand like grips extended out to take hold of the blade and bring it inside itself. Closing itself the machine began to make all sorts of questionable sounds, seemingly coming alive.

Some looked to Maverick, who kept a smile on his face as the pack-a-punch began to emit steam from its vents, as the cross marking began to glow and dim multiple times.

What seemed like minutes only took a few seconds in reality, as soon the box opened itself up again, and the blade was brought out, now adorned with a new black sheen, engraved, and marked with glowing runes of godly power. Just like the spiky club the machines creator wielded.

"Behold, an enhanced blade! Guaranteed to last longer than the regular brand!"

The junior scouts surrounded him, their eyes glued to the new blade in his hands.

"Wow!"

"Incredible!"

"I want one!"

"Me too!"

He let out a merry laugh at their reactions. Their faces reminded them of children who were about to receive a big ol' bag of candy.

"Merry Christmas Gelgar!" He motioned to toss the blade, only to realize he was about to toss a very sharp object. Instead he simply lowered his hand to pass it on to the now sobered up young man.

"Ha! You're the best!" Others gathered around him, wanting to get a touch, or see the new details on the now altered ultra-hard steel.

"So can we just?"

"Go for it Tomas, it's my gift to all of you."

A few seconds of silence followed by almost all the junior scouts, minus Mav's crew, immediately running off towards the barracks, to the amusement of their seniors.

"Maverick." Erwin's inquisitive tone caused a little tension to rise in the room as the two men stared each other down. "Just how were you able to make this? This is clearly beyond anything we could have engineered."

He was met with a slightly off-putting smile from the giant, as his glowing eyes shined brightly.

"The angels taught me."

The absoluteness in his voice was equally surprising. Erwin had listened to his fair share of tales regarding these angels, the servants of the Almighty.

"But to be honest, when I was working on the blades a voice spoke to me, reminding me of this."

"A…voice?" Maverick simply nodded. Erwin went silent for a few moments before his eyes widened in a sudden realization.

"Perchance have you finally received word from…" He gestured upwards, to which Maverick nodded once more.

"Positive. It knew of my exploits. Plus, I was completely alone in the workshop."

His response caused quite a stir from everyone inside. A voice from high above had finally made contact with their demigod. It was both shocking and fascinating to know that there was a creator. For some though they wondered why now did this higher being make itself known? Were they not worthy of hearing it, or was there some other inane reason?

As the voices silenced Erwin continued to prod at the machine's origins, to which Maverick was more than happy to oblige.

"I first stumbled on the blueprints for this in an old, and run-down abandoned facility, once used by a now defunct organization..."

He told the commander and others all he knew about the illusive Group 935. How the once unaligned organization devoted to improving the human condition, would later turn to more…odd and borderline occult experiments, as the Axis Powers would fund their projects, desperate for anything to help them turn the tides in the second world war.

Such experiments would later cause the groups downfall and its surviving members to be relocated to other nations once the war ended, such as Maverick's homeland. There they would form their own groups, and unfortunately start the cycle all over again.

"And I suppose these angels came into play? Or were you just jesting?" Erwin asked.

"That's the funny thing. You see later on I encountered a race of ancient beings known as the Keepers. They were the ones who bestowed me the knowledge to create this machine, just like it's original creator. A simple blacksmith named Jebediah Brown."

"He was from a small town called Purgatory Point. One night he was visited by two Keepers, whom he mistook for angels who warned him of a coming chaos. They went on to instruct him on how to build this machine." Erwin scratched his chin, fascinated by the tale.

"His schematics would later be found in the far future by Group 935 who'd recreate, and mass produce the machine. And once I got involved in the mix they saw fit to provide me with the means to recreate it as well."

As he continued a certain sniffer looked on with narrowed eyes. Ever since he arrived with these gifts, he had sniffed out a certain scent that he had grown all too familiar with in his time as a scout. That same scent strongly permeated around the machine, making it quite clear to Miche what methods he used. Before he could make a remark, the commander beat him.

"As marvelous as this is Maverick, you do realize you'll have to report this to the higher ups." Maverick nodded, assuring the alarmed commander that he would deliver a letter first thing tomorrow.

Erwin accepted his words, telling himself of the positives of this machines creation. Though a small intrusive though manifested, wondering the ramifications of its existence in their world.

A machine capable of improving a weapons power through supernatural means, they were certainly living through some odd times.

