AN: Happy Sunday! I'm back with chapter 11 of HMBaby. I have some surprises in store for this chapter... read on to find out. Some smut will ensue too 😂
This chapter is 5k words as a warning.
Song inspiration: I Promise You by Judith Owen. Listen to the chorus when Historia reunites with Levi. It fits. I love this song because it was Piper and Leo's song from the original Charmed 😍
Historia
...
When I awake, it's not my room at the orphanage where I find myself, but an endless field of bright red poppies.
My heart picks up and I run, run across that sea of red flowers in search of my knight.
Levi has to be here somewhere. This is the first time I have ventured back to the beautiful world with all the flowers since he left, and my heart can't take it. It's bursting with joy. "Levi!"
No one replies, but I don't lose hope. I keep running through the flowers, my eyes searching the land.
It really doesn't end. The poppies stretch from one end of the landscape to the other, and it truly is infinite. The sky is a bright azure blue, the sun a gleaming beacon of light as I squint my eyes.
I shield my hand over my face so I can see better, my breaths coming in gasps. My lungs heave as a stitch forms in my side, but I don't stop. I can't stop.
Any moment I could wake, and I will lose my one chance to see him again.
No, I won't let that happen. I will find him.
After what feels like hours, I pause to catch my breath, tears stinging my eyes. No... I can't be the only one here. He has to be here too.
Unless... he has already forgotten about me?
Just as the dour thought crosses my mind, a shape materialises on the horizon, tall and straight, like a man, and a sob steals from my throat. "L-Levi…"
Running forth again, I pick up my legs, ignoring the stabbing pain in my lungs. I won't miss my one chance.
It has to be him.
The shape looms into view, and that's when I finally see...
It's just a tree.
A stupid, random tree that only has one branch—odd.
That one branch, however, blooms with flowers of all kinds, pink, blue, yellow, and white, and I've never seen anything like it before.
No, wait. It's actually two trees twisted together to form one, and it's like they're entwined, sharing the same roots. They work in harmony together, and despite it's peculiarity, it's the most beautiful tree I have ever seen.
The trees form a hollow with their trunks, one almost shaped like a window, and inside that window, is a glowing light.
I step back. I've read enough faery stories growing up, and one of the lessons I learnt was to never trust anything out of the ordinary.
Yet the longer I gaze into the glowing light, I spy shapes, and then those shapes take form.
They materialise, and I see a woman. An aged woman of at least eight years of age. Her hair is completely white, and her face wrinkled with time, but her eyes are a brilliant shade of blue as she walks with regal grace.
"Our iceburst stone reserves are almost depleted... Without our main export, there's no telling what the Allied Nations will decide from here on out. That one major resource was what saved our island from the rest of the world's hostility a fifty-eight years ago..."
A pause. I strain my ears to listen. The old woman seems gravely upset as I peer into her worried blue eyes. She's saying words familiar to me, like Allied Nations and iceburst stone, yet nothing else makes sense.
The rest of the room comes into view and I gasp.
It's lit with electricity, far brighter than any glowing ore I have ever seen, and I have to cover my eyes. As soon as they've adjusted, I take in the rest of the room, and everything looks so... different. For one, there's a strange glass screen behind the old lady playing images of technology beyond the walls, like automobiles, trains, except they're different.
It's hard to explain.
The furniture is different too, and the wallpaper. I recognise a "power socket" on the walls, and it seems this room runs on electricity. I can hear it buzzing through the walls like bees, and how can that old lady cope?
A new voice speaks, deep, husky, and wizened with time, and my hair stands on end. That voice has lived through many wars, witnessed so much pain and suffering, it sends tremors up my spine.
"Well, it certainly beats becoming a giant hairball all those fifty years ago. Just think, if we had gone through with Kiyomi's original plan, you wouldn't even be here right now. You'd have died at the age of thirty-two, and our children would have grown up without a mother. Our grandchildren would have grown up without a grandmother... Never have any regrets, Historia. It's as Erwin always said—"
The old lady rolls her eyes. "I know, "Choose the path with the least regrets..."
