#oc insert

A/N: Ooh, another OVA chapter! I was super excited but also super nervous to write this one out, mostly because I had to find a good balance between original story and established episode. I didn’t want this to be just a written version of the episode, but I also didn’t want it to drag on for too long with unnecessary chatter. But I’m happy with the way it turned out in the end. So I hope you guys enjoy! 

Fandom: Attack on Titan 
Pairing: Levi x Mia (OC) 
Words:9.7k 

Warnings: OVA #1 spoilers, graphic descriptions of corpses, brief blood and violence, mentions of minor character death 

Taglist:@omg-lexiloveyou,@ataraxia101,@super-peace-fangirl,@mr-robot-x,@unusversuscanicula, @cyborgnate

If you want to be added to the taglist, just let me know and I’ll add you in! 

- 

|LVII|

The expeditions started up again in the middle of May. And finally, on the morning of the 49^th Expedition beyond the Walls, I rode out with the rest of the Scouts towards the gates of Trost District, with my squad right behind me.

It would feel good to be out in the fresh air again. The last year had been absolute torture, watching my comrades heading out to fight Titans without me, not knowing if I would see any of them again. I hated watching Levi and Hanji leave the base with their squads, but I knew better than to beg them to stay behind. At least now, I could watch out for them myself. I didn’t have to worry about either one of them getting hurt when I was nowhere nearby.

Hanji was also excited for my return; she hadn’t stopped talking about it for weeks now, partly because she was actually happy that I was going to be back in the field, and partly because she wanted my help in capturing a live Titan this time around. Of course, I thought to myself with a sigh. That’s just like our Hanji.

I knew Levi’s thoughts on the matter; they could be summed up in one simple annoyed look, as though he was ready to pull her cape over her head himself. Honestly, I couldn’t help but agree with him on this. I loved Hanji with all my heart, but I could only go so far in defending her wild and dangerous antics.

Edel pawed anxiously at the ground. I gave him a pat on the neck, shushing him as I combed my fingers through his mane. I could feel him relax a little beneath me, grunting before tossing his head lightly. He was still eager to get a move on, to race out beyond those gates and get on with the mission at hand.

And from what I could tell, by the sighing woman with the messy ponytail beside me, he wasn’t the only one.

The heavy bells tolled throughout the district. A handful of Garrison soldiers gathered above the Wall, preparing to raise the gate for the Scouts below. The sun was warm on my face, a line of sweat already starting to form against my brow.

“…I can’t stand the waiting!”

Hanji sighed once more, kicking out her legs in the stirrups of her horse’s saddle. The reins were loose in her hands, her shoulders sagging beneath the forest green cloak of the Survey Corps, with the black and white emblem of the Wings of Freedom beaming in the afternoon sun.

She turned her pleading gaze to Levi, who stood on the opposite side of me, with his squad close behind him. “Hey, Levi?”

“No.”

“…But I haven’t even said anything yet…”

I bit back a snicker as Levi sent a sideways glare her way. “You want me to help you capture a Titan, right? Forget it. I don’t care to go to that kind of trouble.”

Hanji’s eyes were wide (as though she was surprised by Levi’s answer in any way), before turning her attention to Mike, who was standing beside her with his own squad, as well.

“How about you, Mike?” But he only shook his head in silence, causing the brunette to roll her eyes with a smile. “Oh, well. The same old, boring men with the same old, boring answers. Looks like we’re on our own, right Mia?”

“Wait, what?” She had such a hopeful look in her eyes, that I almost felt bad for shaking my head at her. “Sorry, Hanji. Not this time.”

“Aw, but why?!”

“Hanji, this’ll be my first expedition in months!” Ever since I’d nearly lost my leg in that Titan skirmish in the Forest of Giant Trees, but there was no need to bring that up now, especially not in front of my squad. “I don’t want to worry about that kind of stuff. At least, not on my very first one. Maybe I’ll help you out on the next mission.” Or maybe I won’t…

Besides, I’m pretty sure Levi didn’t want me anywhere near those Titans. Slaying them in the field was one thing, but acting as bait in order to capture them? That was something else entirely. Not to mention, Hanji tended to go for the Abnormal ones; she rarely liked studying “normal” Titans. The weirder they were, the more she loved them.

“Fine,” she sighed, leaning back in her horse’s saddle, “just don’t cry to me when you get left out of all the fun…”

Believe me, I’ll be fine.

At the Garrison soldiers’ signals, the large gate began to rise up from the ground. The horses pawed at the ground, the Scouts around me tensed up their shoulders. And Hanji was still sighing dreamily from beside me, still lost in her own little world. As usual.

“The 49^th Expedition beyond the Walls now begins! Advance!”

At Erwin’s booming voice, and his white horse’s determined whinny, the Scouts surged forward and towards the opened gate. Edel was quivering beneath me, all too eager to head out into the fresh air once more. The poor boy had been just like me these past few months: cooped up inside with no chance of leaving for expeditions. But now that was over, and the two of us were free to head out with the rest of our comrades once more.

The heat of the sun blazed across my face. The sky loomed over the fields beyond, over the dirt trails and quiet rivers and into the forests in the distance. Not a Titan in sight—at least, not yet. I knew better than to hope for miracles out here.

Still, it was good to be back. It was good to feel the sun on my face, the wind in my hair, my squad at my side, the Scouts galloping behind me, and the—

A blur of green flew past me, whooping and hollering with joy. Of course, even without Erwin’s shout of her name, I knew exactly which Scout had already broken formation.

Of course—leave it to Hanji to act like a child during these missions.

I glanced over at Levi, and he only scowled in return. The message was clear: looks like we’re babysitting her once again.

|~|

The goal of this expedition, much like the many others that had come before it, was to set up a line of supply bases for future expeditions and travels. Usually the Scouts used abandoned villages and downtrodden castles for their supply bases, stocking them with extra food rations, blades, ODM gear, and flare guns. They also served as a safe haven of sorts for any soldiers who happened to get lost on the front lines. If they happened to be separated from the main unit of Scouts, they could always retreat to the nearest supply base and signal for help.

Unfortunately, no such soldiers had been lucky so far. Hence, the reason for more supply bases—to ensure the success of future expeditions, as well as bring home any soldiers that may be out there.

The left flank of the formation suffered casualties in the beginning of the trek, with at least ten soldiers killed by the surrounding Titans. Luckily we were able to regroup and head further east (which was really west of Trost District), which led us to one of the surrounding villages just about an hour away from the outskirts of Wall Rose. At Erwin’s command, the soldiers disbanded and began unloading the supply wagons.

One of the equine veterinarians from Mike’s squad nodded to me, so I handed Edel off to him with a tight-lipped smile. It was common practice for the vets to check up on the horses during expeditions, to make sure everything was still running smoothly, but still, I never liked handing my boy off to anyone else. I preferred to check his hooves and clean his coat and feed him and brush him myself, and not let someone else do it. Still, as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t dedicate this precious time to my horse; they needed me to help unload the wagons into the nearby houses.

Crates upon crates of food and water canteens were stored into the wagons nearby, with each one labeled with thick black paint along the wooden surface. Reggie and Emily were quick to help me with loading them into the closest house, while Gretel and Murphy were occupied with replenishing their gas canisters. Evan was busy with the other equine medics; on my recommendation earlier this year, he was training to learn how to become one himself. It only made sense, considering his natural talent and love for horses.

“So many,” Emily groaned as she lifted another crate, trailing behind me as I pushed the door to the house open. “What’s even in these, anyway?”

“Dried vegetables, some fruit, honey, dried meat… You know, the usual.” Reggie wiped the sweat from his brow as he set the final crate down on the floor. “At least it won’t spoil once we leave it here. It’ll last a few months, maybe a year if we’re lucky. Then we’ll just have to replenish when we come back.”

The two of them fell silent over that. Neither of us wanted to say what we were really thinking—that someday, when we did come back to this village, Wall Maria would once again be under humanity’s control.

But it wasn’t in the cards. At least, not yet. There were too many Titans within Wall Maria to begin with, and we had no way of sealing up the shattered gate in Shiganshina District to prevent even more from pouring in. Until we found a way to plug up the hole, there was no hope of reclaiming Shiganshina District and the rest of Wall Maria.

My chest tightened at the thought. As quickly as I could, I headed out towards the wagon and pulled out another crate, this time one filled with canned goods. Thinking about Shiganshina only brought back bad memories. I didn’t need to get distracted when I was on a mission like this.

Save that for when you get home, Wolf.

“Oh,come on, Erwin!”

Hanji’s shrill voice caught my attention, over in the nearby tent set up the other Section Commanders had built. From what I could tell, it looked like the logisticians of the supply squads were in a meeting with the Commander—and their superior, Hanji, was caught in a heated, albeit one-sided, argument with said Commander.

“I know setting up supply bases is a top priority, but I thought figuring out what the Titans really are is the Survey Corps’ primary goal! For that, we absolutely need to capture a Titan!”

She’s still on about that? I rolled my eyes and busied myself with yet another crate.

I mean, it wasn’t as though she was wrong. The Titans were still a mystery to humanity, from their origin to why they acted the way they did, and even their strange habits, like why not as many of them seemed to venture out during the night as they did during the day. But we just didn’t have the time to study all of that right now, especially with the royal government breathing down our necks (no thanks to yours truly, I’ll admit). The last thing they were going to do is help fund our Titan capturing missions.

Besides, the last time the Scouts had actually managed to capture a Titan had been well over fifteen years ago, back when Hanji and I were still in the 90^th Training Corps. And that had been at the cost of twenty soldiers, not including the ones who’d suffered injuries. From a certain point of view, I could see where Erwin was coming from. He simply didn’t have the manpower to spare for such a silly scheme; not when there were bases to be replenished and territory to be charted.

“I don’t mean to intrude,” Reggie whispered, leaning in close to my shoulder, “but is Section Commander Hanji still going on about a live Titan capture?”

“Unfortunately.” But I had to smile at the boy’s question. Ever the polite gentleman, I guess. “But she’s always been like that, even when we were cadets. She just doesn’t think about the consequences of what might happen if she goes through with it.”

It wasn’t as though I was a saint, either. I was well aware of my impulsive nature (Levi would be damned if he ever let me forget it), but I knew better than to go chasing after Titans like an eager child. I had my kids to look after, and I wasn’t about to put them at risk for a Titan capture unless I knew they would come out completely unscathed. And of course, that was never a guarantee—the last expedition had taught me that through and through.

Even now, I found myself touching the thick white scar on my thigh, still feeling that Titan’s hot breath on my face and the taste of blood in my mouth.

“Still,” Reggie continued, smiling lightly, “a real live Titan to study from? It sounds interesting…if it wasn’t so dangerous…”

“I have to agree with you there, Hertz. It sounds helpful, but not for the price of our soldiers.” So unless Hanji can figure out a way to capture them without losing Scout lives, I’ll have to sit those little missions out.

With the other soldiers’ help, the three of us were able to unload the wagons in no time at all. Meanwhile, Gretel and Murphy assisted the other Section Commanders in stashing spare gear, flare guns, and blades into the sheds and stables, while Reggie and Emily joined Petra and Oluo in replenishing their gear. The lookouts were stationed on the rooftops, scouting for any possible Titans that may be lurking in the distance. Luckily, neither of them had spotted anything yet.