"Oi, Mav!" Turning back Maverick saw Henning's face pop out form the entrance door.

"Saw Cornelius near the front entrance. Figured I let ya know."

"Oh. Erwin I-"

"Don't let me stop you Maverick. They have just been as anxious to see your return as well." Thanking the Commander he headed towards the door, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas before making his way out of the room, leaving the veterans to their own devices, and the pack-a-punch.

"I swear, one of these days he's gonna get us all sent to the gallows." Levi remarked. Erwin breathed through his nose, trying not to agree.

"Maverick means well…" He said. "But I wonder if he ever considers we might be ready for such innovations." Levi simply shrugged. If it helps them killing the titans quicker, then he should go for it. He was also reminded of his talk with the MP's.

"He knows the bigwigs won't do much to stop him now that he's got the king's word. Honestly I would to, if I was in his shoes."

Erwin's mind still wouldn't settle. He just had a feeling this would bite them in the rear at some point. Maybe not tomorrow, next week, nor in a few years, but he was certain they'd deal with some ramifications.

All the while Hange was continuing to examine the machine, with Moblit occasionally having to stop her from nearing the opening, less she try something foolish as sticking her head or limbs into the inner workings.

She let out a satisfied sigh, as she had already filled up four whole pages worth of sketches. "How does he do it Moblit?"

"Squad Leader?"

"Surprise us with things like this? He's gotta have some sort of supply to make this stuff." She chuckled, as her mind started to think of all manners of possibilities. "I'll have to ask him once he gets ba-"

"Blood."

Hearing his tone brought everyone's attention to Miche as he slowly walked towards Hange's crouched form, staring at the pack-a-punch's glowing runes. "Miche?"

"He used blood Hange, his blood." He emphasized the word, as if making sure she got it into her skull. "Just like in our new weapons, blood." It took a few moments, but soon Delta's leader was up on her feet, giving the tall man a very confuzzled look.

"Huh?! No way!"

"A-Are you certain Miche?" Moblit voiced. "I-I mean I know he's…well you know, but using blood's a little extreme isn't it?" Miche simply brought his new blades to arms, the familiar scent of iron still permeating inside the runes.

"It's faint, but the smell is still there."

Eyes went wide at this revelation. Those who were close to Maverick looked at their blades with a new sense of disturbed fascination. Their reactions were justified, not every day your gifted with something someone literally put their blood, sweat, and maybe even tears into.

"I don't smell anything." Rashad spoke, with his squad mates voicing similar stances.

"Miche's nose is on a whole other level." Levi flatly reminded. At that point none could deny or offer any other retorts. If the world's third strongest soldier said he smelled blood, then he smelled blood. Wasn't like Zacharius to lie about such things either or lie in general.

"That explains his paleness from before." Erwin pondered aloud. He realized that Maverick's earlier state when he returned, and the fact he consumed a lot of iron-rich foods during the dinner were clear signs of blood loss.

This only led to more questions. Why would he go to such lengths? There was no need to risk his health like that.

"Mav..." Hange's thoughts were in a tizzy once more. One half wanted to go find him and admonish him for his reckless and borderline suicidal actions, and the other wanted to comfort him and ask him his reasons for going to those lengths.

Turning around she met Erwin's eyes. He simply gave her a firm nod, to which she did as well. No words were needed as the Squad Leader would have a small chat with her squad mate.

-oOo-

Barracks, later into the night…

Maverick had returned to H.Q. after having entertained the members of the Order with a few of his stories of Christmas. The children especially enjoyed his tales, which was why he had returned late, long after many in the regiment had retired for the day.

He sat on his bed in comfortable silence, reminiscing on the events of today. The Order had prodded him about the specifics of Christmas, and in the end planned to include many of its aspects into their own solstice festivities.

Speaking of which he had yet to congratulate a certain individual.

"Happy Birthday my Lord." He said to the cross idol up on his wall. Kneeling down onto the floor he continued to speak. "I pray to you. Please send my regards to your father and all my family. And bless me with the strength to continue this journey…"

Saying all that he needed to he performed the cross sign before getting back up and eyeing his new guns reclining against the wall.

He was eager to get them baptized in the field. Though he'd have to remember not to go full Animal Mother on their foes, as his current ammo consisted of a few mags and three shell bandoliers.

