Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Levi has a pet. It's an unusual pet, but a pet nonetheless, one that didn't require much to be thriving. It was small and clean and undemanding. And it can eat the dead skin and hair accumulating all over one's house known as dust, which was a big plus in Levi's books as far as pets go.

How did Levi Ackerman, former Captain of the Survey Corps and Humanity's Strongest from two thousand years ago, come by to have such a convenient little pet?

Well, it's a funny story, actually.

You see, one day, his uncle, Kenny Ackerman, his uncle's husband, Uri Reiss, his mother Kuchel Ackerman and his cousins Historia and Frieda Reiss all dragged him to the beach for his summer break the year he started primary school. Levi was not amused; he wasn't very fond of the ocean because it was dirty, all sorts of things took a shit in it and yet people kept trying to convince him the water was 100% clean; if it was, then why wasn't anyone drinking it? Sure, it's salty, but you can just filter out the salt! The salt gets used for various things, but the water is never stored and used by itself, instead left to evaporate on big salt farms so humans can harvest the salt and not use the water at all. So clearly Levi was at least partially right that the ocean was filthy!

Besides, Levi was never fond of the ocean. He'd been reincarnated with his past life's memories, unlike the rest of his family, so Levi remembered all too well the shitshow that awaited the Eldians from Paradis on the other side of the deceptively pretty looking waters. So, no, Levi almost downright hated the ocean and going to the beach was not going to change his mind, no matter what his mother thought. But she'd insisted and Levi was forever weak to his mother. She had a better life now, was healthier though never at 100% after managing to fight through lung cancer for the past couple of years, so whatever she wanted, Levi and Kenny indulged her.

The trip had been financed by Uri, who was too kind to be with someone like Kenny - which often made Levi wonder if the former King of the Walls really didn't have any memories like the others and made him question if he was really all alone in remembering that awful time in human history - and he'd brought his two nieces along. Frieda was seven, like Levi, while Historia was supposed to turn five that year. They were little annoyances and Levi didn't really like them all that much, even if Historia had once been his subordinate and Queen before she and a certain shitty brat had started plotting the veritable end of the world together with that ginger psycho.

It was an overall nice day. No one forced Levi to get in the water and Kenny was all too happy to start an all out water balloon war with him with the water from the nearby showers instead. They were both soaking wet by the time they had done, but Levi got the last laugh when his final balloon hit Kenny straight in the face. Honestly, it had felt good to have some fun with Kenny. Whether he'd wanted it or not, Levi had still seen him as a sort of parental figure in their past life.

And their playing only made his mother laugh and smile more, so that was always a plus.

Eventually, they went on the boat and were meant to spend the night on it so they can watch the stars away from shore. It was a cloudless, starry night and Levi was content with a full belly and warm clothes around himself. Then Kenny asked him to help him set something up, he was standing by the railing and Historia bumped into him, causing him to slip under and in between the gaps of the railing and straight into the no-longer pleasantly temperature water. Thing was, despite Levi not liking the ocean or even pools all that much - he'd seen one too many people pee or spit in them to ever trust even insane amounts of chlorine to keep them clean - Levi was still a great swimmer. And he would have just swam back up to the surface and stopped all the annoying yelling from above, but he'd dropped his mother's favorite blanket, so he'd decided to dive deeper to catch it before the currents took it away.

Turns out, their boat had drifted into a more shallow area with some rocks rising from the seabed. His mom's blanket got caught in some of the seaweed or whatever it was that was growing there, so Levi just snatched it up and swam back up just as Kenny jumped in, nearly taking him down under again. His uncle got a tongue lashing for that one, but Levi also got one from his mother for putting her blanket first over his safety. Levi didn't bother trying to reassure her that he was perfectly safe, since he knew she was just worried and instead let her fuss over him before he managed to escape for a warm bath, taking the blanket with him to wash it out since he's the only one in his whole family who knew how to clean properly. Not unexpected, but still a bit disappointing his teachings hadn't stuck with Historia or that his mother wasn't as meticulous as he was.

Anyways, that's all besides the point.

The point was, while Levi was washing the blanket out, he'd noticed there was something clinging to it. Something small and desperately trying to stay attached to the wet patches of the blanket. So Levi had fetched an empty jar from their beach snacks, gave it a quick wash and squeezed out all the salty water he could out of the blanket before shaking off the clinging thing into it.

On closer inspection, it looked a bit like a worm with tentacles as legs and spikes covering its back. It was whitish in color and the light seemed to reflect off of tiny scales like crystals in the most unsettlingly familiar way possible. Then it turned its head up and towards the Ackerman and Levi swore when he saw simple purple eyes staring up at him.

And then there was also the fact that it glowed.

Levi didn't need to be an expert in anything to know that this was the glowing 'centipede' they'd seen during the Rumbling, the one that had attacked him and his Squad twice in defense of Eren's Founding Titan form. It was the ancient creature which had merged with Ymir the Founder, had created the Coordinate and the power of Titans, the so-called 'source of all living matter'.

Levi had just found the thing that had started way too much of this world's bullshit and he was not happy.

However, he couldn't just throw it back into the water; he knew what it was, what it could do, the powers it could grant its host. He knew just how dangerous this little five centimetre glowing worm-centipede-thingy was. And he knew what human greed was like, what it could lead to.

So, ultimately, Levi took the shining creature with him. Told his mother he thought it was cool and wanted it as a pet. Kuchel had nothing against it, glad her son finally had a hobby of some sort besides training his body for fighting, running, horseback riding and climbing, all things she thought might be a bit too dangerous for her young child. Kenny thought it was just a phase all boys go through, finding worms and bugs fascinating.

The first thing Levi did upon getting home was finding a huge pickle jar to turn into an aquarium for his new 'pet', washing it and setting it up with some saltwater plants and some sand he'd picked up from the beach before the left. Then, he took a picture of the thing and posted it on a scientific forum, titling it with a simple, inquiring yet challenging "Who can tell me what this is?"

In return, he got a lot of compliments on his 'editing' and 'drawing' skills, because apparently everyone thought he'd created a recreation of a Cambrian animal species which has been extinct for millions upon millions of years and was still mostly shrouded in mystery. Still, he got some basic information on the thing: it's name was Hallucigenia sparsa, it eats the remains of living organisms that fall to the seabed and is, apparently, very good at surviving. The rest soon turned into scientists and weeds arguing with each other over whether he had turned the animal the right side up or if it should be the other way, but Levi didn't give a shit after he'd learned basic information for keeping that thing alive.

Whether he liked it or not, he was now the owner and caretaker of, as far as he knew, the only living specimen of a thought-to-be-extinct species which had, ultimately, brought about his own existence, the lives of his friends and all of the Eldian race, given they wouldn't have been Eldians had it not been for the Hallucigenia and Ymir Fritz. Killing it after all it had survived, no matter how dangerous it might be, just didn't seem right. Levi didn't want to be responsible for the death of what was basically one of the oldest, if not the oldest, living species and individuals on Earth.

So he took care of it. Occasionally fed it seafood, usually just dumped dust or fish food in its new habitat. He wasn't overly comfortable with how much it liked to eat the dust he collects around the house, considering that around 78% of dust inside a human residence consists of dead skin cells. Guess he discovered where the Titans' hunger for human flesh came from ... Other than that, the Hallucigenia was a relatively easy pet to keep. It cleaned up after itself, so its 'aquarium' never got dirty. And it easily adjusted to tap water, so Levi didn't even need to go to the sea or buy expensive filters and whatnot to get it salt water. It wasn't noisy and its shine in the dark was actually a bit ... reassuring. It reminded Levi of his past life, but somehow devoid of all the horrors he'd seen. It reminded him of the brief serenity he'd discovered within the Paths, as he'd stared up at the glow of the Coordinate, of all the Paths coming together into the source of life and connection of all Eldians.

He never showed the Hallucigenia to anyone but his uncle and mother. Not even Uri. He didn't know who might recognize it, be it as an extinct species or the source of Titan powers. Frieda and Historia managed to learn about it but he swore his cousins to secrecy if they wanted to get to 'play' with the Hallucigenia. He never left them alone with the thing. Levi didn't know if Titan powers, Ackerman awakenings and Royal Bloodlines were still a thing these days, but you can never be sure.

Life moved on, years passed, the Hallucigenia stayed on Levi's desk in his room and Levi even learned to like his 'pet'. It was a very weird, very much unusual pet, but it was a pet and he liked it with all of his dark little heart. It's small, undemanding and, most of all, clean. And he keeps it as a secret for ten years before Freida reveals it to the world in an attempt to get money for Uri and Kuchel when they fall sick one after the other, Uri's heart slowly giving out on him and Kuchel having a relapse with her lungs. Uri is from a well-off family, so they have enough money to pay for both his and Kuchel's treatment, but Uri's older brother, none other than Rod Reiss, is a selfish bastard who only cares about himself and had even dared to suggest Kenny ought to choose who he wanted to save: his sister or his husband.

So Kenny and Levi had started working their asses off in an attempt to get enough money to at least partially pay for Kuchel's treatment, both of them even joining shady businesses and deals to get as much money as they could. Levi entered an underground fighting ring while Kenny ... Well, Kenny earned himself the nickname 'The Ripper' all over again. Still, not enough money was coming in so Kenny let Rod employ him, which left a bad taste in Levi's mouth. It reminded him too much of the past.

Historia and Frieda tried to help them get by on a day to day basis, which is when Frieda thought up the plan to sell the Hallucigenia off to the highest bidder. She didn't know what it was, all she knew was that it was a rare species and that Levi probably shouldn't have even had it in the first place. So she put it on eBay and even on a black market secret page. She even offered it to a museum and a zoo. Very soon, the word of a live Hallucigenia started circulating in all the worst circles and Levi was suddenly flooded with prices and offers.

Levi nearly strangled Frieda.

"DO YOU EVEN REALIZE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!?" He snapped in a rare, almost unheard of moment of pure rage when he actually shouted. Levi never raised his voice. Historia and Frieda were, understandably, shocked.

But Frieda wasn't one to easily back down. "I HAD TO! AUNTY KUCHEL IS DYING, LEVI! IS YOUR WEIRD WORM REALLY WORTH YOUR MOTHER'S LIFE!?"

She didn't understand. She couldn't. Because she didn't remember.

She didn't know that she had ultimately set Levi up for a life on the run in an attempt to stop the world from ever rediscovering Titans and the ruin that could come from them.

It all started when, one day, government issued black vehicles appeared in front of Levi's house. He was up in his room, trying to rub off any dead skin cells from the tips of his fingers to feed the Hallucigenia since he didn't really have the money to buy fancy food and he'd run out of fish food last night and hadn't had time to buy more yet. He heard the screeching of tires and breaks, looked up from where he had been keeping a close eye on the shining creature, his eyes widened when he realized what was going on and then he felt a minuscule bite at his fingers, snapping his attention back at the little fucking parasite that had gotten him into this trouble in the first place.

The little fucker had bitten him.

Levi was tempted to squash it right then and there.

But it turned out to be a good thing, as when he'd packed up the bare essentials of some cash, a change of clothes and a bottle of water, as well as the Hallucigenia's now sealed up jar-aquarium and made his way downstairs to sneak out the back, he found himself surrounded by special ops squads all pointing guns and rifles at him as though he were a drug dealer or a serial killer or something.

"Give us the Hallucigenia and no one get's hurt!" One of them, probably the commanding officer, had called out and Levi knew it was all bullshit. So he took out one of the smoke bombs Kenny had invested in for the purposes of his new 'job' and tried to make his escape. There was shouting and gunfire but then Levi found his way being blocked by cars and he casually flipped one with a single hand to get it out of his path before running far faster than anyone Levi had seen do in this time and age. And as his senses sharpened and a sort of power started buzzing through his body, Levi knew one thing for certain: his old Ackerman abilities were back.

Which meant that this Hallucigenia wasn't just the same species as the thing that had created all things Eldian; it was the Hallucigenia which had created all things Eldian. This was the Hallucigenia which had supposedly died with Eren Jaeger, but it clearly hadn't.

This thing, indeed, had the power to turn people into Titans.

Levi suddenly had one thousand more reasons to keep the thing out of anyone else's hands.

And he was suddenly ten times more equipped to do so.

He spent two years on the run like that, hiding and running, evading and protecting the Hallucigenia from the ever growing number of people interested in its mysteries. He'd had to deal with far too many different people for his liking, from scientists, to soldiers, to special operation units to fanatics to conspiracy theorists and even some religious nut-jobs who thought he was trying to 'upstage the Church' or something. As if Levi didn't have a million better things to do than bother with the Church. He hadn't liked the Wall Church and he sure as hell didn't need another religion to tell him what he should or shouldn't do with his life. Especially as he knew their preachings were all very questionable, especially after his past life and the shit he'd seen happen then.

He had a few weird encounters with the people from his past life, both people he'd known personally and people he'd only seen from afar or maybe talked to once or twice. Nile had led that first raid on his house and Zeke motherfucking Jaeger seemed to be in charge of a CIA secret science division that wanted to take the living Hallucigenia from him. Thankfully, neither of them had their memories. In fact, so far, Levi had yet to meet a single person from his past life that did have them. If he were a person of a weaker will, he'd question his own sanity long before he'd found the pesky parasite, but ever since the thing gave him back his Ackerman abilities, he had no reason to doubt.

Life on the run wasn't fun, at all. He had to settle for shady motels, never stayed in one place for too long and he'd even had to smuggle himself on a cruise ship to get to a whole different continent in hopes of escaping his most persistent pursuer, the Monkey. Though he wasn't any safer in Europe, either, and he thinks the different climate might not actually agree with the Hallucigenia. It hasn't been looking too good since they got off the ship in the UK and the MI6 were a bitch to run from, especially with none other than Erwin Smith leading the hunt on Levi. Ending up in Spain would have been the best thing he could have done for himself and the glowing menace, if only he actually knew how to speak Spanish well enough to get by. He knew he should have paid more attention in class.

At least he found a shack by the coast where he can hide and he has his improvised fishing gear, so he can get both himself and the Hallucigenia some food. If Levi's ever been thankful for anything to have passed from one life to the next, it was his memories and skill sets, because he would have probably starved to death while on the run without his old survival and pickpocketing skills. And he was actually very grateful to the Hallucigenia for giving him back his Ackerman powers; he'd come to rely on them quite a bit since coming to Europe meant a whole ton of new problems had arisen, as he was chased not only by secret services, militaries and various countries' police departments, but also by a whole lot of new criminal organizations and mafias and who knows what else. He honestly felt like he was in one of those cliche action flicks and he was sick of it.

"You're a whole lot more trouble than you're worth," he glared at the Hallucigenia in its fancy new carry-on aquarium. An asshole in France had actually managed to steal the Hallucigenia from him for a while and had delivered it to some crazy scientist, who'd put it in an almost science-fiction type of container and had been ready to set off for China or something had Levi not interfered and taken the Hallucigenia back. He kept the container after checking it for tracking devices and bugs because the thing was sturdy as hell and he didn't have to worry about a jar breaking while he runs around when people are shooting at him. It was also bulletproof, so it could be used as a good body armor.

Gosh, he misses the days of 3DMG and Titans. Things actually made sense back then. Actually, scratch that; things were even more fucked up then than they are in this new world and time. And he definitely didn't miss the Titans. Maybe a certain two or three Titan Shifters, but not Titans themselves. But he did miss the 3DMG; escaping all of his pursuers would be tens of times easier if he still had it.

But alas, he had to settle for normal transportation just like everyone else. Which is a whole lot more difficult when you're on the run.

All passengers for the train from Barcelona to Calella, the train will leave in ten minutes. I repeat, all passengers from Barcelona to Calella, the train will leave in ten minutes, went the announcement over the speakers, thankfully in Spanish, English and even French. Levi sighed in relief at hearing he won't have to stay in such a big city for much longer. Calella was a tourist spot, but it wasn't all that big despite having some spectacular beaches, clubs and hotels. Levi could easily keep a low profile there until he decides where he should go next. He knows he'd probably be safest in Africa, but he's not sure if he could keep the Hallucigenia alive in its weather conditions and the fact that he'd have less access to food than usual. Yes, the Hallucigenia could go weeks feeding off of only Levi's dead skin cells, but he could still get it some other food, too. And he needs food himself, too, not to mention they both needed water. The Hallucigenia had adapted to fresh water instead of salt water, but Levi wasn't sure if it could survive if he accidentally changed its water with some land fresh water full of chemicals that could be lethal to humans, let alone something as small as the Hallucigenia, no matter how many powers this little piece of shit has.

It's why Levi was aiming to reach Asia. Preferably Japan or China. He has a pen pal in Japan and he's sure she could help him find a place to stay and China simply has too many people to worry about an illegal immigrant willing to make a few bucks in underground fighting rings. Levi would probably even become a favorite, considering he doubts there's anyone left on Earth who could match an Ackerman even with steroids and whatnot going through their veins.

But that's a worry for another day. Right now, he just has to go buy a train ticket from one of those convenient dispensers. It's why he chose Spain, really, even if he didn't speak the language. People here have automated about 75% of all transportation. Levi just had to let the conductor check his ticket, he won't be asked for his name or destination or anything.

Spain's also one of the cheaper places in Europe where one can buy fake IDs and other such documentation, which Levi really needs if he wants to get further than say, Italy or Greece. International and especially intercontinental flights are off limits, but he could at least board a ship.

"Let's just get this over with, huh?" He said to the Hallucigenia before he tucked its container into a cloth bag since his old backpack finally ripped after two years of strenuous use. A backpack is one of the first things he's getting once he gets off that train. As he was making sure the damned bag can actually endure the portable tank, he bumped into a brunette woman who immediately started apologizing to him in rapid Spanish that Levi couldn't make heads or tails of. Not that he was listening.

He was too busy staring at a far too familiar face. "Excuse me, but ... Do I know you?" He asked the woman, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. It was a familiar face alright, but also not quite. He'd simply seen a face like it before. Tan skin, brunette hair, large eyes, slightly thicker but shapely eyebrows ... The only thing out of place was the eye color. It was honey-gold and while Levi had certainly seen such a shade temporarily take over the eyes of the face he was familiar with in certain lighting, usually near a source of fire, they had always looked more gold than honey.

"Oh ... I don't know ... Now that I think about it, you look familiar, too," the woman said, in English this time, but that wasn't as comforting as Levi would have thought. Because, no, he wasn't supposed to be familiar to anyone. When he'd left home, he'd had jaw-length hair and glasses. That's the last time anyone had had a clear look at him. But the Hallucigenia's little trick of returning to him his Ackerman abilities fixed his eyesight and he'd gone back to his preferred undercut several months once he'd had to run away from home. He even often wore contacts to cover up the change in color his eyes went through, no longer the clear blue they'd been before the stupid worm had bitten him but instead once again that silver-blue he'd had as Humanity's Strongest Soldier, which was a distinguishing feature of his but thankfully everyone else seemed to think that color was a product of contact lenses. He often wore fake braces on his teeth when he was staying in some town or making a new fake ID.

This woman shouldn't be familiar with him at all.

Not unless she was-

"Mom, come on, or you'll miss your train!" A sudden, all too familiar voice called out and Levi and the woman turned around at once to face the approaching tall, young man with long, silky brunet hair, tan skin and mesmerizing oceanic green eyes. Levi felt his brain stall as he realized why this woman looked so familiar but yet not completely. She was the mother of-

"Oh, Eren! Ah, yes, I'm going now," the woman said, still sticking to English, smiling at her son, who had frozen as he registered who was standing beside his mother on a random metro station in Barcelona, gawking at him in just as much surprise.

"Levi-heichou?"

"Eren?"

"You remember!?" They both asked at the same time, still staring at each other with wide eyes. The woman, who must be the famous Carla Jaeger, just looked between the two of them before smiling.

"Well, it seems like you've run into a friend of yours, sweetheart! You don't have to worry yourself over escorting me to my train, I know my way around." That snapped both men out of their trance and both protested that Eren should escort his mother to her train but she waved them off and mock-sternly ordered them to catch up. As she turned to walk away, she winked at her son teasingly and singsonged at him. "And you better bring your little cutie over the next time you visit home for break or I'll have to play detective and get to know him on my own!"

"M-mom! It's not like that!"

"That's what they all say~!" And with that, the woman was lost in the crowd of other passengers, leaving one Levi Ackerman alone with one Eren Jaeger, the first person Levi had ever met from his past life to still have his memories intact.

The moment of stunned and awkward silence between them was broken when a honestly terrifying warbling hiss kind of sound came from Levi's cloth handbag and they both looked down at it, Eren in confusion and Levi in mounting worry. "Uh, Heichou, what was that?" Eren asked when the hissing wouldn't stop no matter how much Levi kicked the bag to shut the damn Cambrian living fossil up. "Oh, am I holding you up? You probably have a train to catch. And considering you're on this level, it means you're going out of the city ... Have you been here this whole time, though, in Barcelona? I can't believe we've never run into each other ... You look ... Good. Really good. And younger. But you still have those dark circles under your eyes-"

"Eren, will you please shut up and get us someplace private that we can talk about?" Levi asked when he realized there was no shutting the Hallucigenia up. Twelve years with this thing and never once before has it made a single sound, but now it's suddenly throwing a literal hissy fit. An idea occurred to Levi. "Wait, hold this." He unceremoniously thrust his bag into Eren's unsuspecting hands and he nearly dropped it but reflexes kicked in and Levi glared at him for the near miss. Not that anything would have happened, that container was near unbreakable, but better safe than sorry.

The hissing stopped.

"Oh, screw you! Twelve years! I feed you and keep you safe for twelve fucking years and this is the thanks I get? Fuck you, you shitty glowing parasite!"

Eren just gawked down at the container peeking out of the bag. "Heichou, what-?"

"Do you have anywhere we could talk in private? Preferably with some food? Also preferably with a wide range of choices that includes seafood and that's not too expensive. Oh, and do you have a backpack I can borrow?"

"What is going on?" Eren asked even as he started leading the way.

Levi ran a hand through his hair. "I'll explain later."

Chapter Text

Eren's idea of a private place to talk with a large variety of food to choose from ended up being his and none other than Armin Arlert's temporary office while they intern at the big Barcelona Aquarium in Port Vell. Armin had looked just as stunned to see Levi when Eren guided him through the door of their joint office and Levi was a bit surprised to see him jump up from his seat into a perfect salute. Seems two people he's found now have their memories of their past life, which Levi considered to be incredible luck. Though Eren's mother had seemed to be 'familiar' with him, too, possibly remembering Humanity's Strongest Soldier of the past. Maybe there was something in the water here in Spain?

"Levi-heichou, sir! It's a pleasure to see you again!"

"At ease, Armin," Levi said with good humor even as he also felt too stunned to believe what he was seeing. "As far as I remember, you ended up being my superior the last time I bore that rank."

"S-still," the blond stuttered but Levi just waved him off.

"I can't believe I've found two more people who have their memories," Levi said, letting Eren usher him into the office with his free hand, the other one still holding Levi's new backpack to keep the fussy Hallucigenia calm. Whenever they had tried giving it back to Levi, the little shit would just hiss out that awful sound until it was back in Eren's hold. Jaeger didn't even know what he was holding, which was probably for the best. No doubt he hated the thing after the shit it had started and Levi didn't need it dying after he'd kept it safe and alive for over a decade. As such, Eren held Levi's bag while Levi carried the food they'd gotten from the cafeteria before they made their way to the office. Eren had given him a strange look when Levi ordered three different but miniature portions of fish and algae, knowing Levi wasn't actually fond of seafood, but he didn't ask and Levi didn't elaborate. He figured once he started feeding his pet everything would explain itself.

"Have you met a lot of people from the past?" Eren asked cautiously as they set all their things down, sure to keep the 'fussy bag' close to him lest it assault their ears with its hellish noises once again. The way Eren's mood suddenly shifted alerted Levi to the fact that it had just sunk in for Eren who he had been riding around in his car with for the past half an hour through the hellish traffic of midday Barcelona and that Levi might resent him for the Rumbling two thousand years ago.

So Levi rolled his eyes and flicked the brat's forehead, no way in the mood to discuss the mass genocide the man had committed and the weirdness of reincarnation and why one shouldn't drag past conflicts and negative feelings into the present. Though he once again hated the Monkey. And even Shitty Eyebrows, if he was being honest, but that was because they were on his ass more than any offenses those two idiot blondes had committed against him in the time of Paradis and Titans.

"Actually, quite a few. My mother, Kenny; Historia, Frieda, Uri and Rod Reiss; Nile Dock, Erwin and even your primate of a brother," Levi listed off, trying to remember if he'd met anyone else. "That's about it ... Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked Eren, who was glaring like his life depended on it.

"Oh, he's not glaring at you, sir!" Armin, always the diplomatic little shit, was quick to reassure. "It's just that, well, the, uh, Jaeger family situation is complicated as fuck." Levi arched an eyebrow at the cuss, to which Armin blushed. It's not like Levi was offended, he just wasn't used to Armin actually saying something like that, least of all in front of Levi. He was usually too respectful and shy and was trying desperately to live up to the sacrifice of Erwin Smith to ever be anything but polite around Levi. Hell, even when he was Commander and giving Levi orders, he was always respectful and looked like he wanted to ask Levi if he was okay with the orders he'd been given.

"Mind elaborating that, brats?"

Eren scoffed and tapped on the bag he'd been carrying around for the last half an hour or so. "Isn't the hissing bag a more pressing matter? I mean, I've seen a lot of bullshit in my life, but never before have I seen a hissing bag."

"Yeah, no, you're not gonna like the 'hissing bag'," the black haired man said with an eye roll and appropriate sarcastic air quotes. "Once you see what's in it and it will be far easier to explain that shitshow with a little show and tell. This, though," he said as he looked between his former subordinates. "This seems like a more complicated affair."

"Well, affair is quite the right way to describe it," Armin said awkwardly, looking at Eren for help.

The 'Usurper' rolled his eyes, huffed, crossed his arms and started explaining while Armin hurried to distribute the food all over his desk, not daring to disturb The Bag. "Well, long story short, my father first found his first wife from our previous life, married her, had Zeke and then suddenly ran into my mom a few years later, had an affair with her, secretly roped her into some weird sort of hybrid marriage, got her pregnant with me and kept deceiving her that they had a steady monogamous relationship for a few years. Not sure if he actually remembers our past lives or not, but he definitely wasn't prepared for me."

"I'm not sure anyone or anything in this world is prepared for you, Eren," Levi said sarcastically and the other two males had to agree.

"Anyway, my mother remained blissfully ignorant until my nine year old ass nearly stabbed Grisha to death when I was going through his phone and found exactly what I was looking for: Dina's and Zeke's names in his contacts, a few family pictures of all three of them, that sort of thing, all in a secret, secure folder." Levi was not even surprised that that was Eren's reaction. He knew the former Titan Shifter too well to be surprised. "My mom found out what he'd done. We sought help from her parents in Turkey and thanks to their embassy and government, we escaped Germany. But Grisha kept trying to track us down, so we moved to Spain; Mom's grandaunt lived here and was willing to take us in, so I grew up here, in Calella. It's only a few miles out of Barcelona-"

"I know. I was planning to go there until I ran into you," Levi interrupted and Eren nodded in understanding. "So, what? You grew up here? Decided to study marinology or something?" He asked, gesturing around at the aquarium they were currently in. Levi's heard great things about this place, but he wasn't a sea-lover, so he didn't really want to know what sort of animals take a shit in the water everyone likes jumping around in.

"Pretty much," Armin confirmed with a shrug. "Eren and I met in highschool and immediately became friends again. Though I'm double majoring in marine biology and marine paleontology while Eren's the one specializing marinology in hopes of working fulltime in an aquarium like this," he corrected and the brunet nodded.

"Now, when's the last time you've seen my brother?" Eren all but demanded and Levi arched an eyebrow.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to track Grisha down and, quite frankly, finish what I've started. This isn't even about our past lives; this is about what he's done to my mother and me this time around. I liked Germany and I liked Turkey just fine, too. I wasn't very fond of the idea of leaving, especially since I knew it was because we were running away because we weren't strong enough to stand up to him. Well, I'm strong enough and all grown up now. I at least want to deck that bastard in the face. And if he tries anything? Well, I have plenty of shifts in the shark tank."

Levi massaged his forehead. "You haven't changed at all," he said semi-fondly, because, like it or not, that was just so Eren of him that Levi honestly didn't know if he should be scared or not of the man this Eren could become.

"Actually, he's taking anger management classes," the blond of their unusual trio supplied, which earned him a groan from his taller friend. "It's just that Grisha is a sore spot."

"Yeah, well, I get it," Levi replied. "I've wanted to strangle a few of my own relatives over the years, or pretty much everyone from our past that I've run into."

"Even Erwin-danchou?"

"Oh, especially him," Levi assured, running a hand over his left wrist, which Erwin had broken a few months back in an attempt to capture him. "Oh, and Frieda and Rod. Rod's a given; I've wanted to strangle him even before he refused to help pay for my mother's medical bills despite Uri insisting on it and us being family and whatnot since Uri is Kenny's husband this time around. Frieda, though ... Well, Frieda got me caught up in quite the shitshow, which is how I even ended up running into Eren and his mother."

His former subordinates exchanged a look. "That sounds like quite the interesting story," Eren commented and Levi rolled his eyes, gesturing for him to hand over The Bag. He did, albeit reluctantly, clearly wary of the hissy fit The Bag might make. Levi almost rolled his eyes again but he figured it was a legitimate worry.

"Yeah, well, it all starts with this, which is fucking ironic," he said and before either of them could question him about what he means, Levi pulled the container out of the bag and was witness to Armin and Eren nearly aving their eyes fall out of their sockets and their jaws hitting the floor when they saw the, unfortunately, all too familiar 'glowing centipede' that had started the whole shitshow four thousand years ago.

"Is that-"

"A Hallucigenia!?" Armin shrieked, cutting Eren off and clearly focusing on all the wrong things about this reveal. "Oh my goodness, I thought all the chatter on all the scientific forums and websites was just some hoax and that that one picture was just a really realistic edit or something! But now all the donations and bids make sense! As well as the discussions of whether or not more Cambrian and Jurassic and all those other ancient species might actually still be alive down in the Mariana Trench despite some scientists' claims that nothing can live on those depths and in that lack of light and warmth but clearly they were wrong because-"

"Seriously, Armin? You're focusing on some made up rumor on the internet?" Eren asked incredulously and Levi just watched the two friends in curiosity and confusion. "That's the fucking creature which merged with Ymir Fritz and started the Titan age!"

"Wait, really? Was that thing really a Hallucigenia? I mean, I never got a really good look at it and the times I did see it, I'm pretty sure it was much bigger than this," Armin argued, but then shook his head. "I guess it could be some sort of mutation or something, which caused it to have special powers that other Hallucigenia probably didn't have-"

"Actually, it's the same shitstain that crawled out of Eren's ass and attacked us when we were working to stop the Rumbling," Levi interrupted Armin's ramble, surprised the boy could go off like that, not even noticing that he was mumbling and shit. "And, as you can see, it's not a rumor on the internet. It's very fucking real."

"How can you tell?" Armin asked, referring to Levi's first statement, but Eren didn't seem doubtful. In fact, he was glaring death at the Hallucigenia, which was facing him and not taking off its simple, creepy little purple eyes off of him.

"Well, because it went all radioactive-spidery on me one day and suddenly, I had all my Ackerman abilities back. I could literally flip over an armored vehicle with one arm, my stamina increased tenfold and I could probably run faster than the current Guinness Book record holder. My senses have sharped, allowing me to stop wearing glasses, and my instincts are almost on an animal level. In other words, the way I was back then, two thousand years ago." As he was speaking, he took some of the algae and oysters from his seafood salad, opening the container just enough to drop the food in. The Hallucigenia finally lost interest in the humans around it, for the moment, because it was hungry and was finally getting a good fucking meal after months of surviving off of scraps and Levi's dead skin.

When Levi looked back up at his companions, Eren's face was grim and Armin looked a little green in the face. Quite understandable, really.

"Does this mean that the age of Titans could return at any moment?" The blond asked and Levi sighed.

"I don't know. It never showed an interest in any other human than me and it was only interested in me because I was feeding it, but it's been acting weird as shit since I ran into Eren. And I'm honestly no longer sure if it biting me was an accident or not."

"It's a lot more aware and intelligent than you guys or these modern day scientists are giving it credit," Eren retorted with a snort. "It probably bit you because it wanted to. It gave you your powers back because it wanted to. You said Frieda got you into some sort of shitshow. Armin said this thing is from the Cambrian. I can just imagine how the rest of the world is reacting to this thing's existence. I guess it knew you two were in danger and it wanted you to protect it."

Levi nodded. "My mom and Uri got sick at the same time. Frieda was trying to help since her father was being a dick. She knew the Hallucigenia was some rare species and that it was probably illegal for me to have it as a pet-"

"A pet!?" The two former Titan Shifters asked but Levi ignored them for the moment.

"-and that it could probably earn us the money to save my mother. So she posted it on the internet, said it was for sale or something. Suddenly, I had government secret agencies, scientists, pseudoscientists, conspiracy theorists, millionaires and billionaires and everything in between at my doorstep, trying to take it from me. I knew there was a great risk of this thing having the same powers as the one that had created the era of Titans four thousand years ago by merging with Ymir Fritz, so I knew I couldn't just let anyone take it. It's why I took it as a 'pet' in the first place when I found it. Long story short, this thing bit me when I was seventeen on the day I had to go on the run. I've been running ever since. I don't even know what happened to my mom, my family. I haven't heard from anyone in two years ... "

"Wait, you're only nineteen?" Eren asked, looking stunned.

"Why, how old are you, you brat?" Levi challenged as he closed the container, sealing the Hallucigenia away from the world. And the two former Titan Shifters it might try to transform again.

"We're twenty two, Heichou," Armin replied while Eren kept staring incredulously at him.

Levi groaned. "Great. Just fucking great. Not only are you two giants, you're now also older than me." Eren burst out laughing at that and even Armin giggled. "But back to the serious topic: I'm seriously still on the run because of this thing. I have no ID or passport or anything. I've been living off of pickpocketing people and smuggling myself over borders in whichever way I can, lugging this damned thing practically halfway across the world just to keep humanity from rediscovering Titans."

"Is that how you ran into other people from the past?" Eren asked and Levi nodded. "So they were all chasing you or something?"

Again, Levi nodded. "Zeke works for the CIA and Erwin for MI6. Not sure about Nile; he might be military or from some private secret agency or something."

"But wait, the CIA is an American agency, right? Why would Zeke be working for them?" Armin asked and Levi shrugged.

"The best financing for science research, I'm guessing."

"I thought you said he was chasing you?"

"Who said he isn't? Your monkey of a brother wants to be on site when they take the Hallucigenia from me to make sure nothing happens to it or some shit." the Ackerman said with a shrug. "It doesn't really matter to me. I only care about getting away from him and his crazy scientist friends. Arlert, stop poking at the container and provoking that damn thing; apparently, it's quite vocal."

"Sorry," the blond said sheepishly, taking his finger away but still staring at the Hallucigenia. "It's just ... This is a huge thing for me, okay? Hallucigenia is one of the most mysterious creatures of the Cambrian and I just can't believe that I'm in the presence of a live specimen ... "

"Armin, I've had that thing in me; trust me, it's nothing special," Eren said with a shudder and Levi arched an eyebrow at the former Attack Titan and Founding Titan.

"Aren't you interested in these sea creatures and shit?"

Eren snorted. "I want to work with living creatures, not fossils." Levi arched an eyebrow and pointedly glanced at where the Hallucigenia seemed to be making what might be rude gestures at the curious, wide-eyed Armin. Though Levi might be projecting. Eren rolled his eyes so hard, Levi thought they might get stuck in the back of his skull. "Modern day living creatures. Specifically dolphins, whales and maybe sharks. I don't mean living fossils."

"Well, technically, some sharks and sea turtle species-"

"Armin?"

"Shut up?"

"You got it." Levi snorted at the interaction. "So, Heichou, now that you've found some allies, what do you plan on doing?"

The former Captain arched an eyebrow. "Allies?"

The two older men - and wasn't that weird - nodded. "Of course! You didn't expect us to just ignore your existence and the fact that you've been on the run for the past, what, two, three years?"

"Two," Levi confirmed and Eren nodded before continuing.

"You remember, we remember. You somehow got stuck babysitting the Coordinate again," he said with a nod towards the Hallucigenia, which had gone back to staring obsessively at him, though Levi might just be exaggerating at this point. But who cares? He's a teenager; if anyone can exaggerate or be dramatic, it's him. "And you need help. It would be irresponsible not to aid you, not to mention despicable after everything you've done for us in our past life. Besides, it will be nice to be comrades again."

The Ackerman had to agree with that. He's been alone for two years with only fleeting connections to other people that usually began with 'Hello' and ended with 'Have a nice day!' when he could afford to buy food in a nicer place. And though he wasn't much of a people person, he was still human and craved some form of human interaction and connection. Especially with someone who would understand his plight, as both the 'babysitter' of the Hallucigenia and as someone who remembers a time when Titans roamed the Earth. Or, well, Paradis, but you get the point.

"So, what's the plan?" Eren asked, clearly recognizing that Levi wasn't about to turn down their offer. "I mean, you have to have some sort of plan in mind, right? You can't keep running your whole life ... Right?"

Levi couldn't quite meet the brats' eyes. "I didn't exactly ever have a chance to just take it slow and think up a long term plan. I tried, in the beginning, but things always turned to shit before I could even begin fulfilling such plans. And it's not like I have a choice; as long as the Hallucigenia exists, I can't just let it be taken. We don't know if it can merge with another human like it had with Ymir Fritz. We can't afford another Titan age; you both saw how that shit ended and I don't mean just Eren and the Rumbling. The world was in shambles long before Eren decided to flatten it. And there are a whole lot more people now at risk, seven billion plus humans and who knows how many other species of living beings on this planet. But we can't just kill the Hallucigenia, either ... It wouldn't be right. It just wants to survive, just like any other living thing. And it's possibly one of the oldest organisms on this planet; we'd be committing a crime against nature or something if we just offed it."

"So, what? We hide it somewhere? Fake its death? Where would we even hide it that the rest of the world wouldn't be able to find it?" Armin asked and Eren was the one who gave a nonchalant answer.

"The Mariana Trench? There's already speculations of dozens of beyond ancient animal species living down there, humans just can't prove it because nothing really works down there, not humans and not machines, so we can't really record anything, especially at the bottom of it. And it's so dark, too ... Though this thing might stand out, since it likes to shine."

"But would that be safe? I mean, can it merge with other living things, not just humans?" Armin asked and Levi just sat back and listened to the two scientists-to-be discuss things between themselves while he finished off his food and relaxed. He couldn't remember the last time he was able to relax. It had to have been before he'd let Freida and Historia see the Hallucigenia, since Historia was rather grabby as a child and Freida was a bit too curious for his own comfort when he's hiding the most powerful, most ancient being on the Earth. Now he was in the presence of comrades, friends ... He was, quite frankly, only able to relax like this because he was in the presence of Eren.

There was no doubt in his mind that if anyone would be able to keep the Hallucigenia safe in his place, it would be Eren fucking Jaeger, through sheer stubborness, none the less.

"Heichou, are you alright?" Armin asked as he appeared in Levi's line of vision when he opened his eyes. He hadn't even realized he'd closed them in the first place. "You look a little ... uh, rundown."

Levi groaned, closing his eyes again and sagging in his seat. "I'm just tired." He opened his eyes again when Eren put a hand on his shoulder, looking up into concerned green eyes.

"How about I take you to our place so you can take a decent shower and get some actual sleep?"

"Eren, I could fucking kiss you," the nineteen year old said with a happy sigh at just the thought of a warm, long shower. It had been hell, keeping clean over the last two years, especially in the winter. Seeing as he'd had to resort to either streams and rivers or sinks in public bathrooms most of the time, an actual shower, even if it somehow had shitty pressure and mold in every single corner of the bathroom, would be a luxury, a godsend, if he were to believe in a god, that is. "Let's go. And take the Hallucigenia."

Eren did, but the thing started up that awful hissing sound the second he held up the container. Armin looked like he had just shit his pants in fright, clearly all too surprised at the loud and terrifying noise. Eren stared down at the Cambriac animal in confusion.

Levi just marched over to the contianer, put it in the bag, and marched out the door, shouting for Eren to get a fucking move on. The Hallucigenia did not protest. Moody shit. "Can't believe this thing suddenly gets picky over who carries it," he grumbled as the last Founding Titan caught up with him, casting suspicious glances at Levi's bag. "Twelve years. Twelve fucking years, it's as silent as the vacuum of space and now it suddenly decided it wants to make its opinion known."

"Let's hope it doesn't change its mind all too often or at random," Eren commented as he led Levi to the employee parking lot and to his car. "Though I think it was just worried for you. You really don't look all too hot, Levi-heichou. Should I take you to a doctor?"

"Eren, I don't have any proper identification," reminded Levi tiredly as he got into Eren's car. Nothing flashy, good for maneuvering through the city streets, probably has a good tank and engine that doesn't guzzle gas like Pixis used to guzzle alcohol. Levi wouldn't really know. He's never bothered with cars before. Then again, he'd never thought he'd need to. He'd lived in a good neighborhood where everything was within walking distance and there was a bus towards the center if he had ever planned to stay there and get a job in his hometown. Now, though, the only thing Levi is interested in regarding vehicles is how easy it is to sneak into one to catch a free ride. So far, he's had a love-hate relationship with those big trucks and their drivers. Plenty of space, a place to sleep, friendly folks about 90% of the time, but their hygiene leaves a lot to be desired. The cabins of their trucks were usually full of food wrappers, water and soda bottles, sometimes even beer cans and, when he'd traveled with that one disturbing old pervvert whom he'd ended up knocking a few teeth out not even a mile since the guy had picked him up, used condoms and wet wipes. Some of them pee in jars. Savages. Trains and subways/metros have proven most civilized so far, not including planes. He thinks. He's never actually been on a plane before.

"Okay, so? We can take you to the campus nurse or something! I just want to make sure you're alright," argued the former Titana and Levi couldn't help but smile. This Eren, despite having his memories, acted a lot more like the fifteen to seventeen year old Eren of their past life, always worrying about his friends and comrades and still a little too eager to please or impress Levi. Levi never understood how the kid's heroworship didn't wane over time, but he'd honestly been a bit thankful for it, too. It meant that the spirited, opinionated young man followed his orders to the letter - most of the time - and that he set a high standard for his fellow soldiers to do the same, especially where cleaning was concerned. It also helped Eren strike up a unique sort of comradeship with Levi that he never did with Hange or Erwin or any other of his superiors, despite them being around almost as often as Levi was.

It was probably the first tell for everyone that something was wrong with Eren in the last year before the whole shitdhow with Marley and the Rumbling got underway; the day when Eren wasn't as enthusiastic in greeting Levi when they crossed paths in the halls of HQ had definitely left more than a few Scouts confused and worried.

"I'm fine, you brat. I just need some sleep now that I can relax. And a bath. And probably some more fresh drinking water-" No sooner than those words left his lips, Eren had thrust an unopened bottle of water into Levi's hands as he started up the car and started driving them towards his and Armin's home.

Levi smiled as he relaxed into the backrest of the shotgun seat, letting his eyes close for a nap.

He trusted Eren not to let anything happen to him or his 'pet'.

Chapter Text

It's been three weeks since Levi Ackerman and his pet Hallucigenia unofficially moved in with his two former subordinates when a confused Eren Jaeger wandered into the living room with his laptop in his hands and an uncertain air about him. Levi and Armin, who had been feeding their 'pet' - well, Armin was a bit more preoccupied with making notes on every single thing the Cambrian animal did, really, while Levi just went through his usual routine of feeding the thing; Armin had been very impressed and a bit freaked out when Levi demonstrated the origins of the Titans' ravenous hunger for human flesh by feeding the Hallucigenia the dust he'd collected from around the house during his usual cleaning sprees - immediately sealed the container shut and turned their full attention to the brunet who moved to sit by Levi on their lone but big and comfy couch that they took turns on sleeping every night.

It had taken them no time at all to get used to living together, considering they had been doing it for years two thousand years ago. They created a cooking and couch-sleeping schedule so everyone would be comfortable but Levi had insisted that he takes over most of the house chores, since not only was he living out of the two young men's pockets, but he was also at the moderately sized apartment practically all the time with nothing better to do than watch trashy TV shows in a language he didn't understand or read books Armin and Eren had brought with them from their home countries. The only other thing he would have to do would be to stare at the Hallucigenia all day long and that had gotten boring after a few hours back when he was seven and first found the thing.

Though he has taken note that it's started acting differently since he moved in with Eren and Armin and he can only guess it was because of Eren himself. He'd been its last inherited host or whatever. And the Hallucigenia had only ever been proactive when it came to protecting Eren, or rather itself perhaps, while it had been inside Eren? It was weird. Even Eren was weirded out by it. Eren made sure to spend as little time around the thing, especially alone, as he could help it. It can't be helped when it starts that awful hissing sound, but it has remained overall friendly to their new roommates. It still preferred Levi and Eren over Armin, but it had warmed up to him, too, so there's that.

"Is something wrong, Eren?" Armin asked once the brunet was seated but didn't say anything for a whole minute straight. The blond and raven exchanged a look, both knowing Eren's silence usually meant trouble.

This time, though, that didn't seem to be the case.

"I just got an invitation to a science fair sort of thing. In Tokyo. By Hange-san," he said, showing them the screen of his laptop and said digital invitation attached in an email. "I think she remembers, because I have yet to do anything noteworthy in any science field for them to invite me to this thing. It's one of the biggest gatherings of genius scientific minds in the world and it's held only once every three years. Besides, she gave me two additional tickets, not one, as people usually do. Clearly, she's expecting me to bring Armin and Mikasa. Boy, is she going to get the shock of her life when she sees you, huh, Heichou," he joked, but he still sounded a bit disturbed, perhaps? Then again, someone had just tracked him down by unknown means and sent him an email invitation to an event halfway across the globe.

Then Eren looked down at Levi and the shorter man understood: Eren wasn't worried that he was so easily tracked down for himself; he was worried because he'd just realized how easily he could lead someone to Levi if he got even the slightest bit careless.

It was a cold awakening for Levi, too. In the past three weeks, he'd almost all but forgotten that he was on the run, too busy catching up with his two former comrades, getting used to sleeping in an actual bed most of the nights and cleaning. And indulging Armin's curiosity about the Hallucigenia, completely forgetting that he usually left whatever place he stopped at during his journeys after only a week at most. He'd fallen back into an old routine that could have very well turned out deadly - yes, deadly, because half of his pursuers didn't care about whether he lived or died, while the other half wanted to know how and where he found his damned shining parasite of a pet (not that the Hallucigenia is actually a parasite, but he still calls it that because it's an annoying piece of shit) - not only for him, but for Armin and Eren, too. He'll need to be careful. Perhaps a sudden trip to Japan would be good. Throw whoever might be following him off the trail and all.

"Oh, wow. I always wanted to attend one of those! But should we go?" Armin asked, directing his question more at Levi than at Eren. "I mean, we'd have to book a private flight and we don't exactly have the cash for that ... "

"And sneaking onto a plane would be damn near impossible," Eren said with a sigh, putting his laptop on the coffee table beside the Hallucigenia's container. "Besides, would it even be safe? I mean, surely the craze of this fare or convention or whatever would be none other than the Hallucigenia, right? People found out you had a living specimen two years ago, right? They've never had the chance to discuss it or compare notes or shit like that."

Armin brightened up at that. "I can't believe I currently know more about the mysterious Hallucigenia than some of the leading scientists in the world!"

"You know more than all the scientists in the world, Blondie," Levi said with a snort. "You not only read all the publications about it, you had a first row seat to see how it moved, what it does on a day to day basis, how it feeds, how it shits and everything in between. No one else had that."

"Well, besides you and me, too," Eren commented and Armin looked like he was in a happy daze. "So, back to the topic at hand: should we go? And how even would we?"

"We probably should," Levi said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. He needs a trim. "If anyone knows anything about weird shit even remotely related to Titans, it's Hange. Besides, going to Japan so suddenly might throw off anyone trailing me off my tail."

"But then, how will we get there?" Eren asked and Armin brightened up.

"Wait! I think I remember seeing a familiar last name a while ago on the list of the top 100 most wealthy in Spain! It was near the bottom of the wealth rankings, so I caught a glimpse of it but didn't think much of it," Armin said as he took Eren's laptop and opened up google.

"One of our friends became that rich?" Eren asked, a frown on his face.

"Can't be Blouse. She'd spend all her money on food in a week," Levi commented with a snort, which earned him agreeing chuckles from the two giants he was living with. "And no offense to Springer but he doesn't exactly look like the corporate type."

"It could be their parents, for all you know," countered Eren with a grin but Levi just rolled his eyes.

"Sasha would have still eaten her parents out of house and home." Neither could argue that. "Perhaps Leonhart?"

"No, definitely not Annie," Armin said and blushed when the other two gave him knowing looks. "Ah, here it is!" He said as he pulled up the list and started scrolling. "Bingo! Kirstein, 96th spot on the list of the 100 richest families in Spain."

"Horseface!?" Eren exclaimed, utterly scandalized. Levi sniggered, earning him a betrayed look from the brunet, before he turned back to the topic at hand.

"How'd he get the money?"

"Well, I'm only assuming it's Jean, based on this," the blond replied as he showed them a web page of a horse farm: Kirstein & Bott. Levi saw nothing special in that, other than Bott not being the most Spanish surname out there, though he supposed neither was Kirstein, but the name clearly meant something to Eren, who suddenly looked both sad and happy. "I can't be sure, but I think it's Jean and Marco. I wonder if they remember?"

"Who is this Marco?" Levi finally asked. He needed to know if whoever his old subordinate's partner was reliable and trustworthy or not. He can't afford to be around someone who might want to earn an extra buck by reporting him and his little 'pet'.

"Oh, right. Heichou doesn't know him," Eren said in realization and Levi nearly rolled his eyes at him.

"Remember when Jean beat the shit out of Reiner in the forest?" Armin asked and Levi thought back on it. He did remember. He'd never seen Jean that angry before besides when Sasha died, though he'd already been overtaken by despair by the time Levi got to face his squad after their attack on Marley. But as he remembered the details of that particular night, he frowned.

"Unfortunately."

"Yeah, that Marco."

"Ah."

The silence that followed was beyond awkward. Eren and Armin seemed lost in their memories of their cadet days. Levi could only watch as grief flashed over their faces, followed by guilt. The latter was far more prominent on Eren's face than Armin's, but Armin felt guilty as well. He'd had Bertolt's memories of Marco's death but he'd never said anything. Jean and Armin had quite the argument after the war when it occurred to everyone that Armin had kept it a secret. Not even Mikasa had stood in Armin's defense, only Annie had spoken up to say anything and that had been ignored. The only reason Jean didn't test whether former Titan Shifters could still regenerate was because Levi had stopped them from arguing further. They had stopped out of respect and worry for him, as they had all walked on eggshells around Levi those first few months after the Rumbling. They had all felt guilty about the state of Humanity's Strongest while he was recovering. No matter what Levi said to reassure them, they had been brats and worried.

"Where is this farm?" Levi finally asked, figuring that they should focus on other, practical things. "How long would it take us to get there? And when is this thing happening?" The last he directed straight at Eren, who could only shrug.

"In four days. We have time to decide whether we want to go."

"Not if we're going to reserve plane tickets," pointed out Armin. "And the farm is two hours outside of Barcelona by car, to the west. Should we go now? Should we announce ourselves?"

"No," Levi answered immediately. "We'll go tomorrow and we'll just ask for Jean Kirstein. Say we're his acquaintances or something and were just passing by so we wanted to say hi. If it's Jean and if he, miraculously, remembers, we'll ask for his help. If not, we'll think of something."

"I guess that would be our safest bet," Armin hummed contemplatively. "We also don't have to be at the aquarium tomorrow. And having a definite answer will be necessary if we're going to ask for a few off days, too."

"Then it's settled!" Announced Eren, clapping his hands once. "We're visiting maybe-Horseface tomorrow, bright and early! Now, whose turn is it to sleep on the couch tonight?"

Turns out, it was Armin's, so Levi that night found himself staring up at the ceiling of Eren's room once again. Somehow, for some reason, Levi was always put to sleep in Eren's room when it's not his turn to couch-nap and Eren would simply go to sleep in Armin's room. Levi honestly didn't get why but he was glad tonight, as he couldn't sleep and Eren's ceiling was star-charted, so he gets the chance to refamilirize himself with the stars and the constellations he used to navigate the world by. Everything in the world had changed but the stars. It was the one thing not even the Rumbling could reach. It was comforting to have at least one thing remain unchangeable, though he knew that wasn't true, either. It just took far longer for the naked eye to see the changes in the cosmos because everything was so far away and even light could travel only so fast.

The Ackerman sighed as he realized he wouldn't be getting any sleep that night. It seems he's finally caught up on his two year long sleep debt and now his paranoia of being hunted down in his sleep and the Hallucigenia being taken away from him was back in full force. Thankfully, the Hallucigenia still shined as always, lighting up Eren's room in a gentle bluish white light that assured Levi more than anything that he was still somewhere safe, that his efforts in this life are not for nothing.

That didn't mean he was going to fall asleep anytime soon.

"Do you have magical sleeping powers, by any chance, you piece of crap?" He asked the Hallucigenia whose container was placed on Eren's desk by the bed. The room was small but tidy; had been tidy even before Levi and the Hallucigenia became its second inhabitants. Actually, Levi currently spent more time in Eren's room than Eren did ... Something to think about another time. Or never.

The Hallucigenia stared at him with its weird purple eyes.

Levi stared back.

The Hallucigenia stared some more.

Levi snorted. "Guess not. You're a bit useless when it's not about Titans and Ackermans, aren't you?" The creature wiggled its back spikes, seemingly offended, and Levi smirked at it. "Oh? Did I hit a nerve?" The Hallucigenia repeated the same - possibly - rude gestures it had made at Armin when Levi had first been reunited with his past subordinates. "Yeah,fuck you too, you Cambrian shitstain-"

A knock on the door cut off their little 'conversation', making both Ackerman and Hallucigenia look towards the door. "Levi-heichou? Is that you talking in there?" The door opened and Eren peeked his head inside, eyes immediately landing on Levi. Eren's eyes always seemed to glow in the dark and would take up an aquamarine color, especially around gentle, white light. The Hallucigenia's shine seemed to really make that color stand out. "Is everything alright?"

"Couldn't sleep," the former Captain replied casually. "Decided to have a little talk with our prehistoric friend over here." Eren nodded but instead of going back to bed or going to the bathroom or whatever it was that he'd woken up for in the first place, the brunet stepped fully into the room, closed the door behind him and joined Levi on his bed, sitting with his back against the wall it was pushed up against. "What, you couldn't sleep either?"

"I guess I'm a little excited," Eren said with a shrug. "Armin and I have been trying to find the others for years, but we never lucked out. Then you came along and suddenly we're preparing to talk good ol' Horseface to fly us out to meet Hange. It feels surreal. Will we find more of our friends along the way? Why are we discovering them now? Is it the Hallucigenia's doing? And why do only three, potentially four with Hange, of us remember? I get that my parents probably have impressions of our last life lingering in their minds or souls or whatever, but so far, only the three of us remember. Plus possibly Hange. Why is that?"

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that since we met," Levi admitted. "But does it matter?"

"I guess it both does and doesn't," Eren relented. "Maybe we'll discover some answers when we find Hange. Maybe we won't ever find any. I just don't like going back to not knowing anything about things that are life and death, you know?"

Levi hummed. "You've mellowed out."

"Nah," the taller one countered with a chuckle.