At least it’s calm, for the moment. A chill ran down my spine as I reached up and ran my fingers through Edel’s mane. Moments like these never lasted long out here. It was only a matter of time before all hell broke loose, whether it was a lone Titan or a whole swarm of them.

The wind was gentle. Edel snorted softly against my palm. The Scouts were moving through the village fluidly, putting the finishing touches on the base and its supplies.

Crack!

A red stream of smoke shot into the air, from one of the houses at the edge of the village. Mike lowered his flare gun, glaring in the direction of the forest beyond.

“There’s one in the forest! Everyone, on alert!”

Immediately, the Scouts leapt into action throughout the village. Blades were drawn, supplies was shoved into the houses, and the horses were untethered from the fences. I threw Edel’s reins over his head and led him away from the fence, tightening the girth around his stomach. He grunted at the motion, ears pricked forward in the direction of the forest.

I knew it. Too good to be true, huh? It’s always like that out here, isn’t it?

“Section Commander, wait!”

Moblit’s scream brought my attention to the white tent once more, just in time to see Hanji swing herself up onto her horse and dig her heels into its sides. With a happy cheer, she yelled out, “I’ll go help myself, Erwin!” And then she was galloping past the wooden fence surrounding the village, towards the looming forest ahead.

I nearly dropped Edel’s reins altogether. My palms grew sweaty, my breath quickening in my throat.

That…that fucking idiot!

Before I could even think, I pulled myself onto Edel’s back and urged him forward. I barely had time to yell to my squad to “Stay there!” before I was racing towards the forest, fighting to keep Hanji’s green cloak in my sights the entire time.

No way am I dragging my kids into this mess. If she wants to chase a Titan, that’s fine by her—just don’t expect me to bring my squad into it!

Still, I wasn’t about to let her go alone. Hanji was a pain in my ass sometimes, an utter nightmare of a friend when she didn’t get what she wanted, but she was still my friend. She was still the person I trusted the most, besides my sister and Levi. And I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I’d let something happen to her during this expedition.

It’s better if I go alone and just bring her back myself. Erwin can reprimand me when we get back. But I can’t let her go out there all by herself. Not when she’s—

“Wolf, slow down!”

Edel snorted and jerked his head as a familiar black mare came into view on our right side. My eyes flashed up to Levi, eyes fixed into a sharp glare, as he held one of his blades in his hands. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the other members of his squad lingering close behind, with Petra and Eld towards the front, and Oluo and Gunther bringing up the rear.

“I swear,” he growled, and I felt another shiver crawl up my spine, “you’re just as fucking stupid as she is. Are you trying to get yourself killed, too?”

“I’m not going to let Hanji get killed, that’s for sure.” I dug my heels into Edel’s sides, urging him to pick up the pace. “Chew me out all you want when this is over. Right now I’m going to make sure she’s safe.”

Edel stiffened beneath me, and I could see Mischa’s big brown eyes darting from side to side. They both hated whenever Levi and I argued like this. And from the looks of it, the members of his squad felt the same way. Petra was already wincing at the tone of my voice, as Gunther diverted his eyes as quickly as he could.

I wasn’t in the mood to fight with him over this. I knew he was only trying to protect me, especially after what had happened in my last expedition, but I wasn’t about to sit on the sidelines as my best friend of fifteen years rushed into unknown danger. Even if she was stupid for it, I wasn’t going to let her get herself killed, even if it meant risking my own life in the process.

“Fine,” he spat out, although he looked none too happy about it. We’ll talk about it later. “Just stick close. We’ll cut them off at the edge of the forest.”

Petra’s eyes went wide at that. “Them? Does that mean the Section Commander’s already found the Titan?!”

“Knowing Hanji, she most definitely has,” I replied with a groan.

How tall is it? Is it an Abnormal? Is it ignoring her and heading straight for the base? Or is it chasing her right now as we speak? A thousand possibilities raced through my mind, none of them pleasant to think about.

“Our main objective is distraction,” Levi addressed to his squad. “Do not engage unless absolutely necessary. I don’t want any of you getting yourselves killed for Shitty Glasses’ sake.”

Yeah, of course you don’t. Despite the weight of the situation at hand, I had to admire his affection for his squad. While he didn’t show it that often, it was clear that he cared about them, in his own silent, special way. The last thing he wanted to see was any of them get hurt on this mission, just as I didn’t want to see my own squad get hurt in the process.

Through the sound of the horses’ hooves pounding on the forest floor, it was easy to keep track of Hanji—not by sight, but by the sound of her happy voice, as well as the sound of a Titan’s deep groans. At Levi’s signal, the six of us headed left, towards the edge of the forest and into the fields nearby. That was when I saw them, prancing through the field: Hanji on her horse, yelling something over her shoulder as the Titan in question lumbered after her.

It was only a six-meter class, with huge eyes and a bulky chest that looked way too big for its body. Not harmless by any means, but taking it down wouldn’t be as hard as taking down a fifteen-meter one, if it came to it.

Levi was quick to retrieve his flare gun, before shooting a smoke signal directly across the Titan’s line of sight. The red smoke was enough to make it slow down in its tracks, its wide eyes trailing over to our little group.

“Hey,” I could hear Hanji yelling at us from a distance, “don’t interfere!”

But even with a more controlled group of people close by, it payed us no mind. Instead of following the six of us, the Titan continued its trek and headed straight for Hanji, much to her glee.

My hands tightened around Edel’s reins. Shit, what’s its problem?! Why isn’t it going for us instead? Why is it stuck on Hanji? Did she do anything to provoke it? It doesn’t seem like an Abnormal; the majority of them head for large groups of people, anyway. So then, why would it be going for Hanji in the first place?

“Damn it,” Levi growled under his breath. “Spread out a bit. Be prepared to corner it.”

The six of us split up wordlessly, with Oluo, Eld, and Gunther heading in one direction, and Levi, Petra and I heading in the other. The squad formed a loose half-circle around the Titan (and Hanji), guarding them in from a distance. At least we seemed to be alone out here—so far, there were no other Titans nearby, either in the fields or in the forest.

Suddenly, the Titan slowed to a stop, panting heavily and swinging its large head around. Hanji jerked on her horse’s reins, circling back to face the Titan. I reached down to the blades resting at my waist, preparing to attack if the Titan went for her.

But instead, it bolted straight back into the forest, completely ignoring the humans around it.

“Hey, wait up!” Hanji was quick to follow, urging her horse to go faster. “Don’t leave just yet! What’s wrong?!”

Levi only groaned, as Petra and I raised our eyebrows at each other. What kind of Titan ran away from humans instead of towards them? Even if it’s an Abnormal, they’re all driven by a desire to kill us…So why is it ignoring us all of a sudden?

“Captain!” Eld motioned towards the trees with his arm. “Should we follow her or fall back?”

“Regroup and follow,” Levi ordered, and Mischa snorted as he dug his heels into her sides. Without another word, he led us across the field and back into the trees beyond.

But the Titan’s actions weren’t sitting well with the rest of the squad. I could hear them mumbling to themselves, even over the thunder of hoof beats, about the Titan’s strange behavior. A thousand questions bubbled up in the back of my mind, but I kept my mouth shut. Thinking about it now would do us no good, not in the heat of battle. There would be time to worry about all of that later on, after we got back to the base.

“What’s that dumbass think it’s doin’, lumberin’ on back home?”

“Even if it’s an Abnormal, there’s something strange about it!”

“It doesn’t match any pattern that’s been reported thus far, so it doesn’t match up to the other Abnormals we’ve encountered…”

“Still, doesn’t the fact that it diverges from every pattern make it an Abnormal in the first place?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Levi’s voice cut through them all, as he slid one of his blades out from the holsters on his waist. The sharp snap of steel sent a rush of adrenaline through my body. “We’ll kill it here.”

Of course. It’s not as though we can bring it in for questioning. At the end of the day it’s still a Titan, humanity’s most dangerous enemy. Keeping it alive would pose a threat not only to the rest of the Scouts, but to the citizens within the Walls, as well.

The Titan’s footsteps were growing fainter the further we rode into forest. Every tree appeared to look the same, every groove in the ground made me wonder if we’d just passed it before, or if we were just going in circles. The forest seemed endless, and for a brief moment I wondered if we would ever find Hanji in this mess of trees and bushes.

“Wolf,” I turned my attention to Levi at the sound of my name falling from his lips, “let us deal with this one. Don’t go rushing into danger like your shitty friend.”

“You don’t have to baby me,” I snarled, already moving to grab the blades at my waist. “I’m perfectly capable of taking out a Titan on my own.”

“I never said you weren’t—”

“Captain, look! Up ahead!”

At Petra’s voice, the two of us glanced up at the path ahead—and my jaw dropped as I saw a curtain of trees parted, with clear footprints (and hoof prints) marked in the soft dirt below.

Hanji!

“Let’s move!”

Edel snorted against the reins as I urged him towards the curtain of trees. A large clearing spread out before us, with a tall tree looming over us in the center. Little white flowers were sprouting from the ground, and the dim sunlight through the shadows bathed the ground in a soft blue hue.

The Titan was right next to the tree, swiping at the ground with a meaty arm. There was a whoop as Hanji lifted herself from the ground and onto one of the tree’s branches, before bouncing back down to the grass below.

Shit, she’s gone fucking mad! Get away from it, Hanji!

“I’ll take care of this, captain.” Ever the showoff, Oluo was quick to slide his blades out of the holsters on his waist. Levi made no move to stop him; he was quite confident in his soldiers’ skill in the field. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen them in the first place.

Oluo perched himself on his horse’s back, sending his wires out and into the Titan’s nape. In the blink of an eye he swung himself forward, his blades bared towards the nape of its neck.

“Wait, don’t!”

A split second of hesitance, of Hanji’s scream and Oluo’s baffled look—and suddenly the boy was writhing around in the Titan’s meaty fingers, yelling and screaming out for help.

Levi was moving before I could even process what was happening. A green and black lightning flash, bursting forward at incredible speed and slicing the Titan’s arm off with one clean sweep of his blades. The Titan groaned out as its arm fell to the ground, with Oluo still clutched between its fingers. Levi reeled himself around, latching his hook into the Titan’s nape, before tearing out a chunk of it with the twin blades in his hands.

I pulled Edel to a stop in the center of the clearing, alongside Petra, Eld, and Gunther. The three of them kept their hands above their blades, ready for any other Titan threat that could possibly be lurking nearby.

Levi gave Oluo a sideways glance as he slid a familiar white cloth out of the belt of his uniform. “Are you alright?”

Oluo sniffled from between the Titan’s limp fingers. “T-thank you, captain!”

A heavy breath passed through my lips. The Titan was dead—Oluo was safe, and so was Hanji. Although…she wasn’t exactly looking like the most grateful soldier in the world right now…

She was clutching at her head, fingers threading through messy brown strands, as she sank to her knees in the dirt. Her voice was soft, almost uncharacteristically gentle as she mumbled to herself, seemingly unaware of the six other soldiers standing around her, catching every word that fell from her lips.

