Y/n's POV:

Once upon a time, Megan and I went shopping together. It wasn't a new instance, really. We used to do it all the time. But since I moved out of our shared apartment to live with Levi, it happened a lot less. It had all the makings of being a fun day; I'd had the idea on a whim, she picked me up, and we sang along to all our favorite songs on the way to the shops.

It had been my idea.

We had lunch together, visited our favorite stores and went window shopping at all the places we couldn't afford right now, and spent far more money than we realistically should have. At that rate, we'd never be able to afford those nice stores, now would we? But then again, she wanted those silly custom airbrushed shirts, and she wanted us to match. How could I say no?

It had been my idea.

With bodies weighed down by bags, several hung on each arm and several more gripped tight in our hands, we hobbled to her car. We hefted the bags inside, got a playlist ready, and left. Through the parking lot she drove, to the highway she went. We began to cruise, with our windows down, the music blaring, our spirits high.

It had been my idea.

Meg was a good driver, but for as careful as she was, she could not control what other people did on the road. It was a nice day out, traffic was picking up, but we were still driving at a good pace. The driver in the next lane over lost control of their car. There was a violent jerk of Megan's car as she reacted to the bump, a sickening scrape of metal on metal, the crunch and cracks of glass shattering, the horrible screech of tires as the car pushed us into the next lane and the other cars did what they could so as not to hit us.

It had been my idea.

Neither of us had been hurt. Not even the driver who crashed into us had gotten hurt. But Meg's car had been totaled, and if not for the emergency precautions in place... our lives might have been lost. We held each other as we waited for the tow truck and police to arrive. We quietly gave our information and told the officer that no, we didn't need an ambulance. We were fine.

It had been my idea.

We did not speak as the cop escorted us from the highway and waited with us for someone to pick us up. Her hands were shaky as she called Jerry; he was closer, he could pick us up. My hands were shaky as I called Levi, told him what had happened and where I would be. Our hands were shaky as we hugged each other, holding back our tears and willing ourselves not to cry.

It had been my idea.

The car ride after Jerry picked us up was deafeningly quiet. He avoided the highway, but every time a car approached us from the left, I would look over, expecting to be hit. Whenever a car would so much as swerve, I would wince. Whenever he braked a little too close to another car, I would flinch. Megan was the same, and I could see from the backseat the tight grip she had on the handle above the door, white-knuckled and still.

It had been my idea.

We arrived at their apartment complex without incident and on shaky knees I got out of the car, only to find that Levi was already there in one of the guest spots, standing and waiting outside the car, leaning back against his door with his hands in his pockets. It was the picture of nonchalance, but I knew better. He had been worried, incredibly so.

It had been my idea.

We said our quiet goodbyes but as soon as I was able, I leaned all my weight against Levi, crying against his shoulder with my hands clutching his shirt tight. He hushed me gently, urged me softly to stop crying. He rubbed my back, held me close, and pressed reverent kisses to my temple, doing what he could to reassure me that I was alright. That both of us were alright. That everything had been alright.

It had been my idea.

We could have died, if it had been worse. Accidents were no joke, and on the highway especially, at such high speeds...

It had been my idea.

Meg and I could have died because I wanted to go shopping.

It had been my idea.

I hadn't wanted to die.

It had been my idea, and today... today, I wasn't so lucky.

---

Levi's POV:

The TV was on, and my eyes were trained on its screen, but I wasn't paying attention to a damn thing that was playing. There was an incessant bounce in my leg, my fingers were tapping an erratic beat against the arm of the couch, and my mind was racing faster than I could ever hope to keep up with.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Why did I feel like this, like something was... wrong?

I'd never been one to deny my instincts before. So why this time? Just because she felt that she'd be fine? Because I trusted that she would be? I shouldn't have let her go. I shouldn't have let her go alone.

But I had. Because I trusted her and if she said she was fine...

Of all battles to quit on, why that one?

I looked down at the cushion next to me, where my phone sat, lifeless. As though planned, its screen lit up and (Y/n)'s contact photo took over. It didn't even make it to the second ring before I picked up. "(Y/n)?"

The voice that answered me back was definitely not that of my wife.

"Levi," came a voice that was familiar but unwelcome.

"What the fuck do you want? Where the hell is my wife?"

"She's right here," Zeke Yeager of all fucking people said. "I was in the intersection when a driver swerved around me and hit her."

Hit her?

Hit her...

She got hit.

Holy shit.

My heart just about stopped.

"What?"

"I just called 911," Zeke said. "She got hit bad. The car slammed into her passenger side, but the car rolled and-"

"Where are you?"

"Why... the ambulance is almost here, it would make more-"

"Where are you? Where was she coming from? Answer me! Did she have our son in the car with her?"

"No," Zeke answered. "She was coming from South Street, and we're at the intersection of South and Maple."

I leaned away from the phone and called for Colt, before pressing it back against my ear. "Give the phone to her," I ordered.

"What," was Zeke's confused, breathy and somewhat faint response, and I opened my mouth once more to demand it again only to realize he was speaking to someone else. "I... I can't hear you. What did you say? Give it to... Oh, alright."

I could hear the muffled movements of his phone being moved. All at once, my heart began to hammer at my chest and my mind seemed to slow to a crawl when I heard a shaky intake of breath before a stunted, "Levi?"