"No, seriously, you have. Otherwise you'd already be raging over how unfair it is that we're burdened by past memories or something. You usually didn't have to work hard to find something to be angry at."

"Hey, everyone has anger issues. They just like to pretend that they don't!"

They both laughed at that protest and they both seemed in awe when they realized the other had laughed. Levi couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a genuine, happy laugh from Eren, while Eren had never heard Levi actually laugh before, so Levi wasn't surprised by how awed Eren looked right now, like he'd just witnessed an otherworldly occurrence. Levi decided to ignore the lingering stare as he tipped his head back, gazing up at Eren's ceiling again.

"If you're studying marinology, why chart stars? And this accurately at that," he finally asked after a long stretch of comfortable silence.

"Well, when I was a kid, I actually wanted to become an astronaut," Jaeger confessed, causing Levi to tilt his head so he can look at him. Eren was also staring up at his very own miniature sky, eyes far away and face in a calm mask. "I wanted to see what was out there, you know? The final frontier, they call it. 'The sky's the limit!' people used to say, and then it wasn't. We discovered that there was so much more beyond the sky ... But then I realized that there was so much more under the waves than most people are aware of. Ultimately, though, what cemented my decision on what I want to do with my life was when I first saw an injured baby seal washed up on the beach, tangled up in some illegal fishing net or something. Vets and the police were already on the scene, trying to make sure the poor thing gets the medical attention it needs, but it was too late. It had lost too much blood and the seagulls had taken their own chunks of its flesh, too, as an easy meal. That's when I decided I want to dedicate my life to marinology. Work with animals. Dive into the deep and see things most people can't even dream about. Who needs space when the ocean is already hiding so many mysteries! I mean, we've only explored just under 20%! Who knows what's out there!"

"Well, I guess that does make sense," the raven haired male commented. "You, Armin and Mikasa always wanted to see it. Though I guess I never pictured you as someone working for an aquarium or a zoo, considering your stance on freedom."

The other man wrinkled his nose at that. "Yeah, if I were to work at a zoo, I'd probably start an animal rebellion, but I can't do that with fish, unless we're talking about dolphins. Though they're not fish, they're aquatic mammals, but you get the point." Levi had to laugh at the fact Eren really hadn't changed all too much. He was just glad he didn't actually go through with the urge to set animals free from their cages. "What about you? You were in high school when you had to leave home, right? What would you like to do if you weren't in this fucked up situation?"

"Probably open up a tea shop," he replied with a hum. "It's something I used to dream about even in the Underground, but when I got to the surface, well, the only place I belonged in was the Survey Corps as Humanity's Strongest Soldier," he said with an ironic snort at the end. He never understood why the people had felt the need to give him that moniker. Sure, he'd earned it and, to the very last battle, had proven why, but it still felt ridiculous. "And after the war, well ... At first, I had to make sure your friends wouldn't fall apart after what they had been through. I had to attend meetings with Armin as the last Survey Corps veteran and the only other higher ranking officer left. Those negotiations were a cause of constipation, I swear. But after shit settled down a bit and the others started focusing on trying to integrate Paradis to what was left of the world, I found myself caretaker to Gabi and Falco, seeing as they'd lost practically all of their family in the war. Onyankopon helped a lot. And after they grew up, well ... " Levi shrugged.

After Gabi and Falco had grown up, they had decided they should move to Paradis and had insisted on taking Levi with them. Gabi opened a restaurant in Sasha's memory with Niccolo's help, Falco helped out with it and Levi was in no condition to try to run a business of his own, so he'd helped around as much as he could. Then Gabi got pregnant and he became an honorary grandfather and his days were filled with playing with and taking care of children. Before he knew it, he was old and wrinkled and gray, Gabi and Falco were gripping his hands as they tried not to cry in front of their own children and grandchildren as Levi finally joined his comrades, as he finally got to rest. He'd had a surprisingly fulfilling life considering the shit he'd lived through and that he'd never gotten to open up that tea shop he used to tell Farlan and Isabel about.

"Sounds busy but peaceful," Eren said with a happy yet sad smile. Clearly, he wished he could be there to see it, too. "I'm glad it all worked out somehow, though I don't think you fully agree."

"I don't agree with genocide, but I always knew you'd do some stupid shit like that," Levi retorted with a teasing lilt to his words. But then he sobered up, his entire being washed over by seriousness. "I know I really shouldn't thank you for the crimes you've committed, but I still feel grateful to you for the sacrifices you made. You stopped the death of people I cared about, of our people, and as horrific as it was ... Well, it hurts to admit, but it was probably the only way we could survive. I just wish it hadn't been."

"... Me too." They sat in silence for a long while, neither saying anything or feeling the need to, really. Levi was surprised to find his eyes drooping when he'd been prepared for a sleepless night just a few minutes ago. "What do you think we should do? About this whole Hallucigenia situation?" Eren asked, almost startling the nineteen year old with the suddenness of it. "I mean, you can't stay on the run forever. Maybe we really should just dump it in the Mariana Trench ... "

"And risk reenacting that Megalodon shit? No thank you."

Eren sent him a very confused look. "Megalodon shit?" He repeated in askance and Levi snorted, really sleepy right now.

"The movie, you uncultured swine. Even I got to see it and I live on the run."

"Oh! Well, I don't think things function that way. Sonars are pretty good these days, so I doubt they wouldn't detect even more depth than the established one. Besides, even if there was more depth than we are aware of, I rather doubt that there is a world the likes of which that movie shows. For instance, the depth beneath the supposed 'current' depth in that movie has a world full of underwater volcanoes. Nothing wrong with that, over 70% of all volcanoes on Earth are under the sea, but if there are so many, then that barrier that supposedly exists between two entirely differently temperatured water wouldn't really exist because active underwater volcanoes can heat up quite a few gallons of water in their surroundings and-"

And Levi just let Eren's rambles lull him to sleep. It was quite comfortable background noise; as long as he wasn't talking - more like yelling or snarling - about killing Titans, Eren had a really smooth, soothing tone of voice that threatened to make Levi melt.

He wasn't even aware when he fell asleep, but he woke up the next morning to Armin shaking him and Eren awake, nearly making the taller fall over from where they were leaning on each other when Levi snapped to awareness at the realization he'd been comfortable enough not to sense someone enter the room he was sleeping in. He didn't allow himself to dwell on why he felt so comfortable and - dare he say it? - safe around Eren because they had a long busy day ahead of them.

Confusing, complicated feelings for former subordinates and one-time-near-enemies can wait.

Chapter Text

The Kirstein & Bott horse farm was bigger than Levi would have expected. It was far enough from the city to cover a good bit of land yet it was also close enough to have relatively frequent visitations, be it by school children or field trips or businessmen interested in the actual business. The horse farm seemed to be rather famous for its healthy and strong specimens: racing horses, jumping horses, show horses, even horses bought for the police cavaliers. Kirstein & Bott had it all. As Eren drove them through the open doors of the farm, Levi inspected each horse from head to toe with the practiced eye of someone who'd spent a good decade riding one into the heat of battle and jaws of hell on earth. He knew no horse will ever live up to the standards of the Survey Corps horses, bred and raised for the exact purpose of facing Titans with their Scout riders to the death, but he could tell these were some really good horses either way.

He wondered if he should be ashamed that the first thing on his mind was whether it would be easy or not to steal one if he had to run in the middle of the night, leave Eren and Armin to their peaceful life while he took off with the Hallucigenia and kept in running as he'd been doing the past two years. He couldn't help it, it is all he's known since he was seventeen this time around and even in his last life, he'd spent a lot of time running, one way or another. Though he knows it would be pointless to do so now, since he had help from two people who remembered and were perfectly capable of protecting themselves should it come down to that.

"Well, we're here," Eren commented unnecessarily as he turned off the car. "The moment of truth whether we're going to Japan or not."

Levi hummed as they all opened their doors and stepped outside. "I could always rob the bank," he commented idly as he reached back inside the car to take out the backpack Eren had lent him for the Hallucigenia's container. It had, thankfully, not thrown one of its new temper tantrums at being carried around in a bag again, as Eren and Levi had feared, and had appeared rather content to be in the back seat with the Ackerman. Eren was actually the only one of the three to have a driver's license. Armin usually took a bike to work unless it was raining, which is when he rode with Eren or took the subway. Levi could have gotten a license before his mother got sick and even without one, he learned to drive out of necessity, but he didn't. He didn't have a car and stealing one is messy, risky business he doesn't need to involve himself with. Illegal immigration is already enough of a crime he's committed and he's a repeated offender in that regard. Not to mention that he's a pickpocket and an outright thief.

"Please don't even joke about that, Levi-heichou," Armin begged and Levi almost snorted at that. Just because this was a whole new life doesn't mean anything Levi does now would be his first time committing a crime. Levi's rap sheet from just this life is as long as Eren's whole arm. His time before and even as Humanity's Strongest was a much more impressive list.

"You should probably stop calling me '-heichou'," Levi muses, not commenting on Armin's distress over Levi's joking suggestion. Not that he couldn't do it. But he does want to, eventually, maybe, some day, return to a normal life, so he'd rather not do any serious crimes as a fugitive. No one will ever be able to pinpoint him for the pickpocketing but grand theft audio or bank robberies, not so much. "It's not something people in this day and age are used to and it earns us a lot of attention. Also, stop acting like I'm your superior."

"That's going to be hard to get used to," Armin almost complained and Levi arched an eyebrow at the former Colossal Titan.

"You were my Commander. You stopped being my subordinate after the war; I wasn't even a soldier. You had literal years to get used to the idea. Don't go complaining now."

"You say that as if any of us ever stopped calling you Levi-heichou," huffed Armin and Levi had to chuckle at that, because it was true. Hell, they called him Heichou so much, even their children started doing it! "But I guess it would seem weird if we called you by a title that no longer exists in this world ... "

"Actually, acting like we're the military might make this whole thing easier," Eren suddenly said, earning two pairs of skeptical eyes. "Think about it: we're people who suddenly show up out of nowhere, never having been a part of Jean's life before, if it even really is Horseface. We're just three blokes who 'accidentally' went by this farm? Or what is our story supposed to be when we introduce ourselves and they ask? Especially if it's not Jean? Or if he doesn't remember? Saying we're army pals or something, we can say we saw a familiar name and thought it was someone else, that we just wanted to drop by and visit a friend. Instead of being creepers, you know?"

"That's a brilliant plan, Eren!" Exclaimed Armin. "We should totally go with that! We're soldiers on leave and we were in the, uh, neighborhood and we thought we could throw a surprise visit for a friend!"

"I guess it's a passable excuse," Levi mused, though there are a lot of loopholes in that sort of story. He figures it's nothing people like the three of them can't handle, so he agrees to the story. "Alright then, let's get to it." By habit, the two taller men fell slightly behind him and Levi sighed as he realized the picture they made if they went with their story. It was clear they'd dumped the 'superior officer' role onto him. Hopefully, they don't slip and call him 'Heichou' in front of whoever they run into first.

"Excuse me, can I help you gentlemen?" A woman called out in English and the three men looked to the side. A woman who had been checking the horses' water in one of the green fields had spotted them and was cautiously approaching the trio, clearly wary of people who had not announced a visit to the farm. As Levi studied her features, he realized the woman was vaguely familiar, someone he'd seen only a handful of times. Mrs Kirstein didn't seem to have recognized them, though.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. Please excuse our intrusion. Is there a Jean Kirstein on the premises, perhaps?" Levi asked formally, the way he would when he used to go to the homes of his soldiers when he needed to drag their lazy asses back to the HQ and barracks after their leave was over and yet they slept in or were too hungover to drag themselves back on their own.

"Who might be asking?" The mother countered skeptically. Levi glanced at his two companions and sighed when he noticed they'd fallen into parade rest as soon as Levi had started speaking like their Heichou again. Then he noticed he wasn't far from it, either, even if he'd only once or twice saluted in his life, let alone gone through all that formal training that was utterly impractical, useless and just for show.

"We're just some military friends. We were passing by. It's our leave so we decided to go on a road trip " Eren 'confessed' with a sheepish grin, turning up his charm to the max. Then again, if Levi remembered correctly, Eren had been Jean's mom's favorite of his friends. Which Levi found hilarious, since the woman seemed oblivious of the rivalry, arguments and tendency to outright brawl with each other, or the subtle or not so subtle bouts of jealousy Jean displayed when Mikasa was somehow involved. It seemed that Eren's boyish charms still worked on her like magic, even if Eren wasn't the same awkward teenager she'd known in their previous life, before the Rumbling, of course. "We saw the name on the farm and we thought this might be where he lives! We were kind of hoping to surprise him and have him tag along for a day."

But though Mrs Kirstein is clearly charmed, she also wasn't buying their story. "My son has never been to the army, so he can't have any military friends."

Shit.

"There must be some misunderstanding-" Armin started but just as Mrs Kirstein took out her phone to call the police - and for what? A misunderstanding? Were people really that paranoid these days? And no, Levi was not being a hypocrite, seeing as he had literally every reason to be paranoid as a person on the run who had several government agencies of different countries, mafia groups and private companies all hunting him for the past two years - a familiar voice called out from behind her.

"Hey, Ma! Have you checked the horses up front? What's the hold up? You know I have the plane waiting," none other than Jean Kirstein, their former comrade from the Survey Corps, said as he made his way towards the group. Then he stopped in his tracks and gawked. "L-Levi-heichou!?" He snapped into a salute faster than Sasha could wolf down a potato - which was impressive as fuck, though just as messy - and Levi felt immeasurable relief in that moment because of three very important reasons: one, Jean remembered; two, he had a plane! And three, which was actually the most important to Levi, personally, Mrs Kirstein no longer looked like she wanted to call the police.

"Jean, do you know these fine gentlemen?" She asked and Jean snapped his eyes towards Armin and Eren next.

"Even you're here, suicidal bastard-"

"Jean Gomez Kirstein!" Snapped his mother warningly.

Eren just flipped Jean off while her back was turned towards them so she wouldn't see him. "Not so nice to see you, too, Horseface."

That's all Jean needed to hear to understand that his old squad mates remembered, too. He turned to his mother and nodded. "Y-yeah, they're my friends-"

"But they said they're your military friends! And you've never served in the army," she said, clearly still suspicious.

Levi arched an eyebrow. "Ma'am, we're soldiers. We're in the military, not your son. We met the last time we were on leave and we thought he might have mentioned us as 'military friends' since he'd made it clear we were the first actual soldiers he's ever met personally as he had some military prejudices the first time we talked."

"Clearly we've mistaken how much he considers us as his friends," Eren said with a hurt look on his face, making the mother scold her son for being a bad friend. Jean was glaring silent death threats at a snickering Eren while Levi and Armin just rolled their eyes and shook their heads at their childishness. "But that aside, you got a minute to talk, Jean-boy?"

"I told you not to call me that!" Jean snapped but his mother now looked convinced of their story. "And yeah, sure, I guess I can spare a minute, but my plane's waiting for me already so I'm afraid we'll have to make it quick."

"I guess I'll leave you boys to it. Lovely meeting you all!" Mrs Kirstein called before she hurried off to give them some privacy.

"So, Jean Gomez Kirstein, eh?" Teased Eren and Jean snorted, punching him on the shoulder when they all moved to stand closer.

"It's a popular name in Spain and it was my father's this time around. We took mom's surname, though. Dad thought it sounded classy," he said with a familiar grin. Jean actually looked like he was a couple of years older than Eren and Armin, like he was in his late twenties, but his appearance hadn't changed much compared to the Jean Kirstein of Paradis after the Rumbling. Tall, lean, muscular with a style that had often reminded Levi a bit too much of Kenny, especially when Jean wore those stupid hats. The only change now was the sun kissed tone to his skin. "So, why are you guys here? How did you find me? And why does Levi-heichou look like a kid?" Levi kicked him in the shin for that one, hard enough that he almost fell over. "Ow!"

"You deserved it," Armin pointed out.

"I may be nineteen in appearance, you little shit, but I'm still more than capable of taking you down," Levi growled and Jean was quick to apologize. "That aside, to answer your questions."

"Armin found you," Eren said, cutting in before any actual explaining could be done. Levi glared at him. "Good job being so rich, Horseface. That's actually why we're here."

"Oh?" Jean arched an eyebrow, intrigued.

"We need a ride to Tokyo, Japan," Armin said and then explained the situation with Hange's invitation. "And it's really crucial that we can get on a plane that doesn't have such tight security as normal flights usually do."

"And why is that, if I may ask?" Jean asked with an arched eyebrow. "I mean, it's just a trip to Japan, nothing big, right?"

"Well-" Armin started but Eren interrupted.

"Levi has a pet."

The tallest of their group gave Eren a dubious stare. "A pet?" He turned a skeptical glance at Levi. "What kind of pet? And why does that require a private jet? Airports and planes allow pets, with the proper containment, of course. You don't need a private jet for a pet? Unless it's something illegal ... " He looked even more suspicious now and Levi rolled his eyes.

"Thank you, Eren, for so eloquently explaining the complexity of my situation," he said sarcastically before focusing on Jean. "It's not just the 'pet thing'," he said with appropriate air quotes. "Though, it is caused by the so-called 'pet thing'. It would be best if I showed you." And so Levi took off Eren's borrowed backpack, opened it and sowed the Hallucigenia's container inside. The glowing creature let out one of its horrifying hisses at Jean, causing Armin and Jean to cover their ears while Levi and Eren were honestly used to it by now so they could partially ignore it. "As you can see-"

"¡Ay Dios mio!" Jean all but screamed, pointing a finger at the Hallucigenia, which was, once again, making what Levi was now downright sure were rude gestures with its forefront tentacles at the non-Titan-Shifter-or-Ackerman-reincarnated-Eldian while he freaked out. "That's the thing that tried to kill me! The thing that grew to the size of a house and fought Reiner!"

"Yes, we know-"

"The shining centipede!"

"Actually, it's a Hallucigenia," Armin interjected, either ignoring or oblivious to the incredulous look Jean was giving him as he started talking about the Hallucigenia's Cambrian origins, the history of research done on it and the things Armin had found out in less than a month of it being one of his new roommates. Levi rolled his eyes at the blond's continued ocean obsession and instead started actually explaining to Jean how he'd ended up with Armin and Eren in the first place.

"So, let me get this straight," Jean said when Levi finished his story. "You found that thing," he said with a jerk of one of his hands at the Hallucigenia, which hissed at him and he actually squealed, making Eren cackle at his skittish reaction. Jean glared at him before going back to his resume of all that he'd just learned. "On a random beach twelve years ago, decided to keep it as a fucking pet despite it being the thing that gave Eldians Titan powers, then had to become an international fugitive when someone finally realized you had a super old worm-centipede-thingy that is the last living specimen of its species-"

"That we know of!" Chirped in Armin oh so helpfully.

"-and people started hunting you for it. You kept running because you knew it can give Titan powers again because it gave you back your Ackerman abilities. And while being on the run, you've managed to stumble upon Eren, who reintroduced you to Armin, so you guys live together with Levi-heichou basically acting as a housekeeper-" At least he was smart enough not to call him a maid. "-but then Hange suddenly got in contact with you over an email and you all decided you want to meet her in Japan at that science convention or whatever held in Tokyo? And that's why you need a private plane, because you can't take the Hallucigenia on a communal flight, not to mention that Levi-heichou doesn't have any documentation or anything to even buy a ticket. And so you guys came running here to, what? See if I remembered?"

"Actually, we didn't even know if it was you," Eren said with a shrug. "We were guessing, based on the name," he said as he pointed at the sign declaring the property to belong to Kirstein & Bott. "So, is it really Marco? Does he remember?"

"Yeah, it's him," Jean replied but also shook his head. "But he doesn't remember shit. I would know, we grew up together and never once has he even mentioned Titans or Walls or anything even remotely associated with our past life. I'm kinda glad, if I'm being honest. Our past life was shit and Marco's death was traumatic enough for Annie. I can't imagine what a memory of something like that would do to Marco himself."

"Wait, you found Annie?" Asked Armin, suddenly no longer interested in Hallucigenia related discussions. "Did you find anyone else? Eren only found his parents and Zeke, but none of them remember, and Levi found his family, too, as well as Historia and her family and none of them remember, either. He also found Erwin-danchou and Nile-danchou, but they don't remember, either, or else they wouldn't be chasing him."

"Uh, yeah. I actually found quite a few of our old friends, Annie among them," Jean said with a smirk, obviously hiding something. Levi narrowed his eyes as he zipped the Hallucigenia back up into the backpack. "I guess if you guys are flying with me to Japan, you'll see them all real soon."

"So you'll take us?" Armin asked, excited and relieved that they had found transportation so easily.

Eren and Levi, though, narrowed their eyes. "You've already been heading to Japan, haven't you, Horseface?" Eren half-asked, half-accused and Jean just shrugged. "What's the occasion?"

"I'm a successful business man, Eren. What's to say I wasn't meeting a business partner?" Levi joined Eren in on the skeptical-eyebrow-raise. Jean rolled his eyes at them. "Fine, it's personal and joyous, if you must know. In fact, I'm heading to Japan for my wedding."

"Your what?" Armin and Eren asked incredulously while Levi just congratulated him.

"Though why isn't your mother going with you?" He asked disapprovingly and Jean waved him off.

"She and my dad are going to join us in two days, the day before the actual wedding. I'm just heading out now to make sure everything is prepared for the reception and the ceremony. Also, I hope you guys don't mind a companion on our flight today. Marco's my best man, of course, so he's waiting for us at the airport already. If you guys want to go with us, we need to get a move on. Not even private jets can take off whenever the hell they want, you know."

"Well, it's a good thing I always take our passports with us wherever we go, right Eren?" Armin asks jokingly and Levi can't believe their luck. This way, they'll have plenty of time to settle in somewhere and find a way to reach Hange before the actual science fair-convention-whatever, which will allow Levi to avoid crowds and scientists, which will, ultimately, keep the Hallucigenia out of anyone's grubby hands. "This was quite the stroke of luck, wasn't it?" Armin commented as they all filed back into Eren's car, following Jean off of the property as they drove off towards the airport.

"It would have been better if we'd had the chance to pack a change of clothes, at least," Eren complained and Levi wanted to agree with him, if only he wasn't already set for taking off at any moment as a runaway. Underneath the Hallucigenia's container, he had two sets of clothes and enough undergarments to last him a week. Armin and Eren, though, only had the clothes on their back. "Can't believe Horseface is getting married."

"Actually, he got married last time, too," Levi commented. He'd gotten the invitation to the wedding, but it was held on Paradis and Levi hadn't been sure if it was courtesy or an actual desire to see him, considering he and the bride had had a falling out only a few months before when some journalist had had the gall to question them about Eren and Levi hadn't contradicted them about Eren being a monster. Levi could understand why Mikasa was so pissed; the journalist meant 'monster' as an insult, but it was also the truth, a truth Levi had been aware of for as long as he'd known the youngest Jaeger. Mikasa, even after everything that he'd done, no matter the reason, still couldn't see that side of him without getting offended and defensive. Her loyalty was admirable, but it's a sad fact that loyalty alone isn't enough to change the reality of their world.

"Yeah, I'm aware, but still," the former Attack and Founding Titan said with a glance in the rear-view mirror at Levi. Levi wondered if he knew it was his adopted sister that Jean had married, if Armin had told him about it. He wondered how Eren had - or would have - reacted, considering the two really had a very complex relationship, Eren and Mikasa. Levi had at one point been sure they had romantic feelings for each other; Mikasa had been more obvious about it, especially right after the Female Titan incident and right after they got him back from Marley until Eren's last breath. Eren had had his moments, too, like right after they had found out about Reiner and Bertolt, but he'd never been as obvious as Mikasa. Still, there had been tender feelings there, between those two, even if said tender feelings had never been defined. But was Eren okay with Jean having married Mikasa when Eren couldn't even kiss her while he was still alive? And what if Jean was marrying Mikasa this time, too? "Can't believe Mikasa actually said yes."

"You give Jean too little credit," Armin chided, the blond completely oblivious to Levi's surprised expression in the back. Eren wasn't, though. It was a good thing they were on an empty, straight road and driving at a steady speed, otherwise Eren would have gotten them into an accident by now, since he was so busy staring at Levi through the mirror. "He really treated her right. He waited for years until they were both sure Mikasa would be comfortable to be with anyone after everything that happened and her confusing feelings for you. They had a long and happy marriage. Jean worshiped the ground she walked on, made sure she had everything she wanted ... Mikasa was really happy," Armin said with a bittersweet smile. "She finally had the big family she wanted ... Except for you ... "

"... " Eren said nothing and Levi suddenly felt really uncomfortable in the silence that filled the car. He's never had a problem with silence before, but this was weird and unpleasant.

"Can you turn the radio on?" He decided to ask. "I haven't listened to music in two years. I'm kind of out of the loop."

"Yeah, sure," Eren said, quick to comply. He started fiddling with the radio until he got to the first good station and suddenly Despacito started blaring through the speakers. Levi groaned. Armin sighed in resignation. Eren was grinning like a loon as he started singing. The fucker even had a really good voice, which was both a curse and a blessing. Levi would have felt like melting as he listened to the former Attack Titan sing, if not for the song. Don't get him wrong, Despacito was a very good, very catchy song, but that was also the problem: Levi often couldn't get the damn melody out of his head and his brain insisted on replaying words in his mind that his mouth will never be able to actually say because Levi hadn't paid enough attention in Spanish classes before he'd gone on the run.

"Please, anything but that," he finally said when the chorus came around, the most catchy part of the song.

Armin took pity on him and changed the stations, this time stopping at a French song, Ego. This time, Levi grinned and started singing, making Eren nearly swerve the car off the road in surprise while Armin wiped his head around to gawk at their former Captain. Levi surprised them further by laughing, which had Eren staring at him for a moment too long before Armin made him - like, he physically grabbed his head and made him move his head - look back towards the road before they actually have an accident. For the sake of their combined safety, Armin changed the stations again, landing on some station that was doing a Top 20 list in Europe. They were all a little freaked out when Du Hast came on and The Bag started hissing along, though thankfully not the annoying, scary way the Hallucigenia usually did when it was pissed off at someone or throwing a tantrum.

If just this car ride to the airport was anything to go by, then this journey was going to be crazier than anything Levi has done in the past two years to stay out of everyone's grubby hands and to protect the Hallucigenia.

This promised to be interesting.

Chapter Text

Their arrival to the airport was thankfully uneventful, though Jean did give them a weird look, obviously having noticed when Eren almost swerved them off the road when Levi sang. But he didn't ask and none of the three roommates - or their resident Hallucigenia, if it even could - said anything so they all let it go and instead focused on going to the plane, boarding and preparing for liftoff. Since it was a cross-continental flight, it was a slightly bigger plane than Levi had expected and it seems most of the space was taken up by the cargo hold. Apparently, this plane usually really was more for business than pleasure trips, as the plane was adjusted to even house a couple of horses. Today, no horses would be flying with them, as Jean was off to get married, but Levi can't imagine how the horses usually feel when it gets all noisy and when their ears pop with the change in air pressure during the flight.

A tall, black haired, freckled, smiling young man around Jean's age was waiting for them - well, for Jean, more precisely - by the plane itself, welcoming them warmly with kind but curious eyes. "Hi, my name's Marco! It's nice to meet you!" He said as he extended a hand for them to shake. Eren took the initiative to shake his hand with a friendly grin while Armin waved and Levi nodded.

"My name's Eren and these are Armin and Le-"

"Leon," Levi cut in, giving Marco a small, practiced smile, ignoring the way his former subordinates turned a confused look at him. "Nice to meet Jean's best friend. He talked about you nonstop."

Marco laughed, looking slightly embarrassed. "I'm sure that's not true. He only talks nonstop about his fiancee! But on that subject, he, unfortunately, didn't tell me about you guys until the ride over, over the phone."

"Yes, we are aware," Eren said with a dramatic sigh that had Levi's eyebrow twitching in half annoyance, half amusement. Jean glared exasperatedly at the brunet. "He didn't even tell his mother about us. We nearly had a very awkward encounter with Mrs Kirstein because of him. But I guess him inviting us to his wedding even if we're technically still strangers makes up for it!" He chirped with a grin and Jean snorted.

"Well, what can I say? I feel like I've known you for two thousand years."

It was Levi's turn to snort at that while Marco just beamed.

"Well, I hope you guys won't feel uncomfortable flying with a complete stranger for the next ten to twelve hours."

"Only if you don't mind the same," Armin countered with a chuckle. "I'm guessing this is also your plane, given you guys are partners, right?"

"Well, yes, but I don't usually take it alone. I'm not a fan of flying," Marco explained while he gestured at them to board the plane. "I don't mean to rush you guys, but we have a time frame in which we can go out on the runway or else we'll have to wait for the next 'quiet hour' for the airport to let us through. Don't worry about bathrooms or refreshments, we have it all on board!"

"Yeah, so just get your fat asses on the plane," Jean said with a snort before turning a respectful nod towards Levi, as if to indicate he did not include the former Captain in the 'fat asses'. Levi just shook his head and followed Marco, Armin and Eren quick to join him with Jean taking up the rear. Marco darted in to talk to the pilots while Jean made sure they were settled for the flight. It was the type of cabin of one of those luxurious planes you see in the movies, though the cabin didn't go the whole length of the plane since the back was used to transport animals. Still, it had couches as well as the regular airplane seats, and it had a bar and dining area with a table. There was even a huge TV and a Foosball for entertainment. The bar, in Levi's humble opinion, was too much. He was of the opinion that getting drunk mile high was never a good idea. "I think this should do the trick," Jean said smugly at Eren and Armin as they gawked at all the luxury. Levi, who had grown up with a doting uncle - he meant Uri, not Kenny; Levi had somehow always been Uri's favorite of all his nephews and nieces, though that might be because he's crazy in love with Kenny so his Ackerman in-laws were his favorites by default - who also happened to be rich, while impressed, wasn't overwhelmed by all the expensive things. He just chose a window seat and secured The Bag in the seat next to him, putting the seat belt through the arm straps and checking inside if the Hallucigenia won't cause any undue problems before they take off. The take off and the landing are the most important parts of the flight, things the auto-pilot can't do by itself. The Hallucigenia better not throw a hissy fit before they reach cruising altitude or else Levi will personally strangle it. "Just don't break anything."

"I don't know," Eren said sarcastically as he took the remaining seat in Levi's row. It was for the best. That way, the Hallucigenia won't have a reason to make a fuss. "I suddenly feel like punching the TV and throwing it through a window." He turned towards Levi, ignoring whatever comeback Jean had for him. "You ever flown on a plane before?"

Levi shrugged. "A couple of times, before I had to go on the run. I have a rich uncle." He paused and frowned. "Actually, I don't know if I still have that uncle."

"What do you mean?" Armin asked as he and Jean buckled up in the row across the aisle from them.

"Well, I already told you why we needed the money," Levi began. "My mother was sick, but my uncle also got sick."

"Kenny?" Jean asked and the shortest and youngest of the group shook his head.

"Uri, my uncle's husband. Rod took over all the finances when he fell ill and wouldn't let the money 'get wasted' on us. Kenny very nearly killed him on the spot."

"Wait, Rod? As in, Rod Reiss?"

"Oh, right. I didn't tell you any names," he realized at Jean's confusion. "Yes, Rod and Uri Reiss. Historia and her siblings are my cousins. None of them remember."

"So, what, Rod wouldn't let Uri use their money to help out his sister in law?"

"Rod was barely willing enough to part with the money needed to treat Uri," Levi said with disgust at his third 'uncle's' behavior. "Historia and Frieda tried to help, of course, but Frieda's version of 'helping' led to where I am today."

Jean nodded, though he looked thoughtful. "But at least you found us," he offered with a grin he would have once never dared to give his Heichou. Levi had to repress a smirk at that. "But I'm really curious as to by which system do people remember or not remember that life," he mused and Levi had to agree that that bit of mystery was a bit unsettling. More than a bit, actually.

"I've eliminated time and place of death, the means and sides in the war," Levi offered. "It's not even the Titan Shifter thing or the Ackerman thing, since Zeke and my mother and uncle don't remember but you do."

"Could it be random?" Armin asked, pointing his question at Eren, who only shot them all an irritated look.

"How should I know?"

"We're just asking, damn. Do you always have to be such an ass?"

"Well, you are what you eat," Eren replied casually, causing Armin to choke on his spit and even Levi felt his face twitch with some sort of reaction that he quickly smothered. "Which probably explains why you're a piece of horse shit, as always."

"Okay, that was good," Levi couldn't help but say as Jean was left glaring at the former Humanity's Last Hope, who was grinning smugly at him.

"Thank you," Eren replied, chest puffing up even more. "But seriously, though. I may have been the Founding Titan and the Attack Titan with all the powers that brought, but where the hell did you lot get the idea that that meant I would have any idea on what's going on in this new life of ours? In case you haven't noticed, I can no longer turn into a Titan and I most certainly don't have visions of the past or the future. Though that would have been useful for pop quizzes in school."

"Let's keep this new world a Titan-free environment," Levi said in a deadpan manner and he could tell his companions agreed. It had taken far too long and far too many sacrifices for them to rid the world of Titans and none of them were willing to enter that fight again. It's why Levi was so adamant on keeping the Hallucigenia away from other humans. Humanity is not to be trusted with such power. They'd all already seen what they would do with it. "Though, hopefully, Hange will be able to shed a light on this entire situation."

"Yeah, there's no way she doesn't remember if she sent out an invitation to the suicidal maniac," Jean commented. "I mean, why else would she, as a potentially renowned scientist, do that?"

Eren's face suddenly turned grim and he turned to face Levi. "Heichou, can you be sure this isn't some sort of trap?"

The teenager blinked up at him uncomprehensively. "Eren, what the fuck?"

"Think about it," he urged. "This is all too sudden, isn't it? What if someone saw you leave the station with me that day? Or the aquarium? Or any of the convenience stores you've been to and they just tracked you down? It wouldn't be too hard. This could be a trap and Hange could be a part of it, as much after the Hallucigenia as every other scientist you've come across is."

"He's right," a voice said and they all whipped their heads in that direction, only to find one of the pilots - or 'pilots' - holding a gun to Marco's head as he had him in a headlock and was using him as a human shield. "It really could be a trap. You really jumped the gun on this one, didn't you, Mr Ackerman. Ah ah!" The man said warningly when they all moved to get up and confront him. "Not so fast! One wrong move and the boy gets it!" Armin and Levi had to restrain their seating partners respectively lest the two enraged taller males really did do something stupid. Marco was in enough peril and terror as it was. "You know, I heard great things about you, Mr Ackerman. I thought you'd be more careful. To use an airplane, honestly!"

Levi grit his teeth. "You working for Smith?" He definitely sounded British, with a strong Brummie accent.

"You're kind of a disappointment, if I'm being honest," the man continued without regard for what Levi had just said. "I expected a challenge, Mr Ackerman! But it seems that you'll be a good little boy and come here with that backpack. Then we'll leave, nice and easy, and these fine gentlemen can be on their way, pretending they're continuing on with their normal lives without the threat of, oh, I don't know, accidents under mysterious conditions that may or may not lead to death." Eren snarled at that but Levi held him back from attacking the man. "You have to understand," the man 'reasoned'. "After all, no one can know about our organization."

"Then what's the point of 'making a deal'?" Jean asked in a growl, glaring death at the fake pilot.

"Well, I have standing orders to bring in both the worm-thingy and its discoverer, so I had to make sure he doesn't die. Anyone else with him is free game, as long as I clean up after myself."

And Levi suddenly realized this wasn't just an agent. It was an assassin, possibly even a hitman, a mercenary. Which meant he really won't hesitate to shoot Marco or anyone else. He grit his teeth. They had to take another approach to this. "Fine, I'll give you the bag."

"And yourself?" Levi nodded. "Good choice!"

"Levi, no-" Eren shut up when he turned to face him, gritting his teeth when he realized the shorter man would have none of his protests and that he was probably about to do something risky. "There has to be another way!"

"I don't even understand what the fuss is about this thing; it's an old worm, big whoop. But people are paying good money to get it and the Brits sure did offer a whole fortune!" The hitman said as Levi took the bag and walked closer to him. The man started backing up towards the door, never once letting his guard down. "Not sure what they want with you, either, but I guess you're easy enough on the eye to keep."

"You're disgusting!" Exclaimed Armin, looking nauseated.

"Would you look at that? I don't care! Now come along, cupcake. We have a long trip ahead of us, just you and me~ Well, and the worm, but no one cares about the worm." The man kept beckoning Levi, not even aware that an actual pilot suddenly appeared behind him, quickly took in the situation and tackled the man from behind, putting him in a headlock like he had Marco. The assassin let go of Marco and the freckled man scrambled for safety while the pilot and his attacker struggled. Levi grabbed hold of his shirt and flung him behind himself and threw the backpack at Eren, who just barely caught it before it could brain him, before joining the pilot in fighting the assassin just as the pilot was thrown off. The assassin just had enough time to notice Levi before the Ackerman was on him, punching him hard enough in the gut that he doubled over and puked. But to give him credit, he didn't, instead trying to get in a punch of his own. He was, however, no match for the teen once hailed as Humanity's Strongest Soldier. Levi either caught, blocked or evaded every punch or kick sent his way before he got a good enough opening to roundhouse kick the bastard across the head. The assassin fell and hit his head against the wall of the plane and that was it, since he passed right the fuck out.

"Well, that brings back unpleasant memories," Jean muttered from where he was checking Marco over for any injuries.

"W-what the hell was that!?" Marco asked, staring at Levi and the knocked out man with a bleeding head with wide, scared eyes. Eren spared him a glance before going over to hand Levi the backpack as he took off the assassin's belt and tied him up before he started patting him over in search for more weapons.

"Reiner!?" The surprised exclamation from Armin had Eren and Levi pausing what they were doing and looking over to the late pilot. And it indeed was the beefy blond who used to be the Armored Titan in their past life, groaning and rubbing his head where Armin had rushed over to check on him.

"Fucking hell, why do you guys always manage to find trouble like this?" Reiner Braun groaned, glaring balefully at Eren and Levi as if it's their fault the universe decided to shit on them in both their lives. "Nice to see you guys again, I guess. Just tell it to me straight, though ... Is this gonna be a regular thing? Just to be ready. Should I start carrying around a weapon? And what the hell was that all about, anyways?" Levi gave Reiner a deadpan look and unzipped the bag, showing the container with the Hallucigenia. The Cambrian creature hissed at the newly found Titan Shifter, causing Jean, Marco and Reiner to flinch back in fear and shock, while even Armin seemed to be getting more used to its hissy fits. Reiner looked a bit pale as Levi zipped the bag back up. "Understandable."

"What is that thing?" Marco asked, wide eyed and almost trembling.

"We'll explain later, after we take off. Are you in the condition to fly?" Levi turned the second question to the newcomer, who nodded.

"But wait! What about Bert!?"

"Bertolt's here, too?" Armin asked, suddenly looking a bit nervous. Reiner nodded, pointing to the cockpit.

"He's my co-pilot, but he doesn't remember."

Eren shot Jean a look, apparently also pissed Jean hadn't warned them beforehand about the two former Warriors. But he also understood, like Levi, what Jean had meant when he'd said they'd see more of their old friends and comrades real soon.

"What's going on!?" Demanded Marco but he shrunk in on himself when Levi shot him a warning glare. But he didn't back down. "I deserve to know if my life is going to be in danger! And why are you tying that guy up? Just call the cops!"

"No! No police!" Eren yelled, startling the freckled man.

He whirled around to look at his best friend. "Where the hell did you find these guys!? Did you do something illegal? Blink twice if you're in danger." The last was said in a whisper and even Armin rolled his eyes at that one.

"That only works if we don't see his face," reminded the shorter blond as he helped Reiner to his feet. They then turned to Levi, gesturing to the assassin on the floor. "Should we get him off the plane? Where should we dump him?"

"Where do we need to refuel?" He asked Reiner and the pilot thought it over for a moment.

"Uh, Turkey, usually, but we could push it to Ukraine or Afghanistan. Not further than that, though."

"How about if you refuel on Sicily? Or Crete?" Armin asked. "Fill up the tank to the max again and all."

"If we go with the more southern route, we'll probably have to stop to refuel in Nepal or China," the former Armored Titan said. "But why change routes?" He asked of the Ackerman and Levi just pointed at the knocked out man.

"He's been hired by Erwin Smith," he said as if that were explanation enough. And it was. There's no way in hell Erwin wouldn't prepare for the possibility that the assassin either couldn't complete the mission in Spain, but also that he couldn't complete the mission at all. This Erwin might not know Levi all too well, but he was still fucking Erwin. He'd be ready for their plane in the usual flight routes and stops, especially for smaller planes like this one. He'd also probably plan for them to try to push the fuel supplies, which is why Armin's plan might be just the type of brilliant they'd need. "What if we went even further south? Egypt or Israel or something?"

"I'd then suggest we stop in India, as they have the cheapest fuel prices and airport taxes," Reiner said with a shrug. "We'd be able to push a full tank all the way to Japan from there."

"We'll do that," Jean decided. "Their airports are busy enough as it is. If we're somehow being tracked, it'd be easy to lose their trail, especially over the Indian Ocean."

"Who'd even be tracking us!?" Marco asked desperately and Levi felt a little mean with how deadpan his answer was.

"The world governments, all sorts of mafia organizations, private companies, scientists, the black market, asshole businessmen, collectors, various institutions and anyone willing to spill blood for a good buck." He turned to Reiner while Marco gawked at him, practically shaking as Jean helped him into a seat. "How fast can you get us off the ground?"

"Our takeoff schedule is in a few minutes. We'll maybe have to wait for a runway to be free for a few minutes more, but generally, we should be up in the sky in fifteen minutes." Levi nodded and went back to searching the assassin over, pulling out all sorts of things from his pockets. When he was done, he went in search of some more things to tie the man up and started scanning the plane for a good place to tie him up. "Hey, what do you actually plan to do with that guy, Levi-heichou?"

"Yeah, shouldn't we have tossed him out already?" Eren asked, even as he donated his belt to tie the man's legs.

"Until we're over Sicily or some shit like that, we're keeping the phone, then we'll flush it down the toilet. All that shit goes out over the oceans and seas, right?"

"Actually, no, that's not how that works. There are laws that forbid it. There's a special tank where it all goes that's cleared only once the plane lands on an airport and-"

"So we need a new plan," Armin cut Reiner off before he could get really in depth about the vacuum toilets on planes. "Why don't we just send a message that he was successful in retrieving you but that he's had a better offer and then send the phone on a joy ride? They'll definitely track the phone, which gives us time to take off and put some distance before they think to track us again."

"And if we go to a smaller airport in India for fuel, we won't even be tracked. Half the airports in that area aren't really equipped with state of the art radar technology, so we'll be fine," Jean added. Marco gave up on trying to understand how this was his life and just watched it all unfurl.

Levi nodded his head. "Then we'll do that. Eren," he turned towards the brunet. "I need you to go and find someone from the staff. Dump this guy on them and sell them some story about how he passed out or something and you found him near the hangars."

"Why him, though?" The freckled man asked and Levi shrugged.

"He's the most charming and the most manipulative of us. Plus, I know he can actually carry the bastard."

"Well, sorry for not finding a reason to work out beyond staying in shape," grumbled Armin. Reiner didn't even complain, going into the cockpit to check on his co-pilot just as they heard pained groaning coming from within, where Bertolt Hoover had apparently finally come back to the world of the living.

"I don't think calling someone manipulative is a compliment, Heichou," retorted Eren, even as he did as Levi had asked - or ordered, it was hard to tell right now - picking the assassin up with relative ease. "Should I go inside or just dump him on the first person I see?"

"Just get rid of him and get back here as soon as possible," Levi replied, not really caring for what Eren did. "Try to stay out of the view of the cameras, though, and be inconspicuous, for fuck's sake!"

"Then you shouldn't have sent Eren," Armin reasoned, even as said brunet was already carrying the unconscious man out of the plane. "He always draws attention. The curse of being really handsome, I guess."

"Don't sell yourself short, Arlert!" Reiner called out as he and Bertolt stumbled out of the cockpit and into the cabin. "You caught Annie's eye, after all!"

"Yeah, well, we all thought Annie had feelings for Eren, too, during training camp," the shorter blond retorted even as he wandered over to fuss over his predecessor as the Colossal Titan. Levi just stayed away from them. They didn't need any more of the Hallucigenia's hissy fits right now.

"Leonhart had feelings for the shitty brat?" Levi couldn't help but ask.

Reiner made a so-so motion with his hand. "Ni fu ni fa. I think she was just fascinated by him. I mean, he's the first guy around our age that already had a healthy respect for women even before seeing what female soldiers are capable of and especially Annie. I guess, in hindsight, that makes sense, since growing up with Mikasa might do that to a person, but she still appreciated it. And, well, which one of us wasn't drawn in by his passion and sometimes idiotic honesty at least once?"

"Wow, the praises just keep raining down on me," came Eren's sarcastic drawl as he got back into the plane. "What were you even discussing to get on the topic of my bluntness, anyways?"

"Annie Leonhart apparently having had feelings for you," Marco replied, even though he sounded dubious about the fact that the two of them had ever even met.

Jaeger arched an eyebrow at them. "Annie never had feelings for me. She was just grateful for an eager student and a guy who could both admit she's strong and not throw lecherous glances or comments her way," he said with a pointed glance at the two blonds. "I was a favored sparring partner."

Now it was Armin's turn to arch an eyebrow at him. "She told Hitch and the others from the MP about you."

Eren rolled his eyes. "And I told Levi-heichou about you and Mikasa. You don't see me having feelings for either of you."

"Wait, seriously?" Jean and Reiner asked in sync. "I thought-"

"For fuck's sake! Armin and Mikasa were my siblings more than Zeke could ever be!" Eren exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm freedomsexual, so get over it already!" Levi was surprised when he saw Armin's face twist into something between surprise, realization and understanding before he shot Levi a 'subtle' glance. He had no idea what the last Commander of the Survey Corps meant with that glance, nor did he get a chance to ponder it as Eren wasn't done with his rant yet. "Fuck's sake, why does everyone seem to think I was in love with Mikasa!?"

"Well, you can't deny there were moments when it wasn't all that clear," Levi retorted and Eren slumped over, looking defeated and dejected.

"Not you too, Heichou ... "

"I thought I told you to drop the title already," Levi said with a sigh. "Is it done?" He asked, changing the subject so they can finally get the fuck out of Smith's and the MI6's direct reach already.

"Yeah, I got it done," Eren said as he fastened his belt back into place. "Are we taking off anytime soon?" He asked with a glance at Bertolt, who looked considerably better now. Seems he'd been knocked out gently and was now probably just suffering a headache. That was fine. They just needed him for the take off before he can get some proper rest while Reiner and the auto-pilot controlled the plane.

"Well, if everyone's ready, it's time for us to start taxing onto the runway, anyways," Reiner replied, checking one last time with Bertolt if he was good to fly.

"If he has some difficulty, call me," Levi said even as he and Eren took back their seats, the Hallucigenia tucked safely in between them.

"You know how to fly a plane?" Bertolt asked, the first thing he said to any of them since he woke up.

"Hell no," Levi replied. "However, I'm a fast learner."

"It takes years in the flight simulator to even think of sitting behind the controls of an actual plane," argued the tallest person there.

"I'd barely need a tutorial before I could fly like a trained professional," the shortest returned.

They had a stare off, the two of them.

The rest could only shrug.

Because Levi really could.

It's an Ackerman thing.

Chapter Text

Thankfully, Levi didn't need to take over for Bertolt, even if the tall man occasionally got queasy during the flight. The flight itself was smooth and uneventful. They refueled peacefully in India and finally landed in Japan at Tokyo's airport without any issues.

Now Levi only hoped that their feint with the assassin and his phone will work out for at least a day before MI6 realized they had played them like the cheap cazzo they are. It won't be easy for them, because Eren had been both dumb and smart enough to dump the phone on a luggage carrier for another plane while he was dealing with the unconscious assassin-wannabe. But it also might not take them that long to figure out the hoax, if the flight was international. After all, there's really no easy way to smuggle a kidnapped person on board a plane these days. And Erwin seemed as intelligent and cunning this time around as in their last life.

Levi just really hoped it at least gave them half a day head start. He can do a lot with that time, normally, but it's especially essential now that they were on a plane because they can't afford to suddenly lose the right to land where they want or to have various secret services waiting for them on the runway when they do land. Levi wouldn't want to get his old subordinates and comrades involved in that kind of shitshow. They could end up getting hurt and Levi wasn't sure if he'd refrain from using the Hallucigenia to heal them back to perfect health to save their lives, starting a new Titan age in the process or not.

The complexities of air traffic were so not worth all the potential trouble. It's why Levi avoided it, or one of the reasons.

At least Marco got his desired explanation on the long flight and he hadn't exactly believed them, even when they introduced them to Levi's pet. He only started believing them when they unscrewed the fixed couch so Levi could demonstrate his Ackerman strength. He had a hard time looking away from Levi for a couple of hours when he casually napped with Eren on it before he got over it and accepted their story wasn't wholly impossible, as he'd first been convinced.

The first disturbance, if it can be called that, that they encountered was when they finally got off the plane and were faced with some familiar faces.

Mikasa Ackerman was mid-lunge towards Jean when her eyes landed on his surprise guests. Or, well, one in particular. Tears were streaming down her face and she changed trajectory with almost the same grace as she had once controlled 3DMG and Eren found himself slamming into the doorway of the plane, not having expected the sudden attack. Levi moved out of the way when he saw Annie Leonhart on the collision course to Armin and watched as Armin fell over onto his back, sprawled on the floor of the plane.

"Levi-heichou!?" Came Connie Springer's stunned call and when Levi looked up, he had already snapped into a salute. Levi wasn't sure why his brats all automatically salute him when he reunites with them, given how chill he was in regards to that in their past life, but at least that meant they remembered. Sasha Blouse, however, didn't, staring at Connie as if he'd just grown three additional heads and then turning curious eyes to Levi, as if trying to figure out why he was the source of her friend's weird behavior. Her confusion only increased when Annie and Mikasa also snapped to salute him, after having let go of their collision victims, of course.

"Would you brats stop doing that? We're not soldiers anymore and I'm no one's Heichou."

"Debatable," Eren said as he rightened himself, frowning down at the Ackerman for even suggesting such a thing. Levi rolled his eyes at him and instead observed the comical reunion between his former officers. He arched an eyebrow when Mikasa rolled her eyes before giving Jean - a man supposedly soon to be married - a kiss. "Well, it seems like history is repeating itself. Congratulations, brats."

"Thank you," Mikasa said with a small smile. "And it seems that you'll get to attend, this time." She smiled at Eren, brighter and bigger and impossibly fonder. It looked ... weird, and wasn't that a sad thought. To think he'd only known her face to be vaguely emotionless, enraged, worried or sad. He could count on his fingers how many times he'd seen her smile openly and he'd have plenty of fingers left if he was counting laughter. He was glad she had found peace in this new life. "How did Jean find you?" She asked the former Titan Shifter and Eren chuckled as Armin walked over for his own hug from their once childhood friend.

"Actually, we found Horseface, not the other way around. We needed a ride to Tokyo for the science fair. Hange sent me an invitation, so we have reason to believe she remembers."

Annie arched an eyebrow as she came over to share a fist-bump with her once favorite sparring partner. "And you, what? Couldn't afford the tickets on your own?"

"That sounds really condescending, Annie," reprimanded Reiner as he and Bertolt took up the rear, exiting the plane after the shutdown procedures were completed. "And no, their reasons are far more complicated and dangerous than that."

"Oh my god, Bertolt, what happened to you!?" Exclaimed Sasha when she realized the tall man looked like death warmed over. The stress of flying a plane on top of whatever technique the assassin had used to knock him out had really done a number on him. He was pale and could barely keep his eyes open. But he had persisted in helping Reiner fly the plane and had refused to take a break longer than necessary even when they were on the ground.

"Part of the complicated and dangerous reasons," Levi said as he kept a distance from the former Female Titan. Annie, of course, noticed and frowned in confusion and hurt. Reasonable. After all, they had had a long talk after the Rumbling about the day she killed his squad and had decided that holding grudges would be counterproductive to the peace Eren had given his life for to give them. Of course she'd be like this if Levi was suddenly avoiding her. "Don't make that face, you did nothing wrong and I still don't hold a grudge against you. I just don't want to attract any unwanted attention in such a public place."

"Part of the complicated and dangerous reasons," Eren supplied, copying Reiner's and Levi's earlier 'explanations'. The two in question shot him exasperated looks that the brunet completely ignored. "We can get to actual explanations when we're somewhere safe and private and preferably where there are no scientists, government agents or hired mercenaries."

"Or mafia goons and secret service agents. Or corporate goons," Levi added to the list of the people who were after him for his little pet.

Mikasa's face twisted into a strange expression. "That's going to be harder than you might think," she said, causing her two former-life childhood friends and her once Captain to give her a suspicious, confused look. "My family is the head of a yakuza. I'm the heiress."

Eren turned an incredulous look towards Jean. "And you didn't tell us even after Levi-heichou told you everything?"

"Hey, Mikasa would never do anything to endanger any of us, including Heichou!"

"For the last time, you insufferable brats! Stop calling me Heichou! I don't need any more attention!" Snapped Levi before turning to Mikasa. "How well versed are you in your family's business? And is it the Ackerman side or the Azumabito?"

"Azumabito and I'm pretty involved in the business, though I'd much rather do just about anything else and leave the yakuza to my brother, since he's so eager to participate."

Levi sighed and rubbed at his forehead, feeling a migraine building up, and a nasty one. "Do you have anywhere we could stay that wouldn't be under constant or too close surveillance from your people?"

"No one is allowed into my private house, since Jean, a civilian, will be moving in with me after the wedding. Speaking of our wedding," she smiled at Eren and Levi. "This time you'll actually get to attend. And I don't accept no for an answer."

"No," Levi replied immediately, making the woman glare at him. "Glare at me all you want, brat-"

"We're all older than you this time, by the looks of it," she interrupted but Levi ignored her.

"-but my answer is final. It's not like I don't want to see two of my precious comrades find happiness in each other," he said, giving her a hard stare until she looked away, seeming a bit flustered by his genuine care for his former brats. "But I simply can't attend a wedding which will be full of yakuza and mafioso and other 'business partners' that come in that line of business when I have a very tempting bounty on my head, especially near a younger child who wants to be the heir but isn't acknowledged because of their older sibling."

"You have a bounty on your head? But you're like, what? Fifteen?"

"Nineteen," Levi corrected Sasha with a glare, which she was either oblivious to or ignored.

"What could you have possibly done to have a bounty on your head!? And since when does Jean know shady people other than Mikasa's family, anyways?"

"I'm not shady, I just found something which every government, scientist, institution, museum, research center, corporate tycoon and crime boss might want but I can't give it over because I really don't feel like having to retreat behind fifty meter Walls just to stand a chance to prepare to fight some man-eating monstrosity again."

At the indirect mention of Titans, Connie, Annie and Mikasa stiffened, staring at him and then Eren with wide eyes, clearly not sure if they had heard him right nor what they should think about the information he'd just dumped on them. Eren must have made a gesture to signal they'd explain later because Mikasa nodded with a serious expression on her face and waved a hand at them to follow her towards the waiting cars. Connie, Sasha, Marco, Reiner and Bertolt got into one, while Mikasa ushered Eren, Levi and Armin into the car they'd be sharing with Jean and Annie. Levi sent a distrustful glance at the driver, who merely nodded at them all before Mikasa sharply ordered him to put up the privacy screen.

Then Jean and Mikasa were shamelessly making out and Annie had dragged Armin into a heated kiss, too, leaving Eren and Levi to watch them awkwardly as they sat the Hallucigenia's backpack between them.

