AN: Warning. Wholesome chapter ahead. Prepare to feel all the feels...
Song inspired for this chapter: Fight For You by Jason Derulo. I heard this song the other day and it made me think of RivaHisu.
Levi
...
Well, I'm beat.
Historia made do on her promise and fucked me into oblivion in the end, and now we both lie on the poppies in a state of total bliss.
She nestles beside me, drooling on my right shoulder as she fell asleep, and I can't take my eyes off her.
I can't believe she's beside me once again, sleeping like a perfect, drooling angel. I could look at her all day, watching the way the sun reflects off the strands of her blonde hair, and it's like someone spun her hair from gold.
She's mine and no one else's. No other man will ever have her, and I'll be damned if I'll let some other guy put a baby in her belly.
The only babies she'll be carrying are mine. I don't care how her body will change, how her perfectly flat stomach will swell because she will be carrying my child.
It will be our baby, her body its safe temple from this cruel world.
How I want so badly to be the one to give her the child she desperately seeks, yet no doubt the MPs will try and find her a suitable sire, just so she can produce a number of babies for the next thirteen per one of Kiyomi's requests, and I clench my right fist.
My balled-up hand rests against her beautiful face, looking so deadly beside her soft, sleeping expression, and I uncurl it once again, listening to the sound of her gentle breathing.
Her warm breath caresses my face, and I close my eyes, breathing in her sweet, saccharine scent. Like the smell of blossoms in spring, or the smell of wet earth after a soft rain.
I could get drunk on her scent.
I reach my left hand across, brushing aside a yellow strand from her eyes, and now I can fully appreciate her beauty.
She has her cheek pressed against my shoulder, puckering up her lips, and they look even fuller juicer...
Gently, I brush a finger across her rose petal lips, the velvety texture sending my heart into a spasm. I want to kiss her again, but I don't want to rouse her either. Even though her drool pools on my shirt, I wouldn't dream of waking her.
I could stay this way for all eternity. Screw the outside world; it's only full of misery.
Yet, we have to go back. I have to help Hange. She may be commander, but she's struggling. I know she'd rather spend her days pouring over books, studying everything there is to know about titans.
I miss her fervour from the old days. It's been a while since she's rambled about titans, and she really was batshit crazy back then.
But not so much anymore. Now she's solemn and forlorn, and the role of commander has really taken its toll on her.
I have to go back. I can't leave the brats to defend the island for themselves. They need me, their captain.
Historia stirs when my calloused finger scrapes her bottom lip, and I stop, watching how she wrinkles her nose. The most endearing sound escapes her next as she babbles in her sleep, and I smile, yet only slightly.
This moment could be ripped away from us at any moment; I'm afraid to enjoy myself a little too much.
But that won't stop me from indulging in her graceful beauty. Damn, I really am the luckiest guy in the world. I kind of wish Kenny was still alive so I could rub it in his face. This was the man who always told me I'd be lucky to get a seven, but I only ended up with a girl who goes way off his scales.
I wonder how my late uncle would feel about me fucking Rod Reiss's daughter. What would he say?
"Well, runt, yer only went and bagged yerself one of Rod's little royal brats, one even shorter than you no doubt... Congratulations, yer finally a man..."
Kenny had plotted to steal the power from the Reiss family for years, an endeavour in which he ultimately failed in the end, so I imagine he'd react very strongly if I ever got Historia pregnant. A child of Ackerman and Reiss blood.
Our kid would have an interesting combination of genes indeed, and only God knows which would take precedence. Hopefully, the child exhibits qualities from both of us—my strength and her beauty.
The sound of voices catches my attention, and I glance at the funky-looking tree ahead of us. I was wondering why that tree was just standing there.
It's the only thing insight, and it's by far the weirdest tree I've ever seen. Trunks twisted around to form one long branch covered in flowers, and there's definitely something eerie about that tree.
For one, its main body glows with a bright light, and inside that light I see shapes. Curiosity getting the better of me, I sit up, carrying Historia with me as I focus on the tree.
The voices are muted, but the harder I concentrate, the easier I can make them out. My eyes bulge.
Wait... is that my voice?
Carefully, I lay Historia down, and she nestles amongst the poppies. After checking if she's okay, I creep towards the tree, crouching before the light.
It's like a window of some kind, peering into a room I know pretty well.
It's Historia's room at the farmhouse.
Shapes materialise, and I finally recognise the two people on the other side of the window. It's me and Historia, but some years older.
It's hard to tell how much older, but my hair's peppered grey, and I have two scars running down the right side of my face. One of my eyes is covered with a patch, and instinctively, I feel my cheek.