"(Y/n)," I all but gasped. "(Y/n), it's me."

"Levi," she said again, sounding relieved. "Hi, baby."

"Hi," I said, unsure of what else to say. How the hell could she sound so casual? It was useless to ask what happened, I didn't want her wasting breath on that. I already knew enough, anyway. There'd been a crash. She was hurt. I noticed Colt enter the room in my periphery. By then, I was by the door, already forcing my unsteady feet into my shoes. "Colt," I said, "take your car. Go pick up Falco."

Worried eyes of hazel widened and almost immediately were filled with tears. "Why?" He asked shakily. He wasn't stupid, he knew why I would ask him to do it. But still, he asked. He had to know for sure. "What happened to mom?"

"Accident," I said. "Just go. Meet us at the hospital. Do you know where Reiner lives?"

"Yes," Colt said, catching his keys when I tossed them to him. "Is she... Um... Will she..."

Is she ok? Is she fine? Is she alive?

Will she be alright? Will she make it through this? Will she be able to come home?

"Yes," I answered, trying to sound as sure as I could. I trained my voice to be authoritative, smooth. I had to. Otherwise, he would doubt. He would worry. He wouldn't focus. "Just go. And be careful."

"I will," he assured me. "I will. I'll keep you updated."

"Levi," (Y/n) said, "is that Colt?"

"It is," I said to her. "He's going to meet us at the hospital."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Colt," I called, handing the phone off as soon as he was close enough. "Here."

"Ma," he said hurriedly. "What happened?"

"Colt," I repeated in warning, but it was clear he wasn't listening to me. He covered his other ear with his hand, effectively blocking me and every other noise out.

But this close, I could hear what she said to him through the phone. "My sweet boy," she said, "I love you. Never forget that."

I knew the words of someone who knew they were dying, and those were them.

My heart dropped down into my stomach. I wasn't going to lose her. Not her. Not now.

"I love you too," he said back. "Please hold on, please."

"I'm trying," she said. "You and your brother both, I love you so much, and I just know that you'll do great things one day."

A tear rolled down Colt's cheek. "You'll be here to see us do them," he said, "right?"

"Right," she said. "I'll always be with you."

Colt looked at me. "We're coming as soon as we can, ma," he said, his voice failing him partway through. Then he handed the phone to me.

Her name – once more – seemed to be the only thing I could think to say. With the phone between my ear and shoulder, I continued to get ready, and I followed Colt out of the house. To our separate cars we went. In separate directions we headed. I stayed on the phone with her the whole time.

"Everything hurts," she said shakily as I turned off our street.

"Just breathe," I told her. "Focus on that for now."

"It hurts to breathe," she said, and from her voice alone I could hear that she was about to cry.

And so was I.

"Don't give up now," I said to her. "Don't you dare."

"I... It's so hard, Levi, I can't... I can't breathe..."

I could hear her strained inhale, the way she gasped for air. For a moment, it was all I could focus on. I nearly drove right by a stop sign, but caught myself. I took the moment to just listen to her try to steady her breathing until... all went quiet.

"(Y/n)? (Y/n)!"

"I... Levi, I love you."

"Don't say that like it's the last time," I demanded.

"I'm so sorry."

"No, no, no, no," I said, the words rushing past my lips before I could stop them. "Shh. I love you too."

---

(Y/n)'s POV:

It was nice to hear him say it... perhaps for the last time. Zeke was looking at me with all the sympathy in the world and it was certainly very nice of him to offer up his jacket to lay my head against as both his hands applied pressure to one of my many wounds, but I didn't want him to be the last thing I saw.

I let my eyes drift past him and to the sky.

Oh, there it is.

"I see the Summer Triangle, Levi," I said. "I can see it. There's, um... oh, Vega of..." When I trailed off, it became clear I forgot the name, and he picked up on it right away, thankfully finishing it for me.

"Lyra," he said gently. "Good."

"And... Altair of Aquila. I like that one."

"I know you do," he responded. I smiled. "And the last one?"

"Den... um..."

"Deneb," he clarified.

"Deneb of Cygnus," I recited proudly.

"That's right."

My smile refused to leave my lips. Was it smart to expend energy on something so trivial, something he couldn't see?

Ah, well.

I was smiling because I was thinking of Levi. Wasn't that a good thing to smile about before death?

No... I shouldn't think like that.

And yet, as I faded in and out of consciousness, I wondered if perhaps this was where our story ended.

Levi... are you coming to me, quick as you can?

---

Levi's POV:

I drove as quickly as I could to the hospital. I was well aware that the entire time I was white knuckling the wheel and I was going well over the speed limit, but at this point I did not care. My mind was racing, and it would be a damned miracle if I could decipher even half of them.

But I had little else to do on the ride over, so I gave it my best shot.

One, I was unsure if my snap decision to send Colt to get Falco was the worst decision I could have made. Colt was a good driver. But knowing that he was upset, knowing that Falco would ask when he was picked up where their mother was...

I should have called Hange to it.

Oh, fuck. If (Y/n) were to pass on tonight...

What would Hange say? How would her parents react? Mikasa? Megan and Jerry?

