#you thought this was going to be a marleyan!hange au but no!

[lady-eny]

Title: On the Nature of Duty (5/?)

Cross-posting on: AO3

Some tags: AU - Spies & Secret Agents, Enemies to Lovers, Action, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Mikenana, Minor Zekehan, Minor Character Death, Reincarnation

Summary:

When Levi, Eldia’s best agent, is sent to kill the marleyan star analyst Hange Zoe, he doesn’t expect what awaits him.

Forced to team up with his enemies to save the world, he soon starts losing sight of his duty. Despite reminding himself how much he hates her, being around Hange makes him question everything he thought was true.

Levi can’t prevent his brain from scrambling at her mere presence, ever closer…

Perhaps it’s that he knows her from a long time ago…

Other Chapters: 1 2 3 4 6 7  8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Notes: Thank you so much for reading! Let me know your thoughts✨

Chapter 5

“I don’t want it,” he said, an uncomfortable heat creeping up his neck.

“Should I throw it away, then?”

Coolly, he unwrapped her gift. Upon identifying the content of the box, he couldn’t contain a smile from growing in his face. Now he had enough top-tier tea for a couple of months...

“Do you like it that much?” Her round eyes met his, eager for a response.

“Yeah,” he astonished himself by saying… something in her gaze drew the answer from him.

She barked a laugh. “Maybe on your next birthday you’ll get more...”

“NO. Don’t even think about it—nor about another party…”

D-9

Hange gets into the hotel room and her mouth falls open. His reaction, though more discrete, doesn’t land far from hers.

Before them, twin beds rest against a gray concrete wall, separated by a black bedside table. After recovering from the impression, and as with the last room, Hange takes the place farthest from the door, some intriguing choice that Levi doesn’t grasp—he invariably chooses whichever is closer to an escape route. Albeit unlike him, she’s supposedly a genius. Should he begin picking up the other one?

Levi places his bag on the vacant bed, stepping over the fluffy gray rug under it. Off the small rug, the floor alternates between black and white tiles. He catches sight of a lounge chair with a floor lamp towering it in a corner, which provides a much-needed light to the whole room, taking into account the dim ceiling one. Nothing out of the ordinary to justify Hange’s initial reaction so far—but for the walls.

Or lack thereof.

Aside from the wall behind the beds, the one they entered through, and a compact space with the bathroom in front of Levi, the others are made of glass, including the ceiling. The night darkness filters in from them, yet doesn’t overwhelm, since the skyscrapers’ gleam projects inward, the blue and purple and pink of the advertisements painting the furniture.

“They’re trying to compensate us for the explosion,” he guesses out loud. He unzips his bag and grabs his phone. To make us forget about our almost past death and potential future one.

Hange takes off her shoes and tosses them, each one far from the other. “They don’t want us to quit,” she agrees. Studies the sky past the glass ceiling, nibbling her lip. “Do you think it’s going to… rain?”

If it rains, it’s prone to be an experience. Distracted by his phone, he shrugs without looking up and sits down on his bed—on the closest edge to the exit as it’s his costume, which this time around carries the plus of being the farthest one from her. He can sense her eyes on him, awareness in the form of flames blazing his side. Uncomfortableness.

His time off in missions tends to consist of him falling death of tiredness on his selected rest space, which somethings is a bed but most likely not. He’d be beyond pleased with this soft and padded bed, being in whatever other mission—alone.  

He strives to absorb himself into his bright phone screen and exclude his surroundings. Yet, soon the engulfing emptiness becomes hollow, a painful beating bothering his temples. He repositions himself. No posture manages to relieve the stiffness of his back or cover him from the frigid environment.

“Any news on The Ripper?” Hange questions, shredding the consuming silence that compressed him.

Levi’s thoughts stagger to business. He inwardly growls and looks up, if only to express his disgust at being reminded of the aforementioned person. The Ripper, the absurd name tastes sour in his mouth. Such a monster deserves them to kill him, not to be sought for a conversation. He repels meeting that man once more, and even less if Hange tags along. Just the memory of the dozens of times in which The Ripper has slipped through his fingers grinds his teeth.

“No. But I will,” Levi replies. His informants shouldn’t take longer to find out a way to contact him. And when they do…

“Great.” Hange disappears in the bathroom.

He’s tempted to keep checking social media, but the more he does, the more his unceasing headache intensifies. Everyone is demanding answers, ones he should have but doesn’t. He can’t do much until they meet The Ripper or someone figures out something else. Unable to ideate what else to do, he types, crafting a report for Erwin. He already notified him of Moblit’s and Arlert’s death, but the paperwork is, tediously, always a request.

Hange exits the bathroom, jumps to her bed, and lands on her belly. “Let’s rest for a few hours and get back to work…”

Her tucking herself in bed provokes a scowl on his face. His glare bounces from her to her shoes scattered on the floor, and then to her bag in the middle of the rug.

“Hey, four eyes, won’t you take a shower? Change your clothes, at the very least?”

Her answer is a barely-contained yawn before wrapping herself in a blanket. Soon enough she lies motionless, asleep with her glasses all twisted over her face. Levi snorts, bewildered. How is she able to rest peacefully when he’s in the room? Isn’t she scared that he’ll attack her? Does he look harmless, or something?

“Tch.” Levi grasps her glasses and places them on the bedside table. Glances at his phone screen. He should complete and send it to Erwin… which he can do in a few minutes. He lays down on his bed merely to stretch out his limbs and ease their aching tension, but the second his head meets the pillow, a dark weight falls over him…

Levi paced around the room, the antiseptic smell of the Medical Wing carrying only anguish-loaded flashbacks to his heart. Why did they have to come back here so constantly?

And why was he always the one left behind, waiting for a diagnosis?

The doctor came out shaking his head. “It can’t be healed. The eye is too damaged for any recovery.”

Acting nonchalant, he nodded, but when the man left, his body fell limp in a chair. After everything they’d just lost, this should have been unimportant, but… He recalled those precious hazel eyes, their profundity, their openness. Suddenly, half of them were unceremoniously gone.

He could never stay still when she was about to get hurt, yet somehow, he was also never around or in time when it mattered the most.

“You can come in,” a nurse informed him.

Inside, Hange was sitting on a tall bed, legs swinging. Something in the sight of his friend, of knowing how she’d survived relatively unharmed, kept warming his chest with relief.

She hopped off the bed and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in its crook. Her hot breathing tickled his skin, her ambrosial scent enveloping him.

“I’m glad you’re alive,” Hange muttered, as she’d been repeatedly doing at the most unexpected times. She was being honest. He could feel it in the way she clung to him, as if not yet believing he was here, corporeal and breathing. A massive part of him wanted to wrap his arms around her, too—but it would’ve been awkward to no end. His arms hung still at his sides until she backed off and huffed, “I told you it doesn’t have a remedy.”

Of course she had been right, she rarely wasn’t. Still, even when they hadn’t talked much ever since the Survey Corps returned as nine instead of hundreds, the short seconds he’d been in her presence had been spent insisting that she visit a doctor to get a second opinion.

He’d been an idiot for holding the littlest speck of hope.

“How are you?” Levi stirred. He rarely asked that sort of question.

She jerked a shoulder and blinked many times, like overwhelmed by something. The bandages over her eye made it easier to forget that, below them, there was a fraction of her that would never heal.

“Fine. It doesn’t matter. An eye is a low price to pay for being alive.” She squared her shoulders. “I… should be going. Have a meeting with Zackly.”

Pride overtook him, tinted with an ever-present admiration. Hange was truly amazing—always looking forward, no matter the waves of pain that kept crashing at her. Whenever she put her head on something, she achieved everything and anything she wanted.

Her determination was at a whole new level, reason why he was convinced she’d be an excellent Commander, even when he wouldn’t have wanted to put that role on her shoulders. Sometimes, he wondered if she resented him for—

A roar deafens his ears and cracks his eye open. Startled, Levi jolts up and looks around, mind struggling through the maze in his head.

What was that? Where am I? What did just happen? Hange… He thumbs his eyelids and the maze gradually dissipates.

Did he dream… something? What, exactly? It was so clear and now he can barely recall it. Something lingers in his chest: a sensation of relief, and above everything, confusion. Like trying to tie two threads of different material and failing.

“You’re awake?” A frightened thick voice disturbs him from the other side of the room. “There’s a storm.”

A storm? Circled by the darkness around, he detects the battering noise of the rain against hardness. A flash illuminates the room, closely followed by an explosive rumble that vibrates the walls. He unlocks his phone and squints at the sudden light—it’s two in the morning. He slept uninterrupted far more than on most days, even those in which he believes himself safe in his apartment.

Hange’s shape moves from her bed to the glass wall in front. The water running down the glass reflects the light from outside, making bright abstract lines dance over her face. She smiles, a view that agitates Levi’s stomach with uneasiness. There’s something strikingly wrong with it.

“The power went out and the only way to darken the glass is with it, can you believe it?” She sounds bitter. “It seems that we no longer function properly without some electrical device.” Another thunder resonates, swallowing every other sound for a second. Hange pales and snaps her eyes closed. She stumbles away from the wall. “Our flight got canceled for the storm. We’re trapped here until it ends…. I should research more.”

She sits crossed-legged on her bed and opens her laptop. Levi tracks her movements and then looks at his phone. He still doesn’t know how to contact The Ripper, and there’s no signal, so no idle time surfing the internet for him. His muscles weaken in, feeling overworked even after resting. He lays his back on the solid wall behind him and prepares for a very long night. The worst part of missions like these is the waiting, yet always a constant.

“We could be struck by lightning,” he scolds her, observing her features highlighted by the computer. There’s something distinct and equally disarming in looking at someone in the gloom of the night, in a place as personal as our bed tends to be. A drowsy quality permeates her, while pillow lines run across her cheeks and some hairs stand out of her ponytail. It’s… strange.

“These tall buildings are prepared for them… I won’t stay doing nothing in the meantime.” She elevates her voice to utter, “Lives are in danger for every second wasted.”

Levi exhales. She’s right. Not that he likes it. He scrutinizes her dark silhouette, lit by her laptop’s screen. Her right-hand slides over the keyboard at breakneck speed, while her left one… Is it inside her bag?

What is she holding there?

A… weapon?

Faking casualness, he sits up straighter, alert to any abrupt motion. He opens his mouth, doubting before speaking. For him, conversations are hard to hold, and seeking one with her doesn’t seem advisable. There’s a long night coming, though… “What are you working on?”

“Basically, I’m tracing the bombs’ origin. Who fabricated them and what kind of technology they use. It’s so odd that no one can tell where they came from, not to mention, Marley and Eldia are high-security territories. We know everything that enters and leaves. It should have been nearly impossible for the bombs to get in without us knowing. And yet, that’s exactly what happened.”

“Our security has a hole we don’t know about,” he summarizes.

She nods and smiles wickedly. “I wonder if I could find yours before your people do.”

Levi takes his bag and places it on his lap. “I’m sure my analysts will in no time.” He would inform Erwin if he thought the man didn’t already know.

“Not before me, if I were working on it,” she declares. Levi dislikes that she’s probably right. There’s a reason his superiors desperately wanted her dead as soon as she was out of her homeland.

“What have you got?” He continues eyeing her left hand with suspicion.

“I…” She rubs her chin. “I just discovered where they all came from.”

He stares at her, unexpectedly breathless. “Wh—How much did it take you?”

“Since I sat here,” she says as if it was nothing—as if it was too slow, even. Levi lifts his brows, quite impressed. Hundreds of people had been working on that for days, and she solved it in a few minutes? “I just took what the other analysts had gathered and found the correct direction among many incorrect ones,” she explains, waving her hand in an attempt to downplay her work.

He can’t avoid his internal praise. She’s a genius, indeed. All in all, with the glasses and the hair Hange does look like one, but her physical fitness is no joke, either. She put on a good fight against him, even if for a minute, which not many can achieve. She’s also overly… positive, despite the danger on her heels.

She types at light speed, her exhilarated eyes gone on the screen.

“Good job,” he drops. Hange flings her gaze from the computer and meets his.

“Ah… thanks?” She looks downright surprised. Scoots to the edge of her bed without taking her hand out of her bag. Now closer to him, she tilts her head to a side, her barely visible eyes examining him. And keeps doing so, time stretching out in silence until he breaks eye contact and busies himself with the seams of his bag.

Sure, she might be remarkable. That doesn’t neutralize being a vicious marleyan.

The enemy, he reminds himself. You should be scared that they have her, rather than admire her.

He refocuses on the matter at hand. “Where do they come from, then?”

Hange hesitates. She returns her attention to the computer and answers without diverting it. “Liberio.”

Levi’s head jerks at her, but she doesn’t react. In fact, her expression is blank, overmuch controlled to be genuine. So… Marley is indeed implicated. Why did she tell him something that compromising about her nation?

She sighs, shoulders going up and down exaggeratedly. “And before you say something about it: no, I don’t think Marley did it. We really, really, didn’t.”

His pupils move all over her face; from her jutting jaw to her full lips flattened in a line. A side of him wants to believe she isn’t lying, but why should he trust her? He can name the people he does trust in five seconds, a list she’d never be part of. Moreover, he’d never set wishes above facts. And the facts are that Marley is behind this. Evidence suggests so.

He folds his arms over his chest. “If you say so.”

An exasperated look blossoms on Hange’s face. Her fingers turn white by the force with which she’s gripping her laptop. “Maybe you did it to blame us.”

Levi rolls his eyes. Marleyans love to turn tables for their convenience, even when the correct answer is in plain sight. He shouldn’t engage in such a nonsensical conversation, but his people are the ones being framed. “Why would Eldia do it in the first place?

“Why would Marley do it in the first place?” She mimics his eye roll.

They sink into a strained silence. Levi reclines, mentally cursing the person next to him. Minutes trickle by, and the pitter-patter of the rain against the glass calms his breathing. It lulls him, makes him nod off…

“Look at this!!”

He jumps to his feet, throwing his bag to the floor in the process. His heartbeats are frantic against his chest. “What? What happened?!”

“Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up?” An innocent smile surfaces in her mouth.

Levi surveys around, tensed, but nothing is amiss; the rain continues as well as the darkness, and nobody is charging at him from a hideout. His muscles relax and he retakes his spot on the bed, placing his bag on his lap again. This time, he promises himself to remain awake. What was he thinking before, sleeping when she was up? He provided her the perfect opportunity to kill him; practically put his head on a silver plate and handed it to her. He must be more careful.

And he’s pretty certain she woke him up like that just because. He grimaces. “What did I have to look at?”

“Ehh… I forgot.”

There’s a sheet of paper in her hand. “Is that the Arlert’s list?”

“Mm-hmm. Just checking if all of them are truly dead. If not, they need protection.”

“And so far?”

“So far, they’re different kinds of scientists, but one thing is the same: they’re all dead, and everyone in different locations.” She points at a name; he narrows his eyes at it. Tom Ksaver. “He, for example, was a rewarded biologist. This other man”—she points at another name he doesn’t bother to read—“is a history teacher, this an astrophysicist. And this—”

“I get it. Smart people.”

“The best academics in the world! I don’t know how no one noticed this before. Armin is… going to be missed.”

Levi leans back. “No one pays real attention to the victims as individuals. The numbers are bad enough.”

“I guess so.” She pinches her nose. “Who would want to erase them from the map? And why? Is it really to avoid being discovered?” She asks, mostly to herself.

“Maybe they didn’t like their shitty lectures.”

She lets out a laugh, then covers her mouth to stifle it. Clears her throat. A hint of a smile plays at the corners of Levi’s lips—it’s fairly rare when someone gets his humor, let alone laughs at it.

A deafening thunderclap booms. Hange leaps and her hand flies to her chest.

Interesting.

“Are you afraid of storms?”

“What? No.” Another thunder rumbles, and she winces. “Even if I was, I’d have good reasons: they’re horrible!” She shivers to emphasize her words, and then bounds, startled by yet another crash. The storm’s intensity seems to be increasing. For him, storms are neither pleasant nor bad. They just are, like most of the things he encounters daily.

Hange closes her laptop and sets it away. In the sudden blackness, she draws up her knees and hugs them, shrinking into herself. Covers her back with a blanket, all the while flinching at every thunder.

As much as he hates her, it’s strenuous to hold onto the bad feelings when she becomes a trembling jello at every noise.

“Errr…” he starts, searching for words to distract her. It’s awkward to do nothing while she’s so visibly frightened. A strategy settles in his mind. “What will you do after this mission?”

He doesn’t think anything war-related could escape her mouth, but when people are distracted or vulnerable, they reveal information more easily. Right now, that four eyes is prone to say unwanted stuff—at least, the most she’ll ever be with him.

Who knows? She could slip.

She pulls up the blanket around her head. “I… I…” She bites her lower lip. He stays quiet, enabling her to forget who is the one she’s talking with. “I’ll finish some codes for this flawless and great weapon I designed. Then, I’ll send it to demolish Eldia with all of its destructive power. And you?”

Argh.

“I was talking seriously,” he blurts with a clipped tone.

“Sure you were. I’m not that easy to break, Levi,” she says, but her words get suffocated by a loud clap. She grips the hem of the blanket around her head, shielding her neck. “Does it bother you that I call you Levi?”

It’s actually nice to hear it out loud for a change.

“I don’t care what you call me.”

Other than violence, could there be a way to get past her defenses and make her talk about Marley? Nothing in her expression gives her away now, doesn’t even display fear anymore. She’s focused on scrutinizing him, as well as he is. What could she be seeing, concluding? Levi can’t decipher her, as much as he tries to. It’s like a puzzle whose template he thought he had, but in which her pieces don’t fit. At first glance, she doesn’t appear like a terrible person. Her energy says that much, but that’s just not possible.

People look at her with affection and trust. She’s working hard on this mission to save lives. She helped those hurt in the late museum. Nothing of that adjusts with marleyans’ famous viciousness, selfishness, and blood-thirstiness. What’s the truth hiding between her contradictions?

Maybe she’s a good actress.

Or perhaps he should change the template and consider her from a blank canvas. Build an opinion from nothing, without already opaque lenses. But that’d be like admitting that not all marleyans might be that bad, something he can’t say in truthfulness, not without thinking back of the number he’s confronted and that no longer walk this earth. Giving the benefit of the doubt might be doable, but he doesn’t feel comfortable doing it. She is a marleyan.

Why should he agitate himself with this mismatch?

He only needs her to succeed in this mission and, ideally, obtain information from Marley. Understanding her is no requirement. He’ll merely have to stop analyzing her and problem solved.

Levi rubs his eyes and pulls his black laptop out of his bag. He might not find out anything useful from her anytime soon, but he can finish his report.

The screen lights up. Fortunately, the fall didn’t damage it. He opens a new document.

“So,”—she shuffles on her bed until she’s facing him—“what will you do after this, Ackerman?”

Honestly? I might be sent to eliminate you. Although he doesn’t know how he’d do it. A prickling makes him scratch his scalp. Working with her wasn’t his smartest idea; he never had any prolonged interactions with his targets before. And, remembering how the first time ended, a second doesn’t look like a piece of cake.

He settles for a harmless truth. “I’ll return to Eldia, turn on the TV, and catch up with Joan the slayer.”

All of his focus is on the blank page in front of him. He’d transcribe what he wrote on his phone, but it was so little that it’s pointless. He taps his finger on the laptop’s surface. Apart from the bombs coming from Liberio, what else is important enough to share with Erwin? They haven’t progressed much.

“Ohhh, the TV show. I love it so, so much!” A pause. “Also, thanks for giving me such a powerful weapon against you.” Over a smirk, she drums her fingers on her mouth, one after the other in quick succession.

Levi fixes her with a hard glare. What the hell is she talking about?

“You’ll defeat me using my favorite TV Show against me? What can you do, cancel it?”

“I’m sure I could somehow do it, but I wouldn’t—it happens to be my favorite, too. There’s no need, though. As far as I know, it’s only broadcasted on the south coast of Eldia. Now I have a delimited area for your hometown.”

His body vaporizes with heat, his rigid arms reddening. This. This is the reason he dislikes talking with people. He has to remain alert every fucking minute!

Hange is studying him for a reaction, but he ignores her.

He must’ve forgotten who she was for a breath.

Never again.

“So? I’m right, ain’t I?” She smiles, satisfied. “I’ve spent too much time in fanpages where eldians complain about being unable to watch the series on TV because their area lacks the right channel.”

“That’s cheating,” he accuses, stronger than intended.

Her face closes at his harshness, losing her smile. She lies down and turns away. “You know I can’t do much with that, don’t you? It’s not like being aware of where you live could allow me inside your frontiers. And you’re the one who tried it against me first. You even tried to kill me,” she grunts, her back to him. “I deserve something to protect me, even if it’s some inconsequential facts. I didn’t even get an apology.”

Levi is familiar to guilt. It’s a long-time companion that’s been pelting him almost daily, without fail. He refuses to feel it right now, to show recoil for doing his damn job and defending his land against her country of murderers. He smashes the keys of his laptop, writing a rather incoherent report.

Hours go on like that until he stops, anger drained and fingers sore.

“Why didn’t you kill me, by the way?” Her voice comes out faint and somnolent. The dark shape of her back is the only thing he makes out of her.

“How can you be sure that killing you was my mission?”

Hange scoffs. “Right, whatever… You think it’ll end soon? The storm?”

The room flickers with light, but the rain drums lower. The smell of damp earth floats to his nostrils as he glances at the glass wall. His laptop touches cold and smooth against his fingers.

“It has to.”

“No answers from your people yet?”

“I don’t know. I have no signal.”

“I’ve been trying to contact him, too, but nothing. It’s almost as if he didn’t exist. And here I used to think it was impossible for something to be a secret in this connected world.”

“Not because everyone owns a phone, you can see them shitting as you please.”

Her muffled laugh reaches his ears. “Right. My… Zeke thinks that whoever is behind this must be someone with a bigger vision, who knows a lot of important people, and could inspire some sort of worship.”

My… Zeke? My superior, my ally, my friend? Levi makes a mental note to remember her phrasing. As far as they know, Zeke Yeager is also a genius, but of another kind. He’s an innate leader, her co-worker, and also her handler—the one she reports to, as he does with Erwin. Could they have a more personal relationship? This could be helpful information or nothing at all.

“My superior believes that, too. Someone very smart, obsessed with a goal, and willing to go to extremes for it,” Levi chimes in.

“We aren’t making the search smaller...” She’s quiet for so long that he believes her sleeping. “Why did you accept this mission?”

The sudden question throws him off the rails. “What?”

“I mean, you don’t seem like you wanted to. Most of the time you’re… sulking.”

He opens his mouth but nothing comes out. His neck flushes with heat, and he feels… exposed. A feeling that transforms into irritation. He grips his bed, arms stiff.

Who is she to make observations on him? Wrong ones.  He’s never sulking. He’s awfully cheerful, all the fucking time.  

“There are people who dislike laughing or yelling all the fucking day, and not for that we’re sulking,” he jeers.

She switches until she’s facing him. “I know. But it isn’t that—there’s something in your eyes… they lack something.” Well, thank you. “You look different when you’re truly happy.” Her eyes widen and she hurries to add, “I mean, you must.”

He opens his mouth. Closes it. Why should he deign that with an answer?

Usually, opening himself to others is challenging, even with the most trivial topics—which this isn’t. Amidst the darkness, her scarcely visible eyes on him radiate something, like a whole energy that loosens his defenses and makes him want to speak.

That penetrating gaze, as if she was trying to read into his very soul, is the one that tears the answer from him. He surprises himself by saying, “How can I be happy with what’s happening, with the way the world rots and destroys more and more innocents?”

Maybe her genius status doesn’t come from her sharp mind, but from some sort of ability to compel people to open to her, as if her voice and her laugh and her intense gaze were a flute to which others respond without thinking. Why hasn’t anyone mentioned that? Is he the only one who notices it? Who is affected?

“Oh. Well, you’re right in that.” She snuggles up, hugging the blanket against herself. One of her hands remains buried in her bag. It’s never gotten out. “Tomorrow, we should visit one of the places where the bomb didn’t explode… like Eldia. I have a theory that the next attack could be in one of those. The locations are ideal, at least.”

No way he’d ever take her to Eldia. “Maybe we should send a team, instead.”

“Uh… yeah. I shouldn’t be seen a lot outside. I forgot about the people-trying-to-kill-me bit, since I’m sleeping in the same room with one of them.”

How can she compare me with those… those…? “I’m not actively trying to do it, or am I?”

She hums in agreement. Yawns. “We have to order some of that delicious-looking food from the hotel’s menu in the morning. I’m starving…”

He listens to her breathing until it goes even. Stands up and scrutinizes her; she’s calm and peaceful while sleeping, her arms joined against her chest. She forgot to put off her glasses, again—no wonder she has so many spare pairs for someone who doesn’t work out in the field. He picks them up and puts them on the bedside table.

How fortunate that she’s able to sleep as deeply as now.

In the most silent way he can, he snatches her phone from her bed, heart pounding in his ears. It isn’t locked, but has no saved numbers; neither messages nor photos, just a bunch of games—as expected. He tiptoes behind her and searches through her bag, careful not to touch her hand. It contains clothes, a variety of weapons, and something stuffed: nothing of relevance.

He takes her laptop and turns it on. The screen demands an eye scan to reveal its secrets, something he lacks the time to break. Either way, he doubts she’d let something at hand for him to steal.

His shoulders hunch at the futility of his act. He only wants to come back to bed and rest his tired muscles.

Levi lifts his bag for a change of clothes, and… his blood stops its course. He goes completely still.

His clothes… they look the same, just as he accommodated them.

But they aren’t.

There are small changes here and there. Ones only Levi would note, but present, nevertheless. Someone else went through his stuff. He should have expected this when he fell asleep in her company. Did she also sneak to check his phone first? Got into his computer? Did she look at him while he was sleeping?

He almost smiles.

Smart move. She even did it before him.

  ***

  D-8

“These are so delicious!” Hange exclaims with a chocolate-chip muffin in her hand. She takes another bite, sprinkling the area around her mouth with more bread crumbs, along with her bed. Whoever invented room service didn’t know that people like Hange would spray her entre food all over the sheets. “Nana told me that while we’re gone, she’ll delve into bomb producers. They haven’t been lucky with the locations yet.”

“If they come from Liberio, maybe they were produced there. Is it possible for something of that scale to be made without anyone knowing?” Levi asks from his place on the lounge chair. Erwin is also leading an independent investigation about the origins of the bomb received by Eldia, and so far, he knows nothing but the way it entered the country. It’s kind of alarming.

She chews and swallows. “It shouldn’t be, and yet… here we are.” She waves her bread with her words, and more bread crumbs fall on her bed.

Levi restrains himself from throwing a napkin at her face and massages his temples instead. He feels as if his skull was being hammered. He promises to get a medical checkup when this mission ends—never in his life had he suffered from so many headaches as in these past days.

“Are you done with it?” Hange’s head gestures at his almost intact plate. He barely ate something, his head so jumbled that it makes him nauseous.

“Yes.”

Hange nods. “Then we should prepare.”

He almost groans in pain. Ever since a loud ring woke him up, he’s been in such a bad mood. At least, his people finally found out how to contact The Ripper, and Hange already talked with him. They agreed on a time and place to meet, which turns out to be in this city center and in a few hours. Time is undeniably running out for them, yet Levi would prefer to be in a better condition on the day he’s supposed to meet that man again.

His phone rings loudly, and Levi can’t help but groan at the noise. He goes for his phone on the bedside table and, recognizing the number, answers without thinking. Behind him, Hange prepares for the meeting with The Ripper as a blue projection comes out of the device, forming Erwin’s face.

“Ackerman. Did you decide where the meeting will—?”

Erwin stops, as does Hange at his back. Levi makes a face. He forgot to find a place to talk privately…

“Mr. Smith.” Hange greets, a tight smile on her mouth. Levi’s aching mind paralyzes. Does she... know him?

“Miss Zoe.” Erwin nods, coolness spilling from his tone. Neither says anything else. Levi takes his phone and locks himself in the bathroom.

“What was that? Where do you know her from?”

Erwin strokes his bushy eyebrow. “It isn’t important. What happened with The Ripper?”

When Levi comes out of the bathroom, he sneaks glances at Hange. How does she know Erwin? Pain blinds him. He makes his way to his bed and lies down. He’ll rest only for a second before entering work mode.

“This is a bad idea,” he mutters after a few minutes of Hange skipping from one side of the room to the other.

“Don’t be silly. It’s going to work just fine.” She combs her fake blond hair with her fingers in front of the bathroom mirror. As the door is open, he gets to glimpse at her. For a second, he can convince himself that she’s someone else, but her vitality, or rather something in the way she moves, is recognizable enough. For him, at least. Hopefully, not for anyone else.

Levi shakes his head and presses his forearm over his eyes. “You don’t know him.”

“For someone called the best agent in the world, you surely are afraid of him. Maybe I really should start worrying,” she says. He pulls his arm off of his eyes to send her a glare. She turns and laughs at him. “Kidding. But honestly, what can happen? He’ll say: ‘Oh no! If this is Zoe and Ackerman, trying to get information from me and paying me to do so, I’m so scared!’” She moves her fingers as if she was a ghost trying to scare. “He’ll think of me as a harmless person.” She signals at her clothes, consisting of a pair of jeans and a green sweater. Then at her fake nose, contact lenses, and wig. “Also, our people will be all around, so cool down. There won’t be anything out of the line… There won’t, right?”

Hange leans her shoulder on the door frame and folds her arms over her chest, gaze piercing him.

Logically, he knows she’s right. They don’t even have to worry about the people trying to kill her; this is a secret mission, and she looks virtually unrecognizable even from this closely. Still, his stomach quivers with apprehension. That man is vile and dangerous, and so, so clever.

“Right,” he says. In spite of The Ripper promising to be on his best behavior and stick to their deal, Levi doesn’t trust anything that comes out of his nasty mouth.

“You know what?” Hange taps a finger over her lips. “It’d be a better idea if he meets just me, and not you, someone he already knows. We’re predisposing him not to trust us.”

No shit. There’s no way she’ll go alone. “Why wouldn’t he? We’ll pay him for the information.”

She cocks her head to a side. “You know, I don’t think you’re aware of how trust works. It’s not that easy to relax in the face of someone who has tried to kill you, and as far as I know, you almost killed him a bunch of times.”

His aching mind lags on the implication in her words. Is she aware of how they apply not only to The Ripper, but to herself? For what he’s learned about her these last hours, she must do. Does it mean she feels that way, then? Struggling to trust him because of that night?

Well, she shouldn’t trust him. Why would she even try?

Perfect, his headache is worsening. Now his eyeballs are being violently hammered, too.

Levi squeezes his head. “He doesn’t have to trust us. And you won’t go alone.”

Hange’s eyes narrow at him. “Why? Because I won’t be able to handle myself out there?”

What is she talking about? Argh, this pulsating pain won’t let him think. The worst part is that if The Ripper believes he’s being trickled for even a second, he’ll blast against her, not him. And she might not stand a chance. He can’t let her go alone knowing that, even when in his current condition, he might be unhelpful.

He doesn’t ponder twice before speaking, “You’d do it great, but The Ripper is treacherous, and his people more so. As dangerous as you are, you’d be outnumbered and they don’t play fair.”

Her hands fall loosely at her sides just as her voice goes up in naked surprise. “You…. You think I’m dangerous?”

“Uh?” He runs a hand through his hair—how is that important? Is she fishing for compliments? “Yeah, because you are. You’re one of the biggest threats against Eldia and can’t be taken lightly.” Isn’t that common knowledge?

Hange’s face breaks into a smile. Meanwhile, his brow furrows in confusion. How is that a good thing?

Weren’t they discussing The Ripper?

“Thanks,” she says, softer. “It’s just that, back at home they always look down on me for being the brainy, dreamy person no one wants to hear. They don’t even let me go out much, as they say I’m more valuable inside, but I think they doubt my abilities to defend myself… Anyway, it’s good to hear an adverse opinion, even when it comes from an enemy.”

Why would they think she can’t defend herself? That’s the most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard. She lasted more than most of his targets against him, and that trap in the elevator was well-thought-out. Hadn’t it been him, she probably would have succeeded.

Something seems to flash across her face, and she hurries to her bag. She pulls out a pill bottle and offers it to him.

“What’s this?” Suspicion laces his voice.

“For your headache. It’s not poison.”

“Oh… Thanks.” He doesn’t tuck his wariness away, but seizes the bottle. Unfamiliar warmth whips through him, making him feel weird. It’s just unusual to receive something like this. He scratches his neck. “Are you carrying a weapon?”

“Only these.” She takes two knives out from her waistline. “I can’t bring a gun. I told him this would be a peaceful negotiation.”

Peaceful my ass. After scrutinizing the bottle, Levi concludes it’s not poison. He doesn’t take it, though—you never know. He’ll just have to endure the pain. He stands up and scans out of the glass wall. Outside the clouds are gray, but at least it’s not raining again.

“I still believe attacking him by surprise is for the best.”

She joins him, looking at the skyscrapers out of the glass. “We could lose him. You said so yourself, he’s escaped you for years. We can’t risk that.”

“I don’t care how much you’ll give him.” He smacks his palm against the wall. Fuck this. “I know his shitty mind, that bastard won’t tell us the truth.”

Hange places her hands on her hips. “He does anything for money, doesn’t he?”

“Not if betraying his last client could kill him.”

“He didn’t sound cowed by that.”

He blows a breath. His guts tell him that something about this stinks. “If he dares to betray us, he won’t get off from me again.”

“If that happens, I’ll personally help you.” She shifts her weight from a foot to the other. “By the way… how do you know him? I thought you and Eldia only cared about defeating Marley.”

“Sorry to burst your pink-colored marleyan bubble, but Eldia has many other things in mind besides you. Internal conflicts, international problems…”

“Marley also has those,” she exhales. “Years ago, we even got an extremist organization trying to take down the queen.” Levi didn’t know that. Guess their lands aren’t as contrary as they like to think. “It’s so difficult to give everything in an attempt to defend your people and still encounter opposition from them. The ones you’re working so hard to save…”

“How do you know Erwin?”

“Mr. Smith?” Her facial muscles harden. “From the conversations.”

“Which conversations?”

“You don’t know? I’m not surprised.” She heaves a breath, looking out at the grayness outside. “The ones we’ve undertaken to end the war.”

To end… the war? His neurons short circuit. Why didn’t Erwin tell him? And why would Marley want that?

They must know that they are set to lose and want to minimize their defeat.

“Conversation isn’t enough to achieve peace. Our shared history has proven it over and over again.” How many times have they tried it? It’s always the same.

Hange shakes her head. “Communication is our best resource.”

“You’re wasting your time.”

She turns to him. Her voice grows defensive. “It’s my time to waste. And it’s all for change to follow.”

Why is she so vehement on this? Can’t she see reality, logic? “Change doesn’t start like that.”

Her hand closes into a frustrated fist. “I know that talking is small scale, but for now that’s what we’re able to do. Change always propagates from the little.” Her next words are a whisper, “It’s the only thing I can do, in my way.”

He opens his mouth to retort but no more words come. What’s the point of fighting her on this, something she seems to fiercely believe?

‘It’s the only thing I can do, in my way…’ Her words repeat in his head, resonating in his core.

Their gazes link. Her eyes are warm, but there’s no hazel in sight. Only the blue of her lenses, which makes them look… wrong.

‘It’s the only thing I can do, in my way…’

A sudden notion pops into his still hurting head: we’re the same. He may aid his people as an agent instead of attempting to elicit fruitless talks that help no one, but he’s trying to help however he can, as much as his skills let him. Like she does, if her words are to be believed.

They look at the same sky and feel the same pain. From abysmally different worlds, yet deep down the very same.

The realization and the mirror he finds in her eyes render him speechless. Realizing he’s been staring at her, Levi hastens his focus onto the black and white tiles of the floor. What an interesting decoration, isn’t it?

The temperature seems to have increased out of the blue.

“Turning it on now,” Hange says. He looks up to see her touching her ear, not quite missing the flush in her cheeks. “Check your earphone…. You hear me clearly?”

Static mixes with her voice in his head. “Loud and clear.”

“Ready?” A confident expression settles on her face.

He straightens without much will. “Let’s go.”

It’s not like we have another damn option.

They have to get something from The Ripper, no matter what. As Levi exits the room, he ignores the unpleasant sensation adhered to his guts, shouting to him that he’s leading them to impending danger. It feels too familiar to be born from common anxiety—as if it was an old fear long-buried in the depths of his heart… His headache has him thinking absurd things.

That must be it.

Surely, nothing wrong will happen today.

  ***

  The sun is setting, its dim glow from behind heavy clouds, dipping below the horizon. Gusts of frigid wind hit them, ruffling their clothes. Hange drifts through it, striding along the street with her green sweater rising in the air—he blinks and for a second, instead of a sweater, it looks like a cloak…

Levi shakes his head at the mirage. A cloak? Who wears one of those these days?

He lowers his cap and follows her. He remains in disagreement with the accorded (accorded, as if The Ripper could be capable of any decency) meeting place—mainly because that criminal chose it himself, but also because of the many civilians around. Hange comprehended his worries, yet did nothing. She said it was to show trust.

What’s with her obsession with trust?

Even though their people are all around—he glimpses at some of their men hidden on the roofs—last time they weren’t that helpful. Furthermore, the meeting place, a restaurant with outdoor seating at the skirts of a suspension bridge, is out of most of their people’s reach should something happen.

On the bright side, his headache is slowly dissipating.

The people winding around them are all the same. Heads down and bright screens shining on their faces. The panic generated by the explosions has subsided to be replaced by indifference. At this point, most people think it was an isolated happening that won’t be repeated; thus they’ve resumed their normal life. Consequently, recreational areas like these are packed with tourists.

Overpacked.

Levi feels the oxygen decreasing, the air running out by so many people passing around him. The odor of sweat and lotions blended choke him. There are just so many, more than he’s able to count, one face after another without any distinction. His chest squeezes as he blindly tries to move faster through the throng. Get rid of it.

A hand closes around his wrist and drags him toward the open restaurant they were heading to in the first place. Free from the overwhelming multitude, he puts his hands on his knees and sucks in a deep breath, chest expanding and easing the pressure.

“You don’t like crowds, do you?” Hange asks beside him.

“I don’t mind them as long as they aren’t all around me,” he spits, strangled. He straightens and composes a nonchalant expression to sweep his moment of honesty under the proverbial rug.

Above them, the metallic arched entrance to the restaurant glows neon green. Hange moves into the restaurant area and past the numerous full tables, the smell of food and coffee wafting between them. She halts at the loneliest corner, which makes him a little grateful. Just a little. Here he can be at ease, if only for a second.

“Now we wait.” Settled, Hange takes a napkin and cuts a piece of it to roll and unroll between her fingers. It seems to be more of a mannerism than a way to calm her nerves, as he initially thought.

Sitting at one of the metallic tables facing the busy street, Levi feels a prick on the side of his neck. Promptly, he turns in that direction. There’s nothing out of the ordinary there. Among so many people transiting, he doubts he’d be able to grasp something, even if it was out of place.

No, he doesn’t like this place even one bit. He taps a finger on his thigh, waiting. Suddenly, someone grabs the back of one of the chairs, scraps it against the floor with a squeak, and sits down.

As always, The Ripper wears a cowboy hat and nibbles a toothpick between his teeth. Behind him, the weak sun finally disappears, and the reddish lights on the bridge cables come to life, falling onto them.

“You must be Miss Bean,” The Ripper says with a grating voice, tipping his hat. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Hange nods, smiling. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Ripper.”

“Please, call me Kenny.”

Levi’s eyes bulge at him. Acting well-mannered? What game is he playing? He remembers that time when he, for once, believed The Ripper’s indications. He found himself in a trap from which he spent hours trying to escape.

“Cut the crap,” Levi snaps, “and tell us what we want.”

Hange elbows him and shoots him a censuring look. It sends uneasiness to his stomach, like when he was scolded in his childhood. He presses his mouth into an annoyed line.

“Ah, Ackerman. So great to see you again, you finally got a girlfriend?” Kenny leans back, laughing at his own words. “What nonsense am I saying? Of course not, Miss Bean would never stoop that low, would she? Literally speaking.” More laughs.

Hange hastens to change the subject. “On the phone, I told you t—”

“You can do it better, Miss Bean. What kind of lover do you pre—?”

“Oi, shut your dirty mouth!” Levi’s neck is so stiff that he feels with insane clarity the faintest gust of wind. His headache, which was getting better, worsens.

The Ripper waves a hand. “I have to be fair, though; overall, this shorty has some good qualities. You won’t ever meet a more loyal person in this world. So sad that he’s so devoted to those self-righteous from Eldia, always with a stick up their asses.”

Amusement tugs at Hange’s lips. Levi shoots a glare at her, which makes her sit straighter. “Ahem, on the matter at hand, you told me that…”

Again, that prick on Levi’s skin. His gaze explores their surroundings and halts on a face. It shoves him into a freezing pool. Dressed in a brown t-shirt and khaki pants, there’s this man. Although sunglasses conceal his eyes, he’s studying Hange without qualms. Levi can’t place him, and yet… he looks certainly familiar. Upon noticing Levi’s attention on him, the man slips through the crowd.

He could be a bodyguard for The Ripper, verifying the safety of his boss, but Levi distinguishes his style all too well. He’s subtle and smart; wouldn’t allow Levi to spot his people out in the open.

No, that man is another thing.

His fingers twitch in coldness. Could he be… one of the people trying to kill Hange?

What a fucking great timing.

Next to him, Hange tilts her head to a side—just a little bit, but enough to give him a sidelong glance, letting him know she saw the man, too.

“I’ll come back in a second,” Levi says, raising. But he doesn’t go. The claws of a foreboding squeeze his stomach. Don’t leave her, it mutters.

He lingers, not sitting back down but not running away, either. He tells himself, You’re exaggerating. He’ll merely be gone for a few minutes, and nothing bad will occur.

Regardless of everything in his body trying to pull him down again, he doesn’t. His mission doesn’t include worrying about Hange, and that man could be key to fulfilling his duty. With that in mind, Levi swallows the acid rising in his throat.

It will only be a few minutes. When he gets back, Hange will still be talking with the Ripper as if he hadn’t left.

Surely.

Only, the shots that ring through the whole place not long after his departure soon prove him wrong.