My heart pounds. Now those two names I do recognise. Historia, Erwin... What... what is this? What am I seeing?
The face of the old man finally comes into view, and I gasp.
A scar runs down the right side of his face, right through his eye and his lips, and what on earth happened to him? His right eye is completely blinded, stark white compared to the left, which is a striking steel grey, and... I know that eye...
My throat closes up, and then my lip wobbles. "Levi..."
It's Levi, yet older. Much, much older, and his hair is silvery grey. He still sports the same undercut and loose strands over his eyes, but there's no mistaking that it's him. Even in old age, he's strong, resolute, and a tear rolls down my face.
If the Path is showing me this, then... that must mean everything will be okay. Levi and I must have lived through the war and grew old together.
Old Man Levi hobbles around the desk towards Old Lady Historia, balancing on a walking stick, then stops before me... no, her...
That old lady... she is me. I can't believe it. I knew those blue eyes were familiar.
Never would I have thought that I'd see myself as an old woman. My hair is stark white and my skin wrinkled, but there's no denying the strength in my eyes. It appears I am going to be one bad-ass old lady.
I even dress nice, wearing a suit of navy blue, and I have style too. Even my nails look manicured.
Old Man Levi looks sharp too in a fine suit and cravat.
He stops before Historia, a tight smile on his scarred face. "I'd sell all the iceburst stone in the world if it so much as keeps you alive, Historia. You were the only thing on my mind throughout The Battle of Heaven and Earth. You and our child... I have no regrets. You promised me once you'd die an old biddy in her sleep, and you better keep that promise..."
I watch as the older version of me rises, and look, I'm even shorter. I may be short but I'm still tough as nails.
Levi takes Historia in his arms, and the elderly couple embraces.
A sob sputters from my lips. We're going to be okay. This is our future. Sixty years from now. I take it that all the strange technology I saw was what Kiyomi promised us. Our island finally caught up with the rest of the world. We are no longer living in ancient times. We have strange technology that shows us remote images, and it looks as if I didn't have to become the Beast Titan just to make all that possible.
Does that mean we modernised our weaponry too?
Just... what happened between now and this future? What changed that I didn't have to inherit Zeke Jaeger's Beast Titan anymore?
The door to the room flies open, and my elder sister Frieda appears inside the threshold. No, it can't be... This is the future. She will have long been dead.
Her blue eyes are wide and frantic, and I take note of her strange clothes. Ripped blue pants showing her knees, and it takes me a moment to recognise the material as denim. I've heard about it after all. They have all sorts of strange textiles beyond the walls...
Her black shirt is frayed too, and why are her clothes torn? Why does she have charcoal around her eyes? It's... a bizarre look.
Historia and Levi peer at her. The older version of me coughs, brushing down her clothes. "What is it, Frieda?"
What, Frieda? No... impossible...
The girl who looks so much like my elder sister stumbles into the room, waving around a white square in her hand. It has a glowing glass screen, and again, what is it with screens in this future? Does everyone rely on them? Do they stop reading books?
"Grandma, Grandpa, it's bad, look at the news!"
She sticks the glowing screen in old Levi's face, and he grumbles. "Tch, get that thing out of my face. You tryna give me a brain tumour, brat?"
The girl called Frieda stammers then glances at old Historia, passing her the screen. "Grandma..."
Historia presses her thin, wrinkled mouth into a tight line and takes the white screen from Frieda's hand, and I don't believe it.
She's our granddaughter, and she's the image of my elder sister.
It's like another version of her, way, way into the future where she adopted an odd fashion of ripped pants and charcoal eyes.
I watch old Historia as she puts on a pair of glasses, tapping the screen with her finger, and lines of text reflect off her lenses.
So, that screen is like a newspaper? What an odd future.
"So, it's happening once again..."
What... what is happening again?
Frieda starts crying, tears ruining her makeup, and Levi growls at her. "Pull it together, brat."
