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Chapter Text

They were nearing the port as Levi stood on the deck smoothing out the creases on his shirt as he looked out at the town of Liberio getting closer as their ship sailed towards it. He was surprised he was even allowed to go on this expedition with the 104th, since the battle for the reclamation of Wall Maria Levi had been slightly unpredictable in nature finding it hard to keep his emotions, particularly his anger, in check. No one blamed him for it, that battle hit him hard the most, he had lost Erwin after being forced to choose between saving him or Armin, he didn't regret saving Armin he had proven to everyone what Levi had suspected and had become a great commander, he was as inspiring and intelligent as Erwin had been but prioritised minimising the casualties of his men, despite being forced into it at such a young age he had done well rebuilding the Survey Corps back up and handling the politics of the new era they all found themselves in, Levi was proud of him it couldn't have been easy having this mantle so young.

The only reason Armin had taken on the mantle in the first place was partly to do with the chain of command being completely shattered after a shocking revelation that Erwin's successor, Hange Zoe, was in fact a spy working for Marley the entire time. Levi remembered the pain of the betrayal probably a lot more than the knife she had stabbed him with after he found out. She had caught him completely off guard after he had chased down the bearded piece of shit that was the Beast Titan, he made it to the wall again and had seen her there as well, she had been waiting for him so she could put an end to his hunt and wounded him badly enough he couldn't chase after them after they all got away even if he wanted to, he barely made it in time to save Armin in the end and had to watch as Hange left him broken hearted for the place they were sailing towards today.

After the crushing defeat Levi had changed, his body healed fine but his mind and emotions were a completely different story, he had lost one of his oldest friends and the very same day he had been betrayed by the woman he loved. After years of loss and suffering Levi had reached his breaking point and had very nearly lost his position in the Survey Corps after a rookie MP said something about Erwin and Hange which made him beat the man half to death. They were ready to court martial him there and then until Armin and the rest of the 104th vouched for him in front of Premier Zachery saying they still needed his skills and leadership for the future. He had been let off the hook but had been put under a compulsory intensive mental evaluation and treatment plan to ensure it wouldn't happen again, he no longer had Erwin and Hange to keep his recklessness under control and he had to learn to take care of it himself if he ever wanted to remain in the Survey Corps.

"We'll be arriving soon Captain" Armin's voice sounded beside him calmly, Levi just hummed in response keeping his eyes fixed on the horizon "There is something I would like to discuss before we enter the port" he said looking serious

"What is it?" Levi asked sounding bored already

"We're entering into enemy territory, a number of things could happen but there's one thing in particular I have concerns about regarding you" Armin explained Levi nodded already figuring where he was heading with this conversation.

"I'm fine Commander, I have been for a while now" Levi assured him

"I don't doubt that but... there's no guarantee but I think its safe to assume she could be here you know" Armin said finally

"I know, I thought about that too, but like you said we need to do this to plan our next move and I am ready to follow your orders Commander" Levi said softly not taking his eyes off the ever nearing port, as much as he hoped she wasn't there, there was also a small part of him in his heart that yearned to see, to touch, to kiss her again. He knew that she was the enemy now but she was an enemy who had his heart captured and unfortunately her hold on it ran deep.

"Alright we should probably get ready to go we're nearly here" Armin said turning to walk away "I trust you Captain, no matter what" his parting words were until he walked away to get the others ready. Levi stood in place for the remainder of the journey sighing deeply as he rubbed his eyes, he was so tired and ready to get off this ship.

When they were finally off the ship Levi was slightly overwhelmed by the sheer scale of Liberio, it was huge and there were so many people, too many for his liking, as he glared at the crowd trying to control his breathing as a wave of anxiety threatened to take over. Levi distracted himself by watching the 104th acting like hyperactive children as they went to each stall in the market trying all the new food Onyankapon and Niccolo told them about.

"Tch so much for keeping a low profile" Levi scoffed as he watched Sasha, Jean and Connie run off somewhere

"Hmm, let them blow off a little steam, its only fair after everything we've been through" Armin said watching his friends with amusement, Levi hummed in agreement before some creepy sounding voice sounded from behind him, offering him candy. Levi jumped and turned to see this creepy looking man covered in make up and loud, brightly coloured clothes standing behind him. He didn't even register what he said next as he felt his anxiety starting to rise, he hated it when people snuck up on him like that, fortunately Armin intervened and talked to the clown as Levi headed away from the crowded streets to try and calm himself down.

He was leaning against a wall in a quiet alleyway as he tried to control his breathing again, it was times like this where he missed Hange, she would have been able to calm him down instantly where he seemed to struggle with that constantly, Levi scoffed at how pathetic he was even after her betrayal Hange was the one he still wanted to turn to when he got like this.

Once he had gained some semblance of control he was about to head back to the others when someone caught his attention, he stared intently and it only took him a few seconds to realise who was approaching him, he'd recognise that messy, unkempt mop of golden brown hair anywhere, It was her no doubt about it, Hange Zoe was right there, as tantalisingly beautiful as ever and walking right towards him. He knew he shouldn't engage her, knew it could put everything Armin and the others had worked towards in Jeopardy but his body reacted faster than his reasoning and before he knew what had happened his arm had shot out and reached out to grab her forcefully, pinning her to the wall as she yelped in surprise.

"What the...wait Levi?, is that you?" her voice said in shock as she stared down at the frail looking Captain who was panting heavily as he came to terms with what he had just down, he looked up at her and his eyes held a mixture of softness and brokenness at the same time.

"Hange..." he breathed out sounding in pain as he trembled

"What are you doing here Levi?...why are you here?, if your here that must mean that the 104th and Erwin are here as well so what is it your planning?" she rambled bombarding him with questions he couldn't answer, it felt familiar like old times and he couldn't help himself as he leaned in to give her an extremely heated kiss just to shut her up. She pushed him away after she recovered from her shock but he still held onto her black jacket, that damn jacket they used to fight over all the time when they were together.

"Why are you here Levi?" she asked again impatiently, Levi stepped back from her a little not really sure how to answer that question.

"I, I don't really know, I'm not supposed to be doing this" he admitted in embarrassment

"Wow, so the usually obedient Captain Levi is breaking the rules now huh, what brought about that change?" she asked in that teasing tone that drove him crazy

"You" he answered without hesitation finding himself getting pulled towards her again, like he was a helpless victim stuck in her riptide as she threatened to drown him over and over again "I needed...wanted to see you again" he admitted pathetically

"Even after what I did?" she said in surprise not realising she was touching the place where her knife had pierced his flesh years ago now, Levi hissed but leaned into her touch all the same, she was like poison, a poison he couldn't help but become addicted to.

"Despite everything you did to me, after betraying everything we stood for, even after breaking my heart...I can't get you out of my damn head Hange" he told her through gritted teeth

"Sounds troublesome considering we're supposed to be enemies now hmm" Hange said softly feeling sorry for him in a way, this was not the Levi Ackerman she remembered when she left Paradis all that time ago, this Levi was completely shattered and looked like he was barely clinging onto his sanity "Isn't Erwin going to wonder where you are?" she asked making him flinch at the name of the old Commander.

"Erwin's dead" Levi told her, at least she had the decency to look guilty about that

"I'm sorry to hear that, he was an exceptional man" she said sincerely actually feeling a little sad hearing the news of Erwin's passing, no wonder Levi looked so rough he was essentially left completely alone "When did it happen?" she asked

"The day you betrayed us" he said looking away as his façade slipped away "The brass has been keeping tabs on me since...losing Erwin, than you..I spiralled out of control, stopped pulling my punches" he admitted with a shake, he knew he was probably confessing more than he should but it was Hange, she was his safe space, his home and despite them being on opposing sides of a war he still wanted her comfort.

Hange stared at the broken man before her

"Did I really cause this much turmoil in you Levi?" she thought guiltily and as much as she knew she shouldn't do it she wrapped him up in her embrace and held him tightly. She thought she had buried her feelings for him away by now but here they were again washing over her like an unstoppable tsunami, as she watched him break in her arms.

"Lets go to my place to talk in private" Hange suggested to him softly feeling him nod slowly once as he pulled away following her to her apartment. Once they were inside she sat down on the sofa inviting him to do the same, he did so slowly his hands clenched into fists tightly on his lap as he tried to control his emotions yet again "If your worried about me telling anyone about this meeting don't be, I don't want to tell anyone about this" she consoled him in that sickly sweet voice he used to love so much "Your conflicted, I understand Levi..."

At the sound of his name in that same damn voice Levi couldn't resist her anymore and kissed her fervently, to the point of aggression as he pinned her on the sofa, his hands shoving items of clothing out of the way so he could touch her again, feel her warmth under his hands as he growled like a caged animal that had been holding back from showing their true nature. He kissed her harder knowing her lips would probably bruise from the intensity he was doing this but he couldn't bring himself to care, this was better than any fantasy his mind had been able to conjure and he was completely intoxicated by his Hange being here in the flesh for the first time in years, to his surprise however he realised she was kissing him back with just as much intensity almost challenging him to go further.

"I fucking hate that I miss you shitty glasses" he panted heavily

"Charmer" she murmured with a breathless chuckle herself "I missed you too you know" she breathed right next to his ear making him gasp

"Then why leave?" he asked her seriously "Why did you leave me then, if that's how you felt?" his head screamed wanting to know the truth

"Because just like you I have a duty to fulfil" she said looking down like she was ashamed, Levi just growled again and nipped her neck hard making her gasp and tug his hair in retaliation.

"How much of what you said was a lie Hange...was anything you said to me the truth?, I need to know" he hissed leaning into the feeling of her fingers in his hair scratching his scalp it made him shudder with pleasure and he sucked on her skin more

"The only thing I lied about was where I came from" she said fluttering her eyes at the feeling of his lips on her skin again "Everything else was true" she breathed holding him in place as he carried on marking her anywhere he wanted, she could feel in his touch and the way he was acting he was desperate "You never moved on did you?" she said knowingly.

"How could I?" he asked her resting his head on her chest above her heart "No one understands me like you do" he admitted breathing heavily kissing where her heart would be, his hands gripping her so hard that she knew they were going to bruise as well but she didn't care not when Levi was in so much pain and she was the main cause of it all.

"I am so, so sorry I've done this to you Levi" she apologised to him sadly still stroking his hair to soothe him, Levi was still like an animal in a cage one wrong move and he would attack at an ungodly speed, her tricks to calm him down however were still there in her memory and after all this time they were still just as effective "Whatever you need from me Levi, take it" she encouraged him making him groan again as he stripped the rest of her clothing off quickly, staring at her hungrily taking in the sight of her again, breathing out shakily as he got overwhelmed again.

Hange noticed and distracted him by helping him take off his clothes, kissing him tenderly as she felt him shake, he was clearly fighting his thoughts over this, his heart was fighting his mind and making the conflict he was feeling even worse.

"Shh its okay" she whispered to him softly kissing him again as the last item of his clothes were removed "When was the last time you were in control of anything Levi?" she asked him curiously making him sigh heavily

"Before I lost you" he breathed "Everyone is constantly watching me now...I can't be trusted anymore" he said bitterly looking so defeated

"Take back control, take what you want from me" she purred in his ear, nipping the shell of his ear to spur him on. Levi groaned as he pounced on her pinning her down again on the sofa. Levi bit her skin again as he moved down to her waiting pussy, he started to lick it with an almost expert skill, getting lost in her taste and the moans that erupted from her. Gods how he'd missed the sound of her moans, the way she called out his name as he drove her crazy with his tongue alone was like a volt of electricity waking him up from a long dream and it spurred him on making him go faster as he pulled her closer to him, his claw like nails leaving scratches where they dug into her flesh. He edged her several times before allowing her to have that release she was craving, Levi lapped up juices like a thirsty animal before staring at her wildly/

"You've still got it shorty I'll give you that" she panted hard

Levi didn't respond with his voice just by his actions, straddling her instantly as he lined his cock up with her entrance, his eyes still darting up to meet hers to make sure this was alright and after her swift nod he slipped inside her slowly with a gasp and then a moan of contentment as he sank himself down onto her, needing a few moments to deal with the emotional onslaught he was still having , hiding his face in her shoulder as his teeth bit the skin there again.

"Mine" he growled as he started to rock his hips slowly at first "Mine" he said again his voice cracking with emotion as he picked up the pace again going harder and faster, his breath felt hot next to her skin as she moaned loudly at the rough pace he had set; rutting into her like a feral animal in heat, his grunts and moans barely sounding human.

"Shh, I'm yours Levi" Hange moaned in affirmation, somehow knowing he needed to hear these words as he met him at every stroke. She heard him gasp at her words before groaning hard again as he kept going his head never straying from its place on her shoulder as she held him, her hands rubbing soothing patterns in an attempt to calm this untamed part of him "Yours" she moaned again as she felt herself getting lost in him and everything he was doing to her. He looked completely wild as she let him take control, however he was never completely out of control either, he still made sure it was enjoyable despite how rough he was being.

"Mine" he repeated again and again, practically chanting the word as he kept going feeling his climax getting painfully close "Fuck.. getting close" he croaked near her ear

"Me too...keep going Levi" She moaned meeting his thrusts even more eagerly than before, Levi gritted his teeth as he went faster needing that sweet release his body craved. it wasn't long before they both hit their climaxes and after being a part for so long it was a rather intense feeling of euphoria for the pair of them. Levi collapsed on top of her out of breath but satisfied as he took comfort in Hange's touch.

"I'll always be yours Levi" she whispered to him as he started to drift asleep easily for the first time in years

Hange watched him sleep just like she used to before and she realised how bad a toll these last few years had taken on him, he looked more frail like he hadn't really eaten properly, he had more scars than before the most prominent being the one she had given him all those years ago at Shiganshina, but there were others there she couldn't place where they came from. Suddenly Levi's face contorted into a pained expression as he had another nightmare.

"No..." he murmured weakly as his hands clenched into fists

"Levi, Levi wake up" Hange called out to him making him gasp awake as he trembled

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry" he panicked his anxiety had gotten worse as well by the looks of it

"Shh, its okay, its okay" Hange shushed him holding him tightly again as he cried silently, he hated this, hated his anxiety, hated how he could only find solace again in the arms of an enemy.

"I am so sorry for everything I've put you through" Hange apologised hugging him tighter as she felt his tears on her skin

"I'm sorry, I wasn't good enough to keep you here" he said looking down at himself in disgust "I wasn't good enough to keep you, wasn't good enough to save Erwin...I'm nothing" he cried defeatedly

"No Levi none of this was your fault" Hange told him as she forced him to look up at him kissing him softly "I am so sorry I left you alone with all that burden"

Levi just lies there in her arms contemplating what she said, tears still silently falling down his face. He felt her hands glide down his back delicately touching the new scars that were on his back, he flinched like they still hurt as he sucked in air, starting to shake again.

"Who did this to you?" Hange asked him with so much sincerity he looked up in surprise nobody had talked to him like that in years, either they were angry at him or scared of him when they talked never concerned though.

"I deserved it...they said I killed Erwin, killed our last hope..I needed to be taught a lesson" he stuttered like talking about it would attract his attackers

"But you could have defended yourself surely" Hange questioned him and he shook his head slowly

"I deserved it" he said again closing his eyes as he started giving into his flashbacks

"Oh Levi" Hange sighed sadly as she hugged him closer, he had been taking peoples anger in more ways than one "You said you stopped puling punches, what do you mean?" she asked him patiently.

"When they first attacked, I tried to defend myself but..they said something about you and Erwin and I snapped, after that I didn't do defend myself anymore, they were angry so I let them"

"But why do this?" she asked still unsure as to why he would go to such extreme lengths

"If not me, they'll attack someone else, I'd rather it was me" he whispered making Hange's heart sink, of course he was protecting the others why else would he do something like this. Hange kissed the crown of his head "Its not the same with you gone" he admitted drawing lazy patterns on her skin.

"I can't imagine how bad it has been for you Levi, I never could have imagined this would happen" she admitted kissing him again, straddling him slowly "Let me take it away for a little while" she purred kissing his neck making him gasp as he looked up at her, captivated by her beauty, she was his Hange, his Queen, his goddess and he couldn't say no to her.

"Okay" he breathed nodding as he saw her smile at his answer, feeling the warmth and comfort he had miss fill his heart again.

She touched him slowly, taking her time with him, wanting him to feel every ounce of love she still felt for him.

"I want you to know that, even after everything that I did, however much I thought it was my duty, the one thing I regret is leaving you, I am yours Levi and you are mine I love you now and always" Hange told him softly kissing him again before she lowered herself onto his waiting cock making him moan again. Her heart swelled as she looked into his eyes and saw them looking hopeful again.

"That's all I needed to hear...thank you Hange" he breathed as his hips bucked as she started moving on top of him, riding him at a good pace.

Levi watched her move on top of her enjoying the view, his hands travelled up to hold her breasts, pinching her nipples at random intervals making her gasp and pick up her pace.

"Fuck Hange... need more" he said breathlessly and Hange gladly obliged picking up her pace making Levi groan, Hange looked at him enjoying his sounds of pleasure and
gentle touches. She was pleased he felt happier and being with him again felt incredible to her, she didn't realise how much she had missed him until today.

"Gods I've missed you...I love you so much" she moaned leaning down to kiss him again as she got closer to her climax.

They both groaned loudly as they hit their climaxes again, Hange fell into his arms, peppering his face and neck with kisses as she enjoyed Levi's fingers stroking her hair.

"Mmm my Levi, I love you" she whispered between kisses

"I love you too my Hange" Levi whispered back without hesitation feeling complete for the first time in ages as they both savoured the familiar feeling of being in each others arms together, like they had done many times in the Survey Corps headquarters. Levi kissed her temple softly as she settled down with her head resting on his shoulder, he rested his chin on top of her head as he held her protectively like he always did.

"When do you have to leave?" Hange asked him eventually, hating to be the one to remind both of them that this couldn't last forever.

"We go back a few days from now" he told her reluctantly frowning as he said it not really wanting to.

"I know, I wish we could stay like this forever as well" Hange said reading his mind like she always did as she traced his scars like a map she remembered "I could write to you" she suggested softly "I could send them to the tea shop you go to each month on your day off" she remembered fondly making Levi smirk fondly.

"Sounds perfect" he said softly kissing her again

"Maybe someday we can be free of all this and then we can be together" Hange said hopefully

"Yeah maybe" Levi agreed wanting more than anything for that to happen, he had missed his Hange after all.

Chapter Text

It was approaching the final day of the Survey Corps first expedition to Liberio and Levi had spent a large majority of his time here with Hange, he had loved every minute of it his heart felt so full again like she had managed to fill in the cracks that had appeared on it again. He felt like himself again from years ago knowing his Hange was right here with him and loved him, just like old times again.

However the looming date of his departure had grown ever closer and it seemed to be effecting him a lot more than he was letting on, but Hange knew already, she saw the way his face would fall when he thought she wouldn't see or the way he would shake a little at the mention of going back to Paradis. His nightmares had gotten worse as well, as he flinched away from his nightmare's attackers, whimpering quietly as he told them to stop, saying he didn't mean to kill Erwin. It was heartbreaking to hear him reliving these beatings he had taken from multiple members of the entire military, not just MP's, although Hange suspected they were the main attackers. Only Hange's gentle voice was able to coax him out of his bad dreams and that was only half the battle. After he was awake Levi would seek comfort in her hold as he cried silently on her shoulder as she stroked his hair and whispered sweet nothings in his ear to try to soothe him enough to get him to sleep again.

"I don't think you should go back Levi" Hange told him kindly but seriously as she held him again after another bad nightmare had woken him up in a cold sweat. Levi just hummed in acknowledgement but didn't say anything to her "I mean it Levi, you shouldn't go back if its affecting you this badly" she tried again still rubbing his back to comfort him more.

"I..have to" he murmured sounding on edge as he refused to look her way and instead focused on tracing patterns on her skin again in an effort to calm himself down as well, trying to ignore the hollow feeling in his chest at the mere thought of leaving his new place of comfort to go back to an empty room with only his demons to keep him company after the nightmares that plagued him in his sleep, or the corrupt soldiers who beat him in the corridors when he was alone.

"Why do you have to go back Levi, what's your reasoning here?" Hange asked him softly trying to understand more.

"This mission... it'll prove to them I can be reliable again.. I can be a good soldier" his voice cracked as he said that and he buried his head back into her chest again as another emotional wave hit him again. So they were testing him Hange discovered with disdain, in her opinion, Levi should have been the last person to have his loyalties to Paradis questioned, he had given everything he had for those bastards in charge, who the hell did they think they were questioning humanities strongest soldier like this?.

"Levi, you shouldn't have to prove that to anyone, if they can't see how devoted you are then somethings wrong with them, your the most loyal and devoted man I've ever met, what more could they possibly expect from you?" she told him kissing his head lovingly "You do not deserve what they're putting you through Levi" she told him strongly believing that as she rocked him slowly.

"If I stay, they might hurt you" he whispered his grip on her getting almost painfully tight at the thought of what they might try to do to his Hange, she could see his chest rising and falling hard as he panicked, Hange hated seeing him look so vulnerable and lifted his head up to look up at her.

"Let them try Levi" Hange challenged them softly before bringing him in for a kiss that took his breath away as he kissed her back passionately

"Your fucking crazy four eyes" Levi whispered looking at her with that gentle look she adored to see on his face, Hange smiled back at him holding his face in her hands

"Only just figuring that out huh shorty" she teased back between pecks on the lips "I just want you to be okay Levi" she said sweetly

"It feels like your the only one who does anymore..." Levi faltered feeling guilty for saying that, he knew the 104th cared about him but there was only so much they could all do when it came to the brass and he hadn't told anyone about the beatings from the other soldiers because he was trying to protect them from it.

"They're not bad kids you know, there's just only so much they can do for you" Hange said reading his thoughts again "Here we have doctors that might be able to help you" she told him patiently

"Tch is there a pill big enough to deal with all my shit" he joked softly

"I'm sure they'll do their best to find one" she chuckled back kindly kissing him again "They're called therapists and they specialise in helping you mentally especially if you've been through traumatic events" Hange explained to him, Levi nodded looking a little uncertain.

"So your saying, if I see these doctors they might be able to make me feel better?" he said in disbelief

"It'll take some time but yeah, I think it would help you" she nodded confidently "Just imagine maybe one day afterwards you'll fall asleep and wake up with no nightmares" she mused.

"That sounds too good to be true" he whispered

"I know it does now but it could happen one day" Hange said softly kissing him again "Maybe it can be something to work towards" she mumbled against his lips, making him hum in agreement.

"I want to get better, for you as well, you deserve to be with someone who isn't a complete mess like I am right now" he sighed

"Levi, I will never see you as a mess, your just a strong, caring man who has been through so much and just needs a little guidance to shine a little more" she told him with compassion making him look at her again in complete awe at how supportive she always was.

"You really are crazy shitty glasses... alright I'll do it" he whispered nodding his head slowly.

Hange's face lit up as he agreed to get some help over here and it made Levi's heart skip a few beats, he felt a little anxious about staying here and turning his back on Paradis as he wasn't sure how the others would take the news but Hange wasn't wrong when she said that Marley was more advanced in everything including medical aid, if there was even a small chance that Hange could support him to get help here would that be such a bad thing really?. He trusted Hange more than anyone else and if she was saying that he might be able to sleep one day without any nightmares, he had to give it a try, he owed himself at least that to try.

"Wait, will they even help me if they find out I'm Eldian?" he asked her softly

"Let me think on that one" Hange said pondering that question

"Alright I trust you Hange" Levi nodded kissing her again as he held her a little more

"I'll do whatever I can to get you help Levi, I promise" she vowed to him holding him just as tightly as they got lost in each other again.

Chapter Text

"Dammit!" Jean's voice shouted as he hit the desk after he's finished reading the Captain's letter again "What a complete shit show this has been" he sighed in annoyance through gritted teeth, looking back at Armin who was also looking disappointed as well "First Eren and now the Captain what the hell are we supposed to do now?" Jean huffed leaning on the desk, stressing out.

"Jean you need to calm down" Armin told his friend putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder "There's not much we can do at the moment now without more information on their whereabouts, as difficult as it is to accept we don't know enough about this place to launch a search and rescue and even if we do find one or both of them who knows if they will come back with us willingly" Armin reasoned with him.

"Shit, your right" Jean agreed reluctantly with a nod "We should have seen this coming, Eren's been acting differently ever since his fathers memories and the Captain.. we all knew bringing him along was a huge risk, especially since Hange was bound to be here" Jean tried to rationalise out loud all the thoughts in his head.

"Our biggest concerns right now should be what we are going to report back to the brass, both Humanities strongest and humanities hope have gone rogue, their whereabouts are unknown, now Eren as far as I'm aware has probably decided to go off on his own so information being leaked from him is lower risk, the Captain however is undoubtedly with Hange so there is a small chance he might unintentionally leak information" Armin decided.

"You really think Captain Levi would do that to us, he's always so careful about spreading information" Jean said in surprise

"That was before we came back from Shiganshina, ever since then he hasn't been the same, more angry and aloof, and as much as I would like to believe he wouldn't intentionally share information, he and Hange have always had an unshakeable bond with each other and it has been years since he saw her last, I can't rule out the potential risk of him saying something in a moment of vulnerability to Hange" Armin said with a huge sigh as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"He might not though I mean as different as the Captain has been acting he still cares about us, I doubt he would say anything that would endanger us all right" Jean tried to remain optimistic but this was a huge blow to not just the 104th and the Survey Corps but the whole island of Paradis, they had lost two important members of their military behind enemy lines.

"I can't know for certain Jean, all I do know is that right now we need to go back to Paradis as soon as possible and update them on the situation" Armin decided his shoulders slumped in defeat, he felt responsible for both of these two running off, Eren had been acting strangely but after hearing those politicians in the hearing talking about what the fate of Paradis should be they had lost him, maybe if Armin had followed him out to talk to him instead of staying in that room listening to these naïve men call the people he was representing island devils Eren would still be here. As for Levi, Armin had thought that the expedition would be a good opportunity for Levi to prove to the brass that he was still responsible and that he was still a good asset to have in the Corps, guess he must have underestimated how much of a pull Hange still had on the Captain even after her betrayal. How that plan had backfired in his face and now he would have to go back and explain to them all what had happened on this expedition, which was definitely not going to be a fun meeting for anyone.

"Guess our popularity with the brass will be back at square one again after this huh" Jean joked with a solemn face as he looked at Armin just as tiredly

"Lets just get back with the others for now, we'll figure out what to say to the brass a different time" Armin decided with a sigh

"Right I'll go gather everyone up and get them prepared to go on the ship again" Jean decided standing up "What are you going to do Commander?" he asked making Armin chuckle tiredly.

"Guess I better come up with an Erwin style speech to give to the brass for when we get back to explain this mess of a situation" he answered back leaning further onto his chair.

"Well if you need a hand I'm more than happy to help" Jean said with a small nod before walking out of his office to round up the rest of their friends leaving Armin alone to ponder on what to do.

"What would you do in this situation Erwin?" he wondered out loud as he read Levi's letter again

Commander

I hope this doesn't come across to harshly although I do understand that this will probably shock and disappoint you all and I am truly sorry, however I have decided to stay here in Liberio, I won't try to beat around the bush as I know you probably have already figured out my reasoning for staying. I ran into Hange again after I ran off to get away from the crowds the first day here and have been seeing her since then, my reasoning for staying here isn't completely selfish though, as much as it might appear to be. Hange says I might be able to get some help for my fucked up mess of a head here in Liberio and she is offering to help me with that, I am to see a doctor who specialises in dealing with people who have been through trauma but in order for it to benefit me I need to be here in Liberio where I can visit them in person.

I know this looks like me running away and turning my back on you all but I can't serve anyone at my best anymore the way I have in the past and I won't allow you all to take the heat from the brass if I fuck up again. If there's a chance I might be able to cure myself of this I feel like I have to try before there's nothing left to save, I hope you can forgive me or if not understand what I'm trying to do. I know I will miss you brats but your stronger together and always have been so I'm confident you will be able to look after each other as well as you can.

