Intense chapter and full of emotions! 🔥 I prepared a super special song as a soundtrack and I would love to hear your opinion on what it was like to read while listening to it, which is called "The Roof", by composer Matthew S. Nelson, from the wonderful TV Series called "The Chosen" (you can watch it from free by downloading the app). I thought it matched the chapter perfectly and brought the atmosphere I wanted ❤ It's available on YouTube and Spotify. I'll signal when you can play it.
Oh, I forgot to give you some trivia concerning the last chapter. I made Hange have this problem of placental abruption, due to an experience that my own mother went through when she was pregnant with me. She had a placental abruption and needed to be on bed rest for a long time, and her obstetrician doctor told her that if I was born, she would rip up her medical diploma. Well, here I am, alive and well, and so far, the doctor hasn't ripped up her diploma. What a professional 👍🏼
Anyways, have a nice reading! ♥ (Cover art by "Xyp_22")
By the river, Lara hastily prepared the cart hitched with the two horses her mother had taken from the soldiers she had shot down the day before.
Hange was already lying on the cart. Armin had carried her there and now he was carrying Levi, too. Lara couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her fiancé, for he turned redder than a tomato as he struggled to carry his mother-in-law, who at this point in her pregnancy, was quite heavy.
In the distance, the Colossal Titans walked alongside Eren's grotesque Titan.
"Quick!" exclaimed Lara, heading to her parents and helping them to settle down. "We gotta go soon before the Colossal Titans from the other Walls reach us! We have a long way until we get home."
"We're ready!" replied Hange, covering Levi with a blanket. He was very groggy and shivering a little. Lara glanced at Armin, who gave her a worried look.
"He's quite hot," said Armin, still a little breathless from carrying weight, "He's sweating a lot, too."
Hange and Lara took a look at Levi, apprehensively.
"E-Everything will be fine," stuttered Hange, trying to give an optimistic smile to her daughter and son-in-law. "We have some herbs and fever medicine at home."
The couple tried to smile back at her, but they didn't quite make it. Armin then gazed at the girls with a firm look.
"I gotta go now. The others need all the help they can get!" he gazed at his own hands, "I might even have to turn into a Colossal Titan as well..."
Hange and Lara glanced at each other with worry. Hange leaned forward and squeezed Armin's shoulder.
"You guys will make it. You're all excellent soldiers."
Armin swallowed hard and nodded, feeling a shiver through his body.
"Pleased," added Hange, "Ask them to forgive us, for not being able to help them at this critical moment..."
"Don't worry about it," replied Armin, squeezing his mother-in-law's hand. "They'll understand your situation. Now, just focus on you and Levi recovering well. I'm sure Lara will take good care of you both." He squeezed his fiancée's shoulder lightly.
Lara was strangely quiet and staring at a fixed point. Hange and Armin watched her and then looked at each other nervously. Armin cleared his throat.
"Well, I gotta run."
He and Hange gave each other a tight hug and she stroked his hair.
"We'll be pulling for you all, my dear. Stay safe!"
Armin thanked her with a sad smile. He gave his father-in-law's shoulder a little squeeze, who was feeling so bad that Levi didn't even feel it, and Armin closed the cart's back part. Hange lay down beside Levi, holding her belly, apprehensive, as she sighed and gazed at her feverish husband beside her. Hange entwined her fingers with Levi's good hand.
Armin was looking at Lara meaningfully. Then, he gently ran his finger over her face, which startled her, as if she had been awakened from a trance.
"Baby, I'm leaving," he took his fiancée's hands, squeezing them.
"R-Right, right," replied Lara, shaking her head. She leaned over the cart, to see her mother, "I-I'll be right back, I'm just gonna say goodbye to Armin."
Hange nodded and the couple walked over Armin's horse, which was positioned a few meters away, all ready and facing towards Shiganshina.
They stopped beside the horse, Armin resting his hand on the saddle. His throat was dry and his heart was beating fast, with a feeling of anguish building in his chest. He noticed that Lara's eyes were red and that she was avoiding his gaze. Armin gently took her chin, making her look at him. Lara shed a tear and pressed her lips together.
"B-Babe..." she stuttered, feeling a sob come from her throat, "I-I'm afraid that you--" Lara covered her hands, bouncing her shoulders as she cried.