"But... but this can't happen. My sixteenth birthday is next month... I had so many plans!"
She starts wailing, and good grief. She's sixteen but acts like a typical ten-year-old. Do teenagers dumb down or something in the future?
Levi snaps. "Yeah, well, count your blessings you don't have to spend your birthday cleaning someone else's blood off your shirt."
The girl continues to wail, falling down to her knees. "Live is so unfair!"
Historia puts the strange white screen down, her jaw tightly clenched. "Frieda... get up. Nothing has happened yet."
"Yeah, no good ever came of crying over spilled milk…" Levi growls.
He yanks her up by the arm, and she stands almost a head taller than him, and even for a man in his 90s, he still has a lot of grit.
Old Man Levi continues berating our future granddaughter, but I only have eyes for older me. I watch as she comes around the table, stopping before a wide window, and I gasp once again at the sight of a sprawling city.
Buildings as tall as colossal titans, made from metal and glass.
Old Historia's face reflects off the glass of the window, and her burning eyes could set the world ablaze. I... almost resemble Erwin. "It's okay, Frieda," she says, her voice a calm storm. "Paradis has lived through many wars before. We can live through another... I knew this day would come after all. The day I signed a peace treaty with the Alliance and allowed them to step foot onto our island again, I knew I had to prepare for the worst."
Levi chimes in. "As Erwin always said, choose the path with the least regrets. We'd be living in a fascist dictatorship right now if you hadn't made that contract with Kiyomi. Jaegersists would be patrolling the streets. We never would have achieved democracy..."
Historia hums in agreement. "President Armin is doing a splendid job of running the island in my stead while I help with more charitable causes, but I don't regret the day I allowed the people to elect their own leaders, Levi. Not one bit. But..."
Her voice trails off. My head is reeling. President Armin? Democracy? What on earth is an election, and what does it have to do with my old friend of the 104th?
And what did Levi say about fascism? Jaegerists? What does Eren's last name have to do with anything?
Frieda continues to sob. "It's hopeless... hopeless!"
Levi sneers, coming to stand beside Historia, and now both of them reflect off the glass. "The youth of today. You really think we can win another war with brats like her fighting?"
Historia turns to Frieda. The girl covers her hands with her eyes, claiming how all is over, and she really needs to develop a backbone.
"Well, the thought of fifteen-year-olds fighting in a war is preposterous this day and age. The age to enlist, of course, will be eighteen. No child will go to war, ever, no while I'm queen..."
Levi scowls at Frieda. "Funny to think you were the same age as her when you were crowned queen."
Historia throws him a pointed look. "Yes, no thanks to you, Husband of mine. I must speak with Mikasa. We must still have some iceburst stone left."
I watch as old me walks back to the table, and picks up a wireless telephone. I know what a telephone is since I have seen them in books about Marely, but this one has no need for wires.
Historia presses a series of buttons, which creates a beeping melody across the room, then clears her throat. "This is Queen Historia of the Reformed Eldian Empire. I must speak with the CEO of Azumabito Inc. right away, please."
Before I can find out what happens, the images fade, and I'm left on my hands and knees, blinking at the strange, glowing light.
It takes me a moment to gather myself. I forget what time period I'm in as I reach my hands for my face, feeling supple, soft flesh.
I'm the young version of me again, back in the past. Everything I saw repeats through my mind as I start gasping for breath.
Frieda's whimpering echoes through my mind, the cries of a young woman who hasn't even been born yet. Her mother and father haven't been born yet.
She is the child of mine and Levi's child (or the grandchild of our child). She may have been a whiny, overgrown brat, but she was ours. She had my sister's long black hair and blue eyes...
I have to go back. Screw the present, I need the future. Although they were dealing with their own crisis by the looks of things, something to do with our island's major resource iceburst stone, but still...
It has to be better than now where the future is still uncertain. Where I still may become the Beast Titan. The world I saw inside the tree could still change. Nothing is set in stone. The future can always be changed.