Two... (Y/n) might pass on tonight.

But that thought was far too frightening to even consider so I pushed it from my mind, not that it kept it away for long. Thinking about it, those two thoughts were essentially it. What was making my mind race were the implications of each, of the potential offshoots, of things that could – and probably would – go wrong.

Colt might get into an accident, himself.

(Y/n) might not make it to the hospital.

Colt and Falco might get into an accident on the way over.

There might not be anyone that (Y/n) loves with her if she dies in the ambulance.

Colt might already be hurt.

(Y/n) might already be dead.

My eyes were drawn away from the road only momentarily at a notification that flashed across the screen of my phone. It was from Colt, telling me that he was at Reiner's house and was picking up Falco. Good, I thought. That's good. He's a good driver, but he's always more careful when Falco is in the car.

Another notification popped up soon after the first one.

Colt: Falc's asking a lot of questions, what should I tell him?

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I wasn't the person to ask. I had no fucking idea what he should tell Falco. Falco was so young, should he be told right away that his mother got into an accident and that they weren't going home, but rather to the hospital? How do you tell a young child that one of his parents might die tonight?

I didn't know what to do. (Y/n) would know what to tell him. But I didn't.

And above all the other thoughts racing through my mind, one stood out crystal clear now, ringing through my brain like the chime of a bell: I couldn't do this alone. I wasn't fit to be a parent... not alone.

That thought seemed to drain down from my mind and infect the rest of my body. I felt cold as icy panic gripped my heart, fearful chains taking hold of it and making it pound against my ribcage with every breath. It was a damn good thing that I knew the way to the hospital well, because my mind was far too preoccupied to waste the energy to think about it.

I soon made it to the hospital. I parked as close as I could to the building and jogged my way inside, ignoring the pain and discomfort of old wounds in my legs, nearly pushing down people on my way to the desk. "(Y/n) Ackerman," I said right away. "Is she here?"

The receptionist finished typing something into her computer, then looked up at me. "She was brought in a few minutes ago. The doctors are with her."

"What room?"

"They're not allowing guests at this time," she said. "If you would like to-"

"I need to see her," I said. "That's my wife, I need to-"

"You cannot see her right now," the woman insisted. Beneath a mask, her face was stony, impassive. Her eyes were professional, trained through experience to not show emotion... somewhat like his own. "Please, take a seat. I'll let you know when you can see her."

"How long will it take?"

"That depends," she said. "She wasn't doing well when they brought her in."

"What are they doing to her?"

She typed something else into her computer. The phone at the desk began to ring. "Just a moment, sir." She took the call. In the meantime I looked around the waiting room. It was empty, save for one other family, and... Zeke. He must have immediately noticed when I glared at him because he looked up with a start.

"Levi," he said politely in greeting, standing from his chair. He crossed the space between us quickly.

"The hell are you doing here?"

"I followed the ambulance," he explained. "I just wanted to make sure that someone would be with her in case..."

I didn't want to thank him for calling, but I knew that if (Y/n) was the one in my position, she would. She would thank him for ensuring that I was safe, our personal differences be damned. "Thanks," was all I said. "But you can leave now."

He opened his mouth to say something, but at the same time, the receptionist began to speak. "Sir," she said, and I turned back to look at her. "When she came in, she had many open wounds, and she lost a lot of blood. Even just the blunt force from the accident is worrying enough, for it seems she suffered a lot of trauma to her organs. Right now, they're working to stabilize her."

I nodded and pushed away from the desk. Ignoring Zeke, I lowered myself in the nearest chair with a view of the desk and of the clock on the far wall. The waiting was agony. But... there were things that I could do. I grabbed my phone. I still didn't answer Colt, but I looked through my contacts for her father's number.

I don't think we'll be able to make it for dinner tomorrow.

---

"Mr. Ackerman," the receptionist called.

"Stay here," was all I said to the boys, one sat on each side of me. I stood and made my way back to the desk.

"She's stable," she told me. "She's not conscious, but your family can see her now."

Everything I'd been holding in over the past hour and ten damned minutes came out in a quick exhale of air. The receptionist glanced past me and at the boys, who were looking at us expectantly. They looked frightened. "Based on the doctor's report," she said quietly, looking at me now, ensuring that her words reached only my own ears, "it will soon be time to say goodbye."

"What?"

"It doesn't look good for her," she continued. "I'm sorry."

Goodbye.

That word was so final. I looked towards the boys. How was I supposed to tell them?

"Are you sure?"

"She lost so much blood," she explained, "and the damage to her internal organs was extreme. Glass cut into her chest and stomach, and... Sir, I would prepare them to say goodbye."

I wanted to say no. I wanted to say that she was strong. I wanted to say that there was no way that she was going to let something like this kill her. I wanted to say that she would pull through.

But I couldn't.

Because somewhere deep down... my heart knew that it was time. Life never allowed me to have something good for long.

My mother died. Farlan and Isabel died. Mike died. Erwin died.

How could I fool myself into thinking that life would allow her to live?

"Room 115," the receptionist said when it became clear that I wasn't going to respond to her. "Down that hall and to the left."

