Yours Truly, Levi

Deciding

That afternoon, Levi calls an emergency meeting between the twenty-seven Clan members. He begins the meeting by doling out chopped-up bits of fruit, sitting on a barrel of dried, salted fish, and clearing his throat quietly. You follow and sit in the sand beside him.

A hush falls over the men, and they all seem to get the message and make themselves comfortable on the ground.

"Now, before we make any decisions or even explain the situation," he begins, "I want to make something very clear. I am not gay, and neither is Bozu. In fact... he is not a he at all. She is a girl- a woman, actually. And she is to be admired for her bravery, coming here with us to replace her father. She's also to be respected. If anyone- anyone-" (he glances distrustfully at Jason, who shrugs) "-tries anything, he will have to answer to me." Then, as if to illustrate his point, Levi places his hand on the dagger hanging by his side. "And they don't call me humanity's strongest fighting soldier simply because I asked them to, be not mistaken."

The men shift uncomfortably in the sand, glancing strangely at you, then Levi, clearly in awe but too intimidated by this small yet fierce man before them to say anything.

"Now that you all understand that, I'm going to explain the situation. We have maybe an hour from now to decide what to do. A ship has been spotted, or at least we believe so. This ship, if it is, in fact, a ship, is most likely one of the other Clans sent to search the waters of the outside, or maybe a rescue Clan. We have a flare, and this means a possibility of escape from this island."

The men look towards the seas, bewildered.

"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" A voice chimes in. It's Zeppelin, the crazy Clanmate. "Let's go home!"

"Hold up," Jason says loudly, and the men quiet. "We are beginning to think that this isn't the right choice."

"Why not?" a chorus of voices return.

"Think about how good life is here," says Jason. "We are all safe, and nobody's being forced to go on another, more dangerous expedition, which is most surely what would happen if we return, thanks to that bastard Samuel Carter." He pauses, a snarl on his handsome face. "But here? We're free, and we can build our own vessel to bring us home when we have been gone for long enough to ensure that Carter will have been stopped."

That quiets the Clan. The men sit in the sand, all seemingly pondering said options.

"But what about my girlfriend?" Baxter cries. "What about our families? If we turn this opportunity down, if we ever do return, we'll have missed out on life after the Great Titan War!"

"A life directly after the Titans is not a life I want to return to," Levi throws back. "Anyone who has been affected like I have will understand. The Titans took everything from me. I have no family, nobody I loved is left except for one person, who is on this island, and I might never see her again if we leave. I know the same goes for her- all she has left is her father, who, if she returns, will lose his government aid and she will be forced to give up her freedom to care for him. And Captain Jason, he lost his wife and kids to the first attack, when the Colossal Titan breached Wall Maria. And I know we're not the only ones. This island holds the last family most of us have left. If we return, we might never see one another again."

You glance from Levi around the camp, and see, like you, many of the men have tears brimming their eyes. Ham blinks his back when he catches you looking, and Kyle turns away, but you know Levi's won them over. That is, until-

"But we're already a Clan! Even Carter-san wouldn't break us up. He promised those who returned with information about the world beyond the walls a lifetime of safety and comfort. I say we return!"

The men erupt into cheers, and you feel your heart sink and your hand squeeze Levi's, though you hadn't realized until now that he has been holding it. "I'm sorry," he whispers, and the two of you rise at the same moment. "I... I don't want to leave. But I think we've lost."

"We haven't lost yet," you say, leaning in to kiss him. "We lose if we're separated. And I'm not going to give up this easily, even if the odds are against us and that actually is a ship we've seen." His lips press against yours, and you sense an air of urgency about this kiss. As if you both know that your time is limited.

"This is why I love you," he whispers finally, taking you in his arms and holding you tight.

Best to make the most of the time you know you have together.