[Three years later]
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Sometimes, things never go as planned.
You never planned on joining the Scouts. You never planned on fighting Titans. When you first met Levi, you had no idea you'd end up marrying him.
You never thought you'd lose people who felt like family. And you certainly never thought you'd make it to where you were today.
If someone told you thirteen years ago that you'd be happily married, owning a teashop with the love of your life, you wouldn't have believed them.
But now... how could you possibly live without it?
Now that you were living a perfect life with the man of your dreams... how could you ever let it go?
You wouldn't. After everything you'd fought for, you would hold on to this life with everything you had.
As you used a teaspoon to swirl your tea, you stared aimlessly out the large front windows of your teashop. You'd done it up pretty nicely, with new furniture and flooring.
It was a pretty quiet day; not too many people were on the streets. You'd had a few customers early in the morning, but the rest of the afternoon had been pretty quiet.
You smiled to yourself. Even though you loved when people came into the teashop, you loved it just as much when it got quiet like this.
Two strong arms wrapped around your waist from behind, and your smile widened when you felt a pair of lips pressing against the crook of your neck.
"What're you thinking about?" Levi asked, his voice sounding muffled against your skin.
"Nothing," you replied, placing your arms over his.
He huffed. "C'mon. I know there's something on your mind, love. What is it?"
You thought for a moment. Then, "Do you ever regret how we got here?"
Levi placed his hands on your hips and turned you to face him. "What do you mean?"
You sighed and placed your hands on his chest, looking off to the side. "I mean... Obviously, we love our lives right now. But when we lived underground, did you ever thing we'd be here?" You paused for a moment. "Do... Do you ever regret how we got here?"
Levi was silent for a few moments. You felt his gaze on the side of your face, and you knew he was picking apart all your thoughts.
"You mean... do I regret you?"
You winced. Even though you didn't directly ask him anything along those lines, it still hurt to hear.
Levi gently gripped your chin with his thumb and forefinger, tilting your head towards him so you'd look into his eyes.
God, he was so beautiful. The long scar across his face added so much to his character that you wanted to simply melt into him. His hair was the same jet-black, falling into his eyes, and he still maintained his undercut, which you had absoloutely no complaints about.
But it was his eyes that got you. Those piercing gray eyes.
He moved his hand to cup your cheek, his thumb dusting gently over your cheekbone.
"I could never, and will never regret you."
You stared at him, at a complete loss for words.
"Everything that we've been through has got us to where we are right now. And, if it meant that I could hold you every night, I'd do it a thousand times over. I'd go through years of pain and suffering, just to get home to you."
As you looked at him, your eyes filled with involuntary tears, but you blinked them away. You wouldn't cry, not when your life was so perfect.
"You're right," you whispered. "Y-You're right- I'm sorry."
"Don't apologise," Levi said, leaning in to kiss your forehead. "I love you."
You tilted your head upwards and pressed your lips against his. After a moment, you pulled away. "I love you, too."
Levi smiled and pulled away from you. You immediately missed his touch, but you knew you couldn't hold him forever. As much as you wanted to.
"Everyone will start showing up soon," your husband called out as he walked into the kitchen in the back of the shop. "And I have to make their shitty heads some tea."
You smiled and stared after him. He had such a way with words when it came to you. He always knew exactly what to say and when to say it. It was one of the things you loved most about him.
Levi's words finally registered in your brain and excitement ran through you. At least once a month, all your friends would meet at your teashop. Everyone came more often than Mikasa, but that was only because she lived back on Paradis. Jean, Connie and Armin all came to help out quite a lot. You were so grateful for them.
The doors opened behind you, and you turned around with a huge smile.
"Connie! Jean!" you squealed as you all but ran over to them, taking them into your arms.
"Hey, Y/N," Connie greeted with a large smile as he pulled away from your death-grip. In truth, you'd only seen them just yesterday when they came to the shop for drinks. Still, it was always nice knowing that you could see each other when your lives weren't full of danger. "How're you?"
"I'm great!" You beamed at them both and ushered them to sit down. "Do you guys want anything to drink?"
"The usual for me, please," Jean said, leaning back into his seat and smiling up at you. His "usual" was always just a black tea with milk in it. And no sugar. Which you couldn't quite comprehend.
"Same for me, too," Connie added. "But can I have sugar in mine? I'm not a psychopath like Jean."
You giggled and patted the top of Connie's head. "Of course." Then, you turned towards the kitchen to tell Levi what to make and bring out. "Levi!" you called.
"I know!"
With a roll of your eyes and a bright smile, you sat next to Jean and indulged in conversation with your friends. Levi brought out tea and exchanged a few words with Connie and Jean before retreating back to the kitchen. A few minutes went by, and the front door opened again.
You turned to look at who it was and jumped out of your seat. Armin grinned at you as you rushed over to him and wrapped him in your arms. It had beem two weeks since he'd visited last, and you were going to make him promise to visit more often.
Mikasa stood behind him, still wrapped in that red scarf she'd always worn. You pulled away from Armin and took her into your arms, holding on tight. Mikasa only came to visit once a month. Occasionally, she'd come over twice, maybe even three times. Still, it wasn't enough. But you understood.