"Were they always like this?" Eren leaned down to ask the teenager and Levi shook his head.

"I wouldn't even really know. They married on Paradis and I spent most of my life in Marley after the Rumbling," he responded before waving the topic off. "What do you make of Sasha's and Bertolt's lack of remembrance? On top of all the other ones."

Jaeger frowned, rubbing at his chin as he thought. "Well, at first, I really thought it was a Shifter thing, considering me and Armin remembered, but I should have realized it might not be the case since I'm almost certain my dick of a father doesn't remember, either. You remembering didn't really disapprove of my theory, since Ackermans are technically closer to Shifters than to normal Eldians, but hearing about Zeke and then finding Bertolt didn't remember, either, put that theory to rest. Though with Annie and Reiner remembering, it experienced a brief resurrection before I remembered that others have their memories, too, so it can't really be a Shifter thing. I thought briefly that maybe it has something to do with how a Shifter and/or Ackerman died; I mean, Bertolt and Zeke were killed, but so was I and yet I remember but they apparently don't. Same with Kenny and your mother, I guess, since your mother died of a disease but Kenny was killed during the fiasco in the Crystal Cave. So it's not the way a person died that affected the memory thing, either. Then I had a moment where I believed perhaps it has something to do with emotional and or physical proximity to me, as one of the holders of the Founding Titan, but you grew up with Uri and Frieda and their whole family and none of them remember. Neither do Sasha, Marco or Bertolt and they had all spent years in proximity to me, we were close friends, we had shared dreams and goals with each other and shit, yet they don't remember. It's not a Scout thing, either, since Sasha doesn't remember, nor does Erwin-danchou and Annie wasn't even a Scout and technically, neither was Reiner yet he remembers. Is it the time of death? Like, after the Rumbling?"

"... How about the Rumbling itself?" Levi suggested and he realized they had an audience in that moment. He turned to see the two couples staring at them in intrigue, Armin's thinking face on, Jean looking half-confused but also like he was following and Annie and Mikasa keeping their faces mostly blank, probably by habit from a past life where talks like these usually meant life or death.

"What do you mean?" Jean asked, narrowing his eyes at his former Captain.

"As in, people - or more specifically Eldians - who participated in fighting Eren during the Rumbling. The so called Battle of Heaven and Earth-"

"Is that what they called it?" Asked Eren under his breath with a snort that everyone kind of ignored.

"But how would that explain Hange remembering?" Armin asked.

"Hange was the first person to take on the marching Colossals. She died fighting them, remember? Taking out the ones closest to us so we can take off in the 'flying contraption' nowadays known as an airplane," Levi reminded and everyone's face twisted in grief as they remembered the goodbye between the two best friends the last time anyone saw the eccentric, kind scientist. Only Eren looked away, guilt making him grimace. Levi subtly bumped their knees together to keep the insufferable brat from drowning in guilt when he needed him to be focused. They might be halfway around the world from the MI6 and CIA and other such organizations, but they were currently riding in the car of a yakuza and every country had its own secret service. They were in a far more vulnerable position here than in Europe or America, since Levi had no idea how things work here. Well, he hadn't really gotten a hang of how things work in Europe, either, but it wasn't as big of a cultural shock as Japan will probably be.

To counter this, Levi needed everyone at the top of their game, and by everyone, he means Eren and himself. Because he has no doubt that, in the end, it will always be him and Eren taking care of the fucking Hallucigenia. Eren was the last Founding Titan, the last to carry and use the Coordinate. The Hallucigenia had fought alongside him during the Rumbling, had extended his life twice, from what they knew, maybe even more times than that. Levi has a bad feeling that, one way or another, Eren will be stuck with the Hallucigenia unless they find some way to get rid of it in a safe manner that didn't involve its outright death. And Levi, well ... Levi found it and has taken responsibility for it all those years ago. He wasn't about to just dump it on someone else and bail, especially on someone like Eren and especially with the people Levi has been running from for the past two years.

Knowing Eren, the dumbass would either get caught or would let the Hallucigenia turn him into a Titan again to deal with his pursuers.

Or he'd just kill the Cambrian animal.

And, well, Levi wasn't going to allow any of that to happen because, fuck! He'd spent too much effort on keeping his pet alive and healthy and out of ignorant hands to let that be its fate.

"So you think the people who were involved in the final stages of the Rumbling are the only ones who remember?" Asked Mikasa, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. "I guess that makes sense, but we can't confirm it until we find Pieck, Falco and Gabi."

"And Floch," added Armin. "He was with us on that plane. He's the reason we had to rely on Falco's Titan Form to catch up to and approach Eren."

"But you guys said that Zeke doesn't remember," reminded Annie, cutting into their musing. "He was there. He was directly part of the Rumbling. Yet Levi-hei-" Levi glares at her and she corrects herself to a simple 'Levi'. "-said that Zeke didn't remember when he ran into him."

"And we still don't know for sure if Hange remembers," Armin reminded. "We're hoping, but for all we know, she might be as eccentric as always and had just chosen a random aspiring scientist to invite as her guest."

"Could be, but sending the three tickets to Eren Jaeger, specifically?" Levi said with a skeptical scoff. "Let's face it, there's no name more iconic than Eren Jaeger in the history, or more like myths, of Paradis," he said with a roll of his eyes and sarcasm dripping from each word at the 'myth' part because he still can't believe that what happened two thousand years ago was nothing more than a myth to the people of today, like the Great Flood or other such stories. "But rare few people pay attention to those 'myths'. Hange remembers; it's only a question of how much."

The others clearly couldn't disagree with him on that front, because Levi knows the only reason they know of Paradis' and Eldian myths was because they researched Paradis and the Rumbling from two thousands years ago. Ordinary, 'normal' people categorized it as a plague or some natural catastrophe the likes of the eruption of Mt Vesuvius and they believe that the few sources remaining from that time are 'exaggerating' that 80% of the population was wiped out. Eren Jaeger is the name of a convoluted, deviant, morally questionable hero and villain of that story who had supposedly foreseen the apocalypse and warned humanity of what was to come but when he was ignored, he brought about the happenings in his visions himself. Technically, they weren't completely wrong, but the whole thing is so much more complicated and Levi, through the myths of himself and his friends, realized just how much people accommodate a myth to fit their own view of the world, their own narrative and story so they can make sense of what their predecessors were doing and thinking. It made him question the Great Flood because it, just like the Rumbling, didn't have world wide consequences that scientists could determine. It made him question myths and legends from all around the world, especially any involving lightning, the sun and any demigods or heroes. Clearly humans haven't given these myths the right kind of attention and Levi had actually wanted to go to college to study such things, for a while. He had never really decided.

Obviously, he never even got the chance to graduate from high school, let alone go to college to study mythology and such things or do anything else with his life, considering one can't exactly attend college and study when one is on the run.

"I guess we'll find out one way or another when we meet with her," Armin said after a long pause of silence. "Let's hope she has some theories about this reincarnation with or without memories thing because it really is bugging me. Not that Heichou's theory isn't valid or anything!" He panicked and corrected himself, to which Levi only groaned.

"If you little shits don't drop that, I'm personally going to introduce all of you to my boot." He glanced down at his worn out footwear and sighed. "Well, sneakers now, I guess." Armin looked sheepish, Annie just gave him a nod and Jean decided not reacting at all was the best course of action. Mikasa, though, arched an eyebrow but didn't react beyond that while Eren just gave him a shit eating grin, the brat. "I'm serious; how are you going to explain '-heichou' to these modern day idiots?"

"Nickname," Eren said right off the bat and Mikasa nodded.

"In Japanese, it even means 'lance corporal', so it's not like it's a completely meaningless word."

Levi paused at that. "Wait, seriously?" She nodded. "Damn. I need to brush up on my Japanese."

"You speak Japanese?" Mikasa asked curiously while everyone else watched the two once distant cousins converse, interested in their former superior officer but not too willing to ask personal questions. Well, aside from maybe Eren, but even he had some tact.

"A little bit," he said with a shrug. "I have a pen pal here in Japan. We managed to keep in touch even after I had to go on the run and she invited me to stay with her if I ever made it to the far East. I figured that since I'm here already for the science convention or whatever, before we learned who Jean was getting married to, maybe we could stay with her. It's still most probable I'd go to her. No offense, Mikasa, but I really can't afford for the yakuza to snatch me up, unlikely as it may be for them to catch me or hold me in one place for long."

"Wait, you're on the run? Like a fugitive?" Annie asked and Levi nodded.

"Part of the complicated and dangerous reasons you guys keep mentioning?" Mikasa asked with an arched eyebrow.

Jean snorted. "You don't even know the half of it," he said. "Just before we were supposed to take off back in Spain, some hitman or assassin or whatever snuck on board our plane, knocked out Bertolt and took Marco hostage and wouldn't let him go unless Levi-hei-" Levi glared and Jean corrected himself. "Unless Levi hands himself and that backpack over, though he'd made it clear he'd kill us all regardless of cooperation. We were lucky Reiner came up behind him and distracted him enough by tackling him for Levi to get Marco to relative safety before he descended on that fucker. We, hopefully, sent his employers on a wild goose chase just long enough for us to get to India for refueling, which is why we were maybe a bit later than you expected us."

"But what's so special about the bag?"

"Funny you should ask-"

"Eren, no," Levi hissed and took the bag into his lap, leaning away from the suicidal maniac of a shitty brat. "You know how loud it gets; do you want the driver to crash the car? With us in it!?" Eren pouted.

Annie, whose question had not been answered, arched a blond eyebrow at them. "You could always just tell us."

"Not until we're somewhere private where I know no one is listening in on us."

"You're okay with people listening in on us talking about Titans and Paradis and reincarnation but not about the contents of the bag?"

"Exactly."

"That's not suspicious at all but whatever," Annie said with a shrug. "We'll be getting to Mikasa's place soon enough, anyways. By the way," she said as she turned to Armin. "You guys said you found Jean by Google-ing him; how come you never searched for the rest of us using that method?"

"We looked up Mikasa, but there was no Mikasa Ackerman on Facebook, Instagram or anywhere else," Armin defended.

Mikasa arched an eyebrow. "I'm Mikasa Azumabito this time around, as I've already said. My parents are the same, except my father is from an orphanage so we don't know his real name. My mother met him in middle school and they have been inseparable since, so she talked some of her relatives into adopting him. When they got married, he took on her name so he's officially an Azumabito now, anyways." She paused before leaning towards Eren. There was a questioning glint in her eyes that Eren seemed to recognize because he nodded.

"My parents are the same, too, though I'm not sure what their memory status really is. My mom said Levi looked familiar and my dad had married Dina, Zeke's mother, before he met my mom, got her pregnant and tricked her into some weird hybrid marriage thing in an attempt to bind her to himself while keeping his first family a secret from us. I found out, nearly killed him, then mom found out and we ran from him with the help of her family. Now, if I ever run into that son of a bitch ever again, I'm going to kill him. He nearly ruined my mom's life!"

Mikasa seemed rather shocked at what she was hearing. "I never thought he could do something like that."

"People change," Levi commented more to himself than anyone else. Not completely, but people really do change. Kenny hadn't done a single shitty thing in his life until Uri got sick and then he'd become a bit too much like Kenny the Ripper of two thousand years ago, just to pay Kuchel's medical bills. But from what he'd heard about Dr Jaeger and if you exclude what Eren manipulated him to do through the Attack Titan, Grisha Jaeger really hadn't sounded like the type of guy who'd do what he did to Eren and Carla. So could he have been traumatized on a soul deep level from his past life and the things Eren made him do, so much so that it affected his reincarnated self's personality?

There was another moment of silence before Jean broke it as he was looking out the window with a frown on his face. "Hey, Mika? We're going to your private house, right? The one you pay taxes for and shit, right?"

"Yes," Mikasa said, stretching the word out in a way that suggested she was suspicious of Jean's question.

"Then why the fuck are we heading towards Setagaya instead of Shinagawa?"

At the widening of Mikasa's eyes, Levi reacted as though he'd heard a gunshot. He thrust the backpack into Eren's hands and pushed him and Armin, who had been sitting across from Annie, to the back seat with Jean and Mikasa. He whirled around and slammed a foot into the - clearly bulletproof - privacy glass. The thing shattered into a million pieces and the driver swerved from the surprise of the impact, clearly not having expected anything to be able to get to him from the back. Levi instantly reached out and snapped the bodyguard's neck where he was about to turn around in the passenger seat with a gun in hand before he threw himself into the front seat area. He managed to reach around the driver to open the passenger side door and threw the 'bodyguard' out before slamming the door shut again and then focusing on the now armed driver, who was trying to get the safety of his gun with one hand while also keeping an eye on the road lest they all crash and burn in this car. Levi was, of course, quicker and he snatched the gun out of the bastard's hand, dragging him over into the passenger seat while keeping a leg on the wheel to keep the car steady.

"Eren, get behind the fucking wheel!" Eren listened and threw the backpack at Armin, who fumbled to keep a hold of it while the brunet climbed over the ruins of the privacy glass and got into the driver seat.

Now free from keeping the wheel steady, Levi turned his full attention to the rogue driver. He was tall and bulky, meaning he was heavy and he was now actively trying to get his hands on the teen's neck to try and choke him, but unfortunately for him, Levi wasn't Humanity's Strongest for nothing. With a leg around one of the bastard's knees and one hand still holding the gun which the grunt was trying to also wrench out of his hands, Levi flipped their positions until he was straddling the bigger man. Levi wasted no time in applying pressure on the imprisoned knee, snapping the leg like a twig and the man's howls of pain made Jean and Armin flinch while Mikasa and Annie, when Levi bothered to look up at them, were hanging out of the windows and shooting at the car following them. He could faintly hear screams from the other car, probably Bertolt, Sasha and Marco over the gunshots and his own victim's screaming.

Speaking of which ...

"Who sent you?" He demanded in his most intimidating tone that he could manage but the man glared balefully at him. He moved as if he's about to spit in his face, but Levi moved his point of leverage lower and snapped the man's leg in a different spot in the opposite direction of the initial injury. "Who sent you!?"

"T-triads! Boss wanted the yakuza's n-new golden goose!" Levi snapped his eyes towards a glaring Mikasa as they realized her organization had a mole in it that had somehow also learned of Levi's presence within minutes of him landing in Japan. Perhaps someone at the airport was a Triads conspirator and had passed on the news as soon as he caught sight of Levi on a camera somewhere and then they had activated a sleeper agent. It was the only explanation, as Levi hardly believed Mikasa would not notice her usual driver and bodyguard getting replaced. This wasn't a fucking movie, though Levi was feeling like he was living it with every second that passed. "P-please don't kill me! I-I have a wife and kids!"

Levi sent him a deadpan look. He pulled the trigger without remorse. Jean and Armin flinched a little but neither complained despite their grim faces. Eren shot him a look before focusing on the road again. Levi popped out the window when Annie needed to reload, shooting one of the lackeys in the other car with the first bullet as Mikasa finally got the other one. The windshield was tinted so Levi couldn't see who was driving, but then a hand popped out with one of the old okay signs that the Survey Corps used, meaning Connie was behind the wheel. Levi felt only momentary relief before two more cars appeared behind some civilian vehicles, men already hanging out the windows with shotguns and rifles in hand and Levi and Mikasa started shooting even before the cars stabilized. Annie didn't go out the window she'd first been using, leaving that side to Levi, instead opening up the skylight and popping out there.

"Eren, slow down and let Connie move in front of us," Mikasa called, popping momentarily back into the car to reload. "I don't think they have any weapons in that car."

"You got it!" With that, Eren made some signals with the lights that told Connie to get in front of him while Eren slowed down the car a bit to let it happen. "Be careful, they're really coming in hot!"

"Just focus on the road and leave the hostiles to us," Annie said as she popped back in to avoid a barrage of bullets coming their way.

"Jean, be a dear and hand Levi the armor-piercing gear."

"On it, sweety," Jean replied as he got down to the car floor, opening up a compartment under the seats Eren and Levi had been occupying until he came out with a huge shotgun that reminded Levi of the shit Gabi used during their fight against Eren. "I guess I don't have to tell you how this shit works?"

"Just set it up and load it for me," Levi said as he went back to shooting, keeping the other cars at a relatively safe distance.

"Annie, here you go," Armin said as he handed the blonde a loaded shotgun, which the former Female Titan all too gladly took, before Armin then handed Mikasa another round of ammo. Other than that, he was keeping the backpack with the Hallucigenia steady and close to him, making sure it doesn't roll around the car too much and starts that awful hiss-screech thing it does when it's displeased or wants attention.

"Levi!" Jean called and Levi got back into the car just long enough to take the weapon from him, loaded and ready, before he got back out the window again. "Normally I'd warn you about the recoil, but considering who I'm talking to, I'll leave you to it."

Levi just grunted to signal he'd heard before he focused on his targets. He aimed for the hood of the first car in pursuit of them and pulled the trigger. There was a second after the bullet landed before the front of the car suddenly blew up, making it swerve left and right, taking out one more of the pursuing cars with it. And, unfortunately, causing a chain collision involving five civilian cars and even one truck that nearly plowed over them all. Levi would feel guilty if at just that moment, a motorcyclist from the opposite lane didn't just jump over onto their side of the road and headed straight for their car, gun aimed at Eren. Levi reached into his back pocket and took out the Swiss knife he always kept on hand. After flicking out the blade, he took aim and threw it with precision, stabbing the motorcyclist right in the hand holding the gun, making them drop it.

Eren finished that one off by taking the gun Levi had discarded for the big gun, opening up his window and shooting at the motorcyclist until they dropped off the bike, either dead or too injured to keep riding. Eren hadn't hesitated for a second. Clearly, his old mindset from two thousand years ago was still very much present in this second chance at life they all got. Not surprising, all things considered, as he was gunning for Grisha's head for what he'd done to his mother, but Levi guessed it was still a bit startling to see it as opposed as to know it still existed in Eren, that side that had killed Titans and humans for the sake of his goals.

When he looked back at their remaining pursuer, he found that Annie and Mikasa had taken care of it, as the car had just swerved right off the road, the driver too busy being dead to correct their course. The two women met his eyes and gave him a nod and with that, all three of them got back into the car. Once all the - clearly bulletproof - windows were closed, Mikasa took out her cellphone and dialed what appeared to be Reiner's number. "Is everyone alright?"

"Other than a few scratches and bruises, we're all okay. You?" Reiner could be heard asking over the speakerphone and Levi looked into the back to check over his former - now again current? - comrades to see if Armin and Jean were doing okay. They both nodded and the blond wordlessly handed over Levi's backpack to him. Levi didn't really need to check on the Hallucigenia, as he knew its container was made to withstand all sorts of shit, but he did so anyway and got a happy(?) wiggle of its front appendages while doing so.

"What the fuck!?" Came Annie's hissed exclamation and Levi looked over his shoulder to see that she had moved closer to see what the big deal with the bag was, only to reel back when she recognized the 'shining centipede' that had almost killed a few of them during the last fight of the Rumbling two thousand years ago. Mikasa, who was still talking on the phone with Reiner - arranging for them to go to a different location, perhaps? - frowned at them and Levi shook his head. If anything, what had just happened proved to Levi that they can't talk about this shit until they are at a 110% safe location, otherwise they'll end up with more situations like the one they'd just fought through.

"We'll explain later," Eren verbally replied for him, shooting Annie and Mikasa a look. "Just tell me where we're going."

"Just follow Reiner," Mikasa instructed, shooting Annie and Levi one last calculating look before addressing her once adopted brother again. "We'll be staying at my safe house. It's close to the police station in Roppongi and since it's so lively, the yakuza or any other criminal organizations can't risk making some big move or else even their most bribed cops will have no choice but to arrest them."

"It's also in the same building as the karaoke establishment she owns, so we'll have plenty of rooms to hide away in for a private 'conference'," Jean added, finally getting back into his seat. "Or we could always go to the security feed room, since that's probably the only place in the building that's not under surveillance."

"Either way, it's our best bet if you don't want to stay with my relatives," she said, directing it towards Levi, who nodded his head.

At this point, he'll take anything that will help him keep out of the public or mafia/government eye for at least one night.

He needs some sleep.

Chapter Text

He didn't get the chance to go to sleep until hours later, after he explained everything to his comrades who remembered and showed Mikasa, Connie and Annie the Hallucigenia. Which had, predictably, hissed at Annie and made rude gestures towards Connie when he poked its container. It had completely ignored Mikasa, which confused Eren and Levi since they knew it was interested in Levi almost as much as Eren and Levi was an Ackerman so they had thought Mikasa would be of some interest, too.

Then again, as Levi recalled, the Hallucigenia had always ignored his mother and Kenny before, so maybe it ignoring Mikasa wasn't such a strange occurrence after all. Not to mention that they were lucky that it wasn't his-screeching its little head off, considering she's the one who killed its last host, one it had personally protected, almost killing the 'shining centipede' along with him.

Levi really didn't understand his pet, for all that he should probably stop calling the Hallucigenia that. He might have grown slightly attached to it, but that didn't suddenly erase the fact that this creature was probably nearly as intelligent as primates based on everything it has displayed so far, nor does it erase the fact that it was beyond powerful. Certainly beyond human imagination. They still had no idea if the Titan powers was the only thing it had in its arsenal and Levi would actually like to keep it that way if he can. But all of that also doesn't erase the years he'd spent taking care of it, mumbling shit to it, even playing with it and keeping it safe. Though he didn't understand why it didn't hate him; he'd had almost as much to do with Eren's death as Mikasa, even though she'd been the one to land the final blow, and then when he'd found it, he had taken it away from its natural(?) habitat and had put it in a cage. Well, aquarium, but the point still stands that he'd taken its freedom. And this thing had shared a mind with Eren, so surely it would hate anything and anyone taking away its freedom, right?

Yet it didn't.

In fact, it seemed to like him, perhaps even slightly more than Eren, for all that it could be a shit when it wanted his attention, especially when Eren got into one of his moods when he wants to ignore its very existence. It still preferred to rest around Levi more than anyone. It, in fact, once threw a fit when Levi fell asleep on the couch when he, Armin and Eren were watching a movie and Eren moved him to his room, only for Armin to come running after him with a screeching Hallucigenia, waking the former Captain up just as Eren was putting a blanket over him. It had been an awkward situation that they never repeated again.

The Hallucigenia seemed to be content now as Sasha and Marco had fun feeding it, fascinated by the Cambrian animal they had the privilege to see in the flesh as Levi, Eren, Armin and even Jean explained everything to the others. Sasha was only half listening, obviously more interested in a thing almost as gluttonous as her as she fed it pieces of sushi Mikasa had ordered her staff to bring them. She didn't seem as disturbed by stories of Titans and the Rumbling, as clearly Connie had been the better best friend since he'd told her everything he remembers, unlike Jean with Marco or Reiner with Bertolt. The others, on the other hand, listened vigilantly with grim faces as Levi retold his life with the Hallucigenia and becoming a fugitive, finding Eren and Armin, how they found Jean and how that led them all to this moment. They were reasonably surprised to hear that Erwin and Levi weren't going to be allies in this life unlike the last, Reiner was crestfallen Historia didn't remember and they were all confused by Zeke's lack of memories. Eren and Armin told everyone about their lives - again - and then Armin tried to explain the theories they've been making in the car before they had to fight off the traitors.

"And so we can't really test out the theory until we find Pieck, Gabi and Falco," Armin was finishing up as Eren finally took the container away from Sasha and Marco before they made the Hallucigenia sick from all that food. Levi was grateful, as he had no idea if the thing could die like an overfed goldfish or not.

"It's a sound theory, except for the part with Zeke not making sense. Or the part with Hange," Annie commented while running her fingers through her for once loose hair. They all needed a shower and some rest after the day they've had, especially the group that had just come from Spain. "Though if it really is the start of the Rumbling, a lot more people should remember."

"Not the start of the Rumbling, but rather the so-called Battle of Heaven and Earth," Levi corrected, saying the name of the battle with heavy sarcasm and a roll of his eyes. "It's the only thing that makes sense about Hange remembering, but the monkey is still a mystery to me."

"What made you think that bastard doesn't remember, though?" Connie asked, though he looked a bit confused by the conversation as a whole.

"That's actually a good question," Eren realized, turning towards Levi. "I never even met him so I can't say, but you did, obviously. How did he act that made you assume he doesn't remember?"

Levi gave him a deadpan stare.

"Don't look at me like that," grumbled Eren. "I'm being serious here. You weren't exactly friends for him to approach you with warm hugs and open arms. And he's a very good actor; believe me, I would know." That was said with bitter irony that made Levi wonder just what the hell had happened in the Paths between the Jaeger brothers before the Rumbling started.

"You think he was only acting like he doesn't remember?" Reiner asked and Annie huffed.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I never quite trusted him to begin with. It was always obvious that his goals didn't quite align with any of ours."

"Well, considering he was only trusted with the Beast Titan because he betrayed his own mother and father, it's not surprising that you guys didn't exactly click," commented Connie but Eren shook his head.

"Zeke's views and goals were mostly shaped by his mentor, Xavier, but also partially by our father since he was the one who originally urged Zeke to join the military and do everything they tell him in the first place."

"Wasn't that your doing, though?"

"Hush."

Annie rolled her eyes.

Eren glared at her. "Not everything the other bearers of the Attack Titan did was because of me," he snapped. "You lot got lucky. You only get minimal feedback from past Shifters. Me, on the other hand, I had so much noise in my head some days that I was tempted to tie a rock around my ankle and throw myself into the canals or into the sea so I could drown in peace. Not everything was my doing. There were times I didn't know where I began or ended, days when I didn't know if the thoughts running through my head were actually my own or not. So don't make jokes about that or I will hurt you."

"You can try."

"And you can both shut the shitty fuck up before I hurt you both," Levi interrupted before Eren really did fight the blonde. "No one cares about the monkey's upbringing from the past or even from the present. Fuck that shit, it's not important. What is important is figuring out if Zeke remembers and if he does, why he was so bloody adamant to get the Hallucigenia."

"Well, probably because he knows what it fucking is," Eren replied, still pissed but never enough to snap at Levi, an old respect that lingered through two lifetimes and two thousand years. "Before I woke up in the Paths, a lot of time apparently passed and Zeke either had a chat with Ymir or he just gathered knowledge from the Coordinate through the link he possessed because of his Royal Blood or something like that. It's not important. Point is, Zeke knows about the 'source of all living matter', which is this little guy," he said while pointing at the luminescent white creature that really shouldn't be alive and was causing so much trouble. "So if he remembers, he's chasing you for the Hallucigenia for more than just scientific curiosity. Hell, he's most probably using his position within the CIA to hunt for you and the Hallucigenia more easily."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Reiner said with a sigh, crossing his arms and leaning back into the couch he and Bertolt were sharing. The taller of the two said nothing, still too shocked about the things he had done in a past life he had no recollection of. "He's always been crafty, I can give him that. But say that he does remember, would he really go up against Levi-heichou-" Levi's glare bounced off the oblivious dunderhead's skin like blades used to against the armored plates of his Titan form. "-when he knows he doesn't stand a chance unless he has some Titan powers and you have none?" The last was directed at Levi, who could only shrug.

"You never did say what made you think he doesn't remember," reminded Mikasa and Levi sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose.

"Well, first, he showed no recognition, but I can give him that, as I didn't exactly look like this back then. I was younger, had longer hair since Kenny and I sold everything but the bare necessities so we could spend every last penny to pay for my mother's medical bills and I wore glasses, which became redundant after the Hallucigenia bit me and returned to me my Ackerman abilities. But even after he witnessed some of my less than normal by human standards feats and it became obvious to those who remembered that I am the Levi of two thousand years ago, he made no move to approach me, be it as an enemy, an ally or an annoyance, which would just be too irresistible for someone like Zeke."

"Fair enough," the man's own brother conceded. "If Zeke really did remember, I doubt he'd have the self-restraint not to annoy Heichou. It was the only way he could get revenge on him since the likeliness of Zeke winning in a fair fight is like Reiner's chances of getting a date with Annie."

"Rude," Reiner complained while Annie just nodded in agreement.

"But it's also possible that he wasn't sure if he should approach you if he really did realize you also remembered," Armin pointed out. "You kind of loathed him, so it's only reasonable he wouldn't risk you going for his head a second time."

Mikasa sighed. "So we're back where we started on that front."

"But Zeke's now classified as a 'maybe remembers', not as a 'doesn't remember'," Jean reminded. "It's a big difference. It actually puts him in the same category as Hange. We can't be sure unless we actually confront him about it. And speaking of Hange, when are you supposed to meet her?"

Eren, Armin and Levi looked at each other. "Two days from now. I guess we just have to lay low for a while before we go to the science fair," Eren replied, running a hand through his hair. "This could get real messy really easily, huh?"

"You'll have my bodyguards' protection until you get to the fair, but I'm not sure even my family can get me tickets to get inside on such short notice," Mikasa said apologetically but her two friends reassured her she was already doing a lot for them and Levi just waved her off. She accepted their reassurances a bit awkwardly, probably still not used to not being able to protect her two closest friends how she wanted despite what happened to Eren in their last life. "Well, I guess I should show you guys to your rooms now. Although, fair warning, this place has only three 'guest rooms' and a pullout couch so we'll have to arrange pairs-"

"Connie and I'll take the pullout couch!" Sasha immediately exclaimed and no one was surprised because those two likely wanted to goof off and watch TV all night long.

Levi snorted. "I'd prefer to be able to sleep, so unless you're going to shut up and go straight to bed, no."

"You sleep now, Levi-heichou?" Asked Connie, surprised and a little incredulous but he shrank under Levi's glare at the '-heichou' part. Honestly, what was it going to take for these brats - even if they were all older than him now, with Armin being the second youngest next to Levi; Mikasa was the same age as Jean, Annie was a year younger, Bertolt and Reiner were already in their early thirties and Connie and Sasha were twenty five and twenty six respectively, while Marco was also the same age as the soon to be married couple -to stop referring to him as their superior. That was in another life they will hopefully never have to live through again, if Levi can keep the Hallucigenia out of anyone's grubby hands and keep it away from Eren.

"Occasionally."

"Then I guess Bertolt and I can take the couch and Marco can stay with you two," Reiner offered and the three were mostly okay with that, though Levi still doubted they'd get any sleep since the two are most likely going to pester Connie about the details of their past life since he was the most talkative about it until this impromptu reunion.

"But don't you guys need to be well rested as pilots?" Armin questioned and Reiner waved him off.

"We work for Jean. We won't be flying anywhere for at least a few more days, when we need to get his and Marco's parents for the wedding."

"Perks of working for a private company," Bertolt said with an awkward laugh, clearly still unsure what to make of his role in their last life's wars and suffering. Not that anyone really blamed him for it anymore. The world was never black and white, least of all two thousand years ago.

"Armin and I will obviously take the other guest room," Annie declared, already snatching up her blond renewed lover by the arm and making him squeak in embarrassment. Levi tried not to feel sorry for Bertolt, considering the poor idiot seems to be in love with Annie again and was having her affections stolen by the same man again in a second life because he hadn't had the courage to confess before. Though the likeliness of Annie not holding out for Armin were very slim, considering how she'd pounced on him the second she laid her eyes on him. "But that leaves ... "

Everyone turned to stare at Eren and Levi at that, realizing that their resident suicidal maniac would have to share a room with their respected past superior. Levi rolled his eyes and Eren seemed more confused about their reaction than anything. Armin didn't seem bothered, considering he'd had a first row seat to how close the two of them had gotten in the weeks they'd lived together in his and Eren's apartment and considering the fact he had found them all but cuddled up to each other the morning they set on the journey to find Jean.

"I'm sure they don't mind," Jean suddenly said with a smirk and Levi turned incredulous eyes at the kid with the healthiest amount of respect for authority in his old squad, not quite able to believe his ears. "They seemed rather chummy on the plane."

"Jean, what the fuck?" Connie asked incredulously, clearly impressed by the balls Jean had seemingly grown overnight. Or, well, during a cross-continental flight, anyways. Armin wisely didn't say anything. He really always was the smartest one of this bunch.

"Your point?" Levi decided to interject before things got outright weird. That seemed to shut everyone up, which greatly pleased him as he really didn't want to deal with this bullshit right now. "Get your asses to bed, brats. It's way past your curfew."

"Aren't you still just a kid?" Sasha, oblivious to their precious social dynamics through the bliss of ignorance that was a lack of memories, blurted out and everyone winced at that.

Levi, though, arched an eyebrow. "I guess it's saying something, then, that I call you lot brats. Maybe it's time for you to reconsider your level of maturity." And just like that, the matter was put to rest and Mikasa led them to their rooms in relative silence besides telling them where they could get a drink, some food or a snack and where the bathroom is. Reiner and Bertolt were the ones who settled first while Jean and Mikasa had to get everyone else situated in their rooms and borrow them some clothes for the night, since none of them were actually expecting to spend the night at Mikasa's, let alone in one of her safe houses. Only Levi had any clothes of his own, considering he was used to leaving with only the things that can fit into his backpack for the past two years. He's not sure if that made everyone envy him or pity him. He's not sure if he wants to find out.

"Here's the WiFi password and a phone with a SIM card. It's on my name and the phone has my number installed already. Be sure to call me if you need anything. And I mean anything. Even if it's just another towel, don't hesitate to tell me. If you do, I'll kick your ass in the morning. Or Heichou's, since I know that would piss you off even more," he heard Mikasa tell Eren and Levi tried to ignore the last part because he didn't know what to make of it. To him, it didn't even make sense, but Mikasa's and Eren's relationship never really did, if he was being honest, and the last couple of days only made it all the more confusing.

"You do realize he has all of his old abilities, right?"

"Do you believe that will stop me?"

There was a moment of silence before Levi rolled his eyes and just ignored them, going about his nightly routine of taking care of the Hallucigenia, though this time that only consisted of making sure its water was relatively clean and nothing more since the damn thing's already well beyond fed. It really liked sushi. He inspected the container itself, as he did after every unfortunate interaction he might have with people who would chase him and his pet because he can't risk the thing breaking and his pet dying of dehydration and the inability to breathe without water. And he also can't risk it for the thing to have even the slightest chance of escape. It was intelligent and it would gladly take any opportunity. Though, he had to admit that it had actually had plenty of opportunities to escape and yet it had never done so. Hell, there was a short window of time it hadn't been in Levi's hands and yet it had waited for him to come and get it! Damn the French and their weird touchy-feely-ness. They had really caught him off guard with that.

"Everything okay?" Eren asked, plopping down on their bed on his side and craning his neck to see the container. "You have a pretty scary frown on your face."

"It's nothing. Just cursing the French."

The former Titan Shifter chuckled at that, though Levi couldn't find anything particularly humorous in what he'd just said. Eren shot him an exasperated grin. "Oh, come on! Isn't it an American thing to say 'excuse my french' when they're about to curse or cuss someone or something out, but yet here you are, literally cursing at the French! It's funny!"

Well, when you put it that way, it is, sort of, kind of, maybe a little funny. It certainly fell into the humor Levi himself appreciated, except he was dead serious about cursing the French.

"But seriously, though, is everything okay?"

"As okay as it can be," Levi replied with a sigh. He eyed the only thing Eren had brought with him, his laptop bag, with the said device in it. "Hey, can you give me your computer for a second? There's something I need to do."

Eren arched an eyebrow but handed over his laptop all the same. "Is this 'something' a thing I should be worried about?"

Levi didn't look up to meet those suspicious and curious green eyes as he waited for the laptop to power up so he could unlock it and get to work. Why Eren felt so comfortable giving Levi his password, he didn't know, but Armin had it, too, so he guessed it was not something Eren was generally bothered with. Besides, Levi knew all of Eren's important private folders had their own separate passwords. Why the idiot would choose to have many different passwords instead of creating a separate account on his laptop that only he would have access to, he didn't know, but he guessed that was Eren's business. "I don't know if I've ever told you that before we met, I actually had plans to come to either Japan or go to China. You know about my pen pal, right? She offered to take me in. Like, years ago. Even before I became a fugitive."

Eren let himself plop down onto his back on the mattress, turning his head to face Levi as they conversed. "Ah, the infamous ZoeH. Interesting name. And why does she even know that you're a fugitive?"

"I told her, duh," the teen said in his most bratty-angsty-teenager voice that he could manage, a tone he had, unfortunately, become quite intimately familiar with after years of taking care of various brats in his past life. If it wasn't Isabel, it was Petra or Olou, and if it wasn't them, it was Eren or his second Special Operations Squad. And if it wasn't one of his Survey Corps brats, it was Gabi.

He swears Falco had been the universe's way of saying sorry for all the brats he'd had to watch over because Falco was honestly the sweetest, kindest, mildest, most considerate and most of all respectfully quiet and undramatic kids he's ever had the pleasure of half-raising. Falco didn't complain the rare few times Levi felt like talking about Eren, unlike Gabi, even if both kids had come to respect Eren in some way for what he was ready to do for his people and loved ones. He didn't mind helping Levi do the cleaning, either. He didn't intrude on the time Levi spent with his visiting former subordinates. He was the first one who had bothered to learn how Levi liked his tea and had then forced Gabi to learn to make it to his standards, too, which ended up being good for their later business, as Levi was a snob only about tea and cleaning. He didn't ask about stories Levi would rather not tell and he corralled Gabi when she got too insistent or obnoxious about it. He kept a wary eye on everyone who walked into their establishment or home, helping Levi avoid reporters and journalists and he didn't get on Levi's case too much when he would occasionally get out of his wheelchair and force his injured leg to work like it used to, unlike Gabi, who turned into a worry wart on such occasions, or Onyankopon, who hovered over him like he expected Levi to fall any second now.

Levi paused what he was doing, realizing he missed those brats, but shook his head and opened up his email before he let himself ponder such things too much. Given this pattern continues, he'll probably run into Gabi and Falco soon enough. Probably within a month or so. Two at the most, given they still have to find Hange.

"Why, though?"

Eren's question made him remember he wasn't alone and he turned to find those green eyes still focused on him. They had an eerie glow to them, or rather they reflected the Hallucigenia's gentle glow in an eerie way. But he'd seen this happen before, so he doesn't have an excuse for why it always gave him a pause just how much Eren's eye color could change.

"Well, technically speaking, I never intended to tell her I was a fugitive. They eventually came to that conclusion on their own. Probably by tracking the location of my emails; they're a bit of a hacker, you see. Or just a nutcase."

"You really know how to make interesting friends, huh?" Eren said with a teasing grin, to which Levi mock-glared at him.

"Anyways, I only wanted to tell her that the likelihood of us continuing our exchange of messages was slim to zero and she wanted to know why. She pestered me and my inbox was always blowing up with her messages when I got the chance to check it in random internet cafes or whatever other place I could login and I kept trying to block her, but as I said-"

"Hacker."

"Exactly," Levi said with a nod. "Eventually, we came to a compromise and continued our messaging."

"What was the compromise?" The brunet asked curiously as Levi opened his email and checked the messages he'd received. Only two, both from ZoeH. One was their customary email that asked about how he was doing, when he'd visit and saying she missed their far more frequent chats of the past. The other was one of her random ramble messages, though this one talked about reuniting with an old friend she hadn't seen in 'two thousand years or more', which made him frown. Why did she have to use that specific number? He was starting to hate it.

"We'd continue chatting to the best of my ability and in exchange, she'd keep hidden my email login locations."

"How long have you been pen pals?"

"Since middle school, really," Levi said as he started typing up a reply. Boy, was ZoeH in for a surprise. She's going to be over the moon when she reads this email. "It was the end of first grade, I think. The teacher had us draw three lots. We could pick any number of pen pals we wanted to have from those lots. I ended up only having ZoeH."

"I guess you're not that big of a social butterfly to have more than one," commented Eren. "Why her, though?" Then realization seemed to strike him. "Oh. ZoeH. Without the last letter, it's like Hange's surname." He perked up. "Do you think it's them?" He asked, excited.

But Levi could only shake his head. "I have no clue. There are moments when I suspect but there are also far more moments when I doubt. The reason why I stuck with her for so long, though, is because she reminds me of Hange. She has the same curiosity and enthusiasm as Hange, but she once nearly failed gym class, she has an interest in science but she cleans her equipment almost religiously, she doesn't wear glasses, she wanted to be an astronaut, an archaeologist, a biologist, a chemist, a combination of all those and then she said she'd rather maybe open up a tea shop with me if I ever came to visit her."

"Does she have a crush on you or something?" Eren asked, his eyes narrowing.

Levi snorted. "Fuck no. She knows I'm gay and she's in an interesting three-way relationship, the last I talked to her, with a guy and a project he's helping her on."

"Welp," Eren said awkwardly and Levi arched an eyebrow at him. Then he realized what he'd said and he scowled at his former subordinate.

"You have something against homosexuals, Eren?"

The brunet looked the most panicked Levi had seen him since he was fifteen, sixteen years old, two thousand years ago. "Shit, fuck, no! That's not-! No! Just no! I'd be the biggest hypocrite to walk the Earth if I did! I'm bi, for fuck's sake!"

Well, that was definitely a surprise. He paused in composing the email again, racking his brain for any possible memories that would indicate that Eren had an interest in men as well as women. He knew he'd had somewhat of a crush on Historia, with how protective of her he was. Hell, there was a time when they had all thought Eren to be the new princess' father! Something which Historia denied and she had even introduced what was left of the 104th to the father of her child because she felt Mikasa, at least, deserved to know her love interest had remained single as fuck until the day he died, or so a drunk Mikasa had once told him. Or was it Annie? He didn't remember correctly, he just remembered it had been a bad day for his old injuries and he'd been doped up on pain medication while his comrades had been drunk off their asses. Again.

Levi couldn't help but remember Eren's reaction to Reiner's betrayal, couldn't help but wonder if there had been something more the brunet had been feeling. And he couldn't help but wonder about all those fights with Jean. Was it because he was unwillingly attracted to his friendly rival? Levi can't deny that Jean was good looking and he got especially handsome when he grew up, though Levi would personally never be attracted to him, as he reminded him too much of Kenny from eighteen onwards. Especially with the stubble and the hat. But it could be that Eren never got a chance to explore in his past life and the frustration of that had bubbled up and burst out the way it had. Plus, his anger issues wouldn't help.

And then there was Floch. Did Eren find him attractive and that was why he'd chosen to confide in Floch? The redhead personally always kind of repulsed Levi and he was actually fond of redheads in general. After all, he'd adored Isabel, he and Petra had been close friends and comrades and he'd found Nifa to be the second best soldier in Hange's squad, Moblit obviously taking first place. But there was just something about Floch that had made it hard for Levi to like him. He'd never stuck close with Levi's squad and Hange after Shiganshina and seeing the ocean, yet he'd been the first person Eren turned to ... Had Levi missed something?

"But that all aside," Eren said with an embarrassed flush on his cheeks but also a considering look in his eyes that Levi didn't know how to decipher. "Why are you emailing your penpal now? Wait, you're not serious about staying with her instead of here with us, right? Mikasa can definitely give you more protection than some civilian, great hacker or not. What would you do if you accidentally dragged her into this mess if someone found out about you?"

"I'm not going to stay with her, Eren." At least, not for now. But soon enough, everyone would have to go back to their lives and Levi would have to make a choice. Jean and Mikasa are getting married, will probably start a family soon after, too. He has no doubt Annie and Armin won't take long to follow in their footsteps and with the way Connie was looking at Sasha when he thought no one was looking, those two might end up being 'soulmates' rather than 'twins' as each other's perfect half this time around. Reiner had Bertolt and they would be flying all over the world at the Kirstein's and Bott's every beck and call, not that Levi was even that close to them, and depending on how things went with Hange ... Well, Levi had to wait and see what would happen with her. But Eren had a goal and Levi knew how Eren was with goals. He'd go back to Barcelona, finish his degree and get a stable job in the aquarium he was currently interning at, or some other even better aquarium with dolphins and shit.

And Levi ...

Well, Levi would continue being a fugitive. He had no home to return to and no goal ahead, just an open road he would have to take if he wants to remain free and to keep the world free of Titans. As long as the Hallucigenia lived, Levi would have to be on the run.

But he has the chance to get fake papers now, with ZoeH a train ride away. She really was a pretty good hacker and with even the most basic papers, Levi can get a job, earn some honest money and find a way to disappear from everyone's radar for the rest of his life, preferably on some uninhabitable for humans island where he can die peacefully knowing that the Hallucigenia won't start another Eldian-like bullshit situation.

"But I need an ID and a passport. And I need to get my options straight, in case this whole thing with Hange is just some sick joke played on us by shitty fate."

As he continued typing up the email, he could feel Eren's eyes on him and he knew the former Shifter didn't believe him.

They fell asleep in awkward silence that night.

Chapter Text

Things were blissfully peaceful leading up to the day of the science fair. The time Mikasa and Jean had to spare between last minute wedding preparations were spent reacquainting themselves with each other and they even included Levi, despite his life story being all but laid out before them all already when he'd been explaining how he ended up being a fugitive.

Mikasa, since she was born into a wealthy yakuza family and didn't need to really worry about money for the rest of her life even if everyone else from her family got arrested one day, was studying fashion designing with intentions of becoming a designer herself one day. She had started late because her parents - well, more like her mother and aunt, actually, as her father was willing to let her do whatever makes her happy - had wanted her to inherit the family business, since she was the first born child, but Mikasa had had enough action to last her several last time two thousand years ago so she was more than willing to leave it all to her younger brother, who was a year older than Levi and very ambitious. They had relented when they realized she intended to live a normal, peaceful, civilian life when she and Jean started dating and it reached three whole years. They supported her now in her goals, though they still, apparently, secretly expected her to change her mind one day. That, of course, pissed her brother off since he was already putting a lot of effort into their business while Mikasa just chilled and was still the heiress. It was complicated and made Levi all the more reluctant to even think of going to Mikasa's wedding, let alone actually attending it.

Annie was competing in MMA tournaments all around the world for a year now and was currently the holder of several titles. She still had no chill nor mercy in the ring and she challenged Eren for a round, for old time's sake. She knew not to challenge Levi, as it would hardly be fair. Sasha, upon hearing about his feat with the sofa on the flight over, had insisted he do something incredible with his Ackerman strength because she wanted to see it in person, too. And Levi had had no reason to deny her since they had already been in the underground garage, in Mikasa's private session, under her karaoke joint, so he'd casually lifted one of the cars they had arrived in. Marco had gawked at him, because he had thought the couch was his limit, and Bertolt had almost fainted on the spot as he realized what Levi had been doing in the cabin while he'd been flying the plane in the cockpit. Sasha had been in awe. So Annie knew it wouldn't be a fair match, as Annie was no longer a Shifter, therefore if Levi accidentally went too rough on her, he could seriously hurt her. Eren,though, had given a 'maybe' as an answer to her challenge, the brunet clearly not wanting to accidentally draw attention to them after the thing with the yakuza traitors. Other than MMA, Annie lived with her dad and helped him with his donut shop. He didn't remember, but it was her same father from two thousand years ago, so that trend was at least consistent with everyone.

Mikasa and Annie actually knew each other from high school, as they had attended the same advanced gym class, and they had decided to strike up a friendship in this life as well. Annie had tried to help Mikasa convince her mother and aunt to let her do what she wants with her life and Mikasa had placed her protection on Annie's father's shop so no other yakuza or gang would try to collect 'protection' money from them or trash their shop.

Sasha and Connie were actually running a restaurant, the exact restaurant Jean and Mikasa would be holding the wedding reception at. The business is originally Connie's father's, who was apparently a Korean immigrant that had started his life anew in Japan and eventually married Connie's mother, a Russian immigrant, restarting their family life from two thousand years ago. Connie may have a Japanese citizenship, but he was anything but. Their restaurant served a lot of mixed dishes and some 'original' ones, which were actually dishes the people of Paradis and Marley had enjoyed two thousand years ago. Sasha and Connie met in this life in culinary school, which was not surprising. They both wanted to be chefs, but Sasha was from the mountains and she wanted to introduce the world to their traditional dishes and Connie was all too willing to get her a job at his family's restaurant. As they gained experience and made a lot of profit for the establishment, Connie's father made them co-managers and retired, though he tended to bar-tend for them on busy nights as an extra hand.

Sashsa was the one who actually reunited the group. Well, Mikasa was, too, but it was because Mikasa had walked into the Springer's restaurant when she recognized Sasha, roasted potato in each hand and in her mouth, on the street as she was getting to work and had followed her. Connie and Mikasa reunited and Annie and Mikasa started coming as regulars once the black haired woman informed the blonde of the friends she'd found, even if Sasha didn't remember. Then, a couple of months later, Jean had been led to the restaurant by a client he'd just sold three racing horses to. Connie had been back in the kitchen, Mikasa had been in a both facing away from Jean, waiting for Annie who was in the bathroom, but Sasha had decided she wanted to help the waiting staff that day and she had seen the tall, handsome, clearly well off man and had thought it wouldn't be a bad half-joke if her new friend found love with someone like that. So she'd grabbed Jean and dragged him to Mikasa's booth, pretending not to know English as she 'explained' how he was led to a wrong seat, all the while Jean was too conflicted to protest as he recognized his long lost friend. And then Mikasa and Jean had seen each other and the magic happened.

Later on, Jean would introduce Marco, Reiner and Bertolt to the others who remembered and they were as inseparable as people who lived on two completely different sides of the globe could ever be.

Now Jean was contemplating opening a big branch of his and Marco's company in Japan so he and Mikasa can live together while, at the same time, Mikasa was thinking about just moving to Spain with him. Levi was amused by how they both were ready to traverse across the world for each other but was also exasperated by their lack of agreement on who should follow whom.

Still, despite them all being quite a bit older than him in this life and despite him having seen almost all of them grow up and make good lives for themselves, he felt a deep relief and an even deeper, stronger pride in them for the life they lived now, free of almost all unnecessary burdens, doing things they liked and enjoying this new world they all were reborn into. They seemed happy and Levi couldn't have asked for more for the brats that had once been under his care. No more Titans, no more death, no more betrayals and civil wars ... Or at least that's what he'll fight for, to keep things this way.

Every day he spent with his former squad, from the moment he reunited with Eren and Armin, Levi had felt his determination to keep the Hallucigenia out of everyone's hands grow and that only intensified once he found almost all of his former comrades. He even wants to fight for Erwin, Nile and Zeke, who were chasing him and making his life hell. For his mother and uncle. For Historia and Uri and Freida and their family. Finding them all only made the risks of the Hallucigenia's secrets and powers all the more real and only made him all the more determined to never let some scientist or anyone else lay their hands on it. The Titan Wars and Eldian civil wars and everything else in between ... That was in the past, where it must stay, no matter what it takes. By now, Levi was used to sacrificing things for the greater good, for his comrades.

He would never let these brats of his have to go through what they did in their past life ever again if he had the power to stop it.

Which is why he's hoping Hange really does remember and that they might have a solution for him that doesn't involve him remaining a fugitive until the day he dies or killing the Hallucigenia. It felt wrong to do it in a way he'd rather not contemplate or try to explain. It was not evil, that was for certain; it had just tried living its life and had been dragged into humanity's bullshit by human greed. It was the last of its race and Levi would let it live for as long as it naturally would if he can help it. He has no right to decide on the extinction of a whole other race, especially one so old.

He really hoped Hange would have an answer for him.

The day of the fair arrived seemingly in the blink of an eye. Mikasa's and Jean's wedding was taking place the day after tomorrow and Mikasa was still insistent that Levi was as much invited as Eren and Armin, though Levi was still not willing to risk his presence possibly ruining the wedding if someone suddenly decided to make an attempt on him or the Hallucigenia. Reiner and Bertolt had left in the early hours of the morning for Spain to get Jean's and Marco's parents, but Mikasa and Jean dropped the trio off near the fair so they don't get lost in Tokyo and offered to pick them up in a few hours when they're done. Eren was the one who led them in as the invitation was on his name and they got in without much difficulty, being given guest IDs for the duration of the three day event. Levi had a feeling they wouldn't be coming back after today, even if things do go smoothly. Mikasa wanted to drag them all to get formal clothes tomorrow so they're all set for the wedding, whether they attend or not.

"Be sure to call me if anything goes wrong."

"Okay, okay, sheesh!"

"I'm serious."

"Hello, serious, I'm Eren."

"EREN!" Mikasa snapped while Jean snickered beside her. Levi rolled his eyes at Eren's antics and Armin just smiled sheepishly.

"Okay, fine, whatever. We can handle ourselves, give it a rest. Besides, if shit does hit the fan, we have everything and everyone we need to get through it right here," Eren said with a grin, slinging an arm around Levi's shoulders as if they had done it a thousand times. Well, Levi guessed personal space becomes a moot point after one sleeps with another person in the same bed on several occasions and wakes up every morning a tangled mess of sheets and limbs. Levi swears he doesn't remember Eren being this messy a sleeper, always moving around and somehow always ending up all but spooning Levi throughout the night. But, then again, almost for as long as Levi had known Eren, the Shifter had had to sleep in chains because people were idiots and thought some steel chains would be able to hold down a person capable of shifting into a fifteen meter Titan.

Really, Eren could have escaped captivity at any time, even back when he had almost zero control over his powers. The fact that he'd only bothered to threaten anyone - Hange, in this case - with the use of his Shifter abilities to escape only after he had the WarHammer Titan and was truly desperate to save Paradis from the rest of the world just spoke how utterly polite the little shit had been for years.

And the MPs used to believe they could contain, kill or dissect him. Idiots.

Mikasa sighed in exasperation, looking tiredly at Levi with an unspoken request that Levi understood all too well and responded to with a mere nod of his head. Yes, he would most certainly look after her past-life-childhood-friends even without prompting, but he also knew she was a worry wart and had been expecting an exchange like this much sooner into this crazy endeavor.

"I guess we'll see you later," Jean called, putting a reassuring arm around his fiancee's shoulder, which made the woman roll her eyes but lean into him nonetheless, smiling in a way Levi would never get used to when comparing this nearly carefree woman and the Ackerman she-warrior who had fought by his side so many times two thousand years ago. Happiness and relaxation looked good on Mikasa.

He was glad his brats had a good life this time around, even if Eren had to scare the shit out of his own father - ... again - so he and his mother could have that, too.

As the couple drove off, Levi, Eren and Armin finally entered the big building where the fair was being held. Well, it's definitely more of a convention, which sounds more professional, too, but since there were also kids wandering around and touching everything they might be allowed to touch or oohing and aahing at everything, he guessed it was also a fair. There were definitely sections and stands which showed how 'fun' science can be. Levi tried to steer his companions away from such stands, but Eren still ended up with the inhaler mask attached to a tank of helium for shits and giggles, his extremely high voice making Levi wonder with a disturbing amount of curiosity whether his Titan's roars could become this squeaky and high pitched, too.

They momentarily lost Armin in the archaeology and paleontology section for kids because Armin couldn't resist the replicas of dinosaur and other animal fossils available for children to dig up, especially the section with aquatic animals. It was mostly fish and sea snails or whatever, but there were also two of the smallest known aquatic dinosaurs on display, too, and Eren had to physically wrench Armin away from it. Then they had to avoid the marine paleontology (for adults) section altogether because Armin wanted to show them the Hallucigenia fossil - or the replica of it - and Levi would really rather not find out how his pet - the living, breathing, overpowered specimen - would react upon seeing the only remains of its long extinct species. They really didn't need to know if the Hallucigenia could escape anytime it wanted like Eren could have two thousand years ago and was just being polite or it amused it to be around humans who know what it is. They didn't need it deciding it was time to go back to its last host and finish what they had started with the Rumbling.

Levi had to drag both Eren and Armin away from the big glass pool set up for the two dolphins scientists were trying to teach to talk. They all collectively decided not to venture into the explosives section.

