Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"LEVI!" A hyper brunet shouted halfway across the ship, doing their best to draw the attention of the short, black haired man standing at the front of the ship, taking his very first photos of the island that was finally in view. It was a warm, sunny day, perfect for a cruise, but the ship Levi Ackerman and his - unfortunately and miraculously - best friend Hange Zeo were on was no tropical vacation ship of dreams and fun.

H. S. S. Paradise was a military cruiser that the US had decided to lend for this expedition to the newly discovered island that the military had seen for the very first time just weeks ago despite having thoroughly investigated and scouted the area it was found in multiple times in the past. The most interesting part about the new island was that it was, apparently, in the satellite's blind spot, which didn't happen even for the Bermuda Triangle. The interest for the island was immeasurable all around the globe and every country wanted to have a hand in exploring this new island, most probably in hopes of getting their hands on whatever new resources the island might possess. Unfortunately for them, and even for the general public, the US has yet to reveal the actual location of the island. Even now, as the ship sailed towards it, none but a select few of the crew knew their heading.

It was supposedly to stop looters from going to the island before the scientists could properly examine everything, but Levi suspected the US just wanted first dibs on whatever they had discovered on the island. He rather doubted that no one has made footfall on the island yet if it's been weeks since its discovery.

Either way, Levi didn't really care. Let the military do whatever it wants, it no longer concerns him. He's left that part of his life behind him a year ago and he couldn't be happier for it. Photography was much more fun and far safer of a career choice.

Levi Ackerman wasn't your ordinary photographer. Hell, he wasn't your ordinary person, either.

Ever since he was little, he was more capable than kids his age, or even those older than him. He had great stamina, he'd acquired a lot of strength in his young muscles really early on from minimal exercise, he was fast and he had incredible situational awareness. Add to all of that that he was crazy quick to learn anything new, especially martial arts, and you could say that he was recruited for the army straight out of middle school. He was supposed to be a part of a new special unit or something so he was supposed to start young. He had never been overly interested in the military before and would have turned them down when they'd come to recruit him, if they hadn't promised him that his mother would get the best medical treatment and would be put at the top of the waiting list for her heart surgery. Levi, knowing there was only so much his uncle can do without turning to crime to get them the money they need to pay for the operation, had accepted and so his dear mother lives to this day, even if she curses herself for what her son had done to ensure her health.

Levi wishes he could say that he regrets it, but he doesn't. His mother is alive and well and his family still receives premium medical care for his years of service.

Levi had basically rushed through the required military training with little effort on his part. He did his best to stay within the 'normal' standards and not stand out because he didn't have plans to stay in the military forever. By the time he was sixteen, he was sent out on his first mission with a group of other 'gifted' individuals. Their goal had been simple enough - escort a person of interest to safety through an active war zone - and the execution had gone almost without a hitch except one of the others had gotten shot in the leg and couldn't go on. Levi had carried his squad mate to safety while still protecting the person of interest and his other squad mates and it ended in the first medal for bravery that the raven haired man got in his life.

The next six or so years continued with much the same trend and more medals made it on his mother's wall of 'fame'. Levi had only two more missions to complete before he would be free to ask for a discharge from the military, but then the unexpected happened.

His squad got annihilated, along with the group of war reporters they had been escorting around the battlefield, as had been their mission. Only the cameraman, Farlan Church, had lived long enough to beg Levi to finish their mission, showing his cameras and the map of all the places they were meant to report on into his hands. He had passed away while reaching for his already gone partner's hand, the young redhead woman known as Isabel Magnolia having died on impact when a grenade had landed right in the middle of their formation.

Levi himself had only survived because he was bringing up the rear, protecting all of their backs from anyone who might try to take a couple of American civilian hostages.

Levi had done as Church had asked. He'd been to every site, protecting himself and the gear he'd been entrusted with, and he'd reported on everything. His biting commentary on the events earned him a fame he never wanted and it suddenly turned him from a soldier to a war reporter. People no longer expected him to carry a gun in his hands, but rather a camera. The pictures he made were as precise as the shots he would fire from a gun and he was determined and brave enough, not to mention skilled, to get to the very heart of any battlefield or enemy infested territory to take photos or record footage.

He extended his contract with the military for two more years so he can continue Church's and Magnolia's work. He dedicated his every on-site reporting to them. He made entire short movies about life on the battlefield, of both sides. Levi received many more awards, from both the military, the peace efforts organisations and journalists and photographers alike.

On his last mission, though, life changed for him once again, because he'd stumbled upon a massacre in an orphanage. Only two children had survived, a boy and a girl, and no one would take responsibility for them. After weeks of no one trying to help the children while they were still staying in Levi's temporary care, Levi finally decided enough was enough.

The process was still ongoing - because war photographer wasn't exactly the safest of jobs - but he was currently the legal guardian of two twelve year olds. Needless to say, his mother was beyond happy to learn that she was now, officially, a grandmother and she smothered Gabi Braun and Falco Grice with affection as though they were her own flesh and blood. Understandable, considering Levi's preferences in partners. His mother was also beyond happy to look after them for the few weeks he'd spend on this expedition with Hange, who'd just barged into their house one day and told Levi they'd signed him up for it without even consulting him about whether he wanted to go or not. It had been Gabi and Falco who had convinced him to go, saying they wanted all the details and plenty of pictures about his new adventures.

Levi had been hesitant to leave them alone, as the kids had grown quite attached to him as their savior from the hell that was the battlefield and then the hell that was the adoption system, but seeing as they were eager for him to go and return with new, preferably more pleasant stories to tell, he'd accepted.

So here he was now, surrounded by scientists and soldiers and he never felt quite so out of place. He only knew two people on this entire ship filled with nearly a hundred souls, and those were Hange and their assistant, Moblit Berner, who was also a bioarchaeologist. It was interesting to see how many archaeologists were on the ship to begin with. Since archaeology used so many natural sciences in their research and analysis, there were many specializations all over the place, therefore they had taken an extended archaeological team instead of a horde of different scientists. Besides Hange, who specialized in ancient DNA, and Moblit, there was marine archaeologist Yelena 'Ivanova', whom Levi had a hard time imagining he would ever trust, a zooarchaeologist Zeke Fritz that made Levi want to strangle him with his bare hands, a geologist named Onyankopon whom Levi found he rather liked and Floch Forster, who specialized in weapons and warfare, a young man Levi wished was on the whole other side of the ocean from himself. Of the other scientists, there were a few chemists around that Levi didn't pay all too much attention to and who had stayed away from him, probably because of his broody personality and oh so charming scowl. Fritz seemed the most determined to get on Levi's good side, but the man was so annoying that Levi preferred trying to stomach the conversations the military personnel tried to have with him.

In his eight years of service, Levi had made quite a name for himself, so he wasn't at all surprised when several younger soldiers would come up to him to shake his hand or ask a few questions. He didn't like Reiner Braun, though, because he was so genuine in his admiration. Too genuine, the type that you'd suspect when seeing an actor in a movie act and then act that they were acting. It was robotic and Levi didn't like it. There was also Annie Leonhart, who liked to follow him with her gaze, always studying him. It made Levi want to punch her nose in, hoping it might give it a more 'pleasing' shape, as some idiots had commented upon first seeing her, shallow bastards that they were.

The most annoying of the soldiers had to be that Mike Zacharias. He kept sniffing people. Levi almost did break his nose right then and there when the man had come up behind him to do it to him.

The only reason he stopped himself in time not to do so was because, when he'd whirled around just to do that, he'd felt another presence at his back that made him extremely uncomfortable for some reason. And thus he was introduced to Erwin Smith, the military leader, the Commander of the expedition. He wasn't even sure why he disliked Smith so much, he was pleasant enough and didn't seem like the type of person to stab you in the back. But there was something in his blue eyes that made Levi doubt this man and his intentions. Those eyes followed Levi around even more than Leonhart's. Were all blonds creepy like this? He sure hoped Falco remains a normal, nice, pleasant kid or else there will be a lot of ass-whooping Levi will have to hand out in the future.

All in all, Levi was starting to regret having come with Hange on this expedition. His gut instincts were all over the place after just two days spent in the presence of these people. Levi always trusted his gut, it's why he'd made it back home from the battlefield so many times. He did not like being confined to a ship with these people with no means of escape and now they were going to be in the pretty much same situation once they made landfall on the island. At least he'll have some space and he does own his own satellite phone, so if they turn out to be murderers or something, he can take his friends and they can hide somewhere while he calls for help. He hopes he's just being paranoid and that it won't actually come to that, but he's also realistic and believes in his own instincts too much to rely on that hope too much.

"Hey, Levi! Don't ignore me!" Hange all but screamed in his ear, almost making him drop his camera as the sudden noise level startled him out of his musings. He turned to glare at his friend, but they just grinned as they adjusted their glasses. "Oh, don't be such a grump! This is going to be a fun trip! When was the last time you spent your birthday lazing around on some warm, exotic island, just taking pictures for enjoyment and not because you needed to show the world the cruelties of war?"

Hange had a point, but Levi was never going to admit that to them, not under the pain of death. "I would still rather spend it at home with my family for once."

"Boring!"

"That's me, Mr Buzzkill, reporting for duty," he replied sarcastically, which only earned him a laugh from the brunet. "Anyways, do we have an estimation for when we'll be going to disembark? It's already noon." It would have been better if they had arrived earlier. The island was supposedly uninhabited, but who knows if that's true or what might be hiding in the depths of the island's mysterious landscapes. Levi was told to pack light clothing because, apparently, the temperatures never dropped too low, even at this time of the year. The island apparently had almost everything: deserts, really tall and thick forests, mountains and plains of short or tall grass. It was all estimated, of course, which, naturally, made Levi even more suspicious about the island's status as unvisited and unexplored, but he kept his mouth shut.

The pay for the expedition would be good and he knew Moblit could use a hand in corralling Hange should they get too excited, which was a given.

"We should be dropping anchor within the hour, from what I've heard. Then we're going in five boats to the island with our gear. Though the soldiers seem to be packing quite a bit too much ammunition for protecting us from wild animals," Hange observed and Levi hummed noncomentaly when Zacharias passed them. Another reason why Levi was so suspicious of this whole thing: the soldiers were armed to the teeth in a way not even Levi and his special ops squad had been when they'd rescued a kidnapped politician from the heart of a war zone all the while getting shot at non-stop. Levi had had a higher clearance than all the soldiers on this ship combined, had been allowed to carry a bazooka with him if he wanted as a standard weapon, but even he hadn't packed this much gear and ammunition for a simple recon mission this expedition was supposed to be.

"Hange, you and Moblit stay with me, alright?"

Hange stopped smiling at the somber tone he'd used. "Is something wrong, Levi?"

The shorter didn't know what to say, just gazing out at the island. There was something about this place that filled him with unease but he couldn't tell what. It was a familiar unease yet like nothing he'd ever felt before, which was just confusing the shit out of him. "Just stay near me. I hate to say it, but I don't think anyone besides maybe Onyankopon can be trusted on this ship."

His friend paused to give him a long, long look. They were considering his words and didn't know what to make of them, let alone how to reply. "I thought it was just me in regards to Yelena and Floch."

"Fritz and Smith are the ones that really make me want to reach for a knife," Levi replied in a whisper and Hange nodded.

"We'll be careful and of course we're staying together! After all, you're my photographer! Everyone should have thought to bring their own!" Even after asking to be honorably discharged from the military, Levi had kept on practicing photography. It was a way to keep the memory of Church and Magnolia alive years after Levi had not managed to protect them and his pictures always earned a pretty dime. Combined with his soldier's pension, it was a very steady income and he could live a fairly comfortable life, even while he was financially supporting his mother when her tea shop has a rougher month and now two more mouths to feed. Photography was a good way for him to express himself and he rather liked it, all things considered. Hange knew this and they knew he easily grew stir crazy if he didn't do anything different for a while that could get his adrenaline pumping, even if a little bit. It's probably one of the reasons they had wanted him to come.

Now, though, Levi had a feeling this trip will be far more than an adrenaline trip. And he just knew he wasn't going to like it.

Just then, the captain of the ship announced that they should start getting ready as they will be disembarking soon. Levi and Hange walked together towards the cabins they'd been given for the trip to sleep in and hold their equipment. Levi made sure to have at least three knives stashed somewhere hidden on his body and two more in plain sight, as well as a loaded gun in his backpack. Just in case. He was the first one out of his cabin, the first one ready as he was used to efficiently and neatly packing his things from his military days, while the scientists and other few photographers also brought along struggled to take everything they wanted with them instead of just the essentials. Levi rolled his eyes at them as he passed their rooms as he made his way to the deck.

The soldiers were all, of course, ready already and they nodded at him when they saw him approaching. Levi ignored them, deciding he had no energy to waste on playing nice, and instead tried focusing on that uneasy feeling he was getting as the island got closer and closer.

He already knew shit was going to go down, no doubt about it, and he knew the soldiers were all hiding something, but he still hoped this won't be his last birthday among the land of the living.

He would really like not to die on some shitty island in the middle of nowhere.

00000

Deep on land, a single man looked up from what he was doing all of a sudden, staring into the distance. Wind swept his long hair out of his mesmerizing eyes as he stubbornly stared in the direction of the sea, as if he could see all the way to shore.

His full, plump lips suddenly curved into a rather scary looking grin.

It has begun...

Chapter Text

The island had once been inhabited, which was the first thing they discovered. There was an alcove that housed a small port, made for maybe two vessels the size of the ship that had brought them there, and the port still seemed usable. One of the boats returned to the ship and they made their way into the port carefully, trying their best to navigate any possible boulders underneath the surface of the relatively calm sea. Another interesting feature about the port was the big ass concrete wall that seemed to be separating the island from the port. It was old and there were a few small cracks here and there, but it was still strong and still seemed to be fulfilling whatever function it was meant to.

Luckily, the wall didn't follow the shoreline far and there was a little beach where they could use their jeeps to climb up and drive further into the island.

The second thing they confirmed was that the island did, indeed, have many different landscapes. After about two hours of driving through a sandy, windy desert, they suddenly made it to a big field of only short, lush green grass with a few batches of flowers here and there but absolutely no trees or even bushes. All that open space had Levi tense as they drove on, making Hange give him a questioning look but he waved them away. He couldn't explain it, but open spaces without trees or tall structures made him feel uneasy, like he was in danger. He didn't like it, but he kept his mouth shut. Now was not the time.

The ride through the plains took up most of their remaining sunlight and by the time they reached a small forest, it was best if they were to stop and set up camp for the night. Levi did not like this idea at all but he went with it. He set up his tent next to Hange and Moblit's and kept an eye out on their darkening surroundings.

Strangely enough, when night fell and it was revealed to be the new moon with a lot of clouds in the sky, Levi felt himself relax a little, even as many others seemed more tense now that there was no natural light coming from the sky. Levi ignored their uneasy whispers as he dutifully cleaned the lense of his camera and went through the pictures he'd managed to take so far.

Still, even if he felt a little less tense than during the day, Levi still stayed up the whole night, keeping a watchful eye out of his tent's little window, not sure what he was even expecting to jump out and attack them. All he knew is that he wouldn't let another civilian die on his watch if he can help it. Especially not one of his friends. It's a vow he'd made to himself after what had happened to Farlan Church and Isabel Magnolia.

In the morning, everyone was a little better rested and ready to continue the expedition. Some scientists had already taken a few samples and their portable labs were already spewing results or still processing shit. Hange and Moblit have yet to do anything, but structures in the distance suggested they might get busy soon.

It was as they were making their way towards a huge, tall forest with tall ass trees that loomed over the structures even if they seemed to be separated by a mile or so that all hell broke loose. In the late morning sun, Levi, for the first time, saw something more horrific than the consequences of war on human lives and landscapes. If it had been any later in the day, he would have blamed the heat going to his head, but then again, everyone started screaming when that thing lurched towards them, followed by another and another.

Two of them looked to be two to three meters tall while the other was at least eight meters. And they were fucking fast for something of that size and the sheer lack of coordination they seemed to have given that they were running like drunk people. The worst thing, though, was probably that they looked just human enough for it to be unsettling while being disproportionate, chubby and had huge mouths that eagerly ate up the first human, one of the chemists, that it got its freakish hands on. The screaming increased and the drivers immediately turned their vehicles around, trying to outrun them but then one of the soldiers was snatched up by the tallest of the three, his body snapped in half before it devoured him.

"Open fire!" Smith yelled over the noise and the other soldiers immediately did as he said. The bullets sank into flesh but it didn't so much as slow those things down.

Levi grit his teeth and stood up from his seat, reaching for his gun. "Aim for its fucking eyes, you shits!" And then he proceeded to do just that, steadying the hand with the gun against the forearm of his other hand so he can make a clear shot even with all the movement and jumps made by the jeep as they sped off like a bat from hell. Both of his shots were true and the biggest one's eyes started bleeding. It slowed down, rubbing at its eyes before stopping altogether when it tripped over its own feet. Seeing this, the soldiers all followed his lead, which soon allowed them to escape those three.

Only for another, even bigger one - at least ten meters - to jump out of nowhere, seemingly traveling on all fours like a fucking freak from an exorcism horror movie. It crushed one of the jeeps and the people in them - only soldiers there - before it went straight after another, not even caring for the 'food' it had left behind.

"WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS!?" He heard Hange yell and he made sure he pulled them back into the car by the collar of their shirt just to be sure they wouldn't try to get closer to one of those monsters. He took aim again and managed to take out one of its eyes before the jeep suddenly swerved sharply and he fell over, almost falling out of the car had it not been for Onyankopon catching him at the last moment. He knew the man could be trusted. "Levi! Are you okay!?"

"Just peachy," he replied as he pushed Hange's questioning hands away from him so he could get back up to his feet again. His eyes widened when he saw that the abnormal giant was no longer alone. Its killing spree and blood shed had attracted even more of those things and Levi was horrified to see a few of them were up to fifteen meters tall.

"We're all going to die!" He heard Floch scream from another jeep but Levi couldn't focus on him or anything else as he suddenly felt a presence behind himself. He turned and found another one of those things, thankfully only three meters, charging at them and barely a few meters away. Hange, Moblit, Onyankopon and their driver and a soldier screamed while Levi just stared at it as it got closer and closer.

Suddenly, he threw his gun down and instead reached for his two longest knives, fifteen and twelve centimetres each. He steeled his nerves, waited until the thing was within reach and put an arm forward as if trying to catch Levi - the only one standing, thus being the most obvious target - before he moved, jumping out of the jeep and on top of the reaching hand. He used it as a springboard to jump over its head and then he turned around as he was falling. His arms moved as if of their own accord, knives gripped in a reverse hold, and he slashed, cutting about a meter long and ten centimetres wide, the depth of both of his knives, into the thing's nape. It immediately stopped moving before it dropped like a sack to the ground, Levi landing on its back and watching in fascination as it started steaming. The blood on his knives steamed as well, evaporating in seconds and he soon had to jump off the thing as he realized it was decomposing unnaturally quickly.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, another of those things charged at him, five meters tall. Levi grit his teeth, knowing he had no way to reach anything vital, so he evaded its grasping hands and went for the feet. He managed to cut through the flesh and bone, making the thing fall. He climbed up to the nape of its neck and repeated his earlier actions, killing the thing instantly.

"Fuck, I feel like I'm in some fucking shitty video game," he groused to himself, not getting off of the thing he'd killed until another three meter one came along and he jumped over it from his perch, killing yet another one. He rode this one as it fell so he can launch himself at one that seemed about six or seven meters tall, climbing its outstretched limbs until he reached its face, avoided its mouth and took out its eyes before he climbed to the back and sliced the nape. "That's four down, only a dozen more to go."

Before he could even contemplate if this was some crazy dream, a jeep pulled up beside him, Leonhart staring at him with hard, cold eyes. "Get in." Levi looked around quickly and realized with a heavy heart that half of their party had been taken out. 'Where are Hange and Moblit?' He had to find them, but he couldn't do that if he got killed by that abnormal one that seemed to be going after vehicles more than humans, unlike its brethren. So he did as the blonde woman told him and jumped into the empty seat beside the freakishly tall, shy one whose name he didn't know and they drove off. He ignored whatever conversation was going around him as Braun commented something about shoving a rifle up these things' asses and instead kept an eye on their surroundings. The abnormal one seemed to be preoccupied with one of the abandoned vehicles while the former inhabitants of said vehicles were being used as fucking chew toys by a couple of three meter monsters.

Levi glanced down at his clothes, hands and knives. The blood was slowly vanishing off of him in hot wisps of steam. The edges of his knives were dull. Those things were denser than they appeared.

"How did you do that?" And oh, great! Fritz the monkey man was in this car! Levi leveled him a look when he realized the dead silence that had filled the jeep. They were all looking at him expectantly.

"How did I do what?"

"How did you kill them? Bullets didn't seem to be doing the trick and yet a couple of pocket knives were enough."

Levi shrugged his shoulders. "It seemed ... logical, let's say. The bullets were too small and the skin was too thick or something. They weren't reaching deep enough, I guess. And the neck is always vulnerable, no matter the species. That or the gut, but seeing as we'd be in reach if we go for the gut, I chose the neck."

"Interesting," mused the bearded blond and Levi decided to ignore him and everyone else now that he'd given an explanation even he himself did not believe. He didn't know why he'd gone for the nape of all things. He just had and it had been successful.

"We need to find shelter," the brawny blond said next, looking world weary. "We need to regroup."

Thankfully, the giants had stopped chasing them some time ago and they soon saw other jeeps up ahead. Including their own, there were only four out of twelve left and Levi's heart twitched at the realization that, yet again, civilians had died on his watch. Yes, he was no longer a soldier or even connected at all to the military, but his helplessness to keep others safe was something he suspected will never sit well with him, not even if he was in a coma when it happened.

He snapped out of his thoughts when someone literally yanked him out of the car and the only reason he didn't slit their throat with his dull knives was because he instantly recognized Hange's voice when they started blabbering. "Oh my fuck, Levi, what was that!? Where did you go!? Shit, I knew you were badass but since when did you become Rambo or some shit!? Why did you do that!? Do you have any idea how worried I was!? And while we're on the topic, how did you do that!? Onyankopon threw a literal bomb at one of those things and it didn't even slow down! No, screw that, that's not even all that important! Are you okay?! Did you get hurt? Where!?"

Levi didn't bother trying to wretch himself out of his friend's hold, just glad that they were okay. And it seems Moblit was, too, as were Onyankopon and their driver. The soldier that had been with them in the car, however, was nowhere to be seen and Levi had no doubt about what had happened to him. "Shitty four eyes, I'm fine, now get off me before you suffocate me in your sweaty armpits!"

The archaeologist let him go but they did run their eyes over his form several times before they relaxed. Onyankopon and Moblit had approached them while Hange did this and expressed their own worry for him and their relief at seeing him again. Levi did not let them thank him for saving them, though.

He didn't know how he did what he did. He didn't know if he could do it again. He didn't know if he could protect his friends again and it was driving him mad.

Levi had known Hange since he was twenty. They had been one of the people he and his squad had been assigned to escort to certain places and sites in war zones or simply unsafe territories over the years and Zoe had stayed with them for nearly three months, which was the longest any 'target' had been in their custody and under their protection. Hange was Levi's oldest friend and he didn't know what he would do if he lost them. Moblit, though, was Hange's significant other as of three years ago. Levi met the man through Hange during one of his rare vacation weeks and he liked the man. He could keep up with Hange's craziness unlike anyone else that Levi's ever met and the two of them could team up great to keep the workaholic archaeologist who dabbles in various other fields out of curiosity alive by feeding and bathing them, as well as forcing them to fucking eat and sleep. Hange and Moblit are perfect for each other and Levi knew they wanted to propose to each other but neither has the guts to make the first move.

Levi sure hoped that just like this won't be his last birthday that those two will get a chance to propose to each other. Levi hated big gatherings, but he still wanted to attend Hange's wedding.

While his friends - including Onyankopon; you can't keep being an acquaintance if Levi's already nearly died for you once - fussed over him, Levi saw Smith approaching them and stiffened, eyes narrowing slightly. The blond either didn't notice or didn't care. Levi's friends only stopped fussing when they saw they had military company.

"That was rather commendable, Captain Ackerman," Smith - or Commander Smith, as it would be most appropriate - commented, lifting his - huge - eyebrows as if to mimic being impressed. Levi, however, knew how to read people well enough to see that the man really wasn't. No, that isn't quite right. Smith was impressed, but there was something else in his glacial eyes that Levi did not like. It was calculative, it was assessing him as they speak. Levi did not like it, not one bit. It made his instincts blare danger alarms in his head. "Might you share your secret with us? Guns and explosives don't seem to be of much help and yet you managed to kill four of those things all by yourself with only a pair of pocket knives, which, by the way, you shouldn't even have."

Levi glared up at the man, almost baring his teeth at him in his annoyance. "I'm afraid even if I'm retired, you don't have the rank to forbid me from carrying weaponry, Commander Smith." Floch, who was nearby, and another soldier gaped at Levi when he heard how little respect he held as he spoke to their superior officer. "As for killing those things, bullets didn't seem to do much damage beyond temporarily blinding them if you get a good shot at their eyes. I thought a more personal approach might be more successful, which it was. Bullets might miss but a knife never does."

"Hmm, yes, indeed. But I guess your military days have paid off and that you do, indeed, live up to your reputation, Levi." Levi could feel Hange and Moblit glare at Smith at the sudden drop of formality. Levi didn't care either way, really. He's left his military days behind him. He has two kids who now depend on him so he can't go off gallivanting across the world, filming or fighting terrorist cells and war zones. Those days were behind him and he had no plans of returning to them. He's done his duty, he's served his country. He's done. Old titles and ranks mean nothing to him now. If Shitwin didn't want to stick with them, that's perfectly fine by him. "We could use your help-"

"What are those things?" Levi asked, interrupting whatever Smith was going to say because he already knew the gist of it and no, Levi will not return to the military. "Did you know they would be here? That they eat humans? That they're nearly impossible to fucking kill?"

"Not so impossible for you, hmm?"

"Fuck you, I got lucky," Levi snapped before gesturing at the scientists who had survived and the equipment of those who hadn't that was now left behind. "How many of them will, hmm? How many of your own men will? Because none of them had the training I did, none of them were ready to jump in head first and tear through flesh with their own hands. Why are we here? Why did you bring civilians here if you knew there were human-eating giants on the island?"

"We didn't know," Zacharias said as he came to stand by Smith's right shoulder. He was his SIC, huh? Levi made a mental note of that. He should have asked around for the ranks of the soldiers going with them. He needed to know the chain of command so he knows who's the most likely to throw civilian lives away for the sake of their own lives or goals. Not all soldiers belonged to the type of Special Ops Squad Levi had. His had specialized in keeping people safe, after all. Other squads specialized in becoming killing machines. "We got reports that some form of movement was recorded on the island but it was thought to be large animals."

"You mean like in movies?" A short, black haired woman with a soft, lazy look on her smooth, pale face asked. She was one of the other scientists, Levi knew, but he didn't know what she did. He thought her name was P-something Fingers. She seemed rather friendly with one of the soldiers that gave Levi a wide berth, the one with a footballer's haircut that seems to have some anger issues.

"Well, you better hope to all the things not shitty in this world one of those movies isn't Jurassic Park, because I'm not staying around for that." Levi had a satellite phone. His priority was getting his friends to safety. Fuck this expedition and fuck these suicidal idiots. If they want fame and glory, Levi is more than fine with letting them chase their own deaths.

"Should we really be arguing about this right now?" Yelena asked, joining in on the conversation. "We need a plan. And we should probably find shelter or just not stop moving. We don't know when those things will come after us again."

"We can't go to the settlement or whatever those buildings were near the forest, since those things had come from that direction," said the tall guy Levi didn't know the name of, still timid but clearly there was something worthwhile in him if he could act like a soldier when lives were at stake. That's all that mattered, in the end.

Smith narrowed his impressive eyebrows and pursed his lips. "Unfortunately, I don't think we have a choice but to go there and through that forest. The heart of the island is in that direction."

"We should be heading back to the sea, not further inland," Levi argued but Smith was having none of that.

"We finish the expedition."

Levi narrowed his eyes. The knives he still held in his hands may be dull, but digging out eyes or stabbing a throat didn't require the sharpest of weapons. Levi wouldn't hesitate. Special Ops like him never get court martialed due to the shit they did and things they knew that could probably topple governments, something he'd always hated when he was an active soldier because it left a lot of room for corruption, but he'll be thankful for it now. As long as Levi doesn't plan on picking up where he left off when he retired, the military won't mind squat what he did on some isolated island to a Commander who had lost nearly his entire squad and half the civilians under his care in less than twenty four hours since they'd made landfall.

"Levi," Hange said, putting a hand on his shoulder. When his steel gray eyes met their warm brown, Hange gave him a reassuring smile. "It's gonna be fine, I'm sure! Besides, we can't just leave. Those things, whatever they are, could be a threat to the whole of humanity if we don't figure out what's their deal! For all we know, they didn't know how to get off of this island until we came here. What if they realize they can leave if they follow us to the ship?"

"They're not the velociraptors of this adventure, Hange."

"We don't know that!"

"Unfortunately," Moblit spoke up, sounding resigned. "Hange might be right. We don't know how these things will react to certain things we do. Before we try to leave, maybe it would be best to observe them some."

"I completely agree," Fritz said with a determined nod of his head. "Besides, imagine if we could ... tame them. You all saw their speed and their strength." Some had caught up to their jeeps at full throttle without much effort, others had crushed their jeeps to less than spare parts with a single swipe of their grotesque limbs. "Imagine what humanity could achieve with those things, those ... those Titans catering to our every beck and call. Construction work in extreme conditions would be far less deadly. We wouldn't need as many machines for heavy lifting and labor, therefore conserving fuel and helping the environment. Hell, it would help us take care of the growing problem of diminishing spaces in cemeteries-"

"Did you seriously just suggest we let those things-"

"Titans. I like the name Titans," interjected Hange, making Levi glare at her before he turned his attention back to the moron he was clearly dealing with.

"Those Titans eat our dead loved ones? Have you no shame or empathy? Sanity and common sense? Anyone who heard you say that would be gunning for your head within minutes. And how could you even suggest that after what we saw? After we saw our comrades, our companions be ripped apart and gobbled down like trash food?" Fritz flinched back away from him and hung his head. "I don't care about your crazy scientific curiosities. I didn't sign up for a suicide trip. We're leaving."

"You're outnumbered."

"I can take you on," Levi said to Braun, eyeing each scientist and soldier alike. He was dead serious. He wouldn't even need any special weaponry. His knives were enough and he had always preferred them, anyways. Thank his fucked up uncle for teaching him to hold a knife as soon as he knew how to fucking walk.

"Levi, please?" Hange begged and Levi looked at them as if they had lost their fucking mind. Which they may as well have. Levi knew them well enough. "Come on~, Levi! The reports said there's a huge settlement visible even from the air~! Do you know how big of a discovery this could be? Please, please, please!?"

"You're insane," he declared. "Bat shit crazy. Is this really worth your life?"

"Yes."

"Fucking fine," Levi relented, feeling a headache starting to pound away in his temple. "I'm only going to make sure you don't get yourself and Moblit killed." Hange cheered. Smith seemed pleased. The shorter man glared at him. "But as soon as I judge the situation is too out of control, I'm taking Hange, Moblit and Onyankopon with me and leaving. The rest of you fuckers can die for all I care."

"Wow, way to show your favorites," Leonhrat commented and Levi gave her his driest, most deadpan look he could manage. The blonde's mouth twitched. "Duly noted."

Levi sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

This was going to be a shitty birthday.

00000

The tall, long haired man stood on a tall tree, gazing into the depths of the forest lying before him. Below him, Titans were roaming about with no true destination in mind but not going after the unwelcome guests. The man was giving them the chance to turn back and never return, but he knew this group would be no different from the ones that had come before. Fools never learn, after all.

But this group has him more intrigued than the rest had. To the point that he had bothered to come all the way out here by himself instead of letting the Titans deal with them and drive them away.

And that was because he had felt something that had not occurred for the last two millennia.

The death of a Titan.

More than that, it was the death of four Titans in a short span of time. Just a few minutes apart. No one had killed Titans since this island was last populated.

Needless to say, it had caught his attention. Who had managed to kill these monsters? Were they still alive? How did they know how to kill them?

He had possible answers, but he didn't want to think about them too much lest that pesky feeling rear its ugly head again.

It is two thousand years too late for him to feel hope.

So for now, he'll just observe.

And then, he will act.

Chapter Text

Somehow, they managed to get to the settlement without seeing any more of those ... Titans. Levi was not sure if that fact should relieve him or put him more on edge. Everyone else seemed to be taking it as a good sign, but Levi knew this could be just the calm before the storm.

Hange, Moblit and Onyankopon, whom he owed his life to even if the man insisted Levi had more than made up for it with his 'crazy Titan-killing stunt' earlier, kept close to Levi and followed whatever instructions he gave them while they traveled. They made it back to the buildings they'd spotted before in a few hours and were glad to see a few houses were still standing tall and strong. Everything was made out of stone and bricks so the place had taken on the test of time rather well.

What's even better, according to the scientists, was that there were many artifacts to be found. What the soldiers liked, however, was more weaponry and ammunition. The place was packed with guns and bullets so the soldiers cheered. The presence of weaponry in large amounts allowed them to identify the group of buildings as a smaller military outpost of some sort.

Everything was left in remarkable shape. The wooden boxes holding the guns were almost rotten to the last nails, but the weapons inside were left intact, not a trace of rust or decay on the muskets. The doors and windows on houses were shot to shit, but the wooden floors were perfectly capable of holding their weight. The houses that had succumbed to time and the elements don't actually look like they've collapsed of their own accord. Levi had seen plenty of different ways a house can fall and this was not the 'natural' way. The debris found inside the house was miniature in comparison to how he'd seen storms and earthquakes take down houses and the beams that were found under the debris were shattered, crushed, not decayed.

The houses that were downed were crushed under something big and heavy. Something far bigger than the Titans they'd seen so far.

Levi regretted it more and more that he had agreed to continue the expedition.

At least Hange and Moblit seemed to be having a blast. Onyankopon and the other scientists, too. They were currently trying to figure out how old this shit was while Levi was taking photographic evidence of all the things they'd discovered as well as the context in which it had been found. The soldiers were not happy when they were told they can't yet test out their new toys until Floch made sure they wouldn't fucking blow up in their faces. Levi was almost tempted to let them have at it until a cartilage blows up and takes out an eye, at the very least. Erwin had asked Levi to help Floch but bless Hange for dragging him away before he could tell Commander Eyebrows where to stick his orders and favors.

The day passed without another Titan attack and soon night fell. The scientists all had lots of samples currently being processed within their little mobile labs and Hange and Moblit were having fun labeling and documenting everything they've found, comparing Levi's pictures to the drawing they made and the descriptions that were meant to go with them. Fritz had offered to help them until they'd found what appeared to be a stable for horses and several skeletons of horses on the floor or around the shack of a building. The blond monkey was now busy with identifying and labeling bones.

Levi had not been happy to spend an hour with that man while he was photographing the bones. The other photographers had met their untimely end at the hands and teeth of Titans so Levi was now everyone's photographer.

Fuck them, he was tired.

He didn't eat dinner with the rest, instead preferring to study the military outpost they were currently inhabiting. He was gazing at the roofs, judging which ones would be the safest to climb up to. Sleeping outside will make him wake up with sunrise and he had a feeling that might be crucial if those Titan things do, indeed, attack only during the day as he suspected. After all, why wouldn't they have encountered any during the night? They hadn't been too far off from the forest and yet they had been undisturbed.

"Levi! Come check this out!" Hange yelled out, making everyone turn to glare at them for the sudden noise. Levi didn't bother, knowing the night was safe as long as they had as little moonlight as possible. So he just made his way over to where Hange, Moblit, Floch and Zeke were drooling over a crate that seemed to have been made of better quality materials than the other ones.

"You better not be planning on showing me literal shit again, Hange," he declared as he cautiously approached because the idiot really had, once, gotten a little too excited about a pile of fossilized shit they'd found and had called Levi over to their lab during his resting days just to all but shove it into his face. Needless to say, Levi had not been amused.

"Just get over here, shorty! I think you'll like this!" They declared and all but dragged him over to the box, shoving him forward so his hip dug painfully into the crate. It was opened and Levi could see two, no three, no four different things in it. At least two of those things surprised him.

The first strange thing was what appeared to be gas tanks. Filled to the brim gas tanks, too, judging from the sound they made when Levi gently tapped one of his still dulled knives - that he was planning on sharpening again tonight - against its metal surface. When he lifted one, it was light, the metal used to make it probably aluminium. There were all of four gas tanks, but two were set aside while two were strapped onto strange thing number two, which seemed to be some sort of mechanical system that utilized the gas from the tanks. The machinery consisted of several parts and seemed that it was supposed to be strapped on with a strange thing to see on an archaeological site number three: leather straps. Perfectly intact, still strong and probably usable leather straps. Strange thing number four were the cases strapped underneath the tanks of the system that were holding a total of six extremely thin, long swords. The butt of the handle had wires coming out of them that seemed to be connected to the system and between the grip and the arched finger guards there were triggers, meaning that these handles - which seemed capable of releasing the blades, thus making the extra two sets into backup blades - were the controls for the strange system.

"What do you think it is?" Floch breathed out, staring at the system with wide eyes.

Levi gave him a Look. "Aren't you the one who specialized in weaponry?"

"Yes, but I've never seen anything like this before!" Protested the redhead but Levi didn't care either way.

"Those swords look like they'd break easily," commented Mike as he and Erwin came to see what had them all huddling together like this, both of them probably wary that Levi was planning a coup or something to get his friends to safety. "They were probably symbolic or decorative pieces."

"They seem extremely sharp," Onyankopon said as he observed one of the cases and the blades within. He tried drawing the blade out, but it was stuck.

"I don't think these would be strapped onto a horse," Zeke commented, eyeing the straps.

"They were definitely worn by a human," Moblit agreed. "Or were meant to be, at least. This thing looks virtually unused."

"Levi, get your camera and take pictures!" Hange demanded but Levi just shook his head.

"In this darkness, I'd have to set up my whole lighting gear and we don't want to attract attention. Secure this thing in a crate and I'll photograph it in the morning."

"Oh, I guess you do have a point."

"We should settle in for the night," Smith said pointedly. "Pack your things away and get to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

And indeed they did.

They had decided not to brave the woods, knowing that the Titans could far too easily sneak up on them since the trees were even taller than those monsters. Instead, Smith had decided they could go around the forest and chose the north side as their route. The mobile labs were still working on the samples and they'd taken only a few things from the military outpost, the strange machinery being one of them, the rest mostly consisting of muskets the scientists were briefed on how to use once Floch had declared them safe and functional. The drive was silent, as they didn't want to talk or rev the engines and draw attention to themselves. The scientists passed the time by writing down or going over their notes so far while Levi took pictures of the scenery while also keeping an eye out for Titans along with the other soldiers.

They didn't run into anything unusual or any Titans - thank fuck - but their luck ran out when their route was suddenly blocked by a cliff. Well, not blocked, as there was a cave entrance, but other than Onyankopon's non-practical knowledge of geology and how caves and caverns may work or spread, none of them knew what to expect of this place and whether their cars could even fit in.

"We should explore it."

"Fuck no." At least Floch agreed with Levi on this one, much to Hange's, Onyankopon's and Fingers' - the chemist - disappointment.

"But we're already here! And it's big enough to hide us all in should the Titans come while the entrance is small enough that not even the smallest ones we've seen so far could get in!" Protested Hange.

It was not entirely true, though. The entrance to the cave was big, but a little further in there was a tunnel that looked to be smaller so maybe, indeed, even the littlest Titans wouldn't be able to come in. It was hard to say, really.

"The minerals making up the cliff side are strong. I doubt even those monsters would be able to break through it," offered Onyankopon and thus began a debate about the exploration of the cave, which the scientists eventually won. The soldiers, however, weren't all too pleased, so Levi decided to lead the exploration inside along with Mike, at Erwin's insistence, even if he didn't feel comfortable leaving people he didn't trust to watch his back.

The tunnel of the cave was huge and unusual, though Onyankopon said no cave is 'usual' or 'normal'. Mike was up ahead, lighting up the way for Onyankopon, who wanted to have at least an estimate of the cave's size while Hange was scrutinizing the walls, trying to find cave paintings or something carved into the wall to tell them more about whatever people might have lived near here and to see how long the island might have been populated by humans. The things they'd found in the military outpost were probably from the last two hundred years at the oldest, but Zeke wasn't sure about that based on the state of the horse bones. Levi had let the scientists have their little debates and had instead focused on studying the weird shape of the tunnel.

For one, there were no stalagmites or stalagmites emerging from the ceiling and floor of the cave. The ground was smooth, as was the ceiling and the walls, almost too perfectly smooth not to be man made and yet Hange insisted there were no scratch marks from tools to suggest humans have made this. Then there were the recesses in the ceiling that were far too periodic. There were ones directly above head and ones that appeared in pairs at the 'edges' of the round tunnel near the ceiling. They were all identical.

The only bumps in the floor or the ceiling were occasional rises of the surface that looked like a step, but there were no stairs. You climbed up on it, took a few steps and climbed down to the original surface level.

All of this almost reminded Levi of the spine and the connecting ribs. Even more so when the tunnel finally started changing direction from straight on ahead to a slow descent.

"I'm going back," he declared to the group, utterly done with this. He did not like feeling like he was in the gut of a huge creature, especially not after seeing the Titans.

"Huh!? But we didn't even get to see if there's anything interesting in there!" Hange protested. "There could be traces of human presence-"

"Prehistoric humans didn't inhabit the depths of caves further than a few meters because even ten meters into a cave gets too cold. You taught me that, Hange. If you didn't see any traces of human presence so far, then we have nothing to look for in here. Let Onyankopon have his fun and let's get the fuck out of here."

"What's got you so grumpy? Need to take a shit?"

Levi glared at them for daring to make a shit joke at him. "You're literally shivering, Hange. You're cold and I don't like this place. It reminds me of a rib cage and spine and if it was made by humans, then I don't want to know what their inspiration was because this thing would have way too many ribs."

Moblit, who had turned around and made to help Levi get Hange out of the cave, stopped and blinked, looking around. Zeke, who had been curious too, did as well and both their eyes widened when they realized Levi was right. Moblit kissed Hange on the cheek, apologized and told them to get out into the sun before they catch a cold before they ran off further into the cave, bypassing Mike and Onyankopon altogether, making the two curse and run after them so the two idiots wouldn't hurt themselves. Hange pouted and Levi rolled his eyes at them before he started making his way back out. Since the others were now too far away and Hange didn't trust themselves not to climb into one of the 'ribs' to see if Levi's theory was true, they followed after their short friend.

When they were approaching sunlight, it was Hange who ran out into the warmth while Levi casually strolled towards the exit, still looking around the creepy looking tunnel, especially the recesses that would have been made by rib protrusions if this was a sick joke of a high power and they had just walked into a cave made by the fossilization of a gigantic Titan. As he was looking around, the sunlight from outside caught on something, catching his eye and drawing his attention to it instantly. It was just before the tunnel would widen out into the entrance of the cave. Something was hanging from the ceiling. Something the reflected sunlight and shined.

"Hange, come over here," he called out just as Hange was about to exit the cave altogether to join the soldiers outside. His friend paused and looked back over at him. He gestured with his head upwards and Hange beamed, all but running back to him.

"What did you find?"

"Give me a boost," was all he said and Hange didn't even question it, putting their hands together so Levi could use it to spring upwards as he jumped. With the boost, Levi easily caught the shining thing, but he also discovered that there was a cavern up there as well. He used his free hand to catch himself and easily climbed up into it. As he directed his light to look around, he cursed. "Holy fucking shot, Hange. This place looks like the inside of a fucking skull."

"Really!?" Asked the excited scientist and Levi looked down at them with a deadpan look when they started asking questions. Upon seeing how unimpressed he was, Hange stopped babbling. "Never mind that! What was it that caught your attention, anyway?"

Right. The shiny thing. Levi brought up his hand and looked down at it, shining the light on it. He blinked at what he saw. "It's a key." Made of brass, long and with a fancy design and hanging on a leather cord like a necklace, it looked ... pretty, he guessed. Unique. Levi had never seen a key like this before, but it was one of those old fashioned ones and he'd heard they were all made to be fancy and unique. For some reason, Levi felt ... relief(?) at finding this key, as if it were important. "But what is it doing here?" He wondered to himself.

"A key!? Is there a door up there, too? Or a box?" Hange called from below and Levi looked down at them again, giving them a Look at the noise level. For some reason ... He didn't want anyone to know about this key. He clenched his hand around it while he looked over the skull-like cavern. Still fucking creepy but nothing that this key could possibly open. There was literally nothing else in here.

'So where did this key come from? Why here? Why ...' He tensed as he realized where, exactly, he was sitting. The nape. "Hange, fuck, this is the fossil of a Titan."

"What!?"

Levi jumped back down. "This cavern? It was made from a fucking Titan. Whatever this mineral structure is, it formed fast because we know Titans decay in minutes. That or this Titan was huge as fuck that it took several years for it to decay and evaporate. More importantly, I was just at its fucking nape, Hange. I killed those four Titans by slicing their nape, Hange. That's why they died. And this key was in the nape. What does that mean, for fuck's sake!"

"That it ate a human?"

"Oh, and it choked on their fucking key to death?" Levi challenged with a roll of his eyes. Hange shrugged. "There is no way something of this fucking size would choke on a human."

"It could have been a very chubby human," Hange suggested jokingly but stopped giggling to themself when they saw that Levi really was a bit bothered by their newest discovery. "But on the serious side, though, if this cave or cave system or whatever it is really is fossil remains of a Titan, why would only that key be inside it? I mean, there are no bones eaten humans nor are there remains of clothing items or jewelry. So why was this thing present when everything else was either digested or was never even ingested in the first place?"

"You're the scientist, Shitty glasses. Shouldn't you be the one able to figure this out?" Levi asked, even as he focused more on the key he had let hang from the cord and brought it up to eye level. While Hange gave a few possible theories, Levi came to a realization that had nothing to do with logic or reason and all to do with instinct and gut feelings. So when Hange went to take the key from his grasp, he moved his hand away. At the questioning look the archaeologist sent him, Levi quickly put the leather cord around his neck and hid his key under the thin, summer dress shirt he was wearing before buttoning it back up. "Something stinks here and it's not the lack of a shower."

Understanding dawned in his friend's eyes. "You don't want the others to know about the key." He nodded. "But why?"

"I don't know, Hange. All I know is that I can't trust these people. We can tell Moblit but I don't want Fritz or Smith knowing about this. Or anyone else, for that matter. Maybe not even Onyankopon, no matter how much I've come to like his down to earth attitude."

"... Do you think they're hiding something from us?"

"I have no doubt." For instance, Levi was sure Smith and Zacharias had lied him to his face about their knowledge about the Titans, because the soldiers had come with far more artillery than would have been necessary against wolves and bears or even fucking rhinos for that matter. Another thing that didn't sit well with him was how they seemed determined to go deeper into the island and that mysterious 'huge settlement' Hange had mentioned. If the island couldn't be found by satellite, how did they know about this settlement? There was no way any aircraft would have been authorized to fly over it since they didn't know what could be on the island, from volcanoes and surprise unnecessarily tall cliffs to a population more than happy to launch fucking missiles or catapulting fucking boulders at passing aircrafts. Levi had seen or heard about it all. Planes and choppers were not cheap, so any military is careful with them. There's no way even jets would have been allowed to fly over this island. So how did the military know? Or rather, how did Smith, who had delivered certain information not yet made public knowledge to the scientists interested in joining this expedition, know? "I need to get back to my bag."

This, if nothing else, was the tipping point in his suspicions. He needed to get to his satellite phone and make a call. These shitheads will get them all killed out here otherwise and no one will know what happened to them because they would be in the fucking beer bellies of fucking grotesque mockeries of human-like giants.

"Did you find anything of interest?" Smith asked as soon as he saw Hange and Levi exit the cave, the taller of the two melting under the warm glow of the sun after the cool air of the cavern.

Levi gave him a deadpan look and walked past him, leaving it to Hange to blabber to him about the gigantic Titan fossil the cave actually was. It will buy him some time. Just as he was rummaging through his backpack, the rest of the cave exploration crew came back and Onyankopon was waving a little bluish crystal around that he said came from the wall of the cave and how it seems that the whole ... mountain or whatever the 'cave' was a part of was made of the same material with only layers upon layers of dust and grime covering the surface of the walls, ceilings and floors. That, if nothing else, confirms it, though Levi had never heard of a mineral that could form that fast or that looked like that. Still, there was no doubt that this was the fossil of a gigantic Titan, as Onyankopon said that the mineral seems to be too strong to be chipped away at with normal tools. Even a bullet could barely take off even that little chip he'd gotten as a sample.

The former special ops captain let them all gush as he continued searching through his bag, the hairs on his neck and arms suddenly starting to stand on end the more he searched. He already knew what had happened. After all, his gun and the blades he'd left in his bag were gone. No way would they disarm him without taking the satellite phone as well.

"Looking for something?" He heard the footballer-hairstyle bastard ask. The little shit was grinning a shit-eating grin when he looked up, only to see what he had expected: his satellite phone was held in one hand while the other pointed his own gun at him. The bastard wasn't that far away from him but he wasn't within immediate arm reach of Levi, keeping just enough distance that Levi wouldn't be able to grab the gun out of his hand and turn the situation around. Not that it would help too much, given that the other soldiers were all now alert and he didn't doubt they'd pull their guns on him, too, in an instant. "You didn't think we wouldn't look for more toys in your things, did you?"

"What's going on? Why are you pointing a gun at Levi?" Hange demanded, Moblit now standing by their side and Onyankopon, who seems to have bonded the best with their little trio, not far behind, also looking uneasy.

"Can it, dirt kink," the man - his name was Porco, Levi thought - said, never taking his eyes off of Levi. "Your friend here is clearly a spy for another government-" Levi rolled his eyes so hard he was sure he heard his optical nerves snap. "Hey! Don't you roll your fucking eyes at me! You ain't getting out of this one! We all know who you are-"

Something in the way he said this had Levi tuning out the rest of his rant automatically. His eyes ran over the rest of the group and found that, aside from his friends, everyone's eyes were hard and cold as they trained on him. Only Erwin fucking Smith looked calculative and Zeke goddamned Fritz looked to be enjoying himself. Even the other scientists were eyeing him in the same way, though it was a bit harder to say with Fingers since her face looked too soft or too lazy for a harsh look.

Well, if Levi hadn't been suspicious before that something fishy was going on, he sure as hell was now.

"Levi, why don't we just put this," Smith started, gesturing around them at the tense atmosphere casually. "All behind us and work together for the rest of this expedition?"

"Fuck that," the shorter male replied instantly. "You've endangered and got civilians killed without a single fucking care in the world. But something is telling me that you'll make sure no civilians leave this island alive. Am I wrong? I rarely am with things like this. You don't want news of whatever is hiding on this island making it out into the world. Or at least not until you've found whatever it is you're searching for." He cast his gaze at the bearded blond who found amusement in Levi being at gunpoint. Asshole. "And what you're searching for is a way to control those fucking monsters, isn't it." It wasn't a question. Levi was stating a fact. Fritz had said it himself. "Were civilians meant to be used as bait so you can escape them to save your own asses? You lot are a disgrace to all soldiers everywhere." Braun, Smith, Zacharias and Forster, unexpectedly, all gave a little flinch or twitch from that and another thing occurred to Levi.

The only civilians left on this island were Moblit, Hange and Onyankopon. The rest had, indeed, been nothing more than Titan bait. He grit his teeth.

Smith saw and sighed. "Don't," was all he said as he pointed his gun at Levi, the other soldiers and even the scientists immediately doing the same, though Fingers and Zacharias pointed their guns at his friends' heads.

Levi felt his blood boil with rage.

His senses sharpened.

His mind entered a heightened state of awareness.

His muscles tensed before uncoiling, ready for action.

His mind raced.

In the split of a second, he took out a bug spray can out of his bag and sprayed it right into Porco's face, giving him a chance to grab his gun. He immediately shot Fingers in the head, freeing Hange and Onyankopon from the threat of splattered brains and this allowed Moblit, who wasn't nearly as peaceful, shy, timid or clumsy as he first gave off the impression of being, to elbow Zacharias in his fucking nose. Blood splattered everywhere as the tall, mustached blond staggered backwards before Onyankopon tackled him to the ground hard enough to leave Zacharias dazed.

Smith gave off a warning shot that had all the commotion stopping once more but Levi was now armed with a long range weapon and had a knife in his other hand out of view of his opponents. "I really wish we could have been allies again, Levi." He sounded like he genuinely regretted that he was about to pull the trigger. "It's too bad you dragged Hange and Moblit into this. We would have kept them safe. They were our comrades, too, you know."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Levi asked, glaring briefly at Yelena who had his friends at gunpoint this time with Leonhart. Two blonde bitches to put on his shit list. Actually, he had a lot of blond bitches to put on his shit list from this group alone. He'll even label them Blond Bitch #1 and so on with the exception of Commander Shitwin and the Monkey.

"I guess it doesn't matter," Smith said with a sigh before giving him a sad smile. "Goodbye, Levi old friend."

But before he could pull the trigger, Titans suddenly attacked.

And Levi moved without even thinking. He threw his knife at Erwin, hitting his right arm right in the shoulder before he shot at Yelena, making her back away from his friends. Moblit immediately took Hange by the hand and started dragging them towards the jeep with Onyankopon hot on their heels. Levi jumped into the back, took out the resharpened knives and shouted at Moblit to 'fucking drive, damn it!' while he protected their back. The little clearing around the cave was immediately flooded with Titans, blocking the way they'd come from so Moblit did the craziest thing Levi had ever seen the man do besides dating Hange: he drove straight into the forest of tall ass trees, just barely managing to avoid being stomped on by a Titan.

The Titans seemed to be attracted to the other, bigger group of humans so they left them alone except for one two meter abnormal one that Levi easily disposed of in the time it took Moblit to pass by it. Levi knew they needed to get out of there as soon as possible, because four was the maximum he could kill before his blades dulled into uselessness.

Thankfully, it seemed that the Titans were preoccupied with the other group so they could make a clean escape. Where they would go, however, and what they would do on their own with minimal food and water supplies and even less weaponry while having two enemies now to worry about, Levi didn't know, but he figured it was something he could worry about after they get away from here and preferably find shelter.

Just then, a strange bolt of yellow lightning struck the place the other group had been, booming more furiously than normal thunder, and then there was a very ugly and bone chilling roar coming from the same direction.

"What the fuck was that!?" Moblit screeched and you knew it was bad when Moblit cursed.

"Keep driving," Levi ordered while keeping an eye out for whatever the source of that had been.

Moblit did so, pushing the jeep as fast as it could go.

They had only one shot to get out of this forest.

They needed to make it count.

00000

The man wasn't surprised when he saw the telltale yellow lightning strike into the forest, though what did somewhat surprise him was the location. Why would they be all the way over there? There was nothing of interest there. Well, not really. Just that 'cave' he'd made.

Still, they were close. Too close for his liking. He could feel more Titans dying, which wasn't so unexpected now that he knew they were here.

What was surprising was the lone death he'd felt from within the forest itself. Had they split up? No, even if it's them, they wouldn't split up when so many Titans were attacking. There was a safety in numbers once an attack occurred, even if numbers attracted Titans in the first place.

The man knew he had two choices now: investigate that lone death and its cause or go and play with them.

But seeing as he already knew who they were, curiosity won over and he made his way into the forest.

After all, he couldn't let a possible former comrade remain in danger if he could stop it.

Besides, two thousand years was a long time to be alone.

Chapter Text

As was to be expected, the car broke down due to overheating not half an hour since they'd made their grand escape. Levi wasn't surprised, given the fact that Moblit had been gunning it from the start, but now he, Hange and Onyankopon were in a bit of a panic as they tried to fix the damned thing, as if they had the parts to deal with it. Levi wasn't even allowing them to waste water on it to cool the engine, knowing it was a lost cause whether the car could be fixed or not. They were nearly out of fuel, after all.

But this left them stranded in the middle of the forest with the big ass trees that were perfect to hide those hideous Titans until it is almost too late.

Levi knew they needed to get to higher ground. Into the trees. They were tall and smooth, all the branches too high up for the Titans to be able to climb them. The only problem was that it would be even more impossible for Levi and his friends, who are so much smaller than Titans, to climb up there, too.

Except ...

Levi approached a tree and stuck one of his less favored knives in. It sank in with difficulty and required a lot of strength. Pulling it out managed to bend the knife and Levi left the damn thing there because he knew he'd just break it completely if he tried pulling any harder.

'So much for that idea,' he thought with a scoff.

But he wasn't giving up. There were civilians in his care, his friends. He wasn't going to let them die on this godforsaken island, not at the hand of those Titans and most definitely not at the hand of those fuckers playing at soldiers. What he needed now was a good plan and a way to climb these fucking trees.

'Maybe there's some climbing gear in the trunk,' he mused, approaching the rear end of the car, letting the scientists have fun with the engine. Of course, the trunk was empty save for a bottle of water, a few cases of ammunition, two of those muskets and the crate with the strange gear. 'Wait a goddamned minute!' This island had definitely been inhabited at some point and those fucking Titans seem to have been around for a long time, so there's no way that the humans living on this island didn't have some way of getting around them, right?

"Levi, what are you doing?" Onyankopon asked as he approached the shorter man, who was now rummaging through the crate to figure out where he should start with the gear.

"Aren't you guys working on the engine?" Levi asked, not looking up from his task as he tched and just pulled everything out of the crate. The gear seemed to be mostly assembled and now that it was spread out, Levi could confirm that this was most definitely not made to be worn by a horse. It was definitely made for direct human usage.

"About that," Onyankopon sighed, dabbing at a sheen of sweat. Levi looked up and found him covered in black sooth. "It ... kind of exploded? Well, it started smoking, anyway, and none of us are experts for cars and car parts but we've agreed that this thing is a lost cause."

The former special ops captain snorted. "I could have told you that from the start but you guys weren't listening to me." As Onyankopon looked away in mild embarrassment, Levi finally figured out he should start with what seemed to be the chest and back piece, then the bottom part before the main part that goes around the waist, hips and thighs. As he was strapping it on, he realized he knew how to put this thing on. It was almost like muscle memory, something he'd done so many times he could do it in his sleep. But this is the first time he was seeing something like this thing so this really made no sense.

Then again, nothing on this island made any sense whatsoever.

"Why are you putting that on?" Onyankopon asked while Hange and Moblit could be heard in the background, the latter trying to convince the former to just leave the car be before it really does explode. "Did you figure out how it works and what it's for?"

"I have a theory." Besides, this gave him a total of six more long blades, something that might be useful in the future. When he had the last straps secured around his thighs and the top and bottom half of the gear connected with the right straps, Levi took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing and everything." He grasped the hilts of the swords, pressed a button and released the swords from the casings. The sound of drawing a sword from a metal confine drew Hange's and Moblit's attention and the two gawked at Levi, along with a clearly impressed Onyankopon. "Let's see what this baby can do." He eyed the strange openings on the casings that looked almost like launch holes before he pulled on one of the triggers in the handles.

Suddenly, a grappling hook shot from out of the casings each and sank about five meters up into the bark of the tree with no issue. Suddenly, excitement overtook Levi and he pulled on another trigger before he was flying upwards. He released the hooks from the tree, spun in midair, his body knowing just what to do and how, and fired hooks higher up, flying through the air easily with the help of the strange gear. Down below, he heard Hange cheer while the two men had their jaws practically on the ground as Levi maneuvered around trees, exploring the limitations and capabilities of the gear.

As he let the cables gracefully lower him to the ground, he gave his friends a grin that would have sent his enemies running. "Seems like we've found a way to move through these big ass trees."

Of course, they couldn't and wouldn't risk putting too much weight on the gear. They didn't know how much the hook, cables, handles or breaks on this thing could take, so Levi took Hange and Moblit up first with the muskets before going back down for Onyankopon, his bag and another one filled with what food, water and ammunition they had left. In this fashion, Levi would swing them from tree to tree, being careful not to use too much of the gear's gas. Yes, they had brought the extra tanks with them but Levi didn't know how far they were meant to travel like this so it would be best to be conservative about it for now.

All that mattered was getting as far away from the other group - if they were still alive, which Levi somehow didn't doubt - as quickly as possible.

