#aot angst

[itagumimasu]

I WANT CRYBABY ANGST NOT SMUT,JUST MAKE ME CRY PLEASE.

[rirahwritesit09]

A Knock In The Dark

(𝒪𝓃𝑒-𝓈𝒽𝑜𝓉)

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x You

Description: After a brutal fight, y/n walks out. Levi is left with nothing but regret… until she returns in the middle of the night. Tags: Dom!Levi, Married!Levi, Angsty make-up sex, rough sex, Jealous!Levi, Fluffy!Levi, Aftercare King

Trigger Warnings: ROUGH sex, choking, face slapping, P-in-V sex, anal sex, oral sex (M&F receiving), degradation, spitting, spanking, marking, creampie, overstimulation, fluff n' stuff at the end

WC: 918

Levi went home and sat in the dark for a long time, staring at nothing, not really believing that you were gone. And that you might choose not to come back. He ran the conflict over and over again in his head, thinking of all the places where he went wrong.

He began to realize that it wasn't this one single fight, or even the choice words he had said to you in the heat of the moment, but a culmination of little wrongdoings on his end, building up for months and months that had finally driven you to leave.

You had packed and left while he was out working.

Your drawers were emptied, and your side of the closet was left with nothing but hangers. When he found your ring on his pillow and all of your things missing after that huge fight, he immediately went looking for you. At Mikasa's house, Armin and Annie's, until finally, he found you staying with Gabi. She had said you didn't want to speak with him, but you came to the door anyway. You said that you needed space and just a little time to think. That you couldn't keep going on the way things were.

Was his apology not genuine enough?

Or had he just finally pushed you too far?

Maybe he had pushed you so far away that the love you had for him turned into resentment; Maybe you grew tired of trying to no avail.

He couldn't bear to think about it anymore. Eventually, he dragged himself to the bedroom and lay down on your side of the bed, burying his face into your pillow. His sleep was tormented, coming in restless, broken waves, plagued with dreams of you.

Sometime deep in the night, a knock pulled him from a half-sleep, he sat up quickly, wondering if he had imagined it. He sat in silence for a moment. Just as he was about to lay back down, he heard another knock, this time loud and clear.

He jolted from the bed, walking quickly into the family room. He opened the door to find you standing there, your eyes glassy with fresh tears. The second you saw him, you threw yourself into his arms with a broken sound. Levi caught you instantly, one arm locking around your waist while the other cradled the back of your head as you cried into his shoulder.

You didn’t speak.

After a few moments, you pulled back from his tight embrace and kissed him without a single word. It was desperate and messy, but that didn’t deter Levi. He responded immediately, walking you backward into the house and kicking the door shut behind him. The two of you stumbled through the living room, mouths locked, and hands grabbing each other desperately.

By the time he got you into the bedroom, most of your clothes were already gone.

He laid you on the bed and followed you down, kissing you like he was afraid you would disappear if he stopped. You were both breathing hard, limbs tangled, tongues sliding against each other as you finished stripping. Levi stroked himself a few times, keeping his gaze locked on yours, then lined himself up with your dripping entrance. He had no patience left for foreplay, especially when you were already soaking the sheets. The second he pushed inside you, he let out a low, guttural groan against your mouth.

He didn’t start slow. He fucked you deep and hard from the very first thrust, like a man depraved, one hand clutched your thigh and pushed it higher while the other slid up to wrap firmly around your throat and hold you in place.

“You’re mine,” he growled against your lips, his hips slamming against yours, filling the room with obscene sounds. “You hear me? This pussy is mine." He squeezed your neck tightly, as if he really needed you to understand what he said next. "Don’t you ever fucking try to leave me again.”

You moaned beneath him, back arching as he drove into you over and over. His grip on your throat was just enough to make your head swim and grow foggy; his unforgiving thrusts splitting through you kept bringing you back to reality.

“Did you really think I’d just let you walk out of my life?” he rasped, fucking you even harder, realizing just how frustrated he had been at your separation from him. “You thought I’d sit by and watch while some other man puts his hands on what belongs to me?”

A broken whimper escaped you, eyes fluttering wildly as you struggled to focus through the intense, burning stretch.

His hand snapped across your face, the sharp crack echoed through the room along with your moans.

“Answer me.”

“N-no!” you gasped.

He grabbed your face with one hand, forcing you to look at him while he pounded into you.

“Tell me this pussy is mine,” he panted, his voice rough with need. "Say it."

“It’s yours,” you moaned.

Another sharp slap landed on your cheek; the sting bloomed across your flushed skin. You yelped, and the sound quickly melted into a desperate moan while you squirmed beneath him.

“Not good enough, I don't really believe you yet,” He drawled. “Say it like you fucking mean it. Don’t make me keep repeating myself.”

You looked up at him through wet lashes, your voice shaking desperately.

“Levi— Levi, please,” you begged, voice cracking with desperation. “It’s yours! This pussy is all yours… I swear on everything, no one else will ever touch me. Only you. I only want you to fuck me like this... like you own me. I love you. I’m so fucking in love with you…"

The second you began pouring your heart out, your orgasm crashed over you violently. You came hard, squirting around him and soaking his lower stomach and the sheets beneath you. Levi groaned at the feeling, holding you close and fucking you through it until he buried himself deep and came inside you with a rough, broken string of curses.

Your body melted against him, expecting his arms to stay wrapped around you while he came down… but instead, Levi pulled back, his seed spilling out of you. In one smooth motion, he hauled you up onto your knees, then pushed you forward.

“Open your mouth,” he commanded, his tone left no room for discussion.

You obeyed.

Levi fisted your hair and pushed his thick erection into your throat with slow, controlled thrusts. He gradually went deeper, fucking your mouth with long, steady strokes while you gagged and moaned around him. You clenched your thighs together, wanting him back inside of you as you felt your arousal and his climax drip down the inside of your legs while you teased his cock with your lips. You gently licked and sucked the swollen tip, which was still leaking from his previous release, before taking him all the way in again, enjoying the sounds of his grunting and panting as you brought him close to another orgasm.

The wet, desperate sounds you made sent jolts of pleasure up his spine. One hand stayed tangled in your hair, while the other gripped the headboard to steady himself.

“This pretty little mouth belongs to me too,” he said. His voice was low and dark as he watched your lips mould around him. “So don’t go forgetting where it belongs…wrapped around my dick.”

You hummed around his cock, one hand reaching up to gently massage his balls while he used your throat. The tight heat and wet vibrations from your mouth had his hips jerking, urging him to go faster, shuddering when you took him deeper. Your hand pumped and stroked what you couldn't take.

When his hips began to slow, he held your head in place, cumming down your throat in thick, hot pulses. You could feel his cock throb as he spilled inside of your mouth, as he breathed your name softly.

Levi finally pulled out, exhaling deeply before grabbing you by the arms, and dragging you up until you were face to face—a thin trail of spit still connected your swollen lips to the head of his cock. Your face was tear-streaked and flushed as you looked up at him, your hands pressed into his chest, feeling his racing heart. His slick, throbbing member rested heavy between your thighs, hot against your skin.

He kissed you deeply before pushing you onto your back again. He forced your knees apart and buried his face between your thighs without warning. Levi licked and sucked your oversensitive pussy like he was starving, his tongue gently circled your clit before dipping lower to fuck it into you. You cried out, hips jerking, but he held you down with both hands on your thighs.

Finally, he pulled back just enough to speak, his lips shiny with your arousal.

“Look at you,” he mocked, voice rough. “Squirming and moaning like a pathetic little slut on my tongue. You think another man could ever make you feel this good?”

You shook your head quickly.

He slapped your ass hard, making you whimper.

“That’s not a fucking answer. Show some respect and answer me when I’m talking to you.”

“No,” you gasped. “Just you, Levi!"

Satisfied, he twisted you onto your stomach and pulled your hips up. He spread you open and dragged his tongue higher, licking over your ass for the first time.

You let out a shocked, broken moan at the new, filthy sensation.

Levi groaned against you, gripping your asscheeks tightly as he licked and teased the tight ring of muscle, occasionally pulling back to kiss and bite the soft flesh of your cheeks. He took his time, working you over with his tongue until you were trembling and pushing back against his face.

When he finally pulled away, he kissed up the deep line of your spine and nipped at your ear.

“Two holes down,” he breathed roughly. “One more to go.”

He spat into his hand and stroked his cock, making sure it was slick before pressing the thick head against your ass. He pushed in slowly, inch by inch, giving you time to adjust to the intense stretch. You whimpered and cried out at the new sensation, but he didn’t stop until he was buried to the hilt inside your ass.

He started slow with deep, careful thrusts that let you feel every inch of him. But the second your whimpers turned into moans, and you reached down between your legs to rub your clit, Levi’s self-control slipped away. He fucked your ass harder, watching with dark eyes as you fingered yourself at the same time.

“You're such a greedy fucking whore,” he taunted. “Taking my cock in every hole like you were made for it. You love being full of my cum, don’t you?”

“Yes,” you moaned, your voice wrecked and breathless. “I want you to fuck me like this every day. I want you to ruin me every single night until we make up for the last two months.” You spoke through the overwhelming mix of pain and pleasure, every word was dripping with raw need. Then, your tone dropped low and husky, encouraging him in the filthiest way possible.

“I don’t want to be able to walk for a week,” you gasped as he stretched you open. “I want you to use me whenever you want...no asking, no permission. Just take me whenever you feel like it.”

Levi let out a low, possessive sound and fucked you harder after that.

“Yeah?” He teased. “You like feeling me in your ass?”

“So much,” you whimpered. “I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

It didn’t take long before you were letting out high-pitched moans, squirting again as you came violently around your fingers, all while he pushed into you deeper and harder. Levi followed soon after, filling your ass with cum as he gripped your hips hard enough to leave impressions of his fingers.

When he finally pulled out, you collapsed onto the bed, completely spent. His warm cum dripped slowly from both your pussy and ass, coating your thighs. He knelt back on his knees, watching with satisfaction as you leaked his essence from every hole. Your body was slick and shiny, and red handprints marked your face and bottom. You looked thoroughly fucked out and barely conscious.

Levi didn’t give you long to rest this way.

He disappeared into the bathroom and started a hot bath. When he returned, he lifted your exhausted body into his arms and carried you to the tub, climbing in behind you. He washed you gently but thoroughly, rubbing soap over your sore muscles while you hummed with appreciation, realizing how much you had missed your husband. He took no shortcuts, massaging your shoulders, thighs, and ass before moving down to wash and massage your feet. He washed your hair last, carefully rinsing it out.

In the steaming-hot water, with the sound of his breathing and the gentle feeling of his chest rising and falling beneath your cheek, you fell asleep against his chest.

Levi held you for a while longer before the water became tepid. Carefully, he lifted you out, carrying you to the room half asleep where he helped you dry off. He changed the ruined sheets while you slipped into a silk nightgown.

Once the bed was fresh, he lay you down and pulled the warm blankets over you before climbing in behind you. His arms wrapped around you tightly, and he pressed his face into the back of your neck, thankful that you were back home with him.

Although the two of you hadn’t yet exchanged verbal apologies, Levi didn’t feel the need for them tonight. The quiet affection between you was enough. The hurt, the anger, and the words that were still left unsaid could wait until morning.

For now, just having you here was enough.

With you tucked safely against his chest and his heart finally at peace, Levi closed his eyes and let himself drift into a deep, restful sleep.

[rirahwritesit09]

Chapter Thirty-Four: Bounty

As the distance between Levi and Y/n closes, old fears begin to surface. But when a bounty notice and a midnight ambush reveal just how close the hunt has become, personal doubts must be set aside. The clock is ticking, and somewhere ahead, Levi, Mikasa, and the inheritor are still moving.

TW: Blood, Graphic Violence, Gore, Ambush, Anxiety, Relationship Insecurity, Emotional Distress, Xenophobia

Tags: Levi Ackerman x Reader, Connie Springer, Japan Arc, Campfire Conversations, Emotional Vulnerability, Slow Burn, Mercenaries, Bounty Hunters, Protective Levi, Search & Rescue, Action, Suspense, Dad Levi

Word Count: 3.5k

Y/n and Connie hiked through the forest, following Akira’s checkpoints on the map until the sun was just about to set, when they decided to set up camp for the night. The flintstones provided by Azumabito made it easy to start a small fire, and they roasted sausages, passing around one of the bottles of Ume wine as they made small talk.

“You think there are bears out here?” Connie asked quietly. Y/n glanced up from where she was sharpening a knife.

“Probably…”

Connie stopped chewing.

“Probably?”

She shrugged.

“We’re in the mountains.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.” He murmured.

“It literally answers the question, dipstick.”

Connie looked around nervously.

“I don’t like that.”

“You’re a Scout, Connie. What’s to like?”

“I was a Scout. Now I’m a civilian who would very much prefer not to be eaten by a foreign bear.”

Y/n snorted, rolling her shoulders to work out the tension in her arm.

“I don’t think the bears care much about your citizenship.”

Connie tossed a stick into the fire, watching the ash rise up. For a while, neither of them spoke. The crackling flames and distant chirping insects filled the silence. Finally, Connie sighed.

“Do you ever think about what we’re supposed to do next?”

Y/n glanced at him, puzzled.

“What do you mean?” She asked. “I thought we were already doing what we’re supposed to do next.”

“I mean…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “If we break the curse and the titans are gone for good.”

Y/n didn’t answer for a minute.