I know why the Path showed me this. It's showing me an alternative to my current predicament. Just... what happened that stopped the MPs from turning me into a titan? Did we manage to make peace with the rest of the world?
Whether it was sooner or later, it was hard to tell, but somewhere along the line, we were able to build bridges with other nations.
And it all came down to resources.
I rise, holding my head high. No, I can't think about it now. It's obviously a problem way, way into the future. I have to focus on the now, on our island's current situation.
As the moment still stands, I have to inherit the Beast Titan. We still have to rely on the rumbling for the next fifty or so years until our island can catch up with the rest of the world and develop its weapons.
Just maybe one day... We can all have those white, rectangular screens that young Frieda had in her hand, the one with the newspaper article. I'm pretty sure I heard Old Man Levi grumbling and calling it a phone, like in Telephone? So, Frieda could make long-distance calls on that strange contraption?
I still can't believe it. She was mine and Levi's grandchild or great-grandchild.
I throw a hand over my mouth. We... we will have children, and then our children will have children, and so on.
I make a silent vow; I will do all that I can to stop that poor, crying girl from inheriting the Beast. I swear.
No child or grandchild of mine will become a monster. Period.
I step away from the tree, taking in a deep breath, and turn. When I do, I come face to face with the one I've been longing for, tears dripping from my eyes.
"Levi..."
It's really him, in the flesh. Unless he's just a mirage, but there's only one way to find out.
I run forth, hoping and praying that he doesn't disappear, and the closer I get, the more hopeful I become.
It... really is him.
"Historia..." he breaths, his face breaking at the sight of me, and before he gets to utter another word, I throw myself at him as we both tumble to the ground.
The poppies cushion our fall, filling the air with a dreamy, sweet scent, and I can't believe it.
He truly is here.
He lies beneath me, young, handsome, and unscarred once again as I gently caress his face, looking into both of his grey eyes.
My finger feels no scar when I brush it down the right side of his face, stopping just along his lips, and my tears drip onto his cheek. "Levi... it really is you..."
He grins up at me, a real, genuine smile as he shows me his teeth, and a handsome chuckle vibrates in his chest. "In the flesh, brat."
A crying laugh escapes me as I've never felt so overjoyed, and now I help myself to his lips, lapping up every little bit of him.
We lay there in the flowers, embracing one another like old times, and it's like no time has passed at all since we saw each other last. Time means nothing to us as our tongues entwine, and how I could stay in his arms like this forever, wrapped up in his warmth.
We break apart at last, sharing breath as we gasp for air. Our lips still brush, just a few threads of saliva holding us together.
He tastes as good as I remember, like peppermint and strong, black tea, and I circle my nose with his. His fingers wrap around my neck, teasing through my hair as we remain that way.
"I've... missed you so much..." I cry.
Levi's grey eyes melt into pools of steel as they search my face, his pupils growing twice their size. "Me too, Historia. You've... no idea..."
I squeeze my eyes, letting my tears fall again, and they drip onto his face. Levi reaches up, kissing away my tears with his lips. "Don't cry. It's just you and me now. No one else. No one can take these moments away from us."
I nod in agreement, my eyes tight shut. He's right, but we both know it can't last. As real as this world feels, it will never be our reality. In the real world, we are miles apart, and no one can say for sure if we will ever be together there again.
Which is why I'd rather stay here than go back. In this field of never-ending poppies, it's just me and Levi. We answer to ourselves, and no one else. We are in charge of our own destinies.
We are just another man and woman, enjoying each other's company. So I resume our kiss, brushing my lips down the right side of his face where he sported a scar in the future.
The future... Had it been real? Could Levi and I really grow old together? Funny how our age gap becomes less pronounced the older we get. We were both pretty wizened and wrinkled in that timeline, with grey and white hair to boot.
"Levi," I whisper. "You will always love me, right? Even when my hair is as white as snow, and I have many wrinkles on my face?"