"Eren Jaeger?" A familiar voice asked and all three of them turned around to find none other than Moblit Berner standing behind them. He looked the same, looking as haggard as he had in their last life, which meant he was dealing with Hange this time around, too. But there was no recognition in his eyes as he scanned all three of them from head to toe. Levi could understand if he didn't recognize Eren or Armin, as they had quite the 'glow up' since Moblit last saw them two thousand years ago, but Levi didn't really age the way other people did. The biggest change to his appearance after he stopped growing was the scars he'd gained when Zeke blew them both up right before the Rumbling. If Moblit remembered, he would have recognized Levi in a second. But he didn't, so clearly he didn't remember, either. "You're Eren Jaeger, right? Hange Zoe's guest?"

"Yes, that's me," Eren replied with a nod, trying to smile and not cry at the same time at meeting yet another comrade they had lost too soon. "And these are my, uhm, guest invites? Armin and Leo." He said the name Levi had tried to hide behind when being introduced to Marco and Levi was grateful to Eren for his forethought to keep his actual name out of anyone's ears. They didn't really know if the world knows Levi by name or just as the guy who has the Hallucigenia. Levi would rather not find out.

Moblit nodded. "My name is Moblit Berner and I'm Hange's assistant, so to say. It appears that the people on duty at the entrance didn't direct you towards her section, so I was sent to find you. If you would please follow me, I'll lead you to her right away."

"Oh, sure. Thank you."

Moblit just nodded and turned around to do just that, clearly expecting them to just follow, which they did. They all stared at the long-ago dead man, they just couldn't help themselves. It was the same with Sasha for all three of them and with Marco and even Bertolt for Levi's two former subordinates turned temporary roommates turned 'adventure' buddies. Hell, it was the same with everyone who remembered in the group, sometimes just needing to reach out and touch the person they had once lost to convince themselves they were, in fact, still there, still alive, still real. Levi had that urge right now, to just reach out and touch any part of Moblit he could reach, just to convince himself his eyes weren't deceiving him. But Moblit would probably be freaked out by that, a complete stranger clinging to him seconds after meeting them.

... Then again, this was Moblit. He worked with Hange. He's probably seen and used to a lot weirder stuff than this.

"Hange-san was expecting your guest to be an Armin Arlert-" Levi, Eren and Armin immediately exchanged glances, something like excitement and relief washing over them at those words because that meant Hange remembered! "-but she was also expecting someone named Mikasa Ackerman. Not that I'm trying to say you are unwelcome," Moblit turned his head to look at Levi as he said that. "It's just very rare for Hange-san's calculation to prove incorrect."

What could they possibly say to that? Sorry Levi's not Mikasa? Levi rather doubts Hange will be disappointed to see him instead of the other Ackerman she was expecting to find with Eren. Don't get him wrong, Hange and Mikasa had gotten along great, but Mikasa was still no Levi. It would be like trying to replace Eren in Mikasa's life with Reiner or some shit; Mikasa learned to forgive Reiner and even became friends with him again, but Reiner would never be Eren just like Mikasa would never be Levi. They were all individuals who had people who loved them and had different places in their hearts for them and that was perfectly fine. It's one of the - quite frankly very few - true beauties of humanity as a whole. Rare few other species could create those kinds of bonds.

Levi couldn't help but wonder if, perhaps, the intelligent Hallucigenia had seen this and had desired something even remotely similar for itself. If that was the reason it had created the Paths, the Coordinate. If that was why it had attached itself to Ymir Fritz in the first place. If that was why it had united all Eldians in a way no other people ever will be united. Even in death, even beyond death.

He also wondered if that was why Eldians were reincarnating left and right. With even just the people they know of who had reincarnated, there were at least twenty people.

But there was also the question of Mikasa's mother. It's possible - or more likely probable - that one of her parents had at least some Eldian blood, otherwise Levi doubted she'd have reincarnated. The Aumabito from outside of Paradis can say what they want, the so-called Oriental clan within the Walls had spent at least a hundred years with Eldians within those three, towering Walls. It's very unlikely they would have resorted to incest throughout all one hundred or so years, otherwise Mikasa's mother or even Mikasa herself would have had some serious health problems. Incest in the long run is never a good thing and the people from two thousand years ago were no fools. They'd had practically modern warfare, they'd had vaccines, electricity, trains, zeppelins, even planes and cars. They'd had ways to check for Eldian DNA and even though Paradis had been isolated for a hundred years, Eldians had once been a part of those amazing scientific and technological discoveries and feats, too. If the world from two thousand years ago had developed at all like the world had in the last two centuries or so, then they would have at least known the consequences of mixing the DNA of two too close relatives.

Perhaps the question in regards to all of this reincarnation business should be just how much Eldian blood and DNA must one have to be reincarnated. Because the rest of the world from back then can deny it all they want but at least some of their ancestors had banged an Eldian before. It's just how life works.

And with Eren's claims of killing off 80% of humanity in the Rumbling ... Well, there had to be a lot of Eldians today. Yet there aren't all that many.

After all, the Hallucigenia rarely ever reacted before Levi ran into confirmed, so to say, Eldians. Levi had to believe that wasn't random, that there was a method to the madness that had become of his life. Otherwise, he might just snap or have a breakdown.

"May I ask why you call her Hange-san?" Armin said after a long stretch of silence. "I mean no offense, of course! It's just that you don't, uhm, look Japanese?"

Moblit arched an eyebrow. "That's because I'm not. But I did move to Japan when I was a teenager because of my father's work and I fell in love with this country. So when I grew up, even after my parents decided to go back to Germany, I came back to Japan to study engineering and robotics. That's where I met Hange-san. And though she often berates me for being overly formal and polite, I can't help it. I hold a great deal of respect and admiration for her. It's not everyday someone is born a genius and skips half of high school to go straight to college, after all."

Levi perked up at that.

"Wait, how old is Hange-san?" Eren asked, arching a curious eyebrow. "She just sent me an email one day with no explanation or anything, just an invitation to the biggest science convention in the world. I honestly at first thought it was a joke or one of those spam messages that steal your personal information or fuck up your computer, but nope! The visas were very real and so were the convention tickets."

"Hange-san asked that I disclose as little information about herself or her project as possible, because she wants it to be a 'surprise'," the man said with air quotes and a sigh. "To be honest, not even I know which project of hers she wants to show you. She brought along quite a few and some of them might be causing some problems since the military seemed quite interested in them. It's one of the reasons why she didn't come get you herself; she has to fend off various generals from various armies who had come to scout bright minds for their military projects." Levi stiffened up at hearing the words 'generals' and 'military projects'. He tightened his grip on the strap of his backpack and let his senses extend and sharpen so he was suddenly too aware of everything going on around him with a precision that even the best monitoring systems or nature's natural predators would be jealous of.

He was ready to flee at the first sign of trouble. Eren and Armin will be fine, as they were just ordinary civilians in everyone else's eyes. And Levi had a place to stay, even if for just a short while. ZoeH had been delighted to hear he was in Japan and had insisted that he must visit her, regardless of his reason for being on the other side of the world so suddenly. ZoeH would get him whatever papers and documents he might ever need, to either stay or to leave Japan however and whenever he may wish.

He just hopes Eren, that determined, stubborn idiot, wouldn't try to go after him. Eren had his whole life ahead of him, a peaceful, normal life. Levi wasn't going to drag him into this mess if he could help it. And he can. Levi had always been good at running away. Eren would just have to accept that he had been one of those people Levi had left behind for their own safety.

He was broken out of his thoughts when his heightened awareness caught a sound he was all too familiar with. The whirring of extending cables. The thunk of an anchor sinking into a sturdy surface. The zip of retreating cables. The air resistance pushing against a moving body. Levi stopped, having completely zoned out what Moblit might have been saying as he led Armin and Eren away from the teenager, none of them aware that Levi, who had been silent so far and trailed a bit after the group - bringing up the rear, as he often had done in his previous life as the strongest soldier in their regiment, on the whole island, or maybe even in the known world - had stopped and turned to head in a different direction, ears following that nostalgic and well-missed sound.

There was a crowd around an exhibit. It wasn't even an exhibit so much as a training course of some sort, with tall structures placed at various distances from each other. The field was huge, taking up a lot of space, but also not nearly big enough for proper training. The crowd of people around the training field were of all ages and sizes and they were all staring in wonder and amusement at some pure schmuck who was trying to operate a very real, very much working three-dimensional maneuvering gear, or 3DMG for short. Though the name of the exhibit seemed to be omni-dimensional maneuvering gear, or ODMG. But it was definitely the same gear Levi had used for nearly his entire life. The same harness, the same gas canisters, the same handles, the same detachable-sword housings, the same cables, the same anchors ... It was all identical. It was exactly the same.

This was made by someone who remembered Paradis.

This had to have been made by Hange!

"This is impossible!" Shouted one of the guys who had tried out the gear. He looked to be a sporty kind of person. He certainly held himself in a controlled, confident way Levi had only seen soldiers or professional athletes do. He was taking off the set he'd been using rather jerkily, clearly pissed off that he, just like the curious amateurs who were brave enough to give it a go, couldn't get a hand of the gear despite his probably lifelong training regimen. Levi glared at him when he saw how the man all but threw the most sensitive and important mechanism of the whole gear to the floor, glaring at it as though it had personally offended him.

"Oi! Just because you're incompetent doesn't mean you have to be a dick about it! Someone worked hard to make that, you piece of shit." Nothing pissed Levi off more than mistreatment or the maneuvering gear that saved the Scouts lives and allowed them to fight for the ungrateful shits within the Walls, the gear that had allowed Levi to see the sun and sky at all in his last life. Well, insufficient cleaning and betrayal did, but those were a whole different category.

"You think you're some kind of hotshot?!" The man stalked over to Levi and prodded at his chest. "Huh, shrimp? You think you can do better than me?" He flinched back when Levi glared at him but he had too much pride to recognize the danger he had thrown himself into by challenging Levi. "Let's see how your scrawny little ass handles slamming into one of those fucking fake trees."

Now, Levi was usually above such stupid competitions, but he really wanted to get his hands on a set of the gear and he really wanted to fly. And he really wanted to show this piece of shit his place, so Levi accepted. He ignored the guy's sneer as he picked up the gear and inspected it for damage and then for gas. The dipshit had used up almost all of the gas in the canisters with his one minute of use and Levi would have killed him for the waste of resources had he ever made it to the Survey Corps. He would have literally thrown him out and the dipshit would have been the first person thrown out of the military regiment most desperate for new members. And if he'd showed this much attitude, Levi might have even thrown him into the mouth of a waiting Titan. Back then, they really couldn't afford the waste of resources.

After refilling the gas canisters and strapping on the gear, he checked the grips and pulled out a cable a little to see the speed of the mechanism meant to retract it. It was a little faster than what he was used to, but that only meant he could fly faster, which sent a course of excitement through his veins. Oh, this was going to be fun. He had to readjust his balance a little because he sure as hell wasn't leaving his backpack unattended, but he was good to go.

If he had any less self control, he would have whooped in excitement and joy as Isabel often had when he launched himself off the ground at a speed faster than any of the other participants had dared, even when they had thought they had this in the bag. There were shouts of alarm coming from the watching crowd, clearly everyone was certain he would crash and injure himself, but Levi had never felt as free or as comfortable in this new world as he did now that he had the maneuver gear back strapped to his hips. His body still remembered the way to move, his Ackerman abilities making it easier to control it the way he wanted, the way he had always done. He could turn sharp corners, he could pirouette mid-air, he could dive real low and climb real high in a matter of seconds.

Levi felt like himself in a way he hadn't since he'd been old enough for his brain to comprehend the memories he carried from another life that had ended two thousand years ago. He felt like he could actually fly, even though he knew this flight was limited to the gear on his hips and the canisters of gas strapped into it.

The crowd below was oohing and aahing, clapping at his daring maneuvers and cheering whenever he decided to arc out of the training field to fly over them before he let the cables pull him back.

It was during one such arch that he saw three things of importance.

One, Eren had run over to the area, having finally noticed Levi's absence and came to search for him, Armin and Molbit running after him, out of breath and bent over heaving for air.

Two, having turned away from annoying generals and other such contractors, Hange Zoe, his best friend from his last life, had turned around and was staring up at him with tears in their eyes that had fogged up their now pushed up glasses and she was waving at him with all the enthusiasm she'd once held for Titans.

And three, the one that had the blood in his veins turning to ice ...

Was a pair of familiar glacier blue eyes looking up at him with the same expression he'd once seen among the crowd in the Underground ...

The same expression he'd seen after his first Titan kill ...

Erwin Smith had just seen what Levi Ackerman can do.

'Fuck.'

Chapter Text

Levi didn't even pause in his maneuvers. He was off before Smith could recover from his shock of seeing Levi in his element again. He used his momentum to swing around one of the fake trees that made up the trial course for Hange's OMD and swung back out over the crowd even farther and lower than he ever had before, until he was right above Hange. The scientist didn't even need any instructions to reach her hands up when she saw Levi's intentions to retrieve her, she just trusted him to snatch her up and let her gear take them away just as Erwin started shouting orders at whatever men he'd taken to the convention. The faster gear easily took them out of range of the dart guns and whatever the fucking else the MI6 agents were shooting at them but the crowd screamed and chaos ensued.

As Levi easily flew over the edges of the trial course, he looked back just in time to see Eren and Moblit knock out an MI6 agent each before Armin pulled them out of the way of the stampede of panicking people who knocked over more of the agents than Levi could have ever hoped for. Levi managed to catch Eren's eyes and sent him one of the Scouts' signals for direction as to where they should regroup and Eren nodded just as Levi started falling behind the set. Hange whooped as they let gravity take them before Levi shot out an anchor towards a nearby pillar and then pulled them up to a safe height for further maneuvers. Down below, the security had gotten involved, tackling Erwin and his men to the best of their abilities, even tazing some of them or even using pepper spray to keep them down. Erwin hadn't taken a lot of men, which meant he hadn't expected to run into Levi here; MI6 had sent him here to scout bright minds and instead, he'd discovered Levi.

That moment when their eyes had met ... It reminded Levi an uncomfortable lot of the first time he'd seen Erwin Smith and the first time Erwin had seen him, Levi 'the invincible', the strongest thug in the Underground. Levi was aware that Erwin had agreed to chase the 'three little thugs' in the Underground for the Military Police only because he'd spotted Levi that day. Erwin didn't even need to tell him because Levi would never forget those glaciers that had appraised him that day, not even after years of trusting glances and long stares that communicated entire conversations at him as Erwin's unofficial right hand man.

Levi was almost surprised this wasn't the moment of their first meeting in this new life. It would have been poetic irony at its finest if it had been, but he guessed not even irony was fond of mocking bonds the likes of which Levi had created with his Survey Corps comrades.

Hange gave another exclamation of excitement as they soared higher and higher before Levi executed a few twirls, spins and turns, getting as out of sight from any and all military personnel as he possibly could. He glared down at his reincarnated best friend but she just laughed and threw her arms around his shoulders, rubbing their faces together as though they were cats. "Oh, how much I've missed you, my short friend!"

"Yeah, sure, not really the time right now, Hange," he replied, not denying having missed her, too, even if he also didn't admit it, either. Hange didn't need to hear the words to know, though. She just gave him this soft look behind her glasses before looking down at the chaos below.

"Geeze, you can't catch a break, can you?" She paused, squinting. "Is that Erwin down there?"

"He doesn't remember and he's with the MI6," Levi replied before she could ask him why they weren't having a big, happy reunion with their former Commander. "He's been chasing me for the past couple of months and if I am ever within five feet of him again, I'm definitely kicking his teeth in, so we're really running away for his sake." Levi wasn't even kidding. Especially not after the assassin incident.

"Hey, that car says you're my guest!" Hange exclaimed, catching sight of the visitor's pass hanging around Levi's neck, whipping around wildly as Levi moved. "But I sent them only to Eren! Hey, do you know I invited Eren? I hope he has at least some of the gang with him. Wasn't expecting to find him in Spain, though. Would have contacted him way sooner if I wasn't searching for him first in Germany and Austria. Hey, Levi, did you find anyone else-"

"Hange, now's really not the time!"

The brunette looked at the backpack he was wearing and frowned. "Levi," she said in a very serious voice Levi had rarely ever heard from the eccentric scientist. "Why are you risking your balance with this backpack? It looks huge, shit! I know you're the best of the best but this gear is the same as the one from our last life and you know we only carried anything on us that's not around our waist at all only in the case of most extreme emergencies-"

"Shit, Hange, I know, damn it! I know! But if you'd just pipe down long enough for us to get to safety and get the hell out of here, maybe we could discuss all of this in detail!"

The second to last Commander of the Survey Corps nodded her head, accepting that compromise - more like condition, really - before pointing towards a certain direction. "Moblit will take everyone there to meet up."

Levi looked at Hange with suspicion. "You had an exit plan set up in advance without knowing shit like this would happen? Why?"

Hange rolled her eyes. "Levi, I invited Eren Jaeger, without any idea whether he had any memories of our past life or not. What the hell was I supposed to do? Wait around and find out how he'd react to me? For all I knew, he could still be a Shifter! And I always have an escape plan in the wings these days. All sorts of military folk have expressed an interest in my inventions. ODM, Thunderspears, that shit we used on Annie and many more that aren't at all related to our past life. I needed a subtle way to bail if push comes to shove. You know I don't like push coming to shove situations, Levi."

Levi nodded his head, conceding the point in having an escape route, just in case. He would have done the same, really, if he were in her situation but he wasn't aware Hange had become this paranoid. Then again, this new world was a whole lot different from Paradis, Titans notwithstanding. You can never be sure what to expect in these modern times.

The path Hange instructed him to take had minimal security or civilians in it, which was precisely why Hange had chosen it as her escape route. It would probably be tricky for 80% of Paradis' old military, perhaps difficult for 65% of the Survey Corps, but for Levi it was a piece of cake, even when they got into a hallway with only walls to act as targets for the anchors. Hange did not cheer or whoop anymore, clearly sensing now that Levi was on edge in a way he had only ever been when he had to protect someone or when he was about to face the odds no other human being could survive. Finally, there was a light at the end of the tunnel - literally. Levi burst out of the hallway as if he was leading the Female Titan into Hange's trap again, easily correcting his momentum from the added weight of Hange. She did cheer that time, especially when Levi needed to rid them of added momentum by doing a flip, Hange still clinging to him. Had it been anyone else but the two of them, they would have been a splat on the wall. But Levi was the best user of the gear since it was invented and Hange was not only pretty great herself, but she also trusted Levi to keep her safe even in the midst of an uncontrollable situation like this.

Moblit, Armin and Eren had just gotten to a van that had the faces of Sawney and Bean printed all over it and Moblit gaped at the short man while Eren just grinned and Armin was staring in awe at the reconstructed 3DMG - or ODM now - strapped to Levi's hips.

"Well, there's no doubt she remembers now," Armin commented humorously as Hange waved at the two former Shifters excitedly. Eren seemed quite surprised when Hange tackled him with a hug. Levi knew it was because Eren had been half-expecting Hange to hate him for the things he'd done and for her death. But Hange was Hange and she had far more interesting things to do with her life than hold a grudge against someone, especially as there was the whole mystery of reincarnation and memories thing going on.

"I'm so glad to see you guys!" Hange was yelling into Eren's ear - probably her form of revenge, the safe kind; Hange was possibly the scariest person in the Scouts when she gets pissed, so petty revenge is safe revenge - before flinging herself onto Armin next, far more gently and quietly. Eren didn't seem perturbed. Then again, he was the only other person besides Levi and Moblit who'd gotten used to dealing with an excited Hange in the middle of a Titan-caused gleeful manic frenzy, often being the cause of such a state himself as the first known Titan Shifter. "How did you find the shorty over there? I was honestly expecting it to be you guys and Mikasa, considering how inseparable you used to be. Not that I'm complaining! I love Levi almost as much as I love my Moblit and I definitely love Moblit more than Titans!"

"Did you say Levi?" A familiar voice asked and suddenly, the van slammed open, out sprinting a blur of brunette hair that nearly tackled Levi to the grounds. What's with brunets and tackling, anyways!? "MISTER LEVI! Falco, come quick! It's Mister Levi!" Another familiar blur, blond this time, emerged from the van to look at Levi for barely a second before he helped the brunette to finally down Levi onto the cold, hard concrete, which he did not appreciate, thank you very much. But he recognized these blurs quite well. Gabi (nee Braun) and Falco Grice, his once charges who had accepted him into their lives and family and had held onto him with a vicious grip that spoke of fear of abandonment and losing one's loved ones to death or just to the ways of life in general.

Gabi was holding him now with a grip tight enough that it would probably leave bruises and Falco was crying into his shirt and Levi found he did not mind in the slightest, because these were also his brats and he had honestly grown quite concerned when Reiner had never mentioned them to him, despite knowing Levi had become their second father after they had lost their families in Marley. He had figured Reiner just hadn't found them, which turns out to be the exact case, as here they are now, holding onto him as though their lives depended on it. And they clearly remembered, which was one step closer to proving Levi's theory correct. Now they just needed to find Pieck and Floch-

"Did you say Levi?" Another, black haired head popped out of the driver's seat of the van and none other than Pieck Finger locked eyes with the Ackerman in their midst and waved with a small smile. "Hello, Levi-heichou. It's a pleasure to meet you again, in this slightly better life. I hope you've been doing well."

"Pieck!?" Armin exclaimed, surprised, delighted and a bit confused and she turned her head in the blond's direction, finding a slightly uneasy Eren beside him. "It's so great to see you again! Wow, I didn't think we'd discover so many of our friends in Japan! How lucky!"

The former Cart Titan just smiled and nodded. "I'm a transfer student here this year and ended up being project partners with Hange, so she dragged me along to the presentations as well. I was at the food court, getting us some snacks, when the alarms went off and Hange had already insisted that, at the first sign of danger, I need to grab the kiddos and get to the car, start it and be ready to take off at any second."

"We're not really kids anymore, Pieck-san," Falco complained halfheartedly as he and Gabi finally got off of Levi. And, really, they clearly weren't. Levi remembered them when they looked like this. Falco and Gabi were twenty years old, fuck. Levi was, once again, the shortest and youngest in the group. He scowled.

"You are to me," scoffed playfully the ravenette before nodding towards Eren. "Hello, Eren Jaeger. I hope we are not meeting like enemies again."

"Not this time and Eren is just fine," replied the brunet and that's when Falco and Gabi noticed him. Falco gave a small smile and waved half shyly, half awkwardly, while Gabi couldn't quite meet Eren's eyes when she greeted him with a wave of her own. "Have you guys met anyone else? Do they remember?"

"I thought this isn't the time to discuss this?" Hange half asked, half stated, arching an eyebrow at Levi, who gave her a deadpan look.

"It isn't. Get in the car before Erwin figures out where we disappeared off to."

"Erwin, as in Erwin Smith?" Pieck asked and Levi scowled at her. "Right, you're the Heichou. What you say goes."

For once, Levi didn't bother to correct someone, because getting out of here was more important than semantics. If he had to play his old role just so they can get going, so be it.

"Exactly right. Now get in the damn car. And seriously, Hange? Seriously!? Sawney and Bean? Don't even start, I don't want to hear it." Hange pouted as Levi led the way to get into the car, Gabi and Falco falling to flank him, which seemed to cause an irritated eye twitch for Eren and an indulgent smile from Armin, who was used to the little found family going around in such a fashion. Pieck actually grinned at them and moved to pat Levi on the back, probably to tease him about Eren - something people seemed to be implying in almost every interaction since he reunited with his wayward subordinate - but that, predictably, proved to be a mistake.

No sooner than her hand landed on Levi's shoulder, the Hallucigenia screeched at the Cart Titan Shifter's proximity and since they were in a garage of sorts, the sound echoed like in a fucking horror movie, causing even Armin, who was already used to this bullshit by now, to flinch. Levi and Eren were the only ones who hadn't and that's only because they had seen it coming before it could happen. And instead of settling down when everyone flinched away from Levi and the backpack he was carrying it in, it screeched again, probably to make up for the lost opportunity to burst someone's eardrums out when Falco had ambushed him. Levi could only guess that the sudden movement caused by the tumble had disoriented it enough to delay the immediate tantrum, but now it was determined to make up for it.

By now more than practiced in dealing with the annoyance, Levi shrugged off the backpack just as Eren reached out to take it and as soon as the bag was in Eren's possession, the Hallucigenia stopped screeching.

And Levi, while elated that the fucking noise had stopped, was still somewhat perturbed as to how he was supposed to feel about Eren apparently becoming the Hallucigenia's other pet-parent. Levi had thought it absurd when divorcing couples went to court just to settle who gets their pet dog afterwards, but now he's pretty sure he'd do it, too. Though he finds it a bit strange how he compared his and Eren's situation to a couple's, given neither he nor Eren had feelings for each other ... Right?

'Shit, if there was ever a time not to think about that, it was now.'

"What the hell was that!?" Demanded Gabi as she and Falco held each other protectively while never taking their eyes off of the bag Eren was now casually holding. The girl looked ready to grab a riffle and start fucking shooting. And, well, Levi was not letting her around Sasha or Eren with a gun.

"It's best if we get in the car and then we'll explain as we go," Armin said with a sigh. "It's a long and complicated story but it's not going to hurt us-"

"Most probably," Eren interjected like the shitty brat he is, causing Pieck and Moblit to even more dubiously stare at the bag. Levi and Armin glared at the former Attack Titan and he just shrugged, the piece of shit.

"-but it would be best if Eren sat next to Levi, lest it throw a temper tantrum again."

"... It?" Hange asked and Levi sighed.

"I'm not explaining anything until we're relatively safe. So get in the fucking car. I'm taking a window seat."

And so get in the car they did. The van was weird. It had a rather cramped back seat since most of the space was taken up for storage but Levi was thrilled to see the standard issue segmented swords from two thousand years ago, or rather their modern day copies, and there were several gas canisters at the ready. There was also a set of six Thunderspears but Levi sincerely hoped he would never have to use those things in this life or any other ever again. They made too much of a mess and weren't subtle at all, even if they have a lot of firepower in them. The seating arrangement wasn't really comfortable, either, as it was agreed upon that the former Shifters would sit up front, so Hange, Moblit and Gabi sat in the back with Levi and Eren, who had Levi's backpack between them to keep the Hallucigenia placated for the time being. Armin joined Pieck and Falco in the front just to lessen the sheer number of people in the back, preventing any unnecessary pushing and elbowing and the such. Gabi and Eren were already plastered against each other enough as it is.

As soon as Pieck pulled out of the garage and Hange told her to go to her house, the crazy scientist turned to Levi and Eren with a hard look. "Alright, spill."

"Where do we even start?" Eren said with a groan and Gabi snorted unattractively beside him.

"At the beginning, duh." Levi reached over and gave her a hard flick on the forehead. Eren preened. "Ow! Mister Levi, why did you do that!?"

"I thought I cleaned that big mouth of yours to perfection the last time around, brat."

Gabi flushed in embarrassment but growled at the cocky Eren, whom Levi also flicked on the forehead to keep his ego in check. Why he was even competing with Gabi in the first place, and over what, Levi didn't know but it was childish and distracting and he wanted none of it. The two had frankly scarily similar anger issues that he'd rather not watch collide, especially not in an enclosed moving space called a car. He had a life to live, thank you very much.

"As for where we should start, I guess it should be my family vacation twelve years ago." And so Levi repeated his life story for the nth time in just one month while the others listened carefully. There was only one minor incident that consisted of two parts, when Hange found out about the Hallucigenia and its sequel upon learning it was the source of all Titan powers four thousand years ago. Pieck very nearly swerved them off the road due to Hange's screeching and Levi couldn't help but wonder if Hange was perhaps the worst noise pollution between her and his Cambrian, unconventional, unorthodox, overpowered pet. After Hange calmed down enough for Levi to finish the story, now with Armin and Eren frequently pipping up with their own details, there was a long stretch of silence in which everyone digested the fact that Levi was still a teenager, still an Ackerman and still a badass all in one.

And that he was still dealing with Titan bullshit, just in another form they had never anticipated.

"Wait, let me just-" Moblit broke the silence first, which wasn't too unusual, if you know the guy. One can't survive working with Hange if one doesn't have the same drive to find answers that might require extreme methods to get. "Didn't you guys say this whole 'Battle of Heaven and Earth' or whatever ended over Marley? Deep inland? And that Eren's head was buried in Shiganshina?"

"Well, yeah. Uhm, Mikasa took it back to Paradis and I, uhm, took the, uhm, credit for killing Eren in the eyes of the world so Mikasa would have free access back to Paradis, but the head was definitely buried in Shiganshina and we never really found the rest of the body," Armin stammered through the explanation, still a bit uneasy to talk about Eren's death, as he could sometimes get even when Eren was absolutely zen about it.

"Then how did the Hallucigenia get back into the sea, is what he's trying to get at," Hange supplied, fixing her glasses. "I may have an answer to that, though this is just a theory I've been secretly trying to prove under a different thesis for one of my degrees so I have access to resources, information and funding. You guys know what Pangaea is, right?"

"Of course," Eren replied.

"The supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic, which started breaking apart at the end of the Triassic and the beginning of the Jurassic, about 200 million years ago-"

"That's the one," Levi cut in before Armin could nerd out anymore. The blond in question blushed a little in embarrassment and kept quiet. "What about it?"

"Ever wonder about the balance of the planet with one gigantic continent existing practically all by itself on only one half of the planet while the other side is just the ocean?" Hange asked and Levi arched an eyebrow at her. "I mean, it was all one huge piece of land with maybe smaller islands around it, but it was just one land. The surface it took up would fit on one half of the globe, which meant the other one was supposedly empty!"

Armin blinked, looking a bit stunned. "That ... That never occurred to me before. I just took the Pangaea theory for granted and went with it. I mean, there's a lot of evidence to suggest it as the most likely theory to explain the similarity between certain ancient species-"

"What does this have to do with us?" Levi cut in again, not willing to listen to a nerd contest when he hadn't even had the chance to graduate from high school. Not that he'd been a bad student or anything, but he wasn't ready to get dragged into a conversation that will mostly make no sense to him, especially not when they have more important matters to deal with. "With the Hallucigenia, Paradis, Titans, Eldians, anything, really."

"Well, my theory is that Paradis and the continent it was closest to originate from a land that had once existed on the other side of the ancient globe and when the other continents were formed, it was like an eight continent. Probably about the size of Australia and it existed somewhere in the Pacific ocean. And it probably sank sometime in the past two thousand years."

"Like Atlantis?" Eren asked and Hange nodded.

"Yup, only, like, a whole ass continent. Plenty of islands, cities and forests and the such got flooded and lost under the sea at some point in the past in Asia and the Americas, the sea level having exponentially risen for no apparent reason. And being so isolated before cross-ocean voyages started, it would explain why Marley and Paradis and other such nations like Hizuru and the others were only myths everywhere else. It would also partially explain why there are literally minimal indications of the Rumbling anywhere else in the world."

"So Paradis and its neighbors are the real Atlantis, is that what you're saying?" Levi asked and Hange made a so-so motion with her hand.

"Sort of. I mean, obviously not in a literal sense, but the concept would apply all the same. There are plenty of sunken cities all around the world, legendary for their riches, ores and technology. Tell me Paradis and Marley wouldn't fit right in in such tales?" No one could deny it. "And it sinking would explain why the world had to rediscover all the shit Eldians and others used to have on their own instead of just learning from us? Our ancestors? I'm not sure how to address the Eldians who have lived after me in the past two thousand years but that doesn't matter. Point is, Paradis exists somewhere under the sea and that's how the Hallucigenia got back into it."

"But didn't it die with Eren?" Falco asked from the front seat, turning around to stare at the ancient, shining creature contently floating in its container between Eren and Levi.

"It could be that it functions like some other sea creatures, like starfish or sponges, where they get all but revived when you put them back into the water even if they dry up and look dead," Armin suggested. "It certainly gave Titans healing abilities of such a caliber, anyway."

"And it's like a thousand times smarter than we give it credit for," Eren supplied. "It survived in secret for so long; clearly it knew a trick or two other species didn't."

"Or that one has some sort of mutation that others didn't!" Hange explained as she rummaged through her bag before pulling out the most disturbing fossil Levi will ever see: a Hallucigenia. "See? Others of its kind have been found in Canada and China-"

"Hange, put that away before you get it upset!" Eren all but ordered, batting the woman's hands away from his face, clearly also not wanting the fossilized remains of the Hallucigenia being waved around in his face.

"And why the fuck do you even have a specimen on you in the first place?" Levi asked, intrigued despite himself.

"Oh! My second thesis is about the Hallucigenia, since the first time I saw a digital reconstruction about the Hallucigenia and how it moved, it reminded me of Eren's Founding Titan form, so I got curious and maybe a bit nostalgic."

Eren and Levi simultaneously looked down at the container containing an 'innocent' endangered animal and both reached for the container and window respectively, ready to throw the thing under a literal buss for fucking with their lives in such a way but Armin lunged over Pieck, nearly causing her to lose control of the vehicle once again, to activate the child locks before whirling around and snatching the fossil up out of Hange's hands so he can gawk at it from up close, as though he hasn't been helping take care of a living Hallucigenia for the past month or so.

"So Paradis sunk, the Hallucigenia migrated to fucking Florida where Mister Levi found it and ... How does that, exactly, explain the whole reincarnation and memories shtick?" Gabi asked, trying to follow the conversation. "I mean, Porco doesn't remember, so it can't be a Shifter thing, because unlike him, I do."

As it turns out, according to a summary of everyone's lives, Hange and Gabi are cousins twice removed but always got along the best out of all their other family members because of their shared memories, so eventually they decided to live together to lessen their rent expenses. Hange pays for most of the things, despite being younger by a year - Levi's age - because of her many scholarships - she was truly a genius with an IQ over 220, she skipped half of middle school and attended only one year of high school before she was shipped off to college at 16, where she continued her streak of making the regular schooling system redundant by completing all of her courses in two years and then throwing out thesis after thesis - while Gabi works in a nice cafe, where she actually met Falco this year. Falco was in Tokyo for an internship and so he stayed with the cousins as a guest so he doesn't have to rent an apartment for no reason, as Hange and Gabi had plenty of space. Falco now only went back home - France - to visit his family for the holidays. Colt, his older brother, doesn't remember, and neither do any of his other friends back from Marley. Pieck, on the other hand, is engaged with Porco Galliard, despite him having no memories. Porco's family own a construction firm in Austria but have decided, like the Kirstein & Bott, to expand and have chosen Japan with Porco as the new CEO of the eastern branch since his girlfriend of six years was dead set on staying in Japan after she found Hange at the beginning of the year. Porco was already too busy with overseeing the construction of their office building so he couldn't come with her to the fair. And Moblit, well, he and Hange actually met only a couple of weeks ago, as he was a volunteer for the fair to help set things up and he was assigned to Hange and the rest was history. He was currently the oldest one present at 27 years old.

"Levi came up with the theory that those who participated in the Battle of Heaven and Earth are the only ones who remember," Armin replied and Hange nodded.

"A pretty sound theory; well done, short stack! You did learn a thing or two from me over all those years!" She said with a grin, making Levi roll his eyes.

"But that doesn't explain how Zeke doesn't remember," reminded Pieck, listening carefully despite focusing on the road. "He was there, too. And the Coordinate is timeless, right? Shouldn't former Founding Titan bearers also have been, technically, present for the Rumbling? And thus remember? Yet Uri, that Frieda girl and Grisha Jaeger don't remember anything."

"I've never thought about it from that angle," mused Eren. "And, honestly, I'm not one hundred percent sure about my father's memories. I mean, my mom thought she recognized Levi from somewhere but didn't know from where. And my father seemed to have actually been looking for my mom, though I still surprised him."

"And I have to say I'm also not entirely sure about the state of my family's memories," Levi had to admit, making everyone turn to look at him a bit strangely. "There were moments when I was sure uncle Uri remembered. When I think back on it, there were these times when he'd get an awfully melancholic and guilty look on his face when he'd watch my mom and me gang up on Kenny in silly games. And there were times when Frieda gave me these searching looks I couldn't quite place."

"My parents are awfully obsessed with air balloons," Armin mused.

"And Colt gave me oddly specific orders to never join the army or drink wine ever again," the youngest of the blonds commented.

"Moblit detastes the idea of Big Foot," Hange said, much to said man's sputtering protests. "He hates seeing those big supposed footprints."

"Okay, so, everyone seems to have a shadow of their past life memories? Is that the conclusion we're getting at?" Moblit asked, sounding exasperated. "Because, based on the things Hange-san told me, I'd honestly rather not remember."

"Yeah," Eren said almost sympathetically. "Waking up one day as a seven year old who remembers nineteen years of life the likes of mine wasn't a good afternoon nap."

"I'm lucky I remembered at ten," Armin commented and Levi stared at them a bit incredulously.

"I remembered at ten, too!" Exclaimed Hange, grinning at the former Colossal Titan."

"I remembered at thirteen," said Pieck and the other two Marley-raised (former?) Eldians agreed.

"Annie and Mikasa said they remembered at twelve and Reiner said he remembered when he was fifteen. Jean remembered since he was nine and Connie also remembered since he was ten," Armin supplied and Levi wondered when the hell his brats had gotten the chance to talk about this shit.

"When did you remember, Heichou?" Eren asked, turning to face Levi. "You must have been really young to recognize the Hallucigenia at seven."

"I always remembered," Levi said after a moment of confused hesitation. "Ever since I could talk and think, I believe. The first time I consciously remembered something ... I think my mom has it somewhere on tape or something. We were in the zoo and I saw a monkey and said he reminded me of a more handsome version of Zeke." No one could quite keep a straight face at that. They even gaffed. "When my mom asked me who Zeke was, I realized I remembered a whole other life. I was fucking three."

All amusement evaporated out of the car faster than spilled Titan blood. "Heichou," Eren croaked out, sounding near brokenhearted at how young Levi had been when he'd remembered the horrors of their life two thousand years ago.

Levi, though, waved him off. "I'm not traumatized or anything. I still slept and ate as I always have before. Life was as good as can be. Made me appreciate my family all the more. Kenny often teased me that I was a mama's boy but he definitely loved when I'd let him cuddle me, too."

"I demand baby pictures!" Yelled Hange, probably in an effort to dispel the somber mood.

Levi snorted. "You'd have to ask my mom for them. They are her precious treasure." His own mood instantly darkened as he was reminded of one of his main worries since leaving home. "If I even still have a mom."

"I can hack into the government's health system and check, if you want," offered his best friend and Levi smiled at her, not even questioning the hacking thing. It's Hange; he expects everything and anything from her.

Then he looked outside, saw the name of the street they were driving on, and something clicked. He stayed silent until the van pulled to a stop in front of a nice two story house and Levi saw the address. He turned incredulous, disbelieving eyes at Hange, who was trying to poke at the Hallucigenia's container despite Eren batting her hands away. "ZoeH?"

Eren and Armin snapped their heads in his direction immediately before turning their eyes to Hange when she gasped.

"LEE!"

Chapter Text

"I still can't believe Hange ended up being ZoeH," Eren said as he walked into the guest room at Hange's that they were, once again, sharing. Armin had chosen the couch in the downstairs living room, as a taken man who would rather not risk the fury of Annie, while Moblit had chosen the upstairs tea room as his resting place for the night, with a futon placed over an air mattress Hange had pulled out for him. The guest room was actually Pieck's, but she was staying in Hange's room for the night so Eren and Levi would have somewhere to sleep. Gabi had her own room and Falco being her boyfriend, he was staying with her. "I mean, what are the odds, right?" He mused as he toweled his hair dry from his shower.

Falco had been kind enough to lend the males clothes for the night - except for Levi, of course, though Hange had let him use her washing machine to take care of his few clothes that he always has with him - after everyone took turns in the bathroom but his clothes did not exactly fit everyone the same. Falco still hadn't fully grown into his frame muscle-wise and there was no telling if he even wanted to buff up, but that meant his shirts, at the very least, were a lost cause for Moblit and Eren, who were taller and broader than him, Eren especially as the currently tallest and (second) most muscular man present. Luckily, Moblit had been given an extra blanket and Hange had dragged in a portable heater in case he gets cold despite said piles of blankets provided to him.

So here they were now, Levi in his usual sleeping clothes - long sleeved, pretty worn shirt and some basketball shorts - and Eren only in a pair of jogging pants that still looked like they barely fit him, no matter how loose they actually were. Levi had seen Eren shirtless before, plenty of times, actually. Both in this life and the past. But it somehow felt ... different this time. He didn't know why, but he found himself either unable to look at Eren too long or unable to look away at all. There wasn't a big difference between Eren two thousand years ago and this Eren ... Though he had grown an extra inch or two, considering he lived through to the end of his growth and maturing phase. It was a bit distracting.

This Eren also had scars. Mostly minor, faded ones that would have come from a normal boy's childhood adventures and games, but seeing scars on Eren was strange, as Levi was used to flawless skin. Well, the times he'd seen Eren without a shirt on, anyways.

"Yeah," he remembered to reply, trying to sound unbothered by all the bared skin before him.

"And to think you guys managed to find each other without ever actually meeting," Eren said with an amused huff. "Though Hange should have really known better than to not just randomly invite someone to live with her when she already has roommates who had no idea about her invitation."

"That's Hange for you," Levi said as he sealed up the Hallucigenia's container after he finished feeding it. He should change the water tomorrow. The container may have an inbuilt filter and oxygenation system, but fresh water was still the healthiest.

"Do you think she'll be calm and collected enough to give us some actual answers and solutions tomorrow about the Hallucigenia and the memories?" The brunet asked, keeping the conversation going even as he approached the bed they were meant to share for the night, completely unbothered by his half-naked state. "I mean, she did say there were things she wanted to show us that might hold answers for the whole reincarnation-memories thing, but that's not even the main problem in our lives. We need to figure out what to do with that thing," he said as he nodded at the Hallucigenia getting settled in at the bottom of its aquarium for the night. It rarely needed to sleep, but it did, a couple of times a month or so. It needed its rest, too. "I still think the Mariana Trench is the best option if you're still so against killing it."

Levi looked over to Eren and gave the brunet his most deadpan but disapproving look that he could manage. "Eren, for the love of fucking everything sane and healthy on this fucked up planet, do you ever use your brain to think, even for just one minute?"

"Hey, no need to get like that, sheesh!" Complained Eren, actually looking annoyed with Levi, which was definitely a first, in both lifetimes. Levi had seen Eren get angry at him - the time with Armin's near death in Shiganshina comes to mind as the perfect example - but the Shifter had never been annoyed with Levi.

It had Levi scowling, too. "Eren, think. It seems it's only Eldians being reincarnated, memories or no memories. And we were all once connected through the Coordinate, which was created through this thing's powers. Can you imagine how bad things could go if we still somehow shared a connection with this thing? What if harming the Hallucigenia does something to us, too? Kills us? Leaves us brain-dead? Comatose? Fucking turns us back into primates or some shit? Ever think of that? Because it seems more plausible as the days go by and we discover things about it and Eldians that we've never known before. Despite how much of a pain in the ass this thing is, I'm not going to risk what might very well be half of humanity by killing this creature. I've made this decision since the day I picked it up when I'd found it. There's no turning back now."

Eren just groaned and plopped down on the bed, exasperated by their whole situation, it seems. "Why are things always so fucking complicated?"

Levi really wished he had an answer to that, but he didn't. He doubted anyone did. Life and nature and evolution and just everything ... It was beyond human comprehension and he guessed it was meant to stay that way. He didn't want to think about what humans could do if they truly understood everything around them. They'd make Jurassic Park/World look like Disneyland in comparison. Levi's own ancestors had had a taste of what humans would do with any sort of understanding of a greater power; the world did not need super-soldiers like from Marvel movies or some shit.

"What if Hange discovers that we can safely kill it?" He asks and Levi turns to face him again after putting the Hallucigenia onto the nightstand next to the bed. Those green eyes were already fixed on him when he turned and Levi was no longer surprised to see the change in their hue because of the Hallucigenia's light. "What if that's the best we can manage to keep this world safe from becoming like ours had been? And what if it's not half the population of the world that's at stake? I mean, Hange did say that Paradis and the continent it had been connected to had sank ... What are the odds of its people ever having made it to the continents that still exist today?"

"Are you saying that the Rumbling was useless, anyway, if all Eldians from Paradis and Marley and their neighbors died anyway due to a natural disaster?" Levi asked with an arched eyebrow and Eren really glared at him this time. They hadn't ever really properly talked about the Rumbling in the time they had been roommates. It was a line they had decided not to cross, something better left buried or locked away, never to see the light of day again, but it was something that won't be remembered forever.

The world bore very few traces of what could have been damage caused by the Rumbling. Two thousand years is a lot of time to cover up any and all damage the world's landscapes have suffered under the giant feet of an army of Colossal Titans and Eren's gigantic Founding Titan form. Nature barely needs twenty years to reclaim abandoned towns, covering them in foliage and greenery or dirt and dust until they were invisible. It's why archaeologists have to dig to get to sites and find out anything about ancient humans from what was left of their settlements, graveyards and storages and everything that could be found there to reconstruct the cultures and everyday lives of ancient peoples. Two thousand years is a lot of time to cover up giant footsteps, so they don't even know how far the Colossal army had ever gotten, though they had still been on the continent where Marley and ancient Eldia had once existed.

But Armin had informed them all that Eren had said he'd killed off 80% of humanity in the world. It's not impossible. The Colossal army had been moving in three waves, for the three Walls they had once made up. It was possible Eren had fallen back to move with the Titans that had made up Wall Sina while the ones who made up the two far bigger Walls had moved on further than any Eldian eye had ever seen. Those fucking things had been pretty damn fast swimmers and their march had been steady and unwavering. Who knows how far they had made it.

But lack of physical evidence was no reason to pretend the past was just in the past.

The topic of the Rumbling hung over all of them, but no one discussed it aside to inform their comrades without their memories about it in a summarized version that couldn't hope to cover the terror of that dreadful day. Perhaps they should talk about it.

It seems only Levi dared bring it up in such a context at all.

Of course, he didn't know if Eren and Armin had had such a talk before he met Eren and his mother practically a month ago in that metro station in Barcelona, but they sure as hell didn't talk about it now.

"Don't change the subject," Eren said in a serious tone Levi had only heard from him in those last days leading up to his death.

"I'm not and it's a legitimate question," he countered, still keeping a deadpan expression on his face even as he felt his body and mind preparing for a fight. "Besides, even if it's only a handful of people who had survived the sinking of Paradis and its surroundings, do you still think it's okay to risk the lives of their descendants by simply killing the Hallucigenia without knowing if its death might affect us? Are you forgetting you fought for the people of Paradis? For the freedom of Eldians? For the lives and happiness of your friends? Mikasa and Jean are getting married the day after tomorrow, Eren. Connie and Sasha are halfway to dating. Armin and Annie have just found each other and are only restarting their romance. Hange has only just found Moblit. Historia is blissfully unaware of her past life and lives a happy life with a big family where at least a few members of said family love her. Marco doesn't remember and seems content with a peaceful life. Erwin is out there, somewhere, preparing to chase me to the ends of the Earth because that's his job but at least he's safe as long as he's chasing me and not some psycho. Reiner and Bertolt seem content with their own lives, too. Falco is happy and peaceful, too, and as much as you dislike Gabi, I know you like Falco enough to approve of her as long as she's good to him. Your parents are alive and your mother is living a peaceful, happy life now that you've saved her from Grisha's psychosis of the twenty-first century or whatever. Are our lives suddenly less important than the rest of the world? And I know how hypocritical I sound but fuck it! We're allowed to be selfish enough to live, too!"

Eren, surprisingly, seemed to relax at that and sighed in what seemed like content. Then he surprised Levi by snatching him into his arms and cuddling into him as he laid them both on the bed.

"Oi!"

"I'm glad you won't make me choose this time, Heichou," Eren said and Levi froze in whatever attempts he would have made to freeze himself, realization dawning.

It was a test.

Eren had been testing him, to see if Levi would stick to the same morals as he had two thousand years ago, when it was between Paradis and the world and Levi had been too Levi to discard anyone's life if he could help it. Levi's first reaction to that was to beat the shit out of Eren but then he just settled to let it pass because he knew where Eren was coming from.

After all, Eren had sacrificed the world for the sake of Paradis, for the sake of all Eldians. But Levi and everyone else they'd been reunited with so far had fought against him, to stop him. And Levi was now toting around what might as well be a ticking time-bomb for all they know, a potential danger to all things Eldian, and so Eren had to be sure they wouldn't have to be circumstantial enemies again.

Eren had to make sure he won't have to be the one to make the choice this time, that he won't be the one who will have to lead them on the path to becoming opponents, enemies, again. It seems like Eren was tired of making big choices. He wanted Levi to make a few.

So the Ackerman relaxed against Eren with a sigh, just nodding as a response to what Eren had said and let his former subordinate hold him for a minute. When he thought it was enough, he tried to push Eren away so they could get some damn sleep. "Alright, that's enough cuddling. We ought to wake up early tomorrow morning so we can get first dibs on the bathroom, since there's only one in this entire damn house and there's eight people currently occupying it." Eren didn't move. "I'm serious, Eren. Let go."

"Are you uncomfortable?" The Shifter asked, shifting about so he could look down to meet Levi's gaze questioningly. The little shit didn't seem to find anything weird or awkward in the position the two men have found themselves in, completely content to just hold his former superior officer in his arms like he was a giant teddy bear.

And Levi would be lying if he said he wasn't comfortable. Because damn, was he ever. Eren was deliciously warm and having someone he trusted - despite the circumstances of the last few days of Eren's life two thousand years ago - sleep near him definitely helped Levi relax. The night before they found Jean and the nights at Mikasa's hideout had been some of the best sleep of his life, both the past life and this one, and Levi was, quite honestly, ready for a repeat. And now knowing where all of his precious comrades were - well, almost; there were still Mike and Nanaba, as well as his original Special Operations Squad, not to mention Isabel and Farlan - despite also knowing he was in the same city as some of his pursuers, Levi was honestly more content than he had ever been since he'd regained his memories as a mere toddler.

Though he would have to ask Hange in the morning to check on his mother's condition and what was happening with Kenny and the others. Now that he had the means, he had to know whether they were alright. Two years was such a long time to have absolutely no contact with his family and he was honestly sick of it. A bit homesick, too, but 'home' for Levi had never been a place, it had always been a person or people. It's why he'd never explicitly missed Paradis when he decided to stay on the mainland in his past life, after the Rumbling. With Hange, Erwin, , Sasha, Shadis, Nile, Pixis, Eren and a whole other plethora of people dead, Armin traveling around with Annie to continue building up diplomatic relations with what was left of humanity for Paradis, Historia being busy ruling the nation, Jean and Mikasa moving to Mitras and leaving the military life and Connie helping out the Blause family with their new restaurant alongside Niccolo, the only people Levi had left that he cared about were in Marley and Falco and Gabi, so young yet so traumatized, had needed him more than the others ever could. So Levi had built his home around them and had been content to spend the rest of his days like that.

But now that everyone - or at least almost - was reincarnated, with or without memories, and seemed to be gravitating towards those they cared for the most in their previous life, living this one peacefully and in happiness and his nearest and dearest all practically within reaching distance, Levi found himself able to actually relax and not fret about so many things.

Sure, he still had plenty to worry about. The threat of a new Titan age was still very much present as long as the Hallucigenia lived. The threat government organizations and other shady groups held to him was still very real as long as he had the Hallucigenia and even if it died tomorrow, he'd still be targeted as the person who had held an extinct creature as a pet and thus knew more about it than anyone else in the world and knew where 'there might be more to be found' so he'd still be chased for questioning, but he thinks he can deal with that with Hange's hacking skills on his side.

But he doesn't have to worry about people anymore and that's what allowed him to easily drift off to a refreshing slumber cuddled up in Eren's arms and wake up well-rested the next morning without either of them having moved a single muscle the whole night. Eren still had a strong grip on Levi's body, even in his sleep, but he was relaxed and he looked content in a way Levi had never seen the Titan Shifter be in their last life.

The responsibility everyone had been piling upon him since his first transformation in Trost on top of the trauma from Shiganshina had really done a number on Eren and Levi only realized now that by the time the Survey Corps captured their first Marley ship, Eren had lost that sparkle of life that had made him so endearing even when he was a ball of uncontrollable rage and trauma and teenage angst. Eren had been suffering and shouldering a lot more than they could have ever imagined back then. Or had they been so cold as to be indifferent towards it, ignoring it because it was inconvenient?

Levi would like to believe he wasn't that much of a piece of scum of the earth, knew Erwin was, but he couldn't delude himself, either. Levi had had his moments when he'd been just as ruthless and uncaring as Erwin was. It was never out of malice, for either of them, but they had simply been cowards to acknowledge what their actions and decisions did to their soldiers.

Well, perhaps Levi was just a tiny smudge better. He had at least tried to comfort his soldiers, his comrades, to the best of his emotionally-stunted ability. He'd often fallen short, but he'd also had his moments when he'd managed to actually make a difference, or so he'd like to believe. He knew how harsh he can sound, he knew his blunt nature wasn't suited to comfort or reassure people, but sometimes a reality check can be just as comforting as it can be cruel. Sometimes that's just what people need. Levi had done his best, he'd made sure his words were never flowery but empty, meaningless. He'd never made promises that can't be kept or given someone empty platitudes. It would be a disservice to himself, the person needing comforting and all of their fallen comrades.

But was Levi ultimately cruel? Yes. Because he'd still sent hundreds of people to their deaths, even before he all but ordered Erwin to lead that suicidal charge in Shiganshina for an uncertain victory, the only kind the Survey Corps had ever known.

No wonder Eren had taken things into his own hands when he realized neither Hange nor Levi can offer anything better than that.

No wonder he hadn't trusted them to keep their people safe.

He may have even hated them.

So why did he act as if he was still that same brat who had been so eager to please Levi, in this new life, with no powers or responsibilities piled upon him? Why did he follow Levi everywhere he went like a lost - or loyal - puppy, even when he occasionally left the Hallucigenia behind? Why did he seem so fond of him?

There were many things Levi didn't understand about the world, about the two lives he's lived so far. Eren Jaeger is at the top of his list for both. Maybe they'll both live long enough in this one so he can figure him out, even if just a little.

He manages to wiggle out of bed by replacing himself with a pillow after a bit of a struggle - Eren was a real cuddle monster and refused to let Levi go for even a second, the damned, adorable brat - and is the first one to be awake in the house, which gives him undisturbed access to the bathroom to take care of his morning business. He makes sure to take his bag with him so he can change out of his sleeping clothes and after he's done, he checks on the clothes in the washer. They were, of course, done by now so Levi takes it upon himself to take them out and hang them up to dry on Hange's small balcony. After that's done, he goes down to the kitchen to put on a kettle for tea and doesn't bother with anything coffee-related. He doesn't drink the stuff and has never bothered to learn how to make it. In his household, only Kenny had been a coffee drinker, so Levi had learned to spite him in bouts of 'teenage rebellion and angst' by never preparing him a coffee when he and his mother would sit down to drink tea in the evenings or for breakfast. When he'd been rooming with Armin and Eren, Eren had revealed that he still drank tea like in the olden days while Armin had become a heretic and drank coffee. Levi and Eren often made fun of him - in a gentle manner, usually befitting more to teasing than the usual coffee vs any-other-hot-beverage battle people were prone to making - when he had to fight to stay awake while helplessly trying to brew his morning life-blood so he can be something more than a zombie with a beating heart.

He has no idea what anyone of their current housemates might drink, so he makes a lot of tea and leaves it out for people to serve themselves before he just sits at the counter and enjoys his tea.