“I don't really know." She said, unable to see that far beyond their predicament. "We have to break the curse. Or my son dies at thirteen, and I can’t accept that. That's all I can see right now.”

Connie stared into the flames, before changing the subject.

“For years, everything was simple.”

“Simple?” she repeated.

“I’m not saying it was easy. I’m saying it felt simple.” He gestured vaguely with a stick like it was a sword. “Kill Titans, save people, follow orders."

His eyes remained fixed on the fire.

“Now everybody keeps asking me what I want. Kids, a wife, a career, a business.”

Y/n smiled faintly.

“And?”

“I don’t fucking know.” He laughed, being painfully honest. “I spent so much time trying not to die that I never figured out how to live.”

The words settled heavily between them, and y/n’s smile faded away slowly. She understood that feeling better than anyone. She was a wife and a mother. But was she truly ready to be? Was she going to be a good mom when she was done sacrificing every piece of herself to save the ones she loved?

Connie glanced over.

“What about you?” He chimed.

“What about me?” She said shortly.

“I mean what do you want?”

She opened her mouth and nothing came out. Connie noticed.

“See?”

Y/n looked down at the dancing firelight. For years her purpose had been survival. Then revenge. Then duty. Then Levi. Now Troup, her most precious possession, and his survival. But outside of all of this? She had no idea what she actually wanted.

“I don’t know,” she admitted quietly.

Connie nodded as if he’d expected that answer.

“You know what I think?”

“What?”

A grin spread across his face.

“I think you’re already living the life you want.”

Y/n frowned.

“I’m currently hiding in a forest in a foreign country.” She offered. “And I do have a child, and husband you know?”

“Yeah.” He said, rustling a leaf around in his hand. “But I think you like shit like this.”

Y/n stared at him before laughing.

“I don’t know…maybe you’re right. I’ve never known peace…and I’ve done a lot of wrong in my life." She thought of her time spent as an assassin. "So I guess... this is my way of atoning. Continually putting myself on the line.”

Connie pointed a finger.

"For Levi." He stated.

"For everyone." She shot back.

"Yeah, okay...whatever you say," he mocked. "Let me ask you this: who’s the first person you thought about after the Rumbling ended?”

She immediately looked away. Connie laughed.

“That's all the answer I need.”

“Shut up.”

“Obviously it was Levi.”

“Connie…”

“Just saying.”

Y/n quickly picked up a pinecone and threw it at his head.

He ducked, still laughing.

“He is very upset with me...Not even just mad, he has got to be furious," she shrugged. "To leave me in the hospital, with no visit. Then to come here, without telling me. He didn’t even say goodbye.”

Y/n stared into the fire, blinking against the sting in her eyes.

“I just keep fucking everything up. He's always upset with me. Just for being who I am. It makes me wonder if he just fell in love with the idea of me, and not the person that I actually am."

“Well…by nature, you are extremely unpredictable and harebrained.”

She sighed deeply, sitting back.

“Connie, I’m being serious.”

He quieted, nodding his head understandingly.

“I am trying to be different for him. To be the soft wife, the pregnant damsel... But it's just not who I am." she said, a tear slipping out unwantedly. She quickly wiped it away.

"Since I married Levi, I always wondered how long it would take him to stop chasing, stop worrying, and stop trying." Her throat tightened. "When he would finally realize I am just not worth all of the trouble. I guess now I have my answer." She finished, looking down and prodding the fire with a stick.

Connie really laughed now.

"You can't be serious," he deadpanned.

She just looked at him, surprised.

“You didn’t see him when you coded after giving birth.” Connie shook his head as if he was terrified just remembering. “He was like a raving madman." he said, shaking his head at the thought.

"When he went to put Troup on your chest that night, Mikasa thought—for just a second—that he was going to hurt him. Like somehow he blamed the baby for what happened to you."

Y/n looked at him, shocked, shaking her head.

"I'm serious... it was the look in his eyes." Connie shook his head. "He ripped the baby right out of Mikasa's arms and..." He trailed off, searching for the words. "Hell, it was terrifying."

He stared into the fire for a moment.

"I've seen Levi angry. I've seen him scared...But whatever that was?" He swallowed. "I've never seen it before."

Connie rubbed the back of his neck.

"It was a high-stakes situation," y/n argued as she looked down at her feet.

"Feelings can change over time." She said weakly. "What starts as love doesn't always stay that way." She swallowed hard. "One year you're planning the rest of your life together. The next you're signing divorce papers."

Her laugh was humorless.

"Maybe this is just the beginning of that."

Connie clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"You feel this way because you're hurt."

Y/n glared at him, wanting to tell him not to assume how she feels and why, but she tightened her lips and listened regardless.

"He didn't say goodbye, and didn't tell you where he was going." He spoke softly, but there was a certainty in his voice that irritated her. "So now you're sitting here convincing yourself it means he doesn't want you anymore."

Y/n looked away from him, kicking the dirt with her foot.

Connie rolled out his sleeping mat and dropped onto it, folding one arm behind his head. "If you're really that unsure whether he still wants you," he said, staring up at the canopy of trees above them, "then quit driving yourself crazy and ask him yourself when we find him." he finished. "You’ll see.”

Y/n nodded but didn’t respond. She sat up for a while longer, staring into the dark woods. Connie was right as much as she didn’t want to admit it to herself: she needed assurance that Levi still wanted her.

If he still needed her like she needed him.

Soon, exhaustion began to take over, and y/n rolled out her own sleeping mat, curling onto it and closing her eyes. She thought about Troup. About his warmth against her chest. She thought about a raven haired boy with a fiery personality-just like Levi-that wouldn’t see his fourteenth birthday. She reminded herself why she was still fighting.

So he could have a chance.

With thoughts and doubts swirling in her mind, she finally fell into a restless sleep.

The next morning, y/n woke at dawn to the sounds of the forest. The fire had long burned out, only ash remaining. She woke Connie, and they split some bread and cheese before packing up their camp and making their way to the nearest town outside of Chichibu that was marked as friendly on their map.

The village was small enough that Connie and y/n's presence immediately drew attention. Despite feeling uneasy, y/n reminded herself that this was a good thing. If Levi and Mikasa had passed through, the people of this village definitely would have noticed.

They spent the better part of an hour wandering between shops and buying supplies while asking for information, trying not to look like they were conducting an investigation.

Every time they asked about Levi, Mikasa, and the child, everyone shook their head, and by noon, Connie was growling, irritated.

"This is pointless," he muttered as they left a small tea house. "Nobody knows anything. They must not have passed through here."

"They know something..." y/n replied quietly. "They're just not talking."

Connie frowned.

"What makes you say that?"

"Their reactions."

She glanced over to the village square where people whispered, watching them.

"They aren't clueless or confused, they're nervous."

Before Connie could respond, the sound of a soft bell chimed above a storefront nearby, and an elderly woman stepped out carrying a basket of vegetables.

Y/n saw her chance and approached with a polite smile.

"Ma'am," she bowed. "Please, allow me to help you carry that. It looks awfully heavy for a beautiful lady such as yourself."

The old woman smiled brightly, her hands shaking from years of hard work.

Flattery can open doors a crowbar can't.

"Oh, how sweet of you, child!" she beamed, handing over the basket. "I do love seeing new young faces in town, especially ones willing to lend a helping hand."

"It's my pleasure," y/n replied warmly.

Connie hurried forward and offered the woman his arm.

"Allow me."

The woman accepted it immediately, looking at him as though he himself had invented chivalry. 

"You two must be traveling together," she observed as she led them toward a small vegetable stand on the edge of town. "Newlyweds, I suppose?"

Y/n nodded with a grin.

"Oh, how adorable! You must have children as soon as possible. Imagine them with your darling eyes, my dear."

Y/n cringed internally, though her smile never wavered.

"Yes, we certainly plan to. Children are such a gift." She paused, seeing the effect her words had on the woman. "Speaking of children, we're actually trying to catch up with family. Have you perhaps seen them? A dark-haired woman with short hair, a dark-haired man, and a small child?"

Y/n helped the woman settle into a chair behind the stand while Connie began unloading vegetables into nearby bins, pretending not to listen while hanging on every word. The old woman looked thoughtful, searching the deepest corners of her memory. Then suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Why, yes! I have."

Y/n's pulse quickened.

"A very handsome young fellow on the shorter side and a woman with a red scarf."

"Yes!" y/n beamed. "That's them."

The old woman smiled fondly.

"I gave them tea and let them rest here for a while. The poor woman looked exhausted, and that little boy was having a screeching fit to wake the dead."

She chuckled at the memory.

"But that husband of hers was quite the man, I tell you."

Y/n's heart skipped.

"He took the child the moment they sat down. Walked him around, bounced him on his knee, and fed him little bites from his own plate. Didn't even complain once; he was so patient. Not often you see that in a man nowadays"

Y/n could see Connie biting back a scoff at hearing Levi being referred to as "patient." The old woman shook her head.

"Most men would have left all that to the mother."

Y/n felt her chest tighten unexpectedly.

"He seemed like a very good father."

"Yes," she said softly. "My cousin is a very good man indeed."

The woman nodded before pointing toward the eastern road.

"They left town heading that way. Further into the mountains."

Relief flooded through Y/n. 

"Did they say where they were going?"

"No. But I warned them the same thing I'll warn you." The woman's expression grew stern. "It can be dangerous out there. Wild animals, bandits, and mercenaries..."

Concern filled her eyes.

"You must be careful."

"We will." Y/n bowed her head gratefully. "Thank you. You've been a tremendous help."

She gently squeezed the woman's weathered hand.

"Can we help you with anything before we leave?" Connie asked earnestly.

The old woman smiled and shook her head.

"No, dear. Your company has been reward enough for this old woman."

After purchasing bread, tea, and a bottle of wine, Connie and Y/n thanked her once more before continuing down the eastern road, following the trail deeper into the mountains.

They traveled the path until the sun hung low in the sky, descending over the mountain. The sounds of crickets, owls, and the wind blowing through the trees surrounded them, signaling that night was closing in.

They stopped and made camp, discussing their next destination. They tried to put themselves inside Levi's headspace, determining where he might have gone next. They concluded that he would have tried to avoid towns and villages, likely making camp in the woods near the road or finding a local willing to share their home, so they could seek respite and be far from prying eyes.

The conversation slowly died out, and eventually y/n fell asleep.

"Wake up."

A voice drifted through the haze of sleep surrounding y/n. Her body stirred, but her mind still refused to surface.

"Get up, y/n."

Eren's voice.

It sounded as though he were kneeling beside her. She felt warm breath ghost across her ear and the curve of her neck, sending a chill racing down her spine.

"Now!"

Y/n shot upright.

Cold sweat trickled down her back despite the mountain air. Her breathing came fast as her eyes swept the encampment. Connie slept peacefully across from her.

The fire had burned down to glowing embers, and the forest was entirely too silent for her comfort. Without hesitation, she grabbed her ODM gear, secured the harness, rustled her blanket over her pack on her sleeping mat, and launched herself into the trees.

Perched high among the branches, she placed her hand on a branch to balance herself and waited. Minutes passing seemed like hours, and the night stretched on. She remained perfectly still and silent, scarcely breathing. Eventually, doubt began creeping in. Had Eren truly visited her dreams? Or had she just imagined it?

Then, somewhere off in the distance, a twig snapped.

Y/n's eyes darted, and she immediately locked onto the sound. Her free hand drifted toward the kunai at her belt.

There was movement nearby. Slowly, three figures emerged from the darkness.

Three men.

They were tall, broad-shouldered, and muscularly built. Their swords were already drawn as they crept forward. Y/n watched carefully from her hiding place, studying the way they moved in complete silence. These were no amateurs; they were experienced. The men advanced without a word, stepping through the underbrush without even rustling a leaf.

Their attention remained fixed on the camp below.

On Connie.

And on y/n's sleeping mat, where the blanket draped over her pack created the illusion of a sleeping body. One of the men approached cautiously.

I have to move now.

Y/n took a single steadying breath, then she struck. Her anchors fired as she took aim and squeezed the trigger, one buried itself deep into the man's chest.

The second was rooted in the earth beside him. The line tightened, and y/n shot forward like a cannonball. Below, Connie exploded awake. The man barely had time to scream before the cable ripped free from his chest, tearing through him in a spray of carnage.

Y/n raised an arm to shield her eyes from the spatter, bone, and flesh that used to be his chest cavity, which flew through the air. She rolled low, just as a kunai whistled past her face. She heard a loud yell from Connie, and the sound of steel clashing rang out behind her.

Connie was already engaged with his opponent. The clash of their katanas echoed through the trees. Y/n turned toward the final attacker.

Her arm that had been hidden behind her, fishing out a kunai, flashed from her haori with lightening speed. The man jerked aside quickly dodging, but he wasn't quiet fast enough. The blade sliced across the side of his neck, drawing a streak of crimson.

With a snarl, he charged her. Y/n waited until he was just an arms length away before she drew her katana at the last possible second. She dropped low, knees bent into a forward lunge, using his momentum against him. Her blade carved cleanly across his abdomen. He staggered several steps before falling to his knees behind her.

Both hands clamped desperately over his open abdomen.

Blood poured between his fingers, catching his organs before they could spill out onto the ground. A moment later he pitched forward, face-first into the dirt, unmoving.

Y/n turned to see Connie pulling his sword from the last assailant's side, his body thudded heavily to the ground, plopping down with a sickening thud. He breathed heavily, arms dropping at his sides as his shoulders heaved. He looked sideways at y/n.