I only nodded in response. It was all I could do in this moment. "Boys," I called, "come here." They followed diligently as I led the way down the hall of blank white walls, of clinical, artificial lights, of agonizing cacophonies of beeping, of the wretched smell of death and blood. They glanced at the door eagerly when I stopped at Room 115 but I hesitated before opening the door to let her in. "She's not conscious, but she's stable. We need to be quiet in there. And boys..." I trailed off, but they continued to look at me expectantly. "She might not look... She's hurt very badly. Just don't be afraid."

"Are grandma and grandpa coming?" Colt asked.

"They're on their way," I told them. "But boys, be..."

How do I say this delicately?

"Be prepared to say goodbye," I said quietly.

"W-What," Falco stammered out, something akin to panic and fear rising in his eyes and appearing on his face. "Why would we say goodbye?"

"What do you mean?" Colt's voice was shaky, completely unlike how he usually spoke.

"They don't..." I attempted to say, trying to find a way that was clear enough to get the point across but sensitive enough to spare their feelings. To be frank, I just wasn't good at this. "The doctors don't think she'll make it."

"No," Colt refused outright, shaking his head. "No, that's not right. How could... how could she die? We're supposed to be a family, this... this wasn't supposed to happen."

Falco seemed unsure of where exactly he wanted to look; his eyes darted between myself and his brother and occasionally the door that stood between us and their mother. He was making a soft, whimpering sort of noise, like he was holding back tears.

"Go on in," I said, nodding towards the door. Colt took his brother's hand and together, they disappeared inside the room. I let out a sigh and took an extra moment before following them inside. I wasn't ready to see her like this. But then again... I don't know when exactly I would be. If I didn't go in now, I might not get a chance to say goodbye to her.

From the moment I woke up this morning, I knew that something was to happen. There'd been a strange heaviness in my heart, one that I used to feel so frequently in my youth. It was, without fail, an ill omen, a sign of bad things to come.

I should've known that life wouldn't allow me to have this, a family.

I was a fool for thinking otherwise.

But this... tonight wasn't about me. I needed to be there for the boys, for her. Berating myself could wait.

I went into the room. As with all hospitals, the walls were stark white. The curtains about the windows were open, revealing the rainy night outside. Raindrops raced each other down along the glass, some tracks merging together as they rolled towards the windowpane. The air was sickeningly stale and sickeningly still, and at any other moment, I might find it in myself to appreciate the sterile environment.

There were very few establishments cleaned as rigorously or as frequently as a hospital. It was the circumstances regarding why it must be cleaned so much that I could do without in this moment.

I'd seen a lot of death in my time. I was in the room when my mother died. I'd watched some of my comrades die. I'd watched my comrades kill people. I'd seen Kenny kill people. I... had killed people.

But to see my wife lying in the bed... it was something I hadn't been prepared to see. To see her on oxygen, with her eyes closed and her skin not full of its usual color streaked with cuts and scratches and bumped with bruises, dimmed by the lights and duller, like the life was steadily leaving her...

She looked bleak, like she wasn't all there. Her skin seemed to be stretched thin across her cheeks, her hair was unkempt and splayed on the pillow around her head. The rise and fall of her chest, though assisted by machines, was still shallow and shaky. The blanket was pulled up to her underarms and across her chest.

I wasn't foolish enough not to know why. Though they'd change the bandages regularly, there was a possibility that her wounds were still so delicate that even too deep a breath might rip them open. She might still be in a bloody gown, for it wasn't worth changing a dying woman into a fresh one for only a few minutes...

I hated that this was where my mind went. It was the practical side, the one dictated by logic. But then my heart, and the emotional side of my mind, caught up with it.

I looked to my boys. They were gathered on her right side. Colt was standing a foot or so away from the bed, his mouth gaping open and closed like a fish. Falco was holding her hand. His mouth seemed to be going a mile a minute as well, only he had words spilling out of his mouth like a river.

I couldn't catch half of what he said as I approached the left side of the bed. His words faded into a dull buzz in the back of my mind as I focused on her. "Dad," Colt said, looking across the bed at me, "she can live through this, right?"

Falco didn't dare look away from her. Neither did I.

"I want to say yes," I said to him. "But I don't think so."

Colt looked like he didn't know how to respond to my words. I couldn't blame him. I didn't know how to respond to what was happening either. That was when, perhaps by the grace of luck, a nurse entered the room. "Mr. Ackerman," the nurse greeted, coming to a stop by my side. "May I speak with you in the hall?"

I nodded, and that was all.

Only when the door closed behind us did she speak. "She was brought in quickly," she said, "but I'm not sure if she'll make it through the night, sir. We did what we could to ensure that she will be comfortable if she does pass on tonight."

"Is there any chance that she'll wake up, even for a minute?"

"There's always a chance," she nurse told me. "She's as stable as we can hope for after an incident like this. She just might gather enough strength to wake up. If she does, it likely won't be for long."

"I don't want her to be in pain," I said quietly.

"If she does wake up," the nurse said gently, "we'll keep an eye on her so you can say goodbye. But if she does feel pain... We wouldn't want her to suffer. Her injuries are so severe that I'm afraid even the painkillers won't be enough."

"I see."

"Sir," she said, "are you alright?"

"Just fine," I said curtly. "Excuse me."

