Chapter Text
He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand, groaning because of how disgusting he felt. Before the cloth he had covered his mouth and nose with could slip and leave his face exposed, he quickly reached behind his head to fasten it again. Levi’s gaze wandered to Mike, who stood only a few meters away from him, loading another body onto the cart. The Captain truly felt bad for him in that moment, as he could only imagine how bad the smell must’ve been for him.
Levi bent down to pick up the lifeless body of a blonde woman. The woman’s face caught his attention. Even in death, she was beautiful. Her green eyes looked empty, her full lips were slightly parted and pale, but Levi could imagine they had once been a beautiful, pink color. Her nose was delicate, slightly upturned. If only there weren’t a gaping hole in her torso, guts spilling out from where the axe had penetrated her body repeatedly. He reached out and shut her eyes, sighing tiredly before he hoisted her up. He’d seen fellow soldiers being ripped apart and eaten by titans; monsters that roamed the land. But for some reason seeing how much damage one single human could do was even scarier. It made his skin crawl. Titans were supposed to be their enemies – not people.
“Husband and wife?” Levi casually asked Mike after carefully placing the body on the cart they had rolled into the building, so they didn’t have to carry the bodies outside.
“I think so,” Mike confirmed before taking a deep breath. Levi could tell the situation didn’t sit well with him either. He figured his comrades who were cleaning up the outside and the other few houses didn’t feel much different. They were all drained. “I’ll never get that smell out of my nose.”
Levi felt sick to his stomach, his only response being a ‘mhhm’.
“It’s unbelievable how much damage a single person can do…” Mike went on, his head hanging low. “Why would someone do this?”
“He obviously wasn’t right in the head. Murders like this happen on a regular basis in the Underground. Not seeing the sun does things to you.”
“Well, sun he had more than enough of in this beautiful village…” muttered Mike.
Levi just shrugged his shoulders, resigning. Now it wasn’t so beautiful anymore.
A small team of the Survey Corps had discovered the village a few days prior, upon passing it on their way towards Wall Maria, where they were planning on making some arrangements to leave for the outside for another expedition. Levi had been among them. However, after seeing this, they had postponed their efforts and had headed back to the base to report on the incident.
Of course, seeing how no one else would do it, it was the Survey Corps’ responsibility to clean up the mess, so they had returned to the village with a bigger team and more carts. Even Erwin had wanted to join the mission, feeling like it was his duty to support his soldiers during such a difficult task and not let them do the dirty work alone. His efforts certainly brought him plenty of praise from the soldiers. Levi had just rolled his eyes.
Speaking of the Commander – sure enough, when Levi turned towards the door, he saw the tall man standing in the door frame, slightly bent because the door wasn’t tall enough to allow him to stand comfortably. Levi couldn’t relate.
“Nanaba, Hange and Moblit are cleaning up the remaining two houses,” Erwin announced before stepping inside.
Levi huffed, shaking his head. “You can hardly call this ‘cleaning’…” he replied, staring down at the pools of blood on the wooden floor. This was even too much for him. Their best bet was probably burning this village down. “You know, some of the newbies could’ve helped us with this.”
“I didn’t feel like traumatizing them right away, Levi,” answered Erwin calmly as he helped Mike get the cart moving. The Captain watched as they rolled it out of the house, arms crossed in front of his chest. “Yeah, right…” he mumbled to himself, remaining in the living area of the house. The interior was sparse, not to compare with the houses in the populated districts. In the countryside most houses looked like this; one-story homes with a cramped kitchen corner, a dining table and a fireplace. Some chairs to sit on. A ladder leading up to the small attic, where the house owners and their children slept.
His brows furrowed as a thought from earlier crossed his mind. He’d been in the attic earlier, to check if there were other bodies. In the streets they’d also found children’s bodies, an even more horrific sight, making the whole situation even worse. However, the number of the children didn’t add up with the number of children’s beds they’d found in the houses. In this house, there was one as well.
Lost in thought, he didn’t even notice the Commander re-entering the small home. “Levi. We should keep going.”