"Couldn't have given me a fucking warning, huh?"

She shrugged, wiping her blade with a cloth.

"They would have heard," she deadpanned. "I wasn't going to let anything happen to you."

He heaved a sigh, dropping his head.

"From now on..." he panted between breaths "We take shifts keeping watch."

Y/n nodded, raising her brows at him.

"Definitely agree." she watched him for a moment longer as he fought to draw in enough oxygen to satiate his lungs. "Also, we need to avoid the towns and villages as much as possible, I'm almost certain that's how they found us...Someone talked." she added.

"Let's just pray no one else knows we're here." Connie said, bracing his hands on his knees as he panted.

"You gonna make it?" she teased with a smile.

"I'm out of practice..." he quickly excused himself, wiping his blade and sheathing it, kneeling down next to the body of the man he had just slain.

"Check the others for any clues." he snipped.

"Ooo look at you giving the orders now...calling the shots." she joked as she dropped down, doing the same.

"Just do it." he panted out digging deeply through the mans pockets.

She started to quip back, hoping to irritate him further, until she pulled out a folded piece of parchment scrawled with writing.

She held her breath as she unfolded it, looking at the top of the page. It bore an official seal, and as she scanned it her stomach sank.

"What is it?" asked Connie.

At the top center of the page was a charcoal sketch of a young boy, whom she could safely assume was the inheritor. Below was a reward amount large enough to raise her eyebrows.

"Well, that's not good..."

"What?" questioned Connie, walking over.

"They've put a bounty on the child," she sighed. "Which means every bounty hunter and mercenary from all over the prefecture will be looking for them."

Connie took the paper, reading out loud through the dim twilight.

"Wanted for unlawful possession of a national asset..." he frowned. "National asset?" his voice was confused.

"They're talking about the attack titan."

Connie rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"He's fucking three...?"

"That doesn't matter to them." y/n said weakly. "What else does it say?"

Connie looked relieved.

"It says he could be traveling with a party of two or more, no description available."

Y/n breathed out, shoulders relaxing.

"At least Levi and Mikasa aren't compromised."

"Not yet anyways..." Connie added.

Y/n caught a glimpse of the back of the paper, noticing an illustration. She gently took the paper, flipping it over.

"It's a hand-drawn map," she said. "Grab ours, we need to compare them."

Connie raced over to his sleeping mat where his haori lay, pulling out the map and rushing back, squatting next to y/n. They inspected them both before pinpointing the location.

"It's five miles northeast of here..." y/n stated.

Her and Connie shared a hopeful look.

"Well." He said with a smile. "In that case, let's go find your husband."

She took his hand and he hoisted her up. They quickly packed up camp, leaving no trace of themselves besides the bodies on the forest floor. Equipping their ODM gear, they disappeared into the twilight of the vast forest.

Somewhere close ahead, Mikasa, Levi and the child were still moving.

And somewhere behind them, the hunt was closing in.

[rirahwritesit09]

⛩ 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕷𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝕺𝖋 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕽𝖎𝖘𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕾𝖚𝖓 ⛩

Description: Under false names and borrowed faces, Y/N and Connie arrive in the Land of the Rising Sun. With Levi and Mikasa somewhere in the countryside and an empire hunting Eldians, remaining hidden may prove far more difficult than finding them.

TAGS: Levi Ackerman x Reader, Married Levi, Fake Identities , Political Intrigue, Humor, Action ,Hizuru/Japan Arc, Impending smut (;

TW: Violence • Blood • Weapons • Xenophobia • Canon-Typical Themes

Word Count: 2.9k

The boat ride to Tokyo was nothing less than grueling with Connie as a roommate. His cleanliness habits had fallen far from Scout standards. He ate like a rabid hog, got seasick every time the ship hit a wave, and snored so loudly that y/n woke up throughout the night to launch various objects at his head in increasingly desperate attempts to make him stop.

The morning of their arrival, y/n was woken by the ship's horn bellowing through the foggy air.

She rolled over and glanced across the cabin.

Connie was sprawled across his sleeping mat, drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.

She grimaced.

"Wake up, shitbag." She nudged him sharply with her foot. "They spotted land."

Connie jolted upright with a startled noise before blinking blearily at her.

"What?"

"Land," she repeated. "Wake the fuck up!"

He yawned and stretched to his full height, shirtless.

Y/n gagged dramatically.

"Cover up your tits. No one wants to see them."

"The girl that works in the galley didn't seem to mind them," he replied with a smug grin, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"The old cook with the hair growing out of her mole?" Y/n deadpanned. "When's the wedding?"

Connie flipped her off.

When they finally made their way to the galley for breakfast, the joking subsided enough for them to discuss their plan.

They still had no idea where Levi would actually be.

The Azumabito residence remained their best lead. Even if Levi wasn't staying there directly, it was the only place in Japan they could reasonably begin searching.

"When we meet up with Levi and Mikasa—"

"No." Y/n immediately cut him off, pointing her spoon at him. "No, no, no."

Connie frowned.

"No?"

"At absolutely no point in time will Levi or Mikasa know we are here unless they are actively dying and require immediate assistance."

Connie stared at her.

"Don't you want to see your husband?"

"Absolutely not."

The answer came so quickly it startled him.

Y/n took a sip of coffee.

"What exactly do you think his reaction is going to be? He's already furious with me about Port Paradis. Then I disappear from Eldia, essentially breaking Historia's royal decree, then forge documents, cross an ocean, and secretly follow him to Japan."

Connie considered it.

"Fair."

"Thank you."

Connie buried his head in his hands, rubbing his face tiredly.

"He might actually kill me this time."

Y/n ignored him.

"Besides, it would distract him from the mission. Remember, you agreed to do exactly what I asked."

Connie sighed heavily but nodded.

"Just so we're perfectly aligned," she continued, leaning forward, "we are here to locate Levi, Mikasa, and the inheritor, then quietly support their movement to the extraction point. If an obstacle presents itself, we remove it. If resources are needed, we acquire them. If a safehouse becomes compromised, we secure another through Azumabito's network, and they need to believe its all her doing."

Connie barked out a laugh, as if her plan was asking the impossible.

Y/n narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"You sound exactly like Erwin."

She looked vaguely offended.

"That's the worst and best thing you've ever said to me."

Connie laughed harder, y/n smiled, picking at her eggs, continuing.

"His attention belongs on keeping that child alive, not tracking my movements. The moment he learns I'm in Japan, half his focus will be spent worrying about me and the other half trying to send me home."

Connie dragged both hands down his face.

"Yeah. He's definitely going to kill me."

"No, he won't."

"Yes, he will."

"No, Shut up!"

"Y/n. Why is it you're the only one who can't see how insane and unhinged he behaves when it comes to you. It borders somewhere between hopelessly devoted and obsessively insane.”

"For all intents and purposes, I snuck away and dragged you with me."

"You didn't really leave me much of a choice. A woman traversing a foreign state alone, an enemy one at that..."

"Almost an enemy state."

Connie groaned.

"If all goes according to plan, he'll never know we were here. We escort them to extraction, ensure the inheritor reaches Paradis safely, and return home."

She took another sip of coffee, studying Connie's worries expression over the brim.

"Then Levi can decide precisely how he'd like to strangle me once we're all safely back on the island."

Connie looked unconvinced.

Upon their arrival, the tension became impossible to ignore. The closer they came to shore, the quieter they grew, and the joking stopped completely. The reality of what they had done settled heavily over both of them. They were entering a foreign country under false identities. If they were discovered, neither Paradis nor Historia could protect them anymore. They would be political prisoners.

Y/n pulled the hood of her jacket lower as passengers began gathering their belongings. Through the veil of mist hanging over the harbor, she could make out the distant outline of Tokyo emerging from the fog.

Beside her, Connie shifted uneasily.

She could practically feel the anxiety radiating off him. Truthfully, she wasn't sure hers was any better. For the first time since leaving Eldia, the enormity of what they were about to do felt real. Somewhere beyond that shoreline were Levi, Mikasa, and the last inheritor.

And if they failed...

They had crossed an ocean just to lose everything and die.

Connie looked over at her, and nudged her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. She took a deep breath, and smiled back.

"We've got this." He said with a quiet smile. "Stop worrying."

She nodded and then turned her gaze forward to the shoreline in front of her. Connie irritated her more than any person on earth—arguably even more than Levi on his worst days—but in that moment, his reassurance was exactly what she needed.

"Remember..." he said quietly. "Our I.D.'s are under the same last name."

Y/N glanced at him.

"I did it on purpose," he added with a grin. "Makes us look like Marleyans on a honeymoon."

The heartfelt moment immediately died. Y/n scrunched her nose in disgust.

"I can't believe Marek agreed to do that for you."

She shook her head, silently cursing the shady bartender from her days as an assassin.

"I can be very convincing."

After disembarking from the ship, they made their way toward customs. Y/n's confidence began evaporating the closer they got. Armed guards stood at every entrance. Signs posted throughout the terminal warned that unauthorized Eldian foreigners were prohibited from entering the nation. Violations were punishable by imprisonment or death.

For the first time since leaving Paradis, she felt genuinely in over her head. The clerk behind the counter accepted their documents as they approached and began studying them.

Then he studied them.

Then he studied the papers some more.

His eyes moved back and forth between the identification cards and their faces. Y/n grabbed Connie's arm and nestled closer to him.

"Honeymoon?" the man asked.

Y/n immediately brightened with fake enthusiasm.

"Yep! Just married!"

The smile she gave him was so sweet it made her teeth hurt. Connie nodded beside her like a fool.

"What city in Marley are you from?" the cleric questioned.

"Liberio," Y/n answered before Connie could speak. "Born and raised! Both of us!"

The man's expression didn't change, even a little. His stare lingered on them, scrutinizing.

Y/n could practically hear alarm bells going off in her head.

Am I overselling it? Underselling?

"We're hoping to start a family as soon as possible," she continued with a nervous laugh. "And what better place to do that than beautiful Japan?"

The customs officer blinked.

Y/n immediately regretted every moment in her life that led up to this.

"Right, honey?" she chirped.

Connie turned scarlet.

"T-that's right, babe."

The man continued glaring, not saying a word.

Dammit...He's not buying it.

Slowly, the customs officer reached for the radio sitting beside him. Y/n's stomach dropped, and Connie's eyes widened. The man's fingers brushed the receiver. Before y/n could react, Connie grabbed her face and kissed her.

Hard.

Long enough that her brain completely stopped functioning, and the customs officer visibly recoiled. And when Connie pushed his tongue past her lips, y/n seriously considered murdering him on foreign soil. Suppressing the urge to slit his throat, she wrapped an arm around Connie's back, pretending to pull him closer and groaning dramatically into the kiss, then pinching him viciously on the back of his arm.

He jolted and pulled away, letting out an embarrassingly dramatic yelp.

"Oooo!"

"Easy, kitten," he said, rubbing the spot. "We'll be at the hotel soon."

Y/n nearly vomited in her mouth.

The customs officer looked almost as physically ill as y/n felt.

"Okay..."

He stamped them, the slid the passports across the counter. "You may enter." Relief flooded through her.

"Go left at the gate to exit customs," he ordered. "Where are you staying?"

"Uh..." y/n quickly glanced down. "The Kurokawa."

Thankfully, she'd memorized the name of a local Inn beforehand. The customs officer pulled out a map and marked the location.

"Here." he said, sliding the map back to Connie.

"Thank you."

The two of them awkwardly shuffled away while still holding hands. The second they stepped onto the crowded street outside, y/n ripped her hand free and seized Connie by the arm. "If you ever..." she growled through gritted teeth, digging her fingers into his bicep, "...kiss me anywhere on my body ever again, I will flay you alive upside down." Connie hissed in pain. "Starting with your nether region!"

"Okay, fuck, ow! That seems excessive!"

Y/n released him with a disgusted sound.

"He was about to call somebody!" Connie defended.

"You could have done literally anything else!"

"It worked!" he barked.

She hated that he was right. Connie straightened his jacket triumphantly. "Besides, I think we looked convincing."

Y/n stared at him menacingly. "Never speak of it again." She hissed. "It will already take me a lifetime to forget what your slimy tongue tastes like!"

Connie shrugged.

Grumbling to herself, y/n unfolded the map.

"Azumabito's residence is about 12 miles from here."

She glanced up at the bustling streets beyond the harbor. Bicycles rattled past carrying goods and passengers. Vendors shouted from storefronts. Streetcars hummed along polished rails, trailing through the city beneath a forest of telephone poles and hanging signs.

"Luckily we won't have to walk."

Connie followed her gaze.

"The tram," he said. "It'll keep us from drawing attention."

"The first intelligent thing you've said since the beginning of this trip," she jested, following him one of the trolleys that was unloading. They bought a ticket and took a seat as the railcar jumped forward with a metallic groan. Y/n leaned her elbow on the window frame, watching the city slowly give way to the countryside, intimidated by the foreign beauty she had never before seen.

Small villages dotted the vast landscape, the dark wooden buildings tucked beneath sloping tiled roofs. Rice fields stretched across the valleys like enormous mirrors, reflecting the beautiful, blue afternoon skies in shimmering patches of silver and gold. Farmers worked knee-deep in the water, their broad straw hats shielding them from the sun as they guided oxen through the flooded fields.

Mountains rose beyond them, towering over the breathtaking landscape.

Y/n listened as the language flowed around her musically, making her nervous that she couldn't pick up what they were saying. A group of passengers began boarding at the next station, about a mile outside of the Azumabito residence. Y/n and Connie blended with the crowd as they exited, avoiding two soldiers in crisp Imperial Army uniforms.