The sound of sudden growing footsteps made him turn towards his door, and soon he was met with his squad leader, to which he found himself suddenly captivated by her appearance.

Gone was her mustard yellow collared shirt and uniform, instead a white collared nightgown was adorned over her body. Her hair, usually tied into a wild and frizzy ponytail, was now loose, and neck length. And her round glasses were lowered down showing her glistening brown eyes, that shined in the light of the candle she held.

He couldn't deny it, she was looking quite fetching at the moment. Didn't help that bob cut styles were his favorite, his many previous wives could attest to that.

"Had a nice time with your devotees?" She asked, reclining on the door frame with a small smirk. A few seconds of silence followed before Maverick quickly blinked and responded.

"I-I did. Entertained the kids with some of my stories."

"Nothing too explicit I hope?"

"Nooo, Gods no." He quickly said. "They've seen more than enough horrors in their lifetime."

Another bit of silence followed as Hange slowly entered the room, making her way to his bedside. She took a seat next to his side of the bed, their legs a few inches from touching.

"So, staying up for another all-nighter?" His question went unanswered as Hange kept her looking at her twiddling fingers. Taking a breath, she got straight to business.

"Miche said that you may have used blood in our new blades, yours in specific." His smile dropped. It was only a matter of time. Once Zacharius sniffed his blades, he knew he'd figure it out sooner than most.

"I-Is that true?" She looked back into his glowing eyes, a worried look plastered on her face. Without missing a beat, he told her straight.

"I did."

Hange had to stop herself from gasping as she didn't think he would just come out and say it. She at least expected him to word it differently or try to dodge the question.

"H-How?" There was no sense of her usual inquisitive curiosity. Instead, there was nothing but shock and concern, as her eyes began to scan his body, searching for any signs of any damage to his person.

"Those runes that I placed on them?" She nodded in acknowledgement. "Those are blood runes, the exact same ones on Skullsmite. It's what gives these weapons their power."

She stayed in shocked silence, her hands grasping her nightwear tightly. She had her theories on the source of the runes, based on what he told her in the past. Suppose she could put them to rest now.

She remembered back when she first inspected his markings a few days after his trial and took notice of his veins. Like his blessings there was a faint glow to them, though she originally theorized that it was a byproduct of the markings themselves. In hindsight she should have asked sooner, prodded him more for specifics.

"Does it hurt to do it?" Maverick huffed while looking down at his left pam, rubbing the area where he had done the deed.

"It definitely stings. But it's all worth it." Her eyes widened at his words, shocked to hear how accepting he was about this. Which is why she suddenly found herself rising form the bed and sending her mate a serious glare.

"Mav, you didn't have to go that far!" She exclaimed, surprising her comrade with her aggravated tone "The new blades would have been more than enough!"

"I've done this before Hanji. It's no different than donating blood." His response only made things worse.

"But enough to make you go pale and almost fall over yourself Mav?!" She closed into his personal space and grasped his biceps. "The last thing I-we want is to see you keel over because of us!"

As the two stared into each other's eyes, her aggravated look fell for more of a saddened expression, as her grip softened to a more tender hold.

"Don't get me wrong Mav. We all love what you've done for us. These blades, and that machine, are things we'll treasure for as long as we'll live..." She stopped, as she felt her heartbeat increase. Despite this she managed to continue on, though kept her eyes on his chest. "But if it's at the cost of your health, then I think we'd be better off without them."

A small smile returned as her hand reached up to his left shoulder, feeling the warmth come from his blessings of distant elder gods. "You've become someone special to all of us Mav. And I know we'd all be pretty upset if you left us so soon. Some more than others..."

A sudden and sharp pang hit him right in his hearts, as her words were oh so familiar. Not completely word for word, but close enough to remind him of a world long ago, and a face he hadn't thought of in years.

As the memories resurfaced in his mind, so did the lingering regrets. But only for a few short moments, no use getting lost in thoughts when he was with someone else at the moment.

He remained strong in front of his squad mate, taking small breaths through his nose as she still stared deeply into his eyes. "Promise me you'll take better care of yourself."

Maverick remained silent, before his let out a small sigh, as the sides of his moustache lifted into a small smile.

"I'll try Hanji." She immediately pouted. While it wasn't quite the answer he was hoping, it was better than nothing. His left hand suddenly rose and rested on her shoulder, eliciting a small gasp from her.