“But this little one was my precious test subject… Maybe if we’d just captured it, humanity might have taken a step forward!”

Of course, your main concern is the Titan at hand…

I barely had time to blink before Levi was stomping his way towards her (his blades now clean of any spatters of blood). I could only watch in awe with the rest of his squad as he grabbed a fistful of the front of Hanji’s shirt, bringing her face up to his as close as he could.

“Shut up, you four-eyed bitch!” I could see Petra and Eld wincing at their captain’s sharp tone, out of the corner of my eye. (And honestly, I wasn’t doing much better myself.) “If you want to become Titan shit, then I won’t stop you. But don’t you dare endanger the lives of my men!”

Despite how often she pushed his buttons and irked him to no end, I’d never seen Levi lose his temper with Hanji. It was rare that he ever snapped at her like this, eyes slanted and spitting out insults left and right. The most he’d ever do to her was teasing and off-handed comments meant to get under her skin, just as she did to him. But now… I had never seen him look truly pissed before, as he did right now.

“…Titans don’t shit,” Hanji replied uneasily, and Levi’s scowl slowly melted into one of confusion. “They don’t have any digestive organs, you know…”

…I hardly think this is the best time to joke about something like that, Hanji. No wonder Levi is so pissed at you.

Perhaps it was the nervous laughter spilling from her mouth, or maybe it was the realization that nothing he could say (or any of us, for that matter) would get through to her and make her realize that what she’d just done was incredibly reckless. Whatever it was, it made Levi loosen his grip on the front of her shirt and toss her back onto her knees in the grass below.

“At least you’re safe,” I mumbled, making my way towards my friend. “Can’t wait to hear what Commander Erwin says about you going rogue like that, though.”

“Both of you going rogue, that is.”

I glared at Levi, before reaching a hand out to Hanji. Wordlessly I pulled her to her feet, all the while feeling Levi’s silver stare burning into my back. I was definitely going to get chewed out for this later tonight, from the Commander and the captain. There was no doubt about it.

I could only hope that it wouldn’t lead to another pointless argument that jeopardized the mission at hand; unfortunately, the two of us had a habit of getting into petty spats when we were beyond the Walls.

“C-captain?”

Levi’s eyes were on Petra instantly—and my mouth tightened when I saw her freeze up, clutching her hands to her chest.

“What is it?”

She swallowed hard, her eyes never meeting the captain’s, even as she responded, “D-do you think the Titan did that? But…no…how could it?”

What is she looking at? I slid my eyes along the clearing, but I couldn’t find any more Titans. Just the seven of us, our horses, and the large tree standing in the center.

“What do you mean, Ral?” And why do you look so pale all of a sudden?

She raised a trembling finger towards the tree, the same one that loomed over the rest of the clearing, surrounded by little white flowers. From the way she was pointing, I realized there was a little hollow area carved into the bark of the tree—and something was resting inside.

An animal? No, it was too large to be one. Besides, the only animals that roamed the southern parts of Wall Maria (or what used to be part of it) were rabbits and birds, along with the occasional sheep or goat that escaped from its pasture. It couldn’t have been a Titan either, even a smaller one. If it was, it would’ve already tried to attack us by now.

Hanji was the first to move towards the tree, and I was quick to follow her, with my hand resting on the handle of my blade. But the closer we got to the tree, the more my fingers began to quiver—and my stomach dropped like a stone to my shoes.

It’s a human.

Long dead, by the look of its skin and tattered clothes, but a human nonetheless. Only the body sat upright in the hollow of the tree, its head bitten off at the nape. The familiar emblem of the Survey Corps beamed against the shredded cloak, draped over the soldier’s shoulders. The skin of its hands were withered away, with edges of bone visible through the shadows.

Oluo shrieked in fear, Gunther groaned in disgust, and Petra slapped her palms over her mouth. The only ones who didn’t appear to be bothered were Levi and Eld, although the latter’s jaw was clenched tighter than usual.

Hanji leaned into the hollow, shifting the bloodied cape over the corpse’s shoulder to read the patch embedded on their left arm. “The emblem from the 34^th Expedition,” she read off the armband. “So this soldier died a year ago…”

The 34^thExpedition…

My hand fluttered down to my right thigh, just above the straps of my gear. The scar was tingling, as though it had been burned.

“The name of this soldier,” the sound of Hanji’s voice softened to a whisper as she read off the emblem, “…Ilse Langnar.”

My throat tightened. Ilse.

I hadn’t known her personally, but I always saw her during meals in the mess hall, chatting away with some of the soldiers from Mike’s squad. She had been an older Scout, maybe a few years younger than me and Hanji. Still, we wore the same cloak when we went out beyond the Walls, slept under the same roof, bore the same Wings of Freedom with pride every day of our lives. I remembered seeing her just a few years ago, about a few months after Levi had joined the Survey Corps, smiling as she and Moblit conversed as they cared for their horses in the field. She was a nice girl with a fiery side that came out in the field, and not to mention a cute band of freckles splayed across her nose.

And now she was dead, headless and rotting away in the hollow of a tree.

To think she’d met her demise in such a gruesome way… It was enough to make anyone sick to their stomach.

“I don’t understand,” Hanji was shaking her head as she pushed herself away from the tree. There was a slight shake of her hands as she brought them back to her sides. “Why would a Titan do something like this?”

I don’t know. Titans had always been beyond our comprehension, always killing us without hesitating for a second. Then again, they always ate the entire human being—or at least, they tried to. Sometimes when they couldn’t eat anymore, they just spat out the remains before looking for their next meal. Not once had any of us heard of a Titan biting only the head of a human off, before storing its corpse into a tree in the forest.

“They’re monsters,” I sighed, picking at a loose thread of my cloak. “Isn’t that enough of an explanation?” Hanji bit her lip, unsatisfied with my answer.

The soft sound of footsteps brought my eyes to Levi, just as he straightened himself up from the ground. Clutched in his hand was a small brown object, dusted with loose blades of grass and flecks of dirt.

“…What’s that, Levi?”

There was a crinkle of parchment—it’s a book, I realized with a shudder. Identical to the one my father had left for me in the nightstand of his office, the same one I now carried with me in the left breast pocket of my jacket.

His eyes were wide as he flipped through the torn pages, frantic marks scrawled across the surface. His voice was grim as he whispered, “Ilse Langnar’s military achievements.”

Hanji was the first to step forward, hand outstretched for the book. “Let me see.” There was the slightest hint of a plea in her voice, her brown eyes glimmering behind those shiny goggles.

Levi was silent as he handed it over. I leaned over Hanji’s shoulder, eyes fluttering over the pages as she began to turn them one by one.

It was definitely Ilse’s handwriting; I recognized it from all the paperwork I’d gone through in the past few years, listing the names of each soldier, where they came from, their skill levels, and their signatures. The pages were slightly damp, probably from the early morning dew, and little brown stains had begun to seep through on the corners.

The writing was messy, slanted, too hard to read in a rush. But a few words stuck out to me, through the black marks of her pen: Titan, horse, Scout,spoke.

“You can look at it later,” the two of us jerked our heads up at Levi’s voice, watching him as he made his way back to his mare. “It’s too dangerous to linger out here. Let’s head back to base while it’s still quiet out.”

His squad obeyed without a word. Hanji glanced down at the notebook in her hands, then up to me, and finally pocketed the book in her jacket. “Later,” she mouthed to me, and the two of us headed for our horses, who were grazing in the center of the clearing.

But then she clenched her jaw, eyes darting around the clearing before she headed back towards the tree in the center. I pressed my hand against Edel’s neck as I watched her reach into the tree hollow, stripping the corpse of both its jacket and its cape. Both were caked in dirt and blood, but she didn’t seem to mind as she held them both to her chest.

“For her family, if she has one.”

Of course she had a family. All soldiers had a family, waiting patiently for their return, dreading the day an official would stop by their house and inform them of their husband’s or wife’s or child’s passing. But it was better to bring them a memento rather than a body. No use in bringing home a headless corpse to Ilse’s family, to remind them of the gruesome end their daughter had faced. The Wings of Freedom, sewn onto the back of her cloak and jacket, were a much better symbol to remember her by.

Levi led the way out of the clearing, his squad at his heels, with myself and Hanji taking up the rear. But before we slid back into the trees, I stole a final glance at the corpse in the tree, grimacing at the sight of her bloody shirt and ragged skin.

So long, Ilse.

|~|

Erwin wasn’t pleased when our little group returned back to the base. Hanji had received the worst of his scolding, with Moblit adding in his two cents every once in a while as he clutched at his hair from the side. The poor man looked so exhausted, so done with everything in general. Hanji was definitely going to get an earful from him when we got back to Trost.

My kids had been more understanding, if a little confused. At least they were happy to see us all come back unharmed, for the most part. I would have to explain it to them once we got back to the main castle within the Walls. I couldn’t scare them with details of Ilse’s demise when we were still out here, still at the mercy of the Titans.

The Commander had simply given me a cold look before turning away. No harsh words, no berating—just the look of utter disappointment. I let out a sigh, thinking the worst was over…until I saw Levi lingering behind him, with his arms crossed over his chest.

…Fuck.

At least the captain had the good grace to wait until nighttime, when most of the Scouts were either asleep or busy standing on watch. The base was silent for the most part, with the occasional gust of wind rustling through the trees. A line of white tents had been set up, with my squad settled comfortably in one of them. I bit back a laugh when I saw Emily’s arm stretched lazily along Gretel’s chest, with her leg thrown over poor Murphy’s elbow.

Someone’s a messy sleeper. Gretel’s not going to like that when she wakes up. Gretel preferred to be left completely untouched when she slept, always hating to sleep near anyone, including her squadmates…even though she slept like a log through even the loudest of nights.

A familiar shadow danced across the white sheet of the tent. I grimaced, recognizing the texture of Levi’s undercut through the side of the tent, before pushing myself off the ground completely. I had kept my ODM gear on for the night, with my cape wrapped around my shoulders for some extra warmth. Silently, I motioned for the larger tent in the center of the base—the same on Erwin and Hanji had been arguing in earlier—and the two of us headed towards it, with Levi’s boots scuffing against the dirt.

“I already know what you’re going to say,” it was hard to keep the sigh out of my voice as I spoke, “so just get it over with.”

The sheet fluttered as Levi pulled it against the entrance, essentially trapping me inside. Now it was just the two of us, far away from the sleeping cadets.

“You’re an absolute dumbass.” Ouch. “You should’ve at least waited until Erwin gave the order to follow her.”

Suddenly I felt like I was nine years old again, being scolded by my mother for playing too far away from the gates of Shiganshina District. Or worse, my sister.

“I know, I know.” I raked a hand through my hair, wincing as my fingers snagged on a couple snarls towards my nape. “But it’s done now, and nothing bad happened. We’re both fine.”

“Thistime.”

The two of us stared at each other, neither of us moving an inch. Those sickening memories of that expedition hung over our heads, taunting us, laughing at us, from the emblem that had been sewn on Ilse’s jacket.

Okay, I’ll admit it—I fucked up. Maybe I shouldn’t have raced after Hanji and left my squad in the dust like I did. Maybe I should’ve waited for Erwin’s approval before rushing after her like a suicidal bastard. Maybe, at the end of the day, I was no better than Hanji for my reckless attitude, and that maybe, we were really one and the same when it came to danger and adrenaline.

