"I will always be here for you, darling."

"We'll always be here for ya, bro!"

"I'll always be here for you, my love."

Once upon a time, an orphaned boy had heard those words – each way slightly phrased differently, each way referring to him differently – at three distinct times in his life. They weren't words that people said often, because they were words you didn't say unless you meant them.

And he could always tell if someone was lying to him. Part of closing himself off and always taking such care to conceal his emotions and intentions meant that he got quite good at reading those things on others. He could see them especially well on the people he grew to care about, for he paid more attention to them.

But other people had tells.

So when the school counselor gave a speech to his entire class, letting them know that he'd always be there for them to talk or vent to, Levi could tell that while his intentions were pure and his heart was in the right place, he could tell he was lying.

There were faculty meetings during the day and his life outside of school that meant he would not always be there for each student. And there was only so much individualized care he could give in such a large school.

But that was only one example.

Those words had been said to him by his adoptive parents and by Erwin but even he knew that they meant only as much as was possible for them to be able to offer their help. Still, even that was more than what other people meant by it.

The people who had said it and had truly meant it... interestingly enough, they'd all been women.

The first person who had ever said those words to him was his mother.

They were about the only words he could remember her ever saying to him.

She always liked to remind him that she had his back, that she would always be there for him, whatever he needed. And he believed her. He loved his mother so much, and even at a young age could appreciate the hard work she put in to make sure he could eat and have clothes on his back and a roof over his head. Everything she did was for him.

She went to a dead-end job where she was regularly beat down and bruised and degraded and it left her so physically drained and so mentally beaten down... yet she always came home to him with a smile. And what a smile she had. 

Being a parent was hard enough. Being a single parent was even harder. But to be a single parent with a job like that...

He had so much respect for his mother, and so much love. And he was her baby boy, her reason for living and fighting so hard to make ends meet. She was his everything, and he was hers. And she promised him so often that she would always be there for him.

But then she passed away.

He supposed that of all the ways to go, she could have fared much worse. It was relatively peaceful, all things considered. She was sick and weak, but she passed not while awake, but when asleep. It wasn't until days later that his uncle stormed in, wondering why he hadn't received any news from her recently.

The second woman - girl, he supposed, at that age - to have said those words to him was Isabel.

She'd been so confident in saying it, but the illusion of courage deflated when she asked him if what she said was a cool line. It had been, for her standards, until she went and ruined it by having to ask. It was like a joke; if you had to explain it, or ask if anyone got it, then it was a bad joke. If it was a good line, you'd be able to tell... you wouldn't have to ask.

But as far as little sisters went, he supposed he could do a lot worse. Strangely enough, he'd always had a feeling that they'd be there for him, because he truly did trust them. But if asked if he did, he would probably deny it at the time. Always so aloof, so independent. Such was his hubris, leading always to nemesis, the ultimate downfall.

Unfortunately, upon a long lecture from Farlan and Isabel about him needing to learn how to trust them, and that they'd be there for him always, he fooled himself into believing it, and soon after... They'd died gruesome deaths.

He berated himself every single day for not doing anything more for them. Maybe he could have sacrificed himself and saved someone. Maybe changing his actions by the slightest amount would mean they might still be alive, even if it cost his own life.

He couldn't think like that.

Not when... she had taught him better than to think like that.

She, of course, being that thorn in his side.

The one he loved more than anything.

The one whose life he now feared for.

It was the rule of threes, after all.

She'd only said it last night... or at least, very early this morning. And now he couldn't help but feel as though it was only a matter of time. Life was fickle, he knew that. Life was mysterious and unkind and untamable; he knew that as well. And he knew too that death was inevitable.

But not her.

Please, he plead to whoever might listen, any powers that might be. Not her.

"Levi," came her voice suddenly.

She popped up around the corner, leaning into the bathroom to check on him. The door was wide open, he'd left it like that, but now he supposed he looked quite strange and probably a bit crazy with the way he was bracing himself against the sink. His palms were pressed flat against the countertop and his head was hanging low.

"About ready?" She asked, her voice endlessly kind and patient. Their plans for a lazy day at home went away when Eren texted her, asking her to visit him on his first day at his new job. It was Eren's first job, and though he acted aloof and like he hated it, he secretly enjoyed it. That's what she told him, anyway.

As far as Levi knew him, the kid was a brat and that girl Mikasa who was always by his side seemed to have a personal vendetta against him for some sin he never committed. Honestly. How annoying.

Still, it was her family, and so he agreed to go.