“We’re going to need to blend in…” Connie whispered over his shoulder to her.

“Agreed.” She mumbled back, following him.

They followed the dirt road farther away from the harbor, adjusting their packs as the sounds of the countryside gradually swallowed the noise of the city behind them. A small clothing vendor had set up shop beneath a canvas awning near the streetcar stop. Bolts of fabric hung from wooden poles, swaying gently in the breeze alongside rows of hats, jackets, and other neatly folded garments.

Y/n slipped between the crowded racks, carefully observing the women passing by. Most wore clothing she had never seen before-some were dressed in traditional garments, others wore more modern, Western fashions. Not wanting to stand out, she chose pieces that mirrored what she saw around her.

She settled on a pair of charcoal-black silk trousers, loose through the hips, that tapered at the ankles, allowing freedom of movement without drawing any extra attention. A cream-colored blouse fastened neatly at the throat beneath a fitted navy vest which tailored close to her slender frame.

Over it all, she selected a knee-length haori woven from heavy forest-green fabric, traced subtly with silver embroidery fanning out, and tracing from the corners that fell below the knee, all the way to the neck, where a small silver dragonfly was etched onto the inside of the collar. Something about the stubborn little creature reminded her of Levi. Small, fast, and impossible to kill.

She chuckled to herself.

The shop keeper passed her as she traced her finger over the delicate figure, grinning.

"You know..." he said quietly, her eyes shifting to him, "Dragonflies symbolize courage, victory and perseverance." he said proudly. "A very excellent choice."

She smiled back at him, thinking of her husband.

"I'll take it."

The material was thick enough to conceal the outline of an ODM harness beneath while remaining light enough to travel comfortably. Hidden pockets were sewn into the lining which provided space for documents, money, and a knife.

Finally, she chose a dark felt traveling hat with a modest brim that cast a shadow across her eyes. Combined with the blunt cut of her shortened hair, it transformed her appearance so completely that she scarcely recognized herself.

By the time she stepped in front of the mirror, the princess of Eldia had vanished. Staring back at her was a traveler, a foreign woman that was easy to forget. Exactly what she needed to become.

Connie traded his military attire for a pair of dark wool trousers along with a white button up shirt that mimicked her own, traveling up his neckline. An ebony vest concealed the broadness of his shoulders, and a Jingasa sat low over his shaved head, concealing his eyes almost completely, helping disguise his prominent features.

They began the trek toward the Azumabito residence, discussing their plan as they walked.

"Our story stays as close to the one we entered with as possible. A married couple, except we'll say we're here on business with Lady Azumabito."

Connie snorted.

"That part about us being married is still making me nauseous."

Y/n shot him a look of disbelief.

"Says the one who tongue fucked my mouth in front of the customs cleric!?"

Connie snorted.

"Please, you should feel honored! The ladies would kill for an opportunity to French kiss the amazing Connie Springer!"

Y/n imitated a retching sound.

"You just learned what France is, dipshit. Now focus..." she snapped. "When we arrive, we'll request a private audience with Lady Azumabito. We tell the staff we're representatives of the CPA conducting business on behalf of Paradis."

"And if they ask what business?"

"We tell them it's confidential."

Connie groaned.

"That's your plan?" he balked.

"It's worked before?" She offered with a shrug.

Unfortunately, Connie knew she wasn't wrong.

When they arrived, the hood of y/n's haori was drawn low over her head. Connie walked slightly ahead of her, doing his best to shield her from view with his body. As they approached the gatehouse, he announced their arrival and presented their forged identities.

After a brief wait, the guard returned and motioned for them to follow. They were escorted through the towering gates and into what looked less like a residence and more like a palace. Manicured gardens ran across the grounds, with winding paths disappearing beneath flowering trees of ume blossoms.

Y/n's faint heart skipped.

Levi could be here. Near me, right this moment.

Although her plan was to remain hidden from him, she couldn't stop the rush of anticipation that accompanied the thought. The mere possibility of seeing him-just even from a distance-was enough to set her pulse racing through her chest.

"Remember..." Connie said quietly, lowering his voice as they followed the guards through the estate. "Keep your hood up. Even here, there could be spies or Imperial Army agents Kiyomi doesn't know about."

Y/n nodded.

"And keep your distance if you see Levi."

She scoffed. "Connie, please-"

"I'm serious." he said sharply, surprising her.

"So am I?"

"No, you're not." He glanced back at her. "That man is weird about you." y/n frowned.

"What does that even mean?" she questioned

"It means he'll know you're here."

"He absolutely will not." she argued.

"He absolutely will."

Y/n rolled her eyes.

"How?"

Connie threw up a hand. "I don't know! He'll smell you or something."

Y/n nearly choked on her laughter. "Smell me?"

"I'm telling you, he's not...normal." Connie pointed accusingly. "I've watched him identify which jacket was yours from a pile of laundry."

"That's because he does the laundry." She shot. “You’re being ridiculous.”

Connie shook his head at her.

"No, what's ridiculous is the way that man notices every little thing about you. You could cut your hair, change your clothes, wear a fake name, and cross an ocean, and somehow he'd still look up from across a crowded street and his eyes would land directly on you."

Y/n loathed how plausible that sounded, sighing pointedly. Connie noticed her expression and immediately pointed at her.

"See? You know I'm right."

She looked away from him because, unfortunately, she did. They were brought into a broad room with many windows that overlooked the garden. Y/n looked down at the scenery below, watching coy fish swim in unison, and turtles occasionally pop their head up for a breath of air.

The door creaked open and y/n turned slightly peeking through the side of her hood. Azumabito was alone despite two guards who appeared to be Samurai.

"You can show your face, soldiers." She said in a calm voice. "Akira and Tekashi go with me everywhere, and they will remain silent about the mystery surrounding this meeting."

Y/n knew well that Kiyomi only needed to bring one Samurai to protect her, bringing two was overkill for any normal opponent. However these were not normal times, and y/n and Connie were no ordinary travelers.

She slowly turned, lowering her hood, her short golden-brown hair was rustled by the hood of her haori, shining as it was caught by rays of sunlight.

She bowed low, with the utmost reverence.

Kiyomi chuckled lightly, as if amused.

"I was wondering when you would show up." she smiled. "And who have you brought to accompany you?"

Connie removed his hat as well, holding it at his side as he bowed respectfully.

"So good to see you again, Mr. Springer and Princess Ackerman." she greeted them. "Though I'm slightly surprised to see you, I do have a vague idea of why you're here."

Y/n spoke first.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Lady Kiyomi." Y/N smiled warmly. "The last time our paths crossed, I was forced to leave you adrift in the middle of the ocean after Falco discovered he could transform into a flying form during the Rumbling."

A faint look of amusement crossed her face.

"I must admit, it's much more preferable to find you here, healthy and well in your home."

Kiyomi inclined her head gracefully.

"And you as well, Princess."

Y/n's smile softened.

"Shall we sit?"

Kiyomi nodded, motioning to the low table, sitting on a cushioned pad as Connie and y/n followed suit, settling comfortably onto the floor beside one another.

"You and Mr. Springer seem to have quiet the kusare-en." said Kiyomi, looking between them humorously.

Y/n and Connie, slowly glared at each other, sharing a look of confusion.

Kiyomi chuckled as she pulled her robe closer around herself.

"It literally means 'a rotten bond', used to describe two people who bicker, annoy one another, and get dragged into trouble together...but yet-remain close friends through it all."

Connie gave a conceding nod.

"Actually, describes us perfectly." he admitted jokingly.

Y/n rolled her eyes at him, turning to Kiyomi.

"We are here to assist you with ensuring the remaining inheritor makes it safely to Paradis island." she said curtly. "Any information on the whereabouts of my husband and Mikasa would be greatly appreciated." she finished.

"Your husband was very clear that he and Lady Mikasa would be operating alone...I didn't imagine it would be long before you turned up, naturally. Although, I must say it is most fortunate that you did."

y/n's eyebrows raised.

"I have only one request: that my being here remains confidential. Frankly speaking, my husband cannot know I'm in Japan."

"You wish me to conceal your presence from captain Levi." she said, stating instead of asking.

"I do."

"Why?"

Y/n sighed.

"Firstly, because he will be furious."

Connie snorted. Y/n pushed her elbow into his ribs. Kiyomi's lips twitched.

"A reasonable concern."

Y/n leaned forwared.

"Do you know where he is?"

The amusement vanished from Kiyomi's face, and the room suddenly seemed colder, as if the sun had disappeared.

"The last confirmed report placed Captain Levi and Lady Mikasa in Chichibu."

The name meant nothing to y/n, connie pulled out his map, Kiyomi frowned at him slightly.

"It's a mountainous district northwest of Tokyo. One of our contacts had been sheltering the inheritor there in the mountains."

"Had been?"

Kiyomi paused, removing her small circular spectacles.

"The child's mother was discovered three weeks ago."

"Discovered?" asked Connie in disbelief.

"Executed. Beheaded on the front lawn. Along with the contact that housed her."

y/n swallowed hard.

"And the boy?"

"Alive." she said. "Thanks to your husband and Lady Mikasa, they departed hours beforehand with the child. They sent word three weeks ago, since then-silence."

"Every single person who knew the boys' location has either been arrested, questioned, or disappeared," she continued. "The government is cracking down hard. Policies that were once apaulling to the people of Japan are now being enforced. There are random inspections, travel restrictions, as well as neighborhood registries." Kiyomi paused when the door opened, a servant bowed as she brought in a tray of tea.

Y/n lowered her head, where her hair could cover her face.

When the servant left, she continued her questioning.

"Can you contact Levi?"

"No." Her answer came immediately. "No messenger has returned from the last safehouse."

"Which means he could still be in Chichibu..." she said trailing off.

"Or he could be somewhere else entirely." Connie added, she gazed at him and they shared a worried glance.

Y/n stood wasting no time.

"Thank you, Kiyomi, for meeting with us on such a short notice," she bowed. "But we must be leaving now."

"It would be my pleasure to host you for as long as you need, are you sure you won't stay, even for a night?"

Y/n shook her head.

"No, we won't trouble you." Connie said. "We're eager to find Mikasa and Levi. And the longer we stay the more attention we would draw. We should keep moving."

Azumabito nodded.

"Very well...Is there anything I can provide you then, for your journey?" she asked.

Y/n looked towards Connie.

"It might be a lot to ask...but we could make use of ODM gear and weapons. Perhaps some food and camping supplies, we're going to try to avoid the Inn's and hotels as much as possible." y/n finished.

"It is not much to ask, considering your husband is the one who manufactures and sells us the weapons we buy, and at a discounted price no less." she smiled.

"A good relationship with the Azumabito Clan remains one of our highest priorities, and we are eternally grateful for your help." y/n smiled.

"I also cherish our partnership and friendship with the Ackermans, and the royal family." she smiled in return. "If you will follow Akira to the armory and kitchen, he will provide you with all that you need."

Connie and y/n bowed once more before following a very quiet Akira through the garden and to the armory where he equipped them each with a katana, a pouch of kunai, a sidearm with a matching holster, a tanto and ODM gear. They tested the gear to make sure that everything was functional before following Akira again to the kitchen where they replenished their packs with food and were given flasks of water and a few bottles of Ume wine.

They studied the map and took instruction from Akira about what towns to avoid-heavy with Emperial Officers-which towns were friendly to travelers, how to navigate the forests to avoid checkpoints, and random searches.

After helping map out their route, and briefly wishing them luck, he showed them back to the front gate, where they set off into the unknown countryside.

[rirahwritesit09]

Chapter Thirty- Two: Watch Me

Description: Three weeks after the attack on Port Paradis, y/n is released from the hospital only to discover that Levi has already left on a dangerous mission to Japan. Determined to follow him, she is left to decide if the risks are worth taking.

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of injury recovery, political persecution, medical themes, references to human experimentation (Unit 731), strong language, and emotional distress.

Word Count: 4.5K

When y/n woke in the hospital, she learned that the mission had succeeded on Armin and Jean's end despite the catastrophe that had unfolded at the harbor. Their Morse code message had gone unnoticed, allowing Falco and Gabi to reach the cove safely. The success, however, came at a devastating cost. Reports flooded in from Port Paradis daily, and casualty numbers continued to rise as investigators in the scouts pieced together the events leading up to the attack. Witnesses began to come forward with accounts of suspicious activity, even in the days prior, and the military police worked tirelessly to uncover how such a disaster had been allowed to occur.

Confined to a hospital bed, y/n found the waiting unbearable.

She asked herself how they had gotten titan spinal fluid. Did they randomly kidnap citizens in preparation for the chaos? How well connected, and spread out was Ordo Oculus? 

The thoughts neverendingly tormented her. Though she was never left alone for long, especially thanks to the daily visits from Gabi-who never ran out of things to chat about-the forced inactivity weighed heavily on her. She could do little more than listen as new information arrived, and try to piece together the enigma, scratching her brain for anything that might connect. 

Troup stayed under Historia's care during her recovery. The now seven month old had adapted surprisingly well to life within the walls of the estate, quickly becoming a favorite among the staff. Even so, Historia brought him to visit y/n every day, sometimes staying for four, even five hours so she could hold and nurse him. He babbed, sat with little support, and said da-da constantly. His chubby little features made y/n laugh, such a conundrum to the fact that he looked like a clone of his dad-like a chubby angry little scout with gray eyes. The time she spent with Troup and Historia became her only comfort while everyone one else was busy grasping at straws. 