"Hey, hey, hey!" exclaimed Armin, raising his eyebrows, wrapping her in his arms, and rocking her slowly. "Do not think about it."
But Armin himself was also frightened. Lara cried into his chest. He took her face with both hands and kissed her forehead.
"Do you remember what we both said to each other when we were in Shiganshina, four years ago? When we were anxious?"
Lara gave him a sad little smile.
"Yes, I remember very well."
"So let's repeat it?"
Then, together, they said:
"Breathe deeply. Think clearly. You can do it, I know you're fully capable."
They hugged tight. At the same time, they pressed their lips in a long peck and then moved their mouths for a kiss. Tears were coming out of their eyes and their breaths were heavy. They squeezed themselves more and more in their embraces as if they wanted to keep those touches forever in their memories. When they were done, Armin took his fiancée's face and gazed deeply at her.
"I'm coming back," he said firmly. "And I'm gonna marry you. It's a promise. Didn't I promise I'd find you and Hange? Well then, I promise I'm coming back to you."
Lara pulled him in for another kiss, this time with her being a little more tearful. As they drew apart, they touched their foreheads.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too, my pretty one," he replied.
"When everything is over, go to my house. We'll be waiting for you there, okay?"
"Okay."
Lara caressed her fiancé's face, keeping every detail in her mind. She gave him a soft peck kiss.
"Let's go," she said. "Our duties await us."
He agreed, but now he was the one who had a downcast expression.
"Armin..." said Lara sadly, intertwining her fingers with his, "I'm sorry you guys have to do this. I wish you and Mikasa strength when you have to... Well, you know. I know it'll be painful."
He pressed his eyes together, trying to hold back some tears, lowering his head and slowly nodding. He thanked her and climbed onto his horse and leaned over to give Lara one more kiss, who had to lift herself up to reach him.
"See you soon, my love," he said, with a sad smile and the reins ready.
"See you soon, my Commander," she replied, squeezing his leg lightly.
Armin blinked slowly and then swung his horse forward, galloping fast. Lara watched him, grabbing her shirt against her chest, feeling her jaw tremble and her eyes water. She turned and started to walk towards the cart, but she looked back.
Just as in Shiganshina, Lara was surprised to see that Armin was also looking back at her.
They both gave a sad smile and finally turned away, each ready to fulfill their mission.
► PLAY - "The Roof", by Matthew S. Nelson
The horses were running fast. Guiding the cart, Lara gripped the reins tightly.
"If all goes well," she said, raising her voice to be heard over the clattering hooves of the horses, "we'll be home before dark!"
"If we still have a house when we get there," she thought, gritting her teeth. "Please, do not let the Colossal Titans destroy it, otherwise, what will we do?!"
Lara took a quick look back and saw Hange leaning over Levi.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, now getting back to focusing on the way ahead, "Are you guys okay?! What about Tiny-Human-Bean?"
"Yes, we're good, sweetheart!" replied Hange, loud and clear. "Don't worry about us!"
However, she was lying.
Levi was burning with fever and his whole body was shivering. He was soaked in sweat and practically unconscious.
Hange had felt that strange sensation in her private part again, and when she ran her hand there, more blood flowed out.
And Tiny-Human-Being seemed to be having the worst cart ride of its life, so much it moved in discomfort.
But Hange needed her daughter to only worry about getting them home safely. When they arrived there, Lara could worry about other things.
They rode for a long time. Armin couldn't get out of Lara's thoughts and she constantly looked up to the skies, asking for her fiancé and his friends to be okay.
Then, Lara saw them.
A big line of Colossal Titans, slowly walking towards them, probably heading to Eren, to follow him wherever he led them.
There, Lara thought her heart would stop. I dare say it was the moment in her life when she was scared the most, such terror got into her heart.
Hange was no better than she was, either. When she saw those giant creatures, her head hurt so much, she thought it was going to explode. Even the baby seemed to cringe a little inside her belly.
A strong wind was passing over them and heavy dark clouds hovered above their heads. Despite the clatter of the cart, the hooves of the horses, and the hard stepping of the Colossal Titans, a strange silence seemed to surround them.
A frightening silence.
Like the ones that precede a big storm.
Lara turned her head and realized that wherever she looked, there were Colossal Titans coming toward them.
Feeling her entire body shake with fear, Lara exclaimed:
"There's no other way around! We'll have to pass through them!"