So careless with our lives.

But was Levi going to hold it over me for the rest of my life? Getting him to open up after I’d nearly lost my leg to a Titan had been absolutely painful. I couldn’t imagine repeating that process if I’d somehow gotten hurt by that Titan today. What if it had grabbed me in that clearing instead of Oluo? If Levi had been pissed with Hanji over Oluo’s life…I shuddered to think how he would act when it was my life at stake.

“Fine, you win.” I stepped forward, curling my hands around his shoulders. His jaw was clenched, his mouth set in a hard, tight line. “I was stupid, alright? I shouldn’t have gone after her like that. Maybe I should’ve waited, so we could’ve gone together, and you didn’t have to chase me down like you did. I’m sorry, alright?”

His expression was unreadable, his eyes nothing more than silver slits. Finally he sighed, his chest heaving against my own, as he hung his head and relaxed against my body. Midnight tresses tickled my face; rough hands palmed at my shoulders from under my cape. I shivered as he pulled me close, securing me against his chest in those strong, warm arms that reminded me of home.

“I promise I’ll be more careful, okay?” My voice was muffled against his hair, but I was sure he was hanging onto every word I said. “It’s just…I didn’t like seeing Hanji run off like that. It…it scaredme.”Just like seeing me run off probably scared you. “I won’t rush into things like that again, unless I absolutely have to, alright?”

He mumbled something against my shoulder, too soft for me to catch. But when I shifted my head to kiss his forehead, I heard him loud and clear:

“I don’t want to see you die.”

My lips froze against his skin. My mind raced, thinking of all the words I wanted to say, in how many different ways I could say them… And yet I couldn’t find my voice.

The two of us had been dancing around the issue of death, ever since that terrible expedition. Neither of us had brought it up since; it only brought pain and tears and screaming into the mix. There was no time to deal with all of that…so we just never spoke of it. We shrugged it off and moved away from it, as though we could avoid it for the rest of our lives.

But we couldn’t. Not with the lives we led. Not with our duties as soldiers. Someday, whether I liked it or not, we were going to die. Levi was going to die. I was going to die. Whether we died at the same time, or I watched him die, or he watched me die… It didn’t matter. It still brought that gaping hole in my chest, the one that made me want to curl into myself and cry until I had no more tears left to spill.

That day, during the 34^th Expedition… I could’ve been in Ilse’s place, devoured by a Titan before being left to rot in the hollow of a tree.

“You won’t see me die,” I kept my voice soft as I clutched at his shoulders. “I won’t let that happen.”

I knew I was only giving him false hope. I was only giving myself false hope. I was powerless when it came to death; I had no say in when my time would run out. But at least I could spare Levi the pain of seeing it happen. The man had suffered too much already, he didn’t need anything else weighing him down.

Suddenly he scooped me up in his arms, pressing me against the table in the center—slotting himself in between my thighs, pressing his chest against my own. His mouth was hot against my ear, his voice soft as he whispered, “You promised.”

My stomach rolled at the memory. I had promised him—back at the hospital in Trost, with my leg bandaged up and burning with agony, and Levi’s face nestled in the crook of my neck. I promised that I wouldn’t leave him, that I wouldn’t be like everyone else in his life. He had begged me not to go, but to stay with him, to stay for as long as I could.

Because deep down, a part of him just couldn’t bear the thought of saying goodbye to me.

Oh, well. We were both guilty of that feeling, weren’t we?

“I promised,” I whispered, moving my mouth across his neck. I wrapped my legs around his waist, tugging him closer to my body. “I’m not going to leave you, Levi. But you have to let me be a soldier. That’s what I am, and you knowit.”

My life was a fleeting thing, a gift the world could take away at a moment’s notice, because it was just that cruel. I knew that, if and when it came down to it, I wouldn’t hesitate to give my life up for my kids, or Hanji, or even Levi. I had people waiting for me to come home, but if it meant buying my kids or my fellow soldiers a few more precious years of life…then I was more than willing to pay the price.

Especially if it came down to saving Levi’s life.

“You don’t have to throw your life away, brat.”

“I know, and that’s why I made you that promise.” I dug my fingers into his hair, savoring every bit of warmth his body offered me. His hands, his mouth, his chest—everything that assured me that he was here, with me right now. “I won’t leave you. But you have to promise me the same thing, alright?”

I had to be selfish—just this once. If Levi could make me promise not to leave him, the least I could do was make him promise the same thing. I never wanted him to leave me—not now, not in ten or twenty years, not ever.

He brought his mouth to mine in a fervent kiss. “I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”

My lips trembled against his own. “And neither am I.”

I couldn’t tell you how long we stayed in that tent. A few minutes? Maybe an hour or two? It didn’t matter to us, in the end. We just kept holding each other against that table, hugging and kissing and whispering soft promises to each other. His fingers slid through my hair, his mouth left a trail of kisses across my collarbone. I brought him closer to my chest, pressing kiss after kiss against his forehead, in the spot where his bangs parted.

We ended up leaving that tent when neither of us could speak anymore. He slid his fingers through mine and led me into his own tent, the soft light of the lamp shining against our bodies. Silently, the two of us curled up against each other on the sleeping bag, with his chest pressed against my back, and his arms wrapped around my waist.

Promises made, words left unspoken. There was still so much more I wanted to say, but fear of the outside world kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to ruin the moment between us; I didn’t want a stray soldier to happen upon our sleeping forms, or a wandering Titan to crash through the base. I didn’t want to say or do anything that may take me away from him. The last thing I wanted was to suffer a fate like Ilse’s, full of regrets and fear and fruitless dreams of a better life.

My hands trembled against Levi’s, as he draped a blanket over the two of us. He gave me a kiss, just below my ear, and suddenly I was out like a light.

|~|

The Scouts returned to Trost the following day, just as the afternoon sun began to wane. Luckily we suffered no additional casualties, and we’d left the supply base secure and stocked with goods. The horses were tired, the soldiers looked exhausted, the wagons’ wheels were in dire need of repairs—but overall, it had been a successful mission.

Hanji had knocked on my door in the middle of the night, just as I was preparing to settle in with Levi. He was none too happy about our nightly routine being interrupted (nor was he a fan of Hanji’s teasing when she saw him with his hair all mussed up). But I told him to wait in the bedroom for me as I finished up with her, giving him a light kiss on his cheek before he left.

My bespectacled friend was quick to hand me a little clump of papers; immediately, I recognized the messy scrawl in her handwriting. “A proposal for continuing Titan research,” she explained in a rush. “And I want you to back it up before I give it to Commander Erwin.”

I grimaced at her tone. “Hanji, I can’t just sign off on something like this without—”

But then she was holding up Ilse’s journal, the leather cover worn away from years of use and decay. “That’s why I want you to look at this first, before you agree or disagree to anything.”

So I did. With Hanji peeking over my shoulder, I started to flip through the little journal, scanning the pages with lidded eyes, as Ilse’s last memories came to life before me.

Some words were scrawled out in a haste, the letters all different sizes and shapes, but somehow still legible. She must have been running when she wrote these. No one could keep their hand steady when they were on the move.

Ink splotches laced the corners of the pages. Some letters ate up entire pages, obviously written in a hurry, stringing together to form words that could only be described as desperate. And suddenly, on one of the last couple pages of her journal, a passage jumped out at me:

It spoke. The Titan spoke. That can’t be. It uttered words have have meaning. “Subjects of Ymir.” “Lady Ymir.” “Welcome.” I’m sure of it—the look on this Titan’s face changed. It adopted a pose that indicates respect for me. For the first time in human history, a connection has been made with a Titan!

…Itspoke?!

“I know,” Hanji whispered as my jaw clenched up. “There’s more, though.” I was curious to keep reading, so I did—and I felt my gut twisting with every word I read.

Caught over big mouth stink many teeth but not sharp breath hot and moist

And then there was nothing. Just a blank page, with bits of moss clinging to the parchment.

My chest felt hollow. I remembered the feeling of what Ilse had described all too well, from that exact same expedition. My hand fell to my thigh as I recalled the Titan’s horrid breath, washing over me as it dragged me towards its mouth. It was all too familiar—the feel of its teeth, the stink of its mouth, the all-consuming terror that came over me as I wondered if this was really the end for me…

Only, I had been lucky enough to escape that fate. Ilse hadn’t.

“As far as I’m aware,” Hanji’s voice was gentle in my ear, “this is the only recorded case of a Titan actually speaking like a human being. Even if we don’t know what those words mean, they were still understandable to Ilse. And that’s why I want to propose a live Titan capture, to find out more about how these creatures work.”

It was almost too much to handle. A Titan actually speaking?! It was almost laughable. But Ilse never seemed like the kind of soldier to lie about stuff like that, especially in what appeared to be her final moments. If she had witnessed it and recorded it, it must’ve been true.

But then there were the words it had uttered. Subjects of Ymir? Lady Ymir? None of those were common words within the Walls. Perhaps Ymir could be a name, but I wasn’t sure. And neither was Hanji, from the look on her face.

This was a huge piece of information, left lying around for the past year or so in the forests beyond Wall Rose. I could see Hanji’s urgency in requesting a Titan capture, in order to prevent more soldiers like Ilse. A Titan who could understand humans and was fully aware of what they were actually doing to them…it was a human’s worst nightmare, soldiers and civilians alike.

Still, I couldn’t risk it. I still had my priorities in order—or rather, five of them.

“Hanji, tell me this.” I took in the sight of her brown eyes, beaming brightly behind those shiny glasses of hers. “If I sign off on this, and you take it to Erwin…can you promise me that no lives will be lost in this proposal?”

She gave me a smile, messy hair falling over her face. “Actually, I can. I’ve been working on a plan for capturing Titans, without using as much manpower as you may think.”

I quirked an eyebrow, skeptical but intrigued nonetheless. “Alright, I’m listening.”

“Um… You might wanna bring Levi out here, too. It does include both your squads, after all.”

Her confession only heightened my suspicions, with the mention of my kids. Still, I motioned for Levi to join us in my office, and the two of us sat down in silence as Hanji began to explain her plan.

|~|

Five days had passed since Hanji had visited us in the dead of night. Four days had passed since she’d handed in her proposal to Erwin, with both my signature and Levi’s scrawled along the bottom. After hearing her plan for capturing Titans (and realizing just how much she had thought about this before telling me), I was inclined to sign off on the proposal. Levi was the same, more or less, although he mentioned later on that maybe it would finally get Hanji to stop pestering him.

Finally on the sixth day, Hanji’s proposal was approved—and her joyful cheer could be heard clear across the Walls. The mission was set to take place at the end of the month, with both the Special Operations Squad and the Elite Reconnaissance Squad assisting in live captures of Titans lurking beyond Trost District.

But as I watched Hanji prance through the halls of the castle, eyes bright and limbs trembling, I remembered the promise she had made me: that not a single human life would be lost during this mission. I was keeping her to that promise, waiting for her to make good on it.

Just as Levi was holding me to mine, and I was holding him to his.

But if those promises could buy us just a little more time in this world, enjoying the simple pleasures of the lives we had…then that was good enough for me.