Even so, he was worried about her. About what might happen to her.

Death didn't scare him. He'd come to terms with it a long time ago. He'd seen it too many times to count. He only feared when it might come to find those he cared about.

"Hey," she called gently when she was met only with silence, stepping closer now and leaning against the doorframe. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he answered.

She smiled. He knew she could see through him; she'd always been able to do that. But she must have also picked up on the fact he didn't want to talk about it yet, and so she decided to drop it... for now.

"Just admiring yourself, are you?"

"Something like that," he said indifferently. He made to step out of the bathroom then, stopping by her side just to plant a kiss to her cheek. "Come on. Let's get going."

---

"Thank you, Eren," (Y/n) chimed, dropping a few extra dollar bills into his tip jar. Eren rolled his eyes and yet smiled bashfully when she accepted the ice cream from him.

For a summer job, working at a small ice cream stand certainly wasn't the worst option. In a small, air-conditioned building, with all the ice cream you could ever hope to eat should you want to, and with a small team of kids all from the same high school just down the street, it was certainly one of the more enjoyable options.

It beat working at something like a water park, standing out in the direct sun all day in the oppressive heat. And as far as summer days went, today was rather cool, meaning there was never too long of a line. It was right outside a small family-run store, and it saw lots of regulars on a weekly basis.

No, he could certainly be doing a lot worse for himself.

When Levi was handed his order, he looked at it skeptically. "Oh, stop it," (Y/n) said when she noticed him eyeing it strangely. "It's not like he spat in it."

That was absolutely not what Levi had been thinking about, he was only looking to make sure he'd made it right. Unfortunately, now that's what Levi's mind was drawn to, and he scowled down at the treat in his hands. Then he noticed the weight of (Y/n)'s gaze on him, and he met her eyes confusedly. "What?"

Wordlessly, the gestured towards Eren's tip cup. Levi looked at it and then let his eyes travel upwards to meet the boy grinning at him from his spot leaning through the small window. Levi clicked his tongue and reached into his pocket, fishing out some loose change.

Upset that he'd had to tip the damn kid, he didn't even have it in him to make a snarky comment about how stupid he looked in that obnoxiously bright pink shirt. He didn't care if it was uniform; if it was stupid, then it was stupid.

Satisfied that he'd at least tipped something, (Y/n) thanked Eren once more then began to head towards the space designated for eating the treats from the shop. Picnic tables were scattered across the small yard, many of which were already occupied by families.

But she didn't lead him to any of those. Instead, she led him quite happily over to a part of the yard not occupied by anything – patrons or tables alike – and sat in the grass cross-legged. He came to a stop just before her, looking down at her incredulously.

"Was there something wrong with the tables?"

"No," I said. "Besides the fact that a lot of families are in line and I'm sure they'll want to use one. You wouldn't want to share a table with a bunch of snotty kids, would you?"

"No," he grumbled, reluctantly agreeing with her. He sat down just in front of her, watching as she began to dig into the ice cream. She'd gotten her favorite flavor even after asking Eren what he recommended. Of course, his recommendation hadn't been very helpful.

"I don't know," Eren had said with a shrug. "I only just started working here. I haven't gotten to try everything yet."

Levi didn't usually indulge in treats like this, so he'd only gotten a frozen yogurt. Besides, he wasn't about to give the kid an overly ambitious, complicated order. He'd only mess it up.

Levi glanced up at her after taking his first spoonful of his own treat and swallowing it down. "How is it?"

"Very good," she said, a wide smile stretching across her lips. "Want to try?"

He glanced around only to be sure that there weren't any sniveling kids or nosey old people looking their way. Then he leaned in. Thinking it was a yes, she readied a spoonful for him, only for him to nudge her hands out of the way and press a kiss to her lips. It was quick and looked innocent if not for his tongue swiping across her lip for a taste.

He would never admit the way his heart fluttered upon seeing how surprised she was, at how cute the face she was making really was. He only smirked, schooling the rest of his face to remain rather stony as it always was.

She began to laugh at the pure silliness of it all, he was sure, that she had been so embarrassed by something so simple. Really, they kissed so often, so it shouldn't have been that embarrassing, right? And it wasn't like they made out or anything.

Something in him urged him to take his phone out of his pocket. And so he did. Similarly, something urged him to open his camera and... he took a picture of her. He caught her mid-laugh, smiling cutely with her nose crinkled and her eyes squeezed shut. She just looked so happy.

Nothing would take that smile away from him.