The routine became a welcome comfort amidst the uncertainty.

Three weeks passed by. 

The cuts and bruises faded first, and eventually her stitches began to fall out. Physical therapy followed, and although Levi had not visited once since she awoke, he called periodically to insist that she do as the doctors commanded, and that she not overexert herself. He spent most of his days interrogating Franco, apparently to little avail.

The attack on the harbor had left the public shaken. Rumors spread through the streets faster than official reports could contain them, and terror spread at the thought of pure titans returning once again. Tensions between the military branches grew increasingly strained, and questions surrounding the royal family began surfacing more frequently than anyone was comfortable with. Y/n tried very hard not to focus on rumors of involvement, knowing that thoughtless lies were always bound to spread where she and her sister were concerned, but Historia was beginning to be eaten alive by the uncertainty of her subjects, wondering if a revolt was far behind the chaos. 

Before she knew it, the Fall season had settled firmly over Paradis, changing the leaves of the tall oaks surrounding the city to beautiful colors of amber and gold.

The world had continued moving forward without her, causing her to become impatient and restless. And waiting for her beyond the hospital doors were answers she wasn't entirely certain she wanted. Nevertheless, her mind insisted that she press on. 

By the time that y/n was healed enough to walk on crutches, she learned from Mikasa that Levi had left to investigate a lead. As she gathered her belongings and prepared to leave the hospital, she bit her lip in anticipation, worried that maybe he was cross with her.

Had she rushed in too fast?

Was she careless, and therefore he was upset?

Did she push too far, and risk too much?

She had only reacted on instinct that had been long driven into her during her training with the Crown Agents-sacrifice your life for the cause. Nothing else mattered in that moment.

Perhaps that’s why Levi was mad.

He expected her life-and Troup Farlan’s upbringing to be more important than any campaign they could ever hope the fight for.

How could she know? He seemed unwilling to discuss it anymore. Perhaps she had just pushed him too far this time.

The questions and doubts lingered no matter how hard she tried to dismiss them. With a frustrated sigh, she shoved the thoughts aside and hobbled toward the exit, fighting past nurses and front desk clerks who insisted she stay and rest longer. One particularly grumpy nurse trailed after her all the way to the lobby, protesting loudly as y/n ripped the identification bands from her wrist and tossed them into a nearby waste bin.

"I'm fine," she insisted for what felt like the hundredth time.

"You're not fine!” Shrieked the short, plump nurse, whose stubby legs struggled to keep up with y/n’s steide, even despite the crutches. “And if you keep this up and insist on leaving, I'll have to call your husband, Your Highness!”

"Go ahead and call him.” She mocked. “Knock yourself out.”

Y/n couldn't have cared less.

In fact, she hoped the woman would call. When Levi heard she had escaped the hospital, he'd be forced to show his face sooner or later. His pride, protective demeanor and controlling tendencies would dictate it so. And when he did, he was going to have to face her, and explain exactly why he had disappeared for three weeks without so much as a goodbye. 

y/n grumbled angrily to herself as she crossed the street to HQ, gathering some odd looks as she wobbled unsteadily on the crutches. The elevator ride felt agonizingly slow, and by the time the doors finally opened, she was already limping down the hallway toward Jean's office with single-minded determination.

Without bothering to knock, she shoved the door open, and pushed her way in with her shoulder, crutches banging loudly against the doorframe as she clambered in.

"Absolutely not," Jean said immediately.

Y/n blinked at him impatiently.

"Absolutely yes." 

"I mean it, y/n. I'm not about to have that angry little man kicking my door off its fucking hinges because you decided doctor's orders were merely suggestions."

"He won't.” She assured. “Apparently, he is busy with other things. Which, by the way, what are these other things? Care to fill me in?"

"No."

She planted both crutches firmly against the floor.

“Jean.”

"No."

"Jean!”

"No! Goddamit, no! Because you'll only insist on following him..."

"Following him WHERE?" she spat through gritted teeth. 

His expression faltered.

"I've said too much already."

"Jean, I swear to heaven above..." She paused for a moment, thinking of a threat credible enough to make him talk. "I will have you disbarred. I'll snatch the title 'Commander' from you and put you at the academy training cadets so fast it will make your head spin. Tell me."

"All of that sounds much better than Levi hanging me from the ceiling by my balls." Jean stared at her for a long moment before pinching the bridge of his nose.

A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"I am much worse than him, I promise. You know I am.”He cringed at her words, knowing they were likely true-sticking him between a rock and a hard place. “And I will abuse whatever authority I have to. I'll even have you thrown in jail." She said in a frighteningly calm voice. "Now..." she said, slamming her hand violently on his desk, causing him to jolt, "Where is my husband?"

Jean sighed, looking at his boots that were kicked up on the desk, before lowering them as if preparing to flee. 

"He left for Japan two days ago." 

He jumped up quickly, just in time to dodge the crutch that was flung at his head. 

"Japan!?" she shrieked. "TWO DAYS?!"

"Just sit down and I'll explain, please!" he yelped, bracing for the other crutch that was raised sky-high. “He is going to call you, but he has to make sure it’s safe first!”

His pleas fell on deaf ears. She prepared to launch her remaining crutch when a strong hand gripped it from behind, stopping the motion of her swing in its tracks. She spun around to attack, but held her fist clenched in the air when she saw Armin's soft eyes gazing back down at her. 

"Don't kill him just yet. He didn't tell you only because Levi and I asked him not to."

She flared her nostrils angrily, breathing deeply before she decided to wallop Armin next. Instead, she released the crutch, falling back into a upholstered chair. Her hair fell into her face and she heaved an annoyed sigh, tired after weeks of inactivity. 

I'll need to keep myself in shape if I'm going to keep them in check...

"Armin." She started in a quiet voice, her fingers resting in a steeple against her lips to occupy them from impending violence.

"Explain to me why my husband is on his way to Japan, by what means of travel, and why the fuck you decided it was unimportant to let me know." 

Armin sighed, sitting next to her and pouring a tall shot of clear whisky that sat on Jean's desk, and sliding it across the polished oak towards her.

"Drink that."

She reluctantly picked up the glass and raised it to her lips, her eyes fixed on Armin in a murderous glare. She downed the burning liquid, sucked through her teeth, and slammed the glass onto the desk sending a loud crack through the room. 

Armin poured another and slid it back to her before speaking.

"So, we found the last inheritor," he said, pouring himself a drink as well.

Y/n nearly choked on the liquor.

"In Japan?" she asked, bewildered, sliding her glass back toward him and gesturing for more.

Armin nodded, obliging her request.

"Actually, Kiyomi Azumabito found him," Armin said plainly. "And she's currently protecting him from the Japanese government."

Y/n nodded slowly, beginning to understand.

"They have a strong distaste for Eldians..." she trailed off softly as her fingers brushed the rim of the glass.

"Strong enough that they were planning to send the mother and baby to Unit 731 when they discovered they were Eldians. Even more so because he showed signs of inheritance."

Y/n buried her face in her palm.

"And now?" she asked without looking up.

"Azumabito was able to intervene on their behalf and take custody of them. Being a high-ranking noble from a powerful clan has its advantages." He took a sip from his drink. "But she paid a steep price for it. She's taking advantage of the fact that Japan is busy invading Manchuria and preparing for a larger conflict with China to smuggle the child back here."

Y/n nodded slowly.

"And Levi went because of his lineage."

Armin nodded.

"He left by boat two days ago. Flying was too risky, and too easy to track. He shouldn't have much trouble, especially with Mikasa accompanying him. It doesn’t hurt that she is descended from a powerful noble family tied to Japan's ruling house." He sighed. "That, and people tend to avoid provoking Ackermans whenever possible."

Jean rolled his eyes from the corner of the room, apparently still bitter that Mikasa had left him. 

"Thank you for that," y/n said calmly, rising to her feet shakily on her injured leg, and reaching for the phone.

"Who are you calling?" Jean asked cautiously.

"Historia," Y/n replied. "I'm letting her know she'll be in charge of Troup's nannies for a while, so she'd better find a wet nurse willing to pump for milk for him."

"Oh, no you don't!" Jean hollered, lunging for the phone with the crutch raised defensively. "The phones were tapped, remember? What if someone infiltrated them again and is listening?"

"You're right," Y/n said flatly, slamming the receiver back down. "I'll go in person. Now give me my crutch."

Jean angled his body away from her, clutching it protectively to his chest.

"Not a chance! Levi will kill us if we let you leave!"

"Let me?" Y/n scoffed. "Are you being fucking serious? Who do you think you're talking to right now? I'm the princess. I don't need your permission-or anyone else's-to come and go as I please."

"Except Historia's," Armin said mildly.

Jean released a ‘now-you-done-it’ sigh as y/n slowly turned her bridled wrath toward Armin.

"Oh, is that what this is now?" she asked. "You think because you've fucked my sister a few good times, you've suddenly got room to threaten me? Do you actually believe that you have the pull you need to keep me in check?"

Jean let go of a baffled sound from the across the room.

Armin, meanwhile, looked entirely unbothered, betraying no emotion as he spoke.

"No," he said evenly. "I think she'll recognize that it's not in your best interest, or hers, for you to go to Japan."

Y/n folded her arms.

"They are actively persecuting Eldians. What happens if we lose the first born Eldian princess? Remember you were supposed to be queen. Historia took your place.” Y/n flinched lightly at his slight comment. “Successors are already in short supply around here. Given the political situation—and all the catastrophic shit that's happened lately—we can't afford to lose even one royal."

He took a measured sip from his glass.

"And before you argue that you're going for the child, let's be honest."

Y/n's eyes narrowed at him.

"If Levi weren't the one in Japan, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Y/n refused to back down, honing in on him.

"Should we go over all the ‘rational’ decisions you've made when it comes to the people you love, Armin?" she retorted icily.

"We shouldn't," he said calmly. "Because this is only an irrelevant tactic for you to avoid the fact that I'm responding with logic and you aren't."

Y/n huffed.

"You shouldn’t go," Armin said. "Japan is already hostile toward Eldians. If an Eldian royal walked across their border, they'd see an asset before they saw a human being with a baby and husband. You would be a political prisoner.”

He set his glass down with a quiet sigh.

"You can't bring ODM gear. You can't bring weapons. If something goes wrong, you won't be able to fight your way out of it. And if they detain you, we're not talking about a rescue mission anymore—we're talking about an international crisis and weeks, if not months or years of negotiations.”

His eyes met hers.

"You'd be completely alone, y/n. That's not an acceptable risk."

A pause.

"So no, you're not going. And I think once you've had a chance to calm down, you'll realize that too."

y/n gave a quiet smirk, standing tall and nodded.

"Watch me," she spat, turning to leave the room, abandoning her crutches altogether. She had a new resolve. She didn't need them. She didn't need Armin, Historia, Jean, or Mikasa.

The only thing she saw was Levi. Bringing him and the last inheritor home to Eldia safely to break the curse and save their son was the only thing left that mattered.

That was where Armin underestimated her the most. She was convinced that his intelligence had turned him arrogant--he that thought without his wits, no one could succeed alone. But he couldn't have been more wrong.

She didn't need Armin when she was stealing food to survive.

She didn't need him when she escaped being trafficked in the underground.

She didn't need him when she became an assassin, or when she fled with Annastasia.

The truth was that she had never needed a single person to make it shake. To make things work out. Even without careful planning, she manipulated things to go exactly the way she wanted-for them to play exactly into her hands, to her favor.

The only thing that she had truly ever needed...

Was herself.

AN: I am sorry I was gone for so long, my people! I was extremely busy with life and preparing for a huge move across the U.S. Thanks for your patience. Here is some angsty slop! Smut to follow, oh, but I might make you wait a while just to hold you in suspense oooo how evil of me (;

Guess we'll just have to seeeee!

[aotackerman]

it’s more quiet now.

the colors continue to drain each time levi rises from slumber. he refuses to acknowledge the aches in his chest, preventing the inevitable. it’s the little things he’s noticed; soon it’ll be back to the way it was. no messes, no continuous chatter, and no attachment. he’ll tell himself this in hopes of alleviating the pain but it never comes. the last meal you ate, it’s cold to the touch, ironically coating his body with warmth, knowing it was your favorite.

“tch, damn brat..”

a pair of boots messily scattered next to his, a reminder of what could’ve been. it feels like a punishment, mission after mission, whoever gets close has to die. it never gets easier, his soul shattering into glass. it was supposed to be different, this was the change you both craved; a life without titans, a life without fear of burying the other. it’s too late, the life you so desperately wanted has sunk into the grave. levi hadn’t dared to move his partners belongings, the feeling dawned on him that you were never coming back. 

all of the shared kisses in his office, staying up late together to finish paperwork, fleeting touches when you walked by that no matter how hard levi tried, redness would cover the tips of his ears. the small smiles he’d save but never admit they were reserved for your eyes only. it's a shame he got comfortable, the best part of waking up next to you. a part of his mind doubts if he ever deserved such sweet things. what was the point if all was lost? a relationship doomed to fail. a moment passes.

breathe my dear.

a small gasp falls from his lips. oh. right. you always joked you'd kill him for thinking like this. always whispering sweet nothings to soothe the burdens he carries. you felt so much for him, how was this any fair?

"only you could do something like this, huh?” levi held his head for a moment, his body betraying him and sunk to the floor.

continuing to push forward after losing everything, time and time again, begs the question if there is anything left to live for. he’s tired. tired of thinking that peace was ever an option. the cost dwindles the thought to nothing. silence oddly feels eerie since your passing, only then does levi truly allow himself to grieve.