Farewell for now, maybe our paths will cross again at some point

Sincerely

Captain Levi Ackerman

Armin sighed again putting his head in his hands

"What a mess" he said again sadly

Chapter Text

Hange had left her apartment early today hoping to talk to someone about getting Levi some help from a therapist now he was certain he was staying. She was proud of him already, knowing how difficult it must have been to turn his back on everything he had ever known for this but he had done it and Hange was beyond proud of him. Now she just had to ensure that he got it but with her plan she was certain she would be successful for him. She reached the door to the office of the man she wanted to see and knocked on it loudly so he couldn't ignore her.

"Come in" a gruff voice said from inside and Hange wasted no time letting herself in "Hange Zoe, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company today hmm?, science experiments getting a bit boring are they?" Theo Maggath's deep voice teased her amusingly.

"No, not at all sir, I was just here to enquire about a few things I need assistance with if that's alright with you now sir" Hange said with a smile as she sat down on one of the chairs opposite his desk.

"Of course, after your work on Paradis how could I refuse? we are indebted to you after your hard work, what can I do for you?" he asked her leaning forward on his desk, looking at her intently, she usually hated the respect her work on Paradis granted her but now it might play a useful part in getting Levi the help he needed from the Commander of the Marleyan Army itself.

"Well sir, its a bit of a long story actually, for a few days now my old ally Levi Ackerman just so happened to stumble, quite literally back into my life again, he has deserted the Scouts of Paradis in favour for staying here with me" she explained slowly so the Maggath could follow easily

"Your telling me that one of the devils is currently living with you?" he asked her in surprise

"Yes but don't fret he isn't a threat to me, nor anyone else so long as no one provokes him"

"Ackerman huh?, isn't he the one who took down Zeke Yeager all by himself?" Maggath realised as he recognised the name

"The one and only, now that you understand who it is we're talking about he needs help, mental help, he's been through a lot in the last few years and I'm afraid if he doesn't get help soon I'm not sure what will happen to him" she explained to Maggath urgently.

"Why should I help him, for one he's an Island devil and another what's stopping me from just bringing him in for interrogation with my best troops" Maggath attempted to threaten idly.

"Commander I don't think your comprehending who it is I'm living with currently, this is Captain Levi Ackerman of the Survey Corps regiment, he's humanities strongest soldier, he's taken down every enemy he has ever faced, if you go in there guns blazing the only one its going to end badly for is you, trust me I've been around Ackermans long enough to know the risks if you do it that way and besides are you really telling me that taking a man like him by force will reap better rewards than helping him and potentially having him work alongside us voluntarily?, Hange said trying to persuade Maggath who leaned back in his chair.

"I've heard of Ackermans before a long time ago now, they were meant to be the King's warriors, his own personal bodyguards until something happened which made them rebel against him after his proclamation of peace, from what I gathered they were hunted to nearly extinction" Maggath recalled the story

"Yes there's only two of them left now, one of which is here and could be the greatest asset you could hope for, once he is given the help he needs I'm more than certain he would work for us" Hange said confidently looking at him with fierce determination.

"What makes you so sure he will Hange?" Maggath asked raising his eyebrow

"An Ackermans trust is hard to earn, you need to really prove to them that your worthy of trusting, Levi is no exception to that rule and because of his background it would be suicide to even try to engage him in combat, help him and you will have a one man army who's loyalty and devotion to a cause is second to none, and besides he has been with me for days now and hasn't attacked me or hurt me in any way despite my betrayal years ago" she finished

"So he's devoted to you then already?" Maggath said knowingly with a small smirk

"More than you'll ever know Commander" Hange told him proudly not backing down

"Well then as you know not many Eldians are able to get these services and Mr Ackerman will be no exception unless he is to serve under the military, now I wouldn't want to send him into a battlefield straight away, not until we know for sure he'll work for us, however I do have an assignment that both of you could work on while we ascertain his mental state and work on improving it, if your interested" Maggath suggested

"What did you have in mind sir?" Hange asked curiously

"We have a few warrior candidates who need training since our original trainer got killed overseas in battle fighting the Mid East Allied forces, the candidates are due to be dispatched there in a few weeks time and I want them to have the best chances of success on the battlefield and if this Ackerman is as good as what I've heard who else could be better to train the potential future warriors of Marley" Maggath explained

"I'm sure that's something we can manage, thank you sir" Hange said gratefully with a nod

"Here are the list of names of the candidates you two will be working with, train them well and I'll see to it your partner gets the medical help he needs" Maggath told her sliding the list of names in her direction

"Thank you again sir, I'm sure we won't let you down" Hange said confidently, Maggath just nodded at her with a soft look in his eyes

"Your one of our best Hange if you think recruiting Ackerman will help us in the long run I'll trust your judgement" Maggath told her before dismissing her.

Hange left the office with a sigh, at least she had accomplished what she came here for as she looked at the signed note from Commander Maggath that said that Levi had permission as an honorary Marleyan to get the therapy he needed.

She hadn't even got in the door to her apartment before Levi pounced on her, already kissing her deeply as he held onto her tight, making her laugh as she held him back.

"Miss me that much huh?" she joked as he decided to kiss down to her neck hungrily, gods leaving him for years hadn't made his appetite for her diminish at all, she smirked at that thought.

"Mmm" he hummed nodding a little as he kept up his warm and very affectionate welcome.

"Come on lets sit down and eat, we've got a lot to talk about" Hange said softly managing to finally get him to stop by leading him to the sofa

Chapter Text

As soon as Hange had gotten them to sit down on the sofa Levi was on her again kissing her wherever he could as his hand gripped hers tightly, Hange smiled at him as she leaned back on the sofa tilting her head up as she felt his lips travelling down her neck.

"I have good news for you" she said sweetly as her hands made their way into his hair, her nails scratching his scalp making Levi shudder in pleasure as he let out a low noise that could only be described as a purr as he kept kissing her exposed skin.

"Tell me later..." he breathed huskily looking at her with a hungry glint in his eyes he only got when she knew he was desperate for her

"Missed me that much huh?" she joked as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck pulling him in for another heated kiss making him straddle her, he looked at her again still in disbelief that his Hange was here with him as he started taking off her clothes hurriedly.

"I always miss you Hange" he admitted as her shirt came off her and he kissed her chest "My Hange" he purred again as he nipped her skin earning a satisfied hum from her as he made his way to her trousers taking them off just as quickly, he let out an overwhelmed sigh as he looked at her again like she was the most divine person he had ever laid eyes on.

"I'm all yours Levi" she promised him again opening her legs more to show him her already soaked and waiting pussy, he stared at her intently as he moved in between her legs, his hands holding her legs apart gently as he looked at her again begging her to let him do what he had been thinking about since the moment she had left the apartment this morning.

It was mad really how much of a hold Hange had on him but he just couldn't help himself, her voice, her touch, her love it all just drove him crazy and he was constantly drawn to her like a moth to a flame being pulled towards her warmth and comfort time and time again and he knew he would never grow tired of it either, how could he?, when she treated him like he was the only man who was perfect for her and he thought the same about her. No other woman could have his heart captured like Hange Zoe, she was just that good for him, she was the first to show him what true love felt like, not the constant adoration from rabid admirers or just the love of using him as a tool in some big picture he couldn't see, no Hange had been the first person in a long time who had loved him for him and he couldn't let her go after that, not again as selfish as it might look to anyone else.

"Hange..." he breathed out shakily resting his head on her lap

"Yes Levi?" she said softly stroking his hair still to help assuage his overwhelming thoughts

"I need you...can I..please" he said breathlessly not able to form a sentence in this state, he was just completely intoxicated by her.

"Of course Levi, take what you need" her reply said

As soon as she said that Levi attacked kissing up her thighs softly, nipping the skin there as he got closer to his prize his breaths coming out in soft pants as he pulled her closer to her before licking her pussy tentatively with a moan, spurred on by the sound of Hange's moans as well, he could listen to her all day if he could and the thought that he was causing her to make these pleasured moans made Levi felt incredible.

"Levi...please need more" she gasped and Levi couldn't refuse as he picked up the pace expertly finding her clit and focusing on it enjoying the new wave of moans that accompanied his rhythm, the hands in his hair grabbing at strands and tugging on them slightly making him moan softly as well as he kept going eagerly, loving the taste of her it was so addicting to him and he couldn't get enough of it.

"Levi.. Levi I'm gonna..." she groaned loudly as she came and Levi lapped up her juices keenly before looking up at her proudly.

Hange looked down at him breathlessly as she smiled down at her lover, he looked wild with his ruffled up hair and hungry glint in his eyes that had still not died down. She chuckled as she reached down to wipe his chin as it was covered in her.

"Got a little something on you there shorty" she joked, Levi took her hand and licked her fingers clean ravenously making her breath hitch as he did "Fuck Levi that's hot" she said as she watched him, once he was done he looked up at her again with a proud smirk on his face which made her bring him in for a very heated kiss. He wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her back fervently.

"Mmm your so good to me" Hange breathed between pecks on the lips

"Just making up for lost time" he admitted with a shrug flashing her a sly smirk

"Well your certainly making up for it well" Hange approved resting her head on his, he leaned his head on hers as well closing his eyes in contentment seeing his Hange so happy.

"So what was the news you had for me?" he asked her kissing her cheek softly

"Hmm, oh yeah, I nearly forgot after what you did there shorty" she laughed kissing him back again, holding his head in her hands "I managed to get you signed off for therapy" she told him and seeing his face light up made her heart swell for him.

"Really?, you did that for me?" he said affectionately

"Mmhm, but there's a catch as always with these sorts of things so hear me out before you make a decision, I want to make sure we do what's right for you" Hange said lovingly kissing him again as she got him to sit with her on the sofa again "So Eldians aren't entitled to these services unless they serve under the military, now the Commander Theo Maggath isn't planning on throwing you into battle any time soon as he thinks it wouldn't be wise and he wants to do this properly so you don't hurt yourself further, but he has given us a different assignment which will be based here" Hange explained softly.

"What is it?" he asked her kissing her shoulder patiently

"We have been assigned to train the Warrior Candidates before they are dispatched onto the battlefield to aid in Marley's war with the Mid East Allied Forces, during this time you will be expected to attend an hour of therapy every day until your mental evaluation shows your fit for battle, hopefully though it will be a while before they consider sending you into the field again" Hange finished looking up at him softly "Its not ideal I know that but its the only way I could get you the help, I'm sorry" she said softly

"No, its okay Hange, you did more than enough by just asking" Levi assured her squeezing her hand softly "What do you think about training the Warrior Candidates?" he asked her

"Well, they are already quite capable despite the fact that they haven't really been in battle before, but most of their training is focused on becoming the new Warriors of Marley and not much on training in combat in an active warzone" Hange explained

"I see and these kids, I assume they are to become the next batch of Titan shifters" Levi deducted as he stared at the list of names she had handed him looking at the ages of them all

"Yes, the incentive behind it is that they and their family will become honorary Marleyans, its a high honour for them as it gives them the respect of everyone here in Marley, better food, living conditions things like that" Hange explained as he studied the names still.

"Gabi Braun, 12 years old, they're younger than we were when we started out" he said softly a twinge of sadness hit him a little

"Yeah, unfortunately the benefits of having your child inherit one of the nine, well five now, is enough for this to happen, hopefully when this war is all over we won't need to doom them to this life anymore" Hange sighed softly

"I see why you talked to me about this now, this is quite the assignment, training kids to fight is something I'm well acquainted with however" he reminded her.

"Yeah I know, I just don't want you to have to feel like you need to do this again if you don't want to" Hange reasoned with him, Levi placed the list of names back on the table turning to look at her again.

"I'm not overly comfortable with it however what is the likelihood that they would be better off without the training we could provide them?" he asked her curious to hear her answer to the question he had just asked, Hange hesitated to reply giving herself more time to think on her answer.

"I think its horrible we're even considering this but...as capable as they are at the moment, us, particularly you training them might raise the chances of them surviving more than without us" she admitted softly Levi nodded in response to her answer he couldn't have put it better himself, it was a crappy situation all around but perhaps with some training these kids could be one of the lucky ones and get away preferably alive and hopefully relatively unharmed.

"If it gives them a chance to get back in one piece then I'll train them as well as I can" Levi decided a fierce look of determination flaring up on his face making Hange look at him with pleasant surprise before she nodded as well.

"Then I'll do my best to help you with that" she said just as determined looking back at him confidently

"Alright then guess its decided then" Levi said an air of finality settled on him, this was it now, the defining moment, he would finally be fully changing sides completely, dedicating himself to a new cause, from this point onward he wouldn't be Captain Levi Ackerman of the Scouts Regiment but the newest member of the Marleyan army working alongside another treacherous betrayer, Hange Zoe.

"I'll let the Commander know your response tomorrow, then from then onwards we'll probably start training immediately, every second counts for them now right" Hange said softly, Levi kissed her comfortingly letting her know he was here for her.

"We'll do this together four eyes, no regrets remember" he whispered to her looking at her completely devoted to her and she nodded again slowly.

"Right, no regrets" she repeated as they worked together, reading more about their new recruits.

Chapter Text

Levi was still asleep after his and Hange's very passionate love making session had worn him out enough to sleep soundly through the night, Hange had just gotten ready for the day and knew that she would have to wake him up soon so he could get ready for the day as well but he just looked so peaceful in that moment she didn't want to be the one to ruin that. She smiled at him as she knelt down next to him and stroked his stray hairs out of the way of his face before planting a kiss on his temple.

"Levi, its time to get up" she said softly in his ear, hearing a reluctant groan escape him making her chuckle softly "Come on its your first day, you don't want to be late" she reminded him kissing him again close to his lips, he groaned again in protest chasing after her lips when she pulled away from him.

"Mmm your really going to leave me hanging like that?, such a tease four eyes" he mumbled finally opening his eyes to look at her softly making Hange laugh again at him which was like music to his ears.

"Well think of it as incentive to get up and ready hmm" she smirked giving him one final peck before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast.

Levi watched her walk away lovingly, still not believing how lucky he was that he had a woman like Hange,. Finally he got up and had a quick shower before putting on his new uniform that had arrived yesterday after his acceptance of joining the Marleyan army had been finalised, he looked in the mirror staring at his new look, he still felt a little strange putting on this new uniform but he was sure in time it would pass.

"Your still a soldier, regardless of which uniform you have on your job is still the same" he reasoned with himself before taking a deep breath and heading back to the kitchen where Hange was cooking pancakes for breakfast, she looked up at him and checked him out in his new uniform before smiling at him seductively.

"Well hello there soldier" she said sultrily walking over to kiss him again grabbing the lapels of his jacket to bring him closer to her, he moaned into the kiss as he deepened it softly.

"I take it the uniform looks good then" he said breathlessly as they broke away from the kiss

"Mmm I'll say, Marley looks good on you Levi" she purred in his ear making him shiver

"I'll keep that in mind" he nodded banking that information before looking at her in her uniform "You don't look too bad yourself four eyes" he confirmed earning him another one of her sweet kisses he loved so much.

"Breakfast is ready, lets eat we have to go soon" she mumbled against his lips and Levi nodded sitting down at the table with her

"So today we'll be meeting these new brats" Levi said softly eating the pancakes slowly as he looked at their notes again checking to see they haven't missed anything

"Yeah that's right, there's four altogether that we'll be responsible for mainly, Gabi Braun, Falco Grice, Udo Bock and Zofia Reitsch, from what I can gather Gabi is strong willed, driven but has a bit of an attitude problem, Falco's a little on the quieter side but he's more compassionate by the sounds of it, Udo isn't as physically strong as the others, not as level headed but he's smart and is fluent in other languages and Zofia has the best grades out of the group so far" Hange examined them.

"That seems like a manageable group...then again after the 104th anyone would seem more manageable" Levi smirked as he finished his breakfast and took both of their plates to be cleaned before they left.

"Yeah I suppose your right, I think we should divide them and focus on two at a time separately before switching them up, that way we can focus on them more individually and then hopefully that will help them work together as a team in the long run" Hange decided.

"I agree, the more one to one training we can provide the better, especially Gabi, something tells me she's going to be quite the handful given our intel already" Levi agreed putting away the dishes and sitting back on the table.

"Good news is we are literally just ironing out the kinks and working on their weaknesses, its not like we're starting from scratch so it does take some of the pressure off a little" Hange said softly

"I'll take Gabi and Falco first, I feel like I can help those two a lot more, especially since they seem to have a history of arguing with each other, they do that on a battlefield it won't end well" Levi decided

"Alright I've got Udo and Zofia then, we train our duos for two weeks and then swap over for the last two weeks and hopefully we'll teach them well enough that when they're dispatched they'll come back from this war alive" Hange sighed

"I'll get them to learn as much as I can" Levi said determinedly and Hange held his hand reassuringly

"When's your therapy session?" she asked him changing the subject

"Straight after our training ends, its right next door to the training grounds at the hospital so it won't take me long to get there" he said softly kissing her hand.

"You nervous?" she asked him making sure he was still okay

"A little bit, but that's just because I don't know what to expect.. I know in the long run though it will help me and if it makes me a better man then I'll give it my all" he said stubbornly

"Just remember if it gets too much you can always say so, don't feel like you have to do anything your uncomfortable with straight away in order to get results, your in control now Levi so you have the final say on how you want to go about this" Hange reminded him.

"I know, thank you Hange I wouldn't even have this opportunity if it wasn't for you, you might have saved my life yet again four eyes" he admitted softly not used to being so open and honest about his feelings like this.

"I'd do it again for you in a heartbeat Levi" Hange told him truthfully holding his head in her hand and rubbing her thumb on his cheek softly, Levi leaned into her caress savouring the quiet, tender moment before a busy day loomed its head their way.

"Suppose we better go now, lots to do today" Levi said finally smoothing his uniform out as he stood up again, noticing Hange eyeing him up again with a mischievous grin plastered on her face "What are you planning?" he asked her narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Oh nothing, just a few ideas coming into my head at what I'm going to do to you once I get to take that uniform off you" she told him secretively making him blanch in surprise at her answer as he blushed furiously, Hange just chuckled kissing his tomato red cheek "Just keep that in mind Captain" she whispered in his ear.

"Huh, I didn't know you had a thing for men in uniform" he said after regaining his composure slightly after they left the apartment.

"Hmm usually I don't but you in that uniform, is a sight to see" she told him with a smirk

"If you say so" Levi said with a shrug as he followed her into the already bustling streets of Marley.

Merchants were shouting, trying to sell there products, kids were running around everywhere with bags of sweets and toys, the air was full of unusual smells from bakeries and cafe's. Levi was still slightly overwhelmed by it all but somehow Hange made him feel better about it all than he had done the first time he stepped foot in Liberio, maybe it was her calm presence, or maybe it was the fact that she knew what she was doing and how to navigate the busy streets that helped him, or just the fact that the empty feeling he had during his first visit was completely gone now she was with him eased his worries. Whatever it was he was glad that it didn't feel as daunting this time around, he could almost say he was enjoying it a little more this time round.

"I'll have to show you around here more when we get the chance, the food here is delicious" Hange mused her eyes lit up in excitement and Levi offered her a small smile.

"Sounds fun" he answered back with a nod as they reached the end of it and made their way to the training grounds for the warrior candidates, walking past an internment zone on the way to it. Levi saw the Eldian prisoners stuck in there and felt a pang of guilt as he walked past, they lived in conditions that reminded him a little of the Underground and it hurt to know there wasn't much he could do about it.

"I know its not a pretty sight but there isn't much we can do about it now, just focus on how we can help the people we can by training those kids" Hange refocused him

"I know, its just we thought we had it bad inside the walls...these people know there's a whole world out there for them and yet they know they'll be treated like shit no matter where they go" Levi sighed softly "Makes me think maybe being ignorant about what was beyond the walls was perhaps better than this" he added quietly.

"Really how come?" Hange asked her partner curiously

"Well you can't miss what you never knew was out there for you can you?" he replied

"Hmm I guess not, that's an interesting way of looking at it" Hange hummed in thought

"I'm not saying its better this way or that, I'm just wandering" he clarified as they got closer to the grounds, knowing Hange was about to start rambling again about the subject.

"Alright I'll spare you the lecture but just because we're here now, lets find Commander Maggath and introduce ourselves to the Candidates" Hange said as they entered the facility together to start their assignment.

Chapter Text

Once they had informed Commander Maggath they had arrived he brought them over to where the Warrior candidates were waiting for them.

"Warrior Candidates attention" Maggath ordered them and they promptly formed up and stood to attention diligently "Alright listen up in a few weeks from now your all going to be sent onto the front lines to assist Marley in our fight against the Mid East Allied Forces, in order for you to be fully effective we have decided to increase your training, the people responsible for your training are these two behind me" Maggath told them gesturing to Levi and Hange "These two are Hange Zoe, one of our best and brightest and here we have Levi Ackerman, a gifted soldier who I expect you all to pay attention to their lessons and advice and make sure you remember it as it could save your lives out on the battlefield, train hard and good luck, dismissed Candidates" Maggath finished turning to Levi and Hange "Its up to you two now, good luck" he said before marching back to his office.

"Alright brats listen up, you will be split into pairs where you will be working with one of us for half of your training and then you'll be swapped around to work with the other for the remainder of your training, is that clear?" Levi started looking at them sternly.

"Sir yes sir" the kids all replied

"Excellent, right Udo, Zofia your with me" Hange said giving them a reassuring smile

"Gabi and Falco your with me, now lets moving we're wasting valuable training time standing around here" Levi said as he walked over to a quieter area of the training grounds with his two students.

These kids were already quite disciplined much to Levi's surprise, he remembered the 104th and how even before he left their discipline was nothing compared to these kids, he shook his head trying to put them out of his head, dwelling on those kids wouldn't help anything, as much as he missed them he had to make sure he was focused on training these two.

"Alright today we're going to be learning basic hand to hand combat" Levi told them

"But sir we're training to get the Armoured titan why would we need to learn how to do that?" Gabi exclaimed

"Do you have the Armour now?" he asked her

"No but soon I will, I'm top of the class to get it" Gabi argued defensively

"Right but your not getting it before your due to be dispatched, so your learning hand to hand combat" Levi said sternly, Gabi pouted and crossed her arms with an attitude as she glared at him.

"Right you step forward" Levi said pointing at Falco "You know how to disarm someone?" he asked him and Falco shook his head.

"No sir, sorry" Falco said softly

"No that's good that means you'll learn it properly" Levi encouraged "This is something that could save your life so its something I expect you to perfect going forward alright" he told both his students as he threw a stick at Falco "Now charge towards me, like your about to stab me" Levi instructed him.

"But sir... what if I get you?" Falco said looking nervous about what was being asked of him

"Don't worry kid, I've been doing this a lot longer than you have trust me, besides that's why I've given you a stick and not a knife" Levi told him encouragingly, Hange wasn't lying when she said that this kid was on the quieter side, Levi had to find a way to get him to gain some confidence otherwise the battlefield wouldn't be kind to him

"Falco charge at me now" Levi ordered and Falco charged at him with a yell.

Levi dodged him perfectly, grabbed his arm twisted it until he dropped the stick and then kicked his feet from under him so he fell onto the ground with a thud.

"How did you do that?" Gabi exclaimed excitedly as Levi helped Falco up

"Lots of practice, I'll teach you the technique then you two are going to take turns attacking and disarming each other, once I think you've perfected the skill you'll both be going up against me until you both find a way to get me on the ground" Levi instructed them and they both nodded their heads eagerly, keen to learn this new skill.

"Your a better trainer than the last guy, he just kept shouting at us about being devils and getting us to run laps around the grounds all the time" Gabi admitted

"Tch, well that's not going to do anything for you on the battlefield" Levi told them "Remember I'm here to train you brats on how to stay alive in a warzone, its chaotic in that environment and it requires you to act fast and make decisions quickly in order to survive, so pay attention to everything I'm going to be teaching you brats because it might save your life" Levi told them seriously

"Yes sir" they both said respectfully

"Alright pay attention then so I can explain the technique to you both, then I want you to practice by yourselves" Levi said before explaining the technique to them in detail before stepping back and watching them spar together. Soon both of them had the technique down well and Levi nodded in approval.

"They seemed to be picking it up fast" Maggath said as he watched from behind him, Levi stood to attention as he turned to face him.

"That was the plan sir" Levi said to him

"Indeed, so how are you finding it here?" he asked Levi curiously

"Not too bad sir, the assignment isn't so strenuous" Levi admitted

"Glad to hear it, Hange said you were good I must admit I was sceptical but it seems you've taught these two more in the last two hours than they ever learnt with the previous trainer already" Maggath admitted sounding impressed.

"Its nothing really sir, if I can teach them skills that will help them when it comes to fighting in a battle it'll all be worth it I'd say" Levi answered diligently

"Well you must be doing something right, this is the most engaged I've seen Gabi and Falco since they started their training, keep this up and I see a promising career for you in our ranks" Maggath mused

"Thank you sir that's much appreciated and with the therapy you've helped me to get I hope I can be as good an addition as I can" Levi told him gratefully

"Hange tells me your title was Humanities strongest back on Paradis"

"Yes that's right sir" Levi nodded trying not to cringe at the title

"That's a lot of admiration receiving a title like that, I guess I'm curious as to why you changed sides" Maggath asked curiously

"Tch, admiration is something I could do without, I'm a soldier and that's all there is to it... as for why I left them, they abandoned me first" Levi answered Maggath cryptically

"I see, well if you keep up the work here I can't see any reason to abandon you from our ranks, if there's anything you need from us just let me know and I'm sure we can cater for it" Maggath nodded

"Thank you sir but you've done plenty for me already" Levi told him "Now if you'll excuse me I best be getting back to my lesson" Levi said with a respectful nod before walking back to Gabi and Falco.

"You weren't lying when you said how devoted he was eh Hange" Maggath mused again as he watched from the side-lines a little longer

Chapter Text

Levi had just finished up his training for today and was on his way to the hospital for his first therapy session, he was feeling really anxious about it despite Hange's reassuring words he couldn't help the tight knot he was feeling in his gut as he got closer to the room where the doctor was waiting for him. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door twice quietly, waiting for an answer.

"Come in" a friendly woman's voice sounded and he entered the room slowly and stood to attention in the room after closing the door again "You must be Mister Ackerman, its a pleasure to finally see you, my name is Doctor Jenner, I'll be the one doing your therapy sessions" she said kindly holding her hand to shake.

"Please call me Levi" he said shaking her hand quickly hoping she couldn't see how much he was shaking

"Alright Levi, take a seat and we'll get started" she said gesturing to one of the comfortable looking armchairs on the other side of her desk, Levi nodded and settled down on the chair.

"I understand if your nervous Levi, I want to make sure that you know that this is a safe non judgemental environment, you can be as open and honest as you like in here" she assured him and Levi nodded slowly leaning back on the chair.

"Sorry, I don't know what to say" Levi apologised nervously as his fingers drummed on the arm of the chair.

"Well how about we start from the beginning where did you grow up?" she encouraged him "I already know your from Paradis, don't worry your secrets safe with me" she reassured him making Levi relax a little more.

"I was born in a place called the Underground, a subterranean city that was built underneath the Capital of Paradis, it wasn't the best place to live, food was scarce, there was no sunlight and turning to crime was the only way to survive down there...my mother was forced to prostitute herself in order to look after me" Levi began as the doctor started writing down notes, nodding at him to continue.

Thirty Years Ago in the Underground

"Levi, Levi come here dinners ready" Kuchel Ackerman's voice echoed through their small home in the underground, she smiled when she heard the small, quiet footsteps of her son running towards her, she braced herself as little Levi Ackerman launched himself into her arms, Kuchel caught him with a laugh and hugged him close.

"Did I get you momma?" Levi asked with an excited smile as he hugged her back tightly and looked up at her with a wide smile

"You sure did sweetheart I almost didn't catch you in time that time" Kuchel told him lovingly ruffling his hair affectionately "Your hairs getting long again, we'll have to cut it again soon" she said softly.

"Okay" Levi sighed dramatically as Kuchel lifting her son up to sit at the table as she dished up his dinner, he ate it hungrily as Kuchel watched him with pride

"It tastes delicious momma" Levi said after he was finished

"Thanks baby" Kuchel said sweetly caressing his cheek softly, there was a knock on the door and Kuchel sighed sadly bowing her head. Levi knew what that meant and his whole demeanour changed immediately.

"Don't let them in momma...they'll hurt you again" he pleaded softly looking at her sadly

"Its okay baby, they won't this time I promise I'll be okay" she said hugging him to reassure her son "Can you be a good boy and hide in that special place in the cupboard again for me?" she asked him softly.

