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teakookssi · 10 months ago

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Before I Leave You [Eren/Levi x Reader FF]

[ full story can be found here or here ] [Overview & prologue] ➺ pairing: levi ackerman/eren jeager x fem!reader ➺content: mafia au, crime, arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, angst, lol so much angst ➺warnings: violence, blood, strong language, guns/weapons, and illegal activities are all mentioned but hey, that’s aot for you, so if you can handle that, you can handle this (:

chapter 15: consequence

As Levi escorts you out the door, you find the driver your father assigned to you for the charity event waiting dutifully outside your car in front of your house. He’s one of your father’s men, no doubt, and looks a few years older than you, but not by much. You’ve never met him before but your father trusts him enough to drive you across the city so you don’t question his background or skillsets.

On your way to the car, you notice Furlan and Isabel are nowhere in sight, much to your surprise. You were half expecting them to be waiting in a car of their own, ready to tail behind since they’re known to never stray too far from Levi’s side.

But alas, this is an exclusive event, and they are no exception. As for the lack of presence from your own circle…Well, this you find less surprising. Your father has most likely assigned them to jobs outside of the city — not wanting any of them to interfere or provide you with the means to sabotage tonight’s event. Otherwise they’d be at your side or on the lookout somewhere nearby — as you reckon Furlan and Isabel to be currently doing despite knowing they shouldn’t.

—

During the drive over to Mitras, where Lord Reiss is to host his charity event, Levi informs you that the money being raised tonight is to help rebuild the hospital recently hit by an alleged Marleyan terrorist attack near one of the lower sectors. Although signs of a gas leak were ultimately presented, the tension between Paradis and Marley has only escalated since then, and the threat of war has become all the more real.

The king refuses to entertain any notions of war, and because of this, so has the high class.

Not that it matters.

Even if they were to take it seriously, and a war were to break out between both countries, the king of Paradis and his nobles would still be heavily shielded from the worst of it. The fact Lord Reiss is focusing on the rebuilding of the hospital for his cause this evening paints him as compassionate and honorable, but the man is known for taking advantage of situations such as these to flaunt his wealth and powerful connections (to the royal family in particular). Which makes him the worst of them all.

As your driver pulls up into Lord Reiss’ estate a while later, there is no doubting the nobleman’s strong ties with the crown nor of his lavish and extravagant taste. Exhibit A: there’s a bloody pair of peacocks roaming his front garden, of all things, and exhibit b: there’s a pond with a fountain in the center for the bloody birds to drink from.

You and Levi exchange glances in the car at the sight of them, stifling in your laughter.

Rich people.

The driveway up to the manor has a circular design so vehicles can drive in and out without trouble, but there is still staff directing incoming vehicles to the drop off area all the same. Your driver drives up to where they indicate for him to station while you and Levi step out of the vehicle.

“Lay low,” you hear Levi tell the driver from the door. “We’re not here to cause trouble.”

You hum in disagreement as Levi closes the door behind you. “That’s yet to be determined.”

Without waiting for him to reply back, you commence up the stairs to the manor, ready to get this over with. But Levi easily catches up to you and takes his place at your right, hooking your waist with an arm to secure you back at his side.

“Don’t stray,” he hisses at you in warning, taking the lead up the stairs. “We’re here together, love. Remember that.”

You tsk irritably. “So I’m on a leash now?”

Levi clenches his jaw beside you as you reach the front of the stairs. “If that’s what being engaged to me feels like to you,” he says bitterly, “then yes.”

You glower at him. “That’s not what I meant,” you say crossly, even though you still feel a pang guilty that he took it that way.

But Levi is no longer paying attention to you. He’s noticed someone up ahead that’s made him go tense beside you. Before you can follow his gaze, Levi subtly steps in front of you, forcing you to come to a stop before him. He leans in, making it appear like he’s kissing you on the forehead affectionately—which he is—but he’s also muttering to you under his breath.

“The Commanding Chief of Police is coming this way,” he informs you tersely. “For your father’s sake, love, do play nicely.”

Sure enough, as Levi steps away, you see a bald man with a structured build in a forest green uniform and wearing a matching colored hat making his way towards you. He has gold, hazel eyes and a distinguished mustache, with light skin and notable wrinkles under his eyes.

Your jaw tightens at the sight of him. **

Dot Pixis. Erwin Smith’s superior.

You’d never met the chief of police in person, but you knew of him. The highest commanding officer of Paradis with over thirty years of experience under his belt. Master tactician, sharp as a fox. There is no one else more qualified to look over this rich-infested district than Pixis. Nor is there anyone more capable of tearing your father down, if given the chance.

This very fact puts you on edge. Levi senses it and rests his hand at the small of your back, subtly reminding you of his presence at your side and telling your body to relax. That you are not here to threaten. Or attack. You’re here to play a part, and you must act it well. So whether you like it or not, the curtains have been drawn; it’s time to act.

Squaring your shoulders back, you straighten and force your sharp, siren gaze to soften. By the time Pixis comes to stands before you, a coy, welcoming smile curves your lips.

“Mr. Ackerman!” the old man says to Levi in greeting. “Is this beautiful young lady who I think it is?”

Levi gives him a small smile in confirmation. “Commander.” He then gestures to you with an open hand. “I’d like to present to you my fiancée, Anya Ymir.”

You automatically offer Pixis a gloved hand for him to take and you try not to recoil when he takes it and bows his head down to kiss it out of chivalry.

“Dot Pixis,” he tells you. “At your service, my lady.”

“It is an honor to meet you, sir,” you muster out politely. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“And I of you. Truthfully, I’m surprised your father and fiancé even allowed you to grace us with your presence this evening.” Pixis turns to Levi. “To what do we owe such a pleasure?”

Levi opens his mouth to speak but he gets cut off by a deep voice behind you.

“You’ll have to forgive me for that, Commander.”

You and Levi turn simultaneously to find your father walking up the last set of stairs in your direction, looking as confident and powerful as ever in a dark tailored tux, black collared dress shirt, and black patent shoes. The proud look on his face as he takes in your attire before resting on your mother’s necklace with a smile of approval has you smothering down a smirk, but he’s easily boosted your confidence tenfold.

Your eyes then slide over to his right, to where Eren follows closely behind him. He’s wearing a similar dark tailored tuxedo over a white button up shirt and bow tie like Levi, but you’ve never seen this look on Eren before and you can’t deny that he looks all the more handsome in it.

At the sight of you, Eren halts in surprise, looking absolutely enthralled by you.

You swallow nervously, trying to steel yourself against the heat of his gaze. Because you shouldn’t care how he looks at you. You shouldn’t care that he’s looking at you with those heavenly green eyes of his like you’re the only person in the room, like you’re the only one that matters—but you do. You can’t help it. And you hate yourself sick for it, because of course, none of this goes unnoticed by Levi.

Your fiancé responds by wrapping his hand around your waist possessively to pull you closer to him, causing you to rest a hand against his chest to keep you balanced from the sudden shift. Eren gets the hint and hastily looks away, swallowing down the agony from having to see you at Levi’s side and being reminded that you’re already well spoken for.

Eren’s pained expression gives you an uncomfortable tightness in your chest, but the feeling quickly passes as Ymir draws your attention back to Pixis by coming to stand beside you to face the chief together.

“But as my one and only child,” Ymir continues to say coolly, “Anya is very precious to me. I can’t have her in the company of just anyone. As I’m sure you understand—” Ymir gestures towards Pixis with a raised brow “—being a father and… grandfather now, I believe?”

Pixis gives your father an even smile. “A baby boy, yes.”

Ymir smiles, not missing a beat. “Congratulations. I’m sure your son and his wife are overjoyed with the newest addition to the family. Please, do give them my regards.”

You study your father’s interaction with Pixis closely. As polite and civil as this conversation sounds between Pixis and your father, there’s an unspoken message being sent between them with this particular exchange of information.

I can get my hands on your own, Ymir’s icy blue eyes seem to say to Pixis, just as easily as you can get your hands on mine.

Pixis’ tone is measured as he replies, “I will be sure to let them know.”

Ymir nods. “Good man. Now if you’ll excuse us.” Your father turns to you and offers his left arm for you to take. “There’s a handful of people I need to introduce my daughter to this evening.” Ymir kisses you on the crown of your head. “Come along, sweetheart.”

Levi is forced to release you from his hold and step back as you reach out to link your arm with your father’s instead.

Pixis smiles. “Of course. Enjoy your evening.” He steps back and waves you all forward, removing his hat and bowing his head respectfully as Ymir begins to guide you away towards the manor to join the rest of the guests inside. “My men and I will be patrolling the area,” Pixis adds on as you go. “If there is any trouble, I assure you we will do everything in our power to make sure the ones responsible are held accountable for their crimes. Everyone’s safety this evening is our number one priority.”

You and Levi come to a halt the same moment Ymir does, having heard the underlying threat in the Commander’s words.

When you glance over your shoulder you find Pixis fixing you all with a knowing look and you watch your father closely beside you, awaiting for his next move. But there’s an easy, carefree smile on Ymir’s face as he glances over his shoulder to Pixis.

“And we thank you for your service, Commander,” Ymir replies back mildly before resuming the way into the manor with you and Levi at his side, Eren trailing close behind.

“He just threatened us,” you hiss at your father through gritted teeth, struggling to hold down your anger.

“And he certainly won’t be the last,” Ymir assures you dismissively as he guides you past the entrance hall and into the ballroom where all the guests are gathered.

You want to say more but the elegance and splendor of the ballroom before you distracts you completely. The room itself spans over seventy meters long and is adorned with colossal arched mirrors opposite various windows that overlook the gardens outside. Gilded ceilings and statues border its marble walls while dazzling glass chandeliers hang from the vaulted, ornately painted ceiling depicting the history of Paradis and the monarchy’s illustrious rule.

The glorious moment, however, is short lived.

The second you and your party walk into the room, heads turn. Your fingers naturally curl tightly against the fabric of your father’s sleeve, seeking comfort and trying to remain as poise as possible despite your uneasiness.