[rirahwritesit09]

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒚-𝑶𝒏𝒆: 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑯𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑴𝒆

𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝑨𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏’𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒕 𝑷𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒔, 𝒚/𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒈𝒐 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒈𝒐 𝒂𝒘𝒓𝒚.

𝑻𝑾: graphic violence, blood, gore, gunshot wound, wound packing, descriptions of pain, near death experience, decapitation, torture implications, panic, trauma responses, violent imagery

𝑻𝒂𝒈𝒔: attack on titan, levi ackerman x reader, post-rumbling au, action, angst, emotional hurt/comfort, violence, assassination attempt, port paradis arc, trauma, dark themes, injured y/n, protective levi, canon divergence, psychological themes, graphic action, mature themes

Y/n’s mind didn’t have time to spiral. She was already moving toward the tarmac.

She knew the chaos unfolding in town square was intentional. The pure titan tearing through civilians in an upheaval of smoke and terror was all meant to fracture their attention and force them to split apart.

No matter how violently every instinct in her body pulled toward the helpless people dying behind her, she forced herself forward toward the real target.

Toward the airplane that had just landed.

Above her, Levi cut through the sky in a blur of steel and gas, already redirecting toward the pure titan that had transformed in town. She trusted him to handle it. He always did. He would kill it quickly and regroup with her on the tarmac before the assassin could move.

Until—

Another crack of yellow light split the air.

The sky flashed a nauseating green.

And a second titan appeared near the tree line.

Thirty meters tall.

The shockwave nearly threw her off balance, the walls her anchors had sunk into began to rumble and crack. Windows exploded somewhere behind her as the first titan fell, disposed of by Levi. People screamed louder and more animalistically as terror was tearing through the harbor. Connie shot out from his hiding place in the foliage of the tall oaks and bolted towards the new threat. Another crack of yellow lightning jolted through the air. As y/n looked over her shoulder towards the commotion, she saw Levi rush towards it, changing his trajectory from the tarmac to the new threat.

Y/n growled in frustration. If they were to focus solely on their objective, countless lives would be lost. Their consciousness dictated their reactions—and because of that, the assassins would likely escape.

Except y/n wouldn't allow it.

At least three people are in on this…they have to be injecting people in real time.

Y/n shoved it all away, honing in on her only goal—capture the responsible party.

Get a grip.

Focus.

The assassin.

Where is he?

Her eyes flitted across the structures surrounding the runway, searching rooftops, tower windows, maintenance hangars, fuel stations. She forced herself to think like a killer again.

If I were taking the shot… where would I position myself?

High ground? Too obvious. Control tower? First place they'd check. Fuel depot? Blind spots, wind coverage, and plenty of exits.

Her breathing slowed instinctively despite the destruction around her. The old training crawled back into her muscles to her relief.

But that was also a part of the problem.

She hadn’t used her training like this in years. That version of herself had died after joining the scouts, when she shifted to killing titans instead of people.

Or at least she had tried to kill that part of her.

The world moved differently now, and since Eldia was thrown into the future, technology and techniques were shifting rapidly.

What type of training had these new-age assassins overcome? How much more had they hardened them? Starved them? Forced them to fight until their bones snapped and healed crooked? Tortured them and conditioned them to kill until there was no humanity left inside of them?

The assassin from the cabin had nearly killed her, despite her quick reactions and exhaustive efforts. His movements had been so precise and efficient, and his eyes had that glassy, hollow look that hers once used to possess. He moved and behaved like the pain had been carved right out of him.

And if he had only been one operative—

Her stomach lurched as she shot towards the fuel depot, adjusting her grip on her blades and moving through the smoke. She landed with a thud on her heels, sprinting fast, boots pounding against the tarmac while the massive titan's shadow swallowed half the runway behind her. Connie swarmed it, dodging its grip narrowly.

Then there was a flicker of movement that she just barely caught from the corner of her eye. Not panicked or rushing, they moved with control. On the far side of the runway near the refueling station, someone in dark gear stepped briefly into view before disappearing behind a transport vehicle.

Thats no civilian.

Y/n’s pulse quickened instantly.

Found you.

She drew her blade.

Don't kill them...nothing lethal.

She edged around the corner slowly, peering past stacked fuel barrels, slick with excess oil. She heard the sounds of metal clicking just ahead. The assassin was assembling her rifle methodically, crouched near the crates, snapping pieces together as if she’d done it a thousand times before.

For one terrible second, y/n saw herself.

Younger, meaner, half-starved, and trained to kill before she’d even learned how to live.

Her stomach twisted with regret, but she swallowed it down. There wasn’t room for hesitation anymore. She didn't have time nor option to take pity on the young woman. Her fingers clenched around the hilt of her blade. She briefly considered drawing her sidearm, but a bullet would be messy and far too unpredictable. Too much blood loss and a sloppy wound, she risked hitting an artery and killing the girl. They needed her alive long enough to answer questions.

So she narrowed her focus to one objective:

Her Achilles tendon. She would drop her, restrain her, and interrogate her later on.

Everything else vanished from her mind as she honed in on her new point of focus. She exploded forward like a bullet, boots hammering against the tarmac as she lunged from cover with her blade drawn.

Then something slammed into her from behind with impossible force. The impact drove the air from her lungs as she crashed face-first into the concrete. She barely had time to raise her forearms to her throat defensively before a wire bit viciously across the skin of her arms.

A garrot.

Great...just my luck.

Instinct took over. She jammed both forearms tighter between the wire and her neck just as it cinched down. The steel carved through her protective black gear, which took the brunt of the cutting, slightly opening hot lines across her forearms.

Thank god for good engineering...

“Don’t—!” her attacker barked sharply from behind her at the woman assassin who began to move in to help him. “Focus on our targets. I’ll handle her.”

Rage detonated inside her chest.

Y/n planted her knees beneath herself and threw her full weight forward without inclination. Her attacker stumbled with her momentum, losing footing on the pavement. The wire tore violently across her forearm on the way down, peeling skin open in a white-hot streak that made her vision blur momentarily.

Good.

Let it hurt.

Now I'm fucking mad.

“The hell you will, you little bastard,” she snarled, voice raw as she twisted beneath him with sudden violence, able to shove him off of herself. The years she’d spent trying to bury this part of herself vanished in an instant. There was no longer any humanity left to her.

Only the will to live.

I have to make it home to my son...I promised him. I promised Levi–

We promised each other.

She stood to her feet taking out her side arm a fraction too late, her attacker already had his drawn, and fired on her. The bullet hit her upper thigh. She rolled low and tackled him down, quickly grabbing his hand where he held the gun and smashing it into the ground, breaking his bones.

She looked up at his face. His orangish hair was plastered to his pale skin, and his narrow eyes were burning with a familiar air of hateful conviction.

It was like staring at a rotten copy of Floch Forster.

“Forster…” she seethed, locking both fists into his hair before slamming his skull into the pavement with a sickening crack. “I’ll enjoy killing you almost as much as I enjoyed watching your brother die.”

A sharp hand suddenly tangled into her hair and ripped her backward hard enough to wrench her neck.

Y/n snarled bitterly, immediately grabbing at the smaller wrists restraining her. The girl was deceptively strong, clinging to her from behind as y/n twisted violently, trying to throw her off balance.

“We don’t have time for this!” the girl shouted toward Franco. “I shot out the fuel tank on the plane, but the Grice's can still escape if we don’t move now!”

Franco staggered upright with a wheezing grunt, his broken hand clutched tightly over his chest. With the other, he reached into his cargo pocket and drew a knife.

“Just hold her still,” he spat. “I’ll cut her throat and we’ll move. Don’t feel like risking a shot if I miss and hit you instead.”

Y/n bucked and kicked beneath the girl’s hold, screaming at Franco as he approached. Everything was happening too fast. And yet somehow, she saw every detail in horrible clarity. The shine of the blade, the blood running down his fingers, and the slight limp in his gait.

Maybe this is it.

Maybe this is where I die.

Franco crouched, reaching for her jaw to expose her throat when a cable screamed past her face.

It hooked clean through his leg. Ice-burst gas exploded through the air. Then Levi hit the ground like a storm, ripping the blade away from Franco's hand and pounding into his face, blade still gripped in his hand.

A heavy thud sounded behind y/n, and warm liquid sprayed across the back of her neck. The hands in her hair loosened slightly. She turned just enough to see the girl’s body collapse beside her—headless. The severed head bounced once before rolling beneath a cargo crate, blood pouring across the concrete in thick waves around y/n’s arms.

She ripped herself free and scrambled backward on her elbows until her spine slammed into a wooden crate.

Her eyes shot toward Levi.

He now stood over Franco with a terrifying stillness, blade pressed against his throat so precisely it barely dimpled the skin. Steam curled off his clothes from fresh titan blood, but he had beheaded the female assassin so quickly that none of her blood had time to land on him.

He tilted his head slightly.

“You know…” he said quietly, pushing the blade just enough to open a thin line across Franco’s throat, “if my aim had been a few inches higher, you’d’ve ended up exactly like your idiot brother.”

Franco froze, panting wildly.

Levi’s mouth twitched into something that wasn't quite a smile, but certainly possessed a rageful and psychotic quality.

“ODM anchor through the throat.” His voice stayed calm. “It's an ugly way to die. Tears everything open on the way out.”

A faint chuckle left him as steam drifted from his gear, evaporating into the air.

“Lucky for you, I only took your leg.” He pressed the blade a little deeper. “So your esophagus gets to stay where it belongs. For now.”

Franco tried to speak, but the movement only forced more blood down his neck.

Levi’s expression flattened instantly.

“Did I say you could talk?”

The blade dug in another fraction.

“On your knees.”

Above them came the sharp crack of ODM gas.

Connie landed heavily beside her, breathing hard enough to shake his shoulders. His eyes immediately dropped to the blood soaking through her thigh.

“You’re hurt…” he said.

“Yeah,” y/n hissed through gritted teeth, shoving trembling hands against the gunshot wound. “No shit, Sherlock.” Despite her injuries, y/n still found the energy to use her newest favorite phrase since discovering modern Marlean literature—and the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

“You’re insufferable…even when you’re injured," Connie mumbled, looking her over to identify her wounds and their severity.

“Levi…she’s hit in the leg,” he announced, watching anxiously as Levi finished tying Franco’s wrists and ankles together before shoving him harshly onto his side.

Levi turned immediately, dropping beside y/n and nudging her shaking hands away from the wound.

“Move.”

She peeled her blood-slick palms back, relieved when blood didn’t immediately begin spurting from the hole in her thigh. She was still bleeding badly, but it wasn't arterial.

“Onyankopon!” Levi barked.

Just then, the plane door creaked open.

Onyankopon stepped carefully down onto the tarmac before reaching back toward the doorway to help another hooded figure descend behind him. Y/n leaned her head back against the crate with a weak laugh.

“Oh, Armin…” she sighed as Levi’s hand clamped tighter over her thigh. “Always hiding your little surprises…”

“Someone had to fly the plane,” Onyankopon smiled as he knelt beside her with a combat med kit in hand. “And seriously, Your Highness, we have to stop meeting while you’re actively dying.”

She physically cringed at her formal title. Then she saw him pulling out a packet of kaolin-coated gauze, and groaned.

“Oh, fuck no.”

Levi snatched the packet from Onyankopon’s hand before she could protest further and ripped the foil open with his teeth.

“I’m warning you now, it’s going to be bad.” he muttered.

“Yeah, yeah…” she breathed shakily, already trying to brace herself. “Just get it over with fast. Please.”

Without asking, she grabbed Connie’s hand so hard his fingers cracked audibly.

“Okay—ow—Jesus—” Connie hissed, crouching down in front of her anyway. “Hey, look at me. Focus on me, not him.”

“Wait.”

Connie suddenly leaned sideways, digging into the med kit before grabbing another pack of QuikClot and tossing it toward the hooded figure standing nearby with their back turned.

“Yelena, deal with his wounds,” Connie said, jerking his head toward Franco writhing on the pavement. “Can’t let him bleed out before we get answers.”

“Yelena? Why the fuck is she—”

Her words broke apart into a strangled scream as Levi shoved the gauze directly into the bullet wound. Pain exploded through her body so violently that she nearly blacked out. She lurched forward with a cry, abandoning Connie’s hand entirely to fist both hands into his short hair instead, yanking hard enough to nearly drag him down with her, hugging him in tightly as if she could use him to scooch away.

“Jesus Christ!” Connie screeched. “What happened to squeezing my hand?!”

“Shut the fuck UP!” she screamed back immediately, tears pouring uncontrollably down her face. “Ow—ow—holy shit—FUCK—!”

Levi ignored every word. His jaw stayed tight as he packed the gauze deeper with merciless efficiency despite the way her leg shook violently beneath his hands.

“At this point, just let me die!” she sobbed, trying unsuccessfully to twist away from him as he worked.

“Not happening.”

Levi barely looked up.

“Connie, hold her still.”

“Connie don’t you fucking touch me!” she shrieked instantly.

“Sorry!” he yelped anyway, grabbing her lower leg at the shin before she could accidentally knee Levi in the face. Her muscles spasmed uncontrollably beneath his grip. Every instinct she had screamed at her to crawl away from the pain. Instead, she settled for repeatedly punching Connie in the head while Levi continued forcing the clotting gauze into the wound.

Finally, Levi stopped packing it.