"Noo, I can protect you momma...please don't let them in" Levi begged her again gripping her dress in his small hands tightly, it broke Kuchel's heart to see him so scared for her.

"I have to provide baby, you understand that don't you" she told him soothingly "I'll tell you what if you stay in the cupboard and behave, I can get you those sweets you liked so much last time, what do you say?" Kuchel said trying to convince her son everything would be okay. Levi's eyes widened at the mention of the sweets he only got on special occasions when he had been good.

"Okay momma, I'll be good" he promised grudgingly walking with her to his hiding spot in the cupboard, holding her hand with as much strength as he could muster.

"Good boy Levi, your my brave, strong boy, I love you so much" she told him with a smile that wasn't quite as wide as her usual smiles before she kissed him on the head softly and shut the door.

Levi stayed in there, wrapping a blanket around himself for comfort as he looked out through the crack in the door, he could hear raised voices already and could feel himself getting scared for his mother, but he knew she would be mad if he did something so he stayed put.

It seemed to go on forever, Levi tried in vain to block out the noises of his mother being hit but nothing he did could drown out the sound of the mans fists connecting with her body, he saw her fall on the floor in the next room and froze up as he gasped. He was about to run to her when he saw her shake her head at him subtly somehow suspecting what he was going to do. Levi saw the man march over to her and grab her roughly by her hair muttering something under his breath before throwing her on the floor again, before he walked out of the house slamming the door behind him.

Levi waited ten seconds before he swung the cupboard door open and ran straight to his mother.

"Momma..momma please get up, please" Levi pleaded shaking her gently not wanting to hurt her anymore than she already was. She was unconscious but still breathing and miraculously there was no blood or cuts that he could see, just a lot of very dark, purple bruises.

Levi cried softly as he curled up next to his mother, his head resting on her chest so he could hear her heartbeat next to his ear. He was awoken by the delicate touch of his mother's hand caressing his cheek.

"What are you doing on the floor baby?" she asked him quietly rubbing his cheek with her thumb

"I didn't want you to be alone" he told her sweetly snuggling up to her more "Don't let him come back momma...he's bad" Levi whispered. Kuchel held her son tightly to comfort him as she waited for her strength to come back.

"I know baby, but now I have enough for food" she told him trying to remain strong for her son

"I love you momma" Levi said softly kissing his mum's cheek softly

"I love you too Levi" Kuchel said tiredly as they held each other tightly.

Present day

"Wow that sounds like a scary situation to be in Levi" Doctor Jenner said after he finished describing his earliest memories

"It wasn't great but she did it to provide... I don't resent her for any of it, I'm just sad that she wasn't able to escape it in the end" he admitted sadly

"Is that where your nightmares started?" she asked him patiently and Levi nodded

"Yeah, they weren't frequent back then but they definitely were there" he told her truthfully, not looking at her directly.

He wasn't used to being this open and honest with someone and he was starting to feel too exposed and vulnerable, he knew it would help him in the long run but he had never told anyone everything that had happened in this amount of detail other than Hange and he was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"I think we can call it quits for today, what we've discussed is more than enough to cover for now, there's no point in overwhelming yourself otherwise this will end up having the opposite effect" Doctor Jenner said noticing his discomfort which Levi was grateful for.

"Thank you Doctor" Levi said appreciatively with a nod "Is there anything you can do for the nightmares at this stage..I know we have just started but I just wanted to ask if there is anything I can do" he asked her softly looking determined.

"Well I read your report and it seems clear that you have symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, there is medication I can prescribe you to help take the edge off and I can give you a few options to help you with your sleep as well and you can see which one works best for you" she said to him writing a prescription for him "There you go, if you hand that over to one of the doctors they can get you the medication you need, is there anything else you need?" she asked him handing him the prescription.

"No, not at the moment, thank you doctor I hope that this works for me" he said gratefully standing up to leave.

"Your welcome, I'm sure if you carry on with this determination to get better I'm sure we'll find the right path eventually" she told him kindly

"Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow doctor" Levi said again before walking out, he sighed in relief now it was over feeling slightly lighter than he had done before like an invisible weight had lifted off his shoulders. He got the right medication from the doctors before heading home to see Hange, he knew she would be keen to know how it went and he was keen to get back to be with her again, as much as he knew doing this was important to help him get better, he couldn't help how much he had still missed his Hange. Besides she had promised him that she had something in mind after his new uniform had come off and thinking about what she had planned sent shivers down his spine as he picked up his pace eager to see her again.

Chapter Text

Levi managed to find his way home, he was still memorising the route but luckily he had done it this time without getting too lost. He opened the door to the apartment and placed his medication on the side as he scanned the room looking for Hange, the sound of water from the shower seemed to be a dead giveaway to where she was right now. He smiled as he went into their room to take off his jacket and hang it up ready for the next day.

He thought back to his journey so far, it seemed like a lifetime ago since he had decided to stay here with Hange and so much had changed already, he was finally getting help for his trauma, he was a soldier in the Marleyan army training the next generation and best of all in his mind he was with Hange. He had no idea how this routine he had been apart of for a few weeks now had come so naturally to him but he felt more at home here with her than he had ever felt being separated from her in Paradis, he did miss the brats in the 104th but he was starting to think that maybe staying here was the best decision for him in the long run, at least here nobody had beaten him for his mistakes here and they had treated him with a level of respect despite him being who he was.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the bathroom door open and Hange came out dressed in her nightwear and Levi thought there was no better sight in the world than her right now.

"Hey shorty how you doing?" Hange asked her face lighting up at his presence, he smiled at her and walked over to kiss her softly

"I'm not too bad four eyes, how about you?" he asked her looking up at her in adoration

"Not bad, got back late from training boy Udo likes to ask questions, good luck with him when its your turn" she warned him with a chuckle

"Tch, if I can handle your ramblings I'm sure I can handle that brats questions as well" he told her light-heartedly

"So how did it go today?" she asked him curiously as she danced around with him in the room, slowly swaying with him making up the rhythm as they went along.

"Well the training went well, Gabi and Falco can at least disarm people now which is more than what they could do at the start" he reported holding her closer as they continued dancing with no music.

"And your therapy session, I hope it wasn't too much for you" she said with concern looking into his eyes to make sure he was in fact okay and it made his heart swell at how much she cared about his well being as well.

"It was actually okay, the doctor knew when to stop the session so I didn't get to overwhelmed so I feel alright, she's given me some medication to help with my...PTSD, I think she called it, apparently its quite a common thing for people like me" he told her softly resting his head on her chest to listen to her heartbeat, much like what he used to do with his mother he realised.

"I told her about the Underground, and my mother..." he said quieter than before and Hange kissed his temple as she held him tighter

"That must have been hard to talk about, I can't imagine how hard it must have been to talk about what you had to go through down there" Hange said softly

"It wasn't easy, but I feel like a weight has been taken off me since I talked about it...I guess I had no idea how much it was actually affecting me keeping it all to myself like I've been doing" he admitted softly like he was afraid if anyone heard it then they would use it against him.

"I'm glad to hear that Levi, I'm so proud of you for doing this" Hange told him warmly lifting his head up to kiss him softly.

"Its because of you that I have the chance to Hange" he said gratefully

"Maybe, but your the one who took the first steps to do this, you chose to stay here in order to get the help you needed, your brave for doing it Levi never downplay your steps as well" Hange reminded him holding his head in her hands. Levi nuzzled into her touch closing his eyes contentedly.

"Mmm I loving this side of you" she hummed kissing his head softly

"Its reserved only for you Hange" he murmured softly turning his head to kiss the palm of her hands sweetly making her smile at him again as she watched him express his love so tenderly in a way only Levi could do.

"I love you Hange" he whispered with so much affection it took her breath away.

"I love you too Levi" Hange whispered back staring at him with just as much adoration, Levi suddenly felt overwhelmed by all the emotions he was feeling as he looked away breathing out shakily "Hey its okay, we're okay" Hange reassured him kissing him softly. Levi nodded kissing her back before hugging her tightly.

"Sorry, got a bit overwhelmed" he said softly burying his head in her chest in embarrassment.

"Its okay, its been a long day, lots of change for you today" Hange comforted him "Want to talk about it?" she asked

"I don't know how to describe it Hange...its just despite the fact that I've not even been here that long, I've never felt so...content I guess than I do now with you" he admitted to her looking up at her with more emotion reflected in his eyes then she had seen in them and her heart melts at his confession.

"I'm so happy to hear you say that Levi, I feel the same as well, these last few years after I left I couldn't put my finger on what I was missing and then you came back and I realised it was you I've been missing" she affirmed to him resting her head on his happily.

"You've always been my home Hange, I never want to leave you again" Levi told her defiantly kissing her softly again

"You won't have to Levi I promise" Hange said kissing him back with a soft moan "Your still in your uniform" she said feeling his hands snaking up her back.

"I know, what did you have in mind?" he asked her curiously, he had been thinking about what she had in mind a lot more than he cared to admit.

"Hmm you want to know huh?" she said with a mischievous look, kissing him again sweetly

"I really do" he nodded eagerly chasing her lips

"Alright then" she purred in his ear before pushing him onto the bed forcefully, immediately turning him on even more than he already was as he looked up at her in complete awe as she stripped in front of him throwing her clothing behind her before straddling him and pulling him towards her by his tie to kiss him again. Levi kissed her back with a desperate groan.

"I'm yours Hange" he breathed as he felt her hands starting to unbutton and loosen buttons and straps before completely tearing it off in an almost animal like fashion, Levi watched her do it with eyes full of lust as she reached out and pinned his arms above his head as he relinquished all his control and let her take charge, she'd be the only one he would allow to do this to him since he trusted her without question and Hange knew how big trust was for him so she would never go too far without asking him first.

She nipped and sucked on his neck savouring in his panting as she felt his arousal brushing up her leg.

"My Levi" she moaned again as she touched his sensitive cock tenderly making him groan and buck his hips

"Hange...Hange please" he groaned trying to get more friction, she smirked at his eagerness as she lined herself up with his cock before lowering herself onto him with a small moan before she rode him hard and fast, gripping onto his hands as she did making sure he enjoyed every second of it. Levi looked up at her practically worshipping her with his eyes, making her feel like the most amazing woman in the entire world through his gaze alone as he let her ride him, squeezing her hands in his just as tightly, his groans of pleasure were liked music to her.

"Fuck Hange...your so beautiful" he breathed out softly meeting her strokes perfectly, Hange leaned down to kiss him again before picking up her pace

"Tell me your...close" she breathed next to his ear

"Yeah...I'm close" he hissed through gritted teeth still matching her pace.

"Cum with me Levi" she purred in his ear and that was enough to send shivers down his spine again as he met her more urgent pace fervently.

They both reached their climax together and Hange collapsed on top of him, nestling her head in his shoulder as she let go of his hands so he could hold her.

"So that's what the uniform gets me huh?" he asked her with a small chuckle making her look at him with her own smirk

"Why did you like it?" she asked him knowingly kissing his shoulder

"Loved it" he purred kissing her head again with a smile

"Who said we were done?" Hange asked him pinning him down on the bed again and kissing him deeply

Chapter Text

Armin was making his way to the courtroom, after coming back from Liberio a few weeks ago he had dreaded this meeting with the brass. His report was as concise and detailed as he could make it but he had no idea how he would assuage the crowd after revealing to them that both Eren and Captain Levi had deserted them during their expedition. It had been a huge blow for the Survey Corps and all the members of the 104th were feeling the impact of the losses, Jean had taken over the training that Levi had been responsible for with the new recruits knowing that they couldn't slack off just because Levi wasn't around, Armin suspected it was also a good distraction for him and provided him a reason to work harder.

Mikasa was on edge worrying about Eren, Armin was worried about him too but Mikasa couldn't stay still for any amount of time, she was restless and had been taking Eren's desertion the worst. Also now that Levi was gone she was the Survey Corps next strongest soldier and Armin had already heard people calling her Levi's replacement as the new Humanities strongest, which was adding to the pressure she was feeling she was starting to get a reputation she didn't really want but with people reeling over the loss of their Captain Armin understood why people would be looking up to her as a compatible replacement for Levi.

Armin could feel the anger, resentment and disappointment in the atmosphere it was practically radiating down the halls he was walking down, a stark reminder of how different everything had become since they came back from Shiganshina, broken, leaderless and unbeknownst to him at the time, incredibly fractured. He knew Levi had been completely destroyed after the battle, sending so many recruits and his commander to their deaths, Hange's betrayal and then losing Erwin had been too much for the Captain to handle and Armin saw how hard he had taken it, he saw the outbursts of anger that sometimes came out of the usually stoic Captain, he saw the anxiety in his eyes when they weren't out fighting the last of the titans outside the walls.

He would never have thought that he would have deserted, Levi always seemed so steadfast in his loyalties to the Survey Corps but he supposed Levi's heart had been yearning for Hange for years now, he couldn't blame him for wanting to stay behind even before her betrayal anyone who looked at them together could tell Levi was absolutely smitten with Hange, she just had a way of taming the animal that resided in Levi, he was softer around her, he would always value her opinion and the way he would scan any place they were in until his eyes fell on her and his gaze would soften, even to the untrained eye anyone could tell the Captain was head over heels in love with the eccentric Section Commander turned Marleyan spy.

As for Eren, Armin had noticed how his beat friend had changed, they all had granted they had all had to take on a lot more responsibilities especially with the chain of command absolutely shattered, Armin and the rest of his fellow comrades in the 104th had been left to pick up the pieces of this broken regiment, they had done better than the rest of the military had predicted but it hadn't been easy, it still wasn't especially with Eren's behaviour change. Eren had become a lot more aloof and wasn't really sharing anything with him or Mikasa anymore which had made them both uneasy, not knowing what he was thinking or planning next was making it hard to predict what he was going to do next. The hardest part had been watching the old Eren disappear and be replaced little by little by this new Eren who had already decided that no matter what they tried to do to change the worlds minds about the people of Paradis, it would all resort to nothing in the end and they all had to choose to fight. Armin was against that, he truly believed that they could still make things work without resorting to violence but with Eren going rogue, it troubled him as to what his next step would be if Eren chose to act alone then they might not have a choice but to act violently.

Armin sighed sadly, so many betrayals had happened recently the entire military of Paradis seemed to be cracking, the MP's were already distrustful of the Survey Corps and their goals and this new report wouldn't help their already strained relationship. Armin knew he would have to try and keep the conversation focused on their expedition and report on the worlds views on them as opposed to the events that had transpired in the group.

"Thought you'd gotten cold feet for a second there Commander" Jean joked half heartedly with a gloomy look as he stood in front of the courtroom doors "They're all in there waiting for us, ready to get the verbal beatdown?" he said bluntly

"As I'll ever be" Armin replied with a sigh , he was grateful for Jean being here, he had been a big help the last few years after Armin had become Commander and he had found him a good person to lean on and share out responsibility, especially with Levi struggling with his emotions. With Armin's strategic mind and fast thinking and Jeans leadership and respect from their soldiers they made a pretty good team and Armin was glad that they worked well together, it definitely took the edge off the heat they were getting from all angles.

"Well best not keep them waiting, no point in prolonging the inevitable MP bullshit we're going to be forced to listen to, gods its times like these where I miss the Captain's ability to shut them up with a glare" Jean said with a smirk trying to lighten the mood but his eyes held a hint of melancholy in them.

"Yeah, we could definitely use his threatening aura right about now" Armin agreed with a forced smile as he took in a deep breath "Come on, lets get this over with" he said finally pushing the doors open and walking inside, Jean following right behind as they held themselves high and walked confidently down the hall, remaining unbothered by the glares they were receiving from the Military Police.

Premier Dahlas Zachary was already sat in his seat looking at them with an expressionless look on his face.

"Welcome Commander Armin Arlert, well now that we're all here why don't we hear what happened on your first expedition to the world beyond the sea" Zachary started as everyone's eyes turned expectantly on Armin.

Armin ignored the stares before taking a deep breath before reporting the story of their time in Liberio.

Chapter Text

"They're traitors!" an MP shouted abruptly

"We should find them and make them suffer for what they've done!" yelled another abruptly

"They're weak if they can both decide to abandon us at a time like this!"

There it was the reaction Armin had been worried about since he had read those damned letters the evening after two of their members had deserted, as soon as he read it out at the end of his reports the MP's had erupted into a fury, shouting about the uselessness of the Survey Corps and how they were wasting precious time that should be spent defending the island from outside attackers.

"Enough!" the Premier roared managing to silence everybody before turning his gaze to Armin again "I assume you have some sort of plan based on your expedition to the world beyond the sea Commander"

"Nothing set in stone completely sir, however it is clear that a large majority of the world is certain that we are a threat and so I think preparing defences for the island would be something we should definitely consider starting in case of an attack, the new designs for the ODM gear are underway as we speak and should be ready within the next couple of weeks, from what I gathered from the intel we were able to gather in Liberio, Marley is still midway through a war with the Mid East Allied forces which may give us time to make preparations before they are ready to attack" Armin explained as confidently as he could

"And what of the traitors Eren and Captain Levi?, surely you don't intend to let them get away with this" one of the MP's asked angrily

"At the moment there isn't much I can do for them, they have made their choice to stay and since we do not have the resources to go after them we have to unfortunately let them go for now at least, however with Jean's help here we are training the new recruits new fighting techniques which will hopefully give us an advantage over the enemy if it comes to a war" Armin said to appease them.

"Captain Levi was in charge of training the recruits beforehand, what if he shares our strategies with the enemy, we all know the former Section Commander Hange Zoe is in Marley, naturally we can hazard a guess that's where Levi has run off to, what if he leaks information to the enemy?" Commander Nile Dalk asked him

"Its an unfortunate risk we have to take into consideration, unfortunately out of the two desertions Captain Levi's poses more risks of information leaking than Erens which is why I am encouraging my regiment to increase their training, we can't rule out the possibility that the next time our paths cross we may have to engage Levi in combat" Armin admitted.

The entire audience shuffled and murmured under their breath at the prospect of having to fight Humanities strongest themselves, it was a hard pill to swallow, they had all heard of his skill and battle prowess even if they hadn't seen it and everyone in the room was all thinking the same thing, in the hands of the enemy Levi Ackerman could be unstoppable.

"How do you plan on stopping him?" Nile asked Armin

"I'm planning on putting the 104th together as an elite squad with the main goal being locating, subduing and if possible extracting Eren Yeager and Levi Ackerman from Liberio if we can't reach a peaceful agreement with the rest of the world which I still believe can be possible" Armin said optimistically trying to assuage the underlying bloodlust and call for war he could feel rising in the room.

"And what of Eren Yeager?" Commander Dot Pixis asked curiously

"Until he makes his own moves I cannot say for certain what his intentions are, he won't have joined the enemy but his goals are not clear to me yet, however I do believe he will reach out to us eventually once he figures out exactly what his course of action is, the only thing we can do right now is prepare and pray its not too late to stop any fighting" Armin admitted to the kinder, wiser commander.

"Very well, I will have my men see to it that the walls are fortified and defended properly myself, the Garrison will see to it that our first line of defence is well prepared if it comes to it" Pixis said with a nod.

"And what of the Rumbling, is that still a possibility?" another MP asked

"Its an option, but its our last option I don't want to rely heavily on that when we have no reason to at the moment with Marley busy fighting their own battles, also from what I have read about it, the titans inside the walls will destroy everything in their path indiscriminately, Marley isn't just a military country, there are civillians, refugees and other Eldians there that would get crushed by the Rumbling, I would like to minimise civilian casualties where I can and preparing for a possible war seems like the smarter option and with the help of the volunteers I am hoping we can work together to catch up to the modern world with their help" Armin argued

"I agree we shouldn't use our biggest deterrent so irresponsibly especially unprovoked, if there's a way we can win this without further bloodshed then that's the best possible route for us, I have seen too many of our comrades fall and die in many horrible ways with no reason given, now we know what's at stake we should tread carefully" Pixis backed up Armin, who gave him a grateful nod.

"Very well Commander Arlert, I trust you have thought about how to fill in the blanks in your current chain of command" Premier Zachery looked at him expectantly

"I have sir, I will appoint Jean Kirstein as my second in command and make him the leader of the elite squad, he has proven himself a good leader and I trust him to lead this squad to the best of his abilities, Mikasa Ackerman will replace Captain Levi's position as Captain of the Survey Corps and will support Jean in training the new recruits as she is one of our best troops and also is an Ackerman herself, if anyone will be able to teach them how to subdue an Ackerman it is her" Armin reported

"Well sounds like that's all there is to report for now, thank you Commander for your detailed debriefing on your expedition, you are dismissed for now" Premier Zachary said finally

"Thank you for your time Premier" Armin said feeling relieved it was over as him and Jean left the courtroom hurriedly

"Well that was terrible, but still could have been worse I guess, how are you holding up Armin?" Jean said as they walked the corridor back to their headquarters

"It went about as well as expected" Armin confirmed rubbing his eyes tiredly "I want you and Mikasa to start training the recruits as soon as possible, with Levi over there we can only assume he might be teaching them some of his old tricks" Armin instructed

"Will do Commander, maybe you should take a break for now, you look like you could use it" Jean suggested and Armin nodded in agreement he had been running himself ragged for a while now and was starting to feel it catch up to him.

"I'll let you take on the last of the responsibilities for this evening then Section Commander" Armin told him with a sigh as they walked side by side in comfortable silence

"Hey Armin do you believe doing this peacefully is still an option?" Jean asked him seriously

"I don't know anymore but I still have to hope that its a possibility, I don't want to see anyone else die in a war that could be prevented" Armin admitted and Jean nodded

"Then lets try our best to make it happen" Jean said with determination

"Sounds like a plan" Armin answered with a tired smile

Chapter Text

Levi had woken up early after another bad dream had decided to visit him in his sleep again making him wake up with a gasp, he sat up in the bed careful not to wake up his beloved Hange who was sleeping beside him. He rubbed his eyes tiredly with a sigh before checking the time on the clock, he still had an hour until he was supposed to wake up which meant he had slept an extra two hours more than his usual two or three hours back on Paradis. At least some progress was being made, Doctor Jenner had warned him that there was still a long road ahead before he would notice a difference in his anxiety but it was promising to witness his sleeping pattern becoming a little bit healthier at least.

He knew there was no way he would be getting back to sleep so he decided to get up and shower, carefully getting out of the bed and making sure Hange was still comfortable, stopping to admire her for a moment, gods he was so lucky to have this incredible woman in his life again, he couldn't thank her enough for convincing him to stay here and get the help he needed but he decided he would try to by making her breakfast this morning to start with, so he kissed her head softly and wrapped her up in another blanket to make sure she didn't get too cold and headed into the shower to freshen up.

Once he had freshened up and put on some casual clothes Hange had brought for him so he had something to wear other than his uniform as he headed out to the market to buy some things he wanted to get for her as well as for making breakfast. He was so early he didn't even have to deal with any crowds which was a bonus for him as he picked up the things he thought Hange would like, his eyes caught sight of a nice bouquet of yellow flowers, the same yellow as her favourite shirt she was always wearing, he couldn't help but buy them for her as well as some tea leaves for himself, he hadn't had a decent cup of tea since he'd left Paradis and had refused to drink the shitty coffee Hange drank.

Once he got everything he walked home watching the sun rise slowly in the distance, it wasn't as pretty in the city environment as it was from the top of the walls but it was good enough for him to admire it still, he got back to the apartment and started preparing the breakfast for Hange. As he worked his mind drifted to the day ahead, training Gabi and Falco was proving a bit of a challenge in so regards, individually they both knew how to handle themselves well but working together was still proving to be a challenge and with only a few days left until he and Hange swapped over he was determined to get them to set aside their differences and work as a team. The main problem was the way they had been trained previously, all four of these candidates had been told that they needed to be able to stick out above the crowd if they wanted the chance to inherit the Armoured Titan powers, it was the only thing they had been told to focus on but no one had decided to teach them anything about fighting in a war even without titan powers and that was a dangerous mistake on their part, especially since they would all be heading into a warzone with no base knowledge on what that's like very soon.

Levi knew first hand what naivety on the battlefield could do to people and the last thing he wanted was for these kids to end up dead out there because of stupid mistakes that could be avoided and arguing with your comrades in the middle of a battle was inexcusable and definitely avoidable in most circumstances. He just needed to find a way to get Gabi and Falco on the same page even if they only worked together on the battlefield and hated each other the rest of the time, it would be better than nothing.

Levi sighed as he finished up breakfast just in time to hear Hange stirring in their room, he carried the tray over before she could get out of bed and set it down neatly in front of her.

"Levi...what's all this for?" she asked him pleasantly surprised

"Tch what do you think shitty glasses?" he scoffed softly before shrugging his shoulders "I wanted to say thank you properly for everything you've done for me, it means a lot and I wanted to do something to show you how much I appreciate you" he told her softly kissing her hand as he held it. Hange smiled at him widely as she looked at the tray he had set up for her, he had made her a cup of his signature tea with honey the way she liked it, a nice bowl of mixed fruits and some toast with butter with some eggs cooked just how she liked as well, he had even picked out some really pretty yellow flowers for her.

"So do you like it?" he asked her expectantly

"Levi I love it, thank you so much for this" she answered sounding so happy it made Levi feel proud of himself for making her smile like that.

"Your welcome four eyes" Levi said kissing her softly "Now eat up we've got a busy day ahead of us again, training these brats isn't something you can do on an empty stomach" he ordered her softly making her smirk and roll her eyes playfully.

"Okay fine, but you need to eat too Levi, don't let me enjoy this all by myself" she compromised

"Fine I'll get mine and we'll eat together" Levi decided getting up to plate himself up some breakfast and joining her back in bed

"Well, well, Levi Ackerman eating breakfast in bed, now I've seen it all" Hange teased him light heartedly

"Tch shut up four eyes or you'll be wearing it instead of eating it" he threatened her with a smirk of his own as he ate

"Thank you again though Levi, this was really nice" Hange said after she finished

"It's the least I could do after everything you've helped me with Hange" Levi told her looking at her gratefully resting his head on hers.

Hange absolutely adored this side of her partner, when it came to her he would do anything to show her how much he loved her and she felt so lucky to be the only one able to see the softer, romantic side of Levi Ackerman. He was a man of very few words but his actions definitely showed how he felt, even if it was in the way he held her or his gentle looks Levi would always find a way to tell her how he felt without saying a word.

Hange caressed his face softly as she held his gaze before bringing him in for a kiss

"You helped me too Levi" she told him softly making him smile softly and Hange doesn't think she'll ever get over how cute he looks when he smiles.

"You should start getting ready we need to be there soon" Levi said softly and Hange nodded in agreement but didn't make any attempt to move, enjoying the moment too much to stop it too soon.

"Mmm I know just a few more minutes" she said hugging him to her tightly making it clear this wasn't up for debate

"Fine but only for a little bit" he sighed holding her back for a little longer, feeling secretly grateful that she wasn't in a hurry to get up.

Chapter Text

"Alright brats listen up, me and Hange have been talking and we've decided to try a teambuilding exercise, your at the midway point of your first segment of training and we want to see how much you have improved since the beginning both individually but also together" Levi explained to the four candidates who were looking at him in confusion "Something wrong brats?" he asked them noticing their expressions.

"Why do we have to work together?" Gabi asked finally after a few nervous shuffles "We should be focusing on bettering ourselves to get the Armoured Titan" she argued with him glaring at him challengingly, Levi narrowed his eyes at her attitude which made her back down a little bit, gods she reminded him of Eren sometimes.

"I see so you think having the power of one of the nine makes you invincible do you?, maybe you should ask your brother Reiner about his and Zeke Yeagers defeat on Paradis then" Levi told her making her frown at the mention of their defeat "Besides even after inheriting the Armoured Titan, you will still need to learn to coordinate and work with others as a team to achieve a goal, and besides that point none of you will be inheriting the Armoured Titan when you are dispatched to assist with the current war and since Reiner is busy over there right now working with the other Titan shifters, we can only focus on making you ready to fight without the Armour" Levi told them all but aimed it at Gabi mostly.