Hange, unsurprisingly, is the next one to come down and she doesn't so much as pause in her journey towards the coffee pot, preparing the brew and letting it cook before she turns around and pours herself a scalding hot mug of tea, drinking it in one gulp like a heathen and then turning towards the stove and fridge to start making breakfast. Levi leaves her to it, knowing she's a pretty good cook, though usually they didn't let Hange cook with unlimited resources where she can experiment with spices and foods until she makes something even a Titan would die of food poisoning from. Surprisingly, the need to experiment with spices seems to have mellowed out in this life and Hange stuck to your usual recipe - if you can even call something so simple a recipe - of sunny side up eggs and some bacon. She even made sausage octopuses and Levi has no idea why but he can guess that the shape simply amuses her. She makes enough portions for everyone before she goes to the toaster and starts popping in way more bread than that machine could possibly handle, which is when Levi steps in.

He doesn't want to die of toaster-explosion after he'd survived a Thunderspear. It would simply be far too embarrassing.

The house is just waking up when the last piece of toast pops up out of the toaster and Levi's not surprised to find Eren and Pieck as the first to come down, Pieck making a beeline for the coffee pot - a heathen, obviously - while Eren reaches out with grubby hands and bleary eyes for a plate of food, all but inhaling the beacon but stopping in confusion when he sees the sausages. Levi has to repress a snort when confused green eyes look around, staring at Hange like she's magical - like a witch rather than a fairy, it seems - before that puppy dog look turns towards Levi helplessly, looking for an explanation for what he was seeing that didn't really make any sense.

Hange cooed, clearly having forgotten how cute sleepy-Eren can be.

She'll probably have a heart attack when she sees a drowsy Armin. He's more helpless than a blind newborn kitten before he has coffee after waking up.

"This is so weird," Pieck comments from where she's staring at the puppy-ish Eren who looks too sad to eat the cute sausages but is clearly still hungry for meat. They're all always hungry for meat, the people who had once lived on Paradis, having lived so much of their life rationing it all the time, especially those in the Survey Corps. Connie had even joked that Sasha might become a cannibal at some point if a restaurant doesn't serve her a meat-filled meal fast enough and Marco had shared with them how their group always gets dirty looks from any vegetarians or god forbid vegans if they run across them. Mikasa had said that she and Annie had had to hold Sasha back from crashing some vegetarian/vegan/non-meat-eating-group protest last year because they had demanded all restaurants not to serve meat on that day and that day just so happened to be Sasha's birthday and the group had wanted to treat her to some really good barbecue. Mikasa had complained that was the only time she'd truly missed being an Ackerman in this life.

"What?" Levi asked, though he knew. He just wanted easy, cheap amusement.

Pieck sent him an 'Are you fucking kidding me?' face that actually made Levi tempted to snicker. "You can't tell me you don't find him to be weird like this," she said with a vague gesture at Eren as Gabi, Falco and Moblit also joined them at the table. "He looks like a lost puppy you want to stuff into the pocket of your coat and bring it home to then plead your parents to let you keep him."

"Hm, I know, right?" Hange said with a grin. "Not at all like the big bad Usurper, right?"

Gabi, who had just noticed how Eren was acting, looked somewhere between disturbed and flabbergasted. Falco just watched in fascination. He even went as far as sneaking a few of his own octopus sausages onto Eren's plate just to watch him almost coo at the things. That's when Levi got a bit worried, actually. Was Eren high or something? Usually not even he acted this dazed at breakfast.

"What is up with him, anyway?" Moblit asked, clearly noticing the same thing Levi was. "Did someone give him drugs?"

"As if we'd let drugs exist in the same house as Hange," Gabi said with a snort, snapping out of her stupor. "She's hyper and crazy enough as it is. Even with all the stories Mr Levi told us about her in the past, I wasn't prepared." She sent Levi a sympathetic and understanding look and Levi wondered if Gabi had to go through Hange's too-busy-with-science-to-bathe-or-eat phase with her the way Levi had to before Hange became Commander and then Levi had to go through her too-much-paperwork-please-let-me-just-sleep-and-never-wake-up-fuck-breakfast-Levi phase after Erwin's death. No one should have to go through that with Hange ever again.

"Oh! Mister Kruger used to get a bit touchy-feely after he had too much sleep!" Falco suddenly exclaimed, remembering something from his time as Eren's friend in the hospital in Liberio. "It was rare, since he seemed to have trouble sleeping-"

"No surprise there," Levi mumbled to himself as he started eating his own breakfast at last.

"-but he would crash after a few days of little to no sleep and then he'd wake up really soft and cuddly. It was charming." Then Falco blushed when everyone looked at him as if he'd grown a second head but Levi ignored him and instead pushed a cup of tea in front of Eren to wake him up a bit. He glared at Pieck when she tried to offer him her monstrosity of a beverage but she just sent him a challenging glare.

Challenge accepted.

"And to think this is the most powerful person from our last life," Gabi grumbled when Eren unerringly took the tea cup, completely ignoring the coffee, and started drinking and waking up while Pieck pouted and Levi subtly gloated.

"So, what? Eren caught the cuddle bug?" Hange asked with clear amusement as she watched her best friend act like a proud parent who had raised their child well.

"Oh, Eren's a cuddle monster," a new voice said and they all jumped in fright, whirling around to find Armin practically hugging the coffee kettle, looking more and more awake by the second and less like an adorable zombie with each sip or whiff of coffee. "During exam periods, he'd barely sleep and then when everything was over, he'd crash and then wake up a cuddle monster. If you're stupid or unlucky enough to try and wake him before he's ready to wake up himself, he'll drag you in with him and use you as a teddy bear." Levi tried not to feel offended by the fact that Eren seemed to do this all the time but failed and he didn't even know why. "His mom warned me to just let him sleep it off and let him wake up wholly by himself and not try to interact with him until I noticed he was looking ready to murder someone again."

"Wow, thanks Ar, you're such a great friend," Eren said sarcastically, finally looking awake and thoughtlessly eating the sausages he'd looked ready to cry over just a few seconds ago.

"Hey, Levi, is it true? Did Eren try to cuddle?" Hange asked with glee and Pieck snorted while Gabi and Falco suddenly looked green in the face.

"Oh, Levi already knows what it's like to cuddle with Eren," Armin said casually, waving away the deadly scowls Eren and Levi were sending his way. Did the coffee not kick in yet? "I found them sleeping together back home before we met up with Jean-"

"Don't make it sound like that, you blond coconut!" Barked Levi, feeling his cheeks slowly heating up, much to his mortification.

"And they've spent most of the flight all up in each other's business-"

"I'm going to step on you," Eren said in a deadly tone.

"Oh, yes, daddy, please!" Armin said with a sarcastic moan that had Moblit, Pieck and Levi spitting out their beverages, Gabi choking on her food and Falco burying his face in his hands in mortification, pushing his plate away, appetite lost. Eren looked half murderous and half embarrassed. Armin looked like he didn't give a fuck. Hange, on the other hand, had her phone out and was recording everything. Levi will have to get the video from her so he can use it as blackmail. Annie would love to see this side of Armin and that's not even sarcasm. Though she might be jealous that Eren was the first one to unravel this kink of Armin's, real or not. "Anyways, back to what I was saying. So, the flight ... And the nights we stayed at Mikasa's, they also shared a room. And the bed in it." Hange squealed at that. "And that's not even mentioning the couch snuggles-"

Levi, having had enough of Armin airing out their business, reached over for Armin's plate, picked up a sausage and threw it right into Armin's open mouth. It went straight into his throat and the blond student started choking. Eren and Levi made no move to help him, Pieck seems to care more about her coffee than saving him, Hange was still recording everything, Gabi was still recovering from her own choking earlier and Moblit looked like he was questioning his choices in life.

Falco, proving once again that he was too pure for this world, jumped up and helped his fellow blond, doing his best to save the former Colossal Titan while everyone just watched.

Unseen by anyone else, Eren secretly offered Levi a fist-bump.

Chapter Text

After the near disaster that was breakfast, they all set aside any silliness and humor and instead brought out the seriousness and real discussions and theories about their current predicament. Hange, was, of course, the best prepared and equipped for a discussion like this, even having an actual PowerPoint presentation ready and quite a few things that surprised her three newest house guests, like ancient books and maps that 'no one' can read because it's in some 'unknown dead ancient language', which turned out to be Eldian and ancient Eldian.

"How did you even get these things?" Eren was the first to ask, Armin's nose already buried into one of the books about the myths and legends about their home, that little island that was no more.

Hange grimaced. "It wasn't easy, mind you. Various cultures from around the world had some story about Eldia and Paradis so travelers tended to record them since, well, which culture in Europe or the like had stories about naked man-eating giants, fifty meter walls and humans with special powers on top of a two thousand year conflict and a practically magical soul connection that spreads over an entire people? It was fascinating, it was unique and so people who had the ability tended to record it. As for the original books and maps, well ... " She shrugged. "They were books in private collections. I found them online and bought them. I'm honestly disappointed by how low their prices were. You'd think such rare texts in an untranslatable language would have museums and linguistic experts bidding in the hundreds of thousands for them, especially the maps that showed an entire new continent that the world has never known about before, but nope! I bought all of this," she said with a gesture at her hoard of knowledge. "For one thousand dollars. There's fifteen items here, Eren. Fifteen! The idiot selling them was literally just charging for the ancient materials they were written on, not the worth of the books and maps themselves!"

"This is a written real-time chronicle of the fall of Paradis," Armin said as he switched books, reading over the last few pages with a deathly pale expression. "They bombed us ... They destroyed Mitras, razed Shiganshina to the ground, decimated Trost. People were already abandoning Paradis to escape a raging war when the island started sinking."

Levi was surprised when Eren suddenly gripped his hand under the table, away from prying eyes. When he turned a questioning glance at the brunet, he wasn't all that surprised to see the expression on his face, one of rage and despair and even defeat as he realized his efforts were, ultimately, useless. Eldians had still died to war and Paradis had still been destroyed. It seems to have been at least a hundred years after the death of Eren's friends, but it had happened to their children and grandchildren, regardless.

"Paradis seems to have fallen due to a series of intense earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on the ocean floor around the island," Hange said somberly, putting up a slide on her presentation that showed her theory of what might have happened to Paradis and its adjoining continent. "Tectonic movements seem to have destabilized the continent Marley was on. In fact, if my calculations are right, and they usually are, it seems that our continent had been formed right overhead overlapping tectonic plates, particularly the Philippine Sea Plate and the Pacific Plate. This area is known even today for its dynamic movements and the earthquakes, eruptions and tsunamis that it can cause. And Paradis and this eighth continent were right on top of it. With the intensity of the movements and its consequences, the eighth continent seems to have split and most of its parts sank to the sea, since all the islands even near this part of the ocean have ancient societies that have no resemblance to anything we saw or have never been inhabited by humans. Paradis had sunk like this, too. My guess is that the Rumbling had already weakened the sedimentary bonds so the continuous earthquakes just finished the job and that's not even mentioning that Paradis itself is a volcanic island and that most of the underground of the island was filled up with iceburst stone crystal-covered caverns; we all know how explosive iceburst stone can be if not handled correctly when exposed to heat or too dynamic movements. The reason we have any surviving literature of that time - which is a miracle at all - is because people have started running away from the war Armin mentioned, therefore they survived the natural disasters which could have wiped out Eldians out of existence."

"I have one question, though," Levi interrupted before they could get into any more science and geography. He ignored how his hand was being squeezed to death as Eren clearly started to blame himself for how the Rumbling might have helped lead to the destruction of Paradis. "You said some of our people managed to escape, considering you've found books and maps in our language. But Eldians and Marleyians and whatever other people lived on this eighth continent with us, we were all considerably more technologically advanced than other nations and peoples two thousand years ago, Hange. Why and how the hell did our knowledge and technology not get spread around? I imagine offering your new benefactors and rulers such knowledge would only ensure luxuries and a good living in the new world you find yourself in. And who even started the war that had people leaving Paradis?"

"To answer your first question, there are a few references to 'people from the sea coming with great and dangerous magic' and, well, you know how 'witches' were mostly treated," Hange replied with a gross grimace. "I presume that the Eldians who escaped to other continents simply stopped trying to share their knowledge to keep their lives. Or, in the cases where new technologies were a bit better accepted, they might be what some pseudo-scientists consider 'ancient aliens', since they brought with them the kind of knowledge and science some ancient peoples simply did not have before they suddenly appeared. I might be wrong, but it's a possibility. As for who had started the war, it seems to be someone from the other side of the continent."

"There were, apparently, spies in Marley who stole our plans and schematics for our weapons meant to fight against Titans," Pieck said, looking grim. "They built them and then used them on humans. As you can guess, considering our technology had been on almost the same level as WW1 and 2 weaponry, it was rather devastating. No wonder people started running away. And as sick as it may be, I'm almost glad that war happened. Otherwise, the entirety of the Eldian race and all the other people who had lived with them at that time might have been wiped out when the natural disasters hit."

"So these maps show where this eighth continent might be?" Armin asked, pointing to one of the ancient maps on Hange's tea room table where they were all gathered. The map itself was clearly made in ancient China or some such country, with flowing, complicated characters written in beautiful calligraphy and plenty of dragons and other such mythical beings drawn at certain parts of the map to signalize danger or something. Levi had never taken an interest in why some maps got so fancy when, really, all you need from a map is directions and names of places, not mythical creatures that didn't exist.

Then again, when Levi looked at the representations of Paradis and the continent where the ancient Eldian Empire had existed on and saw naked giants with only few sparse cloths shielding their genital area, he guessed he shouldn't judge ancient maps so quickly. After all, if Titans existed and the Hallucigenia can wreak all sorts of havoc if it has a suitable host, then who knows how many of the mythological beings were actually real? Levi just hopes that the number of live specimens in this day and age is zero.

One hostless Hallucigenia was trouble enough.

"Well, might have been," Hange corrected. "But yeah, that's about it. X points the spot and all. Of course, I did comparative research on the ocean floor and read through any and all material I could get my hands on about seismic activity in that area over the centuries-"

"Hange, Armin, you can geek out some other time. Can we get to the point?" Levi interrupted again, not really wanting to listen to all of this when it had very little to do with their current topic of discussion: their reincarnated selves and their memories. "So the Hallucigenia returned to the sea when Paradis and this continent sank and possibly revived itself like a sponge or starfish might. It traveled because why not, I found it, end of story on that front. I want to know about us. You said you might have something to show us on that topic, too."

"Right!" Hange exclaimed enthusiastically and changed the slides on her presentation until she showed them all some ancient text. "This is ancient Eldian. Like way ancient, ancient Eldian," the scientist said as she pointed to the written text on the picture of an old scroll or something. "Supposedly from the time of Ymir the Founder herself and supposedly written - or dictated by - Princess Rose Fritz, who was, as it seems, the first holder of what later became the Attack Titan. Now, Gabi, Falco and Pieck told me the best they could about how the Attack Titan's powers work, apparently. You know, the whole practically being able to predict the future thing? Yeah, that. Well, it seems that Princess Rose Fritz was the first person to have this ability, which makes sense since the Coordinate and the Paths only came into being with Ymir's death. And it seems she, possibly, had that ability in its strongest, most accurate, most powerful form, because she predicted Eldia's future to a T, four thousand years ago."

"How come you've never told me about this?" Pieck asked and Gabi also looked offended that her - this-life - cousin was keeping her in the dark.

Hange met Pieck's eyes with a frighteningly serious expression. "Because I wasn't able to translate anything until I accidentally found Eren and contacted him. I still can't translate much; ancient Eldian seems to have completely different syntaxes compared to the language we all spoke two thousand years ago and the writing system, as you can see, is more unnecessarily complicated than you'd ever think a language should ever be."

"But if you couldn't translate anything before," Moblit started cautiously, clearly getting a bit overwhelmed with everything that was being dumped on him at this moment. "How did you translate these phrases?"

The phrases in question were from seemingly random points of the scroll, the first being And so the Eldian Empire rose to greatness unlike any the world has seen before with the help of the lauded she-devil, one of the phrases in the middle said The Titan roared like a manifestation of humanity's rage at the humiliation and helplessness at being trapped like cattle and one of the phrases near the end is what actually had Levi staring at the picture and the translation Hange had provided with tense shoulders and disbelieving eyes.

"When all is lost, all will be found in the Coordinate when the source of all living matter finds its host and its protector once again, when all things Eldian are but stories and myths and when the world forgets," Hange translated out loud, staring at Eren and Levi. "Only then and only then, will the source of all living matter find peace and only then will it sink to the depths to leave humanity its peace."

"Eren is obviously the host," Falco said after a very long bout of silence.

"And Levi is the protector," Armin muses. "And not only because he'd been put in charge of Eren as Humanity's Strongest Soldier, the only one likely enough to have killed Eren should he have ever lost control back in the beginning when people still didn't trust him."

Hange nodded, pointing to another translated word in the text. "It's also because he's an Ackerman. We have no idea when, exactly, the Royal Family decided to create the Ackermans, but they have their own Path and were tasked with being Eldia's sword and shield. In all actuality, I don't think Ackermans were created just to protect the Kings and Queens of the Fritz from the world, but also the world from them. I mean, think about it."

"Only Mikasa and Levi could have stopped Eren when he activated the full powers of the Founding Titan," somberly stated the former Cart Titan. "The rest of us were literally just clearing the way for them."

"Protector and executioner," Levi mused a bit bitterly, remembering his first month with Eren on his squad and how uncertain everything was. Not that it ever became certain, or easy or less complicated; in fact, it only got worse from then on, but that was the starting point. The time they were at their most clueless. The time where everyone was ready to hate or kill Eren, but Levi who protected him against his own squad, whom he'd handpicked and had learned to trust and rely on almost as much as he did Hange, Erwin, Mike and Nanaba. Oh, how the roles reversed five years later. "Shield and sword. Sounds about right. But by that logic, shouldn't Mikasa be this 'protector'? She's the one who's been protecting Eren since they were even more bratty and troublesome than when we met and she's the one who dealt the final blow. I just blew out Eren's teeth. Which also seems to be a theme, for us."

Eren snorted at that, clearly getting what Levi was talking about. It was a memorable Survey Corps initiation, alright.

Then again, Levi's had been just as disgusting. He swears he can still taste the sewer water and he vows that if he meets Mike in this life, he'll return the favor in as harmless a manner as he can manage.

"Yeah, but that's exactly why it can't be Mikasa," said Hange with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Sure, Mikasa at first protected Eren even after all the unforgivable atrocities he'd done and sure, it was Levi who made the final decision that there's no way to stop Eren and keep him alive, but it was still Mikasa who killed him, which is precisely when she distinctly became the sword and Levi remained the shield." She sighed and ran a hand through her wild hair. "Of course, all of this is just speculation. We have no means to prove any of it, or at least not in a safe and sane manner, or any manner at all, I should think. But that's not even the important bit," she said as she pointed at that particular troublesome sentence. "This is. Sink to the depths. It's a rough translation, of course, but given some of the things you guys said about how to deal with the Hallucigenia, I think this all but gives us the Go ahead! to indeed just throw the thing into the Mariana Trench. Of course, after I found out Levi was bitten by the Hallucigenia and regained his Ackerman abilities - which, by the way, sounds an awful lot like Spiderman's origin story-"

"That's not my fault, Shitty Glasses."

"Anyways! As I was saying, after I found that out, I was hoping you'd be able to translate the rest of this," the scientist finished with a flourish, making exaggerated jazz hands at the picture of the text and grinning hopefully at Levi.

Who gave her a deadpan stare for her efforts. "Ackerman abilities include combat and survival skills, not the knowledge and ability to speak and read a long dead language."

Hange visibly deflated at that and Levi made no effort to comfort her, having seen her like this countless of times after she hit a dead-end in some research or was denied something by Erwin or the other higher ups. It had taken her years to convince the other military commanders to let her capture Titans to do experiments on them and she ultimately owed it to Levi for getting such crazy ideas approved since people got a bit more comfortable with the idea of dealing with Titans in any manner as long as they had Humanity's Strongest Soldier on hand to kill it should they lose control of it. "Damn, and I really got my hopes up!"

Eren cleared his throat, finally deciding to join in on the discussion since the moment they all realized the Rumbling might have helped in destabilizing Paradis and its continent. He arched an eyebrow at them all. "I can read and understand it."

"Wait, seriously!?" Gabi exclaimed at the same time Hange did, only the older of the cousins got right up into Eren's face, which surprised no one from Paradis but was definitely still a bit weird to the guys from Marley despite having known Hange for quite some time by now. "You understand that gibberish?"

"It's not gibberish, it's ancient Eldian, and yes, I can understand it. After all, the Attack Titan functions that way, passing along all memories and experiences from one Shifter to another," Eren replied, delicately shoving Hange's face away from his own. "And since Ymir was the first Titan ever and all Titan powers come from her, so to say," he said with a nod towards the Hallucigenia. "She technically fits under that same category of accessible memories. In fact, when I'd touched her in the Coordinate, I could see her memories as clear as day. I'm guessing that's when I gained the knowledge of ancient Eldian."

"So, what does it say?" Levi asked, nodding towards the text.

"Well, Hange wasn't wrong that it's the history of the Eldians and it does, indeed, predict everything that has happened to us and that, apparently, will happen to us. It uses a lot of metaphors and strange phrases to address technology and science that someone from four thousand years ago couldn't possibly understand without an actual scientist being part of the Attack Titan's Path, which is a stretch after the Great Titan War. My father was the closest to it that we ever got, I guess, and he had very little knowledge or interest in technology so there's weird phrases like horseless chariots of ores and oils for, you know, cars and such or giant armored birds that don't flap their wings, which would be planes. It's heavy on epithets and symbolism, as well, but it sufficiently summarizes the history of Eldians from the time of Ymir Fritz to, what I'm guessing, is the modern day world. It mentions a sinking land and drowning trees, so I guess that confirms Hange's theory about Paradis-"

"Yes!" Hiss-yelled Hange in victory.

"And it talks about the wars preceding that. It also speaks of unrest in the plane of the meeting of souls, which I am guessing is the Coordinate. I don't quite get it, but it seems that Ymir, by accepting death, disturbed the balance or something of the afterlife that was created in the Paths for Eldians."

"This unrest might have resulted in souls leaking out of the afterlife, which led to reincarnation," Armin mused, rubbing a hand over his chin in thought. "And, ultimately, all Titan powers come from the Hallucigenia, right?" Eren nodded. "So it not having a host for the first time in two thousand years might have caused this?" He guessed, to which Eren shook his head.

"There's a reason why they called the Hallucigenia the source of all living matter," began the last Founding Titan. "And it's because, ultimately, it gave or preserved life, in its own ways. I mean, you guys probably don't know this, but Ymir the Founder was practically on death's door when the Hallucigenia merged with her spine. Whether it saved her because it genuinely wanted to, pitied her or it just wanted a vessel so it can survive itself, it still saved her. The powers were just a side-effect. Ultimately, the Hallucigenia always worked to preserve life. Titans had healing powers and only one weak spot. An Eldian's life doesn't really end when their physical body dies, because the soul or mind or whatever lives on in the Paths. The Hallucigenia seems to have been trying to preserve life since the moment it was given the chance and power to do so. It's humans who used it as a weapon through its hosts."

"So you're saying that when Ymir Fritz let the Hallucigenia die with you," Pieck started, hesitantly, uncertainly. "That disturbed the realm of the Paths, where all Eldian souls exist all at once in a timeless space meant only for us, the realm that was ultimately the Hallucigenia's domain. If Ymir hadn't given up, this whole reincarnation thing might not have even happened."

Eren nodded his head. "That seems to be pretty much it. I mean, I can't really say. Like with Hange's theories, we can't prove anything."

"Why are we so certain that this Ymir was the one who gave up and let the Hallucigenia die?" Moblit asked, not nearly as caught up on all of this as the rest of them were because he had never had to deal with this bullshit in either life. Levi sometimes wondered if those who had died in Shiganshina had been mercifully spared the shitshow that followed. Because there were days when it sure seemed like it! The fallen Scouts in Shiganshina had died fighting Titans, believing in humanity and having hope for a better world that their sacrifices were worth for. Two thousand years later, humanity was still shit, the world was shit and their sacrifices seem to have been for nothing, because not only was Paradis lost under the waves, but here they were again, dealing with the very source of Titans and the risk of another Titan age if humans got their grubby, greedy hands on it. "I mean, going on what you guys have said so far, this thing is the alpha and omega of all things Eldian, all the powers and the potential an entire race had. Even if it decided to give some slave girl powers, wouldn't it still be in charge? Wouldn't it want to stay alive if its aspect or element truly is life and survival?"

"The 'shining centipede', as we called it back then, during the Battle of Heaven and Earth, did try to fight us," Pieck answered. "It, in fact, saved and prolonged Eren's life on at least three completely different occasions. When Gabi shot his head off and when Jean and I blew it off, for example. It fought to keep him alive."

"If you lose, you die. If you win, you live. If you don't fight, you can't win," Eren said with a faraway look in his eyes, his hand squeezing Levi's again in an almost bruising grip under the table, out of everyone else's sight. "It fought because it wanted to live."

"If the Hallucigenia is the source of all Titan powers," Falco said, looking questioningly at Eren. "And the Attack Titan gives the Shifter memories of all previous Shifters, including Ymir the Founder as the origin of the Attack Titan, does that mean you've had access to the memories of the Hallucigenia, too?"

Jager nodded, though he made a sour face. "I wouldn't exactly call it memories. The Hallucigenia seems to be experiencing and perceiving the world in a completely different manner to humans and my brain couldn't comprehend the things my powers showed me. If I had to compare it to anything, I would say it's like trying to stuff the whole of the internet onto one of those first computers that basically had only a handful of commands and functions. Those things wouldn't even be able to use the internet or their processors might just explode from the overload. That's how it felt to my mind when I accidentally caught even glimpses of what might have been the Hallucigenia's experiences. It's ... more sensation than anything. I can't explain it."

"But the bottom line," Armin mused. "Is that the Hallucigenia did not like the fact that Ymir wanted out of the, uh, deal they had through death and even a temporary death of the Hallucigenia damaged the Paths, the Coordinate. So reincarnation, for Eldians at least. But is there really a method to this madness or is it actually random?"

"We'd still need to find Floch and interrogate Zeke to confirm Heichou's theory about how those with memories are 'picked'," Eren murmured and Levi twisted his hand around to pinch the skin between Eren's fingers in reprimand for the rank he was having such a hard time dropping. Everyone else had moved on from it, but not Eren, the little shit.

"But why just us?" Gabi asked. "Why no one else? There were plenty of other Eldians at the port on Paradis when we started chasing after Jaeger. Why not them, too, if Floch and Hange remember?"

"Well, Floch practically almost got on the plane with us and was killed by Mikasa mere moments before the Battle of Heaven and Earth started and Hange died only some moments before that, trying to buy us time for the plane to take off before the Colossal Titans stomped on it," Pieck pointed out.

"Maybe Shadis remembers," Levi suggested with a shrug. He noted that Hange, for a moment, looked both flustered and angry. Ah, old crushes die hard, especially first crushes. First love, in this case, too. Those were the most stubborn and almost impossible to get rid of. "But, then again, he died even before Floch and Hange, so maybe not."

"Well, if this isn't a depressing topic," Moblit said with a sigh and no one with memories could possibly blame him for being so bummed out and a bit disturbed by just how easily they discussed so much death with barely any reaction. They were lucky he hadn't run off screaming after learning about the Rumbling. "Maybe we should take a break for lunch and continue afterwards?"

They all blinked and looked around to the clock on the wall, seeing it was already way past noon and none of them had noticed before that very moment. Well, damn. Then again, it's understandable. This was heavy, difficult stuff they were discussing.

"I'll order us a pizza," Hange said with a sigh, jumping to her feet and running towards the kitchen to find her list of takeout places that she likes. "Hope none of you like pineapple on yours because that monstrosity is not coming into my house!"

"Here, here!" Levi cheered, never having understood how someone could possibly combine the salty, potentially spicy taste of pizza with the taste of the sweet tropical fruit. They soon all broke up into groups or wandered off on their own, heads full of all the revelations and information they've been discussing, practically leaving Levi and Eren with the Hallucigenia in the living room on the first floor, sharing a couch and each deep in thought. They had finally let go of their hands but they were sitting practically glued to each other's side while they waited for Armin to update Annie and the others about their well-being and location, as well as the comrades they'd found. The heavy discussions about Hange's and Eren's theories would have to wait until they all meet up in person. You can never be too careful with who might be listening in on your calls.

Levi wasn't sure how long they sat like that in silence, but he snapped out of his own thoughts when he heard the doorbell ring. Eren didn't seem to be motivated to move so Levi got up when he realized Hange wasn't going to answer the door anytime soon. It was probably just the pizza guy. "I'll get it!" He called out to the house at large as he went to the door. Hange, damn her carelessness, didn't have a peep hole, so Levi had no choice but to open the door and face whatever was on the other side with no prior preparation. But it's not like he can't handle whoever and whatever might be on the other side of the slab of wood. Levi always had a knife on him, an old habit from his time in the Underground, and he trusted his Ackerman abilities to save him from any unpleasant surprises should something catch him off guard.

So he didn't think much about opening the door until he saw something that had him freezing for all of three seconds.

It wasn't even the vaguely recognizable police uniforms that got a reaction out of Levi.

Nope, it was red hair in a weird style and amber eyes that widened the second they landed on Levi that had him throwing a punch before he could even register that it was FLoch Forster before him and that he clearly remembered.

Well, there goes another plus for Levi's theory.

Chapter Text

Levi really hadn't even thought when he'd thrown the punch. He'd been ruled by emotions and instinct, if he was being honest. His last memories of Floch Forster was him damaging the plane and Hange having to stay back to buy them time, resulting in his oldest friend's death, therefore there was a lot of festering rage he'd never had the chance to deal with at the mere sight of the redhead and he hadn't even known it existed or had been transferred to this life, too, until his fist connected with Floch's face and the force of his punch sent the man flying right off of Hange's property, onto the street, all but sailing over a police cruiser parked outside.

To Forster's credit, he only yelped once, probably at the surprise of it, and didn't make another sound when he slammed into the concrete behind the police car, but Levi's worries were far from over now that he'd punched the redhead. Even without acknowledging the other person's presence, Levi was well aware cops were required to move around in pairs, as partners, whether it be a regular patrol or they are given a case to check out, so he was already expecting retaliation way before the baton tried to slam into the side of his head. He dodged effortlessly, dropped into a near split on the ground and kicked out a leg to topple over Floch's partner.

A startled, familiar feminine yelp was followed by the thud of a body and a groan of pain from an abused tailbone, which had Levi whipping around with wide eyes to find none other than Petra Ral sitting dazed on the floor before she scrambled to grab either her baton or a gun to intimidate Levi with. Levi instinctively slammed the weapon out of her hand, causing her to yelp again at the abuse she was experiencing, but Levi didn't do anything else and she stopped trying to attack him.

That, however, couldn't be said for the third person on Hange's porch who, upon seeing Levi crouched low, tried to kick him in the head, to either knock him out or disorient him, Levi didn't know and didn't care, because he caught the speeding leg with an ease that shouldn't be possible in a normal human. He was literally one second away from twisting the caught appendage in such a way that would shatter the kneecap and probably break the ankle when he heard Moblit call out from within the house.

"Mike? What are you doing here? And why are you attacking poor Levi!?"

"'Poor'!?" None other than Mike Zacharius exclaimed, looking down at the teenager with wild, disbelieving eyes. "Poor, Moblit!? He was seconds away from destroying my leg! He sent Floch flying ten meters! If anyone's poor in this situation, it's us! Get your rabid dog away from us!"

Levi snarled at that and gave the leg a harsh tug, though nowhere near enough to cause any real damage, but Mike yelped in a way Levi had never heard the mustached blond do in their past life and suddenly, Levi remembered his own promise to himself and looked around for a proper sewer to throw Mike into.

"You! You just assaulted an officer of the law! That's a felony worth at least a couple of months in prison!" Petra accused, pointing a finger at Levi in the most childish manner Levi had ever seen from her if she wasn't arguing with Olou.

"What's all this commotion?" Hange asked as she and the others poked their heads out of various rooms to see what was going on.

"Ma'am, if you'd please get this thing off of my leg, we could possibly discuss things like civilized human beings," Mike said in the steadiest voice he could manage while Levi still held his previous limb in a death grip with a ferocious scowl on his face.

"Levi, it's okay, you can let go of him, he's a friend from work," Moblit reassured and Mike nodded hastily in agreement, just to keep his limb safe and intact.

"I just came to see if Hange-san knew what happened to Moblit after the incident yesterday since no one saw him and the boss was getting worried about his safety and health. We figured since he'd gotten so close with Hange-san, she must know where he is."

"And that required the presence of the police?" Pieck asked with crossed arms over her chest, looking a bit suspicious.

"Yes, Ma'am," Petra replied, getting to her feet and dusting herself off. Levi let go of Mike and stood up as well, offering Petra back her baton and taser gun, which she took cautiously, as if afraid they might jump out of his hands and bite her. Fair enough, really, considering Levi's reflexes it may as well seem like that would happen if he were to decide to use her weapons against her. "Since shots were fired and several first started or explosions went off yesterday, the police was required to investigate what had caused the commotion and the incident. Several scientists and staff members have gone missing in the past twenty four hours and neither the ministry of science, nor the organizers of the fair could let such a travesty go uninvestigated. Mike-san asked to come with us to check up on Moblit-san's whereabouts since they worked closely together and he was worried for his friend."

"I'm fine, I just helped Hange-san evacuate her younger cousin and guests when the commotion started," Moblit reassured and Mike probably wanted to relax at that, but he was still eyeing Levi like he was a wild bear ready to attack. Which, honestly, was an understatement.

In this house, there were six - seven, actually, since he can't deny he'd gotten to know Pieck rather well as a family friend of the Grice couple - people and one creature he honestly cared about, loved even, whom he wanted to protect. And before this house had come to stand a man who had nearly killed or caused the death of four of them and had caused enough of a shitshow besides that, even if it was all for Paradis, Levi was ready to kill him regardless, just for existing this time around. Levi didn't even care that Floch had voted to kill him after he miraculously survived the explosion Zeke caused. Levi had never overly cared for himself. But he would never forgive the danger his friends and comrades have been in, the things they've had to suffer.

Floch had had many a good men and women in the Paradis military killed so he and the Jaegerists could take over smoothly. Some of them had been Levi's personal friends, even if they had never reached the levels of intimacy as say Erwin or Hange. Some of them had been assigned to Levi, at various points in time, for training or missions.

Floch had been, in a way, more of an enemy than the Marleyians or even Eren when he had started the Rumbling. Simply because he had turned Scouts against each other. The Survey Corps had always prevailed because of their unity, their comradeship, the names of their fallen comrades that they shared and carried together so their sacrifices may never be forgotten or proven to be for nothing. Never, in the whole history of the Corps, had one person wearing the Wings of Freedom turned on another, excluding, of course, the cases of Reiner Braun and Bertolt Hoover, who were spies and enemies in hiding. Floch had made that happen. Hange and his squad had shed tears as they killed their comrades for survival.

It had made Floch the number two on his shit list, right after Zeke Jaeger.

Seems the bastard still holds that place, or maybe even higher now that Levi's exacted his revenge on Zeke and fulfilled his promise to Erwin in his last life. Levi has no beef with the Zeke of this time besides Zeke trying to take his pet from him like any other scientist who learned about the Hallucigenia. Floch, though ... Oh, if Levi had his blades on hand right now ...

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to come peacefully," Petra was saying and Levi gave her an irritated look. "I'm bringing you in for assaulting an officer-"

"It's fine, Ral," came Floch's voice, wheezy as he tried to fully regain his breath. He was struggling to get back to his feet and Mike was eager to rush over to help him if it meant he was out of Levi's immediate reach. As if that would save him. "I probably deserved that. I actually got off easy, for once."

"You don't even know the half of it," commented Eren as he came to stand behind Levi, leaning on the frame of the door and giving a lazy wave at the stunned redheaded Jaegerist. "Yo, 'sup."

"Eren!" Floch brightened, hurrying to righten himself and Levi narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. A glance at Hange showed that she was turning to take a cue from Levi, too, since she was clearly as suspicious by Floch's behavior as he was. Well, the strange eagerness to please, anyway. Levi had honestly never paid too much attention to Forster last time around, so he can't be sure if the man had been an outright simp for Eren or if he had just been a bit too eager to try and imitate Erwin's ability to almost coldly sacrifice the lives of hundreds for a goal.

"Forster, you know these people?" Petra asked skeptically and Floch nodded, barely taking his eyes off of the former Titan Shifter to acknowledge his partner.

"Yeah, we go way back. Listen, Petra? Could you give us some privacy? We kind of have a lot of ... catching up to do," Floch asked but the woman gave him a skeptical look.

"You want to stay and chat with the guy who just punted you across the street without breaking a sweat just because you're simping for tall, dark and handsome?" Levi actually felt himself reach for the nearest sharp object - which was one of his small switchblades; he never walked around without at least some kind of weapon on him - for some unknown reason but then Eren all but draped himself over his former Heichou, which threw Levi off guard and made him forget about hurting Floch for a second. Petra, as sharp-eyed as she'd ever been, noticed the strange closeness between Humanity's former Strength and Hope and arched an eyebrow. "Floch, I feel you're in more danger than your oblivious ass realizes, but if you think you can deal with Mighty Mouse in protective mode, then sure, be my guest. I guess we'll just take our breaks separately today, no big deal. Just keep your radio on you and we're cool." Petra gave a polite half-bow to their group and walked off to her car, waiting for Mike who was exchanging some words with Moblit in rapid Japanese before he, too, nodded and left with barely a word of farewell to the rest of them besides Hange and Pieck.

They stood there and watched the police car drive away before Hange grabbed hold of Floch and roughly dragged him into the house by the arm. The redhead wisely did not resist but he also unwisely tried to stay close to Eren, who was still bodily draped over Levi, probably in an attempt to keep him from committing murder and forcing them to hide a body. Though Levi has no doubt in Mikasa's ability to help in that regard. The woman was the heiress to a yakuza, whether she liked it or not. She had people who were probably paid to do something like that for her.

The first thing Floch did when he was dragged into their impromptu meeting room was stare at the Hallucigenia on the table, placed between Levi and Eren so it wouldn't start fussing. "Am I tripping or does that thing look a bit like Eren's Founding Titan?"

"You're not tripping," Eren replied blandly as he tried, unsuccessfully, to drag Levi to all but sit in his lap, but Levi was having none of that. He needed to be free to react in a second in case Floch tries something stupid and Eren would be too restraining even if he wasn't actively trying to restrain him simply by Levi not wanting to accidentally hurt him if he lunges across the table or something. At least the little shit didn't pout in an effort to change his mind, though he did move closer so their knees were touching and their elbows would rub if they moved their arms. "Have you met anyone besides Petra and Mike from the past? Does anyone remember? And when did you remember?"

Floch paused at that, giving Eren a confused look. "Ral and Zacharias are from the past? Really?"

"Right," Armin said in realization. "They died before you could meet them."

"So they were Scouts?" Floch asked, an understanding glint in his eyes. "Shit, that explains Ral's spectacular right hook and Zacharias' strange instincts. Did you know he sniffed me when we met up with him to ask him about Berner? How weird can someone get!?"

Pieck arched an eyebrow. "Considering four of the people present could turn into Titans, one has superhuman abilities and all of us are reincarnations from two thousand years ago, I'd say the bar for what is considered 'weird' is pretty low."

"Or high," offered Gabi. "I mean, someone sniffing me seems way more normal compared to having tea with someone whose head I've shot right off their shoulders."

"Did you really have to bring that up?" Asked Falco in an exasperated whine while Levi just shook his head. Eren didn't seem the least bit bothered but Floch certainly seemed to be insulted for the both of them.

"Just answer the question before I kick you out of my house," Hange threatened and Floch snorted, clearly not believing she'd actually dare do that. Hange arched a challenging eyebrow. "Don't test me, boy. I've dived down the throats of at least a dozen Titans to check if they have a digestive system different from ours and I've tortured my fare share of humans before and I won't hesitate to do again."

Floch seemed incredulous. "You really think you can take me on in this life?"

"I wouldn't even have to," the scientist countered with a nod of her head towards her best friend of two lifetimes now. "I have Levi."

"Y-yeah, well I have Eren!"

"Who the fuck gave you that idea?" Eren and Levi both asked at the same time with the exact same incredulous arched eyebrow, making the redhead splutter, clearly having expected support from his idol, his 'fellow Jaegerist' from two thousand years ago, completely forgetting that, outside of the desperate, hopeless situation from back then that had cornered Paradis in every way which led to Eren's 'fall from grace', Levi and Eren were a team, were comrades. Friends, even, despite how strained that friendship could be at times because of their superior-subordinate relationship which was also thrown into the mix. "I'm never fighting Heichou or my other comrades ever again if I can help it."

"B-but!"

"Just answer our questions and get out of this house before I shove a knife so far up your ass, you'll feel it in your throat," threatened Levi and Floch sputtered some more before he composed himself and actually answered their questions.

Turns out, he's met only someone called Hitch Dryas from their past life, no one else besides Mike, who he'd only met, and Petra, who was his partner and mentor in the police force for the past seven months. He didn't know Dryas' story, though she seems to be some politician's daughter or something and was on a long vacation in Japan at the moment, or Mike's beyond him working as security for big events, but he did know a bit about Petra. Apparently, she's an orphan since infancy, her natural hair color used to be black before she changed it in high school and Floch only knew that because he'd once caught her roots growing out before she could dye her hair again, she's bi and has a girlfriend but also has a secret admirer who is most definitely male, she wants to become a detective in a couple of years and has an almost unhealthy obsession with K-Pop boybands and singers, especially those with undercuts. Levi was distinctly uneasy at that last bit of information, even as Hange snickered at him and Eren suddenly had a sour look on his face.

"As for when I remembered ... I think I was in my first year of high school," Floch was finishing up with a shrug. "Once a month, I'd have horrific nightmares that were too real that didn't make sense, until the one just two years ago, in which I saw my own death. That's when I realized they weren't just dreams, but rather memories. I remembered who I was and I legally changed my name to Floch Forster-"

"Wait, your name wasn't originally the same as your past name?" Hange interrupted to ask the question that was on all of their minds.

"Uh, no?"

"What was it?" Gabi asked and Floch looked like he wasn't going to answer until he glanced at Eren and suddenly his lips were as loose as a broken pipe.

"Uhm," he looked embarrassed but carried on. "Francis Smith."

Levi couldn't hold in his snort at that, and neither could Hange, Eren or Gabi, it seemed. Moblit and Falco tried to berate their brunets, Armin looked done with his best friend and, well, Levi wasn't going to deny Eren some harmless amusement, especially if it was at Floch's expense. Did that make him petty? Yes, and he didn't give a fuck.

But then the name 'Smith' stuck out to him like a sore thumb and Levi remembered some of his musings about Floch, both from just a few minutes ago and in general, and his face turned dark. "Where are you originally from, this time around?"

"Well, that's actually a bit complicated," Floch said as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "My grandfather's from the UK, but my dad moved to France, where he met my mom, but she had a job offer here as a French teacher at Tokyo University, so dad followed her. Me and my sisters were born in Japan, so we kinda have a triple citizenship."

"Do you have any uncles or cousins?"

"Yeah, back in the UK. Why?" He asked skeptically and Levi made a pained, annoyed expression. Hange mirrored him a second later while Armin had a considering look on his face as he studied Floch. Floch seemed to catch on to their train of thought because he suddenly looked to be in frightened awe. "No. Way. I'm related to Erwin Smith!?"

"We don't know that for sure," Armin tried to interject, but Floch wasn't listening as he took out a phone and seemingly texted someone. Probably his father.

A few seconds later, he received a reply and showed it to Eren, and since Levi was sitting right next to him, he could see the clear 'Yes', too. He groaned.

"Great. Just fucking fantastic. Just what I needed in my life."

"What's with you, anyway? You seem even more high-strung than two thousand years ago," Floch observed and Levi sent him his deadliest death-stare.

"Just don't go there," advised Falco as he got up to prepare Levi some tea, probably recognizing the signs of a migraine making its way to the surface to pound away at his skull and brain. Just then, the doorbell rang and this time, it better fucking be the pizza guy, or else someone's really getting a knife shoved up their ass. "I'll get it."

"No, I'll do it," Eren interrupted, also getting up. "You bring Levi his tea," he said as he took the money Hange offered.

"If it's some secret service guys, scream," Levi all but ordered. "I'm literally ready to knock down an army at this point."

"Aren't you always?" Eren asked with a grin but nodded to show he would do as instructed before he and Falco left the room.

"Secret service? What have you gotten yourself into?" Their newest addition couldn't seem to help himself and asked, which had Levi scowling at him. He wasn't deterred this time, though.

"It's a long and complicated story that has nothing to do with you," interjected Moblit, much to the surprise of the ones with their memories intact. "All you need to know is that, maybe, sometime in the near future, we might need some legal assistance to get to a boat and sail into international waters-"

"Actually-"

"Shut up, Shitty Four Eyes."

"Wow, you're really pissed, huh, shorty?"

"-so we can dispose of the Hallucigenia into the depths of the Mariana Trench," Moblit finished as though Levi and Hange hadn't spoken at all, clearly used to all sorts of bullshit, even after knowing Hange for only a short span of time.

"And why would you do that?" The police officer asked in half confusion, half skepticism.

"Because it's-none-of-your-fucking-business, that's why," Levi replied before anyone else could even think to tell the asshole anything about the Hallucigenia and its true nature. "And we don't need his help," he told Moblit seriously, who looked doubtful but was also smart enough not to get into needless arguments.

"What if I want to?" Floch challenged.

"Then I'll feed you to the first shark we run into and laugh as you meet your gruesome end."

"Shit. Why do you hate me that much?"

"You dare to ask?" He countered in a deadly tone and Floch, for once, kept his mouth shut. "Listen, brat-"

"I'm fairly sure I'm older than you this time around, but it was always hard to tell, even back then, how old you were because damn, you don't fucking age!"

"I was still born first, I lived a full life and died of old age and was then born again, therefore I have a full lifetime on you plus the nineteen years of this one, so to me, yes, you are a fucking brat. All of you are, so shut the fuck up." Thankfully, he did. "As I was saying, I'm really good at holding grudges, especially if it's against something or someone that took away someone I cared about in any way, shape or form. Unfortunately for you, Hange died because of your actions before the plane took off. Therefore, I hate you in the only way I know how to hate people, with a vengeance. I literally don't give a fuck about Zeke this time around, even if he does remember, which is still up for debate, as long as he doesn't annoy me or make my life harder than it already is. Can't say the same for you. You want to know why? Because I got my revenge last time and that's that."

"So, what? You have to kill me to stop hating me? I'm an officer of the law, even if a new one. If you kill me, there's no way you won't go to jail!" Floch said a little panicky and Levi couldn't even blame him. Floch remembered far too well just why Levi was Humanity's Strongest Soldier.

"Only if he gets caught," reminded Gabi darkly and Floch was starting to sweat. Levi gave her an approving nod and she positively beamed at him.

"Pizza's here," Eren announced as he came back into the room with Falco hot on his heels, several steaming cups in his hands, containing both tea and coffee based on the smell. "Now, I'm just going to say this before we open any of these boxes: none of you motherfuckers better not have ordered that monstrosity with pineapples, or I will find a way to start a second Rumbling."

"What's wrong with pineapple pizza?" Floch asked and got grossed out expressions from everyone else. Eren's face darkened.

"Get the fuck out before I whoop your ass into the next life."

"I'm kidding! It's a joke! Geez!"

"You don't joke about pineapples on pizza around Eren," Armin advised with a dead serious expression as Eren put down the boxes on the table and Pieck started sorting through them. "One time, the delivery guy accidentally brought up the wrong order for us and Eren nearly broke his nose. I've never been so grateful to have Levi-heichou living with us as at that moment, even if it meant we had to keep our apartment up to his cleanliness standards."

"You say that as if I didn't already force you to keep that place sparkling from the moment we moved in," said Eren with a snort as he plopped back into his seat beside Levi, dragging a capricciosa over for them to share. "You guys are slobs."

Levi nodded in agreement to that, taking a slice of pizza for himself and putting aside a few mushrooms for the Hallucigenia before he started eating. Eren, in turn, pulled off a bit of cheese-covered baloney and set it aside, which had the Hallucigenia all excited for the treats they were leaving for it. Levi swears that thing only cares about eating.

"No, you just got turned into a clean freak," countered Hange. "And Gabi and Falco are almost just as bad!"

"What do you expect?" Pieck asked with a snort around a slice of pizza she was nibbling on. "They lived with Levi after the war."

They continued such a lighthearted topic while they ate and even Floch relaxed a bit after a while when no one else tried to kill him. Though he still got glares from time to time, if he made a comment on things they were not comfortable with hearing his opinion on. Eren seemed to mostly ignore him, which rattled the redhead the most. Though that might be because of watching the Hallucigenia feed.

After they were done eating, though, Hange pulled up the ancient scroll of Rose Fritz and had Eren start translating, noting down everything he said.

"So, just to be absolutely clear, it does say sink to the deepest of depths, right?" Hange asked to confirm when the whole text was translated and interpreted to an understandable language of modern times. "Like, it really is deepest of depths, right?"

"Yes, Hange, for the last time, yes!" Eren groaned in annoyance, glaring at the scientist. "And yes, I'm guessing it means what you think it means: the Mariana Trench! Are we going to continue in circles for the rest of the day? Mikasa already texted me and all but demanded we go back to her place and have a big tactical reunion so we can potentially deal with this shit, so I'd really appreciate it if you didn't ask me to repeat myself for the thousandth time!"

Hange pursed her lips in displeasure at him. "Still have anger issues, huh?"

Eren glared when Levi and Armin snorted.

Floch sent them offended looks.

Levi flipped him the bird. "But he does have a point, Hange. We all already got it. We got confirmation that Paradis sank, that the Coordinate is clearly still somehow active and intact, if slightly unstable, that we've all been reincarnated because we're Eldians because the Hallucigenia willed it so, for some reason, and that it's probably so we can dump it into the Mariana Trench where no one will bother it. There's no need to repeat any of this shit again since we all got it. We should move onto the next topic that needs our attention: how are we going to get that done?"

"We'd need a boat and a crew," started Pieck.

"We'd need permission to sail," continued Moblit. No one asked why he was getting himself even more involved in such a dangerous and strange matter when he didn't even have his memories. One of Hange's standing theories is that all Eldians have at least a semblance of remembrance of their past life, which would explain why Moblit was still so glued-to-the-hip with Hange or why Eren's mother had thought Levi seemed familiar despite never having seen him before in this life or some of the behaviors Bertolt, Marco and Sasha displayed that would make no sense without the context of their past life two thousand years ago. Maybe even Grisha Jaeger's behavior could be explained with impressions of memories but not actual remembrance, or even Levi's in-laws', like Uri and Frieda, who at times he really had contemplated might remember but didn't say anything so people wouldn't think they were crazy.

The world was a strange place, especially if you are an Eldian.

"We'd need diving gear. Or, well, a submarine," pointed out Hange.

"Or maybe not? I mean, we don't know how well the Ackermans take pressure, right?"

"Don't suggest something that could be so dangerous, Gabi!" Falco cried but Levi had to admit that he was now curious about that, too.

"A research or military boat, that's what we need," Eren declared, making everyone turn their attention to him. "With sonars and other sophisticated technology. Potentially just a remote control submarine, too, since I don't think any manned one can go to those depths and survive the cabin pressure they would be facing."

"This is going to be a lot harder than we first thought," commented Levi, though he'd never actually considered it to be easy in the first place. Just reaching the Trench would have been near impossible for him just a few weeks ago. Now, he could potentially get there, but he can't just dump the container with the Hallucigenia in it and let it sink to the bottom of the Trench. Ocean currents could change the trajectory, some animal might attack the container, attracted to the Hallucigenia's glow, or even if they could remotely open the container from the surface, there's no telling in which dangerous situation they might put the Hallucigenia upon its newfound freedom or if the mechanism would even work under all that pressure. There's also no telling how much pressure the glass of the Hallucigenia's container can take before it shatters; it might shatter way before they reach any humanly-unmanageable depth, leaving the Hallucigenia practically stranded and potentially injured from the glass shards where any human can reach it or where predators might eat it, potentially creating a new, if different Titan age.

Levi would really rather not deal with Godzila, thank you very much. Or a Kraken. Or one of those ugly Kaiju from Pacific Rim. Or any other monster known in the world's strange mythical literature, if he can help it.

This really was going to be harder than they first thought.

Chapter Text

"You guys sure you want to stay here?" Armin asked as he waited in front of the car Mikasa had sent for them. He was going back to Mikasa's safe house with Pieck, Gabi and Falco, who wanted to reunite with their Marley friends and see their Paradis allies, but Levi was adamant about staying with Hange and, well, for some reason, Eren decided that he goes where Levi goes, therefore staying with Hange, too. "I mean, Mikasa's place can offer more security and there's more of us to help out in case something happens."

There's also more of them whom Levi would have to keep an eye on, making any potential fight that might break out all the more complicated and harder to concentrate on than if he only had to look after himself and potentially Eren or Hange. Or Moblit, who had left that morning to get some things from his own apartment but had insisted he'd be coming back before lunch and that he'd be staying with Hange until this whole Hallucigenia thing was sorted out. Hange had actually swooned at his protectiveness and Levi didn't tease her about it, just glad that even without memories, it was clear Hange will always be the first one in Moblit's heart and priorities. But that was beside the point; Levi had entered this 'adventure' alone and while he might have regained his old comrades along the way, he sure as hell wasn't going to drag them into this shitshow now that it was getting real.

And it really was.

Erwin was probably scouring Tokyo for Levi as they speak and if Erwin knew he was here, it wasn't unreasonable to assume that other organizations know, too. Levi was now a living, breathing bullseye target and he refused to let his friends and comrades experience the hell of battle and war in this life if he can help it. He'd already failed once, when Mikasa's men betrayed them during the car ride from the airport, but he won't let it happen again. Mikasa and Jean were getting married, for fuck's sake! Tomorrow! There is no way Levi is going to risk their lives at any point in this new life, let alone the day before their wedding day!

Besides...

"We're safer here," he said seriously. "From Mikasa's wedding attire shopping spree," he finished with a smirk that had Armin laughing and Eren and Hange snorting. "But seriously, though, we'll be fine. This place has a far lower profile and it would be easier to escape or fight in if it ever comes to that. Besides, Hange and Eren are actually the only ones besides myself, Mikasa or Annie who bothered to train themselves in this life as if they were meant to fight like in our last. In a house this small with far fewer occupants, three trained fighters makes a whole lot more difference than in a bigger space with more people, even if the number of trained fighters would be a total of five."

"Yeah, I guess we would be too big of a group to protect with just five people, even if technically we all know how to fight. None of us had really trained our response time or reflexes. We don't have the necessary muscle memory," Armin conceded. "Man, we really let ourselves go, huh, Levi-heichou. You must be disappointed," he said in a teasing tone but Levi still shook his head and replied seriously.

"I'm glad you didn't have a reason to train to fight for your lives, Armin. You've done enough of that two thousand years ago."

"So did you," pointed out Gabi from the car with a displeased frown but Levi just reached in and ruffled her hair now that she was, again even if temporarily, shorter than him, seated in the backseat of the black car.

"That's just how it is for some people and I'm one of them. Mikasa is, too, partially. It's in our genes, even two thousand years later. It can't be helped. But maybe after we've dealt with this Hallucigenia thing, we can all find some real peace, in this life, too."

"We'll be holding you to that," Pieck said with a smile. "It's about damn time someone has better abs than one of you Ackermans."

"No chance in hell," Hange and Eren chimed in, making everyone laugh. After that, there was no more delay. Eren and Armin hugged, Hange waved at her this-time-around cousin and housemates and Levi just nodded at them all before the car drove off. Then the trio went back into the house and into the 'strategy room', also known as the tea room, and just sat down and stared wordlessly at all the things Hange had spread out to show them her research.