#levihan #levihan fanfiction #levi x hange #levi x hanji #Levi Ackerman #Hange Zoe #aot #aot fanfiction #snk #enemies to lovers #reincarnation au #OTNOD #mine #myfics #multichapter

[fanmoose12]

the devil you know

Сharacters: Hange Zoe, Levi, Moblit Berner, Zeke Yeagar, Armin Arlert

Genres: Action / Drama

Summary: Can you still miss a person, if everything you knew about them was a lie?

He was wasting precious time. His primary object was Eren and getting to him before the last hope of humanity had his ass kicked by Marleyan tech or another shifter. His second no less important task was finding Eren's brother and playing a little shit show for his Marleyan superiors.

Eren was already being taking care of and Levi had Zeke in his line of sight. All he had to do was swoop in and get the bearded bastard.

Still, the time was of the essence. Every second wasted meant another useless death. And he had enough of this massacre already.

He had to be focused, had to remain vigilant. But as he flew through the burning city his focus began to slip and his attention was occupied by things of no importance to his goal. He couldn't help but wonder - that small cafe that was just exploded by a thunder spear, did she use to frequent it? And that alley to his left, maybe it had led to her house? Did she even have a house here, in the inner city? Or did she live somewhere else, maybe, in barracks with her fellow warriors? Or, maybe, in a little house in the middle of a forest she used to tell him about?

It didn’t matter, he told himself, none of it ever did.

What mattered right now was the plan and following through with it. Everything else was meaningless.

Keep your head in the game, Levi reminded himself, gritting his teeth. He directed his gaze to the ground, where a chaos was unraveling at a more rapid speed that he had expected.

The swirl of people in white uniforms danced around the city. Some of them, armed with guns and rifles, attempted to fight back, others, less courageous ones - ran for their lives.

Each time one of them fell, receiving a bullet to the head, or getting buried under debris from blown up buildings, his heart stopped. Despite his insistent thoughts - she wouldn't care about you, she never did - he still looked for a mess of brown hair in the crowd.

He wasn't sure if his heart would be able to take it if he saw her there - amongst dozens of dead bodies.

She wouldn't care about you, she never did - and yet, he still couldn't treat her with the same indifference.

Keeping Zeke in his line of sight, Levi landed in the nearby alley. He took out his pocket watch, checking the time. His ride would arrive soon, and that meant—

Showtime, he thought grimly, releasing his cables and readying his blades.

It didn't lessen the pain hidden in the depth of his soul, but hurting Zeke, cutting and hitting him gave the catharsis he was waiting for ever since their last meeting.

First he cut off his left arm - that's for all the scouts that lost their lives because of you.

Then he went for the right arm - that's for Nanaba.

He moved to the right leg, cutting it down and making the beast fall on one knee - that's for Mike.

And that's - he thought - as he slashed through his left leg - that's for Erwin, you fucking dipshit.

The beast collapsed, plummeting face-first into the ground. Levi landed on top of him, taking out a grenade.

He plunged his blade into beast's body, afflicting the final wound. He removed the pin, thinking - that's for taking her away from me too.

The crowd around them swayed, the masses stood terrified in a face of their biggest defender losing so easily to a devil from Paradise. Levi would have even smirked, if this whole farce didn't disgust him so much. He would have enjoyed injuring the beast, if it wasn't a part of Zeke's own, carefully orchestrated plan.

The airship was fast approaching, and so Levi pulled Zeke's body out, scowling at the sight of his hideous face.

"You truly are one of a kind, asshole," Levi whispered to him. "I have never seen anyone uglier than you."

"There are some who enjoy my looks, Levi," the fucking monkey managed to say, despite half of his face missing. "One of my admirers used to be your friend once. Tell me, Captain, do you still miss her?"

Fucker.

Levi shoved his blade into bastard's stomach, going as deep as he could. God, he wanted another round with him. He wanted to beat the shithead until there was no sass left in him.

"I would shut up if I were you, beast. Or I'll be busy cutting your tongue during the whole trip back to the island."

"Careful with your language," Zeke advised with a disgustingly sweet smile. "Someone's watching."

Instinctively, Levi looked up. Immediately, he felt his throat close up because there, on top of the building he saw—

Messy brown hair, those stupid, too big glasses—

His limbs moved on his own accord.

"Take him," he instructed Moblit, kicking Zeke's half formed body to him.

"Captain, the airship—"

"One minute," he promised and soared into the air.

***

Goddamnit, but she didn't age a day. The same proud posture, the same determined expression.

She stood on top of a rooftop, a rifle in her hands. Not far behind her Levi could see the Cart Titan.

Was Hange the one who advised the shifter to use the hard machinery? Most probably. She was the one who knew about scouts’ fighting style the most. Knew their advantages, knew how to exploit their weaknesses.

No surprise in that, she was a scout for almost five years too, after all.

All these times she begged him to show his tricks, to explain how he could move so differently from the others, was it with a malicious intent too? Not to satisfy her abnormal curiosity, but to simply gather more intel?

Was there any moment out of thousands, where she wasn’t pretending?

The rifle in her hands trembled, as she saw him appear.

"Levi," she murmured, and his knees almost gave up under him.

Damn her, damn her to hell and back, but even after all the pain she had inflicted on him, after all these lies and betrayals she was still able to set his heart ablaze.

She was the only one who ever could.

"Hange," he said, swallowing down 'shitty four-eyes'. That wasn't her. Not anymore. He lost his four-eyes four years ago, the night before they've ventured to Shiganshina.

Before him now stood a stranger. A stranger he was still reluctant to harm.

"You knew this was going to happen," he told her.

"I guess this is it." Hange nodded.

She didn't try to shoot at him, didn't call for help.

She knew it would only delay the inevitable. She was always too smart for her own good. Apparently that part of her wasn't a lie.

But everything else was. That's why he did what he had to do.

With a heavy heart, Levi took a step forward.

***

"Ah, and here I was worried it'd be a boring trip with only Captain Brooding as my companion." Zeke tilted his head, offering the most charming of his smiles. "Professor Hange, seeing you is always a pleasure. I'd shake your hand, but," he shrugged, pointing at his tied hands. "I'm in a rather unfortunate predicament."

"Zeke," she chocked out, shifting her gaze from him to Levi. A heartbeat later, her eyes widened in realization.

Too smart for her own good, Levi thought, watching Hange deliver a vicious kick to Zeke's thigh, fiery despite the bindings on her own arms and legs.

Watching that was almost satisfying.

"Asshole!" she raged, kicking him again. "Scheming, pathetic betrayer!"

"You're the one to talk," Levi noted dryly.

At the sound of his voice, Hange froze. She calmed down immediately, bowing her head.

Zeke observed the two of them, a malicious spark in his eyes.

"So my earlier guess was right, Captain? You do miss—"

"Shut the fuck up," Levi warned in a low voice. "Or my previous threat would become a reality."

Zeke curled his lips in a smile, and, maintaining direct eye contact with Levi, he had the audacity to wink at him. “My lips are sealed.”

Levi reached to his blade.

"What is going on here?” Jean walked onto the deck, stopping Levi from using his very sharp weapon on their very precious charge. Jean looked around, frowning in confusion. His eyes widened, as they landed on Hange. "What is she doing here?" his face changed, jaw tightening.

"None of your business," Levi muttered, sheathing his blade and pushing Jean away.

"None of my business?" Jean repeated, glaring at him. "I think it is my goddamn business, when you go against the plan without discussing it with us first."

"Careful, Kirshtein," Levi narrowed his eyes. "Despite the stupid democracy, I'm still your superior. Meaning you will do as I say."

"Captain," Jean grabbed his elbow. "I know how you feel about—"

"You know shit," Levi hissed, his low voice almost getting lost amongst the celebration around them. Stupid Floch and his band of fanatical idiots. "This has nothing to do with my so called feelings. But we need to question her. In case you forgot, she is one of Marley's best engineers."

"Exactly," Jean retorted. "She's valuable to them. That's why you had to kill her. Without her they'd be lost."

Without her - I'd be lost too.

The ruckus around them had been growing louder and louder. It was getting hard to concentrate, even without the added distraction of Hange's eyes boring into the back of his head.

He swept his gaze across the deck, looking for Moblit. He needed someone to put an end to that merry festivity, he would have done so himself, but the way Floch and his friends shouted and cheered made him doubt that he'd be able to calm them down without throwing some mouth-breather the fuck out of the airship.

He motioned for Moblit to come closer, ignoring Jean’s enraged gaze, when suddenly, out of nowhere, he heard a sharp cry, the still familiar voice shouting,

"Gabi, no!"

Levi whipped his head around, his eyes widening as he saw Hange - somehow freed from all bonds - launching herself at Sasha.

He rushed there, the malicious voice in his head chanting - this is all your fault, all of it is your fault, it's your inability to let go that is going to-

He stopped when the thundering, earsplitting sound shook the previously cheerful atmosphere.

He froze, staring at the scene with dumb confusion. The smoke rising from a rifle clutched in child's hands, the bullet flying, soaring through the spot where Sasha was standing seconds ago.

She didn’t try to—

He allowed himself to take a breath.

She saved Sasha, he realized, staring at Hange, who wore the same perplexed expression as he did.

"What is going on here?" Armin's soft voice cut through the air, making every head turn in his direction.

"The Marleyans got onto our ship!" one of the soldiers reported.

"Should we throw them out now or—”

"They're just children," Hange spoke up. "They don't know what they're doing."

"Hange-san..." Armin gasped. "What are you—" he turned to Levi. "Captain, what is the meaning of this?"

"She's Marleyan engineer and strategist. I decided it'd be wise to capture her."

"Alright, we'll deal with this later..." Armin muttered, rubbing his forehead. "And about those children..."

"The girl almost killed Sasha," Jean said, coming to stand at Armin’s side.

"Don't touch her!" Hange cried out, covering both kids with her body.

"Don't order me." Jean spat. "You're not my superior officer. Not anymore."

"And yet I still know you, Jean," Hange stared him in the eyes. "I know you're not capable of harming a child. Think of what your mother is going to say."

"You know nothing about me!" he growled, his fists trembling and his face reddening in anger. "You lying, deceiving—”

"That's enough," Levi sharply interrupted. "Moblit, help me deal with our prisoners. There are a lot more of them than we’ve expected."

Moblit nodded readily, obeying his command without a question. As he led Hange back to her place, his grip on her was gentle and his eyes were sad.

Approaching the two children, Levi stared them down, silently ordering the girl to put down the rifle. She surrendered with an annoyed huff.

Her demeanor changed, however, as soon as Levi's gaze turned to her friend.

"Don't hurt Falco, please," she whispered, sniffling. "He isn't guilty, he's not like me."

"No one is going to hurt you or your friend," Levi rolled his eyes, scoffing. "We're not that much of devils."

Putting his arms around their shoulders, he led kids to the back of the airship.

As they were passing Zeke, the girl - Gabi, Hange had called her - stopped in her tracks.

Her lip trembled, as she gawked at the shifter. "M-mister Yeager? You're here too? B-but why?"

What a goddamn circus, Levi cursed.

He sighed, pushing them forward before the beast could even open his mouth and feed the poor kids a lie, or, worse, reveal the truth about his betrayal.

Once he tied the girl and a boy down, he closed his eyes and heaved a deep breath.

Two angry Marleyan children, the bearded beast and Hange fucking Zoe, a person he dreamt about every night he slept for more than two hours. And all of them were aboard one damned airship.

There was one thing Levi was sure of - one hell of a fucking trip was awaiting them.

#ha! i tricked you! #you thought this was going to be a marleyan!hange au but no! #this is actually my fix-it everybody lives/nobody dies au #with marleyan!hange on the side #also moblit is alive here too and i have two reasons for that #1) hange disappeared before the battle of shiganshina so there was no one he had to sacrifice his life for #and 2) i needed at least one character who would be nice to hange :) #also yeah i know it's a rewrite of attack on liberio and some of you may ask - but where is eren? #eren plays no importance to this story he has his own manga already this story is only about hange :) #also a new chapter is probably going to be out soon because i'm really invested #but school has been kinda hard so who knows :) #hope you like this! #levihan #levihan fanfiction

[cloudy-leonhart]

AOT veterans with a Filipino S/O!!

[author note: did I write this as soon as I posted the first part?? yes. I like writing for this, it’s so fun lolol up next, Marleyan Warriors!!]

Summary: not much, just the AOT vets with their filipino S/O.

Gender Neutral Reader.

Recommended Song: Buwan - Juan Karlos.

Theme: Fluff, Modern AU.

TW: Swearing.

Characters: Hange, Levi, Miche, Erwin, Moblit, Nanaba.

Hange Zöe

Honestly they fully immersed themselves in your culture, as you know Hange LOVES learning about new things, discovering about your culture, they probably forced you to go the Philippines with them.

They started asking people for directions in english?? You had to step in translate for them, in which they responded to ask to teach them the language.

Yes they keep a small notebook of words they think are interesting. Yes even swear words are in there, not to mention they absolutely just butcher the way you say it.

One time when you both came back, Hange told Erwin that Bakla was a word for a good man, and they laughed their asses off watching Erwin tell people he was Bakla LMFAO.

They actually visited your province, they met your family and was surprised at the fact that they owned a whole farm, they tried to learn with your siblings on how to harvest rice, they nailed it btw.

they named your carabao, Sawney, and your chicken, Bean.

And respectfully so, your family started to call their animals by the name Hange gave them.

They started to cry about the fact that you guys had to go back, and like every time, your mom and dad encouraged y’all to bring filipino snacks back home, in which you did, because you knew that you’d probably miss it when you flew back home.

You guys have a tradition of going to the Philippines for your guys’ anniversary.

THEY SUPRISINGLY LISTENS TO FILIPINO MUSIC

They were the one to suggest Aegis to Levi but they prefer someone like Jireh Lim.

Favourite song is probably, Buko. They love the guitar in it.

Levi Ackerman

He first found out you were Filipino when he caught you packing a balikbayan box for your family back home, (for those who don’t know, balikbayan box is a box full of your country’s snacks to send back to the PH for your family to try.)

He had asked you what it was, and you answered that it was for your family back in the Philippines, in which he responded with helping you, and mainly scolding you about the way you packed it.

“Idiot, pack it like this, so you have more space to place stuff.”

When he first went to the Philippines, he first noticed the cleanliness of the hotels, he looked at you with a ‘is this why you’re so good at cleaning?’ look. 

God when I say your parents loved him, YOUR PARENTS ABSOLUTELY ADORED HIM. He would clean for your mom, and not only that, your mom approved of his cleaning technique, yes she told you to marry him that second.

And that you did, you had your first wedding with you family in the Philippines, and another in where you guys currently lived.

Bye, he absolutely looks AMAZING in a Barong. Your dad helped him slick his hair back.

Your mom and him, bonded of cleaning, sometimes when your mom needs help removing rust on her pans, she calls Levi.

like Hange he and you go to the Philippines for y’alls anniversary. 

Please save this man from the streets, I’m not saying it to be mean but this man almost gave his wallet to a bunch of kids who were hungry.

You gave money instead because you didn’t want your man to be broke lmfao.

He loves seeing you so happy while you’re in the Philippines, he just thinks it’s adorable when you speak your language.

Aegis listener, absolutely no discussion, mans listens to them while cleaning, he listens to “Sayang Na Sayang” religiously.

when Aegis plays in the house, you know it’s a cleaning day lmao.

Erwin Smith

Please, remember when I said Hange told him bakla was a word for a good man, yes, that’s how he found out you were Filipino, you literally was so dumbfounded, you waited for him in the living room, your friend’s laughing over the phone, man thought he did something wrong until..

“Erwin, can you tell me why you’ve been telling your friends you’re fucking gay??”

Yeah he’s got trust issues now. But he wasn’t that shocked to find out you were filipino, he just thinks it’s neat, he butchers pronouncing shit, he tries to learn filipino jokes??? It’s really bad, like you need to stop him from telling your family to save HIM from embarrassment.

He knows how to cook barbecue lmfao, he sits at your family’s barbecue spot and cooks for them, your dad appreciates the help so much lmao, also he loves drinking the gulaman whenever he’s there, your dad gives it to him for free because, he basically considers Erwin his son now. His awkward, barbecue-cooking, son.

You guys go on hiking in Mt. Butalao, yes you sneak peeks when he’s climbing because his muscles flex, and he sweats. You guys go on a double hiking date with Miche and his S/O all the time.

He was kind of fearful when you went to a province to get in touch with your grandparents, he watched you help their carabao back into their pens, he’s scared of carabaos, don’t blame him-

Surprisingly he’s as good as your dad in basketball, bye I just know the women of your community comes to watch him, he’s ripped, you’re jealous but you don’t say it lmao.

He’s got those jeep keychains lmfao, the fact that he kinda looked like a lost puppy when you’re traveling, like so many people, so little space-

please educate him, he’s confused on everything-

he probably listens to Eraserheads, Huwag Mo Nang Itanong. Yes his ultimate song. 

Miche Zacharias

probably the only veteran that knows what to do?? Beside Moblit?? He knows how to bless, he knows to call your parents nanay and tatay. He also loves going to where there’s a lot of Filipino street food because he loves the smell, he prefers the smell of bananaque over anything, hotcakes are a close second.

mf was scared when your mom suddenly said, “Oh yeah, I kept your childhood spider.”

YOU OWNED A MF SPIDER?? You were all like ‘omg i miss him’ he was a little scared bitch omg.

You had to explain that you would buy them from the local toy store and you and your friends would make them fight each other to the death.

HE THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE SMALL- IT’S A WHOLE MF TARANTULA BYE

you know those dyed chicks you get from winning a game, yeah, he was attached to one you guys won, but as always, they weren’t going to live long, I think he sulked for a whole 2 days. He named the chick Richard AHAHA.

ah yes, absolute unit in basketball, yes you and Erwin’s S/O would watch them play basketball together with your guys’ dads. Yes y’all gossiped about how hot they were in tagalog.

Just saying, Miche got some that night. 

He doesn’t fit in tricycles- neither does he fit in jeepneys lmfao- he kinda has to sit on the ground if you force him to fit, in which he has to awkwardly crawl to get out lmfao.

He literally looks godly while hiking, you guys don’t go to your parents’ house when you first arrive, you guys hike.

You guys go whenever y’all feel like it honestly.

“hey hey, reader, Mahal Kita.”

He listens to anything in filipino honestly, he likes chill filipino songs like Tell Me Where It Hurts by MYMP.

Moblit Berner

He’s a researcher, he makes sure he doesn’t disrespect the culture.

he knows to bless and all that jazz like Miche.

Wait but your family loved him as soon as you told them he was a doctor lmfao?? He’s in nursing.

He’s basically already apart of the family, all your little siblings call him kuya Moblit, he absolutely thinks it’s adorable.

when you guys are sending a balikbayan box, he places toys he bought for your little siblings in the box, with a note written and translated by you for them.

Moblit also knows about poverty in the Philippines, he’s apart of an organization where they give to those who can’t afford real food, even when he’s back home with you, he donates from abroad, everyone knows him as the generous kuya.

honestly I can see him as someone who’s also known by your community, people call him kuya Moblit or tito Moblit, it’s very wholesome when a kid asks him to carry them.

This man looks so nice and kind on the outside but when you guys are at your tita’s bday party and there’s a whole mf buffet, he’s a whole beast.

You know when your uncles have like, food stacked on their plate, and like a cup of buko pandan at the side?? yes, him. definitely.

He’s kinda like sasha in this au, he loves the food so much, he probably finished a filipino dish by himself (it’s the palabok)

he’s also a god at making ice candy?? like he’s so good at filling up the plastic with the liquid lmao.

you guys adopted a stray dog in the community and his name was Moblit, your family takes care of him while you guys are back home.

genuinely, it’s mostly wholesome with him, he doesn’t really do anything wrong besides butchering pronounciation.

Moblit probably watches boxing with your dad though, it’s just too accurate not to be true.

More of a movie watcher than a song listener, his favourite movie so far is Four Sisters and A Wedding.

he cries every filipino movie, them do it to you.

Seven Sundays, he cried for days straight.

Nanaba

Nanaba found a filipino flag from your collage years in a box, asked you about it, then encouraged you to visit the Philippines because she wanted to meet your family. 

Okay but your family thought she was a guy because of her hair?? 

your siblings can’t say Nanaba, so they call her Ate Nana.

She was kind of jealous of your bond with your family, she knows she shouldn’t be, but she couldn’t help it since her and her father’s relationship absolutely sucked.

And you know this, you had talked with her about it too, it was kinda like a, “are you okay?” and “it’s nothing.”

You had to drag her out to family events, eventually, she started to feel like she was apart of the family, she went swimming with the fam, did karaoke nights, she was basically in the family now.

She felt really happy that you decided to help her educate herself in your culture, and that your family openly accepted her into your family.

when you and her married, she wore a baro’t saya for the wedding reception and she looked absolutely gorgeous in them. She took your last name.

Your mom taught her to do the tinikling dance, and she mastered it easily, you of course danced with her.

she kinda had a guilty pleasure of going to McDonalds in the Philippines, SOLELY FOR THE ROOT BEER FLOAT, that stuff be bussin.

she forces you to go to McD’s whenever’s there’s a new flavour released.

Nanaba loves going on the jeepney, she likes the fact that you ring a bell when you have to get off and she does it every time you guys use a jeep for transportation.

Nanaba knows one word in filipino and that’s Mahal, she uses it so weirdly though, but she’s adorable so you let it pass.

“Reader..erm, I mahal?? you?..” 

she’s both a listener and a movie watcher, she listens to more modern filipino singers, like Patch Quiwa.

Favourite movie is when Vice Ganda’s in it, she just thinks all his movies are funny.

#nanaba aot #nanaba #nanaba x reader #AOT headcanons #aot imagines #aot x reader #aot veterans #aot x y/n #aot #levi attack on titan #shingeki no kyoujin levi #snk levi #levi ackerman x reader #levi x reader #hange zoe #hange zöe #hanji zoe #zoe hanji #shingeki no kyojin hanji #aot hanji #hanji x reader #Erwin Smith #attack on titan erwin #erwin snk #miche zacharias #miche x reader #mike zacharias #moblit berner #snk moblit #moblit x reader

[aserethstorm]

Muddy Crowns👑✔️

Levihan + 104th Royalty Au

____________________

The young princes and princesses decided to get down and dirty.

Their father isn’t exactly happy about it.

____________________

“Land for livestock has significantly decreased due to favor of more housings. In effect Meat has increased to six more coins-“

  Levi shuts him off, rubbing his temple as re-reads his documents for the 5th time. The officials continue to voice their matters in the background, leaving the King to brew his thoughts in the solitude.

  It frustrates him from time to time, having to deal with tiring situations such as this one. Levi shuffles his papers, He’d have to tell the butler to ready some tea once he’s done with this meeting.

The large doors to the hall slam right open, the wood slapping the wall behind them with a loud thud. The room is silenced as they all stood up from their seats, Levi doesn’t need to look up to know who the person is.

“Your highness..” they all bow as Hange walks pass them, she raises her hand and offers a small smile to the crowd. “At ease” she says and the officials return to their seats and once again discuss the topic before.

“Your late” Levi utters as Hange sits on the seat beside him. He signs one of the documents before turning to her, steel eyes demanding for an explanation.

The Queen snickers, barely concealing the action with the back of her palm. “Important matters of Science where at play Levi ! You should have seen it, I just HAD to overlook.” She shrugs and Levi notes the red tinge on her cheeks, the lacking of her glasses and the droplet of sweat that cascaded the back of her neck.

“Tch. Can’t even call you four eyes today. I thought you didn’t care if the royal officials saw you in glasses.” He interacts bringing his eyes back to the matters at hand. Swiping through a new set of works he needed to sign.

“Well...I wanted to test my hypothesis on my eyesight’s capabilities but I also wanted to see your reaction.” She grazes his hand, taking his documents from him. Levi stares at her, unamused as she rests her head on her hands. “Which do you prefer, no glasses or with glasses?�� She bats her eyelashes playfully and Levi smirks.

Hange did look a bit more beautiful today. The king had too admit and Levi even noticed that it did seem like she made the extra effort to look like the usual queen of her status.

Even so...

”I prefer you with glasses.” Levi grabs her chin. Drinking in the sight of her exposed warm brown eyes. He kisses her lips and the feeling is warm. His exhaustion disappears as if it was washed away by the touch.

Levi pulls away first and looks her endearingly in the eyes. “Don’t want you falling down a flight of stairs.” Hange laughs, her face even brighter than she entered. Her body relaxes a bit later and the loud laughter fades but a smile remains permanently on her face as she gladly helps him with the rest of the meeting.

The event was adjourned with Hange resolving the land situation. Though not entirely applicable her strategy brings hope that not much of their people will suffer with the plan.

“Your majesties, you have another meeting later with the Marleyan Ambassadors.”

“Ugh, not them again” Hange groans standing up from her seat. “Their promises of compromise are always empty.” She annoyingly adds. Levi hums, offering his arm and Hange gladly takes it. They both walk out of the room with their men and woman behind them.

Hange chuckles and Levi shots her a glare “Your doing this because your afraid I’ll trip?” She muses. Levi snorts, pulling her a little closer “I’m not the idiot who went to fetch me without glasses.” He murmurs and Hange dramatically gasps.

She hits the arm she’s holding and Levi smiles. “My eyesight’s not THAT bad. You should give me more credit.” She points, lips pouting as she held her head high. Levi just rolls his eyes. Not a chance four eyes...

As the two monarchs continue their heated banter a small boy coming from the stairs they were passing, collides with Hange’s dress, ultimately ruining the white satin with the boy’s muddy state.

The brown haired child steps back, hitting his butt on the carpet with a thud. He looks up to meet the curious and familiar stares of his parents. “Mom! Dad!” Eren wails as Hange kneels for the boy to embrace her.

“Prince Eren! What are you doing here!?” Hange’s ladies-in-waiting exclaimed. They quickly rush to their queens side only to see the utter mess the young prince brought to their queen’s gown.

“Prince Eren look what you’ve done to your mother’s dress!” One of the ladies reprimanded as they began cleaning his dirty face. The young prince sniffs, the lady-in-waiting quickly wiping away the snoot. He turns apologetically to his mother, uttering a heartfelt ‘sorry’. Hange smiles not at all mad at the filth.

“Where’s your governess Eren?” Levi finally asks as he stands by his wife’s side.  The boy draws circles with his foot, too embarrassed to meet his father’s eye. “She’s still busy looking for me...” Eren mutters, cheeks flushed under the cake of mud.

“EREN!” Armin calls looking from side to side as he ran. The prince halts in his tracks when he finds Eren under the watchful eyes of their parents. “There you are! Mrs. Carla is looking all over for you!”  Armin grins, climbing up the stairwell.

Hange takes in the appearance of her older son as he climbed the stairs and smiles. The rest of her party completely aghast. WHY ARE THE TWO PRINCE’S SO DIRTY?!

Even Levi’s surprised, his hands itching to clean the filth himself. “You guys are still playing with the rocket?” Hange chirps, happiness and pride swelling at the thought.

Armin nods enthusiastically “Yep! The way the rocket can fly at such height with just water power alone!? It’s astonishing mother! Me and Jean have been repeating the process you taught us multiple times and uh..well...” Armin rubs the back of his head sheepishly, now reminded of the state of his robes.

“So this is what you meant by ‘late’” Levi glares watching Hange beam at him with a nervous chuckle. “Jean won’t let me do it mom!” Eren adds, filling the short silence quickly.

“He s-said I’m too much of a baby!” The young prince cries leaving his mother and her ladies-in-waiting to calm him down.

“That’s because you are!” Jean belted as everyone turns to him and not just him. The eldest son brings with him the rest of the royal children, their governesses tailing behind. They climb the stairwell as well, dragging with them their filth and dirt and...Levi’s eyes just twitches more every time he looks at it.

His children out of all people. A giant ball of dirt...and mud...and all the disgusting things that just sets Levi off. Control...control.

Jean drops Historia; who he was carrying on his shoulder off on the ground, following behind him were the twins; Connie and Sasha, their appearance anxious as they frequently glance at their father who’s eyes were already burning hell of anger.

“You might get injured! What’s happens then! Huh!?” Jean argues making the little boy glare. Mikasa out of nowhere hugs Eren, slightly calming the young boy down.

To Hange’s vision the little prince in her arms seemed be holding a lot back. Interestingly when he was supposed to combust. Eren ends up sticking his tongue instead.

“Horseface!” Eren says, hiding in his mother’s neck for what’s to come next.

Historia gasps at her brother’s word, the young princess knowing the nickname by heart; as it was used multiple times. She and rest of their siblings slowly turn their heads towards Jean, gawking as they watch the older prince turn red with anger.

“Why you little-“ Jean growls, plunging a step forward, ready to pinch the nasty brats ear.

“Enough.” Levi states and the whole crowd go’s silent. Turning in horror as their king’s expression glimmers with the promise of pain and punishment. “I want this place clean this instance!” The staff gulp at his command, wobbling quickly as they went off to work.

As the last scatter, Levi focuses back on his family. His own children sweating nervously as they watch their father slowly roll his sleeve. Heavens...Even Historia’s tiny crown is muddy.

“Bathroom. Now.” He needn’t say twice as all seven quickly dash for the nearest bathroom. Levi dangerously looming from behind.

Hange sighs as she heads for their rooms, climbing the stairs opposite to their direction. She hopes that to ease the angered king’s wraith she might as well help him get the kids towels and robes prepared.

Here we go again...

#aot #attack on titan #snk #shingeki no kyojin #fanfic #short fanfic #royalty au #levi ackerman #hange zoe #hanji zoe #104th squad #jean kirschtein #armin arlert #sasha blouse #connie springer #eren jaeger #mikasa ackerman #even historia reiss! #levihan #FLUFF #the squad as Paradis royalty

[itslieutenanthawkeye]

A Knight’s Oath

Day 6 of Jeankasa Week 2021: Royal AU

AO3

Sir Kirstein aids the princess of Hizuru escape a coup d’état organized by the marleyan Jaeger brothers.

There isn’t one inch of my body that isn’t yelling this is wrong, not one bit that isn’t shouting at me to return, to go back to my chambers, cover my ears with both hands and ignore that letter until the signal comes from within the palace. I came here to do a job: become her close guard, infiltrate the institution, take down the royal line.

That one job could have me swimming in silver. One job would be enough to buy myself that lifestyle I can only dream about. One job, and I could leave knighthood behind, buy myself a castle, a royal title and a woo wife to go with it. A pretty young wife with dark hair and big eyes and a whole army of servants to fulfill our every wish.

And yet here I am, walking with more purpose than ever before in my life, heading towards her.

Like most upper class Hizuran structures, the Azumabito royal palace is built atop a tall stone base. It’s an intricate maze of buildings, rooms and sliding doors that I’ve spent two years memorizing. I should know, better than anyone, how hard it’ll be for us to sneak out. Even if we do it without anyone being aware, even if nobody knows what the princess has found out.

“Jean, over here.” her voice calls from behind one of the doors. I follow like a bee searching honey. I enter the place where she’s been waiting for me and encounter her wearing the peasant clothes I procured for her a couple of days ago. She’s as lovely in them as she was the first time I saw her, sitting atop a high throne next to the regent, Kiyomi Azumabito, wearing a wonderful kimono of red fabric and golden threads.

Her mother, a pure-blooded Azumabito royal, fell in love with an eldian man, and in the process of marrying him, she also fell into disgrace and was expelled from the balance years before conceiving the princess. After a wave of plague that caused the death of the shogun and his closest relatives, however, Kiyomi had sent a contingent to bring back the princess’ mother to serve as regent until the princess came of age.

Stories say Kiyomi found a ten-year-old princess orphaned, living of scraps she found in the field near her home. Her parents were also killed by the plague. Some people say they starved, some others that they were murdered. However they died, the princess came back to the ancestral home of the Azumabito alone and Kiyomi took her into her care. Even I am aware of the love the woman has for her adoptive daughter, how much she cares for her safety.

It was her the first to find out about Marley’s plans to overthrow Hizuru’s royal line, of the spies sent by Marley in the shape of knights for Hizuru’s princess. It was Kiyomi who came to me, asking for help for the princess. She knew my involvement in Marley’s plans gave me a lot more intel than any other servant could’ve collected…and because she saw the way I looked at the princess that day our delegation arrived, two days ago, and how I’ve seen her every day since. She figured out quickly how much affection I carry for the princess and knew, barely one year after my arrival, that I would never leave her adoptive daughter behind.

“Are you ready?” I ask, putting on the peasant clothes, hiding the katana Kiyomi left in my room in the folds of my own hizuran clothes. “Your highness, are you ready?”

“I don’t want to leave.” She says; she’s turned away from me, giving me what little privacy she can while I change. “I can’t leave Kiyomi. I can’t leave the people of the palace behind.”

“Many of your servants are traitors, princess,” I remind her, tapping on her shoulder to indicate I’m decent again. A slight tremble travels her back and I curse myself; I’d forgotten how reserved hizuran people are when it comes to physical touch.

She turns around and faces me, resolution clear on her face. “Traitors or not, a ruler owes herself to her people,” she says, more dignified than any other royal I ever saw in Marley. “Traitors or not, I cannot leave them alone. And Kiyomi—”

“You heard their plans, princess,” I say, wondering how many times I’ll have to repeat the same thing to get her to forget that commitment to the people the Azumabito care so much about. “The moment the clock hits twelve, the guards will be at your doors. Zeke plans on executing you at dawn, on the morning of your eighteenth birthday. It’s either that or be forced into marrying his brother.”

“And I must let Kiyomi’s head hang just for the sake of escaping?”

“Mikasa,” I say; using her name feels strange. It’s a lovely name, but also forbidden. No knight is allowed to address the princess by her name, nor try to give her orders, let alone try to convince her to follow a plan she doesn’t agree with. The princess widens her eyes in brief shock, but nods, inviting me to continue. “You’re the last of your line. Kiyomi is willing to sacrifice her life for you.”

The princess lowers her head. “I can’t leave her.”

“If you can’t respect her wishes, at least do it out of pity for me,” I say, in a last attempt to get her moving. Time is slipping away from us, and Eren’s retinue must be making its way across the mountain roads already. “I’ve given up everything by just being here. If you stay, I hang with you, dishonored, tortured first.”

The princess looks up at me, her eyes stone-cold. “You came here under false pretenses, betraying mefirst. And now you’ve betrayed your country by being here. How can I be sure you won’t betray me again?”

Ah, how can I assure her without looking like a lovesick fool?

“I’ve served your palace for two years now, haven’t I?” I say. Mikasa nods, her gaze softening somewhat. In an act of boldness, or perhaps a leap of faith, I take a hold of her hands and fall to my knees. “I’m well acquainted with you now, princess, I cannot bring myself to leave you behind or betray you even if I should wish it.”

“Why, though, Jean?” she asks, and the mention of my name from her lips wraps me up like a warm blanket. Suddenly I remember again why I don’t care about the lost wealth, about that castle and title, about the group of nameless women I could’ve wooed into marriage. It’s her. Just her.

“Because you deserve to live. A great leader deserves to live,” I reply, bringing the back of her hands to my lips. I graze them briefly; a royal courtesy from Marley, never performed hereabouts. Royalty in Hizuru barely touches each other, and I can feel her trembling at the mere touch of lips against her hand. “I mean it when I say I won’t betray you, princess. I’m devoted to you as I haven’t been devoted to anything in my life. All I can hope for is that you believe me.”

“I believe you, Jean,” she says after a moment of quiet introspection. “I’m not sure why, but your face always seemed honest. From day one, even when you were scheming against me.”

I can’t help but to smile. “I’m willing to use my whole life to convince you I’m no longer scheming.” I say, standing to face her, holding her hand still. “Are you ready, princess?”

A sad smile adorns her face as she nods, and I’m forced to not focus too much on her face as we sneak out of the castle. Apart from being well-educated, she’s been trained extensively in martial arts and acrobatics, so sliding across the various rooftops of the palace and jumping from one terrace to another proves an easy task for her. She looks back at me at a point, her pale face illuminated by the moonlight, and I manage to give her a tight, ridiculous smile in encouragement.

I’ve seen plenty of women before, but she is by far the most beautiful sight my eyes have ever witnessed. But her beauty is just one of the things that have drawn me to betray my homeland’s coup d’état against Hizuru. I met her when she was sixteen, and I nineteen; these two years, I’ve seen her grow into a fair, kind ruler, one that cares more about the wellbeing of her subjects than the wealth of the family mines or the expansion of her land.

At seventeen, she convinced the council to abolish arranged marriages for women, recognize divorces requested by wives as legal, increase taxes for royals and establish a free education system for the entire country. I know she had in mind to establish free healthcare within her fifteen-year plan. All in all, she is a great leader.

Then there’s the fact that she’s extremely good at sparring. And I’ve always had a soft spot for women that are good with swords, especially women who can beat me in a fight.

I guess, in a way, spending my days with her, being with her…it all makes me want to be better. Before Hizuru, before the princess, all I thought about was ways of getting a comfortable life. My whole childhood, I’d spent it scamming people. Then knighthood had seemed a good way to find myself a relatively wealthy wife or become rich by taking down a king, or by plundering a town.

Just being by her side makes me a better man.

I want to keep being that better man.

I also want to keep seeing that pretty face of hers. I want to keep hearing her rants. I want to keep sharing my thoughts with her. I just want to be with her.

___________________________

Hizuru’s capital is surrounded by tall mountains. It’s thanks to my military training that I know which rivers the Jaeger brothers will use to invade the city, and which ones will give us safe passage to the sea, where a boat provided by the queen of Paradis Island awaits. Hizuru is a large nation, however, and the possibilities of our escape plan going sour are high. Still, I cannot let any of my insecurities show on my face. I took it upon my shoulders to protect the princess, to take her to her new home to keep her from being executed, forced into marriage, or tortured to death by the royals who had aided the Jaeger brothers conspire against the Azumabito.

By the time the sun begins to climb the mountains, we are miles away from the capital. And yet, we can hear the execution bells ring across the watch towers. Heads are starting to roll in the palace, the bells across the Hizuran Mountain Pass tell us, and one of them must be Kiyomi’s. Mikasa sits next to me on the motorboat, crying into her sleeves, leaning slightly against my arm.

“I’m sorry.” I manage to muster. “I wish I could’ve done more.”

She shakes her head, not looking at me. “Why did your people do this to us?”

I say the first few words that come into my mind. “Greed…I’ve never interacted much with the Jaeger brothers, but I know that the eldest wants power, and the mines in Hizuru are too rich to ignore. And the youngest cannot stand monarchies. He says people in them aren’t free.”

“Why decide to impose a dictatorship instead? What kind of hypocrisy is that?” she asks, although it’s clear she doesn’t expect me to answer her. “Why kill the council members? Kill Kiyomi? Our people are happy, and I wanted to work to make their lives better. I really wanted to. Why invade a foreign land that has rightful rulers with the excuse of freedom?”

“I wish I could explain it all,” I say, and the sight of the tear streaks on her face turns me into a rambling idiot. “I’m sorry, princess. I’m sorry I was with them. I’m sorry I didn’t do more to stop them. I’m sorry I came into your palace with—”

“You’ve already said you’ll spend your whole life making it up to me, won’t you? It is a promise, isn’t it?” the princess replies, and something inside me tells me she might be too tired to hear my apologies. She took the news of my original plan badly and stopped talking to me for a whole week, not being able to just look at me in the eyes, with fair reason. We spent so many days together with me as her guard, we became friends over those long nights of study, our few sneaky expeditions outside the palace, the times when I brought her street food for dinner in our chambers, the times when she’d sung for me and Kiyomi from behind a white canvas…

All those memories of friendship are stained now, covered with the mark of my initial plan to help the Jaeger brothers with their coup d’état. “I mean to fulfill that promise, princess,” I say, more convinced than I thought I would. “I’ll do anything to redeem myself from the initial betrayal.”

“What if I ask you to raise an army for me?” she asks, wiping the tears off her eyes with the back of her hand. “What if I say that you will prove you’ve redeemed yourself once you help me gain my throne back?”

Her face has acquired that solemn expression she uses whenever she addresses the council. And, like the council members, I cannot bring myself to say no to her. “I-I will try my best, princess. I do not have any influence, and I’ve no money to offer. But I will raise you an army, I will do my best.”

“Do you promise?”

“I could swear on my knight’s honor, princess, but you and I know I don’t have any. I’m a traitor to you and to my own homeland, remember?” I admit with an awkward smile, scratching the back of my head. “I’m lucky enough as it is that you trusted me enough to come with me.”

Mikasa smiles, then wraps my hand with both of hers. “There is one way you can assure me.” she says, her eyes not meeting mine. The sunlight is bathing us both; we’ll enter the lowlands soon, and speed will be of essence to avoid getting captured. Perhaps my concern for speed is what keeps me from realizing her face is dangerously near mine for the first couple of moments.

“What way?” I manage to stammer.

“An oath on your soul,” she explains. “It’s not a thing we do often here, though.”

“Is it like a blood oath?”

The princess shakes her head. “It’s something a bit deeper than that.”

I swallow hard, wondering if she’s going to force me to cut my finger off, or something worse. I don’t have any gripes if that’s what it takes to convince her I would fight to gain her trust back, but I can’t help being concerned about the health implications of cutting a finger off in the middle of a river.

“I’m not going to ask you to cut a finger off, Jean,” she half-sobs, half-laughs, guessing my thoughts. “It’s nothing as ghastly as that.”

“From the way you’re talking, it seems like a big deal.”

A soft blush travels her cheeks. “It is,” she says. “It’s a soul promise. We don’t touch each other here, not after you’ve left childhood behind. Let alone if you’re from a royal family. These oaths only happen behind closed doors, or at weddings.”

“What kind of oath is it, princess?”

“Kiss,” she says, closing her eyes. “You close the oath with a kiss, and your soul is bound to that person.”

“A k-kiss?” I manage to say, realizing at last how close she is sitting to me. If I must be honest, for the most part during my first year on the job, I paid little attention to hizuran traditions. It wasn’t until she started talking to me more that I began to care for the country I was hired to take down. And despite paying more attention to the country she loves so much, I have never heard of such an oath. Could it be that she just wants to feel someone else’s skin on hers?

A smirk appears on my face, and she seems to guess what thoughts are going through my head. She withdraws from me, narrowing her eyes dangerously. “It’s not like I want to!” she says, her cheeks burning red, her murderous expression only increasing my smile. “Stop looking at me like that!”

“I’m sorry!” I say, coughing to clear my throat. Her hands are still holding mine. “I didn’t mean to disrespect you, princess. Please, tell me about this oath.”