For all his strength... he would make sure of one thing. And that was making sure she wouldn't be like the others. He wouldn't lose her. He couldn't.

Even if it cost him his life... he would protect her.

---

Several weeks later, the weather began to cool. The summer was filled with a lot of fun, even by his standards. They went to the beach on weekends off, visited with friends and family, and (Y/n) even dragged him on a "double date" of sorts to a water park with Meg and Jerry.

That uneasy feeling that he'd felt after hearing those words from her mouth didn't go away, not completely. It came and went in waves, where some mornings he'd wake up and realize she wasn't there in bed with him, and his heart would seem to freeze until he would hear her rummaging around in the kitchen.

He knew she could take care of himself, but he was far too used to this by now and he was just waiting with bated breath for the other shoe to drop. It was awful.

Sometimes he was able to forget about it. Other times, it was all he could think about.

But when fall came around... she gave him very little time to worry about much of anything.

Even now, he was waiting for her to finish getting ready. Today was her adoptive father's birthday, and instead of relaxing today on their day off, they were making the drive to her family home for his party. He sat leaning back against the cushion of the couch, his head hanging back, and his eyes closed.

There was likely to be a lot of socializing to be done today.

He could hear her approaching, but when she began to laugh, he opened his eyes. She was looking at him, standing by the end of the couch with her hands on her hips. "Exhausted already? We haven't even left yet."

"Your family is a pain," he muttered.

"And yours isn't?" She teased. "I swear, Erwin still has a thing for me."

He narrowed his eyes. "You're kidding."

She shook her head almost solemnly, though he could see a smile threatening to break through. "Haven't you noticed? At your family dinners he stares at me the whole time." She smiled a little. "Well, not the whole time. But still, I think he hasn't gotten over his little crush."

Levi rolled his eyes and looked away. "Tough shit for him."

"Mm-hm," she hummed in agreement. "Don't be grumpy, now. You know I only want you." As though to enforce her point, she came closer, stepping between his legs to bend down to take his face into her hands. She guided him to look at her and she winked at him. "You're not too pouty to kiss me, are you?"

"Never," he said quietly, leaning forward to catch her lips in a kiss.

And as always... it was divine.

To connect with someone in this way, so simple and sweet, meant a lot to him. She was the only person he'd ever kissed. And she would be the only one she would ever kiss in this way. And he had to admit that she was a damn good kisser. For her to be able to tell him so much with something so simple...

She was incredible.

He took her bottom lip between his teeth, tugging on it gently. She laughed against him before drawing away. "Don't get ahead of yourself, baby. We have a party to go to."

"Tch. Do we have to?"

"It's my dad's birthday, Levi," she argued, standing up straight. She then made her way to the shoe rack, grabbing a pair that went with her outfit. It was simple and cute, and one that was made for the fall weather. And he... was in jeans and a hoodie. 

With a sigh, he stood and followed her over to the door. He already had his shoes on and so all he needed to grab were his wallet and keys, which he did before setting a hand against the small of her back to guide her out of the apartment when she was ready.

---

Apparently, they were a bit late to the party. The driveway was full of cars and the line of them went halfway down the street. Of course, everyone was sure to not block other families' driveways, but because of this they had to park quite a few houses down.

"Jeez," (Y/n) muttered as she got out of the car. She ducked into the backseat to grab their present for her father. It was a small, wrapped gift and she held it in one hand before closing the door and stepping back up onto the sidewalk. He followed suit, locking up and joining her at the sidewalk. "He told me the party starts at 2! It's 1:30, why are they all here so early?"

"These all cars you recognize?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's all family. But they're usually all late... Whatever. Come on!" She grabbed his hand with a grin and all but dragged him down the sidewalk.

"Slow down," he called to her.

It was still early in autumn, meaning that the weather wasn't terribly cool yet and the breeze was beautiful, carrying with it the scents of pumpkins from nearby patches, cinnamon and other aromas from a bakery down the road, and the earthy scent of dried leaves preparing to fall from the branches.

He slid one hand into his pocket as she pulled him along. He knew she loved the sound of the crunch of fallen leaves beneath their shoes, so he made it a point to step on as few as he could while she aimed to step on each one. This slowed her down in the process and he passed her. He started to pull her along.

"Don't make me carry you," he said, looking back at her.

That made her laugh. "Like a bride? That might put a few ideas in my aunts' heads."

"Like they don't already ask us about that nonsense."

She pouted playfully at him. "I don't think us getting married someday is nonsense."