A/N: I almost didn’t get this chapter out on time, it was a little tough to write! So it’s a shorter one, but I promise the next one will make up for it. I’m really excited to write the next one, but for now I hope you enjoy this one! :)

Fandom: Attack on Titan 
Pairing: Levi x Mia (OC) 
Words:7.1k 

Warnings: brief violence, head injuries (and patching up said injuries), detailed Titan captures (at least I think they’re detailed lol), mentions of a distressed Hanji (my poor baby) 

Taglist:@omg-lexiloveyou,@ataraxia101,@super-peace-fangirl,@mr-robot-x,@unusversuscanicula, @cyborgnate, @saltypancakes 

If you want to be added to the taglist, just let me know! (I promise I don’t bite!) 

- 

|LVIII|

Twenty days later, on the last day of May, the gates of Trost opened up once more. Hanji led the way through, whooping and hollering, with a terrified Moblit at her side.

The Titan capture had been approved, with the assistance of the Special Operations Squad and Elite Reconnaissance Squad required for its success. Along with our squads were Hanji’s logistics team, directing wagons that held multiple nets, spears, blades, and other weapons needed in order to subdue the Titans.

Hanji had drilled in the objective of this mission until every one of us could recite it in our sleep: the goal was only to injure, not outright kill any of the Titans. At least, not the ones she had her eye on.

And which ones did she have her eye on? …Who knows?

At least my squad looked eager enough. They had been considerably less excited than Hanji had been, given their intended involvement in the capture, but they had prepared extensively throughout the last few weeks. If anyone could make this mission a success, it was them. 

Especially if Levi’s squad was going to be with them, backing them up at every turn. He had put them through their own special training, ensuring that they would be able to fight to the best of their abilities beyond the Wall. The two of us seemed to have the same idea in mind, preparing them as much as we could. No matter what, every single one of them had to come back alive.

Currently it was just after dawn, with the first Titans roaming about in the distance. The first slivers of sunlight spilled across the valley beyond, giving it a gorgeous red hue. Edel snorted and shook his head, and I realized that his mane was starting to tint with red. I smiled and ran my fingers along his neck, humming as he nickered at my touch.

“Make it as quick and painless as possible,” I yelled over my shoulder. Reggie was the closest to me, followed by Murphy and Gretel, and finally Emily and Evan. “We capture one, maybe two of them, and then we go home. Understand?”

“Yes, captain!”

I shifted my gaze to Hanji, who was already rambling on to Moblit towards the center of our little formation.

You better keep to your word, Han. I need all of those kids to come home alive today.

Erwin had instructed our little mission to not stray far beyond the boundaries of Wall Rose; instead, we were to keep to the Walls as close as possible, securing the Titans and blocking off an area specified for Hanji’s research. A handful of Garrison soldiers were already stationed at the top of the Wall, ready to guard said area from any other Titans. If everything went according to Hanji’s plan, they would help us lure the Titans towards the Wall before trapping them against the surface with a heavyset net, designed specifically for keeping them locked in place.

Of course, Hanji had thought of a few back-up plans, as well. If for some reason we weren’t able to lure them towards the Walls, we would take to singling out the stragglers and subduing them by cutting off their limbs, one by one, before trapping them in a net against the ground. It was considerably more dangerous, since we had no guaranteed way of escape if we trapped them anywhere else beside the Walls. Still, we had to at least try.

“Ooh, there! There! What about thatone?”

A lone Titan, probably close to nine meters tall, was lumbering aimlessly around in the near distance, its heavy arms swinging from side to side. Its eyes were glazed, a mop of black hair on its head, and its jaw was slack, revealing two rows of blunt white teeth. Just the sight of it made me want to grimace.

Of course, Hanji wants thatone.

“Yeah, it’s perfect!” Despite Moblit’s sputtering at her side, Hanji pointed in the Titan’s direction—and my stomach began to roll when its dead eyes finally landed on our little group. “Start leading it towards the Wall!”

That was our cue. With Levi’s squad lingering close behind us, I motioned for my kids to follow. Reggie inched his horse further away from Edel, and from over my shoulder I could see every member of my squad behind me, in a loose but focused V-shaped formation.

The Titan was even more frightening up close. Glassy eyes trailed from Scout to Scout, as though it was sizing each of us up. I could see Gretel glowering at it from afar, with Murphy trying his hardest to mirror her expression. (Although, his didn’t look nearly as natural as hers did.)

“Come on,” I hissed, my knuckles turning white against Edel’s reins, “take the bait already!”

Suddenly the Titan lurched forward, dead eyes blown wide and jaw snapping open, and its heavy arms stretched out in a terrified Evan’s direction.

I could feel my heart in my throat as I shouted at him, “Brose, keep your distance! Enns, back him up!”

Murphy was at his side in a flash, subtly shouldering him away from the Titan’s course. The ground trembled beneath its footsteps; I could no longer hear the comforting clop of Edel’s hooves against the grass. I motioned towards Gretel and Emily with a wave of my hand, and silently they spread out to cover Evan and Murphy, trailing the Titan from behind.

“It’s cornered now,” I yelled out to Reggie. “Take up the rear with the girls. Be ready to strike at the limbs when I tell you to!” If we couldn’t lure it close enough to the Wall, we would have to trap it out here in the open instead.

Edel’s whinny rang in my ears as I dug my heels into his sides. He knew this dance all too well: the heat of battle, the rush of adrenaline, the slick of sweat on our skin. How many times had I urged him on in a similar manner, before pushing myself out of the saddle to take down a Titan? Today would be no different, apart from aiming at the Titan’s limbs instead of its nape.

The Titan seemed to smile as Edel and I crossed its line of sight, coming up on Evan’s right. Another human to target, another possible meal at the end of the day. The thought sickened me; the urge to grab my blades and slice open its nape was bubbling at my fingertips.

Reading Ilse’s notes, and the last words she’d ever written in this world, had only fueled my hatred for these monsters. Hanji could capture and study them all she wanted, but I could never understand them. I would never want to understand them.

The silver surface of the Wall loomed over us in the near distance. I could already see the group of Scouts gathered at the top of the Wall, along with the neighboring Garrison soldiers, ready to drop the net to trap the Titan. Just a little bit further, and we would have our first Titan capture in literal years.

“Section Commander!” Moblit’s voice was laced with pure panic. “Up ahead—a three-meter and a six-meter!”

I couldn’t stop and look around for them, but the sound of thundering footsteps told me there were many more on their way. Evan shot me a nervous look, while Murphy looked as though he was ready to throw up right there on his poor horse’s back.

“Stay focused,” it was a struggle to keep my voice level, but I managed to do it. “You have a job to do, soldiers! Let Captain Levi’s squad take care of them. You just focus on the mission at hand!” And thankfully, they seemed to understand and stared ahead, keeping their horses at a moderate pace.

Still, it was hard to follow my own advice. I didn’t have to look in his direction to know that Levi would head for the approaching Titans at once, ready to defend our little capture mission with everything he had. Eld and Gunther would be close behind, with Petra and Oluo acting as backup.

They’ve got this, Wolf. My fingers grew stiff around the reins. He’s got this.

Yeah, you’re right. Stay focused. No more reckless acts.

The Wall was getting closer. The Garrison soldiers were taking aim, gripping the edges of the heavy net at the top of the Wall. Scouts were shouting at each other left and right, making last-minute preparations for the inevitable capture.

The Titan’s fist suddenly came down hard on the ground, right between Evan and Murphy. Edel jerked at the impact (he never liked it when the ground rumbled under Titan footsteps). Evan shouted something I couldn’t quite catch, before Murphy’s mare broke formation and raced towards the Wall alone—without Murphy on her back.

Shit!

My stomach was churning as I saw Murphy sprawled out on the grass below, both hands clutching his head. The Titan wasted no time in skidding to a halt and reaching out for him, seemingly uninterested in either myself or Evan.

A blur of green and gold swooped in front of the Titan at once—and before I even had time to blink, its pale arm came crashing down to the ground below, completely severed at the elbow. With a holler, Emily swung herself around the Titan’s knees before lowering herself back to the ground, letting Gretel and Reggie take the lead as she cradled Murphy against her chest.

Reggie kept himself low to the ground, slicing both of the Titan’s ankles in one fell swoop. The Titan groaned almost pathetically as it sank to its knees in the dirt, forcing me and Evan to scurry out of the way before it fell face first into the ground. With a screech of her own, Gretel brought her blades down on the Titan’s other arm, blood and steam spurting from the wound as she tore out a sizeable chunk of its elbow.

“It’s too far from the Wall!” Evan’s voice brought me out of my daze; between Emily and Murphy, and now Reggie and Gretel’s teamwork, I’d almost forgotten about the mission at hand. Some captain you are, Wolf. “We can’t use the net anymore!”

“That’s fine,” the words were out of my mouth faster than I could think, “then we just go to our backup plan. Hanji!” I waved both my arms out as hard as I could, upon spotting her and her squad just at the edge of the Wall. “We need the barrelsnow!”

And let’s hope your new invention is as great as you said, buddy.

Evan was off his horse at once, joining Gretel to stand on the injured Titan’s nape. Thankfully it was motionless, but its limbs would regenerate in a few minutes if we weren’t fast enough with Hanji’s new weapons. And it wasn’t until I saw Reggie’s nod from his spot beside the Titan’s legs that I finally took my eyes off the subdued Titan.

Relax, they’ve got this. They’ve trained so hard for this, you know. Now go check up on Murphy.

Edel snorted as I squeezed his sides once more, but he didn’t object as he broke into another gallop. And within moments I was kneeling down at Murphy’s side, with my medical bag clutched in my fist.

“Enns, can you hear me? Can you seeme?”

Emily was holding him close, her hands gentle and steady as she cradled his bloody cheeks. The poor boy groaned, blinking the blood out of his eyes as he managed to stare up at me. There was a gash on his head from where he had fallen, but it didn’t look serious enough to need stitches.

“Captain…”

His voice was no more than a mumble, a soft sound that only made me want to work even faster. It was hard to keep my fingers from trembling as I grabbed a wad of bandages and a vial of water from the bag.

“You’re going to be fine, Enns.” With Emily’s help, I was able to rinse the wound out with a steady stream of water, cleaning any excess blood off the skin. “You did such a great job. We already brought down the Titan, you know.”

I could hear Hanji’s squad in the near distance. The roll of wheels against grass, the twang of arrows splitting skin apart—thatmust be her new invention. But I was far too busy to admire her work right now.

Murphy’s mouth was moving, but his words were a jumbled mess. I wanted to scold him for talking, insist that he save his energy until we got back to the base…but I wanted him to talk. At least that way I knew he was still alive.

“M-Misty,” his eyes were wide as he spoke the name of his mare out loud. “Where did she go?”

“She’s fine, I promise.” I could see her out of the corner of my eye, her reins wrapped around Evan’s hands, as I slathered a bit of ointment across the wound. “Evan has her. She’s alright.”

Still, I couldn’t help but smile at the kid’s priorities. Go figure, the first thing he worries about is whether or not his horse is alright. Not that I could blame him, of course.

