𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐒 + 𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐄! 𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐈 𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍

021

21
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At least as old as you are,
La, la, la, la, la,
La, la, la, la, la

————————————

The short cut, blonde parted bangs in the middle woman, screamed joyfully, as she busted into the mental ward.
Many looked at her, including Levi and Chun Hei, at the resignation desk filling out some forms. She had a prominent mole above her top lip.
She was extremely tall, 6'4 or taller, she made Levi uneasy.

"Theres my favourite woman in the whole entire world!"
She hugged Chun Hei tightly, basically engulfing her due to both height and weight differences. The two giggled, without a care in the world.

Until Levi harshly put his arm on Chichi's, which was wrapped around Chun Hei. When she looked at him as if to say what he glared at her, ruthlessly.
"Don't."
Was all he muttered out, before Chichi let go, fully turning herself towards the much shorter man. She looked back at Jae Beom, coming through the doors.

"Oh I get it."
Get what? Levi questioned to himself, trying to make up for the height difference by staring at her.

"Ah! Jaebeom, Chichi you are here. Chun Hei, I'd like you and Mr. Ackerman, as well as your friends to come to my office."
The head director had quite literally, appeared out of nowhere, he spoke confidently, directing the way to his office by hand signals, walking there, himself.

Everyone followed.
—

There, sat a middle aged woman, her aging face, tired and worn out, her long dark black hair was tied loosely in a ponytail, and she worn a long, flowy dress with some Mary-Janes.
She had a saucer and teacup in her hands, as she stared into the white abyss of snow through the window in Director Fradette's office.
When the door opened, the summoned group entering, she sat down her teacup gently, her head alerting over to them.

Levi stared at her, and she stared at Levi.

Mother and son.

Quickly, she stopped looking at him, got up and dusted off her dress.

"M-mom.."
Levi choked back, holding back tears that accumulated over years and years of agony.

She glared back at him, with a certain emotion, Levi didn't want to admit was true; disgusted that he was her son.
She quickly stopped, turning herself to Chichi, where she held her arms out, lovingly,
"Oh my dear Chichi, come here."

The girls hugged, Chichi still towered over Ms. Kuchel, however, the raven hair woman was still pretty tall, maybe marking herself at 5'11.
Levi always knew his shortness came from childhood malnourishment.
Ms. Kuchel kissed Chichi on the cheek,
"Oh my dear baby girl, I was so worried about you when you went off to War. It's good to see you are alright."

"M-mom!"
"I am not your mother."
"I-I don't understand... you died..."

"While we're on the topic, I have a stepbrother, by the name of Farlan Church."
Levi stared at the woman, with a frown on her face and her eyebrows slightly angled down.
"But unfortunately he's in Russia and he also hates your guts because you let Isabel die that day, and now he's stuck with a bootlegged version of the girl he loved."

Levi was fuming. Anger wasn't even a word that could express half of what he was feeling, but to top it off, the grand cherry on top, was his mother and Chun Hei chuckling behind their hands at Chichi's statement.

"Bootlegged"
Chun Hei muttered, still laughing at the term, trying to avoid Levi's hardening glaze upon her.

"I-I hate you... s-so much right now."
That was all Levi managed to say, tears finally releasing themselves from his eyes.

"L-Levi..."
It took Chun Hei a second, before she stopped laughing, watching as Levi broke down completely in the office. She never felt worse. She felt like a terrible human being.

"F-Farlan is t-that friend you t-talked about?"
Chun Hei rushed to Levi's side, embracing him tightly. He wrapped himself around her as well, sobbing into her chest. He didn't mean it towards her, he meant it towards his mother.

"Why would you do this to him!?"
The therapist yelled at her boss, who simply stared down at the two on the floor, with no remorse.

"I wanted to ask you, Ms. Kuchel, if it's possible for Ackermans to change hosts throughout time."

"No, they can not."
Chun Hei went back and forth, looking at who was talking, while rubbing Levi's back in a comforting motion.

"Though, I do know, if their host dies or disappears for long periods of times, they can bond to a replacement until greeted again by their true host."
Ms. Kuchel continued adding onto her statement,
"It'll never be as strong as a true host though, is that all, Doctor Fradette?"
"Yes, that'll be all."

The woman squealed in joy, taking Chichi's hand, while walking out the door,
"Yay! Come on darling! We got so much to catch up on!"
Levi stared at their disappearing backs until they were gone out of frame. He couldn't believe it.

Both his mom and Farlan were alive all this time. Everything, that could've saved him so much misery... was a lie.

"That Chichi girl... is your half sister on your father's side."
Levi's breathing hitched, he looked up at the director, who now sat at his desk.

Levi... had a half sister?

"Your mom escaped those walls over 25 years ago now, faking her death. how she done it before the extinction of titans... I do not know."
He took a sip of coffee,
"She hates you. She's convinced herself you aren't her son, and instead Chichi is her daughter, even if she's not. You can't blame her... you were a mere whore's child."

"I-I'm sorry, L-Levi."
Was all Chun Hei could manage to say, as she hung her head in shame, scolding herself for not coming to the conclusion earlier.

Ms. Kuchel and Levi had the same-spitting image face.

Levi never felt so much hatred in his body, before.
His mother and half sister were laughing at his pitiful experience in the scouts.
He was a laughing stock.
And now, he wanted them both gone. Painted in the beautiful colour of red.

Not because they laughed at him.
But because, they made Chun Hei sad, too.
As she too, now felt humiliated.

Levi looked at Chun Hei, who now was stroking his cheek, trying to give him a smile of affirmation.
"It'll be alright, we can talk it over with them... we can figure this out..."

Levi loved her, oh so much. He would do anything for her, he even already killed for her, and he would kill as many as he needed to.

If Kuchel no longer claimed Levi as her son... he would no longer claim her as his mother.