I hesitated before entering the room once more. I knew that the nurse was still watching, that she was probably just waiting for me to burst into tears or scream or something... but would it be too selfish to tell her that I didn't want my wife to die? Would it be selfish to ask that they do more, that they try to do something, anything, that might allow her to live?

Part of me wanted to ask.

But the other part knew that it was out of my hands now.

I didn't know what deity might listen to me after all that I had done, but to whatever one would listen... I prayed as best I could that they might spare her.

I wasn't ready to lose her.

---

(Y/n)'s POV:

All I could feel, for many moments, was pain. There was a pounding sort of pain in my head, and throbbing pain coming from many different parts of my body. My head was absolutely killing me, but that pain was only just beating the pain coming from my hands, legs, and my chest.

It hurt to breathe.

It hurt to think.

God... what happened?

I'd been driving. Right? Yes. I hadn't made it to... to... where was I going...?

Falco.

Oh, my god.

Is he alright?! I never made it to him. Was he still with Reiner? Was I still in bed with Levi? I was in a bed, but it didn't feel like my own. Had we made an impromptu decision to go away for a night? If so... was Falco still with the Braun's? If I was in bed with Levi, why couldn't I feel him next to me? As much as he wouldn't want to admit it, the man was a cuddler. But he wasn't with me.

...Unless that was him now.

Someone took my hand, and the simple movement sent stinging pains up and down the length of my arm and I sucked in a deep breath. I could feel my eyelids flutter. In that moment, I felt light, perhaps even weightless... oh, like how you feel when hopped up on painkillers.

Goodness, I needed more of those. I still felt like shit.

"Mama?"

That was Falco's sweet, soft little voice. I tried to speak. I tried to open my eyes. But it was so hard to, and...

Oh, there's Levi. I knew that hand anywhere. Feeling his palm against my own, and his fingers intertwine with mine, was a distinct feeling that could not be replicated. For all my confusion, it was nice to have that constant.

I wanted to talk. I wanted to open my eyes. But dammit, everything hurt, and I hardly had even the energy to think...

Only, my mind was racing, and right now there was little I could do to stop it.

One thing I knew for certain was that I was cold. It felt... almost like a winter day.

Another thing I knew for certain was that the air of winter isn't like the air of summer.

That was just a simple fact. They were different, in a great many ways. The air of winter was brisk, accompanied often by bitter winds. On particularly cold days, you could see your breath. The air of summer was warm, usually humid. Cool breezes were usually all that offset the heat.

I thought it had been summer, but... I was so, so cold.

A rogue thought appeared in my brain: maybe I was dying. But how? I'm a careful driver. I drive safely. Sure, anyone can get into an accident, but... Is that what happened to me? Something in my heart felt that this was true. But... how? What had happened to me?

Was I dying?

...something in my heart felt that it was true.

But I don't want to die.

I hadn't done nearly enough. There was still so much I wanted to do. But even if I had completed my bucket list, I still wanted to live. I wanted to raise my boys. I wanted to see them grow up. I wanted to grow old alongside Levi. I wanted to make so many more memories with everyone I loved.

Was this my last day on Earth? What are you supposed to do if you knew that you only had a day to live? What are you supposed to do if you knew you only had a few minutes? This morning, I hadn't woken up knowing that I was going to die today. My day had been normal. I hadn't done anything special.

...but I'd spent it with my family. That was enough... wasn't it?

The plan was always to grow old with Levi, watch the boys become their own people. There was so much life left to experience together.

I wasn't ready to die.

---

Levi's POV:

Her hand twitched, still entwined with my own. I'd been looking into her face, but my focus so quickly snapped down to her hand, then back up. I squeezed her hand gently, hoping that – if she were conscious – she would understand what I was trying to say.

Do it again, I urged silently. Do it again. Prove to me that I didn't imagine that.

She did one better than moving her hand. She nearly mumbled something. It was incoherent, but a hushed attempt at a word passed through her lips. Then her brows furrowed. I wasn't the only one to notice.

"She's trying to wake up," Colt said.

"Wake up, mama!"

"Shh," Colt hissed. "Be quiet."

"Both of you calm down," I said. I set my free hand against the bed and leaned closer to her, willing myself to speak calmly, gently. "(Y/n)," I said quietly, "you can do it. Open your eyes, sweetheart." Something like a whimper escaped her lips, like she was trying her best, but nothing was working. "The boys are here to see you."

"Le..."

"I'm here," I said, offering her hand another squeeze.

"Mama," Falco said, "wake up, please!"

"We're here," Colt said. "Just open your eyes."

At long last... her eyes opened. Her beautiful eyes looked so weary, so exhausted, and so bleak in this light that I could hardly believe that they were hers. She looked to me first, and I could feel her fingers squeeze my own weakly. "Hi, Levi." And then she looked over to the boys, who were rendered speechless and dumbfounded by what was happening. "Hello, boys."

"How can you sound so... casual," Colt said. "You're... you're...

"I know," she said. I could tell through the tone of her voice that she was trying to be strong, that she was doing what she could to comfort the boys while being mindful that they needed to hear the truth... but also keeping in mind that it would be hard for them to hear and to bear. "I know."

"Mama, are you going to be ok? You're coming home with us, right?"

"I'm so sorry, loves," she said. "I don't think so."