He blinked and his heart skipped several beats. It began to rush to catch up and he could hear nothing but it pounding in his ears. Likewise, he couldn't feel much of anything aside from the warmth stemming from his stomach and traveling upwards into his cheeks and ears. And the warmth of her hand in his as she squeezed it...

How the hell was she able to embarrass him so completely, so quickly?

But even he couldn't deny that it was an enticing thought. He hadn't attended many weddings in his time, simply because none of his friends had and by the time he was adopted into his family, nearly everyone had already been hitched.

The few he had been to were all a bit... much for him. Of course, they varied in venue and decoration and setup, but they all stemmed from the same formula, and he began to wonder in that moment what they might do to make a wedding their own.

Weddings were all a bunch of pomp and circumstance and he never much cared for them. However, now that he was imagining her standing before him in whatever she chose to wear, well. That was a different story. There was a lump in his throat, and he swallowed it down when he realized he was holding his breath.

Maybe she'd want a big ceremony, or maybe something small and intimate. Maybe she'd invite all their friends and family or maybe they'd elope and go travel for a while before returning home.

"You want to..."

"Marry you? Yes, someday," she said easily. She began to walk again, tugging his hand gently to remind him to walk too, and it was only in that moment that he realized he'd stopped walking. He fell into step alongside her and looked down at their hands when she began to swing them back and forth happily. "This doesn't count as me proposing, by the way." She sent a cheeky smile his way. "I'll do it somewhere more romantic."

"Not if I do it first," he said, looking forward. It was about time he summoned his courage and found his nerve again. What the hell was this woman doing to him? He was better than this. To be rendered speechless because she admitted to wanting to marry him? He should've seen it coming. Why the hell did it surprise him so much?

All he knew now was that if she wanted to marry him... then marry him she shall. He would gladly oblige.

As they approached her family home, he hoped that he might fly under the radar today, because he knew that his focus would not at all be on the inane questions her family would ask him and the useless conversations they'd try to start.

No, his focus was on something far different.

---

Levi found himself sitting on the couch sandwiched between two of (Y/n)'s aunts. Several of her younger cousins were playing in the yard with her, but the youngest ones – still babies – were crawling around on the rug in front of them.

(Y/n) had been in here only moments before, but her cousins came to find her after raking the leaves in the yard into one huge pile. Seeing their smiles and hearing how politely they asked her to go play with them in the leaves, she had to oblige, and that's where she was now. Levi had not been asked (and even if he had been, he'd have denied anyway), and that was why he was still here.

Because this was (Y/n)'s family, he couldn't just up and leave because that would apparently be rude, but if he had to hear these ladies continue to complain about how useless their husbands were, he might say something he shouldn't. Why did they marry useless men, then? Unless marriage made men useless. His brows furrowed. No, that was silly.

For fuck's sake, he thought. What the hell is wrong with me? Arguing with myself. How moronic.

"How's work been, Levi?" One of her aunts asked. So lost in his thoughts as he was, he'd nearly missed the question. He couldn't help but notice the attention of all the ladies in this room being entirely on him.

"It's fine," he answered.

"A man of so few words," another aunt sighed. "Won't you ever warm up to us, honey?"

"Maybe," he said unsurely.

They continued to prattle on as though he hadn't spoken up. "I don't know how (Y/n) does it," one aunt said. "Then again, my husband is a chatterbox and half the time I want to duct tape his mouth shut..."

That got a few laughs out of the others. "He's just being respectful," one of the young women in the room said. She was the mother of one of these babies crawling around and was, if he remembered right, one of (Y/n)'s cousins, one of the few even remotely close to her age. To her credit, she was keeping a close eye on all the kids while the others gossiped away. "And I'd probably be too intimidated to talk if I hadn't grown up around you all, to be fair."

"True enough," another aunt said. "We're happy to have you in the family anyway, Levi. We're so glad (Y/n) is lucky enough to have someone like you in her life."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," he said. "But of anyone... I'm the lucky one."

Shit, why did he say that?

The women all began to croon. "Aw, how sweet," one said.

Well, that was a mistake.

"Goodness," one cooed, "she got herself a good one!"

"So," one said mischievously, "any plans on officially joining the family?"

Levi sighed. That's what he had been thinking about before this nonsense.

"Ah, look at the look in his eyes," one said. "That's a yes!"

"Don't go spreading it around," the young one said, picking up her baby when the child reached for her. "I'm sure it's a secret."

"Oh, don't worry, Levi," one of the women said. "We won't tell a soul!"