What is this? Why is my face scarred? And why do I wear an eye patch?
Fuck... could this be the future?
"Happy Birthday, Your Majesty," I say, placing a breakfast tray onto Historia's lap as she sits up in bed.
What is this? Breakfast in bed? So, I am going to become one of those cheesy husbands after all, the ones I despise so much.
Tch.
If this is our future, then we're obviously going to survive the next few years. Something must have gone right for us.
Historia beams, a wide smile on her pretty face, and God lord she's beautiful. She's lost the childlike roundness to her cheeks as I am now looking at a fully-fledged woman. Her boobs have grown out and her hair's even longer, and a part of me wants to jump into the room and fuck her right there on the bed, Future Levi be damned. He can watch while his past self fucks his sexy wife.
I don't know how much older she is, but she looks closer to my age now more or less. I always wondered what it would be like if our ages were aligned. Things would be easier, that's for sure.
"Thank you, Levi," she thanks in her soft, dulcet tone, and it appears Historia will never lose the girlish quality to her voice.
And she shouldn't. It's one of her best features.
Levi smiles tightly, and what's with his miserable mug? He has the woman of his dreams right before him. Everything is perfect. There is no threat of war looming over the horizon. So why can't he allow himself a proper smile?
That's when I peer at the scar again on his right cheek, the one running down his lips, and it looks painful. It's long since healed, nothing more than a white gash now, but it has permanently disfigured his face. Hence why he can't smile so easily. It must hurt when he stretches his mouth and cheek.
He winches next, and Historia glances up, a rasher of bacon halfway to her lips. "Levi, what's wrong?"
Levi shakes his head, a stubborn mule as always, and I roll my eyes. Seems some things aren't going to change. "I'm... I'm fine, Historia. Eat your breakfast. Don't worry about me."
Historia throws the bacon back onto the place, placing her hands on her hips. "No. The doctor said you're not supposed to stand on your leg for too long. Use your walking stick."
A furrow forms between my brows. Walking stick? Just how much older am I here? I only have a little bit of grey hair, but my face is still annoyingly boyish with just a few more lines.
Levi clenches his teeth, sweat dripping down his temple. "D-don't need it. The doctor said it's a miracle I can even walk again at all, so I'm going to bloody walk."
Historia scowls. "I don't care. If you're not going to use your walking stick, then at least sit. That's an order from your queen."
I chuckle. Seems she's ballsy as ever in the future, abusing her power over me.
Levi gives her his infamous "tch", then settles down onto the mattress beside her. She offers him bacon, but he declines.
Just as she dives into her eggs, Levi says, "So... thirty years old. How does it feel, Your Grace?"
Historia beams. "Fantastic!"
Warmth fills my gut. She's happy about reaching a milestone birthday, one she thought she would never see once she consumed the Beast Titan, and darkness settles inside me.
Zeke has two years left of his term, so I take it she'll have to inherit his Beast at nineteen/twenty. So, she will die at thirty-two/thirty-three. She has two or more years left in this timeline, yet... she's happy. It doesn't make sense.
Unless we somehow found another way to save the island. One that didn't involve sacrificing her, and my heart skips a beat. I can no longer breathe as I only have eyes for thirty-year-old Historia.
She's so radiant, so full of life, and something stings my eyes. Tears. Actual fucking tears as I'm swept away by the moment.
I want this future for Historia. Even if I may be a miserable, crippled, scarred bastard, I want this life for her.
It's what she deserves, and so much more. She's truly living for herself.
I grit my teeth, making a silent pledge. This will be her future, and I will fight for it. I'll rip Zeke Jaeger to pieces before he even makes a step towards her.
I just have to find my chance. When he finally comes to the island, I'll get him alone, then kill him.
So long as the opportunity presents itself. I won't let my selfish desire put the whole island in jeopardy. The bearded shit has a plan for us, one that involves Eren, so I'll wait it out.
But once we no longer have use for him, I'll dispatch of him immediately, finally fulfilling Erwin's order.
One day, Erwin... One day, I can finish what I started and take off his head.
I'm distracted next by Levi as he chuckles, and I wonder if he finally fulfilled that vow to Erwin. Has he found peace? There's sadness in his eyes, but it's only distant. He truly is content here, and who could blame him? Look at his wife...
"Why you so pleased?" he inquires. "It all goes downhill from thirty..."
"No, it doesn't," Historia giggles, flinging a piece of bread at his face.
Levi snaps. "Hey, what did I say?"
