Long time, no see. I've been slowly working at this story. I tend to write one chapter a week, which is slow for me.

I hope you enjoy.

Song inspiration for this chapter: I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden. It fits RivaHisu in this chap, I guess.

Levi

It doesn't take long for Historia to find me as she clicks the door shut gently behind her, and then we stand in total silence. There's a grandfather clock to the right of the room, its pendulum swinging back and forth in an almost hypnotic fashion.

Birds chirp in the trees outside the window as my dour reflection gazes back at me, and I look like utter shit. The bags under my eyes look more atrocious than usual.

It baffles me why any woman would want me to father their child, let alone one as young and beautiful as Historia.

I guess I should make the most out of my handsome visage while I still have one. Because one day, I am going to get into some awful accident. One that will make me lose my right eye and fingers.

It's not worth thinking about right now. Honestly, all I care about is keeping the woman I love safe from harm. Something must have worked in our favour because why would Historia see a vision of the future, one where everything was way too advanced.

Kiyomi said it would take fifty years for our island to catch up with the rest of the world, but the rest of the world at that point will have advanced by another fifty years since they're progressing at a rapid pace. It seems impossible that we will ever catch up, but those colossal buildings of glass and metal I saw through Historia were something else.

I didn't even know buildings could look like that.

And what the hell was our grandchild Frieda holding in her hand? Old Man Levi thought it was going to give him a brain tumour.

Seems I'm going to become an even grumpier bastard one day.

"So... I take it you've had time to think things through?"

I don't answer her first; I just focus on my reflection's eyes since I look pretty pissed. I don't want her to think that I'm mad at her. I'm mad at our whole fucked up situation.

I could give her hundreds of babies, yet it still wouldn't stop the MPs from turning her titan as I ball my fists. I still stand by what I said; it is fucking bullshit. Historia deserves to be spared as much as our future children.

She shouldn't have to give up her own life to save the island.

I can't stand the thought of losing her one day. I've lost far too much already. Losing her will push me right over the edge. I may go rogue again, like the time I lost Isabel and Farlan, and it won't be pretty…

"Levi?" Historia's soft, wispy voice breaks the tense silence, and I sigh.

I relax my shoulders, trying to keep the murderous thoughts at bay. Nile may be our ally; he has kept our relationship a secret thus far, but right now his face is the only one I can conjure when I think of the MPs.

Historia steps closer, her soft footfalls padding along the carpet as she comes to a halt behind me, and her blonde reflection stands by my shoulder.

I picked a room at the end of the building, so all we have is a view of the small courtyard in the centre of Headquarters.

But someone's bound to walk past in the garden while they're admiring the tulips, and so I undo the tasselled ropes of the curtains, blocking us from view at last.

I'm not sure if Darius left to head back to his own office yet, but best to be cautious. The room is shrouded in darkness now, but a small gap of sunlight remains inside the drapes, and I have half a mind to fix it.

I've always been one for tidiness after all.

The thin gap of light casts Historia's face in a half-shadow, and my heart breaks when I peer into her bright blue eyes.

Why does she have to be so damn beautiful? Especially when her eyes fill with tears.

I blink, surprised. "Are… are you crying?"

She squeezes her eyes, bowing her head as she turns away. "Sorry… I… just couldn't help but wonder if life would have been so much easier if… if I'd never asked you to become my knight. Then… you wouldn't feel such a strong urge to protect me, and we never would have forged a bond to begin with. You… would have had much less at stake, much less to lose…"

Now I'm really fucking confused. What the hell is she blabbering about?

"Historia? What are you—?"

"Admit it, Levi. If you'd never become so invested in me, then you wouldn't be feeling this awful right now. You'd just be doing your thing with the scouts, keeping tabs on Eren while helping Hange with Hizuru. I… wouldn't be your number one priority. All you would have to worry about was fulfilling Erwin's last vow, and our relationship would have remained professional. I… would have been nothing to you. Just some brat you coerced into becoming queen once upon a time..."

Her words break off into a pitiful sob, leaving me absolutely speechless. All I can do is stare at her dumbfounded as she weeps her heart out, making me feel cold all over.

How could she think she'd have meant nothing to me? I've never heard anything so ridiculous. Do I really come across like that? Like an indifferent asshole who couldn't give two shits about anyone else?

I've spent so much of my adult life protecting the weak and the vulnerable, people I've never even met, so of course she would have still meant something to me. Even before I became her dumb knight, I still gave a damn about her. It was one of the reasons I helped her with the orphanage because I felt bad about the way I treated her back when we usurped the old government.

