What if
Armin visits Levi post war, smiling and warm. Seeing him feels good, they hadn't realised how much they one another. It's good to know he's alive.
Annie stands a little farther, a child tugs at her skirts, squirmish and round-faced and short-legged. Levi squints to take a better look at him but he's too far away.
Another is perched in her father's arms, a hand in her mouth in all seriousness. Armin's curious sparkle shines in her eyes, behind a curved nose.
Levi's heart clenches in a cruel second-long recognition, a mere shade running across his eyes that dissolves in seconds. The odd familiarity of her caught him off guard.
It's enough for Armin's sharp eye to notice.
"That's Zoë," he says with a smile and lowers her to the ground.
Levi's throat clogs. Zoë.
She looks so much like Hange.
So her name won't be remembered as just ink on paper, a soulless list of her accomplishments as Commander. She'll be remembered for her bright eyes and grabby hands, her laughter and the lightness of her step. Even if only by a handful of people.
The wind rustles the laurels strewn around his garden. That must mean she's smiling, wherever she is.
"Hello, Zoë," Levi greets in earnest, and the girl grins.