She rolls her eyes. "No making a mess on the bed."
"That's right."
They exchange a few unspoken words, glowering at each other intently, but then their scowls turn to smiles, and I wish I could read their thoughts.
Yet I can't, because I'm here, stuck in the shitty past, while they are way, way in the future, and screw them.
Historia continues. "Besides, I'm grateful to be thirty. Thirteen years ago, I never thought I would even live to see thirty."
True. Kiyomi presented her those three clauses when Historia was just seventeen. So reaching a milestone like thirty is an honour, not a curse. I'm certainly as strong as ever, and I'm thirty-five.
And I don't plan to stop fighting anytime soon.
It's obvious Levi is just teasing her, because if she's thirty, then that just makes him even older.
Levi's smile stretches a bit wider, pulling the taut skin of his scar, then he leans across, ruffling her hair, and that's how I always use to mess up Isabel's head back in the underground.
"Hey!" Historia shouts.
"It doesn't matter how old you'll get, Historia, you'll still always be a brat. Don't ever forget that."
She pushes his hand away, and a shiver runs up my spine when I notice Levi only has three fingers.
What... what the hell is going to happen to me? Whatever it is, it has yet to transpire, but things can always change. I may be crippled and pushing on fifty, but I'm still suave and stylish. I'm wearing a cravat and my best black suit.
"Speaking of brats... Where're the brats?"
I take it he means the brats at the orphanage. The kids who currently live there will have grown up by this timeline and left. So it seems we got ourselves a new batch of brats to rehome in the end.
Little Tilly will have grown up too, and my heart sinks when I think of her bottomless, black eyes. Did she finally get to be the confident, young soldier I saw once inside her gaze?
Historia narrows her eyes at Levi. "That's no way to talk about your own children, Levi."
My heart pounds. What? Children? My own children?
Levi mutters a"tch". "Yeah, well, maybe when they finally stop climbing all over me, I can upgrade them to children, but for now, they're the brats."
I scoff. What an asshole, but I can't believe it. I'm a father, and suddenly a cold sweat runs up and down my spine.
I don't think I can watch anymore... I don't think I can stomach seeing what kind of father I will be. I never had one growing up, and judging by my harsh tone, I'm a pretty strict parent.
I am not father material. Kenny was the only example I had growing up, and what could I teach a child per his wisdom? How to flip a knife? Shit. This won't be pretty...
Yet when Historia grabs Levi's face and tugs him closer, whispering close to his lips, my heart thuds. "I know you adore them really..."
They gaze into each other's eyes, and there's no denying Levi's lust. It radiates off him in waves as he stares at Historia's lips, and I watch intently.
Yes, get it on, you two. I want to see if I learned any new moves, but I also want to see if Historia has learned a few new tricks too.
Judging by the bulge in Levi's pants, he still has a working dick, one that has given Historia children, and what a lucky son of a gun.
Pride swells inside me, just like the swelling inside my own pants. Yet before they have a chance to take it further, the pitter-patter of little feet echoes down the corridor, and then a pair of children burst into the room.
I choke.
My... my children.
They're absolutely beautiful...
The little girl has hair as dark as my mother's, and the little boy a head pure blond just like Historia's, and it's too much to take. I'm looking at my children—mine and Historia's children, who both exhibit the qualities of Ackerman and Reiss, and I forget how to breathe.
"Mummy!" they scream in unison, diving onto the bed to join their mother, and Historia wraps them up in her arms, planting kisses on their heads.
My heart melts at the wholesome sight. I'm not surprised. I always knew she'd make a fantastic mother, despite the lack of a mother figure in her own life.
Levi tsks, yanking the breakfast tray off the bed before they make a mess, then puts it to one side. "Watch what you're—"
He doesn't get to finish his sentence as the kids attack him now, climbing all over him, and a smile forms over my face.
The little blond boy climbs up onto his shoulders while the little dark-haired girl wraps her arms around his neck, nuzzling her cheek against his scarred one. "I love you, Daddy... sing me a song!"
"No, let's play horsey instead, Daddy!" The boy wails, yanking on Levi's hair, and the man looks as if he's about to lose his last nerve.
It's obvious he doesn't have the strength to keep up with them, yet despite their insistent badgering, he yields, chuckling lightly as he pulls them both to his chest, trapping them in place with his strong arms. They squeal in laughter, and the sound cracks through my hardened walls, making me wish I could jump inside the room and hold them too.
I could play horsey and sing them a song. Not that I'm into singing, but Mum did use to have a lovely voice, and she taught me how to sing too. I'm not half bad either; I can hold a tune.
