Context: A rather casual conversation takes a turn for the worst when Amaya's friend realizes who she is and where she is from. Later, Levi and Amaya try to rekindle their love. Perhaps all it would take is a little bit of courage from Amaya and an idea from her friend to light that spark.

---

Sitting with the ladies in the parlor was something I never thought I would do. For one thing, I hardly even knew what a parlor was and for another, I didn't think I would ever have the luxury of being able to waste an entire afternoon away by sipping tea and gossiping, even far before the war. I still think the whole concept was crazy, anyway.

But here I sat, wasting one of the last few warm afternoons of summer before it would give way for fall, in a parlor. Never did we stray further into the house. Rather, we'd stay in this sitting room, only one of many in the manor. We sat, warmed by the sun streaming in through the large windows behind one of the couches, and chatted to our heart's content.

Every once in a while, a smartly dressed man, a butler, would come by and refill our teacups and replace the tray of treats on the table centered between all the seats in the room, but that served as the only intrusion to our conversation, such as it always was.

Honestly, I wouldn't have even been here if one of my neighbors – one I actually enjoyed conversing with – wasn't cousins with the mistress of this house. The mistress. Honestly. Higher-class society was too much for me. But as it was, she was the cousin on this home's leading lady and when her cousin had her monthly chats like this, she dragged me along.

The first time had been horrendous for me. I hadn't realized how... well-off her cousin was and so I'd shown up at my friend's house in one of my older skirts, dated and paled with time, and a button-down shirt. It was comfortable anyway, but apparently not... impressive. Nor was it appropriate to wear, evidently, if my friend's horrified gasp had meant anything.

But she got over it quickly, simply telling me that the trick to dealing with rich people was to not reveal just how poor you were. There'd been no time to help it for that visit, so we made up the excuse that I'd been out doing yardwork and simply lost track of time. And it worked.

As a matter of fact, I'd say it worked almost too well, because I'd been invited back. And then invited back. And then again. And again. Which was... great. It was excellent. I didn't want to seem rude, of course, but... Goodness, the more often I went, the more likely it was that I mess up somehow.

Well, shortly after that day, my friend had taken me (and I'd accosted Gabi on my way out) to go shopping. She thankfully covered each expense, watching with a smile as the helping ladies in the shops reassured me that corsets really weren't that bad. She'd gotten me a few casual looks, a few business oriented ones, and one extravagant, formal one.

They were all very pretty, sure, but the damn woman knew that my family lived in a small apartment sitting atop our tea shop. She knew I wasn't exactly... first class. None of us were. Still, I couldn't say it wasn't fun to watch Gabi try to get out of a fitting as well.

Regardless... I was in the parlor now, sipping high-end tea that was floral and light and refreshing, nibbling on pastries and hoping to all higher powers that I wasn't getting crumbs everywhere, in one of the casual dresses which still took twenty minutes to put on, while trying to keep myself out of the conversation altogether.

But it was never that easy.

"Amaya, darling," the mistress of the house, Daniela said, "how are you enjoying your tea?"

I lowered the cup from my lips to smile at her as I answered. "I quite like it. It's incredible."

"Ah," she beamed, "that's good to hear. Marianne here has told me that your family owns a teashop on the other end of town."

"We do," I told her.

This was the first time I'd been the topic of conversation in the many months I'd come along on these visits. Usually I was just the friend that Marianne – my friend – would bring along just for the excuse of, "oh, well, we have plans elsewhere, so we can't stay long". And that was who I was.

Was it being used? Probably, but we did have a nice time when we left and found something fun to do. Of course, I was never one to say no to fancy tea and treats anyway. Marianne was good company, and it was wonderful to have a friend again.

As someone of a higher-class than myself, she had been completely disconnected from the war – disconnected in the way that she had never gotten involved. Had it affected her life? Yes, of course it had. There was hardly anyone left in this world that hadn't been impacted by it. But she wasn't a soldier. Neither was her cousin. They were completely unversed in the way of fighting and violence.

It was... refreshing, in a sense, to speak with people who were innocent in that way. It was strange too, but very refreshing.

Up until now, our conversations ranged from everything from the current state of affairs in the country we lived in, to the new tea leaves being imported from some far-off island. Sometimes, it did drift to the Rumbling, but only to grieve, to talk about new information released, or to just... acknowledge it.

There would likely never come a day where everyone would just stop thinking about it. Not that we should.

Anyway, the conversation very rarely turned to me and my life. It was perfectly fine by me. I didn't exactly want to talk about my upbringing or anything like that. And if I revealed that I fought in the war, it would mean I was from either Marley or Paradis. Either of those might get me in trouble if word got out.

So I always internally hoped that staying quiet and politely sipping my tea would keep me from being the focus of the group. And so far, it had worked.

But evidently... that was not the case today.

I had to admit I was a bit unnerved being the sudden center of attention. I could feel almost feel Marianne – my friend – staring at me, imploring me not to mess up and become a laughingstock. Getting along nicely with these ladies might be good for me later in life. If ever I needed a financial pick-me-up and I was in their good graces... I might be able to weasel them out of a favor.

I didn't want to ruin that now.

"It certainly must be quite the honor to receive a compliment from her then," one of the other ladies said, clad in green, "since she runs a shop."

"Goodness," one other lady mused, donned in purple. "Business was never for me. Could never quite wrap my head around it."

"Well," the lady in green continued, "that's just because you're daft in all things, Jacqueline." The woman in question – Jackie, we called her – huffed in response but didn't deny the woman in green. Her attention came to focus on me. "Still, it mustn't actually be you doing the dealings, right?"

"It is," I answered. "My husband and I share the work."

"Really?" The woman in green asked, clearly surprised. "Willingly?"

"Yes," I chuckled. "Willingly. I'm no stranger to hard work. And it's not that bad once you get a hang of the business side of things."

"Some women do enjoy doing something with themselves, Hilda," Marianne said, speaking to the one in green before taking a sip of tea. I knew what she was doing. She was trying to change the conversation, to distract the others. When she caught my eye over her teacup, I smiled gratefully at her.

"Just seems unnecessary, that's all," Hilda said.

A thoughtful hum left Jackie's lips and she smiled. "It must help to have your husband as your partner."

That put a smile on my lips. If only they knew what a joy he was to work with. Still, anyone mentioning Levi was enough to send a flurry of butterflies alight in my belly. It was almost as though my body reacted to somebody realizing just how wonderful he was – with the knowledge that only I could have him. And only I had him.

Hilda looked at me. Her eyes of brown met mine, the pools illuminated by the sun to take on a warm, honeylike shade. "Marianne told us you're not from around here. From out of country, then?"

"Yes," I answered carefully. "Moving here granted my family a new lease on life, so to speak."

"What happened?"

Even Marianne looked interested to hear my answer, though still cautious. Of course, I hadn't told her anything. I couldn't. No one outside of my family, the kids, and Onyankopon knew what we were. Revealing what blood we had could prove disastrous for the entire family, and Onyankopon, for hiding us.

If Marianne had picked up on my hesitance to speak about my past, she hadn't said anything about it. I'd just never brought it up, before. I'm sure I could just tell them a pretty little lie, or respectfully deny answering their question, but that would likely leave them suspicious of me.

I didn't want to do that. These girls were the closest people I had to friends here, so far. It'd been months since we moved here, and they deserved honesty... or as much as I could give them right now.

I'd have to be careful about how I went about this.

"The Rumbling destroyed our home," I answered slowly. "And killed our extended families. So, my husband, daughter and myself needed to... leave. There was nothing left for us there, so we came here."

"Oh, my word," Jackie said softly. "I'm terribly sorry to hear that."

"The Rumbling," Hilda repeated, her eyes drifting away. "What an awful thing."

"But why here?"