Not answering, the Captain’s eyes began roaming the room. He pulled down the cloth covering his mouth and nose, his eyes coming to rest on the back door of the building, which was slightly open.
“Levi? What’s the matter?” Erwin spoke with concern in his voice and stepped behind the other, gently placing a large hand on Levi’s shoulder.
“Shut up for a moment.” He wiggled out of his lover’s grasp and headed for the back door, careful to open it without a sound. Call it instinct, but something was off.
The chickens in the garden behind the home seemed unbothered as he made his way towards the small stable. Despite Erwin being so much heavier and taller than himself, he made no sound either, having understood that Levi had a clear goal in mind. The stable door was open, so he sneaked inside. It had enough space for one or two horses, but there was none to be seen. He stood in the middle of the tiny stable, letting his gaze wander. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Levi still had a feeling that something was off. Call it a gut-feeling.
He turned around, his eyes meeting with the taller’s. Erwin looked genuinely worried and confused.
“Alright, we should leave. It’s going to be a long way home,” he then began to speak to Erwin, taking a step forward and then gesturing for Erwin to head towards the door and close it. Erwin caught on immediately and nodded his head. He slowly made his way out, his footsteps louder this time, while Levi remained where he was, though completely quiet. As soon as the door closed, he saw movement in the corner of his eye.
“Wait…!” he heard a whisper, and when he looked to the side, a small head with wide, green eyes peeked out of the haystack. The eyes were staring back at him in disbelief, the child not moving.
“Hey,” said Levi.
“… hi,” answered the boy whose hair was pretty much the same color as the hay.
Levi slowly turned towards him, and he was about to crawl out of the haystack, but the next moment the boy yelped and a second one emerged, holding him back and pushing him against his own small frame. The boy looked identical, a little older maybe. His hair darker. Levi recognized their faces – the same eyes, nose and lips as the woman who had been murdered in the house.
“Go away!” The brunette cried out, his body shaking as he was holding his little brother. His demeanor was enough to make the younger one tear up, and sob.
“Erwin, I could use your help,” the Captain spoke a little louder, though he tried to keep his voice as calm as possible to not scare the kids any further. The Commander was surprised at the sight when he headed back inside, but he quickly put on his calmest and friendliest face. The same expression he always wore when seeing or speaking to children, who more often than not adored him and his soldiers for their bravery.
Almost instinctively, Erwin crouched down, trying to get to more of an eye-level with the children, knowing very well how intimidating his height could be. “You two have been hiding here, right? That was very smart of you,” Erwin praised them, blue eyes flicking to the older boy. He had his arms tightly wrapped around his brother and was not looking at Erwin, but instead had his eyes squeezed shut while tears rolled down his face. His heart ached upon seeing that. Erwin could only imagine what they must’ve been through, what they must’ve seen. He understood they were scared out of their minds, and they needed to be approached with great caution.
“I know this is difficult, but listen. I’m Commander Erwin of the Survey Corps. Maybe you’ve heard of us before? We’re part of the military, and we’re here to help,” he spoke calmly, offering the smaller boy a warm smile when his green eyes met with Erwin’s blue hues. He had his attention, at least.
“See that symbol? It’s the Wings of Freedom, the symbol of the Survey Corps,” explained Erwin, pointing at the symbol on the breast pocket of his jacket. “You can’t stay in here forever. We’ll get you to safety, I promise.” Carefully reaching out, he offered the brothers his hand. The younger’s tears had stopped rolling, and his little hand reached out for Erwin, but before he could take it, he was yanked back by his brother.
“Leave us alone! Go away!” the boy cried out once more, and now he had his brother whimpering again as well. Erwin sighed. Winning over the little one would be easy, but the older was going to be an issue. Sure, they could just grab them and take them back to Trost, but he was not trying to traumatize them any further. They’d already been through too much.
He rose to his feet again and leaned over to Levi, keeping his voice low. “Levi, will you please stay here? I’ll go find Nanaba, maybe Petra. Perhaps their female charm will help.”