Hange's eyes widened and she instinctively grabbed Levi's hand, squeezing it tight. Despite the dire situation he was in, he lightly squeezed back.
Lara flicked the reins to make the horses run faster.
The Colossal Titans were getting closer and closer.
Lara analyzed the situation, her heart pounding in her ears. She looked at her hands and saw that they were shaking a lot. She turned her head forward, sweat pouring down her face.
"At least they're slow," she thought, watching the two Colossal Titans she would have to pass through. "If I do it right, we'll make it!"
BOOM... BOOM... BOOM...
Every step they took felt like an explosion.
They were so close now that the cart lifted up off the ground a little at each step of the Colossal Titans. The strong wind blew the hood of Lara's green cloak off her head.
"Now!" she thought, leaning forward and flicking the horses' reins more, which were running at an absurd speed.
"Mom! Dad! Hold on tight!" she exclaimed, feeling that her heart would come out of her mouth.
Hange gripped Levi with all her strength with one hand, and with the other, on the edge of the cart. Her body was shaking all over. Her belly hurt too much and now the baby kicked a lot. She felt more blood flowing out between her legs. Hange looked up to the skies.
"Please!" she thought, desperately, "Protect my family!"
Ahead of her, Lara was praying for the same thing.
With her blood boiling with pure terror, Lara rode the cart between the giant legs of the Colossal Titans.
She was right. They might be huge, but they were slow.
At the exact moment they were passing through their legs, the Colossal Titans stepped so hard on the ground, that it made Hange, Levi, and Lara lift up off the cart, hovering in the air. Even the horses hovered for a while as well.
With her heart pounding wildly, Lara clenched her teeth, concentrating as hard as she could to keep her horses under control. They rode for many, many more meters. Only when they were almost a kilometer away, Lara finally looked back, finding a completely colorless Hange, who was gaping and still gripping Levi and the cart.
"A-Are you guys alright?!" exclaimed Lara, feeling some tears welling up in her eyes.
Hange did not answer. She was in a trance.
"Mom!!!" Lara called once more and Hange shook her head, pressing her eyes together.
"Wh-What?!" she asked, "What did you say, baby?!"
"I asked if you guys are alright!"
Hange looked around, blinking a lot, and her chest rising and falling. She then stared at Lara.
"Y-Yes... W-We're good... D-Did we make it?"
"We did it!" replied Lara, looking ahead and frowning. But, I think there's still more! These must be the ones that came out of Wall Rose! We still have to pass through the Colossal Titans of Wall Sina!"
Hange's eyes widened even more.
"Oh..." she whispered, open-mouthed.
A long time passed and they were still going fast in the cart. The sky was very dark.
Lara looked around her and realized that her theory was also right. The Colossal Titans were simply stepping on everything that was on their way. She spotted lots of destroyed trees and lands, as well as some houses and barns, too. However, some were still intact, which gave her some hope that their house might still be standing.
A good period of time passed and they continued steadily on their ride. Lara constantly looked back to check on her parents' state. Even though Hange always replied to her that they were fine, Lara wasn't any fool to see that that wasn't true.
Hange was completely red and, like Levi, soaked in sweat. The expression of intense pain didn't leave her face and she constantly checked her private part, only to be even more distressed to see that blood continued to flow out. She felt sharp twinges in her belly and lower back.
Lara had already noticed for a while that her father was in a pretty bad condition. At one point along the way, Hange gave him another painkiller. He was shivering and his breathing was hard.
Tears streamed down Lara's cheeks and blurred her vision. She needed to constantly clean herself with her green cloak. Her heart burned in affliction.
Then, to increase her anguish, she spotted the second line of the Colossal Titans. Just as she had done before, Lara guided the horses between two Colossal Titans and, feeling the same desperation, passed through them.
When they were finally far away from the creatures, Lara couldn't hold back anymore and allowed herself to cry, but not taking her attention away from the path ahead and the horses. Her chest trembled as feeling her heart get lighter, relieved that they had been able to face what was perhaps the worst nightmare of their lives.
"Thank You!" she exclaimed, gazing up at the skies and sobbing, "Th-Thank You so much!"
Lara heard Hange throw up behind her and looked at her. But her mother still kept insisting that they were fine.