"An old friend of ours lives here and offered us some help," I explained, before a wide smile erupted on my face. "But don't worry, we put a lot of thought into it ourselves! We were impressed by everything this country had to offer."

"So," Hilda said hesitantly, "you've no other family left?"

I shook my head. "We've got friends left back home, but it was too hard to be there anymore. So really, I've got my daughter and my husband and..." I chuckled lightly. "And two little stowaways that won't leave us alone."

"That friend of yours," Daniela spoke, "what is their name? Perhaps we know them."

Well, I saw no harm in telling them his name.

"Onyankopon," I answered. "That's his name."

"Oh," Marianne chirped, "I do know him!"

"As do I," said the mistress of the house. "He's well-traveled, but he's known for having spent quite a number of years on Paradis, helping the Eldians there in their development."

Fuck.

"I didn't know that," Jackie said. "Goodness, I know him too. But you say he helped the Eldians? Was he not just a prisoner of war?"

"According to recent reports, no," Daniela said. "He was one of the volunteers."

"Who'd have guessed," mused Marianne.

"I certainly had no idea," I finally said, pulling the words right out of my ass as I said them. "He used to do community work in a town near where we lived. That's how we met, long before the war."

"Well, no matter. Just keep him the hell away from me. Anyone who'd dare help one of those Eldians is just as bad as them, in my book."

I could feel my temper beginning to flare, but I pushed it down. I could punch something later. If I did that here I'd never finish paying off that debt. I directed my focus to my tea, the cup beginning to shake oh so slightly as my anger grew.

"The military on Paradis is prepared for war, did you know that?" The question came from Marianne.

"Of course we know, you daft woman," hissed Hilda. "It's awful. And what are we doing? Sitting here sedentary. Honestly. You're a fool if you believe in those peace negotiations Paradis is starting. The damn ambassadors are war criminals!"

"War criminals who ended the Rumbling, didn't they?" Marianne piped up. "They went against what their other Eldians wanted on Paradis. They saved us all."

Hilda scoffed. "Don't make me laugh."

"Oh," Daniela said then, "there's recent developments out west, too. They're starting to test the people coming in. They don't want those of Eldian blood immigrating there."

"They're worried too about their Eldian blood mixing with ours," Marianne said. "They're testing children, putting it on public record if they're Eldian or not."

"They better start doing that here," Hilda all but snarled. "I don't want their filthy blood anywhere near me."

"Hilda," Marianne chided lightly. Then she sighed. "Can we move along from this, please? I believe we were talking about Miss Amaya's expertise on tea, yes? We should all pay the shop a visit."

I lifted my head to meet her gaze. I smiled at her, internally thanking her for changing the conversation entirely. I wasn't sure how much longer I could have held back. Calling my race dirty blood. Honestly. Some sophisticated ladies these were.

"Oh, and we can meet your husband, couldn't we?"

Oh, I'm sure he'd love to meet you all.

"A pretty lady like you, he must be so happy to be with you," Jackie giggled teasingly.

Happy? Oh, yes. He'll only look grumpy to you, though.

"He must be handsome, too," Marianne said. "You wouldn't dare settle, would you?"

Of course not. But if your definition of handsome goes by your husband – who is six feet tall and blond – then perhaps you might not think so.

"'Course she wouldn't," Hilda said. "No woman in her right mind would."

"We'd love to see you in the shop," I said to them. "Our least busy morning is Tuesday. Our regulars always come in, but those days are always slow."

"Perfect, then," Daniela said happily. "You'll write the address out for us, won't you?"

"Of course," I answered. "I'll do so before I leave."

"Ah, now I'm excited," Daniela said. "I'm sure it's a lovely little shop."

"It is," I replied. "I think so, anyway. And I'll make sure Levi is well-behaved for your visit."

"Speaking of your husband," Marianne said. "Your ring, might I have a look at it?"

"Oh, sure," I said, lifting my hand towards her. She took my hand gently and leaned closer, smiling when she caught sight of the engraving etched into the top. Just as she began to read it aloud, my heart seemed to stop.

Oh, no.

Oh, no, no, no.

How could I forget? You careless little-

"Ack..." She trailed off, the rest of the name failing to leave her lips. Her eyes rose from the band up into my eyes, slowly piecing it together.

If she saw the fear that had suddenly taken over my features, she did not say so. If she caught the silent pleas now itching to escape my lips, yet hiding in my eyes, she did not answer them vocally. I could see it as understanding flooded her system, as she figured it out.

Ackerman.

A terribly uncommon nickname.

Only one clan in this world held it.

And the clan only resided naturally on one island.

The Ackerman clan... was of Eldian blood. Of Paradisian lineage.

"Marianne? Was that a cough?"

"Yes," Marianne answered, sitting up straight and releasing my hand. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I'm a bit under the weather."

"Oh, my word," Daniela said. "Best to get you home quickly, then."

"I'll escort her," I offered. "Here, if someone has a note, I can jot down the address of my shop..."

I rather quickly wrote down the address, then gathered my things right alongside Marianne. Leave it to me to get everything so incredibly messy and so quickly. A chorus of goodbyes followed us as we let ourselves out.

Once outside... Well, it wasn't terribly busy out, not in this area. Most people were in the financial district, shopping and dining and walking to their heart's content while the weather allowed for it. No one was around to hear us talk... or not talk, for that matter.

I walked right alongside Marianne with my gaze centered on the bricks of the pathway we walked along. Our heeled shoes made routine clacks against the path, and the skirts of our dresses swayed slightly in the wind. My hair, left down which was usual for me by now, shifted from the breeze as well. I held it in place to keep the absence where my left ear had been covered with one hand.

I opened my mouth to speak, then closed it again. How do I go about this...?

I was honestly less frustrated at the situation and more about how I'd managed to get into it. I looked at the ring every single day. It was by now well-worn and a comfortable, steady weight against my left hand, but never had anyone really asked to see it.

Not since it was new, anyway, and the kiddos would ask to look at it just to be sure that it was the hard ass that was Levi who had gotten someone to agree to marry him. Well, he had. And that woman who had agreed might have been a complete idiot and might just put her whole family in extreme danger.

It was, of course, a stunning silver band. On the inside were our first names. Etched onto the outside was Ackerman. Our now shared last name.

Upon arriving here, we'd agreed to use Ikeda. Our formal documentation now said as much, too. But the ring... The engraving was so delicate, so light, that anyone who wasn't looking for it could never see it. You had to get as close as Marianne had in order to read it. I usually never let anyone get that close.

But this...

A silly mistake might get my family deported.

Or, even worse...

It might get them killed.

The mere thought of that happening ate away at me. I had to say something. Anything. I needed to fix this, and now.

Just get a conversation started. Beg for your life if you have to, Maya. Why are you struggling so much? You found the courage to do much more, before. It shouldn't be so hard to call upon that again, right? Right. Get going, then.

"You read it right," I said quietly to Marianne. "That's my last name."

I was lucky the street was all but deserted, else she wouldn't have been able to hear me.

"I see," she replied, her voice just as quiet. "I was hoping I'd read it wrong."

I was a damn Captain once. Where's that sense of authority?

"You're not going to turn me in, will you?"

It was less of a real question, and more of a reconstructed order. I'd been well-versed in using them, once. It was something of a rhetorical question. I took with those words my usual tone, the one I used when working to prove a point, to press my authority, to drive home that I meant business. The same tone I'd used on my subordinates.

Hopefully, it would work on her. It'd worked on far larger, far more imposing, far more dangerous people. But as it stood right now, she held all the power.

If she wanted to, she could turn my family in and get us shipped right back to Paradis, or even beheaded right outside our home.

Waiting for her reply was hell. But I didn't want to pressure her. I linked my hands behind my back, letting them come to rest rather discreetly right by the band of the skirt. To any passerby, I would merely seem to be walking casually. Only I knew what sat just underneath the band, tucked into the skirt.