They still had to take at least one break for food, water and the call of nature, but they managed to travel quite a bit before it got too dark in the forest to move around anymore. They had a flashlight but they couldn't risk attracting the attention of their more intelligent pursuers. They couldn't start a fire even if they wanted to because they were on a goddamned tall ass tree. They had to huddle up on the thickest branch they could find to preserve warmth, but it was hard with them rationing their food.

It was just another sleepless night for Levi while his friends managed to doze off. Levi was happy they were getting some rest but this whole thing will soon start taking its toll on him if he doesn't get some rest and he can't afford that. His friends needed him to lead them back to safety.

Though he wondered even if they did manage to get back to the ship if they would be truly safe. Who was to say that the crew wasn't also in on whatever crazy plan those morons were up to?

Sunrise in the forest looked different from the sunrise he'd seen back in that military outpost. The warm glow of the sun bathed the forest in a beautiful golden shade that came through the green leaves and the combination of colors surprised him by making him feel suddenly nostalgic. He didn't know why green with specks of gold and the blue sky beyond was suddenly so special to him but he didn't have much time to question it when he heard careful yet thumping footsteps. He immediately tensed up and looked around. It was a Titan, no doubt, and probably one of the bigger ones, but from the sounds of its steps alone, he was sure this one was different. Knowing shit was about to go down, Levi immediately woke his friends up, who also got tense when they realized the predicament they were in.

It didn't take long for the Titan to come into view and Levi had been right about it being different. While all Titans didn't have any real gender distinctions, this one, despite not having any visible genitals, was clearly female. From its body shape, to its face to the fact that it actually has breasts, it was very clear this one had a gender. What's more, this one wasn't disproportioned. In fact, it was perfectly proportioned as a fit female human body, just with its muscles on display instead of hidden beneath layers of skin.

Furthermore, this female Titan was clearly intelligent as it had a goal in mind. In other words, it - she? - was looking upwards, studying the canopy of the trees. Looking for something.

'For us,' Levi had no doubt about that. 'Damn it, this isn't good. There's no way the four of us can travel with just this one set of gear, especially not in the way we've been doing so far without drawing that thing's attention. And Titans always seem to find us. Do they have heightened senses?' Whatever the case it was up to Levi to protect his friends. The only fucking question was how. 'This gear ... Of course! Why else would so many swords be attached to something made to move around outside of the Titans' reach?'

He made to stand up on the branch they had been camping out on when Hange grabbed hold of his red vest, stopping him in his tracks. Looking at his friend, the raven haired man saw the look of utter panic on the archaeologist's usually cheerful or excited face. "Levi, what do you think you're doing?" They asked in a strangled whisper, tugging harder on his clothes. "Sit back down here and keep quiet!" Hange hissed, even as they gripped Moblit's hand with their free one in a vice-like grip, clearly terrified. The bioarchaeologist was tense but he had a far away look in his eyes that Levi recognized as the beginnings of a panic attack. Onyankopon had gone catatonic, barely breathing and not making a single move or sound.

The Ackerman was impressed Hange had managed to move at all, given what had happened to them all in the past few days, but he'd always known that they were braver than anyone would give a 'nerdy scientist' credit for outside of sci-fi action movies. But really, with their curiosity, drive, recklessness and bravery, Hange could pass off as a real life Indiana Jones. Hange even knew how to fight. Levi had taught them, so they were pretty good, too. Moblit, also, but those fighting skills will be useless against the Female Titan.

Only this strange machinery Levi was wearing could help and even then, Levi will have to do most of the work.

"I have to take that thing on, Hange. She'll find us in no time." At her distressed but questioning look, he explained. "I think that one's intelligent." Onyankopon actually whimpered at that, the first sign of him still being present in the moment since Levi had woken them up. "I'll be fine, Hange."

"Levi-"

"All I have to do is slice the nape of the neck," he said soothingly. "And our current position gives me the element of surprise as well as the vintage point I need."

"It's protecting its nape," Moblit suddenly said, drawing Levi's attention to the no longer panicking man. Levi was impressed that the scientist had managed to push back his emotions and anxiety for the moment, because Levi probably wouldn't have noticed what Moblit was pointing at right now until it was too late. A crystal formation on the Titan's nape. It looked just like-

"The minerals from the cave," Onyankopon whispered. "Those swords would break before you could do that thing any damage."

"That means you can't take the nape," Hange said desperately, clinging even harder onto Levi's clothes as though that would make him stay. "It's too dangerous! Just let it walk away, Levi. We can stay here for another night if we have to! We have enough food and water and there's bound to be a stream or something nearby if the vegetation is so lush so let's just wait it out-"

"The first place anyone will set a trap at is a water source, so we can't go to any obvious water source in the area," Levi countered. "I don't doubt that this thing," he jerked his head towards the blond feminine Titan still wandering around in their clearing. Clearly, she had picked up on their scent and Levi cursed himself for taking this long to reassure his friends that he can take that bitch on just fine. "Doesn't know such a simple tactic, and even if it didn't, our dear ol' soldier friends sure do. I have no doubt that they have survived and that they are looking for us. As much as it is dramatized in movies and what not, we really would be a security risk. Me, especially." He was a decorated captain of a special ops squad that had protected and rescued plenty of important people from all kinds of shit and dangers over the years and then he was a reporter who kept the whole world informed about even the worst, most deadly battlefields of modern times. His word would mean something. If he were ever to go public - because he's not sure how much the military and the government were involved in all of this for him to try to go through the usual, standard channels for shit like this - about the shit that happened on this island, people would listen and believe. The higher ups would be raked over flaming coals in no time. "They won't stop searching for us, so we can't stay in one place for long. We need to go and that bitch is in our way."

Hange looked at him long and hard, their glasses hiding the emotion in their eyes as the rays of sun hit them at just the right dramatic angle. Moblit was scowling, looking bitter as he no doubt realized they had no choice but to let Levi do this. Onyankopon had fully snapped out of whatever catatonic state he'd managed to enter and looked determined to help in whatever way he can.

The brunet archaeologist finally let go of his vest and gave a hesitant nod. "Okay. But you better come back in one piece, short stack, or I'm going to summon your ghost and make you my cleaning lady for my office and lab."

Levi shuddered at the mere thought of all the dust and filth Hange liked to collect in their work space just because they said it reminded them of being out in the field on a dig. They were crazy. He just needed someone to certify it. "Roger that."

"Good luck," Moblit said as Levi stood up, slowly and quietly drawing the blades out.

"Get that bitch," Onyankopon surprised them all with his farewell wish and Levi smirked. He knew he liked the man for a reason.

Levi neared the edge of the big branch they were on to observe the situation and cursed when he saw a small horde of Titans following the female one. There was one abnormal one lying right underneath their tree, arms behind its head as if it was just cloud gazing or shit. There was a smaller Titan standing on its bent knee and trying to clamber up the tree but it was having no luck so far.

He had known this wouldn't be easy, but this new development made for quite the shitty stroke of luck. An intelligent Titan and an abnormal one at the same time while also accompanied by a small horde of those other, 'normal' Titans? Levi knew his odds weren't the best, as he had been in the Titan-slaying 'business' only for two days and had yet to take on anything of these Titans' sizes. They all looked at least nine meters tall and with the Female Titan seemingly organizing them, Levi was in deep shit as a lone opponent.

Not to mention that he hadn't slept well in days, the fact that this gear was still new to him and that he had no idea how much gas he had left in these tanks. Yes, he could change them, but he wasn't sure if that would be a soundless process and drawing these things' attention to himself while he's doing something that made him so vulnerable was not the best fucking idea.

At the very least, he had to lead these monsters away from this particular tree. All the other ones surrounding it are identical and just as tall. And once it's safe enough, he's sure those brainiacs will find a way down if Levi doesn't come back for them.

"Well, life is shit anyways." At least his mom will take good care of Falco and Gabi. And his uncle will keep them all safe, the secretly overprotective shit that he is. "Here we go."

His plan was simple but risky. He had to take the Female Titan down from the front at the right angle and depth so he could do proper damage to the nape all the way back through her throat. But to do that, he had to get rid of the distractions, the so-called 'small fry'. Anchoring one of his hooks into a nearby tree, he swung around it until he was level with one of the ten meter Titan's necks and he took it down with surgical precision. He had made sure the first kill happened in such a way that the Titan would just lean over against a tree after the kill, making no notable noise. He made his way through the trees until he had the same conditions for another one, then he made it back to 'his' own tree to deal with the abnormal and the smaller one when the Female Titan's back was turned. As he made his way across the small clearing, he glanced at where his friends were and caught their awestruck expressions before he had to make a sudden turn when a Titan swiped at him out of nowhere. Fifteen meters but an ordinary Titan. Pretty fat with a huge, unhinged mouth. It was simply too ugly to let it live.

It was also, unfortunately, his last unnoticed kill because the next second, the Female Titan came around another tree, spotted him, roared before swiping at him with far more controlled and precise movements and considerably faster than the other Titan had. Levi managed to evade, but the roar had the other Titans all swarming around him, all trying to swipe him out of the air, some jumping abnormally high with opened jaws, trying to eat him mid-flight.

Instinct took over. He reversed his grip on the blades, bent his knees more and released a bit of gas, gaining momentum as he suddenly started spinning like a damn beyblade. The swords sunk into Titan flesh easily and Levi let his momentum and his instincts guide him across several Titans' bodies, leaving them cut up, bloodied messes on the forest floor with their napes slashed. The Female Titan, however, wasn't going to allow him to go on like this, but Levi also wasn't about to let the bitch win, either. In a bold and stupidly, recklessly brave move, Levi flew right into her face, surprising her, and he plunged his already dulling blades into her eyes. The Female Titan released a screech of pain that had birds flying out of the trees in an attempt to get to safety, but it also had more Titans flocking to the scene.

"Tch!" Levi grunted as he released the blades from the hilt, quickly replacing them with one of the spares before he anchored one of his hooks in the Female Titan's forehead as he dropped down, letting her smack herself in the head like an idiot in an attempt to pummel him. As soon as he was at the level of where her neck met the shoulders, Levi switched his grip again to the reverse hold and let out some gas to push him forward, giving him the momentum he needs to cut all the way through. The bitch's second scream of pain was cut off with ugly gurgling as Levi all but decapitated her in one move, but he didn't stop fast enough and his swords hit the hard crystals at the back of her nape, breaking the blades in an instant. "Shit." He anchored his free hook into a tree nearby, just barely managing to dodge a swipe from another Titan.

They hadn't left.

Which meant the bitch wasn't dead yet.

But that didn't make sense, as he could clearly see her body starting to decompose, steam all over the place. Then he thought he saw movement through the steam from her nearly completely severed head and he cursed with wide eyes. He wasn't sure what that was but he didn't get a chance to think about it as another abnormal arrived on the scene and used one of the ordinary Titans as a jumping board to launch itself at Levi, mouth first. He had to move away and the thing kept chasing him, leaving Levi with almost no room to change his last set of blades. He'd have to make them count before he has to revert to plan B and lead these fuckers away from his friends. He was sure the chase won't be long. He was pretty sure now that the gas tanks were more empty than full.

He needed to get out of here, for both his friends' safety and to spare them the trauma of seeing him get eaten by these ugly fucking piece of shit monsters.

As soon as he had blades secured in the handles, he spun around and let his body do what it wanted to, letting him spin and slice and maneuver through the clearing with a scary clarity of mind and senses as he took down Titan after Titan. Even as more kept trickling in, Levi kept slashing, kept moving, kept killing. He was covered in too-hot blood from head to toe, which was really disgusting, and there was so much of it that it was barely evaporating but he couldn't think about that right now.

Just a little more. He needed to do just a little more-

The last Titan fell to the ground just as the last of the gas was used up and Levi sighed in relief. He had done it. Somehow, he had done it. Below him lay at least two dozen Titans, if not more, of various sizes but he had done it. His friends were safe. He just needed to get them down and-

He sensed a presence behind himself before the shadow fell over him and with a heavy heart, Levi turned around to see the Female Titan was up again. Except there was a still decomposing corpse where he had last left it. It was still recognizable. Were there more?

It didn't matter. It was over. He could hear Hange yelling his name and a glance in their direction showed Onyankopon and Moblit struggling to hold the archaeologist back as they reached out to him with an outstretched hand desperately, uselessly. Levi looked away and met the Titan bitch's icy blue eyes with his own steel gray ones, turning around to fully face his enemy. If he was going to die and if his friends had to watch, then at least he will go down fighting. He raised his all but useless swords and pushed his legs back against the tree, ready to try and evade death for as long as he could.

He was Captain Levi Ackerman and he wasn't going to let some bitch kill him without hacking away at least a few fingers or a whole ass hand.

Just as the blond bitch was about to grab him with her hand, a new roar echoed through the forest, seemingly shaking it to the ground. Levi thought he felt it vibrate through the tree he was braced against and the Female Titan suddenly seemed scared. Before Levi could wonder what the fuck scared one of these things, it was all in motion.

One moment, the Female Titan was reaching out to him with murderous intentions and the next it was tackled to the floor.

As he watched, dumbfounded, Levi swore he was never going on vacation ever again.

Chapter Text

Levi could not believe what he was seeing.

When he had been literal seconds away from death, a fucking fifteen meter model for steroids of a fucking Titan had crashed into the clearing out of fucking nowhere and tackled his would be murderer just before it could grab him. Now, that same stack of muscles calling itself a Titan was wrestling with the Female Titan in the middle of the little clearing, neither caring of the gore and bodies Levi had left behind of their own kind, both fighting for the upper hand with moves that looked too much like martial arts for Levi's fucking liking.

The new Titan roared in the Female Titan's face before it pulled back its arm to deliver what would be a devastating punch if the Female Titan hadn't ducked her head. Levi watched in sick fascination as the new Titan's elbow broke right through the skin and then he watched in something like horrified awe as the injury quickly healed itself back to perfect health while the Titan used its head to deliver the blow the Female Titan had evaded. She roared and tried to kick the other Titan off of her, but it was slightly bigger and apparently strong enough to hold her down.

So she used a fucking professional wrestler's hold to fucking flip him over her head and try to make her escape. But the other Titan - which definitely looked male, by the way - was back on its feet and chasing after her in no time, locking her in a choke hold before opening its mouth - and holy shit, those were some teeth! - in an attempt to chop down on the blond Titan's nape, but she protected it with the same crystallization trick as before. The male Titan's teeth cracked before crystallization spread over them, too, and the Female Titan started panicking. She managed to use her ankle to pull the male Titan's foot from under him, unbalancing him and making him let her go before she spun around and attempted to stomp on his head but he rolled out of the way and sprang back up to his feet again.

The new Titan suddenly stopped and stared over the Female Titan's shoulder with the most startling green eyes peeking through shaggy brunette hair that Levi had ever seen.

Staring right at Levi himself.

Shit, their fight had brought the Titan bitch right back to where Levi was still hopelessly hanging by the anchors of the gear. And she noticed, too, because in the next second, she whirled around and made a quick swipe at him again. The green eyed Titan roared in a rage the likes of which Levi had never experienced before and charged towards the Female Titan while the human kicked off from the tree, released the anchor and used his own strength to create just enough momentum to evade the reaching bone-like fingers and instead started slashing at skin and muscles up the Female Titan's arm. It distracted her enough for the other Titan to slam her straight through the tree, toppling the tall plant over like it wasn't thirty or so fucking meters tall and at least eight meters wide.

Levi had a problem now.

If he survived a ten or so meter fall, he would be injured down on the ground with two fucking Titans fighting over him with no way to escape. He'll either get trampled, another Titan will come to get him or the winner of this brawl will make him their fucking victory meal.

But none of that happened. Because he had thought both Titans would topple with the tree, Levi was most certainly not expecting for the male Titan to save him - again - by catching him mid fall and carefully cradling him in his hands, brought up close to his very muscular and very warm chest. Seriously, were Titans walking fire pits or something?

Not that that's what was important at the moment.

As he looked up to meet those amazing green eyes, Levi saw intelligence in them and, what's more, he didn't see any hostility towards him. For some reason, Levi felt like he could trust this strange Titan, with its green glowing eyes, its long, shaggy hair, its pointy ears and its lipless mouth, both rows of teeth on full display.

Fuck, at this point Levi didn't even care if this Titan would see him as a pet. They had bigger concerns in the form of the Female Titan climbing back to her teeth. Levi's savior growled at her in warning but the other just fell into a kickboxing-like fighting stance and Levi knew this fight was far from over. Levi's Titan huffed angrily before he carefully lifted Levi up to his shoulder and Levi got the hint, stabilizing himself with both the gear's hooks that sank easily into the Titan's flesh and by holding onto long strands of hair. It was surprisingly soft. His Titan got into a similar fighting stance as the Female Titan and Levi briefly wondered if this was a special technique used by intelligent Titans before he had to focus on the fight that started when both Titans charged at the same time.

It was clear that the Female Titan was aiming to get at Levi because she spent an awful lot of her efforts focusing on the male Titan's left shoulder - where Levi was at - and head while Levi's Titan spent almost as much efforts at keeping said area safe while also delivering brutal strikes against the Female Titan's body, aiming to break bones and tear ligaments. Levi didn't understand why both Titans were fighting over or for him, but he could tell his Titan was at a disadvantage because he had to protect something as small and fragile - compared to these fucking beasts - as a human. His Titan was even doing his best not to move around too much, taking hits and blocking strikes that were jarring but could have easily been evaded if only he'd moved more freely. As an experienced fighter himself, Levi knew there was no way for them(?) to win this if his Titan continued like this. Levi also knew he would only be a distraction if he were to try and walk away from the fight. For some reason, this green eyed Titan wanted to keep him alive and safe and the fucking bitch was taking advantage of that. She'll go after him the second Levi is away from his Titan. She'd proven as much just moments before, when she'd decided to attack Levi and a whole fucking tree got toppled over for her efforts.

Levi, despite at what a disadvantage he was in this brawl of giants who had sharp teeth and were using that crazy crystallization thing they can do as weapons and shields, refused to be a liability. He looked down at his dulled blades and knew he wouldn't be able to do much with them. Even if the Female Titan wasn't protecting her neck, they were too dull to slice up her nape and he doubted it would work with his earlier, either. However, they were far from useless. No weapon is useless if you know how to use it.

With an insane plan whirling in his head, Levi unhooked himself and focused on riding his Titan's shoulder, waiting for the perfect opportunity. "Come on, just get close to her already. Fuck, it would be best if you grappled again," he muttered to himself, not really believing the owner of the giant ear he was standing by would understand a single word he said.

He was surprised, however, when the ear next to him twitched before the male Titan suddenly changed his stance and tactics, tackling the Female Titan again. She was ready for him, meeting him with raised hands and the two giants grappled, both trying to knock the other over with raw strength, technique or dirty tricks. Their faces were maybe two or meters apart, maybe even less, as they snarled at each other with effort, challenge or rage. But Levi's Titan wasn't letting the Female Titan move too far away and Levi knew this was going to be his best shot.

He let go of the strands of hair he'd still been holding on to, took two steps back before running forward and jumping, leaping over the distance and landing on the surprised Female Titan's face. She roared again in pain as Levi sank his blades into her eyes for the second time and Levi heard his Titan give a pleased rumble. Levi released the blades from the handles and turned around to jump back to his Titan's shoulder, out of his way so he can finish the fight. The green eyed monster wastes no time to overpower the still hurting Female Titan, lifting her off of her feet with relative ease and slamming her through several trees. Levi let's out a distressed sound when he realizes the next tree would be the one with Hange, Moblit and Onyankopon on it and the Titan stops for a second before changing directions and tactics, slamming the Female Titan against the ground. Levi had to anchor his hooks again because of all the sudden, sharp movements but he'd rather his Titan finish this quickly. The Titan seemed to be of the same mindset because he spread crystals over his elbow and knee and jumped up with the intent of slamming said body parts into the Female Titan, but she managed to roll out of the way at the last second.

She was up on her feet seconds before his Titan but she was not keen on staying to fight. Instead, she took off in the same direction she'd come from, running far faster than those other Titans have. Levi narrowed his eyes, wondering how she was maintaining such speed in a forest as dense as this one and navigating it blind but then he looked down to where she had been seconds before and saw his blades. She had taken him out, meaning her injured eyes were healing, probably healed enough just to allow her to see where she was going.

The Female Titan was running away and while Levi would have preferred such a dangerous enemy to be eliminated, she was running away in the direction she'd come from. She and her obedient group of Titans. It's why when his Titan made to follow her, Levi called out to him to wait. It was then that it finally sank in that this Titan could understand him. 'Shit, how smart is he?!'

Those green eyes were studying him intently and Levi should have been unnerved, maybe even scared to be face to face with a creature that could swallow him whole without the need to chew, but instead he felt oddly ... Content? At ease, definitely, even if he had no idea why he was trusting this monster when he'd seen so much of its kind eating his fellow humans in just the last two days. Then again, this one had saved him two or three times in just a handful of minutes, had fought for and with him. Levi, as crazy as it sounds, felt that this Titan meant him no harm.

"Shit, I hope this doesn't turn into a fucking King Kong parody just because I decided to trust you," he tells the Titan and at first it seems confused - probably at the movie reference - before those pointy ears twitch upwards and the Titan purrs in pleasure, clearly pleased with itself for having earned Levi's trust. Or something. 'I'm going mad, aren't I?' He wouldn't even be fucking surprised. Life has been shit the past few days. Still, as that big nose approaches him, Levi can't help but reach out a hand to pet it like one would a dog or maybe more so a horse. The pleased purring intensifies and Levi almost rolls his eyes. 'Yep. The world has officially turned to shit and I am not willing to deal with all of this. I need sleep and some fucking tea.' Still, he was glad he was alive. "Thank you for saving me." Green eyes slid shut and the Titan seemed to nod, which Levi took as a 'You're welcome'. "Do you really understand what I'm saying?" A grunt and a nod. "Well, shit." The Titan huffed in what might have been amusement. "Don't you start." Green eyes opened and he swore they were twinkling with amusement.

As he was about to berate the Titan - which must look hilarious or outright terrifying and suicidal to an outsider - he suddenly heard Hange screaming his name. He'd honestly temporarily forgotten he wasn't the only human in this forest. "LEVI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET OUT OF THERE! DO YOU WANT TO GET EATEN!?" They were still being held back by the two men with them but the crazy scientist looked seconds away from throwing them off so they could jump down to try and retrieve Levi from the Titan.

Levi honestly expected an aggressive reaction from the fifteen meter beast at the sudden commotion, but he just huffed before bringing a hand up towards Levi. Hange started screaming and struggling harder but Levi didn't move to evade the hand. Especially when he saw the Titan twist it around so the palm was facing up like a platform for Levi to step on. When Hange finally realized what was happening, they stopped trying to get free and Moblit and Onyankopon relaxed, only for all three of them to stiffen up when the Titan reached up to bring Levi up closer to their level. There was still almost ten meters of a difference but Levi won't need to yell too loudly to be heard now.

"I ran out of gas. Pass me the spare tanks."

"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SO CALM!?"

"Shitty four eyes, shut the fuck up. Are you trying to attract more Titans?"

"Levi!" They hissed in distress but Levi just rolled his eyes.

Moblit spared him arguing with his significant other by carefully dropping the tanks down to him after wrapping it up in his shirt and jacket each so the tanks wouldn't get damaged from the fall. This earned Moblit a look of betrayal from said significant other, but Levi stopped paying attention to their lover's quarrel as he immediately set about changing the tanks. The Titan remained still, obviously not bothered with having to hold his arm up for an extended period of time and just let him work in peace, which he was thankful for. Once he was sure he had the tanks strapped on correctly, Levi stood up and turned to face his savior.

"Would you wait for me? For us?" They were defenseless now with only a few knives left in Levi's possession to help them should Titans attack and Levi will go through his gas in no time if he has to have a repeat performance. Not to mention that the Female Titan was still out there, that there might be more intelligent Titans just waiting to strike. If this Titan was somehow benevolent ... Well, if it stayed with them, they might actually survive this shit. Levi felt relief wash over him when the Titan nodded, giving him what must have passed off as a reassuring gurgle for him. Levi actually gave the Titan a small smile, not wanting to show his teeth should the Titan take it as a sign of aggression. He was clearly intelligent but Levi was sure something so wild was still at least partially driven by instincts. "I'll be right back." With a final exchange of nods between them, Levi shot his hooks up and returned to his friends' side.

Hange immediately wrapped their arms around him, nearly suffocating him as they squeezed tight. Then they pulled back and slapped him, hard enough to sting a little but not so hard as to actually hurt or leave a hand print on his skin. "That's for scaring the living shit out of me! How dare you risk your life like that!? And why are you being all buddy buddy with something that wants to eat you!?"

"Hange, he saved me. More than once."

"He?" Onyankopon asked, looking incredulous. "How can you tell!? I mean, it lacks, you know-"

"He doesn't have to have the junk to be male," Levi pointed out. "Besides, it's clear. Unlike with the others, this one is a stack of muscles on muscles. There's nothing disproportionate about him to hide whether he has breasts. The Female Titan, on the other hand, has an obvious tell to its gender. If Titans really even have genders or a sex at all."

"Their builds are different from the other Titans as well," Moblit pointed out. "And I agree with Levi. That Titan down there is definitely physiologically male, cock and balls or no cock and balls."

Levi eyed the bioarchaeologist suspiciously. "Did you hide some booze or something and had a drink? You usually don't talk like that."

"It's the stress," Moblit said with wide, almost wild looking eyes. "If I don't handle it like this, I might go down there to try and wrestle that thing." Levi arched an eyebrow because damn, this was a side of Moblit he'd never seen before. Onyankopon was looking at them as if they were insane, which they might as well be. Levi had made a friend? Ally? out of the very thing that seems to feed on human flesh and Moblit expressed he wants to wrestle the very same thing which is just a little less than ten times his size. And then there was Hange, who had been freaking out just seconds ago but was now waving down at Levi's Titan and watching in awe as the Titan hesitantly waved back. Yeah, they were a fucking insane bunch but Levi had known that way before he made a comrade out of a fifteen meter man-eater. After all, who joins the military straight out of middle school? Who goes into an active war zone just to dig up pieces of pottery, bones and possibly some traces of ancient architecture? And who dates that person and follows them into such situations?

"Levi, I think it likes you," Hange said, drawing everyone's attention to them. "It's been tracking your movements this whole time. I think it-"

"He," Moblit and Levi automatically corrected, which Hange ignored.

"-wants you to go back down." They looked at him from where they were peering over the edge. "Do you really trust it - or him - Levi? I mean, maybe he's just not hungry right now and wants to keep us as a meal for later."

"But it did protect Levi," Onyankopon commented.

"He's intelligent," Levi said, coming to the edge and nodding down at the waiting Titan. He definitely perked to attention at the sight of Levi, his ears twitching. It was ... cute. Like a dog happy to see its owner. "He understood me when I talked to him and he knows how to prioritize and change tactics. I think he will be able to help us get out of this mess."

"Should we really rely on a Titan?"

"This one, yes," the shorter man replied to Onyankopon. "This one will protect us from other Titans. Didn't you see it fight the Female Titan? He will help us."

"If you're sure," Onyankopon conceded and Levi nodded. They packed up all their stuff before Levi took down first Hange and Moblit, both armed with a musket just in case, to the Titan's waiting cupped hands before he went back for Onyankopon and Levi's bag and the extra ammunition. The Titan never made any move to threaten or harm the four humans, as Levi had known would be the case, but he still relaxed at seeing his expectations turn out to be true. The Titan rumbled at Levi, once again pleased with himself. Levi did not understand why this Titan seemed to want his approval. Was it lonely, as an intelligent being? "Okay, we are here. Now what?"

"We still need to find shelter, away from Titans and those bastard soldiers," Moblit said as they all sat down on the Titan's hands. Well, except Levi, who remained standing but leaned against the thumbs the Titan seemed to have raised exactly for this purpose for him.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to lead this Titan towards the sea," Hange added. "We don't know on whose side the crew of the ship might be. And since those bastards want to control Titans for their own purposes, an intelligent non-human-eating Titan would be exactly what they were searching for. And if that Titan really is intelligent, really sentient, then we can't let them have him. If they take him off this island, he'll be a slave, a weapon, a tool." Because he would have no rights at all. He would be military or government property, assuming they didn't try killing him on sight when he inevitably refuses to follow orders. Levi's not sure why he thinks the Titan will disobey orders, but he's certain of it. To the rest of the world, if he can't be tamed, he will be seen as a threat. Levi owes it to him to keep him safe from such a fate.

He turned towards the Titan, finding that his attention had never strayed from Levi. Had it even listened to their conversation? Thoughts to ponder another time. "Do you know anywhere we could take shelter? Can you take us there?"

The Titan immediately nodded his head, which had the others all awed and shocked. Levi, though, wasn't even surprised anymore. This Titan was clearly special and he was fine with that as long as it was helpful and nonagressive. With the Titan's confirmation, Levi felt himself relax. He eyed the Titan's shoulder, who understood what he wanted and tilted his head to the side in invitation. Levi didn't know if the Titan realized that one of the reasons Levi preferred to be on his shoulders instead of his hands was because it left the Titan more vulnerable than Levi, but either way the Titan was trusting him. Again. They had been a team against the Female Titan, even if, technically, the Titan had done most of the work and Levi had just set it all up for what could have easily been the final blow had the Female Titan not run away.

With his Titan's invitation, Levi easily launched himself to his shoulder and settled there, not bothering to hook himself in as the Titan started a measured, steady walk, his pace allowing him not to jostle the humans too much and yet he still traveled far faster than anything they would manage by themselves. Perhaps if they had more of the gear Levi was wearing, even just one more set, it would have been easier, but even if they did, it was a question whether any of his friends would be able to adequately use it. Levi himself had an uncanny talent to learn most things on the first or second try, something that seemed to run in the family in different ways. His mother had taught herself to cook and knit and who knows what else without any outside help while his uncle was possibly the only one who could challenge Levi in any type of fight. They hadn't sparred in a while, but the last time his uncle could defeat him was when he was still a teen. Levi had improved greatly since joining the military, mostly because of his own training.

This gear, still, was unlike anything Levi had handled before and yet he had been able to figure it out in minutes. Hange and Moblit were far from incompetent or clumsy, but they still took at least days to master something enough for them to be able to use the skill in a real life situation. It is for the best that only Levi has the gear, for now. Hopefully, with a helpful Titan around, Levi won't have to worry too much about protecting his friends. Besides, he doubted his remaining knives would be of much help against the bigger or the intelligent Titans, anyway.

'Maybe we can find more of those swords in some other settlement? More gas, too. There's no way that military outpost was the only one. Still, I'm not sure whether I should ask this Titan to take us to another abandoned settlement.' If his theory is right that the Titans are the cause for this island being uninhabited, who knows how even this friendly Titan will react if it comes into one of the settlements it possibly had a hand in destroying. It was best not to risk it, no matter how better Levi would feel with more weaponry and resources. Besides, finding a source of food and water should be his priority. Their reserves were running out, though they might be able to stretch them out a bit more now that they weren't spending as much energy.

Speaking of ...

"Moblit, give us something to eat, will you?" He called out to the brunet man, making him look up from where he was trying to corral Hange away from the Titan's nails that they were trying to take a sample of. The Titan seemed content to ignore their nosy ass and Levi sighed, wondering if he should remind his best friend that they were very much dependent on this Titan's good will and that they shouldn't do anything that might piss it off, as unlikely as that seemed at the moment. "Sorry about them," he still said to their ride, but the Titan just rumbled in amusement, drawing Levi's friends' attention to it. Out of the three of them, Onyankopon seemed the most ill at ease around the Titan even after he had proven to be a valuable ally and Levi wasn't sure if that made him the sanest of all four of them or not. Still, Onyankopon was going along with their crazy plan and hadn't made a move against the benevolent Titan so Levi figured they should be fine.

"We don't have much more left," Moblit said after passing around some of the rations. "Levi, I sure as all hell hope you still know how to hunt, because we will need it. Water, too."

Before Levi could say anything, the Titan released a reassuring coo, curling most of his fingers up a bit so he can use his left pointer finger to indicate the way they were going.

"I think it- he is trying to tell us that there will be food and water, or at least just water, where he is taking us," Onyankopon said, finally seeming to relax in the Titan's hand, coming to terms with the fact that they were not going to get eaten all of a sudden. Levi's Titan nodded his head and relief spread through the group. Even if it's just water, Levi can easily hunt for them. And water sources often meant fish and maybe oysters if they were lucky.

As the Titan's level of intelligence and understanding of human speech even if he didn't seem capable of speaking himself finally sank into their minds, Hange finally snapped into their usual curious scientist mode. Moblit didn't have the chance to grab them as Hange almost clumsily waddled to the heels of the Titan's palms in an effort to get closer, their eyes shining and Levi groaned as they began their relentless questioning, doing their best to keep their questions formulated for a positive or negative answer and making theories to themself without even bothering to check if the Titan was nodding along to confirm or deny them. Moblit looked long-suffering while Onyankopon just stared, as if watching a very interesting drama, as he ate his portion of the food. Levi decided to let his friend be and just leaned against his Titan's neck, enjoying the warmth.

It was unexpectedly hard not to drift off to sleep between the steady movements and the radiant warmth from the Titan's skin. The Ackerman wondered how the fuck he felt so safe with a beast that could swallow him whole when he'd been a chronic insomniac nearly his whole life.

Clearly rationality and reason have gone to shit.

Fuck them, anyways. Who needs them?

They didn't give him the warmth of safety.

They didn't feel like hope.

Chapter Text

"What happened to you?" Reiner Braun said jokingly when one Annie Leonhart reunited with their group, looking considerably worse for wear than when they had last seen her. The front of her camo shirt was sliced open vertically at her abdomen, she'd lost her hat and there were big red marks around her eyes along with eye bags caused by fatigue. There was also a lot of blood on her clothing, obviously her own as it was still steaming away into non-existence and there were even traces of injuries in her eyes.

"Levi Ackerman," was Erwin Smith's reply as he saw the blonde rejoin them, not at all surprised at her state. "It seems that even two thousand years later, Ackermans are a force not to be reckoned with. How sad that you underestimated him."

"He mastered 3DMG again? In less than a day? As expected of Levi," Mike Zachairas commented, impressed but not truly surprised.

Annie shot the Commander a cold glare, baring her teeth. "He wouldn't have been a problem if he was alone."

"What do you mean?" Pieck Finger asked, coming over to her fellow Warrior and checking her over in slight concern, despite she herself having been on the verge of death just the day before from a bullet through the head, courtesy of one Levi Ackerman. The black haired woman didn't seem to have any injuries that can't heal on their own, but it's always best to check.

"He's still not as good as before. I don't doubt that will change if we give him the time to improve himself, but he wasn't the reason why I had to run." This peeked everyone's attention and they all started listening to what their comrade had to say. "It seems that Erwin and Zeke were right." The two blond men exchanged a look.

"So he did come," the younger of the two mused, somewhere between amused and exasperated. "Honestly, that fool."

"It was to be expected," the former Commander of the Survey Corps said, recalling days long since past on this very island. In another life. "Just like it was inevitable for Hange and Moblit to come together and for Levi to begrudgingly befriend Hange again, he was bound to come for Levi as soon as he stepped foot on this island."

"I'm honestly surprised he hadn't come running sooner," Betolt commented. "Even back then, it was no secret whom his eyes followed in any and every situation."

"Just say he had a crush and be done with it," Porco Galliard grumbled.

"It's not a simple crush," Erwin reprimanded. "Those two had a connection that honestly scared me at times. They always seemed aware of each other's presence, of each other's moods, what to say to get a certain reaction. What's more, they always seemed to see through each other and never be disturbed by what they found there. I'll be honest and say that they both, individually, had the hairs on the back of my neck always standing upright but together ... " He shook his head. "Those two were connected by an unfulfilled destiny."

"Honestly, I'd thought you to be a rational man with a good head on your shoulders even if you were a demon who sacrificed the lives of your soldiers without remorse," Floch Forster began, glaring at his former superior. "And now you're spewing this nonsense? Clearly, I was wrong."

"I agree with Smith on this," Yelena surprised them by saying. "Even miles apart, they would be able to focus on each other."

"If their connection is as strong as you say, then why did they end up being enemies?" Asked Porco. "And why does it matter, anyway? We now have confirmation for what we're looking for. Let the hunt begin!"

"It matters," Zeke explained. "Because Levi is officially our only bait to bring him out of hiding. Otherwise, he will just keep sending these Titans after us to pick us off one by one. The powers we possess don't mean anything to him now."

"Especially if the reports we got from the fallen arial team are true," Yelena added. "We're all in danger. He is still the hunter while we are the prey. The hunt has begun the second we set foot on this accursed island."

"We've defeated him once before," Reiner reminded. "And he doesn't have anyone of Royal Blood with him now to start the Rumbling, so we're actually at an advantage with Bertolt here," he said, patting his friend's shoulder roughly, making the taller man stumble. "As the only Colossal Titan."

"Something still stinks here," Mike said, his nose twitching. "We're missing something."

"And it still won't be as easy as you may think," Zeke said. "Or it might be easier. It all depends on what and how quickly Levi remembers. If he remembers at all, that is."

Erwin nodded. "If those two work together ... "

Annie, remembering their teamwork even when one had no idea what was truly going on and with no way for the other to communicate with him in that moment, finished for him. "They'll be unstoppable."

Silence.

And then Erwin sighed. "In that case, we'll have to stop them before that happens." He turned to Mike. "Is our emergency plan ready?"

"Already in motion," Mike replied, sounding grim, as he did not like what this plan entailed at all.

"Then let's head out," Zeke said, jumping back into their remaining jeeps and waiting for the others to do so as well.

He was kind of excited, if he were to be honest.

It has been a long time since he'd last seen his dear little brother.

00000

It didn't take the Titan too long to take them out of the woods and Levi grew tense when they came upon open fields with no trees or structures to use the gear on. Maneuvering around with it will be extremely difficult in such open space, even if he were to use the Titans themselves as leverage, but thankfully they had the green eyed wonder who had saved them and seemed to be protecting them as they traveled.

Since early morning to early afternoon, every time Levi thought he spotted a Titan coming towards them, his Titan would release a warning his that wasn't even all that loud and the approaching Titan would freeze, stand there for a moment before going in the completely opposite direction of them or, in most cases, going behind them in the direction they had come from. Levi grew grim as he realized the intelligent Titans could control the ordinary, predominantly populated ones, meaning that those idiot bastards daring to call themselves soldiers just needed to catch one of the intelligent Titans to have a veritable army at their disposal. Though Levi doubted the Female Titan would want to help them. That one had seemed out for human blood.

'Or was it just my blood?' There's no way she didn't know about his friends' presence, not after Hange had nearly screamed them all deaf seconds before the male intelligent Titan had saved Levi. At any point, she could have tried to get to his friends; it would have been easier than fighting the male Titan for Levi whom he was so stubbornly protecting, but she had never made a move to get them. He had been her target from the start. And whether that was because he was the biggest threat or not remained to be seen, which made Levi quite uneasy.

Because if that Titan had only been after him ... She might actually agree to work with Smith's fucking bunch of shitheads. They'd even be able to 'pay' her as they clearly had no qualms about letting innocent civilians die for their own goals.

'Maybe we should have chased her down and taken her out.'

He was brought out of his musings by his friends' sudden very loud gasps and he looked up to see what the big deal was, only to be left breathless himself.

Walls.

Huge fucking Walls, with a well deserved capital W because holy shit, they were fifty meters tall and seemed to be made out of pure stone bricks. Clearly, these Walls were built to keep the Titans out. Even if they climbed on top of each other, it would be extremely difficult to get over them and they would have to go one at a time. They were probably wide, too. He wondered how long they were, though, because as he looked on either side, he realized that he could just barely make out where they started to bend. Were they circular? And then there was, of course, the protruding part right in front of them, which was also huge, the size of a town, surely, made in an elongated half circle. He wondered what was behind these Walls, behind that protruding section and beyond it. Fuck, but the space enclosed within definitely appeared to be huge. Levi got the impression it might be as big as New York. Maybe even bigger, who knows! He can't even see where these Walls might end. It was definitely way bigger and most probably longer than the Great Wall of China. Even without the full view of the thing, Levi knew it was damn impressive.

"Wow," Hange breathed, eyes glittering with amazement and curiosity. "Are you guys seeing this? I'm not tripping, am I?"

"To think something like that was built without steel beams," Onyankopon uttered, eyes wide as saucers. "Is it even possible?"

"Oh, that looks like a good place for me to have my breakdown in," Moblit said lightly and Levi eyed his best friend's significant other warily. He would rather not have to deal with that because it's never easy dealing with shock or, worse yet, PTSD. He was impressed with Moblit having held out this long but he hopes that the breakdown he's so casually mentioning does not actually happen. Or, if it does, it will be in the form of a day-long coma to sleep it off because Levi really wasn't the best equipped - emotionally - to deal with panicking civilians despite, indeed, being the best equipped for it through his years of training and service to be good at just that. Levi Ackerman truly was a walking contradiction.

"Question is how are we going to get over those tall ass Walls," Levi commented, drawing everyone's attention to him. He shrugged at their confused looks. "We asked him," he nodded towards his Titan, who was also watching him with rapt attention. "To bring us to a safe place, to find us shelter, so I rather doubt Titans can just walk through those Walls. If there is some sort of gate, then it's locked closed or blocked-"

"Maybe that key you found opens the gates!" Hange exclaimed in a moment of euphoria, interrupting him and once again making everyone else curious and confused. Levi almost wanted to glare at her before he remembered that he wouldn't mind Moblit and even Onyankopon knowing about the key he'd found in that huge Titan fossil. Though he didn't know whether this Titan, as friendly as it was, should know about it.

"Key? What key?" The other archaeologist asked and Hange explained what they had found out about the 'cave' they had been exploring just yesterday. Needless to say, Onyankopon and Moblit looked a little pale and even green in the face upon realizing that they had, essentially, been in a Titan's crotch when they had reached the 'end' of that 'cave'. "Can you show us?"

Levi reached up to his neck and felt around for the leather cord before pulling on it, pulling the brass key out from under his shirt. As he was still on the Titan's shoulder, it wasn't as if Moblit and Onyankopon could properly ogle the thing, but they could clearly see it. A satisfied coo coming from their ride had Levi looking over to meet those green eyes. They were trained on the key before they lifted up to study Levi's face. The pleased rumble that followed had Levi arching an eyebrow. "Does this key open the gates?" He asked, pointing towards the approaching Walls. The Titan carefully shook his head with a grunt. Hange deflated at that but Levi just furrowed his brow. "Does it open something else equally important?" Those pointy ears twitched. "I'm taking that as a yes. Can you get us inside those Walls, though?" The Titan huffed in amusement and Levi gave him a playful glare. "Don't get so fucking cocky, you little shit. Oi!" He flicked the Titan's nose when it gave him a pointed stare at the 'little' part. The thing only looked even more satisfied with himself, the fucker. Levi then suddenly realized there was a very strange silence coming from his friends and he looked over to them, finding them staring at him and the Titan. "What?" He asked a bit defensively.

"You know, I realize that this Titan is intelligent and all, but seeing you bicker with it has me on the verge of a heart attack. Or an anxiety attack. Maybe even both at the same time."

The Titan let out an amused huff at Moblit's words and Levi just barely repressed a snort.

Moblit looked like he was simply So Done with everything.

Hange looked like they were about to cream their pants.

Onyankopon simply chose not to react.

Levi joined his friends for the last leg of the trip to the Wall. The protruding part of the Wall was, indeed, a gate ... of sorts? There was a ... crystallized network of spikes and formations as well as a statue that looked an uncomfortable lot like their Titan friend. Levi looked up at him while Onyankopon, Moblit and Hange focused on discussing what could have made the statue and why it might be there, among defensive formations clearly meant to prevent anything from the outside to approach the gate. 'Right. They weren't close enough to see the Titans forming crystals on their skin ... But wait! Does that mean our Titan sealed this gate? But why? And how? Is that statue shallow? It doesn't look like it but looks can be deceiving ... '

When they were right in front of the Wall, Levi prepared to take his friends up one at a time but the Titan stopped him from engaging the gear. Levi frowned up at him, confused. "We need to get up there and you can't climb while holding us. And no, I don't trust Hange not to do something stupid if they're supposed to be holding on by themself and Moblit has sweaty hands."

"Hey!" The couple protest but can't deny what he's saying because it's the goddamned truth. Onyankopon just observes them. He's the quiet sort, it seems. Or, well, quiet in comparison to Hange and by association Moblit, who has to calm his significant other down whenever they get too excited about a new interest of theirs. That is to say, Moblit had had a very long day so far as Hange had asked question after question of their new Titan ally. And it was only just past midday.

Levi honestly sometimes pitied the guy.

But then he remembered Moblit wanted to propose to the crazy archaeologist slash everything-fascinates-me-because-it's-science and then he no longer does because clearly the man is ready to subject himself to such craziness every day for the rest of his goddamned life.

The green eyed Titan huffs at Levi as if offended by his lack of faith in his abilities to get the humans to safety, so Levi just crosses his arms over his chest and cocks his hips to the side challengingly.

And of course the bloody Titan goes and accepts his challenge.

Of course he meets it head on and manages to leave them all even more in awe of his powers. (Yes, powers, because clearly this thing was one of those magical girls with powers of friendship and glitter and sugar and spice and everything fucking nice.) As the humans all collectively gap as a crystallized ladder manifests from the Titan's fingers, climbing up towards the top of the wall and seemingly securing itself with another webbed crystal formation, Levi wondered when the hell he had entered a sci-fi adventure flick. Or a cartoon, for that matter. 'No, this would be a fucking manga/anime, if anything.' And fuck his life, he wouldn't be surprised if he had somehow entered the fictional world of some overimaginative writer.

He blames Hange. It's his rule in life: whenever things make no sense, always blame Hange because usually they are the reason why his life is suddenly a madhouse.

"Hoh, not bad," he commented as he walked closer and tested the stability and sturdiness of the ladder. It was still attached to the Titan's fingers so they weren't going anywhere from the bottom and it didn't budge when he tried to shake them. Still, Levi sent the anchors of the gear flying and hooked them into the wall by the ladder at the top. "You guys go up first. Wrap a bit of the cable around your wrists for security measures and I'll let the cable roll out as far as it can go. Once you're up, I'll climb up after you."

"What about him?" Onyankopon asked and they all glanced at the Titan patiently waiting for them to get climbing. "I mean ... We don't know what's on the other side?" He said uncertainly when those green eyes focused on him. Levi didn't know why the man was so uncomfortable. Levi tended to be on the receiving end of the Titan's near constant scrutiny throughout their trip here, even as the Titan 'answered' Hange's countless questions and you don't see him complaining or being fidgety over it. "We could probably use help? Or a guide?"

The Titan huffed a big breath, making the strands of hair that fell in his face flutter around a bit.

Levi, not even sure how he understood what that was supposed to mean, 'translated'. "I think he's implying he'll climb up after us."

"But how? Those other Titans didn't seem to know how to climb- Oh!" Hange clasped their hands in front of their chest in excited realization. "You probably know how to climb because you're intelligent and understand that vertical surfaces aren't always just an obstacle, but could also be-"

"Shitty glasses, get fucking climbing." He ignored their pouting and pointed up towards the ladder and the cable by it. Hange huffed but complied, clasping clumsily the musket they had been carrying around on their back before following Levi's instructions and wrapping a cable around their wrist before they started the climb. Moblit and Onyankopon soon followed, the latter insisting Levi let him carry the bag and Moblit taking the ammunition because 'Levi had already done so much for them and looked really tired as is'. He let them and kept an eye on his friends as they steadily climbed up. Thankfully, no one slipped so the cable precaution wasn't exactly needed, but it was always best to prevent a disaster than fix one that already happened. He also noted that there was definitely plenty more of cable left in the gear by the time his friends climbed up. They refused to untie their wrists, intent on catching Levi should he suddenly need assistance, perfectly aware of the fact that he hadn't slept a wink since they'd left the ship and probably hadn't had a good rest on it, either. Before Levi began his own ascent, he paused and met the Titan's mesmerizing green eyes. "You will come up after us, right?"

The Titan let out a sound that was between a croon and a rumble that was meant to be reassuring, so Levi nodded at his Titan and began climbing, going considerably faster than his friends had. Levi had held all the top scores and records while he had been in the military, from sharp shooting - the sniper unit had tried plenty of times to steal him away from his squad, it was almost hilarious - to physical readiness - he'd nearly been kidnapped by a firefighter team on one of his missions after he'd carried four people out by himself, climbing down the fire ladder upright faster than they had ever seen someone do before; he'd almost filed charges for that one because their fire truck had been so filthy, Levi had to hose himself down after he tied them all up with the rope they usually used to climb buildings - which made him rather sought after from various divisions and also had many 'rivals' trying to one up him, which just made him train more. He was up the ladder in less than half the time it had taken his friends.

It was only when they were all together and they let Levi return the cable to its rightful place that they looked to what was waiting for them beyond the Walls.

They were once again stunned by what this bizarre island had to offer. The protruded part was definitely a town, almost filled to the brim with houses and multistory buildings. There was even something that passed off as a fucking castle and several squares and plateaus. On the other end of the town, there was another sealed gate and near it a river that also had a gate that could clearly be opened and closed, as well as a big cable line. A ferry boat leading further in?

And even from here, they could see beyond the inner Wall, into the distance. Big lush fields, probably with very fertile soil, further away there was a forest not unlike the one they had spent the night in and even further away in the distance, one could just make out what might actually be another inner Wall just like the one they were standing on.

"Concentrated circular defenses?" Moblit mused to himself. "That's ... rare, even in the more advanced ancient cultures and their cities. Especially if the walls are made the same height ... "

"It makes sense. These things were meant to keep out Titans, so of course they'd all be the same size," Levi reasoned.

"But where did they get all this material?" Onyankopon asked, voice sounding a bit strangled. "Even just one of these Walls would have taken a lot of resources to build, but another one? Possibly more? That shouldn't be possible! Even if they were hollow or just filled with debris, they'd still need an enormous amount of stone or even brick for something of this magnitude! Nothing we've seen on this island indicates that there would be a quarry big enough to supply all of this on this island and the soil doesn't look right for the type of clay needed to make bricks, especially not this much! And that's not even mentioning any settlements that might exist!"

"And it's almost impossible that they would have imported it all," Hange mused. "Not to mention that there's a lot of wooden houses down there, too! How did the wood not rot?! How is everything in such perfect condition on this island!? It makes no sense! It's as if it was abandoned only a couple of years ago or something!"

Before Levi could say something to interrupt the scientist trio's rants, a loud hissing sound came from behind and below them, followed by an almost alarming amount of steam. With blood rushing to his ears, adrenaline spiking and his heart thundering in his chest, Levi rushed back to the edge of the Wall facing the outside world. Before he even reached the edge, he could see it, the steaming, rapidly decomposing body of the Titan that had saved him and his friends hit the ground. As Hange let out a distressed cry at seeing their savior and new friend dead and Moblit and Onyankopon tried to find the cause behind it, Levi felt himself go numb. He couldn't believe that he had gotten so ... attached in just a few hours but he felt loss as he finally approached the edge. He wasn't even thinking in practical terms of the Titan's abilities that would have helped him protect his friends. He was mourning. Levi had never mourned except for his squad and maybe Magnolia and Church, because they had been filled with so much life and light and had had dreams and goals in their life, had wanted to change the world for the better. Levi had never had a friend before Hange and then Moblit came into his life. That he considered Onyankopon one was near a miracle!

But he'd gone and gotten attached to a creature he knew he'd have to leave behind sooner or later anyways, but he would have been content with just knowing that the Titan was still out here, on this island, alive and free. Now, he wouldn't have that comfort, because the kind, friendly Titan was dead.

A sort of creaking, almost cracking sound drew Levi's attention, far too close for his liking, and the raven haired man snapped his eyes towards the crystal ladder. Someone was climbing up. A surge of rage had Levi easily taking out one of his hidden knives instantly and with a snarl on his lips, he pushed forward to kill the one clearly responsible for his Titan's death.

He expected one of those sorry excuses for soldiers, even if he knew they wouldn't have had the means to reach the height of fifteen meters to get to his Titan's neck. He even expected one of those two meter Titans to be an intelligent one or even that blond bitch to be the one to reach the top and meet the edge of his blade.

Instead, startling green eyes set in an intense stare stopped his blade millimetres from a vulnerable, exposed throat. Tan skin, thick eyebrows, high cheekbones, long chocolate brown hair pulled back into a low manbun, all belonging to the possibly most handsome young man Levi had ever laid his eyes on. But those eyes ... The color, the intensity, the way they gazed at him ...

Somehow, by some inexplicable way ...

This was his Titan ...

This young man was ...

"Eren." The word, the name left his lips without any input from his mind and yet it felt right, it felt perfect and it had Levi's head spinning and pounding all of a sudden.

Lips quirked slightly at the edges, eyes intense but warm and fond and expectant. "Heichou." A hand reached out towards him, eager to touch, heat evident even centimetres away ...

And then the world spun and everything went black.

Chapter Text

Two thousand years ago, when his head had been cut off, Eren Jaeger had thought that he had finally done it, that he had destroyed all the Titans and set himself and his people free. The Walls he'd grown up in had fallen, the Titans were gone and the world hated Eldians just a little bit less, enough not to try to eradicate their entire race anymore. Even Ymir the Founder was free and Eldians were no longer able to be turned into Titans.

The Founder was destroyed and the war was finally over. King Fritz's tyranny was finally over after two thousand years of his wrinkly narcissistic and power-hungry ghost haunting the world.

Eren had thought that finally he could rest. Finally, he will be free, he will get to see his mother, his father, Hannes, even his new half-brother - Levi-heichou always stayed true to his word and that oath had been four years in coming - and his first squad, his friends. He had thought he had sacrificed enough. After all, he had offered his heart up for the humanity within the Walls. He'd fought and bled and lost and shed tears. Finally, humanity as a whole was safe, but most importantly, his loved ones were. They had a long way in front of them to rebuild the world, to get over everything that had happened, but they had each other. They were not alone.

Eldians no longer needed the Coordinate to connect to each other.

So it was with thoughts like these that Eren let himself drift into death with a peaceful mind and a content heart.

He was ready to rest.

Which is why Eren was confused when he suddenly found himself back in the Paths, which shouldn't even exist anymore. The Founding Titan was meant to die with Eren. That had been the deal with Ymir and yet here Eren was, all alone under an endless sky and the thread that connected all Eldians lighting up the desert-like landscape. So it was no surprise that Eren, suicidal maniac with anger issues that he was, started screaming and raging in the Paths. The entire dimension trembled under his rage, shaking down to its core but Eren did not care. He was done! What more should he do to finally be set free!? Hadn't he done enough!? Hadn't he fulfilled all his promises!? What more did this cruel world want from him!?

What more could Ymir want from him!?

As if summoned by these thoughts alone, visions flooded his mind, making him freeze mid-rage. He could not believe what he was seeing.

Everything that had ever made Eldians special, everything that made them Eldians was just ... erased. The world was eager to erase it. The world was doing what not even Marley had dared.

They were making Eldians forget their roots. They erased their past, they destroyed their history, they forbid marriage between two Eldians in most other nations not immediately neighboring the territories occupied by Paradis after the Rumbling.

Titans and Ackermans and Paradis and the Survey Corps ... They weren't even made into myths.

Eldians were being culturally and genetically erased one generation at a time. It barely took three generations after the last of his precious friends' death for the population to forget even the name of their own people. They were being assimilated into various other cultures and nations. Anyone who knew about Eldia, about Titans and about Paradis was discretely either placed into a mental asylum or were simply removed from the world of the living.

Eren, who had fought for the survival and freedom of his people, watched them slowly 'die out' and 'be shackled by society'.

Once more, he raged. He raged because he had failed. He raged because he had not been able to see this far into the future. He raged because Historia's own grandchild was murdered in its cradle. He raged because Mikasa hadn't even had the chance to see her own child grow up. He raged because Jean had to leave their child in an orphanage so the Ackerman blood, at the very least, may go on before he himself was hunted down and disposed of. He raged because Connie was murdered on Sasha's grave when he was visiting her on her twentieth death anniversary. He raged as Armin was shot down with Annie in their own cabin on their ship as they explored the world. He raged as Levi-heichou had to watch Gabi and Falco die as they tried to protect him when their home was invaded, as he raged and fought his assailants in his wheelchair, not feeble or weak even as a disabled old man with only a kitchen knife to defend himself with. He raged as his Heichou died, as Reiner committed suicide when they came for him after he lost everything and everyone else.

He raged and raged and raged.

But it had all already happened. He had woken up too late to save his friends. Once again, he was too weak to protect those he loved. Even with all the power he had, he was too weak.

And now he had to watch his people be erased, ceased to exist.

"Bring them home."

The voice - Ymir's, echoing, almost indistinguishable - resonated through the Paths. Eren shivered.

He didn't understand. What was home for Eldians? Old Eldia was long gone, torn apart by its enemies as soon as Karl Fritz crossed the sea and had a portion of his people inhabit Paradis.

Paradis ...

The only place in the world where Eldians can be Eldians, where they can be free to be themselves, where they can nurture their history, their culture.

Paradise for one portion of Eldians, even when Titans roamed just outside their Walls, a hellish punishment for the other that became those same Titans.

Paradis was to be a safe haven for Eldians once more, their nation once more.

But how was the island still theirs? Was it?

The answer, when he woke up not too far from the perfectly intact Walls of Shiganshina, was both yes and no. Paradis was completely deserted except for the wildlife, which now, unfortunately and ironically, once again included normal Titans. Eren was this close to going berserk on them, but these Titans made no move to attack him. In fact, many of them bowed or crawled in front of him and Eren realized that, with Ymir finally gone from the Coordinate, he was officially the Founding Titan and that these Titans sensed that. The more interesting part of this whole fucked up story was that Ymir had spent the last of her power in not only preserving Eren in the Paths, but also on rebuilding Paradis as it had been before the Rumbling. Before the fall of Shiganshina and Wall Maria but leaving the things built after it. Eren felt like he was lost in time as he walked around the island and through the villages and districts of his former home. Everything was the same but everything was also so mixed up, too. Even the graveyards were still there and the Survey Corps one in Shiganshina really plucked at his heartstrings.

In a way, he had spat on their sacrifice by starting the Rumbling. It hadn't hit him until then just how disappointed all of his fallen comrades must be. Squad Levi must hate him. They had, specifically, given their lives protecting him.

He wondered how Levi-heighou had only been disappointed, but hadn't hated him, even to the very end.

He wondered how none of his friends had truly hated him, even as the world was crumbling around them.

He feared what his mother would have to say. He didn't fear his father's reaction, because Grisha can act all innocent as much as he wants, but he was an active part of the loop that created the monster that Eren is. There's no way to tell where the Attack Titan's loop had started, but Grisha had once been for the plan to release the Titans in the Walls upon the world for the treatment of Eldians, for the death of his little sister at the hands of a Marley officer. No Attack Titan is innocent, as they all shared memories and feelings and there's no way only Eren had hated, that only his father had wanted the Rumbling.

The Attack Titan supposedly always fought for freedom.

All holders of it must have wanted to break free from the fate the world, the Curse of Ymir and the Fritz-Reiss had pushed down on them.

Eren was just the one lucky or unlucky enough to have the Founding Titan and the fucking balls to do something about it.

No regrets.

As such, Eren was also more than ready to immediately start on saving his people, the Eldians out there in the world, forgetting who they are, what made them special - and not just the whole Titan-shifting possibility, either. Eldians used to be connected in the Coordinate, their fates and souls and mind and memories shared through the Paths, connecting them for all eternity in a way no other people, no other nation or race or culture ever will. Blood can be diluted, but that connection remains through even the smallest specks of Eldian DNA left in one's very being. And the world couldn't keep track of thousands if not millions upon millions of people at all times, especially not the children of parents smart enough to give their kids away and hide their ancestry. Marriages and unions between Eldians happened, increasing the chances of more Eldians still existing to come back to Paradis.

This increased the chances Eren had of watching the outside world through their eyes while he guarded, secured and rebuilt Paradis as it should have always been.

This also allowed him to see that the time wasn't right for him to invite everyone of even the faintest of Eldian origin back home. The xenophobia extended towards his people was such that if he did gather them all in one place, the world would not hesitate to attack them again and Eren did not want to be at war with the world again. The Rumbling must not be repeated unless it is literally the last measure and if it were ever to come to that, this time he truly intended to let the Colossal Titans wipe out everyone not of Eldian blood. After all, the last Titan Shifter knew that he will never be free as long as his people aren't.