That seemed to be what the boys needed to finally believe it. Her words set in quickly. The words weighed down on their hearts and immediately, tears brimmed in their eyes. Colt bit his bottom lip as if he thought he could hide it. Falco began to whimper.

(Y/n) reached for her boys. She had to let go of my hand, but I let her.

This wasn't about me. She needed this. Falco and Colt needed this.

If that meant she needed to let go of my hand to properly hug them, then so be it. And so she did. She took them into her arms, and they went willingly, eagerly. She spoke quietly to them, so quietly that I couldn't hear it, but again... this was no time to be selfish.

This wasn't about me.

Her words were muffled against them, but I had a feeling I knew what she was saying. She was more than likely consoling them in a way only she knew how to do. She was trying to make them feel better. She was trying to help them come to terms with what was happening. She was trying to let them know that everything would be ok.

Thoughtlessly, I wished for the words to be directed my way, because truthfully... I had no fucking clue how I was going to move on after this.

How does one move on when the love of their life passes away?

I didn't know. But I got lost in my thoughts trying to figure it out. I was only pulled from them when the boys drew away from her embrace. "I love you both so much," (Y/n) said.

The boys responded in kind.

"Don't be afraid," she continued quietly. "Go wait in the hallway, please."

"No," Falco protested immediately, "no, I don't want to! Mama, don't die! You can't die!"

"I'm sorry," she said, watching as Colt picked him up. Colt looked at her one last time, doing what he could to ignore the kicking and screaming of his little brother. "I love you both. Don't ever forget that."

Even when they were in the hall, Falco continued to fight against his brother. We could hear him shouting, screaming, crying... and by the look in her eyes alone, in the way she gazed longingly towards the door, I knew that hearing it was breaking her heart.

Then those beautiful eyes looked at me. "I didn't want them in here to see it," she said. "I don't have a lot of time left. But you can leave if you want, too. You've seen enough death, especially of those you love."

"I'm not going anywhere," I said, lowering myself to perch on the edge of the bed beside her. I took her hand into my own again and ran my free hand through her hair. Her eyes fluttered closed, but only briefly before she opened them once more. When they did, they were watery, filling with tears of so many emotions building up and remaining, until now, unshed.

"You're strong," I said. "Keep fighting. You can live through this."

She shook her head ruefully. "No, I can feel it."

I grit my teeth and felt my own emotions overflowing. The unfamiliar sting of tears forming in my eyes surprised me but I didn't nothing to stop them. "I should have gone with you, dammit!"

"What, and have you die too? No, it's better this way."

"No, no it's not," I argued. "I can't do this on my own."

"You can," she assured me, and I had half a mind to believe her words. When had she ever lied to me before? But I shook my head. I wasn't cut out to be a parent, not alone. "I know you can. You're my Levi; you can do anything."

I wanted to believe her. I did. But I couldn't.

"I don't want to be without you."

"Neither do I," she replied. "But I'll wait for you."

She reached up and with her free hand cupped my cheek. Instinctually, as I always did, I leaned into her gentle caress. And that made her smile.

I only wished that I had something to smile about right now.

---

(Y/n)'s POV:

I didn't know many things right now for certain, but I certainly knew a few. One of them was the same as before: the air of winter isn't like the air of summer.

I was cold, so cold, but in saying goodbye to my boys and now, saying goodbye to Levi... it wasn't that my heart was warming, but it was filling now with a sense of sureness and certainty and finality that I supposed could only have been attributed to coming to terms with my own death. My body wasn't warming, per se, but it was relaxing.

I didn't feel so cold anymore.

Because as it stands... I was dying. I could feel it. It was only a matter of time, now. It was out of my hands.

Looking at Levi now, I was reminded of something, a fact that was so obvious that I never realized that I knew it until now. The air of the season had a way of manipulating what was around it. That was a simple fact of life, but it went beyond shifting weather patterns and animals preparing for hibernation.

His eyes seemed to be impacted by the seasons.

There was something particularly special about seeing his eyes in wintery air. Maybe it was my exhausted, dying mind, but because I was cold, I was able to trick myself into believing that maybe it was winter, for it was into those eyes that I was now looking at.

I did so love the warm softness of his eyes in the warm months. But in this kind of atmosphere, he looked so stunning that I found that I loved it; the sharpness to his gaze, the way the blue of his eyes was accented by the ghost of his breath if we found ourselves to be outside... Seeing him in the stark lights of the hospital applied that same sort of affect to his eyes.

He was so handsome.

Well, I had nothing to lose. May as well say it.

---

3rd Person POV:

Of all times for her to call him handsome... she was something else.

Levi shook his head fondly even as a tear rolled down his cheek. She gasped lightly, reaching across his face to catch it gingerly against her thumb. "Don't cry."

"You're crying, too."

"I'm allowed to," (Y/n) said to him, somehow finding it in her to smile cheekily. Her eyes softened then, and her smile morphed into something more melancholic. "We'll see each other again, won't we?"

"Yes," Levi assured her as she lowered her hand to her chest. "I'll come to you, as quick as I can."

She shook her head. "No, no," she said. "Don't. Be slow."

Another tear rolled down his cheek, followed closely by another as he shook his head once more. "(Y/n), I can't..."