The comfortable weight of my knife reassured me that if I so needed to do something, I could. Not that I wanted to. Marianne was my friend. I trusted her. But right now... God, I hated this.

"Is Ikeda a made-up name?" Marianne finally asked. Her eyes were directed forward, her pace set slow, her gaze unfocused. "And what about Amaya, then? Is that not your real name either?"

"Strangely enough, that's my maiden name," I said to her. "Amaya is my real name. Technically, so is Ikeda. But Ackerman is my husband's surname."

"I see," she mused. She slowed to a stop, and I followed suit only a pace or so ahead of her. I pivoted on one foot to see her better. "And... am I correct to assume that it's the same Ackerman from the reports? The dangerous clan from Eldia?"

"Yes," I answered. "Levi Ackerman is who you might know as the strongest soldier. And he is my husband."

"So, you're... that Amaya."

"Pardon?"

"There are stories of you too, you know. It's not just your husband who people think is dangerous. When the reports from Marley went out, they spoke of... both of you. They have you pegged as the deadliest spouses to walk the world."

"Interesting," I said. "I... We... After the war ended, we wanted to raise our daughter somewhere safe. Paradis was no longer safe for us because we went against what a lot of the people on the island wanted, so..."

"So you left," she said. "I understand. I had no idea. So... good job, I guess. Is that why you never told me your husband's name?" Finally she looked at me, her eyes friendly and her smile genuine. "I found it so strange that we were friends for months and you never told me his name."

"Well," I said with my own smile, relieved she wasn't angry, "neither of us were sure of how common our names were, so... I mean, how many Levi and Amaya's could possibly be married?"

"I suppose changing to your maiden name was a smart move," she said. "No one had any clue you were the same Amaya. You look like you wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I've hurt lots more than just flies," I said sheepishly.

"People who fly, maybe," she mused. "I don't actually know if that equipment you used made you fly or just go fast or..."

"I have my old set with me," I told her. "If I ever feel up to it, I might just show you."

She began to walk again, looping her arm with mine and pulling me along with her. Guess we were fine, then?

"I'd like that," she said. "Honestly... when reports were released, I found myself rather interested in what Paradis was doing. You all found yourselves in a strange situation, to say the least. I was never too crazy about the idea of killing your entire race over things that happened so long ago, anyway. It's not like you did any of that nonsense."

"Exactly," I said through a sigh. "Unfortunately, very few people think that way. Being rather important military figures as we were, we didn't want to make our family a target, so we just left."

"Thank you for telling me," she said seriously. "I promise you, I won't tell a soul. You truly are one of my greatest friends. Unlike those rich brats, you're genuine, and... Well, I just feel like I can trust you. Is that strange?"

"Not at all," I said with a grin. "You're a great friend to me, too. You have no idea how nice it's been to have a friend again. I love my family, but only being able to see and talk freely with them gets a bit... should I say boring?"

"I get that," she said. "If ever you need to talk about anything, I'm here for you. And if your family needs help, just let me know. The folks of Paradis were dealt a bad hand, so I'd be happy to be able to help you."

"Thank you so much," I said, sighing with relief.

"Alright, so now I have questions," she said excitedly. "That gear of yours. Does it make you fly or not? Cause I've heard it said both ways and I just need to know."

"Kind of," I answered. "We have hooks we can use to grapple to different surfaces, and we release gas to propel us. So yeah, it kinda offers the feeling of flight and if you let the grapples go just so, you can just freefall. It's incredible."

"You sound a little sad," she said. "Can't you still do it? You said you have it, right?"

"I do," I said, "but I'd have to check the gas. I'd likely have to have the gas shipped here secretly from Paradis if I did need more. But anyway... during the war, I got injured, my husband too, so using it is difficult. We need full use of our whole bodies, so having even one limb out of commission is... troublesome, to say the least."

"I see," she considered. "Your injury... does it still pain you?"

"Sometimes," I answered, "if I walk or stand too much. I caught one of those grappling hooks right through my leg, so it got messed up pretty badly."

"Holy shit," she exclaimed. "That hurts to even think about. I'd be such a little baby about that! I can't handle blood; I can't even stand it when I got so much as a papercut!"

I laughed lightly. "Few people living on Paradis get to say they never see blood or injury," I said to her. "Even when I was a child, I was no stranger to it."

"That's horrible," she murmured. "Ah, but your husband! Did you meet him in the military?"

"Nope," I answered. "That's a long story. I'll tell it another time."

"Oh, but I bet you were the prettiest bride," she said with a giggle.

"I like to think so," I mused. "Levi cleaned up rather well, himself."

"How long's it been, since you got married?"

"Oh, goodness," I said, thinking back. "What was the year... 850?"

"Been a while, then," she said. "Have you ever renewed your vows?"

"What?"

"Renew your vows," she repeated.

"What's that? I've never heard of it."

"Perhaps it wasn't done on Paradis," she said. "Well, it's a ceremony where a married couple can reaffirm their commitment. Basically, you just get remarried! It can be a big ceremony or a little one, all that matters is that you still love each other, and you let each other know."

"Wow," I said. "It sounds wonderful. How do I...?"

"It doesn't need to be official," she said. "I can offer my home as a venue if you like. You can invite your family and friends and make a day of itl."

"I'll speak to Levi about it," I assured her. "But I think it's a lovely idea."

Getting remarried to Levi... Perhaps that wasn't so bad an idea.

With the way my heart fluttered in my chest, I supposed it was actually a great idea.

Now, it was only a matter of seeing if Levi would agree to it.

---

As soon as I climbed the stairs and stepped through the threshold, I allowed myself to take a deep breath. I leaned back against the door as I closed it, letting my head hand forward with my eyes closed. It'd been a long day.

But now it was evening, and I was home. I could relax. And right now I wanted nothing more than to cuddle up to my husband.

I leaned down further, unbuckling my shoes and slipping my feet out of them. I set them by the door and finally made my way further into my home. If I remembered correctly... Emi was with Onyankopon, Gabi, and Falco.

She'd wanted to go to a park. And because I had my plans at the parlor, she had asked her father. Though Levi wanted nothing more than to go with her, he could not. His injury still limited his movement far too much. Judging by how quiet it was in the house, they were probably still out.

And that meant we had the place to ourselves, just for a bit.

Such a rare thing, and so... I figured I knew exactly how we would spend it.

"I'm home," I called out, pushing away from the door after locking it with one hand.

"In the living room," Levi called back, knowing that would be what I called for next.

Despite my aching feet and pained leg, I ignored my crutch that was waiting for me in the entryway and made my way to the living room. True to his word, Levi was on the couch, enjoying the peace and quiet while it lasted. Perhaps he thought that now I was home, that serenity would be gone. If only he knew that all I wanted was to hold him close and cuddle, at least for now.

There was a cup of tea on the table at his side and a book balanced in one hand while the other was occupied propping his chin up, the elbow on the arm of the couch.

He glanced up at me, his pretty eyes of blue meeting mine, but only for a moment before he returned his gaze to the book. He was dressed casually, comfortably. I couldn't say I blamed him. I wanted to get out of what I was wearing but it could wait. I wasn't particularly itching to just get changed; I just wanted to be held for a while.

And so I went closer, lowering myself onto my knees just next to Levi on the couch. I sat back, gazing at him with all the fondness in the world. As always, he knew that I was looking at him, just admiring him really, and he grew embarrassed. And before he could make a bashful fool of himself, he tried to redirect my attention.

"Have a nice afternoon?"

"I did," I answered.

He let out a noncommittal grunt in reply. "Well, welcome home."

That made me smile. It didn't matter how many times he said those words, how many times I acknowledged that this was indeed my home – our home. It never failed to warm my heart and set butterflies alight in my stomach, their delicate wings brushing against my belly.

"Mm. Happy to be back."

