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The Survey Corps was welcomed with open arms as they returned from their trip to the edge of the island. Crowds gathered out in the streets, whooping and hollering with joy- a far cry from the old taunts and jeers they would receive when returning from an expedition.
Following their return, the queen had personally invited the survivors of Shiganshina to her country escape for a celebratory dinner. The younger veterans of the 104th were more than eager to catch up with their royal friend, and were excited to share the stories of their discoveries with her.
Hange was looking forward to finally resting her weary bones. It was nothing but non-stop work for the past year, and all she wanted was to spend a day sitting out on the front porch with a cup of tea. Levi, on the other hand, was more concerned about the multitude of little brats that ran around the quarters than trying to relax.
When the scouts arrived, they were bombarded with a mass of eager kids, cheering and surrounding them on all sides.
“Ah, sorry, sorry,” the cheery voice of Historia spoke, cutting through the crowd of children. She waved them back, giving the veterans room to breathe. “Welcome, everyone!”
The younger scouts all scrambled to give their friend a hug, while Hange and Levi stood awkwardly in the back.
“I missed you guys!” she spoke as they separated from the hug. She looked around at the troop, before resting on Captain Levi.
“And I missed you too,” she spoke, going in to hug the small man. He stiffened, still awkward when it came to physical affection. “And you, too, Commander Hange.” She pulled her into their hug as well, and the two veterans couldn’t help but glance at each other awkwardly as the small queen squeezed them tight.
“Thanks, Historia,” Hange spoke, patting her on the back. She still was in awe that the small blonde recruit she barely noticed was now the queen that she served. It just showed how much time had changed, and how old Hange was getting.
Once they were released, the queen ushered them into the farmhouse. They were filed into a large, but cozy dining area with a table that was covered in all sorts of edible delicacies. The centerpiece of the entire feast was a huge golden brown turkey, garnished with a colorful variety of fresh vegetables. They nearly had to put Sasha in restraints to prevent her from completely ravishing the table.
The dinner was fulfilling, to say the least. If the kids weren’t gorging on the food, they were excitedly talking with Historia or bantering with each other. Hange and Levi gazed endearingly at their little troop, while secretly passing small signs of affection towards each other.
It was still a struggle to keep their newly formed relationship under the noses of everyone else, but somehow they had made it work for the past few months. However, when almost every touch or word held a second meaning, it was hard for the two veterans to restrain themselves. They were like two lovesick teenagers- with all the emotions and affections being so new to them. Even in light arguments, they had to hold back from getting too passionate or else someone would take notice.
Following the feast, the scouts headed out to the front lawn as the sun slowly began to set and the cool evening breeze began to trickle in. The younger veterans were out in the fields messing around with the little kids while Hange and Levi remained on the porch, digesting their meal.
Hange looked on from her seat on the porch, calmly rocking back and forth on her toes. She closed her eye, breathing in the fresh smell of grass laced with the faint aroma of wildflowers. In a way, it reminded her of her own home and for a second, she was transported back to that innocent time all those years ago.
The sound of the door creaking open interrupted her daydreaming, as someone flicked her in the back of the head.
“Ouch,” she scowled, looking up at the small raven haired man.
Levi chuckled as he continued to walk over to the railing. He leaned against a post, crossing his arms as he watched the orphans play out front. Hange got up from her seat and joined him in silence, keeping a close but fair distance.
“You should join them,” she suggested, leaning over and lightly nudging his arm. “I think you’re much more on their level than those kids.”
Levi huffed at her crude joke, no doubt a jab at his height. He brought his arms closer to his chest to get away from the commander’s near proximity.
“That’s an order,” Hange spoke in a more serious tone. She was never one to pull rank, but if it involved Levi getting into a little mischief, she was more than ready.
“Are you serious?” he asked, raising his brow, but the commander’s gaze said it all. Begrudgingly, Levi sauntered down the steps and into the field, the children’s attention immediately turning from the others to him.
They swarmed him as he walked out, causing him to become stuck in the rowdy mass.
“You’re famous!” Hange chuckled from the porch, a graceful smile on her lips. Levi looked up at her and huffed as kids hung from his arms and climbed on his legs. Damn her and her smile.
The commander found it endearing as he tried to blend in with the kids, stiffly trying to follow their games as the other young scouts laughed from afar. She couldn’t remember a time when Levi actually interacted with kids younger than recruits, and it was funny to see him slowly learn their strange ways. She could see that it really tested his patience, especially when they got their dirty little hands on his clothes. But after a few minutes, he began to relax into it. The dear captain even began to chuckle and break a smile as he messed around with them.
They ran around in the grass, waving sticks as makeshift swords as Levi lead them in a charge against the younger veterans. The kids would jump on the bewildered scouts, pelting them with their little weapons.
But their little kid stamina proved to be too much for the older veteran, and he eventually got too tired to continue. He sluggishly walked over to the porch, taking a seat on the front steps. His loyal army followed after him, leaving the remains of the tuckered out scouts on the battlefield.
Hange came and stood by him, playful nudging his hip with her foot and giving him a smirk. I told you so.
Levi could only glance up, rolling his eyes.
“Is it true you came from the Underground, Captain Levi?” the starry eyed boy next to him asked. “Just like us?”