"Which leads us to our activity today, now each of you have been learning new skills that you have been taught and perfected with me and Levi for the last couple of weeks and now its time to put them to good use with a friendly competition between our two groups" Hange told them handing them two banners with the Marleyan symbol on "We have given you two banners which you will both be defending from your opposition, Udo and Zofia will be one team and Gabi and Falco will be the other, you will both have ten minutes to hide your banners somewhere on the grounds that you think would be challenging for the others to get, your mission then will be try and capture the others banners in the time given" Hange explained excitedly, this had been her idea after all so she was just as eager to see how well this would work out.

"You are to use any methods to try and outsmart, overpower and ultimately win against your opponents, first team to capture the others banner wins, the prize for the winning team no laps for the rest of the week" Levi mentioned the incentive making all the Candidates faces light up excitedly, he knew that would win them over they all hated doing laps

"The losing team however will be stuck on cleaning duties for the rest of the week and trust me you don't want that especially since Levi here will be the one checking and he is very thorough" Hange warned them.

"Alright before we start you have some time to strategize with myself and Hange for a few minutes, use this time wisely and remember we know each others strengths and weaknesses so take advantage of the information we could provide before your on you own" Levi told them

"Good luck you two, your gonna need it I think team Hange has already got this in the bag" Hange said with a confident smirk as she took Zofia and Udo away.

"Don't be so sure four eyes my brats might surprise you yet" he said loud enough for her to hear before turning to them again "Right you two I'm going to let you in on what I think she might have been teaching them" he told them quietly just in case they could hear.

"What is it sir?" Falco asked curiously

"Tch who cares we're going to crush them anyway because I'm better than all of you put together" Gabi smirked confidently

"But Gabi if we learn more about what they've been learning about we can plan our strategy better" Falco argued

"It doesn't matter what they have planned I'm going to win no matter what" Gabi lashed out confidently making Falco sigh frustratedly

"Gabi we need to think about this, we can't just go charging in on this one"

"Who says, maybe you can't but I know I can" Gabi insisted

"But..."

"Oi brats if your quite done I only have a few minutes left" Levi cut in impatiently making them both go quiet "Hange is a brilliant strategist, she would have taught the other two how to win using brains over brawn, so you have to find a way to overpower them before they can outsmart you, now if I didn't know any better I'd say Hange's backpack would have been filled with things they can use to set up traps so tread carefully, the only way you two aren't going to be cleaning shitty toilets is if you learn to use your wits and work together, if you don't I hope you don't mind losing sleep to clean up after everyone else" Levi warned them as time ran out "Good luck and remember strength in numbers" Levi said before walking away leaving them on there own to strategize.

"So you still feeling confident your team is going to win?" Hange asked him as they sat down on the bench in the shade waiting for them to finish the game

"Tch, you sound confident in you two" he noticed

"Well I may have given them a few things to give them an edge over your lot" Hange smirked patting her backpack

"Should have known you would have brought some of your shitty inventions with you" Levi said shaking his head feigning disbelief

"Well you know me Levi, I come prepared" Hange chuckled mischievously

"Don't be too confident four eyes Gabi and Falco have a few tricks of their own you know" Levi answered back confidently

"Hey want to make it interesting?" she asked him with a grin

"What do you have in mind?" he asked her curiously

"Whoever wins the loser has to buy dinner tonight" Hange suggested

"Tch, that hardly seems fair after all I brought and made breakfast this morning" Levi argued

"Well then you'll just have to pray your kids win then huh, what do you say Levi?" Hange said not backing down

"Tch fine four eyes I'll play this game with you, deal" he agreed shaking her hand to finalise it

"Lets hope it doesn't take to long I'm starving already" Hange laughed

"You'll be eating those words later on shitty glasses" Levi said teasingly as he stared out across the grounds wondering how the teams were getting on.

Chapter Text

Gabi and Falco were hiding in one of the makeshift trenches in the training grounds they were using it for cover to make it harder for Zofia and Udo to spot them. They had hidden their banner on a branch in one of the trees, it had been Falco's idea to put it up there since it would be harder to spot but also hard to reach without climbing the tree.

"I still don't know what this has to do with us inheriting the Armoured Titan" Gabi muttered frustratedly her whole body was tense like she was boiling for a fight

"Well think about it, its teaching us to use our skills to achieve a victory, it requires us to work together and use our knowledge to beat our opposition, its something that even if we don't inherit the Armoured Titan we definitely will still need to learn to be successful in combat, it makes sense that Mister Levi and Hange would rely on this exercise to monitor our progress" Falco explained, the more he thought about the more impressed he was with their new trainers, they seemed to be masters at teaching new skills in such a short time limit and he had to admit he had enjoyed training with Levi a lot more than he had done the previous one. Levi taught them things that made sense to know in a combat situation, in the last week he had taught them hand to hand combat, how to observe the layout of the land they were on and use what they found to make quick decisions based on what they saw, he had taught them more first aid training so they could quickly and efficiently patch each other up so they didn't have to wait for help, in Falco's eyes Levi was an amazing teacher and he did seem to genuinely care about what happened to them, which is why he seemed to push them so hard.

"Tch its stupid, we should be focusing on proving ourselves to the brass, I mean there's no denying that I'll be the one to get the Armour but all of this stupid training is not helping me achieve my goal" Gabi scoffed rolling her eyes as she carried on trudging through the trenches.

"Why are you so desperate to inherit the Armour anyway?, its not like you can't fight if you don't get it" Falco asked curiously making Gabi turn on him aggressively

"Why wouldn't I want it?, when I get the Armour I'm going to be the greatest Warrior Marley will ever have, I'll prove I'm one of the good Eldians and I'll help to destroy those Eldian Devils in any way I can, everyone will be so proud of me and I will have helped secure the greatest victory Marley will ever achieve, that's why I want the Armour so I can help them destroy those devils once and for all" Gabi told him passionately.

"What if they aren't devils though?" Falco asked her softly

"What are you talking about? of course they are they killed so many people when they ruled" Gabi reasoned with him not understanding why he didn't see that they were.

"I'm just saying, we don't know anything about them other than stories we've been told by others...what if they aren't what we think they are?, they could just be like us, just normal people" Falco explained with a shrug.

"They could also be what we've been told and need to be taken care of before they get the chance to destroy us again" Gabi argued "Anyway it doesn't matter what we think our job is to follow the orders of the officers, they tell us to do something and we do it simple as that, that's what makes a good soldier"

"Maybe but our own judgement should be taken into consideration as well" Falco argued again

"Tch you sound like Mister Levi" Gabi scoffed again rolling her eyes "Come on we need to focus, we don't have much time left" she added before Falco could say anything else

"Right, your right" Falco said with a sigh as they kept going

"Any sign of it yet?" Gabi asked him impatiently kicking the dirt and making the dust fly out as she waited for Falco to say anything as he checked for anything with the binoculars

"There it is right in the open" Falco finally said pointing to it as he gave Gabi the binoculars so she could see it

"Is that it, they just planned on keeping it there, they didn't even try to hide it, this is going to be easier than I thought" Gabi smirked confidently as she started to climb out the trench

"Gabi wait" Falco said in a hushed voice grabbing her arm

"What is it now Falco?" she sighed getting frustrated with him

"Doesn't this seem to easy to you?, I mean strategically it doesn't make sense to have something you want to hide out in the open like that" Falco tried to reason with her

"Who cares I'm going after it now with or without your help" Gabi said determinedly before kicking Falco back into the trench so he would let go of her arm before she started sprinting towards the banner "This is my chance I don't need anyone's help, I can do this by myself and prove to everyone I'm the best" Gabi told herself confidently.

"Gabi wait!" Falco yelled after her as he followed her.

"I don't want to hear it Falco I'm going to win with or without your help" Gabi yelled over her shoulder before realising to late he was trying to warn her about the expertly placed tripwire she had just run into. Before she even had a chance to think about what had happened a giant net closed around her trapping her inside making her yell in surprise.

"What the hell is this?!" Gabi screamed in anger

"It must be one of those traps Mister Levi warned us about" Falco said kneeling down to try and take it off her

"Never mind that, get the banner we need to win this" Gabi shouted at him

"No if they're out here I can't take them on by myself" Falco argued still trying to get her out

"Falco for once could you just listen to me and get the damn banner" Gabi yells at him

"What then, I don't know what else is out there I might need your help" he repeated

Gabi was going to say something else when they heard the sound of the horn go off signalling that the game was over, Zofia and Udo both ran past them gleefully with their banner in their hands as they cheered excitedly.

"Dammit" Gabi yelled hitting the ground with her fist

Hange showed up with a large grin on her face as she applauded the victorious duo

"Congratulations you two very well done, the net was a brilliant touch I must say" she congratulated them and they thanked her and grinned happily still buzzing from adrenaline that they had won the challenge. Hange walked over to Gabi and Falco and helped untangle Gabi from the net before helping her up, immediately Gabi turned on Falco grabbing him by his shirt.

"You idiot we could have won if you had just run for it, now you've cost us the challenge, why didn't you just listen" she yelled at him

"Me not listen?, If you had just listened to me back in the trench we could've avoided all of this" Falco said frustratedly pushing her away before walking away from the crowd needing to be alone for a while, Gabi just watched him go with a pout as she crossed her arms.

Hange watched Falco run off thoughtfully, she felt bad for him he had tried his best he just lacked the confidence he needed to handle someone like Gabi.

"Right well that concludes our training for today everyone, Zofia and Udo you are dismissed for the day, Gabi once you've had something to eat and have freshened up a little bit you are to report back here with Falco, Levi will be waiting for you, you better hurry and get ready he's not a fan of people being late" Hange instructed them all before turning around to write a report on todays exercise.

Chapter Text

Thirty years ago in the Underground

"Momma, you need to eat something your poorly" a little Levi Ackerman said worriedly trying to wake up his mother, she hadn't woken up once today and it was scaring him, he kept looking at her chest to check her breathing and it wasn't as frequent as it normally was.

"Momma please wake up" he tried again shaking her gently, she felt so frail and her face was gaunt and pale as well.

"Hmm, Levi what is it baby?" Kuchel whispered tiredly moving her eyes to look at him softly, her eyes weren't as bright as they used to be and Levi felt sad as he noticed, knowing fully well something bad was going on, she never looked like that not even when she would come home late.

"Your not feeling well momma...you need to eat..I got you some bread" Levi said perking up at the quiet sound of his mothers voice as he pulled off small chunks of bread and fed her carefully before giving her some water to help wash it down.

"You need to eat too baby, go on" Kuchel encouraged him gently feeling herself drift off again

"But what about you?" Levi asked her anxiously trying to keep her awake by squeezing her hand tightly

"I'll be okay Levi I promise, thank you for looking after me, your such a good boy" Kuchel praised him kindly giving him a weak smile which expressed her everlasting love for her son as she squeezed his hand back as much as she could.

"I love you momma" Levi said as he hugged her lying down next to her, feeling her wrap her arm around him weakly so he was enveloped in her familiar warmth, he didn't know why he was feeling so bad about this but he didn't like how sick his mother was looking, he wasn't sure what to do or where to go to make her feel better so he decided to just stay with her and hope she got better.

"I love you too Levi, my sweet boy" Kuchel murmured before falling asleep again.

Kuchel didn't wake up again after that night, no matter how hard Levi pleaded or cried, she just lied there on the bed not moving or breathing, not even opening her eyes. Eventually Levi gave up somehow knowing his mother wasn't going to wake up anymore and just lied down next to her, hugging her tightly as he cried into her nightshirt softly.

After a few days he finally ran out of food, he tried to make what they had last as long as he could but they barely had anything to eat as it was and soon it was completely gone. Levi checked the drawer where his mother kept her money safe but he couldn't find any money in there so he couldn't go out and buy anymore food. Luckily he still had water available so he used that sparingly just to take the edge off the hunger. He tried to keep clean but without his mothers help he wasn't able to wash with warm water as she always used the kettle to boil the water and he was told he couldn't do it by himself as it was dangerous for him and he could burn himself, eventually his clothes started to smell really badly and his hair became unkempt and greasy.

He stayed in their home for days after his mother passed away not sure what else to do, he couldn't fend for himself out there and he was too young to find work so instead he just stayed inside and tried to ignore the aching in his stomach and the smell of the house as it became dirtier over time. He slept on the floor next to his mothers bed, not wanting to be away from her but knowing he couldn't sleep next to her anymore as her body was starting to decay as well, it hurt him more than anything to see his mother looking like that, he couldn't even recognise her anymore and she looked more like a skeleton than his mother now and he didn't want to look at her like that.

Eventually when he was sat up against the wall, starving, filthy and wearing his mothers dress as a replacement for his dirty clothes someone entered the house and walked over to his mothers bed.

"Damn, you've lost a ton of weight since last time Kuchel" the man said in a gruff voice

"She's dead" Levi managed to whisper loud enough for the mysterious man to notice him

"And you are you alive?" he asked him as he turned to look at him, Levi lifted his head up weakly to look up at him with a suspicious look, not trusting the man at all "Hey, hey gimme a damn break, you hear me dont'cha?, you gotta a name?" the man asked him.

"Levi...just Levi" Levi told him softly watching as the man slid down the wall and sat on the opposite side of the house to him, he whispered something to his mother before focusing on him again.

"I'm Kenny, just Kenny, I used to know Kuchel, nice to meetcha" Kenny said to him covering his face with his hat as Levi watched him curiously "Well no use sitting in here now runt, lets go" Kenny told him as he stood up lifting Levi up onto his feet and pushing him out the door, Levi took one last look at his mother before walking out of his home for the last time.

Eventually Kenny stopped off at a tavern to get him some food and Levi ate it ravenously looking like a starved, wild animal as he did. Kenny looked at him thoughtfully as he ate not knowing what to do with the kid, he wasn't going to become the boys parent but he didn't want to leave him defenceless down here.

And so for the next couple of years Kenny taught Levi everything he knew to help him survive in the Underground, including how to swing a knife to how to win a fight until one day after Levi won his first fight on his own Kenny left him.

Levi spent days looking for Kenny again but it was like he had vanished into thin air, on the third day of looking Levi knew that Kenny had abandoned him and wasn't coming back. Levi went back to his new home, he had never felt so angry as he kicked a chair in frustration causing it to break.

"Your going to leave me down here by myself as well eh old man, well fuck you then, I don't need you anymore...I don't need anyone, I'll make my own way out of here and if I ever find you again I swear I'll kill you myself" he vowed to himself through gritted teeth as he leaned on the table in anger.

Present day

"I learnt a valuable lesson that day, never rely on anyone, if you expect them to betray you, you can never be disappointed when it happens, that was the way of the Underground" Levi finished telling Doctor Jenner who was listening to his story with interest.

"Sounds like you had to go through a lot when you lived down there, I'm sorry you went through all that at such a young age Levi" Doctor Jenner said meaningfully, she really did mean it when she said that and Levi appreciated her sincerity it definitely made it easier to talk to her about his past.

"Its alright, in a way the bastard taught me everything I know now, he did make me stronger in some ways" Levi shrugged

"I see, were you ever able to reconcile with him in the end?" Doctor Jenner asked him kindly leaving it up to him whether he wanted to answer or not.

"Yeah we did meet up again recently before he died actually, he told me he was my mother's brother which is also how I confirmed I was an Ackerman after he told me himself...he also told me why he left me after all that time" Levi said softly remembering the sombre memory "He said he wasn't meant to be someone's father, and yet he still chose to look after me for a brief period of time to help me survive down there... I've never understood what drove him to have a change of heart in that moment, maybe he was driven by guilt for not saving my mother from her life down there, I doubt I'll ever find out for certain myself"

"Does that upset you at all, that you don't know why he did it?" Doctor Jenner asked him calmly

"I don't know, maybe a little bit... guess there's a lot about myself I could have known a lot sooner had he stuck around a little longer but, I guess we'll never know for certain, I try not to dwell on it for too long it doesn't do me any good asking questions I won't be able to get answers to" he confessed

"Its common for people like you who have gone through this to feel that way Levi, I can't say I blame you for not wanting to dwell on it too much, so long as you've made your peace with not getting the answers to those questions" she checked with him.

"Yeah I think I have doctor, I got what I wanted from him that day and that's more than enough for me" he told her confidently not feeling like he needed to any answers to those questions anymore, Kenny did what he thought he had to that's all he needed to know, whatever his reasoning was it had died with him.

"Well that's good to hear, and that just about concludes this session, is there anything else you wanted to ask about before you go?" she asked him

"Not really Doctor, my sleeping seems to be improving slightly, its not a set change yet but I seem to be getting two more hours sleep than usual thanks to the pills you gave me" Levi reported to her.

"Well that's great to hear Levi, we'll keep you on that medication for now then and see if it helps in the long term as well, but its good to hear some progress has been made, I'm sure your very happy to see it as well" she said happy for him.

"Yeah its good, its small but its still progress, Hange is happy for me and that's all I care about as well" he told her with a small smile

"Ah yes I'm sure she must be very proud of you, anyway I'll let you head off I know you have one last job to do before your done for today" she said opening the door for him

"Well hopefully just the one, depends if my two brats have won or not, if they haven't I have to buy Hange dinner so I'm really hoping they've won" he admitted with a smirk

"Well I'll be praying for your duo to win then" Doctor Jenner smirked at him as he stepped outside "See you next time Levi, take care" she bid him farewell

"You too Doctor thank you" he said back with a grateful nod as he made his way to the training grounds again hoping he wasn't going to have to buy dinner tonight.

Chapter Text

Levi was leaning on a wall with his hands in his pockets waiting for the brats to show up to start cleaning. He had already gathered by Hange's triumphant smirk when he had seen her briefly which team had already won the exercise. He sighed softly as he stared up at the sky, he wasn't surprised that Zofia and Udo had won really from what Hange had told him and from what he had read in the report she had written there had been no cohesion between Gabi and Falco at all.

Levi knew that he had to figure something out fast but he was starting to run out of ideas for these two, he decided to tackle Falco's lack of confidence to begin with, maybe once he had found his voice he would be able to work with Gabi a little better.

"Tch, trust me to end up with the troublesome bunch again" he thought to himself amusedly, Gabi and Falco would fit right in with the 104th cadets.

Eventually he saw the silhouettes of two figures walking towards him, he checked his pocket watch and was surprised to see that they were actually on time, maybe they were marginally better than the 104th in some things at least. They both trudged towards him with disappointed faces, he noticed the distance between them and could only assume that they had been fighting about their defeat.

"Welcome back brats, I heard the exercise didn't go too well" he welcomed them as he pushed himself off the wall

"It would have been better if Falco actually listened to me for once" Gabi sulked glaring at Falco disapprovingly, Falco just rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

"Tch well since you lost the challenge your going to be cleaning the place like you've never cleaned before, now grab the cleaning supplies and follow me, we'll start with the bathrooms first since they look the dirtiest" Levi decided as he took out his own pair of gloves and put them on, they walked there in complete silence and Levi could feel the tension radiating off of the pair, it was funny it kind of reminded him of him and Hange when they first met.

"Alright we're here, Gabi you clean the ladies rooms and Falco you and I will clean the men's, I'll check on your progress in a few minutes Gabi" Levi instructed "Lets go the sooner we start the less tired you'll be for tomorrow" he added which seemed to make them move faster.

As soon as they were in the room Falco and Levi got to work straight away, Levi watched Falco from the corner of his eye, the poor boy looked like he was taking the defeat badly.

"So now that Gabi's not around to do all the talking, care to explain to me what went wrong out there?" Levi asked him in a softer tone, Falco looked up at him with a sigh before carrying on with cleaning the sink he was working on.

"I'm sorry Mister Levi, I did try to do what you said but Gabi is just... she doesn't think about her actions at all, she's more of a act first and deal with the consequences later kind of person" Falco grumbled in frustration.

"Its alright kid, honestly I wasn't expecting you two to win the exercise today, I was hoping you would don't get me wrong, but when there's a lack of cohesion between two people you can't expect it to go well out there trust me I know all about working with someone who is the exact opposite to you" Levi admitted to him which got Falco's attention.

"You do?" he asked hoping he would elaborate a bit more to him

"Sure, I had to work with Hange for years and believe me she's just as reckless and impulsive as Gabi, used to drive me mad constantly the amount of times that woman nearly got herself killed or in some cases someone else, I was always saving her ass one way or another" Levi told him seemingly reminiscing in it.

"I wouldn't have thought that seeing you two working together now...you seem to be on the same page all the time" Falco admitted looking surprised to learn that they hadn't always seen eye to eye the entire time.

"Yeah well it wasn't easy we used to fight a lot, I almost stabbed her first time we met" Levi confessed with a fond shake of his head "Hange's the complete opposite to me... she's more adventurous, prioritises learning over her own life sometimes, she's notoriously sloppy and terrible at cleaning but... she's loyal, brave, compassionate, intelligent and cares about the people she works with" Levi told Falco with a small smile which caught Falco off guard.

"How did you get to the point where you trust each other like you do?" Falco asked him wanting to know how he did it.

"Well when we first met, I wanted nothing to do with her but Hange, the stubborn pain in the ass she is, never gave up on me and eventually I let her in it was the best decision I ever made and we became the greatest team in our ranks, our opposites help us succeed, her strategies help us plan our attacks and my skills help us put her strategies to good use on the battlefield" Levi explained "What I'm getting at is I think you and Gabi are just as capable of being a formidable team you just need to figure out a way of working together, maybe if you try to find a way to gain some chemistry it could work out for the best, but you can't hold back like you've been doing" Levi told him knowingly making Falco look away guiltily.

"I know sir, I'm sorry I have been, I'll try to do better" he said apologetically

"You don't have to apologise brat, just try harder to improve yourself, who knows maybe if she sees you giving one hundred percent instead of fifty she might start listening to you" Levi encouraged making Falco nod a new determination shined in his eyes

"Thank you sir, I'll do everything I can to improve myself I promise" Falco said confidently and Levi felt a sense of pride as he looked at his recruits newfound self confidence.

"That's good to hear Falco, I can't wait to see you improve" Levi said proudly "Right we should get on these bathrooms won't clean themselves" Levi said seriously again.

"Right yes sir" Falco said a little more enthusiasm in his voice now as he got back to work, they worked together in comfortable silence and Levi couldn't help but think that maybe this could be the start of some good change for his two brats, he hoped so anyway, he couldn't keep losing to Hange like this she'd never let him live it down.

Chapter Text

Levi had just sent Gabi and Falco home after a long few hours of gruelling cleaning, Levi didn't think he had ever seen such disgusting conditions even in the Underground. He was just putting the last of his cleaning supplies away when he saw the figure of his beautiful Hange coming towards him. He closed the cupboard door shut and walked over to her briskly eager to reunite with her again.

"Hey shorty, how goes the cleaning?" Hange greeted him with a grin

"Horrible, I don't understand how you people can live in these shitty conditions" Levi grumbled softly reaching out to hold her hand, she chuckled at his disgust kissing his head softly.

"I knew they wouldn't be up to your high standards" she smirked knowingly

"Tch with you around I'm surprised it isn't worse four eyes" Levi retorted playfully making Hange laugh louder "So did you think more about what you wanted me to get you for dinner?" Levi asked her as they started walking towards the city. Levi had to admit that Liberio did look good during the night, the lights and buildings all lit up made it look like a scene from one of those books his mother used to read to him as a child, however no matter how picturesque it looked out here nor how well the live band in the distance would play, not even the moon and stars shining brightly in the sky, nothing would ever hold up to Hange's beauty in Levi's mind, she looked breath taking tonight, wearing a clean white shirt and that black jacket they used to fight over all the time over the top of her shirt, she wore matching black jeans and brown boots and had her hair down which was a rare sight and one that Levi was taking in as much as he was able to.

"I was thinking we could try this small restaurant over here, they do the best cups of tea around and they can cook anything" Hange decided leading the way to the restaurant Levi just nodded as he let her drag him along the bustling streets expertly taking them where they needed to go.

"Ah here we are" she announced excitedly as they walked through the doors, the place looked fancy and Levi immediately felt out of place here, he always felt like an imposter when he went into places like this thinking he was no more than an Underground lowlife that didn't belong anywhere near here but one look at Hange's excited face made him relax a little more, if this is where she wanted to go for dinner he couldn't refuse her, he'd do anything to make her happy.

They were seated straight away and given menus whilst they waited for their drinks to arrive, Levi looked at the menu and was taken aback by the amount of options on it, the list went on for ages and was full of foods he had never heard of before, back on Paradis they would never have dreamed of having so many foods to choose from but here they had everything from salads to seafood.

"Ooh the lobster looks good, what are you thinking of getting Levi?" Hange asked him looking up at her menu and noticing how overwhelmed he looked she reached out and took his hand comfortingly "Hey you okay?" she asked him softly.

"Hmm yeah there's just so much on here,I don't even know what half of it is" Levi admitted looking embarrassed

"Its okay, let me help you out" Hange said kindly "Well since you've never had anything spicy lets rule that out for now, the steak is supposed to be good here or the salads" she recommended to him and he nodded as she talked him through it.

Finally their cups of tea arrived and they ordered their food, Hange got the lobster and Levi decided to try a Caesar salad which Hange had recommended to him. Once the waiter had left them to it Levi took a sip of the tea they had gotten and was surprised how good it tasted.

"Wow this is good tea" he said in approval as he drank more of it

"Not bad right, they only get the best of the best here from all over the world that's why they have so many options" Hange explained to him excitedly

"I see, that explains why it tastes so good then, I still think I prefer to stick to black tea though" he admitted making Hange smirk

"Can't break you away from your precious black tea still then eh Levi" she joked beaming at him

"Tch you can try but you won't succeed" he answered back with his own smirk as their food arrived

Levi was impressed with the presentation of the food straight away, it looked like artwork on his plate and it tasted delicious, it was miles better then the bland field rations he was used to having. They ate in comfortable silence just enjoying each others company, it was rare for them to be able to do this so they were making the most of it while they could.

"Well this restaurant is definitely one I think we should come back to, what do you think Levi?" Hange asked her partner with a soft smile.

"Definitely even if its just for the tea" Levi nodded holding her hand again bringing it up to kiss it softly, Hange looked at him her eyes burning with so much adoration for him.

"Come on lets get out of here, I want to show you one of my favourite spots" Hange said getting up from the table with him, Levi nodded paying the waiter for the meal before heading out with Hange again. She walked them to a bench which was located on a hill away from the city itself, the bench was underneath a tall oak tree and overlooked the sea. They sat down together, wrapped up in each others embrace, enjoying the peace and the view of the sea and the stars.

"Do you still remember the constellations I used to tell you about?" Hange asked him softly, Levi nodded staring up at them intently.

"I still looked at them after you left...I felt like you were always close by when I would see them as stupid as that probably sounds" Levi mumbled quietly turning his head to kiss her neck softly. Hange smiled more and brought him closer to her taking his hand in hers as she started tracing the stars with his finger like she used to do back home.

"I remember how long it took for you to find them, you used to get so frustrated not being able to see them" Hange chuckled

"Tch, I still think you made some of them up" he scoffed looking at her peacefully "They're still not as beautiful as you though" he said bashfully making her grin at the compliment

"And you look just as handsome as ever Levi" she returned the compliment bringing him in for a tender kiss which he deepened immediately "Mmm, I could just stay like this forever" she hummed against his lips.

"Maybe when all this shit is over we can" Levi said sounding quietly optimistic

"Wow, usually I'm the more optimistic, your not coming down with anything are you Levi?" Hange teased him making him roll his eyes

"I've never felt better four eyes, all thanks to you" he whispered kissing her again passionately.

"Glad I could help you Levi" she breathed resting her head on his staring into his eyes, they were the softest she'd ever seen them and she loved it, she'd always loved his eyes, she loved how they could display his emotions so easily, they were almost like the coals in a fire, from the burning intensity when he was angry or driven to the calm softening embers he was displaying now, his eyes were always so beautiful to her and she could look into them forever.

"We should head home soon, its getting late" he whispered not wanting to break the comfortable silence they were in, Hange nodded slowly as they got up.

"We should do this again more often, I had a great time" she said happily and Levi nodded in agreement

"Alright but your paying next time" he bartered with her

"Haha, well that all depends on your two Candidates and if they win the next exercise or not" she reminded him with a chuckle

"I'm confident they will next time" Levi said stubbornly as they walked back home together

Chapter Text

The next day Levi had taken Gabi and Falco outside early for more sparring but this time there would be a difference.