I lifted myself up, only to lean to the side to ease myself onto his lap. He sighed indulgently, lifting his arms and the book up and out of the way, only to wrap his free arm around me and lift the book where he could still read it around me.

"Any particular reason why you're sitting in my lap when we have plenty of chairs around the house for you to sit in?"

"I just want to hug you," I said, exaggerated innocence lacing my voice. "Is that so wrong?"

"I didn't say it was," he mentioned. "Just asked a question."

"Well, that's my answer," I said, nuzzling my face towards his neck. "I just want to hug you."

His only response came in the form of another noncommittal grunt. Content with the silence that encapsulated us both, I smiled, pressing further against him. The birds outside the windows chirped with delight.

I didn't blame them. It was a lovely night. Perhaps Levi and I could take a stroll to a nearby park tonight with Emi and the stowaways. Maybe Onyankopon would join us, too. Or perhaps we could persuade them to watch Emi a little longer so we could go on a date, just the two of us.

It'd been a long time since we'd even... goodness, how long had it been since we did something for ourselves? There'd been such a quick turnaround from the ending of the war until we moved in here, but... it'd been so long since we had gone on a date.

We promised each other that we would find time for ourselves, to get away from everything for a while, but not so soon, not with everything that needed to be sorted out. But right now? Wasn't everything sorted out right now? We were home, everything was set up. Emi had adjusted wonderfully, as had the two bigger kids.

I knew why we didn't just... go on a date while Emi was still getting used to things here, to Levi being home, but... now? Why couldn't we just go out tonight?

Perhaps all I had to do was ask.

"Levi," I said quietly, too soothed and calm to speak any louder than that. He'd begun to run his hand up and down my back, the feeling comforting and loving.

"Mm-hm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Maya," he replied.

A pause.

"Are you sure you're alright? Those women didn't say anything to you, did they?"

Oh, you have no idea.

"I'm perfectly fine now," I assured him. "Don't worry about me."

"Right," he said, unconvinced. "Well, can you get up? I have to go take a shit."

"No," I whined immediately, clinging tightly to him when he made the slightest move to get up. All he did was lean forward, but my arms wound around him and I pouted, not like he could even see it. "Just stay here. Shit later."

"That's not how this works," he muttered. "You're being extra clingy today, brat. Why?"

"I don't know," I said.

"You're an awful liar," he said. "Now let me up, woman. I need to shit. Once I'm back, you can tell me what's bothering you. Alright?"

"Alright," I said softly, letting go of him. I sat on the couch, and now free, Levi stood up. He was just reaching the doorway heading to the closest bathroom when I called out to him. "Let's get remarried, please!"

"What? No. What?"

Goodness, I must've really confused him.

"We can get remarried," I said to him. "Kinda, anyway. Marianne told me about it today, we can renew our vows."

"That sounds... no, Maya. Can I go shit now?"

"Oh," I said quietly as he left the room.

---

"Would it be strange for Levi and I to, you know, renew our vows?"

The question was aimed at Onyankopon, who was by my side helping me finish the dishes. Dinner was done, the food gone, the table now being cleared. Levi was with Emi and the two kids in the living room. They were all telling him – rather excitedly – about something they all saw at the park today.

Thankfully, Onyankopon had offered to help me in here, for which I was grateful.

"I didn't know you knew what that was," Onyankopon replied, accepting the plate I handed him to dry. "It's not a Paradisian custom, is it?"

"No," I answered. "My friend told me about it. I like the idea, but Levi... wasn't very receptive to it."

"I see," Onyankopon responded. "Hm. Well, lots of couples do it for special milestones. Is a special anniversary coming up?"

"Well, not a milestone one," I said. "But... Well, our anniversary is special to us. Levi always makes it a point to not only celebrate the marriage one, but our engagement too... I thought he'd like this too. It doesn't need to be a big ceremony, right?"

"Right," he said. "Lots of folks have only their families go, others invite friends, but some just have each other there. Were there lots of people at your wedding?"

"Yeah," I answered, "there were. It was in the capital, right after Historia got crowned. It wasn't exactly by choice, but..."

"I don't know, then," he said. "Sorry, Amaya. He's obviously smitten with you. But maybe have a conversation about it? There's no harm in renewing them. I can't see why he wouldn't want to."

"Maybe just asking to get remarried was a bad idea," I muttered. "He's always been a bit... bashful, I guess, with that kind of thing. So maybe..."

"He's head over heels for you, so I'm sure it's not anything like that," Onyankopon said with a smile. "You know what, you two deserve a date night. Why don't you two go out for the night? I can watch the kids for you."

"You'd do that?" I asked, genuinely surprised. While he had offered before to babysit the kids, I'd never expected for him to just volunteer like this. I was expecting to need to ask him, to request for him to. But this...

"Of course," he said. "You two did a lot for me over the years. So why not?"

"I'll ask," I said, grinning now. "Thank you!"

As soon as the dishes were done, the two of us walked into the living room to join in on the fun. As I expected, Emiko was telling Levi a story very animatedly. From what I could tell, there'd been a squirrel, or maybe a chipmunk, a handful of snacks, and... a very nervous Falco who'd been coerced into trying to coax the animal into getting closer.

Once she realized we were in the room, Emi turned to face us. "Mommy," she said, "there was a chipmunk! Falco almost got it, but it ran away!"

"It was a squirrel, Emi," Gabi said from her spot next to Falco on the couch. Onyankopon settled on the other end of it and I took my place next to my husband.

"Emi," Onyankopon said, "don't you think your parents need to go on a date? How long's it been since they did?"

I smiled, knowing that her concept of time was spotty at best. I set a hand on Levi's knee, leaning against him gently as we waited for her answer. "Um," Emi drawled out, thinking long and hard, "it's been forever!"

"Forever," Onyankopon repeated, faux shock in his voice. "Goodness, that's too long, don't you think?"

"Mm-hm," she chimed, nodding her head. She ran to us, looking at us seriously.

"I don't think it's been forever, Emi," Levi said.

"Nuh uh! It has!"

How long has it been?" Falco asked.

I shared a look with Levi. "It must've been before the war even started," I said, "since we went out, just the two of us."

"It's been that long...?" Levi trailed off, his eyes drifting from mine.

"I guess it has," I said. "We've been busy."

Emi looked at her father, her little eyebrows conveying her sudden anger. "Daddy! Do you even still love mommy?"

I couldn't hold my laugh in if I even tried. "O-Of course I do!"

The two kids giggled conspiratorially to themselves and even Onyankopon chuckled. "Well," I said, looking at Levi with a sly smile, "it is a beautiful night."

Come on, take the hint. Ask me on a date, or risk earning the wrath of our daughter and endless heckling from everyone else.

Levi sighed, likely swallowing down his pride. If ever he did anything romantic, it wasn't in front of other people. And this counted as being in front of other people. As such, that typical shyness was making itself known.

"Maya," he said, "do you want to go out on a date? Tonight? R-Right now?"

"Why, I would love to," I chimed, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek. He huffed, averting his gaze. Embarrassment flooded his features as Falco and Gabi cheered, Emi beamed up at him, and Onyankopon grinned.

When he stood, walking towards the door to put his shoes on, I mouthed a thank you to those watching across the way. Then I stood, remarking that I loved my little family before going to get ready.

---

The calmness of the night reflected in our moods. Our impromptu date found us going to a nearby park. Lanterns lined the stone pathways, illuminating our way. Looking up, the night sky, inky and dotted with stars, could be seen through the breaks in the trees above our heads. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, swayed the branches, and shifted my hair.

Much to Levi's chagrin, he wasn't walking by my side. I'd insisted that he didn't push himself, that he allowed me to push him along in his chair. My recovery had been far kinder to me than his had been to him. I didn't want him in any more pain than he needed to be.