It’s not that you’re not used to the attention. In fact, you normally relish on having this kind of effect on people with your mere presence, but the look on these peoples faces isn’t one of fear or wariness, like you’re so used to eliciting. This crowd has a look of unmasked scrutiny and contempt that sets your teeth on edge.

Your father, however, pays them no heed and continues to parade you across the room with the same air of authority and confidence he always carries, letting the crowd part in half for him like they always do.

That’s when the reality of where you are really sinks in.

Being the capital city of Paradis, Mitras is home to the king of Paradis and his nobles. You shouldn’t be surprised by the amount of lords and ladies present. Of all the government officials and powerful businessman, both domestically and abroad, mingling freely under the same roof as you. But you are. Which is why you’re thankful it’s your father standing beside you right now because some of that confidence manages to rub off on you, and you will yourself to replicate his arrogance, even if its nothing more than a ruse. Because these are the kind of powerhouse individuals your father is after. It’s why he chose to reside here along with them instead of back with you in the Founding Sector. And why he’s got that hungry look in his eyes as he takes in the crowded room, like a boy in a candy store ready to dig in and take his fill.

Power calls to power, after all.

Halfway across the room, a small middle-aged woman dressed in a fine silk kimono stops your father to greet him. She’s got small facial features, thin eyebrows, and black hair neatly kept in a bun. Ymir kisses her offering hand politely and introduces her to you as Kiyomi Azumabito, an international ambassador from a small, independent country called Hizaru.

As Ymir and Kiyomi exchange pleasantries, you spot Furlan and Isabel amongst the butlers, serving guests drinks and strange-looking delicacies. You glance over at Levi hovering behind you who has noticed them as well but gives no sign of recognition in his deadpan gaze — not that there would be when Furlan and Isabel are clearly meant to be undercover.

While one of these house butlers passes by, you swipe a glass of champagne from his serving tray and swallow it down in one go. Ymir doesn’t notice but Levi and Eren do and you sense their judgmental eyes on you from behind.

You blatantly ignore them.

As another butler passes by, you discard the empty one on his tray in lieu of a full one, but Levi snatches it before you can take it. You don’t have time to reach out for another because Levi quickly ushers the butler away.

You frown at him for doing this but he nods to your right and you reluctantly follow his gaze. A short, overweight nobleman with a round face, short black hair, and a light mustache is making his way over to your group with a wide and excited smile on his face.

Your father notices him too. “Lord Reiss!”

Ymir greets the high lord with a firm shake of the hand before beckoning you forward to greet the host of tonight’s event. When your father informs him of your engagement to Levi, Lord Reiss frowns and takes your left hand to inspect it.

“Is she, now? Well, where’s the ring?!” He then winks at you and leans in close for you and your father to hear. “You have been hiding her from the world too long, Ymir. You know, the king is in search of a bride for his oldest son and heir. I have no daughter of my own or I would have sent her to court long ago. But you, my friend, are blessed with a golden opportunity!”

You tense as Lord Reiss’ gaze falls to you meaningfully, making your eyes narrow suspiciously.

Is he…mocking you?

You, a girl with no real title, winning over a crown prince? You nearly laugh out loud at the notion, but Lord Reiss speaks with assertiveness as he directs his next words to your father.

“If you desire,” he offers rather slyly, “I can request an audience for her with the king.” He shrugs. “And who knows? If such a union were to come to fruition, I’m sure we can find a way for you to repay me the small favor.” Lord Reiss throws you a nefarious grin. “Though I’m sure she’ll do well in court. They value beauty above all else, and beauty like hers is fit for a queen. She was born to rule.”

Ymir smirks proudly. “She was born to rule indeed.”

You stare at your father in disbelief. Were you hearing this correctly? Is this why your father wanted you present at this event? To catch the attention of the royal court’s influences?

You turn to Levi behind you, waiting for his opposition. Him and Eren were close enough to hear the conversation despite Lord Reiss trying to exclude them from it so you know he’s heard everything. But Levi’s grey eyes are blank and void of emotion. Unlike Eren—who looks horrified by the idea of you marrying into the royal family—the only sign that tells you Levi’s remotely bothered by this is the tightening of his jaw and the faint traces of a scowl across his face.

Still, he makes no move of interfering.

And you don’t understand why.

“We’ll discuss this further another time. I’ll be in touch,” Lord Reiss says, clapping your father on the shoulder with finality before stepping away. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must see to the rest of my guests. But please, make yourselves at home and enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Your gloved hands curl into fists as you watch the noble go. You wait until Lord Reiss disappears amongst the crowd before turning to your father with a scowl.

“There will be no future talks of this, Father,” you tell him matter-of-factly. “I suggest you make that clear to him before this goes completely over his head and he tries to—”

“Silence.” Ymir commands roughly under his breath, sharply cutting you off while his eyes remain fixed on the people nearby. “We will not speak of this here.”

“There is nothing TO talk about!”

“Enough!” Ymir growls impatiently. “This is no place for one of your tantrums.”

You turn to your fiancé for help. “Levi!”

But Levi averts your gaze, quiet. Unwilling to speak against your father. And the betrayal hits you like a hard kick to the stomach.

You stumble back, feeling nauseous. Would Levi really stand aside and allow you to marry someone else if it meant respecting your father’s wishes?

You shake your head.

Fuck.

This.

You turn to leave, blinking back the tears welling in your eyes. But before you can take more then a couple steps, Ymir snatches you by the wrist and anchors you in place. “Do not forget why you are here,” he hisses in your ear. “Must I remind you what you stand to lose if you disobey me?”

You’re about to retaliate when someone calls for your father over his shoulder, drawing his attention away from you. As Ymir turns to face them, you catch a glimpse of a man with receding gray hair in a well decorated military uniform and a refined, middle aged woman at his side.

“General Zackly,” Ymir says, greeting the military official with a respectful handshake and the woman beside him with a kiss on the hand. “My lady.”

You raise an eyebrow at the military name, your interest momentarily peaked. General Darius Zackly was a name you’ve heard quite often and one who plays an essential role in your father’s plans regarding the expansion of his manufacturing business. Armin had once predicted that the threat of war would aid in your father’s ambitions to supply and manufacture weapons for the military, and based on the way the general looks so pleased to see Ymir, Armin was right.

Your father then turns to you with a smile so charming and radiant, you’re briefly reminded of why it’s so easy for people to get so taken with your father and want to say yes to him for everything.

Not that it works on you, of course. You remain every bit upset.

As Ymir introduces you to the general and his wife, Lady Irene, you take in the general’s sunken and tired-looking eyes. He wears glasses and has noticeable wrinkles on his face, as well as a gray scruffy-looking full beard and mustache. Not to mention he is also rather short for a man of such high status and power. He barely reaches your father’s shoulders, but that doesn’t seem to deter the man’s confidence or authority. You overhear Zackly asking your father about the progress of a shipment but you can’t really focus on the details because you’re still reeling from your previous encounter with Lord Reiss.

Zackly’s wife notices how flushed your cheeks are and looks to you with concern.

“Darling, are you alright?” She waves her hand in front of you like a fan to provide you with some air. “Do you need to lie down for a minute?”

Your eyes dart over to your father who watches you closely as all attention is drawn to you. “I’m alright,” you reply to her politely. “Thank you, though.”

“Are you sure?” Lady Irene smiles sweetly. “We can leave these men here to talk business while us ladies explore the gardens and get some fresh air.” She begins to lead you away. “Is this your first—?”

But your father takes your arm and holds you back, preventing Lady Irene from taking you anywhere. “My Lady,” he intervenes politely. “Thank you for your concern, but she is perfectly alright here with me.” He nods at Zackly. “General, I’ll keep you posted. Please excuse us.” Ymir’s hold on you never eases up as he ushers you forward. “Come along, sweetheart.”

You try fighting against your father’s iron-like grip as soon as he puts some space between you and the Zackly’s. “You can’t keep treating me like this!” you argue resentfully. “I’m not a child anymore!”

“I will stop treating you like a child when you stop acting like one.”

Your chest rises and falls rapidly, trying to stifle down your indignation as Ymir introduces you to another nobleman shortly after. But the most you can muster is a false smile before turning away, losing interest and not caring how rude it might appear to everyone around you.

You’re not used to entertaining such company as your father is, after all. The last time you ever attended one of these social gatherings was when you were twelve—when you realized you didn’t want to take part in such insufferable displays of dominance and frivolous activity. Your father had acceded to your wishes then. Had never thought it necessary for you to join him because it had never been in the cards for you.

So why was he all of a sudden changing the layout of the game?

Your father was an ambitious man, yes. But the crown?

Impossible.

It was beyond reach. There’s no way the Ymir clan could ever attain such level of power.

Except…

Your father has risen higher than any man of his background ever could. And you fear how long he’s had this idea brewing in his head. When exactly had it stopped being a mere pipe dream for him and become something more tangible?

Lord Tybur, an influential and powerful high lord from Marley, is the last person you stomach meeting tonight before you decide you’ve had enough.

You know your father’s guards are most likely on standby near the main entrance and will escort you back inside if they see you step out. And there’s no way of going out back through the servant’s doorway when Isabel and Furlan are annoyingly stationed. So you’ll have to improvise.

Taking advantage of the fact that your father has lowered his guard around you after playing docile around him for a while, and with Levi preoccupied with another nobleman, you turn on your heels without warning in search of an exit.

Ymir promptly reaches out to pull you back the second you do and when he fails, Levi rushes forward. Eren is the only one smart enough not to try.

“Anya!” Levi snarls when you roughly yank your wrist out of his grip and storm off.

You flip him off without looking back, swiping a glass of champagne from a butler walking by in the process. You down the drink in one go, ignoring all the hypercritical eyes and ears in the room as you do.

You’re furious and you’re hurt as it is. With your father, with Levi, with the world. You couldn’t care less about anything else.

Eventually you meander your way through a set of double doors leading out into a patio overlooking the garden.