So he waited and time took its toll on the world. It took generations, but just as Eldians forgot their origins, so did the rest of the world as science evolved and more and more people took those old stories as bullshit and people stopped trying to control his people. Well, no more than they tried controlling everyone else.

The world moved on, time passed and before Eren could blink, two thousands years have gone by since the Rumbling. Paradis turned truly into paradise and Eren couldn't wait for the day his people could come back to their home. With the world no longer aware of their 'sins' of the past, they would easily be accepted by other countries as long as they did the same shit as everyone else and were pacifistic in their interactions with other countries. Not that Eren won't defend his people if they were attacked, but he won't initiate war. He's had enough of it.

Other people, however, haven't and Eren both understood and hated them for it, but he also couldn't help but be grateful for it, too. After all, that's how he found himself in this situation he was in now.

When one day, he had yet again sensed the presence of humans on the island, some of them even of Eldian origin - which wasn't exactly a surprise; for all that Eren was not yet ready to invite his people back, some had made it back to Paradis on their own over the years and woo boy, did those visits end with a blast - Eren had thought he just had another group of idiots to chase off before they discovered the natural resources of Paradis and got greedy, he had not expected to feel something else. Something Eldian, something Titan but not quite.

Something Ackerman.

He had shook those thoughts away, because he had actually lost track of what was left of the Ackerman bloodline centuries ago so he had thought he was imagining it. But then he sent Titans after the group of humans that braved going further inland than others ever have, actually making their way towards the Walls. Eren refused to let anyone see the heart of Paradis. If they persisted, if they didn't turn towards shore and ran as fast as they could, well ... Eren never was overly innocent, considering he had killed for the first time as a nine year old child.

His thoughts had stuttered to a halt when he felt the first Titan fall ... And then another ... And another. And another. Four in almost just as many minutes.

Eren had not felt a Titan's death since he had woken up on the island alone about two thousand years ago. Not since the Survey Corps ceased to exist.

'Who is it?' He wondered, curiosity beyond peaked. 'Who could it be?' He hadn't heard any heavy artillery being fired. Could it have been an accident? But four one after the other? 'There's no way it could have been an ordinary human. An Eldian? Had someone reincarnated?' It had to be someone from the Survey Corps! 'Or not,' he thought as he sensed something else. A Titan Shifter's power healing them.

That made him pause.

Titans shouldn't exist beyond Paradis. Not ordinary, not Titan Shifters. Not to mention that Eren actually had all Nine Titans now.

'Which means one of the Warriors reincarnated.' He scowled as he realized what this meant. 'Fucking shit. Fucking goddamned great. When will they fucking learn not to mess with fucking Paradis?' Or with Eren, for that matter. He won't hesitate.

And he didn't, sending a small horde of Titans at the group of humans when they discovered the cave he'd created when he'd been 'napping' in his Founding Titan form, but then the humans separated and strange things kept happening. Namely, one more Titan was killed deeper into the woods than where the other humans were and then, from that bigger group of humans came a transformation. Eren recognized the Titan immediately and scowled. He honestly never liked the guy who 'inherited' the Jaw Titan from his once fellow cadet Ymir. But he had to admit that it was the best choice for the terrain that battle was taking place at. The Jaw Titan was small so it could move around more freely and it had super strong teeth and claws that can even cut through crystallization and the Armored Titan's exoskeleton.

More of his servant Titans died at that place before things calmed down, but the two groups of humans were now moving through the forest, the bigger group following the smaller one - four people who were moving in an almost zig zag pattern. The smaller group stopped with the setting sun while the bigger group kept coming closer until they, too, stopped for the night.

Knowing something strange was going on, Eren had left the Walls to investigate for himself for the first time in years. Usually, if he left the Walls, it was because he was bored and he'd leave it to the roaming Titans to deal with intruders. This time, however, the Warriors were involved, as well as someone who knew how to kill Titans without possessing their own Titan powers. The way the smaller group moved, too, was strange. It was almost like ... A novice at 3DMG. Or someone carrying other people or a heavy load. It was slow and there seemed to be swinging back and forth on almost every step of the journey. He knew it wasn't impossible for them to have found a set of 3DMG, as the Scouts had left spare sets in several locations before the Rumbling. He also knew, however, that one is not simply reborn with the skill to use it. Even Eren had needed a few years to train himself back into the old movements and maneuvers before he'd felt confident to fly through the trees and around the cities and towns within the Walls.

So who could-?

Excitement and nervousness had him abandoning caution and traveling through the night to where he knew the smaller group of humans to be.

Eren had to take a detour, however, when he sensed the presence of Titans not his own. Titans that didn't immediately fall back when his growl echoed lowly through the forest. And they were searching, strategically and with intent, for the humans. Eren knew, even before he heard the Female Titan's commanding roar, that the smaller group was being hunted and by whom. After all, Titans had started dying before the Female Titan uttered a command and there was only one other way to create new Titans that could be controlled this precisely than Ymir's way.

He had to hurry.

But Eren almost couldn't focus on his own extermination of these foreign Titans as he felt, just a kilometre or two away, at another clearing, the death of Titan after Titan, all timed very closely to one another, all seemingly done with deadly precision. The Female Titan roared a few times, too, most often in pain, and at one point he felt her defeat before she transformed again. That level of skill ... Yes, there could be only one. Eren made quick work of the weaklings presented to him before charging through the forest. He, after all, didn't know the resources he had at hand, but he was probably on his last blades.

He was right and he arrived just in time to tackle Annie fucking Leonhart seconds away from her grubby little fingers daring to lay on Levi-heichou. The following fight was harder than it had to be, as Eren had to protect a much younger and much less experienced Levi Ackerman than he was used to, but his Heichou was never helpless, never weak. It was Heichou's intervention that had Annie running like a coward, after all.

Levi-heichou looked almost exactly as Eren remembered him, from his pale complexion to his dark hair that couldn't seem to decide whether it was black or a very, very dark brown in different lighting, to his steel grey eyes that could be as blue as the crystals Titan Shifters created. He was still about 160cm, he was still strongly built while looking slim and slender when his no-doubt rock hard muscles weren't on full display. He still had the undercut, the harrowed eyes and thin eyebrows. He still held himself with the same grace and confidence. He was still, so very clearly, Humanity's Strongest Soldier.

He lacked, however, the degree of grief always glinting in his eyes. This Levi-heichou had had a better life. He'd lost people, but he hadn't lived in a shitty world throughout his whole existence on this accursed earth.

He lacked recognition, though there was something in his eyes that gave Eren hope that that might only be a temporary state.

Still, even when he knew nothing about the creature currently holding him in hands capable of ripping him to shreds with no effort at all, Levi-heichou trusted him.

It was a heady feeling, being truly trusted, and especially by his childhood hero and the one man he'd hated disappointing the most. He swore he will never give Levi-heichou reason to doubt him ever again. It was the least he could do.

He didn't want to lose that trust, that companionship and understanding again.

Levi-heichou, after all, had always been the one to understand him and his drive for freedom the best.

Soon after, Eren realized his Heichou wasn't alone. Well, he'd already known the number of humans, but he hadn't actually expected to see familiar faces. He did not expect to see Hange Zoe - his heart gave a heavy pang of guilt as he remembered the last time he'd seen the kind, eccentric scientist who'd accepted him with open arms - nor Moblit Berner - and grief hit him there, as he couldn't even remember what their last exchange had been. There was also another man, one whom Eren thought was called Onyankopon. Eren's pretty sure that he'd never had a conversation with the guy, but he had seen him in Heichou's life after the war so he guessed he could be trusted.

Of course, they were all wary of him, after the couple of days they'd had on the island, which was ironic as three of them had once devoted their lives and heart's to explore said island while fighting off the same creatures that had left them shell-shocked right now. Well, aside from Levi-heichou. He seemed to be doing fine, even if he did appear to not have slept at all for at least a week, which worried the Titan Shifter to no end. He knew Heichou used to get only three hours of sleep a night - if he was lucky - but he always tried to be better rested for expeditions outside of the Walls. Eren kept a careful eye on the shorter man as the group discussed whether Eren could be trusted, whether Levi-heichou had lost his marbles for wanting to trust a Titan and then as Hange-san rediscovered their old passion for Titans even without their memories while Moblit tried to keep them in check, Onyankopon just observed them and tried to rest and Levi-heichou rode on Eren's shoulder.

Eren did not miss the intentions and threat behind the man's position. Just as Eren held his friends' lives in his hands - quite literally - Levi-heichou held Eren's, being so close to his nape. But Eren let it be and just enjoyed the man's proximity. Just enjoyed being friendly with his once comrades again.

The trip to the Walls ended too soon and for once Eren was truly sad to see Shiganshina. But he knew the moment of truth would come. While yes, he could easily scale the Walls as a Titan, he didn't want to damage them or leave an easy path for the Warriors to follow. He knew none of them had 3DMG, nor the necessary skill to use it, so climbing over the Wall will be their only way in, especially as Eren had more than sealed the gates. One day, they may be open, as they should be, but that day will come only once Eldians safely inhabit Paradis. Right now? Well, let's just say that if the Colossal Titan tries to kick in through the gate, there will be some broken toes. Eren had triple sealed that gate with enough crystallized structures that it would be easier to break the Walls than the gates. And if they break the Walls, well ... Let's just say that the Titans in the Walls have explicit instructions on what to do, both from Ymir and then from Eren himself.

It's ... cute, how his old-new companions worried about Eren being left behind, as though he wasn't the most powerful one of their whole arrangement. Nonetheless, Eren did his best to assure them he wasn't done with them yet and promised his Heichou that he'll follow right after them. He watched them climb up the crystal ladder he'd created with the War Hammer Titan's powers before he set about climbing up himself.

First, he carefully detached the ladder from his Titan's fingers before he released himself from the nape, quickly jumping the gap and catching onto the ladder before his Titan carcass could fall too far down for him to reach it. As the carcass hit the ground, already decaying, Eren realized his guests had rushed over to see what the commotion was about so he hurried up to reassure them that everything was okay and that they had nothing to fear.

Only, when he made it to the top, a very angry Levi-heichou greeted him with a knife going straight for his neck, only for the blade to stop mere centimetres from touching skin as their eyes met. Those pretty grey-blue eyes widened as they held eye contact before, finally, after two thousand years, those lips formed the one word he'd been yearning to hear in that voice.

"Eren."

"Heichou," he replied, feeling warm all over as content settled in his heart despite knowing that it was only a matter of days, if not hours, before he will be at war again with his former brethren, allies, his fellow Eldians who apparently wanted the Rumbling again. But in that moment, none of them mattered. Only Levi-heichou did, a man he'd admired and been willing to follow through the gates of hell and whom he'd yearned to impress, to satisfy, to get closer to, whom he'd managed only to disappoint and whose trust he now desperately wanted to earn back.

And it was a damn good thing, too, that he'd focused solely on Heichou, because one moment he looked like he was in pain before he was pitching forward.

It was only his quick reflexes from old military training that allowed Eren to catch the man before he plummeted to his death down the Wall. "Levi-heichou!"

"Levi!"

Chapter Text

In between dreamless bouts of sleep, Levi experienced two things.

"We can take him from here, thanks."

"And how, exactly, do you plan to get down these fifty meter Walls without 3DMG and the proper experience to use it?"

One thing was brief moments of wakefulness, where he was aware of something warm and hard pressed against his side, around his back and under his knees as well as the sound of familiar voices all around him as they conversed. Or more like bickered. He always ended those brief moments of consciousness by trying to hide his face away deeper in that warm something as he let sleep overtake him again, only vaguely aware that whenever he did this, those bickering matches would come to a stop and his name would be called out before he returned to the darkness of dreamless sleep.

He was sailing through the streets under a high cave ceiling, through the trees of a very tall, very dense forest under the open sky, through tall buildings surrounded by Walls, through a cave of crystals that had a light of their own.

He had a knife in his hand, a pair of swords, a gun, a musket, a grenade.

Wind swept through his hair, the smell of a forest after rain, the smell of the ocean.

Comrades and friends at his sides, first two, then three, then four more, then another one, then only one but soon enough he had six more, then it was five and he lost one of the first three ones when he wasn't looking and one when he was and then another one when he could only watch and another one of the five new ones almost right under his nose and one had left when he had never expected them to leave.

He was fighting Titans, then humans, then Titans again and then humans again and finally, he thought he'd fight only Titans and never again but he was wrong. So wrong.

The other thing was dreams that were fleeting and felt too real to be simple dreams and he forgot half of their contents before he drifted back into peaceful darkness. He saw faces and places he knew and didn't know, remembered and didn't remember. He heard voices he longed to hear again, laughing, crying, yelling, screaming, calling his name, talking, joking, complaining. Just sounds of living people. He heard the sounds of falling buildings, sounds of last rasping breaths, sounds of celebration and cheering, sounds of horse hooves over different terrains, the sound of the ocean hitting the sandy beach, the sound of explosions and gunfire, the sounds of a crackling campfire, of boiling water, of music and dance and of dying and squelching bodies between giant teeth or under giant feet and hands.

He didn't understand what he was seeing and he did. He didn't know why he was seeing it and yet he did know.

The darkness came as a mercy in those moments.

"How much longer do we have? And why didn't we just stay in that first town? Surely nothing can get over those Walls without assistance!"

"That's what we originally thought and so this Wall was infiltrated. And we have another hour to go before we reach the next district."

"That's all good and well but will you give us Levi back already? There's no way he's safer up there with you than back here with us! At least he won't fall off the wagon like he could off your horse! Hey, are you even listening to me! Hey!"

Levi didn't know how long he slept, but when he woke up, it was to a pretty dark room, lit up only by brightly burning candles. When he turned his head towards the left, he saw that there was a window there, opened to let in fresh air but no light was coming through, letting Levi know it must be nighttime. 'How long have I been asleep?' He wondered absently as he assessed his situation and condition. He still felt lightheaded and a bit tired, but he was better rested than he had been in days. Which led him to the conclusion that he had probably passed out from exhaustion. All those adrenaline rushes should have left him comatose after day one, not only knocked him out now. And that wasn't even including the amount of physical activity he'd had since coming to the island and the stress he'd constantly been under since he'd set foot on that fucking ship. The near death experiences and the confusion he'd been suffering from, the uncertainty of his and his friends' survival ... It had all done a number on him and he's honestly impressed with his own endurance.

Now that he was sure he was healthy and uninjured, just tired and maybe a bit hungry and thirsty, he assessed the situation, the room he was in. It was spacious enough and it seemed to have been built out of stone blocks, indicating possibly to a bigger structure. The wooden door was closed but he would have to get up to check if it was locked. But if the window was open and his gear was still there - he could see it carefully arranged on the desk on the opposite wall from the comfy bed he was resting on - then he doubted someone was trying to keep him there against his will. That done, he noted that his boots and his vest had been removed - as well as a good number of his knives with them, which he was not overly happy with, but at least he had a few left - but were within reaching distance, the red vest thrown over the chair placed by his bed and his boots rested at the foot of the bed, neatly arranged. His bag was also resting by the desk, along with a musket by the head of the bed.

Clearly, whoever had done all of this was suicidal because fuck if Levi was woken suddenly, he can't guarantee that he won't use any of these weapons to accidentally kill the person dumb enough to startle him.

He doubted it had been Hange or Moblit - they had seen more than once what Levi can do with something even vaguely weapon-like far too many times over the years to give him clear access to actual weapons when they know how light a sleeper he was and how trigger he can be when startled - and Onyankopon was probably a bit terrified of him, too. If he wasn't before, that is, but he definitely was now after all the shit Levi had done. He was pretty sure it's not normal to be able to take down fifteen meter monsters all on your own. So not his old friends and definitely not Onyankopon. So who-

Then he remembers what had happened just before he, well, fainted. The friendly Titan lying on the ground, decomposing and evaporating. The strange handsome man with the most amazing eyes Levi had ever seen.

It had to be him. But who was he? Why did he kill the friendly Titan?

And why would he take Levi here?

Where were his friends!?

Before Levi could even think about getting up to investigate, another wave of exhaustion hit him and he fell back into a deep, truly dreamless sleep, only to wake up to sunlight shining in his eyes and birds chirping outside the window. This time, he felt as good as new and better rested than he had in over twelve months. (It's not easy dealing with traumatized kids and their nightmares but Levi managed and gladly suffered the sleepless nights if it meant his new charges will feel safe enough to go back to sleep. They needed it more than him, anyways.) However, he was still hungry and he definitely needed to hydrate again before he passed out. Again. So he got up out of the bed, put on his boots and his vest - knives! - before rummaging through his bag. As expected, the last of the rations were gone, but he still had water, so at least that was dealt with. Now, on to finding sustenance! After putting the gear back on, walking out of the door proved as easy as he had guessed last night. It led out into a long corridor that was well lit by the windows letting daylight in and the whole place looked like it was kept clean religiously. Levi instantly approved. He'd had enough of dirt and germs for a lifetime these past few days and he wondered if he could just get some soap and water to scrub himself clean. He doesn't even need a shower, a bucket of clean water sounded better than food right now.

Wandering through the building - that honestly reminded him of a castle the further he went - eventually led him to a bathroom, where he finally took care of his business and found, surprise of all surprises, a ready warm bath! Levi didn't care if a troll - one of those perverted ones Hange had an obsession of showing him because they are amused by Levi's absolute lack of interest in sex or relationships so they thought it was funny to show him the weirdest and kinkiest hentai they could find, for whatever reason; they're crazy so Levi doesn't even try to understand what goes through their head - was holding him hostage, it was a clean and generous troll that had a bathtub. Levi was ready to sell his soul to the devil for a bath right now. All that was missing was a warm cup of black tea and he'd suspect himself to be dead and somehow having made it to heaven.

He seriously had to pinch himself half an hour later when he stumbled into an old fashioned but very well equipped kitchen where he found an omelet, some veggies, cheese and black tea left on the burner to keep warm waiting for him in the kitchen. And sure, the tea was a bit over-steeped but fuck it was delicious. Levi felt like he was being pampered.

And that was his cue to get the fuck out of here and go find his friends to make sure they hadn't become Titan shit while he was actually relaxing on his should-be-practically-a-vacation.

Thankfully, Hange was as noisy as ever, because it didn't take him long to discover them outside, in a big field behind the castle, trying to dig around in what appeared to be a training ground of sorts. Onyankopon was graciously accepting the soil samples that Hange wouldn't need for their own research while Moblit was ... Day drinking? That was vine, wasn't it? Levi will need to keep an eye on the man. Hange-stress, he could handle as easily as breathing. Titan-stress? Apparently, not so much.

The one that truly garnered Levi's attention now that he knew his friends weren't dead, however, was the third male.

"Please stop that, Hange-san." It was the stranger from yesterday. No, not stranger. Levi, for some reason, had called him Eren. He didn't know where the name had come from, but it fit the man to a T.

He was tall. Taller than Levi by a head at least, maybe more. Definitely taller than Hange, taller than Moblit and taller than Onyankopon. He was also dressed in a rather simple manner. Dark pants, a faded green, almost gray shirt with strings at the front of the collar and a brown hooded cardigan with boots similar to Levi's on his feet, only he seems to have let his pan legs cover them instead of tucking them in. He had lightly tanned skin and that brown hair Levi remembered seeing just before he passed out, but he was turned away from him now so Levi didn't get to see his eyes and if they were truly as mesmerizing as he remembered them.

Hange, who looked rather pissed, huffed at the man, Eren. "Are you going to stop being all mysterious and tell us what is going on? Or stop trying to hide Levi from us?"

"I'll gladly explain everything once Levi-heichou wakes up and I won't let him be woken up before he's properly rested. Do any of you even know when he last slept?" Silence. "I didn't think so. Now please stop digging."

"I'll have you know that I am an archaeologist, my weird mutant friend. Archaeologists dig so they can get artifacts from the past-"

"This is not an archaeological site," Eren interrupted firmly, voice going hard and dismissive. "This is not a dead settlement of a dead people. This is home and I will not let you dig here as if this place has no future. Not to mention that you're getting dirt everywhere."

"Don't tell me you're another clean freak like Levi!"

"Is there something wrong with wanting a clean environment to live in?"

"Fucking finally, someone who understands," Levi grumbled loudly, finally deciding to make his presence known. Immediately, Hange abandoned the dirt they were digging and sprinted towards the shorter man, yelling his name at the top of their lungs as they tried to hug him. Levi grimaced as he saw the state of their clothes and sidestepped them before they could make his bath mute. Yes, his clothes were still dirty, and the mere thought made him grimace but he was a soldier and used to dirt and grime. That, however, didn't mean he would let Hange get even more dirt on him.

"Levi," whined Hange from the ground where they'd fallen when they did not collide with him.

"I'm glad to see you're awake," Onyankopon said, smiling at him before he went back to what he was doing. Scientists. Levi was friends with two of them so he wasn't even offended. He knows what Hange is like when they get into the zone, as he has to knock them out just to bathe them with Moblit's help.

Speaking of Moblit ... Yeah, he was definitely shitfaced. Usually, Moblit fussed over Hange for the smallest of paper cuts - probably because of the poor hygiene Levi usually helped him deal with - but now he only blinked at his significant other, confused about why Hange was on the ground if it didn't involve digging or sampling. Levi will definitely have to keep an eye on him.

"Levi-heichou," Eren said, coming to stand before Levi in all his tall-ass glory, making Levi have to look up to meet his eyes. "It's good to see you without eye-bags and awake. Did you sleep okay? Did you find the bathroom and kitchen okay?"

But Levi wasn't exactly paying attention to the dotting of the brunet man. No, he was studying his eyes, or rather the skin around his eyes. Levi had been pretty out of it moments before he had blacked out, but he was sure that there had been some king of ... scars? Wounds? Right where smooth, healthy skin was now. And then there were the eyes themselves. They were green, mixed with blue to make up the color of the sea as well as flecks of gold mixed in, but definitely a very beautiful green. A familiar green.

"You're the Titan," Levi said instead of replying to any of Eren's questions. The man blinked, clearly not expecting that as an answer. Levi's friends just watched them, though Moblit with questionable clarity and Onyankopon with debatable focus.

"Ah. What gave me away?"

"I'm sorry, what!?" Hange screeched and Levi looked towards them, finding them gawking. "You're kidding, right?" Looking around at the two men - Moblit suddenly looked a whole lot more sober - and saw the same incredulity as his best friend. "That can't be true!"

"... You spent a whole day with a man who can grow into a fifteen meter human-eating monster and you didn't know it?" Levi needs to teach his friends better awareness and self-preservation because how the hell did they not realize this man was the same Titan that had escorted them to the Walls! Behind which they were now, if he had to guess. "Unbelievable. How are you all still alive now?"

"How could we have possibly known!?" Hange protested and Levi pointed up at the man's eyes. "Well, not all of us got all cuddly with that Titan and exchanged meaningful stares!" Hange paused then, narrowing their eyes at him behind their glasses. "Which reminds me, how the hell do you two know each other's names?"

Levi opened his mouth to answer, only to remember that it had been ... instinct(?) that had made him say Eren out of all the names in the world. He'd never met this man before, he was sure of that. There's no way Levi's gay ass would ever forget someone who was, at least aesthetically speaking for now, exactly his type. "I ... I don't know." He frowned, meeting the other man's eyes. "Why did I know your name? Why did you know my name?"

Eren sighed, but he didn't appear annoyed. More like he was a bit resigned? But he was clearly willing to answer even if he seemed certain they wouldn't believe him. How Levi knew? Well, Levi'd always been scarily perceptive of people's moods and was even more scarily good at reading people. It freaked others out, but there's a reason why Levi had been as successful as he had during his military days. He could tell apart the bait - a terrorist/enemy in disguise - from the target - the hostage they would be sent to retrieve - even if their head was in a black cloth bag just by studying their body language, or he could tell when their target was actually in league with the enemy and didn't need their protection just from the way they would scrunch up their nose or wiggle their eyebrows or how they would not meet his eye but pretend to be doing so by looking at his eyebrows or cheekbones instead.

It's why Levi had been so uneasy with the soldiers that were meant to be their escorts from day one. (Well, not all of them. Some of the ones tending the ship made him uncomfortable because of hero worship, but that was easy to distinguish from Smith, Zacharias and the others.)

Still, for some reason, Levi found it strangely ... easy to read Eren. Like he was a book he'd already read plenty of times and knew almost every word by heart, and yet he was reading it again because the ending still somehow managed to surprise him, if that made any sense. Even as a Titan, Levi had been able to read him, despite the way his face barely moved in expressions and the fact that his body language as a whole differed from a human's.

"Well, before I begin explaining, I guess I should properly introduce myself," Eren began, giving them all a charming smile that looked almost foreign on his face. It was like he hadn't had a reason to truly smile in years and was only attempting it to put them at ease. To put Levi at ease, judging from the way his eyes seemed to stray to him, not staring all the time like when he was a Titan but his gaze was still just as intense. "My name is Eren Jaeger, I am nineteen years old and I was born on this very island, Paradis, two thousand years ago."

"WHAT!?"

Chapter Text

"What do you mean, you were born two thousand years ago!?" Moblit, their resident bioarchaeologist, screeched, fully sober now. "That's bullshit! There are all of maybe four or five animal species that can live over a hundred years, but none of them are human! So unless you're a plant of some sort, you're spewing shit because there's no way someone as young looking as you could be two thousand and nineteen years old!"

"Does Heichou look his age? Because he looks like a teenager to me and I know he's not," argued Eren, making Moblit yell some more.

"Good fucking genetics don't mean vampire genetics!"

"Eldian genetics, actually," Eren corrected before Levi finally had enough of his second longest friend's screeching.

"Enough! You," he pointed to Moblit, causing him to freeze mid-inhale to start another rant. "Calm the fuck down and sober the ever loving hell up. And you," he turned to Eren, who was watching him expectantly. "Explain, thoroughly, in a way that makes sense. If I suspect even for a second that you're lying, I'll cut your tongue out."

"You're taking this a lot better than they are," Eren commented, nodding towards the stupefied Onyankopon, the still ready to screech Moblit and the excited looking Hange who was all but salivating at the thought of reconstructing a social and cultural context based on asking a person who actually lived in this place. Or it could be at the thought of getting some of Eren's DNA to test his claim about his age. Or it could be at finally knowing the name and the age of this island and its former inhabitants. "But, then again, you are Levi-heichou. Not much fazes you."

"And explain why you keep calling him that! Oooh, wait! Let me get a pen and a notebook! I want to record everything you have to tell us! For scientific purposes!" And they actually, genuinely meant for scientific purposes. Hange only ever gets this excited when science is involved.

Well, science and Levi's nonexistent love life.

Actually maybe they weren't as genuine as you'd think.

"Answer our questions," Levi said instead of replying to Eren's comment.

"Yes, Heichou. To start off easy, I call Levi-heichou Heichou because he's the Captain." When Levi lifted an eyebrow at him, not understanding why his former rank was mentioned twice in one sentence as an explanation of one another, Hange gave him a strange look.

"What?" He snapped, irritated by the staring.

"You ... don't hear a difference at all, do you?" They asked, getting excited again. Moblit looked at Levi then back at the vine, contemplating his life choices. "Oh my science!"

"What's with all the fuss?" Levi asked, really getting annoyed now.

"Heichou is from a whole different language," Eren explained. "A language now long dead and forgotten. The common language that was used in old Eldia and her neighbors. Two thousand years ago. The languages closest to it that exist today would be German and some Asian languages like Japanese."

"That's ... quite the range you've got there," Onyankopon commented stiltedly and Eren shrugged.

"One of the big clans from the East were Eldia's allies so they had quite the influence while something similar to your German had been the, uh, cornerstone of my language. Anyways, Heichou is actually a shortened way of saying Captain and it was - and here comes the how we know each others' names part, but please keep an open mind because this is a long and bizarre story, but all of it is 100% true - what Humanity's Strongest Soldier, Levi Ackerman ... you were called, two thousand years ago."

Levi stared at Eren, his eyes no doubt wider than they had ever been except as a kid when his uncle had handed him a knife for the first time. He wondered if his mouth was hanging open, too. It probably was. He wouldn't even be surprised! Because while Levi was willing to believe the being alive for two thousand years thing since Titans seemed to heal ridiculously fast, reincarnation or rebirth was a whole other beast, one Levi would rather never tackle when in context of himself!

"I'm sorry, but what did you just say? I must have heard wrong, because I thought you just said Levi lived two thousand years ago, too," Hange said, actually sounding on the verge of hysterics. They had that nervous laugh and strained smile and everything.

Eren actually winced. "Actually," he said hesitantly. "All of you lived two thousand years ago. We knew each other in our ... No, rather in your past lives, though I wasn't really all that well acquainted with Onyankopon but Levi-heichou, Hange-san and Moblit were people I spent a lot of time with, especially in my first year in the Survey Corps, which was the military branch the four of us were a part of. Then shit happened, people died and things went even more to shit. I disappointed you lot and practically spat on all you and our comrades have done and sacrificed for me, but it's a longer and far more complicated story than that. I'm not trying to make excuses for myself because I've done some terrible things, but I don't regret them."

And while the others reeled at that little bombshell, Levi focused on the latter part of his little speech. Someone who tried to live with no regrets? Levi can understand that. His past self(?) had probably even been the one to teach him that, if what Eren was saying was actually the truth, that is.

"If we were comrades ... Then why did you 'disappoint' us?" Levi asked carefully because his friends were left speechless.

"It's a really long story."

"We have time." Their resident non-binary scientist said pointedly, to which Eren grimaced.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure about that. That Female Titan from yesterday? She's like me. Well, partially, at least. As in, she has both a human form and a Titan form."

"Leonhart," Levi said without hesitation. He glared at his friends when they eyed him dubiously. "What?"

"It could have been Yelena. Or Finger."

"Or Smith or Fritz," Onyankopon added sarcastically to Moblit's suggestions. Hange rolled their eyes at them, as did Levi.

"It's the nose," the two best friends said in sync, making the other two shrug while Eren just watched them pensively.

"Who, exactly, was with you? Give me all their names."

Hange started listing off the now-dead scientists with Moblit's and Onyankopon's help but none of those names rang any bells. Some of the dead soldiers' did, however, but Eren did not seem upset about them so they probably hadn't been comrades. Probably.

When they got to the remaining soldiers' names, most of them got quite the reaction. As in, Eren frowned in an almost deadly way that had the hair's on the back of Levi's neck standing up. He sensed danger radiating off of the man and his hand drifted towards one of his knives. Levi didn't care if the man could turn into a fucking fifteen meter Titan. Levi would take him down if he had to. He wouldn't be the first fifteen meter Titan he'd taken down.

Eren seemed to realize his reaction was putting Levi on edge because he took a deep breath, exhaled it and calmed himself down. "You've just listed to me two Jeagerists, six Warriors and two former Scouts that I can't believe would ever be our enemies, but I guess one should always expect the unexpected."

"You still have a lot of explaining to do. So start talking," Levi finally snapped, losing his patience.

"I think we should go to the archives before we begin this discussion," Eren said as he began leading the way. "I have a lot of documents that would help in telling the story and make things easier to understand. Maps, journals, mission reports, history books, the such. Oh, and Hange-san's old research papers, as well as the books my father brought with him from Liberio." After a few minutes of walking down various hallways, they stopped in front of a big wooden door with a simple, rather small lock in comparison to the rest of the door. When Eren took out a very familiar key and unlocked the door, Levi stared at the taller, supposedly ancient man.

"That's the 'something equally as important' as the gates?" He asked in half amusement and got a brief look of confusion from Eren before he realized what he was talking about.

"Oh. Well, actually, this key once used to unlock a drawer with three books crucial to understanding the Titans and the truth about this island and its people. Now, I simply use it to lock up places I don't use anymore or use them infrequently. Since I already know all that's been written on the papers inside this room word for word, I don't go in here anymore. If I want to read books or some shit, well, I still haven't cleared all the bookstores, public or private libraries on the island." Eren smiled and came a bit closer to Levi, putting the key back around Levi's neck as it had been since he'd found it. "Sorry for taking it without your permission, but I had to unlock the old Survey Corps HQ in order to let us in and keep us in a harder-to-reach destination that can still meet your cleanliness standards."

"So, wait, are you saying that you're basically giving Levi the key to this whole kingdom?" Hange asked, a certain twinkle in their eyes that Levi did not like, not at all. He gave them a deadpan look but they ignored him.

"I guess," Eren said a bit awkwardly. "Shall we?" He opened the doors and welcomed them into a big room full nearly to the brim with organized and not so organized shelves of papers, books and files, as well as some seemingly random items. There was a single, rather big seashell being used as a paperweight on one of the small tables that had only two stacks of paper on it. The other three tables had boxes and stacks of paper on them. In the corner of the room, there were two muskets resting against the wall. Underneath the barred off windows there was one, big table with probably all the chairs from the room gathered around it and there was still not enough space for all of them. What had Levi staring at it was the brown crop jackets that were thrown over the backs of them, the back of the jackets displaying a proud pair of overlapping wings on a gray shield, the one in the back a pretty blue color, the other, front one white as snow. Levi wasn't even aware of what he was doing when he walked over to one of the jackets and ran his fingers over the wings, going from blue to white, blue to white, blue to white. "The Wings of Freedom," Eren said, coming to stand beside him, touching the jacket next to the one Levi was focusing on, his eyes distant, expression nostalgic.

"Jiyu no Tsubasa," Levi said without thinking, still running his fingers over the crest. "These are military uniforms," he said, leaning over the back of the chair to look down at perfectly folded clothes. Not all the shirts were the same, but on every chair there were four articles of clothing that were exactly the same: white pants, a black top and bottom combo that could be mistaken for a one piece jumpsuit if it weren't obvious by the way it was folded that it was two with armor chest plates(?) and a green cloth at the very bottom that Levi felt immensely attracted to. He didn't hesitate to carefully extract it and spread it, revealing a beautiful, well made cloak bearing the Wings of Freedom crest as well.

"Survey Corps. The black ones are the new ones, after Survey Corps became less of a division and more of a special ops unit meant to lead the charge against Marley, since Marley still had Titans and the means to make more and Survey Corps was the division that had the most experience fighting them," Eren explained, taking the cloak gently from Levi's hand before he swung it around the raven haired man's shoulders. "This uniform is yours, Heichou. Hange-san, yours is at the right head of the table. Moblit's uniforms should be in one of the old storage rooms, though."

"I take it I died young, then," Moblit said casually, sounding a bit more like his usual self but still not quite there.

"We all died young. Some people just died before all that the Survey Corps stood for was thrown away so we'd be made to fight humans instead of Titans, where we were expected to lead a war against the world instead of going out to learn about it."

"I take it I was never one of the Scouts?" Onyankopon half asked, not really expecting an answer, but Eren shook his head, anyways.

"Maybe an honorary member, but you'd been a Jaegerist, too."

"That's something I wanted to ask you about," Hange said as they inspected the eye patch and the goggle-like glasses that were found with their uniform. "You said your name is Eren Jaeger, right? So what are the Jaegerists? A cult or something that you started?" They asked jokingly and Eren snorts.

"If only. Sit down so I can start explaining," he said as he pointed to the table with the least papers. No one said anything about the table with the uniforms being better or about having to sit on crates and boxes full of books and papers, just as no one said anything about Levi keeping the cloak or Hanji replacing their regular glasses for the goggles after they found out it was the right diopter for them. As he looked back at the jacket that had supposedly been his, Levi couldn't help but be fascinated about how things have not changed from one life to another in the physical sense. "Okay, this is not a light story," Eren said as he came back from collecting some books, maps and other documents from around the room. "And many things I tell you will definitely disturb you. I warn you that you may come to hate me, be afraid of me or want to kill me, or you'll just be disgusted by me. Regardless, I will answer all of your questions to the best of my ability and I will continue giving you sanctuary and protection, as well as escort you off of the island if that is what you wish. Now, are you ready?"

Levi exchanged looks with his friends, not sure what to make of that introduction. It sounded ominous. More than just ominous, if he's being truthful. And the way the Titan Shifter seemed so resigned to being hated didn't sit well with Levi, either. Something was telling him they weren't the first of Eren's former comrades to be reincarnated and to meet him again and that those meetings hadn't gone as well as they could have. The question was why and the answer was hidden in Eren's story.

"I think we're as ready as we could ever be," Onyankopon said, already bracing himself. Levi didn't even blame him. He had a bad feeling about all of this as it was and he didn't even mean just the story that was coming. No, this whole thing, this last week or so since this cursed expedition had started had been driving his instincts insane, to the point where he couldn't even sleep until last night. Or just yesterday, since he'd fallen asleep before nightfall. And even that was being knocked out by the stress and strain his body had been going through the last few days on top of that lack of sleep. He's not sure why he slept so well, knowing what was roaming this island, and he doesn't mean just the Titans. What had made him feel safe enough to give his body the rest it needed?

The answer had to be Eren. Levi didn't know why, but Eren had represented a sort of hope that he can get his friends to safety again. It didn't matter that he was a Titan. Or that he wasn't one. Something within Levi Ackerman felt content in Eren Jaeger's presence. It was as though something was missing his whole life and now that he was on this island, by Eren's side, Levi might find that missing something and everything will be okay again.

Levi had always been strong, stronger than anyone, maybe even the strongest the military had ever seen, physically, mentally and emotionally. But now he felt even stronger. This island had been pushing him to his limits and he has yet to reach it, yet to be limited by it. He was challenged, but he had overcome each challenge with only technical difficulties here and there. But all those challenges, throughout his whole life, had not had a purpose. It was just something that had happened to him, something he had gone through because he had no choice. There was no real goal there. He had a mission, he did it, another came and so on. The first glimpse of greater purpose, if he could even call it that, had been when he'd started legally fighting to get Gabi and Falco.

This island, though? Eren? These Titans? There was a purpose here.

Something sang within Levi at just the thought of all of his strength and skills finally being put to use, to fulfilling that mysterious purpose. What was it? What did Eren have to do with it? Why did it exist? Why between them? And why now, two thousand years later?

As gray-blue eyes met sea green as Eren started his story, Levi hoped he was going to find out.

Chapter Text

"Even you are left stunned, huh?" Came a voice from behind him and Levi looked over his shoulder at the approaching male. Onyankopon looked rather pale as he came to stand next to the shorter man by the parapet where Levi was sitting on it, leaning heavily on the stone with a heavy sigh. "This was not what I was expecting when I applied for this expedition," Onyankopon admitted, sounding shell shocked. Levi didn't blame him.

On top of the last shit couple of days, what Eren had told them was ... a lot.

He snorted to himself. 'Talk about the understatement of the century.' He couldn't believe it. What Eren had told them sounded like an apocalyptic horror story, not something that had, apparently, happened two thousand years ago. Ymir the Founder and King Fritz, Eldia, the Titans. King Karl Fritz, the Walls, the war renouncing vow, the threat of the Rumbling. Marley, Liberio, Paradis. Shiganshina, Trost and then Shiganshina again. Reiss and Fritz, Survey Corps and the Military Police. Eren and Zeke and the Jaegerists and the Alliance ...

So many dead. So many horrors. So many plots and spilled blood.

So many loved ones lost.

So many of them Eren's fault.

Levi wasn't surprised neither of his old friends had come to check on him. Both Moblit and Hange had died honorable yet horrible deaths that Levi was sure he, as well as the two of them, will have nightmares of for the rest of his life, even if none of them ever remembered their past lives. Eren said it was possible, seeing as some people had remembered, while others haven't. Levi wasn't certain if he wanted to.

He'd lived in poverty or in war in a hell on Earth the likes of which he had never thought possible. He'd seen his mother, his uncle, people who were his friends and found family die more times than he'd like. His special ops unit, too. Levi himself had remained the last war veteran, had then been the last of the Survey Corps left standing, dying only after all those he cared about were already dead, fighting to his last breath.

Eren had been able to witness it all, one way or another. All of their deaths, where life had taken them even after his death that had turned out to be not so deathly permanent. He was now the last one standing, stranded on this island, technically unable to leave because he is unwilling to, because he had a purpose, a mission.

"Ymir brought me back to life, gave me the power of the Titans, for one reason only: give Eldians back a place where they can belong, where they can be free, where they can be themselves without anything or anyone restraining them, give them back who they are. I was promised to live a normal life for the rest of my natural lifetime in exchange, which is far more than I could have ever asked for." That's what Eren had told them when Hange had asked why he, of all people, had been chosen to live after all the death he had caused. It had been one of the answers. The other was that Eren was already the Coordinate, the Founding Titan, and combined with the Attack Titan's powers, as well as the War Hammer Titan's, he was by far the most powerful being on this Earth, even without including the powers that came from the rest of the Nine. And he was willing to fight, to do what it takes to give his people and himself the freedom that had been taken from them so long ago.

Hange, Moblit and Onyankopon had looked almost sick by the time all had been said and explained and answered.

Levi, though, had been fascinated by this monster of a man that cannot be controlled or contained, that had no master, that would go on by sheer stubbornness, that would be driven by the need for freedom.

Eren reminded Levi of himself far too much, in his more rebellious moments when he'd wanted to just run away from the military and live a life of his own choosing. They had been rare, as he did not want to break his oaths or his family's hearts, because he did not want to break his squad mates' hearts or spit on their sacrifice long after they were gone. But those moments had still existed. Still did exist, as he gazed out at the island now, as he looked at the Walls he could see even now, miles away from them.

Beyond those Walls was danger, but so was freedom. And Levi could understand feeling like a caged bird. Right now, these Walls were a sanctuary, but he knew he could leave them whenever he wished. Eren had even promised that he can make it so that the Titans wouldn't attack them if they came upon them and would instead act as protectors. But the Titans from Paradis weren't the only Titans currently on the island.

"If those Titans followed orders from the Female Titan back in my day, that would be normal as practically all of the Nine Titans had the power to command the ordinary ones. However, today, where there are only Titans created by Ymir the Founder for the sole purpose to follow my every order as the new and last Founding Titan, the only way this would be possible is if my brother is involved."

And Zeke Jaeger, or currently going by Zeke Fritz, was. Now that Levi knew the gist of the story - he didn't want to say he knew all of it, because even after hours of talking, there's no way for Eren to tell them everything, despite how much he would have wanted to; besides, it wasn't Levi's own experiences, just Eren retelling his own and while Levi didn't think Eren was lying to them or hiding shit (if he was, he wouldn't have admitted to having attempted mass genocide so easily) it's always best to take everything with a grain of salt and wait to see it confirmed or denied - he finally understood why everyone had kep their eye on him, why they were so jumpy around him, why Zeke had taken pleasure in seeing him held at gunpoint. It seems that their 'relationship', whatever it had been, had been a wild one filled with negative emotions, mostly on Levi's side because of all the death the older Jaeger brother had caused to Levi's comrades.

What was interesting and somewhat disturbing to the Levi of today was that he had, apparently, once been friends with one Erwin Smith. Levi could not imagine it, but according to Eren, the two had been very close and had held a lot of trust in each other. It would explain Smith's wish for them to have been allies once again. The Ackerman didn't know if it was his fresh perspective and a lack of emotional attachment that allowed him to see what his past self hadn't, but Erwin seemed to have been the same two thousand years ago as he was now: manipulative, calculative and callause towards the worth of human life. He'd just hid behind a grand goal. Levi can't tell without regaining his own memories if Erwin Smith of the past had been genuine in his interactions with others, but either way, Levi could not imagine ever having been okay with watching his comrades die for risky maneuvers and gambits that cost more lives than the risk was worth.

Mike Zacharias was also a surprise. He was, supposedly, one of the people involved in getting Levi out of the Underground, the place he'd been born and had grown up in, and they'd supposedly been cordial comrades. Zacharias, Smith, Hange and Levi had been the veterans of the Survey Corps and only Levi had survived. He'd buried all of his friends long before he took his last breath.

Floch and Yelena were Jaegerists and had wanted to take over Paradis so Eren could peacefully start the Rumbling so they can eliminate all threats to Eldians and recreate the Eldian Empire.

The others were the Warriors and had once served Marley but some of them had, supposedly, become allies of the Alliance trying to stop the Rumbling.

Now, they were reborn and they had found Paradis and came back. For Eren.

Presumably, to try the Rumbling again, but in a different way.

Or Zeke had been truthful and they just wanted a way to control Titans and Eren was it.

Levi didn't know their true motives and he found he didn't care. Eren was a target, but Eren could take care of himself. Not only do the Warriors seem to be missing Lara Tybur, the last War Hammer Titan before Eren had taken it, but Eren was also considerably more powerful than when he'd relied on Zeke to activate the powers of the Founding Titan as he was the Founding Titan now. He didn't just have it, he was it. It somehow gave him even more power over his abilities than before, better control, better healing, better everything.

There was also the fact that it had taken an Ackerman and Eren's willingness to let himself die for the sake of the freedom of Eldians, Ymir and himself for the death to be actually permanent. Unless Levi's mother or uncle suddenly decided they want to take over the world in the week he was gone - which was actually debatable with his uncle, if he was being honest - or Zeke's and Erwin's lot had somehow found and convinced some other Ackerman to join their side, which was just as unlikely, Eren was safe for the most part. He just needed to be careful.

But, ultimately, all of that could either not matter at all or become Levi's business and it all depended on whether or not he wants to be a soldier again. It seems to be his destiny. Even his former famous title had been 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier', though he found it irritating. It was bad enough he had been called his unit's overachiever.

"What do you think we should do?" Onyankopon, who had also apparently first been a Jaegerist, asked, sounding tired and maybe scared. Levi wasn't sure. All of their emotions were a jumbled mess and all over the place. Levi seemed to be taking all of this better than his friends, but he was just as frustrated, confused, angry and lost as they were. He just hid it better, because he knew they needed someone to appear steady and strong or else they'd all go by way of Moblit and start trying to drink their problems away as if that could cure trauma and stress.

"Why are you asking me?" Levi couldn't help but wonder. He had a guess. After all, it had been Levi that had been keeping them safe from day one. It had been Levi who had fought Titans and won. And it was Levi Eren seemed to be the most focused on. Eren's eyes had left Levi's form only a few times throughout the retelling of his life story and only because he had to emphasize a point or answer a very serious or very personal question.

"You're our leader, aren't you?" Onyankopon answered his question with another question, causing Levi to snort into the folds of the green cloak he had not taken off. It was rather comfortable in the chill of the early evening. "No, seriously. And it's not just because of Jaeger or our supposed past lives. You've been keeping us safe and directing us to safety since day one. We owe you our lives, Levi, several times over. I know we've only met a few days ago in this life, but I do respect you. I trust you. If I had to follow anyone to the gates of Hell, I'd choose you, because I'd know that I'd come back. Because you wouldn't let me die. So, whatever you say, goes."

Levi honestly didn't know what to say to that so he ignored it. "What if I said I wanted to help protect Eren?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," the other man replied honestly, making Levi look over at him in intrigue. "There was an instant connection between the two of you. I don't know what it is, but it seems you two have some unfinished business from your last life to fulfill."

"What makes you think that?"

"I went through some of the history books regarding the foundation of the military brigades. Their symbols, their meanings. Like, for instance, the Garrison wore two red roses to represent Wall Rose, the second line of defense."

Levi arched an eyebrow at him, not sure why Onyankopon was telling him this or what the point was.

"Do you know that the Survey Corps' Wings of Freedom have the deepest meaning, compared to the other symbols?"

Now that caught his attention. "And what would that be?"

"Well, besides the whole leading the people within the Walls to freedom one day thing, the Wings have two components: the white one is hope, the blue one is strength." Levi felt himself go stiff for no apparent reason. "Because one cannot attain freedom without strength and a hope to fan that strength into a strong burning inferno. But one has to be strong to have hope and maintain it. Or something. I'm not the best with poetry."

"Please get to the point. Don't beat around the bush like a ninny."

Onyankopon sighed, sounding almost exasperated. "You were once Humanity's Strongest Soldier. You gave people the strength to hope to one day be free of the Titans. Eren Jaeger was once Humanity's Last Hope to end the war against the Titans outside the Walls. People depended on you both. I mean, what are the odds, right? Strength and Hope, wearing the Wings of Freedom at the same time, in the same time, in the same place. I don't know if fate or destiny really exist, or if there are gods out there, somewhere, playing games with human lives for the hell of it or even if it's all just random but in the way the creation of the universe was random,chaos to order. But maybe, just maybe, whatever higher powers that be have decided that you two need each other to do something great. Now, I don't have much trust in Jaeger. We just met him and while he may have saved us, he'd also admitted to wanting to wipe out the whole world if his friends hadn't succeeded in stopping him. But I trust you. And yes, we may have also only just met a few days ago, but there is something about you, Levi Ackerman. It makes me believe that we can fight and that we can win. I will admit to having been dubious to some of your plans, but you haven't steered us wrong yet and you have plenty of years of experience in war to know what decision is right to make to keep us alive. So whatever you say, goes."

"There are no right or wrong decisions, not in war and not in life. There are just decisions you will regret or the ones you won't, with various shades of gray in between," Levi told Onyankopon seriously. "That's how I've tried to live my life for as long as I remember." At Onyankopon's confused stare, Levi looked away. "Eren does that, too. Is the Rumbling the 'right' choice? Probably not. Do I approve of it? Never. I consider life too precious a resource to ever approve of mass genocide. Is it admirable that he had the guts to do it, even knowing he will be hated, that he risks his friends' lives, that his own death will be necessary for the freedom of his people? Yes. Yes it is. Do I want to help him rectify his mistake and the mistake of his ancestors before him?"

"... Yes, yes you do." When Levi looked over, Onyankopon had a small smile on his face. "So what is the plan? How do we lowly mortals help the Ackerman and the Founding Titan, Humanity's Strongest Soldier and Humanity's Last Hope?"

Levi snorted at the irony of the titles, considering he and Eren would only be Eldians' heroes, not of the whole world, but he ignored it for the moment. He also ignored the playful jab at the Ackerman thing. Learning his ancestors had been a warrior clan, a part of a Titan experiment meant to give humans the power of Titans without them actually turning into Titans, and that they had been all but wiped out was not something he wanted to contemplate, ever. "I won't make any decisions without Hange's and Moblit's input."

"You know we'll always have your back, short stack," came his best friend's voice from behind his back and Levi turned around to meet their gaze as Hange and Moblit came to join them on the parapets. "Whatever you decide, we won't leave you to deal with it alone. Or, well, with just Eren."

"You don't hate him?" Levi had to ask, because Hange had risked a lot, had put a lot of their trust in the Titan Shifter in their past life and Eren had admitted to having threatened them not long before the Rumbling. Hange had actually been more furious at what had happened to Levi because of Eren and his half-brother than because of what had happened to them.

Hange shrugged. "I don't have my past self's memories, so I don't have a right to hate him for something that he had done in a life currently not my own, that I have no recollection of. He hasn't done anything to harm me or my loved ones now, so I don't believe I have the right to hate him. Not yet, anyway. Whether I will regain those memories and whether that will change my feelings on the matter remains to be seen, but right now I just don't trust him because we don't know him. But you seem to trust him and you are an excellent judge of character. Besides, he'd been honest with his crimes and misdeeds. He hadn't tried to trick us. That, at least, deserves some respect. If you want to help him, then I'll have your back all the way!" Moblit nodded beside his significant other and Levi felt his chest warm and swell at the loyalty of his friends.

He didn't know why they had found each other in this life, why they had remained friends when Erwin and Mike hadn't, but he doesn't regret it. Hange and Moblit had been his closest friends for years and he wouldn't change them for the world. If they had been uncomfortable with helping Eren, Levi wasn't sure what he'd do, but he thinks he would have chosen them over a people no longer his own - at least culturally - any day. And he knows Eren would have understood. Eren had had his own two closest friends whom he missed every day and for whom he would have stopped at nothing to ensure their safety and happiness.

"In that case," he said as he got up and jumped off of the parapet to the floor. "I'll sleep on it and I'll inform you all on my decision in the morning."

Moblit arched an eyebrow. "I was sure you would have said we should do it right away."

The former special ops unit commander gave him a dry look. "Decisions like this are not ones made in haste without inviting regret later on. I want to be sure this won't get any of us killed."

"Fat chance of that happening, unfortunately," Moblit said in ironic humor and Levi leveled him with a look. "It's the truth, Levi. You can't watch us at all times. It's impossible. And this is dangerous business. Anything can happen, you know. Not all of us have badassery in our veins."

"Okay, you seriously need to sober up."

"Is no one going to talk about the fact that the enemy can turn two of us into mindless Titans?" Onyankopon asked and Hange lit up, but Levi shot that shit down before it could even begin. He did not want to listen to Hange's new science fetish, especially if they'd been going through their past self's notes.

"Alright, all of you, go to bed. Don't make me knock you out. I'll tell you what I decide tomorrow, since you've, for some reason, declared me the leader." Hange whined in protest but Moblit, as always, was perfectly ready to deal with his, hopefully, future fiance and Levi watched them leave with Onyankopon going after them, waving back at Levi. Once they were gone, Levi looked back towards the Walls and tried to make sense of everything he had learned, tried to feel safe within these Walls like his past self might have once, but he figured his past self was as paranoid as he was, therefore he wouldn't be surprised if his past self had never truly felt safe, anywhere. Especially if what Eren said about his past life was true.

And he knew Eren wasn't lying. It wasn't even quite his instinct or skills in judging character that assured him of this. No, it was the strange dream he'd had yesterday. Eren's story fit the flashes and bits he'd seen. That just made it all more tragic and traumatic, but it also made the incoming fight for Eren all the more important.

Levi doesn't know what Erwin Smith and Zeke Fritz (not Jaeger this lifetime) want with the powers of the Founding Titan or why they were doing this when they had a chance at a better, new, war-free life, but he knows he can't have them interfering with Eren's project to welcome Eldians home here on Paradis. He's not even sure why he's bothered by it so much, but it seems that he might be regaining some of his memories. This place had once been his home, he'd once offered up his heart for these Walls and the people they protected yet limited at the same time. This place was still Eren's home and his cage. He's not free yet, just like Eldians aren't free the way they could be, either.

Levi figured they can worry about the freedom problem another time.

Tomorrow, he had to worry about war.

Chapter Text

Eren had known telling his former comrades the truth could end with them hating him, trying to run away and ending up getting hurt, but he knew not telling them wasn't exactly an option, either. For one, he had once hidden too many secrets from those who had accepted all of him with open arms, even after he'd attacked Marley and killed so many innocents and he didn't want to do that ever again, especially not in this second chance at life for them all. Especially not Levi-heichou, who sacrificed and lost so much in his efforts to keep Eren safe and to protect the people of Paradis and then the world. Second of all, there is the possibility of them regaining their memories now that they were on Paradis so lying to them will only make them enemies. Levi-heichou already seemed to have regained a few bits and pieces. Not unexpected. Ackermans are amazing, after all.

Still, Eren is well aware that his actions were atrocious and he knew people would be appalled. He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up, especially not in regards to the people who had done the most for him besides his family.

His family ...

Ironically enough, Grisha and Carla had been the first ones to reincarnate. Several decades after Paradis first started getting forgotten, Eren had a surprise, very unexpected visit from two guests: his very own parents. They had some memories, not all, and based on those, Grisha had been furious at what Eren had done and what he would have done. It had come to blows, both father and son feeling betrayed and manipulated one way or another, because the Attack Titan was a loop of past and future memories and you could never be certain who was influencing who. Grisha was stronger than Eren would have expected judging by the beer belly his Attack Titan had as opposed to Eren's Attack Titan's eight pack, but Grisha wasn't a soldier, hadn't spent half his life fighting for his life, his friends' lives and for freedom like Eren had. Grisha also didn't have the phenomenal anger issues Eren had and relied on for additional strength. Overall, it had ended when Eren had ripped his father out of his Titan and roared in his face.

Carla had watched it all, stunned and a little scared, but she didn't hesitate to come running to Eren as he emerged from his own Titan, hugging and kissing him, cradling his face in her hands and telling him he was an idiot but she loved him and was proud of him for the man he had become despite the atrocities he had committed as he had only wanted to keep his loved ones safe. Eren had hidden his tears in her shoulder and clung onto her almost too hard but she didn't complain and he didn't let go.

They stayed for a few months, regaining a lot more memories along the way. Eren and Grisha eventually hashed things out and by the time Eren chased his parents off the island goodnaturedly when he found out his mother was pregnant, his father had hugged him and asked for forgiveness while giving his own. Eren kept an eye on them through the paths and cried happy tears when they died peacefully of old age many decades later, content.

The next to come to Paradis was Dot Pixis in the company of none other than Eren Kruger. There was another fight of Attack Titans, this time more out of curiosity than anything else, while Pixis watched them and indulged in good ol' Eldian liquor. The man whom he was named after and whom he named himself after was a cool guy. Eren didn't agree with his methods, but the other Eren didn't agree with his, either. Their loyalties resided on different sides of the sea, with Kruger being perfectly content to sacrifice Paradis for the greater freedom of all Eldians while Jaeger would sacrifice anyone else but the people within the Walls. Their ideologies differed, too, but not too much and, ultimately, they agreed Grisha was a pushover, shook hands and parted ways. Looking Pixis in the eye wasn't as easy, but the man didn't care much. Pixis' ultimate goal was keeping the people within the Walls safe and Eren had done that. The former Commander of the Garrison just thanked him for all the wine and scotch Eren let him take from the stores. It's not like Eren was using it.

One of the people that had reincarnated and decided to visit Paradis over the years was Falco's older brother. Eren had let him explore the island without going out to meet him and he left without ever learning that the island was once again infested with Titans and that the 'Usurper' was still alive and well. Eren had spent a brief moment wondering if Falco had reincarnated too and what the boy would think of him now before he pushed such thoughts to the side and ignored them.

Mikasa and Amrin reincarnated a little over a thousand years after Eren's and their own deaths. There were many tears, screaming matches, hugs and kisses. They had been the ones to stay the longest, the need to reforge their bond, to fix all the wrongs, settle all the arguments and harsh feelings properly too great for them to leave. Armin did, eventually. The world outside of Paradis was changing and Armind wanted to see it. He also wanted to search for Annie and for their other friends.

Mikasa had stayed for nearly ten years, living the lovey dovey, domestic life she'd always imagined with Eren until, one day, Jean, Marco and Thomas somehow found the island with next to no memories at all. Eren had known that, after his death, Mikasa and Jean had finally hit up a relationship, that it had taken them years before they both moved on from the Rumbling, that Jean had waited for Mikasa to finally disentangle her life from where she had entangled it with Eren. He knew Mikasa had learned to love Jean in a similar yet completely different way than she had Eren. She had never feared not being able to live without Jean and that is why Eren knew where Mikasa's heart lies. That's why he pushed her to play stowaway and go with them. Besides, he didn't want to watch Mikasa age and die while he remained as young as when he had died. He knew Mikasa wouldn't be able to die in peace, knowing she was leaving him behind to be all alone on Paradis again. It had taken him a lot to convince her. She had resisted and struggled. But, ultimately, she had fallen in love with Jean all over again when they met, just as Horseface did and Eren felt content watching them sail off into the sunset with two friends who'd died way too young, before things even got heated in Paradis' wars. Thankfully, none of them remembered their past lives during their stay, at least not in full. Those memories were nothing but haunting. They would just steal away their peace, take away their freedom.

Connie, Sasha and Niccolo happened upon Paradis one day and nearly got eaten by an Abnormal that had gotten too close to the coast had Eren not sensed their presence at the last moment, snapping awake from his nap. Connie and Niccolo weren't awfully happy to see him, having frightfully quickly regained their memories in the wake of a Titan attack, while Sasha had run into his arms and asked him if Paradis still had meat and potatoes. It had been rough explaining everything to Connie and Sasha. He didn't care all that much about Niccolo's opinion, but he didn't want his long time friends and former squad mates hating him. It took Connie a while to stop glaring at him but, eventually, they hashed it out.

Ymir and Historia, when they eventually made it to Paradis, weren't as forgiving. Well, Ymir wasn't, because she did not support the idea of the Rumbling, while Historia was maybe more pissed that he was ready to eradicate all of humanity and that he had turned his back on the Jaegerists' original plan. Eren told her where she could stick that attitude and Ymir attacked him for insulting her lawfully wedded wife. Their Titans fought and Eren learned that Ymir was a much better Jaw Titan than that Porco guy, but he still won. Ymir was faster, but Eren could command her if he wished. Plus, his years of experience made him a much better fighter than the one she was used to. Still, even those two left with things resolved between them. They had both come from well off, loving families and did not want to get involved with Eldian bullshit ever again if they could help it.

Seeing as Eren didn't need anyone of Royal Blood - and he wasn't even sure if Historia even was of such anymore - and the time wasn't yet right to call Eldians back home, he'd seen them off with well wishes and heartfelt goodbyes.