We didn't speak. Since we left the safety of our home, we'd said hardly a word to each other. It wasn't that it was an uncomfortable, awkward silence, but it wasn't exactly our usual silence either. It was as though things between us were stilted. Was it because of what I'd asked earlier? I hadn't meant to put him on the spot or make him nervous or anything like that, I just thought it'd be cute...

"You're being quieter than normal," Levi spoke. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing, love," I assured him. "I'm alright. Just thinking and enjoying the quiet. Isn't it nice out?"

"It is," he agreed. "There's a bench. Can we sit?"

"Of course," I said, slowing him to a stop beside the bench. I held it steady for him as he eased himself to his feet and then lowered himself to the bench. I set the wheelchair beside the bench for now, then sat down next to him once more.

"What were you thinking about?" He asked.

I leaned back against the bench, smoothing my dress out over my legs. "A lot happened today," I said to him.

"With the rich ladies?"

"Mm-hm."

"Tell me."

"We were just chatting like usual," I explained, "when suddenly they wanted to talk about me. I didn't tell them anything of course, just that after the Rumbling we brought our family here. I didn't think it'd be a problem to bring Onyankopon up, so I did, but they knew him as someone who volunteered for the Eldians."

"I see. Did they figure it out?"

"I told them he was doing volunteer work in our home country long before the war," I said. "They then began talking about how disgusting Eldians are, and about how we have dirty blood, so no, I don't think they put two and two together. But Marianne... she wanted to see my ring when they were asking about you. I forgot..."

I sighed. Noticing my hesitance, Levi reached out, winding one arm around my shoulders to pull me against him while the other reached across him to grab my hand.

"I forgot that Ackerman is etched on the ring," I continued. "She didn't read it aloud, but we left after that in a hurry. I kinda had to explain it to her, then. She promised not to tell anyone about us, though, and I trust her."

"Alright," he said, and nothing more.

"I'm sorry," I said, turning my head to look at him directly. He met my look evenly. To my surprise, there was nothing – not disdain, not stress, not even anger – etched in them. Only understanding. "I could've gotten us in danger today. And if she isn't telling the truth, then we might already be in danger. I didn't mean to-"

"Hush, Maya," he said as gently as his voice would allow, squeezing my hand gently. "You handled it as best you could. Do you trust her?"

"She seemed genuine when she told me she wouldn't tell a soul," I said, "but you can never be sure..."

"I think you're forgetting you're a good judge of character," he reminded me. "I trust you, and I trust that you handled it the best you could. Ok?"

I only nodded slowly in reply. "I'm sorry," I said once more. Levi pulled me ever closer, guiding me against him gently. Knowing what he wanted I leaned against him, shifting to lower my head to rest against his shoulder. "This was supposed to be fun and sweet, and I just had to go and bring something like this up."

"Stop apologizing," he said. "I'd rather we talk about it instead of you pretending to be happy for the sake of a date."

"I know," I sighed. "It's just been a long day."

"If you're tired, we can head home," he said.

"No," I responded. "This is nice."

"I didn't realize it'd been so long since we did something like this," he said. "I know I said that after the war I'd try to do more stuff like this, and I mean it. So I'm going to... to try more, for us."

"I know," I assured him. And it's alright. We've just been busy."

"It's not alright," he pressed. "I know I'm not exactly great at this kind of thing, but I know that just going to bed next to each other and working together every day isn't enough. I just want you to know that I... that I still do love you, a-a lot, and I want to show it more."

I smiled, lifting my head from his shoulder. "As if you don't show it in everything you do for me," I cooed teasingly.

He clicked his tongue, flush creeping up from his neck and into his cheeks.

"I love you so much," I continued. "I wish we could steal more time away together, but we did end up fulfilling your lifelong dream of running a tea shop, so it isn't all that bad, right?"

Simply thinking about the shop reminded me that we might have a few new guests in the next few days.

"Oh," I said suddenly, "I think I forgot to tell you. The ladies might be stopping by the shop this week."

He sighed. "The rich ones?"

"Yes."

"You're something else."

"They wanted to," I said. "It's not like I invited them just to annoy you. Besides, they like me. They might just leave great tips. And with rich friends come rich gifts."

"They're huge pains in the ass," he muttered. "Do they know we're practically dirt-poor?"

"Not quite," I said. "I think they could guess, based on the fact Marianne had to teach me proper parlor etiquette, but they don't know for sure. Well, not yet." He rolled his eyes. "Just play nice when they arrive, honey."

"I'm not making small talk," he said, making me laugh lightly. Of course I knew he wouldn't. "And if they ask me any inane questions-"

"I'll swoop in and save you," I assured him, pecking his lips lightly. "Like I always do."

Levi smirked when I pulled back, mischief in his eyes. "I save you from titans, and you save me from political nonsense. Isn't that how we've always done it?"

"Exactly," I agreed. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." I took the next moment to just look at him, as he did the same for me. When the backs of his fingers on one hand came to caress my cheek, tracing over old scars, I smiled at him. "We've been through a lot together, haven't we?"

"We have," he responded quietly, a sort of nostalgic, reverent look glazing his eyes now. "Hard to believe that when we met, the biggest of your concerns was to throw a stick at me."

That made me laugh openly. "I was young and stupid, leave me alone."

Levi's look was skeptical, and rightfully so. "You were nearly thirty."

"So were you!" I leaned away, crossing my arms over my chest defiantly. "And as I remember it, I hit you, so there!"

His smirk was sly, but his eyes reflected the playful nature of the conversation. "That you did, baby." Then he took a moment to think before his smirk returned. "I was so pissed after that. I told Farlan and you know what he did? The fucker laughed at me."

"It was funny," I said. "You could escape the MP's no problem but a strange was able to hit you with a stick!"

Levi sneered. "Whatever."

With my torso turned slightly to face him, I was able to prop one elbow on the back of the bench and I leaned against it in a casual sort of way. "I, for one, don't blame Farlan for laughing. I think I laughed too when it happened. I might've been too enamored by your eyes, though. It was so long ago; I can't quite remember."

"Honestly," Levi sighed. "We've been married for how long now, and you keep flirting?"

"It's one of the surest ways for me to get a blush out of you," I cooed. "Besides, when I mean every word I say, why wouldn't I say it?"

Seemingly unperturbed by my words (or perhaps it was only because he ignored them completely), he let a thoughtful kind of noise then. "We used to get chased by Reyes a lot, didn't we?"

"I did, anyway," I said. "He always wanted to catch me. He'd always say oh, this isn't what El would've wanted!" I scoffed. "As if El would've wanted his best friend and trusted comrade to catch his daughter."

"I wonder," he said quietly. "What did El look like?"

"Hm? Why?"

"I've got a good feeling he'd probably chased me a lot, himself," Levi told me.

"Well," I said softly, my eyes trailing away as I thought back, "he was taller than either of us. Shorter than Reyes, but taller than me, and that's what mattered. He had kind of tanned skin, despite spending so much time underground. He had dark hair and brown eyes. He was always working so odds are, he'd probably chased you quite a bit."

I kept my eyes aimed towards the landscape, though that's not at all what they were focused on. They were glazed over as I thought about him, as I reminisced about who had been, for a large chunk of my life, my only family.

"How much do you remember about him?"

"Lots," I answered easily. I wasn't so lost in my thoughts and gone in my memories that the words didn't find my ears. I glanced at Levi briefly. "My memory isn't that bad. I was like twenty-seven when he died."

There was a pause, then.

"Do you remember anything about your mother? Or growing up with Kenny?"

"I don't remember much about my mother," Levi said. "I was young when she died. But I do know that she was the kindest woman I've ever known." My eyes found the side of his face as he spoke, looking off into the distance as I had been only moments ago. "Whenever she'd have a client, she'd send me away from the room. She didn't want me seeing..."