Y/n slumped back against the crate, trembling so hard her teeth chattered, and sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaked and stained her cheeks.

But Levi immediately repositioned himself, interlocking his hands before driving hard pressure directly over the wound. Fresh agony ripped another scream from her throat. He leaned more weight into it without hesitation, holding steady pressure while blood soaked thickly into the gauze beneath his palms.

“Please stop, baby—it hurts so much…you’re hurting me.” she begged brokenly, looking up at Levi deliriously —saying anything to make him stop.

The expression on his face made her stomach twist worse than the pain.

He looked miserable.

He wasn't revealing his panic, but she could tell he was deeply, visibly distressed for her beneath the strict control he kept wrapped around himself. His brows were drawn hard together, and his eyes searched her face with contrition.

“Breathe,” Connie urged desperately as she held her breath in front of him, turning beet red. “Y/n, come on, breathe—”

“You’re not dying from one shitty gunshot wound after everything else you’ve survived,” Levi said firmly, maintaining crushing pressure against the wound. “So quit scaring the hell out of everyone and breathe properly.”

“I—I’m trying…” she gasped, beginning to hyperventilate.

Whines kept slipping out of her throat, no matter how hard she tried to suppress them. She clutched weakly at the hem of Levi’s cloak in a desperate attempt to ground herself in the feeling of the time-worn fabric while pain radiated through her entire leg in violent waves.

Something in Levi’s face tightened painfully at the sound, and his eyes flicked shut briefly before refocusing on the wound.

“Just a few more minutes,” he muttered, voice lower now. “Then we move you to the truck and get you to a hospital. I just need the bleeding to slow first.”

Y/n nodded shakily, though focusing was nearly impossible with Franco screaming somewhere nearby while Yelena treated his injuries. Every noise felt like a knife directly into her skull.

Finally she grimaced.

“Can we make him shut his ugly mug?” she hissed weakly. “He’s pissing me the fuck off.”

For the first time since she’d been shot, Levi let out a short breath of a laugh.

“There she is,” he murmured.

He slowly eased the pressure off her leg. After checking the wound one final time, he slid one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back before lifting her against his chest. Y/n immediately curled into him on instinct, clutching weakly at the front of his chest while he stood.

“Easy,” he muttered quietly. “I’ve got you.”

Connie sprinted for the driver’s seat of a nearby truck while Onyankopon and Yelena hauled Franco roughly into the bed like a rag doll. Levi climbed in beside y/n without ever loosening his hold on her, keeping one bloodstained hand firmly pressed over the packed wound as the truck tore across the tarmac toward the nearest hospital.

Y/n peeked weakly over the edge of the truck bed, taking one last look at the headless female assassin sprawled across the bloodstained pavement. She felt an unexpected sense of grief twist in her chest, tightening her throat. But beneath it she felt relief. Crushing, overwhelming relief that this had not been her fate.

All of the missions.

All the times she took life from someone else .

This should have been her years ago. She felt thankful that Erwin saved her life. She was glad that somewhere along the way, with the last man she ever expected to love, she had escaped her past and learned how to live again.

The truck sped farther down the road, the corpse shrinking into the distance, but y/n couldn’t tear her eyes away from the girl who couldn’t have been older than twenty years old.

She probably was a lot like y/n.

No mother.

No father.

Nobody to miss her.

The thought continued to linger in her mind, heavier than the pain in her body.

That could have been me.

[rirahwritesit09]

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Bruises & Discipline

With another dangerous mission looming over the group, tensions inside HQ begin to crack. Armin’s plan borders on insanity, y/n refuses to stay out of the fight despite her injuries, and Levi reaches a breaking point between fear, frustration, and desire.

WC: ~4.3k words

MDNI.

Tags/TW: heavy sexual tension, rough sex, oral sex, p in v sex, fingering, (soft?)dom!levi, possessive behavior, power dynamics, punishment themes, degradation/humiliation, praise kink, jealous/protective Levi, explicit language, pain mixed with pleasure, post-battle injuries, blood, bruising, canon-typical violence, assassination themes, MDNI.

“Insane and unhinged. Your usual forte…” y/n grumbled at Armin-who had just finished explaining his grand master plan.

Sean let out a quiet chuckle from behind Jean who was wearing a shit-eating grin like he just couldn’t help himself.

“It was a group effort… believe me,” Armin said, glancing back at Sean and Jean. Then his expression shifted, just slightly. “And honestly, I’m not sure you should go—given your injuries.”

His gaze fixed on her gashed forehead that had finally clotted over, then he slowly motioned to her shoulder and her various yellow-black bruises from the man handling the previous night when she had saved Moira and Anya from certain death.

“You’ve barely eaten. Barely slept. And you haven’t had any time to heal,” he went on, much more serious now. “You push yourself too hard—and those stitches in your shoulder will tear right back open--"

“Yeah,” she muttered, flexing her hand like she was testing her own limits. “I gathered that much when I woke up feeling like I got trampled by a damn titan. Now, shut up. Before you get the guard dog going..." she shot a gaze over to Levi, who wore a seething scowl, scoffing at her with his arms crossed, one foot propped against the wall at his back.

“He’s right,” Levi said, not even looking at her at first.

Y/n let out a dry laugh.

His eyes flicked up at her sharply. “You’re not going. Not like this,” he paused, searching her face, which clearly said otherwise.

“Stay here and heal. Moira and Historia can keep an eye on you. Troup needs you in one piece.”

y/n scoffed now, glaring over at her husband.

“You think I’m just going to sit around here playing house?” she went on, voice low and edged with an air of annoyance. “While you all go running off into whatever suicidal mess he cooked up this time? No. Troup is safe here with Historia at H.Q. I'm going. It's final.”

“It’s not suicidal—"

“It is,” she cut in, sharper now. “It always is with you. Remember when you burnt yourself to a fucking crisp? Yeah. I'm going.”

Armin exhaled, dragging a hand through his hair. “That’s exactly why you shouldn’t be there. You’re not at full strength, and if something goes wrong—”

“When something goes wrong,” she corrected flatly.

“…then I can’t account for you, either.”

This only pissed her off further. Her expression flared with irritation. Her lips pressed into a thin line.

“You don’t need to account for me,” she said, her voice dropping in tone, her words pushed through gritted teeth as she rubbed at her throbbing temple. “I’ve never needed that. You all, however, have always needed me to account for you.” She finished with overconfidence.

Levi let out a quiet, humorless chuckle.

She ignored it.

“I have the most training when it comes to killing—”

Levi pushed off the wall, already opening his mouth to correct her—

“HUMANS—” she snapped loudly, cutting him off sharply. She pointed at him without even looking, like she could feel the argument forming before he said a word.

“Geez, let me finish,” she snapped tiredly. “Some of us specialize in killing humans, unlike Captain Humanity’s Strongest over here with his fifty-eight Titan kills and god complex.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed immediately. Connie snorted into his hand, rolling his eyes at her.

“Did we forget that I was an assassin? The very person we're targeting essentially has the same training as me," she went on. “I can deal with other assassins, as I just proved last night. And I’ve been in much worse condition than this and still functioned just fine.”

Levi shook his head once, slow and unimpressed, stepping forward.

“That’s not something to be proud of,” he said flatly. “It’s a habit. And a stupid one. You have never known when to stop."

She flared at him.

“You’re absolutely right,” she shot back at him, earning herself a long, condemning stare that all but promised consequences later. “Stopping, relenting, or otherwise failing and giving up just wasn’t part of my training docket, long before I joined the scouts.”

She eyed everyone in the room like she was fully prepared to take on every last one of them in an argument if she had to.

“Did we also forget that I’m the Crown Princess?” she shot back, eyes sweeping the room. “None of you is allowed to challenge my authority.”

A collective groan rippled through the room.

“Oh, here we go…” Connie muttered.

“Mommy’s pulling the trump card again,” Mikasa said dryly, bouncing Troup lightly in her arms. She glanced down at him with mock disapproval.

“Do you lot always argue like a flock of cackling hens? I must say, it’s very entertaining…” Sean chuckled, stating the obvious while also gathering the collective gaze of the old Levi Squad. “Let the woman go. She looks perfectly capable.”

y/n looked down at herself. skin marred with bruises, stitches throbbing under a makeshift sling, and scratches and cuts from the previous night's struggle. She nodded at Sean with a proud smile, her ego puffed up.

"Ehh... 'perfectly' maybe isn't the right word..." Jean stated with concern, taking in her shoddy appearance as well.

Levi’s head turned slowly, fixing on Sean with a punishing stare.

“Do you always sound like Erwin… tch,” he muttered, his voice teeming with irritation. "You'll only encourage her...just like your damn uncle did.”

Y/n pushed herself upright despite the protest in her shoulder.

“I’m going,” she said firmly. “Stop talking. There’s nothing left to discuss.”

The room grumbled in annoyance, forced to accept the reality of the situation. She had climbed from the very bottom of the Scouts to First Sergeant, and now stood above them all as their ruler--directly under Historia. None of them truly had the authority to challenge her. Their resistance simmered bitterly before fading into a reclusive silence—one that only broke when the door creaked open, gathering their attention.

Historia stepped inside.

Y/n stilled for half a second, watching her.

The difference was impossible to ignore. The girl who once shrank from her own shadow was gone. In her place stood a queen with her shoulders back, chin lifted, and her presence absolutely undeniable. Ever since she’d broken free from Aruel’s hold, there was a quiet strength to her.

“Am I interrupting?” Historia asked, her voice light and meager as always, scanning the room and giving everyone a soft smile.

“Not at all, Your Majesty,” y/n replied sarcastically, gesturing lazily toward the room. “Just reminding everyone where we stand as of tomorrow.”

Levi scoffed at her, not knowing whether it was her sarcasm or delirium from lack of sleep that was speaking through her.

“No—” Armin started. He scrambled to his feet, nearly knocking his chair back. "Never—I mean—of course not!" He rushed to pull out a chair for her beside himself, motioning to it with his eyes. She met his gaze--only for a moment, a blush traveled quickly to her cheeks.

“For you,” he added, quieter now.

Y/n’s brow twitched.

“…Thank you,” she said, softer than before.

She stepped forward, and Armin held the chair steady, hand still resting against the back. He didn’t sit, not until she did. Only then did he settle back into the chair next to her, stiff, and nervous.

Levi shot y/n a look, which she returned in earnest. They both shared the thought without needing to say it out loud.

These two are definitely fucking...

Y/n slowly leaned back in her chair, eyes narrowing just a fraction as they moved between them. Armin caught her gaze and swallowed hard. His shoulders were tighter now, and his posture was just a little too controlled. His hand lingered near the edge of the table like he didn’t quite know where to put it.

And Historia, for all her composure—

Was very carefully not looking at him.

Levi cleared his throat.

"Sean, you can brief the Queen about the layout of your and Armin's plan." He looked back and forth between Historia and Armin, suspiciously. "I am taking my stubborn wife—" he shot her a piercing glare. "—to bed. She needs rest for tomorrow."

Connie whistled low. Jean raised his eyebrows, looking down, arms crossed, as he held in a giggle. Levi looked for half a second like he would crack their skulls together like eggs.

"You," He pointed at y/n. "Let's go. No arguing."

Y/n rolled her eyes, pushing herself up with a strained breath. The movement was slower than she liked; her body protested lightly as she made her way toward where Historia sat. She rose to her feet to quickly embrace her—hoping she wouldn’t fall.

“God, y/n… what did you do now?” she scowled, pulling her into a careful hug, one hand coming up to cradle the back of her head.

Y/n let herself lean in just for a second.

“I could ask you the same, sister…” she murmured against her ear. She pulled back slightly, giving her a very pointed look with her brow raised. Historia flushed red immediately.

Ah.

There it was.

“It’s good to see you, little Christie,” y/n added lightly, using her old nickname she had given her when they first met. “We’ve got a lot to discuss… and a lot to catch up on later tonight—after I’ve had some rest.”

Her gaze dipped briefly toward Armin.

“Uhm—yes,” Historia stammered, recovering quickly but not fast enough. “We do. And don’t worry about Troup for a while. Just… eat and rest. Please, you’re too hard on yourself.”

Y/n smiled softly and nodded. Mikasa scoffed under her breath, adjusting Troup in her arms with a look that clearly said 'no one is taking him from me anytime soon.'

“Thank you,” y/n said.

“Tch. Move already,” Levi muttered, stepping in and catching her good hand, leading her toward the door without waiting for permission.

“Keep your pants on,” she shot back, throwing a grin over her shoulder—earning a round of quiet chuckles.

Levi didn’t laugh. He didn’t slow down either. He just dragged her out into the hall like he’d already decided the conversation was over.

In Levi's old room at HQ, his lecture didn’t end.

Not even close.

He kept yapping the entire time—grumbling under his breath about recklessness, stupidity, and her “self-destructive need to play martyr” as he tugged his boots off with sharp, irritated movements.

Y/n rolled her eyes from where she stood at the edge of the bed.

“You done?” she muttered tiredly.

“Nope.”

“Tch," she clicked her tongue sarcastically. "Course not...”

Levi shot her a look before stepping between her knees and pushing her backwards onto the mattress with a firm hand to her shoulder.

“Stay still,” he demanded.

“You’re bossy,” she huffed.

“And you’re bleeding through your bandages again.”

