A burly, blond man sat leaning against one wall of the compartment, circular glasses on his nose. Small wisps of steam rose from him steadily, all four of his limbs having been cut off. He looked pleased with himself, that was for sure. He was not the largest man I'd seen, but it was obvious he was a soldier. He was well-trained - if completely limbless at the moment.

This was Zeke Jaeger.

Eren's half-brother, of royal blood, the current holder of the Beast Titan. The man who, all those years ago, had attacked Paradis, killing so many of our comrades. This was the man who'd killed Erwin. He'd killed Mike and turned an entire village into pure titans. He'd killed nearly all of my comrades, leaving behind only nine.

This was who Levi had promised to kill. This was the man who caused me immeasurable amounts of grief and heartache, and the ones that had gone to reclaim Wall Maria and lived to tell the tale had gone through much worse, having seen it happen.

Now, I had a face to pin to the name. And if Levi weren't hellbent on killing him, I'd do it my own damn self, right here.

I stepped around the soldiers and between others to come to a stop in front of him. The man's eyes trailed up my body, slowly, eventually finding their way to my eyes. "I don't believe we've met," I said evenly, peering down at him and crossing my arms over my chest.

"I would've remembered meeting a woman like you," he said, and I didn't resist the urge to scowl down at him. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Yelena watching me with her own guarded look, but I didn't look away from Zeke. There was a smile on his lips, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Zeke Jaeger. And you are?"

"Captain Amaya Ackerman," I said smoothly. His eyes widened and his brows rose. It was quick but there was a flicker of surprise in his eyes, or perhaps one of fear, trepidation.

"Ackerman? There's another one of you?"

A familiar hand wound across my back to settle on my hip and pull me towards him. I leaned into Levi's side, reaching up with one hand to cup his cheek and turn his head to face me. I leaned in and he met me halfway for a kiss, shameless and simple and quick.

It was simple, yet it was clear - and something in the way he kissed me told me Levi took great pleasure in doing this in front of Zeke of all people.

When I pulled away and my eyes fluttered open, Levi's were still closed, and I knew he was just savoring the fact that we'd both made it out alright. His eyes opened and I smiled at him before turning my attention to the man watching us, slack-jawed and silent.

"It's come to my attention," I said slowly, turning my head to look down at him, my hand trailing down Levi's face to return to my side, "that you killed a large number of my comrades, some of which were very close friends of mine, and you came extremely close to killing a number of others, not least of all including my husband."

"Ah," he said, "I see. Well, I'd say you could cut my limbs off if it'd make you feel better, but I'm afraid Levi has already taken care of that."

"I see that," I said. "But they'll grow back in no time, won't they?"

"You'll be the first to know, captain," Zeke said with a sigh.

"I know you say that you're here to help free all Eldians," I said, "but if you even so much as look at Levi wrong, I will not hesitate to chop your head off. I am not afraid of you, War Chief Zeke."

"I don't doubt that," Zeke said. "Consider it noted."

"I'm glad we understand each other," I said.

I stepped away from him then, taking Levi's hand and leading him a few feet away for some privacy. I looked him over, smiling at the fact that he looked as perfect as always, if only a bit tired. I patted the metal emblem of the Wings of Freedom over his heart after brushing his cloak out of the way, letting my other hand find its way up to his shoulder.

He pressed his hands to my hips, holding me close. Quiet conversations started again in the compartment, the sounds coming from the other compartment where the other forces were gathering getting louder as more piled in.

"Did I ever tell you about just how good you look in this new uniform?" I asked quietly now that the attention was away from us. "The black suits you." I had been one of the leads on this new uniform, but when I designed it, I hadn't realized just how nicely it would look on him, even if he had been my mannequin.

The black fabric of the uniform complimented his hair and made his eyes, icy blue in the light of the zeppelin, stand out beautifully. "Humanity's strongest, sexiest soldier," I teased quietly, my voice hardly even a whisper as I leaned towards him, my breath ghosting over his neck.

"Don't start," he said. "I'm trying to be mad at you."

"Be mad later," I said, brushing my nose against his. "We both made it out alright, right?"

"For now," he said. "We're not home yet. Once we are, that still doesn't excuse what you did."

"I know," I sighed. "I'm sorry." I rested my head against his chest, inhaling deeply as my eyes closed.

"I was worried about you the whole damn time," he muttered, his chin coming to rest on the top of my head. "I didn't quite trust Jean to know how to handle giving you orders."

I chuckled. "What do you mean? I'm a wonderful soldier."