"You can."

"I love you too much," he whispered. "I can't be without you."

"Levi, please," she said. "You have to. Don't just live for yourself, but for our boys." She didn't allow him to respond before bringing both her hands to the oxygen mask.

"(Y/n)," Levi said. "What are you...? Don't take that off."

She did. He immediately made to protest but she tossed it aside. She drew in a deep lungful of air on her own, and then another, and then another. At long last, she looked at him and smiled. "See," she rasped, "I'm fine. I've been breathing on my own for so long, I think I can handle it now."

"I..."

"Besides," she prattled on, "I want to kiss you one last time."

His heart felt like it shattered in that moment.

But he could never deny her, so why would he try?

Levi slowly and carefully leaned down to kiss her. The movement of her lips was delicate, nearly weak, but even with that he could feel so clearly her feelings for him. What she felt for him – what she had always felt for him – passed so strongly from her lips to his.

He could only hope that she could feel all that he felt for her.

The kiss was simple, it was soft, it was sweet, and it was loving – so loving.

And for a moment, when he drew away, he feared that he might have stolen the breath from her lungs, that he stole her final breath with his lips, for her eyes remained closed and she didn't seem to react to him pulling away.

"(Y/n)," he said quietly, then paused for a moment to give her a chance to answer. But she didn't. "(Y/n)? (Y/n)!"

"Levi," she finally said, the single word little more than a whisper as her eyes fluttered open.

"Stay with me," Levi pleaded. "Keep fighting."

"I'm dying, Levi."

"You're not," he insisted. "I won't allow it."

"It's an order, then," she teased lightly, her eyes drooping slightly. They were half-lidded now, reminiscent of how she looked in the early morning. It happened when she was tired, when she was sleepy, when she wanted to go back to bed with him in her arms.

He wanted nothing more than to wake up alongside her in the morning and each and every single fucking morning after that until he died. Thinking that this morning had been the last... No, he wouldn't have it.

"Yes," he said. "That's an order. We're going to grow old together; you said so yourself."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "That might be the first promise I ever break."

"Then don't," Levi pressed. "Keep fighting, please."

His voice was bordering on desperate now, but he didn't care. How could he? How could he care about anything more than the woman lying before him, with breaths that grew shallower with each passing minute?

"I can't," she said, "and I'm scared, Levi."

"I know," he said uselessly.

"I don't want to die."

"I know," he said again. He wanted to tell her to save her breath. But if she wanted to speak... he would let her speak.

"Levi," she said, "please, take care of the boys. You can do it. I know you can. I trust you. You've got so many people to help, if you only ask."

"I don't know how to help them through this."

"Yes, you do. You've helped me with so much. Just do your best; that's all anyone can ask of you."

"(Y/n)..."

"I'll get to see Eren," she said, a slow tear rolling down her cheek and to the pillow. "Erwin and Mike, too."

"Say hello to Farlan and Isabel for me," Levi said.

"I will," she assured him. "Do you think I'll get to meet your mother?"

"Yes," he answered. "She'll love you."

Her breathing grew shallower. It hurt him, it did, to see her struggle so much to do something so simple. If he had things he wanted to say, he needed to say them now, or forever miss his chance.

"You're... all I could have ever asked for," Levi told her quietly. "Thank you for being in my life... and for being my wife, and my best friend, and... Thank you for being there for me when no one else would."

"Thank you for allowing me to," she replied. "I would do it again, over and over."

A mutual understanding passed between them, these two lovers. The band of the Milky Way was slowly pushing its way between them, and there was no time to build a bridge.

It was time.

"Levi," she said, "I love you so much."

"I love you too, you... you..."

She smiled and shook her head fondly at him. "Say it."

"I love you, you brat," he finished. He then let her gently pull him in for another kiss, offering without words her final breath... and only to him. And this time, when he drew away...

She was gone.

---

"We're here," Mrs. Williams said, a certain level of franticness in her voice that was only to be expected from her. "Where is she?"

Colt looked up from his lap, looking into his grandmother's eyes. She searched his face, searching for a sign that it wasn't as hopeless as she had thought it was. Mr. Williams soon joined his wife's side. "Colt," he said, "is this the room?"

They then noticed Falco leaning against his big brother's side, with his legs up on the seat in front of him and quiet sniffles escaping him every so often. Just as Colt opened his mouth to answer his grandfather, Levi left the room, closing the door as gently as he could behind him. His eyes – red and puffy from crying for the first time in a long time – widened upon seeing them there.

"Levi," Mrs. Williams said. "Is she...?"

Levi ushered them away to talk quietly a few meters further down the hallway. He still didn't have damn clue as to how to break the news to the boys, but... her parents had been only a few precious minutes too late. They'd come as quickly as they could, and yet... it'd been for naught.

But perhaps they'd like to watch the boys for the night.

It was selfish, he knew that, and yet... he wanted to be alone tonight.

No. No. He couldn't do that. He needed to be there for them... (Y/n) entrusted him to do it.

He wasn't going to let her down. Not a damn chance.

---

Weeks Later:

The morning of (Y/n) Ackerman's funeral and memorial service came on one of the nicest days of the summer, in the most mocking abuse of power that life had ever presented to Levi. He already knew he was a slave to fate, destined to live a life without his mother, without his dearest friends and brother, and now his wife.