He got visited by many more over the years. Most of his squad mates from the 104th that had died that day in Trost could not forgive him. Marlow and Hitch hated him, had tried beheading him before running away when they realized they couldn't kill him because he wouldn't let them scared for their lives. Nile, Rico and several others tried to kill him, too. Even some of the rare few Marlyans that had reincarnated and somehow regained their memories sought out Paradis just to try to kill him. They all failed and ran, either from Eren or the Titans he controlled.

Eren had kept dreading the day Levi Squad, the original one, might come, the words they might say when they learn of what he has become. He carried them on his soul like a boulder of guilt that he knew will never fall away. He didn't even want it to. They never came, but many other soldiers who had given their lives for him did. Ian from the Garrison Special Operations Squad, just to name a few. That preacher, Nick. Shaddis had come and had cursed his existence, calling him a devil. Zackley had lamented having let him live in the first place. Others from the Survey Corps, who had died fighting the Female Titan, trying to get him back when Reiner and Bertolt had kidnapped him or in the battle for Shiganshina. They had found him on Paradis, asked him what had happened after their deaths and hated him when they learned of what he had become.

Only his friends and family had managed to find it within themselves to forgive him.

He wasn't sure Levi-heichou, Hange-san or Moblit will be able to do so, too. He'd disappointed them far more than he had his friends in ways he could have never disappointed his friends. They had relied on him, put all their hopes in him, had let others die for him and had not allowed themselves to regret it. Had not allowed themselves to mourn their comrades' sacrifices.

Levi-heichou, especially, has no reason to forgive him or accept him.

The man could easily see the monster hiding behind Eren's facade of humanity. It's always been like that. Just like Eren could always see just how much his Heichou had cared about every single soldier in his care, despite his impassive mask.

Eren didn't know if everything that had happened in his life was caused by fate, destiny or some deity that had nothing better to do, but he knew, without a doubt, that there was a connection of some sort between him and Levi Ackerman. He couldn't say that he'd exactly felt it from the first moment he'd seen the man ... Actually, he had felt it from the first moment he'd seen the man, when Heichou had saved him, Mikasa and Armin from those Titans just after Eren had sealed the gate of Trost. Then he felt it again when Levi-heichou and Erwin-danchou visited him in prison, when Heichou's eyes had seemed to flash with some undefinable emotion. After that, it had happened sparingly, but it had. These moments when they would rely on each other, be perfectly aware of each other's presence and moods. When they would say things that they would not tell anyone else, not even their closest friends. Eren had relied on this strange bond they had developed for years before he turned his back on it when the information he was gaining from the Attack Titan and the Founding Titan became too much. He had been certain he couldn't share those things with his superior and he was right, in a way, because Levi-heichou would have tried to talk him out of going through with it, that there was another way, like his friends had tried, but Eren knew that was impossible. Even the temporary freedom their people had had was better than the alternative, the whole world descending on Paradis in hostility and revenge. Still, he wished that he could have had one last chance to explain it all before he had Mikasa chop his head off.

Levi-heichou had been the one person Eren had hated and regretted, to this day, disappointing. He hoped that Levi-heichou wouldn't be as disappointed this time around, but he doubted it. Actually, Levi-heichou was more likely to hate him, because they no longer shared any bond of friendship or comradeship. Levi-heichou had always hated pointless loss of life, after all.

And if Levi-heichou decides he hates him, then the others will, too. They will all leave, run for their lives or try to kill him, as if that would solve anything anymore. If they run, they might get killed by the other group, the Warriors. Especially Heichou. He's the most dangerous, the only one who has a chance against them in a fight, even with limited resources. Especially if he regains his memories. Humanity's Strongest was no joke. He had been a key player in the Rumbling, even severely injured and still healing from blowing himself and Zeke up.

(Levi-heichou seems to have the same anger issues as Eren, just less commonly expressed.)

Eren didn't want to take away their freedom to make the choice of staying or leaving, but he won't let them be killed. Whether they want it or not, he will escort them to shore, if they have a way to leave the island. He'll make a way for them to leave the island if he needs to.

That didn't mean he wasn't foolishly hoping they might find it in their hearts to forgive him, if only a little.

It didn't help this foolish hope of his that the morning after he'd told them everything, three of his guests came down to breakfast acting as if nothing had changed. They had been wary of him since they met because, as much as he had saved and assisted them, he was still a stranger, but they didn't appear hostile towards him, didn't seem overly disgusted. Disturbed, maybe, but not to the point to call him a heartless monster, which was really startling. How could they not care? How could Hange-san comment on his tea preparing skills and how that will definitely endear him to Heichou? (Of course it would, it had been Levi-heichou who had taught him how to properly make tea, after all. Nothing but the best for Heichou!) How could Onyankopon offer to help him in making breakfast? How could Moblit just sit there, calm and collected, and ask him to lock up the liquor because he had no desire to get drunk anymore without top notch pain killers on hand to deal with the hangover, and then thank and curse him in the same sentence when Eren made his parents' traditional hangover cure they used to sell to the Garrison soldiers that worked like fucking magic but tasted like bog water mixed with shit. (Hannes had made the comparison, actually, and Eren was glad he never found out how the man knew what those tasted like.)

How were they so calm as they waited for Levi-heichou to come down for breakfast?

He knew that, ultimately, they will take Heichou's decision to heart, because the one thing they had in common - well, at least with Onyankopon, because clearly Hange-san and Moblit knew each other before they met Levi-heichou - was that they trusted him to keep them safe. So, as always, Eren's fate was in Levi-heichou's hands. 'Just like old times. Except, this time, I really am worse than any war criminal or thug he's ever dealt with. Even worse than Kenny the Ripper. And speaking of that lunatic, I wonder if he's ever reincarnated?' Eren has met a few former Founding Titan holders and even a few random Ackermans, including a guy who had asked him about his grandchildren Kenny and Kuchel. The guy had been in Eren's own grandfather's company, who had declared Eren a monster who had ruined the Jaeger name. Eren had thought his grandfather an idiot when he tried to club him to death with a baseball club he had, apparently, dragged with himself on the journey. Mr Ackerman seemed to have agreed with him before going back to asking about his grandchildren while they both ignored Eren's grandfather as he tried to club away at crystallization Eren built up around his head.

He was pulled out of his memories when he heard the door to the dining area open, revealing a sight that had Eren's chest tight with nostalgia and warm, mushy feelings he should have no right to feel.

Levi-heichou looked like Levi-heichou! Eren wasn't surprised the man may have wanted to change into clean clothes more than his companions ever could, but there were plenty of other clothes he could have chosen from. Yes, all were the military standard uniformed, differing only in size, really, but none of them were part of the uniform. Eren felt like he was a wide-eyed cadet again, shackled in a dark cell, meeting his childhood hero for the first time all over again, because Heichou had chosen the original uniform of the Scouts. The only thing that was missing was the cloak, since they were inside, but he didn't doubt the man had taken his old cloak, too. The tight black bodysuit had looked amazing stretched over Levi-heichoe's prominent muscles, but Eren will always prefer the brighter colors of the Scouts. It reminded him of days when they were scared and confused, but they had had a simple, straightforward goal, an enemy they could hate, direct their anger towards, when life had been simple yet complicated in the way only life can ever be. When they had still laughed and joked and partied. When Eren had still dared seek his superior officer out for midnight tea because neither of them could sleep that night.

Eren's breath caught in his chest as he realized what the deliberate getup meant. If Levi-heichou had simply wanted a convenient change of clothes ... What were the chances he would wear his old cravat, too? It served no practical purpose, was Levi-heichou's old sentimental indulgence. So this wasn't just a convenient change of clothes, it couldn't be!

"Heichou," he breathed before he even realized what he was doing and it automatically had a blush flooding his cheeks because, damn it, when was the last time he'd acted like the newbie cadet in the Levi Squad!? He was over two thousand years old, had started the almost-apocalypse! How can he still act like an awkward teenager!? 'Well, technically, my body is that of a teenager ... I think.' He hadn't actually been keeping track of if he'd aged, but he doesn't think he had. Mikas had been testimony enough for that.

"Levi, you look so badass!" Hange-san screamed at the top of their lungs, lunging forward to examine the shorter man's attire. "Oh, where'd you get the cravat? And how many knives were you able to hide in these clothes? Aren't they too tight to fight in, because they sure look like it! Oh, and that cloak must look absolutely fabulous with this getup!"

"It really does look good on you," Moblit commented, looking Heichou up and down. "Now I feel self-conscious about even thinking of putting my old uniform on. I'll probably look silly next to you."

"I doubt it," said Onyankopon, examining the old uniform. "This looks really aesthetically pleasing, so I doubt anyone would truly look bad in it. But why choose this one and not that other, black one? Didn't that one have armored plates for protection, at least of the chest area?"

Levi-heichou shrugged. "One, it's black and it's already too hot outside despite it being December. Two, the black one would only be good for sneaking around at night and even then it might stand out against the background of these cities and forests and this huge ass castle. And three ... This one just felt right. I can't quite explain it, but I felt more comfortable with this than that body suit. Not to mention that this one has more places to hide knives. Just these boots can house three knives each." Onyankopon sent a rather disturbed look at the high boots and Eren felt like giggling hysterically at the thought that Heichou's boots were seen as scary. The man clearly hadn't seen Heichou's knife collection. And Eren didn't doubt the man had one, even two thousand years after he'd left the Underground.

"I take it this means you've made a decision, Levi?" Hange-san asked all of a sudden and Eren's attention snapped back to the most important topic at hand.

"Of course," the Ackerman said with a nod of his head. "We'll have to do recon after breakfast. I want to know all the best ways to defend this place, the best routes for retreat and the best places to set traps or avoid enemy traps set for us. I also want to know what we have at our disposal weaponry-wise, our food supplies, the likeliness of Titans breaking down the Walls again and how reliable your ability to control them really is." The last was directed at Eren, who was just staring at his Heichou, more than a little bit dumbfounded. "What?" Said man asked a bit snappily and Eren snapped out of his daze.

"... You're staying?" He asked cautiously, carefully. After all, he didn't want to presume ... But it sure did look like it.

Levi-heichou snorted. "Of course we are. You need help and I want to get back at those sons of bitches for getting civilians killed under my watch and for threatening the lives of my friends. You also seem to be in need of help as to how to invite people back to this place without expressing it to the world that you are ready to flatten it should they oppose." Eren couldn't help but flush a bit in shame at that pointed comment. Yeah, he really wasn't one for diplomacy, not the way someone in his position should be. "Luckily for you, I have a lot of connections. Like, a lot. And that's not even mentioning my uncle-in-law."

Hange-san perked up at the mention of said uncle-in-law. "He's great! Can't believe your douchebag of an uncle managed to bag someone as sweet as him! Ri-ri deserves better."

"Damn straight," Moblit agreed while Onyankopon and Eren could just watch them in confusion, neither knowing Levi-heichou's uncle-in-law. "Still, all of this would be great and all, if we could actually get in contact with someone."

"I have seagulls trained to carry messages," Eren said, drawing everyone's attention. "I'll just locate the nearest trustworthy Eldian, return their memories and send a seagull to them. I would offer to send them directions to Paradis directly through the Coordinate, but I don't think the rest of the world would take too kindly to finding out that I, with all my powers, exist. If they would even believe it in the first place, that is. At least if it's in written form from a clearly domesticated and trained seagull, it will seem more likely to be true."

"And if I were to give the right code words to be passed on to the nearest military commander or anyone of higher rank, they'd have no choice but to believe it," Levi-heichou added, before sighing. "Unfortunately, we can't give something as unspecified as 'instructions'. Not if we want help to arrive quickly. It would really be ideal if we could figure out the coordinates of this island and send them that. It would also allow for a shorter message."

"Oh! I'll check if Google Maps can track down our coordinates!" Hange-san exclaimed, before taking out a device Eren knew was called a mobile phone, something very common these days outside of Paradis but not a gadget he got to use himself, and started fiddling with it. Dead silence followed the exclamation from the scientist, making the brunet look up, confused as to why her companions were looking at her strangely. "What?"

"You've had your phone on you. This whole time!?" Heichou all but growled as he marched over to the scientist. "Give me that!" He snatched the phone out of their hand before stalking away.

"But Levi~! I'm still looking up our coordinates~!"

"Hange, honey, please shut the fuck up."

"Moblit!"

Eren walked over to Levi-heichou at almost the same time as Onyankopon did, while the couple continued bickering or bantering where Levi-heichou had left Hange-san. The short man sighed in what might have been extreme relief. "Good. It's still picking up a signal, but I don't think it has enough power to make a call long enough for our location to be triangulated and tracked."

Eren cocked his head down and to the side so he can meet the raven haired man's eyes. "Power? You mean electricity, right? Because I can help with that."

"You can?" All four of his visitors asked at the same time and Eren chuckled as he recognized the familiar gleam of curiosity in Hange-san's eyes and the skeptical but also curious light in Heichou's own eyes.

"I mean, I kind of produce energy in the form of zaps of electricity when I transform, kind of like my own personal lightning, so yeah, I could potentially charge your battery." He made a move to take the device, giving his Heichou a questioning look, but the man moved his hand away. Eren tried not to be disappointed. "I-"

"Wait a minute, you overgrown puppy," interrupted the shorter man a bit snappily, huffing as he opened up the device and took out the battery. "This isn't a fucking movie or cartoon. It's more likely that you'll fry all the electronics in the phone than charge the battery if we gave you the whole thing. Here, try with just the battery itself."

Eren couldn't help but grin, knowing his Heichou still somehow trusted him. "On it. Though, I think it would be best if we did this outside. That way, you guys can step a safe distance away so I don't accidentally zap you."

"Shouldn't we be more worried about you, you know, accidentally stepping on us as you transform into a Titan?" Onyankopon asked with an arched eyebrow and Eren rolled his eyes at him.

"I'm not a little kid just discovering his powers. I can produce electricity without transforming into a Titan." Well, now he could. Once upon a long time ago, he'd accidentally turned partially Titan to fetch a fallen tea spoon, but that's not something he'll share with Onyankopon unless it's absolutely necessary. Eren might have spent hours retelling his story, but he hadn't gone into the insignificant details, like how often he'd managed to misplace the very important key now resting around Heichou's neck or how often he had to scold Sasha and Jean to clean properly before Levi-heichou scolds them all for their laziness.

"I swear all of this feels like some anime bullshit," Levi-heichou says as they step outside, Eren making sure he's a safe distance away from his reincarnated comrades before he even thought about bringing his hand up to his mouth. "Wait, Eren!" Heichou called out before Eren could begin. "It might be better if you do turn into a full ass Titan." As he cocked an eyebrow to show he didn't quite understand, the Ackerman gestured towards the phone. "The signal will be clearer with fewer trees and other tall structures around. So if we could do this on top of the Walls or something and with you giving me extra height, that would be for the best." Eren just shrugged because, ultimately, he didn't care either way how this was done. He wasn't as in-stride with technology as someone who actually lived with it in their hands would be, but he understood the basics. He knew a good signal was important, but he didn't exactly understand the mechanics behind it, so he was trusting Heichou to know what he was talking about. Said man turned towards his friends in askance. "Do you guys want to go with?"

Hange-san looked like they were about to say yes, but Moblit covered their mouth and shook his head. "We'll be fine, so don't worry about us. We're safe here, right Eren?"

"Absolutely," the Titan Shifter confirmed. "The Warriors and their group haven't even made it to Wall Maria yet. In fact, they seem to be moving around at random." Their movements made no sense to Eren. His Titans and other spies kept seeing them at the most random of routes that just really made no sense.

Levi-heichou smirked. "Good. That's what they get for daring to fucking put trackers in my shit."

"Trackers?!" Onyankopon and Moblit practically screeched and Heichou just huffed.

"Yeah, like in those shitty spy movies. As if one of the first things we'd be taught when joining the special ops wouldn't be the most common bug-placing locations. You have no idea how many times we had to de-bug hostages and their shit when the smarter terrorists wanted to find the super secret military base we're meant to deliver them to. I figured Smith wouldn't leave out the possibility at least one of us would manage to run away, so I had checked all our shit out. I found five fucking bugs."

"Why so many?"

Levi-heichou shrugged at Moblit's question. "Paranoia? Or, if he's anything like the Erwin Smith that Eren knew, he thought he was thinking far enough ahead of everyone else."

"Are you sure you got them all?" Eren asked worriedly, knowing just how slick and slippery Commander Erwin could be.

"Of course. I checked everything three times. Any place he could have thought up, I knew about before I left training camp, and my years of experience out in the field made sure I knew to check places even the most ingenious person could think up. Hell, I even checked their teeth." He pointed towards his companions casually as he said this.

"When did you do that!?" Shrieked Onyankopon.

"When you guys were sleeping, before the Female Titan attacked us. That's when I found the fifth one, in my fucking camera."

"Why would you even do that?" Hange-san asked, having managed to pry Moblit's hand off of their mouth.

"Because you guys were sleeping soundly around them like careless idiots, unlike some of us."

"Well, thank whatever higher power exists for your insomnia," Moblit said, actually sounding serious. "So what did you do with the trackers?"

"I destroyed one, sent in one direction via a squirrel, one via a bird and I managed to get one of my shirts draped over a stag while Eren was carrying us around, since apparently animals don't fear Titans. The last two trackers were tucked away in it."

"Of course they'll try to follow the double trackers first, but when they find the stag, they might go after the single ones," Hange-san theorized. "Their first priority might be to find us, since they no doubt know Eren is with us, so it would be easier to find us than search for Eren individually on this island with such a small team that can't even separate for safety reasons."

"They're not going after me," Eren said, drawing their attention back to himself. "Well, not directly after me, in this case. They're after Levi-heichou."

"And why is that?" The man in question asked warily.

Eren could only shrug. No way was he telling the man that if Erwin and Zeke really had their memories in full, they'd know Levi-heichou would be the perfect bait. Yes, he'd risk his life for any of his old comrades, especially if they had no memories and were as helpless as Hange-san and Moblit technically were, no weapons or training or anything, but Zeke and Erwin knew Levi-heichou was special to him. Eren had not been happy to discover his Heichou's poor physical condition after his confrontation with Zeke. His older half-brother had actually been scared of him for something other than the way Eren had played with fate like an instrument meant to play out a tune of his own making. As for Commander Erwin, well ... The man had always been sharp. There's no doubt in Eren's mind that the man knew that Eren saw his commanding officer as something more than a commanding officer, and he didn't mean just a childhood hero or even a comrade he felt comfortable around despite the gap in rank and age.

Eren also wasn't blind to how his title as Humanity's Last Hope was very specifically poetic when compared to Humanity's Strongest Soldier. Strength and Hope make up the Wings of Freedom. Eren Jaeger and Levi Ackerman both fought for their freedom, was their driving force one way or another, whether other people realized it or not. Erwin Smith knew. He saw.

He knew Eren wouldn't hesitate to endanger himself if he thought his Heichou was in grave danger that he, in his lack of memories, might not be able to get himself out of on his own.

Joke's on him and Zeke both, though. Ackermans always exceeded expectations and were as unpredictable as they were strong.

"Just stay within Wall Rose, or go further into Sina, if you want, but don't go towards Maria or Rose. Better safe than sorry." The three agreed and Eren turned towards Levi-heichou, offering him a smile as the man backed up to a safe distance but never removed his gaze from the brunet. While keeping eye contact, Eren bit his hand in a gesture that was as familiar to him as breathing at this point and let the shift take place, making sure to channel some energy into the battery in his hand before flinging it away from himself lest he accidentally crush it between his growing fingers. Luckily, Levi-heichou seems to have caught it and already replaced it in the phone, because by the time Eren was ready, so was Heichou.

He kneeled down on one knee and offered his hand to the man, ignoring Onyankopon's "Holy shit! Holy shit!"s, Hange-san's squealing and Moblit's apparent need for another bottle of wine because Eren was just too much to deal with. Levi-heichou didn't seem so fazed and just stepped onto the proffered hand as if he rode on Titans every day and it was no big deal.

Once he was sure his passenger was ready, he looked down at the three they were leaving behind, nodded, and started sprinting towards Wall Rose.

It felt good to be on a mission with Levi-heichou again.

Chapter Text

The trip to Wall Rose lasted barely an hour, if even that long, with Eren keeping a steady, constant pace as he sprinted towards the towering, white Wall while Levi comfortably rested in Eren's hands. Levi didn't mind that he was making Eren do all the work, he was perfectly content to just watch the scenery go by and study his surroundings while holding onto Hange's phone that was essentially their last chance at contacting the outside world. Eren had managed to charge it, but Levi didn't trust in that method of charging a batter for more than one or two tries before it explodes in their faces.

Still, with it now full, the phone still operational and just enough signal for a phone call, Levi once again had a chance to ensure his friends' safe return from the island known now as Paradis.

Neither Levi nor Eren said anything - well, Eren technically couldn't talk in his Titan form, even after he gained the power of all the Titans through the Founding Titan, which was just dumb - as they traveled, not even when they got to the Wall and Eren created handholds in the Wall to climb by just putting a hand against it. Levi had watched in fascination as crystals grew right before his eyes and then sank back into the Wall once Eren reached the top, apparently not wanting to risk that the Warriors will have an easier means to climb up or down the Walls, should they even make it as far inside as Wall Rose.

The views from Wall Rose and Wall Maria were so different and yet so similar that Levi felt like he was seeing two sides of the same coin. Even the plains looked different, not just Shiganshina and the city named Trost. He wished he had his camera, to take pictures of everything, but he'd had to destroy his battery on it because the tracking chip had been all but welded to it when he'd found it. He'll make Smith pay for that, both financially and physically. No one messes with Levi's photography gear!

Alas, as enchanting as the view was from atop Wall Rose while standing on a fifteen meters tall Titan, Levi actually had shit to do. The signal was just a little bit better and definitely a bit more stable than from the castles, since they were now standing taller than those tall ass trees. He was confident the call would get through. He just hoped it would be clear enough that when he speaks, the other side will be able to understand what he's saying.

"Well, here goes nothing." He typed up the number he wanted and pressed call. He actually had to lean against one of Eren's fingers when he heard it start ringing. Yes, he'd known they had at least two bars, but sometimes that's simply not enough, even when one's in the middle of the city. Being in the middle of fucking nowhere on a long-forgotten island was really pushing it for the possibility of getting a good enough signal to make a call at all. That it seems to be going through literally had Levi's legs turned to jelly in relief. "It worked."

Eren made a happy warble and his pointy ears twitched. It was scary how adorable something like a fifteen meter Titan can be when he acts like this. It's weirder still now that Levi knows this man had been ready to wipe out the world if anything had happened to his friends while they tried to stop him from his 'genocidal' plan that wouldn't have had ironic quotation marks had they failed.

Levi chose not to focus on that and instead listened to the rings coming through the phone as it tried to connect. When the call cut off and the usual 'caller is not available' message started playing, Levi cursed and tried again. "Pick up your shitty Nokia for once in your pathetic life, you piece of fucking shit uncle." Honestly, for all the man claimed Levi and his mother were his world - along with his too-good-for-him husband, of course - he never picked up the fucking phone when they tried to contact him. Texting won't do in this fucking situation because texts need a constant good enough signal to get through and Levi doubted that would be possible on Paradis.

The second attempt ended up just the same as the first and Levi swore he would need to use up a lot of his connections to cover up homicide.

Eren made a worried sound but Levi just waved him off and made the third call, though this time, he didn't bother with his biological uncle. His uncle-in-law, as he called his uncle's husband, was a far nicer person and much more likely to pick the damn phone up.

"WHAT!?" The voice that came through the speaker, however, was definitely not his though.

No, it was the voice of Levi's shitty uncle.

"Can you answer your goddamned phone for once in your fucking life, you sack of horse shit!?"

"Levi? What do you want now, runt!? In case you didn't get the message from me not answering my phone two times in the row, we're a bit busy right now-"

"I don't want to know about your bedroom habits, but pick the damn phone up, fuck! For all you know, I could be dying!" Especially on fucking Paradis. Had it not been for Eren, it would have been a probability, not a possibility, damn.

"You're not dying, you're bored out of your fucking mind on some shitty archaeological expedition or something with your nerdy friends, taking pictures of ancient skeletons instead of ones left behind by some modern day war. Now, if you'll excuse me-"

Oh, and Levi knew the bastard would hang up on him in a heartbeat so he can go back to fucking with his husband, but Levi literally didn't care if he was cock blocking his uncle. He needed off this island, he needed backup. Or at least an escort back to the States for his fucking friends. Levi and Eren can deal with everything else on their own just fine, as long as he doesn't have to constantly worry about Hange's, Moblit's and Onyankopon's safety. "I need the Ripper."

The other end of the line went dead silent for a moment before his uncle's voice came back, deadly serious. "Levi, just what have you gotten yourself into?"

"You don't want to know and I doubt I have the time to explain it all. Just track the location of this call and send backup. I have three civilians in need of evacuation and a rogue military unit to fucking deal with. Make it snappy. Also, it's a miracle I was even able to fucking reach you, so I probably won't be able to call again. Just get some units on this fucking island as fast as you can-"

"Levi? You're breaking up! Did you say you want me to track the call? Levi, can you hear me?!"

Levi felt his heart start beating faster. "Just track the call and come and fucking get us!" He yelled, hoping his uncle had heard him.

"What was that? Levi sp ... o ... ly ... vi? Fuc ... ri ... my ... pho ... it!" And with that, the call was cut off, the signal finally too weak to maintain it. Only one measly bar, as Levi discovered when he looked to the display screen.

"Great, just great. I don't even know if he understood what I told him to do. Fuck him and his sex craze! He should have answered the first time!" He fumed for a moment, running his hand through his hair in agitation. Eren made a comforting rumble in his chest and Levi just sent him a grateful look, even if he didn't really need comforting. Even if his uncle didn't get his instructions, he got that Levi was in trouble and when he realizes he can't contact him again, he'll definitely put together a search party, pronto. Here's to hoping that he doesn't run into any trouble. "We should head back. Before Shitty Glasses finds a way to reach the Walls' cannons."

Eren nodded his head and carefully started climbing down the Wall, Levi having jumped to his shoulder to give him more freedom of movement with both of his hands. He stayed there throughout their whole trip back to the castle, asking Eren to stop every now and again to take pictures on Hange's phone of things that caught his fancy. When they got back, no one was there to greet them and it was already past lunch time. He guessed Hange had dragged the others to Sina or something, but he knew they were safe inside these Walls since Eren can, apparently, see everything on the island through the eyes of other Titans or sense the movements of everyone with Eldian blood. Creepy, but useful.

This time around, when Eren left his Titan, Levi got to see the whole thing happen. His human body came out of the nape as steam all but exploded out of it and fleshy parts seemed to be connected to his limbs and face, just beneath his eyes, but they easily fell away when he tugged a bit. His clothing and limbs remained intact, but his hair seems to have fallen out of the bun he wore it in and there were deep marks on his usually flawless skin right beneath his eyes, on his cheeks. Levi couldn't help but reach up curious fingers to feel them, fascinated by the heat they radiated as they healed. Eren just watched him, unconcerned with their proximity.

"Does this happen every time?" Levi wasn't sure if he'd even registered these marks the first time he'd seen Eren in his human form, too pissed off at the 'death' of the friendly Titan to even care that he was about to kill a fellow human for the sake of a Titan that could have easily made him its breakfast just hours prior.

"Yes. Every Titan Shifter has them, though they might differ in appearance and how they spread. One of my friends, Ymir, even had markings on her shoulders and upper spine, and my best friend Armin had much deeper marks on his cheeks that it looked like whole chunks of skin and muscle were missing."

"Do they hurt?"

"Not really," Eren replied with a shrug. "Though that might be because we get used to it." He tilted his head to the side like a curious dog. "You know, some of my friends reincarnated at different points in time and came to the island and one of them was Mikasa. You know, the other Ackerman." Levi arched an eyebrow, not really sure where the taller man was going with this. "It seems all Titan Shifters, at some point, regained their memories and powers, though I never did ask Armin if he still had the Colossal Titan, which is really bugging me now. But Mikasa said she didn't have any of her Ackerman abilities and I was witness to that. It had been surreal to see Mikasa struggle to lift anything when she used to be able to lift three full crates at once or steel railroad sections all by herself with no effort at all. Mikasa herself had not seemed to mind, though, had been happy to be a normal girl. She was still good at fighting, but that was because she'd taken classes and trained nearly her whole life by the time she and Armin had made it to Paradis. Where I'm going with this, I guess," Eren sighed. "Is ... Have you always been like this?"

It was Levi's turn to tilt his head. He was only slightly confused and maybe a bit intrigued. "You mean, have I always been good at fighting?"

"Not just that," the other said with yet another sigh. "Ackermans were ... How do I put this? The powers of the Ackermans comes from Titan experiments. At some point, one of the Fritz had wanted to see if the powers of the Titans can be used by humans without the human being turned into a Titan. Several bloodlines were practically sacrificed for these experiments, but the project was ultimately successful, as the Ackermans somehow ended up being able to utilize the power of Titans. It also made them immune to the powers of the Founding Titan, meaning they can't be controlled or changed into Titans, but they were still Eldians and could still access the Paths through the Coordinate, just like any other Eldian. Ackermans had these moments when they awakened their powers, gaining superhuman physical abilities and all the experiences from past Ackermans through the Paths, kind of like how the Attack Titan works. In our first life, Mikasa was definitely like that, but after she reincarnated, she didn't have any powers left. I haven't met all that many Ackermans throughout my entire life, but that seems to have been the case for the others, too. Yet you do. You still have some of your powers and abilities."

"Ah." Now Levi understood what Eren was asking, but he didn't have an answer. Not really. Levi had always been like this. He may have always been on the small side, but he'd never been weak. He had always been quick to pick up skills, to master fighting techniques and strategies, had always been more physically fit than anyone in his surroundings. He'd never put much thought into it. His mother and uncle had been unsurprised by this. His schoolmates had been in awe. His squad had been impressed but not surprised. The military had just wanted his skills for themselves. Church and Magnolia had been expecting it, though they'd explained it away as the leader supposedly being the most skilled in a group, which was, unfortunately, not always the case. His other charges had been shocked and maybe even a bit scared by the ease with which he fought, though ultimately they were just relieved he was on their side. His enemies had always been scared.

Smith, Fritz, Braun, Leonhart and the others, though ... They had expressed fear and greed when he'd taken down those Titans. They had feared his strength but had wanted it for themselves. Now he knows why.

"I can't tell when it began, but for as long as I remember, I was like this. I had these moments where ... Everything was just so clear and I knew exactly what to do. I would feel a surge of strength and I'd be sure of my actions and that would always lead me to, well, let's say a victory. Of course, I still had to train. My uncle, he taught me how to hold a knife about as soon as I started walking and talking. He trained me until I joined martial arts clubs in school and got noticed for about a hundred different things by the military and then I kept training there. But I've never found something or someone that challenges me to my limit. I could haul half my squad and still fire guns and throw grenades, or I would push our truck out of the mud if a tire got stuck. I was faster than anyone, could outrun dogs that would be sent to chase after us when we're breaking into or out of some place. I had scary precision. The only fights I ever lost were against my uncle, back before my teen years. I haven't sparred with him since, so we don't really know who would win today."

"And the Titans? I know you killed five, before that fight against the Female Titan and her posy."

Levi snorted at that, tickled by the absurd notion of Titans having posies. "I don't know. Something just took over me. I wasn't even fully conscious of what I was doing with that first Titan, but then I realized it was working so I didn't hesitate with the others. The same with the 3DMG?" Eren nodded to show him he got the name right. "I just put it on, pulled one of the triggers and when I took flight, everything made sense. I know how to move, which moves to make, the best way to make them. I didn't know the gear's limits, of course, so I was cautious, but when fighting those Titans, I didn't even need to think. I just moved."

Eren nodded, as though he'd been expecting that. "You're the only one who seems to have retained the muscle memory of how to use 3DMG. Even I had to go through old training drills and my body isn't actually new. Or, well, I don't actually know if it is or isn't. I sort of think Ymir just developed wizardry skills and bam, I had a new body or my old one was resurrected or something." Levi arched an eyebrow. The brunet blushed, clearly embarrassed by his own rambling, looking away so he wasn't meeting Levi's eyes. "A-anyway, the point is, you're just really amazing, Heichou. And I can't figure out why only you seem to have old skills when no one else does."

Levi furrowed his brow, honestly puzzled by this as well. "Maybe it's because I had a similar childhood as the first time around?"

The Titan Shifter shot him a confused look. "What do you mean? Isn't your mother still alive? And your uncle?"

"You never actually went into details regarding my past life."

Eren seemed like he wanted to point out Levi hadn't talked about his current life, either, before figuring that would be a futile argument. "Well, from what I know, Heichou grew up in the Underground City beneath Sina, or more specifically Mitras. His mother got pregnant with one of her clients-" Thankfully, he didn't specify what the mother of Levi's past self did for a living, which Levi was really grateful for. "-and had him despite some recommendations not to. She died of sickness when he was about five or six and then his uncle, who was an infamous mass murderer turning a 'new' leaf, found him and took him in for a couple of years, training him to survive in the Underground and, my guess, as an Ackerman. In his late teens, he met Farlan Church and in his early twenties Isabel Magnolia and they were his closest friends and family until they joined the Survey Corps and died during their first expedition outside the Walls. Levi-heichou then went on and became friends with Hange-san, Erwin-danchou, Mike, Moblit and Nanaba, became Levi-heichou, Humanity's Strongest Soldier and about six years after his friends' deaths, he became my Heichou. His first hand-picked squad died on my first expedition outside the Walls. His uncle, whom he hadn't even known was his uncle, died a couple of months later and a couple of months after that, Erwin-danchou and Moblit died in the line of duty. Um ... His third(?) squad died four years later, a few weeks after that Hange-san-"

"Okay, you already told us the rest in detail," Levi interrupted, not wanting to go over Hange's death again. He took a deep breath and met Eren's eyes. "Do you know the names of my mother, uncle and my squad?" Eren gave a wary nod. Levi cocked an eyebrow at that.

The green eyed brat blushed. "Levi-heichou and I had gotten rather close after the whole shitshow with the Female Titan." That was all the explanation he gave and Levi left it at that.

"Okay, a quick summary of my life. I have no idea who my father is, as my mother never told me but I think he's dead. My mother's name is Kuchel Ackerman-" Eren's eyes went as wide as saucers. "The uncle I just called an hour or so ago? His name is Kenny Ackerman-" If possible, Eren's eyes got even wider. "-and while he's not a serial killer or something, he does have some connections with the black market which he made in an attempt to feed me and my mom, as well as get her the treatment she'd need for her illness. He also has some connections, as of a few years ago, with a royal family I'm not really supposed to talk about, so we'll leave it there. The Special Ops Squad I used to be the Captain of consisted of Eld Jinn, my SIC, Oluo Bozado, Petra Ral and Gunther Schlutz. The day they were annihilated, we were in charge of escorting war reporter Isabel Magnolia and her cameraman and partner Farlan Church. I was the only survivor. Magnolia and Church were the reasons why I changed careers. I met Hange during one of my missions and Moblit through them. I have never, however, met Erwin Smith, Mike Zacharias or this Nanaba before coming to this island. And I don't think any of the men or women on board with us were called Nanaba."

Eren's eyes looked ready to pop out of his head and the Titan markings didn't help in making him look less ridiculous. Levi almost snorted at the sight, had what they been discussing not been so fucking serious and important.

"My life wasn't the best, but I didn't exactly live in poverty. I got into fights occasionally and Kenny, obviously, taught me how to fight in case someone came after me because of him, but I don't think I can compare to a thug from the underground. My soldier life was also tame in comparison. That one mission was the only time I'd lost someone, be they teammate or charge. My friends are still alive, so is my family. So maybe the whole childhood thing isn't the case, after all," he mused, though he can't deny certain parallels. Not just the people, as he was taking Eren's stunned silence for confirmation, but also certain happenings. His mother's illness, Kenny's questionable job and morality and connections to a small royal family of a small country most people didn't even know existed, Levi's role in the military ... It seemed too unlikely to be just a coincidence, but maybe it was?

"I ... think that might just be it." At the skeptical look Levi shot him, Eren was quick to explain. "No, listen! All the others had completely different lives before they remembered and probably even after they did! Your present life is the most similar to your past life so far! That might just be what triggered whatever Ackerman blood from the olden days is left in your veins!"

But Levi shook his head, because this was absurd. He had a fairly good life. He still has his family. Hell, just recently, he'd adopted - or started the process of adopting - two war orphans he'd rescued during his last mission! His friends were still alive! He'd left the military.

But they had scraped for food when he was little. Kenny had almost done irredeemable things to put food on the table while getting his baby sister the minimum medication she'd need to survive. And Kuchel had worked as much as she could, too, to help.

Levi was only useful for his incredible strength, speed and sports and martial arts talents, so he'd used them. He hadn't wanted to be a burden. He'd competed everywhere he could, gotten every first place and the cash prizes that came with every golden medal. He'd never asked for toys or sweets or more food. He'd even gotten into a few illegal fighting rings just the year before he was invited to join the military to get extra cash to buy his mother's medicine when Kenny couldn't get money fast enough.

Was that really similar enough to growing up in a place like the Underground, where one would be lucky to eat a rat if they could catch it?

Were his Petra's, Oluo's, Gunther's and Eld's deaths really comparable to the deaths their past selves had encountered because of the Female Titan?

Magnolia and Church hadn't even been his friends when he failed to protect them!

Yet, it was their deaths that had given Levi an alternative for the guns and grenades in his hands. It's what led him here today. With Eren, finding out about a whole other life he'd lived and a people that was not yet free, but were his even if none of them knew it, not Levi, not anyone else of Eldian descent in this whole godforsaken world.

"Maybe you're right," he conceded reluctantly and still skeptically and Eren didn't look like he particularly cared if he was right or not. "But does the reason why really matter right now? All that should matter is using these skills to fight-"

"You are not a weapon!" Roared Eren suddenly, taking Levi by the shoulders and all but shaking him, as if that would embed some sense into Levi's mind. "You are not your blade! You are a person! You are not a tool, not a thing to be used and discarded when you're no longer needed or repurposed if you're still usable! It is that kind of thinking that led to this fucking war in the first place and I will not stand for humans being treated as slaves, as cattle and weapons and things! I did not fight and die for freedom just to have my own Heichou think of himself as only something to be used for some supposed fucking greater purpose! Do you really think your life isn't worth more than just what skills you can offer!?"

Needless to say, Levi was shocked, because no, that's not what he meant at all. Fuck, he has pride! He has self worth! He does not bow his head to anyone! It used to get him into trouble back in training camp until one of his Sargents tried to 'beat some discipline into him', only to end up with two broken ribs, a sprained wrist and an ankle that will never be the same on top of whatever mental trauma Levi had caused when he'd chucked the smarmy idiot across the room with little to no effort as though he wasn't twice Levi's height and three times his weight. He'd been punished for injuring a superior, of course, but it only made the higher ups more aware of just how important an asset someone like Levi will be, so they gave him leeway. It led to Levi questioning orders to the point that it almost became protocol that every mission and every goal was thoroughly explained, from all angles and perspectives, at least where his squad was concerned. Levi wasn't going to follow orders blindly, everyone knew that, so they accepted a new procedure when dealing with him, his team and their missions. His squad was meant to protect civilians in war zones, anyway, so explaining everything revealed itself to be the best way to deal with the whole situation as they knew exactly what to expect.

And while many had looked at Levi like a weapon to be used, he himself had always known he was worth more as a person. After all, how could he not be, when his squad mates had always wanted to be closer to him, when they swore to protect him no matter what might be after him. They had even gotten into quite a few brawls with arrogant pieces of shit from other divisions and squads when they overheard them talking crap about their Captain. Interestingly enough, Petra had liked to throw the first punch the most.

But Eren didn't know any of that, did he? No, he came from a world where the worth of a person was equal to the worth of their skills, and even though two thousand years have passed, his people were still not free so it wasn't surprising something like this would trigger him like this.

Levi had heard many times the phrase of 'fire in the eyes', but he'd never thought he'd actually see it in person, had thought it a dramatic metaphor people were just too fond of. Right now, as he stared into those ablaze green eyes, Levi could see that people were not exactly wrong with that description. The flames burning within Eren's soul could clearly be seen through his eyes and they threatened to make the whole world burn. It wasn't even a threat, it was a promise, as this man had already done it once. Was ready to do it again, should the world come after Paradis and Eldians again.

That fire ignited something within Levi, too. It brought his instincts to the forefront as he acknowledged that the fire wanted to engulf him whole. But he knew it wasn't going to burn him. It was strange, but it felt like trust. Levi didn't trust easy or often, but he'd trusted Eren since the moment the green eyed Titan had saved him from the Female Titan and kept protecting him through jabs and kicks he could have easily evaded had he not focused on keeping Levi safe.

"I am no slave, Eren. That, I can promise."

Chapter Text

"I am no slave, Eren. That, I can promise."

Those green eyes scrutinized him from head to toe, staring intensely into his eyes, searching for a grain of uncertainty or deception, before the man's whole body relaxed and that fire retreated back into his soul, where it would wait to burn whatever might dare stand in his way to acquire freedom for his people. Eren did not, however, let go of Levi's shoulders, nor did he step back. Levi actually still had fingers touching the slowly fading marks under Eren's eyes, something he became conscious of when he realized he was gently stroking them. He let his hand fall away but he couldn't break their eye contact.

It was as though they were two opposite magnetic poles and they were drawn together and only a greater outside force can tear them apart.

That greater outside force turned out to be Hange in this case, as they suddenly came running around the corner, disheveled and dirty and dripping sweat, far too excited after whatever activity they'd just been part of. "LEEEVIIIIIII!"

"Fuck," was all Levi could say before the archaeologist toppled them both over when they rammed into them. Eren let out a strangled grunt as the air was knocked out of him since he'd technically cushioned both of them in the fall and Levi let out a groan of pain when Hange's knee kicked his kidney. "Four Eyes, get the fuck off of me right now or I will strangle you with those goggles!"

"Hange!" Moblit could be heard running and puffing, clearly out of breath and when Levi looked up to see his other two friends making their way over, they looked just as disheveled as Hange.

"What were you guys doing to look so disgusting?" He asked with a disgusted sneer as he pushed Hange off of him and got up. Eren remained on the ground but Levi made no move to help him up, instead studying the pained grimace on the ancient man's face. "You okay?"

"In a minute," he said in a strained voice as he suddenly curled up in a very telling way and Levi cringed. It seems either him or Hange had kneed the man in his privates.

"Sorry," he said before turning to observe his friends. Moblit had helped Hange back to their feet and was looking sympathetically down at Eren. Onyankopon looked like he was contemplating if this was punishment enough for Eren's past sins and if he should fully forgive the man once he gets over the agony of having his balls and dick crushed. "So, where have you been?"

"Are we not going to talk about your cute little moment right now? Because you guys were adorable! And oh, I knew you had a type, Levi! I can't believe you lied to me when I had introduced you to-"

"That shithead wasn't my type and I don't even have one, so drop it, Shitty Glasses," Levi growled out before they could spout more nonsense. Hange had spent years trying to get Levi to date, but Levi had either not had time or simply wasn't interested in the people Hange had introduced him to. The particular individual Hange was referring to right now had been a very tense, frightened-looking brunet man named Kitz Weilman with a mustache and his hair slicked back. He'd looked ready to bolt the second Hange had introduced Levi to him, which was even understandable, as Levi was rather intimidating for someone of his short stature. He'd been big on bravado and he'd been even taller than Eren, but he was ... not a coward, but cowardly in demeanor. Fidgety. Levi's met war victims less fidgety than that man, damn. Regardless, he'd been nice, but he'd turned out to also be very straight and married with kids, which Hange had not known. Still, Levi had given him the time of day so Hange had assumed he'd liked him. In truth, Levi had only spoken to the man because he'd worked in the police and cooperation might one day crop up in Levi's line of work, so he'd been ... decently respectful, let's just say.

After learning his sexual orientation and marital status, Hange had gotten it into their head that Levi was into tall brunets and had tried hooking him up with several others she knew of that description. As they'd been even less tolerable than Weilman, Levi had not bothered with more than a few words when prompted to speak, so Hange had outright asked him, shameless as they were, and he'd told them that no, he didn't have a type. Seems like all his efforts to convince them had now gone down the drain after one intense staring match with Eren fucking Jaeger.

Not that Eren wasn't real eye-candy. Even a straight man would be in very clear denial if he were to say Eren's exotic features weren't handsome. His eyes, especially, would probably have people flocking to him if he'd leave Paradis for the rest of the world. A far less gay man than Levi would stop and stare. Well, actually, Levi isn't even certain if he was gay or any defined sexuality at all. In fact, Hange had been the one to proclaim him gay when they'd caught him staring at some guy whom Levi had thought looked familiar but he couldn't place his finger on where. Then, Hange had tried explaining to him that he was just too busy to notice but clearly he's into guys, which he can't deny because he finds guys attractive, though that doesn't mean he's necessarily attracted to them. Now, Levi wondered if it had just been someone he'd met in his past life.

Anyways, back to Eren. Whoever said the guy wasn't good looking is lying and Levi doesn't tend to lie too often unless it's completely necessary. That wasn't an issue. No, the problem was that Levi thought he might actually be attracted to this ancient brat of a man and he honestly doesn't know what to do with that realization. If anything.

He's never had a romantic relationship before or any interest in one. He'd dedicated his life to his squad, to his mission and had only recently decided to put the uniform away for the sake of two orphaned kids he'd found in a war zone who needed him more than the world needed his scathing comments about the stupidity of war while he films or takes pictures of a battlefield. Now, he doesn't even know if he'd be able to recognize a returned interest. Once upon a time, like a couple of years ago, he'd had Petra to point out who has a crush on him and Hange had never hesitated to tell him who was looking at his ass or 'eyefucking' him. Therefore Levi had no way of knowing if Eren would be interested in him, too, or even if he was, if he'd want to act on that interest given how focused he was on his goal of returning Eldians to Paradis and letting them be themselves without fear of retribution. He could ask Hange for their opinion, but they'd probably ruin any chances he might have by pestering Eren.

But those were worries for another time, one where they didn't have a group of lunatics trying to hunt down their host and main source of protection on this isolated island while also trying to kill them while they were at it. "You still haven't answered my question," he pointed out and Onyankopon took pity on him.

"We went to the innermost Wall. We tried riding horses, but only Moblit was successful, so we took a wagon. I hope you don't mind," the last was said towards Eren, who just shrugged. "As for why we're in this state, well, besides the trial and error of getting onto a horse and trying to ride one, I think we may have found the stairways down to the Underground City."

"You went to Mitras?" Eren asked with an arched eyebrow.

Hange nodded excitedly and pulled out a map they must have snatched from the archives.

"They wanted to explore," Moblit said by way of explanation before turning to Levi. "How did it go? Did you manage to get a call in?"

Levi nodded, throwing Hange's phone back to them, which they barely just caught. "The reception wasn't ideal and we started breaking up near the end, but I think Kenny got the message."

"Kenny? You went straight for the big guns?" Hange asked, surprised and a bit incredulous.

The photographer couldn't do more than shrug. "We need the big guns. Besides, Kenny will work faster than anyone, all things considered."

"Yeah, Ri-ri will make sure of it. He'd always been fond of you."

"Precisely."

"Do you have an estimate when they'll come get us?" Moblit asked and Levi had to pause to think about it. This expedition was supposedly being led by a number of countries, but the 'host', so to say, was the US. And they're not exactly known for wanting to share new and potentially precious resources if they can keep it all for themselves if they can get away with it. Well, not like the rest of the world would be any better, so whatever. However, while Levi was a US citizen, his uncle had dual citizenship and a temper and a foul mouth, so who knows how that will go down without his husband there to reign him in. However, seeing as they had been rather ... intimately occupied when Levi had called, his 'uncle-in-law' probably knew of his situation, too, so there will be no time wasted on Kenny trying to be cryptic and mysterious as to why he'd suddenly need several units to go to the newly discovered, off-limits island in the middle of the international research expedition.

"If I had to guess ... The fastest they could get a crew together would be forty eight hours. Maybe even seventy two, if Kenny gets involved in the actual negotiating and manages to piss someone off." Moblit and Hange actually sweatdropped at that while Eren looked resigned. Obviously, Kenny hadn't changed much in the last two thousand years. Go figure. "And if they go by air, depending on the aircraft, they should be here in up to eighty hours."

"More than three days," Onyankopon mused. "That's ... That's quite some time. Can't they go faster?"

Levi shook his head. "Not when it was the US military that had discovered the island. The expedition may have been international, but so far, America has the most claim simply because they found it."

"And your uncle isn't American?"

"He has a dual citizenship, considering he's married to a very important person in another country so my uncle-in-law can't exactly leave his country for good just to be with Kenny. And besides, Kenny's record in the US is ... questionable, at best. They'll use everything against him to keep him from coming. Even more so if not only Smith's crew is in on this plan to steal the Founding Titan."

"Well, I guess we can survive three more days," mused Moblit. "I mean, we have fresh water, fresh food, plenty of things to do and we're safe."

"It is a lot better than it was just two days ago," Onyankopon commented and Levi snorted at the understatement.

"So we just sit and wait?" Hange asked, sounding half disappointed.

Levi shrugged. "Hey, you can go play in the dirt somewhere Eren doesn't mind, for all I care. Just make sure you wash yourself for once or else I'm knocking you out again to make you take a bath."

"By the Walls, do you guys still do that?" Eren asked, snickering.

Levi sent him a glare and it was, apparently, answer enough, because he started outright roaring with laughter while Moblit shook his head and Onyankopon looked a bit disgusted. Hange just tried to defend themself and Levi just rolled his eyes.

Considering how tense things were, it wasn't a bad way to end a day, teasing and laughing.

Tomorrow, Levi promised himself, he'd hound Eren until the Titan Shifter sat down with him and they thought up a defense plan in case Smith, Fritz and Co decide to attack before reinforcements come.

For now, he was content to have some fun.

00000

"That undersized son of a bitch!" Porco screamed at the top of his lungs from the middle of the forest, a stag carcass lying on the ground a few feet away from him, along with the remains of his Jaw Titan that was slowly steaming and decomposing. The man looked ready to tear the forest up with his bare hands if only he could, he was that pissed off. "That little piece of shit! I'll rip his head off his shoulders the second I get my hands on him!"

"Calm down, idiot. Do you want more Titans to come at us again?" Hissed Annie dangerously, eyes trained on the tree line. Unlike her companions besides Reiner and Bertolt, the other Warriors didn't have the ingrained experience of always looking over your shoulder for one of the dumb Titans that will try to eat you, regardless of the Scream's controlling abilities.

"Let them come! I need to vent!"

"Just shut up, Porco," Pieck said casually, studying the piece of clothing currently in Zeke's hands. "Not all of us want to deal with another horde because not all of us are suicidal."

"What do you think?" Yelena asked as she, Zeke and Erwin looked down at the ruined shirt. It was stained with blood and dirt and was ripped in certain places, but it had clung into the stag's horns for almost two whole days, leading them all over the forest.

"I thought you said you had it handled," Zeke said accusingly at Erwin, who could only chuckle humorously.

"The Levi of back then was through when checking if he was being followed or eavesdropped and every message he sent or received would be taken with a grain of salt, disregarded altogether if not sealed to his standards or he would check every detail of one's handwriting before he accepts it as valid. The Levi of today used to be a part of a special ops squad with the highest clearance and an abundance of information passing through his hands as he escorted people of varying importance. He would know ways to make sure he was not followed or eavesdropped."

"But I thought you said you could outsmart him," said the bespectacled blond pointedly.

"I thought I could, too. Seems that Levi's new life taught him things that help him even out the playing field."

"It's because you underestimate him like this that he outsmarted you," Annie said, joining the blonds with Floch hot on her heels. "Out of all of us, he's stayed alive the longest and that's no coincidence. Besides, why are we even relying on technology on Paradis?" She questioned with crossed arms, a cocked hip and an arched eyebrow. "Our senses are heightened as Titans and there's no use hiding now. Eren knows we're here. If you want to catch Captain Levi, we should have started off strong from the very beginning. Now Eren has him and the others and we don't have leverage anymore. And that's not even mentioning that the Titans from the island aren't susceptible to our Scream. It's obvious Eren has them under tight control. We're at a disadvantage here. We should have never let Captain Levi near Titans. If he regains all of his memories, we will be massacred by those two."

"How are you so sure Ackerman is working with Eren?" Flock asked skeptically. "For all we know, Ackerman ran from him the second you were out of sight."

Annie leveled Floch such a look that the words Are you an idiot? Yes, yes you are could be heard loud and clear. "You clearly don't know anything about Captain Levi if you can even suggest that. And clearly you know nothing of that suicidal bastard, either. Hasn't Erwin over there explained it already? There is no way Eren would let Captain Levi out of his sight now that he's found him, memories or no memories."

"Then we have no real chance of using Levi as leverage," Mike commented as he, Bertolt and Reiner returned from scouting out the area to make sure Levi hadn't only recently figured out the two bugs in the shirt. No such luck, of course. "If we ever did, that is. I've never known of any means of constraint that can hold him for long. Not to mention that he found Eren fascinating from day one."

"Great, just great," grumbled Floch. "Fuck Jaeger and his obsession with that midget from the Underground. He should have just stuck to the plan!"

Zeke agreed, but in terms of his own plan. "It seems that only Levi ever truly understood Eren. He didn't seem overly surprised by the monster he'd turned into. But all of that aside," he sighed. "We now have no way of knowing Levi's and his group's movements, even if they are with Eren. My little brother will just follow that clean freak wherever he goes, like he used to do before he attacked Marley. And I doubt that if we tried to track them using Titan senses that it would end well. The Titans of Paradis are under his strict control and we can't command them at all. It's a good thing we had a plan B, or else we would be helpless where numbers are involved."

Erwin and Mike glared at him for that comment, while Floch didn't care, despite the three of them being ordinary Eldians who could have easily become Zeke's Titan playthings, like the crew of the ship had, had they not been useful. Though, their usefulness was in question. Mike was still the strongest fighter besides Levi, of course, that any of them had seen, but he was not the Mike of Survey Corps. They had thought that, should it come to a fight, Mike would be a deciding factor against Levi, even if it means all of them would have to team up on him in the process. Erwin was supposed to be bait, given how he'd managed to draw Levi into the Scouts in the first place, but this Levi had been suspicious of him from the moment they'd met and that suspicion never went away. In fact, Levi had only grown more suspicious of Erwin as the hours had gone by, even before the first Titan attack. He was bound to do something drastic sooner or later and whatever it was that had happened in that cave that day, it had been the tipping point. Levi had been on the verge of finding out about the truth behind Titans, about undoubted Eren's presence on the island, and Erwin had known that Levi was better off dead than in their way. Everyone can attest to that. Humanity's Strongest Soldier, after all, isn't a title that is given lightly.

Floch, though, still had a purpose he could fulfill, as he knew of secret passageways created by the Jaegerists while they were planning the grand coup d'etat against Zackley's government, and was vouched for by Yelena. The two former Jaegerists were allies to this day still, though they now share a completely different goal. Or rather, a similar one but with a different main actor. With Ymir Fritz gone from the Coordinate, the Coordinate had no restrictions. Not the Curse of Ymir, not the war renouncing vow. The Coordinate was as free as Eren was, but the rules of Titan powers still remained. Probably. Floch and Yelena wanted Zeke to take the power of the Coordinate, believing he will control it better than Eren ever had and also believing Zeke is on their side more firmly than ever before, given Yelena had actually grown up with him this time around. What Zeke's true motivations remain a mystery to his fellow Eldians and Yelena alike, but they all believed he wanted to return the glory of Eldia to their people once more. If nothing else, than to finally fulfill his mother's wishes from her youth.

Whether Dina still had those wishes, or if she even remembered her past life, was questionable, as Zeke never spoke about her or his home life.

In reality, this group's whole interaction and communication is based on deceit and lies and mysteries and secrets. No one knew each other's true motivations, though Zeke's and Erwin's were the biggest mystery, especially considering they had been the ones to push this expedition through in the first place.

Really, though, Levi Ackerman, Hange Zoe and Moblit Berner were not part of the plan, not at all. Levi was their biggest surprise and their biggest wild card. A ticking time bomb they should have treated with more care because now it was practically seconds away from blowing up in their faces. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

"We don't need to track them to know where Levi and Eren will be," Erwin said, earning himself confused looks from his companions. "There's only one place Eren would take Levi in hopes of jump-starting his memories."

"I rather doubt they would go to Shiganshina," Reiner commented, huffing. "The place is too easily invaded. One kick from Bertolt and we're in."

"Assuming the Walls are constructed the same way," Bertolted interjected. "Eren might not have made gates, so there's no weak point. If we try to go through the Walls at any other point than a gate, I doubt we'd manage to take it down."

"Or worse yet, we may jump-start the Rumbling," added Annie.

"We don't even know if there are Titans within these new Walls!" Protested Floch and Annie gave him another look.

"For whatever reason Eren is on Paradis again, with the powers of the Founding Titan, I rather doubt that he would remake old Paradis to just look the same, when he can have it function the same way as it had two thousand years ago, too."

"You think he's ready for a second Rumbling?" Pieck asked, sounding incredulous. "But why? The first time around, one can even say his plans made some sort of convoluted sense, but what would he gain from it now?"

"I guess we can ask him when we find him before we feed him to Zeke," Yelena commented casually. "But that's besides the point. You were saying something about there being only one place where Eren could have taken Levi, Erwin?"

"You can't mean the Underground," Mike immediately interjected, because they all knew the Underground was the definition of all things not-free, while Eren was obsessed with freedom to the point he was ready to destroy the world for it.

"No. As safe and secure and difficult to get to as the Underground would be, no. Levi himself wouldn't want to stay there. You saw how he acted. He may not have his memories, but he has ingrained characteristics and eccentricities he can't explain that we can clearly see originate from his experiences in his past life. There is no way Levi would want to stay underground."

"Then where?" Asked Porco, finally joining the conversation.

"The old Survey Corps HQ."

Reiner and Bertolt exchanged looks. "The white castle in the middle of nowhere?"

"That would make sense," mused Mike. "It's where they formed their strong companionship and bond."

"It's also where the Scouts kept a lot of their shit after the military reform," Floch said with a snort. "There were a lot of things that the Scouts didn't want Zackley getting his hands on, from Hange's records on Titan experiments, to old plans made by Erwin, to records on how, exactly, Ackerman ended up in the Scouts."

Erwin furrowed his brows. "Levi was under suspicion? That makes no sense."

Floch shrugged. "He was suspicious of everything the government did. He was suspicious of our new allies," he nodded towards Yelena. "He didn't trust the Queen and when Jaeger ran away, he was accused of having been an accomplice in his escape because he was, supposedly, still on night watch duty."

Erwin's frown only deepened. "We stopped putting Eren in the dungeon cells after the Female Titan was caught," he said with a side glance at Annie. "And after the coup against the fake king and Rod Reiss, Historia had forbidden it in an official declaration, accompanied by her seal and signature. This freed Levi from his watch duty years before that event could have taken place. Why was Levi under suspicion?"

"I guess you weren't the only one who noticed the bond my brother and your soldier shared," Zeke said casually. "So they are hankering down in this castle? Where is it?"

"Within Wall Rose, not too far from Trost to the East," Reiner replied and Bertolt nodded in agreement. No one even looked towards the two former Scouts for their confirmation, which said a lot about the trust levels within this group. Mike and Erwin were still not used to it, given how it was done in Survey Corps. Then again, this wasn't Survey Corps. This wasn't anything but an uneasy alliance that could end at any moment. The only thing currently keeping them together was their goal: find and capture Eren Jaeger, by any means necessary. A few old comrades without their past memories standing in their way was nothing they would even blink at. Mike followed Erwin with almost blind loyalty while Erwin has sacrificed too many lives to be shaken at the thought of putting a bullet between Levi's or Hange's eyes, even if he will mourn them. Perhaps it would even be a mercy. They would never remember the horrors they'd seen every day for over a decade, or maybe even their entire lives, and Levi would certainly be safe from whatever revenge or other plot Zeke may have in store for him.

"And you're absolutely certain this is where Eren would take Levi?" Zeke asked, arching an eyebrow. "Wouldn't Sine be safer? Maybe even going as far as taking him to the royal estate?"

"While Eren certainly followed Captain Levi's orders as if he were the king," Bertolt said hesitantly, still shy about speaking up around anyone not Reiner. "I also think that it's most likely the old headquarters. It's more hidden and while Reiner and I were there for only a week or so before that first expedition, Eren was there for weeks. He probably had a lot of time to explore the place, so he probably knows where he can hide, where he can set an ambush or trap, where he has to defend."