Lacking a coat, the brisk November air slices through you like a freshly open wound as you step out into the night. You’re too emotionally unhinged to let it deter you though as you cut across the open area in search of a means to escape from this hellhole.

There’s a few guests scattered around the garden, taking leisurely strolls with their partners. Many of them begin to greet you as they see you approach but stop halfway when they notice the murderous look in your eyes.

You’re halfway through sweeping the area when you hear the familiar apprehensive footsteps behind you.

“There’s no way out through here, if that’s what you’re looking for,” Eren warns gently against the darkness of the night. “It’s gated all around.”

You halt in your tracks.

To be honest, you knew of this fact way before you’d even tried to break away from your father’s side. The moment you stepped foot inside this manor was you submitting to this truth, but hearing Eren say it depresses the hell out of you. And just for a moment, because it’s just him and this whole evening has been mercilessly wearing you down, you let your walls down.

You turn to him, your eyes pleading. “I need to get out of here,” you whisper desperately. “Please, get me out of here.”

Eren’s expression crumbles at the unsteadiness in your voice, at the frailness. Without hesitation, he moves towards you, ready to do as you ask.

Until Levi’s deep and sharp voice cuts through the night behind Eren, startling you both and making Eren freeze in place.

“I suggest you run off and tell Ymir we’ve located his daughter,” Levi warns Eren, coming to stand into view a few feet away from him. “Before you do something you will undoubtedly regret.”

Eren has his back to Levi but you know he can sense your fiancé’s glare radiating behind him, letting you know Levi had overheard you talking to him. Still, much to his credit, Eren looks at you with a torn expression, not wanting to leave you alone with Levi.

But reality ultimately sinks in for him and Eren’s shoulders begin to sag in defeat. You shake your head at him when this happens, silently begging him not to listen to your fiancé, wanting Eren to take you with him instead.

“Now,” Levi barks out impatiently when Eren lingers too long.

Eren frowns at Levi’s command but treats his departure like he were ripping off a band aid. Eyes shut regretfully, Eren hastily turns on his heels and forces himself to walk away from you in search of your father. He never once looks back.

Levi‘s eyes follow after Eren suspiciously as he walks past him before his deadpan gaze jumps back to you. “You were warned against acting out tonight,” he grits out, cutting the space between you. “How many times did I tell you to —”

You roll your eyes and turn to walk away before he can reach you. “Fuck off.”

Levi growls. “Now is not the time to act like a bloody brat!” He rushes after you before you can go deeper into the gardens. “Anya!” He reaches for your arm to make you stop, but you whirl on him before he can get a good grip.

“How long have you known?” you demand from him viciously, forcing him to draw back as you advance on him instead. “Just answer me that. How long have you know?”

Levi’s frustration leaves him the moment he sees the hurt flash across your face as you look up at him expectantly, knowing what you’re referring to and are anxiously waiting for an answer.

“I swear this is the first time I’m hearing of it.”

You shove at his chest with fists full of rage. “Liar!”

Levi flinches, hating that you don’t believe him. “I’m not lying!” He tries to reach out to you, trying to stop you from walking away from him, but there’s no pulling you back in at this point. You slip out of his hold and force him to stand by and watch as you walk around aimlessly in front of him, your eyes wide with hysteria.

“This has been the plan all along, hasn’t it?” you say with sudden realization, finally making sense of things. “Why he’s been prolonging our engagement. So he can marry me off to the crown.”

Levi shakes his head, pained. “That’s not true—”

“Maybe he’ll even get lucky and they’ll bestow him the title of Duke. Then he’ll be just like them right?” you sneer, pointing in the general vicinity of the Reiss manor somewhere to your right. “That’s what he wants, isn’t it?”

Levi takes a ginger step towards you. “Anya, lower your voice.”

You draw farther away. “Why should I?” you say even more loudly. “It’s a grand plan! Everyone should hear of it! ‘What a brilliant man!’ they’ll say. ‘He did really well for himself.’ He’ll be the prime example of what a middle class businessman can achieve, if they just work hard enough.” You laugh dryly. “Oh, I can just see it now. He’ll be eating it all up! With people marveling at his feet.” Your eyes sharpen as your gaze locks with his and you add in a tone laced with venom, “Just the way you do.”

Levi’s eyes narrow at the snide comment. “What are you talking about?”

You shrug. “You seem perfectly okay with this. And why shouldn’t you be? You’ll finally be free of me forever—”

“Don’t be absurd!” he snaps at you. “Of course I’m not okay with this! But you know as well as I do that Ymir needs more than just strong influences to make this happen.”

You bark out a laugh. “Are you serious? Look around you! My father’s network runs deeper than any ocean. It’s taken him years, but trust me, he’s got all the right friends in all the right places.” You resume your pacing. “Now it’s only a matter of time. Soon I’ll get married off to some pompous prince, get locked up in some golden royal cage so I can’t cause trouble for anyone. I’ll be nothing more than a pretty puppet with the hands of the royal court pulling my strings. They’ll keep me under their control, docile and complacent. When the old king dies, the country will have it’s new king and queen, and everyone will live happily ever after, right?”

Levi shakes his head, his jaw taut. “That’s not going to happen,” he insists through clenched teeth. “Ymir wouldn’t break off the engagement like this. He’s a man of his word.”

But even as he says this, Levi sounds uncertain. And for good reason.

You yourself would have thought that no matter how inclined your father seemed by the idea, he wouldn’t break the pact he sealed with the Ackerman clan years ago—out of gratitude and respect for his fallen friend. If he did, surely, the Ackerman clan would retaliate. They’re lethal regardless of the small numbers they have.

Except…

Ymir would have the royal crown supporting him. All his past crimes would be pardoned. And with the military after them, the Ackerman clan would be silenced indefinitely.

“You know him as well as I do, Levi,” you tell him flatly. “We know how his mind works and we know what he wants. And… we very well know the great lengths he’ll go to get it.”

Levi shakes his head. “You’re wrong. This is different.”

A flicker of annoyance flashes across your features by his stubbornness. “Levi, he’s going to break off this engagement.”

“No.”

“Whether you like it or not doesn’t matter. In the end, we’re nothing but pawns in this little game of his.”

“Is that what you think of yourself?” an approaching voice says in bewilderment. “A mere pawn?”

You look over Levi’s shoulder to find your father walking into the clearing before you, with Eren at his heels, avoiding your gaze.

“You were the one who had wanted to join in on this game of power and vengeance, darling,” Ymir points out almost mockingly. “So here I am, putting you on the playing field, as you wanted. And not just any piece. The most powerful playing piece on the board.”

You scowl, stalking towards him. “No. This is what you want. To build your legacy.”

“Yes,” Ymir replies back firmly. “And my legacy is you.”

You stop dead in your tracks, momentarily taken aback by his words. But just before they can mellow you over, you snap out of their hold with a shake of the head. You refuse to be so easily swayed.

“Then what of Levi?” you demand, gesturing to your fiancé standing across the clearing, watching your father with anticipation. “And the Ackermans? You would turn your back on them for power and glory?”

Ymir gives Levi a long, evaluating look before finally saying, “I will forever be in debt to the Ackerman clan. They are family.” Ymir then turns to you. “And we honor and value family and loyalty above all else, do we not? That will never change, no matter what happens. Understood?” He then extends a hand out for you to take. “Now come, I’ve saved the best of tonight for last.”

You turn to glance over at Levi warily, neither of you quite satisfied or certain of where this has left things in terms of the future. Ymir expects you to trust him and have you believe that he’s doing all this for your benefit, for the family’s benefit.

So why don’t you believe him?

—

On your way back to the manor, your father unbuttons his jacket and takes it off to drape it over your shoulders after hearing you sneeze just moments before. Whether he did this as a form of affection or because he’s trying to win you over is unclear to you, but you accept it all the same. Once bundled up, he resumes escorting you across the garden and up the stairs to the patio. Levi and Eren following suit.

As you arrive in front of the double doors leading back to the ballroom floor, you brace yourself, knowing you have no other choice but to get back in there.

Ymir notices this.

“You look just like your mother,” he says to you with as much casualness as if he were conversing about the weather. But when you look up at him, his eyes are soft and warm at the mention of your mother, and for a moment, you catch a glimpse of the man he was before your mother died. His gaze is rueful as it then falls to the diamonds around your neck. “Wear them proudly.”

You eye him strangely. This is the second time tonight your father has complimented you so openly and you don’t know what to make of it.

Your father doesn’t notice your reaction though, and reaches out to open the door for you, waving you forward. The second you step back inside, you grimace internally as you’re immediately bombarded with the liveliness and bustling noise of the room. But the champagne in your system has worked its magic into your bloodstream. Your agitation has, for the most part, simmered down.

All that is left to be placated is your curiosity.

You glimpse over your shoulder at Eren walking behind you. His purpose here in particular. But given that oblivious expression on Eren’s face, it’s clear that even he doesn’t know as to why your father requested his presence here tonight.

So he does as you do now. Follow silently and without question as Ymir begins to lead you to the far back of the room and down a hallway to the right, away from the main event and its many guests. The hallway itself is adorned with random, overly-valued sculptures made of delicate marble. And you struggle keeping your intrusive thoughts from taking over as your fingers twitch with the desire to push one off its pedestal. For no reason in particular. Just to see what would happen.

But then your focus snaps back to attention as the door at the far end of the corridor opens.

A tall man with blue eyes and wearing circular glasses steps out of the room. He’s got shaggy blond hair and a matching mustache that connects down to his beard. He’s also got broad shoulders and a well-toned physique that can closely match your father’s.

You frown at him oddly. There’s something familiar about his face that jostles your memories. Which is strange because you're certain you've never seen this man before in your life.

As blondie spots your father coming down the hallway, a wide smile breaks across his face, his arms stretching out to welcome your father. “Well if it isn’t Thomas Ymir!”

Before your father can greet him in return, something shatters loudly behind you. You turn around the same moment Ymir and Levi do and find Eren with a pale and horrified look on his face.