I could sense that he was trailing further into his memories than he'd ever done, before. Thankfully, the park was empty. Only natural sounds found our ears, assuring us both that we were alone. Unwatched. Unheard. Undisturbed, at least for now.

"She was pale, really pale."

"Like you are," I offered gently, thinking that it might make him happy to realize how much like his mother he was. I never knew her, but she had raised Levi. She had given him the foundation that even Kenny's rough teachings could never replace. While Levi was strong enough to kill, he was strong enough to stop himself, to hold himself back. That, I believed, was his mother's doing.

It had to have been love. Love from a mother to her son that would instill a love for others, even strangers. Unknowing love, that led to faith: faith that others could be better, that they could learn, that they weren't all bad.

They were all lessons Kenny had tried to undo when teaching him to live on his own in an unforgiving environment. But Levi's work ethic, that desire to help others, that fire that kept him going, had to stem from somewhere other than what Kenny taught him.

The city had been unforgiving. But Levi was. He did what he needed to survive. Nothing more, nothing less. Never did he hurt for the sake of it. Never did he try to display his power unnecessarily.

His mother must have shown him that. That people could be good. That even others in the underground were only doing what they had to.

"Like I am," Levi affirmed to himself, and now I had a feeling he meant much more than simply how pale he was. Perhaps he'd come to the same conclusions that I had. He cleared his throat, as though to compose himself. "And Kenny was... he was Kenny. You know how he was."

"Apart from what he called me," I said, "do you think he'd have liked me?"

"I never really got to know him as a person," Levi said unsurely. "But you're a strong person. He likes to surround himself with those. Only... I think he might call you too soft."

"And what about your mother?" I asked. "Do you think she'd like me?"

Levi met my eyes then. "She'd love you."

I couldn't help but smile warmly.

It wasn't that he thought she'd love me. It was that she would. And something about that made me incredibly happy.

"El would love you, if that means anything," I said to him. "He might just ask you how you move so damn fast with the gear to always escape him."

Slowly and reverently, one of Levi's hands rose to tuck some of my hair behind my ear – the only one I had left. "He'd have better luck asking you. I still have no idea how you go faster than I do."

"That's a secret," I said. "Besides, I can't exactly compare to what you can do when you'd get those weird – what did you call them – awakenings?"

"Shut it," he muttered. "Those weren't ever exactly by choice."

"My point still stands."

"Sure," he conceded, if only to shut me up. We were quiet, for a moment. "How is Reyes and his family?"

"The last letter I received from them said they were all doing fine," I answered. "I wonder..."

"Hm?"

"Would it be possible for us to visit? Not for too long, but just to see how things were going?"

"Do you want to?"

"I don't know," I said. "I think it would be weird to go back. Besides, it's not like the people will just forget what we did. So..."

"We'd have to be discreet, if we did," Levi said. He opened his mouth to say more but he suddenly flinched. Concerned, I sat up, looking at him curiously. But Levi only blinked, looking more surprised than anything. Then he looked up, and I followed suit, only to flinch myself.

How hadn't we noticed the clouds coming in? Another raindrop fell now on my lap, not surprising me nearly as much as the one that had landed squarely on my nose, but it did work to shock me into action.

I stood and hurried to grab the wheelchair as Levi pushed himself to his feet. He wobbled slightly but I was there to steady him with one hand as he lowered down into the chair. Then I went on with a smile on my face, pushing Levi along as quickly as I could as the rainfall intensified.

I couldn't help but laugh as I increased my speed, going as fast as I could with a leg that was still rather weak from its injury, and in heeled shoes, no less. "What's so funny, brat?" Levi called back to me.

"It's just our luck that it would rain on our first date in months!"

He turned to look back at me incredulously, blinking frequently to combat the incessant rainfall. I only laughed again; he looked too cute like that.

And when we finally reached the cover of our shop's front awning, I took the time to breathe, to catch my breath from all the jogging and pushing I'd just done. "You've still got it, doll," Levi said, wiping his eyes uselessly with a sleeve that was too wet to do any good.

"Still got what?"

"The ability to surprise me," he said. "The ability to save my ass. And..." When he trailed off, he glanced back at me with a sly look. "A shitload of stamina."

That comment got no spoken reply from me. Only one of my eyebrows rose, daring him to continue.

"Think you could spare a little more?"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Our first date in so long and all you can think about is trying to get me in bed."

The words were playful; we were married, for goodness' sake. Of course I didn't mind comments like this. Still, it was rare that he was so forward. So, if I acted defensive, he might keep it up. And much to my delight, he did.

"That's where we'll end up anyway, isn't it?"

"It could be," I said teasingly, "if you finish this date right."

"And how would I do that?"

I smirked. "Tell me how wonderful it was, and how wonderful I am, and how you want to do it again sometime."

"And? Is that it?"

"Give me a very sweet kiss," I continued, "and then... once we're inside, draw us a nice warm bath, because I'm freezing. Think you could handle that, darling?"

"It's reasonable," he said. "Do I get something extra if I lay your clothes out by the fire to warm them up?"

"You just might," I said. "No harm in trying, right?"

The smirk he sent me in reply told me that he might do just that. And he did. For when I'd wheeled him inside and helped him up the steps, we loitered just outside that door, pretending for the hell of it that it was an early date in a relationship, where he walked me to my door like a gentleman.

He whispered that it was a nice evening, and that he had a good time, and that he wouldn't entirely mind doing it again rather soon. That last note had been added rather bashfully, but when I leaned in and kissed him, he seemed to regain his nerve, for he drew me in for another one, before breathlessly telling me that he loved me.

I responded in kind, and then we stepped inside as quietly as we could. The door was locked behind us, as had the one down in the shop. We made our way to our bedroom, knowing that by then, Emi was fast asleep, as were Falco and Gabi. Onyankopon was likely asleep as well in the guest room.

That didn't stop us from having that bath, and as I got undressed in the bathroom, Levi busied himself rekindling the fire in the fireplace and leaving a set of clothes there for me. Then he joined me in our bathroom, and we stepped in, soaking the chill in our bones away.

And when we were done in there, content and warm and clean, Levi stepped out first, drying off and dressing quickly only with the intent to go retrieve my own clothes. The clothes were delightfully, wonderfully warm when I put them on and joined Levi in the bedroom... not that they stayed on for long.

But neither of us were complaining about what happened next.

---

The very next afternoon, Levi found himself sitting at the kitchen table of his home, but he wasn't alone. Amaya was downstairs tending to the shop, and he was taking his break. It was nearing closing time, but she'd assured him that he could head upstairs. She'd assured him that she could take care of things, because he'd so kindly offered to let her sleep in this morning and open the shop by himself.

It was his fault she needed the extra time in bed, anyway, so it was the least he could do. So, he'd left her in bed, though she mumbled something about being lonely and "screw the customers, they can go somewhere else for tea, so stay in bed".

But he hadn't. They had a job to do. It'd been a lifelong dream of his to have this shop, so he wasn't about to offer it any less than all of himself. He'd tucked her back in, planted a gentle kiss to her cheek, brushed her hair away from her face, and told her to sleep in.

And now she was repaying the favor by allowing him to enjoy his afternoon tea in the comfort of their home. Things usually wound down by now anyway. Their regulars would start streaming out, meaning she could do the usual end-of-day routine.

Hopefully, no lingering customers would give her any trouble. He wanted nothing more than to enjoy his tea with her at his side, nibbling on the leftover pastries from the day.

At least for now he had some company. While Gabi was playing with Emi in her room, and Onyankopon was out and about doing his own things, Falco was sitting across the table from Levi, doing schoolwork.

Every so often he'd ask Levi a question. Though he was honored Falco thought he was smart enough to know the answer, Levi quite frankly did not know enough math to even try to guess at what Falco was asking.

Or was he on ancient history by now? It didn't matter. He probably knew less about that nonsense, anyway.