"And the place is much more easily kept up to Levi's standards of cleanliness over longer periods of time," said Mike, making everyone look at him as if he'd grown a second head. Mike just shrugged. "Levi's first lesson to anyone under his command was to embed his standards of cleaning in their heads from day one. His old squad went to extraordinary lengths to upkeep those standards and if anyone dared not follow them, they would give them hell so Levi wouldn't have to bother."

Erwin nodded. "This didn't change for as long as I've known Levi."

Yelena also had to nod. "Yes, it didn't change even just before the war. No one seemed to complain, either."

"Would you really complain if Humanity's Strongest Soldier asked you to swipe the floor?" Mike asked with an arched eyebrow. "And he was Humanity's Strongest, even later, after everything," he interrupted before Floch could comment about the state they'd found Levi in when he'd tried to blow Zeke up. Said Titan Shifter was even smart enough to not try at all, having seen and experienced Levi's skill and strength on his skin one too many times. "After all, he survived the longest, didn't he?"

Annie nodded at that. "That's why I keep saying you're underestimating him. Pieck and even Reiner can back me up on this."

The Cart Titan Shifter nodded. "Even when his injuries left him in a wheelchair most days, he could still beat everyone from his squad in a fight, besides the other Ackerman, because he was too much at a disadvantage like that. He was the last one they went after. I don't know what happened to Falco or Gabi, though. Or Onyankopon."

Yelena crossed her arms, uncomfortable. "It doesn't matter. Onyankopon doesn't remember, like none of them do. What we need to worry about is whether we should continue pursuing Levi or just go straight for Eren."

"We still have the emergency plan," Erwin said, looking down at the heavy bandaging done to his right arm. He was lucky that he didn't bleed out. Levi was as deathly precise as ever. "It should arrive in another day or so."

"And this will somehow draw Ackerman out?" Porco asked skeptically.

"Most certainly. After all, he'd gone through so much trouble for them. And the implications of how we got them will no doubt have him in a rage. He won't be able to resist. Then, all we have to do is have Reiner or Bertolt catch him. Them, he is not likely to escape without his past memories."

"And once we have him, Eren will fall right into our hands," Zeke said, sounding more confident than he actually was. He knew the type of monsters the two they were hunting were. Neither Levi nor Eren were men to be preyed on. Both were more likely to kill than be hunted. Both were more likely to set the world on fire than be caged.

They weren't going to come out of this unscathed. Some of them will burn. Eren and Levi will not hesitate, of that he was sure.

Nonetheless, any advantage was necessary and very much welcomed.

Eren and Levi are not to be underestimated.

Chapter Text

Eren was woken up the next day at the asscrack of dawn by an overenthusiastic Hange-san when they barged into his room, which he was regretting showing them the first day he'd brought the group to the castle.

"Wake up, Eren! Hurry, hurry, hurry hurry hurry hurry hurry!"

"Hange, leave the man alone!" Moblit exclaimed as he also barged into the room after his significant other. "For goodness sake! Not everyone is used to your antics and the hours you keep!"

Eren blinked blearily at them, for a moment beyond disoriented about where and when he was because both Moblit and Hange-san were dressed in Survey Corps uniforms, it was the asscrack of dawn, Hange-san was excited and loud, it was dark in his room ... For a moment there, he thought he was back in the 'good ol' days' and it was a Titan-experiment day, only to realize two thousand years have passed when Onyankopon blearily peaked around the doorway into his room, looking like he was walking around half asleep. "What is going on?" He asked, running a hand through his hair and trying to wake himself up a bit more. It can't be an emergency. He couldn't sense anything wrong going on on the island and especially within the Walls, so he didn't have all that motivation to wake up at least two hours before the usual military wake up call he'd kept over the centuries despite him no longer being a soldier. "Where is Levi-heichou?" He noticed the man wasn't there, which he found odd. Shouldn't Heichou be the first to come get Eren if something was the matter, even if it's just that he wants tea or something cleaned?

"Do you know what day it is, Eren?" Hange-san asked, still brimming with excitement. "Do you, do you?"

"I don't remember you being this hyper regarding anything else that isn't Titan related," he grumbled to himself before answering the archaeologist's question. "I don't really keep dates like that, Hange-san. I would have too many dates to mourn and be melancholy over and there are just better ways to spend my time-"

"But how do you know how many years passed?" Asked an incredulous Onyankopon and Eren just shrugged.

"I am connected to every Eldian in the world, so I know when they celebrate certain things and just ... let them count the years for me."

"I don't know if that's genius or lazy," the man admitted and Eren just shrugged again.

"Why do you ask, Hange-san?" Eren asked, figuring this would be the best way to go back to sleep. He'd promised Levi-heichou that he would show him all the most important strategic defense points and places where a helicopter could land, as well as take the man horseback riding. He still has a few hours until he needs to get up, prepare tea and breakfast and meet up with his Heichou. He wants those couple of hours to be used for sleep, damn it.

"Do you know when Levi's birthday is?"

That had Eren snapping to attention faster than an attacking Titan ever could. "December 25th, the last day of solstice celebrations. Why?"

"Also known as Christmas but who gives a fuck about that when it's your best friend's birthday, am I right? Well, anyways, it's today!" The bespectacled scientist exclaimed, shoving their phone into Eren's face to show him the date. "And we need to at least make him cake or something!"

Eren blinked up at them, incredulous. "You dragged Levi-heichou out on this expedition on his birthday!?"

"Hey! I didn't know it was gonna turn into a Jurassic Park kind of shit when I invited him! And he needed a change of pace! He's a man of action, not someone used to sitting around at home and twiddling his thumbs! He was getting restless with all that was going on at home and he'd needed a chance to get some good sleep-"

"Interesting, then, how he didn't get a wink of sleep since this expedition started," commented dryly Onyankopon, who was just as happy to be woken up at this hour as Eren was: that is, not at all. But Eren didn't mind, seeing as it was Heichou's birthday! He would have probably figured it out sooner rather than later when he checked the Paths for how their enemies were doing and gets flooded with the impressions of experiences from every other Eldian in the world, seeing as Christmas wasn't only a religious celebration, though most Eldians tended not to do anything special besides enjoy festive food choices. Either way, it was better this way, as Eren had time to prepare something special for Heichou's special day.

"I would appreciate it if all of you got out of my room so I can get dressed for the day." He arched a pointed eyebrow when Hange-san, in particular, made no move to leave, even as Moblit tried to drag them away. "That means you too, Hange-san."

"I want to see if your body matches your Titan's body," whined in protest the scientist and Eren sweatdropped.

"Hange!" Moblit, scandalized, exclaimed as his face went beet red. Onyankopon was already out the door, probably going down to the kitchen to raid the cabinets and the pantry for the possibility of coffee. Eren didn't get what the deal with the beverage was. He preferred tea by far.

"In what way?" Eren couldn't help but ask, not even bothered by the question(?). He was far too used to Hange-san's eccentricities after years as their Titan lab rat. Thankfully, Hange-san has yet to ask him to chop off some of his limbs to see if and how fast they would grow back. Eren didn't think Levi-heichou and especially civilians like Moblit and Onyankopon would want to see that.

"Well, Titans don't have reproductive organs-"

"I'm not letting you see my dick, Hange-san," he shot down immediately, because he knew where that could go if he didn't set some boundaries straight away. Poor Armin, after he'd gained the Colossal Titan, didn't know that and he'd agreed to Hange-san's experiments away from Levi-heichou's watchful eye and general sanity, so he'd been subjected to some very weird experiments that Eren had been spared from by the grace of Levi-heichou. Eren's best friend had not dared even glance towards his genital area for nearly a year after a particularly disturbing experiment Hange-san had thought up in order to check if, indeed, not even Titan Shifters had secret genitals like certain mammals.

"Thank god," Moblit mumbled and Eren really pitied the man.

"Don't worry, I'll let Levi discover that and then pester him about it-"

"I'm sorry, but what?"

"-but your Titan form has a very clearly defined eight pack, so since your hair and eyes and even the shade of your skin matches in both your forms, I want to see if you have an eight pack!" Hange-san, as was typical of them, completely ignored Eren's interjected question and continued on with their rant. Eren looked to Moblit for help, but he found the man giving him a considering look he did not appreciate.

'Time to change tactics,' he thought to himself. "Do you have an idea for Levi-heichou's birthday cake?"

That got the archaeologist to pause in their rant and grin slyly at him. "Do you know what Levi would like?"

Deciding it's best not to pay attention to the way they were trying to make a pointed statement or prod further at his and his Heichou's past not-fully-defined-or-actually-acknowledged relationship Eren answered the question as if there was no ulterior motive behind it. "I was thinking green tea, mint and lemon filling and whipped cream."

"How do you know Levi likes that combination?" Moblit couldn't seem to help but ask and Eren had to smile as he recalled the only birthday of Levi-heichou's that the man had allowed them to celebrate, after the battle of Shiganshina. It had been in an attempt to lift their spirits after the heavy losses they had suffered for the sake of retaking Wall Maria.

"Hange-san used to buy this little pastry for Heichou's birthday that had that filling. It used to be a tradition Erwin-danchou, Hange-san and Mike started after Heichou joined the Survey Corps and Erwin-danchou accidentally found something sweet Heichou seemed to like. It was the only sweet Heichou actually enjoyed. On the first birthday of his that we celebrated, Hange-san had managed to get him a bigger pastry than ever before. We had put in a hundred candles as a prank about his age - on Hange-san's insistence, of course - but Levi-heichou had just laughed and shared the pastry with us. There was barely two bites per person, but Levi-heichou said he didn't want to eat it alone if we'd already gone through all of that trouble to celebrate his birthday together instead of celebrating the last day of solstice festivities."

"Yeah, that sounds like Levi, alright," Hange-san said fondly and Moblit seemed to be smiling in fondness, too. "He's so kind under all that grumpiness."

"All the more reason we should prepare the best cake for his birthday," Eren said decisively, sensing a way to end this conversation and get them the hell out of his room. "There's a hen hoop not far from the well in the eastern courtyard. I bet there are some fresh eggs-"

"Let's go, Moblit my darling! We need to get some eggs for our short best man slash ring bearer slash flower girl!"

"W-w-what?" Was the last thing Eren heard of them before Hange-san dragged their poor new unsuspecting and clearly surprised fiance away to get the ingredients. Eren shook his head and wondered if this was Hange-san's version of a birthday present for Heichou. If so, Eren would have to up his game besides a tin of Levi-heichou's old favorite tea mix. But that was something to worry about after the cake was baked and breakfast was prepared safely without Hange-san poisoning it or accidentally setting the kitchen on fire even if Moblit was monitoring them.

And really, he made a good call. Hange-san would have managed to blow the entire castle sky high, by some miracle, when they got curious about whether rotten eggs could really be combustible and if, perhaps, the steam created by Titan healing powers was worse than gasoline. Fun fact, the answer to both questions was a very dangerous and resounding yes. Eren had never been more grateful for his healing powers than when his and poor Onyankopon's eyebrows got scorched into nothingness. His grew back within minutes - and he had to keep Hange-san away from them before they could start plucking the baby hairs in various stages of growth so they could study them - but the other man had no such luck and was glaring balefully at the archaeologist, clearly not appreciative of his new look. Moblit didn't even try to apologize on behalf of his partner - fiance? - as his bangs had also received a smoking. Eren also had to fetch Hange-san one of old Hange-san's many spare goggles because the glass of the first pair had cracked and nearly exploded, too. They were lucky they hadn't lost an eye, or both.

Thankfully, Hange-san wasn't nearly as experimental as Eren had expected them to be in regards to actual cooking. He guessed that was something Levi-heichou had hammered into their head during their years of friendship. Though he wondered why that hadn't occurred the first time around, because there was a very infamous list of reasons why Hange-san of the Survey Corps was not allowed to be alone anywhere anything edible, even in their own quarters. The veterans made sure to quiz all new recruits on that list at least once a week. People had been more willing to leave Sasha and her glutinous tendencies alone in the kitchen and risk a food shortage than they were to let Hange-san even come near it.

Still, preparing the cake batter and whipped cream went on without a hitch. Hange-san was more curious about the 'old ways' of cooking than experimenting, anyway, so they had just observed everything Eren did and took notes while Onyankopon and Moblit prepared breakfast. Onyankopon at one point decided to go search for fresh strawberries to decorate the cake with and Moblit had dragged Hange-san off to find old candles or some wax to shape new ones for Levi-heichou's cake. It was relatively peaceful and everyone made sure not to make too much noise and especially not to walk down the corridor of Heichou's room, as they all knew he was a light sleeper, despite, apparently, having a few great nights of sleep ever since the group moved into the old HQ with Eren. Eren wondered if it was a subconscious familiarity of the place that had Heichou so at peace despite knowing what trouble lay beyond the Walls, but he didn't ask. The man himself often seemed confused by impressions of his past self's memories when he knew where something was without being told or if he understood an inside joke Eren would forget himself and slip without remembering the context behind it. Asking about it only seemed to frustrate him.

Decorating the cake was a disaster in comparison to the peaceful cooking progress - after the egg incident, of course - and Eren had to literally fight Hange-san so they wouldn't spell out any shit jokes on the cake in the strawberry icing Onyankopon made. Or draw a dick. Or write 'shorty' beneath Happy Birthday. Hange-san was a better fighter than you'd think upon first glance, despite not having their memories. It seems Levi-heichou had taught them and Moblit some basic self-defense to make sure they can keep themselves alive long enough for Levi-heichou to come kick some ass if they're ever in trouble. Though Eren noted that some of their moves were a bit too similar to uncertain movements of the martial arts form the old military used to teach their cadets. It seemed like everyone was slowly regaining some of their memories, which wasn't surprising in the least.

Anyways, midway the decorating process, they managed to get in a food fight before Moblit took the choice away from them and wrote 'Levi' in big letters under the 'Happy Birthday', leaving no space for anything else after he added a few standard decorations. Hange-san pouted throughout the whole cleaning process Eren forced the whole group to participate in and they pouted even more when they realized Eren's cleanliness standards matched Levi-heichou's. After all, Eren had learned from the best, or the strictest in this case.

Cleaning the kitchen and then setting everything up left Eren with no time to find a better gift for Levi-heichou besides the tin of tea. Everything else was ready and Eren sensed that Heichou was already awake and moving towards the dining area. He'll have to improvise something. Or just ask the man what he might want. Well, besides safely getting his friends off of the island, that is.

"Quiet, I can hear him," Eren said, interrupting Hange-san and Moblit mid explanation to poor traumatized-looking Onyankopon about something or another they had used to analyze the DNA of some decomposing modern day animal and comparing it to the DNA of some Siberian mummy found in the permafrost and how the bacteria affected both animals' decomposition and rotting. Onyankopon looked grateful and relieved when Eren drew the other two scientists' attention.

Hange-san all but beamed. "You can hear him? I don't hear him. Is it your Titan hearing?"

Eren rolled his eyes. "No, it's my Titan ass."

Hange-san actually looked like they were going to take that seriously, but Eren was saved from possibly - most probably, actually - even more mortifying questions by Levi-heicho's timely arrival. "What's your Titan ass?" He asked as he rounded the doorway, only to flinch back when Hange-san threw some improvised confetti - which was actually just some grass and the few wild flowers growing near the training area - into his face and screamed into his ear.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHORT STACK!"

"Damn it, Shitty Four eyes, are you trying to make me simultaneously go blind and deaf!?" Cursed the short man while Moblit, Eren and Onyankopon clapped, whistled and congratulated the man much more tamely than the man's best friend had.

"I wouldn't mind, because then I could sneak up on you to give you cuddles all I want!"

"I actually doubt that," Moblit commented but was hushed by his significant other.

"Anyway, we made cake! And breakfast! And tea! Lots and lots of tea! Ooooohh! And Moblit and I have a special birthday present for you, so turn that frown upside down, bestie! It's party time!"

Heichou just looked towards Eren and Onyankopon disapprovingly. "Okay, which one of you allowed them into the sugar supply?"

Eren immediately shook his head and raised his hands in surrender and defense, as he knew that that was something you simply did not do. It was up there right beneath letting Hange-san attempt to cook on the list of the Survey Corps' Never Ever EVER Do This Ever Not On Your Life EVER List. Anyone who broke the top ten rules was destined to face off against a pissed off Levi-heichou at the asscrack of dawn for conditional and hand to hand training. Eren had seen someone make that mistake only once and it was about a year before the final war began. Eren had never seen anyone that terrified for their life, even when a Titan was about to chew them up, as poor Lobov had been when he had to face off Levi-heichou. It was understandable why the man was so pissed. After all, that was the first time a sugar-hyped Hange-san had been thrust upon him to deal with without the helpful Moblit around to assist. Eren and Armin had tried to help, but only Levi-heichou was left who knew how to deal with a sugar-crazed Hange Zoe.

Needless to say, Eren was probably the only one who didn't pity the man. Then again, he had always been on Heichou's side.

Poor Onyankopon was about to face Humanity's Strongest Soldier at his pissiest. Because there's no way Moblit would have allowed Hange-san to have enough sugar for them to be like this.

Eren wondered if he'd get punished for not noticing it happening before it was too late before he remembered he was no longer Levi-heichou's subordinate.

'Wow, that's surprisingly depressing.'

"Oh, I'm allowed to have sugar, shorty! Especially as I finally proposed to Moblit! So, there, happy birthday!"

Levi-heichou immediately stopped being angry and turned surprised eyes towards his best friend. "You're finally engaged?"

The brunet grinned. "Yup! We're finally getting hitched! Something you said the other day had me thinking: this island is so dangerous and we have no guarantee that we'll get off of it in one piece, so will I die with regrets if I don't do this? And the answer was yes, yes I would. So I just decided to pop the question!"

"Literally," Moblit supplied. "I didn't know about it until a few hours ago. They didn't even ask me. They just called you our best man. And ring bearer. And flower girl."

Levi-heichou arched an eyebrow but he appeared amused. "Well, congratulations, I guess. Though I refuse to be all three. You have other candidates for ring bearer and flower girl."

Hange-san's eyes lit up. "Oh! You're right! We do! Oh, they're going to be so cute! I just need to get them matching outfits and-"

"And I don't think I can be the best man for the both of you. And no, I don't care what gender you have or don't have, Shitty Glasses, I will not be your maid of honor."

"But you'd look so pretty in a dress!" Hange-san complained and Eren couldn't help but imagine it. "Look! Eren agrees with me! Right, Eren?" They asked with the confidence that Eren would actually answer a question that could potentially cost him his head and that said answer might make a difference.

He gave a strained smile. "The breakfast will get cold and the cake will start melting if we stall much longer."

"That means yes," Hange-san said with a pointed nod and Levi-heichou sighed longsufferingly but chose to ignore them and instead let Eren eagerly lead him away from the archaeologist on a sugar high. Eren sat down next to his Heichou at the table and the others soon followed, Moblit having to restrain Hange-san from leaping over the table to plaster themselves all over the man of the hour. Eren ignored them and just served the food while Onyankopon poured out everyone's preferred hot beverage. When breakfast was over, they sang the birthday song to Levi-heichou and had him blow out the candles - Moblit and Eren had to stop Hange-san from doing it for him - and cut up the cake. Heichou had not made any wishes and had only humored them with the candles, but he definitely approved the cake in his unique Levi-heichou way.

"Hoh? Not bad."

Eren couldn't help but beam despite no real words of praise being said. He knew his former superior well enough to know just how much those simple words meant.

After they were finished eating, Levi-heichou had them all on cleaning duty before Onyankopon decided he should give Levi-heichou a gift, too, which turned out to be a piece of crystallization that made up the 'cave' Eren's Founding Titan form left behind when he'd first woken up on Paradis. Levi-heichou had commented that it was 'pretty' so Eren made the man a knife out of crystallization, which nearly had Hange-san on him about his Titan abilities again. Onyankopon asked for a sample he can study and Eren indulged, knowing there's not much the man could use against him from studying it even if he wanted to.

Eren then found something to occupy Hange-san and, by extension, Moblit by letting the archaeologist investigate the same old tower where the Survey Corps first sighted the Beast Titan and had survivors to tell the tale. It had been abandoned long before Wall Maria fell, so it really was an archaeological site and had no significance to Eren whatsoever. Well, besides it being the place where he killed his first Titan as a human and not in his Titan form.

Either way, this had all three scientists busy and relatively safe, leaving Eren with some one on one time with Levi-heichou, who was, of course, perfectly aware of what he was doing and had only watched from the sidelines so far in amusement. Eren couldn't help but give him a sheepish smile. "I had to make sure we don't have any distractions for my gift for you."

Levi-heichou arched an eyebrow. "Oh? The cake, breakfast, tea, tin of what is possibly the best tea I've tasted in my life and the 'pretty knife' weren't enough?"

"That 'pretty knife'," Eren said with air quotes and an eye roll at Hange-san's original reaction when they'd seen it. "Is perfectly functional as a blade, but that's besides the point. And the others helped with the little breakfast party. And the tin of tea didn't seem like enough of a gift."

"You mean when compared to Hange's and Moblit's gift?" He asked with amusement and the Titan Shifter huffed. "Considering you were given such short notice, that you had something I will like at all is impressive enough. ANd believe it or not, a tin of good tea is more than enough for me as a birthday gift. For fuck's sake, Kenny once gave me a boiled egg for my birthday and told me it will hatch to be a duckling. A boiled egg, Eren. And I was ten. I knew how life worked, damn it. Granted, I think he was drunk at the time, but my point still stands."

Eren couldn't help but laugh as he imagined that scene in his head. The little Levi-heichou had probably even delivered the driest 'thanks' in human history upon receiving it and Kenny the Ripper must have puffed up in pride or something. By the Walls, that image was priceless! "Still, you've done more for me than I could ever repay, so I want to give you a grand gift of some sort."

"That was all my past self," dismissed the Ackerman. "I don't want you feeling indebted to me because of something my past self might have done."

But Eren just shook his head. "You accepted me even after I told you everything I did. You chose to put your trust in me despite the monster hiding within me. You don't fear me. You didn't run away from me. You're not trying to exploit me or kill me. You've even offered your help in my mission. That's all you, Heichou. And that's why I believe you deserve celebrating on your special day, why I think you deserve a special gift. I've celebrated the past Levi-heichou's birthdays with him back in the day. I'm celebrating your birthday today, with you."

Though he is celebrating the past Levi-heichou's birthday, too, because they were one and the same. Levi-heichou just doesn't remember right now and though he may never will, Eren was okay with that. Clearly Levi-heichou was amazing in any life, both in skill and in personality.

"Alright then, if that's what you want," the shorter man said hesitantly and Eren just chuckled.

"Follow me," he said and led the way towards the horses. "We won't be going far, but what I've decided as a good birthday gift for you is actually an activity and we can't perform it here."

"Oh?"

Eren just grinned at him before mounting one of the horses they had taken to the ruins and gesturing for Levi to get on the other one. Eren wasn't sure how the horses all stayed perfectly trained as they had been back in the days of the Survey Corps, when whole villages specialized in horse-rearing, but he guessed it was just one of Ymir's gifts, as was his unwavering connection to every living thing on the island, though that might be a side-effect from the Beast Titan. Either way, the horses were brave and perfectly behaved and Levi-heichou, being the Ackerman that he was, had picked up horseback riding without a hitch. Or he had known how to before ever arriving on this island. He hadn't asked and figured there'd be no need to.

The ride back to Trost didn't take long and Eren led them towards the main military outpost, where he kept the 3DMG and the gas tanks. He dismounted and ran into the building, not really minding if Levi-heichou does or doesn't follow him, as Heichou was already prepared for the activity he had in mind while Eren had to get ready. It took him only a couple of minutes to get ready with military precision and when he got back out to Levi-heichou and the horses, it was with a fully equipped 3DMG on his body and a crate with extra blades for Levi-heichou, since they'd never actually replaced the one he'd all but destroyed during the fight against Annie and her horde of obedient Titans.

"I figured you'd want these. And I also figured you'd like a race," he said with what he knew must be a challenging twinkle in his eyes. "We can go for as long as you want. This place here is the main HQ in Trost, so we'll have plenty of gass. And settings like this," he gestured at the buildings around them. "Are only topped by Forests of Giant Trees when it comes to 3DMG maneuvers."

Levi-heichou's eyes gleamed with excitement. "A race, you say? How good exactly are you, brat?"

Eren felt like bursting with happiness at that 'title'. Levi-heichou had not called him that since they captured that first Marley ship and gained 'allies' in Yelena and Onyankopon and their non-Marley crew mates. "I was ranked in fifth place in my graduating class and was maybe third or fourth best in our squad, Heichou. I would say I'm at least decent, but I had a lot of practice since then." Two thousand years of it, nearly. Eren didn't like wasting too much gas when his Titan form allowed a lot of speed, too, especially if he was going over flat ground with no trees or anything else in sight, but he loved the feeling of flying, the wind in his hair, the way he defied gravity for just a little while that the 3DMG gave, so he still used it pretty often. He never seemed to run out of gas to replenish his supplies and he didn't know if that was also because of Ymir, somehow, or if it was really good engineering done by engineers of the past who exploited natural gasses back in his day. He never investigated it, fearing he'll accidentally screw something up. Either way, he was definitely better than he used to be. "Besides, you're still new to this. I suppose I can give even you a challenge, given our respective circumstances, Levi-heichou."

The shorter man snorted as he took the extra blades and put them into his gear's holsters. "I guess we'll find out if you're overestimating yourself or underestimating me, Eren."

"I would never underestimate you, Heichou. I just know what you're capable of and I know you've not yet reached your full potential, that's all. I guess you could say it gives me hope. And I never once thought I'd be able to win against you. I just said that perhaps I can now be a challenge."

"Well, I definitely like challenges. Ones that don't threaten to kill me or my friends, anyway," Levi-heichou said with a small smirk that had Eren's blood pumping faster than it had in centuries. Really, for all that he'd had occasional visits over the centuries, he's spent most of his time alone and even the people who had visited him, none of them could match him in any of their past life's skills. Heichou was the first to have any inkling on how to use 3DMG and Eren was beyond excited for a chance to show off his own skills and finally test them against the best of the best, Humanity's Strongest Soldier, Leve-heichou himself.

"Then shall we?" He asks, mockingly extending a hand towards his soon to be rival. Levi-heichou surprises him by actually taking his hand and then leading their ascent to the top of the HQ's building. Then he lets go and points towards the gate Eren had sealed the first day he'd discovered his Titan powers.

"First one to get to the outer gate wins?"

"Free style?"

"Definitely," they say together and grin.

"Ready," Levi-heichou began.

"Steady," Eren all but singsonged.

"GO!" They yelled together and shot out their anchors.

And then they were off.

Chapter Text

It was late afternoon, nearing evening when Eren felt it.

A flying vehicle had just made landfall a few miles west of Shiganshina and there was quite a number of people in it. At least forty, which should be too many for a helicopter of that size, but Eren didn't focus on the numbers. What caught his attention was that at least two of the passengers had been children.

And what definitely had him tensing up and all but forgetting the wonderful day he'd been having with Levi-heichou and the others so far was that he could feel the Warriors with the new group, too. And they weren't attacking. Which meant that they were there to greet them.

'So much for the futile hope that Kenny worked as fast as he had in his last life,' he thought bitterly as his lip curled in distaste, drawing Levi-heichou's attention. Eren waved him off, not wanting to upset the man on his birthday needlessly, especially as he was actually relaxing and having fun for once. But the new 'visitors' were a problem. Especially when Eren realized they were of Eldian origin. 'Shit. They're not willing reinforcements. They're Titan-sacrifices.' Eren felt the urge to rip Zeke's fucking head off. What was he thinking!? Yes, Zeke had never hesitated to sacrifice his fellow Eldians for his own goals, but this was a whole other life now! 'Just what are you planning, brother?'

"Is everything okay?" Levi-heichou, having left his friends' side while Hange-san and Moblit went through the pictures Levi-heichou had made of them, asked as he approached Eren. "You seem really tense and your expression looks like you have to take a shit but the shit won't come out."

Nearby, Onyankopon chokes on the mead he'd been drinking, clearly still not used to Heichou's preferred humor style, but Eren doesn't have the time to find amusement in his surprise. He has to make sure Levi-heichou doesn't notice more than he already has.

"I'm fine. I think Hange-san just managed to slip something into my food to check how my digestive system as a Titan Shifter reacts." It wouldn't be the first time they did it. Just not this Hange-san.

Those amazing steel-blue eyes don't look convinced whatsoever so Eren gives him his most charming smile. Levi-heichou, if possible, looks even more unconvinced. "They're on the move, aren't they." It's not a question.

The Titan Shifter grits his teeth. "The Titans can deal with them. And they don't seem to be doing anything quite yet. They just got ... some reinforcements."

"Reinforcements that can be turned into Titans, I take it?"

"Are you a mind reader?"

"No, but it seems I'm a rather avid Eren Jaeger reader," he replies flatly before shaking his head. "How much?"

"At least forty."

His face sets into a grim expression. "That's quite a lot. And so much for restricted airspace, I'm guessing." Eren just nodded and the shorter man sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Any idea what they're planning?"

"They aren't moving yet," he replied, which was also something that honestly confused him. "Then again, it will be night soon. Normal and even Abnormal Titans all function far less efficiently, let's say, at night, if at all. Even if they're commanded, they're slower and clumsier."

"Even your Titans?"

Eren shrugged. He'd never tested them but he knew they roamed the island in their usual 'patrols'. And even if they didn't, he had animals to do it instead. But it was concerning that he hasn't yet felt a single Eldian be turned into a Titan. What was Zeke waiting for? Were they meant to be a part of a surprise ambush? Like Shiganshina? He grit his teeth. Why must his childhood hometown always be the battle ground for such bullshit?

"Levi!" Hange-san suddenly yelled, sounding alarmed, and both Levi-heichou and Eren immediately turned their attention towards them. The archaeologist looked really distressed as they rushed over, shoving their phone into his face. "I suddenly had a great signal and now got a ping that you're broadcasting live!"

"What? That's impossible! I left all the tech I would need for that back at home since you told me no archaeological site is to be filmed live until all the data is collected and at least partially analyzed."

"Could they have robbed you?" Onyankopon asked.

Eren frowned. "But wouldn't any equipment be the same? Why take exactly his?"

Moblit was the one to explain. "They'd need Levi's laptop to access his professional channel that he'd set up some years ago. That laptop controls other parts of his live stream equipment, too, so they'd definitely need explicitly his laptop."

"But even if they did get their hands on my laptop and somehow managed to hack it to gain access to my shit, my page is protected by a military grade firewall and to start anything on it requires a special sequence of commands that I've not shown anyone. Not even Hange knows." The archaeologist nodded to confirm Levi's words. Levi-heichou's teeth were grinding against each other so hard that Eren could hear it from where he was standing. "If they have my shit ... I'll kill them."

"I'm sure Kuchel is fine, Levi," Hange-san tried to reassure but her words were as uncertain as can be.

Eren clenched his hands into fists. 'If they've hurt Levi-heichou's mother, I will-'

"Greetings," Erwin Smith's voice suddenly came from the live stream Levi-heichou opened on the phone. "You are probably confused as to why you are seeing me, a complete and total stranger, and not the famous Captain Levi Ackerman despite this being streamed on his channel. Please don't click Back just yet. This is, indeed, Captain Levi's channel. And this might be the last video to ever be posted or go live here." The comments section was already going crazy from what Eren could see. "My name is Erwin Smith. I am the Commander put in charge of the expedition that has left for the newly discovered island on the ship H. S. S. Paradise about two weeks ago, consisting of a crew of scientists, photographers, artists and soldiers. A little over a week ago, we have made landfall on the island. Unfortunately, three days ago, most of our party was killed."

"What is he doing?" Onyankopon asked, all of them leaning over Levi-heichou's shoulder to watch the broadcast.

"Among them, unfortunately, was the brave Captain Levi we all respected and loved so much, trying to keep safe civilians and his fellow soldiers alike."

"WHAT!?" Hange-san, Onyankopon and Moblit all screamed. Levi-heichou gripped the phone almost tight enough to break it.

Eren felt a fury the likes of which only his mother's death had ever caused rising from within.

"Some of his equipment remained and we were finally able to establish contact today to share our findings and our fallen comrades' stories."

"He's creating a narrative that will make him look good, ensure everyone thinks that I'm dead so they won't come looking and paint us all as heroes. However, if I'm already declared 'dead', he can kill me and he won't face any consequences," Levi-heichou said through his grit teeth and Eren had to put a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from grinding his own jaw out of existence. Not that Eren was doing any better.

"This island is a miracle," Erwin continued in the broadcast. "Creatures unlike any we've ever seen before reside on this island. They range from two to fifteen meters tall, possess enormous strength and move incredibly fast. They are, however, unfortunately humanity's natural predators, as they show no interest in killing any other living creature other than humans. These creatures we've come to call 'Titans' don't even seem to feed on humans, as their main source of energy seems to be sunlight, yet they hunt us. They are the cause of our comrades' demise. However, don't lose hope yet! For there is a way to control these creatures!"

"He's trying to manipulate the world to see Eren as the enemy," Onyankopon breathed in realization.

"He's revealing Eldian's most deadly secret," Eren growled out, eyes starting to glow threateningly. "I was never going to reveal to the world what our blood can do unless they declared war on us. I didn't want us to be feared. What the fuck are they thinking?!"

"Our archaeologists, before their untimely demise, have uncovered ancient ruins and texts that indicate that there exists something called 'the Coordinate' that can control these monsters. Our priority now is to find it. One of our remaining scientists insists that these creatures could be of great use to humanity if we could just tame them. I am inclined to believe him, as I have borne witness to what these Titans can do. Now, many of you probably believe that I am lying. That perhaps I am even a hacker who managed to infiltrate the great Captain Levi's page and that I am spreading fantasy and lies. However, I have proof." He gestured for the person behind the camera and the view shifted, showing a Titan with its legs blown off, trying to crawl its way to the humans so it can eat them. "As you can see, these things are very real. And very dangerous."

"People are lapping this shit up!" Levi-heichou hissed in fury.

"He's going viral," Moblit said, looking pale.

Erwin on the screen closed his eyes as if in regret and sorrow. "Captain Levi was a great man. He fought to the end and tried to take footage of the creatures in action, not sure if any of us will survive to tell the tale. An unusual Titan fifteen meters in height with long brown hair and glowing eyes took him from us too soon, along with his camera and what little footage we had from our expedition was lost. Captain Levi only had time to make one request before he was eaten and that was for the world to know the truth!"

"He's using Levi's fame and reliability to sway people's thinking," Hange said angrily. "He's manipulating everyone! And they don't even know it!"

"He's also blaming my 'death' on Eren, making him the prime target," Levi-heichou said, voice a low, dangerous growl and words dripping with venomous rage.

"I have taken his dying request to heart and so as soon as we had a strong enough signal, we started this broadcast! In the meantime, we have discovered the origin of Titans!"

"Is he for real?" Onyankopon asked, looking almost as pale as a sheet, which was quite the accomplishment for him.

Levi-heichou was seething, shaking in silent rage.

"Eldians everywhere will be hunted like pigs," Moblit hissed, running a hand through his hair.

"I'll kill him," Eren swore. "I'll kill them all." He takes his promises seriously. He had fulfilled his last one. For a couple of decades, there had, indeed, not been a single Titan left on the planet and the only reason they were back now was because Ymir thought he'd need them to help him protect Paradis and whatnot.

"It seems that this Coordinate can be used to create Titans out of human beings who bear a specific genetic code or something. We are not sure yet what triggers the transformation, but it has to do with the Coordinate, which is undoubtedly on this island. We have an example we can show." The camera shifted to a bound man that looked like he'd been drugged and was then tied up. He had a stupid smile on his face and his eyes showed no awareness in them. "The few of our team that had not been killed by Titans had been turned into them and they had all shown these exact symptoms before the final transformation. We think it won't be long."

And Eren felt the moment the shift took place, the moment Zeke, somewhere far enough away from the microphones' reach, screamed and activated his spinal fluid that the poor man had been infused with. The shift was gruesome to watch, not at all like how Titan Shifters transform as a body manifests around them from the nape outwards. No, the shift into a pure Titan made limbs and body parts bulge and expand and all but implode then explode into themselves, deforming the body as it grew in size.

Onyankopon had to rush away to empty his guts of all the delicious food they'd been indulging in for Heichou's birthday and Moblit had to look away. Hange-san forced themself to watch with Levi-heichou while Eren had to close his eyes as he grit his teeth lest he flew into a rage and fell into a trap this provocation was no doubt a part of. He could not stand the thought that Eldians were once again being used for someone's selfish purposes, that innocent people were being sentenced to death as Titans or by Titans even two thousand years after all that he'd sacrificed, all that he'd died for.

"As you can see, whatever it is on this island, we must find it and we must discover a way to control it," Erwin was saying and Eren was learning to hate the man. This was not Erwin-danchou, who'd done his best to keep him alive, who'd offered up his heart for the glory of humanity, who'd worn the Wings of Freedom on his back with pride. This was an impostor wearing the man's face and name. "The island seems to have some locals. We ran into one, but he refused to speak with us. We're unsure if the locals are doing this on purpose or if they are as helpless against this Coordinate's influences as we are. But we intend to catch him and interrogate him and deliver him to the proper authorities to be dealt with accordingly."

"What proper authorities? Even if there was more people on this island, no other sovereign country would have the right to put them on trial as they don't fucking belong to any other country," Levi-heichou hissed.

"This individual may be humanity's only hope to stop this Coordinate from turning humans into these monsters."

"Oh, I'm definitely going to kill him." How dare he go for the 'Humanity's Last Hope' card? How dare he besmirch what Eren had once represented, even if he'd turned out to be the greatest disappointment of all?! Eren didn't care what anyone said about him, about his actions, the names they called him. He would not, however, let anyone mock that moniker, because it connected him to the Survey Corps and their Wings of Freedom, to Levi-heichou, Humanity's Strongest Soldier. The Wings of Freedom had bound them like strings of fate. Eren will never understand it in full, but Levi-heichou was definitely his other half in some way or another.

And even if he wasn't, no one mocks Levi-heichou in front of Eren Jaeger and lives.

"Whatever form of civilization lives on this island has surrounded itself by fifty meter high walls that we can't get through. This individual is the only one we've seen outside this enclosed area and the only human presence so far on the island. He's our only chance to get some answers. In honor of Captain Levi and all our fallen comrades and companions," Erwin said as he saluted, though thankfully it wasn't the 'offer up your heart' salute or Eren would have Titans swarming that area and tearing everyone apart in a second. "We swear to fulfill this mission. Commander Erwin Smith, out."

The stream stopped there, but the comment section was still going wild. Then their connection to the internet went back to being shit. Levi-heichou glared at the phone before thrusting it into Hange-san's hands. "He played his cards pretty damn well, I'll give him that. The bastard's managed to make himself look like a reluctant but willing hero, killed me in the public eye and made Eren into a damn stereotypical villain."

"But doesn't the last bit seem a bit, I don't know, unrealistic? Too convenient?" Moblit asked, looking a bit green in the face but more collected than right after seeing the transformation take place.

"After people see someone turning into a Titan right before their eyes in a live broadcast, they'll believe just about anything. Fucking sheep."

"Levi, that's your own audience," Hange-san halfheartedly admonished and Levi-heichou scowled at them.

"That's why I'm saying that. I know them the best. Why do you think I was always so careful about the terminology I used when I reported? Why I never categorized anyone by race, religion, nationality or ideology? Why I never jumped to conclusions, why I never generalized, why I never pointed fingers even when I had damned good evidance that something was fucked up, that someone had fucked up or that something was going to be fucked up by someone? Because I knew my words could be a stigma, could shape people's views of a situation. My sarcastic comments and shit jokes gave me popularity and fans among the public. My ethic professionalism gave me admirers among reporters, politicians and peace keepers. It's why my channel is used far and wide for reliable news and information, Shitty Glasses. I was perfectly aware of what every word from my mouth could cause, how pictures could be interpreted based on the titles I gave them, how my narrative will affect the opinions of others, how it can cause dangerous biases. Because I knew how my fucking audience would react. Because they chose to trust me."

"You gave them plenty of reason to," Moblit countered. "You are a reliable source of information."

"But now my channel is being used to spread lies and a new, deadly propaganda," Levi-heichou snapped, glaring at his best friend's phone. "All my hard work to show people the truth, what's really happening in those fucking war zones and disaster zones, their legacy ... It's all been ruined! By Erwin fucking Smith!"

"You'll get it back," Eren said, placing a hand on his Heichou's shoulder, trying to calm him down and to instill security and certainty with his presence. "We'll make sure you get it all back. Farlan's and Isabel's legacy won't be tarnished and we won't let Erwin and Zeke destroy the possibility of a peaceful, free Paradis before we even began building it."

"What we need to figure out is how they got access to your channel," Hange-san said. "If it's simple hacking, or a backdoor you didn't know about, maybe we can access it from my phone and you can call out Erwin's bullshit with a live stream of your own."

"It's impossible," the former Special Operations Captain said with a shake of his head. "That channel was made by the military. It has the highest grade of security on the internet after government organizations, banks and big research centers the likes of NASA or some shit. And I mean this globally. Only I have the password to log in and only I know the right commands that allow for changes to be made. No one else-" He suddenly stops, brow furrowing more than Eren has ever seen it do before.

"What did I miss?" A queasy Onyankopon asks quietly as he walks back to their practically huddled up group. Eren takes pity on him and pours him some tea, to which the man nods his thanks.

"Levi?" Hange-san prompts.

Levi-heichou suddenly looks every bit murderous as he'd been just after his first encounter with the Beast Titan, sans the copious amounts of slowly evaporating Titan blood. "I'm going to kill them. Every single last one of them. I'm going to slice them up into unrecognizable pieces of flesh and bones so that not even DNA analysis will be able to identify them!"

"Whoa, what's got you so angry?" Onyankopon asks, looking a bit scared. Probably because he never saw Levi-heichou when he's truly mad.

"They have my kids."

"Your what?" Eren couldn't help but ask, because not once had Levi-heichou mentioned kids. Why didn't he say he had kids? Was he married? Then what was that moment they'd shared while trying to figure out why Levi-heichou has his old skills? The whole of today, when they'd spent hours chasing each other through Trost after Levi-heichou won two out of their three races, playfully tackling each other in the air and landing on their feet together, helping each other stand up if one of them stumbles? Was Eren imagining the way Levi-heichou's eyes sometimes lingered on him for no apparent reason? No, there's no way! That's too much to imagine ... Right? But still, why hadn't he mentioned having kids?

"You have kids?" Onyankopon, who was also hearing about this for the first time, asked.

"Since when?" Eren couldn't help but add, tone almost a whine at this point.

"Oh, it's just two adorable war orphans Levi saved on his last mission and decided to adopt since they didn't have any family trying to get them back and would have been put in the adoption system if he hadn't taken them in," Hange-san, bless them, was quick to explain. Eren felt himself relax almost instantly and he knew the archaeologist was giving him a knowing look, but he tried to ignore Levi-heichou's arched eyebrow even more. He didn't want to explain himself right now.

"Okay, but what do your kids have to do with this mess?" Onyankopon, thankfully, stirred them back on track, taking Levi-heichou's focus away from Eren.

"They've shown an interest in what I do and one of them wants to follow in my footsteps. I figured I'd show her how things worked so she actually does know how to operate my blog. However, she wouldn't just open it and allow others to use it as they see fit, even if they threatened her and the rest of our family." Levi-heichou suddenly got a contemplative look on his face. "She actually reminds me a bit of you, as in she'd rather risk her life trying to execute some stupid plan that might let her have the 'absolute win' than it is that she'd just submit. She seems to have the anger issues you do, to match." The last was very pointedly said with a very telling look from Heichou.

Suddenly, Eren felt a headache developing in his temple. "Would her name happen to be Gabi Braun?" He asked as he massaged the bridge of his nose in an attempt to lessen the tension and the pounding building in his head.

"I take it you know her?"

"She grew up in Liberio, Marley, and was all but brainwashed to fight against the 'Devils' of Paradis and me especially until just before the war broke out, but that's not important right now," he said to answer Moblit's question before turning his full focus on the only Ackerman present. "What is important is that Gabi is Reiner's cousin and that she's also rather easily manipulated. Also, her anger management may actually be worse than mine. Probably. Possibly. Or maybe not, but that's also not the point. The point is that she could have been tricked to hate me again because I supposedly killed or hurt Levi-heichou and she wants me destroyed so she's helping Zeke and the others. Am I to guess that the other orphan is a boy named Falco Grice?"

"Yup," Hange-san answered.

Eren sighed. "Falco's a good kid. And not too prone to outright manipulation to the point of hating someone just because someone else expects him to. But Falco goes where Gabi goes because he thinks he can stop her from doing something stupid. So if Gabi does indeed know how to access and use Heichou's blog and is on this island, chances are Falco is, too. And if my guess is correct, they're here to act as bait and leverage against Levi-heichou."

"Do you think Reiner is Gabi's cousin this time around, too?" Their resident bio-archaeologist asks, frowning.

"It doesn't matter if he is or isn't," Levi-heichou snapped. "He didn't come for her after she was rescued from the war zone. She's my family now. And there's no way I'd leave her with him, anyways. Clearly he's unstable."

"And bonkers," Hange-san added not so helpfully. "So, what's the plan? Obviously, we'll need to get the kids, no doubt about it. But I don't really understand why they're going this much out of their way to get at Levi."

"It's to get at me," Eren answered, feeling he should be truthful now that children's lives were at stake. Besides, it's not even just the two kids. Erwin's little broadcast has just put every Eldian on the planet in danger. Eren will have to work fast if he wants to prevent disaster from occurring and he'll definitely need Heichou's help. "If they get Levi-heichou, I wouldn't fight them."

"What? Why the hell not?!" Levi-heichou himself yells, rounding on Eren and glaring at him incredulously.

"My reasons are kind of my own."

"Not if they involve me, my friends and my family," hissed the man, walking closer and poking Eren in the chest. Eren had to fight the urge to massage the area. If he didn't have Titan healing powers, he'd probably have pretty dark bruises there. Shit, Heichou was pissed.

"If you haven't figured it out yet," Onyankopon suddenly said, drawing Levi-heichou's attention to him and beating Eren to the punch of telling Heichou himself. "Jaeger is infatuated with you and seems to have been for two thousand years."

"At the very least, you're the person he respects the most," Moblit added, making Levi-heichou's incredulous gaze return to Eren, who had to fight off a blush. He knew he was failing. "He did say himself that he regrets disappointing you the most."

"The hell?" Levi-heichou mumbled. "That's your reason? You wouldn't fight because of me? Even if it meant an end to all Eldians' freedom? The actual fuck, Eren!?"

Eren felt sudden rage surging through him that had nothing to do with his enemies once again just outside the Walls. He surged forward and grabbed one of Levi-heichou's wrists, tugging his arm over his shoulder while the other kept the shorter man's other arm behind his back, bringing them chest to chest and emphasizing their height difference, forcing Levi-heichou to crane his neck upwards to meet Eren's eyes. Levi-heichou could escape at any moment, Eren knew, but he needed to get his point across. With eyes glowing passionately and his anger (issues) controlling his actions, Eren actually dared all but scream in his Heichou's face.

"Do you think I can watch you die again!? That I can lose you again!? You're the only one who stayed completely true to yourself through reincarnation and two thousand years of time passing, no matter what! You're the only one who is left in this accursed world that understands me! That sees me for the monster that I am and still somehow also sees the human in me! You're the one who lost so much in your last life and yet you still somehow don't blame me or hate me for it once you learned about it! This isn't just your second chance at a relatively normal and less grief-filled life, it's also my chance to finally make you proud of me! It's my chance to prove myself to you! To give you real happiness and boundless freedom! This is my chance to actually tell you how I feel without fear of death hanging over both of our heads one way or another! I would not endanger you no matter what is at stake! The world and Ymir and humanity as a whole can go fuck themselves! I won't let you die! You're not obliged to offer up your heart for humanity anymore, Levi Ackerman! You're no longer burdened by the title of Humanity's Strongest Soldier! You can rest! You can live! Like hell am I going to let that be cut short!"

"Do you think I want to watch you die, you idiot!?" The shorter man startled everyone when he thundered back. "Eren, for fuck's sake, I don't remember my past life and I don't even know you all that well, but I feel the need to keep you safe and keep you close! I don't know how I feel, all I know is that I want to get to know you better! You can't just become someone I care about and then go die a few days later! If you won't fight for humanity, then for fuck's sake, fight for me! What makes you think they'd let me live even if you complied to any demands they make, anyway, hmm? They'll kill me as soon as they get what they want, because they know I won't be an accomplice in whatever fucked up plans they have beyond getting the Founding Titan from you! They'll kill me, my family, Hange, Moblit and even Onyankopon, because we'd be witnesses that could testify against them. And your sacrifice would be in vain. Everything you've ever done would be in vain! Then what? Is that what you want? We'd all die bound in chains! Where is the freedom in that? The freedom you fought for so fiercely you were ready to destroy the world for it!? Tell me, Eren, where is it!? Do you want to die a slave!?"

"Of course not!"

"Then," Levi-heichou said, wrenching the arm behind his back free from Eren's grasp and grabbing a hold of his shirt, bringing him down to the shorter man's level. "Tatakae!"

The Titan Shifter reared back in surprise, stunned, never having expected he'd hear the mantra that had kept him going through almost his whole life be shouted at him by his once commanding officer. But it shouldn't be surprising. Out of all of the Survey Corps, perhaps Levi-heichou was the only one who could understand an ambiguous goal such as freedom. Because, ultimately, even before he learned the truth of the world, of his people, of his powers, Eren had not fought for revenge. That was not why he wanted to eliminate all the Titans. He'd wanted freedom.

Levi-heichou had wanted freedom, too. Why else would he have stayed with the Survey Corps? Why else would he have fought so fiercely even after facing so many of his comrades' deaths? Why else would he wear the cloaks of the Survey Corps, with the Wings of Freedom so proudly etched on the back, flowing in the wind as if they were real, even after everyone else changed their uniforms? Why would he choose the old uniform now, instead of the new, slicker, perhaps more convenient one?

The answer was simple and obvious enough. Levi-heichou hadn't fought in the war because he wanted to fight in a war, because he wanted to eliminate an enemy. (Though he'd certainly taken great pleasure in hurting Zeke every chance he got.) Levi-heichou had fought for freedom. And out of the two uniforms, the one representing that ideal more was the crop leather jacket, white pants and a shirt, from the days when the Survey Corps had to fight for funding just so they could go out to die and fight for the humanity within the Walls. Levi-heichou had never changed his weapons, either. Levi-heichou wanted to end the war by fighting Titans, not fighting other humans. He'd been sick of that for a long time, ever since Kenny's death.

Eren was so glad Levi-heichou had never had to fight the Jaegerists directly.

He was also immensely glad that Levi-heichou had not changed, because Levi-heichou knew what his ultimate end goal was. And he needed Eren now. Just like Eren will need him to bring Paradis to life again.

So he took hold of the hand now clenching his shirt and wrapped his hand around the slightly smaller one. Giving it a firm squeeze and holding his Heichou's gaze, Eren had only one thing he could say.

"Tatakae."

Chapter Text

Gabi Braun was a simple girl, all things considered.

Despite spending a portion of her life in hell on earth that was any war zone, she wasn't as bad off as some people could be. Yes, she was an orphan. Yes, she'd been covered in grime, filth and blood 24/7 for a few weeks straight before they had enough water to at least wipe their faces of the dirt. Yes, she'd gone many days without food.

But she'd survived.

She had a friend.

She was saved from that hell.

By a man she'd come to respect more than anyone, for he had risked it all getting her and her friend, Falco Grice, out of that hell and had then fought for the rights to adopt them when no one else wanted them. He gave them more than a roof over their heads, food and clothes. He offered them his home and welcomed them with open arms. He gave them stability. He gave them comfort. He gave them warmth.

Levi Ackerman let them become a part of his small world and embraced them. And his friends and family did, too.

Gabi now had someone to show her all the intricate ways to do her hair or how to put on make-up if she's interested. Falco had plenty of people to answer his questions. There was always at least one person who knew an answer. Mrs Kuchel, Hange and Moblit spoiled them rotten and then Mr Levi would pretend he minded but he'd give them snacks or buy them things when no one was looking and pretend like it was a secret despite everyone knowing he was a softie. Gabi and Falco got to go to school, after Hange had spent several months catching them up to speed for all the things they'd missed since war broke out in their hometown. They had normal-kids chores around the house, even if Mr Levi was rather strict about cleanliness. Mrs Kuchel loved making them cookies or any meal they might desire.

Gabi had lost her family a long time ago, but Mr Levi had given her and Falco a chance to experience it all over again.

It was safe to say Falco and Gabi respected the man, maybe even loved him. He always made time for them. He never let them suffer in silence when panic attacks gripped them, when nightmares had them waking up screaming in their new beds. He took them places. He let them experience life as normal children should. He taught them skills he knew would be useful no matter what they do with their lives. And he taught them skills they wanted to learn that he didn't immediately think of. And he was good at practically everything, so it didn't take much for him to learn any new skill he hadn't known before he was confident he can teach them correctly.

Mr Levi was just awesome.

His mom, Mrs Kuchel, was awesome.

They'd even met his uncle, Mr Kenny, who was also kind of cool, if a bit creepy.

But Gabi loved them all. She and Falco had been so lucky that Mr Levi had wanted them, they often couldn't even comprehend how it was possible. She sometimes thought she was dreaming, but she would always wake up to something delicious smelling down in the kitchen and she'd see she was in her new room, would meet Falco as they went to take turns in the bathroom down the hall before going back to their rooms to get dressed. She'd be met with a smiling Mrs Kuchel as breakfast was served and Mr Levi would also already be there, grumbling about something he'd be reading in the papers or watching on TV but he'd always turn his attention to them once they came down. Mr Levi was pretty famous, so Gabi always felt honored when he set aside time for them. Sometimes, Hange would barge in, dragging Moblit behind them, and they'd have a huge family breakfast and Gabi and Falco would exchange glances as they counted their graces, because surely this was heaven.

After all that these people had done for them, Gabi would safely say that she was ready to die or kill for them.

So when one day, about two weeks since Mr Levi went on that scientific expedition with Hange, Gabi and Falco returned from school to some strange military men waiting for them outside of the house, saying Mr Levi was in danger or maybe even dead and they needed their help, Gabi didn't think twice before complying. They said they needed Mr Levi's special equipment because they needed to raise alertness to something dangerous on the island that had taken Mr Levi and several others. They needed Mr Levi's channel so people would believe them. They needed someone to operate it.

Falco had tried to stop Gabi from agreeing to everything they said, saying they should wait for Mrs Kuchel, but Gabi wasn't about to let the woman discover her only, beloved son was only maybe dead, when Mr Levi was strong and was probably kicking ass on that stupid island she regretted convincing him to go to. Gabi was set on going, so Falco had reluctantly followed after her.

One long helicopter ride later, they were on the weirdest island Gabi had ever seen and her nerves were all over the place, because there were huge trees and creepy soldiers and she didn't like how the story about Mr Levi's disappearance was spun, but the blond man in charge had explained that it needed to be done if they wanted more reinforcements to come as quickly as possible. It made sense. Gabi knew, sort of, what Mr Kenny did for a living, knew he had a military squad of his own of some kind. She knew he was protective of Mr Levi and that he would undoubtedly come after his nephew if he knew Mr Levi needed his help.

Falco was more skeptical about the whole deal and the group they were currently sharing a camp with. Gabi could understand, because they grew up in an environment where no one is sure who they can trust, but she also couldn't understand how he wasn't ready to do whatever it takes to make sure Mr Levi makes it back home safe. Even when they argued about it, Falco said that of course he wants Mr Levi back, but he didn't approve of Gabi's actions so far, which led them to giving each other the silent treatment.

Which led to the tension between them now, as the soldiers and the remaining scientists of the expedition led them towards where that accursed Titan had dared take Mr Levi. Gabi found Reiner, who shared her surname but it didn't seem they were actually related, and Zeke Fritz rather friendly. They kept trying to talk to her and Falco, but Falco shied away from Zeke as if he's carrying some infectious disease. He also refused to take any food or drink from anyone, instead forcing Gabi to look for berries and their own water when no one was paying attention. Mr Levi's lessons greatly helped in this endeavor but Gabi was not happy to turn down jerky and sandwiches. Or juice. For nearly a year, she's had such good food filling her belly every day that she's honestly forgotten what it was like to ration food or to go hungry for hours on end. When she complained to her friend, the blond said he'd rather eat dirt than trust these people not to poison them or something. It led to another argument and another mutual bout of silent treatment.

Still, Gabi had to agree with Falco that these people were rather suspicious. Especially that Erwin guy. And his sniff-you friend, Mike. Annie was distant, Bertolt was super shy, but Pieck and Yelena were friendly! That Floch guy was creepy, though. And while Zeke and Reiner were a bit weird, they weren't nearly as weird as that Nile Dok, who'd fetched them with his team. The priest was super weird. Why would a priest come with the military? But Priest Nick didn't look like he would harm a fly. He was so fidgety and jumped at the slightest noise.

Gabi didn't know the names of the other people, but she didn't really like them or dislike them either way.

"How long will we keep walking?" Falco broke the silence between them for the first time in almost two hours since their last argument. "Why are we even going with them? Doesn't Mr Levi always say that soldiers are meant to make sure civilians don't find themselves in the middle of a battlefield?"

Gabi rolled her eyes at her friend. "Don't be a wimp, Falco. We have to make sure they get Mr Levi back!"

"And just how are we, two kids, going to do that?"

Gabi glared at all the emphasized words Falco used. "Mr Levi taught us how to take care of ourselves. We just need to avoid the fight and track down where he was taken and rescue him ourselves!"

"And how do you plan to track a Titan?" Falco asked incredulously. "You saw those things!"

"You want to track Titans!?" Hissed the incredulous Priest Nick, staring at Gabi as if she were crazy. "You're insane!"

Gabi shrugged, saying the same thing her guardian did when someone dared accuse him of such. "Kamona."

00000

Gabi remained oblivious to how almost every adult present went stiff as a board, staring intently at her when she wasn't looking their way, but Falco wasn't.

Falco knew they shouldn't have followed these men to this island, no matter what danger Mr Levi might have been in. After all, they were just a liability to a man who knows how to survive better than most people know how to count.

He feared that Mr Levi would end up getting hurt because of them.

'Please stay away, Mr Levi.'

00000

Levi grit his teeth as he glared through the binoculars at the group as they marched towards Wall Maria and Shiganshina, the only route within the Walls that most of the group knew. He had been right. His goddamned kids were being held hostage. To be used as bait to lure him out so that they can use him against Eren.

'I knew my birthday was going to be shitty this year, but I didn't think it would be to this extent,' he thought to himself, honestly unable to comprehend how it had gone from him messing around with Eren and his friends until a few hours ago to this shitshow. 'Isn't Christmas supposed to be a day when miracles are possible? So why the hell can't I have one normal fucking birthday?'

It hadn't ever been as bad or as weird as this, but he'd truly never celebrated a single normal birthday in his life.

When he was five, Kenny had taken him to an underground fighting club to 'show him how real men fought', only Levi wasn't watching random strangers beat the shit out of each other. Nope, Kenny had been one of the fighters and he'd gone on almost the whole night until Levi's mother finally tracked them down, knocked her idiot brother out and kicked anyone who tried to get in her way as she carried her son out of that place in the nuts. Thankfully for Kenny's reputation, everyone had been too drunk to remember that his little sister had knocked out the Ripper.

When he was turning seven, his mother thought that maybe a birthday party would be a good idea, despite how they often struggled to make ends meet. She'd thought the guests would give him toys or clothes as presents so Levi could have a more or less normal year and especially a winter he won't spend shivering in school. Unfortunately, one of the guests managed to somehow set the whole place on fire when he knocked the cake with the burning candles over into a pile of confetti. Levi had spent the rest of that birthday learning how to put out a fire. The firemen that eventually had to come and take care of it were rather impressed with how calm he was and how well he followed instructions.

On his thirteenth birthday, Levi fought to keep his title as the undisputed champion for one of the many martial arts tournaments he'd been part of for years at that point. His sixteenth birthday was spent out in the field with his squad and the only gift he got that year was a rain of bullets. And his favorite knife, which he'd stolen from an idiot who thought he could stab one of his teammates to death, as if Levi would ever let that happen.

