A/N: Thank you all so so so so much for the love and support you all always give me! I am so happy that you're all enjoying the story this much! Your messages and comments are always so sweet and such a joy to read through! But, without further ado, I've dedicated this chapter to 'It's Ok' by Tom Rosenthal. I came across this song back in high school during my Junior year when I was going through such a hard time, dealing with depression and whatnot. I thought a lot about my Gram's, who I had lost in 2012. I've dedicated this chapter to this song for that very reason. It hurts to lose someone we love, it's difficult to deal with death in general for many people. I remember listening to this song all the time, thinking that I really wanted to be with grandmother. I felt that the timing wasn't right and it wasn't fair. She's already missed out on so much but at the time, she knew it was her time to go because she already lived a very long life. I still think about her a lot and I just hope she's proud of me and what I've accomplished. Sorry if this made anyone sad, that wasn't my intention. I hope you all enjoy reading the chapter! Thank you!!!
"Whenever you're ready, Y/N." Hanji stated, staring at you, along with the others. You hesitated, thinking if what you were about to do was really for the best. You hadn't seen your father in so long. The thought of looking him in the eye, while understanding that he knew everything that happened to you over the past decade was almost too much to bare. You didn't think you had the heart, nor the stomach to face him. However, you reminded yourself that it had been what you wanted for a very long time. You had the opportunity to recreate a bond with the only family you had left. You couldn't waste it now. Life was too short.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
You washed away any doubt you had; dismissing the insecurities within you. In that moment, everything was going to change, but you were okay with that. The door swung open violently, making you wince in the process. The sudden action was startling, but understandable once you saw the expression on your father's face. Your own face contorted into an agonizing exhibition. Your body was completely frozen in place, as was everyone else's. The world felt empty at that moment; it was only you and your father in a place of darkened silence. Even though he was right there in front of you, you still couldn't believe it.
"Y/N." He whispered, his voice torn and melancholic. You broke into tears, sobbing; desperately trying to catch a solid breath. Your throat refused to let any words out, but instead, your body moved towards your father as he stood in the doorway to the cottage. You embraced him, experiencing so much anguish. The realization that the man you were convinced was dead all those years was flesh and bone.
"Is it really you?" You cried into his chest, closing your eyes tightly, gripping the backside of his dress shirt. He ran his hand down the back of your head and held you firmly against him.
"Yes, I'm right here." The two of you stood there, not moving a single muscle. Levi and the rest of your group smiled as they looked on. Everything was just starting to fall into place. A long life of torment, horrors and abuse was behind you. You started to see that letting go and moving forward didn't look as bad as it sounded. It wasn't a bittersweet ending you could look forward to; it was just sweet. Of course, some things like that came with doubt, but you didn't care about that any longer. Doubt never got you anywhere; even when you doubted that your father was still dead and gone, you still found him anyway. He was right there in your arms and nothing could take him away from you ever again.
After a heartfelt reunion, your father had, of course invited everyone in to discuss future details. There would've been plenty of time to catch up once the mission was over with. You were, after all a soldier first. The hard work and dedication you had proven to possess all your life, had made your father's eyes glimmer with honor that you were his daughter. There was no time to waste. You helped your father pack his things and then began to head back to the Survey Corps headquarters.
"How long have you been living in Wall Maria?" You asked your father, already assuming what the answer was going to be. He shook his head, confirming that your guess was correct.
"I've been living up here for the passed eleven years. After you turned fifteen, Xavier didn't find me all that useful. He stated otherwise, but I always assumed it was to keep me as far away from you as possible. The last few years, we normally would just send letters back and forth from the entrance of the Underground. The last time I stepped foot down there, it was because one of Xavier's girls was sick and needed medical attention. I was brought down to assist in the treatment for her." Your father sighed, shutting his eyes as you all made your way through The Underground.