“No.” Mikasa replies, shaking her head. “You are clearly not mature enough for it.”

“Please, princess.” I say, and she gives me a serious glance before sighing in defeat.

“If you do it, it’ll be important. You cannot back away from this; you must fulfill it even if it takes your life. Your promise will be bound to your soul; and your soul is bound to me.” Mikasa hunches her shoulders and exhales, her eyes set on the mountains we’re leaving behind, her eyes longing for the warmth of the castle, the voice of her caretaker.

Her home crumbled in the lapse of a few hours; all her friends in the palace, her adoptive mother, the members of the council that cared for her…they’re all dead by now, or tortured, perhaps, to get information on her whereabouts. Kiyomi is probably getting the worst of all. And that’s when it hits me: I’m all she’s got left. Me, one of the knights sent to infiltrate her palace, gain their trust, and stab them in the back.

What a grim scenario that is.

“Princess, please look at me,” I say. She turns to face me, and my lips press against hers for a couple of seconds. When we part, her eyes are as wide as plates. “I promise I will not fail you.”

She nods, her hands clutching mine, her cheeks tinted pink. “Thank you.”

I let go of her hands and wrap her face with both of mine. Then, I press my lips against hers. This time, when we part, her eyes are closed. “I promise I am bound to you, blood, bone and soul.” I say, then kiss her again, a little longer this time. “I promise I won’t rest until you get your throne back.”

She smiles at me. “You’re splitting your soul into a lot of little pieces there.”

I kiss her again, and this time her lips move against mine, her arms wrap around my shoulders. Many times these two years I dreamed about kissing her –no, I’ve imagined doing a lot more with her, if I must be honest. But it was all fantasies, half-built while I looked after her during royal events, while I guarded her in her sleep, while we had our quiet dinners.

“I swear, my princess,” I say as we come apart once more, grazing her cheek with the back of my hand. “I swear my soul, heart and body are yours, from now until I the day I’m ripped from you.”

“That sounds a lot like a wedding vow.” She points out, holding my hand in place against her face.

I smile. “I’m sorry, princess.”

“Don’t be, please,” she says, then places a quick kiss on my fingers. “You can call me by my name from now on, you know. I’m not a princess anymore.”

“You’re always a princess, though.”

She shakes her head. “You and I are fugitives,” she says, setting her eyes on the mountains again, a fire burning bright behind the grey curtain of her eyes. She wants revenge; she wants to gain her throne, her homeland, back, and rain fire upon the ones who dared to lift a finger against Hizuru.

And all I want, I realize with a bit of embarrassment, is to keep her safe, stay by her side.

“I’ll raise an army for you, Mikasa.”

“We’ll raise it together. I believe in your oath,” she assures me, leaning forward to press her lips against mine for a long moment. “And I swear to you that when I get my throne back, I will give you all the lands and wealth you desire.”

“I could do without all that.” I say, shrugging, eliciting the first smile I’ve seen from her in a while.

I want to protect that smile, I think as our boat picks up speed. We’ll enter the lowlands in a couple of miles, and it’ll be a race to get to the ocean. The island is the only safe option for the princess now; the only safe place for the both of us. Despite my oath to her, all my mind can think of is a peaceful life with her. No luxuries, no armies, no grand schemes for power. Just the princess and I, sharing our lives in a quiet cottage by a river, hidden away from the world on Paradis Island.

It’s a fool’s dream, I know.

“I’ll keep you safe.” I assure her, giving her hand a little squeeze, hoping this isn’t too much touching for someone like her.

To my surprise, she squeezes my hand in return. “And I’ll keep you safe.”

#Jeankasa #Jean x Mikasa #JeanMika #Jean Kirstein #Mikasa Ackerman #JeankasaWeek2021 #Jeankasa Week 2021 #Royal AU #AU fanfic #fanfic #shingeki no kyojin fanfic

[tundrainafrica]

Title: A Free Spot

Summary:  

"While she was still a commander in the midst of a war, she had to shut out all raw emotion while she watched Levi take down titan after titan, as the airship took her further away from where she had wanted to be. She did too good of a job turning off her emotions then and her last memory of Levi had become a free spot in her mind.”

Slight AU! Levi sacrifices himself in Chapter 132 instead of Hange and Hange deals with the consequences years later.

Written for @levihanweek  Angstober 2020. Prompt: Free Spot

Link to cross-postings: AO3

Notes:

A part of me felt like Levi should have gone instead of Hange. That is, if one of them had to go. I'd still rather they both lived and got their happily ever after 

I’m in the middle of writing for the greetings and farewell prompt but it's really just not looking to good rn so I'd rather not share it for now. Hopefully, I manage to get the motivation to finish it up. I’m probably gonna write some fluff and domestic Levihan after this. These prompts are just too heavy haha. 

Either way, I had so much fun writing for angstober. I hope you enjoy and do tell me what you think!

You know Levi, it feels like my time has come. I want to act as cool as possible so let me go out like this...

It had been two years since the rumbling had stopped for good. Eren was dead. The Eldians and Marleyans had established a peace treaty and the survey corps was declared redundant, replaced with a special defense squad.

Mikasa and Armin willingly took over what was left of building the defense-oriented military. Having seen enough violence and loss to last a lifetime, one soldier slowly and quietly stepped down.

That one soldier helped build what became the new city of Paradis, but still felt the burden of responsibility. Disappearing from society and retiring to some farmland on the outskirts of central Paradis felt wrong although tempting.

That soldier had seen things first hand that most people would never experience, so it was easy to take on a job as a teacher. This was especially since most Eldians did not want a repeat of the last war and who better to teach the future generation than one who had experienced it at the front ranks.

The subjects taught were easy to pick up.

Math. Science. Languages. History.

Most kids would end up mastering the basics anyway and that was more than enough for most jobs. What most people from both sides had failed to master though, was how to empathize and how to critically think. They failed to learn how to talk things through or how to question orders.

How to talk things through. How to question orders.

That was what motivated the soldier-turned-teacher, to supplement lessons with anecdotes from the Survey Corps days. It was like living in one's dreams again. The anecdotes before and after lessons kept the students entertained and it also kept the memory of one important person alive.

Three months into the lesson, one of the students had turned out to be more invested than the others and had raised her hand in the middle of one of their story times.

"Did you marry Levi?"

Maybe the former commander did get carried away.

"The soldier I mean. The one in your stories,"  the young girl clarified.

“Lena, you shouldn’t have asked that,” another student muttered.

Lena jumped up and bowed her head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry… You always got so excited when you talked about him that I thought…"

Hange only realized then that for a second she had not moved from her spot. She put a hand to her face to see that it was wet. She hastily looked back at the blackboard and wiped her face with the collar of her sweater.

"What would make you think we married?" She managed to ask as she looked back at the young student. Most of the kids in the room were roughly twelve to thirteen years old. At that point, she was still figuring out what could be mentioned and what couldn't to a bunch of preteens.

Lena blushed. "My big sister talked about her boyfriend like that and now they're married."

"Well that story could wait another time. It looks like classes are done for the day." The teacher quickly gathered up her learning materials into one messy pile on the table, thanking whatever god existed for the timing of that question at least.

Some students protested but the teacher did not budge. The latter looked back again at the blackboard as she listened to the students pack up their things and file out of the classrooms.

As soon as the last student left, Hange quickly closed the door behind her, slid on the floor and buried her face on her hands.

Why are you crying? It's been fucking years.

She slammed the floor with her fists, letting the pain that shook through her wrists, act as punishment for that random bout of emotion.

How many stories has she told them?

They had started off as stories detailing the lives of the survey corps members who had given their lives to fight a war fueled by the hate of two nations. Somehow, the stories had shifted to her own relationships. She had talked about Moblit and Erwin, the values they had upheld for the greater good of humanity.

How had she described him for the students to think they married?

Before she knew it, she had started to talk about the strongest soldier with ironically, the most unwavering regard for human life.The one soldier who was probably capable of taking down fifty soldiers without so much as a scratch was the same soldier who would ask her privately after meetings, if she could think of a better plan which would cost less lives than the one they had thought up just a while ago. He was a soldier who would always voted on alternatives that could preserve more lives.

At that point, Hange could not even recall what words she used or what tone she kept. She started to treat those story times she promised the students after every lesson as a reprieve, a way to just imagine once again the past that she had missed, and the memory that made her relax the most was that of Levi.

It had been three months since she started teaching. She guessed that she had probably started bringing him up after the first month. It had occurred to her until that moment that she had never really implied his actual fate.

Did she talk about him in present tense?

Did she say something to make them think that he had survived?

You know Levi, it feels like my time has come. I want to act as cool as possible so let me go out like this…

Her chest constricted as she remembered how she felt saying those words. At that moment she thought she was going to die.

How to question orders. How to talk things through.

Levi had never questioned her orders or tried to talk things through in public, in fear of undermining her position.  At that moment, right in front of everyone, Levi had said, "No. You're the commander. They need you out in the field. I'm not letting you die."

He had made a good point as he prepared his gear. Although he was humanity's strongest soldier at that time, he had become a little more than deadweight due to recent injuries. Either way, everyone had enough fate in his skills then, to know that even with those injuries, he'd still have enough power to take down a few titans and buy them some time to launch the ship.

While she was still a commander in the midst of a war, she had to shut out all raw emotion while she watched Levi take down titan after titan, as the airship took her further away from where she had wanted to be. She did too good of a job turning off her emotions then and her last memory of Levi had become a free spot in her mind.

Levi is alive. Levi exists in all nighters back in the office. He exists in the late nights in the forest, injured and half asleep.

As she allowed herself to relive that moment of two years ago, the only moment Levi blatantly disobeyed orders, the dam of emotions she had kept closed somewhere inside her started to flow free. She poked a few holes into it, allowing herself a few tears as she carried herself home.

It felt like it took ages but Hange finally found herself inside her empty apartment. She locked the door behind her and slid down once again on the cold wooden floor. She neglected to turn on the lights. The darkness that slowly swallowed the room as the sun started to set, only reminded her that she was alone, alone to her own devices and her own thoughts.

Levi existed before but now he is dead.

The free spot in her mind started to disappear, replaced by what should have been the raw emotion at seeing him burn and fall into the deep ocean. The grief came in large waves and Hange drowned in the emotions she had failed to release a year ago.

She called in sick the next morning and the day after and she sat alone on her bed, only standing up to eat or use the bathroom.

By what seemed to be the fourth day, it was as if she were floating. The waves had receded and she was left to survey for any damage.

Did you marry him? Another burning question came up from within her.

Hange rephrased it, given her present circumstances. Would I have married him?

Would marrying him have meant experiencing a continuation to those late night trainings as new soldiers?

Would it have meant a sequel to those late night conversations in the commander's office over tea?

Would it have meant someone welcoming her home every night after a long day’s work?

Would it have meant someone would be sitting beside her at that moment, hugging her, while she was too paralyzed by emotion to even get up?

Hange shook as she tried to imagine how it felt like again to be hugged. She knew she could have easily called someone, Mikasa, maybe Armin for a little company. Levi though was the last one she felt completely comfortable crying to, the last person she had ever shown complete vulnerability to.

And without him, she was alone.  

The cruel truth was that that memory of Levi alive had overpowered her memory of his death. That sudden realization came as the memory once again became vivid, at a time where she had no more responsibilities of keeping soldiers alive in the midst of a battle.

Hange kicked her side table and watched as it toppled over, her belongings spilling out from underneath. She smashed her chair on top of the side table then the flower vase on the dresser.

The crown and the military had given her enough compensation to replace everything and that small afterthought was what only fueled her motivation to just release the pent up emotions. Everyone she had ever lost died for them anyway.

She went for the dresser to the side of the door and pulled out the drawers one by one, spilling out the contents on the floor before smashing them into the pile of remains of the furniture she had broken only a while ago.

She stopped at the third drawer when she saw the familiar green cloak and the wings of freedom insignia. At Levi’s last moments, she was wearing his cloak since she had expected to be the one to go.

As she spread out his cloak on the floor, she smelled traces of the familiar odor of titan’s blood. A year cooped up in the drawer had preserved the original scent. She buried her face on it and started to make out the scent of blood and sweat. At a certain point, she also made out the traces as well of the scent of old wood. The cloak had also started to adjust to the new world with no titans.

She threw the cloak on her still intact bed and sat cross legged on the floor.

Am I the only one who hasn’t moved on?  She let out a burst of laughter, and sprawled on the cold wooden floor.

The Titans are gone. The Survey Corps is gone. Everyone is dead. He’s dead.

                                              Free Spot

In total, Hange took a week out of work. She used that extra time to clean up and apologize to her neighbors after that breakdown.

Surprisingly, most of them had been understanding. Hange though did not want to use the excuse of being a shell shocked soldier to be a bother to anyone and had compensated all those who lived closest to her.

When she finally showed up back to the classroom, she was surprised to see all the students on their seats as if they had expected her to be back that day.

Of course, the substitute probably told them.

“You’re surprisingly behaved today.” Hange commented as she emptied her book bag on the table.

It was Lena who came out from behind her desk with a box and placed it on the teacher’s table.

“We heard you got really sick for a while so we got you a present which could maybe help you stay healthy,” she explained, still looking apologetic.

“Thank you.” Hange blushed as she started to untie the bow and opened the box underneath. Hange fought back a wave of nostalgia and the stinging sensation in her eyes as she opened the box to find a tea set, complete with a bag of black tea on the side.

“My dad told me tea is good for the body,” one student volunteered.

Hange put one hand to her mouth, as she felt her lips tremble. A part of her wanted to laugh and a part of her wanted to cry. She had told them enough stories to keep them busy for months but she had never mentioned tea. It was an irrelevant detail in the grand scheme of things, of course she wouldn’t. “He liked black tea. We spent a lot of our free time talking over tea,” she admitted as she traced the rim of the tea cup, holding it the same way she had seen him hold it countless times before.

For a second, Lena looked panicked. “I’m sorry we didn’t mean to… You don’t have to talk about it anymore. ”

“No. It was my fault. I’m sorry.” She stood up and put her hand on the head of the young girl. “It looks like everyone pretty much guessed what happened to that soldier huh?” She smiled, keeping her tone deliberately light.

A lot of the students kept a sullen look and Hange was sure someone had explained it to them or at the least, they had picked it up on their own.

“Well, that’s the reality of war. A lot of the soldiers don’t get to marry and have kids. Just so that everyone here could live in peace.”

That night, Hange emptied the contents of the gift box on her kitchen table.

Levi would have liked the tea set. Hange thought to herself as she allowed the black tea leaves to boil on the kettle. The smell of the black tea wafted through the air and Hange closed her eyes as she allowed herself to be brought back again to those many nights when he was the one who would serve her a cup of warm tea.

Did I add too much water? Did I add too much black leaves? Would he be disappointed?

She poured the contents of the kettle into the cup and watched the tea leaves settle to the bottom of the cup.

She positioned her hands on top of the teacup, attempting to hold the cup just like he used to. The heat right on top of the boiling water, almost scalded her palm and Hange gave up after a few tries.

I never really understood how you did it.

The warm malty taste of black tea in her mouth was nostalgic. Hange only realized then that she had unknowingly abandoned this luxury right after the war. It was as if her subconscious had been protecting her from a breakdown just like the one she just had.

The smell and the taste of black tea had always been about Levi who was long gone by then. As she caressed the intricate linings of the cup though, she also started to think of the efforts of the students who had thought up the present and saved up for it.

She looked back at the memories leading up to his sacrifice at the hands of the colossal titans. The pain was still there but it was far from excruciating. It was bittersweet. Somehow, she did not need to delude herself anymore. She just had to let that bundle of emotions and memories within her untangle themselves.

Levi was gone. To Hange though, he was still alive.

He was alive in the black tea she had allowed herself to enjoy once again.

He was alive in the anecdotes she had told her class in between lessons.

He was alive in every single person who was alive because of his sacrifice.

It’s the living who give meaning to the soldiers’ deaths. It's the living who keep the dead alive.

#levihan #levi ackerman #hange zoe #levihanangstober #fanfic #levi x hanji #levi x hange #attack on titan fic

[snkpolls]

SnK Chapter 130 Results

The chapter poll closed with 1775 responses. This month’s poll results were brought to you by u/staraves, Crunchwrap, Luna, Momtaku and Giovata! Thank you to everyone for your support!

RATE THE CHAPTER

Maybe it was finally getting Eren’s POV, or maybe it was finally seeing the rumbling in nine glorious double page spreads. Either way “Dawn for Humanity” was very well received with close to 70% giving it the highest possible rating, marking this the most acclaimed chapter since chapter 123.

Beautifully drawn and written. I like the teasing of Eren's PoV

Good to see some Eren and Historia (finally!!) but the lack of answers is really hurting my heart, cmon yama!!

Epic chapter, amazing artwork. And astonishingly, with 5-6-7 chapters left i still don't know where this is going.

Definitely in my top ten best chapters. The ending was gloriously horrifying to read. Also, we finally got some Historia content, which is a big plus.

Cool as hell chapter.

I feel like this chapter wasn’t that great. It kind of gave way to more speculation without giving many concrete answers. The things that it DID answer felt like stating the obvious.

Tease me more, daddy Isayama

This chapter most likely is the best i've ever seen. So many answers and sooo many questions left behind. This chapter directs us to think about the previous chapters and obviously ISAYAMA'S THOUGHTS. That thing makes me happy. I'm very grateful.

Death is on its way, ladies and gents. Also the end is almost here. What the fuck is going on? I just want some answers about  E V E R Y T H I N G (especially about Eren's psyche).

Is there a singular word for the feeling of a mosquito bite?

  WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT?

“The revelation of Eren’s freaky final boss form” was our favorite moment (22.7%) followed by “Eren’s POV finally! Sort of?” (15.8%) and “The rumbling! At last!” (13.4%). “Historia and Eren’s tense discussion on the farm” came in fourth (11.6%).

Fuck yes! Erens back!

Our Queen has finally returned!

The whole chapter was building up to the reveal of Eren's titan form, and I enjoyed it.

Finally back at our one and only true hero Eren.

SWIMMER TITANS ARE NOW THE GOLD MEDALIST FOR THE SWIMMING CATEGORY IN OLYMPICS 2020 special edition

FINNALY HISU POV, even if it’s just a flashback. Honestly I’m just happy to see her again, becuase she’s my favorite character, and even if the flashback gives more questions than answers.

loved zeke-eren bro talk

everyone who thought that Floch was lying in charter 125 are 🤡🤡🤡

reiner tiddies

  WHO WAS THIS CHAPTER'S MVP?

“The colossal synchronized swim team” made an impressive showing (28.5%) but their majestic moves across the ocean were not enough to topple Eren (53.6%) for chapter MVP. Historia (8.1%), Zeke (5%), and Annie (3.5%) also received some love.

EREN IS THE GOAT

Eren is the worst boy in the world.

EREN JAEGER GENOCIDAL MANIAC

I really missed Historia, so it was nice to see her.

can the rumbling start a synchronized aquatic dance?

  WHAT DOES THE CHAPTER TITLE "DAWN FOR HUMANITY" REFER TO?

I thought of it as some sort of "End of the world" titling.

Dunno; but it doesn't really work if the rest of the world gets rumbled, does it?

I want to see the japanese title to decide

Eren wants to kill “animals” to give a new life to “humanity”

A dawn, or a beginning of a new day, has arrived. Whether this new day is a good or a bad one for humanity, we do not yet know. Everything is still possible, but once this day is over, the world as we know it is no longer here, for better or worse.

A new age for humanity is incoming. The story will end as a tragedy with Eren achieving his goal.

Dawn means the start of the day. So I think the start of the rumbling will be the start of humanity for this world. I think we started to see this with the world fleet being there to try stop eren. I believe every country is helping people flee regardless of race. Maybe I'm just too idealistic.

Ce chapitre fait reference au fait qu’eren est pret a tout pour sauver ses amis

Eren will achieve his goal (end the cycle of hatred)

Hope for humanity outside the walls. Dawn for me is something like hope, even if today was a bad day, tomorrow, after dawn, things might get better. Maybe the Warriors-Paradis alliance will somehow reach Eren and stop the Rumbling?

dunno but got the vibes of ‘it’s darkest before the dawn’ might be a tip for a change coming

Eren has now officially started eradicating the world and also it's dark ideas against people on paradise and conquering freedom for his people and that is why this moment onwards is "the dawn of humanity "

Dawn for Eldians to be exact. Dusk for Marleyans.

Finally defeating Eren, ending the curse of Ymir and freeing everyone from the shadow of Titan powers.

Dawn of Terror? Dawn of "What The FUCK Is That??" Dawning that the remaining places of humanity are to be trampled?

It could refer to a ""dawn"" for the alliance, who intend for neither side of the conflict to be eradicated, as they believe everyone is part of ""humanity"". Despite their deliberation at the beginning of the chapter, the fact that they're finally setting sail to stop Eren is testament that they've not lost their hope in the pursuit of this ideal, hence they can be interpreted to be the ""dawn"".

Eldians in Paradis Island being free from the wrath of outsiders and being avenged

I think it refers to a new beginning a new start for the eldians living on the island or it can be used as an ironic way that the humanity outside the walls is going to end so it's complete destruction hence the beginning of the new cycle

The Rumbling & Historia's child, humanity's destruction and its rebirth

Continuation of "End's Eve" as this is the dawn of the day where humanity fights for its continued existence

"Dawn" refers to Humanity's realisation of many things. Eg: how Eldia is not a weak nation, how the Rumbling wasn't a lie, how people are people and they are all the same - wanting to live and shedding the same blood no matter what nationality they have. "Humanity" refers to those still alive and realizing these things.

Dawn of the final day - 24 hours remain

  WHAT ARE THE FUTURE IMPLICATIONS OF ANNIE DECIDING SHE'S TIRED OF FIGHTING AND NO LONGER WANTS TO STOP EREN?

Despite learning that her hometown is doomed, just over half of respondents feel confident Annie will stay the course and continue to work with the alliance. Among the rest of responses, 27.4% think this will trigger Annie’s exodus, selecting “Annie will leave the alliance and try to be with her father,” 16.9% believe this will cause Annie to do something stupid resulting in her death, and lastly 4% of the fandom believe this bad news will trigger Annie’s homicidal instincts causing her to switch sides and join Eren.

Annie saying she didn't want to have to be prepared to fight mikasa, Connie, armin, jean, Reiner and eren again made me feel sad for her ;-;

I just wanna say that it wouldn't make any sense for Isayana to bring Annie back and then write her out so it's obvious she will continue in the alliance lol (but I don't really agree with any of the options offered, I think she will decide by herself to stay)

Poor Annie's breakdown made me feel terrible for her. I still think she wants to leave but I think there are chances of the Warriors and/or Armin convincing her to stay and fight. As one of the nine shifters, she kinda has the responsibility to fight, even if she doesn't want to, and I get completely why she doesn't want to, poor thing. I have a sneaky suspicion that she might choose Porco's way out and we might yet see a new holder of the Female Titan power. :(

  WHAT WILL BE THE FATES OF THE ELDIANS IN LIBERIO, SPECIFICALLY THE WARRIORS' FAMILIES?

When asked about the residents of Liberio and the fate of the Warriors’ families, a combined 58% believe that they are alive for the moment selecting that they were evacuated (39.3%) or else managed to escape (18.4%). Close to 30% aren’t so optimistic, believing Liberio is flattened and they are dead. We also had plenty of write in responses:

They are going to die, but I can see Annie meeting her father and die together in each others arm by the rumbling. It's sad I know, but it would be a fitting end for both of them :(

They are probably arrive. Either they overcame the Marleyan authorities that tried to surpress, or The Rumbling avoided Liberio entirely. I just doubt they would kill off Mr. Leonhardt offscreen.

They may have started to fight the Marleyans and then ended up flattened by the titans since they didn't escape earlier.

They took a ship to the south and we will meet them including Reiner's family  and Mr. Leonhart.

Am I supposed to feel sorry for these people? I don't. The Warriors don't deserve happy endings for everything they have done.

Bands of survivors have made it out but Annie will meet her dad when he is dead or dying

some died while revolting, some are alive, annie's dad is wounded

They're currently fineish because Eren didn't go where Hange was expecting, hence why all their estimations have been off

I mean, they must be alive somehow. It seemed  that there were only soldiers in Liberio and the others evacuated so I'm hopeful that at least Annie's father survived

I want to have hope ;-;

I just want Annie to see her father again, and for Reiner to get what he wants.

What if the city Eren attacked isn't Liberio? I feel like it's too important to be flattened just like that (thematical resonance + too many side-characters like Eren's own grandfather are there) and we're being misled about the place Eren is attacking.

  HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT HISTORIA'S STANCE ON THE RUMBLING?

Many of us had expectations about Historia going into this chapter. Her initially disagreeing outright with the rumbling but seemingly giving in was a surprise to 8.4% who thought she would have been all for it all along, and 19.9% who never expected her to agree with it at all. 6.4% of you expected her to do the opposite of what is implied, with agreeing at first but changing her mind in the conversation, while 23.3% reported expecting the exact turn of events. However, a huge 41.5% of you aren’t taking everything at face value and do not believe Historia does or has ever supported the rumbling.

  DO YOU BELIEVE EREN IS THE FATHER?

After almost 2 years of the fandom fighting over the identity of Historia’s baby daddy, this chapter has finally definitively proven that… we still know nothing. Nonetheless, the narrowly winning belief (37%) is that Eren is the father, closely followed by those who believe he is not the father (34.4%). Some are unsure what to make of the situation (18.2%), and some of you don’t care enough to speculate (10.4%).

there is a TON of hints, him being the father makes prefect sense.

i will bet on my freedom that eren is the father

Historia x Eren ftw!

Eren being the father would be the most meaningful for both the story, as well as for Eren and Historia and their chemistry together if you ask me, though I can accept otherwise.

Whoever disagrees eren is the father doesn't read the manga seriously

I have not any positive thoughts about Eren-Historia's flashback. Just pain, I feel pain for her. I don't get the point to destroy her character like that.

I really hope Eren isn’t the father — it just doesn’t seem right.

I don't believe Eren is the father since it will contradict what he said to Zeke: "I'm only left with 4 years"

Sorry shippers, I don't think we'll ever get a straight answer about who's the father. But I kinda prefer it that way, because then we'll each get to decide what we thinks is correct.

IF YOU DONT STOP THIS I WANNA MAKE BABIES WITH YOU

Still don't care about who's the father

Who is the father?

  HOW HAVE YOUR FEELINGS ON THIS CHANGED DUE TO THIS CHAPTER?

35% went into the chapter thinking Eren was not the father and 30% believing he was, with this chapter doing nothing to change their minds. For those who were affected, this chapter influenced 14.2% to join the team #DaddyEren and 5.6% to burn their membership card. The remaining 15% don’t care enough to speculate.

If Eren is the father, I think it's possible Historia wanted his baby to keep a part of him with her after the rumbling is over, or perhaps it was an attempt to make him want to come back when he's done or even not commit genocide.

why does everyone keep saying Eren is the Father confirmed? There is literally no evidence to support that, and it actually contradicts Erens statement when Zeke discusses Mikasas feelings towards him.

I just want Eren to be the father

Historia's pregnancy smacks of her own plan but I'm not sure Eren is on board with it.

I want confirmation on the father cause if it's not eren ima be pissed off

don't care who the father is, whole world is ending.

I can't stand the mystery surrounding Historia's pregnancy anymore, this is worse than serum bowl.

WHO THE FUCK IS THE FATHER

  SO THEN WHAT'S THE REAL DEAL WITH HISTORIA'S PREGNANCY?

“What’s the deal with Historia’s pregnancy?” Jerry Seinfeld asks. But we cannot answer – we can only sustain ourselves on memes and ship wars. Despite Eren and Historia’s somewhat uneasy conversation, a solid third of you are still pretty sure that Eren is the baby’s father. A little over a fifth of you think she did the dirty with Farmer-kun instead. And another fifth is convinced something else is going on (watermelon baby?), but aren’t sure what. Some of you scream to the sky, sick of all the drama. And a few of you wouldn’t rule out a baby created through PATHS. It might be Ymir’s doing! No, not that Ymir. THAT Ymir.

Historia is playing 5d chess I just know it. I just don't know how yet

Why'd Historia act like that if Eren wasn't the father?

ymir is the father

Eren has to be the father for the good dev of eren & historia characters

I really hope the pregnancy thing is just a red herring, but it wouldn't be the first-time Isayama appealed to fan-service if not.

If I see more speculation on whether Eren is the father I'm gonna puke. I mean how about focus on the real story? Like how the world is about to be destroyed??

We need more Historia. We literally need her POV for the story to make sense right now. I can't believe that with ""5% of the plot"" left Isayama is *still* pulling this all this time? There *has* to be more.

I always knew Mikasa was the father

  WHY DO YOU THINK HISTORIA IS PROPOSING A PREGNANCY?

Despite a majority of respondents believing the pregnancy is authentic, there is no consensus as to why Historia would propose it. The most popular answer when asked was “I don’t know” (32.2%). The remainder of the fandom is split between Historia proposing the pregnancy in support of Eren (23.1%), as part of an alternative plan (21%) or as an act of defiance against Eren (17.6%). Only a small percentage (6.1%) believe she actually wants a child.

What the hell is the pregnancy for? It doesnt make any sense for Historia to suggest that all of a sudden

How did getting eren and historia's conversation make things more confusing😔Like what went through historia's mind when she thought of having a baby i-

What if the "what if I have a child" scene with Historia actually happened EARLIER than the rest of the conversation? It would explain why they switched places, and if Eren really is the father, would explain why he feels he has such a say in Historia's child's future ("even if you agree, I don't" ) , and why when he spoke about the MPs he said "WE have two options: fight or run". It would also give him a  motivation to oppose his friends, since they are trying to stop him.

I don't see his conversation with Historia in romantic light. She was scared of him and Eren was trying to manipulate her with her own words about being ""the worst girl on the world"". We still miss some important parts of their conversation, but if she agreed to help him because he reminded her how ""the worst girl"" she was, then I would be very disappointed. I saw her as strong woman and I hope she will not turn to be a mild sheep who isn't brave enough to follow Ymir's wish and ""live her life with pride"" (or ""live sticking her chest out"").

I have no idea for which purpose Historia want to become pregnant, but I'm glad that I was right that she decide it for herself and doesn't get forced at all!

Historia has a trick up her sleeve and I can't wait to see what it is.

  WE LEARNED WHAT ZEKE REALLY TOLD EREN ABOUT THE ACKERBOND. ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THE ACKERMAN CLAN?

75% of the fandom wants more resolution to the Ackermysteries with 38.4% wanting MOAR and 32.3% wanting at least a little more. Only 22.3% are satisfied with the ackercrumbs we’ve been tossed and 7% have no opinion.

love guru zook

ackerman bond means LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!! sweet for all ackerman related shippers ohhhh

I'm satisfied to see yet another example of people trying to pin eren's BS onto zeke (with the ackerman theories) be proven completely wrong

Mikasa's charachter wouldve been a lot more interesting if her ackerman genes had an effect on her decision making and her trying to overcome them would be a lot more intriguing to see. Instead it turned out to be some lovey dovey pancake bullshit. I mean what would Zeke even know about Mikasa??

WHAT IS UP WITH HISTORIAS PREGNANCY AND ACKERMANS BLOOD AHHHHH

I think the fact that the Ackermans can access the Paths without being shifters is going to be super relevant. My pet theory is that Mikasa will be able to cross into the Paths dimension to kill Eren and truly free Ymir Fritz, but let's see how that goes.

  HOW ACCURATE WAS ZEKE'S ASSESSMENT OF MIKASA'S FEELINGS TOWARD EREN?

One of the few areas of agreement in this chapter was with Zeke’s assessment of Mikasa’s feelings towards Eren. Close to 80% think that despite having never met Mikasa in person, Zeke correctly understands that Mikasa’s concern for Eren has little to do with genetics and everything to do with reasons of the heart. However, the majority of people who took the option of writing in their answer cited both as a factor in Mikasa’s bond.

Eren, when your sadistic and bloodthirsty big bro can see how much Mikasa loves you, you probably should take it seriously lol

Zeke. Is. Big. Bro

He's a lying liar who lies.

usually when panels sway to the right, they are true, so I believe this is the case.

Did anybody honestly not already know this? We learned nothing new from this as far as I'm concerned.

Mikasa really cares for Eren but the Ackerman genes amplify her love for him.

Everybody's emotional attachments have some basis in biology. It doesn't make them any less real or meaningful

we learn Zeke ships eremika 🤔unexpected but naice

The ackerman blood does boost her physical abilities but i believe it doesn't affect her mentally (she probably has ptsd and seperation anxiety)

What is between Eren and Mikasa?There is something we still Dont know.I wish for more Mikasa....

I think the bond itself is clearly related to her trauma but the intensity of it probably has more to do with her Ackerman genes

Both ? Even tho Ackerman genes could have a big part in it

I think Mikasa loves Eren but it's not JUST romantic or JUST familial.

Her devotion is strong on its own- but her Ackerman abilities definitely have played a role in her saving his ass all these years.

Very accurate, he is Love Master Zook.

Only  a fool believe that shit regarding Ackerman bonds and so on. [...] The hate speech I believe is some kind of Eren pathetic attempt to release her of her feelings towards himself, just in case the worst scenario is coming up in not too far future.

The Ackerman instincts amplified her love towards Eren.

Zeke was right [...] As much as Mikasa being ready to snap titans necks in two for Eren is due to her love for him, Eren being willing to go through with a world genocide to prevent Historia's sacrifice definitely results from his love for her.

  HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PLACEMENT OF FLASHBACKS DURING THIS CHAPTER?

The majority of the fandom really enjoyed the inception-like flashbacks, but 1/5th just found it confusing as all hell. A sixth of the fandom is just fed up with Isayama blue-balling us. We’ve been in this relationship 10+ years, Yams, it’s time for you to give it up!

Loved the interwoven flashbacks, and made sense considering a lot of the "unknown" conversations(Eren with Yelena, Floch, Historia....) all tie into each other. Made sense to them like this, and plus there is still some mystery from his talk with Historia.

E-H convo should've been shown months ago; now is not the time for flashbacks.

Just Yams trolling the shippers

The confusing flashbacks also reflect Eren's state of mind. The placement was well done.

I don't mind it, but i feel Isayama was, to a certain degree, struggling to work all of this information organically into the story, so he was forced to choose this flashback method to get it out there.

The juxtaposition is very purposeful, while I don’t necessarily like what it implies, it is indeed impactful.

The way the flashbacks were placed would look amazing in the anime, but in manga format it looks a lot more confusing!

People might say this is Isayama being mysterious and showing us everything but revealing nothing as he always does, and yeah and if this was 10 chapters ago I might see that as a positive, but this late into the series it feels like it was just a waste of a chapter.

They were good because they connected with each-other; though I had to reread the chapter several times to distinguish who was talking because it flipped so much.

These kinds of chapters are slightly annoying in the moment, but are more than worth it in the long run.

The Historia flashbacks are confusing af

  WHAT IS THE MEANING BEHIND EREN IMPLYING HE "WANTED THIS", REGARDING THE FUTURE OF THE RUMBLING?

Continuing Eren’s ongoing theme of the question of free will and determinism, this chapter presented us with the possibility that Eren wanted everything that has happened from the start. Depending on your interpretation, of course. The majority of respondents to this question (54.7%) believe that Eren has been convincing himself there was no other possible future due to seeing said future play out in front of his very eyes, and 17.1% somewhat similarly believe Eren did not want this in the conventional sense, and he is an unreliable narrator. A smaller 12% believe this is confirmation that Eren’s vengeful nature caused this, closely followed by 9.5% of you who just think he is a lunatic.

Despite him talking as if this future was fated to happen he still seems aware enough that his own decisions still led to this outcome. From his perspective  all of this was meant to happen because he already saw his future memories, but he doesnt deny that the path he took was still by his own will.

Eren said from the start he would, "destroy them all." He hated being a slave. I think he *does want this. He wants whatever will guarantee freedom.

Both future can't be changed AND Eren is a fucking lunatic

Even if the future could be changed Eren preferred the full rumbling

He literally had no option from the very beginning , his actions is definitely justified .

it's probably all the attack titan's will, not his.

he's trying to fool himself into thinking he never changed

Eren has accepted that the future cannot be changed, and has realized that the unchangeable future is the future that he has always wanted

Eren is so close-minded & immature

I've given up trying to understand Eren's logic. It's just too bizarre. I will wait until the story is finished to form any opinion about him.

Eren was bored in his original universe and wanted humanity to have a threat so he made the aot universe via Ymir and became that threat himself.

Even if a significant part of Eren wants to eradicate his enemies out of rage/revenge, really deep down it’s been shown he wishes there was another solution but right now he doesn’t want to admit he’s surrendered to his destiny. So Isayama’s going to come back to this by having Eren admit to himself he isn’t really free/this isn't what he wants, which will be the culmination of his character arc (what will he do then?…).

Eren kinda forgot about the mothers

  THIS BURST OF PANELS SHOWS A VARIETY OF SCENES FROM EREN'S POV, BUT SOME SCENES APPEAR TO BE FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE OR ENTIRELY NEW SCENES. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Nearly 45% of the people who voted, thought it was a deus ex machina move from Founding Titan by Proxy, which granted Eren a glimpse at all Eldians’ memories. Almost a third think that Eren was actually able to control their memories. 14% of all voters are just “wtf…? I dunno” at all the Pathsnanigans.

I don't know and I don't like it. Hope it isn't another pathsfuckery while all I want in life is KRUEGER'S POV.

Eren's path shit also implies the story has always been bending to that moment too. From the pigs, to even Dina from that Bert shard. If it's ever revealed he orchestrated Carla's death to stimulate Grisha and Eren's hatred, the whole demonisation of RBA gets turned on his head.

I don't like the idea that Eren controlled the Smiling Titan but it's starting to feel more and more likely...

The second one except it WILL come up again cause it’s fucking Isayama like tf do you expect lmao

The new POV scenes are definitely intentional but I hope the explanation isn't some magical PATHS stuff where he orchestrated characters (like Dina's) actions or is suddenly an all-seeing almighty being. Grisha was enough pls.

DUDE, THIS MEANS THAT BIRD HAS P A T H S!

dumb answer choice

FT/Ymir lets Eren see the memories of all Eldians. It will come up again. I don't get some of the angles/perspectives though.

It's possible some of these things haven't happened yet, or that Eren has access to the memories of more shifters somehow. For example, Berthold might be a memory Annie or Reiner have and Eren will receive if he eats one of them while they try to stop him.

I have absolutely no idea what the deal is with the Falco and Bertolt memories but I'm sure they're not inconsistency errors considering the care that went into showing that the Mikasa/Grisha/Levi etc. panels are clearly from Eren's POV. I expect answers really soon (and no, I do not think he controlled Dina’s titan to kill Carla, that would be pure character assassination). Hange's panel looks like it's from the future, as well as Mikasa's unfamous 'see you later'. The geese are also interesting but I have no mindblowing theories about them unfortunately..

Excited to see from where Hange without glasses memories from though.

Eren is the air, the trees, the birbs, everything

Marcel is more like to come back from the dead before I ever understand half the shit inside Eren’s head.

If Eren somehow got his mother killed that'll be the ultimate bruh moment

  THIS CHAPTER SHOWED US ANOTHER MEMORY OF FEZ-KUN, FINDING HIMSELF IN TROUBLE AGAIN. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MEANING BEHIND HIS HIDDEN STORY?

The mystery of the Fez persists once again, with this being the tenth chapter since he was first shown. Though by a small margin, the consensus is that the purpose of his story is to reaffirm Eren’s determination to wipe out the world at 44.8%, with 33.4% of respondents believing he will be a tie to Eren’s compassion and remorse for what he is doing, and 17.1% believing it highlights Eren’s inherent hypocrisy for caring for him even though he will die by his actions later. Many write-in options expressed confusion at who this kid is.

Eren believes that suffering and oppression of minorities will never end just by small acts of kindness and simular "passive" acts, like what Levi did, it does not provide a long term solution or prevent Fez-kun'sfrom furder torments, which is why Eren feels like the extreme solution of the rumbling is his only option

Eren gave a mission to Fez-kun

Eren using another kid to get his way without caring about his life. What else is new.

He's the "even someone on the street" part of Kruger's advice to love someone to break the cycle of tragedy.

He’s showing that little boy he has to fight to survive, like he did with Mikasa when they were kids.

I think he found himself in trouble again (he looks to be bruised on the cheek in 120) and Eren will come to his rescue. However I think Eren will not just save him by beating up or killing the Marleyans, but inspiring the Fez kid to take action and "fight" just like he did with Mikasa. This arc has had a lot of focus on the almost inhumane level of violence Eren showed as a kid when killing those kidnappers, so I can see that being for the purpose of a direct parallel where Eren pressured the kid with the fez to stand up for himself.

I think Eren saved Fez-kun of those guys, but then he will kill him later, showing his own hypocrisy (those guys can't do bad to a child but I can).

I expect his shard(s) to contrast the other previously unknown panel from 120: Historia’s shard was revealed to be yet another instance of Eren manipulating a friend by putting his desires above her own, thus robbing her of her free-will. I hope that Fez-kun symbolizes the "beauty in a cruel world"

It show that Eren just have an other plan and not just kill everyone for no reason???? Lest not be that blind :) what esle u want to understund thats an option too? you want isayama to told u?

maybe eren intends for some people to escape when he announced the rumbling which allows people to prepare themselves, idk.

Eren will save their family and he told Fez to lead his family to a certain location that the rumbling won't reach?

What are all these crappy options? He represents Eren’s journey to changing his viewpoint about everyone being an enemy, as he told Reiner.

Just thought he was part of the collage of events, no further meaning.

Who’s Fez-kun

  SWIMMING TITANS?

88% of you welcome your Swimming Titan overlords, but 12% aren’t so convinced - there’s a pretty even chance it’s because the image is just too absurd, too terrifying, or a pants-wetting combination of both.

SWIMMING TITANS

swimming titans

Seeing those colossal titans was crazy

The panel of the titan swimming underneath that ship haunts me in my dreams.

HELL YEAH FUCKING SWIMMING TITANS

  WHEN THE MILITARY SIGHTS ERENSAURUS AT THE END, RATHER THAN CALLING IT THE FOUNDING TITAN OR EREN JAEGER, THEY RECOGNISE IT AS THE ATTACK TITAN. WHY?