On his eighteenth birthday, Kenny actually had the gall to literally kidnap him from the barracks and drag him into a bar so he can get drunk. Turns out, Levi has an abnormally high alcohol tolerance and he ended up having to drag Kenny home and then cover his ass when the military tried to go after him for stealing their youngest and best operative. The rest of his birthdays up until now were spent in war zones, either as a soldier or as a war reporter, so maybe he shouldn't be surprised that this birthday would also be weird, especially if Hange was involved. However, this was a whole new level. It even topped the one when a weird freckled lady maybe a few years younger than him tried to drag him into what he thought was a sewer but ended up being an underground passage of some sorts when he was first visiting his uncle-in-law to see if Kenny really thought wrestling a shark was a good activity for them to 'bond' over. Kenny had won, of course, but he'd been restricted to bed rest for six months afterwards.

Really, Levi had thought his twentieth third birthday can't be topped.

Paradis proved him wrong.

And to think he'd had such fun this morning! For goodness sake! Hange and Moblit were getting married! He'd gotten to mess around with Eren, with races and competitions and buddy challenges and then he had to see that fucking broadcast! Seriously, fuck Smith! Fuck Fritz! Fuck them all! How dare they bring his family into this!? Children! And oh, if they have so much as touched a single hair on his mother's head, he will rip them to shreds!

"Are you sure you want to go through with this plan, Heichou?" Eren asked, bringing Levi out of his enraged thoughts, making the shorter man glance at the Titan Shifter. Intense green eyes over those weird Titan markings regarded him carefully. Eren had carried Levi and his friends all the way to Wall Maria in his Titan form as soon as they thought up a plan. It wasn't a simple or straightforward plan. It wasn't going to be easy to execute, as one mistake could have a domino effect and cost them the element of surprise. They needed to back their enemies into a corner, because even with the Titans at Eren's command, they were technically at a disadvantage, especially when it came to numbers.

Levi would have preferred it if his friends had stayed back or even gone even further into the interior within Wall Sina, but Hange and Moblit had refused to let him fight this alone and Onyankopon was still adamant that he owed Levi, which was ridiculous. Still, they didn't have much time to argue and Hange had thought up a pretty good plan, coordinating it with Levi and Eren with their military experience and, well, Eren's knowledge of just what kind of weaponry Paradis had to offer.

They had decided that they shouldn't let them get within the Walls. Eren wanted everything to remain as it was so that people could move in without having to worry about structural integrity or whether they have to build their own homes. Besides, as the first line of defense, Wall Maria was best equipped to defend itself in case of attack, as was done after Eren and his old comrades retook the Wall two thousand years ago. Levi had agreed that perhaps Shiganshina would be the best place for the inevitable fight to take place. Even if the Warriors and their allies did manage to break in, the enclosed space would work in Eren's, Levi's and their friends' advantage, not the other way around. Especially as Shiganshina has, apparently, changed a bit since these people last saw it. Especially the defenses. Eren wasn't going to allow his old hometown to be destroyed a second time, nor was he letting the Wall fall again.

Hange, Moblit and Onyankopon still didn't know how to fight above the average skill of an average person, so most of the fighting would have to fall on Levi and Eren, as the two preferred. They were the main targets, anyways, so if the Warriors and co focus on them, they won't go after the other three anytime soon. If worse comes to worst, they will have time to ride off to the other side of the Walls, or at least to reach Sina, where they can hide in the Underground since they'd already found the entrance. Kenny would be coming to find them within the next day, if they're lucky, or the day after at the latest. Until then, Eren had set up the cannons with Hange's help and they'd made it into a bastardized version of a modern consecutive firing system. Hange, with one pull of a lever, was going to make it rain. However, that system only works for two shots, so they'll have to be careful when they use it. In the meantime, Hange and her two new henchmen will be in charge of two canons rolled close together so they can back Eren and Levi up when the fighting starts.

Eren and Levi were both going to be using their 3DMG with extra tanks with gas strategically placed all over Shignashina for easy 'refill'. Eren wasn't going to turn into a Titan right off the bat. Instead, Levi will be the one to lure their enemies closer to the Wall, if they are wary to approach it at all. Eren was going to be in charge of the defense of the Wall while Levi's first priority was to get his damned kids out of those bastards' hands.

But before anything else, Levi wanted to do something that would truly back Smith and Fritz into a corner. For that, however, he needed his kids. Thank everything holy and unholy that he'd taught them proper espionage, because they were going to need it. Levi was going to need it.

"Not really. I just want them back in my arms or somewhere safe, but there's no guarantee of that until I can get them off Paradis. But I have faith in them."

Eren nodded and didn't say anything as he handed Levi the bow and arrow. The arrows were sleek, had almost nothing on them to cause air resistance and hopefully not much sound, either. Hopefully, these people were buffoons enough to underestimate children, even if they are Captain Levi's children. Hopefully, they would think he would coddle them. As if war orphans can ever be truly coddled. Either way, now was the perfect moment. Eren said the Beast Titan and the Attack Titan, which were Zeke's and Eren's respectively, have the best hearing, followed closely by the Jaw Titan, which was Mr Footballer-hairstyle's Titan, also known as Porco Galliard, apparently. Thankfully, Gabi and Falco didn't seem very fond of Galliard and the monkey-blond was busy with the eyebrows-blond and the mustache-blond. Fingers and Ivanova were off somewhere to the side as they all seemed to finally settle for the night. Tall and fidgety was trying to distract the musclebound-blond, who kept staring at his once-cousin. Zacharias and Forster were on guard duty with a fidgety new guy that Levi could only guess was the one who'd brought his kids to the island. A few other unremarkable soldiers were creating a perimeter a little further away from the main group.

And there was a guy who looked like a fucking priest sitting near the kids, but he looked like he didn't want to be there, either, so Levi figured he'd also been kidnapped. Priest-napped.

It was the perfect opportunity.

"Have you ever used a bow and arrow?" The Titan Shifter asked him as Levi tied a piece of paper to the arrow he was going to use. The shorter man shot him a deadpan look before he expertly nocked his arrow on the string of the bow and took general aim without looking.

"State champion at the age of twelve," he told him with a touch of pride he usually didn't indulge in, smirking at the impressed look that followed his statement. "I also hold the military record in sniping. Had to evade the sniping squad almost every damn day for three months before they finally accepted that I prefer rescue and protection over killing people."

"Rescue and protection?" Jaeger repeated, confused, and Levi realized that besides Hange and Moblit, no one knew the exact purpose of his old special operations squad.

"My squad and I were formed to protect and extract people from war and disaster zones. Our prerogative was to save and protect lives, not take them, though we often had to do that, anyway. Took us two years of training before we were first thrown out into the field out of necessity since some political big-shot was in deep shit. We were his best choice of survival, even if we hadn't finished our formal four year training plan. Since we were successful, they just sped it up until we were done just about eight months later. Our squad was desperately needed, especially if anyone hoped for peace talks to happen quicker. We didn't just escort politicians out of danger zones, though. We guarded people who had to work near or within them under special circumstances. Like if a civilian airplane crashed, we'd have to guard and guide the investigators in the active war zone until they had all that they needed. Or if an archaeological site was endangered by an expanding battlefield."

"That's how you met Hange-san, isn't it." It wasn't a question but Levi nodded anyway. "Wow. I didn't even know a squad like that existed."

The Ackerman shrugged before he turned back to carefully take aim and consider his timing. "No one did, not really. Only the people that could need our services and our higher ups. At least, that was the case until my squad was annihilated and I took over Church's and Magnolia's reporting mission. Everyone knew who I was, how I came to be in that position, what happened and why I was doing it. And as my 'fame' spread, so did my name and my squad's sacrifice couldn't be overlooked. They had to acknowledge our existence, to reveal it to the world, because I was becoming quite popular before I ever stepped off that first battlefield I reported from. It's still not common knowledge, but I don't hide it. Now shut up and let me do this."

Eren made a zipping motion over his mouth and Levi rolled his eyes before focusing on the task at hand. The second he saw an opening, he took it, firing the arrow with the ease of several years worth of practice. Levi didn't consider him the best archer around, but he was good enough to make this shot. As soon as he was sure the arrow had made it to its destination, he picked up the binoculars again and looked. "Did they get it?" Eren asked.

Levi met his gaze. His eyes looked almost like they were glowing in the dark of the night. The Moon was still mostly hidden, but more and more of it showed each night in a growing crescent. "They did."

00000

Falco, Gabi and Priest Nick nearly screamed to the high heavens when an arrow suddenly buried itself into the dirt right beside the boy's foot, but Falco surprised himself and his companions by reacting super fast and slamming his hands over both Gabi's and the priest's mouths. Thankfully, they got the message and Falco quickly retrieved the arrow when he noticed there was some paper attached to it, hiding both when Yelena looked over and noticed their startled expressions.

Gabi, thankfully, didn't seem to even think before she moved, shuddering and using her hands to rub her arms, making disgusted grimaces they'd usually see from Mr Levi when he found a giant dust bunny underneath one of their beads. "Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross! Why are centipedes so fucking gross and huge!?"

"Hey! Keep it down!" Floch hissed at them with a glare. "Do you want the Titans to find us!?"

Priest Nick looked about ready to faint.

"We're sorry!" Falco replied in a whisper-yell, which seemed to satisfy Floch. A glance towards Yelena showed that the tall, blond woman wasn't paying them any attention anymore.

"Give me the arrow," Priest Nick said in a hushed voice. "I'll throw it into the fire. You see what that note is." With that, the man took the proffered arrow and did as he'd said he'd do, staying by the fire in pretense of feeling chilly.

Falco and Gabi looked down at the note, opening it carefully and exchanging relieved glances when they recognized the handwriting immediately.

It was Mr Levi's!

Don't trust these people. I'm alive and well and safe. They are the ones who tried to kill me. I'll explain after I come to get you tomorrow. But I need you to do something for me: whatever signal amplifier they used for that broadcast, I need you to activate it in approximately one hour. If you understand, go to the fire and burn this note. I have visual, I will know.

-Levi

"Shut up," Gabi said as soon as they locked eyes again.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were going to say 'I told you so'."

"Well, I did-"

"Just shut up," Gabi repeated, taking the note from his hands and walking over to the fire to do as the note said. Thankfully, she gathered up some twigs and dry leaves as well before throwing them into the fire and huddling in front of it. Falco followed behind slowly, making it look like they were fighting again.

'I hope we can do what you need of us, Mr Levi.'

Chapter Text

When the time was right, they had Priest Nick create a distraction. Which actually wasn't all that hard, because a couple of smaller Titans suddenly wandered into the clearing they were camping at, not too far from the supposed walls where Mr Levi was being 'held hostage' or whatever. Priest Nick just screamed and everyone was focusing on the two Titans, giving Falco the perfect opportunity to find the signal amplifier, turn it on and hide it again under various equipment and things while Gabi kept a lookout.

By the time the Titans were killed by Porco's Titan, Gabi and Falco had found a hiding place to 'emerge' from and no one seemed to have noticed them doing anything. No one seemed suspicious. Not even Zeke and Erwin. And those two seemed to be the brains of this whole thing.

Hange's phone pinged the second they had received a signal, showing that there were dozens of missed calls from Kenny's and Kuchel's numbers, as well as texts from all sorts of people. Hange wordlessly handed the phone to Levi, who typed in a few things to access his 'normal', non-military related account before giving it to Onyankopon, who had said he was more than happy to act as cameraman since Levi, apparently, wanted Hange, Moblit and Eren in the frame with him as he made a counter-announcement. Levi's channel was his baby and he wasn't about to let Erwin go unpunished for what he'd done. And that's not even mentioning kidnapping his kids, breaking into his house and possibly injuring his mother. Then again, Kuchel was trying to make contact. Maybe she hadn't been home when they'd come for Gabi and Falco? Levi can only hope. His mother was of fragile health.

"Okay, ready when you are," the man said.

"You sure you don't want to be a part of this?" Hange asked and Onyankopon took a long, good look at the four of them before he shook his head with a smile.

"I would stick out like a sore thumb," he said in good humor, eyeing the green cloaks, white pants and leather jackets. "Jaeger stands out enough as it is."

The Titan Shifter shrugged as he adjusted his dark gray hooded cardigan. "I've spent too many years out of the uniform to get back into it now. Besides, we don't want them knowing you guys are working with me until the last moment. Element of surprise and all. Though they might doubt that at least Levi-heichou didn't find me a little bit redeemable."

"Why do you say that?" Moblit asked as he awkwardly tried to adjust his cloak. "And why are we even dressed like this?"

"A show of unity," Levi replied dryly.

"Well, because Levi-heichou doesn't believe in strict morals of 'right and wrong', but rather in making choices you'll regret the least. Sure, he never approved of the Rumbling, but that was because he considered life too precious. The morality of it never seemed to outright bother him."

"Damn, shorty, you're gangster!"

"Please never say that ever again, Shitty Glasses." Levi said before arranging Hange, Moblit and Eren where to stand. "Okay, Onyankopon. Start streaming. We'll have to keep this short and simple as we don't know if they're keeping tabs on the channel. Hopefully, this will also help Kenny's search. And will stop my mother from worrying."

"Do we say anything?" Moblit asked nervously and Levi shook his head.

"Not until the end and only if you want to."

The other man relaxed at that.

"And it can't be scientific nonsense or about the Titans."

Hange deflated and pouted in disappointment.

Onyankopon snorted. "Okay, we're starting in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ..."

Levi, by far already a veteran at this, wasted no time to start speaking. "Good evening or morning or afternoon to all my faithful viewers and listeners. My name is Levi Ackerman, former Captain of the Special Operations War Rescue Squad. As many of you had no doubt heard, I was declared dead by a man known as Commander Erwin Smith not twenty four hours ago, eaten or killed by something he called a Titan. Before you take out your conspiracy notebooks, I have to tell you that nearly everything you've heard in the last broadcast from this channel is false." There was already chaos in the comments, though most people were just happy to see his 'grumpy pretty face' again. He had the best fans. "I have indeed been involved in a scientific expedition on the newly discovered island and, unfortunately, the team has been nearly wiped out." Levi did his best not to show any change in his behavior as he stated his first half-lie in his photography-reporter career. "It was Commander Smith's and his select few comrade's fault. Only the people you see beside me, myself and another man behind the camera-"

Levi had to snort when Onyankopon actually turned the camera around enough to give a brief wave before turning it back to focus on Levi.

"-have survived and it was through sheer luck that I noticed in time and managed to get my friends out of danger's way. I know many are skeptical. I've seen the last video and I know it looks convincing, but that video isn't live. It's been edited." He was surprised by how easily lies spilled from his lips for the sake of keeping Paradis' secret. Eren's secret. "There are no such things as Titans nor some special 'Coordinate' or however they want to call it that can control them. There are only precious minerals and natural gasses that this group of Smith's wants to monopolize. The island is uninhabited, so there is no one to stop or report them. There are signs of long abandoned cities but there are no people, so they think they can help themselves to this island's resources. The only things living on this island are various wild animals, certainly no Titans. You are being deceived and I hate being, even indirectly, a part of it. I apologize."

Levi took a deep breath as he prepared himself for more half-truths and started talking again when Hange put their hand on his shoulder for support, knowing he hated doing this, hated lying like this. Eren and Moblit seemed to exchange a look behind them and Onyankopon was giving Levi an encouraging and understanding look from behind the phone.

"My equipment and channel have been compromised. I'm using my friend Hange's phone-"

"Hey, guys! Remember me?" They asked with a silly grin, waving at the camera, making Moblit facepalm and Eren chuckle at their antics while Onyankopon just shook his head and Levi rolled his eyes at his best friend's behavior. They definitely weren't a stranger to his channel after he left the military.

"-to make this last broadcast," Levi continued as though the archaeologist had never interrupted him. "The signal on this island is questionable at best, but I've managed to call reinforcements. This is also my appeal to any higher ups watching this to just hurry it the fuck up because I don't know how long me and my friends can keep ourselves hidden. From now on, if anything is posted on this channel by anyone other than me specifically, know that it is not true. I repeat, my channel has been compromised and anything posted on here that is not done by me personally as I am like this is not true in the least. I hope that this situation is resolved and that I will be able to post more one day soon. Until then, I hope you wish me luck in protecting my friends."

Not really knowing why he did it, Levi raised his left hand curled in a fist, turned upside down, and thumped it against his chest, right over his heart, while the other came to rest against his lower back. Unexpectedly, Hange, Moblit and Eren did it right away as well, almost in time with him. This felt nostalgic, but Levi knew he'd never done something like this before in his life. At least not in this one. 'An old memory, then.' He wasn't even surprised by that, to be honest.

"Don't let yourselves be fooled. A soldier always dedicates their heart for truth and freedom. I will not let these people get away with this, but I need your help. Fight in any way you can."

"Tatakae," Eren whispered behind Levi, but Levi had a feeling the word was loud enough to reach the phone's microphone. 'Did he realize what I'm planning with this?'

"Make the governments of the world send us aid. Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in."

"Shinzo wo Sasageyo!" Hange and Moblit suddenly exclaimed and Levi nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise. As he whips around to look at them incredulously, he notices Onyankopon has put the phone down.

"Hey, what are you doing? We're not done yet."

The geologist has the gal to just shrug. "I thought it a good place to cut off before we descend into some motivational speech nonsense. Plus, it has a good ring to it."

"What? No! I still-"

"It will be fine, grumpy pants!" Reassured Hange, managing to sound not at all reassuring, especially when they roughly patted Levi's back. "We got the message we wanted across. You're alive, Erwin isn't some self-sacrificing tormented hero and congratulations for your first live TV bullshitting. Though, I guess it's not really TV bullshitting?"

Moblit had to disagree, even if Hange had posed it as sort of a question seeking an answer. "Almost all of Levi's broadcasts end up on TV and one as big and shocking as this one will surely go viral on all media platforms, including television."

"Great, so the whole world will see me lie through my teeth." Not that anyone would know it was a lie. His story was more believable than Erwin's, at least. Even if Erwin's had almost as much, if not even more truth in it than his had, though manipulated in such a way for people to buy into his narrative of an unfortunate reluctant hero. "Where did you two even learn that? Shinzo wo Sasageyo. Did Eren teach you?"

The ancient brat shook his head, placing his hands up in surrender. "Don't look at me. I never try to make people remember. Our past was shit and I don't know how many traumas everyone has faced, but I definitely wouldn't wish those memories to be forced upon even my worst enemy. If they come, they come. But I would never force someone to remember."

"We found it in one of the old records," Moblit said to answer Levi's question. "It was weird to be able to read everything despite how strange and foreign the language is."

"So you guys are remembering more than I thought you would be after only a few days on Paradis," Eren mused, gazing in a strange way at Levi. "Have any of you had any strange dreams? That's usually the next stage."

Levi shrugged, not in the mood to be discussing this right now, but Moblit and Hange declined, as did Onyankopon, who seemed to have the least of his past experiences returning to him. "Can we focus on the important things now? Stage one of our plan is complete. My word weighs more than Smith's. This will not only ensure quicker reinforcements, but it will also weasel out all of Smith's loyalists if someone tries to sabotage our rescue team or if they try to send him reinforcements. This also backs him into quite the tight corner. My equipment and channel are military grade and under military protection, even if I haven't used it for more than landscape and cityscape photography for about a year now. Unauthorized use can go up to twenty years behind bars, or in his case, a court martial with a far worse sentence. And after all I've accused him of ..."

"He's cornered like a rat in a trap. And that makes him dangerous," said their resident bio-archaeologist. "They'll lash out."

"What do you think are the chances that they're following what's happening online as we speak?" Onyankopon asked but Eren was quick to reassure them that he was keeping them pretty busy with sporadic Titan attacks and sightings. They wouldn't have the time to check. And they'd need Gabi or Falco to open the channel again for them. Levi trusted those two to find a way to delay that from happening. Their own lives depended on it, too. The second those bastards realize Levi had managed to outsmart them, they will go after his kids to get him to hand himself over and submit himself to their questionable mercy, which will apparently compromise the big lug known as Eren Jaeger. The idiot. "So, what? We proceed as planned?"

Levi, Hange and Eren exchanged looks before the archaeologist nodded. "According to Eren, they'll be at the walls within an hour after they start moving from their current location. But I don't think they'll start moving tonight. Even if they know Titan activity is naturally reduced after sundown, Eren is controlling these Titans and has them active all the time."

"Titans aren't impaired by this bad lighting. They can rely completely on their noses to," here Eren wrinkled his own nose in distaste for the word he was about to say. "Hunt, which puts them at a disadvantage, even if they are stronger. No matter how alert they stay, some of those Abnormals are practically made for stealth. Moving around too much with their limited resources and the amount of people they have gathered in one place is too big of a risk."

"Therefore, we can expect them to start moving with first sunlight," Levi took over with the ease of someone who'd made military plans for nearly his whole life. And a good chunk of his past life, too, it seems. "Titans would still be slower and they'd have enough light to spot them immediately on approach. So we can expect them bright and early at Wall Maria tomorrow morning."

"Which is why I suggest we go to sleep now," Moblit interjected. "All of us," he said with a pointed glare at Levi and Eren, as if he knew that the two of them were planning to keep watch tonight. "There's no way they can launch a real sneak attack on us, so let's get plenty of rest now so we can all survive tomorrow's shitshow."

"Did you get into the vine again?" Levi asked suspiciously, eyeing his second oldest friend. Moblit had the nerve to roll his eyes. Levi glared at him. "Fine, fine. We'll all get enough rest. Now shut the fuck up and go to sleep." Moblit just snorted at him before he started trying to get Hange to go to sleep. Onyankopon handed Hange their phone and managed to settle in not fifteen minutes later. Levi was not pleased to find out the man snored. As if Hange wasn't bad enough. How Moblit slept with these two in the same room was a mystery, but he and Hange were also out like a light maybe about half an hour later.

Neither Levi nor Eren seemed capable of going to sleep.

"Want to take a walk with me?" Eren asked, extending a hand to Levi in offering to help him stand. The former Captain didn't really think much of it when he accepted it and then just ... let it be there as Eren guided them out onto the streets of Shiganshina. They had decided to take residence in an old church of some sort. Eren had said its patrons used to worship the Walls on the surface, but were actually a cult and an organization that had far more power and knowledge at their disposal than they had first thought. After the fake monarchy was overthrown and the true - fake - 'King of the Walls' was revealed and dealt with, no one bothered to care for or rebuild the buildings that had once been at the Wallists' disposal. Thus, the church in Shiganshina in particular looked very worn down, even if Ymir the Founder had rebuilt Paradis to its former glory with the last of her power. They chose it for its ancient, crumbling looks so Levi's 'truth' about the island being truly abandoned - which it both was and wasn't, but the heart of Paradis definitely didn't look as though only one man lived there, with how perfectly preserved and taken care of everything was - would be more believable.

The rest of Shiganshina looked like it probably had in its heydays, or when Eren had appreciated it the most. Eren didn't know by which criteria Ymir had chosen how to rebuild Paradis, he didn't even know how she had the power to do so when everything he'd known about her and Titan powers suggested she shouldn't be able to, but he was grateful his childhood home looked peaceful. Aside from the crystalized seal blocking the outer gates, that is. Levi couldn't help but appreciate the aesthetic of Paradis. It was such a weird mix of styles one would see in different time periods throughout European countries with influences that looked both eastern and western, Levi honestly loved it and wished he wasn't in such a shit situation so he could just take countless photographs of this place. Everything on Paradis was so unique and beautiful. It had character like nothing else Levi'd ever seen before and he'd traveled to a lot of different places all over the world. And yet everything was also so ... sad, somehow. Or at least it induced a feeling of sorrow when you looked at it. Levi guessed that was the impressions of his memories talking.

Shiganshina, in particular, had seen many sad, unlucky, tragic happenings. Nearly every decisive battle for Paradis happened right here and that seemed to be the case once more, two thousand years later.

"I think I know what you were doing in your broadcast," Eren said after a long stretch of silence where they just walked through the streets with seemingly no destination in mind. Well, Levi didn't have a destination. Eren, who was leading him around, probably did. "You went out on quite a limb, all but inviting Eldians to remember and to come back."

"You said that the Survey Corps was once the symbol of humanity within the Walls being free from the Titans, the oppressors, once more. You said I was a hero. You said even you were one, once. If they knew we remembered, that we were fighting again ..."

"You think they'll come back?" Eren asked with an arched eyebrow. "I wasn't just a hero. I was a monster. They feared me more than they relied on me. And they proved to be right, in the end, to fear me."

"Yet they're free today," Levi countered, returning the arched eyebrow. "Or they will be, soon enough. The real freedom our people deserved." He paused, studying the taller man. "Why do you hesitate?"

Eren frowned at him before looking away. "I don't."

"You do. Do you fear their reaction? I thought that all the important people have visited you over the years and that their reaction gave you some peace."

"Not all the important people," Eren admitted. "Your first squad, Hannes ... Until just a few days ago, you and Hange-san. And while you two seem to have forgiven me, or decided to deal with that later, after we're out of danger, we'll never know what your first squad would think of me and how I've dishonored their sacrifice. And Hannes was sort of like a second father to me. He always looked after me, Mikasa and Armin, especially after my mother's and then Armin's grandfather's deaths when we were all left as orphans. He couldn't be around all the time, but he made the time to make sure we were still alive and surviving. He died trying to save me. He never saw the monster I became."

Levi stared at Eren's profile in the moonlight for a long moment before jerking to a stop, making the Titan Shifter come to a halt, too. "I won't deny you're a monster, because you are and it has nothing to do with your abilities or even the things you've done. It's your conviction and willpower that make you monstrous, because no one can ever tame or cage you. Or at least that's the impression you've given me so far. I mean, just look at you. Not even death could hold you back from finding true freedom for your loved ones, for your people. Judging from what you've told us of the circumstances of your time, when you made the choices you did ... You're not evil, Eren. You're not a monster in that sense. And while the things you've done aren't moral by any standards, I don't think you had much of a choice. You saved your people. The price might have been something no one was truly willing to pay, but you did it. And you granted them their freedom, temporary as it had been. If they remember anything, they'll remember that. And if they don't remember anything, then they'll still have a home that will allow them to be what they are without fear of retribution, without oppression. Either way, Paradis will always be Paradis. Isn't that worth fighting for?"

Eren stayed quiet for a long moment before a sad but truly beautiful smile spread across his face, making him even more handsome than he usually looked. "You always did know just the right thing to say, Heichou. Though, I'm a little ashamed to say that I don't regret any of my actions besides disappointing the people closest to me. But I plan on making things right. I won't let anyone ruin what these Walls once represented, or the lands outside of them. It's funny how the humanity living in here once had a dream. We wanted to see the outside world, but the rest of the world hated us. Sure, the Eldians of the old might have done some terrible things, but all of those people were dead. People of Paradis were completely isolated from the rest of the world for a hundred years. Why did we deserve to die? Why were we continuously punished for being born, even after it was Paradis that saved the world? I won't let that happen a second time. I was born free. We all were. I won't let that freedom be taken from us, in any sense of the word."

"We won't," Levi corrected, squeezing Eren's hand that still held his own. The taller man returned it with a smile directed at Levi filled to the brim with affection that actually had Levi blushing a little. Levi didn't blush. Even his own mother rarely managed to cause him to do it. Kenny was a bit more skilled in that department, but that was because the man was genuinely embarrassing.

"Come on. I took you out here to show you something, not to talk about depressing shit," Eren said and started pulling on Levi's hand playfully, an almost childish twinkle in his eyes. Levi allowed himself to be pulled along, even when Eren broke into a sprint. He couldn't help but burst out a laugh when Eren nearly tripped over a raised cobblestone, which earned him a mock glare before the green eyed man turned his attention back ahead, laughing with him. They ran like that, laughing at nothing like lunatics, and it was so freeing to just relax like this that Levi almost forgot about the mini war looming over them. It felt just like how it had a few hours ago, when they played in Trost with the 3DMG, despite knowing what dangers lie beyond the Walls. Levi never wanted moments like this to end. He had never felt connected to a person like this. "We're here."

Levi looked up at the house in front of him. It didn't differ from any other house on the street or even in the whole of Shiganshina ... Except this one looked like it had seen some use. The shorter man shot his companion a confused look and Eren gave him this nostalgic, sad little smile as he led him in. It was definitely lived in. It was kept clean of dust, even though some had settled, probably over the last few days Eren was with them. It was a small, two story house. The kitchen, dining and living room were all one big space merged together. There were stairs leading to the second floor. Everything looked homey in that charming rural way that just made you relax. There were some wilting flowers in a vase on the dining table, so Levi confirmed that Eren had not been here in a little while. Still, it was clear what this house was.

"This is your home."

Eren nodded, leading him further in. "I grew up in this house. Well, what growing up I could do before Wall Maria fell. And I spend a lot of my time here. My mother loved this house and my father associated it with his own freedom. You're the only one besides Mikasa, who grew up here with me, who I've allowed to set foot in this house."

"Not even your own parents?" Levi asked, stunned and humbled by Eren's regard for him. And not even just him as his Levi-heichou, Humanity's Strongest Soldier, but also the person Levi is today.

"They didn't want to." He sounded guilty as he said that. "It's not even because of everything that happened. They just felt they didn't 'belong to my world' anymore. It hurt to hear, but I could understand. The fact they bothered to find each other and to search for me ... I guess I should be thankful for even that. But I can't deny I didn't mourn the fact that they didn't want to be a part of my life anymore. Maybe my father knew I would just end up watching them age and die, not being able to do anything for them? Life sucks, either way."

"That's definitely true."

Eren gave his hand a squeeze - either in thanks or just because he wanted to - before he finally stopped in front of a trap door on the floor. He crouched down and opened it. "Come on. I want to show you where it all began. And what that key used to open."

Intrigued, Levi just followed down the stairs and through the unlocked doors of the basement. It almost looked like an antique laboratory. Well, Grisha Jaeger had been a doctor, so maybe that wasn't too far off the mark. The shelves were a little more dusty than anything upstairs, but not to the point that it would be suffocating to breathe. He couldn't see anything in the room that would require a key to open it. But then Eren led him to the only work desk in the room and Levi saw that one of the drawers was locked. Wordlessly, he took off the key from around his neck and unlocked the drawer, Eren just watching him.

There were drawings and photographs inside. Levi couldn't believe that there used to be a civilization - or rather, civilizations - that were as advanced as the world he knew was just a hundred years ago, yet Paradis and Marley had existed two thousand years ago. This island never ceased to amaze and surprise him, though not all surprises were pleasant. The drawings and pictures, however, were a rather wonderful surprise. There were a lot of them. They were of people who knew personally and people he'd never met but had, apparently, known and cared about in his past life.

"This is us, the new Levi Squad," Eren said as he pointed at a charcoal drawing of the two of them and another six people that looked to be around drawing-Eren's age. One of them, a bright haired girl, however, wasn't dressed in the same uniform as the rest of them, even if she saluted just the same. She was dressed like royalty. "That's Queen Historia Reiss. The Survey Corps basically made her Queen after we discovered her true identity. Once upon a time, I would have needed her help to unleash the Founding Titan's powers. But now that Ymir made me the only Founding Titan, I don't need anyone's help anymore. She unnerved me, you know? She had this distaste for humanity that made me turn to Zeke for my plans instead. Not that I agreed with Zeke, either. It was a really messed up time."

"I can tell," he replied sarcastically but without bite. "I'm taking it this is Mikasa?" He pointed to a girl taller than himself but that had an almost scary resemblance to him, even if she seemed to have some almost-Japanese features to her face, too. Eren nodded and went through all the people in the picture one by one, reintroducing Levi with a squad that had fought by his side and under his command for nearly half a decade. Most of the drawings and photos consisted of them, Levi himself included. There were drawings of Hange that were apparently done by the Moblit of two thousand years ago. Levi was shocked to see some drawings of himself, Hange, Erwin Smith and Mike Zacharias being all friendly and comfortable together. He just couldn't imagine himself being friends with people like them. Zacharias, maybe. Smith? It just seemed impossible to him. There were drawings of Eren with his friends, there were a few of his parents and Levi realized these had to have been done by the man himself because there were a few of a very much grown Eren with them. He had a talented hand. "If you keep these in here," Levi found that he couldn't help but ask when he came upon the last drawing. It was of his past self flying through the sky with the 3DMG, his cloak flowing behind him almost like wings. Eren had even done the shading so one half of the cloak was darkened by an overhead shadow, while the other was in the light, making the charcoal drawing represent the Wings of Freedom spreading out behind Levi as though he were truly flying. "Then why was the key in that 'cave'?"

It's been bothering Levi for a while now. Eren says he uses the key Levi has been wearing around his neck for a few days now to lock and unlock practically everything on Paradis. So why was the literal key to everything outside the Walls and not, say, hanging around Eren's own neck?

"Quite frankly, I didn't want to pick it up," Eren admitted. "When I woke up alive again and inside of the Founding Titan, buried under a considerable amount of debris and sediment and saw that key, I was repulsed. It represented everything I used to be before entering this basement for the first time. My goals before it were noble, or at least considerably more so than after I found out the whole world was out to get my people for things our long dead ancestors have done. It felt like a disgrace to wear a key that used to symbolize humanity's hope of finally finding some answers that can help us end a war. It felt even more disgusting to wear it after it led to more war. I didn't expect anyone to find it, least of all you."

"Then why make it the key to every lock?"

Eren shrugged. "It was a shape I would never forget."

Levi arched an eyebrow, demanding more of an explanation.

Eren obliged by creating a key almost identical to the one Levi was now in possession of with his crystallization abilities. "It's much more convenient this way."

"Someone could have found it," Levi insisted, a bit annoyed by such a security risk.

"Not everyone is Levi Ackerman," countered the Titan Shifter with a grin. "Either way, I wanted to show you this. These were the people we used to fight for. Our comrades. Our found family. I know you don't remember them-"

"I'm glad you showed me," Levi interrupted, granting the ancient man a smile. "But we should really head to sleep now. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"Everything will go according to plan," reassured Eren even as they locked everything back into his drawer, this time underneath a false bottom to keep it hidden. "The days when we were one step behind our enemies are long gone."

"Then let's hope we deal with everything before my uncle arrives. He can deal with a lot of shit, but I don't think he'll like Titans."

Eren smirked, seeming to recall something. "Understatement of the century."

Chapter Text

"Levi-heichou, we're back!" A familiar voice called, a voice Levi knew he should recognize but couldn't put a face or name to it. "We brought lots and lots of meat for dinner! You're gonna love it!"

"Oi, potato girl, don't shout!" Another voice that he also was familiar with but didn't know from where shouted even louder than the girl's voice and Levi heard himself sigh. In front of him, Hange's eyes - eye - twinkled in amusement behind their new goggles, finding it funny how his young squad exasperated him to no end.

"Both of you are too loud," another female voice, this time considerably more quiet, retorted before a black haired girl with a red scarf walked into what Levi realized was a kitchen of sorts. It looked like an improvised military base. Or not improvised ... Just ... empty. The black haired girl resembled him a great deal and she was, rather impressively, carrying a huge boar with little to no effort on her part.

"Whoa, you really outdid yourself this time, Sasha," Hange complimented, gazing at the boar with hungry eyes.

"All the credit should go to Mikasa for hauling it all the way here," the male voice from before said before a tall teen with a long face came into the room, too, staring with lovesick eyes at Mikasa.

"Ah, yes. That reminds me of that one time Levi refused to leave his horse behind when she hurt her leg. I've never seen a single man carry a horse thrice his size and five times his weight from the forest of giant trees all the way to Trost all the while fighting the occasional Titan."

"Man, the Ackermans truly are amazing," commented a bald kid about Levi's height as he peeled potatoes by a big pot slowly heating up, ready to cook their lunch.

"Of course I wasn't going to leave her behind. Beatrice was my first horse. Fuck that monkey for what happened to her," grumbled Levi, surprising himself with the words falling from his mouth. He felt like an observer in his own body. Then he sneezed and a disgusted grimace formed on his face. Hange started cackling at his misery while the cadets - who were now veteran soldiers, but still so painfully young - all but shouted 'Bless you's, making Levi grit his teeth as his headache increased in intensity.

"Can you guys keep it down? Levi-heichou has a headache," a new, familiar voice that he immediately recognized said and Levi looked up when a cup of warm tea that smelled of honey was placed in front of him. Eren smiled at him, though Levi noted he looked ... tired wasn't quite the word. There was more to it than exhaustion. Still, the smile still reached his eyes, which settled something within Levi. Eren's smiles had been rarer these days, even more so the ones that reached his eyes. What happened and what they found out in Shiganshina had really done a number on them all, but Eren especially. "Here you go, Heichou. It's your favorite tea, but I added a bit of honey to help with the cold."

"Thank you, Eren. At least one of you brats has some sympathy."

"I still can't believe you caught Armin's cold," commented Hange almost gleefully as they gazed at the much worse for wear blond tucked into at least three different blankets and yet still shivering from head to toe. "You look like you're just exhausted, minus the slight fever you have. Armin looks like death warmed over."

"I'm really sorry for passing you my cold, Heichou," the new Colossal Titan said, ending it with a coughing fit that had everyone looking at him with pity but it's not like they could do anything. "Walls, if I keep feeling this cold, I'm transforming just so I can warm myself up a bit."

"Don't you dare," barked Levi. "You'll wipe out the entire town and I'll be saddled with the fucking paperwork to deal with all that collateral damage and shit."

"I love how you're worried about the paperwork and not the hundreds of lives that would be lost," commented Jean sarcastically but he shut up when Levi sent him a venomous glare. "I'm sure you two will feel better soon, sir!"

"But why did I catch a cold?" Whined Armin in the most uncharacteristic manner Levi had ever heard of the usually mature young man. "I run hotter than Eren and Eren's been immune to illnesses and poisons ever since he first turned into a Titan. Or maybe even ever since he got turned into a Titan. I've not seen him sick for years! So why did I get sick now?"

"You're unexpectedly whiny when you're sick," noted Sasha as she managed to sneak a boiled potato when Connie wasn't looking, but she received a slap on the wrist by Eren when she tried to take a loaf of the freshly baked bread, too.

"Yeah, take it like a man! Like Levi-heichou!" Connie exclaimed and Levi growled as his headache worsened.

"Alright, everyone out of the kitchen," the first of their Titan Shifters said, playing a hand on Levi's shoulder discreetly to indicate he did not mean him. As if Eren would ever dare boss him around. As if Levi would listen, anyways. "Armin, go sit by the fire or something with your honeyed milk. It will help with the sore throat and the chills. The rest of you, just because Heichou has to focus on getting himself better, it doesn't mean you can slack off in cleaning. You all know your stations. Hop to it! That includes you, Hange-san." Complaints immediately filled the air but everyone did as he said, even as they called him an ass-kisser. Levi just sighed in relief when he was left alone with the two boys on cooking duty. It kind of reminded him of how his old Squad would usher the rest of the Survey Corps to clean or train when Levi didn't sleep at all more than two nights in a row. He guessed their etic had rubbed off on Eren. It warmed his heart, to have at least a little part of his first Squad live on.

'Thanks, brat.'

00000

"Are you okay?" Levi found himself asking a still rather young Eren, though he was closer to the age and appearance he had in the present than in the first vision. Eren's hair had grown long enough for him to wear a small ponytail and he rarely wears anything aside from his formal uniform or his training clothes these days. He rarely smiled these days. He rarely talked. Needless to say, everyone was worried. Levi wasn't even surprised that Hange had nudged Levi to be the one to check on him. Clearly, his friends weren't getting through to him.

"What do you mean, Levi-heichou?" The taller, younger man asked as he cleaned his musket. Most of his gear was taken apart and cleaned, even if Eren hadn't used the 3DMG in at least a couple of months. He has been training in his Titan form more and more since the military reform that turned the Survey Corps from a regiment to a special operations squad. People had gotten a bit more comfortable around him in the past years and he had plenty of admirers but he seemed to be alone more often than not, avoiding even his closest friends. He was generally cold towards everyone as of late, but it was like no one noticed just because Eren would lift the corners of his lips in a weak attempt at a smile.

Levi could understand why Hange thought Eren might talk to him. The two of them had formed a bond they couldn't explain in just the first few weeks before that first disastrous expedition. They both carried their own share of guilt for the lives lost, for the deaths of Petra, Oulou, Gunther and Eld, as well as all the other Scouts. They both carried a huge responsibility and burden on their shoulders. They were Humanity's Strongest Soldier and Humanity's Last Hope, even if they knew now that there was a whole other world out there ready to exterminate them for sins not their own, but their predecessors'.

But Levi knew better than Hange. Eren was no longer the starry-eyed cadet that had gazed at Levi in awe and admiration. He knew Eren did not support the plans that were currently being discussed. He knew the Titan Shifter would refuse to go through with them. And he knew that Eren felt cornered. By them, by possible future orders, by the enemy, by his four years remaining to live, even by his friends who tried to understand but just couldn't.

Eren wouldn't open up to Levi. Not now and probably not ever again. The time for that had passed.

Eren was now haunted by his own demons and he won't invite Levi in on the hunt, because he doesn't want to hunt them down and destroy them. Eren was embracing them and all Levi could do was hope that they won't swallow everything that makes Eren the person he is.

"You just seem tired, is all," Levi replied with a shrug, looking away from the Titan Shifter. "Should I tell Hange to lay off with the experiments?"

"No, I don't mind them."

The Ackerman sighed and turned to leave. If Eren wasn't in a talkative mood, he won't share any of his thoughts. He's become more broody since they took back Wall Maria and, honestly, Levi doesn't blame the brat. Finding out everything they did, on top of learning that his life now had an expiration date, wasn't easy. Eren has been struggling to deal with it since those first few weeks after they came back from Maria, relying on his friends and being more open to them about his thoughts and problems, but in the last year or so, he's almost completely closed himself off to everyone but Historia and, occasionally, Levi. Levi didn't know if their first Titan Shifter and the Queen had an affair of some sorts going on, but if Historia can make the brat less gloomy for even just a second, he welcomes it.

"Well, if you're interested, I'm going to the cemetery in about an hour. I'll be by the gates." It wasn't an invitation, exactly, and yet it still was. Or perhaps a reminder, more like. After all, they both knew what day it was. It was a day neither of them would ever forget. Losing comrades is never easy, especially not ones ready to accept you to the best of their abilities even when all of their instincts screamed that you're dangerous. But their bond had been strong, even if it had been young. The teeth-shaped bruises on their left hands they'd died with was proof of that.

Having said his piece, Levi opened the door to Eren's room and made to leave, but stopped when he heard the other calling him.

"Levi-heichou." He looked over his shoulder, finding that, for the first time since he'd come to Eren's room, the young man was actually looking at him. Those pretty eyes were red from repressed tears and Levi wondered when this brat had stopped being a crybaby who cried in sadness and anger both. He wondered why seeing this evidence of emotion both soothed and disturbed something deep within Levi. "Thank you."

Levi faced forward when he replied. "They were your squad, too."

He's not sure, but he thinks he heard a strangled sob when he closed the door.

00000

Levi was used to those he cared about not having a proper funeral. It's the way of the Survey Corps and it had been the way of the Underground, too. He'd still attended his fair share of either proper or makeshift funerals that had shattered his heart more than he was willing to show.

He'd known, from the first day this batch of brats had been assigned to him, that he will attend at least one of their funerals. And after how his last team had met their end, Levi had sworn that, no matter what, he'll make sure his brats will get a proper farewell from this world, even if it's the last thing Levi ever does.

He thinks he's finally gone mental when he's relieved he managed to keep that promise to himself for Sasha Blouse. They brought her back, they let her depart with the respect a capable soldier and a wonderful person like her deserved. Levi didn't let himself ponder on 'what if's, because the war was not yet done and Levi couldn't afford to be drowned in his regrets just yet. He promised himself he will mourn all of his fallen comrades properly once the war was over, if he lived to see that day.

He did, thanks to one Eren fucking Jaeger.

It was funny, really. Levi hated that brat now more than he ever thought he could possibly hate someone who resembled a hidden part of Levi he'd never let either Hange or even Erwin see, the part that was ready to burn the world down for freedom, for his friends. It's even funnier that Levi didn't hate him for almost destroying the world.

No, Levi hated Eren Jaeger for making Levi attend another funeral.

Another one of his brats lost.

He'd thought he had already made his peace with Eren's loss the day the man had defected, ran to Marley and started a war all on his own.

Levi hadn't realized how wrong he was until he had to watch Mikasa and Armin bury Eren's severed head as tears streaked down their cheeks but they tried to smile because, finally, their beloved friend was free. Levi had been too exhausted to join in the mourning, though. He'd just sat stoically in his new wheelchair until everyone but Mikasa left as the night drew nearer. Onyankopon and Falco had offered to wheel him back down to the rebuilding Shiganshina, but Levi had stayed on that hill with Mikasa as she ran out of tears and just gazed at the small grave, the unmarked rock that signaled this was where Humanity's Last Hope was buried.

"He loved you, you know," Mikasa said after a long stretch of silence as the two last Ackermans just gazed down at the grave of the man that had dared ignite an inferno of hope for freedom in both their hearts. "I know he had feelings for me, but I also knew he had some for you, too."

"It was just hero worship," Levi replied, looking at his relative - they called each other cousin, even if they had no idea what their exact relation was; not that it mattered. They were the last Ackermans around. They'd checked. They'd had four long years to check - as she fiddled with that red scarf of her's. "It was you whom he loved."

Mikasa shook her head and looked up at Levi from where she was kneeling by the improvised headstone, stroking the unblemished surface. "He loved me in many different ways. As a friend, as a sister, as a potential lover. I was one of his reasons to fight, just like he was mine. He would wipe out the world for me and I would die to join him in death. Or I would have." It was good that Mikasa found the strength to live in a world without Eren, unlike how she'd always been ready to just let it all go in the past. Levi didn't think he'd be able to go to another of his brats' funeral. "But what Eren felt for you wasn't mere hero worship. He was always ready to die fighting Titans. But for you, he wanted to live, so you wouldn't have to carry another corpse back. For you, he wanted to push himself beyond his breaking point. For whatever connection or understanding you two had, Eren wanted to live. I think what broke him, eventually, is that no matter what he did, you'd have to outlive him, anyways, so he wanted to create a world in which you didn't need to ever carry back the corpse of your comrades ever again. He didn't care if you hated him, if he became a monster. He wanted you to be as free as Eren knew he himself could never be in life. You were always his association with the Wings of Freedom. Not the Survey Corps, not any of the Commanders and Squad Leaders that were there longer. You were his Wings of Freedom, you gave him hope to fight back. I guess I was always jealous of how only a single word of encouragement from you made him liven up as if he'd been given the world, how it gave him the strength to go up against anything that might come his way. I wish I understood sooner."

"Eren was a complex individual," Levi said, not sure he wanted to listen more to a confession Eren should be making, not his adopted sister slash potential lover. "We don't even know how all of this started. The Paths seem to work in a far more complex manner than we can understand. Hange would have probably known how to explain it. Regardless of the influence from other Titan Shifters, Eren himself has never been simple, nor easy to understand. He said he hated the Titans, yet he was just as repulsed by humanity. He wanted to save us but he was also ready to end us if we couldn't stop him. His goal was to free Eldians yet it was also to free the world, too, in his own way. He wanted peace but he went to war. Can we really be sure of what he's been feeling towards any one person, when I don't think even Eren himself knew? Did he even understand himself? How could we understand him if he didn't?"

"You did."

"I understood his rage, his drive, his force of will. I understood the way he chose to live: with no regrets. Because I taught him to. I saw the monster in those green eyes from the day we met and it wasn't his Titan."

"You saw it in a single day. I've known him nearly my whole life and I only saw that side of him in Marley."

"You're young," Levi said with a shrug. "You still have much to learn."

"And I have time now," Mikasa said, hanging her head and looking at the grave again. "Thanks to Eren."

Levi looked back at the fresh grave, settled underneath a tree Mikasa and Armin said Eren liked to nap under back before Shiganshina's fall, so peaceful and far away from other humans. "Yeah," he said quietly, imagining letters and numbers of the grave that will never be carved there. Eren Jaeger of the Survey Corps, Humanity's Last Hope, 835-854. "Thanks to Eren."

"Do you ... want a moment alone to say something? I know you said there were a lot of things you would've wanted to tell him."

Levi looks to his fellow Ackerman and shakes his head. The Eren he would have liked to talk to was not an unmarked tombstone. The Eren he would have liked to talk to died the second he and Zeke Jaeger entered the Paths.

Eren had always been so big on fighting things greater than himself, even things like fate.

Levi never understood why Eren didn't fight his own fate to change it.

"Stay safe, Mikasa," he said and turned his wheelchair around to make his way down the hill and back to Shiganshina.

He heard rustling behind him and then the familiar sound of a fist thumping against a chest.

The last time the two Ackermans saw each other, Mikasa saluted with the utmost respect to her Heichou for the last time.

A few years later, another Ackerman was born into the world.

Another few months later, it was the last Ackerman.

00000

Levi had always known his death, unlike his fame, wouldn't be a grand one. He'd known he would die in some dark corner, away from the eyes that always stared at him in awe, that scrutinized his every move. He'd known he wouldn't die on the battlefield. He'd known it wouldn't be a worthy opponent that would take him out. He'd known his death wouldn't be at the hands of a Titan.

He'd also known he would be the last one to die. It was his fate, it seemed, to watch those he cared about leave him one by one.

He'd gotten news about it from trusted sources. He was still Humanity's goddamned Strongest, he was still a war hero. People owed him their lives. They warned him. He spent all of a minute mourning them before he turned his efforts to chasing Gabi and Falco away, but the stubborn brats refused to budge. They refused to leave his side, even if it meant death. They would come for Falco regardless, anyway, so why run if they can fight? They chose their own death and it was as soldiers, brave and firm and foolishly loyal.

The day it happened, Levi didn't know Onyankopon's fate, but there were too many men that burst into their small home. Gabi and Falco fought valiantly. It wasn't enough.

Levi, with a last burst of strength that made him leave his wheelchair, managed to avenge them. He avenged as many of his squad as he could before his body gave out under him, from the strain of old and new injuries alike.

As Levi drifted towards death for the final time, he wondered if all of his comrades and friends will wait for him in the beyond.

And with that, Humanity's Strongest Soldier died with a bloodied blade in his hand.

Levi opened his eyes with a snap a second before a familiar hand could shake his shoulder to wake him. Eren didn't seem startled when he realized proximity alone had woken the shorter man. "It's half an hour before dawn," the Titan Shifter said and Levi could see light slowly spreading over the night sky in the far east.

"It's time," Levi said, feeling a bit disoriented if he was being honest with himself, but as he let Eren help him to his feet, his equilibrium slowly returned. Time and place never mattered. An approaching battle always cleared Levi's mind of any confusion.

"If you're going to eat, I suggest a light breakfast so you don't throw up. The 3DMG can be tricky like that."

Levi didn't say anything as they left the sleeping quarters they'd shared last night after sneaking back into the base so as not to wake the other three up. Said three were already fighting the urge to eat a full breakfast even though only Levi and Eren would be using the gear. But battle can be gruesome. Titan flesh doesn't give off a specific smell if it is burned or exploded, but they aren't fighting just Titans. There will be humans, too, and while Levi and Eren were unfortunately desensitized to all the ugly scents that come with war, Hange, Moblit and Onyankopon weren't. They didn't need anyone to start vomiting in the middle of a very precise, very crucial operation.

"Is everything set?"

"Everything is ready," Eren replied, but Levi could feel his intense stare boring into the side of his head. "Are you okay?"

Levi nearly snorted at that. The irony was not lost on him. "Never been better, considering I'm being thrown back into war against my wishes."

"A single battle," corrected the brunet. "We end this here, today." He was determined, sure. There was that familiar fire in his eyes that made them more green than all the other shades they could take depending on the lighting.

Levi felt his lips twitch. "I couldn't agree more."

Chapter Text

"It's quiet," Erwin said as their group finally approached the fifty meter Wall, separating them from Shiganshina and the world within.

"So?" Porco asked snappily, still not trusting of the former Scouts.

"It's never been this quiet since we've come to the island," Yelena elaborated with a roll of her eyes. "It's suspicious."

"It's lucky," insisted the Jaw Titan.

"It's uncharacteristic," countered Zeke. "Eren isn't one to wait and Levi isn't one to lure an enemy to him. He comes for them himself. A hunter stalking its prey."

Erwin and Mike don't comment on how Levi can definitely use more than one tactic, but they exchange looks that warned the other to be wary.

"Let's just get this over with," Annie said with an annoyed sigh.

Betolt took that as his cue and walked in front of their group. Reiner transformed first, standing in front of the Warriors, their captives and their allies to protect them from the blast of Bertolt's transformation, but before the Colossal Titan could transform, Pieck called everyone's attention to a figure standing on top of the Walls.

Zeke couldn't help but grin. "Levi! How nice to see you again! I'm guessing you saw our little broadcast? What do you think? Not bad, huh?"

The short man was too high up for any of them to make out his expression, but Erwin, Mike, Nile and even Yelena were familiar enough with him to register from his posture alone that the former Scout was pissed. Erwin took over before Zeke could anger him even more. Levi was alone, having taken the bait of the captured children. If they take Levi now, they might manage to even convince him to fight Eren with them. Unlikely, but Eren wasn't the only one who'd managed to form an unlikely bond of trust with the former Underground thug.

"Levi, please come down from there. We only wish to talk. I know everything seems to be very confusing-"

"Give me back my goddamned brats," Levi called down from the top of Wall Maria, demanding, cutting Erwin off. "I don't care about your fetishes and fantasies. I don't give a fuck about your shitty war. I don't give a fuck about shitty Titans and power plays and whatever else it is that gets you off. Give me back my goddamned kids and better pray that not a single hair is out of place on my mother's head, or else I will hunt you down and gut you like a pig, but I'll leave you alive long enough to feed you to one of these fucking ugly Titans." Levi paused. "Why the fuck do you have a fucking priest with you? No, you know what? Never fucking mind. Just give me back my kids and go back to your sick games and deranged strategies."

Erwin sighed, disappointed but not actually all that surprised. "Levi, please think this through. This is the last chance we'll give you to just hand yourself over. If you do, no one else gets hurt. We'll even get you and the children on the helicopter right away and send you back to the mainland. You can go and see that your mother is perfectly fine."

"Fuck you, Smith. Fuck you with a Titan dick, if they had one."

"You leave us no choice," Zeke called out before nodding at Bertolt. "Do it."

Reiner curled his Titan around the humans down on the ground as Bertolt but his hand and the familiar flash of yellow lightning overtook the scenery, steam billowing every which way as the Titan taller than the Wall manifested. Levi seems to have been blown off by the power of the transformation, but knowing him, he would recover before he's injured. Gabi, Falco, Priest Nick and some of the soldiers screamed in fright but Reiner protected them until Bertolt stood tall and steady. Then he stepped away and Zeke cleared his throat, making Erwin, Mike and Nile to eye him warily while Floch just stepped out of the way. When Zeke screamed, all of the reinforcement soldiers suddenly turned into Titans with grotesque and horrifying screams that cut off in seconds. Father Nick grabbed the children and tried to drag them away from the newly transformed Titans when they started reaching for them, but Zeke was quick to take control of them.

"Betolt, you can kick in the gates now!" Floch yelled up at the Titan and Betolt seemed to have heard him, as he approached the Wall and got into position, grabbing the top of the Wall with both hands and pulling back on of his legs-

Only to fail to jerk back when suddenly spikes of crystallization speared through his hand, then straight through his stomach, chest and thighs from the Wall, trapping him in place when hook-like endings manifested once he was speared through. Bertolt tried to free himself by releasing some steam in hopes of that the lack of flesh will make it easier to wiggle free, but a spire of spikes suddenly burst from in front of the gate and Bertolt looked down to find none other than Eren Jaeger, still in simply his human form, glaring up at him with dull yet furious eyes. The spikes from the spiral shredded more flesh from his Titan until Bertolt had to stop releasing steam if he wanted to maintain it and the sharp tip of the spiral buried itself into his Titan's skull from underneath the chin. Bertolt shouldn't be blamed for the startled, scared scream he released, as one of the smaller spikes near the top of the spiral nearly shredded his human torso as it embedded itself into his Titan's skull.

"What the-!"

Before Porco could finish his exclamation, cannons suddenly zoomed in from either side of the Colossal Titan up on the Wall, releasing a volley of cannonballs into the skull and neck, causing more damage as Hange whooped when the cannons rolled back to a safe distance.

Then, like an avenging angel, Levi Ackerman himself flew back into the picture from where he'd hid behind the edge of the Wall when Bertolt started transforming, his cloak fluttering behind him like wings as he released a hook towards the towering Titan. Bertolt immediately decided to sacrifice his Titan form's integrity rather than to let Levi cut him out of it, releasing more steam in hopes of pushing the man away.

But Eren had told them all about the tactics the Warriors might use and Levi and Hange had managed to cobble up weights for the gear's hooks, thus allowing them to keep sailing towards their target as long as Bertolt didn't go full steam ahead (no one had appreciated Hange's untimely joke when they'd said it) when trying to repel Levi. This, causing as much damage to Bertolt's Titan form before Levi attempted this maneuver.

It worked. The anchors hooked into the remaining flesh on the Colossal Titan's skill and Levi used his momentum to fly over it and then swing down towards the nape. When Bertolt decided to abandon ship and tried all but frying Levi with his hot steam, Eren erected another spiral of spikes through both of his legs from below, distracting Bertolt just long enough for Levi to do his thing.

The Colossal Titan was already mostly a skeleton when it slumped against the Wall as Levi nonchalantly threw an armless, legless Bertolt to the ground, he himself making his way back to the top of Wall Maria.

"What the hell is going on!?" Demanded Porco just as a two meter Titan suddenly emerged from the forest and snatched the three captive civilians from right under Yelena's nose, running towards the Gate where Eren was still waiting. Porco immediately bit his lip and transformed, rushing after the small Titan in order to get the children. Eren answered him by also transforming, meeting him halfway just as he was about to snatch the Titan by the nape. Eren wrestled Porco to the ground, allowing the two meter Titan to get to the Gate. It released the children and just stood there, since it could not go through the small opening Eren had made in the sealed off Gate to get inside Shiganshina.

"Gabi! Falco!"

"Moblit!"

"Through here, quickly!" Moblit, who had volunteered to get the children, called as he half crawled through the opening. Falco and Gabi didn't hesitate to obey, trusting Moblit with their lives as they knew he was their guardian's close friend. Pieck saw this and transformed, rushing towards the Gate before both children could crawl through, only to be thrown backwards by a cannonball!

"Sorry not sorry, honey! But no one messes with my hubby and my honorary niece and nephew!" Hange called from above as they fired off more rounds from the canon, making the Cart Titan dart away. Seeing this, the Armored Titan rushed to Pieck's aid and Hange cursed when the cannon did nothing against his armor. "Levi!"

"On it!"

Meanwhile, Onyankopon was trying to shoot down Annie, who was carrying Yelena and Floch around as they tried to take aim up at the top of the Walls, only the quickly ascending sun was making it hard. Zeke was yet to transform while Mike and Erwin tried to approach the opening in the Gate as a less conspicuous option.

"Watch Smith and Zachairas!" Onyankopon called from where he was refilling his cannon.

Eren's head snapped up from where he was ripping Porco's jaw apart and snarled at the former Survey Corps higher ups. More Titans emerged from the forest just as Zeke's Titans tried to sneak up on Eren. Some engaged the enemy Titans, some tried to chase after Levi when he aimed his approach from above towards Reiner, some rushed to protect the Gate while Priest Nick was crawling through after Falco and some crossed Erwin's and Mike's path. Hange covered the Gate as best as they could until Moblit called up to them that everyone was through. Eren heard that, too, and immediately sealed the Gate completely. None of them wanted one of the humans to crawl through and cause trouble from the inside. Not that any of them could lift the gate by themselves, even if it wasn't sealed front to back with crystallization. Still, ordinary humans, even if they were Eldians and even the Ackermans, were still vulnerable to guns. And their enemies had quite a bit of them.

"Keep watch of Levi!" Erwin called to Mike as they tried to outrun the Titans. A lot of things were happening all at once, so even Titans specifically instructed to go after them would be delayed or misled by other Titans.

Reiner managed to smash through his horde of Titans and he and Pieck tried to team up on Eren as he was seconds away from ripping the Jaw Titan's whole skull apart, but Levi finally gets to the scene, just in time to slash at the exposed joints at the back of his knees, making the Armored Titan tumble to the ground. Levi didn't stop there. With all the speed Humanity's Strongest Soldier was famous and infamous for, Levi traveled upwards and sliced at every crack in Reiner's armor, including the leg-hip joints, the insides of his arms and above the shoulder blades. The nape was heavily armored, but the rest of the neck was actually rather exposed. Levi flipped his swords to a normal, standard grip and didn't hesitate as he plunged his swords through the Armor Titan's neck. From within, Reiner gurgles as one of Levi's swords pierces his side, cutting into his liver in the most painful way. Hearing that something was reacting from within, Levi twisted that sword as far as he could but had to abandon it when the Female Titan came to assist Reiner, swiping at Levi. The man dodged and zipped himself back halfway up the Wall, drawing out a new set of blades as he eyed the blond Titan.