He peers up, raising a brow. "I guess. What's spurred all this old talk?"
Once again, I trail the right side of his face, gazing into his right eye, and it's no longer white, but grey. Hopefully, there are some things I can change, and one of them will be Levi's eyesight and face.
He will not become a blind and scarred ninety-five-year-old war vet. He will remain his handsome self, always.
Most don't consider Levi traditionally handsome. I've heard some describe him as an ugly girl with his feminine lips and small, nimble stature, but he will always be handsome to me.
People can be cruel.
"Nothing," I reply dreamily, losing myself in his chiseled features. He still makes a prettier girl than Ymir ever did, that's for sure.
Something sparks in his eyes, and then they narrow down to slits. "Seriously? Ymir? Are you really comparing me to your old pal Ymir, Historia?"
I stop brushing his right cheek, removing my hand as I bite my lip. "You... heard that thought just now?"
"Tch, of course I did. At least I can sleep easier at night now, knowing you think I'm prettier than Ymir."
The comment stings. She may be gone, but Ymir was still my friend. She was pretty in her own way and her freckles...
Levi watches me curiously, his brow hiking up into his hairline. "So... there was something between you two?"
I tighten my lip. "No comment."
He peers deep into my thoughts again, and a memory flashes through my mind. Ymir's lips locked around mine as we kiss by the cliff edge, the one that overlooked the beautiful lake. It was always our meeting point as it wasn't far from our training camp.
A light ignites in Levi's eyes, and then a bulge forms inside his pants, poking me in the belly. "Well... if I be damned..."
I roll my eyes. "Look, it was just the one kiss. We didn't do anything else."
A sly smirk twitches the corners of his lips, and I never would have thought I'd see this perverted side of him.
"Hey, stop being aroused! I was fifteen, and Ymir was... well, she was older. Much older in fact..."
He chuckles. "What is it with you and older people, huh?"
I bristle. "Ymir was seventeen!"
"Only in appearance, but not so much in her mind and soul. She always used to look shifty to me, and it's obvious why now."
I exhale, keeping my arms around him. "Well, how about you? I've wondered for years..."
He tapers his eyes. "Wondered about what?"
It's my turn to smirk now. "What was Petra Ral to you?"
His face hardens, and the melted steel of his eyes solidifies into a deadly pair of blades. "No comment."
I cock a brow, peering into the recesses of his mind, but Levi throws up his inner walls, blocking my access.
"No fair! You get to look into my memories."
He gripes. "Fine. There are some things about my past I'd rather you didn't see, Historia, but Petra... she was just my subordinate. Nothing more."
A glimmer mists his eyes, and I probe a little deeper. "Yet, you must have felt something for her. She was so beautiful and kind. She spoke to me a few times in the month leading up to the 57th Expedition. She... wanted to make the new recruits feel at home..."
Levi gives a sad, melancholy laugh. "Sounds like something Petra would do. All right. I... did have feelings for her, but... I never acted on them. How could I? I'd have put her position in the corps in jeopardy if I'd acted on my own, selfish desires. It was best our relationship stayed professional."
My heart breaks as I hear of his old plight. That must have been so hard for him, especially as Petra was in his squad, but it seems he's making up for his lost opportunity. I was his second chance at love, and he was mine. We're just a pair of broken hearts who found love again.
Funny how Levi's and Petra's situation was a little like mine and Levi's, except he's my subordinate, and I'm the one putting his position in the Survey Corps in jeopardy. I guess I can relate, but I've always been a selfish girl...
The worst girl who ever lived after all.
"Did she feel the same for you?"
Levi looks to the left, and his silence says it all.
My heart drops to my stomach. The poor thing. It must have been hard after she'd died. I've seen glimpses of her in his memories too. I was even there the day he had to tell Petra's father in the streets of Karanes District since I'd been a part of the surviving party who made it home. The way the man had looked at him. It was pure, utter betrayal.
Levi had failed to keep his daughter alive, and the man held him responsible.