"Hold on just a little bit longer!" said Lara, trying to give her an optimistic smile. "The worst part is already over! We'll be home soon! We'll be safe!"
They rode for a while longer and finally took the road that led to their house. As Lara and Hange analyzed the landscape around them, they didn't know how to feel, because some houses had been destroyed, but others had not. There was no way of knowing if they would still have a roof over their heads. Only when they definitely got there.
To get to their house, they would have to go through a small hill, which was just beyond the land where Lara would like to build her house when she and Armin get married. When they finally reached the top of the hill, Lara stopped the cart, so they could contemplate the landscape in front of them.
Lara and Hange gave a cry of joy and relief.
In the distance, they could see it.
Their house was completely intact.
Lara looked over her shoulders, crying in happiness and opening a big smile. Hange replied her cheerful expression, bouncing her shoulders as she cried with emotion. Even Tiny-Human-Bean kicked in contentment.
"My love!" exclaimed Hange, squeezing Levi's hand, who was now really passed out, "We did it! Our home! It's there, waiting for us!"
Lara gave a silly laugh and flicked the reins. The only thing that gave her some sadness at that moment was seeing that the land of her future house was somewhat destroyed. Probably some Colossal Titan stepped on there.
But Lara was so delighted to see her precious home just a few meters away, she thought that a good earthmoving service would solve the problem.
She guided the horses a bit more until they finally reached the stable behind their house. When the cart finally stopped, Lara felt a huge weight off her shoulders. She breathed out such a sigh of relief that Lara felt her entire body go limp and she had to brace herself to keep from falling off the coachman's seat of the cart.
Lara looked back and saw Hange's chest rise and fall, heaving strong breaths of relief. Her eyes were heavy and it looked like she was going to pass out at any moment.
"It's not over yet!" thought Lara. She then quickly got out of the cart, going to the little door behind it.
"Come, Mommy," Lara stretched her arms so that Hange could lean on her, "You'll need to walk just a little bit."
With difficulty, Hange got off the cart and, leaning on her daughter, the girls walked to the porch and finally opened the door.
When they walked into the house, they contemplated it as when they saw it renovated for the first time. They had a big smile on their faces and tears running down their cheeks. The girls gazed at each other and couldn't help but hug tightly, sobbing into their embrace. They thanked in their thoughts for having managed to get there safe and sound.
"Quick, Mom!" Lara guided Hange to the couch, laying her down and placing some pillows on her back, "I'll bring you the medicine!"
Lara ran to the kitchen and got the medicine that Levi had kept in the cupboards and another blood pressure medicine that Hange always took when she had a crisis. After taking them, it was her turn to feel a huge weight off her shoulders and she stroked her belly with affection.
"There you go, Tiny-Human-Bean..." said Hange, with tired eyes and choked-up voice, "Now just be quiet in there, 'cause I have no plans of going anywhere else but from here to my bed!"
The girls couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh! No, ma'am," Lara pointed the index finger at her, with a mischievous smile, "You need to take a bath, first!"
Hange pouted in indignation, but she nodded in agreement.
"Wait here," said Lara, heading for the front door. "I'll get Daddy and be right back."
Lara ran to the cart and, just as she had carried him to the camp, she placed him on her back.
"Daddy..." she said, panting, glancing at Levi's head, which was hanging on her shoulder, "Rejoice! You're gonna take a bath!"
Concerned, Hange watched her daughter walk past her, carrying an unconscious Levi to the bathroom. Leaning on the walls, Hange followed them and sat down on a stool. Lara had left her father sitting and leaning against one of the walls. She placed her hand on his forehead and saw that he was still burning with fever.
Lara went to the place in the bathroom where they heated water. She would need to give her father a warm bath to reduce his fever, just as Hange had given her on that occasion when she also had a high fever, many years ago, when she first called her "Mommy" for the first time.
Hange watched Lara remove the bandages from Levi's face, leaving only the ones on his right hand, which she wrapped with a small towel, so it wouldn't get wet and the blood that was still running wouldn't mix with the bath water. Later she could clean it and make a new bandage.
Lara began to undress her father. Hange came over to help. With great effort, Lara carried him in her arms like a little child and placed him in the bathtub. He was shivering and sweating a lot.
"Hang on, Daddy," she said, stroking the good part of his face with affection, "Soon enough, you'll get better."