"This time you'll both be sparring with me" he told them with a small grin appearing on his face as he watched both their jaws drop in surprise

"But sir how are we supposed to do that, your stronger and more experienced" Falco asked still uncertain but he sounded a little more confident which Levi was glad to hear

"Your going to be encountering soldiers who are going to be stronger and more experienced then you on the battlefield, its all very well being able to take on each other but you won't be fighting each other on the battlefield" Levi reminded them looking at Falco first "Falco your up first, you will have three minutes to either put me on the floor or keep up with me until time runs out" Levi told him stepping onto the makeshift sparring ring he had made.

Falco took in a deep breath doing some last minute stretches to warm up before joining Levi in the ring, this wouldn't be an easy fight Levi had a lot more experience than he did and he was fast, a lot faster than other people would be, Falco decided it would be a good idea to go on the defensive and observe his patterns before attacking recklessly. He wanted to prove his worth to Gabi as well who was looking at him with a smirk like she was expecting this to not last too long, he used that emotion to drive him to what he hoped would be a victory.

"Ready?" Levi asked him getting into his stance already, he looked quite intimidating as he looked at him like he was studying something in a laboratory, Falco realised in that moment he wasn't Levi's student anymore he was just a target he was waiting to take down as soon as he got the chance. Falco took another deep breath as he followed Levi's lead and got into his own stance, positioning his body the way Levi had taught them.

"I'm ready sir" he said bravely not showing any signs of nervousness which impressed Levi a lot, the brat was learning after all.

"Alright, Gabi start the timer" Levi called over to Gabi who started it immediately.

As soon as that timer had started Levi attacked Falco with inhuman speed, Falco put up his arms to block the punches Levi was landing on him, gods he was insanely good, he was fighting offensively and not even allowing Falco a chance to land a punch on him as he kept hitting him quickly.

"He's fighting offensively but he's using a lot of his energy to attack, if he keeps this going hopefully he'll slow down by the time it takes me to come up with a plan" Falco thought as he gritted his teeth, he just had to ride it out until Levi gave him an opening to attack, it would be one hell of a waiting game but as long as the timer didn't run out he should be fine.

Levi kept going not giving Falco a break at all, though his punches were starting to feel slower, not enough that Falco could try an attack yet but he was getting there, Falco was amazed at how strong Levi obviously was and something told him even with everything he was throwing at him right now Levi was still holding back. Eventually after what seemed like forever Falco noticed a weakness in Levi's stance and he gasped softly realising that was the opening he needed.

Instead of blocking Levi's last attack Falco finally sidestepped it and grabbed his arm firmly like he was taught to do the first day of training with a knife, Levi grunted in surprise clearly not expecting the move but before he could think more on it Falco had kicked his feet from under him making him fall to the ground with a groan, the dust making his pristine white shirt go a nice brown colour instead where he had landed. The timer went off just as Levi hit the floor and Falco stood in surprise not actually expecting to win against him as he offered Levi a hand and helped him up, Levi straightened up and offered Falco a very rare proud smile.

"Not bad Falco, that was a pretty impressive strategy how did you come up with it?" he asked him impressed.

"Oh I just noticed your stance, you seemed to favour putting your weight on one leg rather than the other so I just used that to my advantage" Falco explained "Was that okay sir?" he asked him

"It got me on the ground didn't it?, you achieved the objective, good job" Levi complimented him brushing himself off making Falco smile happily.

"Thank you sir" Falco said feeling proud of himself as he walked outside the ring and drank some water.

"Alright Gabi your up" Levi called out gesturing for her to join him in the ring who obeyed enthusiastically running into the ring.

"Ready?" he asked her getting into his stance again

"Are you sir?" Gabi asked cockily making Levi raise his eyebrow as she got into her stance as well.

"Careful brat you almost sound confident" Levi remarked with a sly smirk, he was playing a different game with Gabi, he wasn't underestimating her skill far from it but, just like another hard headed, impulsive and strong willed brat he knew this one needed to be taught a lesson as well. His remark seemed to get the right reaction and had Gabi charging towards him impulsively.

Gabi attacked him with little care for her stance or footing and Levi easily blocked her attacks before flipping her onto her back, making her hit the ground.

"Your going to have to do better than that Braun, if you want the Armour that is" Levi taunted her again making her yell in frustration as she charged again recklessly, her positioning stance again was sloppy and again Levi took advantage of that.

"What the hell!" she exclaimed as Levi had her pinned on the floor again she only had a minute left and she was feeling absolutely humiliated by the way he was treating her. She was tired and dripping with sweat at this point as Levi just waited for her to attack again patiently, she didn't get it how come Falco had managed this so much easier than she was?.

"Your fighting emotionally, that makes you weaker, your not focusing on your position or your surroundings, all your doing is attacking with no thought" Levi told her as she went to attack him again "If you keep fighting like this it will get you killed one day" he warned her

"I don't care" she growled through gritted teeth as she tried to hit him again, she gasped as Levi effortlessly caught her fist in his hand, she tried to hit him with her other fist and he caught that one too.

"I've fought alongside others who fight like you...they don't typically last too long out in the field" Levi told her pushing her away "If you go out fighting without any strategy you have already lost the battle, fighting like this will only get you so far" Levi told her again, flipping her over onto the ground again as the timer ran out.

"Tch I've lost so many soldiers who got hot headed and thought they could take on anything that was thrown at them, they all thought they were invincible and they all ended up dead before long, you need to realise this and learn to fight with restraint and if my shitty taunts are enough to rile you up this much you've already lost before you've begun" Levi warned her.

"So this was just a test?...you planned on humiliating me the entire time?" she asked him looking hurt

"I'm teaching you a lesson, there's a difference, I'd rather you realised your flaws here then out there when its too late" Levi told her as he went to help her up "Your a great fighter Gabi but your attitude is dangerous, relying on yourself it'll only get you so far, you need to learn to let others in to help you sooner rather than later" Levi instructed her as she pouted, he knew that this lesson had been quite a harsh one for her to learn but in the long run he knew she would be better for it.

"He's right Gabi we both need to work on our abilities, how about we do it together, I don't mind teaching you what I know" Falco offered

"Tch what do you know?" Gabi scoffed at Falco obviously sulking at her defeat

"Well considering he was able to pin me on the floor I'd recommend hearing what he has to say Gabi, who knows maybe you can learn something from each other" Levi encouraged her, Gabi seemed to consider this and rolled her eyes before walking over to Falco reluctantly.

"Fine teach me how you beat him and maybe I'll let you learn some of my tricks" Gabi decided with a huff and Falco perked up in surprise

"Sure okay well what I did was.." Levi heard Falco explain his technique as he walked away to let them get on with it. He let out a relieved sigh.

"Finally" he thought at last, he finally got the two troublesome brats working together, even if it was so they could beat him in a fight if he decided to do this again.

"Wow, I don't know how you managed it Ackerman but I've never seen Gabi and Falco working together willingly like that before" Maggath said looking impressed

"Reluctantly on Gabi's part I think sir but its progress nonetheless" Levi nodded standing to attention respectfully.

"At ease Ackerman, you've done well given the time frame you had, you have my thanks, at least this time our Candidates will know how to handle themselves better on the front lines" he said sounding genuinely grateful.

"No problem sir, if it helps them survive a little longer then its worth it" Levi said not used to the praise

"Your training is exactly what they needed for the environment they're heading into, you've done well, just like Hange said you would"

"I've had my fair share of experience training brats to fight in much harsher circumstances, Paradis isn't exactly kind to new recruits and training is essentially none existent from the moment you sign up" Levi explained to the Commander.

"I see, well it looks like your lessons are paying off for now" Maggath said looking at Gabi and Falco talking to each other again.

"We won't know for sure until they're on the front lines, that's where the true test will begin, whether they'll listen to my advice or not is entirely up to them" Levi shrugged

"Ahh so your not an optimist then either I take it" Maggath mused

"Not when it comes to war sir...I've lost too many comrades to it to be that naïve anymore" Levi said calmly but with venom, warning him not to go any further into that subject, it was Marley's Warriors that had forced him to lose so many of his comrades after all.

"I understand, I am sorry for your losses Ackerman, hopefully in time we can make things right" Maggath said sincerely

"We'll see" Levi said noticing the time "Excuse me sir I have to go to my therapy session now, I'll leave the brats in Hange's care for now" Levi said as he bowed his head respectfully before walking away.

Chapter Text

Year 844

Levi couldn't believe that just a few days ago he was enjoying watching the stars on the walls of the Survey Corps headquarters with his two closest friends, well his family really, Isabel and Furlan just before they headed off on this damned expedition to carry out their mission which would have granted them citizenship above ground. This mission, the rewards they would get from it, it was their dream to live above ground, they were going to buy a place to live together, where the three of them could finally be happy and content.

Now those dreams had come crashing down as he tried in vain to rescue his family from their inevitable fates, if had just been a few seconds earlier they would still be here, maybe if he had decided to stay with them he could have saved them, or maybe if he had forced them into staying behind they would still be alive now waiting for him to return. Instead they had been devoured by those damn titans and there was nothing he could do about it, he closed the eyes of his little sister feeling absolutely heartbroken.

"We escaped the Underground for what?" he thought in his head as he knelt there on the ground feeling nothing but numbness spreading through his body as tears fell down his haunted looking face, he'd already lost his mother he wasn't prepared to lose Isabel and Furlan as well. They were supposed to make it, they were the ones who deserved to live above ground and experience everything the world had to offer them.

"Why did we accept that fucking job?" he said through gritted teeth as he heard horses approach him, Erwin Smith and Mike Zacharias approached him looking around at the remains of titans in shock before settling their gaze on the distraught Levi kneeling in the dirt.

"Levi, are you the only one who made it?" Erwin asked him, Levi felt a surge of anger at the sound of his voice he could still finish what he started, he was right there he had a blade already prepared, one quick cut and he could kill him and make his families deaths mean something.

"Erwin I'm going to fucking kill you, that's the only reason I'm still here" he decided standing up with his blade drawn only for Erwin to catch the blade in his hand, which made Levi shake more in anger, his adrenaline was pumping fast around his body as his mind only had one thought, killing Erwin Smith.

Erwin threw a scroll on the floor and Levi realised what it was and Erwin confirmed it telling him it was documents revealing Lobovs crimes or rather it was a fake one, so even if Furlan had found them they wouldn't have even been the right ones anyway, all of this had been a complete setup right from the start and Levi had paid the highest price for it.

"You knew everything from the start!" Levi realised his face hardening into a scowl as he fixed his harsh, furious eyes on him "You knew we were after you and yet you..." he charged at him but was caught by the enormous, tree like Zacharias before he could do anything more than shout at him. Mike pushed him back and Levi fell to the ground again in defeat, everything he had done had been for nothing and now he had no idea what to do.

He could still hear their hopeful voices in his head as he mourned for them

"Believe in us" he heard Furlan's voice saying

"We're counting on you bro" Isabel's proud voice rang in his ears

"Don't you'll regret it" Erwin told him calmly looking down at the devastated Levi that had just tried to kill him a few moments ago

"If you begin to regret it will dull your future decisions and let others make your choices for you, all that's left for you then is to die" Erwin explained to him "No one can foretell the outcome, each decision you make holds meaning only by affecting your next decision, we're continuing with the expeditions, I expect you to come with me Levi" Erwin told him before walking away leaving Levi to dwell on what Erwin had told him.

Present day

"And did you follow him?" Doctor Jenner asked Levi

"Yeah I did, until the end" Levi said with a look of melancholy as he remembered the day he decided to follow Erwin Smith "He was a great leader, one of the best Commanders we ever had, he was smart, inspiring and confident... it hurt when we lost him" Levi said softly.

"I see what happened that day?" Jenner asked patiently, always allowing Levi the time he needed before he answered.

"We were in a battle to reclaim part of our home that had been overrun by titans, we had to fight some of Marleys warriors and Erwin... he had to sacrifice himself and hundreds of new recruits just so I could get close enough to defeat one of them" He told her his fists clenching as he relived that painful memory "Later on, I had to make a choice on who to save Erwin or another soldier, in the end I chose the other person and let Erwin rest"

"I can see this memory affects you a lot more than the other ones we've discussed in previous sessions, is it because they are more recent do you think?" she asked him.

"Maybe, that battle was tough as well, we left with over two hundred soldiers and at the end of it we only came back with eight of us" Levi answered solemnly looking down defeatedly.

"Do you feel responsible for the deaths that happened that day?" she asked and Levi nodded slowly

"I was the one that told Erwin to give up on his dreams and charge to his death, I knew it was the only way we could stop the enemy but...I caused so many recruits to die as a result, all of them were just children and I sent them to die out there, I couldn't even make it worth it or give meaning to their deaths" Levi sighed sadly "I had to see their families after the battle, they all blamed me, some beat me I could have stopped it but I didn't, I felt like it was less than what I deserved after what I did" he admitted quietly.

"You made a lot of tough calls in your life, I know you mentioned you live a life with no regrets is there anything you do regret though?" Jenner asked him softly

"The only thing I do regret is not killing the man that was responsible for killing those soldiers" Levi told her his voice filled with hatred for that one bastard that had caused so much pain and death.

"I understand that must be quite the burden to have on your shoulders Levi, I think we should work on this part more it definitely seems to be affecting you more than the other subjects we've talked about so far" Jenner decided, Levi nodded in understanding knowing he would have to face these demons again to get better, truthfully he had been sharing other memories to try and prolong the time he had before he was faced with what happened during that battle.

"I will try my best to be as open about that time as possible, as tough as it might be" Levi told her hoping he didn't sound as anxious as he felt about it.

"If it gets too much for you just let me know and we can stop" Jenner told him with a kind smile

"I will thank you doctor" Levi nodded appreciatively as he got up from his chair.

"No worries Levi you did well today" Jenner told him nicely "We'll tackle this another time, how is the other stuff working for you though?" she asked him

"Some work better than others... the breathing exercises work if I catch the panic attack early enough, the tablets are still working though which has made it easier to manage and having a routine is helping a little as well" he informed her softly.

"Well that's good to hear hopefully when we find something that works for you it'll get easier" she told him and he nodded in agreement.

"Talking about everything definitely seems to be helping so thank you for listening to it Doctor" he said politely

"No worries Levi its what I'm here for, anyway you should head home its getting late" she said opening the door for him he gave her a curt nod before walking out to head home, that was a tough session and Levi wouldn't mind seeing Hange again to take his mind off of it for a while, she was good at getting him out of his head for a bit and just relax with her and he could really do with that right now, so he walked home briskly hoping she would be in and not collecting plant samples again like she was the other day.

Chapter Text

Levi came home and started his usual routine, he took a shower, took his medication and slipped into bed where Hange was reading a book whilst waiting for him. Levi rested his head on her chest immediately, wanting her warmth and comfort. Hange sensed this and put the book down to focus on him, she laid down a little more so she could stare into his eyes.

"Today was a tough session huh?" she asked him caressing his face, she could see the pain he was feeling reflected in his perfect irises as he nodded slowly

"I talked about Isabel, Furlan and Erwin today" he explained and Hange nodded in understanding "Why couldn't I save them?" he asked helplessly, his voice breaking as he cried gently.

"Oh, oh, oh, its not your fault Levi" Hange soothed him hugging him tightly as he wept "Those situations were out of your control Levi, as hard as it is to accept it, there was nothing you could do" Hange reminded him caringly, rubbing calming patterns on his back letting him express those years worth of pent up emotion. She knew that this was going to happen eventually, therapy could be rather intense and reliving traumatic events like Levi was doing was bound to bring out those repressed emotions eventually.

"Shh, just let it out Levi, your safe here" Hange comforted him kissing his head and holding him tighter to let him know she was here for him.

"Not again Hange... I can't go through this again, its killing me" he confessed in a moment of vulnerability in a voice barely above a whisper as he hugged her back just as tightly as she was.

"I can't promise something won't happen, but I will fight with everything I have before I let anything happen to us Levi, that I promise you" Hange told him boldly knowing he needed to hear that, it was good enough that it reassured him but was also not a full promise that nothing would happen. Levi nodded once as he kissed her chest where her heart was over and over.

I'll protect you, I won't let anything happen to you Hange I swear... I refuse to lose you too..."

"Shh I know you will protect me you always do" she assured him again knowing he was too in his head right now to think about what he was saying "I'll protect you too" she whispered in his ear.

Levi sighed softly as he relaxed on top of her again, resting his head on her chest as she stoked his undercut again which seemed to bring him back after a while.

"I'm sorry Hange" he mumbled weakly

"There's no need to apologise Levi, you needed to let your emotions out its a good thing I promise" she assured him giving him a small smile.

"I haven't cried like that since... I lost Isabel and Furlan" he realised as he traced patterns on her nightshirt to distract himself from his thoughts

"I'd say you were definitely due a crying session then" Hange said light heartedly coaxing out a little chuckle out of her beloved Levi

"Yeah maybe" he nodded in agreement as he finally looked up at her, His cheeks were wet because of the tears, his eyes were red from crying and his long strands of hair were ruffled up a little from how he had been resting his head on her but Hange still thought he was the most handsome man she'd ever met.

"Come on lets freshen up, you'll feel better after a shower" she said encouragingly, taking his hand and leading him to the bathroom. Once they were in she quickly took off her clothes in front of him before helping him with his, she smirked at his gawking face as he stared at her body completely transfixed by her beauty, once his clothes hit the floor they stepped into the bath together.

Levi sighed softly as he felt the warm water cover his body as he laid down resting on Hange's body as she held him tightly kissing his head.

"Just relax Levi" she encouraged him as she reached for the lavender soap she had brought and started to lather him in it, massaging any tension she felt out of his body, her fingers traced every scar like a map and eventually she felt him relax at her touch letting out a hum to show he was pleased with this situation. Hange smiled proudly as she kept cleaning him and massaging his body, she always felt so accomplished getting him to relax like this it was never an easy task but once she had done it it always felt so rewarding seeing him looking so content.

Once he was clean and wrapped up in his Hange's loving embrace, the bathwater relaxing his muscles and her touch relaxing his thoughts he finally felt like he was able to breath again and took a deep breath he didn't know he needed until he did it.

"Doctor Jenner says we need to focus on what happened in Shiganshina, she noticed its affecting me more than the other topics we've discussed" he explained to her softly and Hange just nodded in understanding "I didn't realise how tough it was going to be to talk about this part of my life" he sighed distastefully thinking he should have seen this coming really.

"It was a lot to handle Levi, you couldn't have processed everything in such a short space of time and with the revelations afterwards there was no time for you to process and heal your not weak for feeling all these things now, just allow it all to come out now don't hold back anymore" Hange whispered to him "I'll be here for you if you need a shoulder to cry on" she assured him again kissing his cheek. Levi nodded again looking up at her tearfully, he was always so grateful for her support and never felt any judgement when he broke like this around her, she just always seemed to know what he needed without him having to say anything.

"Thank you Hange" he managed to say resting his head on hers

"You don't have to thank me Levi, we look after each other right, its always what we do" Hange said lovingly coaxing out a small smile from him again.

"Yeah, yeah we do" he agreed feeling some of his strength finally come back to him "Lets get out of here now, the water is getting cold" he decided and Hange nodded in agreement before following him out and wrapping a towel around them both. Levi embraced her again and kissed her softly hoping it expressed everything he couldn't say.

"My Hange" he breathed after they lied down on their bed together, Levi had her in a vice like grip as he kissed her neck repeatedly, Hange smiled at his tender touches and held him closer to her, letting him carry on for however long he needed.

"Always yours Levi" she purred in his ear making him shudder as he carried on showing her his affection.

Chapter Text

Armin was watching the scouts doing their training, Jean had been pushing the recruits to their limits, teaching them how to use the new ODM gear Armin had designed for them. He had hoped the new gear would help give them some advantages over the Marleyan army, he had designed it to be like Kenny and the Anti-Personnel Control Squads ODM, allowing for easier manoeuvrability and more up to date weaponry. He knew that Marley would outrank them in technology but he was hoping the strict training regimes that Jean had put in place for them would at least ensure minimal casualties if it came to a fight.

Jean saw him and walked over to him looking tired after being up so early, he had started the day by practicing on the new ODM gear himself learning how to use it and making sure there were no last minute problems with the design before they started training the recruits on how to use it. He did enjoy using it though, Armin proved once again he was a genius when it came to things he never would have considered when designing new gear. He had replaced the guns so they could fire multiple rounds before needing to be reloaded, he had designed somewhere for everyone to holster the thunder spears and had improved the inner mechanics of the gear as well to help the cables come out and retract faster than before. It had taken a little while to get used to the new gear but Jean soon mastered it and was impressed with how well it functioned.

"Good afternoon Commander, what brings you down here?" Jean asked him standing beside him as he watched the recruits trying to learn how to use the new gear as well

"How goes the training?" Armin asked him not taking his eyes off of his soldiers for a second, it was still odd seeing them using the new gear. It was even odder to see everyone in the black uniform instead of the jackets and capes they were so used to seeing, Armin knew it was for the best though, the jackets and capes would only slow them down and mess up their manoeuvrability, not to mention it might make it easier to spot them in the city, Armin had designed the uniform for stealth as black would help them blend in especially at night and the gear for speed so it would be harder for them to be shot at.

"Training is going slowly" Jean admitted with a sigh "Some recruits are getting there but some are struggling with the new speed the new gear is going at, their reactions are still a little slow for my liking but I'm sure they'll get there" Jean explained to him as they watched one of their men narrowly avoid crashing into a tree "I'm planning on taking them to Trost soon so we can use the new gear in a city based environment since that's where we'll probably be using it if we have to fight" Jean added making Armin hum in response "So what brings you down here Armin?" Jean asked him again.

"I just spoke with Commander Pixis, he has informed me that the Garrison has almost finished setting up the defences on the walls" Armin told him

"So we're one step closer to completing one stage" Jean said making Armin nod.

"I'm still uncertain as to how much it will help but its a start at least, the MPs seem to be on board for now" he informed him "I've put Nile in charge of making sure civilians are kept safe and away from conflict I want to avoid any unnecessary casualties"

"I see, sounds like the right thing to do Armin looks like you've got most things covered" Jean assured him noticing his friend looking agitated

"I hope so, its hard to prepare for every outcome especially when I don't know if Levi has told Marley anything yet" he sighed

"Any word from either of them yet?" Jean asked not expecting there to be any news.

"No not yet but from what I can gather from the Azumabitos spies, Levi is definitely in the military over there" Armin confirmed grimly

"Shit" Jean said under his breath, that was the worse possible outcome he could think of "So we might have to fight him" Jean concluded downheartedly

"Possibly if it comes to it yes" Armin agreed with a short nod "I want you and Mikasa to keep at it with the training, make sure everyone in the 104th elite squad is prepared for it if the occasion arises, I've got a few more things being designed to hopefully make it easier as well" Armin ordered.

"Right of course, I'll pass the message onto Mikasa when she comes back with Connie, Sasha and Floch" Jean assured him with a tired sigh

"Make sure you get some rest as well Jean, I don't want you burning out from working too hard" Armin said looking at his friend with concern

"Don't worry Armin I will, I might stop early today once I'm done here" he assured him "I'm more anxious about what could happen over there in Liberio now we know Levi is definitely working for them, will all of this be enough?" he wondered out loud.

"We can only prepare as much as we can fortunately Marley is still preoccupied with another war to pay attention to us so at this moment we still have some time" Armin told him trying to remain optimistic "As soon as I hear anything different I'll let you all know, we might have to act at a moments notice"

"Yeah I'll make sure we're ready don't worry commander" Jean told him defiantly and Armin gave him a small smile.

"Thank you Jean I appreciate it" Armin said gratefully as they continued to watch their recruits getting the hang of the new gear.

Chapter Text

It was the midway point of their training and the Warrior Candidates were sat outside in the training grounds waiting for Levi and Hange to show up, they were switching trainers today and were interested in learning things the others had been taught before them.

"Honestly working with Mister Levi looked like it was hard work, you two both looked like you were so exhausted when you came back from your training" Udo admitted looking at Gabi and Falco nervously, who were both standing side by side as a united force for the first time.

"His training is quite rigorous" Falco admitted "But the skills you learn are worth it, he's an excellent teacher" Falco gushed it was clear to everyone he admired Levi and his training.

"He must have done something right because you two have never looked so unified before, he must be a genius to get you two working together" Udo said in fascination

"He's definitely not like anyone else we've had for training" Gabi agreed "Where do you think he was trained, he's only just joined the Marleyan army but no one either knows or can't say where he's from" Gabi told them looking at them in excitement.

"Maybe he's like Hange and has been spying on the Mid East to help us win the war, it would make sense to get someone like that in to teach us" Zofia suggested

"Yeah that could be it, I mean Hange was in Paradis for years before she was able to come back" Udo agreed with Zofia's observations

"That does sound possible and it would explain why Mister Levi and Hange work so well together" Gabi added

"They've known each other a long time, I know that much because Mister Levi told me whilst we were cleaning" Falco told her.

They were all so intrigued by their new trainers, they knew Hange better because she was one of Marley's best and brightest soldiers she worked under Commander Maggath directly after excelling in both her practical and classroom tests, her reputation as the best spy Marley had in their arsenal didn't stop there, she was also responsible for designing the Cart Titans battle armour and making improvements to other weapons they used now. She was definitely someone to look up to, she had so much respect from her comrades that she was treated as a Marleyan even though she wasn't even a titan shifter.

Levi however was a complete mystery to them he hadn't really talked about his past to them and nobody seemed to know too much about him apart from his name, they knew he must have been important though, Commander Maggath didn't just choose to recruit anyone he always was looking for potential in his soldiers. Levi Ackerman must have been a capable soldier to be recruited so quickly.

"Mister Levi is definitely a capable soldier, even in training he's amazing" Falco said "But he also seems like he's had experience in training people before so maybe he's an old trainer who's just come back after a mission" he deducted

"Maybe he's teaching us the stuff he learnt about the enemies tactics" Gabi joined in excitedly making Falco smile back just as excitedly

"Maybe, it would make sense" he nodded eagerly

"Hey you two, they're coming" Zofia told them as they saw Levi and Hange walking down the path together, Hange's usual smile was on her face and Levi had his permanent scowl on his as they approached them, the four Candidates formed up next to each other and stood to attention as they stood in front of them all.

"At ease" Levi told them softly

"Good morning everyone" Hange said cheerfully "Ready for another day of training I know I am, we're swapping over today so Gabi and Falco your with me and Zofia and Udo you will be with Levi, alright lets get started" she told them with a grin starting to walk away.

"Not so fast four eyes aren't you going to tell them the news?" Levi asked her as he rolled his eyes.

"Oh right, forgot about that" Hange said as she made her way back

"What's going on sir?" Udo asked him

"The Marleyan army has requested your presence in the field earlier than we anticipated, which means you will be sent over to the front lines a week and a half from now" Levi informed them.

"Wait your serious?" Gabi asked him

"I am" Levi told them grimly

"Finally a chance to prove to everyone what we can do" Gabi exclaimed excitedly but settling down just as quickly after seeing Levi's reaction.

"This isn't a joke Gabi, this won't be like training you will be in the midst of a battle where any mistake could cost you" Levi reminded her

"Right sorry sir" Gabi said looking down at the ground guiltily

"Your training will be starting earlier and finishing later to make up for the time we have lost now that they have called you in" Levi explained to them "Make sure you pay attention to everything we teach you in this intensive course because after we're finished here, they want you to be dispatched the very next day"

"Which means we don't have a second to waste so lets go everyone" Hange encouraged gesturing for Gabi and Falco to follow her

"Alright you brats are with me, tell me what you've learnt so far so I know what to teach you" Levi ordered as they walked over to his training area.

"Well Hange has taught us how to set traps, gather intel and she has been encouraging me to learn more languages so I can talk to people who don't speak our language" Udo explained to him enthusiastically.

"What will you be teaching us sir" Zofia asked

"We'll start with hand to hand combat and take it from there once I find out more about you fighting techniques, from what Hange has told me and your reports your both good intellectually so now we're going to focus on your physical traits for now" Levi told them "Now I want you two to try and attack me using this" he said giving them the same stick he gave Falco a few weeks ago. Udo took it first and looked at him uncertainly.

"Whenever your ready brat we don't have time to spare" he told him gruffly waiting for him to attack.