The veteran turned his gaze towards the boy, a small smile formed across the captain’s lips as he reached a hand to ruffle the kid’s hair. “Yes,” he responded, “just like you.”
All the children looked at him with wide eyes, filled with awe and excitement. Levi’s gaze settled back on Hange, who looked at him with loving approval. Thoughts began to arise in his mind as he sat surrounded by all those kids- thoughts he really shouldn’t have had.
Luckily, Historia came out and called the kids to bed before he could dream any longer.
Shortly after the kids were sent to bed, Hange went out to the small stream-fed pond near the house and stood by the edge of the water.
“Trying to escape again?” Levi muttered as he walked up behind her. It was then that he noticed that she had taken her boots and socks off.
Hange hummed, beginning to unbutton her shirt. “Not quite,” she spoke, pulling her shirt off her shoulders. She threw it into the grass, and headed up to the small pier that jutted out into the middle of the pond.
“Hange, what are you-”
He was met with a splash as she sprinted across the wooden planks and jumped into the water. Her head bobbed back to the surface after a few seconds, her messy locks sticking to her face like glue. “C’mon in, Levi! The water’s fine!” she laughed.
Quickly, he ran up onto the pier. “Hange, that shit’s nasty!” he shouted, but was silenced by the commander’s eye patch being thrown into his face.
The splash caught the attention of the younger vets, and they eagerly ran to join their commander in the pond. As the kids jumped into the water, Levi remained, watching in disgust from the pier.
“Get in here, Levi,” Hange urged. “The only thing that can hurt you are the fish.”
“Yeah, c’mon Captain Levi!” Eren yelled.
“No,” he responded, shaking his head. “I’m perfectly fine here.”
But the others didn’t give up on including Levi in their antics. They broke out, chanting “Captain, Captain!” over and over, but he still didn’t budge.
Little did he know that they had already enacted Plan B. In one swift movement, Mikasa rushed up behind Levi, and pushed him into the water before jumping in herself. He bobbed up to the surface, spitting and sputtering as he regained his composure.
“Pay back,” Eren snickered as he watched the Captain flail in the water.
“Brats!” Levi seethed, splashing water at Mikasa who smirked evilly.
Shouts arose from the shore as a couple of Historia’s guards ran towards them. In front, the small figure of the queen, already dressed in her nightgown, was eagerly running over to where they were.
“Wait for me!” she exclaimed as she ran across the dock and jumped in with the scouts.
“You’re highness! You just ate! You’re going to get sick!” her guards tried to warn her, but it was already too late.
The small blonde came up to the surface, laughing and enjoying the antics. It was infectious, and soon everyone joined her in a fit of laughter, even Levi. Maybe it was because they finally found the edge of the island, maybe it was because they were no longer left in the dark about the world around them, or maybe it was just because they had a carefree day without worrying about titans or other enemies. Either way, a sense of relief and joy hovered over the scouts in the pond, a sense that they hadn't felt in a long time.
When the sun lowered behind the mountains, and the pink sky turned into a hazy purple, everyone cleared out of the water, shivering but happy. Historia had made room for them to sleep the night, and the younger veterans followed her back into the house to wrap up the evening.
Only Hange and Levi remained, sitting on the edge of the pier in comfortable silence. The heat of the torches on the post provided futile warmth against the cooler evening breeze for the wet couple.
Hange loosely pulled on her dry blouse, leaving the front unbuttoned. “I’d call this a pretty successful mission,” she sighed, leaning back on her palms.
Levi hummed in agreement as he wrung out his wet shirt. Quietly, they listened to the buzz of the bugs skipping across the pond, as water lapped at the shore. The breeze that rustled the grass also blew strands of Hange’s hair against her cheek, but she didn’t mind.
The captain placed his shirt down on the wood, glancing over to his counterpart. Absentmindedly, he reached up and tucked the loose strands of Hange’s hair behind her ear. It was then that he got a glimpse of the scar that remained of her left eye, slowly but surely healing over. His hand remained near her face, his gaze softening.
Hange chuckled, turning to face him. “Is it bad?”
Levi swallowed, letting his fingers brush against the rough patch of skin. “No,” he spoke, “not at all.”
She sighed, leaning into his touch. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Do you think we’ll make it?”
The captain stiffened, slowly retreating his hand from her. It was a question he had never thought of before, and a question he realized he wasn’t ready to answer.
In the Survey Corps, there was never any definite answers regarding the future. It was an unpredictable job that they were apart of, and promises to stay alive were practically unheard of. First, it was the titans they had to worry about, and now it was an enemy far greater than they expected.
They both knew that rough times lay ahead, but something deep inside Levi gave him hope. As he reflected on that day's escapades- being with Hange and playing around with the kids- a flame of motivation began to burn in him and hoped that that flame would carry him through the impending storm that they were heading towards. “I have confidence in us,” he spoke after awhile. “The next few years aren’t going to be easy, but I think we’ll put up a good fight.”
It wasn’t a definite answer, but it was enough for Hange to relax. She huffed in relief, sitting back up and letting her shoulders slouch forward. She glanced down at Levi’s hand that lay limply beside her, and slowly moved her own hand so that she was able to intertwine her pinkie in his.
His heart quickened, but Levi soon calmed when he looked into her warm gaze. He broke the small link, instead opting to lace his fingers in hers, his grip tightening.
Yes, they would make it.