Then, Lara filled the bathtub with warm water. Despite being unconscious, it seemed to do Levi a lot of good, not only because he loved taking a bath, but also because the water was at such a pleasant temperature, that his limbs, little by little, relaxed. Now, Levi seemed to breathe more normally, which brought both Hange and Lara great relief.
Gently, Lara rubbed a soft sponge over her father's body, which they had bought to rub on Hange's belly when she got pregnant. Hange watched them with a cozy feeling in her heart, at seeing how much affection Lara was showing by taking care of her father.
When she was done, Lara removed the cap from the bathtub, letting the water drain out into a proper place for it. Lara dried Levi and once more carried him in her arms until she laid him on his bed. While her daughter was doing this, Hange went to the wardrobe to get some pajamas and helped to dress him up.
With Levi properly under the blankets and quite comfortable, Lara cleaned the wound on Levi's right hand, bandaging it. The amputated part was still pretty ugly. Hange had gone to the kitchen and taken a fever medicine she had found.
With great difficulty, they managed to make Levi swallow the pill and also gave him another painkiller injection that was still left in the first aid kit, to prevent him from having to open his mouth again and not take the risk of opening up the stitches.
The girls sighed in relief when they finally saw that Levi was in the safest place he could be. Now it was just a case of waiting and hoping he makes a good recovery. Lara closed the window, which Hange had previously opened to let the light in, and they left, closing the door. Standing in the hallway, Lara looked at Hange.
"Your turn to take a bath, Mommy," she gave her a little smile.
It was easier to help Hange in her bath. She bled a little, which made Lara have to change all the water in the bathtub at some point. Tiny-Human-Bean also seemed to like the warm water and its sister's affection, and it moved slowly in Hange's belly. Lara helped her dry off and, with an oil lamp lit on the bedside table, she helped Hange into her pajamas, not before rubbing her belly with the lavender essential oil. They also thought it was best for Hange to put on a sanitary pad, to avoid staining her clothes and the bed sheets.
With her mother also properly tucked into bed, Lara gave her a kiss on the forehead and told them to sleep until they couldn't stand it anymore, and that she would also take a bath and prepare something to eat. Before leaving, Hange took Lara's hand and stroked it.
"Sweetheart..." she sobbed and through the light of the oil lamp, you could see a tear running down her face, "I don't know how to thank you enough for everything you're doing for me and for your father."
Lara smiled gently and squeezed her back.
"No need to thank me. What I did was nothing compared to what you've both already done for me. I love you, Mommy."
"I love you too, baby. Very much..." smiled Hange.
Lara left their bedroom and closed the door behind her. The hallway was very dark and her face was lit by the fire of the oil lamp. She leaned against a wall and let herself slide down, until she sat on the floor, her chest rising and falling, exhausted. Lara looked up at the ceiling and whispered:
"Thank You... Thank You so much... I love You too, okay?"
In response, she felt her heart get a bit warm and gave a little smile.
Lara got up, went to the bathroom, and gazed at herself in the mirror.
She was looking hideous.
Now that Lara was looking closely, she noticed that there were small twigs of bushes in her hair, and her face was filthy, covered in dust, dirt, and tear marks. There was also a small cut on her forehead.
She started to take off her clothes and finally managed to take a nice bath. Lara was feeling so cozy in that bathtub, that there was a moment when she almost fell asleep.
Wearing comfortable clothes now, Lara went to the kitchen to prepare something for them to eat. She was starving and couldn't remember the last time she ate a normal meal.
However, Lara had a big disappointment as she opened the kitchen cupboards and found them practically empty. She tapped her forehead and called herself stupid, because it had been at least two weeks since Lara, Hange, and Armin hadn't come home and stocked the pantry.
Standing in the middle of the kitchen, hands on hips, Lara came to the conclusion that the only way out was to run into a neighbor and ask them for some food. The nearest house was about ten minutes away on horseback. Lara left on one of the horses and was relieved to see that the house she had gone to for food was also intact.
She knocked at the door and it took a while for someone to answer. A middle-aged lady, who looked very frightened, answered her. A little dark-haired boy of about six years old was gazing shyly at Lara, clinging to his mother's skirt. In a few words, Lara explained her situation and the woman promptly handed her a small basket of fruits and vegetables. Lara thanked her immensely for her generosity and before leaving, the little boy pulled her shirt and handed her a bottle of fresh milk.