Your eyes instantly widen as you realize why. Lying on the floor is one of the marble busts you all passed by moments before, now in pieces by his feet.

Levi pulls you back so you don’t step or slip on one of the shards scattered on the floor as you snicker in amusement. “Someone’s had a little too much to drink,” you tease Eren, thinking that might help him relax a bit since he continues to stand tense and frozen in place before you.

For a moment you think such behavior reasonable. He did just single handedly destroy a valuable work of art belonging to a very powerful high lord, after all. But at a closer look you realize his eyes are not drawn to the irreparably broken sculpture before him, but rather at the tall man in glasses down the hall facing your father.

Your voice seems to break Eren out of his paralysis though and he begins to draw back, excusing himself and mumbling something incoherent about informing someone about the broken mess. He then turns the corner and disappears from the hallway.

The second he does, Blondie bursts out laughing.

“Did you see his face?” he asks your father. “Young lad nearly pissed himself! Where did you find this guy? He looks hopeless!”

Ymir doesn’t join in on the jest, merely smiles politely at Blondie before replying, “He has his purposes.” Ymir then turns and beckons you to come forward so he can introduce you to him.

You sigh inwardly, but adhere to him all the same.

As it turns out, the guy’s name is Zeke Ksaver, one of your father’s business partners from Marley. And based on the traces of tattoos peeking out from under his sleeve and the thick gold ring he wears on his right index finger with an ape signet in the center, he’s none other than the crime lord of the Beast Sector in Marley. Not an enemy of your father’s per se, but a rival all the same.

“Ah, yes,” Zeke tells you after Ymir introduces you to him, “I’ve heard all about you.” There’s a dark gleam in his eye as he sizes you up and it rubs you the wrong way as he then adds, “What an absolutely stunning, murderous little thing you have here, Ymir.”

Levi growls lowly beside you, his radar going off as well. “Careful how you speak of her, Beast.”

The second he hears Levi, Zeke points at your fiancé excitedly. “The orphan! Yes? Levi Ackerman. Your skills and talent are quite admirable, son.” He extends a hand in front of him for Levi to shake in greeting, but Levi gives no signs of taking it.

This doesn’t faze Zeke in the least. Withdrawing his hand with a mere shrug, he bids your father farewell and takes his leave.

You scowl after him as he goes with your arms crossed over your chest.

Something was really off about that man. Of that much you were certain of. Your disgust only increases when Eren decides to return with the clean up crew just as Zeke is about to turn the corner out of the hallway. He pats Eren on the shoulder as he passes which makes Eren flinch and you catch his eyes flicker nervously in your direction.

You throw invisible daggers at the back of Zeke’s head with a glare. “You keep the most horrid for company, Father,” you remark, not bothering to hide the distaste from your voice.

“You’ve seen nothing yet, darling,” your father replies vaguely. “Now, come.” He turns towards the door Zeke came out of moments ago and reaches for the handle.

“What’s in there?” you ask.

“Unfinished business,” is all your father says.

—

You obediently follow your father inside with Levi close behind you. Eren trails in moments later after leaving the house staff to clean up after his mess. But after you realize the kind of room it is, you wonder if he’ll end up walking back out.

Ymir has led you into an entertainment room that consists of pool tables and other recreational activities for guests to utilize at their disposal during their stay.

You look around the room full of old men drinking and smoking and playing poker or throwing darts with a frown. “I don’t get it,” you say to your father. “Why are we here?”

Ymir gives you a crooked smile. “To deliver a message.”

You follow after him as he moves further into the room, scanning the crowd as he goes, clearly on the hunt for someone. You have no intel over who your father’s after, but you don’t really need it.

In a table at the far end of the room sit a couple of old geezers playing poker. One of them glances up from his cards and notices Ymir walking towards them. And when the old man's face turns sour, you know Ymir has located his target.

Ymir stops in front of his table, his hands in the pocket of his trousers, appearing calm and relaxed. “Lord Wald,” your father says, addressing the fat noble in the center of the table.

The noble in question is an overweight man with a round face and a balding head. He’s got wavy blond hair on the sides, gray eyes, and a blond mustache curled at the tips.

Lord Wald forces a smile. “Ah, Mr. Ymir. I’ve been meaning to ring you up. I’m afraid I have bad news.”

Many of his buddies beside him snicker at this which unfortunately only serves to boost Lord Wald’s confidence, mistakenly giving him the impression that because he’s with his rich and powerful pals right now, he’ll be safe from your father’s retaliation.

“We agreed to fifty thousand for completion of business,” Lord Wald says flippantly. “But my wife and I’ve had a bit of misfortune in the market exchange, you see.” He pushes a couple of chips from the center of the table in front of Ymir. “There’s twenty here. You’ll have to wait for the rest.”

You scoff in disbelief, your blood boiling at this dismissive treatment. As if your father were nothing more than some street dog willing to accept any form of food with an excited wag of a tail.

But Ymir doesn’t react to this news at all. It’s almost as if he’s been expecting to hear this, which catches the nobles at the table off guard when Ymir glances down at the chips on the table, but does not move to take it.

Ymir then begins to slowly circle the table the way you know predators circle their prey, all the while his voice remains pleasant and mild. “After my people completed their task, they collected all the photographs, letters, and cheques that were causing you concern. I now have them in a safe place.” After a meaningful beat, Ymir locks eyes with Lord Wald and adds with a tight smile, “For now.”

Lord Wald’s face turns scarlet red as the rest of the nobles turn to him curiously and with raised eyebrows.

You can’t help but smirk. Your father's voice never once rose as he spoke, but everyone had understood what Ymir had insinuated if Lord Wald didn’t do as your father says.

“On Monday, you will give me the fifty thousand we agreed upon,” Ymir says with finality. “In cash.”

But just as Ymir turns to leave, Lord Wald jumps out of his seat, flipping his chair out from under him and looking barking mad. “How the bloody hell did a man like you get into a position of trust?! In a place of power and privilege?!”

You react impulsively, stepping forward with hands curled into fists, ready to climb across the table and take a swing at the bastard. But Levi puts a hand in front of you in warning to keep you from interfering.

“A man like me?” Ymir repeats dryly. “A man like me?” Ymir steps forward and leans over the table separating him from Lord Wald, eyes piercing. “I’ve seen the photographs, my lord. Monday.”

—

Not long after this encounter, Ymir has Eren fetch for his coat, having completed his business for the night. Even as you all cut across the room to head out, Ymir retains that same charismatic presence about him as he says his farewells to his business partners and acquaintances.

All the while you remain livid.

Once you get a clear view of the door leading outside to the open air—to freedom—you walk out, not waiting for your coat or for your father to finish with his last parting wishes to Lord Reiss or whoever the fuck he’s saying goodbye to.

The second you’re out of the manor and on the curbside waiting for your car, the pent up frustration and emotions that had been building up inside you since the social event first started came rushing to the surface.

When Levi gets to you seconds later with your coat, you’re pacing back and forth, struggling to keep it down. “Fucking bastards,” you keep cursing out loud to no one in particular.

“Oi,” Levi warns, urging you to quiet down. He approaches you, trying to get you to put on your coat, but your skin is hot and burning with fury. You’re anything but cold.

As Ymir finally comes down the stairs of the manor to join you with Eren close behind, you can't do it anymore. You go off on him.

With lethal strides, you march up to your father until you stand face to face with him, startling Eren behind him with your intensity.

“Never in my life will you make me go through that again, understood?” you say through bared teeth. “Lock me up, disown me, I don’t fucking care. I refuse to be looked down upon like that again.”

“Anya, this is not the place for this,” Levi hisses in your ear, trying to pull you away from your father, but you roughly shove him aside. There’s no one out here right now except the four of you, but even if there were, you’re far from caring.

“How can you stand them?” you ask your father incredulously, pointing to the manor behind him. “They’re worse than us! Politicians, fucking lords and ladies. They’re all worse than us! But you want me to grovel at their feet like we’re somehow beneath them?”

Ymir offers you no reaction. He stands before you in that same relaxed manner he’s been in all night, looking down at you calmly, patiently, as if waiting for you to finish with your tantrum like any parent might do with their kid when they’re causing a scene in public.

This only pisses you off even more. You shove at his rock hard chest even though he hardly even moves. “Talk dammit! You saw the way they looked at us! No matter how legitimate we become, we will never be seen as their equals. Why can't you see that? Why do you insist on—”

Levi steps in. “That’s enough, Anya*.* Let’s go.”

Behind you, both your car and your father’s car have arrived and Levi starts to drag you to your car while you try and resist him.

“No, stop!” you cry out. “Let me go!”

“Don’t make me throw you over my shoulder,” Levi warns impatiently, caging you in his arms from behind. But before Levi can attempt to shove you into your car, Ymir speaks, and you and Levi stop your wrestling.

“You’re right, Anya,” your father begins to say, moving slowly to the car parked behind yours. “We can’t change how they perceive us. We can only show them what we are capable of.”

You watch anxiously as his driver opens the door for him and your father steps inside. But he doesn’t enter fully. He keeps his right foot outside on the ground and rests a hand against the open car door in front of him to face you. “Perhaps our friend, Lord Wald, is in need of a little demonstration?” he says, throwing you a meaningful look. The small smile on his lips, encouraging. “Care to do the honors?”

You blink for a moment, confused and at a loss for words. Unsure of what to make of this. Was he saying what you think he was saying?

Unconsciously, your eyes slide over to Eren standing beside him. He is looking at you beseechingly, silently begging you not to do this. But then you recall the look of contempt and disrespect all of those nobles had casted in your direction at the sight of you. The way Lord Wald and his buddies snickered at your father, fully intent on making a fool out of him before your father had gone and given them a quick reality check.

Your siren eyes harden. “With pleasure,” you reply gruffly, pointedly ignoring the disapproving look on Eren’s face as you turn your back on him and step inside your vehicle. Levi following right behind you.