That shut her up, just barely. He sat beside her with another annoyed sigh, carefully undoing the wrappings around her stabbed shoulder. His fingers were rougher than a medic’s would’ve been, but they were still careful in that irritatingly attentive way he had always taken with her since they met. The moment the bandages peeled back, his expression darkened at her; he knitted his brow together at her in utter annoyance.

“See?” he muttered. “You pulled on the stitches.”

“It’s barely open.”

“It’s open.”

She sighed dramatically, leaning her head back against the headboard, crossing her feet. “You just worry too much.”

“And you don’t worry at all. That’s your fucking problem.”

His fingertips pressed lightly near the wound, checking the damage. Y/n hissed softly through her teeth, then released a bubble of air out at him, blowing his hair back playfully.

Levi’s eyes flicked up immediately.

“…Does it hurt?”

The question came out softer than the rest of his bickering had been. Y/n looked at him for a second before scoffing lightly.

“What do you think?”

“Tch…” he clicked his tongue at her but his touch gentled after that.

She smiled at him playfully.

"No, baby. It doesn't hurt badly. It's like a scratch," she assured him with a faint smile.

The room grew quieter; there was no noise except for the low sound of fabric shifting. Levi rewrapped the bandages around her shoulder with practiced hands, his jaw still clenched tight with lingering irritation towards her.

Y/n watched him silently. The crease between his brows, the way he refused to look at her directly when he was upset, and the way his hands always gave him away long before his mouth did. She quietly admired his petty fit-throwing abilities.

“You know,” she murmured lazily, “for someone so mean and stoic, you’re awfully attentive with me...”

“I’m attentive because you’d die without supervision.”

She snorted softly.

Levi tied the bandage off tighter than necessary.

“Ow,” she hissed.

“Good,” he said smugly.

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth despite herself. His eyes flicked up then, finally meeting hers.

The air shifted subtly as they held one another's gaze. The ire was still there, simmering beneath the surface of him, but now y/n could feel it becoming tangled with something much heavier—

Need.

Y/n’s teasing expression softened slightly. Levi noticed, of course, because he always noticed when her mood shifted. He could read her like a book he had read a thousand times. His hand lingered near her shoulder a second too long, his way of letting her know he wasn't too mad to have sex with her.

Her gaze dropped briefly to his mouth, then back up again—her way of telling him that she wanted it.

The silence stretched on-neither one made their move.

“You keep looking at me like that,” she murmured, voice quiet, “and I’m gonna start thinking you actually like me.”

Levi huffed a dry laugh through his nose.

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

But he didn’t move away; if anything, he leaned in closer. Close enough for her to feel the warmth coming off him. she began to feel a feverish heat creeping into her cheeks and between her thighs as his breath brushed her skin. His hand slid from her shoulder to the side of her waist, almost absentmindedly, letting his thumb rest there as his fingers stroked her side.

Y/n swallowed.

“…Levi.”

“Hm?”

“You’re staring.”

"Mhm."

When his hand squeezed her slightly at her waist, and his brow creased in concern— she realized he wasn’t into lecturing her anymore—

He was ready to take action.

Her eyes traveled to his to find he was already looking back at her, hungrily.

He softly leaned in, brushing her lips with his.

“You’ve been a problem lately, y/n…” he murmured against her lips, voice low and edged. His gaze flicked between her eyes and mouth, lingering just long enough to make her quiver. “Disobeying me, running off, talking back...”

A quiet breath left him, almost a scoff.

“Fighting me at every single turn.”

His thumb pressed into her thigh—a warning of what came next.

“So,” he added, tone dropping even further, “what do you think I should do about that?”

She breathed heavily as his other hand traveled to her chin, holding her there firmly. She smiled in his face, her eyes flicking back—imitating his same movements.

"Me, personally...." she breathed. "I wouldn't stand for it. Matter of fact, I can scarcely even believe you've allowed it to go on this long, Levi...maybe you've grown a little soft?" she chided, egging him on.

His eyes turned dark, and his grip tightened. She shifted her weight, sitting up on her knees. He moved with her, never breaking his hold on her jaw as he stood at the edge of the bed, glaring down at her.

“You keep pushing me like this and you’re gonna remember exactly why nobody’s stupid enough to call me soft.” He muttered, watching her hard. “I want a real answer, don’t give me another one of your sharp little comebacks.”

“Here’s my answer…” she whispered shakily. “I think you should make me regret provoking you.” She breathed. “I think you should fuck me until the whole HQ building hears me screaming. Punish me until my legs give out—until I’m trembling and raw—until I can’t take a single step without feeling you inside of me first.”

Levi chuckled darkly at her.

“At least you know what you deserve,” he said in a low voice, just above a whisper. His thumb still playfully traced her jaw, his ash-colored eyes were gauging her every reaction. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you remember this every time you try to stand up tomorrow.”

Levi closed the small gap that remained between them, capturing her mouth quickly in a deep, messy kiss. His hand tightened at her waist as his tongue slid against hers, slow at first, before turning sloppy and unpredictable. He pulled away quickly, hand still clutched firmly around her jaw, just enough to hold her right where he wanted her.

He observed her body—bruised and injured. Her breasts moved with every rise and fall of her chest beneath her oversized white button-down shirt that only hung by one or two buttons. Her jeans had been discarded on the floor, leaving her in her small, cotton white panties that were already completely ruined— He loved that she could already be reduced to this state without him even having to touch her.

“Just look at yourself…” Levi muttered against her mouth, a dark sort of amusement seeping into his voice. “You’re a fucking wreck.”

His hand still held her tightly at her jaw, fingers dragging slowly along her skin as he gently—but firmly—pushed her back against the mattress until she was lying flat beneath him, legs falling open, completely exposed to him.

“And I’ve been far too lenient with you…” He kissed her once more, catching her desperate whine against his mouth as he ground his clothed erection against her soaked panties—teasing her aching mound with his hardness.

"That ends here and now..." he growled, rolling his hips against her harder, her breath catching low in her throat. "Because I'm about to show you what happens when you push me too far," he clipped, hooking his fingers in the crotch of her sopping wet thong, pulling it aside and gliding his digits against the softness of her mound. She gasped as he teased her entrance, gathering up the wetness there and spreading it to her clit where his fingers circled playfully.

"L-Levi...please..."

He chuckled, moving her bra up her breasts, exposing them and kissing her nipples before licking and gently biting the tightening knot delicately

"Oh, now you remember your manners all of a sudden? When you're begging me for my cock like a desperate whore?" he clicked his tongue, studying her face, hovering over her. “How embarrassing…” he murmured darkly.

She mewled and groaned in response, hips bucking upwards into his hand.

"I would play with your pussy for a while…and have you shaking and coming apart with my hand, but you're such a needy, impatient little slut," he reprimanded. "I think I should just go ahead and make you cum on my dick before you become a nuisance to me..." he finished, scissoring his fingers inside of her cunt, stretching her open, preparing her for what he was about to do.

“Mmm. There he is… the control freak.” She let out a shaky moan, refusing to give in completely—still fighting him for control.

“Tch. Mouthy little brat,” he said with a dark hint of amusement, pulling his hand away from her slicked folds before pressing his fingers against her lips.

“Here…” he taunted her softly. “Something to keep that smart fucking mouth busy.”

She took his fingers willingly, letting out a soft, uneven moan at the taste of her own arousal as she looked up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. He dragged his pants down using his free hand, just enough to allow his erection to spring free from its constraints. He brushed his leaking tip against her exposed cunt, and slowly pushed every inch of his rigid length inside of her until she was impossibly full, and whimpering.

Her breath came in quick, uneven drags, and her lips parted helplessly at the sudden change. Levi hooked his fingers into her cheek, grabbing her attention.

“Who said you could stop sucking?”

She groaned, wrapping her lips back around his knuckles as he reluctantly parted with her swollen pussy, only to force his way back inside harshly.

“See? You like it a lot more when you let me have my way...don't you?" Levi chuckled under his breath, utterly amused by how blank her mind had gone. He began to pound deeply inside her cunt, her slick arousal coating him as he fucked her into a trembling mess.

She began babbling incoherently as he moved harshly, struggling to form words between the relentless force of him and the pressure of his fingers against her tongue. He withdrew them from her mouth and moved both hands to her thighs, gripping them firmly enough that his fingertips threatened to leave bruises behind.

“There she is…” he mocked softly, throwing her earlier words right back at her. “Trying to mouth off again.”

She let out a weak, breathless noise.

“You wanna say something so badly, don’t you?” He mused. “Can you even think with me this deep inside you?”

“Levi…” she answered desperately, her hands grasping at his wrists, fingers tightening around them. “Please… closer…”

He tisked at her, shaking his head once while he bore down on her, fucking her tight walls.

"Disobedient whores don't usually get pampered...they get throat-fucked, cunt stuffed with dick, and spanked raw until they remember their place..."

Y/n gasped as he forced her legs higher, nearly folding her in half beneath him. A strained breath escaped her when the movement tugged slightly at her injured shoulder.

Levi had nearly forgotten about her injuries entirely until the sharp sting in her breath brought him back to reality. Irritation flickered across his face for a moment. Part of him almost wanted to be harsher for it, to punish her for getting hurt so badly in the first place, but instead his grip loosened slightly on one of her thighs, letting it relax while his other hand remained firm and unyielding.

"And if you hadn't gone and gotten yourself fuckin' stabbed..." he punctuated every word with a sharp thrust. "...then that's exactly what you'd be getting right now," he hissed through gritted teeth as he slammed into her trembling center, obscene slick sounds filled the room, which were quickly drowned out by her loud cries.

“Levi… I’m not gonna last if you keep fucking me like this…” she whined shakily. “Please… I just need you closer—I'm almost there...”

Her fingers tightened against him weakly as she looked up at him through unfocused eyes.

“I’ll listen,” she breathed. “I swear I will. I’ll do whatever you want me to… just—please…”

The sound of her begging him nearly sent him over the edge.

"The next time you decide to disobey me, I'm going to fuck your pretty little cunt inside out..." he snapped. "By the time I’m finished with you, standing’s going to feel ambitious.” he snapped.

"I—I understand..." she cried out softly. He could feel her spent pussy clenching tightly around his shaft. As he snapped his hips to hers, he fought to hold himself together long enough to make sure that she came first.

“Fuck…” he muttered darkly, finally relenting to her desperate pleas. He shifted over her and gripped the back of her neck sternly. “Look at me,” he warned, holding her gaze as the last of his restraint began to slip.

“You better tell me you’re close, because I’m barely holding it together here.” He growled low in his throat, his hips faltering for half a second as he fought against the overwhelming rush threatening to break through.

“Levi-fuck!" she panted out. "I’m cumming already…” she cried breathlessly, her eyes lulling back behind her lids as he rocked his body into hers.

"Good fucking girl..." he growled, taking her lips and kissing her deeply.

He groaned into her mouth as her convulsions milked and massaged his cock. He refused to pull out until the very last second, breaking the kiss sloppily and painting her stomach and pussy with his warm release. He let out a rough breath through clenched teeth as he pumped his length, watching his cum pool in her naval and drip from her pelvis down her ass all the way onto the blankets underneath them.

Levi dropped heavily beside her, chest rising and falling with rough breaths as he dragged a hand down his face, visibly trying to get himself back under control.

For a while, the only sound was their spent breaths mingling together, and a few soft whimpers from y/n who shifted slightly next to him, alerting him to check on her.

“Your arm okay?” he asked softly, turning onto his side and propping himself up on his elbow, his eyes scanning over her carefully. She looked utterly spent. Cunt swollen and still lightly throbbing, cum dripping down her heated skin, her hair fanned out in a messy halo around her, and a dazed, crooked grin splayed across her beautiful face.

"Feels great..." she breathed, closing her eyes, not even seeming to care about the mess at all.

Levi pushed himself quickly off the ruined bed, muttering a quiet curse as he searched for a cloth to clean her up with. After taking care of the mess, he carefully peeled back part of her bandaging, checking to make sure their reckless activities hadn’t pulled any of her stitches loose.

"How's your handy work doing?" she asked lazily, eyes failing to stay open fully.

"Just fine..."

He answered quietly, watching her drift closer and closer to sleep. Carefully, he pulled the blankets over her, helping adjust her head against the pillow before slipping back beneath the sheets beside her. His arm wrapped cautiously around her waist, mindful of every bruise and bandage.

“Y/n?” he murmured after a while.

“Mmm?” she hummed sleepily.

Levi exhaled softly through his nose, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

“Don’t ever make me that angry again,” he muttered tiredly. “I almost had to do an unspeakable thing to you."

“Oh? And what’s that?” she asked teasingly, her eyes barely hanging open.

Levi glanced over at her, his expression completely flat.

“I almost had to fuck you in the ass,” he said plainly.

She burst into laughter immediately, her shoulders shaking hard enough that she winced and grabbed at her injured arm.

“Careful, idiot,” Levi muttered, steadying her against him.

“Yeah, I’ll be more careful from now on,” she giggled breathlessly. “Though honestly… I’m not sure I would’ve minded all that much.”

Levi let out a long, exhausted breath that sounded suspiciously close to a laugh.

“Tch...you’d be into that too, wouldn’t you?"

She nodded her head and chuckled softly, almost asleep.

“Maybe another time,” he murmured against her hair. “For now, get some sleep. You’ve earned it.”

His arm tightened around her as he pulled her closer into his chest, his fingers absentmindedly brushed through her messy hair. Eventually, her breathing evened out against him, until it became slow and warm. With the simple reassurance that she was alive and safe in his arms, he finally allowed the tension to leave his body, too. Not long after, sleep dragged him under beside her.