This is My Last War (Attack on Titan // LeviHan) - Part 3

The Other Side of the Ocean, Part 2

8 months ago

"Really? You think you can handle Yeager?"

Zoë smiled at Levi's grumpy face with which he tried to cover up his concern, feeling such a ridiculous urge to ruffle his freshly cut hair she had to sit on her hands to stop them from reaching out.

"Sure I can," she grinned fondly. "With the power of love."

"Tch," Levi's frown deepened, but she wasn't fooled. Don't be so obviously concerned for me, Zoë thought. It just makes everything much harder.

The six kids of the 104th were huddled up in one of the corners of their current hiding place, a damp basement that smelled like dead rats, their heads close together as they whispered urgently. Kids? No, they were adults now, Zoë corrected herself. Eldian Scouts on a far away mission. Young, but never too young to die a senseless death in this cruel world.

What she would never admit to Levi: she wasn't sure at all that she could handle Eren. He was struggling, far more than the rest of them. In fact, he had never been the same since the day he had found out about their enemy across the ocean and his father's involvement in their mess. She didn't know how to help him. She didn't know how to help any of them. Moving forward was the only thing she knew how to do even if it was the surest way to get them all killed.

Can you see us, Erwin? Zoë felt her chest constrict with equal parts pride and grief. See how far we've come? We're on the other side of the ocean! The world is so much bigger than we ever thought!

"That's it then," Zoë cleared her throat, turning her face back to Levi. "This is goodbye."

Levi's feature turned sour instantly. "Don't be fucking dramatic, Four-Eyes."

Amused, she wiggled her eyebrows at him. Really? Four-Eyes?

"What?" He grumbled, looking away, suddenly shy. "You still had four eyes last time I checked. Or has it fallen out in the meantime?"

"Haha, you're so funny, Captain Grump," Zoë chuckled, touching the tight strap of her eye-patch. Her eye hurt less than a year ago but she might also just be getting used to the constant throbbing and strumming in her head. Back in Trost, Dr. Grütter's needle treatments had stabilized her condition sufficiently. She should be fine, even if she did not manage to get access to any of Marley's superior medical practitioners.

Hopefully.

"You be careful, Captain," she told Levi and got up from her chair abruptly, not wanting to look at his face for too long. That never led to anything good. Just regret.

The kids' heads shot up at the sound of wood scraping over stone. Their big eyed, apprehensive stares made them look five years younger. So maybe they were young adults now, capable soldiers, killing machines. And yet, they looked to her, their Commander, for guidance.

"Right," Zoë clapped her hands. "Gather round. Captain Levi and I have discussed how to continue from here."

Levi moved next to her. Funny how she could feel him in a room full of people even without knowing he was there. Was it because they had become so attuned to each other in all those many years serving in the Survey Corps together? Or was it because he was an Ackerman, whose energy levels were just noticeably different from other humans?

"We're splitting up," she declared.

"What?" Armin blanched, throwing Eren an alarmed look. Mikasa stiffened. Connie, Jean and Sasha gasped.

"We're too big of a group," Zoë explained. "We'll draw the enemy's attention like this."

"Oi! There will be no discussion and no questions," Levi snapped at them when they all opened their mouths to protest. "You'll do exactly as we say even without wearing uniforms. Springer, Blouse, Kirshtein, you're with me."