36 notes · View notes

teakookssi · 3 months ago

Text

Before I Leave You [Eren/Levi x Reader FF]

chapter 17: the bombing of the red rose

The ringing in your ears muffles all the chaos around you as sparks of ember continue to rain down on you. You try to gather your bearings but the smoke in the air obscures your vision and forces itself down your throat, suffocating you and sending you into a coughing fit.

You’ve got to move.

If the fire doesn’t kill you, the smoke sure as hell will. But the side of your head is throbbing and blood scurries down your forehead. The blast from the grenade has left you disoriented and mildly lightheaded. Gradually, your hearing returns and the screaming and shouting around you turns more prominent as people rush out of the pub to safety. You try to do the same but as you move to stand, searing pain shoots up your right leg and you collapse back on the ground, hard.

Outside, the sudden firing of gunshots is heard close by, and your blood runs cold with dread. You don’t need to be out there to know what’s going on here.

This is an ambush.

Your enemies are stationed outside, taking aim at anyone coming out.

And this is all your fault.

After coming down from the cemetery, your cadre had been too caught up with their emotions to be alert of their surroundings, which is why none of you picked up on the fact that somewhere along the way you were all being watched. Your enemies took advantage of this, and when they found the perfect moment to strike, they did not hesitate to make their move.

Your vision is blurry and your eyes sting from the smoke as you search for your cadre now. But no matter where you turn, all you see and feel are the uncontrollable flames roaring and crackling around you, threatening to devour you the way it does the Red Rose. The pub named in your mother’s honor.

“Anya!”

Your head turns in attention. Someone is calling your name against the raging flames. Assuming their voice is near an exit, you use it to guide you out of the pub, wincing every now and then from the applied pressure to the open wound on your leg.

You try to maneuver your way from the growing flames as fast as you can, but by the time you reach the section of the pub near the bar, you’ve inhaled too much smoke. Your breath is too ragged, and you too weak and too tired to carry on. You collapse on the wooden floor in defeat.

But that’s when you notice him. The short blond-haired man with the thin mustache and warm, kind-hearted eyes.

Hannes.

He lies completely still near the edge of the bar by your feet.

You try to call to him but all you can muster is a violent cough. You inch towards him with whatever strength you have left. But by then, you already know he’s gone. The hand grenade that crashed through the window landed dangerously close by and based on the severe injuries to his body, he died on impact.

The guilt that strikes you across the chest is sharp and deep as you stare at his unmoving body before you. Hannes had always looked out for you growing up. And a great part of that you think was because you reminded him so much of your mother.

He always liked telling you that.

“Anya!”

Strong hands pull you to your feet then, and though you’re barely conscience, you can still recognize Mikasa’s hold on you as she throws one of your arms over her shoulder and half-walks half-drags you out of the burning pub.

As soon as you’re out of the Red Rose the fresh air that hits your face and lungs tastes like heaven to you. But the sound of gunshots is heard dangerously close. Mikasa hands you over to someone else while you slowly come to your senses. Someone far more petite and with fine blonde hair. Historia.

“She’s injured!” Mikasa tells her, loading her gun. “Get her out of here! I’ll cover for you.”

Historia attempts to guide you away but you push her away.

“No!”

Startled by your sudden outburst, Historia loses her hold on you, but without anyone to support you, you fall to the ground. This is fine though. You need a moment to gather your bearings. Your strength. So you stall.

“Who is it?” you demand roughly.

Mikasa kneels beside you, her voice desperate, pleading. “Anya, we’re outnumbered. And without ammo. Levi and his men will be here any minute with backup. We just have to hold them off till then. Leave this to us. You need to get away from here. It’s you they want.”

You lift your heavy gaze and lock eyes with Mikasa. “Who. The. fuck. Is. It?” you growl icily through your teeth.

Mikasa holds your gaze longer than most would dare. If only because she knows the moment she gives in and tells you what you want to know, you’re taking over. There’s not much she can do to change your mind and she knows this which is why she ultimately lowers her gaze with a sigh.

“Rebels and allies of the Colossus sector,” she admits reluctantly. “Just like Armin said.”

“Names, Mikasa. I want names.”

“Colt Grice. Porco Galliard. And…Marcel Galliard.”

You smirk weakly. “Marcel? Leader of the Jaw Sector himself. What an honor.”

You move to stand but Mikasa takes your arm to hold you in place. “We’ll take them all down for you, Anya. I swear it. But we can’t do this alone. Connie is severely wounded. Sasha isn’t here. Historia and I are down to our last bullets. Jean is barely holding down the frontlines with a handful of your father’s men. Please. Just until Levi and his people arrive.”

Mikasa’s dark hair is plastered to her face with sweat and some parts of her clothes are burnt, and her skin, red with burn marks.

You’re at a disadvantage. You know that. Mikasa doesn’t need to lay it out for you. But behind her the Red Rose is being engulfed in flames. And you think of Hannes, of the way his flesh is melting and burning to the bone as you speak.

“You look just like your mother,” Hannes would say to you whenever he was drunk enough to reminisce on the past, an endearing smile on his face. “But that rage,” he would then add with great sorrow, his smile fading. “Your mother never wore that anger.”

Your hands curl into fists now against the piles of ash gathering on the ground.

You were right, Hannes. This rage is the one thing I get from my father. And… the one thing moving me forward.

“I don’t need reinforcements,” you tell Mikasa quietly, subtly tilting your head to the side to scan the area in search of your next targets. “I’ll kill them myself.”

Without warning you reach out and swipe Mikasa’s gun from the holster under her arm and run straight into the cross fire.

Historia screams. “Anya, don’t!”

Mikasa rushes to stop you but bullets are shot in her direction from a building to the right that force her to draw back and take cover.

You manage to avoid getting hit long enough to dive into an abandoned winery shop nearby. The overturned chairs and broken wine bottles inside the shop tell you the customers and business owner fled the scene the second the explosions at the Red Rose went off and the sound of gunshots were fired.

The rest of the shops on this side of town are just as dark and deserted. And you hate the sight of it. Your father had promised this town his protection from turf wars against other rival gangs. And he had. Whatever businesses he had pertaining to other crime bosses, he always made sure it stayed far out of town.

Unfortunately, things don’t always go as planned—much like tonight’s turn of events—but the townsfolk at least know the drill: stay vigilant and don’t get caught outside your homes. Close the doors and lock the windows. And no matter what happens, stay inside.

Keeping an eye out for Colt and the Galliard brothers, you swiftly check the magazine on Mikasa’s pistol before popping it back in. The cartridge is already half empty. Guess you’ll have to be a bit more selective over who dies by your hand tonight.

A bullet hits glass across the street, catching your attention. You turn just in time to see Colt Grice dodge the bullet aimed for his head and disappear into an alley.

Seconds later another figure lurks from the shadows and chases after him.

Jean.

Ignoring the pain on your leg as you apply pressure on it to stand, you break into a run and chase after them. When you finally catch sight of them again they’re exchanging blows at the end of the alleyway. Weapons no where to be seen.

When Jean lands a punch seconds later that sends Colt to the ground, you slow down, thinking he’s got him. But then, almost as if it were happening in slow motion, you watch as Colt subtly reaches for something on the ground beside him. Jean, oblivious to this, grabs him and yanks him to his feet to finish him off but the second Colt has Jean in front of him, he takes the weapon in his hand and rams it deep into Jean’s side.

Jean’s body goes rigid with shock as Colt then rudely takes the knife out of Jean’s side and kicks him to the ground.

Colt then moves for a killing strike but you beat him to it and release a single bullet that hits him on the chest. It’s not enough to kill him. Just enough to get his attention. To make him see you. To let him know he’s about to die. And that you’re the reason why.

The next two bullets you release in his direction aim true and are the ones responsible for stopping his heart. His body lands on the ground with a heavy thud soon after.

You then sprint over to Jean bleeding out on the floor in front of you.

“Jean?”

His face is twisted in pain as he cradles his side, trying to stop the bleeding. But at the sight of you, relief washes over his face. “Anya? You’re alive.”

You assess his wound and conclude it’s not too deep. He’ll live for another day. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I’ll take it from here.”

Concern immediately takes over his expression as you leave his side to gather Jean’s and Colt’s guns that were discarded on the ground during their fight. But they were discarded for a reason. They’re all out of ammo.

Fucking hell.

If you get out of this alive, the first thing you’re going to do is stow away weapons all across town as backup for instances such as this.

“No—” comes Jean’s labored protests. “Wait.” His eyes suddenly widen at something over your shoulder. “Anya!”

The warning in his tone is enough for you to turn on your heels and fire in the direction of whoever has come up behind you. Your attacker manages to dodge your shots by taking cover behind a nearby dumpster but your stray bullets have given you time to move away. And by drawing the attention to yourself and putting distance between you and Jean, you’ve kept Jean safely out of harm’s way.

For now, at least.

Against the dim lit alley you can’t identify who the attacker is, though you have a hunch. All the same, you’re in a bad spot. The alleyway leads to a dead end and you can’t climb up through the fire escapes because your leg is too fucked up for that…

You know these streets well, though. You could run circles with him if you wanted to… but you don’t have the energy or the bullets to spare. Your only chance of getting out of this alive is to lure him out and confront him head on.

Keeping to the shadows of the night, you lurk in waiting, letting the lamp post flickering in the middle of the alley serve as battleground between you and your pursuer since neither one of you can strike without revealing yourself to the other first.

“Terribly sorry about your friend!” you call out to him from the dark. “But he did stab one of my own.”

Heedful steps sound against the cobblestone pavement, moving closer to the light. “You and your father have done far worse than that,” a deep voice growls back. A voice you recognize. It belongs to the leader of the Jaw Sector from Marley, Marcel Galliard. A close ally to Bertholdt and the Armored Sector.

Marcel walks under the light moments later, revealing his well built figure. His short, dark hair is swept back and he’s got a dark coat on that hides more weapons than the loaded gun he has out in front of him. There’s nothing memorable about his face other than the fact he’s got an upturned nose and seething grey eyes that peer into the darkness in search of you.

“Only to those who deserve it,” you respond coolly, moving from the shadows with calculated stealth until you have him within range. “And you did blow up my pub.”

