A knocking on the door interrupted the Captain from his paperwork. He sighed, already annoyed with the person outside his room. "State your name and business."
"It's Erwin. I brought you something special."
"Come in."
Commander Erwin opened the door and stepped inside the room with a broom. From a distance, the broom looked like any average broom. Yet as Erwin walked closer, Levi noticed the meticulously fine engravings in the broomstick. This broom was different from any other broom he'd encountered.
"This broom was crafted by Angel Aaltonen in the year 778. It was used as the first weapon to ever slay a Titan. I want you to use it on your next mission outside the walls."
Erwin handed the broom to Levi to hold. As expected, the broom was frail and lightweight. The engravings spelled the words Humanity's Savior all wrong and in illegible writing. It wasn't even built for sweeping, it was a gross yellow color, and what irked him the most was that it was coated with dirt.
Sure, while the idea of being oddly attracted to the beast titan and realizing that everyone he loved would soon die was terrifying, a broom that couldn't clean or even be clean itself seemed to outrank those terrors.
"This pathetic piece of shit would snap in half if I were to grip it any tighter, and you expect me to slay a Titan with this. If you wanted me to die on the mission, you could've said so. Is this all you interrupted me for?"
Erwin sighed. "You're missing the point, Levi. This weapon has been held under investigation in the Military Police's captivity for decades, and now we finally have the chance to use its power on the battlefield to save humanity. We might finally be able to see what's in the basement. Just consider it."
Hours after Erwin had left, Levi trailed his fingertips along the broomstick longingly. He could do this forever, he thought. The action was comforting.
And so that was the night they met, and the night Levi proposed.
Their wedding day was held a few hours before their first mission outside the walls together.
"Levi, do you take this broom as your newly wed?"
"I do."
"Broom, do you take Levi as your wedded husband?"
The broom made no noise.
Levi's clasped palms began to feel clammy as he awaited for his lovers answer. Did he propose too soon? Was something wrong with him?
After a full minute of silence, the broom tipped over in an almost slow motion, and collapsed to the ground. It's thud echoed throughout Levi's mind.
"It fainted!" Screamed Hange. "Hurry! Take it to the hospital!"
Everyone rushed away, sobbing, with the broom. And Levi was left alone, troubled by the thought of losing the love of his life.