"A good soldier would have done as told and stayed home," he snarked.

"I was never given that order," I protested. "Meaning this isn't mutinous."

Levi's gaze trailed over the compartment now that the conversation had drifted off. "Hey," he said, getting Yelena's attention. I turned my head to look at her as well. "You gonna wear that forever?"

"Hm?" She reached up to touch the fake facial hair she'd put on as a disguise. "I thought it was well-received." She ripped it off, letting it fall to the floor.

My eyes followed the movement before I glanced back up at Levi. I pulled slightly away from him, remaining in his arms but making it so I could look him in the eyes. "Do you know how many were lost?"

"Six, from what I was told," he said. One of his hands began to rub my back rhythmically and he pulled me back into him. I allowed him to, pressed myself closer to him. With the metal plating between us, this hug wasn't the most comfortable or soft, but I just needed to hold him for a bit, to get my mind to stop racing. "There are still some squads piling in the back. They've been cheering the entire time."

"Isn't it a bit early for celebrations?"

"Apparently not," he replied. As if on cue, loud yelling sounded from the next compartment. It sounded like cheering. "Are they still screaming in there?" Then, a bang. "What the hell was that?" Even as I lifted my head, he held me tighter.

"It sounded like a gunshot," I said quietly.

"Which one of those idiots was dumb enough to pull the trigger inside?"

"Unless that wasn't one of our idiots," I mused. I had said it, but I certainly didn't want to believe it. Two more shots sounded off. My heart leapt up into my throat. From here, we could hear confused, panicked shouting. "Should we...?"

I didn't have time to finish my question because the door opened. Jean was there, ushering in two children. One, the boy, I recognized as the child who protected Pieck from us and begged us not to shoot. He was the one Jean had almost killed. Except now, he was beaten and bloody and looked terrified. Both of them were in bad shape. The other child was a little girl with dark hair and bright eyes. She didn't look particularly scared, no; actually, she looked rather angry.

All was quiet in the compartment until Zeke spoke. "Gabi," he said, "Falco. Why are you here?"

The kids were visibly confused and seemed to draw a blank. "Why...? What about you, sir?" The boy, presumably Falco, asked.

"You're still alive?! But...! How could you have been captured by these devils?"

I stepped away from Levi, my hand sliding down his arm to catch his hand in mine. "Who are these brats?"

"They killed Lobov," Jean explained, closing the door behind them, "and used his equipment to board the ship. And then... this girl shot Sasha. I don't think there's any hope for her." My heart had leapt into my throat, but suddenly plummeted into my stomach.

Sasha... dead? No fucking way this is real. She can't die.

"Who's with her?" I asked, forcing my voice to be as even as it could. As it was, I could hardly move. My grip on Levi's hand was tight, and if my heart wasn't in my throat, I'd have been worried that I was squeezing too hard. But all I could focus on was Jean's face as he answered me.

"Connie and the others are working to stop the bleeding," he answered quietly.

If she was already crowded by people it wouldn't do her any good to have me there too. Not like I could move anyway. And I was shit when it came to patching up gunshot wounds, for an extreme lack of practice. My eyes drifted away from him, falling to the floor as my mind raced.

Mikasa and Armin hurried into the back compartment. I wanted to join them, I really did, but I was suddenly at a loss of what to do and none of my limbs would work anyway.

The door to the cockpit opened and out stepped Hange, saying, "You take care of the rest, Onyankopon." She closed the door behind her as our pilot sounded off back to her with an affirmative. "So? Would you say that everything went to plan, Zeke Yeager?"

"...What?" One of the kids muttered.

"For the most part," Zeke replied. "But there were a number of miscalculations."

"... Sir?"

"Zeke?"

"Hm?" Hange finally noticed the children. "Who are these kids?"

"The miscalculations," Zeke sighed.

"Yelena!" Jean barked suddenly. "What happened to you locking down the Jaw and the Cart? Some of our soldiers are dead because of you!"

"Sorry," Yelena said. "I did manage to trap those two down in that hole, but then I let them get away. That was my fault."

"And to cover for that slip-up, the Beast chucked more rocks at us than planned," Levi said. "That was some clever improv for a clown like you. Wouldn't you say, hairball?"

"Don't glare at me like that, Levi," Zeke tutted. "What're you going to do if I piss myself? Anyway, you're a pretty good actor yourself, considering how much you want to actually kill me."

"I'm the type of person who likes to save the best part of my meals for last," Levi said smoothly, regarding Zeke with cold eyes. His chin was tipped upwards proudly, his eyes filled with disdain for the man sitting before him. "Because that way, I can really savor the taste."