From the newspaper he was reading, Levi didn't look up often, but he could tell that Falco was distracted. The boy was looking out the nearby window with a slight furrow in his brow. His pencil was being twirled mindlessly between his fingers, the homework all but forgotten by the boy.

"Keep at it, kid," Levi said, lifting his eyes only to catch Falco's flustered expression upon realizing he'd been caught.

"Sorry," Falco said. "I was just distracted."

"I could tell," Levi said, deciding to humor the boy. "Spill it so you can get back to it."

"It'd kind of, well, personal," Falco muttered. "But I trust you, so I'll tell you!"

"Great."

...

"You gonna say it, or am I supposed to guess?"

"Oh, um... I just... You know how I really like Gabi?"

"Sure."

"I was thinking about you and Miss Amaya," he continued. "And about how I'm kinda like Amaya, more open about my feelings and stuff, and Gabi's like you, kinda bad at the whole thing and-"

"Get to the point," Levi said, not wanting to lose his temper.

Honestly. He knew he wasn't exactly a love expert but who was? Amaya certainly made mistakes sometimes. Just less than he did. Far less. And never once did she make him feel uncomfortable or not wanted or useless or a burden or... Dammit.

"Sorry," Falco said again. "In the future, I want to marry her."

"Aren't you a little young to be thinking about that?"

"No, I don't think so," Falco said. "I just, um. Mr. Levi, how did you ask Amaya to marry you?"

Levi set the newspaper down, looking at the courageous little kid with one eyebrow raised in a silent question. Was this boy serious? Apparently, he was if the look on his face was any indication.

"I showed her the ring and asked her."

"Oh," the boy said, clearly disappointed by his rather lackluster answer. "Um..."

"You're not getting details, kid. If you want a story, ask her."

Falco's eyes brightened up and he sat up straight. "Oh, ok!"

Levi then nearly panicked; Amaya wouldn't be sparing with the details. She'd tell the boy everything, including how damn nervous he was. Well, he couldn't allow that.

"No, no," Levi backpedaled. "Wait. I'll tell you, just sit your ass back down."

Falco did exactly that, a wide smile on his face. He'd just played right into his hands, hadn't he? He was better than this, wasn't he? Apparently not. Levi ran a hand down his face. He was exhausted already.

"I'm assuming you want the truth?"

"Yes, please!"

"Truth was, kid, I knew she would say yes, so I didn't even bother getting down on one knee."

"Oh, yeah," came another voice. Both boys looked up, seeing Gabi leaning against the doorway leading from the living room, "I'm sure you were a real playboy."

"What? You don't think he'd be a romantic?" Falco said, almost teasingly. Emi came into the room now, wondering what all the commotion was. Seeing her father, she hurried to his side, silently asking to be picked up. Levi obliged, plopping her down right in his lap comfortably.

"You little brats... do you want the story or not?"

"The real story, sure," Gabi said. "We could just as easily go ask Amaya. I'm sure she'll give us all the details you'd leave out, anyway. Right, Falco?"

"Right," the boy agreed.

"Pains in the asses, both of you," Levi said. "Sit the hell down."

"That's a bad word!"

"Sorry, Emi," Levi said immediately. Then he sighed once more. "It was... Goddesses, I hate telling stories. It was before the war even started."

"Goddesses," Gabi cut in almost immediately while settling into the chair next to Falco. "Now you're sounding like Amaya."

"Shut it," Levi hissed. "It was when Maya and I were watching a different set of brats in the countryside. Our job was to lay low and keep quiet for a few days to avoid getting caught by the Military Police. And one night, I... decided to ask."

"And? Did you have a ring? Did you have a plan at all?"

"Of all the stupid questions... Of course I had a ring. I wasn't about to ask without one."

"So when did you get it? And on a soldier's salary? How'd you manage that?"

"If you'd let me talk, I'd tell you. I actually... asked our Commander Erwin about it a few weeks before. I'd asked for advice because I... I didn't know how best to do it."

"And fraternization like that isn't usually allowed right? It'd be a conflict of interest."

"Right," Levi affirmed, "but because it was us, he was fairly lax about it."

"Oh, I see," Gabi chimed. "He couldn't lose his two best soldiers, right?"

"Sure," Levi said. "Anyway, he had connections to a merchant. So I ordered some. When I got them, I... found a nice night to do it, and... I asked."

"This story sucks," Gabi groaned, setting her chin in her hand.

"Don't you remember what you said to her? Any of it?"

"Those are private things, and none of your business," Levi stammered out.

"Oh, come on," the girl whined.

"Fine," Levi snapped. "Just stop whining." He sighed again, knowing that he wasn't realistically going to get out of this without getting embarrassed. "She could tell I was nervous the entire time. I was a... a damned mess," he admitted.

His eyes came to focus on the grain of the wood in the table, though his eyes were glossed over with memories. He really had been a mess, hadn't he? But why wouldn't he be? He'd never seen himself getting married but there he was, about to ask the one question he thought he'd never voice aloud? And to a woman he thought he'd never deserve.

"She... was going to bring the kids in from outside. I told her not to, to just wait." In his periphery, he could tell the kids shared a look and their smiles grew. "I told her that I loved her and wanted to get a ring on her finger. I asked her to marry me."

"And?" Gabi prodded when he trailed off. "What did Amaya say?"

"She said yes. Obviously."

"Could I see the ring?" Falco asked quietly.

It was an odd request, but not one that Levi saw a problem in obliging. He slid the ring from his finger, handing it to Falco who took it gingerly. Even Gabi leaned closer to look. The cracks that had formed on the band when Zeke had blown his ass up had never been fixed, but they hadn't gotten any worse than they had on that day.

It was a strange thing, to have the memento of their love be tainted forever by the damage done by his most hated enemy, but they'd never had the money to fix it. He'd never asked Amaya to help him save, but he always set a bit of his own money aside to work towards it.

He was sure that if he asked her to, she would help him save. But he couldn't ask her to do that. Not when it was his own damn fault that he'd gotten hurt.

"The cracks," Falco said. "Are they from when...?"

Levi nodded. Neither had to clarify further. The pad of Falco's thumb ran gently over the ring, over the engraving of the name Ackerman. The name he'd shared with Amaya. The name they bestowed – or perhaps cursed – on their little Emi.

Though they were Ikeda's now technically, weren't they? It was no matter to him, really. He'd been so old when he'd learned that he was an Ackerman that Ikeda just seemed like the natural way to go. If Kenny hadn't told Levi that they were Ackerman's, they'd have likely gone with Ikeda when they got married anyway.

"Look on the inside," Gabi said softly to Falco. A smile grew on her face as recognition bloomed across Falco's features. "Did you want your names there in case you forgot them?"

"It was so we'd always be-" He cut himself off when he felt the dreadful feeling of embarrassment flood his systems. Flush creeped up his neck and warmed his cheeks. "Knock it off, both of you."

"Here," Falco said, handing the ring off to Levi.

"Oh," Gabi said, looking down now at Falco's homework. "Did you need help with this? I can help you, come on." Then she hoisted him up by the arm and Falco only had enough time to grab the pages from the table before being dragged towards the living room.

"Wait for me!" Emi called, hurrying to climb down from Levi's lap. He helped her, then let her go as fast as her little legs would allow her to.

When she left the room to chase after her selected new siblings, Levi let his eyes lower to meet the ring now sat in his palm. It sat there innocently, but memories were now racing through his mind. For as many good memories this ring had seen, it'd also been present for a hell of a lot of bad ones.

He very scarcely took it off. Not wearing it made him feel naked and dirty and even unfaithful. While he wasn't a fan of publicly displaying his love for Amaya, he liked wearing the ring because it showed quite plainly that he was taken – and so was she – and that they belonged to each other.