Hange was a real genius. She was majoring in several subjects, from robotics and engineering to marinology and geology to linguistics and history. Her majors were mixed into dual projects, of sorts, and were revolutionary as far as the world was concerned. Her knowledge of things Paradis and Marley had developed, of the resources they had once possessed and utilized and of the Eldian language from two thousand years ago lent her an advantage she was all too clever at using to gain herself the financial resources needed not only to continue her research and studies but also to find herself and her cousin, as well as their two other housemates they had known from two thousand years ago, a place to live, food on their table and the clothes on their backs despite being practically the same age as Levi this time around. She had her life together and all figured out and Levi kind of envied her as much as he was glad for her and proud of her.

He was glad she wasn't like him: without finished formal education, jobless and on the run from just about every government in the world.

"How'd you even figure out what it eats?" Hange asked and Levi looked up from a book he was idly reading to find Hange's focus was on the Hallucigenia, who was just calmly floating about in its container. Levi wondered if it possibly resented him for taking it from the sea only to put it in a glass vessel and keep it as a fucking pet. Eren said the thing was intelligent beyond their comprehension or imagination and if Eren had shared his mind with it for even just a second, then surely it, too, had become intimately familiar with Eren's drive for freedom. How did it not try to kill him two years ago instead of giving him back his abilities?

Then again, since it's intelligent, the Hallucigenia had probably known what other humans might do with it if they got their hands on it, whereas Levi might just give it back its freedom if he had a safe way to do so. Which is the goal, the endgame, they were all trying to figure out as of now.

"Well, it actually eats almost everything, but I first fed it with seaweed and such things before finding out it likes dead human skin cells when some dust fell into the aquarium I kept it in back at my house. That turned into its most common diet after I had to go on the run since there were times I could barely feed myself, let alone my little 'pet'."

"You don't look too scrawny to me, though," Hange observed and Levi rolled his eyes, pointing at Eren.

"That's because this brat and Arlert practically stuffed me with food every second of the fucking day, especially on the weekends when they stayed at home. The others seemed to have picked up the trend when we met up."

Eren shrugged, not looking guilty at all despite Levi accusing him of forcing him to eat. "We all owe you a lot, so we just wanted to take care of you the way you've always taken care of us. If showing care is a crime then we're all guilty as charged. Besides, you looked way thinner than when we first met, let alone the way you were after we took over the whole of Paradis and suddenly had meat for everyday rations."

"I'm a scrawny teenager, Eren."

"You're nineteen. I remember being nineteen, in both lives, quite well, Levi. You seem to have a high metabolism and fat just won't stick to you and- why are you smiling?"

"You finally dropped the '-heichou'. About damn time, really."

"Is it so wrong to show respect?"

"It is if the person in question already asked you to drop it."

"Geez, you two bicker like an old married couple!" Laughed Hange, absolutely delighted by their back and forth. "But Levi's right, you know? It's considered rude to decline the intimacy of one's given name if they tell you to call them by it. Or at least it is here in Japan, anyways."

Eren sighed and nodded and that seemed to be that. Whether the brat will stick to it, though, remains to be seen.

They basically wasted the day away, not having anything in particular to do after their consortium of brains that morning. It wasn't until lunchtime, when Levi caught Eren videos phoning his mother, that he approached Hange with his request.

"Of course I didn't forget!" The woman had exclaimed when he reminded her. "It's not such a complicated thing to do, so I'll get right on it, shorty!"

"Thanks, Hange," he said as she beamed at him as she started hacking the US government's medical files. Eren was watching them with a gentle smile before he reached out and boldly took Levi's hand.

"You're finally going to find out about your mom, huh?"

"Guess so," Levi replied, letting his hand be where it currently was. It was actually comforting, which was probably Eren's intention to begin with. Levi was thankful for the support even before he got any sort of news. He'd never liked thinking about it over the months and months he didn't return home, but the question of his mother's health had always haunted him. Because, despite everything, in the face of possibly losing his mother to an illness for the second time, Levi became the same helpless child rotting away beside his dead mother's body.

"Nervous?" Eren asked knowingly, still with a fond little smile, gentle and reassuring and utterly beautiful, if Levi was being honest with himself. It brought back memories of 'simpler' times, when Eren was someone Levi was supposed to protect from the world rather than the other way around. Of times when Eren was so eager to please, so eager to see the ocean, so eager to go outside the Walls and face the world out there, no matter how Titan-infested. It made Levi regret ever having taken that Eren for granted, even for just a second. That Eren was precious, he could still smile so genuinely that it hurt to look at him.

"I wish I could say no," Levi admitted, surprising all three of them with his honesty. Hange had even stopped typing just to glance up at Levi over their laptop, but she didn't say anything, returning to her task at hand. "I guess I just don't want to imagine what she would have felt like if I wasn't there when she-"

"I'm sure she would have understood, either way," Eren tried to reassure but Levi gave him a bitter smile at that.

"It's not about her understanding or not. It's about me not being able to help her when she needed me the most. Again. And this time, I don't have the 'excuse' of being a child to help me sleep at night if something had happened to her. Considering everything she's ever done for me, I should have been a better son."

"Well, good news, then!" Chirped up Hange, whirling her laptop around so Levi can look at the screen. "You have plenty of time to make it up to her as soon as we deal with the Hallucigenia!" Levi just stared at the medical record of how his mother fought through cancer a second time, immeasurable relief washing through him and making him sag against Eren, who was grinning at him softly while Hange beamed. "She's a fighter, your mom. The doctor's notes say it's a miracle she survived, but a nurse's account states that she 'refused to die before she sees her baby again'." Hange cackled as Levi flushed with embarrassment at his Maman's affectionate antics. "Also, it's remarkable how similar you and your mom look," she commented as she scrolled the page until his mother's picture was on display. Eren leaned forward to presumably marvel at how Kuchel Ackerman might as well be a female, long-haired version of Levi while Hange cast him a curious look. "Was it like this last time, too, or...?"

Levi nodded, unable to look away from his mother's beloved face. "Yeah. Sometimes I think Kenny only took pity on me because I look so much like Maman, but I guess that's not entirely plausible considering I looked nothing like her the first time we met, all skin and bones as I was."

"Oh, speaking of Kenny and your other relatives!" Hange interrupted before he could say more. "There's a whole scandal underway regarding the Reiss. Apparently, Rod did end up paying the full medical bill for both Levi's mom and his own brother, but it took a heavy toll on the family's overall wealth. Rod seems to have even made some enemies among the loan sharks but is somehow, mysteriously, being left off the hook. I have my theories about that-"

"Kenny," Levi said with absolute certainty, a rage rising within him the likes of which he hadn't felt since his last life, since Zeke turned his last squad into Pure Titans. "In exchange for my mother's medical bills." Kenny liked to act cold, crazy and aloof to outsiders, to strangers, but he was a big softy and pushover for his family, his sister especially. Kuchel came first, then Levi and then Uri. Uri had always been surprisingly okay with that, with his place in Kenny's and the Ackerman's lives in general. Kenny would do anything for his few loved ones. Levi hated he hadn't been there to prevent his uncle from having to do Rod's dirty work for him.

"Well, yeah. Anyways! Seems like Historia tried to take over the family company and fortune to prevent them from bankruptcy but also from descending into the world of crime. Uri took her side. Frieda, however, took Rod's. The other kids are still too young to have a say in these things, but the Reiss are feuding over the company and other such things. The problem seems to stem from the fact that Uri gifted a good few of his shares to a nephew-"

Levi gaped at that.

"-but Rod is trying to undermine him and Historia by dragging in a cousin who also has shares in the company. Guess who?"

"Dina Fritz," Eren said with certainty and Hange nodded.

"Well, Dina Jaeger, nee Fritz, but yes." It was a correction all three of them ignored, even Hange who'd made it.

"Well, shit. It seems like we're cousins, Levi." Somehow, Eren manages to both sound sarcastic, deadpan and actually upset by the idea.

Levi gives him a strange, well deserved Look. "Eren. Shitty brat. Don't be a dumbass. I think Floch's dumbassery actually managed to rub off on you in the hour he spent here. Dina may be Uri's relative, but I'm not actually related to Uri, nor are you related to Dina. Uri is my uncle's husband and Dina is your stepmother at most. Not to mention that the Fritz must be some twice removed cousinry shit or whatever, since they've never come to any of the gatherings Uri usually held for family, like Thanksgiving or the Christmas party the day before the actual holiday. We're not fucking related, get that bullshit out of your little brain."

"That aside!" Exclaimed Hange, for once uncomfortable by weirdness. "It seems that with Dina's support, both sides have 45% of the shares. This means that Levi probably has 10% of the shares of one of the most successful companies in America to his name!"

"But why would Uri give Levi 10% of his shares? Doesn't that contradict the basic point of having a business, mainly meaning you should hold at least 51% to have control of a company at all?" Eren asked and Levi closed his eyes as though in pain.

"Uri must have transferred some of his stocks to me while he was sick. Probably so we'd have something to fall back on in case the sickness wins that battle." Uri Reiss was too pure for this world, too good, too kind. He did not fit in with the other Reiss, not one bit. "He probably gave it to me instead of Kenny because he knew Kenny would be distraught by his potential death and, well, let's face it: Kenny hasn't changed much; out of the two of us, I'm more likely to keep a cool head in a situation such as that hypothetical one."

"And since Levi's officially the stock holder now, Uri can't just take the stocks back," Hange mused.

Eren narrowed his eyes. "This doesn't sound promising." And Levi had to agree. If Rod had Kenny in some sort of debt for paying for Kuchel's treatments, then Rod will probably try to use Kenny to settle this dispute in his favor. And the only way Kenny could do that ... "Great. So we have to be on the watch out for Kenny, too. As if all of this wasn't heart enough. Though, I do warn you in advance, Levi, that I am not going to hold back on him this time around if I run across him. I still owe him for the shit he put me through when he kidnapped me and Historia."

The Ackerman snorted. "Eren, please don't try to mess with Kenny. He might not be as strong or as bloodthirsty as he was two thousand years ago, but he's still skilled way beyond an average person or even a professional fighter and just as hesitant to do illegal shit if push comes to shove. In fact, he's been dealing in some shady business or something since Maman got ill again to try and make ends meet while paying for her bills. I don't know the details, because he was at least careful about that, but I was still the one who did practically all the house chores so I can tell you there's been quite a few times when I've had to scrub blood from his clothes or even our floors. I don't know if Rod had him doing his dirty work for him before I had to leave, though."

"Kenny worked for Rod Reiss even before this dispute?" Hange asked with a frown and Levi nodded.

"Since my mother got sick again. I told you we couldn't pay the bills and Rod first tried to make Kenny choose who would get their treatment paid for once he took over the Reiss finances when Uri got bad enough that he wasn't allowed to do any strenuous or distressing activity. Kenny refused, so we did a lot of shady and questionable things to get enough money for the treatment for Maman. I joined an underground fighting ring and was there almost every night of the week, while Kenny earned himself his old moniker. At some point, Rod probably found out just how far Kenny is willing to go for those he lets himself love and he employed Kenny. As a bodyguard, at first, or I think so. I can't quite say how honest Kenny was when he'd informed Maman and I of that job offer. It became easier to pay for things a while after that, at least, but I still hated that Kenny was working for Rod again. It reminded me too much of how things went last time. And this time, I will eviscerate Rod Reiss if anything happens to my uncle because of him. I didn't keep him from dying of food poisoning all these years from his attempts to 'cppk' just for Rod to get him fucking killed."

"So we definitely have to look out for Kenny. But what are the odds of him coming to search for you in Japan? And while we're on the topic of our weird as fuck families," Eren said. "Is there any mention of Zeke in the Reiss vs Reiss-Fritz debacle? We need to know if he's busy with other things or if he's still at large and potentially a problem."

"Good thinking," Levi complimented and Eren all but beamed at him. The shorter of the two rolled his eyes.

"Actually, there's another article questioning Dina about that," Hange replied as she opened a different tab and showed them. She came around the table so they were all able to see the screen at the same time as she explained. "It seems that Dina has publicly expressed distrust in Zeke's 'ability to know how to properly and safely manage the family company's stocks', saying that he wasn't entrusted with any share of the company and never will. Instead, if anything were to happen to her, her shares, according to her will, will be divided between her cousins, her husband Grisha Jaeger and her eight year old daughter."

Eren's eyes widened. "They had another fucking kid!?" He yelled, making Levi and Hange flinch from the loud noise right next to their ears. "What the fuck!?"

"Yes. Faye Jaeger," Hange replied and scrolled to a picture of the whole Jaeger family. Or, well, the other side of it, excluding Carla and Eren, of course. It was a recent picture, Levi could tell, because the last time he'd seen Beardy, Zeke would have earned the nickname. Now, standing between his younger sister and what must have been his grandmother, the blond Jaeger brother had a clean shaven face and looked almost five years younger. The little girl who was beaming at the camera while clutching her brother's hand had huge grayish green eyes, short brunette hair and chubby cheeks and could only be described as adorable. "It seems to have been an unplanned pregnancy."

"That's my father's baby sister," their Jaeger breathed. "She died when she was this age, back in Liberio. One of the Marleyian fucking Public Security Authorities officers had dogs tear her apart. Kruger killed him when he was about to turn Grisha into a Titan on Paradis."

"Kruger?"

"Eren Kruger," the other Eren answered Levi's inquiry. "The Attack Titan before my father and me. My namesake, I guess."

"Is this him?" Hange asked as she pointed at a man in the picture standing beside Grisha and Dina. "I mean, the tags say so, but I wanted to make sure."

"Yeah, that's him alright," Eren said with a snort. "The Owl himself. Willing to sacrifice fellow Eldians for the oh so grand Eldian Empire."

"Aren't you the same? And aren't you the one who influenced him to do so?" Countered Hange in the coldest tone she'd used against Eren in this or the past life and Levi watched as the two brunets had a glare-off, Eren's usual anger coming to the surface as though summoned in a demon ritual or something.

"You are mistaken, Hange-danchou." Hange actually flinched at her old and last rank. "I have never beaten up an innocent child for the sake of a lie. I have never let an innocent child be torn apart. And I most certainly have never sacrificed Eldians for some grand ideal of a fucked up empire that was the Eldian's supposed golden age. I never believed in restoring the Eldian Empire. All I've ever wanted to do was rid this world of Titans and I've stayed true to that goal to the end. All I've ever wanted was to keep my home and my people safe. And my people are the people of Paradis and the world would not let us be safe and happy and free. The Rumbling might have been extreme, but it was the only way and I won't regret it. It's the only choice I could have made which I wouldn't regret. Couldn't. Can't. I only regret what it has forced my beloved comrades to do in order to stop it, to stop me. I only regret the lives of our comrades that were lost when Floch and you guys fought each other. I regret your sacrifice, Hange. But if I were to be put in that exact same situation again, I would do it all over again if it means my loved ones can live long lives and try to be happy. Free." He took a deep breath to calm himself. "So no, I most certainly did not influence everything Kruger or any other person did. Not the way you all seem to think I did or could do. You have no idea what it takes in order to influence someone's choices in any way. Controlling Titans can be tricky enough. Humans and especially Shifters, even the Attack Titans, are a lot more complicated."

Levi was tempted to leave the house while these two hashed it out, but he feared there might not be a house left standing by the time they were done, judging by the tension in the air. He guessed it made sense that this is the topic they clashed over. Anything related to the Rumbling could have triggered the two to finally hash some things out regarding their moral standpoint on that mass tragedy. Levi was honestly over it by now. He may have been with the team that had stopped Eren, but the Rumbling had already done it's job. All those who were a threat to Eldia have faced the terror of Eren's protectiveness and rage. The continent where those enemies had lived on had been all but purged of non-Eldian human life and who knows how far that destruction had spread. By the time Eren was stopped, it was a moot point to even try, yet he'd gone along with it, because that was his duty and his promise.

But ultimately? Levi couldn't truly begrudge Eren his actions, because it had, in the end, given meaning to all the fallen Scout's sacrifices. It had taken a good few years before people stopped fearing Paradis, but its people could move about freely, without the fear of Titans breathing down their necks, or a hateful world looming over them, ready to take even more from them than the Titans ever did. And it may not have been the right way to do things, but Levi had to admit it was the only way. Paradis was a danger to the world but the world was a danger to Paradis. The question was: who would first turn into a monster and destroy the other? Eren wasn't even the first one to make that choice, Willy Tybur was. But Eren was the first one to act on it. And that's what went down in history.

It's funny how the incompetence of past or present leaders forces the youth to do dangerous or unspeakable things. It's no excuse for any crime that might be committed, but no war started because of a singular reason, by a single person. There is always more behind it than history will ever record because, unfortunately, it is all too true that it is the winners who write history, or at least their side of the story is the one that is widely accepted.

History is, unfortunately, a string of lies, stories, events and concepts people agreed upon to be the truth. Whether they actually happened the way people tell it today is always up for question. Perspective changes the story in ways you wouldn't believe.

Levi had always been aware of that. Perhaps it was his Ackerman side which couldn't be affected by the King's brainwashing, perhaps it was his natural cynicism, but he'd always doubted the history that was widely accepted within the Walls, since it made no sense that humans had enough time to erect fifty meter walls over vast distances if they were constantly being attacked by Titans. Then, they had started learning a lot of shit when Eren came along and he was proven right. That view of history and a widely accepted narrative at all carried on into this life, too, making Levi as skeptical of politicians and widely-consented narratives, including modern day history. The fact that Paradis didn't exist in the collective recollection of the world as a factual place but rather a myth only cemented his beliefs and after reuniting with Hange and finding out everything that seems to have happened ...

It all made this argument Hange and Eren were having seem moot. What was the point? Why argue? No one is ever innocent in war. The first second someone's blood is shed, both sides have sinned, even if it was only one person who shot the bullet or swung the blade. War was the worst creation of humanity and they were, unfortunately, far too talented in making it deadlier, crueler, more inhumane.

It's why the Hallucigenia must never again fall into human hands. The power of Titans had proven to be overwhelming even against the most modern of war technology of Marley, which had been very close to the technology people have developed during and after the two World Wars. Today, there were even more Eldians than two thousand years ago, it seems. Even just a speck of Eldian blood would be enough for an Eldian to be turned into a Titan. If someone were to start the Rumbling in this day and age ...

His train of thought was interrupted, as was Hange's and Eren's ongoing argument, by the Hallucigenia's freaky hiss-screech, snapping everyone's attention to the Cambrian animal. It looked rather distressed and Levi was instantly on alert. The Hallucigenia had a keen instinct for survival, as it turns out, according to Eren. The last time it was even remotely distressed had been when it had bitten Levi and had given him back his Ackerman abilities so he can escape with it and protect it from other humans.

"Get up. Now!" He ordered, falling back into his old role as he took the container with his so-called pet and sprinted for the room he and Eren had been sharing, throwing the container into his ever ready backpack and slinging it onto his shoulders just as the front door was busted down. As soon as he heard 'Kitchen, clear. Living room, clear!' in English, he knew he was dealing with either Americans or English, meaning either Zeke or some other American secret service agency or Erwin and he didn't know which would be worse. Hange and Eren were already waiting for him on the balcony leading to the backyard as Levi quickly put on the gear Hange had reconstructed and grabbed them both around their waists before launching them across the backyard to the next house. The kid playing with a ball in his own backyard looked up and his little jaw hit the floor as he watched Levi do his best to correct his balance mid flight with two people of very different sizes and weights as his impromptu passengers.

"They're out the back!" Someone shouted, followed by more shouting - some orders, some directions - before he recognized the distinct and far too familiar sounds of being followed. The clanking of weapons and protective armor, the pounding of heavy boots, the grunts and huffs of air as people ran after him. Oh yes, Levi was unfortunately all too familiar with these sounds. In both lives, actually.

"Mierda! How did they find us?!" Eren exclaimed with a curse as he and Hange did their best to keep up with Levi's running stride and jump in time with him from roof to roof. Cars screeched through the peaceful streets of Hange's neighborhood, trying to follow them but Levi kept changing directions to confuse their pursuers while actively searching for a place where they could hide or he could drop off his 'passengers' so he may lead the fuckers on a wild goose chase before either taking off with the wind or coming back to them, whatever ends up being the safest option.

"Mike or Petra must have said something," Hange guessed and Levi would have to agree. Without their memories, Levi was just a person who had decked a police officer and acted all suspicious like. Surely, they would have reported his presence at Hange's house to their superiors and said superiors must have been working with Erwin or any other agency that was at the science fair scouting out young talented scientists for their own organizations, who would surely recognize Levi's description, even if vaguely, and send their troops after him. "Fuck, my research!"

"You're seriously thinking about that right now, Four Eyes?" Levi asked incredulously as he dropped down to the street when he heard a chopper join the chase. Great, just fucking great! Just what they needed!

"Levi, that research is about fucking Eldians, Paradis, Titans and, as of recently, the Hallucigenia!" She reminded and Levi and Eren both cursed at that. "Though, thankfully, I keep my personal notes in my old shorthand, so as long as they're not found by someone who remembers or was familiar with my shorthand back then, we should be fine. But my research materials are up for grabs as it were."

"The most important sources are in Eldians, so they still won't know what's really being said," Eren reminded as they ducked out of the chopper's sight until it past, before Hange suddenly started leading them in a certain direction.

"This way! There's an abandoned radio station where we can take shelter in! There was a big fire some years ago and no one ever bothered to fix it up, so no one goes in there anymore!" The two men don't make a fuss and just follow her, letting her lead the way as the building in question slowly comes into view over the rooftops of the houses. Levi doesn't try to move them along faster with the Maneuver Gear for fear of a helicopter spotting them and they were far enough away from their on-foot pursuers that they can't even hear them. The streets Hange was leading them through were even pretty narrow, so any speeding with a car would be extremely dangerous, if not outright impossible.

Hange had clearly planned something like this out. Probably in case someone came after her either because of her hacking or because of her genius and inventions.

Levi grit his teeth. He'd never wanted so many people involved in his shit. It had become his responsibility to keep the Hallucigenia secret, and he had failed. It had become his responsibility to keep it out of human hands, and he had nearly failed that, too. He should have never followed Eren that day in Barcelona. They should have simply parted ways; none of his friends and comrades would be in this mess right now if he'd just stayed true to his 'lone wolf' plan for this life.

Fuck Frieda and her good intentions! Fuck Eren and his stupid loyalty! Fuck Hange and her genius and stubbornness and friendship! And fuck all of his brats for their inability to leave one of their own behind!

"I'm calling Mikasa!" Eren declared, phone already in hand and pressing the speed dial and Levi couldn't even deny they might need her help to get out of this mess.

Fuck, they were going to practically ruin her wedding! Or was it already marriage?

Levi really wanted to regret meeting Eren in the metro that day.

He hates himself that he couldn't, even with this mess.

So he just kept running.

Chapter Text

As soon as they were in the abandoned radio station, they started climbing the soot-blackened stairs to the rooftop. The stairs creaked and rattled under their pounding footsteps so Levi forced his brunet companions to slow down and take careful steps lest the stairs collapse under them or attract unwanted attention to the three story building from the outside. Eren was speaking in a hushed, rushed tone to Mikasa over the phone she'd given him and Levi could hear her cursing them out from the other end of the line but Eren took it in stride and explained where they were with Hange's help.

As they stopped on the last floor, Eren hung up and pocketed his phone. "She says she's sending one of her own private helicopters but it will take at least fifteen minutes before it can get to us. We'll have to hunker down and lay low in the meantime."

"I don't think a chopper can land on a building this unstable without it collapsing," Hange observed, looking around at the fire-damaged walls and what was left of the equipment and furniture of the once radio station.

"Not to mention that we don't have clear skies," Levi pointed out grimly. "We need to direct that other chopper to fly away from here and stay away long enough so we can potentially just climb up a ladder to the one Mikasa is sending."

"I think I can be of assistance with that," a new, unexpected but far too familiar voice said and all three of them whirled around, Levi the fastest as he unsheathed a knife and threw it with deadly precision at the unwelcome newcomer. Zeke Jaeger released an unmanly, terrified shriek as he just barely avoided the knife embedding itself into his skull, right between his eyes, but he had no hopes of evading Levi's charge as he tackled him to the ground, the swords he'd drawn from his 3DMG crossed under his neck, nearly strangling and beheading him all at once as Levi stared down at him with dangerous, murderous eyes. Zeke quickly but carefully threw his hands up in a surrendering manner, trying to stop his impending death at the hands of the Ackerman. "No, wait, Levi! Don't be so hasty! I'm not your enemy! I'M NOT YOUR ENEMY!"

"Levi, wait!" Hange called out, carefully approaching the two on the floor. "He remembers-"

"Yes, I can see that, Shitty Glasses, which is why I still haven't skinned him alive, but that won't keep me from doing so for very long unless he explains what the fuck he is doing here, stalking us," he returned in a deadly calm that had Zeke sweating under him like a pig about to be slaughtered. Which wasn't too far from the truth, to be honest. Levi may have had his revenge and fulfilled his promise in their last life, but Zeke had still been part of the hell that was his everyday life for the past two years, so Levi had a whole new grudge against him.

If Zeke turned out to be a danger to Levi, the Hallucigenia or, heavens forbid, his loved ones, there would be no force on this Earth that could prevent Levi from slicing him up to pieces so tiny the wind would be able to scatter the remains as if they were dust.

"If you'd please move your swords away - where the hell did you even get that!? - so I can speak freely without fearing they'll slice into my skin-" Levi pressed his swords into said skin harder, slicing it and causing a trickle of blood to seep out. "Okay! Okay! I wasn't stalking you. Well, technically, I guess you could say that I was, but it's not stalking if you're paid by the government to do so, but that's beside the point," he said hurriedly when he saw Levi was getting pissed. "I'm here to offer my assistance regarding the Hallucigenia. I don't know how much you know about it-"

"We know what it is, what it can and has done and caused, so get to the point," Eren interjected, clearly getting ticked off, too.

"Well, now that we've established that we all remember, as I was saying, I came to offer my help to Levi-"

"Why would I ever accept any assistance or help from you? Especially where the Hallucigenia is concerned?" Levi asked with narrowed eyes. "And why are you suddenly so eager to help? You've spent two years trying to capture me and drag me off to some government secret underground experimentation facility or something and you expect me to believe you've had a sudden change of heart?" He asked with a snort while the only blond present sweated profusely.

"It wasn't sudden. Well, it was when it happened, but that was almost two years ago. At first, when I was chasing you, it was because I thought you didn't remember just like how some other reincarnated Eldians I ran across didn't, like my family and mentor, for instance. And when we first met, I just thought you were some insanely skilled kid who may have been Levi-heichou in his past life but was now just a shadow of him who accidentally made a pet of one of the potentially most dangerous creatures on Earth."

"And what changed your mind?" Hange asked skeptically.

"Well, first, I saw him all but lift an overturned semi truck, trailer and all, off of a couple of my men during a chase gone wrong." Hange and Eren turned towards Levi at that, looking scandalized and hurt that he hadn't shared that story with them. Levi would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't busy still glaring suspiciously down at Zeke at that moment. "Then, a couple of weeks later, we tracked him down to a cafe and I saw him holding his tea cup in that weird way of his. By the way, I'm impressed you've managed to do that with takeout cups without dropping them," he complimented and Levi almost snorted at that. "But I figured that's a mannerism that might have carried over, who knows, right? But I was finally sure a month after that when Dok's and my team planned an ambush at the same time, but they kind of jumped at you first. Let me tell you, it was amazing how he went through them like a warm knife through butter, so my team and I held back as we realized we are seriously undermanned to deal with Levi, and that's when I heard him mutter something about him being sick and tired of ambushes for the next several lives if the Coordinate drags him back to the world of the living again. That's when I started pretending to be after Levi. I mean, I still was, of course, but I only wanted to see just how much he remembers and help him hide with the Hallucigenia in some safe corner of the world where the CIA or other agencies and organizations won't look for him if he lays low. But I definitely wasn't going to hand him over to my superiors or anything. Just like all of you, I presume, I don't want another Titan age."

When the former Beast Titan finally stopped talking, Levi could all but feel Eren and Hange exchange a glance behind his back. "You think he's telling the truth?" The scientist asked the former Attack Titan.

"I don't think he has a reason to lie, at this point," Eren said. "I mean, he came here all by himself and he's not exactly as nearly invincible as he was as a Titan Shifter, and since he remembers, coming here to just piss Levi off would be suicide and he knows it. But you can never be sure with Zeke."

"No, this time, the monkey is telling the truth," Levi said, making all three look at him strangely. "He doesn't want another Titan age and he might not have come here with the intention of taking the Hallucigenia with me, but I still don't trust what he thinks should be the plan on what to do with it."

Zeke arched an eyebrow. "You're ... not going to kill it?"

The Hallucigenia chose that moment to throw its usual temper tantrum when it comes into proximity or contact with a former Shifter, causing Zeke and Hange to flinch while Levi and Eren, too used to this bullshit, didn't even react at all.

"What the hell was that?"

"The Hallucigenia doesn't really like past Shifters besides Eren, well at least at first. It takes some time for it to warm up to them. Most probably because all the other Shifters worked to kill it, one way or another,," Levi replied casually. "It's also more intelligent than we humans can ever imagine, so I figure it was not very happy with your suggestion of its fate," he drawled and was confused when Zeke seemed to let out a relieved breath upon hearing his guess wasn't what the others were planning to do with the ancient animal.

"Oh, good. I really thought you were trying to kill it. I was worried what could have happened to everyone of Eldian heritage if the very source of the Coordinate was suddenly destroyed." Hearing that and seeing that it was an honest, genuine reaction on Zeke's part, Levi finally drew away his swords and got off the taller man. The CIA employed scientist carefully got up to his feet, taking out a handkerchief to wipe away the blood from the shallow cuts Levi had caused. "So, do you guys have an actual plan on what should be done with the Hallucigenia?"

"Levi, are we seriously going to trust him?" Hange asked in a hushed tone when he came to stand by his 100% allies' side, sheathing back his swords.

"We need resources. He can give us that."

"Those same resources can later be used to take the Hallucigenia back at a later date if he's lying," pointed out the former Commander of the Survey Corps and Titan expert wisely.

"I have no reason to lie," defended Zeke with an indignant huff that had all three once Paradis citizens giving him a deadpan stare. "No, seriously! I don't want anyone else getting their hands on the Hallucigenia any more than you do! Do you think I want my mother, baby sister and myself to suddenly one day be experimented on because we possess the blood to turn into Titans? Or to potentially control them?"

"No mention of Grisha, I see," Eren commented in a deadpan voice and Zeke snorted.

"He may have turned out partially redeemable last time around, but this time, I don't know if it's the effect of imprints from the past or if he's just psychotic like that this time around, but he's a real douchebag, a bastard and a fucktard. A real piece of shit, really. He's only ever really kind towards my mother and sister, but I know he cheated on her, considering Eren and all," Zeke said with a nod towards his younger half-brother. "And he may be a good man as anyone who doesn't intimately know him may think, donating to charity and saving lives as a doctor and whatnot, but there are moments when he nearly hit his own old man or when he'd say things to me that don't have a context in this life. He mellowed out a bit after meeting Kruger, I'll admit, and ever since Faye was born, he is all unicorns and rainbows. He even let up a little on the obsession he had with your mother, I'm guessing. Carla, right?" Eren nodded. "Yeah, she might get some real peace from him soon. It's interesting how he never tried to search for you, little brother."

"Yeah, well, that may be because I nearly stabbed him to death as a nine year old after finding out about his other family while going through his phone." Zeke and Hange stared at Eren when he casually said that, turning to see Levi was just as unfazed by it, before both scientists decided it would be best for their peace of mind not to think about it. "I'm guessing you found out about me and my mom while going through his shit, too?"

"Yup."

"He really did turn out to be a bastard this time around," grumbled Eren with a pissed off glare.

"He really, really did. I had high hopes for him for this life, too," Zeke says with a sigh. "Such a disappointment. But oh well! Fuckers will be fuckers, what can I say. That aside, how did you guys meet?"

"Oh shit, here we go again," Levi grumbled to himself so it seems Eren took pity on him and answered all of Zeke's questions. At this point, they both knew the story like the back of their hand and it didn't matter which one of them was telling it. It was funny being able to just watch someone's reaction to the mess that was Levi's life and how he re-acquired his old squad one by one. Of course, the retelling took some time, but at least Eren had insisted Zeke redirect at least his crew to a whole different part of the neighborhood and it seems that the rest of the search force followed. They were all probably spying on each other, anyways, so Levi wasn't too surprised by how quickly others raced to 'get to Levi' before anyone else. He's pretty sure at least three different agencies were currently chasing him, so to have at least the chopper redirected would be a blessing. And speaking of the chopper ... "Bless Mikasa for being as efficiently obsessed with Eren as ever."

"She's just in love," defended Zeke while Eren sputtered some sort of denial, caught off guard by the comment. Levi snorted at both Jaegers.

"Yes, well, Falco was in love with Gabi and he had no problem with calling her out on her bullshit. Same with Moblit and Hange or even Jean and Mikasa, Armin and Annie, Pieck and Porco, I'm guessing, Historia and Ymi-"

"Okay, I get it, sheesh," Zeke grumbled as he followed after Levi with Eren and Hange bringing up the rear, just to make sure there was no monkey business. (Yes, pun fully intended.) "But still, she's an Ackerman, the Ackerbond makes things like feelings a bit more intense, after all."

Levi paused and leveled Zeke with the most deadpan look he's ever made and he's best friends with Hange Zoe for two lifetimes and the babysitter of a dangerous living weapon to boot. "Now that's just bullshit. Ackerbond? Are you talking about the shit Eren spewed to try and make his friends hate him? Because let me tell you right now, that shit ain't real. Just because we care about someone a bit more intensely than others does not make them some sort of 'host' to our powers. Like, the fuck? If I didn't know better, I'd say you two were reading too much fanfiction, but that didn't exist in our time so even that can't excuse your idiocy."

"Wait, Levi, you know about fanfiction?" Hange asked and Levi snorted.

"Armin's a nerd." Eren smacked his own forehead at learning that his best friend had attempted to lure their once Heichou to share his hobby after Eren refused. Levi had honestly been surprised by Armin's daring, too, and the communities the blond had shown him would have probably been a lot more interesting if Levi had had the luxuries of actually keeping up with the rest of the world pop culture wise. He may be knowledgeable about some things - for instance, when he'd discussed the 'Megalodon bullshit' with Eren that first day they'd reunited, but that's some of the rare instances when Levi could stay in motels with internet or good cable or when he had to sneak into a movie theater of all places to avoid pursuers. Though he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thoroughly enjoyed that movie.

"Yeah. Do you know he forced me to watch Hunger Games just so we could discuss who should be with Katniss? As if I haven't seen those movies already! He also tried making me watch the seasons of Game of Thrones that I missed but there was no way in hell I was going to ruin the whole series for myself by watching the last season. I travel a lot; I hear a lot of different opinions. It's a rare good review that I've heard about the last season," Levi said with a huff, getting annoyed all over again as he remembered how insistent Armin had been. It had been annoying. Extremely. "Though I am grateful to him for introducing me to Squid Games. It has a lot of potential. Though I can't get that damn doll-robot's 'song' out of my head."

"Have you watched Stranger Things? Or The Walking Dead? They're great," Zeke said, subtly trying to recommend the shows to the former soldier but Eren shot him a dangerous look at that. Because Eren Jaeger did not need more of 'Armins' in his life, thank you very much. It was almost as bad as the MCU shipwars!

"I actually prefer movies, since I can't really dedicate the time to follow a series through," Levi replied as they finally reached the roof and he kicked the door open. There was a ladder dangling in the middle of the roof and when he looked up, he saw none other than Mikasa waving them up. Her face went dangerously blank when she saw Zeke and even from here, Levi could make out the questioning look she gave him. He shook his head, a silent signal to let it be for the moment, as they approached the ladder. "Though I wish I could have finished Lucifer. I heard that the fourth and fifth season were an emotional roller coaster from hell, pun intended."

"And the sixth?" Hange asked excitedly, obviously an avid fan of the show. Levi wasn't even surprised. Hange liked to question things in life, which is why she had never been even remotely religious. And Lucifer subtly or not so subtly questioned a lot of things about the modern day understanding of faith and God and heaven and hell. And the devil of course.

"There's a lot of mixed opinions, so I don't know what to think. Season five was clearly ended the way it was so they could make a season six but from what I've heard, season four's ending was probably the most realistic and impactful ending the show could have had. Sad, but unforgettable."

"Try more like 'getting stabbed in the heart with the flaming sword'," Zeke scoffed and Hange, who had watched it, had to nod.

"I know, right!? I was so relieved when I saw another season will be coming out, but I guess I have to agree that that ending was the most realistic. Though, Levi, when we watch the last season together to catch you up on things, we better fucking prepare a shit ton of tissues and ice cream, because believe you me, my short and grumpy friend, you'll ba bawling your eyes out, your heart will be in fragments that can never be glued back together again and you'll wish Lucifer ended in season four!"

"Hey, call me when you watch it, you hear?!" Zeke whined and Eren facepalmed. Levi wondered what Eren actually did in his free time to relax if he was so against movies and TV series. Well, no, that's not right. Eren just didn't care enough, not the way Armin did, or Zeke and Hange seemed to. Levi honestly still preferred books, just like he preferred tea over coffee, but even he liked going to the cinema or curling up on a couch and letting his brain rot away while watching something ultimately insignificant for his overall life.

"Can't we finish this discussion some other time?" Eren asked, exasperated, looking pleadingly at Levi, who just shrugged. Hey, they all needed to relax sometime, especially since they constantly kept running around escaping assassination or capture attempts.

"Let's just get back to safety," Levi said and Eren gave a small, sarcastic cheer that had a smirk tugging up the corners of his mouth.

Mikasa, as was expected of her, had Zeke at gunpoint as soon as he climbed into the helicopter. He didn't seem overly fazed as he strapped himself in while the rest of them got to their seats. "What is he doing here?" She asked of Levi, deferring to him even after who knows how many years of him not being her superior officer. Well, it could be that she was deferring to him for some form of sanity, considering his only other companions are Hange and Eren, neither of whom could be called sane. Well, neither was Levi, if he's being honest, but he's so calm and collected people usually mistook it for sanity.

"The monkey's going with us. He remembers and doesn't want the Hallucigenia getting into anyone's hands and he'll help us dump it into the Mariana Trench," he summarized as Zeke waved in a friendly manner to the Azumabito, who only eyed him suspiciously. She did half-hug Hange when the scientist sidled up to her. Eren, as was customary at this point, took a seat next to Levi and they both strapped in.

"So that's the plan?" Mikasa asked and Hange started explaining how they all decided that it was, indeed, the safest way to deal with the Cambrian creature currently acting as Levi's pet. Mikasa shared a look with Levi, both of them somehow silently understanding that they might need to work together again if they want this crazy plan to work, with or without Zeke's assistance in getting to the Trench. There's no way Erwin will fall for Zeke's distraction plan for long, especially when it gets out that a ship equipped with strong sonars sailed off the coast of Japan after Levi's presence was confirmed in Tokyo. "Well, I guess it's a good thing the priest cancelled on us at the last minute and the wedding was postponed for a week."

"Wait, what?" Eren asked, sounding indignant on his once adoptive sister's behalf. "What the hell, Mikasa?! Why are you so chill about this!?"

Zeke, on the other hand, seemed impressed. "Damn, little brother, you're not in Japan for even a week and you already bagged yourself your past life childhood sweetheart! You work fast." Three of the four former Paradis residents gave him a blank stare. "What?"

Hange seemed more interested in interrogating Mikasa about the decor than Zeke's confusion over the groom.

"Zeke, what the actual fuck? She's practically my sister!"

"I'm marrying Jean, you idiot."

"You really need to learn to keep your mouth shut, beardo. You can spew less shit like that."

Zeke looked dumbfounded. Eren cut him off before he could say anything else. "We can talk later. Just shut up or I'll let Levi throw you out over a busy intersection or something. Or better yet, I'll do it myself."

"Okay, geeze, wow!" The only blond present relented and the rest of the ride was spent in relative quiet, only the pilots saying anything as they flew them away. To what turns out to be a private penthouse belonging to Mikasa's younger brother, who was out of town at the moment so he won't be disturbing the Eldians as they plan out how to do what they want to do and lay low in the process.

Just as they were about to land, the pilot seemed to have some problems with flight control. Or whoever was on the radio.

"This is a private aircraft, belonging to the Azumabito family, about to land on a designated private airstrip," he could be heard saying through the speakers in the headphones everyone had to wear. When he continued, it was clear he was used to the family name stopping any further questioning. "Yes, I do have permission from air traffic control. Yes, I do have landing permission. I already told you I have landing permission. Sir- No, you listen to me, sir, you are disrupting the landing protocol." A moment of silence before the pilot seemed to concede. "Very well. We're turning this bird around and heading to the airstrip you assigned us. Over and out." The pilot then turned around and met Mikasa's gaze. "Mikasa-sama, it seems you will have to get out how they got in," he said with a nod towards the four guest passengers. "Some idiot managed to push everyone into doing as he says and he wants all helicopters back to the main airport for some reason. We can hover above the landing strip long enough for you all to quickly get down-"

But Mikasa shook her head. "I'll go with you. That way, you'll have an excuse for flying and they won't discover our man inside." Her eyes turned hard and dangerous. "Not a word about this, to anyone. If I find out so much as a koi knowing about this, your bodies will never be found."

"No worries, Mikasa-sama," the co-pilot reassured with a grin and Levi jolted when he recognized Farlan. Older, nearly in his forties with a slightly receding hairline and a light stubble, but Farlan Church nonetheless. "We'd never even imagine saying anything about the orgy you and your European hubby are planning!"

"I swear I have no idea how you landed this job."

"Don't be like that! I watched you grow up! I grew up with your otou-san! And I'm the best damn chopper pilot in the skies! Of course I got the job."

"You're the most annoying pilot in the skies, that's for sure."

"Don't make me pull out embarrassing childhood stories-"

"Just get out of the damn chopper!" Levi finally snapped, already unstrapped and having thrown out the ladder. "You first, blond bimbo."

"Why do you have to be so rude? Don't you know I'm human, too? Wh-"

"Get the fuck out before I throw you out." Zeke, for once, listened and did as he was told. As he somewhat clumsily clambered down, Levi turned to his once comrades. "Is there any one of you who never exercised on a ladder?" He was surprised that Mikasa raised her hand with Hange. He wasn't surprised Eren didn't. "Right. Mikasa, get on my back. Hange, cling to my front. Eren, here," he said as he thrust his backpack at the brunet man. "We'll go first, since I'm faster, but don't wait to follow us and for fuck's sake, don't take your time."

"Right," Eren replied as he put on the backpack.

"But I said-"

"They can say they were picking you up, instead of dropping you off," Levi countered. "You're from a yakuza, Mikasa. You're allowed and expected to be suspicious and secretive. Now get in the damn position already."

"We'll take care of it, Mikasa-sama," promised both pilots and so the decision was made.

Mikasa and Hange finally both did as they were told, finding ways to cling to Levi without overbalancing him, restraining his limbs or air supply or making the other lose her grip. They did it as quickly and efficiently as they could and just in time, as Zeke had finally reached the ground when Levi checked outside the chopper. "Hold on tight and please don't scream or else I'm tossing your ass off right away."

"No promises!" Hange teasingly sang while Mikasa just nodded.

With that, Levi all but vaulted out of the chopper and Hange did actually scream a little. Even Mikasa tightened her grip on him and he actually heard Zeke shout in fright before Levi maneuvered his body so his hands would catch the hanging ladder and he all but rode the thing down like it was a fireman's pole. It left rather ugly rope burns on his hands but efficiency and haste were of the utmost importance if they didn't want the chopper staying in one place for long enough for the ATC to grow suspicious, or rather whoever was bossing them around. Probably Erwin, or who knows, maybe even Nile? Levi hasn't seen Nile in a long time. He's not as good of a stalker as Zeke and Erwin are.

Eren was also efficiently quick as he climbed down, body trained to use his long limbs for better reach and he jumped off about four meters down and tucked then rolled to rid himself of the additional momentum to spare his legs from injury. Hange and Mikasa had detangled themselves from Levi by then and the former Attack Titan easily handed back the backpack to Levi.

"I can't say I liked that," Hange said, trying to fix her hair which had gone every which way during the hectic trip down. "Why couldn't you have just used the gear instead of doing that near suicidal stunt?"

"Hange, I've done much riskier things with less assurance that I can catch my fall with either the gear or my own hands. Believe me, I know what I was doing. The chances of us being splatters on this roof were so slim not even air could squeeze through," Levi reassured as Mikasa waved off the chopper and then instructed them to follow her. "Let's just get inside. We still have a lot to talk about and a whole lot more planning and explaining to do."

"I'm surprised Armin hasn't said anything," Eren commented as he walked in step with Levi as they all followed Mikasa to the elevator that would take them down to the penthouse.

"We were all a bit busy with the reunions," replied Mikasa to the unvoiced question. "We had to seriously discourage Reiner from forcing Pieck to call Porco so he can apologize to him like there is no tomorrow and possibly his no wiser brother, Marcel. We also had to pry a sobbing Gabi off of Sasha and stop Connie and Jean from panicking that she might shoot her again. Jean made me hide all of the artillery we have in the penthouse, just to be safe. It took up a good portion of our day so far. By the way, where are Moblit, Petra and Mike? Oh, and that redhead Eren simping shitstain?"

"Okay, now I can see the family resemblance." Both Mikasa and Levi rolled their eyes at that comment from, you guessed it, Zeke. "Besides the being scary and strong thing, that is."

"Zeke?" Eren called vaguely questioningly.

"Yes, baby brother?"

"Shut the fuck up."

Chapter Text

Zeke's phone rang in the middle of the 'tactical meeting' they were all holding after another brief reunion and a slightly longer argument between Levi's brats and the Jaeger brothers about the seating arrangement, more specifically who would sit next to, around or near Levi. It was hard to tell who Gabi wanted to sock more and the same could be said for Eren. The matter was, ultimately, settled when the Hallucigenia screeched again because it was apparently a massive Eren simp and Falco took the other empty seat next to Levi, Gabi beside him and Hange sitting in front of Levi, who was seated on the couch, thus 'protecting' him from all sides from Zeke. As if Levi wasn't the best equipped to eviscerate a man twice his size with his bare hands on his own just fine.

The debate over who can sit next to Eren was settled when Pieck took the initiative to stop any more monkeying around from Zeke who wanted to sit with his half brother, thus ruining his fun.

After that debacle, Hange had briefly explained what the group had been discussing before they were interrupted and what Eren and now what Zeke know about the 'source of all living matter'.

Zeke, as someone who had had who knows how much time to 'discuss' things with Ymir Fritz before Eren woke up within the Coordinate on that fateful day, had a unique perspective, especially when combined with the things his mother and mentor had taught him in their past life. Ultimately, it didn't answer the question of whether this lone Hallucigenia had developed these powers or if all Hallucigenia could affect other living creatures this way, but ultimately, not even he knew anything more than the rest of them did. Except that the reasons Titans were cannibalistic was because King Fritz had forced his daughters to eat their own mother so it became instinctual for Titans to want to eat humans, because among millions of more or less ordinary humans, there were nine which could return their humanity to them.

Levi was a bit skeptical regarding that, because the Hallucigenia really liked dust - dead skin cells - and it wasn't a Titan, per se. Then again, when Ymir Fritz had taken away all Titan powers two thousand years ago, there's no telling where all that power went. If you go by basic laws of physics, since it was all energy, that energy couldn't have been destroyed. It could have only been converted into something else or relocated.

Perhaps that's why they all reincarnated? The Coordinate was unsteady enough from the Hallucigenia's temporary 'death', but the sudden overflow of power must be what had ultimately triggered the whole reincarnation thing.

Sometimes, Levi really wished scientists actually listened more to all those 'lunatics' who spoke of the supernatural and religious and the such. Who knows, maybe it wasn't all just a bag of bogus? Like, Titans, the Survey Corps and Paradis are all considered legends by the rest of the world, but Levi and this group of people are actual living, breathing evidence to the contrary. They're also living, breathing evidence that reincarnation also isn't just some sort of religious bullshit or something, though why only certain people remembered was another matter altogether.

Anyways, so they were in the middle of discussing how long it might take certain people and their organizations to realize a military or research or coast guard boat sailed at a suspiciously convenient time when Zeke's phone rang and everyone turned suspicious eyes at the blond Jaeger. Well, Eren and Gabi were outright glaring while Levi was busy trying to stop Hange from plunging a hand into the Hallucigenia's container to 'pet' it. He may be used to its hissy fits but that doesn't mean he enjoys them any more than those who are experiencing it for the first time, either.

Zeke, as irritating as ever, casually takes out his phone and looks at the caller ID before giving a long, great sigh.

"Who is it?" Tactless and brave as usual, Sasha asked in place of everyone else.

"My protege, of sorts, Isabel." It's possible no one noticed Levi's reaction, save those sitting right around him, but they all definitely noticed when Hange jerked to attention at that familiar name. Levi ignored her not so subtle glance as Zeke answered. "Hello, Isabel. No, I am perfectly fine, just following a lead. You don't say? Damn Brits. So they're letting the pilots go now? No, don't detain them, go with them. No- Isabel, no, you are not to try and follow them, you are to go with them. Speak with them and tell them you were sent by Mikasa Acker-"

"Azumabito," Mikasa corrected.

"Mikasa Azumabito and the blond man with glasses," Zeke said. "They'll probably take you straight to our location and if not, they'll drop you off somewhere and tell you how to proceed from there. Just come here and don't tell anyone where you are. No, not even Anka or Zophia. Not even Kieth, Isabel! Just come here already." With that, the former Beast Titan ended the call with a resigned, exasperated sigh.

"Who gave you permission to invite whoever you want?" A pissed off Jean demanded, rightfully questioning the security of it all. Usually, Levi would have applauded him for his caution and paranoia but right now all he wants to do is see if it was his Isabel working under Zeke. Well that and stealing her away from him if it was. She'll always be his adopted little sister, first.

"Relax, it's just Isabel! She's like a harmless, less violent, more hyper, innocent female version of Eren, even if she also has slight anger issues and the inclination to mutter 'kill them all' in her sleep, but only if someone messes with her hair!" He was quick to add when he saw the disturbed looks on everyone's faces. "None of that creepiness and homicidal or genocidal intent!"

"Hey! I'm not genocidal!"

"Oh god, I don't hear any denials to the homicidal part," breathed Bertolt and Levi wanted to snort.

"Hey, I've only ever killed in self defense," defended himself Eren. "Or in defense of my friends," he amended just as Mikasa opened her mouth to say something. "It's not like I sat down and plotted the murders I've committed."

"You still came at my kidnappers with the intent to kill," Mikasa replied.

"Murder of Willy Tybur was definitely planned," Reiner pointed out.

"Lara, too," added Pieck.

"Then there's the whole Rumbling, which we can't even tell when you started planning that." That was Annie throwing in her own two cents.

"And didn't you say you wanted to kill your father when you were just a kid?" Asked Connie but Armin said something that shut them all up.

"Well, if you look at the bigger picture, in a convoluted, perverse sense, Eren really was just retaliating from the get go," the blond pointed out. "I mean, there really is no way to determine whether past Attack Titan holders affected Eren or if he affected them or if it was all Ymir Fritz and the Founding Titan or if it was Eren ... My point is, if we give Eren the benefit of a doubt, then he's the victim."

"So the whole world is the perpetrator?" Asked Gabi incredulously.

Levi shrugged. "Isn't that how it always is? Don't give me that look. Humanity is awful. I mean, it's not Titans who invented war. With or without Titans, people always warred with each other. Titans just made it all the more extreme. And obviously obliterating everything is bad, of course. But that's not the topic here. This Isabel," Levi said as he turned to Zeke, only to be interrupted.

"She can be trusted. She's enthusiastic and overzealous but she understands the concept of loyalty and secrets and-"

"Is her last name Magnolia?" Levi, in turn, interrupted his rambles, causing Zeke to squint at him suspiciously, especially when he noticed Hange had an identical hard, assessing stare directed at him as Levi. "Well? Stop looking so fucking constipated and spit it out already?"

"I'm just not sure how to react to the fact that you know, is all," he replied and something in Levi lifted that had been crushing his heart for two lifetimes, if he was being honest, but especially in this one, where he knew people were getting a second chance and he'd always wondered what had happened to his first found family. Now that he'd found Farlan and Isabel, he could relax. They were both living relatively danger-free lifestyles, though he couldn't help but wish that they lived lives that were completely wrapped up in bubble wrap. Then again, you can never be sure what sort of ridiculous danger life might throw your way. And it's especially ridiculous where Eldians are concerned.

With the knowledge of practically everyone he's ever cared about being safe and somewhat happy - his mother had survived her second lung cancer treatment, Kenny seemed to still be alive somewhere out there, his cousins are still kicking, his uncle-in-law was also alive and doing far better, he'd found all of his brats and kids, Hange, Moblit, Erwin, Mike, he knew some other soldiers from other regiments were out there and seemed to be doing fine, Petra and he even had Eren back on their side properly ... - he all but deflated against Eren on his right and Hange in front of himself, who was grinning up at him for finding and soon enough he's going to be encountering his honorary little sister. He just slumped there for a long moment before he regained his self control and composure to straighten back up again, ready once more to take on the world if needed.

"Who's Isabel Magnolia?" Marco asked, looking around the room to find an answer but there was no one who could give it to him but two - well, technically three, but they don't know how much Eren could find out through the Coordinate -of the people present.

Hange beamed. "Isabel Magnolia is a girl from the Underground who used to be a part of Levi's thug gang and practically both his little sister and his adopted daughter, considering he was all but raising her from what we were able to see! When Erwin all but dragged Levi to the surface and into the Survey Corps, two others went with him: Isabel Magnolia and Farlan Church-"

"My chopper pilot and godfather?" Mikasa asked in surprise and Hange gawked at her, clearly not having recognized an older Farlan before they jumped out of the helicopter.

"Yes," Levi answered instead. "Erwin wanted our skills with the 3DM gear and also to use us as pawns to draw out some noble that wanted to shut the Survey Corps down. Long story short, we rode out on one expedition expecting to come back with our ticket to live on the surface but only I returned to the Walls. A freak storm struck out of nowhere, Titans snuck up on our squad. I was the only one who survived."

"And so began the legend of Levi, Humanity's Strongest Soldier," Hange finished with a bittersweet smile. "In just one expedition worth barely two weeks, he managed to match Mike, as the previous 'best soldier', and by the second expedition, Levi had doubled his Titan kill count. And that's as far as we know. Levi was never one to count his kills."

"And I'm infinitely glad I never did. I'd rather not know how many people I've killed." Finding out Titans were actually humans, fellow Eldians, and that he was technically a mass murderer that might even exceed Kenny had been the realization of all of Levi's worst nightmares of becoming a man his mother would be ashed to call her son. It didn't matter that he didn't know, that the Titans were literally nothing more than monsters since the moment they turned. He'd still ended hundreds of lives by his own hands and the blades they wielded. And the worst part is that he'd never once felt an ounce of regret, no matter how much he may have wanted to, because he knew his actions had saved countless other lives. "So, anyways, Isabel was practically a little sister to me. If I find out you've been a shit boss to her, beardo, you can consider yourself deader than you were the last time you were dead."

Zeke actually gulped when he realized that Levi had never been more serious about killing him in either of their lives. Good. He ought to realize Levi is to be as feared now as he was back then.