Levi simply nodded, his eyes trained on the brothers the whole time, even while Erwin walked out of the stable. Deciding it would be better to give them some space, the Captain took a few steps back before leaning against the boarding. The children’s sobs grew quieter. The older boy eventually looked up, his gaze flicking to Levi. When their gazes met, he could once again see panic in the boy’s eyes. Poor thing.
He remained silent.
The door opened a few minutes later, and it was Nanaba who walked inside, Erwin behind her. She stopped and turned on her heels, the Commander almost bumping into her. “Alright, no, you need to leave. Both of you,” she spoke, now turning to Levi. The Commander looked back at her in surprise, not used to being given orders in his position. If it weren’t such a messed up situation, Levi would’ve laughed out loud.
He took one more glance at the brothers before heading for the door, his hand grabbing at Erwin’s arm to drag him along. Once the door was closed, they walked back to the garden, leaving Nanaba alone with the boys.
“Do you think it’s going to work?” asked Erwin.
“The hell would I know. This was your idea,” huffed Levi as they came to a halt. He looked back at the stable, biting down on his lip. His jaw tensed.
Erwin watched him for a moment. “Are you okay?”
The most stupid question he’d ever heard, coming from the smartest man he’d ever met. “Yes, of course, I’m perfectly fine. Finding two little boys who’ve likely seen how their parents have been slaughtered, and who are scared out of their minds? Never had a better day in my life,” he replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
The taller sighed and stepped closer to the other, placing his hands on Levi’s arms to gently rub them. “I’m sorry, you’re right. We’ll get them all the help they need, okay?”
Levi nodded, but he knew it still wouldn’t be enough. Nothing could make this undone. He’d seen his mother die and knew exactly how it was to feel like the whole world had turned on you. The only thing that made him feel slightly better was knowing the two boys still had each other.
Erwin pulled him against his chest, and they remained like this for a few minutes. Having the Commander close always calmed him down. It had taken a while for Levi to let down his guard around Erwin. It wasn’t easy to trust other people – but the man had earned his trust, and he was thankful for it every second.
They pulled apart when they heard the stable door opening. Nanaba was carrying the smaller boy in her arm while holding the other’s hand. As soon as the brunette boy saw Erwin and Levi, however, he stopped in his movements.
Nanaba noticed, so she crouched down, placing the younger boy on the ground before giving the other brother her full attention. “I’m right here. Nothing is going to happen to you or your brother. You know, we’re here to protect people. We’re all a big team, so you now have lots of people who will protect you.” She smiled softly, running her fingers through the boy’s brunette hair. He avoided her gaze, instead watching with sad eyes how his little brother approached the two men.
“You can’t bring back mom and dad,” he stated quietly, for the first time speaking calmly. The closer his brother got to the blonde man, the more his body was trembling.
“You’re right. We can’t.” Nanaba took his hand again, hoping it would help if he stayed closer to his brother, so she walked him over to the Captain and the Commander, but he quickly hid behind her, clinging to Nanaba’s uniform.
Erwin crouched once more, smiling at the blonde boy. “I’m Erwin, and this,” he gestured towards Levi, “is Levi. He’s my Captain, the strongest man you’ll ever see.” He paused, seeing how he now had the boy’s undivided attention. “What’s your name, little man?”
At the question, the boy turned around, looking at his brother. He was still hiding, only his eyes peeking out from behind Nanaba. An answer never came. Instead, he turned to Levi, and grabbed at his white uniform pants.
“Hey, careful…” mumbled Levi, seeing how the boy got the dirt on his hands all over his pants. The brats desperately needed a bath.
“We should head back to Trost soon,” Erwin stated, getting back up on his feet. “It’s a long ride.”
“We won’t be back until tomorrow, it’s already late,” added Nanaba. “And we still need to burn the…” She didn’t finish her sentence, remembering that children were around. The bodies, right. There might be a burial ground a little outside the village, they would have to send some soldiers to scout the area.