My brain perhaps took his words in an odd direction, but I shoved it aside for now, especially once Zeke spoke up again. "Regardless," the man said, a smirk sliding onto his face, "the acting was impressive. You even managed to somehow convince this woman that you were worth marrying."

"What the fuck did I just tell you?" I snapped. My eyes were narrowed almost to slits as I glared at him. His eyes widened nearly imperceptibly as I took a step towards him, only to be pulled back against Levi's chest. "You talk a lot for someone with no limbs and no way to protect himself if I decide to throw you off this damn ship."

"Calm down," Levi said quietly into my ear.

I scoffed. "You think Levi's the only one that wants to kill you? You think he's the only one you've wronged?"

"Maya," Levi whispered. "Calm down." He pulled me slightly to the side, keeping a firm grip on me as if I'd lunge out at Zeke and kill him where he sat. Maybe I would.

Eren spoke up next. "We killed the leaders of the Marleyan army and destroyed its primary naval fleets and ports. We surely bought ourselves some time."

"You mean before the entire world comes down on Paradis with a coordinated attack?" Hange asked. "We've risked our lives to get you back every time you've gotten yourself captured. No matter how many of us have to die. You knew that, and you pushed ahead with your plan to make yourself a hostage." She scoffed. "Well, you got what you wanted. You left us with no choice. You put your trust in us, and we've lost our trust in you."

"But now we have both the Founding Titan and a Titan of royal blood. All of your precious sacrifices will bear fruit. Eldia will be free."

"Some of those precious sacrifices," I mused, "were those that you caused directly. You better prove that your life is worth all those we lost."

The door to the compartment opened again, revealing a crying Connie. "Sasha's... dead."

"No," I whispered, my anger leaving my body immediately as I deflated. It felt as though I'd been punched in the gut. "That's not right. That can't be right."

"Shit," Levi said in a hushed tone.

"...What?" Hange asked.

"Connie," Eren piped up. "Sasha... what were her last words?"

"Meat," he replied, "is what she said."

Then he began to laugh. No, laughing might not have been correct. The boy was absolutely mad. It was laughter but it wasn't a joyful, humored one. It was dry, lifeless, drained of everything.

Eren... was a broken man. This wasn't the boy I once knew.

"Eren," Jean said, "Sasha died because you got the Survey Corps involved in this."

I honestly didn't know what to say next. What the fuck would I say? So I followed the stream of people who went to see Sasha, offered my quiet condolences, pressed a kiss to her forehead, then returned to the front compartment, exchanging only hushed words with Levi for the remainder of the trip home.

—

The journey back home was all a blur. By the time we reached Trost to pick up Emi, it was mid-afternoon, and we chatted with Reyes a bit about the mission. Then we rode home, and once inside our home, that's when the argument began.

And what an argument it was.

Emi was more excited to be home with all of her beloved toys than excited that her parents were home. As such, she ran off to her room as soon as we stepped through the door. Levi seemed to take that as an invitation to begin the shouting match, taking me completely by surprise as I stepped into the kitchen for something to eat.

"Mind telling me why the hell you showed up on the damn mission?"

I wheeled around to face him from my spot in the kitchen, stunned by his tone, and looked at him incredulously. His arms were crossed, a nasty glare on his face. Upon returning to Paradis we'd left our new uniforms there, exchanging them for the old ones. But because it was warm we weren't wearing cloaks nor our jackets.

"Excuse me?"

"Did I stutter? I thought I told you to stay the hell home."

"Yeah, you did," I agreed. "But what in the hell was I supposed to do here? Twiddle my thumbs and just hope that you're okay?"

"Yes, actually, if it meant that you were safe here."

"I did that once already, Levi. Do you realize how nerve-wracking it was? Thinking of a million different ways that you could have died. And guess what? It almost happened, didn't it? You all came remarkably close to dying, right? And I was sitting in Reyes' guest bedroom on my ass."

"You were pregnant, dumbass!"

"That's right. I was. I'm not saying that I regret staying back. What I'm saying is that I never want to ever again, because it was awful for me. I know you had it extraordinarily hard on that mission, everyone did. I'm not saying I had it worse. I just want you to understand that I was fucking terrified that I would lose you." I sighed. "If I had to do that again, and you went abroad? I couldn't do it."

"Do you not use that brain in your head? What if you had died?"

"Then I would have died knowing I went out doing what I promised I would," I said softly, hoping he'd understand. "Fighting for humanity. Trying to protect you."