"But know this." His said in a hardened voice. "The things I do now and in the future, I do them for everyone's sake, not just the Corps." Feeling her hands squeeze his biceps she was about to speak, only for the large man to stop her.

"Please understand Hange, I have been gifted with powers that allow me to do things that I could only dream of. With these blessings bestowed unto me I have a responsibility to help in any way I can. A little pain is worth it if it means you'll all live just a little longer."

Thoughts formed in the back of his head. Images of ancient battlefields and skirmishes of centuries past. Each strewn with the bodies of friend and foes, all inevitable casualties brought by the wars and conflicts he had participated in.

Jerusalem...

The Pyramid...

Anvil Gate...

Praag...

Cadia...

"I know death is inevitable. for all of us..." His eyes narrowed while glowing just a little bit brighter, as if the powers that be had sensed his resolve. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to just let things happen as they do. If I have a chance to make a change, then I'm gonna take it."

Hange's cheeks flushed, while her lips quivered as she tried and failed to think of something, anything, to say in response. It was touching to know he cared so much for them, but she didn't want him to go to such risks.

"But like you say, there's something better waiting for us on the other side, right? We'll all see each other again someday."

She placed her hands atop his, giving him a small squeeze. "Even if some of us will have to wait longer, a day will come when were all together."

To his own surprise he found his own hands were squeezing hers in response. And while his hearts twinged and ached at her words, he felt a sense of comfort. For while he was certain this lifetime would pass him by, maybe, just maybe, he would see them once his time was truly up, he hoped.

"So until that day comes, know this Maverick." Her grip strengthened, as did her eyes sharpen. "As Delta's leader, you're leader, it's my responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of those under my command."

Standing up from the bead, she crossed her arms, giving the man a stern look.

"So as your superior, I'm ordering you to cease these blood related shenanigans. We need you at one hundred percent while were out on our expeditions." He huffed, causing her to lean down closer to his face, till their foreheads were practically touching. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal Ma'am." The two stared each other down for a few more seconds before her stern act faded back as she smiled and quickly backed up. Maverick had to bite his lip so as to not grin at the sight of her very obvious flustered face as she readjusted her gown and glasses.

"Well, I'll leave you be for today." She picked up her candle plate and let out a short yawn. "I'll see you in the morning."

"*Night Hanji.*" He turned to readjust his pillow, only for the sounds of rapid footsteps to make him turn back and experience a feeling he hadn't felt in years.

*Smooch*

A pair of soft and warm lips pushed against his left cheek. They remained there for a few moments, before separating and followed by his squad leader's low-pitched voice.

"*Merry Christmas Mav.~*"

Hange gave a quick smirk and a wink before quickly retreating back to her quarters, leaving her bemused comrade to process what just occurred. His hand idly touched the now reddening cheek she kissed, still feeling the warmth that now began to spread across his face. It caused the man to go into a snickering fit, knowing the implications.

"*Sigh* Lord give me strength." Allowing his hearts to settle down he decided to wait a little before heading out to do one last thing before bed. Reaching his cabinet he went to grab his notebook, only to stop at the sight of something that wasn't there before.

"Oh hello." He took out the strange object and was surprised to see that it was a flare gun, with a clearly modified barrel canister. This was clearly the newest edition in their ranged weaponry.

"Heh, see they went with the hook types." He further examined the new firearm, smiling as he found the small production number under the grip. Alongside the gun was a note written in Hange's handwriting.

"Hey Mav,

If your reading this, then welcome back! Hope you had a fun time!

While you were gone Erwin gave us the go ahead to start the flare gun mods. The one in your big ol' hands was the first we made! Figured since you gave us the idea, you out of everyone should have it.

Once you get reacquainted maybe sometime later we could head out to the training area we built and shoot a couple rounds off, just you and me you know?

Honestly, it's been feeling kind of weird around the base without you, for me at least. Sure Moblit and the others are around, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss you the last month and a half.

Cause I did, I missed you a lot. And I'll definitely show how much I did once I see you again.

Warm regards, you near and dear squad leader Hanji~"

"P.S. Be sure to fill me in on everything that happened back in the Factory city, It'll be our little secret."

His smile turned to a full grin. Now he definitely had to have a word with a certain someone about this.

-oOo-

Slayers Keep, very late in the night...

"Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you all living it up there!"