Despite the threat of Eren Jaeger previously being referred to by name or as “the Founding Titan”, this chapter encapsulated the horror of the allied forces as they recognised it as the Attack Titan. The plurality (40.3%) is that this was just for the purpose of Isayama being able to drop a “Shingeki no Kyojin” in this climactic chapter, though a close second option (34%) is that there is historical information to distinguish the Attack Titan from the others. 15.2% of you believe the Attack Titan is the Titan Bogeyman for Marleyans, and 10.4% attribute the naming to the fact that it’s attacking them, duh.

I think the Maryleans/World Forces knew it was the Attack Titan bc of the Eldians in Marley (like Annie's dad) warning them ahead of time. I think once they realized The Rumbling was happening, they asked for more deets from the folks who heard Eren's message in the Path's Realm.

I wonder why the rest of the world was only  using Mikasa ships instead of various ships lol

IT CAN'T BE STOPPED ANYMORE

  NOW THAT WE FINALLY GOT TO SEE EREN'S SPINE-CHILLING (BADUM-TSS) FORM, WHAT DID YOU THINK?

This manga has turned into a horror show, and y’all seem to be loving it, according to over fifty percent. Thirty percent are aghast at the sight before them, and nearly a tenth of you don’t really know what to think of the Grim Reaper titan yet. Some of you wanted something more fully formed, but this creepy crawly is freaky enough, isn’t it? Let’s just be glad none of us live in Marley right now.

My jaw dropped when I saw Eren’s titan form. Horrific.

I love Erensaurus a lot. This chapter gave the same level of anxiety that Zeke's attack in Shiganshina gave me. Good

YEAH EREN IS SCARY AS FUCK I LOVE IT MORE FREEDOM MORE FREEDOM MORE FREEDOM

Eren's titan looks a little like the earth devil

Did Eren pick the design of his new Titan or did Ymir just give it to him?

Really interested in where it is going especially because Eren's Titan got lips which could be an indicator for it to have the ability to speak

Eren’s Founding Titan form looks like something out of Silent Hill

I'm not saying anything about Eren's titan. What even the actual fuck, Yams

Oh lawd he comin

  WHY IS EREN'S CURRENT TITAN FORM A SKELETON WITH NO FLESH?

Eren is looking awfully spooky right now. That’s a good sign, isn’t it? I guess looking like a death metal album cover is better than looking like whatever Rod Reiss was supposed to be. 34.9% figure that as this is probably the largest titan ever, it’s just too big for flesh. It’s not like PATHS sand is infinite, after all. 34.6% think that the form is incomplete because of the missing titan powers; this is only a third of his potential scariness! 23% think there’s no real reason he looks like this. Not an in-story reason anyway. Finally, 7.6% think Eren is still not done forming this devilish beast.

Eren's upper skeleton body thing looks like wings of freedom...

The reason Eren's body was like this, if he was muscular, he would radiate a lot of heat, so the Allience's couldn't reach him. But now, no muscle, no heat. They can reach easily.

Eren's form is creepy as hell! I also think he might be dead/dying/the titan now.

Seriously, how the fuck does Eren's Titan move?

When a shifter generates a titan body, they need to have a special task or purpose in mind. Is Eren's titan meant to be a bridge between Paradis Island and the continent?

  WHAT IS ISAYAMA TRYING TO SAY WITH THE PUPPET-LIKE MOTIF OF EREN'S TITAN?

Many have noticed the puppet-like strings connecting Eren’s torso and head to his stegosaurus spikes in the final panel (though not in the first shot we get of Eren -- we’ll just ignore that), but what does it mean? Him being a slave to himself (38%) just edged out him being a slave to fate (36.7%), with a slim minority (3.3%) believing Ymir could be the true puppeteer. Of course, there are the 21.9% of you who are remaining steadfast in the belief that Eren is NOT a slave, he is FREE.

He is a slave to the future memories and instead of trying to find a different way, he is convincing himself that this is what he wants from the start to compensate for how little freedom he has.

He's trying to justify to himself that he isn't a slave

Eren is a slave to that sweet sweet feeling of self-righteous rage.

Ymir might be acting through Eren.

I think eren has become a vessel for ymir and it's ymirs will that we're hearing.

  WHERE IS EREN'S HUMAN BODY MOST LIKELY RESIDING?

The results for this are a mixed bag, with the three most popular answers extremely close in votes. It’s most agreed upon (29.1%) that Eren has no human form, and has merged with the Titan on some level, with a close second (28.8%) being him being separated from the Titan but not in the conventional sense, and using the Warhammer Titan power to operate it from the ocean. 27.9% of you believe he is in the standard position of the nape, and only 14.2% of you believe the head of the Attack Titan could be his true location.

So, does Eren now only have his head left or was he fully healed thanks to Ymir?

where is Eren (No,not his titan)? There is no nape on that thing, just bone

I NEED TO KNOW HOW EREN IS TRANSPORTING HIMSELF

  THE CHAPTER ENDS WITH CHILD EREN'S DETERMINATION TO "DESTROY THEM" OVERLAPPING WITH ADULT EREN COMMANDING THE RUMBLING. WHICH STATEMENT IS THE MOST ACCURATE REGARDING THIS COMPARISON?

This curious panelling choice ends the chapter, giving us a peek at Eren’s inner monologue – but in true Isayama fashion it’s not clear exactly what it means. 45.6% believe it shows that Eren hasn’t fundamentally changed the way he views the world, his will and titan powers giving him the means to influence it. 26.4% think it’s a reminder of Eren’s tragic tendency to believe that peace cannot exist without the complete elimination of an opposing force. 16.8% think it demonstrates Eren’s willing or unwilling continuation of the cycle of hatred and revenge. Finally, 9.1% think there’s a hint here that Eren’s childhood self was cursed with thoughts from his future mind.

ALL OF THE ABOVE

All of the above, minus the P A T H S.

I hate eren do the same thing as what he had been through

It's Eren's tendency to lose himself to the desire for vengeance, which in the mange is always depicted as leading to a catastrophe in the end.

His childhood trauma comes back to him when he sees a loved one die / about to die and feels the powerlessness of having been unable to do anything because of being weak. Then pain and anger return for this reason

It's a parallel showing his determination to fight back against those who would deny he and his comrades their freedom.

It is once again Eren reassuring himself he's doing what's right, by telling himself that the cycle of hatred is what's causing this and that he needs to break it

The thoughts are child Eren, simply overlapping with the current situation. It may not be adult Eren’s thoughts.

THIS BITCH CRAZY.

I just want to say that the history is repeating its self . What we thought it was the past it's actually the future

He is using this memory of his mother being eaten to motivate himself, like a main drive. It's not the first time. Anger/Rage was always the main drive that he used to keep fighting/seeking for freedom

This is already similar to some of the options presented, but I like the idea that this is showing deep down he is driven by his childlike rage, and as much as he tries to convince himself it's for his friends, he really just wants to revel in violence because he's broken and he thinks wiping everyone out is the only way he will be at peace.

  THIS CHAPTER ALSO PRESENTED US WITH TWO ALMOST DICHOTOMIC MOTIVATIONS FOR EREN, BETWEEN LOVE FOR HIS FRIENDS AND HATE FOR THE ENEMY, BUT WHICH DO YOU BELIEVE IS THE STRONGER DRIVING FORCE?

The two most powerful and conflicting emotions driving Eren right now have the fanbase somewhat split over what pushes him further. It seems that most are optimistic about Eren’s prime motivation being the wellbeing of his friends at 59.7%. Meanwhile 40.3% believe that Eren’s love for his friends has been eclipsed by the roiling hatred and thirst for vengeance within him. Even at this point in the story, it’s hard to be absolutely certain – safe to say Eren is a real menace when he feels this strongly about anything.

I feel like I finally fully understand Eren's mindset, even though there is probably still more to his POV. He just wants his friends to be happy and live long lives, so he had to push them away especially after Sasha's death.

This chapter Eren can't disentangle love from fear/hate/loss due to what happened to his mother, which is why his feelings about his friends now manifest so destructively.

Eren's memory chain went from remembering his friends smiling, to Sasha's death and Fez-kun being beat up, and eventually to his mother's death and his vow to kill all titans, showing that deep down he knows his motivation to protect his friends is bullshit and that his "enemies" are mostly innocents, but he keeps moving forward due to hatred and revenge.

Eren has never healed his trauma. It was "eating" him slowly and turned him into this he hated the most - a devilish monster.

I think the chapter settled very well that revenge surpass even his wish of protect his friends

The transition to Eren's pov and the fact we didn't learn anything new beside some basic confirmations, is really strange. And if Eren ends killing the friends he wanted to protect, he will be a complete disappointment. I really am afraid of SnK's ending.

"I want my friends to live long happy lives" he says after treating them like shit, breaking their spirit, and partially ruining their home island with millions of titans. I hope he doesn't act surprised when they show up to stop him (assuming they can catch up of course).

I don't believe the word "animals" align with Eren's current perspective, nor how he sees his "enemies". He holds the same ideals as he did as a child, but realises the nuance of his enemies and how people on both sides are ultimately the same. He just believes this radical action is the only necessary way to end an unstoppable inter-generational conflict in his lifetime so these problems aren't handed down to future generations anymore.

he's being driven both by hatred and love, but right now his rage is winning and he's using the safety of his friends and Eldia as an excuse to appease his conscience.

  ON A SCALE FROM "SECRET PLAN" TO "KILL 'EM ALL", WHERE DO YOU STAND ON EREN'S TRUE INTENTIONS?

This chapter all but confirmed that Eren indeed plans to wipe out the entire outside world for most of the fandom. The majority are skewed towards the opinion of Eren definitely rumbling everything, with less and less respondents holding onto hope that Eren has an alternate plan.

Eren wants this rumbling and he's ready to sacrifice others to get what he wants, even his friends.

I gotta say, I thought Eren would've had a real plan that wasn't just massacring everyone else on the planet. I was already against the plan, but I suspected he'd walk the other side of the ocean and then announce to the world that the existence of titans was no more and destroy all the titans as proof, and all the shifters would just be normal people again.

His goal is to wipe the titans out of this world, and not to flatten it.

I support the rumbling, cause Marley deserved this by trying to eliminate Paradis, but at the same time there are so many good people there(including eldians themselves) that haven't done anything wrong. Military and leaders of marley should be eliminated, but not the poor people that had no choice.

This hateful world is needed to be purged and I support Eren for this. And when Rumbling is over that beast piece of sh** must die by Levi's hand.

I thought eren had a secret plan for the rumbling but after getting his pov this chapter looks like he really is going for it

Somehow, I can't shake off the feeling that we still haven't seen 100% of Eren's plan, there is still some twist waiting. I am not trying to justify Eren's current actions, it's more like ""if there is something that will throw this whole scenario upside down it better come up soon, because right now IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD"".

I want to believe thtat Eren has a secret plan in the rumbling but the chapter says that this is what he wanted, he had always been like this, he was always “free” sadly, he’s enslaved by his beliefs of freedom that he resorts to these drastic measures.

I think that this chapter confirms two things: one, the Rumbling is Eren's true plan [...] BUT two, there is "something beyond that hell", which is the "scenery" Eren says he saw in ch. 121. I think it's the endgame after the Rumbling is stopped (no way is it going to be completed), and it's what caused both Grisha and Historia to go along with his plan in the end even though they didn't agree with it and thought it was awful. Eren's "everything is still ahead" and the weird cut in Historia's flashback are too... strange and seem to point to this being a game changer and the final plot point of the series.

If the rumble will succeed, then I've spent 7 chapters seeing characters do nothing to accomplish nothing. I don't wanna feel my time wasted.

I unironically want Eren to kill everyone outside the walls. Nuff said.

  WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE REPEATED BIRD IMAGERY?

Birds are a focal point of this chapter, with the combination of a four-panel tracking of a soaring seagull and a flash of a memory of some nearby geese. The majority of respondents (62.5%) believe the birds simply tie into the theme of, and likely Eren’s motivation of freedom. In a distant second (20.9%) is the answer that it relates to the idea of everyone being connected under the same sky, a fitting motif amidst this chapter’s exploration of the conflict as well as unity of different groups. 12.7% of you are hopping on board the “Eren is a bird now” train, and 4% of you just really don’t like birds.

The two birds from the Paths panels appear in episode 1 of the anime iirc, not sure about the manga though.

Eren is bird confirmed thank  <°^°>

I like the Bird Theory that says he’s transferring his consciousness to a bird. yeah it sounds a bit odd but it’s interesting and I’m willing to accept anything at this point

The birds are secret surveillance cameras

I like birds

idk man this shit is confusing as hell.as for falco thing i think eren has become the bird. anything can happen at this point.

Eren is the Eagle we see in the chapter 91 that Falco says to fly away lmao

  THIS CHAPTER HAD SOME AMAZING ART, SHOWCASED IN THE MANY DOUBLE SPREADS (EXACTLY 9... OH GOD WHAT DOES IT MEAN ISAYAMA??) WHICH WAS YOUR FAVORITE DOUBLE SPREAD?

Whether it was the break back in May, or Isayama’s dedication to highlighting this chapter’s importance, the art has definitely taken a step up and blown us all away. Though it is very split, the final double spread showcasing the commencing of the rumbling garnered the most votes (18.2%). At second (15.7%) was the imposing silhouettes of colossal titans rising from the ocean, and at a very close third (15.5%) was the very next spread, of these titans wiping out the battleships as casually as if they were wading through seaweed. If there’s one thing to make of this from what the winners have in common, we have all definitely been waiting to see the rumbling for a while.

Isayama's improvement as an artist it's inspirational.

the art is god tier

Those Rumbling pages are so gorgeous they make me wanna say "Kill them all, Eren ! Destroy the fucking world !"

Mappa has their work cut out for themselves

MAPPA's fucked lol I hope they're up to the task.

That Attack Titan spread has the single GREATEST bit of shading in this entire manga.

Solid Art, phenomenal design and usage of double spreads

I just wanted to add that this is visually one of the most beautiful chapters I've seen in a while. The colossals, holy shit. I can't wait to see this animated. All of those double-page spreads were pretty fantastic but I have to say there's nothing quite like the chill that runs down your spine when you see all those colossals emerging from the smoke and the mist, where you see for the first time how huge and terrible they are (and also when you realise the first line of defense is already down). I had legit goosebumps.

  CHAPTER 130 MARKS THE END OF A VOLUME, WHICH HAS BEEN FILLED WITH ALLIANCE-FOCUSED CHAPTERS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS NOW THAT WE'VE FINALLY RETURNED TO EREN?

After six consecutive chapters focusing on the alliance with no Eren, the majority of you (57.6%) are relieved to finally move beyond the alliance, though have enjoyed the recent chapters, with 20.4% being completely over the alliance. 7.4% say they were originally sceptical but the chapters did well to make the alliance likeable to them, and 14.6% are open to more chapters just focused on the alliance.

Please for the love of God more of this and less of the alliance, the alliance was so rushed and as it's continued it hasn't been developed much further beyond plot convenience. The less of that I have to read before I get to read amazing stuff like 130 the better

i wanted more on the alliance, not flashbacks smh

it was something enjoyable after a while. Especially 126 made me grimace all over the volume till 130 came up. Not saying I was waiting for Eren but it was so cheesy.

Eren chapters are written worse than Alliance ones

This chapter single handedly made up for the below average, cringe-inducing chapters 126-129 Alliance bullshit. I have faith Isayama will create a very satisfying ending for this series now.

This chapter was legit a great way to end the volume off, it truly feels like its really the beginning of the end

  DESCRIBE THIS CHAPTER IN ONE WORD

The top 5 write-ins are below, followed by the average chapter score for each description. This months’ average chapter score was 4.59.

Amazing [4.89]

Epic [4.84]

Eren/Ereh [4.69]

Rumbling [4.46]

Confusing [3.88]

Honorable mention: Ragnarok

We’d also like to mention that there were a lot of write-ins related to genitals and coitus… seems like y’all were really hyped up by that first fanlation >.>

  WHAT ARE YOU MOST HOPING TO SEE NEXT CHAPTER?

Despite this chapter theoretically giving us everything we had hoped for in a while, the responses show that we still want to have WAY MORE answers (34.6%), MORE Historia (16.9%) and MORE rumbling action (14.5%). We’d also like to know where on earth Zeke is and if Floch is going to be the little troublemaker that we know and have strong feelings about. Will the boat make it to Odiha? Will Levi do a thing? Stay tuned!

There's still some mystery that have yet to answer and I want answers

Where the fuck is Zeke

WHERE. IS. LEVI.

i want more eren, historia and zeke. They're interesting. I don't care about the alliance.

"Zekey-dekey-doo, where are you?" ...I'm so done with you guys.

need update on zeke and historia's situation.

I want it to end soon #TeamEren

I expect in the next chapter something more around the alliance and maybe (hopefully) Floch's comeback!

Enough of Hisu, she is just a side character.

Want more Rumbling

All I can say is, I'm beyond anxious to see how the series ends, and it's eating me up inside.

  WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES?

Most of our lovely respondents are rambunctious Redditors as usual, followed by a fair few from the flock on Twitter, distinguished Discorders, and discussors who want for nothing. Then there are some ravishing real-lifers, titillating Tumblrites, ...aaaand the rest (you’re all great). We’re still side-eyeing you Snapchatters though.

  ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHAPTER?

Honestly I just wanna let it out, but not on google Poll for obvious reasons

Not about the chapter... but you guys always come up with funny answers that I feel compelled to chose even if it’s not really what I think. I love to answer this. Thank you!

Zeke the relationship expert, huh?

This chapter went through far too many dodgy translations for its own good, and even the official typeset had one big mistake in it even though it conveyed the mood of the convo between Eren and Historia far better than all the others.

this is all so confusing I miss erwin

I don't want genocide to be how this ends.  I believe Isayama doesn't intend a story this complex to send a message that genocide is great.  Considering some of the mindscrews he's already pulled via Paths, I'm hoping the best mindscrew is yet to come.

Reiner was a snacc

Historia the Antifascist Queen

This is the best chapter

this series is so great man

This whole chapter was a certified Bruh moment (in a good way)

This whole chapter was about Eren dehumanising. And he killed his mom. I wouldn't be surprised if he'll eventually want to kill all Eldians and his friends either.

Loved everything except for Historian's forced reluctant pregnancy.

Here's to 3 more weeks

I hope Eren doesn’t love anyone from the series.

I feel like Isayama is still increasing the pressure to help his final plot twist, I’m still lost as I really don’t agree with Eren’s actions while I see the fandom going crazy over him. Maybe I missed something, maybe I’m wrong, maybe I don’t fully understand Eren. This chapter felt good, I don’t hate the Alliance because they’re part of what I think is the right choice for humanity, but we all honestly wanted to know Eren’s thoughts or a bit of it, as we didn’t see him for a while. English isn’t my first language I’m sorry in advance, loved your poll

I honestly have no idea what's going to happen and the whole time I was reading it I was internally screaming.

Ok I know Ymir (the lesbian) has been dead for years but I miss her so much. She was the dad. Forget Farmer-kun, forget Eren, it was all Ymir.

okay no offense but where’s Levi ☹️

One big tease of erens pov and who the father is

One of the best chapter I ever read! Love it!

Didn't expect the Eren POV but welcomed it anyway. We now have confirmation he wanted everything that happened to happen and even the implication he orchestrated the death of his own mother. That's very tasty

Eren's pov has been hidden for too long and right now I don't think the payoff is worth it

eren exhibits bird behavior & he killed his mom 😕

Eren is a bird confirmed or some shit

Eren later takes Ymir's place in Paths as a sacrifice for many years to fix everything, learning everything he needs by traveling around as, say, birds, as needed to send to his past self to guarantee "that scenery"

Eren is in control of more than we previously thought and this shows evidence of a timeloop scenario

Eren can see the future and can probably manipulate the pure titans at different points in time like the Founder does. It's also likely he's gonna fuse with more shifters to visit other pieces of memory.

Eren is able to use the full power of the FT, that why he can see not only his own memories, but also the memories of other Eldians. All of them are connected to him after all.

He will turn into a bird in the end

So exited that we finally got to see Eren in his Founding Titan-like form!!!! Can’t wait for next month (AoT fan from Japan)

Enjoyed the chapter due to a return to debating the morality of the Rumbling, and seeing it in progress. Also tend to enjoy interaction between Eren and Historia. However, I think the chapter is slightly let down by being cryptic. It's hard to tell what is going on with Eren due to how scenes from this issue and others can be interpreted.

nah mate do people actually read this?

This chapter marks something that has changed everyone's thoughts. Not just about Eren, but Annie, Historia, Zeke, etc. We heard them speak differently, and got a few answers to our questions. We got to see that Annie does indeed have emotions. That Historia did not want this. That Annie never really wanted to kill, nor does she want to anymore. That Zeke actually cared for Eren. That the father is most likely farmer-kun. It's one of the best chapters we've had. Each chapter we get, we get closer to the end of this wonderful story. I can't wait to see what Isayama has planned for in the final chapters. Truly hoping for the best!

reiner's tits dammit

Despite the devastation, I now feel like there is meaning hidden beneath the madness

Creepy and interesting chapter. The official translation confirms further that Eren is going to destroy the world. I’m hoping that the next volume shifts focus to Reiner a little more. I’m also excited for more loose ends to be cleared up.

Damn, only 5 more to go before the end of the greatest story of all time

Enjoyed it but I’m really hoping for some more insight into what’s going on with both eren and historia, I’m not a huge fan of the pregnancy subplot

eren just wants to see if marleyans are made of cake

Eren makes the most amazing villain ever. Will go down as one of my favorite characters ever if the story ends how I hope it will.

Everyone forgets Historia saw her dad’s memories without eating him, without being a shifter, and without touching Eren. We’re still waiting for the payoff...

Fantastic chapter, though it felt really short

Floch was Eren's lieutenant all along, he was his representative, and his actions are therefore Eren's responsability all the same. Get fucked those who didn't want to believe that Eren would consciously choose Floch, believe in him or to set things up for Eren in Paradis.

I'd like it if the Ackerbond was not as supernatural as it was claimed before. Not because of EreMika, MikaHisu would be much better than both options of this chapter. Now we know that Levi or Kenny's loyalty were real, and it warms my heart. Also, my bastard wasn't lying! He knew about the plan.

It confirmed everything we already knew: Historia didn't support Eren's plan, Ackerman weren't slaves, Mikasa's feelings for Eren doesn't have to do with the fact she's an Ackerman and the fandom is stupid for still believing Eren is the father despite him literally telling Zeke that he can't answer Mikasa's feelings, because he only has 4 years left to live.

My heart was beating so hard during Eren and Historia's conversation because I just couldn't believe we were actually seeing her again, it had been 2 years since we got anything this relevant from her and I also just really wanted Isayama to get on with it and tell us who the damm father was so that we could finally move on to other things. I still don't believe it's Eren, but I'm done with that theory, man. No more teasing, please. Two years is far more than enough.

Chapters like this one, which perfectly captures the culmination of Eren's entire journey, make me glad to be alive at this moment in time to experience Isayama's masterpiece. I'm not ready for this story to end in just one more volume.

The ending of this story will not be a gentle tapping of the brakes but a screeching halt followed by hydroplaning and crashing into a ditch

What if the rumbling is all one big sex reveal party for Historia's baby and the Colossal Titans are arranging all the corpses into a female symbol or something.

For 8 months I have been waiting for Eren Jaeger. My favorite fictional character ever. He comes back in best way possible, wow.

Great chapter, too bad half of this dumb fandom misunderstood it and are falsely claiming it confirmed Eren as the father. *facepalm*

Obligatory mention that eren is a manipulative bastard and is a little too far gone in his goal

Ambiguity: The chapter. More questions than answers, no way this ends in 4 chapters. Overall we are all going "Wuh?" like Historia after this chapter.

We are being fucked with.

I cry, eren has been one of my favourite characters in the AoT universe

I didn't think it was possible for Eren to get any worse, but he always manages to surprise me.

I don't care about eremika or erehisu. I just need my rivaere (: haha

i don't care for the alliance and the ship-baiting was making me weary. I just want more eren, zeke and historia. They're the interesting ones.

‏I don't know what the end will be but i know it will be sad ending!..We all suffer and I mean the world of AOT and the fans who read manga... I will accept all probabilities and the death of heroes, but please do not make Mikasa kill Eren..I mean after all this love that will kill him .. I read many analyzes of the possibility of this happening and I see it as a very bad and irrational end..It is not logical at all..If you did it, the AOT would be one of the worst deeds and to the landfill..Isayama If you have suffered a lot in your life and childhood, we have also suffered in our lives, but please do not bring this suffering into the AOT world

I dont want this to end @ isayama

I hated what direction this story was taking, now I really hate it.

I just feel Isayama hasn't answered so much stuff yet and has also raised the stakes so high that I can't possibly imagine how the story will end. I believe Mikasa's slowly been established as the character who will defeat Eren, but I have no idea how she'll do it... But at least there were beautiful Mikannie crumbs, so I'm happy af and hope they'll have more scenes together now that Annie's about to give up (I mean, there are parallels™ everywhere when it comes to our wonderful lost girls...)

I just hope it's building up to a really good ending.

i just wanna know what's gona happen next man this shit be driving me crazy

I love everything! I hope floch dies though

I love you eren

I need answers!!!

I need Zook back

I really hope this series doesn’t end with a message like “genocide is necessary for peace” I hope someone stops Eren

I really loved the art and double spreads, and seeing Eren's POV after a while

I think it's the 2nd best chapter we've gotten this arc. The 1st being 123. I loved it. I also think it's putting to rest the secret plan theories regarding Eren. I've made my final prediction for the series. I think it's a tragedy that will end in Eren destroying the world & manipulating everyone's memories except for Historia & Mikasa & a new age for humanity will begin.

I'm so glad my girl's back, but I'm confused as hell. There's definitly more to her meeting with Eren and her choosing to be pregnant, we'll see. Also Zook being a love conselor and having a Ackerman phd was hilarious, I love him even more. Erefloch canon.

If he wanted to protect his friends why didn’t he just forge some Marleyan passport/citizenships for them, god wtf

If you think about it we actually didn’t learn anything that wasn’t already heavily implied

im shook

Isayama gave more than i wanted my heart can't take it.

it was very good thank you for asking

It's finally moving forward (as isayama likes to say)

It’s a good chapter but I still with doubts.

JUST DO IT EREN

Just wanna see ZEKE

Kiyoger Theory!!!!!

l'm glad we got to see a bit from Eren's POV. But I still need more answers ;_; why choose rumbling, Eren??? not looking for justification for his actions here but i just want to know /why/ he did it. Still feel like theres a missing link somewhere tbh.. I just hope the ending of snk wont be a disaster like game of thrones where Daenerys' switch came out of nowhere. At this point I just want the series to end asap, the tension build up is killing me lol.

Leaks for 131 when?

Let’s get rrready to RUMBLEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

Loved seeing the rumbling but I wish we could have gotten more character driven moments

Loved this chapter! I'm glad we finally got to learn more of Eren's POV and finally learn what was Historia's role in all of this (or at least beginning to learn her involvement in the plan). Seeing him initiate the Rumbling was epic. The destruction is about to begin!

my brain is too small to understand some of these theories

Now we know that Eren and Floch just pretending to follow Zeke's plan ever since from the beginning but I want to gain more explanations of Eren's secret plan

Oddly placed Eren flashback, but I'll take it

Something's up. I'm still not convinced we can take any of this at face value.

So many flashbacks were a bit hard to follow, but it really seems like the series is gonna end soon and I’m a bit nervous about how well any ending will play out

thank you Isayama for this masterpiece

THE ART IS JUST AMAZING but for me its so short 😭😭😭

That Eren with mid long hair is baby

the alliance has come together way too fast and theyve only really had 1 dispute so far. there needs to be more conflict to make it more realisitic. I think annie saying that they won't be able to/don't want to kill eren is foreshadowing this.

the Art is amazing but flashback scenes were a little mess

The chapter was full of messy memories, so it symbolized Eren's brain well :)

I think that now I understand Eren better. I used to believe he had some secret plan, but the true was always there - Eren is not any master mind. His plan was simple - destroy the whole world. The trauma he had after losing his mother has never been healed. It was always in him, growing bigger and bigger. He still cares about his friends, but he is also lying to himself saying that ""he is doing the rumbling  because he wants to see them having long, happy life"". He is doing it because his hatred to the ones who are responsible for Carla's death took control over his heart. Eren is adult, young man but deep down he is still the same, hurt crying child who bears painful memories of losing his mother.  

The cycle of war and hatred is saddening. This ain't something fictional, it's something we have always been observing from the earliest human consciousness :(

We all got a big storm comin

We are NOT ready for this shit

we need annie to live longer pls

Well here’s our proof eren is actually going through with the rumbling.

What it would feel like to be Eren right now

what kind of eva BULLSHIT

what the hell is going ON

Where is Floch

where is LEVI

Wheres zeke?

Yams, you're so diabolic. You  just want to make the real-life's rumbling with all that "confusing' ship tease xD

Yooooo, we need more explanation about maybe, everything? But amazing and bomb ass chapter though

#snk polls #snk poll #snk poll results #snk chapter 130 #snk 130

[lady-eny]

TITLE: ON THE NATURE OF DUTY (17/17) COMPLETED!

Some tags: AU - Spies & Secret Agents, Enemies to Lovers, Action, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Mikenana, Minor Zekehan, Minor Character Death, Reincarnation.

Summary:

In another life, they meet again. But what if instead of comrades, they find themselves as enemies?

Levi, Eldia’s best agent, lives to fulfill his duty. Yet, as he teams up with his enemies to save the world, he begins losing sight of it. Despite reminding himself how much he hates Hange—the marleyan star analyst—being around her makes him question everything he believed true.

He can’t prevent his brain from scrambling at her mere presence, ever closer. Perhaps it’s that he recognizes her from a long time ago…

CROSS-POSTING ON: AO3

Other Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Notes: So.. here we are, at the end of yet another journey **gets emotional**

Thanks for reading this entire fic. It means a lot. I really wanted to give a second change to our favorite couple. They deserved it, but of course they had to overcome some things and let some others settle before that. 

Hope y’ll have a great day, week, year. Take care✨

Chapter 17

“Hey… Four eyes.”

He stepped in, feeling the world around him craving in.

She pasted a weird smile over her mouth, trying to act all cheerful. “You understand. It’s finally here, you know?... It’s my turn. I want to look as cool as I possibly can right now. So just… Let me go, will you?”

His heart clenched within his chest, his eyes losing any light they could have contained before. He stared down at his useless hands. He couldn’t do anything, less when she was asking him to do nothing. As always, his heart was first in no one’s prioritizing list—not his, not hers.

For both, their duty was the owner of the top place and would always be.

Wouldn’t it?

Levi’s head is gradually killing him—that, or he’s already dead. His luck is such that perhaps even dead he won’t stop hurting, so that would make perfect sense. Likely, it’s the former instead of the latter; this pain is all too familiar. He recognizes the neat and worn scanty surface beneath his fingers, as he’s laid on it a hundred times hitherto. The constant beep of a monitor, the lemon whiff he inhales with every breath, and the arctic air chilling his bones (whoever thought a thin gown was enough to protect from the air conditioner was an idiot).

All this proves what he knew the moment he regained conscience.

He’s in the hospital.

Knowing that, Levi doesn’t open his eyes, too drained by the ache behind his eyelids. He knows what he’ll see at first glance, anyway: bright and blinding fluorescent lighting—capable of boosting his headache by an extra thousand percent. His muscles are sore, his shoulder and side numbed, and his throat burns. He must have been pretty bad, because upon waking up, he’s usually in better shape.

What happened? Images mingle in his mind and vanish. Hange in danger, he trying to save her, promising her to remain alive… blankness. He got hurt, then? Did he save her? Is she alive?

Minutes go by, but the pain doesn’t decrease.

I’ll stay here for a while, Levi muses, so there’s no point in delaying the inevitable.

He opens his eyes back to reality and winces at the explosion of enlightenment. He blinks rapidly to adjust. The view he encounters is not different from his expectations. White ceiling, white walls, white bed—as if someone had shitted white paint and sprinkled it on every corner.

At the fore of his bed, on a desk, a blond man is reading a stack of papers.

“Such a nice place to work,” Levi tries to say—emphasis on tries, as his words come out as a squawk. He clears his throat, but he continues sounding raspy in his next attempt. His hand stretches to a water glass on the side table and he takes a sip. The water sliding down his throat feels like the hit of ice spikes through his tract. Yet it does help him regain his natural speech. “How… What happened?”

Erwin doesn’t answer, abstracted by his work as he is. He puts a pen on his ear in a clumsy way Levi’s never seen from him before. Dark bags hang under his eyes and his hair is disheveled, also a new look to Levi. It births an unsettling churn in his stomach. For Erwin to look like this, Levi can only imagine the worst possible scenario. Zeke won…. The attacks happened… Global chaos…

Hange dead.

Levi can’t handle any more silence. “Erwin,” he calls, piercing the subject of his attention with his eyes, until the other man sighs and sets the papers down.

“The threat was neutralized,” Erwin tells him, and Levi’s glare loses its fang. “Zeke Yeager is in jail, and we’ve dismantled most of Tybur’s cameras and devices from around the globe. We also captured most of the people in their headquarters and are trying to discover the infiltrators in the governments, Eldia’s included. Some run away, but they don’t have anywhere to go and everyone is seeking them out. We’ll find them.”

He assimilates the information. The most important unknown is at the edge of his tongue… He can’t make himself throw it out. Levi chooses to ask a simpler question, instead.

“Tybur was…?”

“We are aware of his crimes, but he’s extremely powerful. We can’t do anything big against him now, but he won’t be able to restart the previous organization for the time being.”

Levi swallows the limp in his throat. The effort only makes his head spin, and the lump tighter. “That’s good,” he says, strained. “Did any civilian die?”

Erwin shakes his head and returns to work with a frown. If that’s true, why does Erwin look so troubled? Why is he so clearly overworked and tired? Levi supports his weight with his arms and sits upright, flinching at the blaze of pain that shoots through his side. The bead creaks as he adjusts his position.

“Take it easy,” Erwin advises. Never glancing up from his papers, he lifts his index finger. “Before you ask, your friend was deported to Marley.”

He wasn’t about to ask that, exactly, but that does answer his actual question. She’s alive. Relief sinks him deeper into the bed.

Erwin continues, “As far as I know, she infiltrated the organization’s server and obtained data about their other bases. That’s how we’ve found and captured most of them.”

Of course she did. Levi fights the corners of his mouth, which are kicking upward.

It’s over. The mission, the global threat. They more or less succeeded. And now…

“Did the war between Marley and Eldia resume?”

Erwin leans back on the chair and looks at the large window covered by blinds. Not even a hint of light seeps in from them.

“Yes.” The lonely word overwhelms the room with a stinky odor.

Levi wrinkles his nose. “I see.”

It could mean a lot of things. Levi hoped all the recent death would pacify the sparkle of conflict between the two nations, but from the look on Erwin’s face… Does this mean they’re back into their original positions, as before this mission? Like nothing transpired?

His body turns much heavier, making a hole in the bed. Memories flash in his head. He, going from city to city—a figure in motion without a soul, going through circumstances he never wants to repeat. The face of the people he’s killed, the debris and screams from the innocent after the bombings. Hange’s voice when she told him about her family.

His mother.

How to forgive Eldia for causing so much harm? The idealized version of his country no longer exists, along with the idea of its safety justifying every action taken against those who don’t share the same place of birth. It remains the place he’s grown into, though—the one that saw his mother born and die, even when its puppeteers are the ones who orchestrated her death. The one he’s dedicated his entire life to. Can he give it his back? More so, can he rely on his people once more, knowing what he does?

He watches Erwin warily until the other man catches sight of his gaze. He taps his papers into order and interrupts Levi’s inner turmoil. “You don’t trust me.”

No need to deny the obvious. “No, I don’t.”

“Will you ever trust me again?”

“I don’t think so.” Trust is hard to build; but once lost, it’s virtually impossible to recover.

Erwin winces. “We’re a team. For our work, you should make an effort to overcome the past.”

“Do you think we’ll keep working together? Our superiors won’t return me under your care after what I did. They’ll say you can’t handle me.”

“It will end soon, either way.”

“Pardon?”

Erwin exhales. “There have been talks. I guess even Pixis is tired, and the increase in the power of the WCO over the public following this event is something to take into account. If things keep heading this way, we might get a peace treaty soon. Or not. Nothing’s yet been stated, it’s just the mood.” Erwin folds his arms onto his chest and presses his lips into a line.

That’s… excellent news, actually. Sure, it could get to nothing, still, it’s better than how things were a mere week ago, when peace was unthinkable.

“Why aren’t you content?”

Erwin has devoted his entire life, his every minute and breath, to this war. To Eldia. Levi expected relief from him; in its place, he’s emanating waves of frustration. The last time they thought the war was over—when Levi resigned—Erwin wasn’t pleased, but neither angry. Just… lost.

“Marie left me.” Erwin rubs his temples. “She said… She said I’m never around. That I should have married the war.”

“But the war is ending, isn’t it? You can talk to her. You guys always fix it.”

“No.” Erwin bobs his head. “She doesn’t want to come back this time, and… she has someone else now. Besides, I don’t know what she’d come back for. What am I, without the war?”

Levi stirs on the bed, the sadness in Erwin’s words too massive for him to completely grasp. For the first time maybe, he regards the man at his front quite plainly. The wrinkled ends of his clothes—which years ago used to be flawless—are Erwin’s current fixation. He smooths and smooths and smooths his sleeves. They don’t seem to be able to straighten again.

“You’re Erwin Smith, before and after the war. It doesn’t define you.”

Erwin nods, but closes his eyes, discarding Levi’s words as soon as they come. Erwin has always been so strong; capable of altering history, in his past life and this one. The first source of Levi’s purpose and a friend. But he’s also been consumed by his goals, so badly that, without them… What’s left? He’ll have to find himself over again or perhaps discover a new dream to chase.

“Maybe the negotiations will fail,” Erwin says to himself. “I always pictured how the world would be without war, wanted it, and now… Peace is amazing, but is it true peace if we don’t win? A treaty is like claiming a tie, and we wouldn’t be making them pay for all the hurt, all the dead…” Erwin winces. “There’s always the future. People won’t stop hating each other for a paper. The future may bring more war, sooner than later.”

Lost in a purpose. If Levi continues on this road, will he look like Erwin, later on? Devoted to the point of obsession to a single thing so damn much, that he lost everything else on the way, even himself?

Levi outstretches his hands, wanting to help the person he used to consider his best friend—but is there something he could do? He drops them and looks at his helpless hands. Even in the past, Erwin couldn’t overcome his desire for a greater purpose, neglecting the people who loved him around from time to time. He doesn’t know how to change that.

The unique thing Levi’s certain of is that he doesn’t want to be like this his entire life… But despite his best wishes, he’ll probably be.

Won’t he?

***

Levi’s injuries are sluggish to recover.

A couple of months go by in a spiral of tasteless hospital food, muscles aching from spending so much time restricted on a bed, and a pool of anxiety getting more and more loaded with every passing day. He still hasn’t been able to contact Hange.

Like everything does, his stay in the colorless room ends. The day to get released from the hospital ultimately arrives, wherein his body is indeed healthier, if overflowed by stress.

Levi opens his apartment door with a creak, flips on the lights, and takes it all in from the doorway. It’s startling to find it looking the same, which is, of course, a rather illogical thing to feel. Why would it have changed? Yet, he feels as it should have. All in all, it does feel different—the gray carpet, furniture, and walls seem opaque, and the stillness overly disturbing. Empty, in a way.

He takes a deep breath in. It remains his place, so he better gets used to it again. He tosses his bag onto the sofa and shuffles to the kitchen, where he selects the sweetest tea of his collection, puts some water to boil, and brews it. He takes out his phone and, with no hesitation whatsoever, dials a number he’s been calling a little too much these last few weeks.

Mike’s face projects from his phone, the bluish light making his skin look ill—not to mention the addition of a cast on his arm, which truly shows his still weakened state. Levi places the phone on the countertop.

“Ackerman. I was wondering where you were.” Mike takes a look at Levi’s surroundings. “Did you finally escape the hospital?”

“Barely.” Levi places his steaming cup on the countertop and sits. “How’s the arm?”

“Healing and resting happily.” Mike sniffs a plate, then smiles and takes a spoon of its content. It appears to be soup. “Not everyone is a workaholic super-agent like you. Most of us do like vacations and free time.”

Levi’s elbow slides forward on the countertop, his chin in hand. “Maybe I should do it someday…”

“No time like the present.” At Levi’s lack of reply, Mike adds, “So, you’re embarking on another mission soon?”

Possibly. Before being discharged from the hospital, Erwin told him he expects Levi to return to his duty as soon as possible, and interpreted Levi’s silence as an affirmative response. His guts tangle unpleasantly upon merely thinking about going into one again, and yet…

“Have you heard from her?” Levi changes the subject to one they always end up discussing anyway.

Mike takes a spoonful of soup into his mouth. Chews and swallows, taking his pretty time doing it, probably aware of how fidgety Levi is as he waits for his answer.

“I did.”

That’s new. Levi straightens. “What did she say? Will she call me?”

“I didn’t talk with her, personally. I talked with Nifa. She told me Hange’s doing well, she’s just been engrossed in all the work, chasing The Orions and attending meetings with Pieck about Eldia, etc.”  Mike catches Levi’s eyes. “She’s not purposely avoiding you.”

“Right.” Levi’s fingernail picks at a weird stain glued to the countertop. He should undertake a profound cleaning session soon. “She’s just too busy to give someone a one-minute call.”

“You should know she’s always like this. She disappears. Keeps her distance,” Mike says. Obviously, Levi knows, mostly from what he’s heard. It’s possible the problem is he expected otherwise, believing she’d realize she doesn’t have to, not anymore. That, with his recovery, he proved she isn’t guilty of the deaths surrounding her. Or at least, that he allowed her to take a step closer to letting that go. Guess not. “You aren’t either.”

“What?”

“Calling her directly anymore,” Mike explains.

Well, no. Even he understands what so many unanswered rings imply. “I surmised that if she wanted to, she’d have called me back a long time ago.” But she hasn’t. Isn’t that enough of an answer? “How’s Shadis?”

Mike leans back. “Still healing in the hospital. He’ll be alright. Last time we talked, he was ecstatic because Hange had paid him a visit.”

“Oh. That’s good.” They shouldn’t, but the words taste bitter on his tongue. Perhaps she let go of her misconception of being a danger to her loved ones. Perhaps she did with everyone except Levi. Not that he minds it.

