Remembering You

The Savagery of Mankind

Levi wasn't too sure what he had been thinking – chances were that he hadn't been – when he agreed to walk around town with Eren to gather things for Eirian's birthday. His former subordinate had been appalled when he heard they had never held a birthday party for Eirian, and insisted on holding one this year. The titan shifter had grown steadily closer to their son over the course of the last couple of visits and now the mini-brat had asked the big brat to attend his birthday party which was in a week. Shitty brats. Naturally, Eren had agreed, which was why the two of them were now scouring the streets for decorations and other bullshit while Mikasa was entertaining Eirian.

Over the last couple of visits, the brat's persistence in getting to know him had reemerged with a vengeance. It was unsettling being the target of Eren's boyish charm. It was difficult enough making sure he kept his distance from Eren, but the brat seemed determined to break that down. Not only had his visits increased to twice weekly on a regular basis, but also Eren would always bring little gifts for Eirian and insisted on doing things such as making lunch or afternoon tea. Levi knew that Eren's memory had not suddenly reappeared, but the brat's behavior was slowly whittling down his defenses.

As they neared and entered the center of town, the dark-haired man noticed more surreptitious glances directed as them. He wasn't really afraid of getting mugged or robbed – nothing was as bad as his life in the Underground – but it was still concerning. The vast majority of people who had moved to the Outer Walls were looking for a fresh start and willing to take a risk on the off chance that titans would breach Wall Maria again. Yet somehow, he had become aware that a few of the unsavory types Kenny had associated with had also come here. He had assumed the Underground had either been destroyed or wiped out after Rod Reiss rampaged through town, but it looked like that wasn't the case.

A good number of those living inside the inner walls had traded space for a false sense of security. Too many people falsely believed that the Military Police or Garrison would save them, but Levi knew that that wasn't the case. The former was corrupt and only cared for their own skins, while the latter had no experience fighting off titans. Given his intimate knowledge of what happened, namely that the breach had been caused by those two traitorous titan shifters, Levi wasn't particularly concerned about the Outer Wall being broken again. It was also easier to avoid detection if he stayed where there were fewer people. It wasn't impossible to live outside of civilization, however, given Eirian's existence and unless he wanted to return to more thieving ways, living in relative anonymity was the best compromise.

Although they had destroyed all the documents they had gotten their hands on identifying him as the Scouting Legion's top soldier, there were undoubtedly sketches and drawings in the hands of the masses that had lingered. It wasn't like they were able to break into everyone's houses and search for any mentions of Eren being a titan shifter or him being Humanity's Strongest. After the Coordinate had taken hold, though, it didn't seem like either of those issues would be of particular concern. There were whispers of a titan shifter, but many of them were dismissed as rumors and wishful thinking. After all, the important thing was that within the military, no one knew that Eren was a shifter, and they were the people with the power. It was as safe as they could be.

Her ears perked up at the sound of a muffled scuffle, which seemed to originate from a shadowed alleyway off to their right. Glancing over surreptitiously, Levi feigned unawareness. It was stupid to draw undue attention to himself or Eren. He wasn't sure what was going on, but with the lack of policing and wide open space, unruly presences had been slowly accumulating in the Outer Walls. The town he lived in was fairly safe, but Levi supposed it was only a matter of time before something would need to be done about enforcing the laws. The closest Garrison outpost was a half a day's ride away and patrols only came by twice a week.