Once his wound was dressed with ointment, I tore a strip from the bandages and began wrapping it around his head. I glanced up at Emily as I worked, noting how still she appeared to be throughout the entire ordeal. Most soldiers would become squeamish at the sight of blood, especially those as young as her. But instead she remained indifferent, her jaw clenched as she kept her eyes on Murphy’s wound. From the way she was acting, I could only assume she had at least a little bit of experience when it came to the messy field of medicine.

So calm and focused—such rare qualities in new cadets. I bit back a smile, wondering if I’d have to take on a medical apprentice in the near future.

“Alright, you should be fine for now.” Thankfully the wound wasn’t bleeding through the bandages; it could hold out at least until we got back to the main base. “But I don’t want you back on Misty when we head back. You’ll ride in one of the wagons, understood? I’ll take care of Misty for you,” I added when I saw the look of fear in his eyes. “I promise, I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Slow and steady, Emily and I helped Murphy to his feet, and once his arm was slung around my shoulders, I finally got a good look at the battlefield before me.

Reggie and Gretel were now standing close to Hanji, and the Titan they had taken down was now bolted to the ground with a series of arrows, wires and nets. The steel arrows were part of Hanji’s latest invention (and the focus of today’s mission, if the Wall nets didn’t go as planned). Stored in six barrels stacked up on top of each other in a wagon, the arrows were launched through a cannon firearm and latched onto their targets, with silver wires connecting each of them back to the main barrel. And just for good measure, a weighted net was thrown over the target to prevent even the slightest bit of movement.

Hanji had boasted about this invention for practically months, even before she had asked Erwin to approve a Titan capturing mission. And for the most part, it seemed to be doing the trick. The Titan was now lying motionless on the ground, completely trapped by the wires and nets. And to no one’s surprise, she was looking quite proud of herself.

“The arrows will only get deeper the more it regenerates,” she addressed the Scouts behind her, “so I think it’s safe to leave this one for now! Good job, you guys!” There was no missing the pure excitement in her voice, as though she were five years old again, a child trembling upon receiving a brand new gift for their birthday. “Now come on, let’s go see what Levi caught for us!”

Wait, Levi?

In all the commotion with Murphy and his injury, I’d almost completely forgotten about Levi and his squad—as well as the approaching hoard of Titans. But once I saw the collection of Titans trapped against the surface of the Wall, weighted down by a heavy net courtesy of the Garrison, I let out a soft sigh of relief.

Petra and Gunther were panting hard, their blades stained with blood and dirt. Oluo looked exhausted as well, but he puffed out his chest in a silly attempt to look unbothered (after all, Levi wasn’t looking the slightest bit tired). Eld was the only one who didn’t seem to be bothered by the intense workout, save for his disheveled hair and slight smile. But all of that vanished when his eyes landed on Murphy, who was still leaning on me and Emily.

“He’s alright,” I assured him, as one of the medics from Hanji’s squad reached for him. “He’s got a gash on his head but it’s stopped bleeding. I want to get him back to base in one piece, though.”

I glanced up at Levi, just as the last traces of blood lifted off his cloak. His blades were as polished as ever, not a hair out of place on his head. Sometimes I wondered how he managed to look so clean and focused, even in the messiest battles we’d endured together.

His eyes flickered to Murphy, and then back to me. I gave a slight shake of my head. We’ll talk about it later.

“So…you guys managed to snag four of them, huh?”

Indeed, there were four Titans trapped against the surface of the Wall. Well, three of them were currently steaming from their napes, with only one left completely unharmed. It was a four-meter Titan, a stark contrast to the nine-meter Reggie, Gretel, and Emily managed to take down. With short legs and a mess of blond hair, it waved its stubby arms against the thick ropes of the net, groaning to itself when it realized it couldn’t break free.

“Four small ones,” Levi corrected, motioning over to Hanji, “but she seems happy with it. We couldn’t keep them all, they were starting to tear at the net.”

Still, Hanji seemed elated at the brand new capture. A nine-meter Titan bolted to the ground, and a four-meter Titan secured against the Wall. The first Titan captures the Scouts had made in over twenty years.

I kept my voice low as I asked, “Did we lose anyone?”

But he shook his head, and I could’ve sworn I felt his hand brushing against mine at my side. “Not a single one.”

I smiled at him, and despite Hanji’s shrill screeching, the chatter of the Scouts around us, and the ugly sight of the dying Titans before us, he smiled back at me. A small one, but a smile nonetheless.

Two Titans captured and no lives lost. That’s not bad for a day in the Scouts.

|~|

To no one’s surprise, Hanji wanted to linger at the Wall to help the Garrison soldiers with the captured Titans—but everyone knew she really wanted to stay just to keep an eye on her new “babies,” as she had deemed them. Levi didn’t even attempt to hide his disgusted scoff at that.

So the rest of us headed back, with myself and Levi left to deliver the report on Hanji’s behalf, as Moblit had elected to stay behind in Trost with her to keep her out of any trouble. But before we headed for Erwin’s office, I helped Murphy out of the wagon and guided him towards the medical wing. I knew Lina was the best person I could trust to take care of him.

Thankfully his words were no longer slurred together, and he seemed much more alert and aware than he had been earlier. Still, I wanted Lina to keep an eye on him. No way was I going to let one of my best soldiers falter because of a head wound.

Surprisingly, once I’d left Murphy in Lina’s care at the medical wing, I’d practically tripped over Emily, who had been leaning against the front doors the entire time. Her cheeks were a pale pink color as she stumbled over her words, sifting through excuse after excuse as to why she had been lingering outside this whole time.

“I want him to be alright,” she finally sputtered, her shoulders going rigid as I stared at her. “That was a pretty bad wound—I just want to make sure he’s feeling alright…”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Fischer. I trust Dr. Stuber with my life. She’s a valuable medic in the Scouts; we’re incredibly lucky to have her.”

She nodded at once, although she made no move to leave. A laugh bubbled up in the back of my throat. She’s so obvious, even worse than I am.

“You can ask Dr. Stuber if you can see him, if you want. She may want him to rest, though.”

“Oh no, that’s alright,” she replied, although her bright cheeks told me otherwise, “I just want to make sure he’ll be okay.”

There’s something else at play here, besides her personal feelings. Is she worried about the injury because of how serious it looked? Could she have had one herself in the past, or maybe knew someone who did?

Either way, it wasn’t my place to ask. If she wanted to tell me all of that, she would have to do it herself. I wouldn’t force her to say anything she didn’t want to.

Instead, I leaned against the door and crossed my arms over my chest. “You were incredibly calm out there, you know.” As though you’ve seen this kind of stuff before.

Emily’s jaw clenched, her lips pulling into a thin, tight line. The air was silent, save for the light scuff of her boots in the dirt. But then she shrugged her shoulders, eyes dropping to the ground, hands clasping together at her back.

“My parents run an apothecary shop in the heart of Trost District.” Her voice was soft when she spoke, a far cry from her usual tone. “Lots of people always came in, always bleeding; after the Wall fell, we even had a couple of soldiers come by the shop. You get used to it after a while, I guess…”

Sothat explains it… I gave her a smile when she glanced back up at me, her blue eyes as wide as ever.

“Well, I’m grateful you were there with us today. And I know Murphy is, too. Without you, I don’t know how he would’ve stayed so calm.”

It hurt to see her so shaken up like this. While she didn’t show it in her shoulders or arms, I could see it in her eyes: seeing Murphy like that had scared her. Whether it was because of the injury itself, or her time in the apothecary shop—or both, perhaps. Either way, I hated seeing the fearful look in her eyes. It didn’t suit her at all.

She’s just a kid. Fifteen at least, right? No one should have to see all of that, especially a kid her age.

Such is the life of a soldier, I reminded myself with a sigh. That goes double for the Survey Corps, doesn’t it?

“Alright, Fischer, I’m off to give the Commander our report of the mission.” I gave her shoulder a squeeze, and my chest seemed to grow lighter when she smiled at me. “Try not to get into too much trouble, alright? And if you want, make sure to go see Enns later on. I’m sure he’d like to see you and thank you himself.”

She remained silent as we parted ways—but the bright blush on her face, as well as the shimmer of her pretty blue eyes, told me everything I needed to know.

|~|

The days following the mission crawled by painfully. Filled with paperwork, plans for upcoming expeditions, and nonstop yammering from Hanji about her two precious little babies over at Wall Rose.

“Chikachironi’s getting so rowdy under that silly net! He’s not like Albert at all; he’s a good boy. He just lays there all patiently, and he doesn’t even snap at us! I’m so proud of him!”

“That’s lovely, Han.” I swirled my spoon in the bowl of stew in front of me, placing my chin in the palm of my hand. Suddenly I don’t feel so hungry anymore. “Which one’s which, again?”

“Albert’s the one your squad caught, the nine-meter under the net. And Chikachironi is the little one against the Wall! Oh, they just get so much cuter with every day!” A couple of soldiers were staring at us now, drawn to her dramatic, high-pitched squealing. “But I’m really not looking forward to the pain experiments we have to do next week. I hope they’ll be able to forgive me for that…”

I glanced over at Nanaba, who seemed to be just as bored as I was from her spot across the table. Neither of us found the appeal in Hanji’s fascination with the captured Titans; hell, no one in the Survey Corps (or maybe even the entire Walls) shared her enthusiasm for them.

How can she refer to them as her babies, when they’ve probably killed so many of our comrades? And in cold blood, too?

It was almost enough to bring me to tears. I knew better than to assume Hanji had no compassion for the lost lives we mourned for every single day. The countless nights of her crying into my chest after a particularly tough expedition attested to that. Still, it didn’t sit well with me, hearing her address them so casually.

“I wouldn’t get so attached to them, Hanji,” Nanaba said, taking a sip of her drink. “Who knows how long we’ll be able to keep them tied up like that? It’s best not to get too involved with them.”

“Don’t be such a downer! As long as we’re careful with them, nothing bad will happen!”

Another baffled look between myself and Nanaba. Hanji, of all people, suddenly being worried about being careful with something? It was a miracle.

And I can think of at least ten things that could go wrong off the top of my head…

“Alright, whatever you say.” It was hard not to giggle as Nanaba smirked at me from over the rim of her cup. “I’d just hate for you to get your hopes up for nothing, Hanji.”

|~|

And sure enough, the two of us had been right. Go figure.

Moblit had practically dragged a pouting Hanji back to the base the following week, and I knew something was wrong the moment I saw her. Her hair was messier than usual, frayed ends sticking out of the loop of her ponytail (probably from her constantly threading her fingers through it). Her eyes were red and puffy, her chest heaving almost painfully as she leaned against Moblit’s shoulder. Eventually the poor man gave up and hoisted her onto his back, keeping his hands around her thighs as he carried her towards her office.

“The experiment didn’t go as planned,” he whispered to me, and that was all I could catch before Hanji started wailing again.

That’s not good. I’ll have to check up on her later.

Nifa had given me the run-down of the day’s experiment. She was one of the newest members of Hanji’s squad, in the same year as Emily, and the two of them often gravitated towards each other during meals and training. She was a kind girl with a band of freckles across her nose, and in the right amount of sunlight, her red hair almost reminded me of Isabel’s.