He huffed indignantly. "I don't need your protection. Last I checked, you weren't stronger than me. I can take care of myself just fine."

I had to take a second to process what he said. "Not stronger than you?" I asked. I let out a bitter laugh. "Sure, I'm second to you with physical strength. But what else have I done? Oh, I pushed out your baby. Grew her in my stomach for nine long months. Got ripped open from it. Don't you remember how many damn stitches I got?"

His face was unchanging, and seeing him scowl at me was horribly frustrating and only worked to tick me off more. He didn't reply, so I continued, leaning back against the counter and mimicking his body language by crossing my own arms over my chest.

"And I've had to deal with your sour attitude for years now. Your grumpy ass would call me no end of disgusting names when you're in one of your moods, like right now, and I yet still decide to give you the time of day. But I'm not stronger than you?"

"You're such a child," he muttered, shaking his head with disbelief.

"I'm a child for dealing with you for so long? Yeah, maybe." I shook my own head, unable to believe it. "I can't believe you. You're such a fucking hypocrite, you know that? Oh, Amaya can't run off and fight, but Levi, oh, he can! Little Emi can live without her dad! Glad to know you had that talk with her! Oh, but who gives a shit about Amaya's feelings? Maybe she can't live without her husband, but oh well! Levi gets his way!"

"You're such a pain in the ass, you know that? Do you ever think of anyone other than yourself? You're so fucking selfish!"

My emotions got the better of me and tears welled up in my eyes. "I spent the better half of my life doing what I could to make you happy. And I'm selfish? Going on that mission, I was doing what I wouldn't regret. Isn't that what you always say?"

"Oh, fuck off with that," he hissed. "Would you still not regret it if you were a fucking corpse on the streets in Marley right now? Is that what you would've wanted?"

"I would have regretted it if you'd have died out there," I said softly, trying to hold back the rush of all the emotions I was feeling, "and I wasn't even there with you in your final moments."

"Shut the hell up," he growled. "I don't want to hear your fucking excuses anymore. Grow up and get your self-righteous bullshit out of here!"

A quiet whimper distracted us both from the glares we were sending each other. In the entryway to the kitchen stood Emi, with watery eyes and a quivering lip. She was looking at Levi as though he'd been yelling at her. She sniffed, then ran towards me, diving her face into my leg and hugging me around my thighs.

I hefted her up, not sparing Levi another glance as I brushed past him back into Emi's room. No words were exchanged between us at dinner that night, simple though the meal was. We went about our usual chores wordlessly, and as the night wound down, I put Emi to bed after bathing and playing with her in the living room. Levi had remained in the kitchen cleaning, even though there was nothing left to clean.

I turned in early that night. The cat curled up on the foot of the bed, having followed me in here. Levi didn't come to bed for another while. I wasn't sure how much later into the night it was, all I knew was that I still wasn't asleep, still far too engrossed in my thoughts.

In all our years knowing each other, never had we gone a night without saying goodnight to each other at the very least. No matter what happened that day, if we argued, and even if we were still mad at each other, we'd always say it. Maybe not right away, but later in the night, if we both happened to wake up. But tonight...

I didn't trust my voice to speak. A lot had been said tonight. Some ugly truths were revealed on both ends. And I really wasn't sure where to go from here. If I spoke to him, I probably would have broken down. So, I stayed quiet.

When he entered the room, I'm sure the first thing he saw was the way that I was facing away from him. I was facing away from both the door and his side of the bed, which wasn't normal for me, but as such, he could not see the way that my eyes were open, wondering if he would say something.

When Levi changed in the bathroom and came to bed, I know that he noticed the way that I still hadn't turned to face him and at the same time, he had no way of seeing the way that my eyes were watery with the tears that had refused to fall earlier, but now laying in our shared bed, they threatened to fall.

Levi sat down as lightly as he could on the edge of his side of the bed before easing himself to lay down. As it was, he could probably see the slight shake in my shoulder as I tried holding back my tears. What he couldn't see was the way that my eyes were squeezed shut as rebellious tears rolled down my cheek anyway.

I'm sure that he saw the way that I tensed when he tugged the blanket just a bit further up my arm, perhaps thinking that I was cold. But there was no way to see the way that my eyes snapped open when he hesitantly and gingerly leaned over to press a light kiss to my shoulder.

If he saw the way that I curled into more of a ball once he'd gotten comfortable in bed, he didn't say anything about it. And because he couldn't see or hear it, there was no way he would have known that I had cried myself to sleep that night.