"Xavier's men had beaten her to death for making them lose money while she was being treated. She died before I could help her." Your father voiced his regret. He clearly was racked with guilt, even though it wasn't his fault. You looked down at the ground for a moment to think. Then it hit you. You remembered how hectic everything in Xavier's organization became when one of their best girls had become too sick to work.
"Adalaide." You spoke up, surprising yourself that you had remembered her name. You were eighteen years old when you discovered she had died; that she was brutally killed by the selfish, power hungry heathens that foolishly dared to call themselves men. Your father furrowed his brows in disappointment towards himself. You grabbed hold of his hands.
"It wasn't your fault, it was all Xavier's doing. It was all those men's doing." You reassured him of any doubt. You could see in your father's face that his blame-stricken expression was mostly due to the knowledge of all that you had been put through as well.
"You can't keep blaming yourself for something you had no control over. You did your best and that's all that matters." You expressed your worry, not allowing your own father to feel anywhere near the way you had for so long. Your father tightened the grip of his hands that were also holding onto yours so desperately.
"After everything that's happened, you still found a way to become so buoyant." Your father had announced confidently, that he was clearly so proud to call you his daughter. Your father was somewhat wrong. You weren't planning on ever becoming such an optimistic person. It wasn't until you met a specific person, and a specific set of other people, that you were finally capable of being happy. You smiled at him, then looked back at Levi. Levi was, of course, the main reason you became the person you were currently. After you had smiled at Levi, you looked back over at your father and chuckled a bit.
"I met a pretty decent mentor that showed me a better route compared to the one I was walking." You admitted, continuing on with everyone back to headquarters. Hanji had nudged Levi's side, smirking at him as he just rolled his eyes. He then looked over at you again, smiling slightly.
Erwin and everyone had agreed it would've been far easier and fair to spend the remainder of the day resting from the mission. The following day was just around the corner and with all the exhaustion you had felt after everything that had occurred, a long rest was definitely due. You laid down on your bed, weary from the long journey. It was almost too much stimuli for your brain. You needed to unwind. Just when you were about to shut your eyes, someone knocked at your door.
You groaned, sitting up groggily. You walked toward your door and opened it. You weren't all that surprised to see that it was Levi, but a delighted smile crept up on your face despite how exhausted you were at that moment.
"Hi." You stated in a soft, playful voice while allowing him in your room. Once you had turned around to face him after shutting your door, Levi pulled you closer to him. Your heart began to race, as you predicted what he was about to do next. He caressed your cheek with his thumb as the remainder of his fingers gently brushed your ear and neck. It sent shivers up your spine just from his gentleness. His touch was so incredibly soft that you couldn't help but allow yourself to sink into it. Your eyes were closed, only to be shot open after hearing what he had said.
"I never gave you this after what you had said to me." Levi stated in a deep, soothing voice. You recalled when he had told you about his past; leading up to what you had told him afterward. You blushed, looking away, as an awkward smile forced itself onto your bare face. Levi leaned in really close, resting his forehead against yours. You began to close the gap between your mouths as you looked into Levi's eyes. The tender warmth of his lips reminded you of how much you had longed to kiss him every single day. You didn't need to ask, because you knew that he felt the same way. You were confident in knowing that now.
You wrapped your arms around his neck as his own found their way down to your waist. His right arm eventually rested at the back of your neck, slowly deepening the kiss. You groaned against his lips, then pulling away to laugh. Your discomposure was leaking through, but Levi didn't mind. He was also a bit of an awkward mess, himself. You smiled at him, leaning over to give him another kiss. He then pulled you into a tightly wrapped embrace. You were startled at first, but melted into him, not thinking about anything else in that moment.
A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing very well! I've been working almost non-stop due to employees taking leave or being asked to quarantine for two-three weeks before coming back to work. I don't mind it, though, since I do need the extra money. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I won't lie, I cried a bit while writing it and I made sure to end it on a super wholesome and soft note. Stay safe, stay clean and stay hydrated! I'll talk to you all again in the next chapter! <3333333