And I was always secretly humbled by her tiny punch that day in the corridor of the palace because she just looked so pathetic and defiant, it made me smile.

"So, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry, Levi. Sorry for ever making you care so much about me. Your life would have been so much easier if—"

She doesn't get to finish her rambling as I seize her shoulders, dragging her close to my face so she can gaze into my eyes and see that I don't regret a single day I've spent with her, and that goes for before and after I became her knight.

I always cared about her, but now I care even more as I breathe her in, wafting the loose strands of blond from her eyes.

Tears fall liberally down her cheeks, yet I still don't look away from her shimmering pools. Even though her pain is tearing me apart, I hold her gaze.

"Don't talk shit. You know I don't regret a moment we've had together, Historia. And I'm not just talking about the last few months. I'm talking about the last couple of years."

She blinks her tears away. "But… you didn't like me then. I was just some annoying brat to you."

I clench my teeth. "Damn right you were an annoying brat. An annoying brat I saw fit to protect and take under my wing. I've always looked out for you. Have you forgotten those weeks when I helped you set up the orphanage?"

She shakes her head. "No… Not a single moment."

I continue. "Thought it was the least I could do after how I treated you that morning in that old shack, and… I also saw a lot of myself in you..."

This grabs her attention now as she perks up, widening her eyes. "You… did? Why?"

I straighten my mouth, trying to act nonchalant. "Back when you told us all about your childhood... It was like I was reliving your past with you, because… I knew your pain."

I've never been good at expressing myself, but I hope my sentiment gets through to her blonde head somehow.

I remember that day like it was yesterday and having to school my emotions after she finally confessed her past was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

While the others sympathized with her, I empathized. Her childhood reminded me too much of my own since I've been through hell myself.

I, too, didn't grow up with a father, having been raised by a single mother. I was also convinced at one point that no one needed me and that I wasn't wanted. Not long after Kenny left, and I truly was a lonely kid.

I had no one in my early teen years, relying solely on myself to survive. It was only when I met Farlan that I learnt to rely on others again, and look where it got him in the end.

The others at the table that night had pretty decent childhoods compared to me and Historia, so I was the only one who could put myself directly in her shoes. After she finished telling us her tale, I couldn't even finish eating and had to leave the room. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice.

I guess when you've been through trauma yourself, it makes you more susceptible to others' feelings. It's a blessing and a curse.

Every word of her sad little story resonated with me, and it still does to this very day. The heartbreaking tale of a little girl who just wanted a hug from her mother, and at once I recall the vision I saw in the Path, remembering how she wrapped our tiny children up in her arms.

She will make a fantastic mother, and I can't wait to start a family with her. I hang my head, loosening my grip on her shoulders. If I'm not careful, I'm going to bruise her.

Historia falls back on her heels, and once again she stands at four foot nothing. At least one of the brats stayed shorter than me. The others just sprouted up like beanstalks.

I pull her close, leaning my forehead against her. "Historia?"

She shuts her eyes, glancing down at my jacket. "Yes?"

"I will never regret the day I fell in love with you. So don't ever talk about such bullshit again. My life wouldn't have been easier. Life still would have been fucked up."

She giggles, her breath tickling my face. "Yeah… I doubt it would have changed much."

"No. I still would have fought for you. Fought for your right to live a long, happy life."

She nods, moving my head along with hers. "Okay. I didn't mean to make you sound so heartless. You never were, even back when we were just friends doing our part for the children."

"Tch, friends? I wouldn't go that far. We were more like acquaintances."

She bristles. "Hey!"

I chuckle, ruffling her hair. "You're too easy, brat."

She huffs, fixing her head where I messed it up. "Well, now that I have your undivided attention, I… want to apologise..."

I raise a brow. "Apologise for what?"

"For appearing to give up so easily. Please know that I won't stop fighting, too. I'm not that suicidal girl anymore from my training days. I want to live. After all, I want to grow old with you and raise our family together. So… screw going out in a blaze of glory. If I have to be selfish so I can meet my grandchildren one day, then so be it. I know we can find another way."

I thank my lucky stars its dark because now Historia won't be able to see the smile on my face.

She scoffs. "Don't think I don't know you're smiling. Our emotions are in sync after all. I can feel your happiness."

I step back and gaze into her bright blue eyes. I love how the shadows settle over the contours of her face; I love how that green coat hugs her small frame.

I'm sure it would look better crumpled on the floor.

"So," I start, "We're alone. No more Four Eyes..."