—

The next few days were strange. Levi and I didn't talk much, only asking the occasional necessary question.

Would you like some tea?

What do you want for dinner tonight?

Could you go change Emi?

Is there anything we need from the market?

In this way, the days passed slowly. But soon, we were summoned back to the coast for the funeral for those lost during the raid and similar business afterward. We made our way there, still hardly talking, much less looking each other in the eyes. Once we got there, we quickly settled into our quarters then took to the funeral the next morning. Quiet chatter filled the hall after the service.

Apparently, it was rather obvious to anyone who saw us that we were in the middle of an argument that neither of us were willing to give up on. I could feel the looks we were getting from those around us, but it seemed that no one other than Jean was brave enough to bring it up. Or maybe he was the only one stupid enough to.

"Hey, captain," he said almost hesitantly. It was, at least, the most hesitant he'd ever been to speak with me since our initial meeting and he was far too flustered from seeing me for the first time. I looked up, meeting his eyes evenly.

"Yes, Jean?"

"Are you and Captain Levi... okay?"

I was quiet for a moment as I glanced across the room at Levi who was talking, well more like listening, to some of the other officers.

"Yeah," I said. "Just an argument. We'll be okay."

"Was it..."

"Because I stowed away? Yes."

"Do you regret it?"

"I regret lashing out at him," I said softly, "but not going."

Neither of us were willing to back down from our stance, but that didn't mean that we could be mad at each other forever. I loved him far too much for that. I'd already gone a few days without his loving embrace. I didn't want it to go any longer, even if I was the one who had to swallow my pride. He was worth that much to me.

Besides, Levi today was set to begin watching over Zeke. We still couldn't allow Eren and Zeke anywhere near each other, for obvious reasons. Keeping the Rumbling from happening was in our control, now, so we had to do all that we could to ensure that the earth-flattening weapon wasn't used. We had no idea what Eren's plans were now and Zeke was a wild card anyway. We had to remain vigilant.

The funeral had been a somber affair, made especially so because I didn't have Levi's usual comfort. I didn't want him to leave to deal with Zeke without knowing just how much I did love him. An argument would never, ever change that.

After the service, knowing that Levi still had some time before he needed to escort Zeke to his holding quarters, I made the decision to speak with him. Rumors had it that Levi would also be heading out to keep him under house arrest somewhere in the wild lands of Wall Maria, but that was still being planned.

I waited just outside the hall for Levi. I stepped out of the way as people streamed out. When I saw Levi, I perked up, and immediately he caught my gaze and our eyes met. A question danced in his eyes and I gestured for him to come over with a small movement of my head.

He passed through the stream of people easily, making his way over to me with his eyes dancing around me but never quite settling on me. As soon as he was close enough, I reached for him and grazed my fingers against his delicately. It was a silent question of my own. I glanced down at our hands, then up into his eyes.

Levi didn't shy away or pull his hand back, so I took that as a good sign. I reached out further, taking his hand gently, looking into his eyes for any amount of discomfort or hesitance. He didn't show either. Taking me by surprise, he interlaced our fingers and tugged me closer. After a few days without it, I realized very quickly just how much I had missed his warmth, his touch.

Wordlessly, we came to the agreement that we needed to go somewhere quiet to talk. Jean had agreed to watch Emi for the day, considering he had nothing else to do, and because he knew that well, we'd had an argument, and besides that, he knew that Levi was on Zeke guard duty later today.

We found a calm bench to sit down on while we talked. We didn't let go of the grips we had on our hands. Our fingers remained linked as we sat and wondered just what there was to say.

"I'm sorry," I said first, figuring that'd be as good a place as any to start. "I shouldn't have lashed out at you."

"I shouldn't have gotten angry either," he admitted. "I'm sorry."

"I love you," I said. "You know that, right?" I turned my head to look him in the eyes, not exactly surprised to find that he was already looking at me. "No argument will change that, no matter what it's about. I love you so, so much. That's why I went."

"I know," he said quietly. "I know." He reached out with his other hand, caressing my cheek softly. I leaned into his touch as his thumb grazed across my cheek. He pulled me closer and leaned to meet me halfway, planting a kiss on my forehead. My eyes closed instinctually.

"I love you, too," he said. "More than anything." I opened my eyes, meeting his pair of cool blue. "No amount of yelling will change the fact that you went. And... if I didn't want people to follow what I say and live without regrets, then maybe I shouldn't say it. So I was wrong to... to blame you. In your position, I probably would have done the same."