At all.

Half of Mike’s mouth tilts into a smile. “I know her, Hange must have her motives. She’ll come back to you… eventually.”

“Whatever.” Levi shrugs. He doesn’t care about it. He merely wanted to make sure she was okay, which he just got verification of. Now he can stop trying to reach her out and respect her evident desire to ignore him. Finished topic.

“If you say so.” Mike holds the plate in his hands, tilts it, and sips the last of the soup. “Did you watch that movie I told you about?”

“Gak. I did, thanks for the waste of time. I’m nothing like that Tom character.”

“Oh, come on! You even talk like him! You constructed your entire personality based on his demeanor, I’m sure. The weird part is he’s a favorite among the ladies, and well, you…” Levi nearly chokes on a sip of tea and lifts an irritated eyebrow. Mike lets out a laugh. “Sorry, kidding. Nana used to say…” He trails off, and his gaze gets lost somewhere far away, as it tends to do.

Levi, as he also tends to do when Mike behaves like this, uses the companionable silence to ruminate. What is he doing next? Even when Erwin’s orders of coming back to work sound so dreadful, what else is he supposed to do? He still wants to help his people, as they’re innocent of their leaders’ wrongdoings. Moreover, he has nothing in his life except what he’s done in its entirety; what he’s done even in his past life. Serving. Fighting. Following orders.

Dedicating his heart to humanity.

In the end, though, what difference does it make what he does? Are the past and the present any different? What has he accomplished by relentlessly fighting?

Nothing.

Therefore, what’s the point of it all?

“What would you do if I told you nothing we do matters? That regardless of how hard we try, nothing will change. That we’re in a perpetual cycle of death and destruction with no way out, and we have zero control over anything.”

Mike looks at him oddly, as if afraid he developed scales overnight. Levi deduces he sounded way more fatalist than usual.

“That would be a lot to take in,” Mike starts, “but I’d keep eating my soup, watch another movie before sleeping, and prepare to return to work next week just like I was going to do before hearing that.”

Levi thinks about it. Basically, he’d do the same without a care.

“But without Nana,” Mike keeps going, “returning to work feels too hard. Maybe it’s time I retire and try something else…”

“Would that be okay?”

“Why not? Change is good. Doing something new doesn’t mean you’re neglecting the past, you know? You’re just moving on for your own sake.”

“Yes, but…” Something about it makes Levi feel uneasy. “You’re one of the best agents. Wouldn’t that be—?”

“Selfish?” Mike finishes for him. And yes. That’s exactly what Levi was, deep inside, thinking. Mike gives him a knowing smile. “Possibly. Yet I believe our greatest duty is, first and foremost, with ourselves.”

By the time they swap goodbyes, Levi’s too tired to notice the unbearable calmness of his apartment. He moves to his balcony and lets the door snick shut behind him. The night has crept on the sky since he returned, the air getting as cold as every time he’s come here seeking energy to go through.

He slouches into his green recliner, unlocks his cellphone, and goes straight to social media. Reading through a few posts, he stumbles upon a Joan The Slayer’s spoiler that stops his heart.

Randy… no!

His first impulse is to tell Hange about it, but… Right, he can’t talk to her. He rubs a hand over his chest, feeling the claws of longing closing around his heart and eliciting a kind of ache he’d never been familiar with. In this life, at least.

He got to see her again. However, isn’t it unfair how they’re still torn apart? His past life was all about his duty and this is no different. In the past, though, which other option did he have? They were at the literal end of the world, with humankind at stake. Now… Things aren’t that straightforward. He isn’t the same. Back then he wasn’t aware of how everything would be despite his sacrifices. He didn’t know how dark and flavorless the world would be due to her absence.

Levi stares up at the hidden stars, concealed by the grayish clouds. He’s so tired—tired of death, of being the one who exerts it to hurt others. Of prioritizing the greater good above his own. He recalls the last years of his current life, the constant coming and going, the numbness of it all. How he kept losing more of his warmth with every kill, because he was killing himself too. Little by little.

Talks about ending this conflict have reached the ears of the general population with mixed opinions. Levi wishes he could step into a room, click a button, and end it all. But he alone can change nothing, that much he does know. Worse, he no longer knows what to do with himself. What’s his purpose?

He is drifting through an uncontrollable, unknown future. And he’s scared. Overwhelmed. Sad. The emotions are so strong they oppress his chest until they prevent the entry of oxygen. He focuses on the stars to anchor himself, those flashing and distant points. In the solid chair beneath him, the fabric gently caressing his skin. In the thick but cool wind against his cheeks and the faint but recognizable scent of traffic, of car exhausting gas.

In the nothingness of everything.

And a notion settles firmly within himself, amongst the out-of-control chaos driving him to panic. It’s true. Nothing he does carries meaning, because in the end it all comes to the same thing—whereas destruction or death. And yet. And yet it does matter, because it matters to him, because he gives it meaning. In that sense, what’s ultimately important are his actions. What he’s done and what he’ll do.

So what will he do?

Saving people, a country, the world. These are good things—no one could argue otherwise. Still, shouldn’t there be more? Maybe, just maybe… Sacrifices are overly glorified.

Levi wants to do good. He does. But he wants to be happy as well, without having to lose more and more parts of himself performing what some people consider ‘things for the greater good’. He doesn’t want to give up the smiles of the ones he loves for more time, and while he doesn’t dare to claim knowledge on the reason he’s here, or what here even is…Shouldn’t this life be a second chance?

History doesn’t need repetition.

Yet, does he possess enough force to give his back to everything he’s known?

Could he be selfish for once in his whole existence?

***

The hallway is brimming with politicians, diplomats, and various ambassadors. They all look so much alike that, to Levi’s eyes, they’re practically clones, with their pristine dark tailored suits, their heads buried in their phones, and their haircuts and mustaches sharing an identical style. Anyone claiming eldians and marleyans are abysmally different should take a look into this room.

Levi leans back onto a wall, at the furthest and most secluded side of the hall—not for tiredness or his health. He’s entirely capable of standing upright, but his energy isn’t currently present. Erwin wanted to show him off as the savior of the world to the WCO visitors, but he solely agreed to attend expecting to meet someone. The faint hope that Hange would come—as she’s the main voice behind these negotiations—is slowly fading. No one but those strutting peacocks is around, talking as if it was a gift, being allowed to hear them out.

“It’s starting,” Erwin tells him.

And Levi wants nothing but to return to his place and sleep for an entire day.

Erwin sits around a massive square table, and Levi follows suit. Lines are clear enough; at one side, with their backs to the clouded light of the picture window covering most of the wall, eldians glare at the marleyans, who return the look with equal force from their front. Then you have the WCO people, looking uncomfortable in the hostile environment.

Not Levi. He’s arms-crossed in the middle of it all, his sight on his cup of tea. He couldn’t care less about the mute aggressions. After nodding to Mike—who just arrived with the WCO guys—he begins mentally recounting every pending task for his upcoming cleaning session. Buy more cleaning supplies, look for a product that removes soot…

“Let’s begin,” the marleyan Queen’s ambassador states; he’s a man with sunken eyes, glasses, and gray hair. “We found your response lacking…”

Levi’s mind disconnects and wanders to other topics. Soon, he must have a conversation with Erwin about his missions, although he doesn’t know what to tell him yet, or if he’ll be capable of doing so. Only that sitting on the side of the people who ordered the death of millions—including his mother—makes him nauseous. And following their decisions once again, more so.

The doors slam open. Everyone’s heads raise at the noise, including Levi’s.

“Ahh… You already started. Sorry for the delay! Something about me having been deported before.”

Hange strides in with a stack of papers under her armpit. And she is… the same. Levi drinks her in, from her messy ponytail to the beads of sweat on her forehead. Her round thin-framed glasses, the green military suit she’s wearing, the apparent clumsiness of her movements while taking a seat in front of him.

Right. In front. Of him.

His spine straightens up and he clutches his cup, forcing his breaths to ease his heartbeats. It’s like he was previously starved, and now he’s full—a sensation that makes him a little self-conscious, to say the least.

Careless of the silence of the room, Hange arranges her papers in front of her. Tilts her gaze up to meet his unwavering one. And she smiles—and what a smile it is. It spreads from her mouth to her eyes and skin and posture. If he held any doubts about how she was going to react to seeing him again, they suddenly evaporate. His breath frees itself from his chest, deflating him but leaving him feeling giddy and light. Without his permission, his mouth mirrors her smile.

“Ahem,” the Queen’s ambassador utters. “May we proceed?”

Hange blinks and shakes her head. “Of course! Zackly, where were you?”

So they continue, coming back to discuss the future of their countries. And once again, Levi doesn’t listen to a single word until the room increases its pitch and he has no other option but to pay attention.

From the head of the table, Pixis steeples his hands at his fore. “It’s outrageous! How do you expect us to agree?”

“How is giving back our spacial station outrageous? It was ours in the first place,” Hange retorts with fire in her eyes. She thereafter goes ahead talking about the most convenient approaches for both nations, making herself heard and shutting down the others’ arguments. Levi doesn’t think he’s ever met someone so expressive and clever, yet good-natured at the same time. It might be an effect of the yellowish light from the lamps scattered across the table, but while speaking her mind, she appears to be glowing.

The meeting extends for another two hours. Two hours of Levi getting butt numb and filling himself with the view of someone he never anticipated to miss scarcely months ago.

“We are taking a break,” an old man next to Pixis says. “Ten minutes.”

Everyone raises to their feet and approaches the door. Upon crossing the threshold with Pixis and his retinue, Erwin shoots him a sideways glare. Mikes gives him a thumbs-up before going out with his coworkers, and shortly, the room is empty. Except for them.

Levi stands up and loosens his uncomfortable tie while Hange gathers her papers together, looking flustered.

“I didn’t expect to see your shitty glasses here,” Levi says, chewing the lie. “How… How have you been?” Why haven’t you called me back?

“Just… busy.” She rocks on her heels and moves to the picture window, which shows the suddenly dazzling and almost blinding sunlight. “Like you, I suppose. How are your wounds? I was afraid they were lying to me and you weren’t fine at all. But you are. Haha.” She hugs the stack of papers against her chest. Folds and unfolds the tip of the last sheet with her fingers.

“You asked about me?”

“Well, yes,” she says as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I’ve called you,” he discloses, trying really hard not to make it sound like an accusation, and totally failing. He wipes his damp palms on his pants to avoid the impact of his words up front. “They said you were out of reach.” He shoves his hands into his pants pockets. “And then I talked with Mike, who said you weren’t answering him either. I thought…” You weren’t talking only to me. “… we wouldn’t meet again.” An oddly depressing idea.

“I thought I should give you some time.” She switches her weight from one foot to the other. “You got hurt because of me, and… Shadis is alright, by the way. Recovering just fine.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“It is.” Hange nods many times. “Actually, I came here to talk to you.” She sighs. “I didn’t know you were going to come here, though, so I’m unprepared. I hoped they’d let me out enough time to go looking for your place after the meeting.” She lowers her head. “I was being over-optimistic. I ain’t allowed out of this building and must go straight to my hotel and then to the airport tomorrow. You’d think teaming with them in the past would soften them, but…”

He nods, knowing his people all too well. She sneaked from their view once, after all. War or peace, they won’t take any more risks that pertain to her.

“That I got hurt wasn’t your fault…” He begins, but his eyes widen after replaying her words. “How did you know I live here?”

“Oh, isn’t it obvious? Err—maybe not. You live on the south coast and must be in constant communication with Erwin, who lives here… in this city on the south coast… which is also the center of many government buildings…” She jerks a shoulder. “Quite easy.”

“If you put it like that…”

Hange encounters his eyes. “I wanted to tell you— I know things have been weird and that we still have a long way to go as countries. Our nations continue to be in not-the-best-of-terms, but… I was wondering if you’d want to… I don’t know. Meet me in the middle and get to know me better? Nothing big, just go out with me like, someday?”

Levi’s muted, any possible reply stuck in his paralyzed throat.

Her face falls. “You don’t want to.” She plasters a smile over her face, yet her eyes glint with disappointment. “Of course, I understand. It’s fine. Even if the conflict ends, it’s not like eldians will suddenly want to trade hugs with a vicious marleyan, right? So I’ll just… go.” She tosses her thumb over her shoulder. Her smile grows bitter. “… See you later.”

No… I can’t let her go again. His body reacts before his brain, and he reaches out for her hand, taking hold of it at the last second. She turns back at him, expectant.

“Four-eyes, I—”

“It’s time,” a man announces, clapping from the doorway.

The meeting attendees pour back into the room, bringing the noise from their conversations with them. Hange bites her lower lip and lets go of his hand before coming back to the table. His heart shrinks while looking at her shape drifting away. He retakes his previous seat; at his front, Hange keeps rolling a piece of paper between her fingers, purposefully avoiding his gaze.

It’s not like he doesn’t want to. It’s only… terrifying. He never allowed himself to truly consider the possibility, and now… Can he?

Not if he stays working as an eldian agent.

If they never sign a treaty, he might be sent to attack and sabotage her people again. Even if they do agree on peace, nothing guarantees they won’t keep trying to have the upper hand in other aspects—that’s how the ones possessing this kind of power work, using people like him as insignificant pawns in their schemes. To this day, they’ve guarded the safety of his people, and that’s why he worked for them—or he thought they did. Recalling his mother’s death, it’s evident they haven’t done that, not when it didn’t align with their interests. But giving his back to what his mother stood for... It’s not easy.

His entire life, he’s been doing what his duty demands, other people always knowing best what that entailed. He doesn’t want to do that anymore, to perform what his duty as a soldier or as an agent demands because of the greater good. To waste yet another day stuck in this never-ending loop of duty and hate and death. He craves to choose himself, if only once.

Levi succeeds at catching Hange’s hazel eyes and holds them. He’s seen some of her worst moments and she’s seen his. And still, despite every flaw he’s able to point out, he only finds her breathtaking. When did she even start crawling underneath his skin? He gives her a faint smile, and hesitantly, she returns it, the way she invariably does.

In essence, she’s the same Hange Zoe she’s always been, and he refuses to think of a future without her ever again. Not for another meaningless war, nor for a duty for which he already devoted his whole life once.

The meeting ends with the accord of maintaining an indefinite calm and keep trying to come to a treaty. The results don’t improve a lot, but it’s nevertheless a step forward. With both parts open to it, Levi hopes it’s bound to happen.

Erwin moves in the direction of the press conference about to start, in which they’ll inform the world of the results of the meeting.

“Erwin,” Levi shouts, his voice steady regardless of his racing heart palpitations. He straightens his tie. When he has Erwin’s attention, he informs him, “I… I’m retiring.”

Erwin snaps his head to him. “Excuse me?”

“Even if the war continues, I won’t be here for it. I want to be out.”

“You can’t—”

“Why not?

The sole thought of resuming his missions has his insides quivering in anxiety. Reluctance overwhelms him, and he clenches the hems of his suit to hold himself into place. He will no longer be part of this war. He won’t fight Hange. He refuses to be her enemy or a weapon used against innocent people ever again.

“The war isn’t over and I thought you wanted to end it. Eldia needs you.”

“I’ve done enough for Eldia and nothing for myself… I think it’s time I do it.”

And I can’t do this any longer. I won’t survive. He deserves a life devoid of death and fights and blood. Even if he doesn’t, he’ll work for it. The rest of his life is spreading out in front of him, and he wants to enjoy the ride without ignoring his feelings and desires for a change.

Erwin looks around, the weak sound of flashes and yells filtering in from outside. “We better talk about this later.” He resumes his way with Levi on his heels. He won’t leave this building until being officially discharged.

They go out through a door that leads to an esplanade with reporters all around. The sun is dipping below the horizon, tinting the clouds to an almost pinkish hue. Levi stays to a side, careful of keeping his distance from the crowd, as he hates this sort of conglomeration. Upfront, Zackly says a few words to the microphone before the hundreds of flashes, followed by Pixis.

Time ago, Pixis’ speeches used to shake him to his core. He seemed so tall, so almighty, so wise... Now his figure is barely different from everyone else’s. Pixis’ political words no longer retain his attention; it’s instead stolen by something far more important at the back of the crowd. Hange. Her leg is kicking the floor in what looks like boredom.

Erwin steps towards the microphone and shares information about the meeting and more tiresome stuff like that. Levi’s ear perks up when he detects his name.

“... the famous agent Ackerman who is with me,” Erwin declares. Even when he doesn’t point at Levi, the aforementioned freezes in horror. What is he doing? Doesn’t he know how dangerous it is to bring out his name in something that will reach millions of screens? “He alone prevented the final strike of the terrorists who attacked the world a few months ago. He recently recovered from his multiple wounds, but as an exemplary eldian, he’s already on his feet and back with us.” Murmurs of approval rise like a wave through the audience. “This is an example of what we eldians can accomplish on our own...”

Levi’s mind spirals. Did he just hear what he thinks he just heard? He grinds his teeth. No, he can’t let his people believe more lies than they already do. Being in the background as he is, he still maintains his anonymity, but… he’s retiring, isn’t he? What’s the point of living in the shadows in the future?

Stumping, Levi steps forward, giving up his precious anonymity. He seizes the microphone and clears his throat. Erwin sends him a glare, but on camera, he allows him space and doesn’t ask what the hell he’s doing. Good thing, as Levi himself doesn’t know.

The face of his mother—pale and delicate, her long dark hair falling on her shoulders—comes to his mind as he looks at the confused faces in the audience, journalists and eldians and androids waiting for him to speak. Many times, his mother was part of that audience, and all she wanted was the best for them. She genuinely believed that would be achieved with Levi as an agent, but she was mistaken. She was only human, thus he can’t blame her for that. But finally, he understands that in the end, his mother would have agreed with what he’s about to do. She’d support it, even.

For the first time since that explosion took her from him, he feels completely clear-headed and airy. Levi steels himself and tightens his grip on the mic.

“Uhh... Hello.” The microphone makes a long, deafening beep that shakes everyone. “Sorry. Err, Erwin’s right. I am Ackerman and I helped the WCO end the global threat, but do you know who else did it?” Levi gestures behind him. “Her name is Hange Zoe, and believe it or not, she’s from Marley.” With one hand, he motions for her to come closer. Her facial muscles turn into stone, and after a second, she purses her lips and moves toward him.

Hange stops by his side and slides her glasses higher up on her nose. “Good afternoon, Eldia.” She seems to be speechless for a moment. Her hand reaches out to the air beside her, and Levi laces his fingers into hers, their hands joined together before every camera. He doesn’t let his mind delve into that. She takes a deep breath in and squares her shoulders.

“It’s a pleasure to be here with you,” Hange utters. “What Agent Ackerman said is true... We did it together. As you know, relations between Marley and Eldia have never been easy. Truth be told, for many centuries Marley has been the one to blame, but just as you aren’t the eldians of the past, we aren’t those people who wanted to take over the world at any cost…”

Hange continues speaking, injecting so much vigor into her voice that Levi can’t tear his eyes away from her. He wonders if, like him, everyone else can see how bright the light she holds inside is. She talks about dreams, but also, about ways to grasp them, and Levi’s mind enlarges in inspiration with her words. Maybe he doesn’t have to remain an agent to stop this. Maybe he can help to attain peace in other ways. Contributing in such a way may only represent a minuscule gram in the overall picture, but not because something is small it’s less valuable. Without the little, the big would never come to exist.

Among the desolate and dusky streets of his life, the days he spent working with Hange have been a pole light—which now convert into an entire sun pointing him in the right direction. As if, when he found her, he’d also found himself.

Hange walks away from the microphone, looking as if she wanted nothing more than to melt into the floor. Together, both recede to a corner, from where Levi eyes Erwin. He can see the angered lines on his forehead and the fury in those frozen-blue eyes with sheer clarity, and expects him to snap the second this ends.

“Why did you do that?” Hange mutters next to him. “You’ll get punished.”

“I’ll resign anyway.”

Hange opens her mouth and closes it. Opens it again. “You… What?!”

“Why is that so surprising?”

“You’re the one who would’ve volunteered to kiss Pixis’ shoes if requested.”

Levi clicks his tongue. He wouldn’t have gone that far… Likely.

Suddenly, a push shoves him to a recluse corner in the back of the esplanade. He finds himself leaning against a wall with a furious Erwin and his gritted teeth hovering over him. His heart thuds in his chest, apprehension and anger mixing with his blood.

“What the fuck?” Levi barks.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Erwin yells. That leaves Levi stunned. Erwin doesn’t curse. Never. “Do you know what Pixis just ordered me? To fire you! All because of your stupidity! If you wanted to quit, fine. But with this you wiped out any chance of getting referrals for yourself. It will be as if you had never done anything in your life!”

Beneath the fury, Levi detects traces of concern in him. A deep furrow tangles on Levi’s forehead. “So?”

Come to think of it, Levi likes the idea. A clean slate where he can start from scratch. It may be more challenging, but... it’s liberating to get rid of a past he isn’t proud of.

“How can you be so calm? Do you ever think about what your mother would have wanted? She was constantly worried about you, and with this sh—”

“She would’ve wanted the best for me.” In the end, she would have. He’s certain.

“Exactly. And this isn’t it. You’re ruining your life. What are you going to do now? You’ve never done anything but follow orders, and you just spoke in front of international cameras about who you are. Don’t you know you have enemies everywhere? They won’t let you live in peace. More importantly, will you be able to live in peace with yourself knowing how selfishly you’re behaving?”

Levi’s shoulders sag lower and lower with each strike of Erwin’s truths. He’s right... Though it’s hard for Levi to admit it. If he dares to live another life, wouldn’t he be dragging those around him into those difficulties?

Fear clogs his throat painfully.

“You really like talking nonsense,” a voice disrupts the grim future looming before Levi’s eyes. He turns to Mike, who is sauntering toward them with his hands in his pants pockets. “The world isn’t so small that a short person like him can’t drop off the radar if he wants it. And even if he’s recognized... there won’t be any major problems.”

“Oh, really?” Erwin arches an unbelieving bushy brow at Mike.

“That’s right. Because next to him there will be people willing to stand for him. Friends. True friends. Not friends”—Mike makes air quotes when saying the last bit—“who claim to be worried just to manipulate him into feeling however they wish."

Erwin says nothing, and keeps saying nothing when Mike pats Levi on the back and encourages him to follow him. After a heartbeat of hesitation, Levi clenches his fists and walks off, leaving a still silent Erwin behind.

They halt a step from rejoining the crowd. “You all right?”

Levi shrugs. He has no idea. His throat hasn’t yet recovered from the negative emotions he just developed. He does his best to swallow them. He hasn’t yet succeeded by the time Hange materializes from a side and gives him a little push with her arm.

“Hey. Where were you? I suddenly turned around and you were gone.” Her tone is light, but Levi can tell some tension brews underneath. ‘Is everything alright?’ is her actual question.

And it suddenly is. Levi inflates his lungs with the cool afternoon air and drives any hint of worry out of his body. He’s feeling much better altogether. Mike’s hand patting his back also provides some warmth. Friend. Can Levi really consider him as such?

“He ate something funny,” Mike explains, smirking. “I was only being a good person by aiding him in such a precarious state.”

Levi wags his finger. “Mike drank too much in the meeting. I was the one trying to protect the valuable eldian corners from Mike’s pee.”

Hange doesn’t seem to buy their excuse, but limits to shake her head with a smile.

Erwin reappears and frowns at the sight of the trio. He strides in their direction, and almost protectively, Hange takes a step toward Levi. Levi’s abruptly aware of the barrier she and Mike form around him, the circle he seems to be part of. He can’t stop the corner of his mouth from curling, sweet heat radiating from his chest. Erwin ignores them, but Levi doesn’t care at this moment. Maybe later he will.

It doesn’t take long for the multitude to disperse along with the other ministers. Even Mike waves them goodbye before rushing off to the rest of the WCO visitors. Levi and Hange should head off, too, but he finds his limbs reluctant to move away. So, for once, he doesn’t fight them and lets himself be.

He glances at the sky and an idea pops up in his head. It’s against the rules, but… “I want to show you something.”

Her eyes acquire a curious glow, and right then and there, Levi knows he made the correct choice.

Weary of whoever could remain around, he motions for her to follow him and leads her through a network of corridors to the rear of the building. They come to a room with nothing but office supplies, in which Levi takes out his identification card. He slides it through the electronic lock until a green light turns on.

The door opens onto a narrow street full of garbage cans. He looks back at the camera resting in a corner. “We better hurry up. They must have noticed us by now.”

They jog down the street and pass several blocks, the cool wind blessing Levi’s hot skin.

“I feel like a criminal,” Hange gasps when she comes to a halt after him. “Isn’t it weird I’ve never felt like this before, not even when I knocked you down and ran away?”

“You won’t go to jail for violating the limits of your permission by some blocks,” he assures. I hope so, at least. “And we’re here.”

They round a corner.

Hange’s mouth falls open, her gaze lost in awe at the huge old trees, whose leafy branches hang down to them. Levi unlocks a rusty metal gate with a squeak, and a road stretches out before them, boarded by grass and trees four times his size. Hange’s eyes are round as they move forward, mesmerized by the greenness of the entire landscape, sometimes adorned with pink or yellow dots—flowers that are mere buds waiting to bloom.

They arrive at a circular area with stone benches and a working fountain in the center. Fortunately, at this hour the place is devoid of people—which Levi already knew would be.

“Before becoming an agent and moving to this zone, my mother used to take me here whenever we visited the city. We used to feed the pigeons,” he says, looking at the birds pecking the ground around them.

“This is… beautiful,” she exhales, rolling on her heels to look at everything. “I never knew this existed. But again”—she smiles— “I never expected Eldia to hold so many surprises inside.”

Hange explores around for the minutes to follow, until she’s too tired and flumps next to him on a bench. It has some flowers carved on the back, and it’s clean and fresh and somewhat comfortable. Levi’s muscles relax and his mind flutters away, lulled by her presence at his side, the sound of birds singing, and the light wind caressing his skin. The sky is of a glittering dark purple, the lamps overhead illuminating the rows of trees lined around.

“I’m Levi,” he blurts out.

“Uh?”

“I mean, my real name is Levi. Magically, you got it right at first chance.”

She lets out a laugh and reclines to look up. “You know? It’s going to sound crazy—Nana told me so when I told her, but…” She looks at him out of the corner of her eye, as if deciding if she should tell him. Quite pointlessly, as Levi can’t recall a time when Hange Zoe was able to withhold something from him for long.

Seeming overcome by the words piling up in her mouth, she lets out a loud sigh. “When I was a child, after I lost my family, I used to feel so lonely and sad every day. And I… I started having these bizarre dreams of people I didn’t know.” Levi narrows his eyes at her. “In the back of my mind, I knew terrible things were happening to the people in those dreams, but waking up I only remembered the feelings of belonging and support. How at home and safe I felt. And most of the time, it was always with the same person, a grumpy man with little to no expressions, but a gentle heart. He instantly became my first crush,” she laughs.

Levi squirms. Could it be—? His phone rings and he takes it out to turn it off. Erwin is looking for them.

Unbothered by the interruption, Hange remains abstracted in memories. “In those years, he and Mr. Sonny helped me to get back to the road. I always thought it was something my imagination created to help me to cope… but then, he was there!” Humor and light radiate from her, making her smile gleam. “Imagine my surprise when I looked at the man who was about to shoot me dead and saw the very same face from my dreams. Just there, the person I wished to meet the most, with a gun to my face! My shitty luck, of course. I didn’t know what to do, but I… I just couldn’t kill you.”

“You were an idiot for not doing it.” If his body hadn’t reacted like that, if she hadn’t been fast enough, if the explosion hadn’t come… He can’t even picture harming her, now. “But thank you.”

“Aren’t you weirded out by what I’m saying?” She asks, tilting her head to a side. He jerks a shoulder, unsure of what to share, as he knows everything about it. It all feels too massive to summarize in some sentences. Perhaps in the future and with more time, he’ll tell her everything. “Well,” she keeps going, “then I got to work with you and, strangely, after a while I started feeling the same way I did in my dreams… at home.” Red spots color her cheekbones. “Ahem. Is that silly?”

No. I felt the same.

“Yes,” he replies. “But… I get it.”

“The entire time I was trying to discover if inside that nonchalant façade was the man I saw in my dreams.”

Levi crosses and uncrosses his legs. “… And?”

“And he was. And some.” She darts her gaze away from him. He feels himself glow from the inside out. Speaking as if she was in a race, and almost as an afterthought, she adds, “Now is the moment I ask if you thought about going out someday…”

His neck hardens, a hot layer covering his face. “Y—You said you don’t like dating.” He recalls her words in order to calm down the flapping in his stomach. “You said you were too busy.”

“Work should decrease in the future. We’ve progressed towards peace more than ever, which is a beginning...”

“Right.”

She doesn’t mention the lack of answers on his part. “What will you do when peace arrives, now that you’ll be unemployed?”

“Nothing.” He won’t, finally, have a responsibility to live for, which is frightening and exciting in equal amounts. “I’ll try not to fix the world’s wrongs anymore.” Not that much, at least.

Hange ponders his words. “That’s okay. And afterward?”

“I don’t know.” He hasn’t given it too much thought. He craves to do thousands of things, but at the same time, only a small number matters for real. “I want a tea shop and to help people, though I still have to figure out how...”

“Interesting. Well, mmm… I want a lab, in that case. I want to reborn more of these precious.” She waves a hand at the plants circling them. Above them, night has made its way to the sky. “Oh! And I want to own a library!”

“Okay. We can have one next to the tea shop. It would be a nice touch.”

“Yay!” She claps. “And we must have a door connecting both places!”

“Sure.” His gaze locks on hers, suspending her into place. “If you want it, we will. We’ve done enough to deserve it.”

He looks at her swallowing.

“You’re right.”

Right now, a more uninhibited person would lean in for a kiss, which Levi is anything but. Nevertheless… For the first time, he’s acting completely out of character, taking a path he never before dared to. Maybe he can do something else he desires. Can be spontaneous, if only for a minute?

Levi lifts his hand and, with one finger, traces the edges of Hange’s face, hitching her breath. His heart pounds hard against his ears, warmth spreading throughout him. Her eyes fixate on his mouth, and a shiver travels through his back. Her hot skin against his fingertips feels soft and pleasant.

He cups her face, covering her cheek, and she closes her eyes as he leans in. His lips brush hers as weightless as the moonlight above them, thousands of sensations releasing in overload. Her scent floods his nostrils, earthy and inherently hers. The press of their lips is firm and curious, a perfect burst of heat among the chilly night air. A rush of pleasure runs along his body and envelops him whole in warmth and bliss.

It’s intoxicating and addictive. He can’t figure out what to do with his hands, so he brings her closer and tangles one in her hair, deepening the kiss. Savors her, drunk in satisfaction, in her taste and the sensation of her chest pressing against his, the ardor in this.

They part between gasps, and Hange snuggles to his side, exuding warmth to his coldness. Her head rests on his shoulder and he takes a deep breath, drowsiness engulfing him, his heart calm and steady. At ease.

He tips his head up to the stars shining against the darkness, the ones never ceasing to beam no matter how their surroundings lack any light.

“Those stars there look like an arch…” Hange points up.

His eyes flutter shut. It’s unsettling, yet amazing, to do this with her beside him. He spent so many nights staring at the sky, wanting to see it with her again, longing for a place where they could meet in another life. And here they are. Finally.

Eventually, they’ll have to venture back to reality. He’ll have to mind what to do next and how to be around her without endangering anyone. But for tonight, he’ll delay it all as much as he can.  

A chopping sound deafens them just as a helicopter flies over their heads.

“I think they found us,” she spouts, her hair ruffling with the air. Even with her disheveled hair, she looks stunning, her rosy cheeks visible under the helicopter’s lights. He doesn’t want to leave; rather, to stay under the night with her by his side a little longer… Thinking about it, it sounds like an excellent idea.

He jumps to his feet and offers her a hand. “I know where to hide for a little while.”

A laugh catches in her throat. “Ohhh, and adventure? With a chase? I’m in!” She clasps his hand and he hauls her up, making her crash against his chest.

“Let’s go.”

Squeezing her hand, he runs off, pulling her with him. His heart swells with happiness, the most he recalls ever feeling. For once, the idea of going to his apartment doesn’t shoot dullness to his core, but excitement. She laughs behind him, and it’s so contagious that he does, too. He never thought that running away together would be so much fun, but with her, perhaps any circumstance would end up qualifying as pleasant.

Having always moved according to what was demanded of him and what he could give to the world, acting for his own sake feels new and liberating—a feeling he never met before. It’s almost as if wings could appear from his back and propel him up to the sky at any second, and it would be only natural. Here and now, Levi commits to making this feeling routine.

He desires happiness, peace, and fulfillment. Wants to do a monotonous job and come back home with complaints about the people he met that day, only to find himself drained in the joy of Hange’s arms. Or maybe just stay in their home and clean until she’s back from working on her research. Either way, he’ll do his best to make it happen—to keep her smile and the color in her cheeks from never fading. To live together with her, in a cabin in the woods or in the midst of a metropolis or on another planet. No matter where, he longs for that kind of future with her. And this time and from now on, he’ll live it every day.

Stepping away from the kind of responsibility people like them bear might be selfish and not the noble thing to do. But they have done that already.

Out of the prison of the duty that used to keep them apart, now they have their entire lives ahead and the freedom to live them as they please.

They get to fully enjoy their second chance, beginning today.

#levihan #levihan fanfiction #levi x hange #levi x hanji #Levi Ackerman #Hange Zoe #aot #aot fanfiction #snk #multichapter #complete fic #enemies to lovers #reincarnation au #me #mine #myfics #OTNOD #thanks everybody!

[fanmoose12]

to know your enemy

Hange glanced at him briefly – Levi stood with his hands behind his back, his head raised up high. Their eyes met – just for a second – but it was enough to calm her nerves.

Captain Levi was not an ally, most certainly not her friend, but amidst all foes, he was the only thing that gave her comfort.

A citizen and a loyal soldier of a country that wanted her dead, Captain Levi was the sole source of light in her life during these dark times.

Or, a Marleyan!Levi au

The cell they’ve put her in was cold. The wall she was chained up to was damp. A pool of something sticky and putrid beneath her legs was making her nauseous. It had a characteristic metallic smell that after years of being a soldier Hange knew all too well. She hoped, at least, that the blood wasn’t hers.

A single torch, hanging on the wall outside, behind the metal bars, was the only thing illuminating the cell. It was dark inside, but not dark enough for Hange not to distinguish a figure, looming over her.

She recognized him right away.

“Commander Hange,” Floch curled his lips in a cruel, bloodthirsty smile. “It’s so good to see you here.”

“Ah, the pleasure is all mine!” Hange replied, looking so cheerful and relaxed, as though she was sitting behind the desk in her office back at home, not chained and locked up in the darkest, deepest cell of Marleyan prison. “You know, I always wanted to visit the country I’ve been fighting against for so long. And you provided me with a perfect opportunity to take a much needed vacation!”

“My god,” the smile slipped from his lips. Floch’s expression changed to that of a complete distain. “You really are insufferable. It isn’t a surprise that Eldians are losing in this war, if you’re their Commander.”

“My soldiers don’t really complain. Much,” she grinned, showing her bloody teeth. Despite her high status back in Paradise, her Marleyan captors weren’t gentle or cautious with her. She gave them all the reason for that kind of treatment. “But I guess you know it already. Not that long ago, you were one of my soldiers too."

Floch seethed. "And as a Commander, you’ve disappointed me."

"Aw, you poor thing," Hange cooed, angering Floch even further. “I’ve disappointed you? That’s why you’ve decided to betray your country and your comrades? That’s why, while fleeing, you’ve killed several of my men?”

“I did not betray you, I merely switched sides. Unlike you, I prefer to stick to the winning team.”

“Or you’re just a scumbag with no sense of loyalty.”

“Shut up!” Floch surged forward, grabbing Hange by the collar. “You, Commander, who is dooming your own people with reckless decisions, what do you know about loyalty?”

“Apparently she knows more than you do,” spoke a cold, indifferent voice.

It had an immediate effect on Floch. His face palled and his lower lip began to tremble. He bit it to hide his unease from Hange’s sharp eyes.  

He didn’t release his hold on her collar, though, and continued to glare stubbornly at her.

“Floch,” the man stepped out of shadows. Hange swallowed as she watched him. He was short, but his face was menacing enough to more than make up for it. “Are you that slow? Do I really need to spell it out? Let Eldian Commander go.”

“But—”

“No buts,” the man growled. He grabbed the back of Floch’s shirt, yanking him back hard. “You weren’t even supposed to be here, so get the fuck out.”

It was obvious – Floch wanted to argue, but one look from his superior officer and he surrendered, taking a step back from Hange and letting her go. He gave her one last look, filled with hatred, and then left.

Like a dog with its tail between its legs, Hange thought with no small amount of amusement.

After Floch’s departure, she was left alone with the unexpected savior. Hange stared at him, warily, waiting for his next move.

He stepped closer to her, and her eyes widened in surprise, when he raised his hand to unlock her shackles.

“Um,” Hange scrunched her face in confusion. “What are you doing?”

“You aren’t supposed to be here either,” the man explained with a roll of his eyes. “It was another one of Floch’s stupid stunts. This level of dungeon is made to hold rapists and murderers.”

A sparkle of curiosity ignited in the deepness of her honey brown eyes. Hange tilted her head, staring at the man beside her. “I’m sure most of your people would argue that I’m both.”

“I’m not most,” he scoffed. “And your crimes are not bigger than any of our soldiers.”

“Huh,” the last of her shackles fell down and Hange absentmindedly rubbed her freed wrists. “And here I thought that all Marleyans are pricks with a superiority complex. You proved me wrong,” she paused, not able to fight off a smile. “Captain Levi Ackerman.”

“So my reputation precedes me,” he sighed with a disgruntled expression. “Follow me,” he added, leading her out of the cell and down the dark, empty hallway. “And here,” he thrusted something in her hands. With a sense of bewilderment, Hange realized it was a handkerchief. “Wipe the blood off your face.”

“Oh,” Hange awkwardly chuckled. She could have used her own sleeve, but… it was kinda nice of him to offer. “Thanks. And about your reputation, yeah, you’re quite famous back at the island,” she easily fell into step with him. “Although, I admit it was hard to recognize you with all these scars.”

“That’s a courtesy of your soldiers and your deadly inventions, Commander.”

“You’re off from active duty, I take it? My men have a chance at winning this war then.”

“Had to step down from my position,” Captain said grimly. “My mother worried too much.”

“And they say Marleyans aren’t funny,” Hange opened her mouth, the cheerful laughter ready to bubble out of her throat, but then she stopped, gawking at the Captain. “Wait…” she asked cautiously. “You aren’t joking?”

“Marleyans aren’t funny,” he retorted in dead-pan voice.

This time, Hange did laugh.

“Here,” Captain led her into another cell. This one - sufficiently illuminated and with more than enough space to contain not only essentials, but a desk, a chair and even a bookshelf – was drastically different from the last.

“Wow,” Hange whistled. “This cell is almost as good as my office. Are Marleyans that welcoming to all of their prisoners?”

“Doubt you’d be feeling much at home here,” Captain Levi huffed. “Zeke is very eager to chat with you.”

“The infamous Zeke Yeager wants to talk with me? I’m impressed.”

"Just wait until he starts bragging about his royal heritage and other shit. You won't be that impressed after that."

"Well," with a grin, Hange plopped down on a bed that stood in the corner of the cell. Something was very, very wrong with her, but the company of Captain Levi was... actually enjoyable. "Will you be there to witness it?"

"A chance to see Zeke embarrass himself in front of an enemy war chief?" something that almost resembled a smile appeared on Captain's indifferent face. "Wouldn't miss it for the world, four-eyes."

***

“I’ve heard what Floch had done,” Zeke lowered his eyes and shook his head. Hange had to give it to him – he looked almost genuinely sincere. “He wasn’t acting on my orders, please believe me.”

“I know more than anyone how hard it is to rein in Floch. I took no offense, don’t fret.” Hange lifted a cup of tea Zeke brought her and looked at it skeptically. Then with the same expression of doubt, she turned her gaze back to him. “It’s safe to drink this, right?”

“Can I call you Hange?” Zeke asked. “I feel like we’re so alike, there is no need for titles.”

“Sure,” Hange shrugged. “Call me whatever you like.”

Zeke nodded, a pleased smile breaking on his face. “I would never scoop so low as to poison you, Hange,” he answered. “Meeting you is a great honor. I hope you enjoy this time as much as I do.”

Hange raised her gaze, looking over Zeke’s shoulder and exchanged a look with Captain Levi. He was wearing an irritated expression, and when their eyes met, he lifted an eyebrow, as though to tell Hange ‘I told you so’.

She hid a smile behind her cup.

“So what do you want to know?” she focused her attention back at Zeke. “The number of our troops? The location of strategic sights? How many times a day I take a shit?”

There was a sudden coughing sound, and as Hange looked up, she saw that Captain Levi turned around, his shoulders shaking slightly.

“I don’t think you understand the severity of your situation,” a smile slipped from Zeke’s lips. He obviously wasn’t as amused by her witty comeback as his Captain. “I may be kind and polite to you, but you’re still my prisoner.”

“And I don’t think you understand that I don’t give a fuck about that. Do whatever you like, Zeke. I won’t tell you anything.”

Zeke narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. “Enjoy your stay in Marley.” He declared between gritted teeth. “I’ll be seeing you again very soon.”

He rose to his feet, almost knocking a chair to the ground. Hange took a sip from her cup, watching how Zeke stormed out from her cell.

“Don’t take your eyes off her,” he instructed Levi. He muttered something else, something that sounded almost like a curse and then left.

“Wow.” Levi breathed out, when the sound of Zeke’s heavy footsteps disappeared. “I have to admit, you’re something else, four-eyes. I spent years, getting on his nerves, but five minutes with you? And he already calls ‘a fucking Eldian scum’? You’re force to be reckoned with.”

“And that was just our first meeting,” laying chin on her hand, Hange sighed dreamily. “What a nice guy. Can’t wait to see more of him.”

***

“Why are you here?”                                            

Levi was leaning against the wall opposite from the cell Hange was contained to. As soon as the question left his lips, Hange looked up, closing the book she was reading.

An amused grin spread on her lips. “I’m sort of a prisoner here, didn’t you know?”

“I didn’t mean that,” Levi rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the wall and taking a step closer. “How did you get here? How did you get captured?”