Historia grabs the boy and tickles his belly while Levi plays with the girl, and we really are the picturesque family.
The kids eventually calm down, and silence settles over the room.
"Where's your older sister?" Historia asks next.
My eyes pop. Wait, we have another child? As if two wasn't already a handful.
The little girl answers. "Sleeping. She's so lazy, Mummy!"
Historia sighs and glances up at Levi. "Should we wake her?"
Levi shrugs. "She is eleven now, and at that awkward age. She's going to sleep all through the morning."
Historia shakes her head and climbs out of bed, "No. I want all my family here. We're about to open presents after all. Hold on."
"Yay, presents!" the children squeal, and Historia rolls her eyes affectionately.
As she leaves the room to go and wake our eldest daughter, our youngest daughter freezes, peering straight at me through the window.
My heart stops. Wait, can she see me?
I take note of her features in my brief moment of surprise: Historia's round, sparkling, bright blue eyes and my mother's dark, wavy hair, and I'm too overcome.
She's the most precious thing I've ever seen, and I just want to reach out and touch her.
My daughter... My child...
The little girl beams and waves next. "Hi, Daddy. You grew your other eye back!"
Older Levi regards her strangely, then glances in my direction. His one good eye doesn't see me, but I know he feels my presence all the same. His skin blanches, and now he looks as if he's seeing a ghost.
He was me once too after all, watching his future self through a strange window inside a tree, and it looks as if he finally remembered this moment. The moment in question has already come to pass in his own timeline, yet it is currently happening in mine, and my head hurts.
If he was me once, and I will one day be him, then who am I now? Tch.
His one good eye bulges from its socket, and then he mutters, "Shit... it's... it's you... No, me... How could I have forgotten?"
I don't say anything. I just hold my breath. A part of me wants to ask him how he became so scarred, blind, and crippled, with only eight fingers to his name (six if excluding the thumbs). But before I have a chance, the room fades away, and Levi and the children disappear.
I reach out, sticking my hand through the window. "No!"
It's useless. They're gone, and I will never get a chance to look at my own brats again. I place my hand over my face, squeezing my eyes shut as a strangled sob claws its way up my throat, yet I don't cry.
This is a blessing in disguise. The tree has given me a gift because now I have something to fight for, something concrete, and I swear I will get to meet my son and daughters again.
No one will take them away from me, and I growl, digging my nails into my face.
I will get to embrace that beautiful little girl one day with the hair of my mother and the eyes of Historia.
I will fight for her. I will fight for us...
"L-Levi...?"
Alarmed, I whirl around, turning to meet Historia's stunned blue eyes, and my expression must say it all. She gasps, throwing her hand over her mouth.
She has the round, baby cheeks of a teenage woman as she's eighteen once again, and I don't look away from her. Instead, I clench my teeth, having a silent conversation with her.
Tears spill from her eyes. "You... you saw..."
I tighten my jaw, saying through my teeth. "Yes."
She takes a moment to compose herself, overwhelmed with the images I share with her, and now she lifts her face, meeting my eyes with equal passion.
"For them, we will fight..." she proclaims.
I bare my teeth, the distant laughter of my children still echoing through my ears. "Ditto..."
This was awesome to write. I felt every emotion Levi did. How lucky he is to see his children.
I always imagined they would have a little girl with Historia's eyes and Kuchel's hair, and a little boy with blond hair like Historia's and Levi's sharp, grey eyes; it's like the two of them, but mixed around - a blond Levi and a brunette Hisu, basically 😂
I will give a bit of background for their inspiration. I was originally intending to give Levi and Hisu twins, regardless of how the story ended, but now that the manga is over and it's confirmed that Historia had a daughter, I decided to give them more children instead, so I aged their oldest daughter up some years. I know Levi never turned out to be the father of Historia's baby in canon (well, nothing was directly confirmed... yet), but trust me, he's the daddy of these two kids... I didn't show their oldest daughter aged eleven on purpose because I wanted to leave her face a mystery for Levi and Hisu (since she will be the baby to save Historia and... sigh... help Eren with the Rumbling), and mostly because we're still not sure of what her hair and eye colour is yet. Update: just checked a coloured version of 139 and see she has light blonde hair and brown eyes, but two blue-eyed parents can still have a brown-eyed baby I suppose. I guess I will have to wait until the anime is animated for a proper look, but that's way off 😅
Also, Levi does sing. Have you seen Attack on Titan Junior High? He's not half bad...
Peace out, my fellow humans ✌