"I would've been upset too," I said as his hand lowered from my cheek to clasp over our joined hands that now sat in his lap. "Don't blame yourself for this. It was my decision. I know it was irresponsible and dangerous. But if you had died, or if I did, I'd want to be with you for it."

"I saw you," he said, "when I was on my way to get Zeke. You tore into Floch, didn't you?"

I bit my lip to keep from laughing as I nodded. "He was being an asshole," I said, defending my case. "We were there to fight soldiers, not families. I might not have been in charge, but I am still a captain, and one that he's afraid of. He's lucky I didn't toss him into the fire he started."

"Maybe you should've," he muttered. I slapped his thigh weakly.

"Don't say that," I said through a laugh. The town was just now beginning to wake up. The journalists, I knew, had sent out for today newspapers detailing the raid, marking it as a success. I guess I couldn't argue with that. "Let's um..." I trailed off, my eyes lowering for just a second before meeting his look again. "Let's not fight again. Yeah?"

"Yeah," he agreed. We didn't have to speak to know what the other wanted. We both leaned in, catching the other's lips in a kiss. It was gentle and soft, and I hadn't realized how much I'd missed these past few days. We drew away reluctantly but didn't go far. Together, we surged forward again, sharing kiss after kiss.

"I'm so sorry for everything," I sighed out against his lips.

"Me too," he breathed out before kissing me again. When finally we drew away from each other, it was because more folks were coming out of their homes: the oceanside workers, the fishermen, soldiers, volunteers, and everything between.

"You're escorting Zeke today, aren't you?" He hummed out his confirmation, resting his forehead against mine. I directed my eyes towards our conjoined hands. "Where are you going?"

"Back inside the walls," he said.

"Ah," I said, "a nice long ride with that asshole."

"We'll be heading to a forest in Wall Maria," he said. "So we're stopping by the base for a few days, then I'm in charge of keeping him on house-arrest."

"But not in a house."

"No," he said. "Remember the forest where we fought Annie?"

"Unfortunately," I replied. "You won't be alone, will you?"

"I'll have a group with me. And you're staying home with Emi, got that?" He said it playfully, making me giggle lightly.

"I got it," I said with a smile. "I'll stay home." I kissed his cheek.

"Come on," he said, standing up and pulling me up alongside him. "I've got to get going." I accompanied him to where Zeke was currently contained, and to the waiting wagon. It was gilded, with one horse waiting out front.

The driver was already in his seat, just waiting for the go-ahead to leave once his passengers were aboard. We waited outside the building before a pair of officials came out leading Zeke. The older Yeager brother's eyes first went to Levi, then switched to meet mine as soon as he noticed that I was there. "Please tell me that Miss Amaya will be the one escorting me," he said.

"You're not that lucky," Levi said smoothly. "You're stuck with me."

"Oh, good," Zeke mumbled. "Lovely to see you again, Amaya."

"Mrs. Ackerman to you, actually," I said. "Or better yet, Captain Amaya, if you are so inclined. I do not remember giving you permission to say my first name alone. Either use my title or don't say it at all."

"Ah," he said. As I looked at him, I could feel the weight of Levi's gaze land on me sidelong. "Understood." Then he looked at my husband. "I hope you can hold a conversation, Levi."

"Get in there," one of the soldiers that had led Zeke up said. "And no funny business." Zeke did as he was told, getting into the carriage without another word. "Can you take it from here, Captain?"

"Of course," Levi said. He dismissed the soldiers, and then we were alone outside the wagon. As soon as he looked me in the eye, a smirk slid across his lips.

"What?"

"Nothing bad," he said with a chuckle. "It's just what you said to that bastard."

"Oh?" I laughed. "You liked that, huh?"

"Mm-hm," he hummed. "You wanna know what I thought as soon as you said it?" I nodded. He chuckled again, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "That's my girl."

"Damn right," I said with a grin. "I'll meet you at home, then?"

"I'll be there tonight," he promised. "Then you can help me pick out who will join me to watch the bastard."

"Sounds good," I said. "See you then, love." I grasped his upper arms before leaning in, kissing him sweetly.

"Love you."

"Try not to kill him, yeah?"

"Tch. That depends on him."

—

Before heading home myself, I picked up Emi from Jean and decided to pay a visit to Eren who was held for now in one of the cells underground. I could hear the dirt scuff under my shoes as I descended. Emi hopped down alongside me, one of her little hands holding mine as we entered the dungeon containing the jail cells.