"Annie!" Bertolt calling to his ally brought Levi's attention to where the tall, dark haired man stumbled out of some bushes, his arms still not back to their full health, but his legs were healed. "Throw me over the Wall!" Leonhart didn't hesitate, snatching him up and throwing him clean over the Wall.

"Shit," Levi cursed as he watched Hoover sail over the Wall and into Shiganshina. "Hange, Onyankopon, take cover!" The two immediately abandoned the cannons, clinging to the rails that helped roll them across the Walls and lying flat against the floor. "Eren!" Levi turned his attention to the brunet Titan. Those green eyes immediately snapped up to him. "We've got incoming from within."

Eren snarled and threw the Cart Titan, as well as all the normal Titans off of him, but when he made a move to possibly climb over the Walls, two simultaneous transformations took place. Eren immediately changed course and shielded Levi from any shockwaves as he was still clinging to the Wall when a seventeen meters, monkey-like Titan rose mere meters away from Wall Maria. On the other side of the Wall, Levi could hear whole buildings being crushed, set on fire or outright ripped from their foundations as though a miniature nuke was dropped and he grit his teeth. Eren had been so adamant that no damage was done to anything, especially Shiganshina. If Eren's childhood home was destroyed, Levi's gonna kill a bitch.

"Long time no see, little brother," a voice boomed and Eren cautiously moved and turned around in such a way that he kept himself as a shield for Levi against the Beast Titan, even as Zeke towered over him. Zeke's voice sounded a bit deeper and echoing like this. Levi found it a bit disturbing. "What's with that glare? Aren't you going to give me a hug?"

Eren, his Titan not built for speech, gave a rather frightening sounding growl. Levi, knowing this won't end any time soon, discreetly swung himself until he could grab hold of Eren's hair, which he used to climb up to his nape and hide himself in his long, thick hair. Eren didn't so much as twitch, perhaps trusting Levi a bit too much with such a vulnerable spot. But Levi had earned that trust, just like Eren has earned his.

"Don't be like that. Don't act all high and mighty, now. Neither of us are innocent in this war, Eren. And at least this time I'm trying to actually fulfill our father's and my mother's wish to rebuild the strong Eldian Empire that has once ruled the world. We need the Titans to make that happen, considering we have no other significant military prowess at hand."

I will not let you use Eldians as weapons, snarled a voice in his head and Levi flinched. He realized, as he looked discretely around, that it hadn't been only him. Eren can't speak physically, so he was using the Paths to communicate. 'Ingenious, but he could have told us he could pull shit like this out of his ass.' I have not sacrificed my all, destroyed my own soul and morals, let myself become a monster to free my people only for little shits like you to come and try to enslave my people again by turning them into weapons! I hold no true attachment to you, Zeke. I hardly consider us brothers. Your plans always clashed with my own. You hurt the people I loved. There are plenty of reasons for me to tear you apart right here and now, but attempting to destroy Paradis before I can even build it up into what it's meant to be in this day and age? I'll kill you for that alone.

"You always seem to think you are in the right, little brother," Zeke said with a put-upon sigh that made Levi's hands twitch around the grips of his blades. "Look, our plans may have drastically differed in the past, but I now want the same thing as you. I want our people to be free of outside oppression. Can't you see that, in this day and age, we have no choice but to fight if we want our freedom?"

You revealed the Eldians' greatest secret, the one that makes us a threat to anyone human, Eldian or Titan Shifter or not. Excuse me for not trusting your intentions, brother, but you've not given me reason to since you've come here. The fact that you went after Levi-heichou alone is enough to make you my enemy.

"You can't be serious?" Eren didn't say anything. The Beast Titan laughed condescendingly. "Little brother, surely the fate of all Eldians is more important than your little crush!'

I'll burn the world for any one of my precious people, Eren replied and Levi grit his jaw, knowing this to be true. But even if you hadn't endangered Levi-heichou or Hange-san or anyone else from my past, I still would have been your enemy today, Zeke. You and I still fundamentally differ in our approach to both freedom and the salvation of Eldians. The first time around, you wanted to slowly erase the Eldian race so that there could be no more Titans left in the world. Today, you want to use anyone of Eldian descent as weapons in a war we don't need to wage at all because we were a secret until you and your idiot friends decided to reveal our most deadly secret to the world. I want Paradis to be the country where Eldians can be themselves. I don't want war. I'll wage it if I have no other choice in order to keep my people safe, but I will never again be the one to start it. I've had enough of watching my comrades die.

"Well, isn't that just noble," Zeke mocked. Levi shifted, wanting to spring up and attack the monkey looking Titan, but the way Eren twitched his muscles kept the short man still. The battle had quieted outside the veil of brunette hair hiding Levi from view. Hange and Onyankopon were hiding behind their, miraculously not toppled over or blown away cannons, staring at the towering Colossal Titan that slowly marched through Shiganshina towards the Wall, intent on taking hostages or just destroying his enemies. Moblit and Priest Nick had Gabi and Falco hiding within the Gate, since the space between the outer and inner sides was made like a thick web from crystallization, allowing the kids to stay hidden inside while the adults were hiding behind the nearest set of barrels and crates for canon amo. Erwin had taken cover with Pieck, while Mike had met up with the Female Titan, Flock and Yelena. "Regardless, I don't know what your goal is, Eren, but you can't achieve it on your own. Are you forgetting how the Founding Titan works? Though I admit that I am surprised that you were reborn with the Founding Titan, considering there are definitely descendants of the Royal Bloodline in the world."

"Don't tell him you've been alive for two thousand years," Levi rushed out as soon as those words registered in his head. He can literally feel Eren pause, those shoulder and neck muscles twitching to indicate he'd heard the other man but that he didn't understand the reason behind that order. "I don't think he realizes you have more power than they originally accounted for. I think they're expecting you to be the same as two thousand years ago, when you needed Zeke or Historia to access all of your powers."

They're going to find out they're wrong, anyway, Eren sent to his mind and judging from how no one else was reacting, Levi could only guess that Eren could signal out who he was telepathically communicating with. I have to unleash at least a couple of the Titans from the Walls to fight Bertolt. We don't have any other choice.

"What about those Thunderspears?" The short man asked and Eren tensed. "I can handle them, Eren."

You nearly lost your life to them the first time around.

"Yes, well, I'm not going to stick close to the explosion this time. I'm not focused merely on killing one person, as my past self was." Eren was still hesitating and Levi growled. "Don't you trust me?"

I wish I can't trust you on this, but I do. Damn me, but I do.

"Then trust me when I say I have every intention of helping you repopulate Paradis into a real paradise on Earth. I can do this just fine, you shitty brat. I'm not suicidal. I have a family and friends to go back to and I already said I wanted to help you with our people."

You'll have to get extremely close to land any of the Thunderspears on the Colossal Titan. We've tried this in the past, but when he releases steam, even the Thunderspears' thrust power can't get them to reach.

"I don't need them to sink into the skin," Levi said, a plan already formulating in his brain. "I do, however, need a distraction."

Take any and all Titans within Shiganshina. They can't do much, but they can still slow him down and maybe even rip up his calf muscles. Just ... He pauses and Levi wonders what has him so rattled. Just be careful, Levi-heichou. Please.

"I promise." The man understands perfectly. He knows what those Thunderspears had done to him the last time. But he has too much to lose this time to let himself get so reckless or fall for such a desperate tunnel vision of revenge and rage.

But they can't use Eren's full abilities unless it's absolutely necessary. The word is out, now. The whole world has seen Levi, Hange, Moblit and Eren bloody Jaeger, but only a certain number of people will understand the significance of their words, of their presence on Paradis Island. And nearly all those people will be cautious and terrified at the idea of Eren still being around and kicking. If they knew he now had unlimited access to the powers he'd once needed another to control, then their plan to have people come back to Paradis will fail and all hopes of rebuilding Paradis as a paradise for Eldians will be lost. They have to win this fight without Eren revealing how dangerous he is, to prevent fear from spreading and stopping people from coming to get their own freedom.

Levi Ackerman swore he will do his part to ensure this fight ends without revealing Eren's secret. He will offer up his very own beating heart, even if that might just break Eren himself in the process, because he knows Eren will push on forward and his friends and family will, ultimately, understand. They've been prepared for the battlefield to take Levi since day one. They'll mourn, but they will understand.

"Now, tell me where you keep the Thunderspears."

Chapter Text

"On my mark, start a fight," Levi said after they had agreed on a simple plan. The monkey-like Titan still wasn't aware of the fact that Levi was hiding in Eren's hair, which could potentially give Levi the chance to climb up the Wall unnoticed once Eren rushes at his once half-brother. The difference in size won't give Zeke too much of an advantage over the Attack Titan, because Eren also has the powers of all other Titans, too, most importantly including the War Hammer Titan. Just with that power, if it's used wisely, Eren can overpower nearly every enemy. And while Eren is busy with the monkey and the other Warriors, Levi has to go back into Shiganshina to deal with the Colossal Titan before it can possibly endanger any of his friends or his kids. Levi's not sure if they'll be able to stage another rescue if someone's taken hostage again. He's also not sure what he'll do if one of them gets killed on his watch.

Ready when you are, Heichou, responded Eren in his head, which was still weird but Levi had too many things to focus on so he ignored the telepathy for now. Remember, I'm keeping an eye on you. And the others. The second it looks like it's going to shit, I'm releasing a few Titans from the Walls to deal with Bertolt.

"You've got yourself a deal." Levi didn't mind the contingency plan one bit. He knew just how chaotic a battlefield can get. No strategy is perfect. Plans almost never go the way you want them. It's always best to have a backup one ready. And if, for even a second, the first plan starts endangering people's lives, Levi is more than happy to shift gears. He just knows he needs to get Hange, Moblit, Onyankopon, Gabi, Falco and that priest somewhere underground so that they don't get crushed by debris or wandering feet or, worst of all, so that they don't burn to a crisp. Colossal Titans run really hot. Hange had died because of it in their last life. Levi didn't want to see that this time around.

Eren gave the most minute of nods his Titan form could manage before he went back to bantering and bickering bitterly with Zeke while Levi prepared his gear. He'll have to stop on the way to refill his gas tanks again. He'd spent more gas than he thought he would against the Colossal Titan and then the Armored Titan had just been the cherry on the cake. If he didn't want to run out of gas in a crucial moment, he'll have to take a new, full one before he starts this crazy task he'd assigned himself.

"Okay, I'm ready."

Almost immediately, Eren went for the proverbial jaguar, to provoke Zeke to focus only on him when they started fighting. Give it a rest, Zeke. We both know you don't know anything about freedom. The most free you've ever been was the second Levi-heichou severed your head from your shoulders and even that wasn't something to brag about. We also both know that you don't give a shit about your parents, or else you would have never turned them in to the Marleyans. You don't give a shit about anyone but yourself, as you proved to be correct when you screwed everyone over. So don't talk to me about freedom or the greatness of Eldia. You, Zeke, are nothing but a hypocrite and a slave.

"Okay, maybe that worked a bit too well," Levi said sarcastically when, suddenly, crushed rocks flew at them like projectiles, shattering against the Wall and making dust and debris fly everywhere.

That's the plan. I'm going to rush him. Go, now!

But Levi didn't get the chance, because Zeke abandoned his usual long-distance tactic to tackle his once younger brother, slamming Eren against the Wall. Eren caught the fist the Beast Titan aimed at his head but couldn't react fast enough to prevent the other hand from grabbing him by the head and pulling on it like he was a fucking Barbie that Fritz wanted to pop the head off of like a baby. Eren gave a pained grunt and Levi didn't hesitate, flying from his hiding spot and letting his blades sink right into the Beast Titan's hairy arm. The cut off appendage let go of the Attack Titan and the giant monkey tried to fling himself away from Levi, but Levi was already spinning like a fucking fidget spinner with razors, slicing up and up Zeke's arm until he reached the shoulder. Even from there, he could see that Zeke had used crystallization to protect his nape, but Levi didn't need the back of the neck to impale a Titan Shifter where it hurts the most.

When Zeke went to swat at him with his one remaining arm, Eren grabbed it with a snarl and proceeded to break it, giving Levi the opportunity to first take out Zeke's eyes so he wouldn't try to chomp on Levi when he goes lower and starts slicing at the front of the neck. Zeke's neck is thicker and bigger than the Female Titan's, so Levi has more work to do. He works faster than crystallization once Zeke realizes what his aim is, but Levi still has to abandon the endeavor when the Female Titan enters the mix. Levi leaps away from the fight while Eren throws a temporarily indisposed Zeke to the ground, meeting the Female Titan's high kick with defensively raised forearms, both of them using crystallization in an attempt to cause the most damage.

Levi leaves Eren to it, knowing the Titan Shifter is experienced beyond words in brawls like this, but he still casts a nervous look back. Eren is outnumbered. The Armored Titan is still, technically, in play, already slowly recovering as the muscles stitch back together. He'll be able to move soon. The same could be said for the Jaw Titan as it's trying to heal its jaw so it's worth something in a fight.

Just as Levi reaches the top of the Wall, the Cart Titan emerges from the woods and Levi feels his blood freeze as he realizes it's being used as a living tank. "Eren, watch the fuck out!"

The first volley of attacks, unfortunately, lands and Levi watches with horrified eyes as half of Eren's right leg is blown away, making the Titan stagger. Leonhart takes the opening and attempts a roundhouse kick, but one of Eren's 'servant' Titans jumps on her, taking a huge chomp out of her shoulder and ripping the flesh out, causing the Female Titan to shriek. This gives Eren the chance to swipe the Female Titan's feet from under her before he's materializing a big sword out of crystallization and using it to meet Reiner's gorilla-like attack from above. When the Jaw Titan springs froward, recovered enough to at least use its claws for battle to outright slice Eren's already injured leg off, Levi prepares to go down there and help, fuck secrets and everything, but instead finds himself barreled into from the side.

By the ever-loving-fucking-huge Mike Zacharias.

The man has apparently either climbed Bertolt's first corpse like a ladder or has been tossed up or something by the Female Titan while Levi was hiding in Eren's hair, but how he got to the top of the Wall isn't important. What is important is that he's found one of the spare swords and 3DMG equipment Levi had left on the Wall in case he needs a quick fix and was using the grip and swords to try and impale Levi like a shish kebab with them, face contorted in a strange grimace of effort, excitement that can only be from the adrenaline high and sorrow.

Levi recovers quickly, twisting around and allowing himself to hit the floor before he flips over his head and lands on his feet, his swords poised perfectly to meet and deflect the first barrage of attacks the tall, mustached blond rains down on him. Mike's height gives him a longer reach, but that's never meant much when fighting Levi. Not in their last life and most certainly not in this one, as Levi shows by easily parrying any attack the other tries to land, dancing out of the way, wrestling for control through brute strength alone, easily landing kicks and hits with his legs yet keeping his balance and not losing any ground. The grimace was now of extortion, also, while Levi wasn't even sweating even after all the shit that's happened before their little duel began.

"Give it up, Mike," Levi says when another attack is effortlessly blocked. "You didn't stand a chance against me with two swords while I only had a pocket knife and while I had no idea how you fought. You certainly don't stand a chance now, when we are equally armed and I know all your tricks."

Realization flashed through Mike's eyes as he disengaged to catch his breath. "You ... You remember?"

Levi-heichou, son and nephew of Kuchel and Kenny Ackerman respectfully, the strongest thug in the Underground, Humanity's Strongest Soldier, shrugged, raising his swords at the ready. "I've been remembering little by little in my sleep, dreaming of my past life. At first, they were hazy at best. I didn't recognize faces or voices. But you've declared war on me and mine, so I guess my Ackerman side kicked in and ensured I'll remember everything I need to so I can fight to the best of my abilities. Not that I'd really need that against you lot."

"I don't remember you to be so arrogant."

"Nor do I remember you to be so stupid, suicidal or cruel," the shorter of the two retorted and easily received Mike's next attack with his blades. "You've always followed Erwin like you were his second shadow," Levi continued, twisting in a way that had always won him spars against the former strongest soldier the military within the Walls had to offer. Well, before Levi came along, anyway. "You've always obeyed his commands like a dog, without question. But you used to draw a line at certain acts." He jabbed an elbow painfully into Mike's side, following it with a knee to the groin. No one said Levi didn't fight dirty. Kenny, in both lifetimes, had told him no one in real life was going to keep to the 'rules'. It's do or die in a real fight. And Levi had no intention to die. "Involving children, in particular. Has this new world truly changed you that much? Have you become corrupt? Is that why civilian lives mean nothing to you anymore?"

"You don't know anything!" Mike gasped out as he doubled over and tried to regain his breath. "You always end up on a pedestal no matter where you go, Levi! You were practically royalty in the Underground, everyone following your commands and no one daring to mess with you. You were the hero and star of the Survey Corps, everyone praising your name everywhere you went. And even now, you're a famous war hero and war reporter! No matter the shit you're thrown into, you always end up with gold! And to think that you were so blissfully unaware of our past lives until only a few days ago!"

"You don't seem this bitter that Hange and Moblit don't remember, either," Levi pointed out and Mike gave a dry laugh.

"At least they've found each other and are in love again," says the blond and the raven haired man narrows his eyes.

"Nanaba doesn't remember." It's not hard to deduce.

For all that they've never been official in the way normal couples would be, Mike and Nanaba had, actually, made plans for the future. Nanaba had wanted a small, private wedding with only their closest friends in attendance, but had also wanted a true Survey Corps style reception and after-party. They were ready to pay for it out of their own pocket, but Levi had been willing to be the one to pay it for them as a wedding gift. The best cooks and bakers from the Survey Corps would have prepared a true feast in their honor. Erwin had wanted to let them have two months of paid leave so they can settle in. The problem was that Nanaba and Mike had wanted to wait for Nanaba to become an officer and then they both died because of the Beast Titan when Wall Rose was supposedly 'breached'. They hadn't wanted to enter a relationship where Nanaba's abilities and Mike's ethic would be questioned. They didn't go on dates, they didn't court each other. No one in the Survey Corps would have cared, but Nanaba came from a well off family from Sina and they would have dragged Mike's career and reputation through the mud if they, even for a second, suspected he was trying to abuse his authority over Nanaba.

Despite how weird their not-relationship was, it had always been clear those two had strong feelings for each other.

"She's married," Mike admits, falling to his knees, as if just saying those words was enough to drain the fight out of him. "She's married. I tried winning over her heart. I tried to get her to remember. But it didn't work. She doesn't even see me as a friend, Levi! I can't even get close to her without her husband getting in the way ..."

Realization dawns on the Ackerman. "You were hoping that you could use Eren to make her remember." It makes sense, in a way. If Mike knows that the Founding Titan can alter memories and all but control Eldians, it makes sense that he'd fight to regain it, to use its powers to get Nanaba to remember the life they used to share. Only problem was, the Founding Titan isn't a thing. Eren has the power and he refuses to reawaken old memories in Eldians because he's not sure what that would do for their mental health. Even the Eldians who had reincarnated and had seen what life on Paradis used to be like, people who are actually somewhat accustomed to it, might react very badly if they suddenly relive those horrors. And Eren said that he can't give people partial memories.

If he unleashes the memories of the past, then everything ever collected within the Paths will flood the minds of everyone of Eldian blood, all the way back to Ymir the Founder and King Fritz. People would be overwhelmed and probably end up brain-dead from mental over-stimulation.

Levi knew. Eren had been very detailed about it, because Hange had asked plenty of questions about the abilities the Founding Titan had where memory manipulation was concerned.

Besides, it wouldn't really be returning everyone's memories from back then, because Eren would need years to sort and give everyone back their individual memories. And even then, he wouldn't awaken their memories the way people who remembered on their own do. He'd be showing them the accumulated memories like a movie at best, if not making it outright mental manipulation because those memories were not their own, not really. They didn't make them by themselves. They were a narrative that was forced on them much the same way people within the Walls were made to believe that the world outside Wall Maria was devoid of any human life, just Titans and wilderness. Eren refused to do something like King Karl Fritz and every Reiss following did. If people remembered, they remembered. If they didn't, then they didn't.

Being on the island helped people naturally awaken their memories of their life in Paradis, but not always and sometimes not fully. Or at all. Hange and Moblit showed barely any recollection of who they used to be and Levi was honestly relieved by it. Neither of them had had a pleasant death.

Both had died from the extreme heat coming off of Colossal Titans. It's why Levi didn't want to risk things getting heated up - literally, no actual pun intended - if more Colossal Titans got involved while his friends were around. It's why Levi had to quickly finish this little reunion with Mike before Eren thinks Levi stumbled upon a snag that could possibly dangerously delay them. Bertolt was a danger to the people stuck on or within the Walls. Levi can't let him get close enough to possibly take one of them as a hostage or, worse yet, set them accidentally or on purpose on fucking fire.

"What else was I supposed to do?! She's not even military!" Mike cried, surging to his feet and trying to attack Levi again, but Levi gave him some of Eren's one-time regular medicine: a kick to the face. He kicked him hard enough that Mike nearly fell from the side of the Wall, only managing to catch himself at the last moment. "This is my only chance to get her back-"

"Do you want to force the memories of how she died on her?" Levi cut in, eyes sharp and cold. "Because that's what you'd be doing. Eren can't give her back her memories the way you and I have experienced them. It would be like she's viewing a movie. And she won't fall in love with you from watching a movie. Not to mention that if it's not done right, she could end up going insane or, in the worst case scenario, brain-dead. Is that what you want?"

"W-what?! N-no, of c-course not!"

"Besides, if you truly love her, wouldn't you want her to be free and happy? Even if it's not with you?"

"Fuck you! How could someone like you ever understand what it feels like to see someone you love being in love with someone else!?" When Mike's outburst received no reply for a long moment, something like understanding seems to dawn on his face and his bravado crumbles, his rage leaving him. He just sags on the floor. "Oh."

"I don't know if it was love, on either of our sides, but I knew what his choice would be, in the end," Levi said with a shrug. "I guess the thing that bothered me the most was that he wasn't happy. How could he be, with all the burdens we put on his shoulders? If being with her, or anyone else, made him happy for even the briefest of seconds, I would have been glad. I would still be glad. The only other thing that bothers me is that I would never find out. He won't tell me now and I won't ask. Two thousand years is a long time, Mike."

"But some things don't change," Mike argued, but he seems to have lost all the fight in him. Levi eyed him skeptically, not sure if he should trust this seeming surrender or not. His life - both of his lives - have not allowed him to be so naive as to believe someone is beaten completely until their heart stops working. The battlefield is, especially, a place where this is true, where Levi does not stop until he's sure the other party isn't getting up again. "You still love him, like I love Nanaba. You still hate the Beast Titan ..."

"As do you," Levi said, though it was more of a guess. He tilted his head. "He's responsible for both yours and Nanaba's deaths. I'm surprised you agreed to coexist with him in close quarters, let alone work with him."

"I'm surprised you hated Erwin from the moment you met," countered the other and Levi shrugged.

"Two thousand years, Mike. Two thousand years and two completely different lives." Well, not completely, but close enough. "Erwin built a rapport with me when I was vulnerable after Isabel's and Farlan's deaths. We became friends, later, but the thing is, I always knew he saw me as an asset first. A weapon he could hone and use as he liked. I trusted him and he trusted me, but he never trusted me enough not to try to manipulate me in some way. Two thousand years ago, I could never hate him, even when I knew he was manipulating me to lead my men to their deaths when there were different, perhaps more difficult but less costly ways to deal with situations. The first fight with the Female Titan, for instance. He could have told me he suspected she had survived and that she can shift again. I would have made haste to meet with my squad and maybe we would have evaded that tragedy. Maybe our mission would be successful, even with the heavy losses we've suffered. Maybe we wouldn't have had to dump the bodies of our comrades just to make it to the safety of Wall Rose. There are a lot of maybes. Too many. I tend not to regret my choices, Mike. I don't regret being Erwin's friend and comrade last time around. But my last life subconsciously affected this one and I refuse to condone the methods he once used today. Not blinded by old sentiments and memories, I saw Erwin Smith as a stranger for the first time since that first expedition and I decided I didn't want to have anything to do with him. Especially as, this time around, I can't see what his end goal is, but I don't like it. Nor do I need to follow him and this thing I or anyone else but him can't see. I have my own goals."

"... Are you going to rebuild Paradis?"

"That's the plan, ultimately," he said with another shrug. He was shrugging a lot these days. "Paradis, an island that used to be a punishment for Eldians one way or another, will become our safe haven, where we can be who we are. We won't isolate ourselves from the world; I won't allow that. But the Eldians have first dibs on the existing infrastructure and architecture."

Mike laughed. "It's a big island, but is it big enough for all of us?"

Levi didn't answer. He turned his back on Mike and instead gazed down at Shiganshina and upwards at the Colossal Titan slowly making his way towards the Wall. "What is Erwin's plan?" Silence. "If you don't tell me now, I will kill him on sight."

"All in all, I wouldn't mind," a male voice, different from Mike's, says and Levi whirls around to come face to face with Floch. He has this creepy grin on his face and a bloody knife in one hand, a gun pointed at Levi with the other. "Don't mind dear Mike. If slitting his throat didn't send him to the Paths, the fall will. Now, what to do with you, Captain Levi?"

"That's Levi-heichou to you, Forster."

The redhead's eyes glimmered dangerously. "So you do remember. I should have guessed, really. No one else would willingly stay with a monster for this long. Then again, you are a devil yourself, so I guess it's not so surprising." Levi didn't say anything to the taunt. Floch jerked his gun threateningly. "Put your swords down."

Levi gave him a deadpan stare. "Fuck you, kid." And with that, he immediately jumped down the Wall, anchoring himself only when he was down on the level of buildings. His movements were so fast that Floch couldn't aim properly, missing Levi with every shot he took. Levi ignored Floch up on the Wall and instead focused on his mission. As soon as Titans loitering around Shiganshina saw him, they all but fell into formation as they followed after him all the way to one of the places Eren had hidden some emergency Thunderspears. After Levi strapped them on, he made his way to the nearest hiding place of the gas tanks and replaced his nearly spent ones with new, full ones. "Guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." He looked down at the Titan's waiting for him. They were two to seven meter classes, but Levi knew a few bigger ones were loitering around Shiganshina, too. He'll probably run into them when he goes closer to the Colossal Titan. Titan Shifters register as human, too, for all that they could be fifty fucking meters tall. "Alright, you braindead beasts. Follow me."

He took off and the Titans followed him. As he expected, the closer he got to the Colossal Titan, the more Titans were around. He amassed over twenty Titans, seven of them being over twelve meters, by the time he reached Bertolt's feet. "Attack!" He pointed at one leg and wondered if he was stupid for thinking they'll understand him, but then every single Titan surged towards the foot he'd pointed at and they all went for the ankle's and muscle tendons. The Colossal Titan released a sudden, slowed groan of pain as pieces of its flesh started being ripped off. It went to lift its foot to shake them off, but Levi was there sacrificing a pair of his blades to slice through the ankle of the other leg, making the Colossal Titan almost topple over. As Bertolt tried to heal its cut off leg, muscle once again started vaporizing from the huge ass Titan, an almost overwhelming amount of steam being released all over the place. The smaller, two meter Titans started catching on fire while Levi moved away so the first bout of steam wouldn't hit him while he changed blades.

Unable to hold his balance, Bertolt had to kneel down on one knee, but he used this opportunity to try and rip off the Titans attacking his foot. Unfortunately for him, one of the Titans was an Abnormal that jumped and leaped like a fucking frog and it came out of seemingly nowhere to bite straight into Bertolt's throat.

'This is the opening I need,' Levi thought, realizing he wouldn't get a better one. He aimed carefully so that his anchors will hook themselves into the Abnormal's flesh so Bertolt would remain oblivious to Levi's movements until it was too late for him to react. The Ackerman swung himself up until he was in position, right at the nape, and made sure all the Thunderspears he'd brought with him were sunk deep into Bertolt's nape. The Titan Shifter was now very much aware of his presence and Levi could feel the soles of his feet slowly burning out as Bertolt let his body heat rise up again, but it was already too late. Levi anchored himself against the nearest structure and reversed the cables, zooming out of there and pulling on the strings that would detonate the Thunderspears.

He'd just managed to crash through a window of some house when the explosion set off, but he tensed when he realized it was followed by what sounded like continuous cannon fire coming further away, from the Wall. 'What the hell is going on outside for Hange to implement that!?' He wondered as cannon fire continued for the next twenty to thirty seconds before it stopped. Only then did Levi bother to go to the window he'd just broken to see how his mission had ended.

Success.

The Colossal's entire massive head was down on the ground, being nommed and nibbled on by the smaller Titans, while the bigger ones were trying to rip the corpse's arm and toes off, depending if they were working alone or in groups. The corpse was already more skeletal than meaty and Levi found Bertolt being chewed on by the Abnormal that had helped him. It didn't seem to be in the mood to eat, so Levi just left the crying, terrified young man to his fate, instead going back to Wall Maria.

The consecutive fire was supposed to be for the worst case scenario. Hange wouldn't have used it lightly. However, considering two of their enemies had climbed the Wall, Levi couldn't help but put it in consideration that his best friend might have been overpowered and that that volley of fire had been directed at Eren and not the Warriors. 'If any of them have a single piece of hair out of place, I will kill them all.' Captain Levi didn't usually try to have revenge, but Levi-heichou sure as fucking hell did.

Before he could reach the Wall, a flash of yellow thunder and a furious, familiar roar reached his ears and Levi sighed in relief, knowing Eren was, at least, still alive. 'Could it be that he and Hange had coordinated the attack so that Eren would sacrifice his already damaged Titan body for a new, fresh and undamaged one after a second transformation? If Hange doesn't have to worry about aim, consecutive fire like that could deal some serious damage to our enemies.' Levi was, however, snapped out of his musings when his instincts suddenly kicked in, taking over and making him sharply veer off of his original path, just missing a grenade that would have exploded in his face had he not changed direction. The raven haired man looked up and saw Yelena on the street ahead, leading towards the Gates and his blood ran cold. 'The kids! Moblit!' But he also trusted Eren not to let anything happen to them. Probably even the once Wallist was safe and alive.

"Not another move, Levi-heichou," Yelena says as she casually takes out a gun and points it at him in her usual manner. Her aim was steady and Levi had already had to stop when he'd veered off course to avoid the grande. "We are in need of your assistance to get Eren Jaeger to hand himself over to us."

Levi snorted and quickly ducked out of view, earning a bullet following his path as he hid behind a chimney. "Do you really think you can make Eren submit? No, he will rather start the Rumbling right here, right now, all over again, than let anyone control him. He has an indomitable will and you know it, you bitch."

"There is no need for such language. Weren't we allies, once? Did you not call me comrade? I certainly considered you one."

The silver eyed man grit his teeth. "I never considered you one. From the day we met, I knew I couldn't trust you, but you had a lot to offer and Hange and the government back then were desperate. You were a tactical advantage as much as you were a risk. But that was two thousand years ago. Now, you're nothing more than a nuisance."

"Your words wound me, oh respectable Levi-heichou," the tall blonde said mockingly before another bullet sailed by the chimney Levi was hiding behind. 'It sounds closer than before. She's approaching. Why?' It didn't matter, because Levi carefully moved away from his previous hiding position. If there's one thing Levi's learned from all his many years of experience in life and combat, it's that staying in one place for too long can't be a good idea when an enemy is trying to hunt you down. 'She was with the Female Titan and Floch, but Annie joined the Titan brawl on the other side of the Wall and Mike and Floch had climbed the Wall. Mike is probably dead-' Something he'll have to think about later, because now was not the time to mourn a friend twice - or thrice, considering he'd been an enemy first, this lifetime - lost. 'But Floch might still be around. I'm their primary target, because that shitty brat apparently still has a crush that we'll need to discuss. Floch might go after Hange and Onyankopon, but Hange is no laughing matter even without their past life's memories and battle experiences. The other Titan Shifters are still fighting outside.' He could literally hear them from here. They were probably quite literally tearing each other to pieces. 'Erwin is the only one unaccounted for. Well, him and Nile, but Nile's ultimately a coward. So where did Erwin go?'

As if summoned by his thoughts, something behind him made his battle instincts flare and Levi immediately abandoned the roof that had been housing him, mere seconds before none other than Erwin Smith crept up onto it. Realization dawned on Levi immediately.

Yelena had been trying to herd him into a trap, but the combined paranoia and battle experiences of his two lifetimes combined with his Ackerman powers ensured Levi couldn't fall into such an easy trap. Not to mention that it's a method similar to the one Kenny had used in Mitras, on the day Eren and Historia had been kidnapped, and Erwin was no Kenny. He might be more intelligent and better at battle tactics, but nothing really tops Ackerman battle instincts and their drive to survive.

"Why don't we all sit down for a cup of tea and talk? You like tea, don't you? I'm sure we can agree on a blend that we'll all like. I'm sure we can even agree on a course of action that we'd all be okay with." Levi ignored Yelena, instead watching Erwin as he surveyed the roof Levi should have been on and then the rooftops around it. He kept carefully out of sight, crouching on a window frame on the top floor of the same building, as Erwin tried to figure out where Levi might have disappeared to. It won't take him long. Levi carefully anchored one of his hooks by hand into the wood of the window frame before he lowered himself to the ground. "I mean, there's no way you really forgive Eren Jaeger for what he's done. He brought war to your doorstep. Your comrades and friends died because of him. You must feel so guilty."

Levi wanted to ignore her taunts, but she was purposefully speaking loud enough that as long as he's in a two street radius, he can't help but hear her. But he wasn't in the clear just yet. He was now at a vintage disadvantage in comparison to Erwin and the former Danchou had a military grade, automatic caliber 7 gun that he won't hesitate to use. Erwin never hesitates. He once fought for the freedom of the people within the Walls to explore the world and learn the truth and he was ruthless about it. He'd sacrificed more lives than any cult ever to exist and he'd never regretted it. Not because he was a bad person, but because he refused to give up on his own goals.

Erwin was a complex man. He didn't give himself over to emotions, he didn't allow individual bonds to sway his judgment, he cared little for morality as long as the means met the end. Nothing was too sacred for him. Yet he was emphatic and he mourned soldiers who gave their hearts for a greater cause Erwin himself was hesitant to die for in the most selfish, human manner that Levi had ever seen of the man. Levi had respected him, had considered him a friend, had been willing to die for him in their past life. He'd killed and fought for Erwin. He'd led his comrades to slaughter, he'd bled, he'd made his comrades kill other humans, people who should have been their comrades from another military branch if their world wasn't so fucked up. Erwin Smith, the Commander of Survey Corps, was a man Levi had been willing to follow to the gates of hell and then throw the devil out on his ass for him.

But the Erwin Smith of today made no sense to him. He was a man the likes of which Levi could never respect, because he reminds him too much of the Military Police soldiers and especially officers who believed they were far above law and decency and any other human being that they should have been protecting, not abusing their power over them in any manner they could manage.

"After all, Eren was your responsibility." That actually made Levi freeze. There were some things regarding that one sentence that Levi used to feel plenty guilty about. "He turned out to be a right monster, didn't he? The would-be destroyer of the world, instead of Humanity's Last Hope." Humanity's Strongest Soldier felt his blood threatening to boil. Oh, he understood now why Eren had gotten so pissed when Erwin had dared besmirch the hope Eren had once represented for the Scouts, for the people inside cramped Walls that felt more and more like a cage as the days passed by. "He must be such a disappointment." And he had been. His actions in Marley had offended and hurt Levi on a personal level, because Eren had always stood against mindless slaughter, just like Levi had always hated the needless, pointless loss of life. Strange traits, for soldiers like them, who'd been willing to die alongside their comrades in what had felt like a futile fight for so long. But even still, Levi understood Eren. Oh, how he wished he didn't, but he did, even in that crazy, desperate plan to save Eldians everywhere, to grant them all freedom from the curse Fritz had cast on Ymir the Founder.

What no one, even to this day, seems to understand is that Eren has always been a beautiful monster. What happened two thousand years ago was centuries in the making. Things could have been set in motion at any moment, but Eren was the only one brave and suicidally loyal enough to do it.

Levi just wished he'd realized sooner how much Eren had needed someone to stand by him even as the world was falling apart, even if he knew that it wouldn't have changed a damn thing.

Eren can't be tamed, can't be forced to submit. He was free, more so than anyone could ever imagine. And yet he was still bound by destiny or fate or whatever else existed and he'd been desperate and determined enough to break those chains, too, no matter the cost.

"Worst yet, I think," Yelena continued as Levi rounded a corner of a building, carefully sneaking around until he could find a good place to climb up and assess the situation further from there. "Is that you let him die while you were still breathing."

Those words, though, tore through Levi's heart like a Thunderspear, making him freeze in place again.

Just as Erwin found him and aimed his gun.

"Found you, Le~ve~hei~chou!" Singsonged Yelena as she, too, rounded the corner, her gun pointed at Levi's temple. "Bye, bye."

Shiganshina echoed with a deafening boom.

Chapter Text

Eren had had his hands quite full with the other Titan Shifters when, suddenly, from within the Walls, there was a familiar boom and crackling of lightning of a Titan Shifter transforming. He felt his heart stop for a second as he feared Bertolt had managed to somehow transform for the third time despite it being quite possible that Levi-heichou had left him in pieces this time around instead of just cutting him out of the nape, but he realized that the aftershocks weren't hard enough and the sound wasn't nearly as loud as it should be. Then, he heard a somewhat familiar piercing cry and Eren wanted to laugh as he realized what had happened.

At a perfect time, too, he realized as he focused in on Levi-heichou again, finding him to have been ambushed by Erwin and Yelena after he'd dealt with the Colossal Titan.

He had to focus back on the fight when Reiner tried to crush his face with a devastating punch, evading at just the last second. This was the second transformation he'd done since this battle had started and while his stamina was leagues above of a normal Shifter after spending two thousands years using his Titan form as a convenient form of transportation across Paradis, he was slowly tiring, which showed in the fact that he was a bit slower to dodge than he'd been when the fight began. Using crystallization to form armor in vulnerable places or create weapons as much as he'd been doing was also taking its toll, but Eren was still more than geared up to fight.

Especially since Hange-san had had to fight off Floch with a concussion just so they could help him out of his earlier sticky situation, when Reiner, Zeke, Porco and Pieck had cornered him against the Wall, trying to rip him out of his Titan despite him being protected by crystallization. They'd torn pieces of his Titan form apart using the Jaw Titan's teeth and claws as well as Reiner's fists. Hange-san's rescue had come at the last possible moment. He'd sacrificed his Titan form for it, but he could still transform at least four times today, even with how much energy he'd been spending. The other Shifters, though, had either had to abandon their Titans or had been damaged enough to be put out of action for a short while, letting Eren regain his equilibrium and transform again. Now, he was ready for round two, as were Reiner and Zeke while the two smallest Titans were out of commotion one way or another.

Interestingly enough, Eren noted, Annie had fallen back, supposedly fighting off the Titans Eren was controlling, but Eren could see she only fought them if they attacked her first. Instead, she was taking out the Titans Zeke had turned, which honestly baffled him. Yes, Eren knew Annie had, ultimately, changed sides, that she and Armin had a proper little love story going on, short as it had turned out to be, that she'd offered up her heart and been an ally in stopping the Rumbling. Yet she'd returned to Paradis a handful of days ago as a Warrior, as an enemy. She'd gone after Levi-heichou, who'd forgiven her for what had happened to his first squad, with the intent to kill or extremely harm. She'd followed Zeke and Erwin to the Walls and fought for them in the beginning of this battle.

She'd come here to help take the Founding Titan from Eren, and yet she was now discretely fighting against her own allies.

What are your intentions? He asked through the Paths, forming a temporary direct link to Annie. He saw her jerk in the middle of an otherwise smooth, practiced motion and he saw her discreetly look around, trying to see if anyone else could hear him. Eren kept up pretenses that he wasn't communicating with anyone, managing to lift Reiner enough to throw him at Zeke before he formed two blades that looked practically identical to the ones every soldier used two thousand years ago. The tangle of Titan limbs tried to get away, but they weren't fast enough as he cut off one of Zeke's too long arms and managed to shatter a breastplate of Reiner's armor.

You can hear me? He sent her a nonverbal affirmative. I'm not here by my own free will. Zeke found me and he's holding my family captive. I have no choice but to fight for them or else Zeke will turn them into Titans. He's already forced them to drink his spinal fluid.

Eren's eyes flashed in rage and the next strike he delivered cut out a huge chunk out of the Beast Titan's side. It also broke a part of the blades he'd made, but he quickly fixed them. Crystallization was very convenient. Why did you go after Levi-heichou as viciously as you did? And why are you resisting now?

Because unlike these idiots, I'm not stupid. You have full control of it now, don't you? The Coordinate. She didn't wait for his answer. It's obvious. You knew our exact movements since we got here. You control all these Titans. And the Walls break and bend to your will. They don't realize it, not yet, but they will, soon. As for Levi-heichou, I had no choice but to capture him. My intent was never to kill. I had to actually try. That it brought you out of hiding is the only reason why my family is still alive despite my failure.

The most important question, then: what do you want? Besides the safety of your family.

She didn't hesitate. I want to find Armin.

Armin's already been reincarnated hundreds of years ago. As have most of the others we've ever known.

This isn't my first time reincarnating, Eren. That shocked Jaeger to his very core. This is my second time, or at least as far as I remember. I couldn't find Armin the first time, but I have hope to find him this time around, in this new digital age, where you can find anything or anyone with the help of the internet. I don't care about Titans and Marley vs Paradis or any of that nonsense anymore. I just want to find Armin. Maybe Hitch, too. She was an unusual, but good friend.

Eren couldn't believe it. Not because he doubted Annie's words - he could sense everything in the Paths, she couldn't lie to him there - but because he hadn't thought it was possible. He'd thought his friends and loved ones had been reincarnating because they'd had unfinished business, because they needed some type of closure that only a second life could provide, especially considering some of them never regained their memories. But to hear now that he might get a chance to see them all again ...

Climb the Wall, he instructed Annie, all but commanding her. Climb the Wall, get Hange-san and Onyankopon down safely and check on the children. Stay inside and don't fucking try anything. I won't hesitate to strike you down. Don't think I can't, even if I'm not present.

Out of the two of us, I'm not the suicidal maniac.

Eren scoffed at the old 'nickname' but was pleased when, a few minutes later, Annie managed to more or less inconspicuously get to the Walls and start climbing. Eren was even kind enough to make footholds and handholds for her in the Wall even as he caught the lunging Cart Titan and used it as a baseball bat to hit the crushed boulder Zeke had tried to hit him with. Hey, now Zeke can't say Eren never played baseball with him!

The piercing cry from before came again just as Annie was reaching the top of the Wall, making everyone look up as the flying Beast-Jaw Titan that was one young Falco Grice appeared overhead. Eren could practically sense the intentions of both Falco and his passenger and immediately sent them a warning not to attack. She's with us. She's being blackmailed to fight. Let her get over the Wall, Falco.

W-who are you?

Eren was so shocked that a Titan Shifter didn't have their memories that the next boulder Zeke threw hit him in the arm, ripping it clean off. An ally. A friend of Levi-heichou.

Speaking of Levi-heichou, the man jumped from Falco's back and plummeted through the air, catching himself with the 3DMG on Zeke's shoulder and using it to propel himself forward, slashing Zeke's eyes in a moment of devastating and all too satisfying deja vu. Eren could practically taste Zeke's panic as he realized he was about to relive his Shiganshina defeat all over again.

So cool, Falco gushed through the still open link as they witnessed Levi-heichou execute his usual Titan-slaying maneuvers, spinning and slashing until Zeke fell down, lying almost in pieces while Levi-heichou worked to cut open his nape and leave him useless for battle and Eren had to laugh inside his Titan, completely understanding anyone's awe when they first see his Heichou in action.

You've seen nothing yet, kid. Levi-heichou was always a delight to watch. So much power in such a small being. The Ackermans were truly amazing, Levi-heichou especially. But head in the game. You don't want to exhaust yourself or to end up being a liability. Levi-heichou would die for you. So you keep yourself safe and don't do anything unless he or I tell you to.

Falco sent an affirmative and Eren relaxed, focusing back on Reiner, who was trying to engage him again with the help of the Jaw Titan. It seemed Pieck Finger was out of the game. He didn't bother to reform any sort of weaponry with crystallization now that Porco's jaws and claws were in play again. He did protect his vulnerable spots, but for the most part, he focused on his hand to hand combat skills. He'd been ranked third in the 104th's graduating class and he'd beaten Reiner plenty of times, in both real and mock battles. Porco wasn't a match for him, either. The Jaw Titan wasn't built to last in a fight against Eren's fighting style and strength.

He caught Porco's wrist when he lunged at him with his claws, spinning around using Porco's momentum so he can slash at Reiner with his own comrade's 'weapons'. It damaged Reiner's other breastplate and the slightly bigger Titan staggered back. Porco tried to slash at Eren with his free hand and while he did manage to leave a scratch, Eren evaded most of the damage before he threw the smaller Titan at Reiner so he wouldn't get any ideas about using his fucking teeth. Eren knew the best way to win against the Jaw Titan was to unhinge his jaw, but keeping him still long enough wasn't as easy. He'd already managed to get Porco by the jaw, once, so he rather doubted the Warrior would let him do it a second time.

Am I a bad person? Falco suddenly asked, nearly throwing Eren off guard.

What do you mean?

I hurt two people to save Mr Levi.

Eren dared to access a portion of Falco's memories that were haunting the very surface of his thoughts and almost sighed as he saw what had caused Falco's transformation. Erwin and Yelena had managed to corner the former Heichou and had him at gunpoint,would have probably even shot him dead just to get a reaction out of Eren, to take him off guard. But Gabi had run out of the hiding place Eren had made within the Gates before Moblit or Pastor Nick could stop her, Falco going after her as though they were glued by the hip. They'd come across the scene and Gabi had rushed to attack, but Falco had known she'd get herself killed unarmed as she was and had, instead, instinctively bitten his own hand and had rushed the two tall blonds in Titan form to save his own savior. Levi-heichou must have had the fright of his life when his charge suddenly turned into a Titan in front of him, but he'd still let Falco cary him back to an active battlefield.

Things were just getting more and more complicated.

Are they dead?

Uhm ... No, I don't think so? Clearly, the boy was not expecting such a question. Too bad, Eren didn't have the time to sugarcoat his words. He'll try and have a proper, more comforting talk with Falco later.

Did you hurt them because you like hurting people?

No! Of course not!

Did your actions have a purpose?

... I wanted to protect Mr Levi. He's already done so much for us and we already thought we lost him once. I didn't want to lose him again.

Then there you have it. You're not a bad person, you just had to do a not-so-good thing in order to prevent someone you care about getting hurt. It was simplified and probably not the 'proper' way things work, but Eren's been morally gray for far too long to care about it. Besides, he killed three men with Mikasa when he was like nine years old and started a near apocalypse at nineteen. Who's he to judge?

Mr Levi has Zeke out of the big monkey, but that Nile guy is trying to sneak up on him from behind, Falco sent after a long moment of silence and Eren snarled. The Walls trembled behind him, drawing everyone's attention, which Eren used to issue a warning to Levi.

There's someone behind you.

I wonder if he could hear me if I concentrate a message to him really hard? Oi, Eren, you shitty brat, can you hear me?

Eren nearly jumped out of his own skin as he heard his Heichou's voice echoing in his head. Of course, he should have figured an Ackerman could pull something like this just like Titan Shifters do. Ackermans were practically (basic) Titan powers in human form. 'Well, this makes things easier.' I can hear you, Heichou. He tried not to think too hard on the 'shitty brat' comment, because now was not the time to wonder why Levi-heichou was using that term that he hadn't used once since he'd set foot on Paradis and met Eren again but was a term he'd used plenty of times two thousand years ago.

What the fuck? It's only Nile. Fucker. There's a pause, no doubt the former strongest human dealing quickly with the somewhat fidgety, a bit cowardly but still overall once a good soldier Commander of the MPs, and then Levi-heichou's back to conversing with Eren through the Paths. Okay, that's been dealt with and I have your monkey of a brother handled. Gabi and Moblit should be fine now, but I don't know about Hange and Onyankopon. Oh, we'll also have a little talk about you not telling me Falco might still have his Titan powers, but that can wait. That aside, how are things looking on your end? Need assistance?

Eren tried not to think about the fact that his Heichou was angry with him, but in Eren's defense, Falco had been dormant until just a few minutes ago, and given Zeke and Porco were alive, Eren had not thought, not for one moment, that Falco would also have his Titan powers considering he was actually also one of the bearers of the Jaw Titan. Eren's never witnessed two Titan bearers existing at the same time with them both having their powers. Well, that's not entirely true, as Kruger and Eren's own father had had the Attack Titan at the same time Eren did and he'd even duked it out with the both of them, but he had presumed that it was an exception because Eren was kind of an exception to every Titan Shifter rule ever since he began his second lease on life.

I honestly didn't know about Falco, Heichou. As for the situation here, Eren sent as he studied his part of the battlefield. With Zeke taken down and Pieck out of commission for further Titan brawls, it had been left to Reiner and Porco to deal with Eren. Reiner had taken significant damage. A lot of his armor plates were shattered or downright shredded and even if he were to abandon this used up body for a new one with another transformation, Eren wouldn't wait around to let him transform to the fullest, just like he hadn't in Marley two thousand years ago. The Jaw Titan was technically in better condition, but it wasn't built to fight a Titan like Eren's, not after Eren had spent two thousand years training in his Titan for any sort of battle he could think of. At this point, he's pretty certain only an Ackerman with their powers awakened could take him down. Still, while many of Reiner's body vulnerable spots were now revealed, his nape was still hard and protected. Levi-heichou would only waste his blades on him. And Eren was technically more vulnerable to Porco than he would ever be to Reiner, since only the Jaw Titan's teeth and claws can cut through crystallization. I wouldn't mind an assist against the Jaw Titan. Also, I sent Annie to check on Hange-san and Onyankopon. She'll take them down to Moblit and keep them all safe.

I'm on my way. Can you tell Falco to come and get me and take your creep of a brother and Nile to the other side of the Walls to keep an eye on them? I'd rather have all these fuckers in one place instead of worrying about when one of them will try to pull some shit.

I'm surprised you're not questioning me about Annie.

I trust you, Eren, the Ackerman sent over the link and Eren couldn't stop his whole Titan body from shuddering in pleasure at the mere thought. It's truly been too long since someone's put this much trust in him. He'd forgotten how it feels. He feels almost like they're back in the Survey Corps. Now get a fucking move on. We don't have all fucking day.

Yes, Heichou. He effortlessly switched to the link he has with Falco. Falco, I need you to go pick Levi-heichou up and then drop him off as close to the ... other Jaw Titan as you can without getting yourself in danger. Don't worry about the drop. Levi-heichou can more than handle himself. He'll give you further directions. If you don't understand anything after you've parted ways, ask me.

O-okay! Roger that!

Eren eyed the two remaining Titans as they got back to their feet, looking away only when he caught movement to the side from the corner of his eye. Pieck was trying to sneak away. She was injured and still steaming as she healed, but she was trying to make her way towards the Gates. It wouldn't matter. Eren had the Gates sealed completely with a solid web of crystallization that's so thick that it's practically a wall. But as she got closer, he got an idea and thinned out the web. He felt that there was no one by the Gate, Gabi and Moblit further inside Shiganshina, so he didn't have to worry about Pieck trying to pull a fast one. He risked letting Reiner and Porco recover for the sake of keeping his focus on the injured Titan Shifter. As soon as he felt her start crawling through the spaces between crystallization formations, he let them spread, let the web thicken again until Pieck was trapped within, unable to move a single muscle. Even shifting now would be either impossible, really painful or deadly, because her Titan form isn't big enough to completely crush all the amased crystals and they would tear into her Titan's body until it was useless, which would leave her trapped in the scorching heat of her dissolving Titan.

That dealt with, Eren turned his attention back to his two opponents just as they charged some sort of coordinated attack together, which was impressive for them because they weren't exactly friends last Eren checked. But many things have changed, so Eren wouldn't be surprised if whatever hickups these two had were resolved as well.

As Eren watched Falco's shadow move over the impromptu battlefield outside of Shiganshina and Levi-heichou descends from the sky like an avenging angel with the Wings of Freedom fluttering behind him, he can't help but wonder just how it has all come to this. He'd really thought that all Titan-related wars ended two thousand years ago, when he and Ymir had set all Eldians free, taking the power of the Titans with them. But had they, really? Mikasa and Levi-heichou still had their Ackerman powers, which were practically the power of Titans in human form, when they had departed the world and clearly the Ackerman bloodline had clearly stayed strong and true if Levi-heichou, today, still had all his strengths and abilities. The power of the Titans had never left this world. Had Ymir lied?

No, Ymir hadn't lied. She'd known what Eren wanted and she'd lingered long enough to see if his plan had worked. When she saw the Ackermans reduced to a single member left, she'd acted, returning the power of the Titans to this world with Eren's resurrection on Paradis. She'd been reminded of human cruelty and perhaps she'd expected Eren to follow up with his plans to Rumble the world. But clearly her intentions changed, too, because she ended up wanting Eldians to go back to Paradis, where they would be safe and free to be who they were.

As Eren met Reiner's tackle and Levi-heichou started working on Porco, the green eyed Titan Shifter realized Ymir had, once again, tried to connect with other humans in the only way she knew how: through the Paths. She'd also fallen back on old habits of expecting someone else to make decisions for her. But she'd left the Coordinate. She'd relinquished all powers of the Founding Titan to Eren.

Did she trust him?

Or did she replace herself in her chains with him?

She couldn't have, because she knew Eren would never rest until he broke all chains trying to bind him, to steal his freedom. Ymir remained as mysterious as ever, but clearly she wanted all of her Subjects to live in freedom. Why else would people keep reincarnating, with or without memories? But why else would she set the world up for another Rumbling, too? As a precaution?

Eren remembered, clearly, the foreign sensation of hating humanity, of feeling like he wouldn't regret one bit if they were all wiped out if his friends failed to stop him. He didn't know if that feeling came from Ymir, or if it came from any of the previous holders of the Founding Titan, but he hadn't felt it since he was brought back to life. As he exchanged blows with Reiner, as his mind tried to figure out why he was fighting his own people once more, Eren searched himself from any influences not his own, despite practically holding all the memories of every single Eldian ever to live. Not even at the innermost core of the power he possesses did he find any and Eren felt himself relax for the first time in two thousand years. He hadn't even realized he'd been suffering such tension all this time until it was gone.

He was his own.

He was free.

And as he punched the Armored Titan's face with enough force with a hardened fist to shatter half of the skull, he finally realized who all those ugly emotions belonged to. They had clung to Ymir, to Maria, Rose and Sina as residue from King Fritz and with them gone, the Founding Titan was cleansed. His hunger for power, to dominate all those around him through destruction and bloodshed was gone.

Eren might be a monster, but he won't ever make the world submit to him. He'll fight for his people if it comes to it, but the Rumbling will not happen again unless, truly, the whole world tries to storm Paradis. With that resolve, as he watches Reiner tumble to the ground, exhausted and probably knocked out inside his own Titan, Eren crystalizes the Titans in the Walls to their very core and roars his victory for all of Eldian blood to hear, whether they realize what it means or not.

The Attack Titan is the only one left standing on that battlefield, all the others steaming away into nothingness.

And when Humanity's Strongest Soldier comes to rest on Humanity's Last Hope's shoulder, Eren knows they have won.

Not just this battle, which won't be won until they figure out what the fuck had gotten into all of their thick heads to think restarting a war against the world for no good reason was a good idea, but they have won their freedom at last, after two thousand years. King Fritz's legacy can't touch them anymore. The power of Titans may remain, but the Curse of Ymir no longer limits their lives.

And there might be battles, there might be wars, people will probably die, but there also might be peace and alliances. Eldians will be free to be who they are. The Paths exist to connect them with each other, so they are never alone, so they never truly lose the ones they love, but that connection will never make the rest of the world wary of them, single them out, belittle them for it. The world is ignorant.

This is a new beginning, freedom in its basest form, as they get a chance to shape who they want to be as a society, as a civilization, as a people.

And with Levi-heichou by his side and the possibility of him seeing his friends again despite everything, Eren can say he's feeling quite hopeful for the future.

They can do this.

They can do this.

Chapter Text

"LEEEEVIIIIIIII!" Greeted Eren and Levi the second they stepped through the gates, dragging the last three remaining Titan Shifters and Nile behind them into Shiganshina seconds before Levi actually gets bowled over by an overexcited Hange. The shorter man grunts as he slams to the ground, his 3DMG digging uncomfortably into his lower back as Hange all but plasters themself to him, nuzzling his cheek with their own, dirty one. Not that Levi's exactly a commercial for cleanliness at the moment, but he still wasn't covered in sooth, debris, dirt and a ton of sweat. Then again, he was still covered in evaporating Titan blood, but Titan blood won't cause infection. Not that Levi's injured, but that's not the point. "You need to let me do my experiments on you, shorty! How the fuck do you still have all of your strength!? I feel like a fat noble sitting on my fat ass my whole life trying to bend to touch my toes after just a short scuffle and yet you were kicking Titan ass since we got here!?"

"Oh, you remembered," Levi said as he pushed the scientists off of him, Eren helping them both get back on their feet while he watched them with amusement clear in his emerald eyes. As Levi looked at his best friend, he couldn't help but wince at the blood clinging to Hange's hair. They had some bandages wrapped around their head, but at least they hadn't lost an eye this time around. The look in their eyes was a little manic, but that was actually normal for Hange from back in Paradis' heydays. "Well, unlike you, I spent this lifetime serving in the military too. I didn't play in the dirt for most of my adult years. Besides, being an Ackerman still means something."

"Wait, you remember, too?" Eren suddenly asks, staring incredulously at the raven haired man.

Levi arches an eyebrow at him. "I remembered last night, actually. Or, well, this morning. I've been having vague dreams about my past life since that first night after our reunion, but I've only been able to understand what's really happening last night or this morning, whatever rocks your boat. I'm surprised you didn't notice."

Eren paused, seeming to think about it, before he realized something. "Oh, right. You knew who Nile was despite never having met him before. That should have been hint enough. But besides Heichou and Hange-san, did anyone else remember? Falco still doesn't and yet he's a Titan Shifter. This is the first I've heard of in that regard, too, so I'm actually ready for just about anything to happen."

"I don't think you're ready for what this guy tried to do," Gabi said as she walked over to their group, quickly hugging Levi before handing him his laptop. "Smith had it with him, as well as the signal amplifier. He tried to livestream the fight but it seems someone got your message and blocked your channel for the time being, Mr Levi. Also, I demand an explanation why Falco gets to turn into a badass pterodactyl and I don't." She humphed on the last sentence and Levi heaved a long-suffering sigh, muttering something about brats before he looked over the footage Erwin had carefully and secretly recorded.

Now they were all even more confused by the man's motives than they were before.

"Can't you just rummage around in his head to figure him out?" Hange asked, shameless as ever. "I mean, this nearly ruined Paradis and Erwin wouldn't usually do something like this." They gestured all around them, as if to encompass the battle that had just happened, the plan to take the Founding Titan from Eren and the video of the fight itself, showing how Titans fought and how Titan Shifters worked, revealing the deadliest secrets of Eldian blood all in one forty five minute long video.

"If he doesn't want to explain himself, I'm afraid I'll have to," Eren said grimly, not really liking the idea of invading someone's privacy like that but unwilling to let Erwin or anyone else endanger what he's been fighting for all these years.

"He'll want to," Moblit said as he approached, hands a bit bloody and clothes dirty and rumpled. "I'll have to hand it to Zacharias. He's a fighter."

Levi blinked several times, startled and surprised and relieved. "Mike's alive?"

"He barely was when Leonhart brought him to me, but thankfully I know enough about the human body and your first aid courses stuck with me well enough for me to be able to stitch him back up together and bandage him up before he loses too much blood. He was also lucky Floch is no professional cutthroat, as he missed all the important blood vessels and muscles. We'd appreciate it, though, if someone gets Hoovert out of that Titan's mouth. His screaming is going to give me nightmares and it's annoying."

Levi narrowed his eyes at the bio-archaeologist. "Have you been drinking again?"

"Please just do it."