We find Maverick inside the basement of his castle fortress, surrounded by many lit candles which illuminated the many framed pictures of his loved ones from lifetimes past. Ranging from past lovers, wives, children, grandchildren, and of course his first and extended family, who were right smack in the middle of his massive mural.

In his hands was a bottle of wine he had procured from the kitchen's storeroom back at H.Q., to offer toasts in their honor and memories. He'd also brought a few shot glasses, pouring one and placing it near the picture of a bearded man whom he held quite a resemblance too, though he lacked the white streaks of hair on the man's sides and beard.

That man of course was Maverick's father, Matthew Henderson the XCII.

"I know you aren't much for wine Pa, but we ran out of the good stuff at our little dinner. *Chuckle* Was telling them about Arcanletia again."

He continued to pour a few more glasses to the other members of his family, before turning his head towards the left side of the mural, spotting the picture of a special someone he met in that bizarre, yet wonderful world. Around her were three more hand drawn pictures, depicting their three little bundles of joy in their younger years.

"Sorry for not mentioning you sweetheart." He picked up and caressed the photo lovingly, his glowing eyes meeting her gentle and lightly shaded eyes. "You and the kids really made my life in that world worth living."

He continued to stare as the memories came back. Almost seemed like a lifetime ago that the two first meet back at the old Adventurer's guild.

Placing her back with their children he released a long sigh. "Which brings me to what I wanted to tell you Ma."

He turned to the photo next to his father that displayed the drawing he made of his loving mother, Rachel Henderson. Her shaded complexion and dark colored hair were a clear sign as to what he inherited from her.

"I met someone." He began. "Well, we've known each other for a year now. Her names Hange Zoë, call her Hanji for short."

For the next few minutes he spoke to his mother all about his eccentric squad leader. How they met, the things they did, and how much their relationship had grown.

"I went away for a month and a half, work related stuff. I got back today, and tonight she…really showed how much she missed me." He presented the letter to her as evidence.

"But get this Ma, there's another." He began to chuckle, as a situation like this wasn't something uncommon with him.

"Yep, it happened again! *Chuckle* Though it's just two for now, not like back in Pandora...or Eostia." Coughing into his hand he got back on topic.

"Her name's Nanaba. Still don't know her last name. I'd honestly ask, but it seems that her family is a very touchy subject. I'd rather not bring up any bad memories." He remembered that infamous day when they first started cooking together, the way her face contorted and how stiff she looked.

Like Hange he spoke about meeting the blonde for the first time, the moments they fought together in the expedition, and the times they spent together through cooking.

He claimed that her skills were almost on par with hers, something he believed she'd find amusing and flattering.

"Anyways, pretty sure she's been sweet on me for almost as long as Hange has. Though she only shows it when were alone, and when Hange isn't around."

He'd notice that some time ago. He wasn't a dense fool, he'd seen the signs as they developed. Being a married man to several hundred women gave him plenty of insight on the many ways a woman would show her affection, both direct and indirect. And it was obvious the two were more than aware of each other's feelings.

"I'm sure you know what I'm gonna do. Heh, no doubt Pa and the rest of the family will approve." His eyes drifted to the photos of his brothers, Mattew the XCIII and Malak, who were no doubt giving him thumbs up from above.

"Though don't expect any grandkids soon, still gotta deal with the giants, and whoever the hell is making them."

He spent the next few minutes speaking of other topics, and to his other family members, wishing them well and sharing some old fond memories. Eventually he looked at the time and decided to end his visit.

"Welp, time to head out." He finished the last of the wine and dusted himself off. "Got work in the next couple hours, so I gotta get some rest."

He began to blow the many candles out, till he reached the ones near his first family again, gazing into their smiling visages.

"Love you…all of you." He wiped his eyes before extinguishing the light and making his way to out of the castle. Once outside he saw that it was beginning to snow again. Feeling the flakes fall he pulled over the bear headed hood, singing an old festive jingle from way back when as he began the trek back to the district.

"Feliz Navidad, da, da, do, do, do..."

"Feliz Navidad, da, da, do, do, do..."

"Feliz Navidad. Próspero año y felicidad do, do, do, da, do..."

"I wanna wish you a merry Christmas..."

"I wanna wish you a merry Christmas..."

"I wanna wish you a merry Christmas, from the bottom of my heart..."