"Eren," I called out as I stepped onto the dirty floor of the dungeons. "Are you available for a talk or are you too busy sulking?" I came to a stop in front of Eren's cell, finding him sitting in the lone chair inside. He lifted his head slowly, tired yet vindictive eyes locking onto mine. "How are you holding up, kiddo?"

"Fine," he replied. He didn't say anything more after that, and I sighed.

"Awfully talkative today," I said, disappointment lacing my tone. "We used to have such nice conversations, Eren. What happened to that?"

"What do you want me to say?" He snapped. "That I'm fine? I'm in a cell that technically can't even hold me. You do realize that I can't be contained anymore, right? I'm free." There was a pause. "I've spent more time in a jail cell than out on missions for the Survey Corps."

"Eren," I sighed, "you know why you were tossed in here. We're only asking you to behave for a few days. And it's not like you're not in there for a good reason."

"Oh yeah?" He asked. "What about you, then? You broke conduct too, captain."

"What you did was very different from what I did," I said. "I stowed away on a mission I was never formally pardoned from. You dragged us into a war."

Eren didn't talk much after that. I talked to him for a while, and Emi talked at him for a bit, but as soon as I realized that he wasn't going to talk any longer, I left, reminding him that if he did want to speak with me, I was more than willing to. Since I was in the area, I met with Pixis, who was there as one of the heads of our military.

Apparently, he'd accepted from the volunteers some titan serums, the very same kind that had once been used to rescue Armin from the clutches of death. The very same one that we'd been unable to save Erwin with, for a lack of having enough.

We now had quite a bit of the stuff, stolen from Marley, and could now theoretically steal a few more titans. The question then was who to use it on. If there wasn't someone in critical danger, who would take the titan and willingly shorten their lifespan and simultaneously paint a huge target on their back?

I didn't want to be the one picked, or have it forced upon me if I got so injured that it was the only way to save me. Levi, at least, I knew was safe. His worth to the military was too much, and besides that, he had altered blood that already had within it the power of titans.

How an injection might mess with his blood was beyond our knowledge. It might not do anything at all. But because we didn't know, we didn't dare to try.

Pixis and I talked politics for a bit, he talked to Emi, and I commented on how old he was getting. He reasoned that for as much as he aged, I aged too, and so did Levi. He had me there, but I waved him off, telling him that he at least looked the part of an old man. After that, well, I had nothing else left to do, so I mounted up, tied Levi's mare to my own, secured Emi to my back, then headed off towards home.

Along the way, because I was riding faster than a wagon ever could, I passed by the gilded wagon that Levi and Zeke were in. I rode alongside them, keeping pace with it as I leaned over to knock on the window. It slid open, and Levi's bored gaze met my own.

"Hello, wife," he greeted, and from within the wagon I could hear Zeke say something or other, not like I cared to hear it, though I did hear Levi tell the brute to shut up.

"What do you want for dinner?" I asked.

"Surprise me," he said.

"I'll make one of your favorites, then," I said. "It'll be ready when you get home."

"You spoil me, brat," he said.

I smiled. "Yes, well, that's my job. See you at home, my love. Say bye to daddy, Emi," I said quietly, not wanting to say it too loud when Zeke was just inside the carriage. He couldn't see us, but I certainly didn't want to introduce the idea of us having a daughter to him. "Quietly. He's got a headache."

"Bye dada!" Emi said, quietly. I smiled, moderately surprised that she'd listened. I supposed that she was almost four now. She was quite the little young lady already.

"Bye, kiddo," Levi replied, his voice hushed.

Later, my small family was reunited at home. With the official orders to gather up a squad composed of scouts, I assisted him. That night and the next passed by quickly, especially now that Levi and I were better and no longer in a spat.

I was right back where I wanted – and needed – to be, and that was in Levi's arms. And that's where we are now. It's the night before Levi was to head off, and I was going to miss the hell out of him.

For now though, we were cuddling in bed, enjoying just holding each other before he set off. "So," I said, "you're off to see those big ass trees tomorrow."

"Mm-hm," he hummed.

I was snuggled against his side, lying with my head on his chest. He was on his back, one arm behind his head and the other wrapped around me. I was on my side, my arms around him to hold him close and one lazy leg draped over his. Under the heavy covers, but with the window opened just enough, we were delightfully warm as the summer air swept in.

"I talked to Eren the other day," I said. I got a noncommittal hum in reply again, which was Levi's way of letting me know that he was listening and for me to continue. "I'm scared for him. He's not the same kid that we met all those years ago."

"I think it is," he said in hushed tones. "We just couldn't see it."