Eren commanded the Titan to spit Bertolt out but keep a hold on him. Not that he was going anywhere, since his arms and legs were still growing back, but you can never be too sure. "What about Yelena, Floch and Erwin? Falco is feeling pretty guilty for Yelena and Erwin."

"We know," Moblit says with a sigh. "But they should be fine. Broken legs and arms from a rather hard tackle by the flying Jaw Titan is a small price to pay for trying to kill Levi. I think Falco did them a service. I don't want to think about what any of you would have done," he says with a pointed look at the three brunettes with surprising amounts of anger issues. Hange just hid theirs better. And all three were fond and protective of Levi.

"I'd have bombed them," Hange says casually. "Or fed them to a Titan."

"Seconded on the later one, probably would have broken their spines myself," Eren commented just as casually while Gabi just held up a musket Onyankopon had given her for protection after they'd met up on the ground while the fight outside of Shiganshina was coming to a close. "Can someone take that gun away from her?"

"What? No! Why!?" Gabi protested and Eren just glared suspiciously at her, but after Levi glared at him, he let it go. "So, what now?"

"You still haven't told us what happened to Floch," Eren pointed out as he and Levi dragged their captives over to where the rest were. When they got to where Onyankopon, Annie and Faclo were keeping an eye on the other Warriors, former Jaegerists and Scouts, Eren got the answer to his question. "Damn, Hange-san, I forgot how mean your right hook is."

While Hange puffed up in pride at the praise, Levi sent them a sarcastic and accusing Look. "You broke your knuckles, didn't you."

"I'll have you know that they're just split and bruised, but no bones are broken! It's only skin deep! So take that, Mr Perfect Combat Skills!"

Moblit's long-suffering look was matched by Levi and even Onyankopon, who was nursing the massive black eye an unconscious Floch sported. Annie was too busy ignoring Zeke cussing her out for choosing Paradis for the second time over her own almost lifelong comrades. Reiner and even Bertolt didn't seem overly surprised, though the latter looked like a kicked puppy since he knew why Annie would always choose Paradis while Reiner looked somewhere between not caring and almost being envious of the fact that she could at least choose properly. Reiner clearly needs therapy.

Porco spent the next five minutes cursing Eren and Levi because they're still 'Devils', apparently, while Pieck just tried to shut him up before Eren possibly decides to eat them all to consume their powers, as though he needed them. Yelena was just regaining consciousness when Levi threatened to knock a few of Zeke's teeth out if he didn't shut up while walking over to where Erwin was just staring blankly into the distance. Nile was still knocked out, but he wasn't overly important. Ultimately, Nile always followed Erwin's harebrained schemes. Mike was fading in and out of consciousness, exhausted from blood loss, so they let him be for the time being.

Falco moved over to properly meet Eren while Levi walked over to his once Commander and friend, asking for a few minutes alone with him. Hange seemed to understand, as they remembered their past now, but was still hesitant not to watch his back while Moblit dragged them away so Levi can possibly get something out of the blond with the big eyebrows while the two scientists went over to check on Mike, since his condition was the most critical. He was only alive because Annie had caught him, since she'd never been a willing participant of whatever scheme the others had thought up. Gabi and Pastor Nick, who also seemed to have his old memories, were trying to figure out a way to contact any plane or military base or just about anyone available to maybe get in contact with someone who can help them get off the island.

Eren and Falco were quietly conversing while the Founding Titan watched over his Heichou and former Danchou from a respectable distance.

Levi just crouched down in front of Erwin to meet his gaze and those icy blue orbs immediately focused on him. The dark haired of the duo spoke before Erwin could try and spout any nonsense in an attempt to defend himself. "I used to trust you not only with my life, but with the lives of the people I held dear. I used to kill for you, to defend and slay for you, to ride for you into the jaws of hell and rip its teeth apart so you could go through without issue. I allowed you to lead me. I followed wherever you went. I offered up my beating heart. I just don't understand how you could try and do this."

Erwin stared at the shorter man crouching in front of him for a long moment, not saying anything as he analyzed his once comrade and confidant, before he looked away, not meeting Levi's gaze. "I don't have to explain myself." As soon as the words left his mouth, however, Erwin received the surprise of his two lives when his head snapped to the side with the force of a booted foot meeting the side of his face.

Hange and Mike stared, wide eyed, unable to believe Levi would ever hit Erwin, even after all the bullshit he'd pulled since they'd come to Paradis, while Moblit and Onyankopon were just surprised at the show of aggression. Levi hadn't, exactly, showed the cruel side he possesses for those truly deserving of his wrath or aggression. The Warriors just watched the drama unfold.

Eren and Zeke, however, winced. They knew perfectly well what it was like to be on the receiving end of Levi Ackerman's kicks.

"Never thought I'd see Erwin Smith get the shit beat out of him by Levi," commented Zeke to no one in particular but Eren still nodded in agreement. Levi had always been so loyal to Erwin that even thinking of the man turning his inhuman strength on him seemed impossible.

Levi wasn't fazed by what was happening around him or the stunned expression on Erwin's face when the bushy eyebrowed blond turned back to look at him. "You see, Erwin, you will explain yourself to me, because I said so. I don't have a lot of patience for this shit. I thought I'd finally put it to rest when that fucked up war and the Rumbling ended. Only for you to come two thousand later and stir shit up again. I'm really tired of all this bullshit, so you either explain why you were willing to gamble with the lives of thousands, if not millions of people right now or I introduce you to every single torture method my uncle has ever thought me. And believe me, Kenny only got more creative this time around."

"Are you threatening me, Levi?"

"Threatening you would be saying I'll kill you or that I'll mutilate you. Threatening you would be saying I'll feed you to the sharks or a Titan. Threatening you would be saying I'll leave you to Kenny's questionable mercy. Or even my mother's. Fuck knows Ackermans don't deal well when someone messes with one of their own. I've honestly never seen my mother pick up a weapon, but she's Ackerman. The strength and skill is there, under the surface, just waiting to be unleashed. And god help the poor soul who pisses her off, because they get Kenny as a bonus. That would be threatening you, because it implies that these are actions I may or may not take. But believe me, when I say I'll torture you, that, my old friend, is a promise."

Erwin sighed with a wry smile. "You can take a man out of the Underground, but you can't take the Underground out of a man, huh?"

Levi shrugged his shoulders. "Actually, I'd blame Hange. We've teamed up one too many times to torture someone one way or another. And only one third of those times was for you." Hange could only give a 'meh' when Erwin turned a questioning look at his once successor. "Now start talking before I follow through with my promise. Because you have to have a reason, Erwin. You're not an impulsive guy. Well, except that time you lost your arm. That was a stupid-ass decision."

"It saved Eren."

"Which only makes your goal of capturing him and taking the Founding Titan from him more illogical," Levi said, crouching back down in front of the injured man. Falco had really done a number on him and Yelena with a single tackle. And Erwin had already been injured before by Levi. His arm probably had some considerable nerve damage from that knife wound. Levi was as deathly precise as ever. "You weren't there for the war. And even if you were, I have a feeling you'd be a Jaegerist. You're the type of guy who doesn't care what sacrifices he must make in order to reach his goal. And your goal was always to lead the people in the Walls outside to explore the world, even when we didn't know if something worse than Titans might be awaiting us. You wouldn't have just supported the Rumbling; you would have ordered it if it meant the survival and freedom of our people. You died in a time Eren Jaeger was still called Humanity's Last Hope. You had no reason to want to give his powers to someone else, because you only knew an Eren Jaeger you could manipulate. You still think you can manipulate him. And me. So I don't understand why you would join these nutcases in their quest to lead Eldians into another war with the world when we finally had a chance to peacefully come back together and form a country that will give zero fucks about everyone else as long as we're not attacked first."

"You got it all figured out, huh, Levi?" The blond man said with a sardonic chuckle.

"You're not that hard to understand, Erwin. You're a complicated man but your goals are simple and your motivations even more so. You're also disgustingly selfless while being impressively selfish at the same time. And while this you may be a stranger to any version of me, I remember the old you just fine. It's easy to make two plus two equal four, no matter how hard you try to convince me it's five."

"... Would you believe me if I said I had a complete change of heart this time around?"

"What heart?" Levi asked with a sardonic snort. "You don't have one. You've dedicated it to the cause two thousand years ago."

Erwin smiled nostalgically at that, looking strangely at peace while also like he was in pain. "I was never truly working with Zeke and the others."

"Oh, come on! What's with you Paradis islanders all pretending to work with me only to end up having plans of your own!?"

Everyone ignored Zeke's complaining to instead listen to what one of the brains of the whole shitshow had to say.

"My goal wasn't to rebuild the Eldian Empire. That could never be my goal, when I've never even known of said empire until Zeke and I accidentally crossed paths and decided to form an uneasy alliance about a year ago. That's when I learned about everything that happened after my death up to his." There was a moment where those glacial blue eyes studied Levi with something like both concern and relief and the shorter man tried not to trace scars that did not exist in this lifetime. "He and his mother reincarnated as they were and he decided to make the Eldian Empire for her. He wanted the Founding Titan so he can search for Dr Grisha Jaeger and his grandparents. He wanted a different fate for his fellow Eldians than the one they met or the one they would have met if Ymir had chosen to help him instead. But he's as much a soldier as we are, Levi. He's seen war with other nations the way we haven't. The only humans we've ever fought were criminals within the Walls or enemy factions that wanted to take all control, one way or another. He knew a new empire can't rise without some other falling, or without challenges being thrown in its direction every step of the way. He knew politics could do only so much. He knew war was inevitable, especially with the power and history of our blood."

"That's not answering my question, Eyebrows."

"I'm getting to that," Erwin said with a sigh. "Thing is, Levi, I knew he was right. But I also knew he was wrong. War doesn't bring about long lasting peace. And who would even lead the people into war? Who would they trust? Who would they put their hopes into?"

Hange narrowed their eyes at Erwin. "You wanted this to happen, didn't you? You wanted the Titan Shifters to fight. You wanted to see if Eren would come out victorious. You wanted, most of all, for Levi and Eren to meet again. Even if it endangered any chances of Eldians living a peaceful, war-free life."

The former Commander of the Scouts chuckled humorously. "Guilty as charged. Though I honestly didn't think Levi himself would be part of this expedition. I thought we'd take footage and photographs, maybe a live two meter class Titan back with us and show the world. I thought, eventually, the government would send Captain Levi Ackerman, their most trustworthy soldier and reporter, to investigate our claims. And even if they didn't ... Well, let's just say that I always believed that the one person Levi would definitely remember, no matter what, was Eren. Turns out, I was mistaken on a lot of aspects of my plan, yet it still worked out for the best, didn't it, Levi?"

"What are you talking about!?" An incredulous Moblit demanded, horrified. "People have died! You led people to their deaths! You kidnapped children! You tricked soldiers into becoming things that can only be killed, not saved! Especially not when you led them to a charge! You nearly jump-started the Rumbling again!" The last was said by pointing at Levi, who would have definitely been a trigger for Eren had he been killed in the fight. "The end of the world! And for what!? What could it have possibly been that you gained from this!? What is it that worked out for the best, in your own goddamned opinion!?"

"My broadcast," Levi replied instead of Erwin, glaring at his former superior officer and friend. "The one from last night."

"What do you mean?" Onyankopon asked while everyone else just watched the former veteran Scouts duke it out. "What about the broadcast?"

"There was a broadcast?" Zeke mumbled to himself but took a glance towards the children. Gabi glared at him while Falco politely ignored him. "You knew about this, Erwin?"

"Of course he knew," Levi said. "He was hoping for it. Weren't you, Erwin?"

"Oh Walls, Erwin, what were you playing at now?" Mike, who was drifting in and out of consciousness but able to follow the conversation, asks longsufferingly and the ones who remember weren't sure if they should laugh at the So Done tone in his voice or not.

"A show of unity," Eren said, realization dawning on him.

Smith just nodded. "Humanity's Strongest Soldier and Humanity's Last Hope. The symbol of the Alliance and the hero of the Jaegerists. Two sides of the same coin. The Wings of Freedom personified in two individuals so different and yet so similar that have led humanity on its path one way or another for years. A show of unity unlike our people have ever seen before."

"A signal that they can come home," the Founding Titan finished. "You provoked Levi-heichou to expose me. You're hoping that people will remember just by seeing the two of us, the Wings of Freedom Levi-heichou is famous for wearing."

"The two most famous names in Eldian history, even more so than Ymir the Founder and King Fritz," Reiner said subduedly. "Brilliant. You played us all like a fiddle."

"More like a cheap kazoo," mumbled Annie, crossing her arms, not looking at any of the Warriors. "I can't believe any of you honestly thought the Erwin Smith would ever fight against humanity. Any humanity. I didn't even spend any time around him, unlike you," she said with a judging glance at Reiner and Bertolt before looking away again. "And yet I knew there was no way he would ever truly be Levi-heichou's or the suicidal bastard's enemy."

"I'm not a suicidal bastard. Please stop that."

"Besides, he's a bit too much like a cold, unyielding, unrelenting Armin. And Armin would never stand against Paradis. Not like that."

Levi sighed, massaging his head. "All of this bullshit could have been dealt with in a much more calm and far less bloodthirsty manner if all of you knuckleheads would just set aside your goddamned pride and sat down to talk. Or do I need to hand you all your asses, individually and personally?"

"I'm good," Bertolt said quickly, Pieck and Reiner nodding vigorously. Zeke might as well have become a bubble-head with how hard he nodded. Porco glared but didn't dare say anything, because Eren was glaring right back.

"We're just lucky Levi's word weighs more than any bullshit anyone else can spout," Hange chirped happily, earning themself an eye roll from their best friend and a sigh from their fiancee.

"I just wanted a way for Nanaba to remember," Mike said with a forlorn sigh and Eren had to look away, knowing that that was not something he could safely do. Nor would he. It wouldn't be her memories, not truly, and Eren refused to be like Karl Fritz and the Reiss.

"So, now what?" Pastor Nick asked suddenly, reminding everyone that the former Wallist was, indeed, still there, even if he'd let them deal with their military/war bullshit in peace up until now. "I was kidnapped. These children were kidnapped. Technically, you people were kidnapped, too," he said, pointing at Levi, Hange, Moblit and Onyankopon. "Since you were taken to do something you didn't apply for. People died. You guys fought a mini war. The Walls are still standing. We're a mix of Paradis and Marley Eldians and Marlyans, Alliance supporters and Jaegerists. We should all be dead but are somehow reincarnated without memories. Well, more or less. You've decided not to fight any longer. And you can't exactly take this to any court in the world without being declared mentally ill or unstable. So, now what?"

Everyone opened their mouth to comment at least one point in that mini speech that they didn't agree with or wanted to explain their involvement in it when the sound of helicopters and other aircrafts flying over the island stopped them, drawing their attention. The Titan Shifters all immediately brought their hands either up to their mouths or any sharp surface they could find, even the newly-discovered Falco, ready for a fight. Moblit grabbed Hange and tried to drag them to safety while Onyankopon and Gabi had a small almost-wrestling match to decide whether Gabi gets to participate in the possible oncoming fight or not, which Onyankopon eventually won by outright picking her up and scurrying away for cover. Hange protested the same treatment, as they now had all of their past memories and were, technically, more likely to survive than Moblit, but they also had a head injury and no one wanted them in a fight if they might just collapse in a danger zone all on their own.

Erwin and Mike, though, just stiffened, recognizing the helicopter as military and already resigning themselves to their fate.

Levi, on the other hand, released a loud, exasperated groan, which immediately caught Eren's attention. "Heichou?"

And Levi was getting sick of interruption when the biggest helicopter's speakers suddenly blared to life, cutting off whatever he might have wanted to say to Jaeger.

"Alright, you motherfuckers! Hands where I can see 'em or else I'll blow all your heads off! Just hand over the runt and the brats and the crazy scientists and no one gets hurt!"

"... Is that Kenny the Ripper?" Mike asked incredulously and Erwin let out a hysterical giggle the likes of which no one had ever heard from the man before.

Levi groaned louder.

"You fucktard!" Eren, ever the guy with anger issues and a lack of impulse control, hollered up at the helicopter. "Don't fucking shoot, dickhead! We're all down here!"

A moment of near silence, then the sound of scuffling over the speakers and then an disbelieving, incredulous voice spoke through the speakers. "EREN!?"

The brunet and Levi exchanged looks, both surprised as they recognized the speaker. "Mikasa?!"

"Oh my god, it really is the suicidal bastard!"

"Shut the fuck up, Jean!"

Chapter Text

"Levi!" One Kuchel Ackerman exclaimed as soon as the helicopter landed on the field within the Wall just outside of Shiganshina, the black haired woman all but flying out of the vehicle when the doors opened. Levi caught his mother before she could barrel him over as she clung to him, as if afraid he'll disappear the second she slackens her hold.

"EREN!" Several other voices, all of which Levi recognized instantly, cried out before there was a near painful 'OOMPH!' from the owner of the name and then a thud as six bodies crashed to the ground, thankfully on the soft grass and not on stone or something. Levi didn't get a chance to wonder at why almost all of his former brats were all suddenly in one place because his uncle came up behind his mother and smothered them both in his arms.

"Levi, you damn idiot, just how the hell do you always get into these fucked up situations?" Kenny Ackerman groused as he held his only living family in a tight hold, seemingly not daring to let go for a second, too. Levi was honestly getting a bit uncomfortable. He'd always known Kenny was strong, but he honestly hadn't thought his mother would possess an almost matching strength, especially considering her delicate health. But here he was, being squeezed so hard, he was starting to see stars.

"Let up. I can't breathe," he managed to gasp out, but then all three of them were assaulted by two smaller pairs of arms wrapping around them to the best of their ability and Levi was officially snared as Gabi and Falco joined the Ackerman family group hug. Levi just gave up and let himself hang there like a limpet.

"Hey, is that Levi-heichou?" He heard Sasha Blouse say before there was another body slamming into the Ackerman hug pile. "Levi-heichou! Oh, how we've missed you! Where have you been all this time!? We, like, searched everywhere!"

"Oi, potato girl, don't disturb Levi-heichou- Mikasa!?" Jean Kirstein's exclamation cut off as another person joined the hug, holding more directly onto Levi than the rest of the group as a whole as Mikasa Ackerman joined the family hug she, technically, had every right to join.

"We're all practically family, Jean, so shut up and come here. You too, Connie."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Levi grumbled halfheartedly as two more bodies joined in on trying to suffocate him. "Guess not. And watch your hands, Springer. I'll cut your fingers off myself if that hand wanders."

"I would never, Heichou!" Exclaims Connie Springer, carefully sticking to the male side of the group hug and not daring to go anywhere near the woman that looks like his former commanding officer's twin sister.

"Armin ..."

"Annie, why don't you join us?" Amrin Arlert asked before he grabbed both the Female Titan's and the Attack Titan's hands, dragging them over to the ever growing group hug that Hange had already dragged Moblit and a protesting Onyankopon to.

"... Can I join?"

"Fuck no!" Levi yelled when Zeke dared to ask and then twisted around to glare at the smirk on the Beast Titan's face even as Eren dared to all but cuddle up to him. Gabi jabbed an elbow into Eren's stomach and the man 'oomph'-ed but he didn't relinquish his hold and the others all just decided that was their cue to huddle closer. Levi rolled his eyes to the high heavens. "Uncle Uri, a little help?"

Eren's head snapped up. "Your uncle is King Uri Reiss?!"

"Hello, Eren Jaeger," the man said with a gentle smile as he came over and started extracting Levi from his husband's and his sister in law's clutches, consequently making everyone else let go, too. Kuchel took this as her cue to smother Gabi and Falco in her concern next while Uri kept a firm hand over Kenny's where it had wandered to his knife holster upon seeing and recognizing Eren. One of the last holders of the Founding Titan from the Royal Family smiled at Eren, kind and sweet. "It's nice to officially meet you. Thank you for setting us free from the Coordinate."

Eren shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. It was the first time anyone thanked him for causing the Rumbling. "I ...honestly don't know what to reply to that."

"That's perfectly fine," reassured the last King of the Walls with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "I'm just glad someone had the guts and the will to do what I always wanted but never could once I inherited the power to do it. Well, not the Rumbling, as I have mixed opinions on that whole fuckfest, but destroying the Walls and the Titans. Though it seems both are very much in existence yet again ..."

"Ymir promised she'd help me attain freedom for us all," Eren replied, sounding more sure of himself now. "My original plan didn't work past those first peace talks between the Alliance and the Jaegerists. It took very little time before the world decided they had to make sure Eldians forget themselves, their legacy, their history, their culture. They were, unfortunately, successful. They managed a level of oppression that would be impressive in its subtlety if it wasn't so horrifying. Soon, all that made Eldians, well, Eldians was nearly irreparably gone and that's when Ymir decided she'd failed in fulfilling her promise, thus giving me this second lease on life, I guess. The Walls and the Titans were here to protect Paradis until its people were ready to come back. And believe me, protection was definitely needed in more than one situation."

Uri nodded, as if understanding. "Well, I wish you the best of luck in building up this nation from scratch. Know that you will have my support all the way. I guess we'll start with the immigration-"

"Wait, what? Immigration?" Levi and Eren asked in one voice, both surprised and a bit stupefied, because they hadn't even dealt with what reaction the world might have to the last two broadcasts that came from Levi's channel, from this very island.

"Well, what did ya think was going to happen when you broadcast to the whole world in your old uniform and salute like that?" Kenny asked sarcastically, taking out his phone and typing something in before turning it around for Levi to see. It was a web page used to monitor Uri's country's embassies all over the world and from what Levi could see, there were already fifteen thousand requests for aid to transfer to Paradis. All written in the old language once upon a time used in Eldia and Marley.

Beside him, Eren's mouth dropped. "People ... remember?"

Kenny shrugged, taking his phone back. "If they didn't before, they sure do, now. And they all want home. They just, apparently, didn't know home was an option."

"More requests come in by the hour," Armin pipped in, smiling up at his best friend. "Both people who had a past life and descendants of Eldians who heard you and your willingness to fight for our freedom to be ourselves."

"Heard me?!"

"You didn't realize you were talking to everyone and not just the guys you were fighting?" Hange asked, both amused and incredulous. "Okay, never mind that! I've noticed that most of the Titans that still exist on the island seem to be the same ones from two thousand years ago!"

"Y-yeah," Eren replied, still stunned that he'd, apparently, spoken to all the Eldians in the world during the earlier fight without realizing it. Levi was tempted to snort, but he feared that if he drew any attention to himself right now, his mother might actually break down in tears about how worried she was. She was better off coddling his kids. "I mean, kind of? They're hand-sculpted by Ymir the Founder, so they're not ... They're not the turned Titans, the Eldians who Marleyians punished by sending them to Paradis. They were never human, but they have the same abilities and ... personalities, I guess, as the Titans from back then."

Hange's eyes gleamed. "Does this mean you have another Sawney and Bean?"

Levi felt his eye twitch. "Okay, that's enough of nonsense for now," he said, coming to stand in the center of the group. He took a moment to look at them all, his last Squad from two thousand years ago. His youngest and bravest and most idiotic, teenage squad that he's ever had, one that had lasted with him longer than anyone else sans Hange themself. "Brats..."

As one, even Eren, they saluted, backs straight, eyes cast forward, fists over their beating hearts. "Yes, sir!"

"Welcome back home," Levi said and allowed a small smile to form on his lips, causing his squad to outright beam at him, even Mikasa and Annie, who rarely smiled so freely. "However, I don't think we'll have much time to fool around." None of them looked surprised by that. In fact, they looked excited. "We have much work to do, because apparently, we'll have to become a semi-functional country in a matter of days, weeks at most, so we can welcome our people home. You can thank your former Danchou for creating this mess before we're ready to deal with it." He glared at said blond but Erwin wasn't even paying attention to them, because Kenny was keeping him busy with plenty of death threats and glares and Uri was actually holding his husband back. Levi gave a sigh before turning back to his squad. "We've all dealt with something similar to this in the past, but let's give it our all this time around to create a government and overall environment that will allow Eldians to finally be free to be themselves and live long, happy lives with no regrets."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"For now, though, let's just sort this shit out," he said with a gesture to where Erwin, Yelena, Mike and Floch were being given medical treatment while the Titan Shifters fidgeted as they healed, regrowing limbs and the such. The medics, either having seen too much shit from being around Kenny for longer periods of time or Eldians who'd already dealt with Titan Shifters in their past lives and had the memories to help them go through it, just ignored the freaks of nature casually healing themselves in ways that would make any scientist or doctor either drool or kill themself for the illogic of it all. "We need to figure out what to do with them, but for that, we need to know their motives for targeting Eren and for following Zeke and Erwin. We also need to start at least a rudimentary law and political system so we can, hopefully, introduce ourselves as a well-developed country that can't be taken advantage of to the world. Thankfully, everything from two thousand years ago seems to have remained on this island in perfect condition thanks to Ymir the Founder and Eren's own efforts at preservation. Therefore, we will start off in two teams today. Mikasa, pick four others, including Hange, Moblit Kenny or anyone else you want, to help you thoroughly interrogate and question the Warriors, Yelena, Erwin, Mike, Floch and Nile. Use whatever methods you want, but don't mutilate the non-Titan Shifters beyond something that can heal in a few weeks. Armin, do the same and head to the Survey Corps castle HQ and the royal palace. Take Uri with you, if you want, and start sorting the documents. We have a lot of laws to decide on and very little time. If Erwin eventually proves to have, indeed, only the best of intentions, we'll send him along to help so we can do everything in time."

"Hai, Levi-heichou!" The two mentioned said with another thump against their chests to solidify their salute and Levi nodded.

"What about you, Levi?" Hange asked, even as they and Moblit headed over to Armin when the blond waved them over, as was to be expected. "Are you going to stay for the interrogations? Isn't that a bit too much?"

Levi shook his head. "Eren and I have other things to attend to before we can join in on any of your activities. Like announcing to the people that Paradis will definitely be accepting everyone who wants to live here. But we will also need a system to screen for those who have Eldian ancestry, since bringing our people here is our main objective so they should have precedence over anyone else."

"Isn't it going to be problematic to just create a new state that's never existed before mere weeks after a whole new island was discovered and was declared, by a very reliable source, to be uninhabited?" Onyankopon asked in worry and Eren gave a reassuring grin.

"Paradis has become a mobile island," he revealed, much to the shock of everyone, including his friends who had reincarnated more than once. "It was by necessity, since some Marleyans want to come treasure hunting every ten years or so when they rediscover old stories about a kingdom behind fifty meter walls and rich mineral resources. Paradis has been moving around randomly all over the world for at least one thousand and eight hundred years now."

"How the fuck do you move an island?" Annie asks and Eren's grin turns smug.

"You Rumble it a little until it detaches from the ocean floor and then have about fifty Colossal Titans push it until it starts floating away. And if it ever stops, you turn into the hugeass Founding Titan to get it to quake a bit until it starts moving again. Easy as pie, really."

"... Why does this shit always happen to me?" Levi asked longsufferingly and Hange started cackling even as Armin and Jean dragged them away towards where the horses were casually grazing so they can ride to Sina to get started on their task, Moblit following along with Uri and Levi's mother with Gabi and Falco held by the hands even as his family gave him uncertain looks for being separated again. Levi was honestly surprised Kenny wasn't following on Uri's heels, since he was so overprotective of his spouse, but seeing his uncle standing next to Mikasa while polishing a knife, Levi decided he was too tired to deal with this shit. "Come on, brat. We need to create a new profile with which we will make announcements to our people so they know how, when, where and who to approach about coming to Paradis."

Eren waved towards his friends, flipped their enemies-from-half-an-hour-ago the bird before he briskly walked over to join Levi. His head seemed to be in the clouds, a somewhat lost, but more like extremely bewildered glint in his eyes. The shorter man let him be while he grabbed his equipment that Zeke, Erwin and the others had apparently had Gabi and Falco hand over and brought to the island. His laptop, honestly, was the most important piece of said equipment, but he checked to see if anything was missing or destroyed in the fighting. Thankfully, it seemed like all of his things had been carefully deposited out of the way of the attempted invasion and the following battle that ensued, though he did note that he was missing some things of minor importance. Either Gabi and Falco didn't think to pack it, or one of the Warriors was getting a chance to acquaint themself with Levi's boot if they lost it.

When Eren was still out of it by the time Levi had powered up his laptop and was typing in his password for his blog, the former Heichou sighed and spoke up. "Oi, shitty brat, what's got you looking like you want to take a shit but the shit won't come out?" That seemed to snap the brunet from his thoughts and he looked over to where Levi was waiting to see what shit Erwin and the others had ruined on his site. "You don't actually have to do this with me if you'd rather go and catch up with your friends. You must have missed them and you'd already had days to get used to having me around again." Levi shooed him away with a hand, not sure if Eren would even want to tell him what was bothering him even if Levi asked.

A lot of things had changed, even all the way back two thousand years ago.

And a lot of things had changed in just the past few hours.

Levi regaining his memories of his past life was one of them.

Eren didn't need to walk on eggshells around him anymore, worrying if something he says will make Levi change his mind about what he thinks of Eren's past actions.

Besides, Eren had Mikasa now. And while he and Jean were always rivals, they had also been friends. Levi had seen a lot of non-traditional relationships, both in his past life and especially in this one. He's sure that they can come to some sort of agreement. Eren's once-upon-a-time-crush shouldn't be holding him back from pursuing a healthy, happy relationship with people who actually know how that shit works.

He half expected Eren to take the chance and run off to his friends, but he should have known Eren would be Eren, the shitty brat who chose to stick by Levi as much as possible if given the chance. "Nah, I don't mind. In fact, I want to do this with you. Besides, everyone else is already busy trying not to disappoint their newly reinstated Heichou, as if they can disappoint you in anything but cleaning." They both had to snort at that, because Levi still had beef with Jean's poor hygiene habits and standards. "Besides, I don't want to leave your side right now."

"Oh? And why might that be?" Levi asked even as his page finally uploaded and he felt a migraine threaten to begin pounding away at his fucking skull when he noticed the types of comments Erwin's shitty post got, the debates his followers had started and the utter nonsense he'd have to fix and deal with. He's probably better off with deleting this blog and starting a whole new one. Besides, this blog was long outdated and turned obsolete nearly a year ago, when he'd been honorably discharged from all types of military once and for all. He didn't even know why he'd kept this page. Yes, he'd still been posting semi-regularly things he could get his hands on from someone else's sources after finding out as much as he could about some situation, but most of his posts had turned into photographs of things that caught his eye.

Without much hesitation, Levi sent one last message, a farewell and gratitude for the loyal following over the past couple of years, before he took his blog down.

It was for the best.

This way, no one will ever target his family to get access to a government approved and protected blog just so they can post things to spin their own narrative to make themselves look good and gain a following that could cause only chaos.

Instead, he started making a new blog, a blog that will, hopefully, become the official site for the new Eldian government as Paradis slowly builds up into a nation that can stand on its own and that can welcome its people back home.

"Because I feel like there's something missing and I can't put my finger on it," Eren said, making Levi look up from his laptop to arch an eyebrow at the Titan Shifter. Eren just shrugged, clearly just as confused as he was making Levi. "It's like ... Like I'm reading a book and one chapter is missing. It's short and you don't notice the missing pages straight away until you start reading the next chapter and realize there's a gap between the chapter you've already read and the one you're currently reading. It may not even be overly significant for the overall plot of the book, but it's missing and it's bothersome. That's what it feels like."

Levi thought about that and found that he could both agree and disagree that something did seem to be missing. It's almost as if the flow of events is ... anticlimactic, following this morning. "And what do you think it is that is missing?"

Green eyes closed as Eren sat down and leaned against the truck that the Warriors had been using since Levi and his friends had detached themselves from what was left of the original expedition crew. "It's just that ... This morning, we had an all out mini war going on. I was ready to release the Titan from the Walls to deal with my brother, Reiner and the others. I was fully ready to kill again. It wouldn't be the first time, and not just because of the things I've done in my first life. Your party was far from the first to have set foot on this island and tried to conquer it for their own reasons. I've always dealt with them, though usually I just ordered the Titans to either chase them off or, well ..."

Levi did not need the details. He knew what Titans did if they caught a human that could not or refused to run away but didn't know how to fight back. He'd seen it happen too many times to need clarification.

"Anyway, this morning, I was completely ready to fall into my mindset from two thousand years ago, and yet as soon as the fighting was over ... I feel like the book changed genres in that one missing chapter, because suddenly people were hugging or bantering or cracking jokes. Zeke and I even had a moment of empathy with Erwin when he ended up being on the receiving end of the legendary Ackerman foot! It just feels like ... All that drama from the past couple of weeks ... resulted in nothing? I mean, people died and yet somehow, the people who'd led them to their deaths aren't facing any serious consequences? I mean, I'd prefer it if we could all move on peacefully, but that also feels so strange to me, too." He opened his eyes again and held Levi's gaze, the most serious Levi had ever seen him and this was the man who'd been ready to destroy the world for his freedom. "It also feels strange to be free. It's so lighthearted."

The gray-blue eyed man froze, going tense all over and carefully putting his laptop aside as he came to sit in front of Eren on his hunches. "I will need that elaborated, brat. I thought you'd already won your freedom, two thousand years ago?"

"While we were fighting, I started thinking about things and it made me realize something: that the Founding Titan was completely my own. None of the other holders reside even in the barest of traces or residue in there anymore. None of the holders of the Attack Titan, either. I was completely my own. I was free of any influence. The endless cycle that had plagued me, my father and every other Titan holder before us was over. The Coordinate was my to control, but the connection didn't go both ways. It couldn't blind me with memories and experiences of others anymore. I can pluck from it what I want, but it can't overwhelm me. And, perhaps most importantly, the influence of King Fritz of Eldia that had clung onto the Founding Titan had been shaken free. It's what's making me no longer not-care what happens to humanity as a whole if my friends don't live. The Paths, for the first time, truly represent unity and belonging, and not a shared, tragic fate bound to us by blood. The Coordinate is where our souls can meet, in this life and the next and everything in between. And the Titans ... They're protection that we can do without. Because we are free, Levi." That was the first time ever that Eren had called his former superior officer by his name without his rank attached to it. "We are free."

Levi studied his once subordinate carefully, mulling over his words. It's not that he didn't trust Eren, it's that Levi wasn't sure if he was correctly comprehending the things Eren had just revealed to him.

For them, who had fought for the freedom of their people, for the hope that they won't be lost to the Titans, be it to Titan jaws or the threat of Titan powers that the rest of the world feared, what Eren was saying was a dream come true. If they were truly free now ... If all influences that might cause unnecessary wars to start were cleansed from the one thing connecting every Eldian ... If Eren could feel light as a feather ...

Then they were free.

They were free to create a new legacy, a new nation, a new story for themselves.

"But it still seems just so ... weird how it transitioned from serious shit to humorous shit just like that," Eren said in nearly a whine, breaking Levi's very serious train of thought, making the shorter man's eyebrow twitch.

"Don't you think we've had enough drama to last us another four thousand years?" He said in a near sneer, quite done with the bullshit that started with Ymir Fritz and was still ongoing with Eren fucking Jaeger. "Also, stop saying the word 'shit' so much."

"Why? You do it way more than I do!" Protested the beautiful green eyed monster.

Humanity's Strongest Soldier rolled his eyes. "Because there can be only one shit joker and I was born first."

"Not this time around, you weren't!"

"Also, because I said so. And I'm your Heichou."

Eren opened his mouth to protest, before closing it and beaming instead. He scooted closer to Levi, their faces almost touching, barely an inch apart. "Yes, yes you are." One hand traveled to Levi's neck, pulling out Eren's key from under his shirt and holding it gently, pulling slightly to try and get Levi forward. He himself moved in closer, slowly closing his eyes, but Levi all but slapped a hand over his mouth. The slap was very audible. If they hadn't been practically hidden behind one of the jeeps, everyone who heard that slap would have looked over and seen them in a rather compromising position. "Heshu?" Questioned the overgrown murderous puppy, words muffled by pale hands as green eyes did the pouting for his mouth at being denied.

Levi scowled and rolled his eyes, trying his best not to blush. "We have a lot to do, Jaeger. We don't have time for playing games."

The taller man grabbed Levi's wrist with his free hand and removed it from his mouth, showing his pout in full power. "But I'm not playing games. I already told you that this is my second chance to tell you how I feel about you, to give you happiness. If you'd let me, that is."

Levi had to look away from that intense green stare. "What about Mikasa? Don't you love her?"

"I do, in many ways, but she loves Jean now. And I love you." Levi gasped at the bold admission, whipping his head back around to stare wide eyed at the brat who grew up and had the balls to confess so casually. "We've both moved on. Life has a way of doing that to you, Levi-heichou."

"And how didn't you move on from your crush on me?" He had to ask.

The brunet just shrugged. "Mikasa might have been my anchor and Armin, as my best friend, was my way home, but you've always been my lighthouse, Heichou ... Levi ... And I've always striven to keep moving forward, even if what awaits for me is just another kind of hell I'll have to fight through. Besides, Mikasa and Jean are already married. For, like, the third time."

"Wait, seriously?" Levi asked, not having noticed a ring.

Eren grinned, excited to share the news. "Well, actually, they're getting married. Jean proposed a month ago. And since Paradis is now an option, they want a fabulous Shiganshina wedding. Also, the Ackermans may or may not be extended by another member."

"Seriously!?"

The taller of the two laughed, let go of the key and brought Levi into his embrace, leaning back against the jeep, keeping Levi close. Levi pondered fighting it before just letting it happen, letting two lifetimes of fondness and attraction take control of his actions and responses. "I told you life has a way of letting one move forward. Mikasa and I will always have that love we've failed to realize in our first lifetime, but by the time we'd spent a few months in temporary 'marital' bliss the first time she reincarnated when Jean came across the island, I think we both realized that we're more like platonic soulmates than anything. We're family."

"Mikasa did always say you were her family, but I'd always thought she was in denial or confused because she would always blush and she only had eyes and ears for you for the longest time," Levi muttered, recalling all the times he'd had to calm the girl down from doing something rash just because Eren was hurt or in danger or how hard it was for any other male to hold her attention unless it was a commanding officer giving her orders or instructions. "You know what? I'm not going to think about this anymore. It's giving me a headache and I still have to deal with your monkey of a brother until we decide what to do with him and the others. So just ... fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine," Levi repeated, not willing to elaborate or talk about it further. "But only after we've established a functioning government."

Eren's eyes lit up and he gave Levi a squeeze. "I'm going to court the shit out of you, just you wait."

"Court?"

"Of course! My mother didn't raise a barbarian! Though my father might have; Zeke's flirting methods, from what I've seen when I was in Marley, are questionable at best and concerning at worst."

The Ackerman had to snort at that. "Yeah, I know."

"What do you mean, you know?" Eren suddenly asked in a very dangerous drawl, pushing Levi away from his chest just enough so their eyes could meet. Eren didn't even wait for an answer, instead getting up, Levi in his arms and all, gently putting Levi down next to his laptop as he suddenly stormed off in the direction Mikasa's team was working. "That piece of monkey shit, how dare he flirt with you!? I'll kill him!"

Levi didn't even bother to stop him, instead picking his laptop up again and going back to creating a website for the new government of Paradis once it's formed.

He only sighed when Zeke started wailing in panic just a few seconds later.

Because this was somehow his life now.

And he didn't regret it.

Not one bit.

Chapter Text

"Welcome to Paradis," Eren, dressed to the nines in a white business suit with black lapels and dress shirt, hair tied up in his customary manbun, said with a genuine smile on his face to the new plane of 'refugees' as they embarked, setting foot on the island of Eldians for the first time in this lifetime. "The land of all free and peaceful Eldians. I know you've probably already been briefed on this before, but we'll all feel better if we go over the mandatory introduction to the 'conditions' of living on Paradis, mainly for the sake of keeping peace and burying old hatchets. First of all, the governmental system is different from what you'd see anywhere else in the world, be it past or present. We are a democratic society, not giving anyone too much power. There are no casts or classes. We try to make sure everyone lives comfortably and hope the so-far established system will continue functioning as it has for now. Keep in mind that any political or ideological or war factions you've kept to in the past are no excuse to ignite conflict in the here and now-"

"Eren!" Historia Reiss shouted excitedly as she barreled forward to jump into the awaiting arms of one of the two leaders of the current Eldian government. "It's been so long! I'm so glad to see you again!"

"It's good to see you too, Historia. I'm glad you seem to be doing well," Eren replied as they let go, grinning at each other. A scoff from behind the former Queen of Paradis had Eren raising his eyes and grinning in welcome to yet another Jaw Titan holder. "Ymir, it's good to see you, too. Please, both of you, be welcomed to Paradis. You are home now," he said, nodding to the other people who walked around them, either uncaring or uninformed of the position Eren holds on the island now.

It had taken them months to decide on a governmental system to implement in their new country. They had wanted democracy, but they had all agreed a singular leading political figure would simply not do. It wouldn't matter who they would put in place, at least one party would always feel like they were being slighted, be they the former Jaegerists, the people who had spent most if not all of their life in the Underground, the Eldians who had lived in Marley, the supporters of the Alliance and so on. There would always be at least one group that would feel like they had less rights than the rest or that some had more privileges. Trying to establish a single leader would be pointless. Eldians were not like the rest of the world. Besides, the current government systems all around the world weren't exactly ideal, either.

Eventually, Armin had come up with a solution, by turning to world ancient history, mainly ancient Greeks. Or, to be precise, to ancient Sparta and their ruling system that combined democracy and a type of monarchy that actually involved two 'kings', though neither would have absolute power. They would have a ruling government body, two political leaders slash representatives and no law can be passed unless all three parties agreed. The democracy part of the system comes in the government body, the parlament, which consists of multiple political parties, each one getting an equal number of representatives to sit in the parliament. The members were chosen every two years and were voted by the people. Leading the parliament were two prime ministers and a team of officials that would represent each of the political parties, chosen every year so no one would get a big head and try to hog power or riches. It was complicated and required a lot of work and still needed fine-tuning, but this was what they'd come up with to make sure no future leaders or politicians can ever try to take all the power for themselves.

Why Sparta, you may ask?

Well, they lived a life startlingly similar to the life both Eren and Levi have led, the two 'basileis' or, officially, the two Tsubasa, named after the Wings of Freedom both had been proud of; the Wings of Freedom that were the official flag and crest of Paradis, the newest country in the world. Necessity had forced both men to go through challenges no child ever should. Both men had grown up in a military-oriented country, because the ever-looming presence of Titans just outside the Walls would never allow for the luxuries and freedoms the rest of the world had had at that time. It shaped them both. And it was a thing almost all Eldians were used to. War and avoiding it, trying to stop it or just live with it.

It was different now, thankfully. The Titans that still roamed the island were used as cranes and bulldozers, for working the fields and other difficult tasks, often replacing machines. They patrolled the island, keeping their shores safe, but hiding from anyone who they detected was not of Eldian ancestry.

There was an abundance of food. For two thousand years, foods have been growing, animals have been breeding, the island had been recovering from what had happened during and before the Rumbling. Introducing more modern industries wasn't too hard, either, though people often stopped at the internet, satellite television and electricity. The beauty of Paradis was that it remained untouched by the consumalist mentalities and efforts of company giants and rich people looking to make a profit. Paradis was basically a self sustaining island. They had lots of gasses they could use for energy, a single tree from the Forest of Giant Trees can sustain a smaller village in regards to firewood or building materials. They had clay for bricks and pottery, though most houses and other structures were actually built with bricks created by crystallization, since the Titan Shifters can make plenty of those, especially after several former War Hammer Titan bearers came to Paradis and helped in the construction efforts.

The Walls were still in place, a reminder as well as a safety precaution. They wouldn't be able to do much against an airstrike, but as long as Eren was alive, they could easily form a protective dome with crystallization should it ever come to that. Besides that, Titans were allowed to roam wherever they liked freely. Their hunger for human flesh had long since been suppressed by Eren's will and power over them. They didn't disturb anyone, nor the animals, so there was no sense in locking them out when people were living all over the island and not just within the three Walls. Besides, as was said before, Titans often replaced heavy machinery usually needed in construction work or in transportation.

The railroads, rivers and roads were all put to good use.

There was plenty of drinking water on the island.

And since Paradis just floated around, they had a chance to fish all types of different fish species.

As long as no one tries to hog their resources, they'll never run out.

They still had an active, strong military, divided into several regiments and not just four, as had been custom since the Walls were erected. War could not be declared without the consent of all political parties in the parliament and the two Tsubasa. Officially, the ones proclaiming war would be the prime ministers, but no single person had the authority to begin it or end it on their own, even if Eren actually had the power to do so by himself as the Founding Titan. Not that he ever would. Undermining all of their hard work over the last five years would be foolish at best and downright stupid at worst. Not to mention that Levi, as his 'co-ruler' and partner in life, would kick his ass to the point that not even his healing powers would be able to help him recover after he was done.

"I hope you're not expecting to be welcomed like a queen," another voice said, this time from behind Eren and the brunet smiled as they all turned to look at Levi, standing there with crossed arms in an impeccable black suit with white lapels and shirt,his signature cravat in place with a familiar key laying over it, glinting in the sun, a miniature smile on his face as he faced the last remaining member of his Squad. "We don't really do monarchies anymore, despite what my and Eren's title may imply."

Historia beamed when she spotted her one-time Heichou, hurrying over to give him a hug, too. She laughed as she answered his teasing. "I don't think I'd want the throne right now, anyways. The paperwork for building up a country must be hell." She laughed even more when both men pulled a disgusted face at just the thought of their desks filled to the brim with documents just waiting for their attention once they finish this meet and greet that they do for every bout of 'refugees' that come to the island. "Besides, uncle Uri has assigned me to be his ambassador for Paradis, so I can't be queen even if I wanted to, Levi-heichou. Or should I call you something else?" She asked with a worried frown but Levi just patted her head as though she were still a kid.

"Just call me Levi. Don't be like this brat over here. I've barely managed to convince the others to drop it, too, but Eren's the worst."

The young (but ancient) man in question just glared playfully at his counterpart. "You'll always be Levi-heichou to me. You'll never get me to drop it!"

"Tch! Brat!"

"Well, at least that hasn't changed," Ymir commented, finally properly joining in on the conversation with a playful roll of her eyes. "It's almost reassuring."

"What would be really reassuring," Levi drawled as he eyed her up and down. "Is if you'd promise that you'll never try to kidnap me again."

"WHAT!?" Both Eren and Historia squawked, turning to eye their lover in shock, this being the first time they'd heard of this.

Ymir looked away, an embarrassed blush decorating her freckled cheeks. Levi did not hesitate to share the story. "It was on my twenty-third birthday. Kenny wanted to go shark wrestling for 'fun' and 'bonding time'," he said with appropriate amounts of sarcasm and the necessary air quotes. Eren, Historia and even Ymir stared at him in shock and horror. "So I was visiting him and Uri, when this weird freckled chick," he jutted his head in Ymir's direction, who looked offended by the way he'd described her. "Tried to kidnap me all of a sudden, dragging me into the sewers or whatever. It didn't work, obviously, but she did try and that was my weirdest birthday right up until Hange dragged me to Paradis."

"I don't think you should be the one complaining!" Protested the female Jaw Titan bearer. "You broke my jaw! Fuck, but you have pointy elbows!"

"Ymir! You didn't actually try to kidnap Levi-heichou, did you?" The once queen of Paradis asked, stunned by her lover's idiotic actions and audacity.

"I thought you'd want to reunite with someone else from our past life," whined the brunette.

"It's Levi-heichou!" Eren and Historia said in one voice, truly indignant that someone thought they could just randomly pick the man up and whisk him away as though he were a damsel in distress when he was the strongest man the world has seen so far.

"But he broke my jaw, baby~!" Complained Ymir and Eren had to snort at that.

"Yeah, he has a habit of doing that with Jaw Titans."

"I would never break Falco's jaw."

"You're not supposed to have favorites."

"And you're not supposed to be jealous of a kid, yet here we are."

Eren pouted at that, causing the two women to snicker like they were witnessing comedy gold or something. Levi would have probably glared at them a bit longer had he not caught sight of yet another familiar face. Eren looked up, too, and beamed. "Nanaba! Welcome back to Paradis!" He said as he waved to the blond woman with an undercut that approached them with a pretty smile of her own.

She hugged Levi when she was close enough and just nodded to the former cadets of the 104th, smiling at the two girls she'd died protecting before turning to her long time comrade. "It's good to see you all. Especially you, Levi. I'm really glad you reached out to me even though you're so busy."

Levi shrugged, stepping back from the embrace after it was over. "We're trying to reach out to as many people as we can. Some want to come back, some don't. I'm just glad you remembered. Mike was miserable."

Nanaba blushed and averted her eyes. "I missed him, too. Does he know my husband passed away?"

Eren shook his head. "We didn't want him to think it would be okay to pester you before you were ready to deal with other human beings and we didn't want him to know you've remembered, either, because we didn't want to assume you'd leave your current life behind just because you remembered your past one. It didn't feel right to give him false hopes."

"He'll be thrilled to see you now, though. And I'm sure he'll accept your kids as if they were his own."

Nanaba suddenly grinned mischievously. "I honestly rather doubt that." Before either of the two Tsubasa could say anything, the woman turned back to the way she came from, towards the plane, put her hands up around her mouth like a megaphone before she started yelling. "Kids! Come meet mama's friends, will you!? I think you'll want to meet them!"

Eren and Levi exchanged looks as a literal horde of kids suddenly emerged from the plane. They nearly had a heart attack when one of the two girls suddenly jumped over the disembarking stair's railing and Levi moved without thinking, catching the six year old in his arms with a startled huff. The red haired girl didn't hesitate before she threw her arms around Levi's neck and yelled at the top of her lungs into his ear. "Levi-aniki!"

Silver-blue eyes widened in disbelief before a sheen of tears made them gleam as they met glimmering forest green eyes that stared up at him adoringly. "Isabel?"

"Yo, Levi," a boy with sandy blond hair and pale stormy eyes said as he made his way to the two, smiling fondly and lovingly at the man.

"Farlan?" Levi looked like he was in shock and Eren watched as actual tears fell from his beloved's eyes as he was, finally, reunited with his family, his closest friends, after more than two thousand years.

"Levi-heichou," four other childish voices called out with a seriousness and maturity kids so young shouldn't have. This time, even Eren felt tears slipping from his eyes as he and his Heichou turned to face the smiling, saluting Oulo, Petra, Gunther and Eld, the children all but beaming at their former leader.

Levi fell to his knees and opened his arms wide, dragging Farlan into his embrace and inviting the other kids, too. They didn't need to be told twice, rushing in to reunite with their Heichou. Eren didn't hesitate, either, kneeling on the other side and dragging them all into his own embrace. He didn't know Farlan and Isabel personally, but he knew the others and they were all some of Levi's most precious people in the whole world. Petra, Oulo, Gunther and Eld were precious to him, too. They were comrades he never got over the guilt of not being able to protect them.

"Oi! Who do you think-" Oulo bit on his tongue mid rant when he turned to face the stranger hugging them, only to startle when he saw familiar green eyes overflowing with tears.

Petra turned to look at him next, her small face contorting into surprise when she recognized the grown man. "Eren!?"

"Wow, you sure did grow up!" Eld said with a laugh, turning around to get a proper look. With all of them squirming around so much, Eren let go and leaned back on his hunches, smiling through his tears at his comrades, his first squad mates.

"And he fulfilled his promise of killing all the Titans," added Gunther with a smile, though he jokingly glared at one of the Titans casually carrying people's luggage from the plane to the train that would take them all to the capital.

"How did you find them?" Levi asked, still clinging onto his best friends whom he'd watched die in front of him twice. They were clinging onto him just as hard, especially the redhead. "I mean, it's only been a couple of years since ... "

"As if we'd leave you all alone again, Levi-heichou!" Petra declared with a huff.

"We were not going to stay away for that long of a time this time around, no sir!" Eld said with a salute and Eren couldn't help but giggle at these child versions of his comrades, of the most elite squad that the Survey Corps had ever had to offer before they got another Ackerman and another Titan Shifter added to their midst.

Oulo glared at him, indignant and huffy. "Oi, brat! Who do you think you're laughing at!?"

Eren couldn't help but smirk at the boy, bonking his nose with one of his fingers. "Actually, I think it's you who is a brat this time around, brat."

Oulo only got more indignant, but as he opened his mouth to yell at him, he managed to bite his tongue, again, and grunted in pain.

Petra sighed, far too used to this shit. "Oulo, you'll seriously end up biting through your tongue and choking on either your tongue or your own blood if you're not more careful." The failed attempts at acting like Levi-heichou that followed only made Petra roll her eyes and say she wished it would actually happen.

It was their usual antics and Eren had really feared that he'd never get to witness them again. He couldn't stop crying nor would his grin go away.

He'd never felt this elated before.

"Farlan is actually mine," Nanaba was saying to Levi-heichou to answer his question and Eren turned his attention to them, too, so he'd learn their story. "And me and my late husband adopted Isabel. She was his niece but her mother didn't want her since she was a result of a one-night stand. I didn't mind and when I regained my memories, they asked me about Levi and I just knew that we had to go to Paradis as soon as I got all of my business sorted. These little rascals you call a squad, though," she said teasingly, making the children in question pout adorably. "Are all orphans or ran away from home. They registered by themselves to come to Paradis in the children's section and we got reunited on the airport."

"You ran away from home?" Levi asked suspiciously, eyeing his former squad.

Petra and Eld raised their hands.

"My biological father this time around is in jail and my mother is in a mental institution," Petra said casually. "Neither of them are likely to get out before I turn eighteen."

"My parents abandoned me and my foster parents are neglectful and only care about the money they get for caring for the children. As soon as I was sure I had enough money to last me a couple of days out on the street, I ran away and then contacted your embassy from a library computer. They picked me up in two days."

"And what about you two?"

Gunther shrugged. "My parents died in a car accident and none of my other relatives could take me in."

Oulo shrugged, too. "My mother left me at the orphanage the day I was born. I met Gunther two years ago when he was dropped off there, too."

Levi nodded. "Okay then. Well, I'm already guardian to two children and all of you already know how I am and what my standards are. You're coming with me."

Eren blanched. "Wait, what?"

The shorter of the Tsubasa gave him a scathing glare. "You weren't actually expecting me to leave my squad all alone out on the cold streets, did you?"

Nanaba, Historia and Ymir watched in amusement as Eren flailed around. "First, we're literally on the equator, so it's never fucking cold. Second, they weren't alone, they were with Nanaba! Hell, she's the legal guardian slash parent for two of them! And third, they wouldn't be on the streets, either! Fourth, they were my squad for a while, too! And fifth, don't you think our home is already a little too preoccupied at the moment?"

"Eren, we live in a goddamned castle. With mostly your friends. And Mike lives there, too, so of course Nanaba would come with us, anyways, so why the hell are you complaining."

"I'm not ready to be a father figure to at least four more kids! Or an uncle! Mikasa's and horseface's kids are enough of a handful!"

"You seem to be doing just fine."

"Yeah, by some miracle. It's not as if I've ever had a particularly good example when I was growing up!"

"Wow, Eren," another male voice said, coming from the airplane. "Why don't you tell us how you really feel?"

Eren gawked. "Hannes?"

The blond man grinned, looking more sober than Eren had ever seen him in his past life, even after the fall of Maria. "Wow, look how tall you got!"

"Out of my way, Hannes! I want to hug my baby!"

"Mom!" Eren cried out, rushing forward to catch his mother in a hug. For all that he'd seen her in the past two thousand years, unlike Hannes, he had still missed her the most out of everyone.

"Well, now you know the favorite parent," Eren Kruger commented as he took out a cigar to light and smoke, mock-reassuringly patting Grisha on the shoulder. "Tough luck, buddy."

Grisha only rolled his eyes as he and a blond woman Eren would have recognized even if he had never received his father's memories through the Attack Titan. He stared at his mother incredulously as she let him go and joined Grisha and one Dina Fritz. "Huh?"

"Polyamory is a thing, sweetie," Carla Yeager-Fritz, wife of Grisha Yeager-Fritz and Dina Fritz-Yeager said with a laugh.

Levi wrinkled his nose. "Does this mean I'm now related to that monkey? As if our shitty family dinners weren't fucked up enough between Gabi's teenage angst bullshit, Falco's teenage angst shit, Armin's and Erwin's political crap at the dinner table and the overall bullcrap the rest of the former Scouts and co bring to the goddamned table. Not to mention Sasha's gluttony, Jean's longing sighs for his own fucking wife and the monkey's stupid baseball obsession."

Eren couldn't help but erupt into laughter at the slightly scandalized expression on his once-parent's and their third's face while Kruger just arched an eyebrow at the crass language a country leader was carelessly throwing around like confetti at a wedding. Historia and Ymir also giggled, because those faces were hilarious, while the children and Nanaba all tried to figure out how these people fit into their friends' lives. Hannes just shook his head and slapped Eren on the back. He, at least, was somewhat familiar with Levi-heichou's tendency for, ahem, colorful language.

And Levi was right. It was utter fucking chaos that night at their dinner table. Gabi and Isabel formed a rivalry for who was the best younger sister/daughter to Levi. The former Jaegers brought a lot of tension to the table, especially Zeke when he saw his mother casually exchanging kisses with Eren's mom. No one was quite comfortable with the way the two women were staring at Levi's mother, though Kuchel ignored them. Reiner and Ymir easily reestablished their rivalry over Historia's love despite Ymir being married to her for six years now. Ymir and Porco also did not get along at all. Historia spent a good ten minutes glaring at him, too. Mikasa and Annie were Mikasa and Annie, somehow having become friends but also somehow still staying rivals, so they would exchange intense stares from time to time.

Falco made quick friends with Levi's old squad, despite the age difference. Nanaba and Mike had disappeared halfway through to get some alone time so they can catch up and discuss what they wanted to do with their old relationship. Farlan spent almost the whole dinner pranking Erwin whenever he had the chance once he learned all the shit the man had pulled with his best friend, both in this life and the past. Sasha was busy eating and Niccolo was busy putting more food on her plate. Bertolt and Connie were discussing something that Levi probably wouldn't approve of in front of all the children present. Petra and Hange and Moblit were catching up, the ginger haired girl squealing when she'd first caught a glimpse of their rings. Kruger was a target of interest and questioning since everyone knew he'd been a great spy and that he'd been one of the people who's actions Eren had most directly influenced. Onyankopon was trying to get Hannes to stop offering him drinks, but to no avail.

Other people often walked in and joined or just came to fetch some food. Some came later, some just passed by to say hi. On some nights, they had guests from other former regiments, but not tonight. Tonight, they all had fun and discussed their plans for the future, what they wanted to do with Paradis to make it even better.

Their island was small when compared to the rest of the world, but their country was growing, developing, advancing. They already had ambassadors from various countries stationed on the island, as well as they had ambassadors of their own in many countries all over the world. They had a strong ally in Uri, who was going to be succeeded by his eldest niece, Frieda in a few years time. They had acceptance from the general public when they'd introduced themselves to the world a couple of years back. They were even thinking of opening themselves to tourists next year, as Paradis had quite a few things people might like to see.

Life was not perfect, but it was good. It was a long way to come before Eren was sure that he'd fulfilled his promise to free all Eldians, that he'll give them a place where they can be themselves. But their culture, their history, their customs and ways were being cherished and preserved on this island now. Paradis was slowly regaining its full former glory, was slowly going towards exceeding it, and Eren couldn't be happier.

There were still people out there, waiting to come home, debating whether they should at all. There were still a lot of people being born or reborn, regaining their memories. There were people that didn't want to come back, or who were willing to wait until Eldians with all-Eldian families have settled before they try to bring their non-Eldian families to the island. Eren and Levi were working on extending the invitation to anyone who wants to live on Paradis, but were reluctant to do so while the memory of Erwin's disastrous broadcast from Levi's old channel was still fresh.

Eren and Levi still had a lot of work to do before they can make Paradis the paradise it was named after. They still had a lot of people to bring home. They still had a lot of things that they need to fix.

But as Eren dared lean down to kiss his partner in life and everything on the lips in front of their most important people, Eren knew that they could do it.

It took four thousand years for them to be at peace.

Two thousand years for even a glimpse of freedom.

And two thousand years later, freedom was never so close to their reach as it was now.

Two thousand years after his death, Eren was free and happy and at peace. He loved and was loved. He was aging again, so he must be doing something right. Two thousand years ago, his death ended the Rumbling. A little less than two thousand years ago, his resurrection of sorts gave them one last chance at peace, at freedom.

And with Levi and his friends at his side, two thousand years later, Eren no longer needed to fight.

'We are free.'

DAS ENDE