“We tried cutting their napes to see if it caused them any pain.” She kept her voice low, as though she was worried Hanji could hear from all the way across the castle. “We ended up cutting too deep and killing them both. She’s really distraught about it, though.”

Butwhy?

It was a question that kept me awake until the late hours of the night, tossing and turning in my bed, and occasionally disturbing Levi beside me. Why was Hanji so attached to these two Titans? Why did she feel the need to treat them as though they were pets—no, as her own children? And why was she currently crying her eyes out in her office at their deaths? She had never cried over a Titan’s death before, so why was she starting now?

And when I brought this up to Levi over our nightly cups of tea in his office, he only scoffed and shook his head.

“She’s a fucking weirdo, that’s why. A Titan’s still a Titan at the end of the day. She just let herself get too attached to them.”

“Yeah, but…why?”

“Tch, I don’t fucking know. Go ask her yourself, if you’re that interested.”

But I could see it was bothering him too, by the way his fingers tightened around the rim of his teacup. He despised the Titans as much as I did, maybe even more. And to see such a close comrade acting so friendly with them… It was enough to piss anybody off.

Butfuck, if I wasn’t so damn curious about it. So I finished my tea and stood up from my seat, giving Levi a kiss on his head before heading out of the office. “I’ll be right back,” I whispered, and he only grunted as I closed the door behind me.

The door to Hanji’s office was left unlocked, and when I stepped inside, an exhausted Moblit offered me a smile. His hair was messy, his shirt was rumpled, and his eyes were drooping further by the minute. The poor man looked as though he would crumble to the floor at any second.

“I can watch over her for a bit,” I told him, “at least until she falls asleep. Why don’t you get some rest?”

I could afford to stay with Hanji for a little bit; Levi wasn’t exactly an early sleeper, so I knew he would be up for at least a couple more hours. The least I could do was help Moblit out a bit and take Hanji off his hands for a while.

And if there was one thing the two of us knew from experience, it was that dealing with a sobbing, distraught Hanji was absolutely exhausting.

“You don’t have to—”

“It’s okay, I want to. Is she in her bedroom?”

Moblit pursed his lips together before nodding. “She’s been tossing and turning all night long. I tried giving her some tea but she just won’t settle down.”

Of course she wouldn’t. Hanji grew incredibly restless whenever she was upset. Twisting around in the sheets of her bed, disturbing the other girls in the barracks on the nights she couldn’t sleep. Mumbling incoherently to herself, until either Anna or Lily shushed her. On particularly hard nights, I would open the blankets of my bed and let her climb in beside me. The two of us hadn’t been able to do that for the longest time, what with our separate offices and my growing relationship with Levi (and I knew for a fact he wouldn’t be so keen on having company during our late night cuddle sessions).

“I’ll go check up on her. Get some rest, alright?”

I pushed open the door that led to Hanji’s bedroom, just as Moblit hit the couch with a soft flump. His snores were already filling the air as I stepped into the room, closing the door halfway behind me.

A trembling lump sat atop of Hanji’s bed, wrapped up in blankets and sheets and…are those extra shirts of hers? A steaming cup of tea had been left on her nightstand beside her glasses, untouched save for a few small sips. When I sat on the bed, she poked her head out of the blankets, eyes swollen and cheeks puffed out.

My chest tightened when I saw the pitiful look in her bright red eyes. While I had no idea why she was so upset with losing those two Titans, I wasn’t about to ignore her when she needed me.

So I took her into my arms, pressing my chin against the top of her head. Her breaths were shaky, shoulders quivering as she wrapped her arms around my waist. I could already feel the collar of my shirt growing damp with her tears, but I made no move to push her away. Instead I held her close, as she began to ramble against my chest.

“I didn’t mean to do it. But it all happened so fast! Chikachironi—he screamed when we struck him! Like he was in pain the entire time, and he probably was! He was probably so confused, none of us had tried to hurt him until today. But we didn’t mean to do it! One minute he was fine, and the next…”

I smoothed her hair down against her nape. She shuddered and sucked in a deep breath, before sobbing into my chest again. I didn’t know what else to do, so I just kept holding her.

“Albert, he was such a good boy too… He never made a sound! Not once! Not even when we cut him a little too deep! He was so well-behaved too, he never fought against us! He even let me pet his cheek once! And I wanted to sit on his shoulder after that, but Moblit wouldn’t let me…”

I bit back a smirk at that. Of course he wouldn’t.

“And now they’re gone because of me.” She took in another deep breath, before raising her head off my chest to look me in the eyes. “Because I gave the order to go for their napes. And I don’t think they’ll ever forgive me.”

The tears staining her cheeks, the flush of her eyes, the sense of utter failure written across her face… Why is she getting so worked up over this? Over a pair of Titans, no less?!

I had seen Hanji cry over fallen soldiers plenty of times before. We had both done it together, holding each other in our arms as tightly as we could, as though it would somehow lessen the gaping pain in our chests. But this was the first time I’d seen her cry over a Titan. And sure, they were Titans we’d specifically captured for her research, but they were just test subjects. Nothing more, nothing less, right?

“Hanji, I just want to know…” I swallowed hard, unsure of how to frame the question. “…Why do you love those Titans so much?”

She blinked twice, her lips parting as she stared at me. “W-what do you mean by that?”

What do you mean, ‘what do I mean by that’? “I mean, well…what made you grow to like them in the first place? Didn’t you want them so you could perform ex—I mean, conduct some research on them? So what made you like them so much?”

I kept my voice slow and calm; I didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was. But thankfully, she seemed to understand what I was getting at. And for the first time all night, she managed to smile—a weak one, but a smile nonetheless.

“Because they could give us some answers. They were volunteers, almost—well, not really, but you know what I mean. And if we kept them around for a little bit longer, we could’ve learned so many things about how the Titans work. How they live, what else they eat, whether or not they have any other weak spots…”

But then she was frowning again, silver tears slipping from her eyes. I grabbed the corner of one of the blankets and began dabbing her eyes with it (since my shirt had already suffered enough). As I wiped her face clean, she continued to speak, her voice soft and gentle.

“Maybe we could’ve found a way to communicate with them, like Ilse had.” My hand froze at the mention of the dead soldier, whose corpse was still rotting away in that old tree hollow in the forest. “Maybe we could’ve learned something else from them. But now we can’t, because I killed them. And who knows when we’ll be able to capture another pair of Titans like them…”

When her face was dry, I pulled her back into my chest and began to smooth her hair once more. She sighed against my collarbone, her soft eyelashes tickling my skin as her eyes fluttered shut.

“You didn’t see their eyes when they died, Mia. Almost as though…they were afraid. Like there was someone in there this entire time…”

Wait, what? But that’s silly, not to mention impossible.

I’d stared countless Titans in the face before killing them with my blades, and not one of them had shown any trace of fear or regret in their gaze before their deaths. They were always so cold, lifeless, soulless… But that’s what made them so easy to kill. I knew there wasn’t anyone in there, just a bloodthirsty monster hell-bent on destroying what was left of the entire human race. And that’s what pushed me to kill them, every single time.

But if Hanji had really believed they were sentient, in some way or another, then it was no wonder why she had been so upset upon returning to the base.

I glanced down at Hanji, a thousand questions lingering on my lips—but she was already snoring against my chest. I smiled to myself before laying her down against the mattress, wrapping the blankets around her in a little cocoon. She made no move to stop me as I stood up from the bed—she was finally out for the night.

I leaned down to press a soft kiss to her forehead, right beneath her messy brown bangs. Goodnight, Hanji.

I closed the door as softly as I could behind me, careful not to disturb either her or Moblit, who was currently sprawled across the couch, lost in his own deep slumber. Before I left the office, I draped a blanket across his chest, to keep him warm throughout the night.

I’ll have to thank him later for watching over Hanji for me. That was the thing I loved the most about Moblit: he was always there for Hanji, keeping a watchful eye on her whenever I couldn’t.

The door shut with a soft click, echoing throughout the empty hallway. With a heavy sigh, I pressed my palm to my forehead and began the trek back to Levi’s office, with Hanji’s last words spiraling over and over again in my mind.

Sentient Titans? I’d never heard of such a thing. They aren’t capable of showing human emotions. Even the Titan that spoke to Ilse didn’t seem to show remorse—it still killed her in the end. But maybe Hanji’s two Titans were different? Is it possible for some Titans to be emotional, while others simply aren’t?

I shook my head. I’d encountered too many Titans over the years to start second-guessing their intentions now. I’d lost too many friends and family to them over the years, ever since I was a little girl. Now was not the time to reevaluate my feelings about them.

Besides, there will be time to think about this all tomorrow. It’s too late right now to get involved with all of this.

…Yeah, you’re right. Worry about it tomorrow, when you have the time.

But even when I reached Levi’s office, even when we finished our tea and showered and tucked ourselves into bed, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Hanji had said. Even with Levi’s warm chest pressed against my back, I couldn’t take my mind off of what those Titans must have looked like to Hanji.

They’ve committed such horrible atrocities, every single one of them. And they have the nerve to look scared when humanity finally fights back a bit? That doesn’t make any sense. Why would they suddenly get all defensive once we have the upper hand?

No, stop it. Hanji’s just upset, maybe she just thought they looked scared. She has a strange relationship with Titans to begin with. That doesn’t mean every single Titan out there is sentient. They’re all mindless creatures with a taste for our blood, aren’t they?

“Stop it.” Levi’s breath was hot against my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “Whatever you’re thinking about, just stop.”

“…How do you know I’m thinking about something right now?”

“You keep shifting your legs and twisting your head, and it’s getting on my nerves. You only do that when you’re nervous.”

My cheeks grew warm at his words. Who knew he paid so much attention to my little habits? “I’m just…thinking about Hanji’s Titans. She’s really upset about them.”

“She’ll get over it.” His arms tightened around my waist, fingers brushing against the skin of my stomach. “I’m sure we’ll get her a new pair of them before the summer ends.”

Besides, it’s not as though they were humans to begin with.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right…”

“I am,” he replied curtly, and I stifled a laugh as he kissed my neck. “Now go to sleep. Or I’m kicking you out.”

“Aw, but you can’t!” Suddenly I was facing him on the bed, wrapping my arms around his neck and throwing my leg over his own. “Who’s going to keep your bed warm if you kick me out?”

“I have a few blankets in the closet.”

“Levi!”

The two of us were giggling now, smiling through the faint moonlight that spilled in through the window. He ruffled my hair with his fingers before curling his arm around the back of his head, keeping his other firmly pressed against my back.

“I’m serious, brat. Go to sleep. You need it.”

“Fine,captain.” I gave him a quick kiss on the mouth before snuggling into my usual spot against his collarbone, with my head tucked beneath his chest. “But only if you promise to fall asleep with me.”

“Tch, you’re unbelievable sometimes.”

“Maybe, but you’re stuck with me.”

I could feel his fingers dancing along the hem of my shirt, gently massaging the skin of my back as he pulled me in close.

“I guess I am.”

It took a little bit more convincing, with a few kisses thrown in here and there, but eventually I found myself dozing off against his chest, with his arms draped across my waist. The mention of any possible sentient Titans was now pushed in the furthest corners of my mind, with a silent promise on my tongue.