A smile teases the corners of her lips. "No more Four… Commander Hange..."

We stare in each other's eyes, communicating via body language as we tell the other what we want. I narrow my gaze, and she does the same, biting her lip.

"It seems we have a new mission now," I say, my voice thick, husky. "In a few months, we need to get you good and pregnant."

She releases a shuddering breath, trying to keep it together, yet the scent of her arousal saturates the air, and I flare my nostrils.

"That's… that's right…" she whispers.

The seconds tick by torturously as electricity flows between us. It charges the air, making the hair rise at the back of my neck. I taste it on my tongue, allowing myself a moment to indulge in the scent of her. Our shared bond draws our bodies closer like a pair of magnets, and the next thing I know, we're at each other's lips.

We move as one, backing up to a darkened corner of the room as we devour each other, oxygen a thing of the past now as we hardly break apart.

Who needs air, anyway? I'd gladly die kissing Historia like this.

She runs her hands up and down my back, the skin of her soft palms catching over the rough stitching of The Wings of Freedom, and it's like I'm sensing myself through her. I can feel and taste what she does, and it's like existing in two places.

It's or shared bond, making us see what the other sees, and it spurs me on. Her arousal combines with mine, rising and cresting like a tidal wave, and it's like I possess two heartbeats.

Hers thumps against mine, and this dual sense of consciousness is getting pretty spooky. Yet I can't deny it's frigging hot. Her clitoris throbs between her legs in perfect rhythm with my cock, making our bodies quiver with excitement.

When I press my knee between her thighs, claiming ownership of her pussy, her breath hitches. The heat from her sex seeps into the material of my pants, moistening the skin of my leg, but that's got nothing on what my leg's doing to her.

The sensation of my knee against her is doing all kinds of crazy shit to her brain, and then a flash of white sparks inside my eyes. Heat runs up and down my body, making my own breath stutter.

Her pussy yearns for friction. It pulses against my knee, and I guess it's time I gave her what she wants.

With a snarl, I press her up against the wall, stealing the breath from her lungs. Then I reach down beneath her coat, brushing my hand over her slick, warm thighs.

She's ready...

Her hips buck as she wraps her legs around me, and now I free my dick from my pants and enter her at last.

A shrill gasp spurts from her lips as I delve in deep, stretching and tearing her apart, and her body shivers with the promise of a climax.

My hardened shaft rubs against her inner walls as she clenches around me, making me shudder, and now I extend inside her, stretching her out further.

We are one again. Not in the Path, but in the real world, and I bask in the moment, pressing my forehead against her. Our noses touch as we savour the sensation of being so close.

Our emotions pass through us in a continuous loop, back and forth, and I can't take it. I'm going to cum inside her soon as her heat surrounds me, which I guess was the whole point of this secret tryst.

I don't want this moment to end. I want to stay inside her forever and stare into her eyes.

"Look at me, Historia. I want to look into your eyes when I make you come."

She opens her eyelids, taking my breath away instantly, and at once I lose myself in her ocean blues. I'm drowning in those saltwater pools, and it appears this woman is going to be my undoing.

I see my entire future inside her irises, and like hell am I going to let anyone take her away from me.

How could she think I would be better off without her? Since Erwin died, I've had no purpose. But then Historia became my new purpose, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

And honestly, the more I peer into her eyes, the more Erwin's order becomes a distant memory. Kill the Beast Titan, he had said. But I have something else to live for now. Something that is precious to me.

She's feeling all my sentiments as tears drip from her eyes, but I kiss them away, brushing my lips along her cheeks as I whisper, "You ready?"

Historia wraps her hands around my neck, rubbing her nose with mine. "More than anything."

Taking that as my cue, I reach down, slipping a finger inside her. It doesn't take her long to come. She arches her spine, shutting her eyes with a gasp as she releases, and just seeing the look of pure rapture on her face is enough for me.

I empty my cock inside her with a sharp grunt, probing in deeper to ensure my seed reaches her uterus.

Hopefully, our lazy-ass daughter will be one of the nighty five million who reaches her egg.

Thank you for reading.

I may aim for two chaps a month now for HMBaby. I'm pretty excited about this story but bear with me, please. I just don't have the exact same enthusiasm as I did with HMKnight. That fic I was writing at warp speed. I find I need some time with this one, and I know why; I am not writing my own plot now as I am going along with the events in canon. Not so easy. My girl Soron Rocket, the queen of RivaHisu, will know (if she reads these notes 😁)

But at least season four-part 2 is out soon. Less than two months...