Chapter Text

Levi was exhausted after teaching Zofia and Udo hand to hand combat so he got them to train by themselves for a while as he watched them from the side-lines and drank some water. This pair were easier in a way they actually worked together quite well and didn't argue at all, compared to Gabi and Falco the pair were a dream and Levi didn't think it would take to long to correct some minor flaws he saw in their technique, he almost missed Gabi and Falco's arguing at least it gave him something to focus on other than what was going on in his head.

He sighed softly as he took another swig of water, it was uncomfortably hot today and he found himself missing Paradis's cooler climate especially now that it was the hottest part of the day. Another reason he could be flustered though could be because of the heated conversation he and Hange had had with Commander Maggath before they started their training. Levi wasn't a stranger to sending kids off to fight before they finished their training but the idea was one that never sat well with him and he had argued that case with the Commander. It was a rather bold thing to do considering he hadn't been here that long really but if he was going to be responsible for sending these four brats off to fight he wanted to at least give them more of a fighting chance than others he had encountered in the past, to his surprise Maggath had agreed and said he would postpone it for another week and a half so that they could train them properly it still wasn't ideal but it was more than he was expecting.

"Alright that's enough you two take a break for a while" he ordered Udo and Zofia seeing how out of breath they were "Tch when you two are done today I expect you to clean your uniforms as soon as possible, they're filthy from where you've been rolling around in shit" Levi added as he passed them their water bottles.

"Yes sir we will sir" Udo said diligently before taking a long sip of water "Sir may I ask you a question?" Udo asked him suddenly making Levi raise an eyebrow, Hange had warned him already that Udo liked to ask questions.

"What is it brat?" he asked him impatiently

"Where did you learn to fight like this?, none of these are Marleyan fighting techniques so how did you learn to do it?" Udo asked curiously and he sounded so much like Armin that Levi paused for a moment before answering.

"My Uncle taught me when I was seven" Levi told him bluntly not wanting to give too much away, he didn't want the brats to find out who he used to be he wanted to be respected for who he was to them now, not judged because of where he came from. Besides the less they all knew the better if there was an attack from Paradis here and if they were taken hostages or questioned at least they wouldn't know too much about him.

"You weren't from Marley originally were you sir?" Udo asked him again

"I'm definitely from out of town yes" he affirmed with a nod

"Then how did you end up working here?" Udo said looking more and more curious

"I chose to leave after I had a disagreement with my family, I got the job shortly after" Levi lied again, although in a way it wasn't a complete lie either, he did choose to leave his old squad behind after all.

"So you were a soldier at your old home as well?" Udo deducted

"I'd rather not talk about it right now" Levi said in a sterner voice signalling he was starting to get uncomfortable with the questions

"But..."

"Udo, Mister Levi said he doesn't want to answer anymore questions, lets respect that" Zofia interjected making Levi nod his head gratefully

"Lets get back to training there's a lot more you brats need to learn" Levi ordered walking away hurriedly

"What was that about?" Udo asked looking at their trainer in confusion

"Well you were getting a bit personal with the questions, I don't think he likes talking about it, maybe its too painful for him" Zofia said looking at him as well with a mixture of curiosity and sympathy.

"Oh I didn't mean to upset him" Udo said guiltily running over to catch up with Levi "Mister Levi, I'm sorry if I upset you I didn't mean to" he apologised quickly, Levi jumped a little not expecting him to approach him so fast, fortunately he recovered quickly before anyone noticed.

"Its fine, its not your fault I just don't like talking about it alright" Levi told him before changing the subject "Right back to training now we're going to focus on how to tackle your opponent to gain the upper hand, watch closely" he ordered as he demonstrated the technique to them.

Chapter Text

During the reclamation of Wall Maria

Levi had just chased that bearded piece of shit back to the other side of the wall, he was covered in blood and his chest was so tight as he fought back his emotions and his ears were still full of the screams of his fallen comrades behind him, he was so angry that he had to watch them charge towards their deaths and was determined to make sure their deaths weren't in vain. He scanned the city of Shiganshina trying to find that damn quadrupedal titan, there was no sign of the Colossal titan he assumed the 104th were able to take care of him somehow when he heard the whirring of ODM cables, he turned to see Hange joining him on the top of the wall.

"Hange?..." he gasped lowering his swords as he saw her, he thought for sure she was dead after hearing that explosion earlier

"I lost my squad in the explosion, I managed to find somewhere to hide before he changed" she explained to him

"Its good to see your okay, the damn ape got away, between the two of us I think we might be able to take that quadrupedal titan out and kill the bearded piece of shit" Levi planned still trying to find him he supposed the quadrupedal might have changed back to a human to hide better, if that was the case they had to act fast.

"How many thunderspears have you got left?" he asked her softly

"I have a few stocked up in these crates over here" she told him pointing to the large boxes nearby

"Alright we should probably resupply before we go" he said realising he was almost out of blades and the gas for his gear was running on fumes at best, he would stock up quickly then take that Beast titans head whatever it took. He followed after Hange who had already made it to the crates and was crouched down to open one up "Everything alright four eyes?" he asked her noticing she was trembling slightly.

"Hmm yeah I'm fine...just nervous about what comes next" she told him softly

"Whatever happens I'll be by your side I promise" Levi said defiantly making Hange smile sadly at his words which he didn't quite understand, he chalked it down to the events of the battle, they had all been through hell today "You stock up first I'll keep watch" he ordered her turning around to keep an eye on their surroundings.

There was eerie sort of calmness looming around them at the moment which made Levi uncomfortable his instincts were still screaming at him that this wasn't over but he wasn't sure what it was they were warning him about, all he knew was that every cell in his body wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

"Hey Hange are you nearly ready?" he asked turning to face her when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen which had been caused by a knife piercing his flesh, the pain he felt though was dulled completely when he realised who the owner of the knife was "Hange?..." he gasped in shock falling hard onto the ground as she pulled the knife away just as swiftly and effectively as she had when she stabbed him, he immediately pressed his hand against the new wound gritting his teeth in pain as his head started to spin, either from blood loss or his thoughts screaming in his head.

"Shh, shh... I'm sorry about this Levi, I really am" she told him sadly as she knelt down next to him, taking his blades away from his gear so he couldn't fight anymore

"What the fuck are you doing?...Hange what?..." Levi groaned looking at her with confusion and betrayal written all over his features

"If I didn't do this then you wouldn't have ever stopped... we can't allow that to happen Levi" Hange told him sounding sad

"What are you... talking about?" he growled fighting to stay awake, his vision becoming blurry

"I'm a spy Levi, I was sent here to report on activity inside the walls" she confessed and her confession hurt more than any other physical affliction she could have put him through instead as his heart shattered into a million pieces in his chest.

"You... you lied to us...to me" he gasped in shock

"I had no choice... I really am sorry Levi, please don't follow after us" she told him sounding apologetic for what she had done to him before she got up and left his sight, leaving him alone and broken as he tried to process Hange's betrayal, before he had time to think though he heard Eren's voice yelling at a burned body on a rooftop, he was in no condition to move but he had to make sure the others were okay. He ripped up a piece of fabric from his cape and used it to bandage his wound for the time being and managed to use what little gas he had left to make his way over to Eren.

It had been a while since Levi had saved Armin instead of Erwin and his strength was waning, they had all regrouped on top of the walls again, Levi had been carried up here by Jean and Connie after an altercation with Eren and Mikasa had ended up with Mikasa attacking him and making the new wound Hange had given him worse, now he was leaning on a crate looking at a quadrupedal titan retreating away from the walls, carrying with them the Beast titan, Reiner Braun and Hange Zoe. He saw her look back and her eyes seemed to find him as they moved further and further away from him.

As soon as they were out of sight Levi let out a pained scream before passing out on the wall.

Present day

"Hange and Erwin were basically my support back there so when I lost them both...I got worse" Levi admitted to his therapist

"I see so there was nobody else you could talk to about your concerns over there?" she asked him and Levi shook his head

"No one who would have understood me like them" he sighed sadly "I'm grateful to have Hange back in my life at least" he admitted to her

"So you have no problems with her despite what she did that day?" she asked wanting to make sure

"No... I know she was just doing her duty so I've forgiven her, is that wrong?" he asked her

"No I don't think so, she definitely seems to care about you and you care about her there's no doubt in my mind about that, as long as your fine with her that's all that really matters isn't it" Doctor Jenner said honestly.

"Yeah I guess so... we've already talked it through with each other and she's helped me a lot with getting this set up for me and just helping me with my sleep and emotions" he told her.

"She loves you, it broke her heart to leave you behind I think" she told him truthfully

"I know it did, but we're together now and that's all that's important to me now" Levi decided knowing he meant every word of that.

"Hange's a very lucky woman to have a man like you"

"No, I'm the lucky one" Levi corrected her with a proud smile, his Hange was one of a kind and he wouldn't trade her for anybody else.

"Well its nearly the end of your session, is there anything else you would like to discuss?"

"Not really doctor, its a bit stressful training the brats at the minute since our schedules been changed now so they're being dispatched earlier but its nothing too hard to handle" Levi informed her

"I see and are you coping with the stress well?" she asked him wanting to make sure

"I think so overall...I had a slightly heated argument with the Commander about it but that's all and I think that was because I reacted to the news before I had time to process what I was doing, he didn't seem to mind too much and it gave us more time to train the brats" he admitted sheepishly.

"Is that why you think you lashed out because of the Candidates your responsible for?" she pressed making Levi lean back in his chair in thought

"Yeah I think your probably right doctor... I want to give them the best odds at surviving out there so when I heard that they were planning on shipping them off without their training being completed it got to me...guess I've seen what happens to people who fight without the correct training too many times and I didn't want it to happen to them"

"You seem to care a lot about the people your responsible for" she noticed

"Its my job after all" he told her defiantly daring anyone to challenge him about it

"I'm sure with the training they've received from you and Hange they will be as prepared as they can be out there" she assured him

"Yeah I hope so too, thanks doctor" Levi said appreciatively as he got up to leave as his session was over "Speaking of I should head back again we've got more training planned this evening, see you later doctor" he bid farewell before heading out again.

Chapter Text

Levi and Hange both staggered into their apartment together feeling exhausted after training, they only had just under a week left and the longer sessions had definitely felt more draining. There was just so much to teach the Candidates in a very limited amount of time and it was stressful trying to get them to perfect everything in the time frame they had, if it wasn't for Levi speaking against the militaries decision they would already be out on the field so they decided to be grateful for the time they were offered.

They were so tired that they barely made it to the bedroom and resorted to just stripping off their uniforms before collapsing under the covers in bed. Levi resumed his usual position and had his head on Hange's chest, just tucked up under her chin and his arms wrapped around her tightly while Hange absentmindedly played with his hair, this position had always helped to soothe him to sleep in no time and Hange always enjoyed the feeling of Levi this close to her anyway so it was a bonus for both of them.

They were asleep for a few hours before Levi started to shake and twitch in his sleep, his breathing became erratic as his facial features twisted into a look of fear and anxiety again as his mind plagued him with bad memories yet again.

"No...Hange" he murmured waking her up at the sound of his voice calling his name "No Han...Hange!" he yelled in pain, his arms started flailing like he was trying to block an attacker, Hange was immediately by her partners side holding him to her to console him.

"Levi, Levi its okay, its just a dream come back to me Levi wake up" Hange said in his ear shaking his shoulder to bring him back.

Levi woke with a gasp his eyes widening as he scanned the room like he was searching for whatever had attacked him in his sleep, his breathing was still frantic as he struggled to come back to her. Hange rocked him from side to side and reached out to hold his hand in hers squeezing it tightly to let him know she was here with him.

"Shh, shh, its okay Levi your safe now" she whispered comfortingly kissing his head softly as he started to come round again, his eyes slowly started to focus on her again and she smiled at him warmly "Hey shorty your back" she greeted him calmly kissing his head again. His hand drifted up her body to rest on her chest to check her heart was beating, staring into her eyes again and his slate grey eyes showed his nervousness.

"Your alive?" he breathed shakily needing her to confirm it to him, to assure him that this wasn't just a part of his nightmares and this was real and he was here with her.

"I'm alive Levi, I promise" Hange confirmed to him softly kissing all over his face, he sighed in relief leaning into her touch, her kisses making him feel loved and his skin on hers making him feel warm. Without even thinking about it he pinned her to the bed and straddled her looking at her hungrily, he leaned down to kiss her deeply.

"My Hange...mine" he breathed as he kept giving her pecks on the lips, his hands travelling to play with her breasts pinching her nipples and revelling in the gasp that escaped his beloved Hange's mouth. His lips travelled down her body kissing every inch of her skin as he started to pay her breasts special attention with his tongue, sucking on one of her hardened nipples expertly and swapping over to pay the other one just as much attention.

"Fuck...Levi" Hange gasped panting hard already as her hand carded through his hair as he continued his onslaught of passion on her body.

"Mine" he murmured softly after every kiss and bite on her skin, He looked up at Hange's flushed complexion feeling satisfied about how crazy he was obviously driving her.

"Levi... I need more...please" she begged him and Levi didn't think anything else could sound as arousing as Hange begging him to give her everything he had to offer her, so with a quick nod and a sly smile he carried on kissing her until he reached his prize, he kissed her inner thigh softly before looking up at her double checking to make sure this was still okay. Hange always loved how considerate he was of her feelings, he would always check before going any further with her and she found it incredibly sexy when he did it, she smiled at him and gave him a quick nod.

"You don't even have to ask Levi, I'm yours" she told him knowing full well he still would ask again every time, Levi was someone who would only find sex enjoyable if she was enjoying it too and would do anything necessary to make her comfortable. Her thoughts were interrupted by his tongue licking her fervently, his finger instantly finding that little bundle of nerves that had her moaning in pleasure instantly, he brought her closer to him enjoying her taste and lapping it up like a starved animal rubbing on her clit a little faster making her moan louder. He kept this up for what felt like hours, alternating his speeds to edge her several times before she was practically begging her for that sweet release which he finally granted her.

After she hit her climax and he had licked her clean eagerly he kissed up her body again before he made it back up to her lips kissing her again hungrily.

"My Hange" he moaned again resting his head on hers looking into her beautiful, warm eyes he found them so beautiful they were a stark contrast to his cold, grey eyes and he could get lost in their unique brown irises.

"Mmm, I'm yours Levi" she affirmed again caressing his face to plant a kiss of her own on his lips "And your mine Levi" she told him making him smile softly at the confirmation.

"I'm yours forever Hange Zoe" he promised her softly, she smiled at him as he gasped breathlessly feeling her hand stroking his hardened cock "Hange..." he groaned the feeling of her touching him making his brain short circuit and his thoughts turned to mush, the only thing that mattered now was her and what she was doing to him as he let out a groan that sounded more animal than human.

"Take me Levi" she whispered in his ear sultrily making him tremble at her words, he whined a little at the loss of contact as she took her hand away, he eagerly lined himself up with her entrance and as if on cue looked up at her again to make sure it was okay "Its okay Levi" she affirmed and that's all the reassurance he needed from her as he sank himself inside her deeply. Levi shuddered at the feeling of being inside her again, it didn't matter how many times they did this it always managed to overload his senses in the best possible way, Hange just seemed to affect him that way without even trying.

"Mine" he breathed again as he thrusted into her again slowly at first she held him in place and met his strokes pulling his hair to spur him on and go a bit faster which he happily obliged her quickening his pace with a low grunt of pleasure. He buried his face in her neck softly as he kissed and nipped the skin there still mumbling "Mine" like it was the only thing he could say, all while listening to what Hange wanted from him changing his pace based on her instructions, gods he loved this woman with every fibre of his being he'd do absolutely anything for her.

"Fuck Levi...I'm close" Hange breathed raking her nails along his back making him growl in pleasure as his muscles twitched

"Me to..." he panted "Together?"

"Yeah...just keep going Levi...don't stop" she ordered him desperately and Levi happily followed her order.

Once they hit their climaxes together, Levi collapsed on top of her giving her tender kisses as she held him in her arms tightly just enjoying the afterglow of what they had done.

"Well that was quite an intense session...what happened?" Hange asked Levi softly making him pause and look away in embarrassment

"I had a nightmare about you...you died that day in Shiganshina, you got caught up in Berthold's explosion and...you didn't make it out" he told her quietly, closing his eyes to shut out the memory of his dream, Hange reached out and touched his face lightly bringing him back to this moment with her.

"I'm still here Levi" she reassured him, making him nod in reply

"I'm glad you are" he admitted to her softly "I know that I hated watching you go after that damn battle but...I would take that any day over losing you entirely" he whispered kissing her hand softly.

"We have each other now, that's all that matters right?" she said softly bringing him in for another small kiss

"Yeah, your right" he mumbled in agreement giving her a small smile as he settled down again "I love you Hange" he said like he was telling her a secret

"I love you too Levi" she said back sweetly as they both drifted back to sleep

Chapter Text

The last day of training had finally arrived and everybody was anxious about what they would be doing before they headed out for their first real taste of war. Levi and Hange had apparently planned something special for it and the four candidates were wondering what it could be.

"Alright brats listen up" Levi's voice ordered making them stand to attention immediately "We're going to try catching the banner again but this time the rules have change" Levi told them cryptically.

"We've spent the last few weeks being trained by us, learning everything we know and now its time for you to really put those skills to the test" Hange said dramatically building the suspense.

"Instead of being against each other the four of you will be facing off against me and Hange" Levi told them with a sly smile "Other than that the other rules are the same, you will have ten minutes to discuss your strategies, hide your banner and then the final challenge will commence" Levi told them as Hange handed them their banner.

"Use your time wisely we won't be going easy on you either" Hange reminded them with a very mischievous smile which made all four of them wonder what their trainers had planned for them.

"Alright brats your time starts now, good luck your going to need it" Levi said mysteriously as he and Hange walked away to hide their banner.

The four Warrior Candidates turned to face each other all looking determined but feeling a little apprehensive about what Hange and Levi had planned for them.

"They're up to something that's for sure" Udo decided folding up their banner neatly to carry it better

"Which means we will have to rely on our new skills just like they said" Zofia agreed "I know of a spot we can hide our banner where it will be harder for them to spot follow me" she said walking towards the location with the overs in tow behind her.

"We need to figure out a strategy fast, Gabi, Falco you know Mister Levi better than we do, what do you think he will do?" Udo asked them

"I'd imagine he would hold back by the banner to take us down in a surprise attack whilst Hange gets the banner, he's the best at hand to hand combat so it would make sense for him to be defending" Falco determined as they helped Zofia hide the banner in a big dip in one of the trenches which had cover on all sides and would be quite hard to spot.

"What about Hange?, she had her rucksack again so I can only assume she'll be setting traps again like last time" Gabi added looking determined to win this time

"We will definitely have to tread carefully but I have a few traps of my own" Udo said as he got to work setting up the net trap from last time and also a few trip wires around the top of the trenches.

"I think we should split up that way if one of us gets captured or engaged by the opposition we still have a chance to reach their banner" Zofia said reaching out and taking out a map from her rucksack, they had all come prepared today so they were all feeling more confident.

"Right that sounds like a good idea, how about then Udo and I go this way and then you and Gabi go the other way, that way we can cover more ground and also we can meet in the middle here once we've finished navigating the trenches" Falco strategized following the route of the map.

"Sounds smart that way we have two members of each group who knows the two of them quite well" Gabi agreed with him which made Udo and Zofia look on in surprise. Gabi and Falco had definitely seemed to improve in working together, they were strategizing well and suggesting ideas together really well and it had taken Zofia and Udo completely by surprise.

"Udo, where do you think Hange would have any traps set if she laid any down?" Falco asked him urgently realising that they would have to start soon

"There's a forested area here where there are a load of trees, I'd imagine that's where they would have put their banner there's a stream protecting it from the front and bushes behind it, so with that in mind, she would probably have traps set up here by the entrance of the forest and also a few dotted about inside as well so we will have to tread carefully if we go in there" Udo recommended as the horn sounded meaning it was time to start.

"Alright lets go, good luck guys we'll see you at the checkpoint" Falco said after they packed their stuff away

"Good luck to you guys lets win this thing" Gabi agreed her fists clenched and her eyes shone with determination

"See you on the other side you two and remember be careful" Udo added before he and Falco set off in the direction they were supposed to be going in.

They had been walking a good distance away and the air had a great feeling of trepidation, like something was about to kick off at any moment, Falco couldn't help but think about it more and more as he saw the forest getting closer and closer towards them. It was way too quiet out here or his liking but a surprise attack definitely sounded like the way their trainers would go about this challenge, they had years of experience over them so it was only natural for him to be feeling like this.

"Okay hopefully the others will be here soon, we're making pretty good time so far, I'm going to scout the area whilst we're waiting" Udo said softly taking out his binoculars and preparing to climb out of the trench and crawl to the treeline to prevent himself from being seen as easily.

"Alright but be careful and stay low, don't stay out there for too long I'll whistle twice when the girls show up" Falco told him in a whisper not wanting to risk being overheard, something still wasn't sitting right with him but he couldn't put his finger on it. Udo nodded as he made his way up as quietly as he could as Falco watched from the side lines keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

Suddenly he heard something metal bouncing towards where Udo was crawling and realised what it was he gasped and his eyes widened

"Smoke grenade, take cover!" he yelled hoping the girls had heard him as well as the grenade went off swarming Udo in a thick cloud of white smoke "They know we're here" Falco said through gritted teeth, this is where it was going to get more difficult.

Chapter Text

Falco took cover as the cloud of smoke engulfed him, he heard another grenade rolling around on the floor and soon enough the fog got even thicker making it even harder to see anything in front of him.

"Udo, Udo are you there?!" Falco yelled out peaking his head out from the safety of the trench to search for him, suddenly he heard a mechanical sort of sound and ducked just in time to see a paintball explode inches away from his face. So they were using paintball guns to make it seem more realistic, this made it harder than he thought it was going to be. Falco decided to run to a different part of the trench to try and lose his attacker and also to get a better view of the land from a different point.

He heard Gabi and Zofia calling out for them and followed the sound of their voices, he knew he needed backup Levi and Hange weren't kidding when they said they weren't holding back, eventually he ran into the girls and they crouched down so they could catch their breaths.

"Where's Udo?" Zofia asked him realising he was missing as he looked around for him

"I don't know I lost him in the smoke attack, what about you?" he asked noticing their clothes were covered in dust

"We were walking the route we discussed when suddenly a mine blew up and blocked our path, Hange has traps set up everywhere in here" Gabi told him through gritted teeth

"I think Mister Levi is using a paintball gun to try and slow us down, from the angle it was shot at I think he's hiding in the trees" Falco said softly trying to come up with a plan

"What do you think we should do?" Gabi asked him curiously

"I think we should head to the forest, it makes sense for them to be hiding in there, Zofia you try to find Udo, Gabi and I will draw their fire away from you, we'll charge towards the woods first, you wait twenty seconds then you climb up to look for Udo" Falco decided

"Sounds good, here's a few smoke grenades I was able to find in a box further back" Zofia said handing him and Gabi a couple

"Thanks Zofia" Falco said gratefully as he out one in his pocket and kept the other one out to give them cover

"Good luck you too, don't come back without that banner" Zofia ordered them

"We won't we promise" Gabi told her confidently "Ready Falco?" she asked him

"As I'll ever be" Falco said as he pulled the pin on his grenade and threw it over on the field they waited a couple of seconds for the smoke to spread out before they both nodded to each other and sprinted out into the field "Gabi go right, I'll go left"" Falco called as he ran the opposite direction from her.

"Alright, see you there" Gabi called back before disappearing into the smoke.

Falco ran like his life depended on it, trying desperately to reach the trees, hopefully with the extra cover from the smoke Levi and Hange would have changed positions and gone deeper into the forest, preferably to where they were hiding their banner. Finally after what felt like forever he finally made it to the trees and hid behind the closest one looking around for Gabi, who whistled quietly to him to get his attention, she was crouching behind some bushes.

"You see either of them?" he asked crouching down next to her

"Not yet but I see the banner just up ahead, exactly where Udo said it would be" she said passing over the binoculars so he could see it, he took them and looked out through a small gap in the bush not wanting to give up all his cover, there it was hanging up on a tree branch proudly.

"I see it...crap they've captured Udo and Zofia" he whispered as he saw their two friends tied up and covered in paint from the paintballs "I still don't see Levi or Hange yet" he whispered as he scanned the area for them desperately.

"I suppose you thought strength in numbers was a good idea, I applaud you for making it this far but now your in the woods, which just so happens to be my home turf" Levi's voice called out to them as a gunshot sounded forcing Gabi and Falco to dodge away from it "Why don't you two just give up even with the two of you here you don't stand a chance" Levi taunted them as he fired again causing them to scramble again.

"What do we do...he's like a ghost I can't see him anywhere" Gabi said getting frustrated at the game Levi was playing with them.

"Use all your smoke grenades and climb the tree, I think he's in that one up there I saw something shiny coming from there" Falco pointed to the tree beside them

"Okay lets do it quickly" she whispered throwing the remainder of their grenades on the floor at once

"Clever move but now your out so now I just have to wait" Levi said confidently from above, he was definitely in that tree, Gabi grinned boldly and climbed up there as fast as she could, meanwhile Falco ran to the banner to distract him.

"That's your strategy Falco, I expected something more creative" Levi scoffed as he went to shoot him not realising that Gabi was right behind him until she kicked him in the back as she swung on the branch, making him drop his weapon.

"Give it up sir, its over" Gabi told him confidently "Run Falco he's unarmed!" she yelled at him making Falco pick up his pace as he sprinted towards the banner, Levi recovered quickly though and hit the detonator making the tripwire Hange set up activate and capture Falco.

Before Gabi had time to process what had happened Levi had swept her off her feet with a kick which sent her sprawling onto the floor roughly, she was grateful that the training grounds had soft flooring just in case of this sort of thing so she didn't get injured, Levi landed in front of her gracefully like a cat jumping from the tree.

"Three down one to go" he smirked smugly as Gabi got up "Ready for another round eh Braun, you haven't learned yet then I see" he scoffed again as she got into her fighting stance

"I'm going to win this time, just you wait sir" she said charging at him instantly, Levi blocked her first attacks looking like he was bored which only made her more frustrated, he was toying with her and it she had had enough of it.

"Come on Braun you can do better than this" he mocked her again trying to get a rise out of her, she knew what he was up to and ignored him trying to remember what Falco had taught her about Levi's stance, waiting for an opening to present itself.

There it was, his positioning was unbalanced just like Falco said it would be, now was her chance she realised. She dodged out of the way of his attack and grabbed his arm before kicking his feet out from under him, making him grunt in surprise as he went down. Gabi didn't even wait for him to hit the ground she just ran after the banner with everything she had.

She dodged past a craftily placed tripwire that was in her way, the same one that had caught her out last time, and with her teammates cheering her on she finally reached the banner. The four Candidates whooped in glee at their triumphant victory as the horn sounded declaring that the challenge was over. Gabi hurried over to help untie them all and the four of them hugged each other jumping around like they had eaten a gallon of ice cream, Levi cleared his throat looking at them approvingly.

"Well done all of you, you all did really well and Gabi congratulations on securing your teams victory, you have come a long way from where you started" he praised them all looking at them proudly.

"Its all because of your training sir, thank you" Gabi said giving him a respectful salute encouraging the others to do the same.

"Thank you all of you for your kindness but this is just as much your victory as it is mine, I am proud of how well you have improved" Levi told them giving them a salute of his own that was very different.

"Sir what does that mean?" Udo asked

"This is the salute we do back home its a sign of great respect, you all deserve it" he explained as he gave them the salute he had done many times in the Survey Corps

"Thank you sir" they all spoke saluting him back with the Scouts salute as Hange watched him fondly from a distance coming back after hearing the challenge was done, their training was finally over.

Chapter Text

It was the next morning and the four Warrior Candidates were waiting by the port for the ship that was preparing to transport them and Commander Maggath overseas to support their forces in the war against the Mid East Allied Forces. They were all dressed smartly in their uniforms and were busy checking and double checking their kit when they heard a voice behind them shout out, they turned around to see Hange waving frantically at them with a wide grin and Levi who was giving them his usual scowl with a small glint of kindness reflected in his eyes as he rolled his eyes at her as they walked over to them dressed in casual clothing, it was strange seeing them in civilian clothing all they had seen them in was their uniforms.