With a kind smile, Lara ruffled his hair and thanked him. Without meaning to, she ended up making the Survey Corps' salute, as it was a gesture the soldiers were used to making in front of civilians. The little boy looked extremely euphoric, making her laugh at that child's reaction. The little boy's mother patiently explained that he was a fan of the Survey Corps, and that's why he was so excited of meeting one of the soldiers in person. Shy, Lara thanked her for their affection.
When she got home, Lara made a nice vegetable soup. Rummaging through the cupboard drawers, she found a wooden straw, which Hange had bought, simply because she thought it was cute and claimed the baby would like to use it for drinking juice. In a bowl, she smashed the vegetables well, until it was practically a broth, and put the straw in, so Levi wouldn't have to open his mouth that much to eat.
It was about eight o'clock at night when Lara went to her parents' bedroom to bring them dinner. Fortunately, Levi woke up and seemed a little better. Hange ate the soup with a voracious appetite and Lara helped her father drink it through the straw. Only when her parents were done that Lara allowed herself to have her dinner, sitting on the edge of her parents' bed while she and Hange wondered about what Armin and the others were doing right now, while Levi just watched them.
"Dad, are you feeling any pain?"
Levi shrugged, and waved his good hand, signaling that they shouldn't worry about him. Lara frowned and pouted as if scolding him. She went to the kitchen and came back with a painkiller, helping him drink the water through a straw. Lara stroked her father's hair, claiming he was more stubborn than a child. Hange laughed.
"What about your leg?" asked Lara. "How is it doing?"
This time, Levi made a negative sign with his hand. Lara pointed at her mother.
"It's her fault," she said, playfully chuckling.
"Mine?!" retorted Hange in indignancy.
Levi raised his arms as if he were saying, "Oh, come on!"
They all laughed and Hange leaned over to kiss her husband's cheek, who seemed to like it, as he managed to give a little smile.
"Dad," said Lara, leaning on the headboard, "There's something I wanted to ask you, but I just remembered now. Did you by any chance drink the wine with Zeke's spinal fluid?"
Levi rolled his good eye. With it, he communicated to his daughter: "Of course not, do you think I would trade the little pots with tea you prepared for me for some mere wine?! No freaking way!"
That made the girls very relieved. Lara gave her father a light kiss on the forehead in gratitude. However, Hange and Lara noticed that, when mentioning Zeke's name, Levi looked a little uncomfortable. He already knew that the Beast Titan had survived the Thunder Spear explosion.
The girls kept looking at him for a few seconds. Levi closed his eye and sighed. Finally, he shrugged and gave Hange and Lara a meaningful look, signaling that even though he didn't manage to fulfill the promise he had made to his best friend, he now had many other and more important things to worry about - like his wife's health, baby, daughter, and himself - that killing Zeke seemed to become the last item on his priority list.
"Well..." Lara clapped her hands, "Who wants tea? That's something we have in spare in the pantry!" She took the three bowls of soup.
Levi straightened up on the bed, suddenly looking a little excited, because he hated going too long without having a cup of tea. Hange offered to help, but Lara refused, threatening her that if she stepped out of that bed, Tiny-Human-Bean would be born looking like a Titan. The baby didn't seem to like its sister's joke towards it at all, resulting in it giving a hard kick in Hange's belly.
Lara brought them a nice chamomile tea and, while Hange and Levi drank it, she got the futons and placed them in front of her parents' bed, for Lara thought it was best to sleep in the same room, in case something happened to them during the night.
Indeed, doing that was helpful, because at around three in the morning, Lara woke up to her mother calling her, with Levi being feverish again and soaked with sweat. She had to give her father another bath and another fever medicine. Hange was so nervous, that she was red and her head was hurting a lot, and her daughter also had to give her another blood pressure medicine.
Lara couldn't sleep that night anymore and around six in the morning, she got up and went to the kitchen. She rummaged through the cupboards more closely and saw that, luckily, there was a jar filled with flour and a few other ingredients that took some more time to spoil, like salt, sugar, and yeast.
She decided to make homemade bread, which Levi had taught her when they spent that vacation in their new house years ago. Lara wasn't as good at cooking as her father, but soon, the place was smelling like freshly baked bread. The milk the little boy had given her helped a lot to scale up the recipe.