You pull the trigger.

Once. Twice. Three times. Four. You don’t stop until you run your cartridge dry. But the bastard’s got to be wearing a bullet proof vest on or something because all the real damage you inflict on him is from a bullet that hits his right hand, forcing him to drop his gun and cry out in pain as blood begins to pool to the ground from the wound on his hand.

Damn it!

You really should have aimed for the head.

Unsheathing a blade from your wrist, you get ready to strike. If his middle is padded up, you’ll need to go for the neck. But Marcel is a lot closer than you realize and he lunges for you, successfully blocking your hand mid-swing as you try to jab your knife into him. Using size and weight to his advantage, he tackles you to the ground until he has you pinned under him, easily knocking the blade out of your hand.

His face is twisted in a cruel snarl as he glares down at you. He raises a fist to strike. But adrenaline has your body reacting faster than your brain and you take advantage of his momentum to thrust your hips forward, pushing him over you and throwing him off balance. Once you slide under him, you scramble back to your feet, swiping the gun he dropped earlier in the process. You turn to fire at him but Marcel appears close behind you that you have no time to react.

He punches you so hard against the jaw you’re knocked straight to the ground. You think you actually pass out for a second.

As you come to, you sense him approaching. Slowly. Dangerously. Like a wolf sizing up its prey. And you groan. Because right now, you are.

Your survival instincts, however, are still kicking.

You have to move, Anya. Nobody is coming to save you. Get up!

But you’re alone, injured, lacking weapons, lacking stamina. You can’t survive this fight. You won’t. And Marcel knows this. It’s why he doesn’t bother with drawing out any more weapons. He’s dragging this on, wanting to toy with you first.

“You know,” Marcel taunts, that hateful look in his eyes unwavering. “I had planned on keeping you alive. To use as leverage against your father. But I think your death will send a stronger message. Don’t you think?” He picks up the blade he’d knocked from your hand earlier as he approaches and twirls it with his left hand. “After all, there is no reasoning with a monster is there?”

You manage a faint laugh, blood trickling from your mouth as he looms over you. “You’re right. He’ll just murder you and feed you to the dogs.”

Marcel laughs dryly. “Not if I kill him first.”

Your twist away from him in disgust and attempt to crawl away, eyeing the gun he dropped a few feet away. “Good luck with that.”

Marcel reaches down and roughly drags you back by your injured leg before you can get far, making you scream out in agony.

“I don’t need luck,” he says confidently, turning you over to face him. “I have you.”

Without waiting for you to recover, he kneels forward and aims the knife in his hand at your chest.

On instinct, you raise your hands to block him, pushing against his wrists with all the strength you have left while he presses further down. But the smug look on his face tells you he’s hardly breaking a sweat. He’s enjoying watching you suffer.

And then, just as you feel the tip of the knife break skin, a shot is fired.

Marcel’s body goes limp against you. When he starts falling towards you, you hastily shove him to the side in panic. He collapses on the ground beside you, dead. A bullet straight to the head.

You stare at Marcel’s corpse with equal parts shock and disbelief. When you turn around in search of where the gunshot came from, you’re even more surprised to find neither Levi or your cadre there, but Eren.

He stands behind you at the alley’s entrance holding a gun out in front of him, looking just as shocked as you are by what he’s just done. But once his eyes find yours, he snaps out of his shock and rushes over to you.

“Anya!” He’s not prepared by the state you’re in though and he curses under his breath as he comes to kneel beside you, getting a closer look at you. His eyes run down your face and body, unable to mask his pained expression at the sight of all the blood and injuries he finds on you. He then sucks in air through his teeth as his eyes wander further down. “Your leg.”

He hastily rips a piece of his shirt and starts wrapping the cloth around your injured leg, trying to stop the bleeding. But you note his hands are shaking, making it difficult for him to complete this one task. He’s clearly still coping with the fact he just killed someone. For you. And not just anyone. A crime boss of all people.

As he struggles to bandage your wound, you catch movement from your peripherals. A tall, dark figure stands at the mouth of the alley. You swiftly reach for the gun that Eren had shot Marcel with and point it in their direction, startling Eren. It’s not until he follows your gaze and spots the approaching figure that he understands what’s happening.

But whoever it is coming towards you carries his gun at his side. They’re not attacking, and for a brief moment you hesitate pulling the trigger. You wait a bit longer until the flickering lamp post illuminates his features and you realize its Porco Galliard, Marcel’s brother.

Porco’s voice sounds small in the darkness as he calls to his older brother, making out his figure under the flickering lamp post.

“Marcel?”

But the moment he gets close enough to Marcel’s unmoving body, whatever hope he carried of finding his brother alive extinguishes like a flame.

He’s close enough for you to see the grief settle in against his features first. Only for it to get overrun with rage as his eyes flicker over to you and Eren. But before he can dare raise his gun at you, gunshots are fired in his direction from the building’s second floor on your left, forcing Porco to draw back and rush out of the alleyway.

You manage to catch Levi, Furlan, and Isabel climbing down the building’s fire escapes before your strength finally gives out. Eren catches you before your head can hit the ground and cradles you in his arms, but your eyes feel heavy. You struggle to keep them open. You faintly hear Furlan and Isabel swiftly run past you and Eren, hot on Porco’s trail before disappearing out of the alley.

You sense Levi’s presence seconds later.

“Fuck!” You feel Levi’s leather gloved hand hold your face, assessing your wounds. “She’s lost a lot of blood. Get her out of here,” he orders Eren. “Now! I’m going to kill that bastard.” Levi stands to leave. “Go! There’s a car waiting on the other side of the building. Get her home!”

You try to reach out for Levi, wanting him to stay with you instead, but all you feel is air. He’s already gone.

“It’s okay,” Eren assures you as he lifts you up in his arms, holding you close against his chest. “I’ve got you.”

Unfortunately, Eren doesn’t make it very far before an abandoned car explodes nearby from a hand grenade that throws you both into the air. You land on the ground half conscious with Eren a few feet away.

You hear him groan as he slowly comes to, lifting a hand to his head, before he suddenly tenses. You see him look around with wild eyes in search of you amidst the fire and smoke from the explosion, but you don’t have the strength to call out to him. Not that it takes him long to locate you, though. Once he does, he stumbles towards you.

“Now’s your chance,” you muster out weakly when he’s close enough, coughing up blood in the process. “Leave this place.”

Eren frowns. “I’m not leaving you here.”

You glance at the blood scurrying from his head. “You’ll die….if you stay here.”

He gently wipes the blood from your mouth before picking you up as carefully as he can so he doesn’t make your injuries worse. “Dying isn’t really on my to-do list tonight. Nor is it on yours.”

As he carries you away to safety in his arms, the gunshots and chaos of the ambush fade out. Your eyes feel heavy and they start to flutter, threatening to close. You don’t know if it's the loss of blood or what, but you’re suddenly very cold and Eren feels so warm against you that you can’t help curl up closer to his chest.

You hear a vehicle pull up a few moments later. Eren’s reassuring green eyes are the last thing you see before darkness takes you.

—

You don’t know how long you drift in and out of consciousness for, but during that time all you’re mildly aware of is that you’re back in the safety and comfort of your room. A figure sits in an armchair at your bedside but you can’t see his face. He’s leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and hands on his head. You think its Levi but you’re too tired to open your eyes fully to confirm. You ache all over and you’re so tired all you want to do is sleep. You don’t even have the strength to speak.

You swiftly drift back to sleep.

—

Faint voices break through your slumber. Muffled. Distant. Like they’re in another room behind closed doors.

You recognize Eren’s voice. He sounds upset. “Why are you so against me?” he demands to know with open resentment. “If it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Yes, how lucky are we,” Sasha agrees, sarcasm dripping from her voice, “that you arrived when you did.”

“You do that quite a lot,” Mikasa points out. “Show up right when she needs saving the most. A. Gallant. Hero.”

Eren scoffs in frustration. “All I want is what’s best for her! Which is more than I can say about all of you.”

There’s a loud thud and you hear Eren grunt. Mikasa has slammed Eren against the wall. “You think you can just drop in here and what?” she hisses at him. “Magically fix years of trauma by filling her head with a possibility of a different life? A better life? Free of crime and corruption?”

You hear Eren struggle against her hold. “Get off me!”

“You think she’ll turn her back on her family and choose you?” Mikasa continues. “You think that’ll make her happy? You think that’s what she wants? You don’t know anything about her! If anything you’re going to get her killed—”

“Me?!” Eren shouts incredulously. There’s some bit of struggle as you hear Eren shove Mikasa back hard enough to get some space from her. “I’m the one who’s been saving her all this time! Not you or Jean or Levi. Me. You all let her have her way, regardless of the danger it puts her in. But that girl is suffering. She is in pain. **And you all turn a blind eye to it. If you cared for her at all you would put an end to this stupid vendetta of hers that’s poisoning her mind instead of encouraging it.”

“You self-righteous prick!” comes Sasha’s outburst before lunging forward to attack him, though she must have only managed to get in one swing before Mikasa intervenes again.

“You can’t even begin to comprehend the kind of life we’ve lived,” Mikasa growls at Eren dangerously low. “The things we’ve seen and had to endure.”

“So why keep living this way?!” Eren bites back. “You’ve all spent so much time underground, you’ve forgotten what it's like to live without fear. Without suffering. You’re all chained to this way of life that you no longer wish to live a life without it. You’re all slaves to it. Prisoners. Because you choose to be.” He grunts gently as if struggling to rise to his feet. “You may all have surrendered to this way of life, but I’m not giving up on her. I won’t let her give up.”

His footsteps start to recede down the hall but Mikasa calls to him, sounding defeated, almost sad. “She’s going to break your heart.” A pause. “You know that, right?”

He takes a moment to respond. “Perhaps,” Eren finally concedes. “But it’s hers for her to break.”

As the sound of Eren’s footsteps fade down the stairs, darkness befalls you once more.

—

When you come to your senses again a few hours later, you’re more alert than before and with enough strength to stay awake for longer than a few seconds.