“Is there a place here where we can stay the night?” Levi asked, not planning on sleeping in one of the blood-soaked homes.
“I saw one or two houses were left unaffected. It should be enough space for us,” answered Erwin, his gaze flicking to the little boy in front of Levi. He was staring up the short man with expectant eyes, his tiny hands tugging at Levi’s pants.
It took a moment for Levi to respond by looking down, and for him to get what the little one wanted. “What are you- oh.” Panicked, grey eyes searched for Erwin’s, but the Commander just shrugged. Levi sighed, giving up. “Alright, alright…” He reached for the boy and picked him up with ease, the little one immediately resting his head against Levi’s shoulder, relaxing. “Little brat. You stink.“
Yet, he couldn’t deny that it felt nice to have the boy in his arms. He gave in, resting his head against the boy‘s and playing with the blonde hair. When he looked at Erwin, the Commander‘s soft expression, with a smile on his face, didn’t go unnoticed. „What‘s the matter, old man?“
„Oh, nothing,“ Erwin replied with a smirk. „I just like the look on you.“
„Fuck off,“ grumbled Levi.
„Hey, you should watch your mouth in front of the children,“ Nanaba reminded him. When Levi walked back towards the street, Nanaba was dragged along by the older boy, who followed his brother right away.
They‘d done their best to make sure the children wouldn‘t see the bodies or the blood bath in the streets, though Levi was fairly certain they had seen at least some of it before, considering how the massacre must‘ve happened a few days prior. The soldiers had settled into the last two houses who‘d been left unaffected, setting up their sleeping places. There were only twelve people on this mission, so there luckily was enough space for them all. While about half of the group had gone out looking for a burial ground and burning the bodies, the rest had taken care of their night-quarters and the horses.
Since the younger boy seemed to have taken a liking to Levi, he was stuck inside.
Not having much else to do, he‘d made it his mission to get the brat cleaned up. So after getting water from the well, he‘d set up the half-barrel in a corner of the living area in the small home, heated some water over the fireplace and now carefully poured some of the water over the boy‘s head before shampooing it to wash his hair. It was a greasy mess, to say the least.
„So, how about we give you a haircut?“ Levi suggested while rinsing his hair. The boy shrugged, staring down at the wooden pig in his hands, which Hange had picked up from their former home earlier, along with some clothing. „It‘s so long, you can barely see anything.“ Levi continued, taking a look at the boy. The hair was all over his face. „I could shorten it a bit, and shave off the sides,“ he explained and ran his fingers through the hair before he started scrubbing the boy‘s back with the washcloth.
„Okay,“ the kid answered, nodding his head. Alright, that had been easy enough.
The Captain glanced across the room, seeing how the older boy sat with Petra and Nanaba, eating some bread. His eyes, however, were constantly watching Levi. He couldn‘t quite decide yet if the boy was paranoid or just overprotective. Maybe both. However, Levi felt like he was beginning to relax a little - at least he hadn‘t thrown a tantrum when Levi had started to clean up his little brother.
„What about you, little skunk? Want to keep on stinking?“
„Captain!“ Petra gasped, apparently shocked by his choice of words. Levi didn‘t care, there was no use in tip-toeing around the obvious. The best they could do was offer the boys some sort of normalcy.
To his surprise, the skunk spoke up. „I can wash myself.“
„Fair enough. Thought so,“ he hummed, turning his attention back to the blonde boy. „Will you tell me how old you are?“
The boy looked up from his pig, blinking a few times. Levi could see how the tears started turning in his head. He began to count with the fingers on his hand, then showed Levi. Four fingers.
„Alright. What about your brother?“ This time, he was quicker, and just added another finger. „Five? You‘re only one year apart, huh?“ The older one acted a lot more mature.
