waaaait... i should've made this chapter the smut chapter LOOOL its the 69th one jkdfhjakdf
anyways omg its time to finally end the story 😭 it'll come to a close soon idk its been 10 years ! the epilogue will come out soon after i attempt to tie everything else together.
to be quite honest, this is the first fanfic i ever made and it's got sooo many flaws. the biggest is my struggle in ending this fanfic. it was originally going to end around chapter 50 with a SAD ending but I caved into the comments and tried to rewrite it into a happy ending.
so with that out of the way, the ending to this one will probably be weak. FHDJKSHFJK
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The first few weeks back inside the walls were surreal. Walking through the corridors of the Survey Corps headquarters felt all the more bizarre. Wooden floors still creaked the same, the scent of damp earth and determination still held in the air, and everyone was still here. Almost everyone. There were a few missing faces and you didn't want to ask anyone for an explanation, you could only assume for the worst.
So, while you mourned for Sasha, you mourned for those who didn't make it to see you return. And Levi had been so great during it all. While he had been balancing many other responsibilities, he still made the time to tend to you and the children. Which you couldn't have been any more grateful for.
"Levi?"
He turns his attention towards you with a low hum of acknowledgement. You watch as he carefully tucks the last bit of blanket to snuggle your kids in bed. Farlan and Isabel lie on their backs, soft snores filling the silence that falls around everyone. The windows are slightly ajar, a chill breeze sweeping the curtains away so that the moonlight can kiss your children goodnight.
"I just wanted to say thank you," you say in a hush whisper. "For everything that you've done so far. I know that you're so busy I just wanted to make sure that—"
"(Y/N), you don't have to thank me." Levi is quick to cut you off, his tone as measured as ever. He grabs your hand and rubs his thumb on your skin, it's comforting to the touch. You exhale sharply with a soft smile tugging at the corners of your lips.
You shake your head but you didn't know what to say. He only leads you out of the room. After he carefully shuts the door, so as to not wake your sleeping children, he clears his throat.
"I have something very important to tell you," he says but does not further elaborate. "Follow me."
You follow Levi through a series of hallways that lead outside of the headquarters. The sky is adorned with stars and the moon is full, the crickets sing as if nature itself were their audience. It smells like pine, the air is crisp, much better than the damp air inside the headquarters. So you take a big breath.
"While you were gone, there were a lot of things I learned." He finally explains, keeping his pace slightly rushed as you follow beside him. "Now that you're back... and with kids—"
"Where are you going with this?" You ponder, nervously.
The moon still hangs in the sky, casting a silvery glow over his face as he stands by your side, his expression stoic in the moonlight. Without a word, he gestures for you to follow, concluding that it would be much easier to show than explain with words.
Curiousity sparkles in your eyes as you trailed after him, the crunch of gravel and leaves beneath your boots echo through the ambient night.
Levi leads you away from the heart of the military complex, weaving through the shadows of trees and bushes until the distant glow of lanterns fades away. The path he guides you along was worn, but not by the footsteps of any other; it seemed to be a route less traveled.
As you rounded a bend, a small cottage emerges from the darkness. Its windows emit a warm golden glow, inviting and enticing you closer. A soft gasp manages to escape your lips as you took in the quaint scene—the cottage nestled under the night sky, a small pond just before it, and in the midst of many trees. It was a quiet sanctuary away from the chaos of what was the rest of Paradis Island.
Levi turns to you, a very rare softness in his gaze. "I thought that you and the kids could take a break from the barracks," he murmurs, unlocking the cottage's wooden door.
You step inside and take in the atmosphere. Everything was only lit by the gentle flicker of candlelight fixed within glass lanterns. There is an immediate recognizable scent of lavender in the air, perhaps it was the vase of lavender flowers placed on a window sill in what seemed to be a kitchen.
You walk towards a wooden dining table with four cushioned chairs.
"Levi..." You breathe. "When did you—no, how did you get all of this?"
He watches as you take in the cozy surroundings. You explored the three furnished bedrooms, the kitchen, and the common area. While you explored, Levi took the obligation to light a fire in the hearth.
The whole spaces feels intimate, a world away from the military life you had been living just beyond these cottage walls.
"I want our family to be safe." Levi walks towards you and takes both of your handas into his own. His grip is tight against you as he sits you down at the table. "I want you to be safe."
"Of course I'm safe. Who would want to mess with me?" You stifle a laugh but Levi doesn't budge, instead he shakes his head.