Hange frowned, scratching her head. “Haven’t you read the report?”

Levi did, more times that he could count. He read it again and again, trying to piece together the reasons for Hange’s behavior. Trying to understand why did she act the way she did.

“Ship Wings of Freedom was spotted near Marleyan borders.” Levi effortlessly recited the beginning of report. “According to the statement from Eldian Commander Hange Zoe, they were trying to launch a surprise attack at Odiha port. The ship was ambushed before Eldians could charge an assault. The only person, who was discovered at the ship’s board and, subsequently captured, is Hange Zoe, war chief and main engineer of Paradise Island.”

“So you did read it, huh?”

“Obviously, you couldn’t be the only person on that ship.” Levi contemplated aloud. “And that means you let your soldiers escape. Why did you stay behind?”

“Someone had to create a diversion,” Hange explained so easily, as though it was a simple, trite matter and not something Levi was obsessing over ever since she was placed under his care.

“Anybody could have done it,” Levi moved closer, touching the metal bars of the cell with his chest. His cold grey eyes bored into Hange. Perhaps, if he looked hard enough, he’d be able to see it. He’d be able to understand her. “Certainly, there were other less valuable soldiers than you.”

“Exactly. I was the most valuable one. And that meant your men would think twice before killing me.”

“You stayed behind… let us capture you, because… you wanted to save your squad?”

"Well, when you put it like that..." Hange giggled, a little embarrassed. "It sounds like I'm the worst Commander ever."

She couldn't have been further from the truth. In his life as a soldier, Levi had seen his fair share of Commanders. Some were awful, while some were much better. And, as far as he could judge, Hange was the best of them all. With just one act, she showed Levi what a real Commander must look like. Self-sacrificing, fearless and loyal not only to the country they’ve served, but to their soldiers as well.

If only things were different, Levi couldn't help but think, I would have happily followed you.

"Don't you regret it?" he asked. "Leaving your soldiers without your guidance?"

"They'll manage," Hange said without an ounce of incertitude in her voice.

"You're so confident in your subordinates?"

"They're the best of the best," a proud smile curled at her lips. Hange sat back in her chair, putting hands behind her head. "Just wait until they regroup. Mark my words, Captain. They’ll crush Marley in to time."

Marley had the biggest army in the world. They had the most advanced technology. They’ve conquered several countries. They were considered an indestructible, imperishable Empire.

And if there was anyone who could stand a chance against his motherland, Levi was sure - this fit could be achieved exclusively by the soldiers who were trained and tutored by Commander Hange Zoe.

"All this bragging about your squad," a smirk pulled on Levi's lips, amusement painting his usually stoic features. "Are you trying to recruit me, Commander Hange Zoe?"

"Why," Hange gave him a sly grin, raising her eyebrow. "Is it working?"

Levi snorted. "You have to do better than that to sway me, Commander."

"Ah, a shame," she giggled. "We could have used your skills, Captain."

"Need I remind you that you don't have an army right now?"

“It’s true, I don't. Right now. But who knows what is going to happen next?"

There was a small, but enigmatic smile on her lips, and fire inside her eyes burned brighter than the torch he was standing next to. Her expression made Levi realize that not all prejudices about Eldians were wrong. Hange proved that the old Marleyan saying - Eldians always have a trick up their sleeves – could actually be true.

It was obvious that she had some kind of a plan. And it was obvious that she was confident in its success. Rooting for her was wrong, some could even interpret it as treason.

And yet— a part of him hoped that she – and her people – would succeed.

***

Levi unlocked the door, stepping inside. The moment he crossed the threshold, a pair of gentle arms wrapped themselves around his neck.

"Levi," his mother pressed him tightly to her chest. "Welcome home."

"Sorry for being late," he whispered gruffly. He pressed his face into her neck, inhaling the familiar and dear scent of chamomile and lavender. "I had so much paperwork, I was practically swimming in it."

"My poor boy," Kuchel ruffled his hair and took a step back, releasing him from her embrace. "Take off your shoes and go wash your hands. I'll heat up dinner for you."

"Thanks," Levi said, shrugging off his formal coat and undoing his tie. As he stripped his uniform, breathing came a little easier.

"So?" Kuchel put a plate with broth in front of Levi and sat down next to him. "Is it true? Did they really capture Eldian Commander?"

"Yeah," Levi nodded, after he swallowed the first spoon of broth. "I've been assigned to watch over her."

Kuchel perked up. "And? Is she as terrible as they say?"

"No." Levi held the spoon a little tighter. He pursed his lips, staring in his plate with a faraway look. “She’s not terrible at all. Quite the contrary. I know that it’s wrong but… I think she’s a good person.”

"Eldian Commander?"

"Yes. Hange. She's my enemy, I know that. And I know that I must despise her, but... She's so good, mom. She's brave and she cares about her people, and... I can't help but think if this," he gave a vague gesture, "our lives - would have been better if people like Commander Hange were in charge. It makes me think… maybe, Kenny, that old bastard, was right."

"Honey..." Kuchel lovingly patted his cheek and exhaled, her beautiful grey eyes filling with sadness at the mention of her late brother. "During times like this, it’s hard to know what’s wrong and what’s right. Isn’t it wrong to kill people? Isn’t it wrong to hate an entire nation just because we don’t share the same name? They’re people just like us. Just like us, they can be good or bad. It's easier to hate them, to see them as monsters that need to be slayed. Doesn't mean that it's true. And if you see your enemy as someone worth of admiring, if you can forget about you differences and see just another person, isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t it something we should aspire to? You’re a kind and good man, Levi. And if there were more people like you… maybe, we wouldn’t be fighting this war at all.”

Silence fell over the small kitchen room. Levi thought about his mother’s words, he tried to imagine a world she was talking about. A better, kinder world with no hatred and prejudices. A world, where peace and happiness were more prevalent than war, starvation and poverty.

A world like this would have been nice. But sadly, it was nothing more than utopia.

“Well, that was enough philosophical monologues for one evening!" Kuchel chirped, jumping to her feet. "Quickly, eat the broth before it gets cold. I'll brew you a cup of tea in the meanwhile."

Levi complied, diving into his dinner. From the corner of his eyes, he continued watching his mother move around the kitchen. She stood on her tiptoes, reaching out to the higher shelf. As she did so, the sleeve of her dress rolled up, revealing an ugly, purple bruise around her wrist.

He was by her side in an instant.

"What is this?" he hissed, carefully lifting her arm. Kuchel looked at him, her eyed widening in alarm. "What is this?" Levi repeated, even though he already knew the answer.

"Honey-"

"Did that bastard do it?" he let go of her hand. His anger was growing and he didn't want his mother to become an accidental victim of it. He turned around and started to pace around the room. "I'll go to him." He declared, his whole body shaking with rage. He spoke quietly, but every word was filled with cold, merciless fury. "I'll kill that scumbag with my bare hands, I'll make him regret ever touching you."

"Levi!" Kuchel rushed to him, cradling his face in her palms. "Levi, calm down. This was just an accident. He apologized and it would never happen again, I swear."

In the arms of his mother, Levi's fury had lessened. He stared at her, as another feeling took its place instead of anger. The feeling of helplessness and despair.

"You can't continue seeing this bastard,” he said, almost pleading. “He hurts you, and I can't watch it happen."

"My boy," Kuchel kissed his forehead. "My Levi, we don’t really have a choice, remember? But, please, don’t worry about me, I’m doing alright. As long as you're with me, everything is going to be just fine."

"That was the last time," Levi promised, the fire returning to his gaze. "It was the last time he hurt you. General or not, if he ever does it again, I'll kill him. I'll kill him even if that would be the last thing I do. I won't let anyone make you suffer."

“Levi…” Kuchel sighed, quietly and warily. She lowered her hands and turned away, hiding the pain inside her eyes from Levi. He watched her back, his chest tightening. In that moment, his mother looked so small, so fragile. Levi despised the man who made her feel this way and his uncle, who put them into this mess. He despised their world for making her suffer so much.

And more than anything, he despised himself for not being able to protect her.

***

Hange's next meeting with Zeke was vastly different from the first. Instead of a small, suffocating cell, it was conducted in a large, spacious room with big windows and high ceilings.

And as Levi had led her inside, she was astonished to see that Zeke wasn't alone. The other generals - probably the entire main body of Marleyan brass - were waiting for her arrival.

All these attention to the little, insignificant her? And they say Marleyans aren't charming...

“Gentleman!” she greeted with a blindingly bright smile on her lips. There was a chair in the middle of the room, and she plopped down on it, still wearing the same happy expression. “Good day to all of you!”

Levi took his place just behind her shoulder. Hange glanced at him briefly – he stood with his hands behind his back, his head raised up high. Their eyes met – just for a second – but it was enough to calm her nerves.

Captain Levi was not an ally, most certainly not her friend, but amidst all foes, he was the only thing that gave her comfort.

A citizen and a loyal soldier of a country that wanted her dead, Captain Levi was the sole source of light in her life during these dark times.

“So?” Hange put hands on her knees, her gaze studying each member of Marleyan brass carefully. “What did you call me here for?”

“I’m sure you already know,” Zeke, who sat at the center of the table, took the word. He seemed more controlled than during their last meeting, and a confident smile has returned to his lips. “We haven’t finished our earlier conversation.”

Hange arched an eyebrow. “Still interested in my shitting techniques?”

“No.” Zeke answered grimly. A few surprised chuckles came from his colleagues around the table, and Hange could almost hear the sound of his teeth gritting against each other in frustration. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

“We are more interested in other aspects of your job,” a man that sat next to Zeke spoke. “My name is Winston Greeves, it’s nice to meet you, Commander. Now,” he leaned closer, prepping his chin with his hand. “Is there something you wish to tell us? Something related to the state of your troops, perhaps?”

Hange lifted her head and tapped her lower lip with a finger. “Is there something that I wish to tell you…” she murmured pensively. “I guess I can tell you how much I’ve been enjoying your country and your hospitality...”

“Again, that’s not exactly what we want to hear ,” Greeves said, and the easy smile that was plastered on his face just moments ago became a little too tight around the edges.

“I would stop this farce, if I were you,” Zeke spoke again, his voice low and almost growl-like. “Unlike your barbaric, primitive island, Marley is a civilized nation, but that doesn’t mean we’re above using techniques that would undoubtedly untie your tongue.”

“Was that supposed to frighten me?” Hange asked with a bored, unimpressed look. She took off her glasses, wiping them with the sleeve of her shirt and looking at Zeke beneath her eyebrows. “Do better next time, Zeke. You think that threats would work on me? You think that promise of pain would make me submit? You think that there is anything you can do to me that will make me betray my own country? I surrendered willingly to you, idiots, I knew exactly what was going to happen to me. And I knew that I wouldn’t be getting out of it alive.”

“You’re right,” Zeke nodded. “You won’t survive. You will die, Hange Zoe. You will die regretting your loyalty and devotion. You will die, but not before you spill out to me every last one of your secrets.”

“Till our next meeting,” he promised darkly, gesturing Levi to take her away.

***

"Zeke's nice guy persona is slipping," Hange muttered, as Levi led her back to her cell. "I wonder what this sudden urgency is all about..."

Levi pursed his lips, thinking. He probably shouldn't say this to Hange. It was classified information, known only to the highest members of brass. If anyone finds out that he revealed it to Hange, without a doubt, he'd join her in that cell. And that's in the best case scenario.

On the other hand, there was no one Hange would pass this information onto. Telling it to her would have no consequences whatsoever.

Levi had decided. He turned to face Hange, but before his mouth could start forming words, a familiar smell entered his nostrils.

Chamomile and lavender.

He whirled around. General Greeves himself was standing behind him.

"Ackerman," he spat, barely looking at him. "We need to talk."

"Can't it wait?" Levi didn't bother to hide irritation from his voice. "I have to take care of the prisoner."

"The Eldian can wait." Greeves scoffed. "It's not like she can escape. Leave her and follow me."

Levi glanced back at Hange. She was looking right at him, her head tilted to the side, watching the exchange intently. There was a curious spark in her eyes and something else, something that looked almost like... concern? Whatever it was, Levi had no time to decipher that.

"I'll be right back," he told her curtly and followed after Greeves.

***

"Is your mother free this evening?" Greeves bluntly asked the second they were out of Hange's earshot.

"She is not," Levi said lowly. He looked at Greeves and all he could see was the frail pale wrist of his mother that was painted in mix of purple and dark yellow. It took all of his willpower and then more not to latch onto Greeves' neck and kill the bastard with his own hands.

"Then make sure she is." Greeves snapped. "And wipe that scowl from your face, boy. Or do you need reminding just how much I’ve done for you?"

Levi said nothing, just glared at Greeves from beneath his fridge.

Greeves looked around, the hallway was empty save for Hange, but he cared not for her. He grabbed Levi by the collar of his uniform, his hold strong enough to lift him off the floor.

"You have the gall, Ackerman," he hissed right into his face. "You, who got from me an apartment in the center of a capital and a fancy title of a Captain. Do you think I won't take it away from you? Do you think your mother is that good that I won't throw you out on a street? Or I can do much, much worse," a malicious smile spread on his lips, as he stared down at Levi as though he was nothing. "I can reveal a little secret. I can tell everyone that the dreaded Kenny the Ripper was actually an uncle of the brave and great Captain Levi Ackerman. Do you want me to do that, hm? Do you want the whole world to know that you were raised by a traitor? Do you want to repeat his fate alongside your dear mother? Believe me, getting lynched on the street is not the best way to go. So stop with attitude and be a good boy, understand?" Levi kept his silence and, furious, Greeves violently shook him. "I asked - do you understand?"

Levi thought of saying no. He thought of throwing the bastard's hands off him and punching him in the face. He thought of taking his gun out, of shooting him right in the center of that ugly, narrow forehead of his and watching life leave his eyes. His hand twitched.

But then he thought of his mother, of what they would do to her if he decides to succumb to his rage, of how many bruises would appear on her body after that.

He met Greeves's eyes and nodded.

"Use your words, brat."

Fury spiked inside him again, threatening to bubble out of his chest, his muscles, his bones and unleash itself onto his enemy.

He closed his eyes for a second, and the face of his mother appeared behind his eyelids. He saw her beautiful eyes, her tired but gentle smile.

"Yes." He said, his voice loud and clear. "I understand."

"Atta boy," Greeves smiled and roughly pushed him away, making Levi stumble. "Tell your mother my shift ends at seven. And I hope it goes without saying that you better not show your face while I'm there. Dismissed, Captain."

Greeves left after that, humming under his breath. It took Levi a couple of minutes to calm down. He stood frozen in place, breathing heavily as though he had just finished a marathon. He was so angry, his vision clouded. He saw nothing but blood. He wished for nothing but violence.

A careful, warm hand on his shoulder broke him out of his trance. He whirled around and was met face to face with none other than Commander Hange Zoe.

"Are you alright?" she murmured softly. The concern in her eyes was more prominent now. He stared at her for a second, wondering what was wrong with her. How much kindness was stored in her heart if she had enough to spare even for her enemy.

Well, he thought bitterly, it was her kindness that had led her there, to Marleyan prison and straight into Zeke’s arms.

In their world, it was best not to care at all. If only he knew how to do that, he lamented as the disquieted expression on Hange's face insistently tugged at his heart.

"Worry about yourself, four-eyes," he tore his eyes away from, putting on the familiar mask of cold asshole and trying to convince himself that that's what he really was. "Let's go, your cell awaits you."

***

When he came home that night, two hours after midnight his mother was already asleep. Or, at the very least, she appeared to be. The door to her room was closed and the house was dark. He approached it nevertheless, his hand touching the wooden surface. He almost knocked, but stopped himself before his hand curled into fist. He ached to know if she was alright, but he already knew that she wasn't, and going inside would only make all of it worse.

The world they live is cruel, he reminded himself, as he turned away and headed to his room. He tore off his uniform, kicking it in the corner.

He lay in his bed, fighting back tears. Fury and sorrow mixed in his mind, as he thought what his mother had to endure today, as he remembered that there was nothing he could to cease her suffering.

Their world was cruel, he remembered, and the only thing they could do is try to survive.

***

Levi took the next day off.

He woke up with the first rays of sunshine and quietly made his way to the kitchen. He cooked breakfast for his mother and then went out to the market to buy her flowers and pastries. He returned back home and went to wake her up.

The smile she gave him at the sight of fresh flowers and warm meal was enough to make him forget about his troubling thoughts.

"Let's take a walk," he offered after the breakfast was over and he dealt with the dishes.

His mother put on one of her best dresses. She let her hair down, and, as she put her arm through Levi's, a small, but endlessly happy smile curved at her lips.

"Shall we?" he asked after he put on his hat.

Kuchel giggled, covering her mouth with a palm, a picture of elegance. She made a small curtsy and murmured. "After you, my dear." The stroll through the park was nice.

They walked around for a bit, and then, when Levi's injured leg started to ache in protest, they sat down on a bench, enjoying the warm weather in the shadow of a big tree.

Knowing his son's quiet nature, Kuchel took it upon herself to fill the silence. She spoke about birds and how prettily they were singing, gushed over children that were running around and waxed poetic about trees, flowers and how beautiful they looked in the spring.

She was just telling Levi how much she enjoyed the smell of cherries when they're in bloom, when he saw one cheery petal fell down. It landed on Kuchel, tangling in her luscious, black hair.

Levi reached out to take it out and realized - it was time. He had to speak with his mother, had to tell her everything that's been on his mind.

"Mom," he began, looking her in the eyes. "Listen—"

"Shh," Kuchel pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. "Levi, don't. I know what you want to say, and I'm asking you - don't. Our situation isn't the best, I can't deny it. But it's better than the fate your uncle has suffered. We're both still alive, we're still together. I can still be your mom, can welcome you home from work and take walks with you in the park. And that's more than enough for me. So," she pushed the hair away from his forehead and leaned in, leaving a kiss on his forehead. "Let's just enjoy this moment. Sometimes it's all we can do, my dear."

Something in the tone of her voice, the way she didn't look in his eyes evoked a feeling of dread inside him. It brought Levi unprompted desperation. He took his mother's hand in his and gripped it just a little tighter than usually.

Enjoy the moment, he repeated to himself, sometimes that's all we can do.

***

Levi returned to work the next day— and regretted ever leaving his post.

A couple of plates stood next to the Hange's cell, all of them untouched.

Hange herself wasn't in her usual spot, sitting behind the desk with a book in her hands. She was lying on the bed, facing the wall.

Levi swallowed and unlocked the door, stepping inside.

"Hey," he called softly, hoping that Hange just decided to take a nap and didn't hear him approach. She didn't respond. "Hey, it's me," he tried again, but received no answer once more.

His stomach fell as he thought about the reasons for her silence.

He hurried to her side and laid a hand on her shoulder. It was still warm. Levi let out a barely audible sigh of relief. Still warm meant still alive.

He shook her. "Get up, four-eyes."

"No," came her curt reply. Her voice was gruff, almost lifeless. Hearing it broke something in him.

Levi looked at Commander Hange, thinking what to do. Then he saw it - red seeping through the yellow of her shirt.

Zeke's methods in action, he thought grimly.

He turned around and marched out of the cell. With hurried steps, he went into infirmary and grabbed a med kit.

Commander Hange wasn't going to die. Not on his watch, at least.

"Get up," he ordered once he was back in her cell.

"No."

"Get up," he repeated, kicking the leg of the bed. "Right fucking now, four-eyes, those wounds of your need dressing."

A short laugh escaped from her lips. It was bitter and devoid of any mirth. "Why do you, of all people, worry about me?"

"I don't," Levi easily retorted. "But your people do. They want to get you back. It'd be a shame if their loyalty would result in nothing because you got too tired to continue fighting."

"Don't lecture me. What do you, Marleyan, know about my people?"

"More than you do, apparently."

That finally got her to face him.

The sight of Commander Hange almost made him choke. Her face was a mess, what was not bruised was covered in blood. Her nose looked broken and her right eye was swollen.

He felt bile rise to his throat as he continued to stare at the results of Zeke's desire to win this war.

"What do you mean?" Hange asked, her voice wary. Life slowly started to return to her eyes. “Do you know something?”

"Not much," Levi shrugged. "But there had been reports about suspicious activity on the south borders. They think your guys are getting ready to attack. That's why Zeke is so impatient to get information out of you."

Zeke was scared shitless. All of them were. Marley was an imperishable Empire who was involved in too many wars. They didn't have enough people to defend themselves in case of the attack on their land. With most of their soldiers fighting and conquering in countries far away, if Paradise attacks, they'll be practically defenseless.

"So quit moping," he told Hange. "Let me fix your wounds and then I'll bring you more food. Save your strength, four-eyes. Don't let your soldiers down."

"Has anyone ever told you you're quite rude, Captain?"

"More times that I could have count, Commander. Now, quickly, turn around and take off your shirt. We'll deal with the wounds here first."

"Bossy, aren't we?" Hange huffed, but complied and started to unbutton her shirt.

As she pushed the yellow cloth down, revealing her bare shoulders and back, Levi sighed in relief. The wounds there weren't as severe as he had expected.

Still, severe or not, the injuries had to be cleaned and dressed. Levi set out to work.

The touch of disinfectant to her bare skin made Hange hiss, but she didn't recoil. A soldier through and through, Levi noted with a growing sense of admiration.

"You weren't here yesterday," Hange spoke, her voice shaking slightly. "What were you doing?"

"Went to a park."

"Oh," Hange turned her face to the side, looking at him curiously. "Did you take Missus Ackerman with you?"

"Miss Ackerman," Levi corrected. "My mother."

“Interesting,” she hummed, biting her thumb. “So Marley’s strongest soldier is actually a momma’s boy?”

“Thinking of using it against me, Commander Hange?”

“You know what they say,” she shrugged, a smile pulling at her lips. It suited her a lot more than the pathetic expression from earlier. “All’s fair in war.”

“You’re cruel.”

“I’m effective.”

“And very annoying,” Levi scoffed, taking a step back. “Put on your shirt and turn around. I need to take care of the mess on your face now.”

“Why are you helping me?” Hange wondered, as Levi inspected her wounds, holding her chin in his hands.

“I’m not,” Levi answered, his gaze focused on the cut on her eyebrow. “I’m a loyal soldier of my country.”

“So by taking care of me…”

“I’m making sure that you live on. So you could reveal more information to us.”

The lie slipped easily from his lips. So easily that Levi almost began to think that it was the truth.

Commander Hange Zoe, however, wasn’t so effortlessly convinced.

“And yet you haven’t asked me a single question, Captain.”

“Levi,” he grunted, as he started to gently wipe the blood from her forehead.

“What?”

“Call me Levi.”

“Oh.” She looked down for a second, mumbling something under her breath. Her voice was too quiet, but Levi thought that she was mouthing his name. Then she raised her eyes and met his. A soft smile was playing on her lips. “Then you should call me Hange.”

“Nah,” he said, desperately trying to fight back a smile. “Four-eyes suits you much better.”

***

A week later the news came.

The base in Lago, where the main body of their navy was located, was destroyed. No survivors. No witnesses.

A banner of Wings of Freedom that was now fluttering in the wind at the top of the once great Lago base was enough of a clue, though.

The pride of Marley, the fear of dozens of their enemy nations, Lago base was thought to be indestructible. Just like Marley itself.

A week later the news came. The next day, Commander Hange Zoe lost an eye.

***

“Stop it with that face.”

“What face?” Levi tore his gaze away from the bloodied mess and a lifeless white that once had been a lively, rich brown color.

“That face. Stop looking so angry. Or I will start thinking that you care.”

Hange lifted a finger, and then— before Levi could react – slap her hand or push her away – she bopped his nose. He blinked and looked down. He didn’t know what face he was making right now, but it had Hange snickering.

“That’s better,” she declared.

“Idiot,” Levi scoffed and turned away, fumbling with the med kit he had brought. He was more than familiar with its contents by now, having regularly used it to treat her wounds, but he felt the need to keep himself busy, and, more importantly, keep himself facing away from Commander Hange. If she had noticed the flush on his face, he wouldn’t hear the end of it. “Of course, I do care. Your wound is bleeding. It ruins the sheets, you know.”

“Ah,” Hange nodded. “That is a serious problem.”

“More than you know. I wash those sheets, if you didn’t know.”

“You do? The great Captain Levi washes the sheets of a mere Eldian prisoner?”

“No one else wishes to do it. And I can’t stand that reek.”

“Oh god,” her remaining eye lighted up, as though Levi has just said the most wonderful thing she had ever heard. “I can’t believe it, Captain Levi Ackerman, the fear of all Eldians,” she paused dramatically, an amused smile playing on her lips. “Is actually a clean freak.”

Levi arched an eyebrow, giving the most unimpressed look he could muster. “Has anyone told you’re very stupid?”

“Never,” she confessed proudly. “I’m actually considered one of the smartest people in Paradise.”

“Makes sense then, why you’re losing this war.”

“Ouch,” Hange winced. “That actually hurt.”

“Speaking of pain…” Levi took a cloth dapped in antiseptic into his hand and grabbed Hange by the chin. “Let me take a look at your eye.”

In his years as a soldier, Levi had seen his share of injuries. But he had never got used to it. The sight of broken bones and lacerated skin, of blood seeping through uniform and sinking in between trembling fingers, it was a sight he just couldn’t get accustomed to, no matter how hard he tried and no matter how many battles he had witnessed and survived.

The wound that he was now seeing on the face of Hange Zoe wasn’t an exception. Looking at the cut running through her eye, the eye that was always filled with so much life and emotion, he felt sadness sip deep into his heart.

“Not as handsome as I was before, eh?” Hange lowered her voice to a quiet murmur, and when he glanced down at her face, he saw that she was wearing a hesitant expression.

“Nonsense,” Levi shook his head, chasing away his troubling thoughts, and began to wipe the blood away from her face. “Who told you were handsome before?”

“You are even snarkier than usual today.” Hange noted, her only eye looking at him closely. “Is there a reason for it, I wonder?”

“Who did this?” Levi asked. “Zeke?”

The hold he had on her jaw tightened ever so slightly, as he fought to conceal his anger. Thankfully, Hange didn’t comment on it.

“No. This little monster I had created myself.”

“Floch,” Levi guessed instantly. Of course, how he could forget about that damned bastard. “Well, if it gives you any consolation, Zeke isn’t having the time of his life either.”

“Oh?”

“Lago base was attacked, and, subsequently, destroyed.”

“Oh…” Hange bit her lip, a cautious and almost worried expression on her face. “And the attackers…”

“Were never found. The only thing that was discovered is the banner of Wings of Freedom.”

“Huh,” a wide, excited grin spread on her lips. “A stealthy approach then. Definitely one of Armin’s ideas.”

Levi kept his silence, continuing to work on her wound.

“What,” Hange playfully kicked his leg. “You’re not going to ask who that Armin is? His full name? His rank?”

“I’ll leave the interrogation stuff to Zeke,” Levi pursed his lips, the disgust showing at his face at the thought of the bearded jerk. “My job is cleaning up his messes.”

“And looking after me,” Hange said with a soft look in her eye. “You’re such a good man, Levi. So kind to me…”

“It’s not kindness,” Levi scoffed, doing his best to remain nonchalant and hide his discomfort. “Just basic human decency.”

“You think I deserve it?”

You deserve it more than most, he wanted to say.

“Why wouldn’t you deserve it,” he answered instead. “You’re a human too, aren’t you?”

Hange chuckled, the sound quiet and bitter. “Most of your countrymen would disagree.”

“I told you already. I’m not the most.”

“But you’ve told me something else too,” Hange argued. She lifted her hand and traced the line from his cheek to his mouth. “These scars… you said they were caused by the weapon I created. Don’t you hate me for that?”

“No.” Levi echoed. “You’re not at fault here. The war is.”

Hange fell silent after that, lost in her thoughts. To an accompaniment of her shallow breathing and infrequent hisses, Levi finished tending to her injury. He cleaned the wound, did his best to stitch the cut skin together and then dressed it in a white gauze.

When he was tying the ends at the back of her head, Hange softly touched his arm.

“Thank you,” she murmured. “For making survival just a bit easier for me.”

Levi looked into her eye, swept his gaze across all of her face and body, carving it to his memory, and nodded.

He turned around then and left her cell. As he walked through the empty, ill-lit hallways, he thought if Hange was able to understand, if she could see in his eyes that he was grateful to her for all the same reasons.

***

“Captain.”

Without asking for permission, without waiting for an invitation, Zeke waltzed inside Levi’s office, plopping down on the chair beside his desk.

“I came to talk with you,” he announced, that infuriating smile plastered to his lips. “Do you have a moment?”

“For you, Zeke?” Levi made sure to put as much sarcasm and distain in his voice as it was possible. “Always.”

“Excellent!” Zeke eagerly clasped his hands together. He either didn’t notice or simply didn’t care enough to respond to Levi’s taunting. “I wanted to discuss with you the infamous Commander Hange.”

His stomach fell as those words left Zeke’s mouth. Whatever he was going to say next, Levi was sure he wouldn’t like it. He didn’t let any of his anxiety show at his face, though, and so Levi nodded, prompting Zeke to continue.

“She’s a tough nut to crack, and as you’re well aware, we’re losing our precious time. We need to get at least something out of her, or the whole country is doomed.”

“And how is that my problem?” Levi lazily inquired. “Torturing people isn’t one of my responsibilities.”

“I’m not asking you to torture her, I doubt you can do that,” Zeke said it flippantly, like an after-thought. But his eyes stared at Levi intently, gauging his reaction. “But she trusts you. And I need you to exploit it.”

“Trusts me?” Levi scoffed, genuinely surprised by Zeke’s assertion. “We’re talking about Eldian Commander, do you think she’d be stupid enough to trust me?”

“You’re closer to her than any of us,” Zeke protested, serious, despite his ridiculous claims.

“So what?” Levi sat back in his chair, crossing hands on his chest and staring at Zeke with a deep frown on his face. “She lets me dress her wounds. That doesn’t mean she trusts me.”

“On the contrary. That’s exactly what it means. Do you think I’m such a barbarian, Levi?” Zeke asked, before Levi could continue protesting. “Do you think I have not offered to take care of her wounds? She laughed at me and then spat in my face.”

Despite his best efforts, Levi’s lips twitched as he fought back a smile. If only he could see it… The expression Zeke made in that moment, it was probably the one of pure disgust and hatred. Levi had spent years trying to make Zeke look at him like that.

Truly, Commander Hange Zoe was something else.

“Talk with her, Levi,” Zeke ordered, his voice tainted with anger at the sight of Levi’s clear amusement. “Do your country a service. Or else I’m going to dig deeper into the reasons of why Commander Zoe trusts you so. You wouldn’t want to become second Kenny the Ripper, would you? Your mother wouldn’t be able to take it. So think of her, if the loyalty to your country isn’t enough to motivate you.”

Without waiting for Levi’s reply, Zeke stood up and headed to the door.

“I hope you’ll make the right choice,” he said at last, and then disappeared behind the door, leaving Levi alone.

***

Another week passed, and all the main forces of their army were brought in to the capital. The brass looked at the young, but worn-out faces, at the once strong bodies that were now claimed by exhaustion and traumas, and realized – they had no army.

Their unwinnable, perfect soldiers, the elite of elites, they were too few of them. A lot had died far away from their motherland, conquering countries at the other side of the world, while the others fell victims to stray bullets and bombshells which left them broken and unable to fight.

And the military of indestructible Empire realized – they were going to lose this war.

***

Levi came home that evening, and found his mother behind a weasel, painting a tree branch that was visible from their window.

“I’m home,” he announced for his mother was too occupied with her work to notice his arrival.

At the sound of his voice, she turned around, and the brilliant smile on her lips was enough to calm his raging heart.

“You picked up art again?” he asked, as he approached her and laid a hand on her shoulder.

“I felt a sudden feat of inspiration,” she said, her voice like a sweet melody. “Although, I’m afraid my skills got a bit rough…”

“It’s beautiful,” Levi assured. “Did you eat dinner already?”

“Oh no,” her eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth. “I forgot to make it.”

“I’ll cook something for us, don’t worry. I’ll call you when it’s ready, you can continue painting.”

“Such a sweet boy,” she shook her head, lifting a brush and dipping it in a green paint. “How are things at work?”

Their second base, this one much closer to the capital was destroyed.

The situation was as bad as it could possibly be. Eldian forces were making rapid progress, and no one knew what to do to stop the invasion. They didn't have enough men to defend themselves, and, to make matters worse, they were yet to actually see the Eldian soldiers. The devils from Paradise remained hidden, striking from the shadows.

Zeke had departed from the capital, going to the closest army base to train the new recruits. Most of the Marleyan brass followed after him - Greeves had left too, and Levi suspected that it was the reason for his mother's good mood. They claimed they wanted to overlook the trainings, but Levi knew better - in case of the attack on the capital, they were hoping to wait it out in the safety of base's bunkers.

Zeke had left, but he sent Levi letters every day, asking on his progress with Hange. And every day, Levi had to come up with another lie to explain to him the absence of results.

So no, things at work weren't going that good, but then Levi remembered a smile that bloomed on Hange's face as he told her about the accomplishments of her soldiers, and he said.

"The work? It's going fine."

***

In a desperate attempt to showcase their superiority, to prove to the whole world that they're still the same indestructible Marley, the government decided to throw a parade.

The soldiers were rehearsing for days at end, perfecting their matching technique.

The sound of their tramps boomed through the main courtyard and reverberated through the stone walls of the army headquarters, as military officials and army engineers ran around, preparing the best and most advanced weaponry to show everyone their might.

During a day like this Levi led Hange out of her cell.

She walked through the hallways with a spring in her step and her hands dangling from side to side. For a tortured prisoner, she looked far too cheerful.

"Are you leading me to the gallows?" she asked in a playful singing voice.

Levi swept his gaze across her form, something coming alive inside him at the sight of her looking so joyful. "Unfortunately, no."

"Hm.” Hange nodded, narrowing her eye. “And what about the handcuffs?" she raised her free wrists. "Where are they? Am I not supposed to be an important and dangerous prisoner?"

"Are you going to run away, four-eyes?" Levi looked at her, a spark of amusement lightening his bored expression.

"I could try," she challenged.

"You could," Levi agreed. "And you wouldn't take more than two steps before I catch you."

"I could take you by surprise..."

"And you're saying this to prepare me for that surprise?"

Hange's bravado disappeared without a trace. "Damn your perceptiveness..." she muttered with a slight pout.

"So where are you taking me?" she repeated her question.

"To the bathroom."

"Eh?" a look of confusion settled over her face. "Is this a new method of torture?"

"No. I'm just sick of your smell. You reek worse than a pig, four-eyes."

"Ah, your clean freaky tendencies,” she snickered. “Of course, how could I forget."

“Take your clothes off,” he instructed once they were inside a brightly lit room with a bathtub standing at the center of it.

“I see you already prepared the water…” she murmured, approaching the tub and dipping her fingers in it. “And it’s still warm!”

“Don’t waste any more time then. Get inside, four-eyes.”

“Wait,” Hange sat at the edge of the tub and eyed him suspiciously. “You’re going to stay in the room with me?”

“You’re an important and dangerous prisoner,” he used her words from before. “Can’t exactly leave you here all alone, can I?”

“Or you just can’t resist my sexy and curvy body…” she whispered with a smirk on her lips.

“Start cleaning yourself,” Levi hastily turned around, hiding his blush. “Or I’ll do it myself.”

“Oh, will you be rough?” her sultry, sulky voice was quiet, but enticing. Levi hated the fact that it made his heart beat faster. “Will you manhandle me? Make me submit to your commands?”

“For fuck’s sake!” he growled, his ears and cheeks burning. “Just shut up and take a damn bath!”

“You’re no fun…” he heard her mumble. A moment later, he heard another sound, the one that made him exhale in relief – a sound of splashing water that signaled that Hange finally got inside the bathtub.

Levi tuned out everything else after that and stared out of the window, watching the soldiers march – one foot, then another, left and right, left and right, each move precise and controlled.

“So they’re organizing a parade,” Hange said. “Marley really doesn’t care that Paradise can attack at any moment?”

“On the contrary,” Levi disagreed. “Your guys got army higher-ups terrified as ever.”

“So this parade…”

“Is meant to show the other countries that we’re still as strong as ever, and ensure our own people that we got everything under control.”

“Not bad,” Hange hummed. “When people in Paradise start to doubt the government, they just start throwing shit at us.”

Despite himself, Levi chuckled. “Literally or figuratively?”

“Depends on how much we fucked up.”

“Paradise sounds more and more like my kind of country…” he mused quietly.

“I told you already,” Hange said, and without even looking at her, Levi could see the proud smirk on her face. “We could use your skills.”

“Are you trying to recruit me again, Commander?”

“It depends – is it working?”

Yes, Levi wanted to say. In the end, he said nothing.

“Hey,” she called. “Help me wash my hair, please.”

Levi wordlessly complied. He stood behind her back, his gaze involuntarily darting to the myriad of scars on her shoulder blades. He wondered about the story behind them. Without thinking, he reached out and traced the outline of one blemish, the one that ran along her spine.

“I have a lot of time to think nowadays,” Hange began, snapping Levi out of his reverie. He pulled his hand away, as fast as he could. The warmth from her skin lingered at his fingertips, making him wish to savor it for as long as possible. Ignoring the pleasant feeling, he pushed her down, wetting her hair. Then, when Hange reemerged, he squeezed shampoo onto his hands and buried them into her brown locks, gently carding through her hair. “I know it’s a bit stupid, and I know you most probably will laugh at me, or call me crazy, but… I thought if things were different, if—”

“If I wasn’t me, and you weren’t you?” Levi prompted, his voice hollow. He thought about the same thing.

“Yes,” Hange gave a slight nod. “If we had met under different circumstances, could we become… friends?”

Friends. What a weird word, what a constellation of different, but equally warm feelings. Affection, trust and care… They meant nothing to him. In all the years he was living in this world, he never really had anyone who could fit that description. He had colleagues, had brothers in arms, had his family… but a friend? He wasn’t familiar with that concept.

But if he was, Hange Zoe would probably fit that description to a tee.

If only things were different…

“Close your eyes,” he ordered, ignoring her question as though it had never been asked. “It’s time to rinse your hair.”

“Thank you,” Hange said, when she was finished with a bath and put on the fresh clothes Levi had brought her. It was his own, the white shirt was too wide for Hange in the shoulders and a little short in the sleeve’s area. She should have noticed, she probably had. She didn’t comment on it. “The bath was nice.”

She lowered her head after that, refusing to meet his eyes.

Even so, Levi nodded. “Let’s get back then. Your wounds need redressing.”

Hange followed him without another word. As he led her back, one thought repeated itself over and over in his head.

If only things were different…

***

The parade was fast approaching. And with that, came a spread of a rumor amongst high ranking officers that the attack was going to happen during the festivities. It was based on nothing, a little less than a stupid superstition.

Still, the atmosphere at the capital was becoming tenser and tenser with each passing day.

Zeke had come back along with other members of military, disappointed in Levi and desperate to get at least something out of unyielding Commander, something they could use to protect themselves before it was too late.

The absence of time was working in Levi's favor. Zeke couldn't spare even a second on him, otherwise he'd surely investigate the suspicious lack of any results.

Levi too had his fair share of reasons for anxieties. He couldn't leave the capital, his absence would be noticed immediately and punished severally, but he wasn't so keen to escape. He was ready to stand with other soldiers and do his best to protect his homeland, but his mother... His mother was another matter completely. He couldn't leave her in the city, even if Hange's people weren't quite as cruel, a fallen building or one particularly bloodthirsty soldier could become a reason for his mother's demise.

He couldn't let it happen.

So in the middle of the night, three days before the parade, Levi paid a visit to an old acquaintance.

Uri Reiss, the biggest adversary against Marley's imperial tendencies, the leader of a once influential political party and the sole reason of Kenny's early and shameful loss of a life, was now in the hiding, living the last days of his glory in the slumps at the edge of the city.

When Levi came, he was sitting in front of a fire with his legs folded underneath him, surrounded by a group of people.

Levi briefly wondered if that were his new followers. Looks like the bastard had lost everything, except his charm, he thought bitterly.

Uri looked bad, old and weary, he was a far cry from the charismatic and sharp man his uncle had decided to follow all those years ago. He was wearing baggy, dirty clothes that were patched up too many times. The only part of his garb that still seemed clean, the only thing he obviously took great care of, was a hat he was wearing on his head.

Kenny's hat, Levi realized after a second of staring at it.

Even after all those ten years that passed since Kenny's death, Levi still remembered that hat.

Remembered how easy it was to find his uncle in the crowd of people because of it. Remembered the texture, the feeling of it in his hands from those rare moments, when Kenny put it on his head.

Of course, he left it to that bastard. Gave it away, easily just like his life.

The mere thought of Kenny evoked a sense of deep, forgotten rage in Levi. The mere sight of his friend, the damned Uri Reiss that condemned their whole family with his naive beliefs, was enough to make Levi fume with anger.

"Levi," Uri squinted, looking at him. "Is that really you? What are you doing here?"

He stepped closer, the shadows from the fire that Uri and his friends were sitting around dancing across his face. "I came to collect my debt."

"Your debt?"

"Yes," he nodded. "You promised Kenny, I know you did, he told me so himself. In exchange for his life, you promised that in time of need, you'll help me and my mother."

"I hope you understand that my hands are quite tied, and I don't have the influence I once possessed," Uri tilted his head, his abnormally bright eyes studying Levi. Despite his old age, despite his current state, his eyes remained the same. The same wit and wisdom Kenny couldn't resist, they were still there. "So what do you want?"

"I'm not going to ask for much," Levi assured him. "I just need you to take my mother out of the city, as far away as you can manage."

"Ah, beautiful Kuchel," Uri shook his head, a wistful smile playing on his thin lips. "Kenny had a soft spot for her too. For both of you, you were the only thing he cared about..."

"And yet he gave his life for your cause," Levi growled, his hands squeezing into fists. “And left us to deal with consequences."

He always hated Uri, hated how much influence he had over Kenny. Hated how in the end, Kenny chose him, and not them, his family.

"Will you do this or not?"

"I—" Uri faltered for a second, something changing in the depth of his eyes. "Of course, I'll help you, Levi. In three days, I'll send one of my men to fetch Kuchel from your apartment. They'll bring her to a safe place, you have my word."

"Good," Levi turned around, unable to look at the bastard any longer.

"And you, Levi?" Uri called after him. "Don't you wish to leave too?"

"No," he answered, his gaze determined. "I'll stay here. Until the end."