He finished washing the boy quickly, and tightly wrapped him up in a towel, ruffling his hair after he stepped out of the half-barrel. The brat laughed, looking up at Levi and grinning. Levi wasn‘t one to show his smile often, but he appreciated the little one very much, and couldn‘t keep the corners of his lips from curling up. „We‘re going to let your hair dry and then cut it. Now get dry and put on some clothes, alright?“
He got a quick nod as a response, and the boy was about to make his way back to his brother, but then stopped and turned around to Levi again. With his tiny hand, he gestured for Levi to lean down, which the Captain did. The boy whispered into his ear: „I‘m Porco.“
Oh - an unusual name. Levi smirked, and nodded his head. „Thanks for telling me, little one.“ And with that, Porco ran off to his brother.
The older boy was true to his words and washed up not long after that, while the water was still warm. Porco’s hair had dried meanwhile, so Levi, as promised, started working on the little one’s hair with his shaving razor. He began to make an undercut, leaving the boy’s hair longer on the top.
Erwin and Mike had returned to their night-quarter in the meantime, had went to clean themselves up and were now sitting around the fireplace with their comrades. The Commander’s gaze flicked to Levi and the young boy now and then, admiring how well his boyfriend was taking care of him. Erwin had never seen him with kids before, but it was apparent he was good with them. Seeing that warmed his heart. The thought of wanting a family often crossed his mind, even if it seemed unlikely. A man in his position didn’t have time for kids. The fact that he was with a man didn’t make it any easier. He’d discussed this with Levi before, and the Captain’s uncertainty on the topic didn’t help either. It was probably just a silly idea, something that wouldn’t work out in the long run. And he had another goal anyway – saving humanity from the titans.
Lost in thoughts, it took him a while to notice that he was being watched. Turning his head, his blue eyes met with the green ones of boy beside him, who Levi had ended up naming ‘Skunk’. Erwin smiled. He seemed to be warming up to them, considering how he had moved closer to sit beside Erwin. The boy bit his lip, seemingly trying to decide whether he should say something or not.
“Would you like to know anything?” Erwin offered, hoping he was not too forward.
The boy considered for a moment, his mouth opening as if to say something, but no words came out. Erwin waited patiently, and eventually he spoke.
“Do titans really exist?”
The question made Erwin’s lips curl up. He turned to face the boy. “They do. I have seen and fought them many times,” he confirmed. “Did your parents tell you about it?”
“My dad…” he answered quietly, lowering his gaze, his expression changing to sadness. Erwin felt the urge to pull the boy close and hold him. To tell him everything would be okay. But would it really?
“Your dad was a smart man then.”
“Did you bury him and mom?” The boy asked straightforward. It even took Erwin by surprise. He seemed to be fully aware of what was happening around him, while his brother seemed a lot more… carefree.
“We did. I hope they will find their peace. Did you… see them like this?”
A nod was given, and it broke Erwin’s heart. “Your brother too?”
He shook his head. The Commander sighed. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. If I could make it undone, I would do so in a heartbeat. But the only thing I can do is to make sure you two are safe now.”
“What will happen next?”
“We are going to take you to Trost District, where we have our base. I’m not sure what the correct procedure is but I’m sure we will find a place for you and your brother.”
“Okay.” The boy’s gaze wandered to his brother, who was looking more than content about Levi doing his hair. “… can I have a haircut too?” He asked quietly.
“Hmm. I don’t see why not. You should ask Captain Levi,” the Commander encouraged him.
His companion rose to his feet, then hesitating to walk over. He was thinking through every little step he made, every little thing he said. “Hey, it’s okay. He might seem a little grumpy, but he has the biggest heart, I promise. Look how well he is doing with your little brother.”
The boy nervously shifted from one foot to the other, before turning to look at the Commander. “His name is Porco. I’m Marcel. Marcel Galliard,” he announced, his face bright red.
“Oh? It’s very nice to meet you, Marcel.” He’d already won over his heart. “You should tell Levi as well, or he will keep calling you Skunk.” Marcel chuckled. It was one of the sweetest sounds he had ever heard, and his grin grew wider and wider.
Overall, the day had been awful, but just looking at Porco and Marcel – and Levi – warmed his heart so immensely, filling him with nothing but happiness.