Annie and Reiner stood behind Mikasa. You released her from your arms and hugged Annie. She was a little stiff, but eventually relaxed into you. You'd gotten a little closer over the years, which you were quite okay with.
After a few moments, you turned to Reiner. Whenever you hugged him, it felt like you were being squished by some sort of bear. Luckily for you, his hug only lasted for a few seconds.
"You guys okay?" you asked, looking at each of them individually.
"We're great!" Armin said with a smile. "Thank you for having us over."
You placed your hand on top of his head. Since when had he grown so much? "You're welcome to come over anytime you want."
"Thank you," Mikasa whispered as you gestured for all of them to sit down. You turned towards the kitchen again to call to Levi, but he walked out with a tray in his hand, four teacups on top of it.
You grinned at him. Even if he didn't like to admit it, you knew he loved having everyone over. He'd even had their usual drink orders memorised.
Again, he didn't exchange many words with anyone. But before he could walk away, you stopped him by placing a hand on his bicep. Then you leaned in to place a kiss on his cheek.
Levi still wasn't much of a fan of public affection. However, recently, you'd noticed that he'd become more okay with it. Which you couldn't complain with.
All your friends at the table engaged in conversation, which broke you out of your stupor and made you pull away from him. It looked like he wanted more, but with so many people around, all he did was reach for your hand and give it a squeeze.
You smiled at him, but your moment was cut short when a very loud Jodi came waltzing through the door, presumably laughing at a joke Hunter had non-chalantly made.
"Captain!" she squealed and she rushed at you, almost knocking you over with the force of her hug. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you, too." You smiled. She'd only come over two days before.
When Jodi finally let go, you moved over to Isabella and hugged her gently. You were extremely grateful that you had these people in your life. They were like family to you.
After a few moments, you moved on to greeting August and Hunter. These two boys, along with the rest of your friends, were the closest to family you'd ever had.
You embraced them both at the same time; you were too excited to see them, and you couldn't decide who to hug first.
"Hi, Captain," August greeted gently. You rolled your eyes as you pulled away from them both.
"You know you don't have to call me that. I'm not your Captain anymore."
Hunter sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck with a small grin. "Yeah, but... you'll always be our Captain."
August nodded along. You looked between them both, and you suddenly realised that you didn't mind. If anything, it was quite endearing that they still had that respect for you. The title of Captain had made you become somewhat of a parental figure to them. And you had absoloutely no complaints.
You grinned. "Alright, then. Come get something to drink."
You and the rest of your friends all gathered around a few tables and chatted for a while. It was mainly Connie and Jean talking about their hair and how they'd both grown it out, to which they recieved multiple eye rolls.
Jodi had just finished telling a joke, when an exhausted looking Pieck came shuffling through the door, Falco and Gabi trailing behind her.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up," Jean announced sarcastically. You leaned over and lightly smacked the back of his head.
"Sorry, guys," she mumbled.
"Mrs. Ackerman!" Faclo cheered, bounding over to where you sat in your chair.
You grinned at him. "Hello!"
Falco was truly a sweetheart. He always came to visit often, and your conversations with him never bored you. It was the same with Gabi. Although you could never forgive her for what she'd done, you understood why she did it. She was just a kid, and you couldn't despise her for making choices she'd never regret.
He exchanged a few words with you then all but ran into the kitchen, were Levi was probably still making tea. You watched as Falco grinned up at your husband, presumably giving some sort of over-excited greeting. Levi rolled his eyes with a smirk and rubbed the top of Falco's head. You smiled warmly at the sight.
"So..." Mikasa spoke softly, making your eyes break away from Levi over to her. "You guys are coming to see Eren next week, right?"
You smiled sadly at her. As often as you could, you all went to visit Eren back on Paradis. You though about him often. That young boy with bright green eyes whose only wish was to be free.
"Of course." You smiled. "We'll be there."
Everyone around you agreed. After that, you all fell back into conversation, which you were grateful for. Whenever you spoke about Eren, you always tried to keep the conversation light-hearted. Especially when you were around Mikasa.
Time passed so quickly when you were with these people. You all talked and laughed with everyone like you'd seen each other the day before, like no time had gone by.
You truly loved them with all your heart.
As you looked around at your friends, talking and laughing around the tables, your heart clenched when you realised that they were all there to stay. No more war. No more death. No more worrying about whether someone wasn't going to make it back. This life was permanent.
Jean must've said something hilarious while you were zoned out, because Connie's drink almost came flying out his mouth. You laughed.
Yeah. You could get used to this.
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Levi had you tucked into his side, his lips in your hair as you both lounged on the couch. It was late. You'd kept the teashop open longer than usual to spend more time with your friends. But now you were home, warm and content in your husband's arms.
The fire flickered and roared in front of you, and you couldn't help but get lost in the sight of the flames. But Levi's arm around your waist and his thumb drawing circles on your skin kept you present.
You often spent most nights like this. Worry free and relaxes while you drifted off in your husbands arms.
Levi shifted a little. "The stars are out," he whispered, wary of breaking the calm atmosphere you'd created. "Wanna go out?"