***

Convincing his mother to leave proved to be a tougher challenge than Levi had expected. But in the end, after swearing to her that he would join her very soon, he was able to persuade her to start packing her things.

And that's how he spent the remaining three days - helping his mother and keeping Hange company. As though sensing the approach of her soldiers, she became much livelier. She talked about them a lot - gushing over her subordinates as if they were her own children.

Levi shared small bits about his life as well - briefly reminiscing about the time when Kenny was still alive, still with them and they were a small, but tight and loving family.

In moments like these, he couldn't get her words out of his head.

if we had met under different circumstances, could we become… friends?

In moments like these, he felt as though they already were.

***

Three days later, Levi was in a hurry.

He glanced at his pocket watch - it showed seven o'clock - and started running. He left his office and headed outside, passing dozens of people who were in the same state of haste as he was. The parade was starting in just an hour, civilians already started to gather at the main plaza, and everyone was busy with the last preparations. And Levi was in a rush to get home.

The pointer of his pocket watch showed that it was almost a quarter after seven and Levi squeezed himself in-between the large, tight crowd, desperate to get home.

If he was fast enough, she'd still be there. If he was fast enough, he could say a proper goodbye to his mother.

Panting and heaving, he all but tumbled into his apartment. Instantly— the smell of chamomile and lavender tickled his nostrils.

Levi relaxed, she was still here. He kicked off his shoes and walked inside.

He headed to the kitchen and froze a few steps short from it. With heart in his throat, his eyes slowly traced the trail of blood on the floor.

His mother— she wasn't there. Not anymore.

"That's what whores get for trying to escape."

Levi's head snapped to the sound of voice, that voice.

Greeves had walked out of the bathroom, the still bloodied knife in his hands.

Levi was at him in an instant.

He didn't think, he didn't feel as he had wretched the knife out of his hands and threw it away.  

He glanced back, at the body of his mother. He saw the steely look in her eyes, a mask of suffering etched forever on her beautiful face.

He turned back to Greeves, and he hit.

His first blow broke his nose. Greeves hollered, and somewhere outside, a distance away from the little apartment in the center of the city, the fireworks started. Or, maybe, the defining explosion wasn't caused by fireworks, as the screams that followed were terrified, not excited, but Levi did not care enough to pay attention to it.

He hit Greeves again and again, and then again. His knuckles started to ache, but he didn't stop. Greeves fell to the ground and he didn't stop, just paused long enough to get on top of him. He stroke blow after blow, hit his face again and again, until there was nothing left.

Only then, he had stopped. 

With his legs shaking and hands trembling, he stood up and approached the prone body of his mother.

He picked her up - as gently as he could with the hands that were made for war, with the hands that were covered in blood of her murderer - and brought her to her room, placing her on the bed.

He fixed her hair, wiped the blood from her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead, mimicking a gesture he had received from her so often.

Now that the fog that had taken over his mind was gone, Levi was more aware of his surroundings. Now he was able to understand what was going on outside.

It wasn't the sound of fireworks, those weren't the scream of triumph.

As a loyal soldier of Marleyan Empire, he knew all too well the sound of a thunder spear explosion.

The deadly invention of Commander Hange Zoe.

The city wasn't going to hold out for much longer. That meant he was still in a hurry. There was still an unfinished business he had to take care of.

***

All hell had broken loose, when Levi walked outside. The streets around him were ablaze with fire, from all sides all he could hear was explosions, cries and wallows. 

The worst of the fighting was done on the main plaza. A downpour of bullets rained down all around him, as two sides desperately fought to achieve victory.

His blindingly white military coat was making him an easy target and wordlessly told everyone which side he was on. So Levi shook it off and made the rest of the way, running from cover to cover, wearing only his thin shirt.

Because, apparently, the universe had its fill of miseries for him already, he was able to get to the entrance of army headquarters relatively unharmed.

Once he stepped inside, Levi had to pause and survey his surroundings. After all the chaos outside, the familiar hallways seemed almost unnaturally quiet.

It was unexpectedly empty too, although Levi was sure it won’t last for long.

Without wasting another moment, he headed to the dungeons. The lone guard that still stood there, protecting god knows what, at the sight of Levi raised his arm in salute.

“Captain Ackerman!” he shouted with no small amount of relief. “We were looking for you, General Yeager needs you—”

The words slowly died on his throat, as he took a better look at Levi’s face.

“Captain?” the guard asked cautiously. “Your face… Did you already engage in a fight? Are you hurt?”

“Get lost,” Levi growled, pushing past him. “Go and hide somewhere, wait until the fighting is over. Don’t throw away your life for this country,” his face changed, a shadow passing through it. “It’s not worth it.”

Without another glance at the soldier, Levi opened the large metal door and walked in.

She must be still here. Thankfully, she was.

***

In the silence of the dungeons, the sound of a key turning and the lock opening was loud like a gunshot.

It had Hange bolting up from her place at the bed.

“Levi!” she exclaimed, relief and happiness mixing in her voice.

“Get out.” He rasped, hollow and lifeless.

“Levi?” she approached him, cautiously, like a cornered, wounded animal. “What—”

“Get out!” he yelled. “While you still can.”

The thundering noise of heavy footsteps sounded up above them. The soldier, guarding the entrance, had probably reported to someone the news about his arrival. That, or they have already found the body in his apartment.

Either way, he was already done for. After murdering a war general, there was only one way for him to go.

And he’d rather get hanged, knowing that he did at least one good thing in his life.

The irony of it all was laughable. Always praised for his loyalty and obedience, he ended up as a traitor.

Like uncle, like nephew.

“Levi, what happened?” Hange stood right in front of him, so close he could feel her breath on his cheek. She watched him, her eye shining with worry. “There’s blood on your face…”

“Not mine,” he answered, staring at the wall behind her shoulder with glassy, distant gaze.

“Thank gods…” she muttered, cradling his face in her hands. Using the sleeve of her shirt, she did her best to wipe the blood from his cheeks and jaw.

Levi didn’t look at her even once.

“Hey…” Hange tried again, moving even closer, her thumb absentmindedly brushing his cheekbone. “Levi, talk to me, please. What happened?”

“Go,” he wanted to push her away, but Hange didn’t sway, a look of stubborn determination taking over her features.

“I won’t go anywhere, until you tell me what happened.”

The footsteps became louder, soon they would reach the dungeon. He needed to get rid of Hange before that happens.

“My mother…” he whispered, shutting his eyes close. The mere memory of her body lying in a pool of her own blood brought him an immense amount of pain. It felt like someone had stuck a knife in his chest and turned it, it felt like someone had ripped his heart out.

“Oh, Levi,” Hange wrapped herself around him, burying her nose in his shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Who did that? Was it—”

“No,” he shook his head. “She was killed by Marleyan. And I killed him.”

“That won’t go unpunished,” Hange carefully said, still holding him in her arms.

“I know. And I don’t care.”

“I do,” she said suddenly, the fierceness of her voice surprising Levi. “Go with me.”

“What?” Levi took a step back, staring at Hange with wide eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“There is nothing keeping you here. And if you stay, they’ll put you in prison or worse. Run away with me, Levi.”

Her offer… was unexpected. He thought his life was already over, made his peace with that, but what Hange proposed… it didn’t sound that bad, not as bad as dying alone, at least.

If he accepted, he’d be able to find a purpose again. He’d finally get a friend.

He looked up at Hange. She was staring back at him, waiting for his answer. The footsteps up above stopped, and the voices appeared, Levi instantly recognized Zeke and Floch. They were close, possibly just behind the door.

Levi knew another way out, a hidden exit almost no one knew about. Hange could use it to escape, but she didn’t have much time.

Nevertheless, she didn’t falter. She didn’t glance back, didn’t fidget or sweat or tremble.

A force to be reckoned with, Levi remembered his own words.

“All this talk of running away…” he lifted his lips in a shadow of a smile. “Do you wish to recruit me so bad, Commander?”

“I told you, we could use your skills,” Hange answered, a smile breaking on her face as well. “So… are you interested in my offer?”

He reached out, grasped her hand in his and answered.

“I am.”

#just so you know this whole thing was created out of idea 'hey wouldn't levi look super hot in marleyan uniform?' #so you can imagine it's not super coherent #levihan #levihan fanfiction

[looneyrealism]

A quiet time

I headcannon that if Zeke and Hanji were’nt enemies they’d at least be friends. They’re also low key a crack ship to me, but there’s no content for them so I’m posting this even tho I’m not best or most experience writer. Levihan will always be my main tho.

Prompt: Au Hanji was born and raised in Marley. She tends a bar in a Marley ghetto.

Hanji was serving her last few customers for the night. As time flowed closer to the end of her shift, three men still lingered at the bar. She noticed they walked in together, but the blonde man decided to sit at the opposite end of the bar away from his companions. After about an hour of serving them, their condescending attitudes and ignorance made her take an extra long bathroom break.

They cursed her when she came back, and she was tempted to break the glass she held across their skulls. However, her manager gave her a stern look that pacified her. Eventually, her manager ended his shift and left the task of closing the bar to her. She annoyed she’d have to serve the remaining rude costumers on her own and hoped to drown them out as much as she could.

She was happy for a distraction when the blonde man sitting at the other end of the bar waved her over to order another scotch. But as she turned around to make his drink the comments from the other two men did not fall on death ears.

“Eldian bitch, a good sucker punch should teach her not to keep her superiors waiting.”

The other man drunk about half his glass of whiskey before even responding, “She’s irrelevant Gross. We’re celebrating right now, we can throw her to the dogs later.”

“What’s more celebratory than watching a sub-human whore get what she deserves?!” He barked out with a huge laugh.

Hanji quietly served the Scotch to the man sitting at the end of the bar. She wasn’t aware the anger on her face was obvious, until he commented on it.

“You should just ignore them, they’d harass you even more if they saw your anger.”

It confused her, wasn’t he on their side? Shouting from the other side of the bar broke her train of thought.

“Damn you, slow wench, hurry up and bring us more Whiskey woman!” The Sergeant shouted

Hanji took the stranger’s advice to heart. She swallowed her pride and served the two men until they were drunk and stumbling their way out the door.

“Heyy Zeke, we are- we’re heading back to base, your comin’ with us?” The smaller man slurred while dragging his bigger friend around his shoulder.

The blonde man waved them off without turning around, “I’ll catch up with you two later.”

Hanji let out a sigh of relief once they left the bar. It was thirty minutes past the end of her shift and the bar needed to be closed. It slightly irritated her that the blonde man still sat in his seat smoking a cigarette.

“No smoking allowed in here.”

He chuckled in response, “Do you really care enough to stop me?”

“No, but I do need to close this bar, so if you could leave my night would be a bit better.”

He only inhaled another hit from his cigarette in response. Then finished his glass of scotch. Hanji quietly collected the glass and began cleaning it.

“You live in this ghetto right?”

Hanji was reluctant to actually respond to his question,”Sure”.

She wondered if him and his companions would come back to the bar sober, just to terrorize her.

“Then you probably know who that man was.”

Hanji rolled her eyes and began wiping tables. “Sergeant Major Gross, overseer of the Liberio Ghetto. I’m familiar with him and his...work.”

“Then why get angry at his comments. You know the consequences if you step out of line. Besides, You’ve probably been treated way worst by an even lower class Marleyan.” He calmly chastised.

Hanji unknowingly crushed the glass in the palm of her hand, “They degrade us, use us, and then say we are the demons. But I’d rather kiss a titan’s ass than sleep next to any of those bastards. Maybe if we’d take more time researching the Titans instead of weaponizing them, things would be better.”

Zeke had moved in front of the rambling woman and softly grabbed her bloody hand to pick out the shards of glass embedded in them. “You remind me of a man I admired. He would’ve definitely like you.”

Hanji didn’t meet his eyes and only stared at her bloody hand instead,” I wish I could say the same, but I’m not fond of the company you keep.”

Zeke only glanced at the woman before wrapping a small towel around her hand. “They’re not my company to keep.” He sighed,”I wanted a quiet time in an area I knew no one would recognize me, but I ran into them. They followed me and there wasn’t much I could do about it.”

Hanji scoffed, “Having a defeatist attitude is unattractive. You can always get something you want if you have the will to go after it.”

Zeke finished bandaging the woman’s hand, but didn’t let go of it. He met her gaze with a sarcastic smile. “What is it you want the most?”

“Freedom.” She said with no hesitation.

He chuckled and casually lit another cigarette. “They’ll never give you that.”

Hanji took the time to actually observe the man sitting in front of her. He was absurdly handsome with a good build. His smirks and smiles didn’t seem to reach his eyes. As a matter of fact, his eyes seemed dead. As if his affable demeanor is hiding a much crueler, angrier side to him.

Hanji looked away and began setting all the chairs upside down on the tables. “Maybe if we were the monsters they say we are, my people wouldn’t be abused as much.” The woman pondered to herself.

“Monsters? Demons?,” he laughed, “Eldians are cursed. I pity them. They’re just unlucky people.”

Hanji collected the last of her belongings and Zeke followed her out of the small bar. It almost stung when the cool air hit her skin. It was the middle of the night and most of the characters roaming the streets at this time were unsavory. She began to quickly walk towards the direction of her apartment building when she noticed the blonde man was still beside her.

“Why are you following me?”

He lightly scratched at his beard and then gave her a lopsided smile,” it wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me to let a beautiful woman like yourself walk home alone.”

“I’ve done it many times before. Besides, I’m more worried about you knowing where I live.” She sighed

“Oh yeah, and why is that?” He inquired as he smoked one more hit from his cigarette before putting it out.

“I may not know a famous face, but I do recognize a famous name. Isn’t that right War-chief Zeke Yeagar.”

“Don’t judge a book by its title. You don’t know me.” He argued with apathy

Hanji stared at him thoughtfully for a second, before giving an answer,” Maybe not, but I know what you fight for.”

Zeke stopped at this, and grabbed her upper arm to stop her,”Do you?”he growled

Hanji met his glare with her own stubborn gaze. There was a slight edge to his demeanor. She felt he wouldn’t let her get away with breathing another contemptuous comment his way.

‘For most of the night he seemed indifferent towards most things. Is this a small glimpse of who he is on the battlefield?’

She snatched her arm away from him and instead made her way to her front door. “This is my place. Thanks for the walk, but you can leave now.”

Instead of leaving he walked towards her and stopped only a few inches away from her face. “I’m going to visit you at your bar tomorrow and the day after that. Whenever I have the time I’ll come by.” He firmly stated

Hanji was shocked. They obviously didn’t get along. And receiving daily visits from a war chief would definitely raise questions out of her peers.

“Wha- What for? We have very different values. But...I’ll argue with you anytime, anyplace,”Hanji declared with a smile laced with uncertainty

“I like you. And since I keep such terrible company. I suppose it’s time I find someone good to hang around.” Zeke sighed

Hanji narrowed her eyes in response. Any type of relationship between him and herself couldn’t result in anything good. “You’re just trying to get me killed.” She concluded as she opened her building door.

She closed the heavy door behind her, before he could give her another response. She made her way to her room and fell into her bed in exhaustion. Hanji turned her head to check the time, but instead the window caught her attention. She saw Zeke still standing there, when she peeked out of it. Her movement must’ve caught his attention, because he turned to look back at her.

A smirk grew on his face before he winked at her. She closed her curtains and laid back in bed. Any aggression she still had for him would have to be handled tomorrow.

#hanji zoe #zeke yeager #hange zoe #zeke jaeger #oneshot #Zanji #snk #aot #attack on titan #zeke x hanji #shingeki no kyojin

[lady-eny]

Title: On the Nature of Duty (7/?)

Some tags: AU - Spies & Secret Agents, Enemies to Lovers, Action, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Mikenana, Minor Zekehan, Minor Character Death, Reincarnation

Summary:

When Levi, Eldia’s best agent, is sent to kill the marleyan star analyst Hange Zoe, he doesn’t expect what awaits him.

Forced to team up with his enemies to save the world, he soon starts losing sight of his duty. Despite reminding himself how much he hates her, Levi can’t prevent his brain from scrambling at her mere presence, ever closer…

Perhaps it’s that he knows her from a long time ago…

Cross-posting on: AO3

Other Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Notes: Coming next: More Marley and some late night conversations. Thanks for reading! Feedback is very welcome✨

Chapter 7

She tugged him towards the huge blue tank called ‘ocean’, which in all probability was full of unknown and dangerous vermin.

“Come on! It’s fun!” She exclaimed. He shot her an angry look until she released him. “Well, if you don’t want to come with me...”

She splashed away through the water and he saw her in the distance. After a minute, he sighed and trails after her.

He’d probably go with her wherever she went.

D-7

Levi packs his stuff in an automatic routine, one he has plotted since years ago. First go his clothes, next his personal hygiene items, then weapons. Always the same. He’s done it so many times now that his mind isn’t needed for the task. It’s also fast, as there’s no use in unpacking most of it when he moves so often, sometimes not even spending an entire night in a room. On average, this is the longest he’s stayed in one.

He should have known it wouldn’t last much longer.

The clock numbers on his smartwatch continue advancing without delay. Seconds turn into minutes and these minutes go on and on, rushing towards a new hour. The darkened glass of the walls impedes the billboard lights from casting their gleam inside. He clears it. The early morning sky remains gloomy. Darkens it again.

The bathroom door is open. He hurries there and brushes his teeth. His face, once again. In the mirror, he catches sight of a pale person whose actions are useless. They’re merely putting off the inevitable.

He has to wake her up.

Levi knows it. However, he’s lengthening the time, stretching the scarce peaceful breaths she has left as much as possible. He glances down at his phone’s clock. 4:35 AM.

Her plane takes off in an hour.

It’s time.

The mint of the toothpaste cools his mouth until it’s a frozen land unable to stop its coldness from spreading. So he finally speaks.

“Hange.” Inwardly, he curses his sleep for being so light that he was the one who picked her phone up, and hers for being so deep that not even calling out her name makes her react.

Levi feels like shit, and likely emanates a matching stink. He didn’t even take a shower yesterday, he recalls. Too bad. No matter how disgusting he is, there’s no time for distress about that. He shakes his head. Why is his mind drifting to such irrelevant places? Is it because of yesterday, or for the news he just got?

Possibly a combination of both.

“Hange,” he says louder. Shakes her arm. His own protests slightly, sore from the exorbitant effort it put in yesterday.

“Mmm?” Her eyelashes flutter open until her gaze focuses on him. She instantly grows alert. Her gaze travels to his face, his clothes, and… weapons. She jerks back and frantically looks around.

Idiot, Levi scolds himself. He didn’t foresee the possibility of frightening her. Is she remembering how he tried to kill her? Does she believe he’s trying to do it again?

She shrinks into a corner and sets her back against the wall. Pulls a strange knife from under her pillow—its handle is thicker than any he’s ever seen, and it seems to have a button. It’s comforting to know she wasn’t as trusting and comfortable around him as he thought. Regardless, it also makes him feel somewhat worse.

What a mess.

Levi raises his hands in a calming gesture, palms facing her to show his harmlessness. “I won’t hurt you,” he assures her.

I don’t even know if I could, he conceives, recalling their first meeting. Shakes his head again. He must focus on the here and now. There’s something important he has to tell her.

The knife pointing at him stays firm. She bites her lower lip. “What’s going on?”

“Mike called.” The simplest part of what he’ll report. “You… You have to h—head to Liberio. Immediately.”

“Liberio? No.” She shakes her head in disbelief. “No. Mike would never ask me to come back there, unless…” Her spine perks up. Her tone shifts to an indifferent one. “Why am I requested in Liberio?”

Her sudden flat voice sends a chill down his back. Levi’s attention fixates on his feet, on their blackness contrasting with the white tile under them. “They went there, as they said they would. Mike took an earlier flight. He was going for them… and… It was a—another bomb. On the airport,” he finishes, stumbling over his words.

“Another bomb,” she echoes, removed. “Of course. Are—?”

“Mike is okay.”

He dares to look up. Her eyes are defiant.

“Say it. Just say it,” she commands.

His exhausted mind complies. “Nanaba and Floch are dead.”

Her face crumples. His heart contracts within his chest at the sight of it. She drops the knife and holds her blanket closer, higher around her.

“You should have started by saying that,” she mutters hoarsely, glassy eyes on the dark horizon. I couldn’t. “How can they be certain, though? There’s a chance she wasn’t there.”

Levi rubs the bridge of his nose. His fingers still burn from climbing. “Her flight had just landed. They were waiting.”

“But there’s no body,” she retorts. “Impossible to be.”

He has no energy to further discuss. His shoulders sag. “I’m… sorry.”

Her eyes regain vigor and she jumps to her feet. “Why? It isn’t your fault, or is it?” She hurls her stuff into her bag.

“What?” His brows knit in a confused frown.

She tilts her chin up, glare wrecking him down through her lashes. “Your fault. Is it?”

Doors open and close out of the room. Muffled voices of people passing in the hall filter in.

His chest tightens. “I better wait outside.”

Her bag’s zipper won’t close. Hange whacks it with a pillow and bawls, “Is it?!” Whacks it again. He grips the pillow and tosses it away. She kicks the nearest chair and crashes her forehead against the glass wall.

“It’s my fault. I killed her. I sent her there. I always do it… I—I just want this to be over.” Her hand twitches, nails scratching the imperturbable glass. She returns to her bed and sinks, shoulders hunched. “Not only this mission. The bombs, the deaths, the war. Everything is always about the damn war. Why can’t we rest?”

“The war is still on because of you,” he blurts out before restraining himself. Not the right moment, Levi, he reprimands. What’s wrong with his mouth? Anyone who knows him well enough would claim that talking is more of a problem for him than the opposite. Yet these couple of days it’s like he has an uncontrollable waterfall for a mouth.

“E—Excuse me?”

“We…” Since he already started, better to finish. “Years ago. We were reaching peace and you ruined it!” It was practically a deal. Noisy celebrations took over every eldian street and the news talked about it day and night. Then unexpectedly… the bombings. And the thin silence on the streets afterward.

“You ruined it,” she counters, stilted. Her hands ball into fists.

Levi can see how the conversation is riling her up, so he takes a calming breath in. Even when he’s aware this isn’t the right moment to address this particular subject—this or any—she won’t get to twist this to her advantage.

“You sent explosives to our frontiers. You reawakened the spark that resumed this shitty conflict.”

“You attacked us out of the blue!”

He grunts, a dam breaking within him. Heat flashes through his legs and neck before shouting, “You’re really a vicious marleyan! You’re so smart, aren’t you? Check your facts first, then! I was there when your aerial bombs landed. I saw my life falling apart right in front of me because of them!” Images blink over his eyes. Tears rolling down porcelain cheeks… Scorched skin… Blood. He presses a hand over his chest to even his pulse and breathing. When he speaks again, his voice is brittle. “And I was in the room when we decided to send some as a response.” He points a finger at her. “Yours came first.”

Hange squeezes her lips together, cheeks trembling by the force of holding back whatever is on her mind. She stands up and flings her bag over her shoulder. “Believe whatever you want. I know my truth.”

She exits the room with a bang on the door.

Suddenly chilly, Levi hovers in the room for the minutes to follow, alone and surrounded by silence at last.

  ***

  His arms still vibrate from his previous explosion. Levi isn’t used to getting mad and screaming at people. Hard to believe, as in his ashamed opinion, that’s precisely what he’s been doing the most lately. His self-control has been nowhere to be found, that’s for certain.

The air conditioner achieved to cool him down a little. By the moment Hange and he enter the hotel elevator, he’s more serene—yet won’t look at her, under the chance of his bad temper regenerating. His gaze skims over the panel covers of the overhead lights. They remind him of their first meeting…

He can’t wait to be miles away and perhaps never see her again.

They reach the hotel lobby and stride out of the elevator. Several people’s eyes turn to them, and his body stiffens in anticipation of danger. He steps closer to Hange, whose incensed eyes shoot him a glare before continuing her way to the exit. Doesn’t she understand how dangerous everything is for her?

A tall man treads in their direction. Levi thrusts Hange back with an arm, yet the man merely speeds past them.

Hange arches a questioning eyebrow at him. “What was that?”

“Nothing.” Levi senses the hotness of his face and hopes it isn’t visible. Maybe he is acting paranoid, but with everything that’s transpired, being like this could be for the best, right? He isn’t overreacting.

Outside the hotel, a dark green armored van awaits to take Hange to the airport. Another car is supposed to transport him to the WCO’s nearest office, where he’ll enslave his brain cells in an attempt to discover something that smarter people than him haven’t. At least, that’s what he told Erwin he’ll do. Levi makes a cursory once-over of the driver. The man doesn’t seem like someone trustworthy...

Visions of the day ahead run wild and scatter in his mind. He, tapping a pencil on his head in frustration and dullness. In the meantime, Hange promenading in Marley, alone and confident in her safety—thus careless. It would be the perfect time to ambush her, wouldn’t it? She’d be standing without protection, which would definitely make those criminals come for her. That’s what he’d do in their shoes.

… So what?

What does he care? If she dies, one less problem for Eldia.

I hope they kill her there, he declares in his head, ignoring the cold tickle of worry.

He doesn’t care even one bit.

Levi glances up at the gloomy sky, at the filthy ground, and the colors on her. She’s wearing a yellow collared blouse, jeans, and her green sweater tied around her waist. He studies the driver, from his hunched head on his phone to the numerous rings on his hands. He appears highly suspicious, and potentially dangerous, and—

Hange climbs the van without a second glance. She’s ready to leave.

The car engine starts with a loud vroom.

She doesn’t dedicate him another word, an annoyed frown marring her expression.

His heartbeats pound against his temples. He scratches one only to flinch. He forgot his scrape, which Hange applied ointment to last night. He looks down at his hand for a second.

Hange is sliding the door closed when Levi sneaks in. He flops down in front of her, places his bag over his lap, and behaves nonchalantly. She gapes, looking at him for the first time since their… discussion.

“W—What are you doing?” She stutters.

He grips his bag. What is he doing here? He operated on impulse, only knowing that he couldn’t not go, not with such a fishy driver under his nose. But now that he’s here, an outrageous idea crops up in his head, slowing his heartbeats with reassurance.

Levi knows he’s crazy for even considering it. And yet… He can’t allow the possibilities conjured by his imagination to unfold. The need to stop it tugs at him from his very core. He doesn’t know why, but the mounting sense of dread is the sole thing he feels.

Her death would be the best for Eldia—true. His orders command him to aid in her decease—also true. Nevertheless, isn’t neutralizing this global threat first the most sensible course of action? To let Hange work on this? She can always disappear later. It’s only that this very day isn’t the most suitable one. And he wouldn’t be disobeying orders, only delaying their following.

A voice in his head mutters, You can’t let her die. What if her brain has the answer to stop this?

That’s correct. All in all, the most reasonable thing to do is go to Marley with her. Yes, that’s it. He must go to Marley. Feels instantly better, having taken that decision. Levi doesn’t know if they’ll let him in—quite honestly, if he was in their position he wouldn’t. Neither does he know if it’s a good idea—it probably isn’t. Shit, he doesn’t even know how Erwin will react—not with a decrease in his salary, hopefully.

He knows nothing of that, but what of it? He’ll try anyway. Ackerman is known to be nothing but compromised to his missions, after all.

Having rationalized that, he only has to slip in. However, Marley is as protected as always, and without Erwin’s resources at his disposal, he can only achieve that via official ways.  

“I’ll go with you,” he ends up uttering, as if it was obvious.

Hange stares openly at him, disbelief leaking from her eyes. She nods after a while, her stagnant bewilderment never oscillating.

All the way, a sting bothers his nape whenever her attention drifts to him. Losing his composure back in the room wasn’t what he planned or should have let happen. It wasn’t the proper time to wheel out that subject, but he couldn’t help himself: resentment is hard to let go, more so when it’s rooted so deep in the soul.

She only had to admit the truth but lied instead, which nags him the most. Levi sucks a breath at the memory, a fraction of its heat returning to him. Why couldn’t she be honest, for once? Facts are facts, no matter what. Why was she so keen on the contrary?

Why am I mulling over this?

“Why do you want to come?” She breaks the tense air halfway to the airport. “Hundreds of paperwork and months of deliberation are needed to accept an eldian into Marley—even a harmless diplomat. You know that, don’t you?”

Truth be told, Levi’s never tried to set foot on Marley by legal means, so he didn’t.

“Another explosion took place. I thought Marley was head over heels for helping the WCO. This is an official investigation of which I’m part, so I definitely need to investigate the area with my own eyes.”

Her features scream incredulity, yet she doesn’t add anything else. She must believe he lost his mind—and she wouldn’t be mistaken. He’d be exposed there, surrounded by enemies, and an open target, too. His every muscle goes rigid.

Why didn’t he think this through?

Erwin will kill me. He squeezes the silky fabric of his seat. If they let him in, and if he comes back alive, Erwin will surely do it.

They go on the journey without incident, which he can’t conceive as something fortunate. No one bars him when he rushes off the van or as he gets into the airport. Obstruction does arise, though, when he’s about to board the private plane.

“You can’t go,” a massive, brown-haired guard snarled, pushing a hand against Levi’s chest. His severe eyes look down at him.

Levi opens his mouth to protest, but to his astonishment, Hange steps in.

Appearing every bit as commanding as any powerful leader, she inquires, “And why is that?” As if she didn’t know, rolls inside Levi’s head. The man grouses something about him being an uptight eldian. Hange’s bossiness remains in place as she demands, “I want to talk with your superiors after some calls.”

And just like that, she walks off with an ear on her phone, leaving Levi and the man stirring similarly in the middle of the boarding hall. Nearly an hour goes by, in which Levi scours the internet with the guard’s unwavering glare over him. It’s the ideal opportunity to back off for the sake of his safety. One he makes no move to take.

In any case, the second Hange tramps back with a wide smile over her lips, it’s already too late.

“Success! You’ve been granted special permission to visit Liberio as part of this investigation.”

Great. This is my end, Levi laments. While a part of him is relieved, the other is almost peeing himself, and he’s unsure of which one is more prominent.

What is he getting into? Is he insane? He’s venturing into the lion’s den without any protection, and he can’t make a retreat now. He could, but he won’t— didn’t decide to go for no reason. The mission requires him there. Besides, they wouldn’t undertake anything against him… would they? They’re in a momentary peace and he’s under the WCO umbrella.

If they do something to hurt me it could cause them an infinity of problems, he keeps reminding himself while taking a seat in the small plane, trying to appease the panic rushing through his veins. He sets his phone in airplane mode (brushing aside the multiple lost calls from Erwin), closes his eyes, and lays his head back on the comfy headrest.

“Why do you want to come, really?” Hange adjures next to him, inquisitive eyes reading his face. Her attention prickles his skin. He doesn’t open his eyes.

“To fulfill my duty.” For which she happens to be overly valuable, so keeping her alive for the time being it is. “Why did you help me?”

“I was intrigued. Why would someone as secretive as you willingly come to be scrutinized by hundreds of marleyan agents out in the open?” His brain cringes. Another angle he didn’t contemplate. She runs her fingers along the cushioned armrest between them. “Moreover, I pegged you as a smart man, which crashes with your recent resolution. Do you think you can get secret information by going there?”

If he thought it wasn’t such a terrible idea, she just confirmed it truly is. He clutches his bag against his chest. The worst part is that, initially, getting information didn’t pass his mind.

What’s wrong with him?

He doesn’t reply and soon her faint snores float to his ears.

A swift hardening against his arm makes his eyes flick open. Although Hange’s in a profound sleep, her body is rigid. A line is etched between her eyebrows and her breathing is agitated. What could she be dreaming about?

Could it be about him, trying to kill her again? Her frightened eyes after waking her up are ingrained in his eyelids, upsetting his stomach. He’s used to enduring this feeling, reminiscing the faces of those unfortunate enough to be cataloged as a danger to Eldia. Except, the peak of this sensation doesn’t surmount his travel back to his apartment, and never fazes him out of his worst nights.

This one he can’t escape. Escape her.

Out of the window, the clouds devour them in whiteness, a view that provides him peace amidst the panic. Levi might hate hotels, but never planes. The constant flying is actually his favorite part of this job. He enjoys imagining the wind on his cheeks with only the vastness of the sky before him. No enslaving schedules, no horrible missions, no guilt swallowing him whole. Pure blueness sweetened with a sense of freedom.

Little before landing, Hange awakes. Her demeanor transforms as if a switch had been turned. If he didn’t somehow know her, didn’t see her on a plane only days prior, he’d believe her to have aviophobia. A thin layer of sweat permeates her skin and she clings to the edges of her seat, so hard that he fears she’ll break some of the fabric.

“Are you about to barf?” He creates a shield with his bag after noticing her quite green cheeks. She limits to shake her head, but by the force with which she’s pressing her lips together, he suspects she is. He skids away from her, the most the seat lets him.

She doesn’t look any different on solid ground. With Liberio’s airport in ruins, Mike welcomes them in a private hall in Lago’s one. Lago is a small town that borders Liberio of which Levi had never heard anything. Hange affirms it’s “nice”—or leastways, that’s what she struggled to mutter when he asked about it.

Mike approaches them, looking like he hasn’t slept in a week and has been chewed up and spit out. To be gentle. The first thing he does is wrap his arms around Hange and bury his head in the crook of her neck.

“I’m sorry for making you come,” Mike mumbles. He doesn’t talk to Levi nor acknowledges his presence but for a wary glance over her shoulder.

Hange sniffs and rubs Mike’s back. “It’s alright. I wanted to.”

Levi stays back, surveying the area while keeping an eye on them. The place is identical to many others he’s been to before; comfy carpet, padded chairs at a side, and music to sleep from the speakers.

Mike lets out a long breath and detaches from her. Takes her bag from her shoulder and leads them to an old, brown sedan. Meanwhile, no one looks at Levi. No one checks his bags and neither stops him from inspecting his surroundings—and as Mike drives them to Liberio, Levi understands why.

There’s nothing to look at besides dry vegetation and mountains. Levi doesn’t open his mouth as more and more desert land stretches out from the polarized car windows.

They pass a sign reading Liberio, 18 Miles, and don’t turn in that direction. Levi jerks upright. Why are they taking alternative routes?

… Is it to elude his observation? To kill him without witnesses? No one addresses what just happened. Mike pads in inconsequential comments, and Hange…

Hange is acting weird.

From the back seat, he notices her unblinking gaze fixated on her lap. She’s crunching the car door, hands trembling and knuckles pale. What could be wrong with her? Maybe this is a trap and she feels guilty about it?

They drive over a secluded path circled by wood, and the shadow of the trees engulfs them in darkness. A perfect concealment for felonies. Levi’s soles plant firmly on the floor of the car.

Suddenly, the trees disappear and a sunny sky, followed by a worn-out pavement, receives them. His legs lower their tension as they go through streets lined with houses that seem too old to belong to Liberio, the enigmatic industrial city he’s heard so much about.

They reach their destination with an abrupt car brake. From the look of it, the WCO’s branch in Liberio is a classic white building. Meaning that, like most of the houses around, it’s ancient. The rough-walled structure is also small, with only two floors.

As Liberio isn’t Marley’s capital, Levi doesn’t speculate on the reasons. He gets out of the car and checks the possible hideouts around. After detecting them all, he indulges himself and takes a look at the impressive—if outdated—architecture.

He likes it. You can always tell when something is clean or not with white. It’s certain and solid. Authentic. Holds no second meanings nor trickery. Still and all, if someone asked him what his favorite color is, he’d say brown, for no particular reason. It has been it ever since he was a child.

“This way,” Mike guides them inside, clearly more familiar with this place than them.

The number of guards they walk past is excessive. Should he be flattered or worried? His ears pick up the sounds of Mike’s, Hange’s, and his own footsteps against the white granite. With each step, he makes sure the guards they’re leaving behind don’t add up.

Why didn’t they stop him if they were going to employ this much security supervising him? Why let him come in the first place? Hange’s influence and convincing skills couldn’t possibly be that mighty.

Under Erwin’s orders, Eldia would never let someone like, let’s say, Hange, into one of their most important cities (Rose or Sinna, for example). In the slim chance that they did, it would be by being forced by else than an analyst, even if the best one. When peace was still on the table, they used to go as far as covering the eyes and noses of the visiting marleyan ambassadors. Levi’s eyes and ears are wide open at the moment, and no one’s making a move to change that.

It’s natural to be guarded against the enemy and go to extremes to assure safety, Erwin used to claim at that time, and Levi agreed. Which only makes Marley’s attitude all the more outrageous.

His feet dip into the gray carpet of a boardroom on the second floor. It lacks windows or any sort of decoration on the walls. There’s no one here—no guards, inspectors, and neither visible cameras. Levi could easily take a risk and jump out of the window. How would they stop him? He’s faster than most, and from what he’s seen, this place’s technology isn’t that updated.

Could they be acting clueless because of the last attack, too busy licking the fresh wound to worry about a mere agent? Are they habitually this trusting? Or is this a complex plot to confuse him and eliminate him later? Levi avoids lingering much on the latter possibility, as most odds would be against him in such a scary scenario.

He internally groans in frustration, and pain spreads throughout his headwalls. Never before has he thought as much as he’s currently doing. He can’t figure them out, and so much compliance from them makes him feel like walking on thin glass.

Inside, the boardroom stinks damp. Several square tables form a hollow circle in the center. Hange sighs and sits on an old chair at the closest corner to the door. Mike across from her.

Something in her face makes him gravitate toward her. He’s unable to pinpoint what, exactly. From all the sides to choose, Levi settles beside her to further study her behavior. Her breathing is faint and irregular. Beads of sweat roll down her temples, even though the weather is freezing. In a familiar nervous habit, her leg bounces up and down below the table, again and again and again until getting into Levi’s nerves.

Are you okay? The question is on the tip of his tongue, but Mike is slumped in front of them, so he doesn’t. If the man—who, unlike Levi, is her friend—remains quiet, what right does he have to ask? Levi frowns, not wanting to let on how uneasy the sight of these two makes him feel.

Maybe getting information could dissipate his agitation. “Are we waiting for something?”

Before getting an answer, the door cracks open.

A man strides into the room.

Levi loses his breath.

This is the first time Levi sees that face, he’s confident. One hundred percent sure. Even so, he knows it. Perfectly well.

The man is tall with long blond hair. He wears a long brown jacket and hella strange glasses, eyes wet behind them. A name lands on Levi’s mouth with a rancid taste: Zeke Yeager. There’s no doubt in his mind, but how does he know it? Is his unconscious tricking him once more?

And why does his head roar with animosity in his mere presence?

“Zoe,” Zeke quakes, opening his arms in invitation.

Hange’s posture loosens. She lifts her head, unshed tears tainting her eyes, and runs to Zeke, who envelops her as her cries reverberate through the silent room. Levi clutches his bag over his lap. Zeke caresses Hange’s hair until her shaking subsides.

There’s something… bad with that man. Inherently rotten. The impulse to pull Hange away from that stupid beard which sight he can’t stand tugs at him. Obviously, he disregards it.  

But he can’t stop himself from staring at them. It’s suddenly clear what that “My…” that Hange said and later rectified meant. That beard… His stomach boils with something whose origins are untraceable, whose reason for existence he can’t grasp. Other than being yet another enemy, Zeke hasn’t done anything to be loathed, not personally. In spite of that, he inspires plain disgust in him. Levi finds himself thinking that if he’d been sent to kill him instead of Hange, that story would be much different.

Levi forces his eyes to break their stalking and darts his gaze to Mike, who is glowering at the pair.

“Zeke,” Mike unpleasantly squeaks. Levi raises his eyebrows. He expected camaraderie between them, much on the line of Mike’s relationship with Hange. But Mike’s tone can only be described as contemptuous.

Zeke separates from Hange. Offers her a chair at the head of the table, and when she takes it, he sits next to her. He doesn’t respond to Mike; alternatively, he squints at Levi.

“You must be… Ackerman?” Zeke strokes his ugly beard. Levi gives him a short nod. “I didn’t know you were a midget.”

Levi’s muscles flex under his shirt. The second he opens his mouth to bite back, Hange’s hazel eyes connect with his, round with plead. They somehow melt his drive, and he snaps his mouth shut—for now.

“Foolish to come, wasn’t it?” Zeke looks at Levi over the rims of his glasses. A beast looking down on lesser prey. “An idiocy, truly, revealing your face to all of us like this. There weren’t any pictures of you, and now we got thousands from all the cameras around.” Zeke smirks, hands gesturing to the room.

Hearing his blatant mistake from Zeke shoves him closer to an edge he didn’t know he possessed. Levi grunts through clenched teeth, “One of your best analysts already saw it, so what’s the point of hiding? Either way, I’ve never needed secrecy to knock down your asses one by one. You should be worried, with me knowing your city’s specifics.”

Zeke’s smirk doesn’t waver, but a blaze burns in his eyes. “Not really. It isn’t as if you’d be able to return anyway. And—”

“Stop.” Hange’s index fingers prod both sides of her head.

“Sorry, sweetie.”

Nausea swirls in Levi’s throat.

“Floch’s parents are arriving in no time,” Mike interjects. “And again, thanks for coming, Hans. Nana—” His throaty voice breaks. He swallows. “She’d have wanted you here.”

“And I,” Zeke adds, “wanted to be here for you.” He slings an arm over Hange’s shoulders.

Pretentious prick.

“Thanks.” Hange pastes a weak smile over her face.

Levi leans back on his seat, hands joined on his abdomen. Unable to tame his disgust for Zeke, he taunts, “You had pressing business, I heard? So urgent that helping the WCO was impossible.”

Hange’s glare drills him, but Levi doesn’t care. He can’t fathom what the bearded could be doing instead of helping the world. What if it’s something war-related? You can never trust a marleyan.

Zeke snorts. “I did, but don’t worry. I’m still working with Zoe on this. Remotely.”

“And of how much help have you been?” Levi crosses his arms. As far as he knows, the man’s only been listening to Hange’s reports over the phone, and with less constancy than Erwin.

“Much so. Oh, and I haven’t thanked you for the information on the Reeves boat infiltrating that bomb in Eldia. It has been helpful in so many ways.”

All color drains from Levi’s face. Coldness expands throughout him. The implication underneath… No, she didn’t. Hange wouldn’t use that against Eldia…

“Zeke,” Hange scolds and says nothing else, not even when Zeke blurts out a laugh.

Levi abruptly recalls those bright, red words over her photo. Dangerous. Right now, she looks the same as in the picture; her ponytail, her glasses, her face. She won’t look at him as she stares at her shoes.