"Mister Levi, Hange san what are you doing here?" Falco asked as they ran over to greet them

"Oh just thought we'd see our model students before their departure across the sea and wish you luck" Hange explained ruffling his hair making it look untidy

"You brats better be careful out there I didn't spend all this time teaching you all my tricks so you could get shot at" Levi warned them with a glare but they could see the glint of pride and care he had for them so nobody took it seriously.

"We will Mister Levi, we'll make you proud sir just you wait" Gabi told him with a defiant grin as she clenched her fists in determination

"What about you two what will you be doing now training is complete?" Udo asked curiously

"We don't know yet we haven't had any orders yet, who knows we might be sent on a mission ourselves at some point" Hange told them

"Tch if you brats hurry up and show these soldiers how to win a war we won't be expected to do anything at all" Levi scoffed humorously

"We'll try our best sir" Falco said with a small smile as they were approached by Commander Maggath

"Ah looks like the Commander is on his way, guess its time for you guys to leave" Hange said as she noticed him walking towards them all

"Stay safe out there brats" Levi told them feeling a little uneasy about letting them go even after all the training they had done, he was starting to get the same anxiousness he got when he used to go out on expeditions with new recruits for the Scouts, knowing that some of them wouldn't return when they went home. He shook those thoughts out of his head, he had to put on a brave front for them, he knew that they must have been feeling just as anxious about going as he was but they had faith in their training so at least that was something.

"Any extra advice before we head out?" Zofia asked them both.

"Just remember your training and rely on each others strengths, you know each other well enough by now to utilise each other in any situation you find yourselves" Hange advised them with a kind smile as they all nodded at her advice.

"Don't do anything stupid or try to be a hero, that's when you make mistakes that endanger lives" Levi told them seriously

"We'll look out for each other, thank you Mister Levi and Hange san for all your help" Gabi said surprising everyone at her new attitude, that had been the biggest change during the training and it definitely was a positive one, Gabi was still the same determined, spirited girl she had always been but she was more disciplined now and was trying her best to rein in her emotions more so they didn't cause her to make a mistake.

"That's good to hear Gabi, well good luck out there you four, we'll be looking forward to hearing about you all in the reports" Hange said with a small nod

"Good luck brats" Levi added gruffly as Maggath finally reached them making them all stand to attention dutifully

"Good morning Candidates are you ready to join the frontlines?" Maggath greeted signalling for them to stand at ease and relax for now

"Sir yes sir" they all responded as one looking at him with determination

"That's good to hear, our ship will be leaving in five minutes so lets get on board now, Colt will be waiting for you on the top deck" Maggath instructed making sure they were paying attention to his instructions.

Falco's eyes had lit up after hearing that his brother was here waiting for them now, he had already been out there fighting for months now with the other Warriors so he was surprised to hear he had been ordered to come back, he must have been sent here to help fill them in on what was going on out there he deducted.

"Alright all of you lets move out now" Maggath ordered them as he turned right and marched down the port ahead of them before they did the same, Levi and Hange followed on behind them wanting to see them head out before leaving.

As soon as they got to the ship, Colt was waiting for them by the steps that helped them onto the ship he smiled warmly at his fellow Warrior Candidates and gave them a small wave as they all started clambering onto the ship to see him.

"Hey guys its good to see you all, how have you been?" he greeted them as he ruffled Falco's hair affectionately

"Not bad, we've been training hard for months now" Falco told him smiling at his big brother widely, he had missed him while he had been away, he had been learning from the war chief himself on the frontlines in preparation for taking over that mantle in the future so he had been away for quite some time "What about you Colt, what have you been doing while you've been away?" Falco asked him curiously looking at him in admiration.

Before Colt could answer he felt a hand on his shoulder and somebody else answered for him

"Your brother Colt has been doing exceptionally well learning everything he needs to know to take over my spot one day, dare I say he may be better than me one day" War Chief Zeke Yeager told them with a small smile.

"Chief Zeke, what are you doing here?, I thought you were out there with the other Warriors" Gabi exclaimed excitedly at being in the presence of one of her heroes, it was understandable why he was though, up until Zeke inherited the Beast Titan Marley had never had such an impressive and ruthless and successful Warrior, it had helped him gain a lot of favour in the military and had also secured him the position of War Chief in record time as well as making him the one titan people all over the world feared the most, with the exception of just one soldier. Gabi admired all the Marleyan Warriors but Zeke was definitely the one she aspired to be like the most, she wanted to be just as famous and valued as he was.

"I just stopped by to have a chat with the Commander and the Brass about a plan I've been working" Zeke told her with a warm smile "I hear you've been busy with training" he mused.

"Yes, Hange san and Mister Levi have taught us everything we need to help you all beat our enemies so we're ready to help you in any way we can" Gabi explained excitedly grinning widely.

"Hange and Levi you say?" Zeke asked sounding surprised to hear one of those names but covering it up well

"Uh huh they're in the port over there" Udo said pointing to where they were standing

"I see, well let me go down there and thank them personally for doing such a splendid job training you all" Zeke said kindly, excusing himself so he could go over and see for himself if it was the same Levi from that blasted island, the same Levi who had cut him up like mincemeat and made him look like a complete failure in front of his comrades that day in Shiganshina. As he got closer there was no denying that it was definitely him standing beside Hange, Levi Ackerman was here in Liberio, but when did that happen and since when did he forgive Hange for her betrayal?, so many questions were reeling in his head right now at seeing the sight of his most hated foe.

Zeke cleared his throat as he got closer making Hange gasp when she saw it was him and Zeke revelled in the tension he caused to build up in Levi almost instantly as those grey irises locked on him, fury raging in those eyes like a wildfire, he had his fists clenched and his jaw locked as he made a low growl in the back of his throat.

"Long time no see Levi" Zeke snickered at his reaction giving him a sly smile.

Chapter Text

Levi was stood there in shock as Zeke stood there in front of him with a smirk plastered over his very punchable face. Those memories of Shiganshina came flooding forward in Levi's mind leaving him paralysed to the ground as he gritted his teeth, trying to fight back the flashbacks that were threatening to overwhelm him any second now.

"Long time Levi, I must admit I wasn't expecting to see you here of all places" he mused studying Levi like he was some sort of experiment, Levi stared up at him in anger not satisfying him with an answer.

"I'd love to know what your doing here but, I can already assume it has something to do with Hange here, how you must have missed her after all this time" Zeke spoke again with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"He's on our side now Zeke, he works for Marley now and you should treat him with more respect" Hange ordered him defending Levi while he still processed everything he was going through in his head.

"I'm surprised you believed him so quickly Hange, usually your more suspicious than that, ahh well love does do some strange things to people, we would know all about that wouldn't we Hange?" he smirked making Levi narrow his eyes suspiciously.

"What are you doing here Zeke, I heard you were getting your ass kicked by the Mid East" Hange snapped at him impatiently, she had had enough of his taunting. Out of all the Warriors in Marley she despised Zeke the most, he was manipulative, cunning and could be cruel when he wanted to be.

"I'm here to talk to the Commander and the other members of the brass on some new ideas I've been working on, should stop the fighting a lot faster than anticipated and with better results than our normal tactics, I want to discuss it with them to get the go ahead on it" he explained to her looking all proud of himself "That way we can get back to the task at hand, destroying that island full of devils" he smirked looking back at Levi who was giving him a murderous glare.

"It should be even easier now that one of their greatest defenders has deserted, how very honourable of you Levi, turning your back on your home in favour for the very people who forced you all to live like that, did you really get that bored over there with no titans to fight?" he mocked him.

"I'd watch your tone if I were you Yeager, even out here I can still tear you apart as easily as I did on the battlefield" Levi threatened him with clenched fists.

"Ah but then you wouldn't set a very good example to your new trainees would you, such a shame they admire you so much, if only they knew where you came from" Zeke reminded him looking back at the four Warrior Candidates Levi had invested so much time and effort in to training them, they all seemed in good spirits despite the fact that they would be sailing off to a warzone soon "I can't wait to see how well they do now they've been taught by the great Levi Ackerman, lets hope they don't have to let hundreds of people die in order to complete their objectives hmm that would be embarrassing" Zeke taunted him again and this time Levi didn't hold back and went to punch him in that smug face of his.

Fortunately Hange intercepted him and managed to hold him back somehow, she looked into his eyes, silently asking him to resist and after a slight struggle Levi finally listened to her and stood down, breathing hard as he glared at Zeke again.

"I think its best if you leave Zeke, your doing more harm than good here" Hange instructed him trying to keep her voice as calm and steady as she could.

"As you wish Hange, besides I wouldn't want to ruin the rest of your day babysitting our deserter there" he smirked "If you ever change your mind about wanting to be with him don't forget about my proposal it still stands after all" he chuckled cruelly.

"I've told you already Zeke I'm not interested now fuck off before I'm forced to remove you myself" she ordered him again

"Oh I know but don't forget my offer is still there" he reminded her again before skulking away from them.

Hange breathed a sigh of relief as she turned to check on Levi again who was still glaring in the direction he had disappeared to, his jaw was locked and his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. Hange reached out to hold his hand and squeezed it gently to bring him back to her, he stared at her coldly still struggling to recover from that encounter.

"Lets go home" she said to him softly as she dragged him away from the port slowly and led him back to their apartment, she unlocked the door and got him inside quickly.

Levi was so agitated that he started pacing around the place, his mind was working a mile a minute as he tried to process everything. Hange let him as she sat down on the sofa just waiting for him to come back in his own time. It seemed like forever but finally he knelt down before her on the sofa, bowing his head lowly, refusing to look at her.

"What proposal was he talking about?" Levi asked her first, wanting to know what he meant by that offer he was making.

"Before I left to go to Paradis, Zeke and I were close, we used to work together a lot on the field as cadets and since we both had similar minds he would often help me with experiments and theories and things" Hange explained to him carefully "We were starting to get close but then I was assigned to go to Paradis and he became the Beast Titan...after he inherited that power he became different, he was more driven to do very violent things in order to help him climb the ranks faster...I didn't agree with his new way of doing things and we drifted apart" Hange stopped to see Levi listening intently to the story "The night I was due to leave he confronted me and confessed he had feelings for me and that he would wait for me to come back to start a relationship if it was something I wanted, I said nothing to that back then because I was leaving for a mission I wasn't entirely sure I'd be coming back from..."

"And now?" Levi asked softly staring at her with so many mixed emotions, Hange looked back at him and saw the panic he was trying to cover up, he was actually nervous about her wanting Zeke over him.

"Well that was all before I want to Paradis and found a stubborn, clean freak shorty who stole my heart" she told him truthfully holding his face in her hands and brought him in for a long passionate kiss "I fell in love with you Levi and I don't plan on being with anybody else, so Zeke can say what he wants he's not the one I want to be with...it will always be you" she confessed to him between pecks on the lips.

"You mean that?" he asked her softly looking at her with a softened look on his face

"I do I promise" Hange told him with a small smile.

Levi looked up at her before caressing her cheek and bringing her in for another passionate kiss, making her lean back on the sofa again much like the first time they made love in this apartment together.

"I want to be with you as well Hange...I trust you and if that bearded bastard thinks he can get in between us I'll make him pay" Levi promised her through gritted teeth

"I know you hate him, but try not to act too rash around him he'll use whatever he can against you in order to make himself look good in front of the brass and some of them are still a little suspicious of you" Hange warned him cupping his cheek in her hand to soothe him, Levi stared back down at her clearly fighting his desire to hunt him down straight away or follow her instructions.

"Alright I'll listen to your advice...but as soon as he starts to fuck up, I'm going in for the kill" Levi vowed not taking no for an answer

"I know you will, just make sure you choose your moment carefully please Levi" Hange insisted looking at him with a worried expression, she knew how much Levi hated him and she knew Zeke would definitely try to use that to his advantage, she was afraid that Zeke would try to ruin Levi's reputation by taunting him enough that he would end up doing something rash.

"I'll be careful Hange, I promise" Levi assured her before pinning her onto the sofa again and kissed her again "My Hange" he purred again looking at her greedily, eager to help her remember that.

"Always yours Levi" Hange agreed bringing him closer to her not wanting to wait to see what he had planned next

Chapter Text

A few weeks after the reclamation of Wall Maria

Levi was discharged from the medical ward after his wound from Hange's knife had been treated and healed properly, he wandered the quiet halls of the Scout headquarters silently, like he was a ghost haunting the halls of an abandoned castle. He still felt the pain where Hange had stabbed him but it was nothing compared to the emotional pain he was feeling, the Scouts had been completely decimated with only a handful of them left alive, the chain of command was completely shattered and Hange, Hange had been an enemy the entire time and he hadn't even noticed.

Had his love and desire for her clouded his judgement of her?, she was always so thoughtful and caring though or so he thought, his Hange was just a mirage, a façade she had conjured up in order to carry out her mission. He should hate her, she betrayed the Survey Corps and everything they stood for and left him heartbroken and alone. Losing Erwin was hard enough but watching Hange leaving with that hairy piece of shit who had killed so many of his comrades had completely broke him. Now despite there being a handful of them left in the Corps, Levi had never felt so alone, his heart was mourning the loss of his oldest friend and commander whilst also yearning for the love of an enemy who was separated from him by the sea.

Levi sighed as he kept walking back to his room, as he got closer he saw an MP standing around glaring at him.

"Captain Levi" the soldier said his name in disdain

"What do you want soldier?" Levi asked tiredly not really in the mood to talk to anyone

"My brother was one of the recruits you sent to die" he told him accusingly squaring up to him, Levi winced slightly at his statement his heart sinking at the revelation.

"I'm sorry" he said sincerely looking down at the floor not feeling strong enough to look at him as he felt himself start to panic, he wasn't in a good enough headspace right now to handle a confrontation like this. He clenched his fists trying to control his emotions as the other soldier got closer towards him "Excuse me" Levi whispered trying to get past him but he grabbed his arm and pulled him back, taking Levi by surprise.

"They died because of you and you have nothing to show for it, my parents can't even bury my brother so how come your the one who gets to come back every time and not my brother huh!" he yelled in Levi's face.

"I couldn't save them..I'm sorry, if there was another way I would have" Levi tried to appease him

"You couldn't save anyone even if you wanted to, hell you couldn't even save the Commander or Hange Zoe, I bet you didn't feel anything when they left you..." the MP was cut off by a punch to the jaw, he grabbed it and looked back at Levi in shock, before he could react Levi attacked again kicking him to the ground before stalking over to him with murder in his eyes.

Levi snarled like a wild animal as he hit the soldier over and over again not holding back any of his strength, his fists breaking skin and bone with every punch he landed on his face, the man was collapsing onto the floor fighting to stay conscious but that wasn't enough to satisfy Levi or his bloodlust and he grabbed his jacket to keep him upright as he carried on his violent punishment, letting out a broken cry as he did.

Eventually Jean, Armin and Connie heard the commotion and ran over to help the unfortunate victim of Levi's attack, all three of them tried to pull him off but it was like Levi was made of lead and wouldn't budge.

"Captain..Captain, your killing the man, you need to stop" Armin shouted at him through gritted teeth as all three of them pulled him off with all of their strength, Levi was screaming bloody murder as the three Scouts held their Captain back desperately Levi's fists were covered in blood, tears were streaming down his face and he looked feral as he thrashed around in the Cadets grasp.

"Please calm down sir, your not well" Jean ordered him, pulling him away more and holding him in place as he screamed again in pain but didn't resist realising what he had done to the bloody man splayed out on the floor not moving.

Eventually Levi calmed down enough that Jean relaxed his grip on him while Armin went over to check on the other soldier.

"He's alive and unconscious but he's in bad shape we need to take him to the infirmary now, Connie come with me, Jean take the Captain to his room and don't let him leave" Armin ordered before turning to lift the MP up with Connie's help.

A few days later

"Levi Ackerman, you stand here on trial today after being accused of unprovoked assault on a member of the Military Police, how do you plead?" Premier Zachary asked looking down at him from his seat in the courtroom.

Levi looked up from where he was kneeling down on the floor, his hands were in chains to stop him from lashing out at anyone else.

"Guilty sir, I know what I did was wrong" Levi spoke softly knowing this wasn't going to end well for him either way

"I see, now that you have confessed to the crime of unprovoked assault I'm sure your aware that the punishment for this crime is immediate discharge from the military" Zachary explained to him.

"I see, if that is my punishment then so be it" Levi said tiredly looking down at the floor in shame, he hadn't meant for any of this to happen he had just gotten so overwhelmed by everything that he had seen red and now it was going to cost him everything.

"Sir may I interject?" Armin's voice sounded from behind Levi, he looked over to see him and the 104th standing around him looking determined as they all walked over together as one in an attempt to assist their Captain.

"What did you have to say Commander Armin Arlert?" Zachary asked him curiously.

"We understand what Captain Levi has done is wrong and should have a consequence of course, however in the midst of our discovery of the new information found in Doctor Yeagers basement I think it would be highly unwise to discharge one of our best soldiers at this time, the entire world is poised to strike Paradis at any moment and we must appear united and show them strength if we are to stand a chance against them, discharging Captain Levi would be unwise at this moment I feel" Armin explained to him.

"Arlert what are you doing?, I fucked up stop trying to defend me" Levi thought in his head not understanding why he was taking such a big risk to defend him when he was clearly in the wrong.

"I see, what would you suggest then Commander?" Zachery asked him curiously raising his eyebrows expectantly

"I suggest we keep him in the Survey Corps for now, he will spend a few weeks in a cell to serve time for his crime, afterwards I will give him a strict new regime to follow and give him the opportunity to prove himself to you again, I will give him the role of training the new recruits and when the time comes I would like to take Captain Levi with us on our first expedition to the sea" Armin suggested

"And you are certain yourself and your soldiers here will be able to take care of him if it comes to it?" Zachary asked

"I have worked alongside these people since the beginning sir there is nobody else I would trust more than the group of soldiers standing here with me" Armin told him confidently with a look of determination.

"Very well, Captain Levi for your crime of assault on a member of the Military Police you will be put in a cell for three weeks and after that you will be expected to prove yourself to be a reliable, honourable member of the Survey Corps, if you fail to prove this then you will be demoted and dishonourably discharged from the military, everybody dismissed" Zachary decided standing up from his seat as he walked away.

Two members of the Military Police took responsibility of escorting Levi to the cells to serve his sentence, he felt awful as he walked in silence between the two other men, his chains rattling with every step he took as they got closer to the cells. Levi knew he had gotten out of that a lot more lightly than he should have and he wasn't too sure how he felt about that, he had no idea what Armin was thinking, he had fought so hard to keep him in the Corps but for what?, he wished he knew the answer to that.

"Alright stop here" one of the MP's ordered him and Levi stopped immediately looking around as to where they had taken him.

"These aren't the cells, they're still over there" Levi pointed towards the steps leading to the cells looking confused.

"We just have a few things we want to straighten out with you first" the other MP clarified as they moved over to face him head on

"What is it?" Levi asked with narrowed eyes not liking what was going on or how the two men were looking at him with a cruel glint in their eyes.

"This is for our comrade" one of them growled before kicking Levi so hard they sent him flying into the wall making him groan in pain. He didn't even have time to register what had happened before they had him surrounded and were beating him relentlessly with no sympathy.

"This is what you get for being a worthless murderer, you killed your Commander you deserve nothing but pain" one of them snarled at him kicking him as hard as he could as Levi cried out in pain again, curling up into a ball to try and offer some protection from their attack.

"I didn't mean it...I'm sorry...I'm sorry" Levi whimpered pitifully as tears fell down his cheeks and his chest tightened as he started to have a panic attack.

This cruel punishment lasted for what felt like hours until all that remained of the usually strong, unbreakable Captain of the Survey Corps was a scared, broken shell of a man, who was still whispering apologies about killing his closest friend Erwin. The two soldiers were eventually satisfied with what they had done to him and dragged him to one of the cells, throwing him in there roughly and slamming the door behind them making Levi jump at the sound.

"I'm sorry Erwin...I didn't mean to...Hange... Hange I need you" he pleaded to the only person who he allowed to comfort him but of course she never came to help this time leaving Levi a vulnerable mess huddled up on the floor, he called for her one more time anyway before passing out feeling exhausted from the days events.

Present day

"That happened a lot after that first time...I deserved it though, I hurt a lot of people because of that battle" Levi admitted to Doctor Jenner

"I see, Levi from what you are telling me I am led to believe you have something we call survivors guilt, it is pretty common to see in soldiers who have come back from war especially when they have come back from a battle where there have been huge casualties" Doctor Jenner explained to him and Levi nodded in response.

"I see, I do carry a lot of guilt with me from my time being in the Survey Corps...it was never easy being the only one who gets to come back alive each time, I tried to keep telling myself their sacrifices weren't for nothing but...it never feels like what I do is enough" Levi admitted to her softly his fists clenched as he tried to control his emotions "That man, Zeke Yeager has a lot to answer for, I nearly had him, I could have killed him that day but I hesitated and now Erwin and everyone else's sacrifice was for nothing" he hissed through gritted teeth.

"I can see that that decision weighs quite heavily on you Levi" Doctor Jenner noticed writing that down in her notes

"Every damn day, I saw him when the brats were sent away to battle...all I felt was complete hatred towards him, I want him dead but now I'm on the same side as him and I'm not sure what to do now" he told her looking down with a defeated sigh "He and Hange have a history as well...he still has feelings for her I'm pretty sure"

"Are you concerned something might happen between them?" Jenner asked him making Levi think for a few minutes before shaking his head.

"No... I trust Hange but him, I won't let him take her away from me, not a second time" he vowed his eyes burning with defiance.

"Well as you have said you are working in the Marleyan army, just as he is, so I will talk to Commander Maggath about your concerns when it comes to working with him, with your permission of course" she offered and Levi nodded at that.

"If you think it will help then I'll let you try it" Levi told her "But I still want to kill him" he added

"We will have to work on that in your next session" Jenner told him, waiting for his response cautiously, he seemed like a different person as soon as Zeke Yeager came up in conversation and she started to see why people would fear Levi Ackerman as an enemy, his eyes had a controlled aggression about them which seemed to stare right into your very soul as he did as he watched you with fierce intensity.

"As you wish" Levi said as he stood up to leave "See you next time Doctor" Levi nodded curtly before skulking out of the room, leaving her to let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding.

Chapter Text

It had been roughly two weeks since the four Warrior Candidates had been sent away to the frontlines and Levi was left bored and unsure of what to do next, he still did his usual routine of cleaning the apartment, working out so he kept in shape and still attended his therapy sessions whenever they were scheduled but that was about all he had left to do here. He was starting to feel restless and knew he needed to find an outlet for it sooner rather than later, Ackermans were never ones to stand around and do nothing Levi had found out, in that regard he and Mikasa were very alike, back on Paradis it wouldn't be uncommon for Levi and Mikasa to both be the last ones to leave the training grounds in the evening.

But now Levi was struggling to occupy his time productively, Paradis was the polar opposite to Liberio, back home the enemy was literally knocking on the doors trying to get in leaving very little time to rest, in Liberio however, the fighting was taking place a whole ocean away from here.

"Tch no wonder the people here have no problem glorifying war" Levi thought to himself as he read the newspaper Hange had picked up this morning, all talking about how Marley's valiant soldiers were trampling the enemy underfoot and how the Warriors were an unstoppable force to anyone that got in their way. Levi scoffed at the paper as he read more of the news.

It was easy to glorify war when you are too far away to smell the blood and death that resulted in the aftermath of a battle. Levi could remember those days well, when he would return with less than half the men he had set off with, he still remembered the bloody, lifeless expressions of his old squad after their fight with the Female Titan and he remembered how in order to save what little survivors they had left he had ordered soldiers to dump the bodies of his fallen comrades just to buy them a little more time to escape from the clutches of the titans who were gaining on them. He still remembered the guilt he felt seeing Petra's body being tossed off the wagon after he had made that decision, he was supposed to be the one to protect them but his squad had died for a little brat that had changed into a barely recognisable person these days.

Eren had changed so much since then it scared him a little, how the angry kid wanting revenge for what the titans had done to his mother had turned into a reserved, despondent man who even Levi couldn't read anymore was beyond him, but somehow he understood his frustrations with the way Paradis had been run, it had always annoyed him how the MPs and the pompous fucks that were in charge got all the praise and were revered to most as heroes, when it was the Scouts that risked their lives every day for humanity and their right to freedom and got next to no recognition for it until the reclamation of Wall Maria.

Even then Levi had learned the hard way that despite their victory and the publics renewed support in the Scouts, there would always be people who would hate them even after everything they had been through to achieve that goal, he had the scars to prove it and had even lost hope as a result of his treatment there for so long and he suspected that Eren had thought the same, especially after his fathers memories of how other Eldians had been treated here.

Levi was brought out of his train of thought by a knock on the door he got up to answer it and found a Marleyan soldier standing outside the apartment.

"Can I help you?" he asked the man who was looking him up and down like he was a piece of meat he had just carved up

"General Maggath would like to speak to you in private" he instructed Levi who nodded in response

"I see I will make my way there now, thank you" he replied curtly

"I'm sorry sir I'm to escort you there to save time" the soldier told him

"Very well, lead the way then" Levi sighed, he was hoping he could have gone alone that way he would have had time to clear his head on the way.

He followed the soldier to where he was taking him and they ended up entering an Internment zone to save some time walking to Maggath's office the long way round, Levi hated the Internment zones they reminded him too much of the Underground, the way these Eldians had to live appalled him as he looked at the amount of unclean, starving people were here.

"Hey, watch where your going, you damn devils" the soldier escorting him barked at two kids who had ran in front of him, nearly tripping him up, he raised a hand to hit one of them but Levi quickly intervened and grabbed his hand, holding it in place tightly making the man hiss in pain.

"I don't think there is any need to hit them just for running into you now is there?" Levi told him in a deadly calm voice before shoving him out of the way and kneeling down in front of the children who looked at him in shock "Are you two brats alright?" he asked them softly

"Ye...yes sir" one of them stuttered nervously

"Good now make sure you look where your going next time alright" Levi told them sternly but kindly and they nodded sheepishly

"Sorry sirs" they both said in unison

"You brats look hungry, here take this and buy yourself some food" Levi ordered them before giving them some money, before the other soldier could protest Levi sent him a glare to silence him before turning his attention back on the two boys in front of him.

"Woah, thank you sir" the older boy said before they ran off to the market nearby excitedly

Levi watched them go as he stood up a few other Eldians stood around them in shock before the soldier escorting him had to ruin it

"What are you devils all looking at, get back to work all of you!" he bellowed at them making them all scramble away frantically making Levi sigh in disappointment at his behaviour.

"You should do better to remember that these people are devils sir, they are not to be trusted" he reminded Levi sternly making Levi scoff

"I've been surrounded by dangerous people my entire life, was trained and raised by the worse of the worse to fight and survive in a shithole similar to this one, I know a bad person when I see one and these people are the furthest away from that that I have ever seen" Levi retorted as he walked away.

"Even so sir, all these people are subjects of Ymir and could reek havoc if they wanted to many Marleyans lost their lives to these devils and their titan forms in the Great Titan War, if we slip up now they could gain an opportunity to rise up and oppress us all again" he argued marching up to him again to lead the way again.

"Tch right like your all doing to them now" Levi thought in disgust but bit his tongue from saying anything like that instead saying "Tch I doubt two boys their age are going to be thinking about taking down Marley, besides they can't turn into titans without that syringe you keep, unless there's another Titan Shifter hiding here" Levi pointed out.

"Just don't get too comfortable around them sir, they might seem harmless but you never know what they're capable of" he warned Levi again.

"I'll take my chances, I'm sure I can handle it" Levi told him in amusement, if only this man knew exactly who he was talking to right now. If he was back on Paradis nobody would even think twice about Levi doing anything let alone question him like this man had been "Anyway, now the excitement is all over shall we continue our walk, I'd hate to keep the General waiting any longer" Levi suggested gesturing for the soldier to lead the way.

"Yes sir, right away" he agreed walking him towards Maggath's office at a faster pace

Chapter Text

Levi knocked on the door to Maggath's office with a sense of nervousness not knowing what to expect, he suspected it was a new assignment since it had been two weeks since the four Warrior Candidates had been shipped off to the frontlines, he was curious about what he would be doing next and if it was something that would get him out and about again he was happy to do it.