But now it was damaged. He didn't want something that was to represent their love be something broken. Hers was in pristine condition. It looked as though she'd only gotten it yesterday. But his...

It was something so trivial, and yet... He probably shouldn't be giving this so much thought, right? It was a ring. A physical object. He knew that she loved him, and she knew that he loved her. That's all they needed. But this... Why did he care so much about this?

It wasn't the monetary value. It was about having something untarnished and beautiful to display their love.

It was only a physical object, and yet it meant so much to him to maintain it. Only he hadn't. Why was he thinking this way now? He saw the ring every day. It was a constant, comforting weight against his finger. Having it be anything other than pristine seemed wrong.

The memory flashed through his brain then. "Let's get remarried!"

Maybe then he'd had an excuse to get new rings? Would she want that? Maybe she wouldn't. Only one way to be sure. He needed only to ask.

As if knowing that he was thinking about her, the door leading downstairs opened and in stepped his wife. Amaya released a long, drawn-out sigh as she eased her feet out of their shoes and put them away.

He watched as she reached above her head, stretching her body. A low groan escaped her, and she had an admittedly very cute face as she did it. Then she relaxed, her arms swinging back to her sides.

"Tired, brat?"

"Mm-hm," she hummed lowly in response, setting the shop's keys to hang beside the other various sets of keys they had.

As she left the entryway and came further into the home, she reached behind her to untie the apron she always wore when working. Today it was tied over a dress of a light purple, perhaps even lavender color. It was pretty on her.

A frustrated face took her features over as her fingers fumbled for purchase on the knot she'd tied earlier in the day. "Oh, come on," she huffed. Levi had to work to keep his lips from lifting upward at the display.

"Need help?"

"No," she said immediately. "I got it, maybe."

"You don't," Levi responded. "Come here."

It took only one hand to undo the knot that was giving Amaya so much trouble. He needed only to pull at one of the ties and it all came undone. She sighed with relief, looking back at him over her shoulder with a grateful smile.

"Thank you, darling," she said lovingly; so lovingly, in fact, that it was hard to truly believe that it was being directed at him. Amaya lifted the apron over her head and began to fold it for now until it would be washed.

She walked away, leaving the room only to go down the hallway towards the laundry room. When she returned, she stopped briefly by the living room, saying her hellos to the kids and greeting Emi with a hug and a kiss. Then she finally came back to the kitchen, getting for herself a glass of water.

"Any tea left in that pot, love?" She asked.

"Not much," he answered. "I can-"

"I can make us more," she assured him. "I don't need you putting more pressure on your injury than you need to."

At first, the words confused him. Was she just being overly doting? But then he remembered that earlier he'd felt a bit of pain and she'd noticed the slight lean he'd adopted when tending to things at the counter. Always so observant, that one.

When the pot was left on the heat to get to a boil, she came to wait not with him at the table, but behind him, setting her hands gently on his shoulders before clasping over his chest. She leaned down, holding him close with her chin coming to rest gently on his shoulder. Glancing at her sidelong, he could see that she'd closed her eyes. She looked content and comfortable, that was for sure.

"Have a long day?"

"Yes," she answered lowly, without bothering to open her eyes. "A group of little shits came in just before I close up."

"I'm sure they left without a problem once you asked," Levi mused.

"Of course not," Amaya said. "They just kept demanding things."

"And?"

"And I let them know how rude it was for them to do that," she said. "I reminded them that the hours are posted on the door. Coming in right when I was about to close and then demanding that I serve them was not the right thing to do. I'd have no problem serving them if they'd been understanding, but they didn't seem to care that I had things to do, things to clean. They put their damn feet up on the table they were at and-"

"Who were they?" Levi cut in. "I'll knock some sense into them-"

"No, don't," she said. "I took care of it. I'm not exactly a pushover, you know that."

"I know," he replied, turning his head to kiss her cheek. "I just don't like you needing to deal with things like that alone."

"Well," she mused, "you had to open and deal with the regulars. So it works out, doesn't it?"

"I suppose," he replied quietly. Amaya's eyes fluttered open, and they gradually made their way downwards, towards his hands. Levi felt a strange surge of nerves fill the pit of his stomach. Would she get the wrong idea, seeing that he wasn't wearing his ring?

In his periphery he could distinctly note the way they began to widen but she, like usual, schooled her expression into one of neutrality so he might not see it. Only, he had, because he knew the signs to look for to gauge her mood and that was one of them.

"Maya," he began to say, only to trail off when she lifted her head from his shoulder.

"You're not wearing your ring," she observed quietly, acting like it didn't matter to her.

But then she began to stand up straight, to retreat away. With his free hand he grabbed one of her forearms gently, keeping her in place while turning his head to look up at her. She met his gaze, and he could clearly see the hesitance fill them along with a hint of melancholy.

And the uncertainty... That was perhaps the worst part. He never wanted her to be unsure. Not about this. Never this.

"Maya," he said again, "relax, sweetheart. The kids wanted to look at it."

"Oh," she breathed out. "I'm-"

"Don't you dare apologize," he said. He slid his hand along her arm to catch her hand gently in his own. Then he guided it downwards only to gently place the ring in her palm. "Go ahead," he urged.

She smiled then, relief replacing all the emotions in her eyes completely. Her free hand slipped under his left one, lifting it closer to her. Her movements were gentle and soft and sweet as she slid the ring onto his finger, making sure it was good and snug.

Levi watched, relaxing in his seat as she lifted his hand to her lips, pressing the lightest of kisses to the band, just as she'd done when they'd exchanged them the first time. Her arms wrapped more securely around him, and she closed her eyes once more, her chin coming to rest on his shoulder again.

This time though, there was a wide smile on her face, and she looked content and secure and happy. This was how he always wanted her to look.

The teakettle began to whistle suddenly, and he didn't miss the way she tried to hide her surprised gasp with a cough. "Tell me, darling," she said once she'd stood and turned to tend to the tea, "why did they want to see it?"

He leaned back in his seat, his eyes now drawn to the ring sitting snug on his finger. "Falco was asking how I proposed to you."

"How sweet," Amaya mused. "He asked me the same thing the other day."

...

What?!

"Those little shits," Levi snarled. "They told me that if I didn't tell them that they'd go to you!"

Amaya giggled. "Really? That's adorable."

"Can't we kick them out?"

"Cut them some slack, Levi," Amaya chided lightly. She returned to the table with the tea and two of their cups. He accepted his cup and she filled it, doing the same for her own before sitting down beside him.

"Thank you, beautiful."

"Oh," she cooed, "that's a new one. What do you want?"

"Tch-!"

"Go on, tell me."

He paused, for a moment. He needed only a moment just to gather his nerve.

"I think... maybe it would be a good idea to... uh. You know."

"No, no I don't," was what she said, though he felt she did and was just trying to get him to say it. Damn woman. "What are you trying to say?"

"Renewing our vows. I want to do it."

NOTE: hello darlings! surprise again! I should honestly be spreading these out more but I'm just too excited to write??? so whatever here you all go I guess. this one is forever long but I've been sitting on it for a few weeks so it is what it is. 

I've also realized that since I'll maybe end up writing a few AU's for this plus alternate timelines anyway, I may as well post that fantasy one here as well. so yeah. that will be happening soon as well because I have the first two parts ready. 

other than that, there aren't too many updates to let you know about simply because it's been like a day since I last posted so not much has changed. I suppose I should note that "what not to do when sick" part two will be coming out in the next few days. the second half of this will likely follow not long after that, unless I decide to finalize and post that fantasy one somewhere in that mix. who knows? not me~

so. as always, I hope that you all had wonderful days today or whenever you read this. if you have an idea, AU or otherwise, send it my way. this is slowly turning into an amayaxlevi one-shot book and I'm not complaining.

I hope that you all enjoyed reading this one. thank you so much for reading and I'll see you in the next one! <3