Hange is indeed someone smart and deceptive. After smoothing him with a trivial conversation, she got him to reveal a secret, probably suspecting he’s not used to talking and feeling at ease around someone else. He knew she was like that, and still shared confidential information with her.

Damn stupid.

Raw hatred runs through his veins, his arms and legs, more at himself than at her. Deep down, Hange might have good intentions, who knows, but she’s still a marleyan, still an enemy who wouldn’t hesitate to betray him if it benefits her people.

He can’t trust her. Can’t let his guard shatter with her.

Not that I wanted to, he muses bitterly. He slaps himself for thinking, even for a second, that she was going to act with honesty. For believing the good words about her, for worrying enough to sneak here. What the hell happened to him? Did he lose his mind from the moment he started this mission to the second he decided to throw it all away for a chance of coming?

It was just this irrational need screaming from the depths of his mind, screaming that maybe she wasn’t so bad—that she was essential for the mission. Too great, and even too admirable to die just like that.

He’s tired of listening to that nonsensical voice.

Not anymore.

Mike reads something on his phone and stands up. “They’re here. We should get going.”

Levi jolts to his feet and follows Mike out. Hange trails behind him, but when she’s about to exit, Zeke grasps her arm and pulls her back.

“We have to catch up,” he tells her with a huskiness in his voice that Levi finds disgusting.

She hesitates, gaze switching between Zeke and Levi on the door. Levi tears his gaze from her, not caring what she does with her fucking time. It isn’t as if he came here for her or something—he did it for her safety, and he doubts anyone is going to attack her in such a closed and private room. At any rate, he has to gather all the information he can on his surroundings.

The door closes at Levi’s back and he marches to Mike, who glares at the room with a twist on his mouth.

“Nana would hate me for leaving them there,” Mike exhales. On their way downstairs, Mike continues with his mind in the boardroom. “But she’s an adult, isn’t she?”

Levi shrugs, unsure of why Mike is suddenly talking to him, and mostly about this subject. What does the man want, a confirmation of Hange’s age?

“Zeke seems… fond of her.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“And she…?” Levi trails off and winces. Why is he asking about her, someone he entirely hates? It’s none of his business.

Mike shakes his head. “Hange’s been in love with the same person forever, and still is. Probably will always be.”

Levi’s stomach flops.

… Okay. What a cryptic way to say she’s with Zeke. Levi heaves a breath and tells himself how unimportant it is that Hange’s such an idiot for being with someone so blatantly disgusting. It doesn’t matter at all. If only, it provides him with more information to wield against her. His limited brain can’t think of how they could benefit from this knowledge, but surely Erwin will have a use for it.

The first floor is brimming with unknown people, which rattles him. Too many voices rise to riotous noise and bodies huddle, between stinky sweat and sticky skin. Levi’s glad when, instead of lingering in the hall, Mike keeps moving toward the front door. He stumbles outside, the air against his face a welcome respite from the heat inside the building.

Identical constructions tower the street, and bunches of people enter the WCO office dressed in white, the color of mourning for marleyans. Mike leans into a parked blue car and lights a cigarette, releasing the grayish cloud of smoke into the luminous sky.

“Floch family can find their way by themselves, don’t you think?” Mike signals the cigarette. “I ‘d left it, but…”

Levi tugs uncomfortably at his shirt collar. What is he supposed to say? The silence between them grows to the point where Levi feels he should cut it. He doesn’t know Mike, but… The man recently suffered a great loss. The least he can do is say something.

“I’m sorry for… Nanaba.”

Mike winces at her name. Levi crashes his mouth closed. Thinking about it, he rather enjoys the silence.

Barely used as it is, Mike tosses the cigarette to the ground and slams it with his foot. “She was… incredible. More than that. I can’t believe she’s… I’ll make the ones behind this pay,” Mike declares. Observing Mike’s resolved expression, great respect flares inside of him.

“It must feel unbearable,” Levi says, not quite knowing why he’s prompting a conversation. Having experienced personal loss, Levi comprehends how nothing looks colorful afterward. How much you wish you’d done something different only to see another outcome. One where they’d still be here.

“It is. But still… It’s strange.” Mike’s voice sounds croaky as he rubs his chest. “I miss her so much that it hurts. At the same time, I’m calm. At least I know that, from the moment we got together, we both made the best of the time we got and never let a minute go to waste, so… I have no regrets. I just wish we could have gotten more time.”

No regrets. Levi can see how that could bring some sort of peace, dissatisfaction erased from the equation.

When looking back at the memories of people who are no longer, one often thinks ‘I wish I had done this’, ‘I should have told them this’, ‘I should have enjoyed it more’. But in the end it’s impossible to go back, and such thoughts only serve to further lacerate the heart. If when that person is still around you value every second with them to the fullest… Could things be easier in the aftermath, as Mike says?

Levi wonders if that kind of thing is possible for someone like him. What would it be like, to live without regretting every step he takes? Without the constant guilt that rears up behind his head daily?

He sees the answer before the question materializes.

No.

That could never be him. Levi carries too many unforgivable sins. Above them all, he remembers screams, cries, and loving eyes. A wheezy voice muttering ‘Levi… please…’, and between his arms, a cold body that suddenly goes lax. Inert.

He closes his eyes until the painful memory fades. That moment hunts him, as he’s the one who caused it by daring to give his back to his people, to turn down his responsibility. Allowed himself to be selfish. If only he’d been there, if he hadn’t—

Mike draws a swift breath in, halting Levi’s inner turmoil. “What are you doing here?”

Startled by the sudden question, Levi takes a step back, shoes screeching against the asphalt. It takes him a moment to realize he isn’t surrounded by smoke and wails.

“My job.”

“Are you an examiner? What help are you here, but for putting yourself in danger?” Mike strokes his sparse beard. “Nana said you saved Hange’s life more than once. Thanks for that. “

“That’s also part of my job.”

“Is it?” Mike’s brows furrow. Then they abruptly rise, as if in surprise. Levi stirs; what’s in this big man’s head? “Hange doesn’t deserve to get tricked nor hurt.”

Why is he telling me this? By any means, Levi differs. If she tricks and hurts, surely she deserves it in return.

“She’s the vicious marleyan here, not me.”

“Blah, what a stupid saying.” Mike waves a dismissive hand. “How are you finding Marley?”

“Old.”

“Yeah, most of it looks like this. Some places are more degenerated,” Mike reveals. Disconcert assaults Levi. What does he mean with ‘most of it’? This place looks like a precarious survivor, and it’s Liberio. It would make sense if it was a recently attacked location, as in years ago when bombs used to fall every night in both Eldia and Marley. Now the conflict is less explosive, so why hasn’t it been properly rebuilt? Mike extends his arms. “The many factories around are the ones most cared for. But it’s beautiful nonetheless, isn’t it?” A sarcastic laugh escapes him. His examining eyes turn to Levi, his complete focus on him before speaking. “Hange was born here.”

Oh. Levi wants to ask more, like about her abnormal behavior the entire way here. Though, something in Mike’s eyes tells him that, for some reason, he’s expecting those questions. Levi grits his teeth to hold them inside. This is also none of his business, and he isn’t interested in the answers. At all.

Children skip past him in the middle of a game unknown to Levi. One of them, the smallest, stops in front of Levi and looks him over from head to foot.

“Who are you?” The dark-haired boy asks, pushing his thick-framed glasses up his hooked nose.

Levi replies without thinking, “Levi.” Proceeds to survey around to check if anyone heard his real name. Mike seems entertained by something on his phone.

The boy licks a cherry lollipop. “You’re a child.”

“No.” Levi wrinkles his nose.

“Then how old are you?”

Do marleyans use children to extract information, or what? In his understanding, the WCO prohibited child soldiers some years ago. Although not many. Levi can still summon a time when his childhood-self stood in front of his mother, chest puffed out in his new uniform.

That day, his mother was basking in his new attire. “Now that you’re going, you’ll be of so much help, I’m sure.” Tears overtook her and she wiped them with the hem of her apron. “You always have to be a good kid and do your duty, yes?”

Levi exhales the memory. Why is the past so strong in this place?

The boy remains in front of him, waiting for an answer.

“Very old.”

“Then why are you so short?”

Levi’s lips press into a white slash. Fucking brat. “I’m taller than you, right?”

The boy nods as if that answer was proof enough of his oldness. He outstretches his hand and offers the lollipop to Levi. “Want?”

“No.” Levi makes a face. The boy’s fingers are sticky and grimy, not to mention he’s already spread his drool everywhere. Not in a million years.

The boy’s face twitches. Threatened with tears, Levi snatches the lollipop from him. “Thank you,” he blurts out, moves his hand as if he was licking the candy, and returns it.

The boy retakes it with a smile and points in the direction where the other kids left. “Do you wanna play?”

“… Maybe later.”

The boy dedicates him a smile and runs away, licking the sweet.

“I didn’t know you were good with children.”

Levi leaps and turns on his heel to face an amused Hange. How long has she been standing there? He needs to raise his guard, even more considering where he currently is. He doesn’t miss her appearance. Her lips are a little swollen and reddish. Her disheveled hair is messier and the neck of her blouse unbuttoned.

He averts his gaze. “I am good at all kinds of things.”

Hange’s eyes widen. Instantly, Levi realizes the low tone in which he talked, and the possible double interpretation of it. It’s not something he usually worries about, but...

All but laughing, Mike says, “Oh, I’m sure. The best agent in the world must have a lot of hidden skills.”

“Doesn’t it bother you they’re marleyan kids?” Hange asks.

Levi rakes his fingers through his hair. This feels like a question with more weight than he can identify. He chooses frankness. “They’re just kids. Innocent.”

The image of a girl with oversized glasses and disheveled brown hair materializes in his head. Hange must have been a little girl once, right? Was she as innocent as that child? Did she have troubles? The need to know more overwhelms him.

Curiosity has never been a problem with him. He tends to be fine with whatever information he gets. Even when Erwin doesn’t tell him everything about a mission, he never complains. Still… he wishes to understand her. He can admit it now: he’s curious. The contradictions she’s displayed are an ever-constant hum in the back of his mind. She’s weird and keeps being unpredictable.

A deeper insight on her inner workings could make this easier for him. Could let him finally see her for the terrible person that she must be hiding within. Despite that, he doesn’t need learning her entire life story to do that. So, why does he want to know it so badly?

Her face breaks into a smile. “At least you know that.”

All of a sudden, she kneels on the floor, nose almost touching the ground.

As said above: Contradicting. Weird. Unpredictable.

Hange Zoe in a nutshell.

#levihan #levi x hange #levi x hanji #levihan fanfiction #hange zoe #levi ackerman #aot fanfiction #aot #snk #mine #myfics #OTNOD #multichapter

[lady-eny]

Title: On the Nature of Duty (4/?)

Cross-posting on: AO3

Some tags: AU - Spies & Secret Agents, Enemies to Lovers, Action, Minor Mikenana, Minor Zekehan, Minor Character Death, Reincarnation AU

Summary:

When Levi, Eldia’s best agent, is sent to kill the marleyan star analyst Hange Zoe, he doesn’t expect what awaits him.

Forced to team up with his enemies to save the world, he soon starts losing sight of his duty. Despite reminding himself how much he hates her, being around Hange makes him question everything he thought was true.

Levi can’t prevent his brain from scrambling at her mere presence, ever closer…

Perhaps it’s that he knows her from a long time ago…

Other Chapters: 1 2 3 5 6 7  8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Notes: Thank you so much for reading! Coming next... As teammates Hange and Levi have to share a room... And the Ripper might finally make an appearance✨Feedback and constructive criticism are very much welcome!!

Chapter 4:

He paced around the room, the antiseptic smell of the Medical Wing carrying only anguish-loaded flashbacks to his heart. Why did they have to come back here so constantly?

And why was he always the one left behind, waiting for a diagnosis?

The doctor came out shaking his head. “It can’t be healed. The eye is too damaged for any recovery.”

Acting nonchalant, he nodded, but when the man left, his body fell limp in a chair. After everything they’d just lost, this should have been unimportant, but… He recalled those precious hazel eyes, their profundity, their openness. Suddenly, half of them were unceremoniously gone.

He could never stay still when she was about to get hurt, yet somehow, he was also never around or in time when it mattered the most.

***

 D-9

Moblit would have filled the silence. Exchanged some laughs with Hange, and perhaps even offered him some tea. Yet the room is quiet and thick with his absence, the hum of the air conditioner becoming nothing by its constancy.

They’ve been sitting in this plain-colored WCO boardroom for hours, waiting for the others. This was the closest meeting point for both teams, which doesn’t mean they were close at all; thus, the waiting has stretched out. The supposedly comfortable chair around the rectangular table has his butt numb. No word has been spoken, and no movement has been made as Hange and Levi linger on their respective table corner, across from each other.

Levi scrolls down on his cellphone. According to social media, in the last hours people aren’t less panicked, yet some intriguing theories have surfaced. He’s been reading them all for the possibility of one of them nailing something and offering clues, but his luck isn’t cooperating.

He reads, ‘I’m sure the WCO is behind this in an attempt to give an advantage to Eldia. All their talk about hating them is rubbish!’, and then, ‘Marley did this to get revenge on all of us!’, before stopping. He massages the bridge of his nose, fatigue and frustration and something else he won’t name, as it could send him to a very dark place, clamp his body and leave him too weakened to fight back. He feels so drained.

The darkest clouds, the ones that were looming over their heads when the building exploded, dissipated quickly afterward. Even so, the first thing Hange did when they arrived was close the black curtains, so only the green lighting from the ceiling allows them to see. Yet the grayish light from the sky filters through a crack in the large windows in front of her, shining on the rim of her glasses and forehead.

Vacantly, she’s been staring down at her hands for hours now, arms enveloped around her bag. Levi observes her, unwanted recollections and feelings drowning him out—like Hange’s tears in front of the burning building, Moblit’s kind tone when speaking with him, and the fictional face of the businessman’s daughter from the day before yesterday.

He’s aware of the pain he causes for his country. Even when it’s necessary for Eldia and his responsibility as the fittest among his people, it doesn’t go unnoticed how he’s never a witness to the disaster he leaves behind—doesn’t think he’d survive it if he did. Looking at Hange, he imagines this is how they must look, every widow and orphan and all those people who lost a brother or a friend by his hands.

Although Levi convinces himself that they’re monsters, bad people for harming Eldia… aren’t they human still? Humans with feelings and sins and heartache. At the end of the day, Moblit was also an enemy. And Levi can’t trick his mind into thinking that he was anything but good.

Hange’s shoulders slowly rise and fall in tired breaths.

Even a marleyan can suffer, he realizes. Naturally, he knew so—it’s not like he expected them to develop wings in their teenage years and breathe fire. Still, never before did he pause to think of them this way. They were always those devils who hurt his people, and hence unworthy of any compassion.

Now, Levi wishes he could do something to help her—which he could have, hadn’t he failed. The knowledge tightens his throat and aches it. He’s one of the best agents in the world, and such a title carries weight. Levi has no doubt that he was the most experienced and capable person in that building—and yet, he didn’t foresee that bomb. He wasn’t fast enough.

Therefore, Moblit’s death falls on him.

The cold breeze from the air conditioner slides over his overly sensitive skin, freezing him as the last hours replay and replay in his head, again and again and again. The heartbeats in which he petrified could have helped. Not even that; the mere millisecond he sensed that something was amiss, he should have gotten them the hell out of there.

Levi darts glances at Hange, the knot of guilt climbing up his throat. He isn’t blind. The relationships between some members of this team aren’t like those he’s familiar with. They seem like friends—no, he’s actually certain: there’s affection between them. Moblit was Hange’s genuine friend, not just an acquaintance, which must make this worse for her than whatever he’s going through.

How to dim that idled expression on her face?

“Do you want some tea?” He asks her, finally too distressed by the never-ending silence and her empty eyes. He might hate her guts, but the view is disturbing—more so as it’s his fault. He just can’t remain still anymore, so he moves to a corner to prepare one of his favorite beverages.

She doesn’t lift her head, her bangs working as a veil over her face. “No.”

If she heard him, if she replied, she mustn’t be that bad, yes?

The door slams open, and Nanaba walks in. Hange shakes out from her mind, sadness replacing emptiness in a not-so-great improvement.

“Zoe.” Nanaba extends her arms and Hange sinks into them, her faint sobs resonating louder by the room’s silence. Levi stirs, hands itching to do something, anything, but what could he do?

“What did they say?” Levi dares to ask for that little speck of hope. “Did they… confirm it?”

Mike nods before wrapping his arms around both Hange and Nanaba. Levi deposits his tea on the table and sags on his chair.

Hope, as always, was useless. And also as always, after fading, it enjoys leaving you in a worse state than you were in. He’d never admit how much of that stupid feeling he harbored before Mike’s confirmation.

After running away from the collapsed building, Hange and he returned to the hotel and stuffed their baggage. With only one night there, it merely took them a few minutes. He got a quick shower to erase the soot and the debris—but mainly to avoid her—and when he got out, Hange was collecting Moblit’s stuff with trembling hands. She then took a shower, fished out a new pair of glasses, and made some calls, all without breaking the reigning sepulchral silence between them, one that prevailed until he asked her about the tea.

At least, sounds are currently coming out from her, even if distressing ones.

“It’s what he gets for hanging out with those stinkers,” Floch howls with his mouth twisted, promenading into the boardroom.

Besides Nanaba, Hange stiffens, a deep flush working up from the neck of her shirt to the edge of her hairline. She stomps to Floch, arms quivering at her sides. Clenches her fist and punches him in the face, effectively expunging his smirk. Floch falls back to the floor, clutching his bloody nose between moans.

Mike steps in front of the pair and orders, “Chill.”

“Yes, don’t do this now,” Nanaba pleads, stroking her forehead.

Levi nears them, a flash of satisfaction curling around him at the sound of Floch’s cries. He doesn’t show it, though—Floch remains a friend of Eldia, above all. The man is technically his alley, which doesn’t signify that Levi has to like him, or that the red-headed is any less of an asshole. Honestly, he deserved it. If only a little bit.

“Fucking bitch!” Floch growls. “Do something!” He yells at them, but everyone ignores him—Levi included. Floch charges at Hange, but Levi refrains him by pulling the back of his shirt collar.

“We don’t have time for this,” Levi censures and releases him.

Floch reincorporates and adjusts the collar of his shirt. “The only reason I don’t hit you right now is that I have better things to—”

“Yeah, sure.” Hange shrugs and takes a seat between Nanaba and Mike. With elbows on her knees, she buries her face in her hands, looking beaten. Levi can empathize—he feels like he jumped out of a plane into some mountains with a broken parachute. He’d know it, since he already experienced that in his own flesh.

As everyone has sat down, Levi does the same, this time in front of the trio of friends. Like Hange, Nanaba and Mike look exhausted. And Floch… he doesn’t care about Floch.

“Moblit will be missed.” Mike wipes his nose. “He was so young…”

“Remember when, on that bar, he drank barely two shots and fell dead, face on the table?” Nanaba throws out a laugh, but it sounds humorless.

They really are friends. Levi doesn’t know why the notion keeps surprising him.

“I told him I was going to teach him how to drink and never got to do it…” Hange mutters in a flat voice.

Nanaba makes an apologetic face, as if regretting reminding Hange of that moment.

From the other side of the room, Floch cuts in, “Hey! We have a job to do, remember?” He’s rolling back and forth in a chair, the tissue in his nose almost completely red with blood.

“As much as I hate to say it, he’s right.” Nanaba sighs. “We talked about it on the way here: we think this bomb was planned well in advance. How did they know you were going to go there and how did they go past our vigilance to place it, we don’t know yet, but our people are working on it. For our part, we’ve reduced the most likely locations for the next attack and have teams searching for bombs and increasing security in tourist places. Is there news about that Ripper man?” She turns to Levi, who sits more upright at the sudden attention.

“Not yet.”

Nanaba’s face falls in disappointment. “We are not progressing as fast as we should. I… I also have other news…” She whispers something to Mike’s ear. He nods and she returns her face to them, outstretching her hands. “So… we found Arlert,” Nanaba blurts out, her accent turning more prominent out of nowhere. She gives sneaky glances at Hange.

It was fucking time, Levi thinks. “What took him so damn long?”

“Is he alright?” Hange bites her lip. “When will he come?”

“… He won’t,” Nanaba reports, avoiding her gaze.

“But this is important. He’d never—” Hange’s voice catches as realization dawns on her. It hits Levi at the same time. Armin Arlert is a humanitarian, always advocating for human rights, world peace, and stuff like that. If he won’t come to something like this, it could only mean that…

“When did he die?” Levi inquires.

“What are you talking about? He can’t…” Hange shakes her head. To contain more tears, she presses her palms on her eyes, glasses up. The view brings a memory into focus, but it slips away before Levi can pay it any attention. She drops her hands and takes a stabilizer breath in. “Nana?”

Nanaba lowers her head. “He’s… dead.”

Hange’s gaze clouds. She said she knew him, didn’t she?

It must be hard for her, enduring so much bad news at once.

“How…?”

“We were in contact with his family, looking for him. His wife said he left the house yesterday morning to meet us, but no one knew about him until some hours ago, when his body was found floating on a river near his home.” Nanaba pauses to let the news settle. “His wife… she claims to possess vital information for us, but will only reveal it in person.”

“It might be a trap,” Levi gauges. With the last explosion, he can’t help feeling that they’ve been too careless. That whoever is doing this is always one step ahead of them, which they can’t allow to continue.

“I think so, too. But with the little we know, we can’t lose any opportunity. Frieda is beginning to worry, and if Armin’s wife—widow—truly has something important to share… She requested you to go,” Nanaba tells Hange. “She said Armin trusted you.”

“It makes sense. We worked together more than once, so he did trust me. Besides, I was going to volunteer to go anyway.” Hange flexes her jaw. “I’m going to find whoever is doing this, and I’ll make them pay.”

Mike pats her hand. “Cold mind, Hans.”

“I want to go, too.” Levi raises his hand uncertainly. Lowers it right away, feeling quite self-conscious. Raising your hand like in class is not something usually done in this environment.

Hange squints at him. “I’d feel safer going without him.”

And he’d be in a much better mood. Nevertheless… he keeps remembering the bomb, the run, Moblit… If he’s something, it is loyal to his missions, and his current one is to work with these people—to find and destroy the bastards behind this. His team is his responsibility, one to which he’s already failed once. He won’t do it again.

Plus, he still has to learn about Marley’s plans, as unlikely as it is to get something from her.

“We remain a team and we work well,” he says, hoping not to give away how responsible he feels for failing Moblit, along with his not-so-honest intentions.

Skepticism radiates from her stare. “Hmm…”

“We keep going like this, then.” Nanaba stands and hugs Hange. “Take care.” She departs from the room, Mike and Floch close behind. After a second, her blond head peeks out from the door. “Ackerman. A word?”

Levi’s eyes narrow in confusion. What could Nanaba want to tell him? He hasn’t done anything out of the line, unless she knows about Erwin’s secret orders… yikes. He stands and exits the boardroom, leaving an equally confused Hange behind.

Nanaba is waiting for him in the doorway. Her chin gestures to another room, which he enters, cautious. She takes a seat at the head of a long table and surveys him from head to toe.

“So, Ackerman. I know you tried to kill Zoe.” She places an elbow on the table, fingers supporting her cheek. “Do you have something to say about that?”

“I had orders, I followed them.” His muscles relax a little by her words. She doesn’t seem to be aware of anything else. Forget marleyans, his imagination is his real worst enemy.

“I never heard of you failing a mission before,” she states. Thanks for the reminder. “However, that’s not why you’re here. I hope you behave, but in truth I wanted to… thank you. Hange informed me what happened. I heard you saved her.”

Levi shoves his hands into his pockets, his position getting uncomfortable. “It was just my duty as a part of this team.”

Nanaba’s index finger dips her temple, as if considering her next words. “Did you know that Mike and I are a couple?”

He almost rolls his eyes. As if they were any subtle. “No.”

“Well, we are. The beginning wasn’t easy. I’m from Krolva, you see, and he’s from Karaness. Neutral lands both, but with a conflicted relationship—not as Marley and Eldia’s, but… not friends still.” Why is she telling him such an uninteresting story? He taps and taps a finger on his thigh.

“I used to hate him, but when I got to know him, I discovered the fantastic person hidden within.” Oh, no. He can see where this is going and internally groans. “I know that you see Zoe as if she was the devil in person—don’t make that face, I’m just trying to tell you that… I know working with a marleyan is difficult for you. Not to criticize, but eldians aren’t raised as the most open people.”

Levi feels the need to defend his land. “Neither do marleyans.”

“No, you’re right. But not all eldians and marleyans are the same, are they? You don’t seem so bad yourself. When you look past labels and nationalities, you begin to see the people behind the names, and even if you still hate them, you can understand how you’re not so different. It’s just a bit of advice; we have to make this work, and I believe you’d work better if you don’t think the person next to you is a monster who will stab your back at the first chance. And for your peace of mind, I assure you that Zoe is not like that.” Nanaba meets his eyes to say, “She’s good.”

He tears his gaze away from her. What’s the compulsion of all these people to call Hange “good”? Is it because marleyans often get called vicious? Moblit also tried to tell him something along these lines before Levi changed the subject. He doesn’t give a shit if Hange Zoe is a saint or the wickedest demon in the world. He only wants to finish this job and return to his peaceful life. If to do so he has to tolerate her… so be it. It’ll be just for a few days, anyway.

Nanaba insists, “So, please, do your best in this mission and work well with her.”

Levi clicks his tongue. “If you’re so worried about us as a team, why don’t you go with her instead? I can work with Floch and Mike.”

“It might be nothing but…” She seems to struggle to find the right words. “… something weird is happening. Hange has suffered too much these last days, and after Moblit… You’re the best agent in the world, and you already saved her once. If another situation like the last one arises… I trust that you’ll be up to the task.”

His brain stops working for a moment. Is she… sending him as protection? He never expected her to say such a thing—as if Hange was safer with him around than not, even after trying to kill her.

What a day.

But… she has a point. It is weird, now that he ponders; the museum, the building…

“I’m glad we agree.” Nanaba rises. “I wish you luck.”

He returns to the boardroom to find Hange on the same spot. She jerks her head up when he sits in front of her.

“What did Nana say?” Fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, she looks anxious. What does she think Nanaba told him to have her this nervous?

Now that they’re alone, an imbroglio of feelings sits heavily between them—and none of them are positive.

Levi plays with his earlobe. “She thanked me for saving you,” he says. Half-truth. He doesn’t contemplate why he’s withholding the real reason from her.

Her posture loosens. “Ahh… right. About that… thanks. And sorry for… Back then I was a little emotional, but it’s true that they knew we were going way ahead of your call. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.” Her breathing accelerates along with her words. “But everything was strange and I didn’t think I could trust you and you aren’t the easiest person to work with.”

He lets out a long breath. He gets it; he doesn’t trust her either, and she’s quite loud, and his body sometimes reacts strangely around her, and overall, she’s hard to figure out. If he was in the same situation as she was, he probably would have reacted as she did.

They do need to work together to solve this shit, though. In all the seminars Erwin made him attend, teamwork was listed as necessary for success. And no matter what, this mission has to succeed, for no more people to die randomly. She still sucks, but… this mustn’t be easy for her as well. He did try to kill her, and many of her friends are dead… Marleyan or not, she’s a person in not the best of places. He can tame his hate and give her a pass while on this mission.

Just for a little while.

With that decided, his chest feels lighter. He takes a cleansing breath in and says, “Sorry about Moblit, you were his friend…” He scratches his cheek as his mind races in search of the correct words—always a problem with him. “He was a good person, and… it’s my fault. I should have gotten both of you out of there before. And just in case, I’ll check my line for infiltrations.”

“Oh.” With eyes wide and mouth open, she seems overly stunned. Does he look like a jerk incapable of apologizing, or what? “I… thanks. I never thought you were capable of saying that. To me, at least, haha. I’ll… I’ll try to discover how they got the bomb into the building when our people were watching.”

“Those pigs must have been more familiar with the land.” And/Or we have a traitor in our ranks.

Hange puts her glasses up to cover her eyes with her hands. “Could be.”

“What now?”

“We move forward, it’s not like we have any other choice. And I was… you weren’t the faulty one. The people who placed the bomb in the first place are.” She gives him a smile—an authentic one. A gleam sparks in the depths of her hazel eyes, her skin looking brighter, all of a sudden.

He shifts in his seat at the sight of it. Crosses one leg over the other and leans back. “So, Marley is the faulty one?” He drops without thinking. Instantly, his eyes close in regret.

Goodbye to the cordial interactions.

Her smile disappears. Stilted, she argues, “Still with that? You’re such a… such a typical eldian, swallowing every garbage that’s in plain sight without question! Marley is innocent. I would know.”

Levi’s heart pounds in his ears at the insult. Swallowing…? Pff. A marleyan, she had to be. “Everyone says you’re ‘good’. If you were, why would you work with Marley?”

She lifts her chin. “It’s my homeland.”

“And a killers’ land.”

Hange jumps to her feet and he tenses, expecting an attack. But she just picks up her bag. “You know, we better agree to disagree or we’ll never get going.”

“Fine.” He reaches for his bag, too.

“Fine!”

So childish, he grumbles to himself as they stride off.

  ***

  Hange Zoe is driving him nuts—she keeps bouncing and bouncing her leg up and down on the way to the Arlerts’ home; the closer the car gets, the faster it moves. Not even his headphones can distract him from the constant movement in the corner of his eye. He has the impulse to place a hand on her knee to stop her, but of course, he doesn’t. When they stop before the house, she rubs her sticky hands together.

Why is she so damn nervous?

“We’re here,” he announces, in case the car’s sudden motionlessness wasn’t clue enough. The silence stretches without another word. He won’t ask her if she’s fine—exhales heavily to contain the words within, which are fighting their way up his throat, his tongue… this is too uncomfortable to bear. “Are you—”

“I’m not good with this kind of stuff,” she throws out. Her hands gesture as she explains, “Grieving people. I end up crying or being too insensitive.”

“It’s… fine,” he says, not knowing what else to reply, because he’s the same.

Levi evaluates her, from the fingerprint smudges on the lower edge of her glasses and her hair tied back as usual, to her eyes saturated with uneasiness. How will she behave? Most of the time, he’s perceived as insensitive by those who don’t know him well enough. He hopes Arlert’s widow won’t meet two stoic and harsh people shooting questions about her late husband.

Uh.

They exit the car. From the outside, Arlert’s house looks good. Not what he’d have gone with, but good still. It’s modern, and yet… with contrasting decoration. The lower edge of the facade is made up of a section of bricks, and the wooden door sports a circle of glass blocks in its center shining with faint colors—blue, green, purple—that provide a mystical touch. More so in conjunction with the astral figures carved into the window sills, as well as the talismans hanging from the protruding eaves.

Hange’s eyes turn watery at the view. “I forgot how much of a pseudo-science’s fan Armin is—used to be.”

Then, it’s her emotional self for today? She pulls at her dark jacket’s lapels to rearrange it, takes a deep breath, and knocks on the door.

A tall, blonde woman with penetrating blue eyes shows up on the threshold—a wave of dizziness washes over Levi. Her face… he’s seen it before. He does a double-take, but no matter how much he watches her, he can’t shake that sensation. From where does he know her, though? He can swear he’d never met her before.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Arlert?”

“Mrs. Leonhart,” the woman corrects with a smooth accent. “But yes, Armin’s wif—widow. Call me Annie. You must be the WCO people.”

“We’re agents Ackerman and Zoe,” Hange shows her a WCO card. Why didn’t he get one of these? “I think someone told you we were coming?”

Annie peeks out the door and examines the empty road with suspicion, like trying to spot trouble in the distance. She seems to detect none.

“Yes, come in,” Annie urges, motioning for them to move on.

Mrs. Leonhart isn’t the prototype of a suffering widow as far as first glances go. She’s wearing a yellow dress and has her hair up in a ponytail. The only signs of grief are the thin but abundant red veins in her eyes. Otherwise, she’s as expressionless and unreadable as Levi—a complete achievement, if he can say.

She settles them in the living room. A large blue padded sofa crosses it, and Hange sits at one end and Levi at the other. Annie takes a chair across from them, a table overflowing with paperwork between them. Levi isn’t surprised to catch sight of more of the talismans from outside here, along with many figures and candles on the shelves. Nor to find a complete lack of anything technological. In fact, the whole place has a faint smell of incense that doesn’t bother him. It feels rather cozy.

Maybe he should implement some changes to his apartment, so it could stop feeling so...

In a flash, an image of Mrs. Leonhart with a man, also with blond hair and blue eyes, bursts into Levi’s mind. Although alike, the man is different from her; while hers freezes, his gaze is warm and somewhat sad.

His mind staggers in panic. Who is that man? Why does he look so vivid in my head?

What is happening to me?

Maybe he’s going nuts for real.

Hange clears her throat, pulling him out of his spiraling mind.

“Mrs. Leonhart—Annie, we’re deeply sorry for your loss,” Hange’s voice quivers, and he can see the tears welling in her eyes. Yes, definitely her emotional self. Well, at least she isn’t being rude. “I met Armin and he was—”

The woman cuts her. “You’re here for the papers?��

“Which papers?” Hange’s gaze fastens to him, tears all forgotten. He’s as puzzled as she is. Which papers, indeed.

The blonde ignores the question, which makes him instantly dislike her. It must have shown on his face, because Hange steps on his foot. ‘Be nice,’ she mouths at him. He answers with a scowl.

“Merde.” Annie searches through some papers until collecting a stack. She jogs them and hands them to Hange. “Armin gathered them after his kidnapping.”

Hange’s mouth parts. “Excuse me, Mrs. Leonhart. Did you say… kidnapping?”

“Annie. And I did. It happened the day of the attacks,” Annie sighs, as if bored already. Levi tightens his gaze at her; yes, he absolutely dislikes her. “He was taken after one of his college’s conferences and rendered unconscious. He told me he woke up flying—knew so by the sound, and he theorized that he was in a helicopter. At that moment he heard voices, but didn’t understand the language.”

“But did he, later? What was it?” Levi leans in, eager for more information. Kidnappings… that’s new. What else do they ignore?

“Later, yes. He stayed quiet—whatever they used to drug him wore off before the expected, or at least that’s what he thought, as they never checked if he was awake. When they carried him out of there, he escaped. That’s when he discovered that the language was that of Hizuru, and that he was in Hizuru.”

“Hizuru is a couple of hours from here, right?” Hange rubs her chin.

Levi nods. As one of Eldia’s biggest allies, he spent many of his childhood summers surfing on Hizuru’s beaches. His mother used to… He clears his mind of such memories and focuses on the matter at hand.

Annie continues, “Only when he came back did he discover that the airport he ran away from exploded minutes later, and that two of his colleagues died there. He looked for other names,” Annie slides a sheet of paper across the table. “They’re all here. He said someone tried to kill the brightest minds on earth—and that whoever is behind this, did it for fear of being discovered and defeated, or—”

“Or is just a megalomaniac who wants to be the smartest person alive,” Hange completes, her expression made of stone. She takes the paper with the names.

“That’s pretty much what Armin said.” Annie’s shoulders hunch, and for the first time, Levi sees the effort she’s been making to keep herself up. Maybe he shouldn’t judge her so severely in times like these.

“What do you know of his murder?” Levi asks, a frown notched between his brows. Brainy people, Hizuru, kidnappings… it’s revealing information, but how does that help them to find the criminals? It just piles up as more evidence pointing that they’re insane.

Annie swallows, and her words comes out brittle as she says, “H—He left worried. He said they wouldn’t give up and that they’d try to kill him again because they failed the first time. I—” Her voice breaks. “I think he couldn’t get away the second time.”

It aligns with what they know. Arlert’s body was found floating down a nearby river channel. He really didn’t get away for long. Hange’s eyes pass over the names on the list, face darkening more and more. Suddenly, her gaze lags, and her posture stiffens.

“What is it?” He scoots closer, trying to get a better view of the paper.

She says nothing, stare glued on the paper. Levi snatches it from her hand and reads; the list contains hundreds of names that give him not a hint of what’s wrong. He keeps going through it until he spots it.

Hange Zoe.

He turns lightheaded, coldness spreading through his body. He almost slaps his forehead—how didn’t he make the connection before? It’s so obvious, now that he has the answer. Nanaba said it herself, something weird has been happening around Hange… The museum where the bomb exploded, the building… Like with Arlert, they are trying to kill her. And in an attempt to do so, Moblit…

Hange takes a trembling breath in. With sluggish words, she mutters, “Maybe I was the target earlier, and Moblit… they’re still trying to kill me. That must be it.”

Levi clutches the paper. That explains a lot; the trap was prepared well in advance, after all. And truth be told, she walked straight to it and only survived thanks to him. How ironic, that she’s alive because of him—not only once, but twice. If he hadn’t been following her to the museum, she would have gotten in.

Without him, she’d be already dead.

The knowledge has him looking at her in a new light. Her mournful eyes and fidgeting hands are so full of life, that it feels wrong to imagine her any less active and expressive, just as a corpse would be.

His hand reaches out to his pants pocket. He feels the angles of his phone on his palm, reminding him that whether it appears right or wrong, it’s better for Eldia if she disappears from the map.

“All of these names are dead?” Levi asks.

“According to my husband’s research, only him and Hange Zoe remained alive.”

He winces. Are all of the efforts from those faceless enemies focusing on eliminating only her, now? Levi rubs the bridge of his nose. He should be happy, shouldn’t he? Grateful, even. They’re going to finish his failed mission and kill her for him at any second. But… She’s needed for this mission. Her mind already made more progress in a night than an entire team, and her absence could signify either their success or failure.

Eldia’s not the one solely at stake here, but the entire world. Millions of innocent people would suffer if those bastards get their way.

Furthermore, the idea of her dying soon… his guts churn, thinking about it. Hange’s currently part of his team, hence his responsibility. That’s why he hates working with people, as keeping them alive tends to be so draining. He already let Moblit die, which he vows won’t happen ever again to someone in his team or under his watch.

On the other hand, partnering with her isn’t an ideal position for him. He could be killed along with her, or instead of her (this morning, enough evidence of that). Right now, they’re a package, want it or not. She’s in danger, so he is, too.  

Hange is the first to end the quietness. “Thanks for this meeting, Annie.” She stands and shakes the blonde’s hand.

“Good luck, Hange Zoe. You’ll need it.”

On their way out of the house, Levi halts mid-step, a silver portrait hung on the wall calling his attention. He paralyzes, recognizing the man in the photo: it’s the very same one from his vision, not a hair different.

“Is that…?”

Annie bends at the photo. “That’s Armin.”

His heart races within his chest, painful stitches running through his skull. How did he know the way Arlert looked like? Did he glimpse at the photo on his way in? Maybe this is one of those times where his subconscious—or whatever it’s called—noticed something without his awareness. Nothing else he comes with feels like the truth, yet nothing else makes any sense, either.

Is he losing his mind?

Outside, he gets rid of those intrusive thoughts, willing to concentrate on their safety. His senses heighten and adrenaline pulses through his muscles. Under the clouded sky, they’re out in the open and in potential danger as they stroll down the empty street.

Hange’s feet shuffle with her head lowered to the blacktop road. He narrows his eyes at their surroundings: the roofs, the drain covers, the dusky corners. Their enemies could come from anywhere.

“You weren’t surprised,” he comments, recalling the previous minutes. Even when perturbed, she didn’t seem as taken aback as she should have. “You knew it?”

“I… had a big suspicion. I was 85% sure but… I didn’t want to be in the right.”

There’s a reason she’s called a genius, he reflects. Why does he forget it all the time?

“We shouldn’t walk here,” he says, tension permeating his statement. It’s too dangerous and you’re unsafe, he would’ve said she being any other person.

Her facial features slack as she looks at the horizon, where clouds drift through the sunlight, hiding it completely. She advances to a small section in the street where the sun gets to breathe and touch the ground. “I know we shouldn’t. But this might be the last time I see the sun.” A faded smile surfaces on her lips as she tilts her head up, letting the weak rays shower her skin, enriching her color.

Levi grinds his teeth. “Don’t be ridiculous, four-eyes. You won’t die—not before we fulfill this mission.” He almost adds ‘not by any other hand but mine’, but refrains himself, as it isn’t reassuring at all and sounds a bit creepy, doesn’t it?

Hange leaps. Her head snaps toward him. “How did you just call me? Four-eyes?”

“Yeah, have a problem with that?”

She hesitates, “No, no, it’s only that… Never mind.” She draws in a swift breath and lifts her chin. “And you’re right. I’m Hange Zoe and I won’t die that easily. Also, I’m with the best agent in the world, the infamous Ackerman. I’m the safest I can be,” she declares, yet doubtfulness seeps into her tone.

“You are,” he tells her, the lie slipping out so smoothly. For now.

And just like that, a broad smile returns to her face. He wouldn’t be able to remain as calm as she is if people who knew him well enough were trying so hard to eliminate him—and if they’d been close to successfully doing so more than once. He acknowledges her inherent optimism, the spontaneity with which her mouth lifts to build a smile, as if it was its natural form.

Something like admiration bubbles inside of him at this weird person who, even with all the danger encircling her, keeps her face up.

Not quite admiration, though—that’d be outrageous to feel in relation to a marleyan.

#levihan #levihan fanfiction #levi x hange #levi x hanji #Levi Ackerman #Hange Zoe #aot #aot fanfiction #snk #enemies to lovers #reincarnation au #OTNOD #mine #myfics

[fanmoose12]

YEEEEEEEEE YOU UPDATEDDD goshhhh why couldn’t marleyan hange be CANON you guys have big brains i love it 😍😍😍 the pieck scene made me lowkey scared for a sec 😳i thought it was gonna go in *that* direction bc i’ve seen that pieck x hange is popular but even i sometimes forget that pieck and possibly oyankopon were supposed to be around 104 squad age but thankfully not but even so pieck freaks me out so much. i am gonna be patient but it’s soo hard bc your writing is top tier ❤️ thank u sm. also cannot wait for levi zeke interactions theyre gold

omg so happy that people still remember that fic! tbh i had a little temptation to add bits of hange/pieck, but hange deals with enough drama as it is lol. besides, in that au, i picture hange and pieck as kind of besties? but in a superficial way. they hang out and what not, hange enjoys pieck's company and vice versa, but they don't really know what's going inside each other's head? i hope that makes sense fjfsgjsg

in terms of love dramas, hange has enough of it with levi (and also with zeke hehe), and i'm planning to expand more on that in later chapters😌