With a soft sigh, you hauled yourself up from the couch. Nights in with Levi were amazing, but you always loved when he suggested going outside to look at the stars. It was your absololute favourite.
Levi led you to the rather large open backyard. That was one of the things you loved most about the house. It sat on a field, with rolling hills and green grass that you could lay in anytime you wanted. Your area of town was extremely quiet. Even though you weren't far from the shoreline, there was still so much greenery around. You truly didn't regret your decision to stay in Marley.
As you and Levi made your way over to your star gazing spot, you heard something in the trees a few meters away.
Faster than you could even comprehend it, Levi had you behind him. He reached for a sword or a blade that normally sat at his hip, and you could tell from the sudden tensing of his shoulders that he panicked when he felt nothing there.
A few moments later, a deer came emerging from the trees. Levi let out a breath of relief and let his body relax. The deer looked at the two of you, then turned and leapt back into the trees.
How could something so small and unharmful scare you so much? Did the war really have that much of an affect on you?
You kissed the back of Levi's neck to let him know that it was okay. Maybe you'd never get over the feeling of living in constant fear. Or the feeling of never knowing when your last moments would be. That was what war did to you.
But it also brought you closer to Levi.
"C'mon," you whispered, taking his hand and continuing on your journey. There was no point in dwelling on it. If you needed help in getting over it, you had Levi. And he had you.
When you looked up for the first time since you'd been outside, you smiled. The stars were definitely out. The lack of artifical light from the streets made everything in the sky seem so clear.
You led Levi to the top of a small hill. There was a breeze that nipped at your cheeks, but it wasn't unpleasant. When you turned to Levi, you cupped his cheeks and leaned in to kiss his lips.
He placed his hands on your lower back and pulled you into him. You smiled against his lips and pulled away after a few moments.
God, you'd never get tired of looking at him. He was absoloutely ethereal.
Levi tilted his head at you. "What?" he asked.
You laughed and kissed his lips again. "Nothing."
Your husband rolled his eyes and pulled you into him completely, tucking his face into the crook of your neck. With a giggle, you wrapped your arms around him and held on tight.
With the sound of the wind rustling the trees surrounding you, Levi started to sway with you in his arms. Everytime he did this, you had to fight off tears because of how sweet and thoughtful it was. Neither of you ever had to say anything in moments like these. No words except the occasional "I love you" could've ever made these moments better.
But... maybe there was one thing you could say that would make this unforgettable.
With a little too much eagerness, you started to pull away from Levi. He grunted and tried to pull you back, but you were too excited to care. Eventually, Levi let you pull away, but not without giving you a dull look.
Your blinding smile was a stark contrast to the death glare he was giving you. Although, you had to admit it was adorable that he was getting annoyed because he couldn't hold you. But after your next words, you knew that his sour mood would turn into something much brighter.
With a grin, you took Levi's hands in your own. "I have something to tell you."
He blinked. You squeezed his hands in reassurance, telling him it was okay. When he nodded, you smiled even more.
Slowly, you brought his hands closer to you... and placed them on your stomach.
"You're going to be a father."
It was as if time stopped. Levi's eyes never left yours as he comprehended your words. At first, you saw shock flash over his face, and then a smile so bright you thought you were dreaming.
Levi looked down at his hands on your stomach, and you could've sworn you saw his breath hitch. Then he placed his hands on your cheeks and pulled you in for a kiss. Then another. Then another.
You laughed against his lips as he kept going in for more kisses. This was certainly the reaction you were expecting.
"Really?" he asked, a wide grin still plastered on his face as he pulled away to look at you. "We're going to have a baby?"
You placed your hands on his chest and smiled warmly. "We're going to have a baby."
In one quick movement, Levi got down on one knee, placed his hands on your waist, and kissed your stomach over your clothes. You placed your hand in his hair as tears pooled in your eyes.
"She's going to be perfect," he said, his voice laced with adoration. "Just like you."
You giggled. "You think it's a girl?"
Levi hummed and kissed your stomach once more. "I know it."
You smiled down at him. When was he ever wrong?
"Isabel Hange Ackerman," he whispered, pressing his forehead against your stomach.
A wave a tears rolled down your cheeks. He remembered what Hange said the day she died. How she wanted you to name your child after her.
Levi looked up at you, and his eyes were glazed over with tears, too. He rose from his position and took you into his arms, resting his forehead against yours.
"This is what we fought for," you whispered.
All those years of torture and death all led up to this exact moment. The moment where you and Levi could live the future you'd both dreamed of. Years ago, you never thought you'd make it this far. But now you were here... you knew there was nowhere else you'd rather be.
Levi leaned in to kiss your lips. "I love you," he said, holding you tightly. "No matter what."
"I love you. No matter what."
In the middle of the chaos that was your life, there was him. Never in your life had you felt so calm and on fire at the same time, knowing deep in your bones that he was who you were waiting for your whole life.
He was the only one who ever touched your heart. It would always be his.
And he felt the exact same way. You would never be unloved by him. You were too well tangled in his soul.
As Levi stared into your eyes, you knew.
You knew he was made for you.
His eyes of steel stole your heart, and his heart of gold kept it safe forever.