"So, what? We're seriously just going to invite her over?" Reiner asked, scoffing. Zeke looked hurt by the mistrust. Reiner glared. "Don't give me that look. I don't trust you as far as noodle arms over there can throw you."

"Hey!" Armin shouted in protest when Reiner nodded at him. "I had no reason to train myself this lifetime, so don't give me that shit! Besides, it's been scientifically proven that not everyone can buff up like you, Mr Blond The Rock!"

"Look, Isabel is my protege. I practically took her off the streets, gave her a home, a job, everything. She's completely loyal to me, so she at least won't spill the beans to anyone else about what we're up to! But if I don't tell her where I am, she'll go searching on her own and when the others see her doing that, they'll follow her and it will eventually lead them to us. They know she's somewhat obsessed with knowing my whereabouts, so if she has to look for me, they know I am probably up to something shady and they will want to know what."

"Nice to know you didn't change too much this time around either, Zeke," Pieck commented and Zeke looked extra offended at that implication. Eren snorted. "Should we kidnap Flock, though, is the real question."

"I can actually have that arranged," Mikasa offered casually.

"I doubt that simp would go against Eren, though," Falco said, causing Gabi to choke on her soda she'd just taken a sip of before she started rolling on the floor laughing. Now Eren looked a bit uncomfortable, or at least supremely annoyed. "It was creepy how he wouldn't look away for a second or how he would glare at Mr Levi."

"He did what now?" The once Attack Titan asked, looking a mix of pissed and confused.

Levi, of course, hadn't missed that and he was proud of Falco for being so observant, too. Though it would have been extremely hard to miss. But judging by the two cousin's reactions, it seems they have, or have at least forgotten witnessing it. Probably because everyone has better things to do than note Floch's simping. Though that thought had Levi somewhat worried for Falco if he held onto that memory. And himself, too, but then again, he always noted everything about his surroundings in case something may prove to be a clue to something being a danger. It has saved his life many times, both in the past and in the present.

"Floch could be useful as a distraction," Levi intervened before any more bullshit could go down. "We could have him report a ship is missing from a different harbor or something while we take the ship we were talking about out to sea."

"He would have to change his patrol route," Armin mused.

"I can also arrange that," Mikasa claimed. "You'd be surprised how much of the police is under the yakuza's thumb," she said at the looks she received from nearly everyone in the room.

"You go, Mikasa!" Cheered Eren with a grin and even Levi nodded at her, which seemed to leave her rather pleased with herself.

"So all that's left is for Zeke to do his thing and secure us that ship," Hange summarized and Zeke nodded resolutely when everyone turned their attention to the blond Jaeger.

"Consider it done, really. I mean, I am a world-renowned scientist and, well, Isabel can bullshit like the best of them, if it comes down to that, so she'll definitely be pulling her weight in this," he assured and Levi had to snort, recalling the one time Isabel had to 'bullshit' through a situation, back during that first expedition when she needed to give Levi a reason to linger somewhere where he can keep an eye on Erwin's comings and goings and she came up with a lame-ass excuse of Levi going out so she could 'change'. Even if Erwin hadn't been expecting them as enemy agents, he would have seen through that flimsy excuse, but given who Isabel had been used to fooling, that wasn't half bad. She should have just upped her game. Perhaps, in this life, she has.

"All that's left to do now is wait," commented Connie and so wait they did. And while they waited, they did normal, friendly people things, like, unfortunately, get drunk and Connie even turned out to be a stoner and offered everyone some of his special stuff. Sasha was already busy with food and Annie and Armim had started a Harry Potter debate with Hange that looked pretty serious. Gabi was catching up with Reiner properly, telling him what it was like to have Hange as family and Jean pulled out a Monopoly board, of all things, attracting the attention of Zeke, Pieck, Marco and Falco, who joined him for a game. Mikasa put on some show for background noise that Levi eventually found himself rather invested in.

When he felt a weight leaning against him, he found that Eren had been bored to sleep, an idea he himself might have considered if his nerves weren't singing with the excitement of seeing Isabel and possibly Farlan again, even if they didn't remember. Plus, the show - or was it a movie? - that he was watching was actually decently interesting. Levi had never been as interested in Tuntankhamun's death as much as he was when watching some random scientists - archaeologists, egyptologists, anthropologists, forensics etc - trying to prove or disapprove the rumors of a murder mystery. Bertolt at some point fetched some snacks and joined him, quietly commenting on the show or listening to Levi's own comments in turn. It was peaceful.

Never would have Levi thought that'd he'd be sitting on a couch owned by Mikasa (well, her brother, but that's semantics) with the Colossal Titan who had kicked in the gate in Shiganshina, watching TV together in another life with Eren napping against him and an ancient, supposedly extinct animal as a pet, contently swimming in its container. Life was strange like that, especially if you're an Eldian.

The peaceful moment was broken by a ping from the elevator, signaling that someone was there and asking permission to enter the penthouse. The room fell silent as Mikasa went to let them in, but Levi got off the couch and beat her to it. "In case the monkey screwed us over."

"You can't do much about guns," she pointed out but that's where she's wrong, as Levi can do plenty about guns. But he didn't correct her and instead gave her a look, at which she relented. Somewhat. She still followed him to the door with guns in her hands and a knife prepared as backup. Levi was okay with that. Not that he'd let anyone through to get to her or the others, but if one did slip through, Mikasa has it covered.

"It's probably just Isabel and the others," reasoned Zeke with an exasperated sigh. "There's no need to be so paranoid!" Mikasa, the heir to the biggest yakuza stationed in Tokyo, and Levi, the fugitive who'd managed to stay free because he was always cautious, both arched an eyebrow at the blond man. "Right. Don't tell the Ackermans that they're needlessly paranoid, because they probably aren't."

"No shit, Sherlock," Eren could be heard mumbling and Jean fist-bumped him for that one.

Levi and Mikasa turned their attention to the doors of the elevator as Mikasa pressed the button to accept the waiting party on the other end. As the doors slid open, Levi prepared to see fiery red hair and emerald green eyes, but he also prepared for blond hair and glacier blues under huge eyebrows. The person who stepped through, however, was a young man perhaps Eren and Armin's age with black hair styled in a poorly done undercut that Levi immediately wanted to fix, narrow dark eyes looking incredulously at the stranger in his penthouse with a cocked thin eyebrow, dressed in a sports blazer and khakis that so did not go with the shirt he'd chosen, nor the Jordans he was wearing. He also had a tattoo above his right eyebrow, some sort of snake or something, but it was so small that it looked like a worm. Or a second eyebrow.

Mikasa dropped her guns and regarded what must be her younger brother disapprovingly. "Misaki, what are you doing here? Aren't you doing that thing for mother?"

"Well, I was but then I found out my dearest aneki was staying in my penthouse for some strange reason. My favorite penthouse, may I add. And with a bunch of strange plebeians, to boot," the young man, Misaki Azumabito, answered with a sneer and Levi wanted to slap a bitch.

"Jemand hält mich zurück oder ich werde ihn schlagen," Eren said, sounding twice as pissed, dangerous and aggressive when speaking in German. His voice sounded so rough that Levi almost shivered.

"Que no vale la pena, Eren," Jean retorted and Levi racked his brain for what they might be saying. "Es un dolor en el culo. Solo tienes que ignorarlo."

"It's so unfair you guys speak so many different languages," whined Connie.

When Levi looked over his shoulder to check on his idiots, Eren and Jean were making jazz hands that somehow managed to be both enthusiastic and completely deadpan. "Europe~!" Levi shook his head and turned his attention back to the squabbling siblings, who were speaking rapid Japanese.

"Why are all your loser friends even here, at my penthouse, anyways?" He was asking, if Levi's Japanese was anything to go by. Judging from everyone's frowns, he'd translated it well enough.

"I think you're mistaking my friends for the sorry pathetic excuses for friends that you have, my dearest otouto."

Hange whistled.

"What? What are they saying?" Zeke not so discretely asked and Levi would have snorted if Eren didn't drop a bit of a bombshell when he responded with a perfect translation. Levi and Armin, his roommates who have spent every day with him for at least three weeks in one tiny apartment - or at least three week's only in Levi's case - gawked at this new discovery. Eren shrugged at them. "I had an anime phase, like any normal growing child. Some things stick with you."

"And you talk shit about me for my fandoms!?" Armin almost screeched, which was kind of fascinating. But Eren didn't get the chance to retort. It seems that they have caught Misaki's attention and he was staring in Eren's direction with a thoughtful deadpan look on his face. For reasons unknown, Levi's hackles began rising. He decided he didn't like Mikasa's brother. There was just something ... off about him and no, it wasn't because he was showing an interest in Eren. No, of course not! Levi was actually all too used to people staring at Eren, in the past for being Humanity's Hope and in this modern world because, quite frankly, the man was hot. It drew attention. Not to mention his eyes! So no, Levi was used to the attention Eren gets. That's not what set him on edge about Mikasa's brother.

"What are you staring at, brat?" Eren asked as Misaki moved away from the two (former) distant cousins - or whatever they were back then - and came closer to where everyone was stewern about the living room. He peered down at the seated Eren, who narrowed his eyes in the beginnings of annoyance. "What?"

Misaki's back was now turned towards Levi so he can't see his face or the expressions he might be making, but he did notice the most minute tilting and shifting of Misaki's head and Levi automatically followed the direction he must be discreetly looking in even as he already knew what he'd be met with. He moved at the same time Misaki did, reaching the young man just in time as he pressed the barrel of a gun against Eren's temple. Levi's knife slid comfortably around the guy's neck as Levi all but planted himself against Misaki's back, the sharp edge digging gently into the thin, sensitive skin in a clear and deadly warning.

The room went deathly still.

Chapter Text

"Put your gun away or I will not hesitate," Levi said practically in Misaki Azumabito's ear, blade just shy of cutting into the skin of his neck and drawing blood. It's been a while since Levi threatened someone. Well, Zeke didn't count, as that was the only way Levi knew how to interact with the blond Jaeger brother. And Misaki was an easy target, really. He hadn't even suspected his little threat attempt on Eren could be met with resistance or consequences. It was clear he wasn't used to being paranoid, which explained why Mikasa was the favored heir for the yakuza regardless of age or gender. Mikasa might not be as strong as she'd once been, but she still remembered what it was like living in hell and being one of the few who rushed into it with the intent of taking it over. She's lived through more than almost anyone in this modern world - except her fellow Eldians who remembered, of course - and it stuck with her, so she knew never to let her guard down.

Her younger brother had no such experience to fall back on and so he was naive in a way he'll never be able to make up for until he has to fight for his life at least ten times.

"Do you really think you are faster than a gun?" Asked Misaki, trying to sound confident but his voice had an edge to it that Levi easily recognized as fear.

"Misaki, what are you doing, man!?" Barked Jean, no one daring to make a single sudden movement, barely breathing at all for fear of potentially setting Misaki off and accidentally making him pull the trigger. Eren wouldn't come back from that, not even if he still had his Titan powers. Well, actually, there is a chance that he'd be able to survive, like how Reiner had survived his head being blown to bits, but it's dangerous and iffy at best. A risk they couldn't afford two thousand years ago, let alone now. "Put the gun away!"

"Misaki-"

"Do you even know what that is, aneki, Jean-nii?" Misaki asked, subtly indicating towards the Hallucigenia on the table, making everyone stiffen up even more as they realized the catalyst behind this whole situation. Levi ground his jaw but said nothing. "You know we're in huge financial debt after having to extract Mikoto-obaasan from jail last month and with your wedding expenses. That thing," he jerked his gun just the slightest to emphasize the Hallucigenia again. "Could cover more than those debts combined and then some if we sell it to the right bidder. I'll even let Levi-san here go instead of selling him, too, since I know you're sensitive to human trafficking, for some reason, aneki."

"I'm covering for half the expenses for the wedding," Jean intervened, eyes trained on the gun pointed at his friend's forehead. "I said I'd cover the whole thing but your folks insisted. My offer still stands-"

"I don't care about your money," the younger Azumabito interrupted, making Jean's jaw snap shut at the cold tone he used. "This is an opportunity for the Azumabito to extend their influence outside of Japan and all it would take is to sell a worm and some random foreigner."

"Do you really think we'd let you do that?" Asked Annie, her hand hovering over a gun Levi knew she was hiding beneath her loose hoodie.

"I'm the one with the gun," pointed out Misaki as if it was obvious.

"Do you really think you have control here?" Levi asked, all but purring dangerously in his ear, pressing his knife harder against Misaki's neck, nicking the skin and letting blood flow.

"Do you really think you're faster than a gun?" Asked Misaki again, mockingly.

Eren, the certified suicidal maniac too used to being able to regenerate whole missing body parts, pressed his temple harder against the gun, a challenge glinting in his eyes. "Go ahead," he taunted, eyes that scary intensity that would probably make any beast back down and have any lesser man running. Or, well, wiser, at least.

Misaki, in his ignorance, just stared at Eren incredulously. "You'd trust him-"

"Yss," Eren answered immediately, without an ounce of hesitation. Levi was both touched and annoyed by that, because Eren either really lived up to his old nickname or he had too much trust in Levi. Then again, it was probably both. It was borderline naive and Eren Jaeger was anything but. "The thing is," the former Titan Shifter said. "That I've seen him do it. I have confirmation that he can slit your throat before you can even think of pulling the trigger."

"I'm surprised the infamous Levi-san even needs someone else to save him," retorted Misaki, but he sounded considerably more unsure of this whole endeavor.

Levi leaned in even, all but rubbing cheeks with his target. "I don't." And that's when Misaki became rigid, realizing completely just what type of situation he'd found himself in. Eren used this opportunity to swipe the gun from his hand in the familiar maneuver they taught in the Training Regiment on Paradis and soon Misaki also had a gun planted right between his eyes with two of the deadliest men in Eldian history surrounding him in a lethal sandwich.

"If you were anyone else besides Mikasa's little brother, I would kill you on the spot," Eren said with the same burning rage as when he'd said he'd kill Bertolt and Reiner upon finding out that they were traitors. Well, you simply don't mess with the friends of the guy who was ready to destroy the world for said friends. It tends to get really ugly really fast. "Consider yourself lucky that she loves you and that I don't want to see her grieving or sad ever again."

"Again?" Misaki asked before Levi applied the right amount of pressure in a specific place on his neck, knocking him out cold. Neither Eren nor Levi made to catch him and even Mikasa didn't seem to care.

"Well, that was unnecessarily dramatic," commented Zeke after a short silence following the thud of Misaki's collapsed body.

"And stressful!" Snapped Marco in a sharp tone, glaring at Eren as though it was his fault he had a gun pulled on him. "What were you thinking, taunting him like that!? He could have shot you!"

"He wouldn't survive Mikasa."

"He is Mikasa's younger brother, of course she wouldn't-"

"Oh, I would," interrupted the said woman. "In a heartbeat, if not less."

"At least some things never change," Connie said with a snort.

"Hey! You're supposed to be marrying and to love me," jokingly complained Jean, though there was definitely an undercurrent of real insecurity belying his words. But Mikasa just waved him off.

"Of course I will and I do, Jean, but it's practically instinct still to protect Eren - or any of my friends from our past life, for that matter - over the people in my life this time around, be they friends or family. Besides, you have nothing to worry about with Eren."

"Yeah, he's freedomsexual," Armin piped in and Levi would really like for someone to explain to him why everyone had this look of understanding on their faces before they nodded and just went on with their lives. The 104th were weird, there's no doubt about it. "That aside," the blond said as he turned on Eren. "You really need to be more careful, Eren! You don't have your Titan powers anymore to heal you And even then, that could have been a fatal wound!"

"Well, actually-"

"Shut up, Reiner," Pieck interrupted. "That's not the point."

"Thank you!" Exclaimed Armin, giving Pieck an appreciative nod, before going back to chewing Eren out for his recklessness. Levi just looked to Mikasa, trying to judge whether he should say sorry regardless of what she'd claimed earlier.

"Help me set him up in his room," the woman said before he could decide and so he just nodded. He offered to carry him but Mikasa insisted on helping, so it was with combined efforts that they carried Misaki to the master bedroom, took all of his communication devices from his person and the room before getting out and locking and barricading the door. They had made sure there were no weapons left in there, too, of course, just to be sure they can avoid another stand off the likes of which had just ended. "There's an intercom to the living room, so when he wakes up, we'll convince him to behave himself and let him out. If he doesn't, I guess you can always discipline him."

Levi arched an eyebrow at her. "Wow. Do you hate your brother or something? You were always ready to throw hands with me for the slightest of disapproving looks thrown Eren's way, let alone what you suggest me to do if Misaki acts out."

Mikasa shook her head. "It's nothing like that. I love my brother, he's just annoying and needs a few life lessons taught to him by someone who will be brutal but won't kill him. If it comes to that, anyways." A dark look passed over her face. "Besides, he threatened Eren."

Levi snorted at that but let it be. He knew perfectly well what it was like to be protective of someone to the point of discarding new ties from this life. After all, Levi would have probably been the same if someone he'd once considered a friend or even the family he now technically had in the Reiss tried to harm one of his comrades. They have all long since laid down their green cloaks but they were still Scouts, still comrades, still friends. And Mikasa had spent a lot of time focusing completely on Eren. It was probably a hard habit to kick, even in this new world where the only danger Eren normally faces would be some drunk idiot driving under the influence.

When they returned to the living room, everyone seems to have calmed down and the Hallucigenia seems to have been returned to Levi's backpack so no one else who might barge in would see it and cause a scene. Armin was still berating Eren, who wasn't even pretending to listen anymore, instead playing some game on his phone. Connie and Sasha had moved to the kitchen to get some snacks, Hange and Pieck were trying to go over their memorized notes of what had been discussed before Hange's house had been broken into with Jean and Reiner trying to follow through but failing while Marco seemed to be rather interested in the topic. Falco seems to have dozed off and Gabi was talking with Annie about something or another. Bertolt was gone from his seat, probably in the bathroom, puking out his stress caused by the scene earlier, and Zeke had just taken out a cig for a smoke when Levi glared at him in warning.

Levi hated the stench of cigarettes. Many of his mother's clients reeked of them when they would come to her and Levi would either have to hide in a closet if they didn't get a heads up from a new customer or he'd return to their small room full of that awful scent after one of her regulars left. That had been one of the things he'd hated the most about that time in his last life, besides, of course, the things his mother had to do to get food on the table. Kenny had once stank of the same nauseating scent but he'd stopped frequenting shady places after he taught Levi how to fight well enough that the kid could pick a fight with anyone smoking a cigarette - though there weren't actually all that many who could afford them in the Underground - and come out as the undisputed winner. Kenny had even supported Levi's hatred for the things since he wanted Levi to remain healthy, probably as a tribute to Kuchel. And goodness forbid Erwin try to drag Levi to one of the nobles' fancy sit-ins or whatever it was where they drank and smoked until whatever room they were in was full enough of fumes to make a Titan tipsy. Levi usually made sure to drink everyone under the table at such gatherings and then go around the citadel doing the nosiest things he could the next morning to torture the idiots, especially Erwin.

Having to babysit Zeke only made that hatred for cigarettes greater, as the blond reeked of them and asked non-stop to be given one until Levi threatened to slit his throat and stuff a smoking piece of firewood down his windpipe if he liked smoke so much.

The dislike transferred to this life, too, especially since Rod Reiss was a heavy smoker and didn't care that he was smoking around Kuchel, even when she started battling lung cancer again, or Uri, who seems to have had some thyroid and blood work problems, therefore smoking around them should have been strictly forbidden. Levi and Kenny had been this close on far too many occasions to gauge his eyes out and fill them with the ashes from his ashtray. He thinks Historia had had the same urges, too.

He was distracted from his inner rant about the evils of cigarette smoke and its smell when he heard a distinct sound coming from the direction of the elevators. There wasn't a ding to announce someone asking for permission to come down into the penthouse and most people would remain completely oblivious to the near noiseless sound of the smooth doors rolling open, but Levi wasn't like most people, or anyone else left alive, for that matter. He heard. And after the incident with Misaki, he knew he couldn't just write it off as a coincidence or as 'nothing important'. Misaki was also one of the heirs to the Azumabito, even if he wasn't the first, preferred choice. That means he must have had bodyguards escorting him to his home.

Now, Levi didn't know if bodyguards went into their bosses' homes or not but he wasn't going to risk it. One of his (former) brats had already been threatened, he wasn't about to let it happen again. He'll apologize later if he has to.

Before whoever it was that had exited the elevator could round the corner to the living room, Levi drew the swords attached to the gear Hange had made and lunged forward. He crossed the blades and positioned them at the neck of the newcomers, one blade at each throat, making them freeze. It didn't take long for Levi to realize it was Farlan Church who had been preparing to pull a gun on him and who looked so terrified of him right now and Isabel Magnolia, who's eyes were sparkling in awe at Levi's speed and control to stop before he seriously harmed them. Or killed them.

'Same old, same old,' he thought to himself with an inward snort before he sighed and stepped back, resheathing his swords.

"Holy crap, that was awesome!" The redhead exclaimed immediately, her emerald eyes huge, excited and glimmering as she made to follow Levi as he put some distance between them. Farlan's hand reached out to stop the young woman from approaching the clearly dangerous teen, which once again made Levi almost snort. Seems like they really hadn't changed since their last life. "What are those things? How sharp are they? Where did you get them? And what's those things on your hips? And-"

"Magnolia-san, please don't get closer without the armed person's permission," Farlan said with a deep, exasperated sigh. It got deeper and even more exasperated when Isabel ignored him and started jumping around Levi.

"Isabel, enough," Zeke said as he came over and moved as if to scoff Isabel and drag her away from Lev, but the Ackerman's reflexes were faster and he caught his wrist inches away from Isabel, turning his head up slightly to glare at the former Beast Titan, who immediately brought his other hand up in surrender. Isabel stared at Levi with even more awe. There were practically stars in her eyes at this point. Levi let go of Zeke's wrist and ruffled her hair, which caused her to blush and beam at the same time, looking utterly precious.

"Are you sure this girl reminds you of the suicidal bastard?" Annie asked, studying Isabel from beside Mikasa as she, Jean and Eren moved to see this new stranger, the others craning their necks but not crowding around the elevator.

"Mikasa-sama, please do lock up after yourself, especially when things are this tense," Farlan admonished the woman, who rolled her eyes. "Don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady! Just because you have some ninja acting as your guard dog does not mean you shouldn't take more precautious for your safety."

"I'm neither a ninja nor a guard dog and it was her brother who left the doors unlocked," Levi told Farlan as he gently pushed Isabel away from him when she started poking at his 3DMG.

"How was the questioning? What did they want?" Mikasa asked as she gestured for everyone to go back into the living room while she locked up the elevator again.

"There's this guy, Erwin Smith from MI6. He asked the standard questions, I suppose: why and where we were flying, who we worked for, if we saw anything strange. Particularly, if we've seen a quick, short young man with dark hair and pale skin with a big backpack and strange things on his belt. I'm guessing he means you?" He directed that at Levi, who gave him no answer, just an assessing yet blank look. "Apparently, this man is extremely dangerous, an international criminal."

At that, the former Heichou snorted. "Fugitive, sure. Petty thief, I'll admit to. International criminal? I don't think I've ever done anything to earn that title."

"He said you killed people."

Levi actually had to pause to consider that. He can't honestly, one hundred percent surely claim that he hadn't killed anyone in his many escape attempts and maneuvers while he was on the run. He was a bred and raised killing machine and all those memories and skills were passed on to him in this life as well, especially after he was bitten by the Hallucigenia and his old abilities came back with it. Not that he hadn't honed his body into a weapon before that. After all, underground fights paid a hefty load and had helped greatly to pay for the bills. It would seem Levi and Kenny were both doomed to always have some kind of blood on their hands. Levi just didn't know for sure if the blood on his had come with the price of lives this time around.

"Well, he's never killed any of my people or on our watch," Zeke suddenly said and Levi's head snapped in the blond's direction, confusion filling his eyes at the reassurance(?) of his once sworn enemy. "Zeke Jaeger, CIA," he introduced himself when Farlan shot him a confused look. "Thank you for safely esorting my protege, Mr Church."

Farlan nodded to him before turning to Mikasa. "CIA, MI6 ... What is going on here, Mikasa-sama?"

"A huge misunderstanding," replied the woman with a sigh. "One that seems to be endangering a dear friend of mine."

"I was unaware you are friends with teenage Americans," he countered, arching an eyebrow at Levi, who returned the look with one of his own.

"It's complicated," she said before trying to dismiss him. Only Farlan didn't go. "Is something the matter?" Mikasa asked with a slightly annoyed tone to her voice.

"Are you sure it's safe to be around someone being chased by two of the biggest secret services in the world?"

"Hey, Smith is only after me here in Japan because he was a representative at the science fair and saw me by accident," Levi countered, once again batting Isabel's hands away from his gear when she tried to sneak up on him. "And Jaeger is a stalker-"

"I am not-"

"-so he doesn't count," he finished as though the elder Jaeger brother hadn't said anything. "Besides, it's not my fault they one day crashed into my house and tried to kidnap me for having a pet."

"... Secret services are after you because you have a pet?" Farlan asked incredulously and Levi shrugged.

"I mean, it's a one of a kind pet and I'd understand the curiosity regarding it, but I don't think secret services invading my house is the way to go."

Farlan didn't seem like he was buying the story - even though it was the truth, if a bit abridged - but Mikasa stopped him from trying to puzzle it out by physically pushing him towards the elevator. "You don't need to get yourself involved with this any further. You have a wife and a son to think about, so don't do unnecessary things that might endanger you for no good reason. If you don't want to accept my recommendation letter for a safer, more legal workplace, the least you can do is stay out of danger and trouble."

"Aw! I'd never want to stop working for such a generous and caring employer, Mikasa-sama! Besides, we're practically family, anyways! But I guess you are right," Farlan hummed as he was shoved into the waiting elevator. "My dearest Yami-chan is worried enough about Levi-kun as is-"

Levi's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Hange looked ready to start either cackling or cooing.

Armin, Eren and Pieck looked confused while Falco and Gabi seemed baffled.

The rest, the ones who have lived with Mikasa's family long enough to know about her eccentric honorary uncle and godfather and his family, just looked amused at the newcomers' reactions.

"-what with him being an early born, but he's so strong already that I don't know why she's worrying so much," mused Farlan to himself like a proud, doting father. "I mean, the pregnancy had been so risky and all our failed attempts before ... Clearly he's stronger than a normal baby! For goodness sake, we named him after Humanity's Strongest from those weird legends! She needn't fret so much anymore! He doesn't get sick and he's developing just fine, all his doctors are impressed, even if he's a bit on the small side, but that's nothing to worry about! And I'm a grown ass man, I can take care of myself and I know Mikasa-sama would never endanger me-"

Mikasa, thankfully, pushed the close button on the elevator, cutting off the rest of Farlan's - uncharacteristic, in Levi's mind - rant before it could go on for too long. That didn't stop from Levi and his group gawking at Mikasa, who shrugged, not meeting Levi's eyes.

"They've been trying for years, nearly gave up, when Yami-san got pregnant last year. The pregnancy was risky since Yami-san has diabetes and her condition seemed to have suddenly gotten worse a couple of months before she got pregnant so it was a surprise. They stressed about it a lot, as it was probably their last chance. Then the baby was born prematurely with a C section because her blood pressure was high and her sugar levels were baby was given very low estimates of survival. He spent seven weeks in an incubator, since he was so small. But he kept fighting. He survived and when he got out of the incubator and was finally in his mother's arms, Farlan insisted that he should be named Levi, after one of Paradis' heroes, Humanity's Strongest Soldier. Yami-san agreed, said he deserved such a strong name for surviving what he did." She paused, turning her head in the completely opposite direction of Levi. "We thought it was you, Heichou."

Hange finally started cackling.

Now everyone else looked embarrassed, cheeks red and not meeting Levi's gaze.

Levi, though, was doing his best to fight off tears. Farlan named his own son after Levi, even without his memories. Levi didn't know what to say, if he should say anything. He wanted to race out of the room, find Farlan, hug him and never let go, hide him from the rest of the world, him and his family, so no one could ever hurt them. They'd take Isabel, too. Probably Eren, also, since he's so trouble-prone. Hange had Moblit, Gabi and Falco had each other, as did most of his comrades. But maybe he could rope them into going with them, too? Then he'd have everyone he ever cared about in one place, after kidnapping his mother and uncle, of course. Hell, Uri and Historia might even finance them!

Levi just wanted his loved ones to be safe.

"Well, that's just adorable," gushed Hange, wiping a tear from under their eye. "If I ever have a kid, I'm naming him Levi, too! So both little Levis can bother less-little Levi." She started rolling on the ground on her not so funny joke but Levi let it slide. He wasn't in the mood to be pissed at her right now. He had proof Isabel was safe, that Farlan had a family and was living a mostly safe life, he'd met almost all of his closest comrades from his past life, he knew his mother, uncle and the rest of his 'birth' family were okay for the most part and he had a solution to the Hallucigenia problem. Maybe he won't have to be a fugitive anymore in the near future.

Maybe he could return home. Maybe he could make something of his life.

Maybe he could have some fucking peace again.

"So, what are you doing here, Mr Jaeger, sir? Why am I here? Why aren't you detaining this guy if you've caught him? I mean, sure, he's clearly awesome, but-"

"First of all, Levi caught Zeke, not the other way around," Eren interrupted with clear amusement. "Second, Levi is awesome and there's no 'but's to it. And third, you're here because Zeke is our ally and we're working towards the same goal. As for you, you're here because Zeke says you'd track him down and the rest of the CIA would follow after you, which would make life extremely difficult for us. You got that, kid?"

"I'm twenty one!"

"And I'm turning twenty three soon. Therefore, I can call you 'kid' if I want," the brunet said with an amused snort, only to yelp when Levi whacked him over the head for teasing Isabel. She may not remember him or what they'd been to each other two thousand years ago, but he did and Isabel would always be his honorary younger sister. "Ow! What was that for, Heichou?"

Isabel sticks out her tongue at Eren as she moves to hide behind Levi, who turns around and pinches her cheek as punishment for childish behaviour, too. "You're both physically older than me but you act like fucking brats, so I'll treat you as such. Now stop with this nonsense and someone get her up to speed. I'm tired of all this shit and it's not even dinner time yet."

"Speaking of, I'm hungry," Sasha declares and no one is surprised when they see her sprint into the kitchen despite having some snacks just a handful of minutes ago.

"I'll go after her to make sure she doesn't eat everything," Armin said with a tired sigh, familiar with this routine and Annie went with him.

"I guess I'll make us all some sandwiches or something," Bertolt said as he moved towards the kitchen but Levi had them all sprinting out in a second.

"GO WASH YOUR FILTHY HANDS YOU BRATS!"

"SIR, YES SIR!"

Levi just shook his head and sighed longsufferingly. "I used to be paid for this shit." Pieck laughs and pats him comfortingly on the back before going to wash her own hands to help with the dinner preparations.

"I'll go make some tea," Falco offered but Eren was all but flying across the room already, to which the blond huffed and hurried after him. "Hey!"

"You got tea for him last time!"

"Are they for real?" Jean asked as everyone slowly returned to what they were doing before. "I half expected Gabi to be the one getting competitive with Eren," he admitted and Levi couldn't help but shrug.

"Falco has a side of him that he doesn't exactly show to everyone. Being competitive in certain areas is part of it."

"Wait, Falco can be competitive?" Reiner asked, clearly surprised at these news. "The little boy who always trailed after Gabi and did his best to just keep her out of trouble? Who only wanted to see her safe and happy? That Falco can be competitive?"

Levi couldn't help but snort at his incredulity. "I wish Onyankopon was here to tell you all about Falco's and Gabi's little competition for the first Christmas we spent together. I didn't have a moment's peace."

"Why would they bother you so much on Christmas?" Isabel asked and Hange, who was finally calming down, answered.

"Shorty's birthday is on Christmas!"

"I'm going to go check up on my brother. No, I don't need help," Mikasa said and interrupted Jean and Levi who were about to suggest to go up with her. "It's best if Levi is down here in the near impossible chance of Misaki getting past me to protect the Hallucigenia. After all, that's their primary target, right?"

"Just yell if you need help," Jean insisted while Levi just let her be. He knew Mikasa was more than capable of taking care of herself, even with the lack of her Ackerman powers. "So, when do you guys want to do this? The whole Mariana Trench thing and all," the man asked, looking more towards Levi than anyone else despite a lot of the logistics of their upcoming 'mission' depended on quite a few other people who were most definitely not Levi. "Because Mikasa and I would really like you guys to attend our wedding. Well, excluding Zeke."

"Wait, why me?" The blond Jaeger asked and literally everyone around paused what they were doing to give him a Look. Connie even looked ready to murder him, most probably for what happened to his village or just the war Zeke had half-started or at least had a hand in starting. "Okay, I get it, I get it! No need to give me those looks! I might piss my pants."

Levi grimaced. "You're disgusting."

"Says the man who talks about shit," countered Zeke.

"Yeah, well, at least his shit jokes are funny while your talk of piss is just plain disgusting," Eren retorted as he and Falco got back with the tea, coffee and some dry crackers or something. Eren took up his old spot beside Levi while Falo and Gabi moved to comandire one of the freed up couches before the others came back.

"Only you think his shit jokes are funny, Eren," contradicted Reiner but Eren just shrugged.

"Nah, you just don't own a single funny bone in your body."

"I'm sure you've had several so you can lend us a few," Pieck said as they all finally made their way to the kitchen to start preparing some light dinner for everyone. Eren shot her a dirty look at that while Reiner and Jean snickered. Levi couldn't help but wonder how these people were more childish now when they were older than him than when they were literal brats that had just become part of his squad.

"But seriously, though," Jean began. "When are we going to do this? We will definitely need at least a couple of days to prepare, so we need to decide on a date."

"We can't wait for long," Hange reasoned. "Knowing Erwin, he'll be combing through Tokyo in search for us until he finds a lead on Levi. And we probably can't hold Mikasa's brother hostage for that long, nor can Zeke be away without people getting suspicious. We need to do this as quickly as we can, otherwise there's no telling when our next opportunity may come."

"Isabel and I can get everything ready in two days, if that's your limit," Zeke offered as he sat down on one of the couches. The redhead in question followed suit, making herself comfortable just as the guys in the kitchen started bringing in sandwitches. Sasha, of course, had a whole tray just for herself and only Isabel looked at her a bit weirdly when they saw it. Everyone else either saw or heard about her insatiable appetite. "Though you are right that, although I tend to disappear on and off on my own at times, I rarely stay away longer than a couple of days. A week at best. So you have a week at most if only Isabel and I are your time constricts."

"Misaki will need to go home in three days at most," Mikasa said as she made a reappearence. "My parents were already pissed enough when we thought he'd miss my wedding. Plus, he's a bit annoying and likes to call our aunt all the time, trying to get on her good side so he'd have her support him if I were ever officially made the heir. If he doesn't call her by tomorrow afternoon, she could get suspicious."

"Are you suggesting we let him out?" Connie asked incredulously as he took a seat next to Sasha once all the food and drinks were put on the coffee table and everyone reclaimed their seats so they could eat and discuss shit. "Isn't that, like, a huge risk?"

"He wants money and recognition, right?" Levi asked, taking the cup of tea Eren offered him. "International influence for the Azumabito or some shit?"

Mikasa nodded. "He thinks that if he somehow betters our clan's financial or influential standing, he might be considered a better heir candidate."

Levi nodded. "I'll pay all your wedding expenses and the debt your aunt or whatever made." Half the room did a spit-take right there, while another quarter started choking on their own food.

"Aren't you a fugitive?" Asked Marco suspiciously but Hange grinned.

"Yes, but it appears he's also one of the stock holders of his uncle's husband's international company, making him filthy rich," the scientist explained and the others gawked. Hange started cackling. Levi just sipped his tea.

"How did that happen?" Annie asked, since her boyfriend seemed to be too stunned to speak after learning he'd been living with a millionaire of some sort for weeks without any of them knowing. Well, Levi doubted his 10% were worth millions, but considering there was an ongoing legal battle over who would get the rights to the company and Levi's stocks could tip the balance either way, they may as well be.

"Long story short, Historia," Eren said by way of explanation and quite a few of the others just nodded as if that explained everything. Maybe it did. Hsitoria was a rather competent leader, knew when to be gentle and when to be relentless. She was probably the best support Uri could have ever gotten in a legal fight against someone as rotten and willing to do rotten things as Rod. "There's a huge family feud. The Fritz are also involved-"

"Wait, how does any of this have anything to do with my family or Levi?" Zeke asked, looking confused all of a sudden.

"Right. You're probably not informed about all the details," Hange commented, more to herself than anyone else. "Well, you see, Levi is Uri Reiss' nephew." Zeke's eyes widened as he apparently understood the whole picture. "So, yeah. Uri gave him 10% of his shares so that his husband's family would survive the inevitable shitstorm Rod would throw at them in case Uri died, which would leave them penniless after paying off all of Kuchel Ackerman's medical bills."

"Wait, does this mean Levi and I are cousin-"

"No," Levi and Eren shut that down immediately. "That aside," Levi continued. "Back to the main topic, if you can convince your brother that I can help you financially," he said to Mikasa. "Do you think we can buy his silence and cooperation?"

The woman pursed her lips.

Chapter Text

Misaki was staring at him.

Levi did his best to ignore him, but the man hadn't taken his eyes off of Levi since they had let him out of the room he'd been locked in that morning and he'd agreed to a few conditions that were presented to him in exchange for his freedom from the confinement of a single, locked room and the promise of Levi's family paying off the bills. Apparently, he was fine with a complete stranger paying for them instead of Jean, who'd been offering from the start because he already considered Jean family and if Jean paid for something, it would still be a deficit, from his point of view, in his family's finances.

No one wanted to get in a debate with him whether that sort of view on things made sense or not, for all they needed from him was for him to keep his mouth shut and not try to shoot or expose anyone.

(Jean had insisted that Levi will not be paying for a single thing, regardless what Misaki thought; the man refused to let Levi be in debt to anyone, especially when the idiot in question was his soon-to-be brother in law who only wanted to look competent for his elders so he'd get to inherit the Azumabito. Jean had always wanted to pay for the whole wedding but it had been Mikasa's folks who had insisted they share the expenses. Jean still wanted to, so he will, and Misaki will be told it had been Levi who had paid. And Levi just let him, because he has no idea how he would have paid either way, not having an account or anything to transfer the money. He's just glad that Misaki bought it and finally shut the fuck up. He was getting annoying with his whining and arguing.)

They were all sitting around the big dinning table in a whole separate room of the penthouse, obviously made for business meetings, parties and 'shows of riches and power', all elegant and big with subtle details that belied both style and riches. Most of the people at the table weren't impressed, having been to one too many of Historia's banquets or had been friends with rich friends, but Isabel, Falco, Gabi and even Pieck were a bit dazzled by the extravagance of the room even as they ate P&J sandwiches, pop tarts, cereal and whatever else could be found in Misaki's cabinets for breakfast.

Levi had made sure to feed the Hallucigenia before Misaki joined them for breakfast. He didn't want Misaki learning more about the Cambian creature than he already knew - however little that might be - lest he get ideas and change his mind about the little peace they'd formed. Levi had also already finished his tea, so he wasn't holding his cup in a 'weird' way. He was just eating. There was no reason why Misaki should be staring at him as intensely as he was.

"Oi," he said when he decided enough was enough. "Do you need to take a shit? I can beat it out of you, if you continue staring at me like that."

Misaki, for some reason, looked both intrigued and frightened by that. Levi arched an eyebrow.

The younger Azumabito turned to his sister. "I want him. Can I keep him?" He asked in what Levi could only assume was Chinese based on the intonation of words and how smoothly they floated together. It certainly wasn't Japanese and Levi didn't think it was Korean, either. It could be Vietnamese, for all he knew, because he certainly didn't understand it.

Hange, apparently, did, because she stiffened and turned a rather dangerously blank look towards Misaki so Levi could only guess that whatever he'd said couldn't be good.

Mikasa sent her brother a disapproving look. "He's not a thing or a pet and he's way out of your league."

"Don't be so uptight, older sister," argued back Misaki with a lecherous grin that made Levi want to introduce this brat to his fucking boot. Or, well, sneaker. He missed his military-issued boots. They were some of the best footwear his feet had ever been graced with and were extremely useful for ass-kicking. "I wouldn't force him to be my pet! He'd be begging me for it. Besides, no one is out of my league," he seemed to be boasting, which caused Mikasa to roll her eyes. Levi really wished he knew what they were saying. "He may be pretty, but he's not that pretty."

"I beg to differ," Eren suddenly said, making everyone but Armin look at him in surprise. Even Levi hadn't known Eren spoke Chinese-or-whatever. Though it had never really come up in conversation when they'd all lived together back in Barcelona.

"Nǐ shuō zhōngwén?" Asked Misaki, sounding impressed.

"Yīdiǎn," answered Eren, eyes set in a hard glare. "I'd advise you to stay away from him."

"Why?" Countered Misaki with a scoff.

"Because I said so."

"And why should I listen to you?" Judging from his tone and body language, Levi could only guess Misaki was taunting and challenging Eren.

The others just sat there and listened, trying to figure out what was going on. Well, besides Mikasa and Hange, who seemed to be the only ones who understood the conversation going on between their resident anger issues boy and Mikasa's this-life brother. Sasha, despite seemingly not understanding any more than anyone else, was eating her food as if she was in one of those dinner and a show restaurants, clearly enjoying the drama going on extra with her food.

"Shouldn't we tell Mikasa's brother to, you know, not provoke Eren Jaeger?" Gabi asked in a hushed whisper, directing the question to Jean, who seemed to be having way too much fun in watching his soon-to-be brother in law seemingly duke it out with the once most dangerous man in the world.

Jean, though, snorted. "Nah, let them be. Misaki needs to be taken down a peg or a dozen. And while Heichou-" Levi briefly glared at Jean at the slip. "-may have started on that yesterday, I don't think the message stuck where it should. Let him face the suicidal bastard's psychotic side. He needs to get some common sense scared shitless into him or else he'll pick a fight that will end with him in a coffin and I'd really rather not watch Mikasa be sad and grieve again."

"With how things are going, I think he might end up in a coffin as we speak," Annie commented, not taking her eyes off of the tense men glaring at each other over the table.

"Do you know what they're saying?" Armin asked and his girlfriend shook her head.

"I know only a handful of words and phrases and they're currently using none of them. I literally just understood when Misaki asked Eren if he knew Chinese and when Eren said he knew a little bit. Where did he even learn Chinese, anyways?"

"China has some of the best marine research programs and projects so Eren decided to learn some Chinese in case he gets the chance to work on some of them. I tried to do the same, too, but I just didn't have the ear for it, it seems," Armin explained and Levi was at least glad he knew what language was being spoken.

At that point, Hange hissed at them all to quiet down because they were disturbing her show before she went back to staring at Misaki and Eren. Mikasa had never drifted her gaze away from them. Understandable, since Eren looked like he was seconds away from biting Misaki's head off. Literally, too. Levi wouldn't put it past the brunet. He just wished he knew what had the man so worked up in the first place.

Suddenly, Eren smiled the grin he used to don when he talked or thought about killing all the Titans before they all learned the truth behind their nature and existence. He leaned a bit in his seat but didn't stand up. He didn't need to. Shadows seemed to fall into his eyes as he gazed right at a slowly getting frightened Misaki. "Because I will rip your spine out, crush your skull, tear apart your body and feed it all to the first starving mutt I find on the streets." Misaki suddenly lost all color in his face. "Did I make myself clear?"

"Y-you think you can intimidate me into n-not pursuing him?" Misaki seemed to ask, trying to act brave but it was all empty bravado in the face of a man ready to destroy the whole world for his loved ones and for revenge.

"You'll get near him only over my dead body."

"That can be arranged!"

Eren's grin, if possible, only got creepier, to the point that even Levi found it a bit disturbing. He felt like he was staring into the face of the same monster he'd first met two thousand years ago in an underground cell, chained to a wall and bed as if that would be enough to keep a boy capable of turning into a fifteen meter Titan in check. "Do your worst, because I can guarantee I've survived worse than anything your pathetic little mind can think up."

"Why are you even this invested in this!?" Misaki all but screamed, actively leaning away from Eren now, clearly giving up on the pretense of nonchalance and bravery.

"Because he's mine and I won't let some snot-nosed brat like you take him away from me when I finally have the chance to pursue him."

"Well, shit," Hange breathed from beside Levi, eyes wide and a crazed grin stretched over her lips.

"What? What are they saying?"

"You don't want to know," Mikasa answered before Hange could translate.

Levi narrowed his eyes at her. "I do, actually."

"Maybe she's right and you don't," Hange said musingly, more to herself than Levi. "At least not until you realize some things for yourself!" She chirped before going back to her food.

Misaki, after he finally gave up on trying to outglare Eren - you know, the guy who glared the Colossal Titan in the face even before they knew there was a vulnerable, killable human inside it? Or that he can regrow limbs and organs? Yeah, that guy - turned to Mikasa with a disturbed look on his face. "I swear your only normal friends are Sasha and Marco."

Mikasa and Jean both arched an eyebrow at that. "Marco throws knives like no one's business and Sasha can shoot through a wedding ring from twenty meters away with either a gun or a bow and arrow, what are you talking about?"

Misaki gives up. "That's it, I'm out. I can't stay with you crazy people. I don't care what you do. I just want you all out of my penthouse the next time I come back." With that, he got up and all but ran out of the penthouse, nervously and repeatedly clicking on the elevator call button until it arrived and he could hide inside.

"Is it safe to just let him go like that?" Zeke questioned, having been quiet for the whole exchange so far. He didn't seem to be much of a morning person and was a coffee-guzzler. He and Armin had a mini-war over the coffee pot before Annie snatched it away before they spill it all and burned themselves. She, of course, poured coffee for Armin first out of the coffee-warring blonds, but only after she filled up her cup, first. Priorities. Levi could respect that, even if he would never approve of coffee as the hot beverage of choice.

"After the scare Eren just gave him?" Mikasa asked calmly as she returned to her breakfast, sipping her miso soup as if nothing had happened. "He'll probably hide out somewhere just to make sure he doesn't cross paths with either him or Levi."

"What even happened just now?" Asked Isabel after she swallowed a big bite of her P&J sandwich.

"At this point, I think it's honestly best if we don't know," Bertolt advised, speaking for the first time that morning. "It's always best to just let things go where Eren is concerned."

Said brunet opened his mouth to retort but Levi slapped a hand over his mouth to stop him.

Marco looked more and more like he was questioning his life choices with every time Levi saw him. He almost pitied the freckled man. But only almost. Levi dealt with a whole lot more bullshit than any of these brats could ever understand on a daily basis and that's not even mentioning the past two years. Or the past few weeks. Goodness, but he swears he's aged more in the past few weeks than he has in his whole past lifetime and he was willing to bet his right hand, leg and eye all over again that it's all somehow Eren Jaeger's fault. Like, the man wasn't even doing anything intentionally, but he's such a trouble magnet that he really doesn't have to in order for chaos to somehow always find him.

Though Levi was probably just as guilty of that charge as his former subordinate.

As was, potentially, every Eldian.

(Ymir Fritz really fucked them all over when she released those pigs.)

"That aside," he said in the momentary silence he'd caused by preventing Eren from defending himself of the implications Reiner had just dropped. "Have any of you started on the preparations we ought to be making?" He asked, looking at Mikasa, Isabel, Zeke and even Jean as he said this.

Mikasa was the only one who nodded. "I had my contact in the police give me Floch's number and I informed him of what role he'll have to play. I also asked a distant relative of mine to make some trouble with street raes on the other side of Tokyo. It's not much but at least the police will be too busy with a genuine, real-time danger for them to help the CIA, MI6 or any other foreign agency to chase after a kid and his worm."

The Hallucigenia hissed from its bag beneath Levi's chair at being called a worm, apparently offended. Levi was just glad it didn't do its little hiss-screech that was seriously going to rapture his eardrums one of these days.

Zeke sipped his coffee when Levi and the rest turned their attention to him. Isabel was the one who answered instead. "We can reach out to some of the ships now and offer immense funding, but we don't know the protocol around here for such expensive ships to set sail. We also don't want to alert the competition-" by which she meant the CIA, most probably. "-that you might be trying to use one of those ships. You said that there might be a chance for them to know what your plans are?"

"We can't be certain," Hange admitted. "My notes are in a, uh, coded shorthand, let's say, but there are parts that aren't and, well, my research history as well as some of my books or my own published works might be used as a clue. So we definitely don't want to seem suspicious."

"Do we even really need sonars?" Gabi asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back in her chair. "I mean, it's not like you guys are going to go down in a submarine or something, right? This isn't an aquatic science fiction movie. We just have to anchor the container and let it sink."

"We need a strong enough remote control that can send a signal miles below the surface that would open the container," countered Pieck. "Hange and I will have to start working on that today if we want to have anything in two days. Someone would still most probably have to dive to a certain depth for it to be even remotely effective."

"Who's diving? Besides Levi, of course?" Marco asked. "Divers always go in pairs; it's too dangerous to go on your own, even if you're ... you," he said with an all-encompassing gesture at Levi.

"Mikasa would probably be our best bet-"

"No," interrupted Eren, cutting Reiner off. "I'll go."

"What the fuck, Jaeger?" Connie asked, bug-eyed as he stared at the brunet. "No offense, man, but we all know Mikasa is better than anyone in anything and everything. Well, besides Heichou and maybe Kenny the Ripper."

"While that may have been and even still is true," countered the former Attack Titan. "Mikasa isn't an Ackerman and doesn't practically automatically gain skills, so unless she knows how to scuba dive, the best candidate to go with Levi-heichou is me, someone who actually does have a license and proper training."

"I agree with Eren on this one," supported their resident blond genius. "Diving is a very dangerous activity. You could suffocate on too little air or your lungs could explode from the pressure if you didn't receive proper training. Eren's been at it for years, seeing as his profession of choice may depend on it, so he's definitely the best qualified. Unless anyone else has a license?"

Hange raised a hand at Armin's question. "I'm only a beginner and aren't allowed on open waters dives without a much more experienced partner."

"Then it's decided," Eren stated. "I'll be the one taking the dive with him."

Levi honestly didn't mind nor care who went with him, as long as whoever it was had the ability to keep themself safe during the dive. Levi himself had never taken a dive, since he'd never been overly fond of the ocean, but he'd seen a short documentary series on it once and, well, he's learned to do harder things from watching others than how to control his breath, even before he reawakened his Ackerman-ness. "Who's getting us our diving gear?"

They continued like that throughout breakfast, with Zeke and Isabel occasionally doing 'spy stuff' as the redhead called it, which was essentially keeping track of all the other agents' movements. Hange hacked some things that would make it easier for the CIA agents to get them access to a ship, Mikasa called up her brother to remind him not to spill the beans to anyone while Jean and Marco dealt with the rescheduled wedding's details. However, Sasha and Connie grew bored and, quite frankly, Gabi didn't look like she was far off, either. Levi just knew trouble would ensue unless he took control of that boredom. He's dealt with both a bored Sasha - who usually ran off to any nearby market and spent all of her earnings on food, up until they met Niccolo and he cooked for her for free - and a bored Gabi - who has similar anger issues as Eren as well as 'hobbies' like Sasha, which was a super bad combination in a still suspicions-filled, recovering Liberio - and therefore he knew he had to stop them before they somehow managed to either sneak out and lead who knows how many enemies as they come back or they go out boldly and attract even more attention. And sure, maybe people won't pay them all that much attention as Levi fears but being paranoid has kept him alive this long - not to mention in his first life - so he listens to that paranoid side of himself and offers a solution he hoped he wouldn't regret.

"Sasha, Gabi, why don't you show me and Eren around,' he suggested oh so casually and both brunettes lit up at the prospect of not spending the day trapped in what were basically strategy and logistics meetings. Levi understood the feeling, really. Erwin's favorite torture method when he was mad at Levi for some reason was to drag him to a brass meeting and make him sit through sniveling nobles' complaints, merchants' haggling and greed and, the worst of all, everyone's fangirl/boying attention because Levi was Humanity's Strongest and a bachelor. Erwin greatly profited off of that last one. (Levi of course, always found ways to take revenge, but never has it been sweeter than when he started taking Eren along for those meetings. It was a requirement, since he had to keep an eye on him, but Levi never minded. Why, one might ask? Because none of his admirers nor anyone else except the few present Scouts - and even then it was mostly Hange, Erwin, Moblit and someone else who'd already worked closely enough with Eren to know he wouldn't eat them on the spot - dared go near Humanity's Strongest Soldier as long as Humanity's Last Hope, also known as the Titan Shifter Eren Jaeger, loomed and hovered around his Heichou as he'd been ordered. The people were so deathly afraid that Levi finally got some damned peace and quiet. Erwin stopped asking him to meetings not long after, until Queen Historia asked for his help regarding the people from the Underground.) So yeah, Levi understood how boring these meetings were, no matter how necessary they might be.

"Does Eren Jaeger have to go with us?" Gabi asked with a pout.

Levi arched an eyebrow and picked up the Hallucigenia from inside his bag. "Does he?" He asked the creature.

The Hallucigenia actually did a little hoop in the water, something Levi had tried jokingly to teach it the first year since he'd taken it as a pet. Levi just barely stopped his jaw from dropping but Hange screamed like no one's business and it was nearly worse than when the Cambrian animal throws a tantrum.

"Guess that answers your question, Gabi," Falco managed to say. Sasha just cheered that they were going out and started ushering everyone to get ready. Sasha borrowed Gabi some clothes when she realized the young woman had nothing to change into since her house was practically invaded by secret agencies while she was away and Falco got some from Connie while Eren had to settle for Jean's clothes once again. He didn't seem overly happy with that and resolved to buy some things while they were out today. Which was a pretty good idea, all things considered. Levi ought to change the outfits he currently has, lest they become too recognizable. Mikasa gave them some money while Annie gave Levi one of her hoodies. It was thankfully just cool enough that someone walking around with a hood over their head wouldn't be too suspicious. "Anyone else want to go with us?" Falco asked as Sasha punched in the code for the elevator to come pick them up. "Or do you want us to bring something back?"

"I would go," Reiner began. "But I don't need Gabi eating me out of house and home."

"She can't be as bad as Sasha," pointed out Connie even as Mikasa reminded everyone that she had given Levi her premium limitless card. (Yes, to Levi, because he's definitely the most responsible of the lot going out. No one could dispute that.)

"Just get in the shitty elevator before Sasha vibrates through the floor," Levi said snippily and so they were on their way. Sasha drooled the whole way down as she pictured all the foods she would get to eat because she intended to introduce Levi and Eren to them while Connie tried to calm her down a little. Gabi and Eren spent most of the ride glaring at each other - though Levi still didn't understand the habitual hostility that existed between them - and Falco and Levi just shared exasperated looks. It was days like these that Levi missed Onyankopon. Onyankopon had been his partner in crime, so to say, in raising the brats in Liberio. It was a shame Onyankopon was lost to them forever. He'd been a good man, a good friend.

"So," Connie began after they finally got to the first food stall they came across and Sasha bought some sort of dumplings from it. "Any plans for what we should do today?"

"Clothes," Levi and Eren answered instantly.

"I'm sick and tired of borrowing stuff. Falco's clothes are too tight around the shoulders while Jean's pants are too long," huffed the once Titan Shifter. And while it was true the height difference between Jean and Eren had decreased as Eren had finally been given the chance to grow out into his full bodily maturity, Jean still had a good couple of centimetres on him. The pants were almost unnoticeably longer than Eren would usually wear but Levi thinks Eren has more issues with Jean's style than the actual size of clothing. Jean wore jeans that were rather baggy around the ankles and Eren preferred skin-tight from top to bottom. Eren, to contrast that, also preferred slightly baggier tops while Jean liked button ups that clung to every inch of his skin. And that's not even mentioning the differences in their outerwear choices. Jean liked a leather jacket while Eren seemed to prefer a cardigan or a coat. And the colors that they used to compliment their hair or eyes or complexion also clashed. Levi just didn't know Eren was such a fashionista.