To the left of your bedside sits Levi, silently keeping vigil. You don’t think he’s moved since you were brought back home. But he has this distant look in his eyes that tells you he’s not really here with you. He’s somewhere far far away.

You call to him tentatively, trying to anchor him back to you. “Levi?”

The moment he hears your dry, raspy voice he snaps out of his trance and turns to you, his attention now focused solely on you. “You’re awake. How are you feeling?” His eyes scan your body, in search for any untreated wounds. “Are you still in pain?”

There is a level of concern in his voice, but it’s also thick and heavy with grief, and you immediately tense. Looking at him more closely you notice his eyes are bright red and swollen, and your stomach plummets. Levi is mourning.

You reach out to him, wanting him closer. Once he’s within reach, you rest your hand against his face and with eyes closed, he leans against your touch instantly, as if in desperate need of it.

You’re almost too afraid to ask, but you need to know.

“What happened?” you ask softly.

Levi stiffens and you immediately regret asking as he slowly starts to slip out of your touch. His jaw clenches as he struggles to voice the events that proceeded after you blacked out.

“Porco. He got away.” His hands curl into fists from where they rest on your bed, angry and frustrated. “After I saw you in that alley—” He closes his eyes, as if wanting to shut out the image of the state he found you in: bloody, bruised and broken. ”All I wanted to do was kill him. That’s all I was thinking. I didn’t realize we had followed him so close to the town border until…” He lowers his head, ashamed. “Furlan and Isabel—”

Your blood runs cold as his voice falters, and you realize what he’s struggling to say next.

Levi shakes his head with despair. “If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here.”

You stare at him in momentary disbelief.

Furlan and Isabel are…dead?

That can’t be true. Those two are some of the most skilled, strongest, and fiercest people you know. They can’t be dead. They were Levi’s best mates.

But…

There is no other way to explain the immeasurable pain and sorrow you see in Levi’s eyes.

And it terrifies you—what this loss will do to him.

What it has already begun to do.

You reach out for him, wanting to comfort him. “Levi…” But you’re at a loss for words. There’s nothing you can say to him that will make him feel any better.

“They were my partners,” he says with deep remorse. “My soldiers.” He runs his hands through his hair. He’s still in the same attire he was in during the ambush. There’s small cuts across his clothes and dry blood on his hands, but something tells you it's not his but Furlan’s and Isabel’s blood that stains his hands red. “It’s my fault.”

“Levi, stop.” You reach for his arm, pulling him towards you. “Come.”

He does as you say without protest and your mattress shifts under his weight as he joins you. He lets you hold him until you eventually hear his breathing slow down and he falls into a dreamless sleep. Completely exhausted.

Your heart aches for him. You haven’t seen him look so devastated and downright broken. Not since the night his mother died.

And you have never felt more helpless.

You hadn’t realized you’d fallen asleep again until you wake up some time later to the sound of water running in the bathroom. Levi’s side of the bed is empty so you can only assume it’s Levi showering in the other room, but after the water runs for longer than usual, you find the need to get up and check on him.

As you throw your legs over the side of the bed, every muscle in your body aches in protest. Worse still is when you come to stand on your own two feet. Your right leg, the one that had been sliced open across the thigh during the bombing of the Red Rose, has been cleaned, stitched up and bandaged. But fresh blood oozes out as you put pressure on it with every step you take.

Biting back a wince, you cut across your room to the bathroom in search of your fiancé.

You find Levi sitting in the bathtub, fully clothed, and with a blank expression on his face. All the while the water from the shower head continues to fall down on him like rain.

It takes all your willpower not to cry at the sight of him like this, looking so hopeless and utterly defeated. If you could take his suffering away and bear it yourself, you would. But you can’t. All you can do is comfort him and remind him he’s not alone. That, for what it's worth, he still has you.

You make sure you’re completely composed before approaching him. But when you reach into the tub to turn off the water, Levi doesn’t react to your presence.

He’s completely shut down.

“Silly boy,” you tell him gently, fighting back a wince as you bend down to sit on the edge of the tub. “You’re supposed to take your clothes off first.”

Carefully, you start to unbutton the wet shirt plastered to his body. When he remains unresponsive, you reach for the towel closest to you and gently dry his hair. Unable to take off his trousers while he remains sitting in the bathtub—not to mention his shoes which he also didn’t take off when he climbed in—you drape the towel over his shoulders like a cape to keep him warm.

Using the edge of the sink to support you, you stand. “Come on. Let’s get you changed.”

Levi doesn’t move.

“Levi, please,” you urge him, your voice nearly breaking. “You’ll catch a cold.”

Hearing the concern and desperation in your plea seems to break through to Levi. When he finally looks up at you his eyes are as bright red and swollen as before. But he’s snapped out of his daze. Recognition and awareness settles back into his features.

“I’m fine,” he says hoarsely, slowly standing to his full height. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

You shake your head, not needing his apology, and wrap your arms around his neck so fiercely and without warning he almost loses his balance in the tub. “I’m here,” you murmur close to his ear. “You can talk to me or not, but I’m here.”

He’s slow to respond, but slowly his arms wrap around you so tightly it's like he fears you'll leave him too if he lets you out of his hold. You caress his head gently in consolation as he burrows himself against your neck to hide the tears he can't stop from falling.

When he finally feels ready to stand on his own, he pulls away slightly, but still keeping you at arms length. He opens his mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but he’s searching deep into your eyes, as if they’ll tell him whether to continue or not. Ultimately, whatever he sees in them tell him to withdraw and he closes his mouth with a shake of the head.

You frown at him curiously but all he offers is a tired, meek smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. To appease you from looking further into it, he leans in to kiss your brow. “I’ll be fine, love. You don’t need to worry about me.” He then glances down to his waist. “I do think I need some new trousers, though.”

You laugh faintly at the way he manages to steer the conversation but follow his lead and start to move for the door. “I’ll get them. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

But Levi catches you by the elbow before you can. “No, don’t.” He’s noticed the red spotting on the bandage from your thigh as he steps out of the tub. “I can get them. You should be resting.”

“No, Levi, please.” You rest a hand on his arm keeping you in place. “Let me take care of you.”

He swallows thickly at your words and before he can protest any further you slip out of his grip and set off in the direction of his room for a fresh set of clothes for him.

As you make your way down the hallway to his room you note the stillness of the house. You don’t know what time or day it is. You’ve lost all sense of time since the attack, but the clock in the hallway tells you its near four in the morning. You glance back at your room to where you’ve left Levi and contemplate things for a second before deciding to venture downstairs.

Ignoring the pain from your leg as you make your way down the stairs, you pass by your cadre’s rooms, needing to confirm they were alive and well. After learning of Isabel’s and Furlan’s passing, you figured Levi would have mentioned if you yourself had suffered any losses, but considering the state Levi was in and how he wasn’t really relaying too much information, you wanted to see them for yourself. Mikasa, Historia, and Sasha had rooms in the second floor while Jean and Connie were down on the first floor. After visiting each of their rooms, you only found Sasha’s bed empty, but this did not concern you as much. She was most likely out on watch somewhere. She was the only one who hadn’t been there at the pub during the attack and she was more ghost than human, anyway. That girl couldn’t be touched unless she herself wanted to.

Reaching the first floor, you glimpse through the windows in search of where the guards are posted tonight. And sure enough, Sasha is amongst them.

Once you’ve taken note of the number of guards on patrol, you head over to the kitchen to boil some water for Levi. You figure some chamomile tea might help induce sleep and lessen his insomnia. Though you’ve never been one to rely on tea the way Levi does.

As you wait for the water to boil you head into your office and search through the drawers of your desk for the bottle of painkillers you remember tossing in there a while back. Once located, you’re about to close the drawer shut when you notice another bottle of pills roll out that calls your attention.

You reach for it and twirl the bottle in your hand. You ponder things for a moment before taking both bottles with you back into the kitchen. You serve yourself a glass of water, toss a few painkillers into your mouth and wash them down with a glass of water.

When the water on the stove finally comes to a boil, you prepare Levi’s tea and pop open the lid from your second bottle. You give it a shake until a white small round pill falls into the palm of your hand. You drop it into Levi’s tea and stir it until it dissolves completely. Then, despite Levi not adding sugar to his tea, you add two teaspoons to mask the taste of the pill.

The sugar is just about dissolved when you hear footsteps approach.

“What are you doing?” Levi asks behind you.

You turn back towards the sound of his voice and find Levi standing in the kitchen doorway.

“I made you tea,” you answer promptly, sounding pleased with yourself. But then you look him over and find he’s wearing a new pair of clean clothes. “And you already changed. Sorry.”

You cut the space between you to hand him the tea. He glances down at the cup in your hand, looking guilty. “You didn’t have to do this.”

You raise the cup closer to him in encouragement. “It’ll help you sleep. Drink it.”

He takes it with a small smile that doesn’t meet his eyes. “Thank you.” You watch as he takes the cup from you. He takes a small sip, pauses, before drinking some more. He glances down at your leg. “You shouldn’t be applying pressure to your wound. The stitching will—”

“It’s fine.” You gently cup his face in your hands to reassure him. “Levi, I’m fine. Come on.” You take his now empty cup and leave it on the kitchen counter. You then take his free hand and start guiding him up the stairs. “Let’s go to bed.”

The sleeping pill takes effect faster than you expect so that by the time you both make it back to your room, Levi can barely keep his eyes open. He climbs on your bed first and moves closer to you in search of your warmth when you join him seconds later.

His slow and steady breathing is enough to lull you to sleep, but you’re not the one who needs rest right now. Gently, you brush back a front lock of hair from his face before moving down to caress his cheek.

Levi is strong. As much as he is hurting now, he will survive this. Even when sometimes surviving demands the worst kind of pain.

It’s near the crack of dawn when you arrive at the Founding Sector’s train station. The platform, desolate — save for you and the vendor at the ticket booth. You wear your usual long dark coat and a black newsboy cap low enough to cover your eyes and hide much of your facial features.