He didn't believe that for a second, but so long as the words didn't reach (Y/n)'s ears, he'd be fine.

As though knowing he was thinking about her, she came through the doorway then, Mikasa at her side. There was a leaf stuck in her hair and one clinging to her shirt, but she either didn't notice or didn't care. Dirt was streaked across her pants and even her left cheek. How that happened, Levi could only guess at.

Mikasa, adorned as always in her scarf, was listening to whatever (Y/n) was saying. When (Y/n) saw Levi, she beamed, radiant despite looking windswept and covered in dirt. When Mikasa saw Levi, she scowled, only to get a glare in return.

The aunts sharing the couch with Levi shifted slightly to offer up some room. "Thanks," she said, occupying the space right away. She sat at his side, her body a line of warmth against his own. "You're not all torturing Levi, are you?"

"Not at all," one of her aunts laughed. "What do you take us for?"

"I take you for the overly-intrusive aunts that you are," she said playfully. At their faux-offended gasps, she laughed. "I just hope you're not giving him too hard a time."

She reached for his hand, lacing her fingers with his. With his other hand he reached out, pulling the leaf from her hair and then from her shirt. Wordlessly she glanced at him, smiling at him to thank him.

"We've just been making small talk," another aunt said, waving one hand carelessly. "Asking about work and things like that. And speaking of, (Y/n), how's your job been?"

"Same old, same old," I said. "Can't really complain."

"Eren and Mikasa are working now too, right?"

"Mm-hm," (Y/n) confirmed. She opened her mouth to say more when her mom came into the room. "Cake time?"

"Cake time," her mother said with a nod. "Everyone, come gather in the yard!"

---

"You really need to come around more often," her father spoke, pulling (Y/n) in for a hug.

"I know," she mumbled against his shoulder. "We just get so busy..."

"You can't leave your poor father here to deal with Eren alone," he said, making her laugh.

"You've got mom and Mikasa," she argued. "You're not alone!"

"My point still stands," he protested. "Just visit more. Got that?"

She nodded as they pulled away from each other. "Got it. And happy birthday," she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. They were finally heading out. After cake and presents and more time spent lazing around and talking with everyone, the party started to wind down as people left. And now they were the final two left to leave. "Love you all!"

"Love you too," came the replies from her family. Levi stood quietly by, giving a polite nod to her mother – the only person to look over at him. She smiled warmly at him. It was shortly after that they left, hand-in-hand, and headed down the now-empty street to the car.

"You know what I think," she said coyly.

"What?"

"I think they all like you," she said.

"Who? Your parents?"

"Well, yes," she said, "but that's not who I meant. I mean the rest of my family."

"They talked my ear off after you went outside," he said.

"Yeah," she laughed, "I guess I left you to the wolves, huh?"

"Never do that shit again," he mumbled.

She rolled her eyes and bumped his shoulder with hers. "That's what it takes to be in my family, babe. You have to be able to hold your own against the vultures."

He glanced at her sidelong. If that's what it takes to be in her family... he'd done much worse. This would be easy, then. All he had to do was ask.

"When we get home," she spoke up again, looking down at herself, "I have to get right into the shower. I'm filthy from playing in the leaves." Then she smirked over at him. "You'll join me, won't you?"

He chuckled. Of course he would. 

He could never deny her. And she knew that.

But he was, strangely enough, perfectly fine with her taking advantage of that.

note: hello, darlings! 

firstly, how are you all doing? how are you enjoying the story up to this point? favorite parts? parts you enjoyed better in this version, or in the last one? expectations for the rest of the story?

secondly, this note isn't because there's like a huge update, it's actually just because after the next chapter is released, that'll be the end of triple updates! so as a final gift to you all, I'll be having a Q-and-A! so, if you have any, drop your questions here in the comments, or on my page! feel free to ask me anything (within reason, obviously)!

thirdly, if you haven't seen it, the second trailer for aot s4 pt2 is out! and my goodness, does it look glorious. mappa's animation is incredible (but we knew that already) and I am so excited to see the final part come out! it's bittersweet, of course, especially since I for one have been reading since like 2013 so to see it come to an end... it'll be hard. but I love the ending, it's incredibly poetic and dark, as aot always is, and I cannot wait to see it come to life. feel free to chat about it in the comments, but keep it spoiler free if you can!

anyway, that's it! thank you all so much for reading, I truly hope you've enjoyed not only this chapter but the whole story so far, and hope you all continue to enjoy it until the end! love you all so, so much, and I'll see you in the next one! <3