I pinch a lock of his black hair, curling it around my finger. "I'm sorry."
He sighs. "Sorry for what?"
"That she was taken away from you, taken away from the world. You've experienced too many losses, Levi. Sometimes... I don't know how you keep it together."
He closes his eyes. "Me too."
"But... you do. Despite everything that the world has thrown at you, you still remain so strong, and I'm so grateful to have you in my life. My... my knight..."
The hot sun continues to beam down on us as we lay in silence. Levi keeps his eyes closed as I caress his cheek, enjoying the contours of his face.
My finger trails down his neck towards the buttons of his shirt, and I pop them off, one by one. Levi opens an eye, gazing up at me.
I don't stop, and before I know it I've undone all his buttons. Now I have a perfect view of his taut muscles, raking my fingers over the valleys of his sculpted chest. So many nooks and crannies; I could lose myself in his godlike physique.
"So perfect..." I breathe.
"Thanks. I work out."
I snort, fixing my eyes on his grey pair. They've melted once again, and I see his desire.
He wants me, but for once he's giving me full control. He's normally the frisky one in the bedroom. He's a complete animal, to put it lightly, but right now he's lying back, letting me enjoy his flesh.
Well, if that's the case...
I lean down, planting kisses down his chest. I lick his nipples, eliciting a grunt of pleasure from him. Then I lick his six-pack, enjoying the way they feel beneath my tongue.
Levi lies in a state of pure bliss as he allows me to do whatever I want with his body, and if only I could tie his hands together.
Yet I needn't bother. He's giving me full access, full control, and it fills me with a power I never knew I was capable of.
I unbutton his pants, freeing his erection, and now that long, bulging shaft points at the sky. A bead of pre-cum drips from the slit, and I lick my lips.
Soon, his seed will be inside me...
I guess I don't have to worry about falling pregnant in this world, but from what I saw in the future... maybe that's not such a bad thing. There will be children in mine and Levi's future, one way or another, and I look forward to meeting our grandbabies one day.
I have to believe it's possible. I will not die at thirty-two. I will die an old biddy in her sleep, just as I promised Levi.
Situating myself on top of Levi, I slide down his length, meeting him at the hilt, and now a long, satisfied breath seeps from his lips.
He's wholly and completely inside me, and it feels so, so right. My walls clench around him as he shudders, pinching his eyes tight shut, and it's like I've claimed him.
His chest heaves, rapid breaths bursting from his lungs, and I can't take my eyes off him. He's all mine, and I'll be damned if anyone tries to take him away from me again.
I will fight for our future. We will grow old together...
As I pin his hands beside his head, he pierces me with a razor-sharp gaze, parting his lips. "Fuck me hard, Historia..."
I smirk. "Oh, I will."
Finally, I thrust, and magic explodes inside me as I ride Levi over the hills.
What do I say... I pretty much envisioned an entire future in the canonverse, and it was so much fun. I love worldbuilding the most and I got to go wild here.
Seems they caught up with the rest of the world in the end, improving their tech by another 200 years if they have flat-screen TVs and smartphones. Kiyomi helped the island trade with other nations (and not just Hizuru), so that paved the way for their massive development. Armin even becomes an elected president as they achieved democracy, getting rid of the military government (I like to think Marley did too and most nations of the world). Mikasa also inherits Kiyomi's company and so on, but don't worry, other characters will come up in the future too.
This is all just my reimaging though, so not trying to force my own ideas or agendas on SNK. So much was left open-ended at the end. I will note, I do think they would still use the glowing ore to light up their homes on the island, but they are given to poorer families who can't afford electricity. It was one of Hisu's first policies as a queen, remember...
I think old man Levi and Hisu are so cute together... I was too scared to write this scene for a while because I thought Levi would die, but he lived in the end... Also, the timeline seen in Levi's and Hisu's own path moves linearly, so it's not all over the place like in Ymir's Path.
This was what Eren wished after all: for his friends to live long lives and to rid the world of titans, and it came true in the end 😭