Taking advantage of the fact all your cadre were accounted for, with the exception of Sasha, and Levi completely passed out in your bedroom, leaving the house undetected was easier than you could have hoped. Not to mention the backstreets are desolate at this hour and you only catch a handful of merchants traveling the busier roads, getting ready to open up for business.

You rest some of your weight on a long, black cane you found leaning against the coat hanger by the front door on your way out. The painkillers you took earlier keep the pain level to a dull ache. But you’ve brought the bottle with you just incase you need a reload.

You stand at the platform waiting for the train heading towards the Karanes District with Bear perched languidly on your shoulder.

Bear lets out a long, low-pitched meow that tells you he’s not entirely happy being here with you, as if he were disapproving of your decisions tonight.

“Hush,” you hiss back. “I make the choices here.” You then add under your breath begrudgingly, “Stupid as they may be.”

You were attacked in your own town, your own pub, less than forty eight hours ago. To travel alone while you’re still severely injured is both idiotic and reckless. But it's also quite possibly the last thing anyone expects you to be doing, especially after the rough state you were last seen in. And it’s not like you’d expect any of your people to let you out of your room if they could help it. They would make you wait until you recovered, perhaps days or weeks and your fragile state of mind wasn’t willing to wait.

After the ambush on you and your people, you needed reassurance and a sense of control. To remind yourself that you still have the upper hand. Over someone, at least.

When the train arrives, you’re so caught up in your thoughts you don’t notice when someone else gets on the train after you. Wanting to keep his presence from you unknown, he takes the passenger car next to yours and maintains his distance, watching you from afar and out of your radar for the entirety of the ride.

Once the train pulls up at the Karane’s district a short time later, you get off the train with Bear nestled comfortably in your bag. There’s a handful of morning commuters scattered throughout the platform, but they’re too caught up in their own life schedules to pay you much attention as you make your way across the platform. You try not to think about the last time you were here as you pass the same pillars you and Eren had sought shelter against the coppers targeting you not too long ago at this very station.

Eventually the station leads out into the city streets and you easily blend in against the crowd as you venture your way into the streets that will take you to Cas.

The boy will be on his way to school right about now. Normally, he gets driven to school by his own personal driver. But today is Friday. And not just any Friday. It’s the third Friday of the month. The only day of the month in which his father himself personally walks him to school.

Thanks to Sasha’s spies, you know where the boy lives, where he goes to school. You know the route they take. And you know they’re always well escorted, with two cops in front of them taking the lead, and two cops at the back.

Of course, this is of little concern to you. You have no intention of interacting with them.

When you arrive in front of the boy’s school, it's exactly as you imagine it. Hillside Academy: a private, luxurious looking academy, heavily gated and highly exclusive, meant only for the children of the social elite reigning from this district.

Strolling past the academy’s gates, you turn the corner into the street you know Cas and his father take to get to school. A glimpse at your watch tells you you’ve arrived before them so you let Bear out of your bag and let him wander the streets out in the open with you. When you look up again, you see father and son rounding the corner, making their way towards you.

Erwin Smith doesn’t notice you. He’s too busy giving his full attention to his one and only child striding along beside him to pay attention to anything else. And why should he? He’s got his little men in uniform acting as his first line of defense.

All the same, you continue strolling towards them like any regular civilian out for a morning walk. Perhaps the walking cane makes you look all the more harmless because it’s not until they’re less than five feet in front of you that Erwin’s cops signal you to stop where you are and to move down to the bottom of the sidewalk for Erwin and his son to pass.

You do so without protest and wait patiently for them to walk past you, making sure to keep your cap lowered over your face and your sleeves pulled over your wrists to hide your centipede tattoo from peeking out. Bear follows you down the sidewalk and brushes the side of your leg affectionately.

Seconds later he catches Cas’ scent walking past them. Recognizing him, Bear pauses and meows to Cas in greeting, but the moment he gets ready to pounce after the kid you catch the black fur ball and hold him steady in your arms.

At the sight of Bear, Erwin shields Cas and keeps the boy to his left while throwing Bear an appalling look, as if he were some kind of feral animal out of control.

Not to say he hadn’t been at one point. But still.

Rude.

Cas, however, treats you the way he would any other stranger and doesn’t offer you or Bear a single glance in your direction, and you smile from underneath your cap as they walk past.

As you finish walking down the street, you make a turn at the corner as Erwin and Cas disappear into the academy gates. You then lean against a lamp post nearby and wait with Bear wandering nearby.

Five minutes later, Cas appears from around the corner heading straight towards you and tackles you in a hug. He’s managed to sneak past the school guards not too long after Erwin dropped him off and you can’t help be impressed.

The boy barely reaches your waist but when he brushes against your wounded leg you fight back a curse. You rest your hand on his shoulder in warning. “Easy there, kid.”

Cas loosens his hold on you immediately and takes a small step back. “Sorry. Are you hurt? Why are you using a walking stick?”

You force a smile. “I’m fine. I just had a little fall. I’ll be better soon.”

Bear appears then and starts meowing at Cas, rubbing himself against the boy’s leg affectionately. Cas’ face brightens at the sight of him and scoops him up to embrace the fur ball.

Cas giggles in delight as Bear purrs and bumps his head against Cas’ face repeatedly. You recall the way Erwin reacted at the sight of Bear. “You weren’t kidding when you said your father hated cats.”

Cas’ smile fades a little as he sighs sadly. “Yeah.”

“Well, we definitely need to continue keeping our meetings a secret from him then, don’t we?”

Cas’ smile quickly returns and he nods, a sly glint in his eye.

You nod in the direction of his school. “You should head back before they notice you’re gone.”

“Okay,” he grumbles begrudgingly. “Will you be at the park later?”

“Not tonight. But we will visit you again soon.” When you notice how crestfallen Cas looks you tap his chin playfully and add, “I promise.”

The boy’s face lights up like sunlight and without warning throws his arms around your torso in a hug. More gently than before but still with the same amount of emotion. He then races off with a wave. You wave back at him, mirroring his excitement on your face until he disappears around the corner. Only then does your cold, calculated gaze return.

But you don’t realize how much of your attention Cas had taken from you because you don’t sense eyes on you until you’re alone.

As you turn to your left—in the direction of where you feel the presence is coming from—you find Levi standing across the street from you, watching you.

No, not watching.

Glaring.

His sudden presence throws you off for a moment, but you quickly recover as he wastes no time crossing the street to make his way towards you.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he demands, his voice trembling with barely restrained anger. “Does your father know about this?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you reply dismissively, your expression impassive. You try to walk past him before he can get any closer, but he steps in your path.

“He could have recognized you.” He points behind you knowing he’s referring to the spot where you crossed paths with Erwin. “He could have killed you!”

You smile playfully. “Not if I killed him first.”

Levi’s face only hardens. “He was less than three feet away from you. You were close enough to pull the trigger.” He takes a step closer to you, eyes narrowed. “But you didn’t. Why?”

Your eyes give nothing away as he searches them for an answer, but Levi knows you all too well. He knows how your mind works and what you’re capable of. When he ultimately connects the dots, his face pales slightly and his voice turns hard. “What do you plan to do with that kid?”

The disapproval in his tone is all you need to hear and you sidestep him without a word.

This only irks him further.

“Anya!”

He attempts to grab you by the arm but you roughly break out of his hold. “Do not ask questions you don’t want to hear the answers to!” you warn him with a snarl. Levi’s terrified by the darkness he sees in your eyes, in your heart. Of the control it might have over you that would have you harm a child. But what Levi doesn’t realize, or refuses to believe, is that your sense of morality is complete off the table now.

“He’s a child!” he hisses back.

You scoff, turning your back on him to resume your walk back to the station. “What’s your point?”

“He’s innocent!”

His words have you seeing red and you snap, whirling on him. “So was I! But I’m not going to wait around until they have buried everyone I’ve ever loved six feet under ground. Will you?”

Levi flinches, the wound of his friends deaths painfully fresh.

“It’s either us or them,” you remind him coldly. “That’s how its always been. The attack on the pub is just a reminder of that. So go ahead. Tell my father, if you want. It’s not going to change anything. He can’t stop me. No one can.” You lock eyes with him. “Not even you.”

You don’t give him time to argue back as you brush past him with enough force to make him step back. He doesn’t stop you though as you swipe Bear from the ground and stride off back to the train station.

Levi is just as angry but follows after you a safe distance behind, knowing that you both need space apart to cool off. At this point, tying to fight you on this matter is a lost cause. This is the one thing you will not be swayed over, no matter how much he urges you otherwise.

But… if you take that away? Where does that leave you? What will happen to you once it’s all over and done with? You’ve carried on your whole life with this personal vendetta, not caring about anything else other than being able to see it through…

He fears that’s all there is to you.

On the train ride home, he sits at the far end of the compartment opposite you. He watches you closely as you gaze outside the window, blatantly ignoring him, while he desperately tries to find any remaining traces of the girl he remembers from before dwelling somewhere within your features.

But everything about you has turned sharp and cold, all softness in you, faded. It’s practically nonexistent. When his eyes wander down to your faint laugh lines, he tries to recall the last time he heard you laugh.

He can’t.

It’s been so long since he’s genuinely heard you laugh, a laugh that wasn’t laced with vicious sneers or full of mock cruelty. The realization of this strikes him with great despair. Can he even remember it? Your laugh?

But most disturbing thought of all: is it really too late for you? Is the girl he’s cherished since he was a boy truly be lost to him forever?

That dark look in your eyes tells him you are.

But that heart of yours… shielded and protected under layers of armor. Levi knows that heart, knows your soul. And it’s what assures him that the girl he remembers from before still lives somewhere inside you, stashed away and chained behind locked doors.

And unbeknownst to you, Levi fully intends on breaking her out. He has lost too much for him to keep watching you go on like this. Too many close calls. This way of life has become too much, so whatever price he has to pay to protect you and keep you safe, he’ll pay it.

You’ve left him no other choice. This is as far as you go.

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