To make such a sad day be such a beautiful one...

It was mocking him. It had to be.

That day, when (Y/n) was buried, he stood at the back of the crowd with one hand on Colt's shoulder, and one hand on Falco's. They were dressed, of course, in mournful solidarity, and they waited patiently as people approached her grave set with fresh soil to leave their final gifts and offer their respects.

By the time everyone else was gone, the gravestone was surrounded by bouquets of flowers, littered with farewell cards, and small gifts – keepsakes that perhaps reminded people of her. What had been just a gray stone adorned with her name, date of birth, and date of death, along with her favorite quote, it was now colorful, looking not to be the final stop on what was the second worst day of his life, but a celebration of her life and of all the people whose lives she had touched.

The boys said their final goodbyes and he stood silently as they did, allowing them their own time to grieve. When at last they stood from the dirt and backed away from the stone teary-eyed, he handed Colt his car keys. "I'll just be another minute," he said to them.

Colt took his little brother's hand, and they went to the car together. Even when they were out of earshot, Levi still hadn't figured out what he wanted to say. He set his hands in his front pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. This was only his wife; he should've had something to say, no?

"Hey," he decided was a good place to start. He felt somewhat silly just talking to a stone, having a one-sided conversation with an inanimate object, but... his heart needed this. What he didn't know was that it wasn't as one-sided as he thought it to be.

He couldn't see her, but... she was there. She was standing before him, waiting patiently to hear what he had to say.

"You told me once that it didn't matter what time I call, that you'd always answer." He scoffed lightly. "Yeah. Clearly. I can't call you now... you won't answer." Then, quietly: "I've tried."

A gentle breeze rolled through, bringing with it notes of floral arrangements and pine and freshly cut grass.

"It's been weird without you," he went on to say. "I still reach out in bed sometimes, thinking that you're there. Pathetic, isn't it?"

It wasn't pathetic. She found it sweet. Besides, it was exactly how it'd been when he was away. It was a strange sort of payback, then, not that she delighted in it. His brow furrowed, and he remembered something he had wanted to say.

"I found it, you know," he said, reaching into his back pocket. He pulled a rolled packet of paper out and presented it to the stone with a flourish. What he had in hand had her smiling, somewhere far beyond what he could see; the documents included a business loan she'd taken out, and the deed to a building downtown.

In her last few weeks of life, without knowing her time was so limited, she had banked everything on a dream, his dream, for she so believed that he deserved such happiness and a chance to live out his dream, even for as silly as he found it.

She'd set everything up for him to run his own teashop.

"You're a pain in the ass," he continued. "But... thanks." He sighed. "I don't really know what else to say. You've always been better at this kind of thing, but I hope that somehow you're hearing this." He scoffed. "Fuck, I feel stupid."

But then... well, this was his wife. The embarrassment was worth it, even if all he did was get everything off his chest.

"I've been doing my best," Levi said. "The boys seem to be doing alright. I'm sure I'm making mistakes but I'm doing what I can for them."

Good, she had thought. That's all she can ask of him.

Levi knew what he wanted to say next, knowing damn well how silly the words were.

"I promise," he said assuredly, "to make the most of what you've given me. I promise to do the best I can for our family."

Then, wordlessly, he reached just under the collar of his shirt and withdrew a long, silver chain. Dangling from it was a ring. He held the ring between two hands gingerly, then pressed a kiss to the cold metal.

He hadn't kissed her, but her heart warmed all the same.

"I love you," he said when he lowered the ring, "you damn brat. Keep waiting for me to get there."

She would. He assured her he wouldn't come as quickly as he could, and she knew it would be a long time before they'd see each other again, but she had no problem waiting. He was worth that much to her.

He backed away from the gravestone, looked for a moment longer, then turned on his heel and left. He'd be back. He didn't care how stupid he felt doing it, he'd visit as often as he could. She was worth that much to him.

Their love story had been tumultuous and full of heartbreak, but it had been beautiful and perfect and everything wonderful.

He knew that she would keep her promise, that she would wait for him.

She knew that he would keep his promise, that he would live as best he could.

It might take another day, or an entire lifetime, but they'd meet again. And when they did...

It would be like coming home. The waiting would be worth it. For now... he was content to live on, doing his best by her, and she was content to watch over her family as time went on. Life had made a habit of tearing them apart, anyway. What was a few more decades, really?

The prolonged absence would make the reunion so much sweeter.

Levi slowed in his step and glanced back towards the stone. Perhaps it was just a trick of the light, or his grieving mind playing tricks on him, but he could've sworn that he saw her. No, it must have been nothing. But if it wasn't... he shook his head and let a smirk curl his lip.

She would find a way to annoy him, one last time.

And yet... he loved her for it.

He would just need to remember to chastise her for it when he saw her again, not that she'd take it seriously; she'd laugh it off and kiss him on the cheek with a witty remark of some kind. She was a nuisance, but truthfully... he was looking forward to it. Not that he would ever say that aloud. But she knew, and he knew that she knew, and he knew that she would tease him for it.

And strangely enough... he was perfectly fine with that.

If this really was how their love story ended, at least the story had been a good one.

The End.