"He used to be such a sweetheart," I mumbled. "But now... It was like he didn't want to talk to me. Like I... I don't know, like I wasn't worth the time or energy."

"He's a brat," Levi said. "Plain and simple. His power's gone to his head."

"I guess so," I sighed. "It's sad. I miss him. And he's so young, I just... I want him to know that people still care for him so, so much, but Hange was right. He did lose a lot of people's trust."

"Did he lose yours?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I want to believe that he's doing what he believes is right for humanity but the way he's going about it is reckless." I paused and tilted my head back to look up at Levi. Feeling this, he opened his eyes, the arm that had been rubbing up and down along my back slowing slightly. When I spoke next, my voice was quiet, and hardly even a whisper. "Do you really think that he'll resort to the Rumbling?"

"He might," Levi replied. "And even that small chance is too much."

"If they do it, they'll kill everyone that's not an Eldian, right?"

"That's what I hear."

I shook my head and tucked my head back down. "That's not right. Why would he ever think that that's the right thing to do?" I sniffed as tears welled up in my eyes. "I get it, we've been targeted for decades because of what our ancestors did. But to kill the rest of the world because of that? I mean, think of it. I'll never meet everyone who lives just on this island, there are so many of us in this tiny space. And to amplify that to entire continents? Levi, it's not right! That's so many people!"

"I know, brat," he said soothingly, consolingly. "I know. That's why we won't let it happen. Eren doesn't know where I'm taking Zeke. Even if he does, and he gets out of his cell, I can deal with him."

"Don't say that," I said weakly. "That makes it sound like you'll have to use force against him."

"I might have to, Maya," he reminded me gently. "He might not listen to reason."

"No, but he's... Dammit, I hate all of this," I muttered. "I knew that war was coming. I just didn't think it'd be this soon and so bad."

I went quiet then, and Levi didn't reply. His hand on my back became firmer, but in a comforting, cherishing kind of way. I felt safe in his arms, I always had. And I always would. To be without him for any length of time would be hell. Why the hell did I waste time being mad at him?

"How long will you be away?"

"A month," he said. "Unless it gets extended." I sighed. Levi knew why, and in response he lifted his head to kiss the top of my head. "There will be a team of pack-runners bringing supplies and news to us. So you can write to me."

"Oh, I can write to you?" I asked playfully. "What, you won't write back?"

"What were you expecting? Love letters?"

"Maybe," I teased. "You do love me, don't you?"

"Don't start," he huffed out. He pinched my side slightly, making me squirm in his hold until he let go a moment later. "You will write to me, right?"

I chuckled. "Of course, baby. I'll keep you up to date on everything, don't worry."

"And no funny business, you got that? I'll kick your ass if you show up in that damn forest."

"I promise, Levi, I won't go," I said with a laugh. "I don't want him to know about Emi."

"We have to be extra careful now," he said. "I don't want her to be a pawn."

"Me neither," I said. "Of the scouts, the only ones who know she's still around are the ones at the service today, and even that was just our squad for the most part."

"Good," he said. "I trust them, at least."

"Me too." I tilted my head back again to look at him. "Promise you'll be careful tomorrow? And all month, of course. Or however long you're out there."

"I will," he assured me. "And so we're clear, I... I don't think you're weak, Amaya. I know what I said when we argued, but I was just angry s-so I... said that. But I don't actually believe it."

"We were both angry," I said. "I forgave you the night it happened. I just..."

"It's okay to tell me that it hurt you," he said quietly. "I know it did."

"It did," I admitted. "I didn't think you meant it, but just hearing it hurt. But I wasn't exactly nice to you, either. I said a lot I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, again."

"Me too," he said.

"Let me show you," I said, sitting up slightly.

"Show me what?" His eyes followed my movements curiously.

"How sorry I am," I said. As was customary for me when I wanted to grab – and keep – his attention, I got on top of him. I took my usual spot atop his hips, my hands bracing me against his chest as I leaned down to plant kiss after kiss to his warm skin.

"For making you worry. For showing up where I wasn't supposed to. For lying." He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes as I continued my ministrations, apologizing after each kiss. Before kissing his waiting lips, I lifted myself up slightly so I could look him in the eyes. As if knowing I was looking into them, he opened his eyes. "You leave for a month tomorrow. Let me make love to you."

He nodded wordlessly. His arms wrapped around my back, pulling me back down to him to finally get that kiss. When we pulled away, a smirk slid onto his lips as his thumb brushed over my lips. "I'll make sure you feel it a month from now, love."