"You have the Warhammer, (Y/N)." His voice is serious. "It's what makes you unsafe. That's why you're better off here."
"While you're going to be out there? Dealing with...whatever the hell is happening out there? All the politics, it's so volatile. Levi, I can't let you be alone. I have to protect you."
"(Y/N)." He holds onto your hands even tighter. "Let me protect you. I need you safe and alive. The kids need you safe and alive."
Levi was right. Yet, your heart beats with a tinge of guilt. You shift uncomfortably in your seat, taking your hands away from his. His gaze remains unwavering.
"It's not safe out there, and I won't have you risking your life when you don't have to."
The crackling fire fire casts shadows on the walls, and the warm glow highlights Levi's stern expression as he regards you. Whereas the glow highlights the worry settling in your face.
"Can I really just stay behind?" You whisper, your eyes meeting his steady ones. There is faint sense of duty that's calling you back to the Survey Corps. In your head, you're weighing all the rational reasons for staying.
Levi's jaw tightens, he suppresses any signs of frustration etching onto his face. He keeps his voice low and gentle.
"It's safer here. We can build a life here with Isabel and Farlan—a life that I want you to be a part of. I won't let you throw it away for a war that might consume everything."
The gravity of his words weigh in the air as you wrestled with conflicting emotions. The desire for your own safety, and to continue your life with your kids as it had been back in Marley, tugged at your heart. The weight of duty however pressed on your shoulders.
"I can't lose you out there." You speak in a hushed tone, your voice almost blending in with the popping of the fire.
"I can't either," he remarks. "Not again."
A heavy silence settles between you, broken only by the ambience of the crickets, owls, wind, and fire. Levi reaches for your hands once more, his touch warm and grounding. For a moment, you avoid his eyes, afraid that maybe somehow you'd forget how to speak.
"I'm not asking you to abandon everything. I'm asking you to prioritize what's here, what we can build. There's more at stake than just war and politics."
You daringly meet his gaze. With a sigh, Levi draws you into an embrace. When you breathe in his scent, you sigh into his neck. He is reassuring and protective.
"You can't change the world alone," he mumbles. "But we can create a world worth living in."
The choice seems all the more clearer to you. So you pull away to smile at him.
"Will you be home for dinners at least?"
—
The life that Levi had asked you to live turned out to be not so bad. It was a sort of peace that you didn't think you needed. You loved to bake homemade bread, tend to a newly planted garden, and of course you were able to visit people. You had even met and. mourned with a man from Marley, who had grown a relationship with Sasha. He had even been kind enough to share some recipes with you, the same recipes that Sasha had enjoyed.
You would also often see Hange. Who would fill you in on the current state and politics of what was happening, especially because Levi tended to avoid those conversations.
As much as you missed the bustling life of a military routine, you realized that nothing could replace the moments you shared with your family. Isabel and Farlan were more than happy to indulge in their own bedrooms, and getting to know their father. Especially when he'd come home for dinner, which became rarer and rarer as time progressed.
Tonight you were not expecting any guests at the dinner table.
But when you set a steaming bowl of potato leek soup on the dinner table, a sudden presence appears at the front of your door. The sudden noise of the door closing shut sparks your attention, you turn to look.
"Eren?"
His eyes are tired, he doesn't speak. You wonder if Levi had told him about this place. Eren's footsteps creak against the floorboards as he takes in the details of your home. He notices Isabel and Farlan hiding behind the short hallway that lead to their bedrooms.
"(Y/N)," he states. "I came here for your help."
You furrow your brow, confused. His voice was too steady for you to even consider him as anything but not serious.
"You need my help?" You reiterate, your voice is slow and wary.
He shakes his head. "There is a lot you do not know."
There is a short pause before he continues. The soup is still steaming on the table.
"I need the Warhammer."
—
Levi Ackerman walks through the familiar hallways that lead to his office. With a stack of papers in his hand he meets Hange.
"Where is Eren?" His voice is coarse through his teeth.
Hange stares at him in disbelief. "Over a hundred soldiers have disappeared from their cells, we believe they freed Eren from his cell."
Levi is immobilized in his stance. In his head, he thinks of all the possibilities that could arise from Eren's escape. Levi knew that this was the beginning of something even greater, something he may or may not be able to predict. How long would Levi be away from you? He wasn't sure. But one thing was for certain, he needed to make sure you were okay.
Perhaps after his paperwork, he'd come by tonight.