In general, they didn't have a very good day. Levi's fever came and went, and he seemed to have a throbbing pain where his fingers were amputated, which was still bleeding profusely. Hange was still experiencing a lot of pain in her belly and lower back. She bled a little as well.
On the third day, Lara told them that she would need to go out to buy food, as she didn't want to take advantage of the neighbors' goodwill, who must also be going through troubles, just like them.
When Lara arrived downtown, she found a little chaos going on there. Apparently, one of the Colossal Titans had stepped on that area a little, destroying some houses and stores, leaving the population there pretty stunned.
At least some of the stores kept working normally, because, whether they liked it or not, people had to continue to survive. Lara bought a good amount of food and also took the opportunity to buy more medicine for blood pressure, fever, and pain at the local pharmacy.
It was only on the fifth day that Levi's fever finally went down, and now, he only signaled he was feeling pain, especially in his right leg. Lara even tried to get him to walk a little, but Levi didn't make it, which left her and her mother quite afflicted. Hange was still bleeding, but just a little. However, she continued to experience some sharp pains in her belly.
Tiny-Human-Bean at least seemed to be doing well and it really enjoyed when its sisters rubbed the lavender essential oil on its mother. It still seemed a little upset about Lara's joke a few days ago, and only seemed to apologize to her when Lara promised it that she would buy it all the candies it wanted when it was old enough to eat them, and that she would also take it to the playground at least twice a week.
On the next day, around midafternoon, Lara was leaning against the kitchen counter, pressing her temples. She was having a bad headache. Her mother had had a spike of high blood pressure a few minutes ago and Lara was feeling pretty stressed out, for she wasn't sleeping well during the nights, always waking up with a little backache. The constant worrying about her parents, Armin, and the others was giving her migraines. She was spending all night wondering how her fiancé and her friends were doing in the fight against Eren, feeling great anguish in her heart. Levi tried to hide his concern, but Hange didn't, so she still had some high blood pressure crisis.
Lara gave a big sigh and went out onto the porch to get some air. She paced around, hands on hips, distressed. The sky was clearer by now, with just a few smoke clouds here and there, but the sun was shining overhead.
Lara leaned against the porch railing, head down.
Then, slowly, she began to hear a sound in the distance.
Lara looked towards the top of the hill and saw someone coming, galloping on horseback. At first, she thought it was someone who lived nearby, but when Lara narrowed her eyes, she felt like her heart was going to stop.
Lara immediately recognized that person.
It was Armin.
Her soldier had returned home.
She practically jumped over the porch railing, feeling a burst of energy burn inside her, and ran toward him.
This time, Armin was careful enough to park the horse by the side of the road and climb down from the saddle to avoid any run-over by his fiancée, and also ran towards her.
With tears welling up in their eyes, Lara literally threw herself into Armin's arms, wrapping her hands and legs around him. They both buried their faces into each other's necks, sobbing. Armin dropped to his knees on the ground, still clinging to her, who slipped a little off his arms and also got on her knees.
They stood there, crying and hugging each other for a long time.
Then, they finally gazed at each other.
Lara straightened her back as she realized her fiancé's appearance, mouth agape.
He was remarkably well-dressed, wearing his big military overcoat, in full uniform. He was also wearing a high-ranking cap, with the Survey Corps' insignia. Armin even looked more mature.
A true Commander.
We can't say the same about Lara, who was now quite disheveled, with deep dark circles under her eyes and a look of extreme exhaustion. Besides being practically wearing pajamas. But, Armin didn't care about any of that.
He held her face with both hands and said:
"Didn't I tell you I was coming back? It's over, my love. We won. We saved humanity," Armin let out a cry from his throat, shedding a tear, "Eren... I-Is dead."
Lara opened her mouth, holding her breath. Armin got closer.
"The Titans no longer exist. My curse has been broken."
Wide-eyed, Lara shed a tear. Still holding his fiancée's face, Armin wiped it with his thumb, and through his own tears, he smiled at her.
"Babe... I'm not gonna die anymore."
Guys, there's no way. Although I said that Armin looked like that character Tom Branson (from Downton Abbey TV Series), because of his personality, I can't help but think he looks like Steve Rogers/Captain America (which I'm a big fan!). So, I'll leave down bellow some pictures of how I imagine what Armin looked like when he met Lara again ♥