-Maverick the Titan Slayer: A Study-

-The Twenty Blades of Maverick: A term used to classify the ultrahard steel blades personally crafted and enchanted by The Slayer. Many of these blades have been based on many weapons utilized by the Slayer throughout his many lifetimes such as the double-edged blades of old, falchions, khopesh swords, armorslayers, and cleavers. The blades themselves were gifts to the many elite scouts of the Survey Corps of whom the Slayer grew close to in the years that he has resided in our world.

-The Pack-A-Punch: Known also as "The Wonder Machine" and the "Kreeholo's Gift" by multiple sources respectively. This machine of foreign origins is capable of upgrading weapons with a multitude of runic enhancements courtesy of the Slayer's ability to utilize blood runes. It is unknown on the specifics but what is certain is that the runes etched into the machines casing give it the required power to both function and inscribe the multiple runes into the blades. Two runes in specific give the blade further overall strength and sharpness, making such weapons highly valued among the military and private collectors.

A/N: Merry late Christmas to all! Took me a few more months than I wanted but here it is, hope it was worth it. Got one last chapter to do before we move on to the next year of this story, and this is one that I've been meaning to write for a while now as we'll come back to a certain character that hasn't been seen in a long time. Hopefully I can get it out sooner than this one.

So as some might have guessed, the great machine that was alluded to in the last chapter was none other than the Pack-a-Punch of COD Zombies fame. It's just one of the many aspects of the crossover part of this story that I plan to introduce in the future. The scout's new blades are also of course references and callbacks to Maverick's other adventures across the multiverse. For those interested, they are as follows;

-The Liddell Blades: These blades are based on the Vorpal Blade used by the protagonist of American Mcgee's Alice series. Mav would become associated and become fire-forged friends with Alice Liddell during the events of Alice: Otherlands. Like with the figures presented in the videos "Leviathan" and "A Night at the Opera" Alice decides to journey through Mav's mind, sending her and Mav on the oddest adventure of a lifetime, at least for her. These blades would be made in her and her sister's honor. (Shame that EA passed on Mcgee's pitch for Asylum, you'd think they'd go for it after the Dead Space remake, oh well...)

-Thuringian's Wrath: Like the new artillery guns, these blades were based on the Drakwald Runefang "Beast Slayer" of Warhammer Fantasy. The name comes from the ancient pre-Empire tribe that lived in the area that would later become the Drakwald. Mav would be gifted the runefang in honor of his services to the Empire, especially during the events of the Power Behind the Throne and Empire in Ruins campaigns. He'd use this blade greatly during the Second Great War Against Chaos (A.K.A Storm of Chaos 2.0, A.K.A The NOT End Times), where he pretty much brought the dragon ogre species to extinction and slew Archaon's mount Dorghar by applying runefang directly to the Steed of the Apocalypse's forehead.

-Raijū's Fangs: These blades are of course based on the ever so popular katanas utilized by every OC and Anime Shonen protagonist, and the Zero blade set from AOT 2. The name comes from a mythical creature in Japanese mythology, of which Mav encountered in his trip to the mystical GOW styled world of Ancient Japan.

-Moonlight Blades: While they're shaped in the form of Egyptian Khopesh blades I'm certain those of you familiar with the works of FromSoftware will know immediately the origins of the blade. Mav got the idea to reintroduce this special sword from his time as a Raven and Lynx in the Armored Core universe.

-Chainblades: These new babies are based on the Chainswords of WH40k and are inspired by AOT's own version of the chainsword as presented in the video game. While utilizing some less than advanced parts, these blades are still as deadly as their counterparts of the 41st millennium. Helps that Mav got the skills and know-how to make these swords, thanks in no part to his time serving with the many regiments of the Imperial Guard.

We also get a little tender moment shared between Hange and Maverick, with Hange getting quite the lead! Originally, I was going to include Nanaba, but I think it'd be better if those two had their own special little moment to share, I already got the basic idea for it down anyway, might as well use it.

That's all for now, thanks for reading, see you next time!

Edit 5/19/23: General spelling fixes and a few changes, such as changing Mav's dad's generational suffix number. Want to signify that Mav comes from a large and long living family. Also changed Mav's talk with Hanji, as I'm certain he's already had a similar talk before.

Edit 2/1/24: Changed Mav's love interest he describes during his talk with his parents. Any who know the series should definitely know who he's talking about.