"Come in" he heard Maggath's gruff voice say from the other side of the door and Levi opened the door and stepped inside, he stood to attention and saluted respectfully awaiting further instructions from the Commander.

"At ease Ackerman, take a seat" Maggath ordered softly gesturing to one of the seats opposite his side of his desk, Levi nodded slowly as he headed towards one of the chairs and sat down crossing his arms and looking at Maggath expectantly through narrowed eyes.

"Something on your mind Ackerman?" he asked Levi with a raised eyebrow

"I'm just surprised to see you back so soon after you departed for the front lines sir, guess I'm curious as to what's brought you back so quickly" Levi admitted to him with a shrug.

"Your right I am back here earlier than expected but that's only because I am to organise the departure of the next unit of troops" he explained to Levi and Levi nodded like that answer was acceptable to him "The four Candidates you and Hange trained have turned out better than we could have hoped for and for that I am grateful otherwise I would never have felt comfortable enough to come back" Maggath updated him on the Warrior Candidates progress.

"Well it was our job to prepare them" Levi said bluntly despite how proud he did feel hearing the four brats were doing well.

"You did a better job than I could have hoped for, if it wasn't for those four we wouldn't have made quite as much progress as we have" Maggath said as proudly as Levi felt.

"They're good kids, smart too, I have no doubt they are doing well" Levi mused "But this isn't what you wanted to talk to me about sir, so what is it?" Levi asked bringing the conversation back on track.

"Straight to the point huh, I like your style, alright Ackerman you are to be assigned to Hange's unit to assist in the war effort overseas" Maggath told him watching his reaction curiously, Levi leaned back in his chair taking in that information.

"I see, I am obviously ready to serve and do my part of course...but what about my therapy?, it isn't complete yet" Levi asked him concerned about that.

"Me and your doctor have discussed that matter and we have decided to hold more sessions after the war is over, we need your assistance right now Ackerman, as a compromise I have put you and Hange in a squad together so she can keep an eye on you whilst your away, if she feels like your mental state isn't holding up she can decide what best to do in that moment" Maggath explained

"I see...then what do you need me to do sir?" Levi asked him slightly reluctantly still.

"I need you and Hange to assist in taking down the last of the Mid East Allied Forces, we have managed to get them on the run, but now they are all hiding out in bases that our men and Titan shifters can't get close to due to their numbers and Anti Titan weaponry, we reckon a small squad of elite soldiers should be enough to infiltrate and eliminate the rest of the forces in the base, that's where you and Hange will come in you will both be in charge of that team" Maggath explained to him and Levi nodded.

"So you want us to go inside and take them all down from the inside, sounds simple enough" Levi replied with a nod

"Good to hear" Maggath said with a nod "Now Hange has the reports you need in order to prepare yourselves accordingly, she will probably be in her lab tinkering with something if you wish to talk to her more about it now" he informed Levi.

"Thank you sir, I will start preparing right away" Levi nodded getting up from his chair and walking towards the door.

"Ackerman" he called out to him making Levi stop and turn to face him "You've done well training those kids how to fight, the only reason I considered bringing you in on this is because if we had someone like you out there right now, it could help us save a lot of lives" Maggath reminded him.

"I understand sir don't worry, excuse me I need to get ready" Levi said excusing himself and walking out the office.

Maggath watched him go with a curious expression, this man really was something else.

Chapter Text

Levi found Hange in her lab just like Maggath had said she would be, she was wearing goggles on her head and seemed to be welding something together when he came inside. He waited for her to finish up before deciding to speak.

"What are you doing four eyes?" he asked her making her look up at him with a goofy grin which made her look like the mad scientist she was.

"Ah Levi your back, I was just finishing off this motor for one of the officers cars it was making a weird noise and it turned out this was coming loose" she said pointing to the bit she was welding together.

"I see" Levi replied having no idea what she was talking about, Hange smiled knowing he was trying to be interested in what she was doing despite the lack of knowledge he had about cars

"Did you hear the news?" she asked him enthusiastically putting away her equipment but keeping her goggles on, she looked just like how she did whenever they went out on expeditions, goggles over her eyes, her hair tied up messily in a hairband and a wild glint in her eyes which Levi always meant that there was going to be trouble, it was his favourite look when she was like this, it showed off Hange Zoe in her element and he loved seeing her being so passionate about anything that excited her even if he had no idea what it was about.

"I did" he nodded walking closer to her so he was standing in front of her with hardly any space between them.

"And how do you feel about it?" she asked him wanting to see if he was actually okay with what had been discussed, Levi just shrugged looking at the ground.

"I knew it would happen eventually so I'm not too surprised by it" he said indifferently still not looking at her.

"Hey" Hange said softly lifting up his head by his chin and giving him a slow, passionate kiss making him hum in approval "Tell me what's going on" she murmured between pecks on the lips. Levi sighed softly as he pulled away to talk to her again running a nervous hand through his hair.

"I'm just not sure if I'm the right person to be relying on to lead another group of soldiers into battle again...what if I fuck up and they all end up dying because of me" he confessed to her softly as visions of his last squad were brought back in his mind, he shook them away as he started taking deep breaths to help clear his thoughts.

"You will be okay Levi, this time it will be different, for starters these people were trained by me specifically for what we're about to do, also you won't be leading the team alone, I'll be there with you the entire time" Hange consoled him calmly to help ease his thoughts as well as she gave him a warm smile "Besides its not like we're going in without a few of my inventions" she reminded him gesturing around her lab.

"Tch you could kill us all with the inventory you have" Levi teased softly resting his head on her chest "Thank you shitty glasses" he murmured gratefully

"Everything will be alright Levi, I promise" Hange told him kissing the crown of his head reassuringly, Levi hummed as he looked back up at her feeling slightly more relaxed. He leaned into kiss her again as he yearned for more of her touch, making his way down her neck earning him a pleased moan after he nipped her skin knowing it would leave a mark there.

"Hange..." he said her name so softly she wouldn't have caught it if he hadn't been so close.

"Yes Levi" she said back just as softly next to his ear

"I need...I need you Hange" he stuttered arousal shining in his eyes as he stared at her in awe like she was a precious jewel he could look at all day

"You have me Levi, I am yours" Hange answered him making him sigh happily as he carried on kissing her softly forcing her backwards against her desk as he did, Hange moaned wrapping her arms around his neck as he lifted her up to perch her on her desk as he slid between her legs, he stared up at her slyly like he was up to something.

"Mmm what is my strong man planning to do to me today huh" she hummed wrapping her legs around him so he couldn't get away, not that he was planning to as his hands went to her legs caressing them tenderly, he always loved her legs.

"I wanted to drive you crazy" he breathed sultrily kissing her again before unbuttoning her shirt, taking in the sight of her again like it was the first time he was seeing her.

"Like what you see?" Hange asked him looking amusedly at his gawking face, he snapped out of it to look at her hungrily pulling her closer towards him.

"Everything about you is so damn perfect Hange" he purred nipping her neck again before travelling down to her chest to play with her breasts, sucking them and massaging them in his hand, making Hange suck in air at how good it felt, he smiled to himself as she moaned his name loudly knowing he was succeeding in driving her crazy like he said he would.

He unbuttoned her pants hurriedly stripping them off next and spreading her legs a little wider so he could kiss up her legs lovingly as he moved closer to his prize, Hange was already purring in anticipation as he finally reached her already wet pussy. He stared up at her waiting for permission and as soon as she nodded he set to work straight away, his hands gently stroking her legs as they spread her more and pulled her closer towards him so he had better access. He spread her folds slowly before licking her slowly, relishing the gasp and moan it brought out of his beloved Hange, it spurred him on and he went faster really wanting to please her as much as he could as his finger went to find her clit rubbing on it with practiced touch.

"Fuck...Levi like that...don't stop" Hange gasped her hands pulling his hair as he kept going, moaning lowly as he lapped up her juices like he had an unquenchable thirst.

He kept going like that for what felt like forever, edging Hange as much as he could practically making her beg for him to give her that release she needed.

"Levi..please" she panted desperately grasping his strands of hair tightly to spur him on and finally he heeded her plea and sped up so she could reach her climax. Once she hit her high Levi cleaned her juices up eagerly before looking up at her with a satisfied grin, he looked feral with that grin and his usually neat hair all ruffled up like it was.

"I told you I would drive you crazy" he told her mischievously standing back up to kiss her deeply, she could taste herself on him but it only made her more aroused knowing how much Levi wanted her "Shall we continue?" he asked sultrily against her lips.

"Mmm you better" she mumbled back unbuttoning his shirt impatiently and working on his trousers soon after letting them fall to the ground, she pulled him back towards her from his cravat, the only item she hadn't taken off him "Give me everything you have Captain" Hange ordered in a low, hot sounding voice which made arousal shoot to every part of his body.

"If that's what you want" Levi purred again gruffly looking her in the eye as he lined himself up with her entrance, she gave him a nod when she was ready and Levi slid inside her deeply with a contented sigh giving her a chance to adjust before setting a fast and rough pace straight away, his hands gripped her waist as his nails dug into her skin, leaving marks wherever they dug in.

"Fuck your so good to me...keep going" Hange moaned loudly as she kissed him passionately to spur him on more, Levi obliged her going so hard that the desk she was on moved a little bit, not that they noticed as they were too wrapped up in each others presence to pay attention to anything else.

"Fuck...Getting close" Levi gasped as he kept going at a good pace

"Me too...just keep going Levi...don't stop" Hange begged him holding him to her closely as they rode out their climaxes together.

After they had recovered Levi was sat on her desk chair with her on top of him just giving her soft, loving kisses wherever he could whilst she held him gently enjoying his kisses and tender touches.

"I love you Hange" Levi whispered to her like he was telling her a secret which made her smile widely at him as she moved her head to look at his face better, smoothing out the strands of hair that were in the way of his face to get a better view of him, causing him to close his eyes and savour her touch more.

"I love you too Levi, I promise these missions will go better" she told him making him grunt in response.

"Its getting late...we should head home" Levi decided and Hange nodded in response tiredly kissing him again before getting her clothes together so they could head back to the apartment.

Chapter Text

A few months later...

It was late at night and Armin was sat at his desk going through his large pile of paperwork, squinting at the untidy scribbles on the paper in front of him, when someone knocked on his door.

"Come in" Armin called tiredly, grateful for the reprieve from the arduous paperwork he was wading through, he didn't understand how Erwin did it, juggling responsibilities for the Survey Corps, approving requests from other officers, all the while trying to focus on the imminent danger they were all under. Erwin seemed to do it effortlessly without even a hint that it phased him on the outside but Armin figured it must have taken more of a toll on him behind closed doors, the beauty of breaking behind closed doors was that nobody could see the mask slip off, a fact Armin was grateful for and he assumed his predecessor thought the same.

Armin leaned back on his chair as Jean came in carrying two letters, Jean looked just as weary as him and he probably was, they had all been non stop training to fight Captain Levi if it came to that and also obtaining information about Marley from the Azumabito spies, which could be a bit of a struggle at times as they always had a price for the information which, being the more desperate party meant they couldn't afford not to pay for it. The last bit of information they had received had been helpful in establishing where Marley was in regards to their war with the Mid East Allied Forces, from what they had gathered Marley was on the final stretch of this war and so now it was only a matter of time before it was finally over.

"What's the news Jean?" Armin enquired him curiously

"The moment we've been waiting for, the war is almost over, from the sounds of it they only have a few more bases to hit before they have won" Jean reported as he read the report "Guess who's helping them out" Jean sighed handing him the photos of the battle that the spies had been able to take from the sky. Armin looked at the photographs and just as suspected he saw Hange Zoe and Captain Levi in a small squadron on the outskirts of the main body of the Marleyan military.

"So it is true, unsurprising really if I was in charge of the Marleyan army I'd want to make use of an Ackerman's abilities as well" Armin said trying his best to not sound too disappointed, Levi's betrayal still stung and despite his reasons seeing him in the Marleyan uniform made Armin's heart sink.

"Guess we'll really have to fight him now huh?" Jean said solemnly leaning on the desk defeatedly

"Or at least subdue him if we have to...I still don't think he'll want to engage in combat with us though" Armin sighed

"Well we're all prepared for that eventuality" Jean confirmed confidently as he sat down on the chair opposite him with a tired sigh "They say the war will be over in a few weeks so we should probably start preparing ourselves for whatever comes next"

"Right, we'll inform everyone tomorrow, any more news?" Armin asked

"Not much, the Garrison is all done reinforcing the walls and the MPs are helping with the interior defences as planned, our recruits are all trained on the new gear in all environments so we are ready for a fight if it comes to it" Jean reported before sighing almost like he was hesitating to say more.

"And, what else?" Armin asked with his eyebrows raised and Jean ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Floch has been causing more trouble again and riling up the new recruits about going to war with the Marleyans, I've warned him to watch it but he seems intent on whipping everyone up into a frenzy, I just hope that he doesn't convince too many of them to the point where a peaceful approach is no longer possible" Jean reported sounding deflated.

"I see, I should have seen this coming, considering he was the sole survivor of the charge towards the Beast Titan it makes complete sense why he would be resentful of the people on the other side of the sea" Armin remembered feeling a pang of empathy for Floch, he had been through just as much as the rest of the 104th despite not being with them as long he had to remember that Floch had seen firsthand how destructive one of the Marleyan Warriors could be.

"Just keep an eye on him for now Jean, if he starts to get worse let me know and I will talk to him myself, we can't have anyone dividing us with ideologies that will only lead to more casualties" Armin decided.

"Alright, I'll watch over him, honestly with the Captain being as tough on them as she's been recently she might be able to knock some sense into him a lot better than the rest of them could" Jean mused with a smirk.

"I haven't seen her much since we got back...how is Mikasa doing?" he asked him curiously, he was worried about his childhood friend, she had become considerably distant since they had come home and been promoted to Levi's rank. She knew she missed Eren a lot, so did he, but she seemed to be punishing herself for his desertion by working herself to death, much like him in a way he supposed, it was funny really how similar they were to Levi, the old Captain used to be the same and would often be seen training from dawn to dusk so he could assuage the guilt he would feel after losing so many comrades, maybe it was an Ackerman thing, or perhaps it was the pressure of being the Corps best soldier, either way he mused at how similar the two of them were.

"Mikasa's alright I suppose, she's angry at herself of course because of Eren but...I've tried to look out for her as much as possible and for what its worth she's really helped with the training when it comes down to it, I think the recruits are more than capable thanks to her insight"

"I see, I'm glad to hear that, I should make an effort to see her at some point, it feels like I haven't seen her properly in months" he sighed guiltily.

"Well if you ever feel like taking a break from the office and the boring paperwork she's usually training by herself in the evenings, it might benefit you both in a good way, I think it will do you some good to talk about things but also no offence Commander but compared to the rest of us, your ODM ability is definitely lacking, you don't want your subordinates to show you up now do you?" Jean teased with a chuckle making Armin genuinely smile at the familiarity of the situation.

"You know if Eren was here right now he would have started a fight with you over that comment" Armin mused reminiscing over his two comrades fighting over who was the better cadet back in the days when they were in the Training Corps.

"Yeah he would have and I would have won of course" Jean replied confidently as he went to stand up again smoothing the creases out of his uniform "Seriously though Commander go talk to her, I'm sure she would appreciate it, your all each other have left after all" Jean reminded him before heading towards the door.

"I'll take you up on that Jean thank you" Armin called out to him gratefully and Jean nodded earnestly.

"No problem Armin, I'll leave you to it, good luck" he said bidding farewell before exiting the office.

Armin leaned back on his chair again thoughtfully, his eyes flitting to his own ODM gear which was hung up neatly near his bed, how long had it been since he had worn it, he'd lost track, probably not a good sign considering the threat of an attack was constantly looming over them, Gods what would Captain Levi think of him slacking in his training he thought with a small smile.

"I suppose a bit of practice won't do any harm, besides I doubt anything will go wrong for a few hours" Armin decided as he got up and got ready to train with his old friend again.

Chapter Text

Armin found Mikasa in the training grounds taking down a wooden cut-out of the armoured titan, he looked at it disapprovingly, the wooden version hardly did the real thing any justice. The Armoured was bigger, stronger and unlike its wooden counterpart here a lot more dangerous. Mikasa took it out with a thunder spear perfectly aimed at the targets eye and watched it as it blew it up before landing effortlessly next to it, without even breaking a sweat. It didn't matter how many times Armin saw it Mikasa in combat would always leave him in complete awe, she was always so graceful almost like she was in a dance rather than a fight and yet she was ruthless and merciless, never one to hold back until the task was complete.

"Wow Mikasa that was impressive" Armin called over to her and Mikasa turned to see him in surprise

"Armin, what are you doing out here?" Mikasa asked running over to him to greet him for the first time in what felt like forever, they had both been incredibly busy with their respective duties and their new positions in the military, they had written reports to each other but that had been the extent of their conversations recently and it made Armin sad that they hadn't had more time together especially after Eren's desertion.

"I'm here for two reasons, one is so I can practice on ODM again, its been so long I think I'm a bit out of practice but the more important reason is I came to see you" he explained to her with a smile "Its been a while since we last spoke to each other properly and I'm sorry its taken me so long to come to you...I guess I got caught up in everything that's been going on that I kept putting everything else on hold until everything was sorted out" he sighed.

"I understand Armin, we've all had to take on lots of responsibilities since returning from Liberio" Mikasa accepted his apology straight away much to her friends relief, still he sighed deeply.

"Erwin, Levi and Hange made this look easy but leadership is a hard thing to navigate, its still hard to believe we are considered the veterans of the Survey Corps now" Armin confessed to her and she nodded in agreement.

"You're doing well Armin, look at how much you have achieved as Commander already, you helped design new ODM gear, your helping Paradis catch up to the modern world with the help of Onyankapon and the other volunteers and you were the first Commander to conduct an expedition to the other side of the sea" Mikasa reminded him of his accomplishments resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Your right of course...I just wished I'd seen Levi and Eren leaving coming" he sighed sadly

"You can't blame yourself for that Armin none of us saw it coming, your not the only one who failed to see anything even I couldn't..." Mikasa faltered

"Are you okay Mikasa?" Armin asked her looking at her with genuine concern, he knew better than anyone what she was going through internally, the bond she had with Eren was something only he understood how deeply it ran and it must be hell for her to know what it was like for her at the moment not knowing where Eren was or how he was doing.

"Not well..." she confessed eventually after a moment of silence "But I'm trying to focus on the task at hand and if that means I have to train and get better than that's what I'm going to do" Mikasa said defiantly with a determined expression and fire in her eyes which reminded Armin of someone else.

"Then lets do it together Mikasa, I want us to work through this all side by side like we've always done, lets fight together and bring Eren back with us" Armin suggested looking at her proudly, he was proud at how far she had come since taking on her new title, so many people looked up to her now in admiration and all her comrades respected her for the renowned soldier she was, he had heard whispers that people were thinking she would be just as strong as the Captain before her. But to Armin despite how much they had both had to grow up together at such a young age and how much they had both had to go through together as members of the Survey Corps, he still just saw his dear friend, his closest friend as that girl who always used to hang around with the angry boy and had to finish fights with the people that same boy used to cause. Gods he missed those days, he dwelled on how different they must be now compared to their innocent, younger selves, he doubted he would recognise himself anymore.

"I'll always be by your side Armin like always, your all I have too now" Mikasa said with a confident nod which Armin returned with one of his own "Now what is it you think you need practice on the most?, I can help you master it again" she offered him ready to assist him in anything he needed her to do and Armin couldn't wipe the smile off his face in this moment, he really had missed times like this, he would have to make more time to be with Mikasa again especially with the impending threat of war rearing its ugly fangs their way, there might not be a lot of chances in the future.

"Lets just start with the basics and see what I need to improve on from there, its been a while for me so I'm sure there's a lot for me to work on" Armin decided as they walked over to the training course.

"Alright, I'll race you to the furthest tree, that way it should give us a chance to see where your skills are at" Mikasa decided getting ready to start

"Your not suggesting a race so you can win against me again are you?" Armin asked her with a knowing look and Mikasa chuckled softly at his question

"That depends on whether you can keep up or not" she smirked before taking off into the trees, Armin shook his head and laughed at her fighting talk before taking off after her, trying his best to keep up with her.

Chapter Text

Levi grimaced at the dust that lay thick and heavy over his uniform and all over his hair, he could only shudder how disgusting he must look right now. He had been deployed to help win the war with the Middle East Allied Forces years ago now and for the most part they had been fighting in a shitty desert that seemed to have an endless supply of ways to make you feel as dirty as possible, besides that it was always hot which meant he was always drenched in sweat even if he was in his tent, Levi sighed again tiredly as he wiped his forehead off with his trusty handkerchief he carried around with him, it had become a trusted ally to him as it assisted him in his efforts to look somewhat presentable in this wretched place.

At least fighting with titans in ODM gear gave you opportunities to cool down, you would either have the shade of trees sometimes or more often than not the breeze that would follow you anytime you used your gear was enough to ensure you never felt too hot. Here however was a completely different story even standing around was torture underneath the suns unyielding heat, some soldiers had been sent to medical because of it already, Hange had warned him that exposure to the elements would kill someone faster than any attack from the enemy could, now he understood exactly what she meant by that this heat was truly unbearable.

He took a quick swig of water before taking his binoculars out of his pocket to survey his surroundings, they had made impressive headway in the past few months they had been here and had pushed the enemy back as far as they could go, with their supplies limited and most of their forces depleted it was only a matter of time now before they waved the white flag.

"Not long now" Levi thought in relief, he had had enough of this shitty place and couldn't wait to get back home where he could shower and relax with Hange for longer than a few minutes.

Speaking of Hange, he had to hand it to her if it hadn't been for her and her squad they probably wouldn't have made as much progress in this war as they had, her tactics were swift, bold and dangerously effective, with his help and the rest of the squad backing them they had claimed several important bunkers where the enemy had been storing their valuable supplies and weapons, some of which happened to be Anti Titan artillery which they had been encountering increasingly more frequently in the last few battles. They had become a priority for Hange's squad to seek and destroy seeing as even one of these things would have enough power to cause the Warriors of Marley so issues, even the Armoured Titan had been reported to have become weakened due to the sheer power of the shells they were using on them which had made the Marleyan higher ups a little more anxious to win this war before it persisted too long.

"Anything to report shorty" Hange's voice asked behind him making him jump at the interrupted silence but he soon recovered.

"Nothing of interest, everything seems to be fine for the moment" he reported back before turning around to look at her "Tch you look like shit" he tsked going to clean the grime and dust off her forehead, her ponytail was still messy and greasy but there wasn't much he could do to fix that. Hange chuckled softly as she let him at least try to clean her off even a little bit.

Once he was satisfied with his work he folded his handkerchief back up and nodded in approval.

"Thanks" Hange said appreciatively with her signature grin before focusing on her gaze on the horizon ahead of them with a grim look.

"Oi, what's wrong you? look like you just shit yourself shitty glasses" Levi asked noticing her change in demeanour, Hange sighed before answering.

"I just talked to the Commander" she explained and that piqued his interest, he knew the Warrior Candidates were with him and he was curious to hear if there was any news on how they were getting on.

"And is everything alright?" he pressed staring up at her with narrowed eyes as he waited for an answer.

"Yes, everything seems to be fine, for the most part, the kids seem to be doing alright from what I can tell, the Warriors however seem to be struggling with the Anti Titan artillery that keeps showing up everywhere...fortunately the Commander believes we're close to winning this war, tomorrow might be the beginning of our last mission" Hange tells him and an air of finality washes over them both.

"Finally, I thought we would be stuck in this shitty desert forever" he said moodily which managed to coax a small smile from Hange before her face dropped again "So what's the mission squad leader?" he asked quietly.

"We're attacking their last threshold in this area first thing tomorrow, it won't be easy though the bunker is all underground and is practically a maze designed to confuse anyone who doesn't know the route...I've studied it for months and I have a pretty solid plan but if shit hits the fan I can't make any guarantee that we'll all make it out alive" she warned him.

"We all signed up for what happens next, whatever happens we'll just have to deal with whatever comes our way when it happens" he deadpanned "I have faith in you and your plans, as do the rest of the squad, whatever happens next I'll have your back as I'm sure the others will" he assured her making her smile and tilt her head down to look at him properly.

"Thanks Levi" she said gratefully

"Anytime shitty glasses" he answered back with a hint of a smile playing on his face as she reached down to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Just think if we pull this off tomorrow you can finally have that shower you've been craving for months" she teased him making him chuckle deeply.

"Now that is definitely something worth fighting for" he decided making Hange laugh properly for the first time in months and Levi relished the sound of it for as long as he could. Tomorrow was fast approaching and there would be no time for laughter until the final stretch of this war had finally come to an end and victory either went to them or to the enemy.

Chapter Text

Levi hid in the safety of the trench as another damn artillery canon fired on him and his squad members again sending dust and debris flying over the top of them undoubtedly making another crater in the ground just outside their trench. It was becoming increasingly obvious to everyone that the Middle East Allied forces weren't prepared to surrender quietly, instead they had insisted on a last ditch attempt to keep the Marleyan Forces as far away from their remaining bases as possible with as many cannons as they could man which despite their numbers seemed to be a lot more than anticipated.

"Shit" Levi growled through gritted teeth as he chanced a look over the trench they had taken cover in "Those bastards aren't coming out of there for anything, if we don't think of something soon we're just going to be another shitty stain on the floor"

"I called for reinforcements but no one has responded yet, we might be out of range considering we're further away from the main force" Holt, one of his squad members reported.

"So we're on our own then, fucking typical" Levi huffed as he reloaded his rifle, he had only been able to shoot one or two stragglers who hadn't been fast enough to get into cover, the others seemed determined to stay out of sight as long as they could "How many do you reckon are in there?" he questioned Holt.

"Hard to tell sir, a bunker that size could have ten soldiers or an entire army, unless they show themselves we won't know for sure how many we're up against" Holt answered back as another artillery shell whistled closer to them, it felt like it had landed right on top of them when it went off, a bad sign that they were starting to figure where they were hiding, or they were getting desperate and firing in any direction in the hopes they might hit something.

"well we can't stay here that's for damn sure" Levi growled as debris and dust showered over his head turning his usually raven black hair a light shade of grey "Where's Hange and the rest of the squad?"

"They're further ahead, Squad leader Hange said she might have thought of a plan but needed to check something out first" Holt explained.

"Of course that's what she did...dammit shitty glasses what happened to sticking together" Levi grumbled in his head before looking into the direction she had gone in "Lets move out, its fruitless sitting here anyway" decided getting ready to move out himself, Holt nodded and gathered everything useful he could carry.

The trek there was exhausting and treacherous the more they moved ahead, it was clear this part of the trench was definitely built in a hurry, everything was very unstable and haphazardly put together which made it harder for them to get anywhere quickly. Levi cursed as his leg got caught up in a wad of barbed wire.

"Stay still sir I'll get you out" Holt instructed as he pulled out some wire cutters and started to work on freeing his foot from the wired trap he was encased in "Your lucky Sir, looks like it only scratched your skin so, other than a bit of bleeding you should be alright" Holt said sounding relieved.

"I take it that isn't always the case then" Levi guessed and Holt nodded as he worked carefully, his nimble fingers trying hard to free his foot while also trying not to get cut as well it was almost impossible not to be impressed with the soldiers handiwork and skill.

"Its not getting caught that's the real issue really, so many people forget about the injuries getting infected, that's where it all goes wrong for them, I knew a man who ignored it for so long they had to have their entire foot amputated" Holt explained to him solemnly as he worked on the last of the wires ensnaring his leg.

"All the more reason for us to find this shitty four eyes and find a way to end this then" Levi surmised and Holt hummed in agreement as he tugged the last of the wires off of Levi's foot "Here this should tide you over, at least until after the battle" Holt said kindly as he wrapped his handkerchief around his wound to provide some protection from the elements.

"Thanks" Levi said gratefully before chancing a glance over the top of the trench to see if they were getting closer to their location, he breathed a sigh of relief as he realised they weren't too far now "We should make it there in the next ten minutes I'd say"

"Then there's not a moment to waste, lead the way sir" Holt said curtly before they started heading towards where hopefully Hange and the others were waiting for them