Worry about it all tomorrow, when you have the time.

So Theres a scene in the beginning of Jak 2 I drew Uke in to show their relationship abit.

Uke handnt seen Jak for 2 years so he dont care if he dangerous xD thats his cousin!

peppermint-joys:

Please can anybody send me asks about the dad bruno au or Adelita? Anon or non anon. PLEASE I am so bored!

escape to the countryside

2k commission for the lovely @lann-de-lei

a wholesome getaway with mammon as he tries to make his dearest lira feel at home again.

pure fluff and comfort, oc insert

Worry was a troublesome thing.

It takes over your mind until you think of nothing else. It tugs at the bottom of your chest until you feel nothing but anxiousness – until you can’t breathe.

And Mammon knew because it was happening to him right now.

As he lay in his bed, the lights dimmed and sheets covering half of his body, he stared at the blank ceiling with his mind drowning in worry.

If he could be with Lira right now, it would definitely put his mind at ease.

But since Mammon told Lucifer of his plans to take Lira on a trip, his elder brother had ordered them to not spent so much time together. Lucifer was scared that they’d run off on their trip before they got permission from Diavolo to leave the Devildom and he couldn’t be blamed knowing how impulsive Mammon could be.

But it was unfair to separate them like classmates that talk too much. They hadn’t caused any trouble.

Mammon sighed once again and rolled onto his side.

Worry really was a troublesome thing, especially when you can’t sleep with peace of the mind.

At this point, he didn’t believe he would get a blink of sleep because the thought of Lira all alone in her room was like a fist tightening around his heart.

She loved hugs, especially from him, so he snuggled with her for at least two hours before separating for bedtime. But it wasn’t enough, not when she wasn’t here beside him.

He caught whiffs of her scent from her side of the bed. The smell of her hair was threaded into the pillow beside his. He breathed it in, hoping it would make it feel like she was really there. But his hand groping the empty sheets was a grim reminder that he was alone, and so was Lira.

It didn’t take Mammon long to change his mind.

Supporting Lira when she needed him was far more important than listening to his brother’s groundless orders.

After all, Lira wouldn’t hesitate to back him up whenever he needed her. She was calm in any situation; even in the most difficult situations, she always wore a soft and gentle smile.

But in the recent days, her honest smile had faltered.

Whenever he brought it up, she’d say I’m fine.

But Mammon expected that. Lira wasn’t someone who liked to trouble others, yet she would always go out of her way to be of help to anyone she comes across.

He discovered pretty quickly that she was homesick. The way she stared at old pictured from the human realm had told him so. Late at night, she would ramble about all the beautiful things to see back in her world and how none of it could compare to where she was now. Of all the friends and family she wanted to see again.

She was missing her home.

Before he knew it, Mammon was out in the hallways, stumbling as he pulled on his jacket and shoes at the same time.

Light seeped from under Lira’s door; she was still awake.

He burst in as quietly as he could, loud enough to frighten Lira but not abrupt enough to attract the attention of his brothers.

“Mammon!” Lira called, but covered her mouth when she realised how loud she was. She whispered as she asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Put your clothes on. I’m taking ya on a trip.”

“What? Mammon, it’s late. We’ll get into trouble.”

“Who cares? If I wanna take you on a trip, then I’m gonna do it. To hell with anyone who tried to stop me.”

“Will it be okay?” she asked, her eyes filled with concern. He knew she really wanted to go, but she was scared of the consequences.

“It’ll be fine,” he pulled her in for a hug and ran his fingers through her light auburn hair. “I promise.”

It took some more convincing but by the time dawn rose in the human world, Mammon was driving Lira down an empty countryside road. Dusty gravel flew up in a mist as the tyres of his Demonio 666 fired along the road, but the smell of burning tyres was masked by freshly cut grass.

The fields were plenty with crop and trees were fully bloomed.

As Lira’s hand hung out of the passenger window, the scent of nature wrapped around her. All windows were down and air rushed in and out of the flash car in a comfortable manner. The air was warm, fluttering around them both playfully.

It had been a long time since Lira felt so at home, cradled in the comforting arms of her world.

The only thing distracting her was Mammon’s low humming to the music playing quietly, and every now and then, his hand would reach for hers to hold tightly, to remind her that he was still there.

“Make a turn here,” Lira told him as they approached the small town. On the outskirts, they pulled into a rental store. It was an old one Lira new of and they quickly spoke with a worker who led them to a campervan small enough to fit the two snugly.

The keys were dropped into Mammon’s hand and in his other were the keys to his precious Demonio 666. The look in his eyes was one akin to a child having candy taken from them.

But one look at Lira and the mild disappointment she tried to hide under a smile as she said “it’s okay, we can take the campervan another time,” had him tossing the keys to the worker in seconds.

“Nah, I promised I’d take ya on a trip,” he pulled her by the hand and swung open the door to the van. “If this is what ya want, I want it, too.”

He was questioning his words with a gulp minutes later when he sat behind the wheel. Lira was just about done loading the van with luggage.

“How the hell am I supposed drive this thing?”

“What do you mean? It’s just like a normal car.”

A look of defeat crossed his sorry face. He was used to driving luxurious cars with a streamlined build, both inside and out. And on top of that, human vehicles were built a little different to those made in the Devildom.

“Okay,” he started by turning the key and pressing on the clutch. The engine stirred, a lot more disruptive than his own car, and he placed his hand on the gearstick. “This ain’t so bad.”

Lira watched him closely as he reversed out of the parking lot and they were back on the road in no time.

“So, where to first?” he turned to her. He was a skilled enough driver to take his eyes off the road for a few seconds and admire the sun rays dancing in her golden eyes.

“Do you remember that cabin I told you about? It wasn’t long ago, the one I visited when I was young.”

“Sure, I remember it.”

“It’s not far from here.”

“Then let’s go.”

Most of the day was spent gliding across the sunlit roads. There weren’t many other vehicles in the rural land, but every now and then, the friendly beep of a passing car would honk. It was nice to see the good old friendliness of humans.

“Okay, down here and…” Mammon stretched out his words as he pulled up to the cabin. “We’re here!”

He smiled as Lira giddily jumped out of the campervan and crunched along the crispy leaves up to the wooden structure.

“Come on!”

He followed her in and collapsed alongside her on the crinkly, worn-out brown leather couch.

“It feels so good to be here again.”

“I’m sure it does.” Lira snuggled into his side as he wrapped an arm around her and planted a warm kiss on her forehead. After a long – and bumpy – ride, they relaxed in each other’s hold, seemingly more exhausted after the journey.

By the time sunset arrived, Lira headed out in the forest to collect wood for the fireplace.

“Mammon, look,” she called to him. “Look at all the birds.”

A small crew of them were huddled on the ground. Even as she approached them, they didn’t fly away. They were surprisingly calm for wild birds, and big too.

“I think I saw some bird feed back at the cabin,” Mammon said. “Stay here with them, I’ll go grab it.”

Minutes later, he returned with the sack, scooping out a handful and pouring it into Lira’s cupped palms. She scattered it across the ground and they flew immediately to the food. It looked like a frenzy as they pecked and fought with each other for grains.

“Greedy buggers, just like my crows.”

Lira laughed at his words as they both watched the forest become swallowed by birds. Putting out the feed had even attracted more and Lira dished out their share, even allowing them to peck the seeds straight from her palm.

“Watch it, pal,” Mammon warned the innocent bird. “Don’t get too close to my woman.”

They retreated back inside before dark and the cabin was warmed up by the burning firewood collected earlier. While a bed would have been more comfortable, they both settled by the fire, sinking into the couch with blankets chatting late into the night until they drifted away.

In the morning, the two were on the road again, leaving behind their newfound friends. A stop by the coast had them running down to the beach hand in hand as they dipped their toes in the water. It was freezing but the gentle warmth of the air made it all the more fun as they splashed seawater at each other.

Lira hit him straight in the face and he scooped her up bridal style before dumping her into the water completely.

She would have scolded him in any other case, but it was so refreshing to feel like this again. To not have a care in the world and to forget about everything else. The smile was growing on her face, and not just in her lips, but it had spread fully into her eyes while she chased him down the shore with seaweed.

The memories of the beach getaway would remain forever in their hearts.

But they could only pray that neither of them got sick. Back in the van, they wrapped up in blankets, sniffling as they dried off before heading down the never-ending road again.

And that was how, on the third night of their trip, they ended up on a chilly field trying to fall asleep.

“Tch! Sleeping on the ground is so uncomfortable!” Mammon whined as he fidgeted on the ground.

“That’s the point of camping,” Lira giggled. “It’s not supposed to be comfortable. But it’s still fun not sleeping in a warm bed. It’s about experiencing things we don’t usually experience.”

Lira seemed more than content in her less than flimsy sleeping bag, but Mammon had a hard time adjusting to this new experience. He’d never slept in anything other than a luxuriously soft bed so naturally it would be difficult for him.

But one look at Lira and how happy she was inspired him to maybe take this seriously, for her sake.

Because she was finally smiling again.

“It’s really not that bad,” she said to him. “A tent isn’t that much different to the campervan we’ve been living in for the past two day. But we can go back to the van if you want.”

“It’s fine,” he mumbled and rolled over. “I’ll just make myself comfortable.”

He flipped onto her with a groan and Lira didn’t miss the smug smirk on his face when he pressed his face into her chest. He always loved snuggling into the soft and cosy mounds. He tangled their legs together and stretched his arm across her front as if he was claiming her. Not that he would see anyone approaching to steal her away since his face was buried too deep in her breasts to notice.

Lira lay on her back while he fidgeted and smiled when he finally stilled. He was happily in place on top of her and she stroked his soft hair, twirling it between her fingertips.

“Better?”

“Much better.” His voice was muffled between her breasts.

She’d gotten so used to his face being there that she could only smile with glee when his voice tickled her flesh. It was comforting to know that his habits would remain no matter where they were.

This trip wasn’t just about visiting home anymore.

Sure, Lira felt homesick and being back in the human world did feel a lot better. But she slowly realised that it didn’t matter where she was; home didn’t have to be a place.

Just like Mammon found his home in the body he latched onto, Lira decided that home was anywhere as long as it was with him.

Tap.

Tap. Tap.

The tent was suddenly battered with raindrops. In a matter of seconds, the humid air had turned into torrents. Something like a storm was passing over and the air turned horrendously chilly. Typical weather in the human world, but there was no way either of them could sleep like this.

“Maybe it was a good idea to sleep in the campervan.” Lira said.

“Fancy making a run for it?”

“No,” she laughed. “But let’s do it anyway.”

They braced themselves before speeding out into the rain. It hit their skin, freezing them in seconds but the hand she had in Mammon’s lead the way. He made sure she didn’t slip on the soaked and muddy ground. Her shoes were ruined, clothes soaked but, in some way, it felt like this was meant to be.

She wouldn’t have done this with anyone else but him.

Not many words were exchanged after that, only boisterous laughs and loud kisses as they wiped themselves with towels and ran their hands over each others body to create heat.

Cold and wet wasn’t supposed to feel this comfortable. Even as they shivered under the blankets, it wasn’t so hard to drift away in his arms.

Because it didn’t matter where she was.

Home was with Mammon.