Then again, there's also the practical part, which Levi knew Eren considered more than Jean did in his clothing choices. While tight jeans might restrict movements, to wear clothes that stick close to skin was a habit of Paradis soldiers considering anything baggier might get tangled in their gear. Jean might have moved on from his past life in some areas, and so had Eren, but Eren still lived his life as if he was ready to go to war again. Levi noticed it in the things he did that probably no one else had. Eren always scanned any room he entered for a threat, doing it almost unconsciously. He preferred to keep his hair out of his eyes so it doesn't obscure his field of vision. He had clearly trained himself up to use a knife and he was the only person out of their reincarnated comrades who had absolutely no reason to train himself back to the peak of his physical fitness but had done so anyway, for more than just aesthetics and health reasons. There's also the fact that Eren almost never slept with his back towards a door or a window and that he obviously preferred higher places. His choice of clothing was also practical, clothes that don't restrict his movements and that don't attract too much attention. Eren only stood out in a crowd because he was honestly ridiculously handsome.

"I just want to get some snacks," Sasha said, thankfully after she'd swallowed whatever food had been in her mouth.

"We just wanted to spend some time with Mr Levi," said Gabi with a pout. "Like we used to," she added with a pointed glare at Eren, who completely ignored her. Gabi seemed to take offense at that and reached over to pinch his side, but Falco stopped her with a sigh.

"I need new clothes," was all Levi said when everyone glanced at him as he looked around at all the shops on the street and randomly walked into one that didn't look like it was a brand shop. He needs something cheap and which won't stand out. He doesn't know how much longer he'll be a fugitive. There's always the possibility that even after the Hallucigenia is out of the picture, he'll be a target. He needs to prepare, just in case. "Stick together, at least two people always go together. Gabi and Falco, Sasha and Connie and Eren and me. Don't draw any attention to yourselves, I don't care how unlikely you think it is. Be quick and discreet. I need some new fucking shoes, too."

What he said might have gone into one ear and out the other because Gabi grabbed Sasha and all but dragged her to the women's section to look at summer dresses of all things - it was fall nearing winter in Japan, for crying out loud! - that were on sale and Falco went after them to keep Gabi in check while Connie, as the person who'd been designated to carry all of Sasha's snacks, was asked by an attendant to leave the store since food wasn't allowed near the clothes. Levi watched them all and dragged a hand down his face, not believing he was, somehow, once again in charge of children, only they now had more mature bodies than he did and were recognized as adults in the eyes of the law. At least Connie was now practically acting as lookout on the street, scanning the crowd for suspicious activities or familiar faces.

Small mercies

And at least Eren seemed to be acting like a normal, civilized human being - which was disturbing enough, when you realized it was Eren who was the 'normal one' - despite having a blushing attendant following him around like a lost puppy. Eren didn't even seem to notice the poor guy, absorbed in picking out some dark denim jeans and checking where Levi was every few minutes. Levi kept close to him, both in case of emergency or if the Hallucigenia got temperamental that its last host wasn't near enough. The thing really has become quite troublesome since it introduced them all to its oh so lovely voice. Levi sometimes - well, most times - missed the days when he wouldn't feel too awkward to say the weird, white, almost glowing worm thing on his desk was his pet if someone asked, but after confirming the thing was the 'shining centipede' from two thousand years ago and partially discovering the extent of its intelligence and sentience he felt it would be disrespectful to keep calling it that. Especially as the Hallucigenia was, partially, the reason why he and all his nearest and dearest were ever born in the first place.

He swears life is so weird as an Eldian. Like, no one else has to go through this bullshit, only him and his fellow Eldians.

Levi waves off an attendant that comes to try and assist him and instead picks out one pair of elastic but skin-tight black pants and one pair of sweats before going over to the tops section, looking through the hoodie selection. He finds Eren is quick to follow him, trying to wave off his attendant who's actually no longer trying to assist him and was instead attempting to flirt. Only he didn't know English, Spanish, German nor Chinese and Eren didn't understand more than a few sentences in Japanese. Levi almost felt sorry for him. But he kept tugging shyly at Eren's sleeve like those school girls in animes did while blushing and that sent a shot of vindictiveness through the Ackerman's heart that prevented him from being a decent human being and putting him out of his misery.

He was distracted from that disaster when he caught sight of a red coat that he thought might look stunning on Eren as well as a cardigan that reminded him an awful lot of the one Eren wore a lot in their last life, including in the Paths when he'd pulled them in to talk to them. Eren had never addressed Levi separately like he had his friends and Levi tried not to ponder on why that was since there had never been any bad blood between them. Maybe he'll ask Eren some other time.

"Oi, Eren!" He called out as he walked over with his two discoveries, as well as a sweater for himself and a hoodie that would actually fit him better than the one he'd borrowed from Annie. Annie's was white and he didn't really like wearing white this time around since he didn't really have the means to keep white clothes clean to his standards and white easily caught people's attention. Besides, despite him and Annie being roughly the same height and Annie packing quite some muscle, he was still a man wearing a woman's hoodie. He'd prefer something looser. Something that would make it possible to hide his knife without getting in the way of his movements, hindering either his mobility or his precision. Plus, looser clothes were way more comfortable. "Try these on," he said as he shoved the outerwear at the brunet, landing his gaze on the increasingly embarrassed attendant whose eyes were flitting between the two Eldians nervously. "He's not interested," Levi told the other bluntly in Japanese - clumsy but understandable, as ZoeH (or Hange) had taught him over the years through their messages - and the attendant's face positively erupted, red all over and sweating out of his skin.

"S-Sumimasen!" And off he went, all but catapulting himself to the other side of the store and out of their view.

Eren arched an eyebrow. "Uh, what just happened?"

Levi shrugged. "Not sure. I just said we don't need his help."

The former Attack Titan stared down at him skeptically. "Right." But he didn't push and instead looked down at the clothes. He grinned when he saw the cardigan. "Suerte la mía," he commented. "I can't believe they have something so similar to what I used to wear."

"Hopefully they don't have the same shirt," snorted Levi and Eren pouted at him.

"What was wrong with my shirt?" But Levi didn't answer and instead went to find the changing rooms. "Hey! Why won't you tell me what you thought was wrong with my shirt?"

But Levi turned to him and said in his most innocent voice: "Lo siento, no hablo ingles." And then he barked out in laughter when Eren started cursing him out in rapid Spanish.

So much for not attracting any attention.

Chapter Text

The clothes shopping part of their little outing went without a hitch but Levi refused to enter any other store until they got rid of the snacks. While Connie as a lookout was pretty great, he'd rather keep all his brats somewhere he can see or hear them in case shit hits the fan so he can protect them if it comes to that. Therefore they waited in front of a shoe store until Sasha finished off her snacks while Falco held her and Gabi's dresses and other things in, like, a hundred bags and Connie traded Sasha's still uneaten snacks for the garbage from her eaten ones while Levi and Eren stood to the side with only one bag of clothing each.

Eren had dumped his borrowed clothes - and oh, is Jean going to be pissed about that - for the new things he'd bought so he now only had one bag while Levi had stuffed most of his things in his backpack, where it belongs from here on out until he can finally stop being a fugitive, while Annie's hoodie rested in the bag. They had efficiently finished their shopping while Sasha and Gabi - under Sasha's reassurances and insistence, or so Falco told Levi - had shamelessly bought everything that caught their eye since Mikasa had been so generous with her offer of her limitless credit card. Levi wondered whether he should have smacked the shit out of the two brunettes because they had been there when Misaki had threatened lives and secrets for extra money to keep their yakuza afloat and had yet still decided to go all out whilst shopping. Thank goodness Levi had dragged them into the cheapest store his eyes could spot or else Mikasa might have killed them herself.

"Done!" Chirped Sasha when she finished her last bag of chips, having shared very little of any of her snacks with the rest of them. Levi arched an eyebrow at the mess she'd made of herself and looked at Falco. The poor blond sighed and took out a large packet of wet wipes, offering them to Gabi, who also sighed but did as they were silently instructed and started helping in getting Sasha back in order. Connie sighed in relief.

Eren snorted. "You have them better trained in your clean freak ways than you ever managed to get our squad."

"You should have seen their kids," Levi retorted with a smirk. "They criticized them even more severely than I ever did for the smallest of missed spots. It was glorious."

The taller male grinned at him. "So you had your own cleanliness prefects? I almost pity the brat who killed Sasha."

Gabi, having overheard him, glared and Levi just rolled his eyes. "Okay, I know you're just riling her up now just to be a little shit, but it's getting a bit annoying and people are looking at us strangely whenever you say shit like that." And really, they were, or the people who understood them. And considering they were speaking in English since Levi's Spanish was worth shit, that was quite a few people. Levi pulled up his hood a little more over the face under their scrutiny. He knows that there had never been any either WANTED or MISSING posters of him, but after the debacle at the science fair, he's not sure if that has changed and he doesn't want to risk it. The last thing he needs is for this outing to end in his outing.

"Speak Spanish and we'll be able to talk about anything we want," retorted the brunet and Levi gave him a deadpan stare.

"Oh, sure, because Spanish isn't one of the most spoken languages in the world." Eren pouted and Levi rolled his eyes. "Let's just go in already," he said to the group at large as he turned to march into the shoe store. The others followed and since the shoe racks weren't as tall as all that shit in the clothing store, it was much easier to keep track of everyone even as he browsed through shoes. He needed some combat boots. Sneakers were fine and all but their soles weren't nearly as effective in knocking someone('s teeth) out as boots usually were and especially combat boots. When he found a pair that might work for him and went to the nearest chairs where he can try them on, he found Connie trying on some flip flops and Sasha showing off some huge heels. He facepalmed.

"Oh, let them have their fun," Eren said in his ear all of a sudden and Levi whirled around to find himself face to face with Eren, who was bending down with a grin to be at head level with Levi. Their noses were practically touching, they were so close. Eren didn't lean away even when Levi turned to face him. "It's not everyday they get to go shopping with their Levi-heichou. And while this may be a utility outing for you and even me, for them, this is just hanging out with friends. Besides," the grin vanished from his face. "It's only a couple of days before most of us will relive what it's like to be in the middle of a dangerous situation."

"I'm not going to involve anyone who lacks their memories." Sasha, that Marco kid, Moblit and even Bertolt ... None of them deserve to be involved in things they don't understand from a personal perspective. None of them deserve to be dragged into the hell all of this could potentially turn into. Not that those who remembered deserved to go through that, either. If Levi could have it his way, he'd do all of this by himself, without involving anyone else. But the fact of the matter was that he can't. As far as he's gotten by himself was managing to stay out of the clutches of the dozens of organizations who were hunting him. Even when he'd contemplated going to the Mariana Trench and just dumping the Hallucigenia down there without any proof that it might be safe or what he actually needs to do, he could only contemplate it because he didn't actually have the means to get there himself. He'd become a petty thief; if he robbed a bank, as he'd need to in order to acquire the funds he'd need for the trip, he'd only make himself more of a target. He couldn't afford any extra attention.

Eren seemed to read his mind, because he pulled Levi against his body in a brief embrace, whispering in his ear in the language they had once spoken, two thousand years ago. "You can't do this by yourself, Levi. Not only do you not have to, but we won't let you. We can help, so we will. And you will let us."

Levi snorted, not bothering to pull away until the brunet was content to do so. "Since when do you think you have the right to order me around, brat?"

"Since you became the angsty teenager up against the world all by himself," replied Eren and Levi wondered if Eren had meant it as a joke or not. When he leaned back, Eren had an attempt of an amused grin on his face but his eyes didn't have that glint that suggested he was joking. And the words hit far too close to home to be an actual joke, he supposed.

When Eren tried to move away from him, deeming their moment over, Levi surprised him by wrapping his own arms around Eren's waist, making him pause. "Just like I don't need to do this alone, you didn't need to, either," he says in their old language, not looking up to meet his eyes. He had a feeling neither of them would be able to keep their emotions in check if he did.

"It was for the best if I did."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I guess we'll never know," he said as they finally pulled away and took a few steps away from each other. "And that's perfectly fine."

"Which language is that?" Sasha suddenly asked, interrupting them as she appeared at their side, completely ignoring the fact that they had been hugging in the middle of a shoe store for no apparent reason. "It sounds familiar but I can't place it. Also, how many languages do you guys even know?"

Eren shrugged, still keeping close to Levi, but not as close as before. "I speak German, English, Spanish and a bit of Turkish and Chinese. Maybe a bit of French, too, but not enough for an actual conversation, the same with Japanese."

"I mostly speak English and some broken French and Japanese. My Spanish is worth shit." He only spoke any French because his mother had studied the language when she was young and knew many lullabies in French. When Levi got curious at the foreign words, she'd tried teaching him. He could actually hold a conversation in French better than in Japanese, he'd be able to live in France for a longer period of time by himself, but it wasn't as instinctive to him to translate what he hears or reads as it seems to be to Eren for the languages he speaks.

"Wow, you guys really are all European, huh?" Sasha admired and Levi snorted.

"I'm American, actually."

"With a surname like Ackerman?" The food-loving girl asked. She followed after them as Levi went back to browsing and Eren kept following him. "I'd expect you to be Canadian, if anything, but not an American."

Levi just shrugged. Ackerman shouldn't be a common name at all, considering it was the name of a warrior clan from over two thousand years ago. That there were any Ackermans left was probably either Mikasa's doing, since she'd had kids, or Kenny's, who'd probably knocked up any number of women, respectable ladies and ladies of the night both, before and after Uri. Levi had certainly never had any children of his own. Well, none biological. He didn't know if Ackerman abilities were as gone as Titans were and he didn't want to risk any child bearing the unlucky fate of the Ackermans. Besides, he'd never found a partner he would have started a blood family with. Well, not even a life partner. He tended to lose people before they could reach such a stage.

Sasha went back to Gabi after that. Even as he looked over footwear options for himself, Levi could still hear them chattering about heels and sandals and whatnots that they wanted to purchase. Sasha was, apparently, looking for a thank you gift for Mikasa since they wore the same shoe size. Since Falco and Connie - but mostly Falco - were making sure they don't go overboard and behave themselves, Levi focused on the shoe selection. Eren made comments about some choices he saw that he thought Levi might like. They had high quality, for sure, and were subtle but were also flashy considering the brand and the price. People take notice of pricey things and Levi wanted to go unnoticed. He wanted to blend into the background of an everyday crowd, not draw attention. It's why he kept his image simple even when he was still just a 'normal teenager' before he became a fugitive. Besides, life was easier if you didn't concern yourself with fashion beyond what kind of clothing you should wear according to the weather outside. Or that was Levi's opinion, at least. He kept tidy and practical, that's all that mattered.

Eventually, Levi found a pair of military-like black boots that met almost all of his standards. He glared death at Gabi and Sasha who snickered at him because the boots were from the women's section and even harder at Connie, who looked constipated as he did his best not to laugh. He ended up stuffing Eren's mouth with some of the wrapping paper from the boxes when the former Shifter grinned too wide. He didn't care, ultimately. The size was right, they were comfortable and even had a slight heel that was quite hard, very good for kicking. Or possibly stomping someone's guts or skull to smithereens. Levi wasn't picky nor squeamish. Whatever got the job done and kept him and his loved ones safe and the Hallucigenia from falling into anyone's grubby hands.

Sasha, after she and Gabi bought three pairs of shoes each and one for Mikasa which were so impractical Levi doubted the woman would even wear them, of course dragged them to get more food, which is when, of course, everything went to shit.

One moment Sasha was dragging Connie and Gabi by the sleeves with Falco trying to calm the ravenous woman down and the next Levi felt all of his instincts ring alarm bells in his head and he was dragging Eren to the ground just as a van screeched to a halt in front of the restaurant Sasha had chosen. A second later, the doors opened and two goons came out, holding automatic guns and yelling at the civilians on the street. They looked like your average criminals, if not for the quality of the guns Levi could see, or the interior of the van, which looked like it was made for stacking out a place. He didn't hesitate, grabbing a hold of Eren and sprinting down an alleyway. He immediately heard yells behind them and if he wasn't mistaken, that was Russian. He cursed. He actually almost wished it was Erwin again or the monkey's men. He was more used to dealing with them than Russians.

"One day. I only wanted one goddamned day of peace and fucking relaxation," he griped as he and Eren ran, the Shifter now easily matching him with his long strides instead of just being dragged along.

"Did we attract too much attention to ourselves?" Eren asked through huffs of breath, making a sharp turn after him as soon as they reached the end of the alley. Levi could easily make out the thundering footsteps of the agents/soldiers/mobsters chasing after them even over the noise of Tokyo in the middle of a rush hour and that wasn't good, even with his enhanced hearing. It meant they were close on their heels and Levi needed to lose them or else he'd be putting Eren in danger.

"I don't know. They could have been tracking us from the building or they could have recognized my face from a security camera somewhere. It doesn't matter." And it didn't. All that mattered right now is that Levi had no choice but to pull Eren with him into an active street and hope the drivers have fast enough reflexes not to hit them. "Keep up!"

"I fucking knew I should have never left my parkour phase," cursed Eren under his breath as Levi heaved them over a taxi cab. The honking was immediate, drawing the attention of literal everyone on the block, but as their pursuers started following, he could hear a lot more tire screeching and honks blaring as Levi far more gracefully avoided speeding vehicles, using his Ackerman reflexes to keep Eren and himself safe. They did have to jump-and-run over a single car that didn't seem to give a fuck about whether they were planning to move out of the way or not and Levi would have gone after the bastard if he wasn't trying to evade possibly Russian mobsters while playing a real life version of a phone game the likes of Subway Run or whatever it was called. "Watch out!" Eren yelled seconds before a car almost ran over some pedestrian who had thought it would be a good idea to run across the street now of all times, likely because Eren and Levi were already making such a mess in the traffic as it was. There was honking, the car swerved, Levi and Eren had to launch themselves to safety and then there was a deafening crash.

Yelling, screaming, crying, honking and who knows what else was heard on the street by the time Levi pulled Eren after him, crouching low so they would be hidden by the cars which had all finally stopped moving, making it safer to cross the street but also making it easier for their pursuers to go after them.

Eren was the first to start moving this time, dragging Levi towards what seemed to be an entrance to the train systems of Tokyo. "Come on! We can get on some train and get off on some random stop!" Levi followed because Eren was dragging him but also because the plan sounded good. Except-

"You idiot, we can't get to the train levels without a ticket!"

"Then we'll parkour it!"

Levi grit his teeth and followed. They ran down the stairs like maniacs, the locals staring at them in shock as they ran by them in the underground station. Levi overheard an announcement that a train will be arriving within the minute and he knew this will be their only chance. Japanese trains are almost never late, it's not just a rumor. ZoeH had confirmed it to him over the past few years through their messages so he knew they had to be quick and therefore he took lead in their sprint, forcing Eren to struggle to keep up with the Ackerman. The security in the station was already yelling at them in too fast Japanese for Levi to understand anything but the gates were in sight and he looked back at Eren only to see the brunet nod. As one, they leaped over the gates and somehow managed to avoid the security trying to get in their way. Eren suddenly started laughing joyously - or so it would have sounded to an outsider - and Levi realized Eren was trying to play this off as just two punks messing around and not something dangerous. He forced his face to split into a grin he didn't feel - he feared he might sprain a muscle, if he were being honest - as they continued to run. People still yelled after them but he also heard people chuckling or just tsking at them, which meant it had worked.

Well, Eren had always been a rather good manipulator.

When they arrived to the train itself, it was chaotic, the amount of people trying to get out but also to get in. Eren's fucking height came through on this one, as he was a giant compared to an average Japanese person and he had a tight grip on Levi as he shoved through the masses. Levi himself was also stronger than your top ranking Strongman competitor so with these two characteristics combined, they actually managed to get on the train.

Inside, it felt like they were fucking packed tunas, everyone pressing into each other as if personal space was not something supposedly highly cherished in Japan. There was no bubble of intimacy in public transportation anywhere, it seems. Levi had nowhere to hold on to when the train jerked to a start but Eren with his long arms did, so he pulled Levi against him because even if he had amazing balance, you can never be sure when shit might hit the fan. And as if the crowd pressing in on them wasn't bad enough, Levi managed to distinguish that same maybe-Russian from before.

"Mierda!" Eren hissed under his breath, obviously having caught on that at least one or two guys had managed to catch up to them even through all that chaos.

"We need a corner to hide," Levi said as he started tugging off the sweatshirt he'd been wearing, dumping it into the bag and taking back out Annie's. It was white and clung to his frame more, making him somehow seem smaller than he was and that will be necessary for this half-assed disguise he was trying to put together as he searched for somewhere to hide. But it was all so full of people that there's no way they could even move two feet from their current spot without attracting attention as people complained at them. Suddenly, his vision was blocked by the hood and he was drawn even tighter against Eren. "Hey-"

He never got to finish his sentence, as soft, dry lips pressed against his own just as the maybe-Russian exchanges drew far too close. Levi tried to jerk away but Eren tugged him closer and leaned more into Levi's space, forcing the kiss to continue. Levi stared up at him with wide eyes only to find Eren looking back, something in his eyes trying to communicate to Levi to follow his lead. Not sure what the taller was actually doing, Levi still put his trust in him and wrapped his arms around Eren's neck, standing on his toes to make up for the height difference. Eren hummed in pleasure before he suddenly licked at Levi's lips, causing the teen to gasp in unadulterated shock at the sheer audacity of the little shit but Eren took advantage of that and suddenly Levi was introduced to the wonders of a French kiss a la Eren Jaeger.

From the corner of his eye, just barely visible around the hood, Levi saw one of those maybe-mobsters make a face at their 'PDA' before moving on, looking highly uncomfortable. The Ackerman could not believe this actually worked. Still, Eren didn't stop kissing him until they were certain their pursuers had left their cart altogether, which is when Eren, instead of pulling back like he should, deepened the kiss even more, now seeming far more determined to actually do good instead of just looking good doing it. And Levi wasn't ready for it at all. In this life, Levi was a virgin in every sense of the word. He'd not had a single boyfriend or girlfriend or lover and in his past, sex had been ruined for him because of his mother's unfortunate line of work to the point that he'd only tried it out a few times to relieve tension when frustration piled up too much. Which is why he was completely unprepared for the things Eren was doing with his tongue and how that was making him feel and react. The kiss only stopped when the train came to a stop and people started pushing past them to get out.

Levi snapped out of whatever mini trance he'd fallen under and pulled away from Eren to see that the exiting crowd was slowly thinning out and that the crowd waiting to get on was prepared to bulldoze over them if they didn't get out right the fuck now. He ignored the giggling school girls who had been filming them the whole time and grabbed his bag from the floor where he'd dropped it when Eren kissed him before marching out, Eren quick on his heels, clearly not nearly as dazed from that stunt as Levi was, the little shit. He made sure they stayed within the crowd in case their pursuers had gotten off on the same stop as them, keeping his pace brisk but natural-seeming, even if Eren was all but jogging after him at this point.

"Levi, wait! Wait, damn it!" The former Founding Titan huffed out after him even when they exited the train station until he managed to grab a hold of Levi's wrist. Levi whirled around and yanked his wrist free.

"What?"

"Listen, Levi, if I offended you or overstepped-"

"Now's really not the time, Eren," he gritted out, trying his best to keep his blush down. He wasn't sure if he wouldn't erupt like a volcano if they discussed this right now. Or probably ever. Levi was no romantic or a love-struck high school girl, but that had still been his first kiss and he didn't know if he liked it or not. Well, no, that was a lie. He would have enjoyed the kiss more if it hadn't been in the middle of a chase with some - possibly - Russian mobsters and if it hadn't been sprung on him out of fucking nowhere in the middle of a crowded public train while he was sure someone was feeling up his ass at some point.

"Then when will it be time?" Eren demanded, reaching out to grab his hand again but Levi stepped back, out of reach. The man followed with a frustrated glower, stepping into his personal space. "When, Levi? After we dump the Hallucigenia and you run away to hide someplace no one will ever find you?" Levi flinched back, unaware anyone had known he had been preparing a contingency for the event of him still being chased after the Hallucigenia was no longer in his care. "Or maybe in the next life? If we ever get another one?"

"We don't have time for this now, Eren-" But the brunet just wrapped an arm around his shoulders and all but dragged him into yet another alleyway, where he then pinned him against the dirty wall. Levi could have easily wrenched himself free but he honestly found himself frozen under the intensity of those green eyes as they stared down at him.

"Last time, I held back, because I knew I wouldn't be able to go through with it if I confessed and at any moment you came to hate me," Eren said, leaning down to press their forehead together so their breaths would mingle. "And when we reunited in this life, I could tell you had a burden that was practically suffocating you, so I didn't push, especially when I learned about the Hallucigenia. I did my best to help instead. But if you think I'll let you slip through my fingers in this life, after I got to hold you for even just a second, then you're dead wrong, Levi." Eren reached up a hand to hold Levi's head in place, as if Levi had the cognitive capacity to even think about moving away now when Eren was so close. "Wherever you go, I will chase after you. I'll be with you. Don't you remember what I said that day, in the forest? I put all my faith into you and our squad and it might have ended in tragedy, but neither of us ever stopped trusting each other. Or am I wrong?"

He wasn't. Levi, despite everything, had put his trust in Eren until the very last moment, until Levi got so hurt that he knew he couldn't fight further without being a burden on his younger, uninjured comrades. Levi had wanted to get Eren to stop. To just come back home with them. The possibility of Historia turning any of them away, despite being opponents for a short time, were slim to none, especially for Eren, who was seen as a hero of the people. If only Eren had stopped when they had asked. They could have faked his death, it wouldn't be too hard. Levi would have ensured it himself. But the question was whether Ymir would have accepted any fate other than the one she'd planned out to see happen between Eren and Mikasa. Whether she would have taken all the Titan powers with her and let Eldians become as normal as people mentally and spiritually connected by an ancient creature for all eternity could ever be, anyway. The question was whether the amount that had died would have been enough to keep Paradis safe and Eren would never risk it.

He'd always gone all the way in, had never half-assed anything besides maybe his attempts to make his friends hate him. Or his attempts to make Levi hate or mistrust him ... Oh.

Levi can't believe he'd been so blind for so long. Eren had lied to everyone's face in those last few weeks before he left, had lied and deceived everyone in the days leading up to the Rumbling, had taken aside each of his friends and talked to them and then made them forget it, ultimately lying to them again. He'd lied to everyone but Levi. In all the years Levi had known the angry boy from Shiganshina who wanted to kill all the Titans, Eren had never once told him a single lie. Not even when Levi had asked him if he was okay.

And ever since they'd reunited with their former comrades, Eren had stayed glued to his side. Hell, his friends kept teasing him about being 'freedomsexual' and Levi had been confused by it even when he himself had been the one to share with Eren what he thought true freedom was, when he'd been the first person to ever acknowledge Eren's willingness to fight for it with his life, when he used to be aware perfectly clearly that Eren associated him with the Wings Of Freedom the Scouts wore on their cloaks. Hadn't the moniker Humanity's Last Hope been constructed so it would match Levi's as Humanity's Strongest Soldier? Erwin sure had enforced it that way, making it stick in everyone's minds so that Eren, like Levi, would become a symbol for the Survey Corps, the Hope to Levi's Strength, to show civilians and potential recruits alike that the Scouts were what humanity needs to defeat the Titans and live freely again.

Damn, hadn't Eren even once said that he'd associated the Wings to Levi since Levi had joined the Scouts, just a year before Shiganshina fell? Eren had likely been among the kids who'd seen Levi leave for his first expedition as nothing but some rugrat from the Underground only to return as the new record holder for single Titan kills. And knowing what they did now about the Attack Titan's abilities ... It's likely such a moment was engraved in Eren's mind, since he was always so adamant about becoming a Scout.

Had Levi really been blind for so long? Would it have changed things if he had just taken the time to speak to Eren? No, most probably not. The Rumbling was inevitable. But Eren's death? Could that have been prevented?

Would the world have been better for it?

Ultimately, does it affect this life?

No, not the way one might think, at least. Because, as Eren pointed out, they still trusted each other. And once the Hallucigenia was safely 'escorted' to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, Levi has a chance to start his life over again, in this new world. He would have no reason to hesitate to create lasting relationships. And he knew how Eren was; he rather doubted the brat would leave him alone and Levi was already so tired of running. He wanted to just go home. (Funny how, when he thought of home, the first thing that came to mind was none other than a small apartment in Barcelona, a soft bed in a small, tidy room that did not even belong to him.)

"... I never stopped trusting you," he finally answered and he knew he wasn't imagining the immeasurable relief he saw flash through Eren's eyes. He almost smiled at that. The brat had actually been worried. "And I don't want to run away from you, or anyone else, after this is done, Eren. But the possibility of me still being pursued is very high and I don't want to drag anyone down with me. You have a bright future ahead of you; surely you don't want to spend your whole life as a fugitive?"

Eren shrugged. "I'm familiar with it. And I think I might grow crazy if my life was just rinse and repeat, day in and day out."

Worst part was, Levi was sure Eren wasn't just saying that, just so Levi would accept it. The brat was bound to become stir crazy sooner rather than later. In fact, even now, in the middle of this whole mess, despite his complaining about the Hallucigenia or the occasional person they run into, Eren was the one who appeared to have the least problems with the fact that all of this was happening, that his life after this will never be the same. The brunet was either an adrenaline junky or he was simply too used to the life they'd once led.

Levi suspected it was the former, which was not unlike himself. Even beyond his own tough life as a thug in the Underground and later on as a Scout were his Ackerman genes, the experience of every Ackerman before him accumulating in his blood, his brain, his muscles, his senses. He was born and bred for action and it seems that the Attack Titan was no different.

Perhaps the reason he clicked so easily with Eren was that they were not all that dissimilar, on even the most basic of levels in a way no one else was. It's why it was so easy to understand each other, to trust each other. In a way, they were both monsters. Eren just used to have a physical way of showing it.

"Then I guess, if it comes to it, we'll have to make proper plans for it later." Eren lit up at that. "For now, though," he continued, blocking Eren's attempt to go for a kiss with a raised palm, forcing his ears to focus on rapidly approaching footsteps. He grabbed Eren's hand and started tugging. "We need to take those two shitheads out before we meet up with Gabi, Falco, Sasha and Connie."

Eren nodded and together, they ran for the nearest ally. "I thought we ditched them on the train."

"Guess they saw through your disguise after all," Levi said with a snort. "Really, letting your hair down as a disguise only works on TV."

"I changed clothes, too, you know," countered Eren as they burst through onto another street. Levi immediately went left and the Shifter followed until Levi made a turn into yet another alley, even smaller than the one from before. He took off his backpack and thrust it into Eren's hands. The taller male gave the bag a look and arched an eyebrow at him. "You know, this might be what actually gave us away."

"Don't care. Just hide behind those trash cans over there and don't come out until I'm done with those shitstains." Eren opened his mouth to either protest or offer his help, but Levi glared him into silence. "I could take on an entire squad of people trained by Kenny personally with the goal of being able to fight me. Two mobster shits who've never seen the business end of an Ackerman's blade will hardly be a problem, Eren."

"Fine," he relented. "But the second I think you need help, I'm jumping in."

"Don't be ridiculous," scoffed the Ackerman. "Just keep the Hallucigenia safe and you can play hero when we go to deposit it into the Mariana Trench."

"Wait, I'm diving with you?" Asked Eren excitedly but Levi shushed him when he heard the telltale sound of footsteps approaching their little alley.

"Just keep an eye on that end," he instructed, pointing towards the deeper part of the alley, where there was a sharp curve that led around the building. It has to be some sort of shop or restaurant, though he would be extremely suspicious if there was an entrance that hidden from the public eye. "And stay fucking quiet."

Eren actually saluted before he hid behind the boxes and Levi shook his head before he turned towards the mouth of the ally just as their two pursuers arrived. They immediately pointed their guns at him, shouting at him. "Поднимите руки вверх!"

"я не говорю по русски," Levi replied, in broken Russian. He knew how to say that phrase in ten languages, since he knew he might come to a situation such as this one day, from the moment he'd taken the Hallucigenia in as a 'pet'. He'd rather people speak to him in a language he did understand even if he wasn't going to listen to their demands or orders, as he was guessing was the case right now.

"Put your hands in the air," said the second guy in heavily accented English. "No funny business, stupid American."

"Oh, thank you," he said, letting only a hint of sarcasm color his tone before he lunged towards the, now confirmed, Russians - though they might be from Belorussia or even Ukraine or any of the other former Soviet countries, but Levi had a suspicion they were with the KGB or some version of it, like the FSB but whatever; also, there's still the possibility of them being mobsters, as nothing has yet ruled that option out, either - at a speed and in a manner that clearly startled the men as they probably hadn't expected their target to jump towards the guns. But Levi was different than anyone else these agents or mobsters had ever had to chase down. His speed and reflexes is what allowed him to reach the men first and wrench their guns upwards when they got their senses back enough to try and shoot. The twin shots rang out startlingly loud and Levi heard screams from outside of the ally. No doubt police units will be on them in minutes.

He wrung both of the men's wrists hard enough to force them to drop their guns, which he kicked out of the way, before he had to dodge out of the way when one tried kneeing him at the same time the other attempted a punch. He let go of their hands and watched as they fell into matching fighting stances. Observing them, Levi came to the conclusion these two weren't normal grunts. It wasn't by accident they had gone together and it probably wasn't an accident they had managed to find him and Eren when they'd left the train station, either. Their stances were complimentary. One obviously specialized in kicks and legwork while the other stood more like a boxer, stance top-heavy and arms raised to protect his upper body. What's more, there was a startling similarity between these two that made Levi believe they might be twins.

He crossed out the possibility these two were mobsters, instead putting them in the secret services category. Mobs, mafia and other such criminal organizations may have the funds to do crazy shit but only some big corporation or a country can invest enough time and money to raise twin fighters who will compliment each other's style. Considering these two looked to be maybe a year or two older than Eren, they must be rather skilled. And considering they might be part of a secret service, that means that the attack on the street not even half an hour ago was planned. Hopefully, that meant there are no casualties.

Still, as skilled as they were, no ordinary human could ever stand in the ring with Levi as equals. Even fighting multiple opponents was easy. He was an Ackerman, born and bred to be a fighting machine, a weapon, even without all the time he'd spent as a soldier in his last life. The only person on Earth at this moment who could hold their own against him in a fight would be Kenny, but Levi outclassed him quite a bit since the Hallucigenia reawakened his Ackerman genes. Kenny may be an Ackerman, too, but he was still an ordinary human, as ordinary as any Eldian can get.

He blocked a punch aimed at his chin while at the same time docking the kick to the head. The twins tried getting on either side of him and splitting his attention in two opposite directions but Levi didn't let them go through with what was probably their deadliest strategy. He dropped to the ground and kicked his leg out, managing to knock one twin over while the other deftly jumped over his sweeping leg. Levi did a full spin and whirled to his feet again in the same move, throwing a punch out and catching the kickboxing twin in the sternum. He almost felt sympathy for him when he heard the telltale sound of shattering bones and cracking ribs. Winded, that twin fell to the ground and tried to get some breath in his lungs but Levi wasn't finished yet. He can't risk leaving him conscious, so he didn't hesitate to show him his own kick, instantly knocking him out. Levi didn't even blame him for going out so easily. Only Eren had ever been able to withstand one of his kicks and even he took considerable damage.

He turned back to the remaining twin, who had gotten back up on his feet and was eyeing Levi warily, clearly understanding he and his brother had underestimated Levi. It was too late to back out now, though. He understood that and faced Levi with determination but caution, aware of just how easily Levi had taken down his brother. Their confidence suggests they were some of the best their organization might have, as they were clearly not used to someone taking them on both at the same time and coming out on top. Levi guessed it's never too late to learn that there will always be someone better, it was only a matter of time.

The second twin finally sprang an attack but Levi was ready for him, dodging most of his attempts at landing a blow and blocking some that would put him into a vulnerable position if he dodged. At some point, the twin tried reaching for a knife during a whirl but Levi was faster, stripping him of the weapon and accidentally throwing it hard enough to embed the blade into the wall. The Russian stared at it in something akin to fear and that was all the distraction Levi needed to end the fight, knocking the remaining twin out with a solid punch to his jaw. He crashed to the ground just as police sirens filled the air and Eren got out of his hiding spot so they can run away from the scene, heading deeper into the alley so they didn't get associated with the two unconscious men and their guns. Levi made sure to take the knife with him, since it might have his fingerprints on it.

Thankfully, the alley wasn't actually a dead end nor did it have any suspicious doors, nor windows, for that matter, so no one from inside could have spotted them. Levi took note that there was also a lack of security cameras, which he was thankful for.

That didn't, however, make the feeling of being watched abate. But he didn't look up, not wanting to alert the figure on the roof that he was onto them.

If they followed, Levi would have no choice but to deal with them.

Three blocks down, he knew for a fact that they hadn't.

And that worried him even more.

Chapter Text

When they got back to Misaki's penthouse, they found that Sasha, Connie, Gabi and Falco were mostly alright and hadn't been attacked by the Russians playing mobsters at all. Connie and Falco had some minor gashes and bruises from where they had hit the ground or covered their female companions when the glass from windows came crashing down after bullets shattered them and the two brunettes were only slightly sore, but everyone was overall alright.

Mikasa also seemed to finally relax when she noted that neither Eren nor Levi sported any injuries except a shallow cut on Eren's knee and a rip in Levi's new hoodie. She narrowed her eyes when she noted that it looked like the result of a knife fight but Levi shook his head at her so she dropped it. There was no need to worry the others when his skin wasn't even grazed by the blade he'd thrown into a passing garbage truck while they were making their way back. It was of startlingly good quality so he couldn't be sure if a KGB (or now FSB) agent would put trackers in such a good weapon, therefore he'd ditched it. Better safe than sorry and all.

Zeke and Isabel were keeping an eye and an ear out for the incident that had transpired on the streets today and it seems that the cover was what the public bought: just some sort of criminal group trying to get some money or fame. Levi cared little for what the public was being fed, though, and instead eavesdropped on the conversations the two CIA agents were having with their fellows over the phone. Mikasa had already been kind enough to reassure him that Misaki wasn't behind it and that he was still keeping his mouth shut regarding the Ackerman and his unconventional, unorthodox pet. The Hallucigenia remaining a secret was ultimately Levi's biggest concern and that actually made him relax a little. But only a tiniest bit.

That had been too close, way too close, especially with the end all but in sight now.. Levi can practically already start counting in hours until they were ready to implement the plan that will secure the Hallucigenia remains out of human hands for good, or at least for a very long time to come. They can't afford to be caught now. Therefore Levi refused to go out until they're ready to go through with their plan and Eren seems to have the same idea. Hange and Zeke actively encouraged this course of action and Armin even advised they stay away from windows if they hear a helicopter outside. It was a bit annoying to be confined to one place after so long living on the open road as he avoided all sorts of pursuers, but he knew it was necessary.

It made it a bit awkward to avoid talking about the elephant in the room with Eren, though, especially as they still shared one room every night. It was clear Eren was also holding back his desire to talk about it, too, and Levi was thankful for that because they can't afford to focus on anything but the shitshow they were currently a part of. Levi had all but promised Eren that, whatever happens, they will talk about this thing between them as soon as the Hallucigenia is safely deep within the Mariana Trench and before then, they had both agreed other things take priority. They were, perhaps unfortunately, far too good at letting non-personal things take priority.

The thing that had Levi the most on edge was the mysterious figure which had observed them in the alley that day but hadn't made a single move to apprehend them. The person had just watched, followed them halfheartedly for a couple of blocks and then gave up. Levi doubted they had lost the figure, because Levi hadn't really been trying just so he could see how the person would react. If the person had kept following them, Levi would have taken a different route and would have dealt with them before Eren could even become aware of their new pursuer. As it was, Levi was far more unsettled by the easy surrender than he would have been by just about any type of attack. If that person had just left them be, it means one of two things: either they were confident they can easily find them again later ... or they already knew where to look. Neither option was ideal and Levi, unfortunately, had a feeling he knew who this opponent would turn out to be.

After all, the only person who could so confidently let him go and believe they'll be able to find him is Kenny himself. Kenny might not have his old memories nor Ackerman abilities, but that didn't make him any less dangerous. After all, the only real difference between Levi now and the Levi before the Hallucigenia had bitten him and returned his powers was the strength, speed and senses. The skill was still there, the body just needed to be retaught through training. Both Kenny and Levi picked up on such things faster than anyone else and even their stamina and muscles were better than any non-Ackerman human's.

If anyone was going to give Levi trouble and have him feeling this uneasy, it was Kenny.

And that just spelled bad news so close to their 'mission'.

But Levi didn't tell anyone besides Mikasa and Hange about that. There was no use to let the others begin panicking over Kenny the Ripper coming to hunt their asses down again. Annie already had some serious issues regarding him - as they had apparently met while the three Warriors had still been in training camp their first few years on Paradis - and the way she'd talked about him had left Reiner paranoid, especially after he'd heard rumors and then even the personal accounts of Levi's squad of brats, how two thousand years ago Levi had been the only human strong enough to defeat Kenny Ackerman and that was probably the case in this day and age, too, especially with a lack of Titans and Titan powers.

Mikasa and Hange took the news with quite the amount of trepidation, remembering all too well just how troublesome Levi's uncle could be. Hange tried to be optimistic - for all their sakes - and suggested Levi might have imagined it was Kenny and not someone else but Mikasa had an impressive frown on her face. She knew, like him, about that one special feeling, a sensation deep in one's bones, that made an Ackerman aware of an equally dangerous opponent: another Ackerman. Seeing them both so serious, Hange had abandoned hoping she was right and had just helped Mikasa adjust their plans to get to the docks. Once they were on a boat, they ought to be safe for at least a couple of hours, but that doesn't mean shit won't happen until they get there.

After two days of intense work and preparations, which included but wasn't limited to a lot of buying and/or renting gear, bribery of the local authorities, messing with foreign and local secret agencies, designing a safe route to travel by, making contingencies in case of Erwin Smith, (secretly) making contingencies in case of Kenny Ackerman, making contingencies in case of Zeke Jaeger - Levi didn't trust the guy as far as Armin could throw him - getting in touch with a ship already doing research near the Mariana Trench so they could just use them and their gear instead of risking taking a big ship out - a fishing boat ought to make things a lot less conspicuous - and making sure everyone knows what role they are to play, how, when and where.

Floch really came through for them - Eren - and Mikasa's ties with such a strong yakuza made things a whole lot easier. Hange was a demon when put behind a screen and a keyboard, Armin was a lot of help when combined with Levi in predicting how Erwin might approach this chase. Eren gave everyone basic diving instructions, just in case any of them might need it, even though it will be only Levi and Eren making the deep dive. Pieck took over most of the work on the really strong homemade remote control that would release the Hallucigenia and Moblit, after he'd somehow finally managed to track Hange down in his worry - which was both impressive and would be quite alarming if Levi didn't suspect Moblit was designed by Ymir Fritz/the Hallucigenia to have an inbuilt Hange-radar - helped in Hange's stead as much as he could; he wasn't so much a scientist this time around but he was still very good at following instructions and Hange was still mostly available to help out when she had the time.

The only ones who left the penthouse were Annie, Reiner and Bertolt, as Levi and Eren were the least seen interacting with them and Reiner and Annie were taught some self defense while Bertolt was just really tall and could see over the crowds on the streets if someone suspicious was around. That and, well, he could calm the two blonds before Annie started bullying Reiner or Reiner said something to piss her off. Reiner and Bertolt also helped Isabel and Zeke to figure out a maneuver that would allow for Farlan to fly them off in a helicopter instead of them risking it by all of them piling up in cars and going by the roads. It was a bit risky but Farlan and his co-pilot knew a guy who works with one of the local news stations who owes them a favor so they would fly over and hover in place over their building while their helicopter takes off and they would then proceed to fly one over the other until they came as close to the docks as a news choper would usually go during a casual traffic and/or weather report shooting. The plane pilots assured them that when two vehicles were over one another in the air, the radar has difficulty identifying and separating them, so the risky maneuver would definitely hide Mikasa's private chopper, too. The move would be risky but Farlan was confident in Bozado's and his co-pilot's skills to match Farlan and his own co-pilot.

Levi and Eren had just exchanged a glance at learning that Olou had become a helicopter pilot and said nothing. Hange was the only other person close enough to the man besides the two of them to recognize his surname. The two former squad mates resolved to find him and check after this whole mess was over, just to be sure it was Olou and not some random person with the same name, or maybe even one of Olou's siblings.

Since the helicopter can take only so many people at a time, Zeke, Eren, Levi, Mikasa, Hange and Armin would all cram into one and Farlan and his buddy would fly them as close to the docs as he can, where they will get out the same way they had the other day, only Moblit had brought along more of Hange's ODM gear so they could all get out at once in a safe manner. Levi, as the one far more secure in his abilities and strength, would take the Jaeger brothers while Hange would take the lighter load.

The rest would either stay at the penthouse or move to aid in other parts of the operation. Reiner and Bertolt, for example, had to go with Marco to calm down Jean's parents and their guests who flew in with them from Spain, considering not only was the wedding pushed back a bit but their son and soon-to-be daughter in law were barely in touch with them. Jean proposed he and Annie keep an eye on Misaki at Mikasa's parent's place and Pieck and Gabi were to make sure Isabel doesn't follow any order she might receive from Zeke or any of their CIA higher-ups that could lead to a betrayal or a devastating fail in the mission. Moblit insisted he go with Connie to meet up with them at the docks and no one protested, as they all knew they'd need Hange's right hand man at some point. Floch would be keeping police patrols away from the fishing boat they had rented and would be taking out but he won't be going with them, thankfully. Sasha had wanted to go with Connie, too, but they had managed to convince her to remain in Mikasa's penthouse and act as a sort of headquarters to help coordinate the various parts of their mission and Gabi was staying to help her and to act as a guard should Misaki or anyone else, for that matter, try something.

With all that planning, Levi just knew something would go to shit. Best laid plans and all.

Still, the first plan, on the day it was all supposed to go down, went without a hitch, which was a blessing. Farlan was a really good pilot, which Levi was very proud of, and he had a talent in recognizing talent in others, as the pilots working with them that day in both helicopters performed perfectly. The commotions Mikasa had arranged for ended up being a 'gang war', as they'd call it in America, on top of some smaller bank robberies, a reported bomb in some middle school, a staged hostage situation in a mall and several car crashes all over Tokyo, including two huge ones that blocked any ground access to the docks that didn't involve at least a forty five minutes detour. On top of that, Hange had hacked into any and all traffic lights, making quite a few intersections so flooded that not even a literal god would be able to fix the whole mess.

Marco and Jean seemed to be perfectly capable of pacifying the families, Isabel was behaving herself, Moblit and Connie were in position, waiting for them along with the captain of their rented fishing boat and Hange and Levi had executed their maneuver perfectly, getting their four passengers down to the ground safely, even though Zeke looked a bit green in the face. Levi had been tempted to drop him, at one point, probably an urge from their last life, but he'd fought against it and so it took them only about ten minutes to get to their boat and cast off onto the open sea.

Their first problem was rather minor, as in that Armin was apparently quite sea sick when on a smaller boat that rocks with every wave. He spent the first hour of their trip bent over the railing, puking his guts out. The second problem was more of an annoyance, quite literally at that, as Hange kept annoying the captain and his scarce crew of where they ought to guide their boat. Levi had to drag her away before the fishermen decided to throw them overboard. Or, well, try to, anyways. But as quick of a study as he was and as necessary that a boat license was for a fully trained diver, neither Levi nor Eren were ready to test out their piloting skills on the open sea, on a boat of that size with no prior experience in a situation quite like this. At least there were no language barriers, as Mikasa and Hange were fluid in Japanese - as expected of two women who'd lived their whole lives in Japan - and Levi knew enough to understand what was going on and hold simple conversations. It was enough to make sure these people didn't double-cross them.

No further minor problems occurred after Armin was given some medicine to help with his sea sickness until they got within reach of the marinology research boat some odd ten to twelve hours later and Hange and Eren hastily contacted them. They tried to weasel out more money but, well, Eren was terrifying and Hange was scary when they want to be to your ordinary person. Levi let them handle it and instead just watched the ship they were approaching warily.

Mikasa joined him, the wind whipping her hair around as she tried to tie it. "It's been easy so far." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, clearly sharing his sentiment. "Too easy."

"Sasha reported no problems on their end?"

"None," replied the woman with a shake of her head. "It's been, and sorry for the pun, smooth sailing so far." Levi actually snorted at the pun but that didn't erase the tension from his frame, nor the way his instincts were ringing alarm bells in his head.

"I have a feeling we're walking into a trap," Zeke said, joining them, looking out at the ship they were fast approaching. "I've checked Zoe's research. It's pretty extensive and some of the things she's been tackling have become extremely popular and of interest in the past few months. It wouldn't be hard to put two and two together, especially for someone of Erwin Smith's intelligence, if what Reiner and Bertolt have been telling me all those years ago was true. And it's rather suspicious that the scientists over there are badgering for more money, considering the funds we've offered them for their research. Any more money than that would be suspicious without a publicly announced donation. It feels like they're trying to stall us."

"Levi-heichou!" Connie called at that moment, running up to them. "Eren says that someone is talking in Chinese to the scientists in the background and giving them some sort of instructions that they are relaying to us. It seems that the ship has been compromised, sir!"

Levi cursed under his breath as he hurried towards the captain's cabin, the others following. Even Armin managed to wobble along, though he was swaying on his feet. When he got into the cabin as quietly as he could, Eren immediately turned to him with a grim expression. "What's going on?"

"The scientists speak all sorts of languages on that ship and usually operate on English, Spanish or German to communicate with each other on a daily basis, so we have an opportunity to find out in detail if we can find a language that one of us can speak but not whoever is giving orders on their side," he explained. "So far, it seems that the scientists are trying to stall us while whoever is with them is trying to urge them to bring us onboard as quickly as possible."

"What, so they don't speak Japanese or something?" Armin asked, clearly not on his A game. Levi was almost tempted to tell him to sit this one out.

"They asked if we understood them in a plethora of different languages," Eren replied with a shake of his head. "Any we knew were not acceptable, probably because whoever is on there with them knows it, too, because they just kept asking in another language. I think they asked in some Hindi language or something at one point but neither of us speaks it-"

"I do," Moblit suddenly cut in, also having followed them to the cabin. "I speak a lot of languages that can be understood by larger numbers of people from different countries even if they don't understand the exact words I'm saying. It's part of my job as security and/or event coordinator."

"Then get to it," Levi said and Moblit just nodded before going up beside Hange, silently asking her to give him the communicator.

"Namaste. Mera naam hai Moblit. Aapakee kya sthiti hai?" The relief was almost audible from the other side when the person replied and they had a short conversation before Moblit turned to them and finally spoke in English again. "Twelve Americans barged onto their ship before dawn. They've injured their onboard security team and commandeered the ship. The boat they used to get out here is hidden on the other side of the ship. They're demanding to know how many of us are onboard and if Levi Ackerman and his 'worm' are also here. They're demanding we hand you over and go back."

Mikasa had Zeke by the collar before Moblit even finished speaking. Zeke was also defending himself and denying responsibility for the twelve onboard in the same breath. Levi frowned, for once not believing Zeke to be the problem nor the enemy. He walked over to his best friend and her assistant and took the communicator. "Oi, you son of a bitch, how dare you leave my mother to fend for herself against that rotten potato you call a boss just to go on a fucking goose chase?"

After a moment of stunned silence on both ends, there came a crackle from the other side before a familiar voice reached his ears. It started with the annoying laugh but Levi actually relaxed when he realized Kenny didn't sound like back when he'd been out to kill and/or maim Levi two thousand years ago, the last time he'd worked for the Reiss. "You really caught on fast, huh, you damn runt?" Kenny said by way of greeting. "What gave me away?"

"Well, the fact that the only other American who could have staged this shit isn't involved, the fact that only twelve people were needed to do it, the fact that you were playing Peeping Tom the other day and the fact that you made the scientists and crew on that ship feel the need to protect us from you, meaning you're not an official organization. That and everyone else demands for my pet by its specie's name, except you, who still sees it as a worm."

"It is a worm," insisted Kenny and Levi rolled his eyes.

"I mean yes, but not really," Armin began but Eren was kind enough to put a hand over his mouth before he gets started. At least it seems he was a bit better now. Might have been the adrenaline rush clearing his head. He should be better once they were on the bigger, far more stable ship.

"Back to the real shit," Levi said with a roll of his eyes. "Are you going to blow our brains out when we get on the ship or can we just get on already? I have a sea sick person on board and if I see him puke one more time, I'm throwing him overboard."

The captain, who was just standing by and eyeing Armin judgmentally, seems to agree.

"I promise I won't blow your brains out," replied Kenny and Levi narrowed his eyes.

"Nor will you point your guns at us in a threatening and/or deadly manner. Or are you still Rod's lap dog?"

The growl Kenny released from the other side definitely sounded like a feral mutt but Levi didn't say anything about it. This time. "If you must know, I'm actually here on behalf of your Goldilocks cousin."

"... Historia?" The younger Ackerman asked, both skeptical and surprised.

"Yeah. She's a real feisty one, that girl. Managed to swipe my contract from under good ol' Roddy's nose right nice and easy." Kenny released a cackle that had Moblit, the captain and his crew looking uneasy. Mikasa and Eren just narrowed their eyes, Hange looked bored and Zeke seemed intrigued by the difference in personality between uncle and nephew who've been living together until two years ago. "Uri sued him!" He crowed in pride and Levi felt his lips twitch up into a vicious, victorious, bloodthirsty grin. Perhaps spending some time around the Ackermans had taught Uri how to be lethally efficient and mercilessly righteous. Good. Uri was too nice and kind to be taken advantage of by the world and his dick of an older brother. "So, yeah, I'm here on behalf of the good side of the Reiss, not the dick side. So no, I'm not here to forcefully get you back home or nothin', since your mom would kill me, nor am I here to capture the Jaeger brat. I'm just here to keep you safe until Uri and Historia get Rod fuckin' arrested for his shady dealings."

Levi wanted to ask if Kenny would be implicated in said shady dealings and have to serve out a sentence for his own crimes done in Rod's name, but another part of what his uncle said had old instincts and priorities from two millennia ago stirring. "Wait, what do you mean 'capture the Jaeger brat'?" He demanded and all but felt the shift in the atmosphere around him. "Kenny, what the fuck is going on?"

There's a moment of silence before Kenny spoke again. "Just get your asses onto the ship already, shrimp. Then we'll talk. I can promise that me and mine aren't a danger to you and yours. If we were, we would have already fought in that alley two days ago."

The line went silent after that before a scientist answered again and told them they were allowed to approach. The captain took back the wheel and just guided their boat closer, no one saying the world as they said that little bit of distance between them and the bigger ship. Kenny was waiting at them on the starboard side and was the one to throw them down two rope ladders to climb aboard. Levi and Mikasa went up first, since they were arguably still the best fighters in their group, and only after seeing that none of Kenny's men - most of whom turned out to be from his once upon a time the Interior Military Police's own Anti-Personnel Control Squad, AKA Kenny Squad, including the ever-loyal blond woman, Caven if he remembers correctly - were armed or looked ready to rush them did they invite the rest of them onboard. The fishing boat accepted the rest of the payment Zeke and Mikasa owed them and went on their merry way, leaving the 'crazy foreigners' to deal with their shit without endangering them. Smart men.

Levi was honestly surprised Eren didn't tear Kenny apart when the tall man swooped in and hugged the shit out of Levi. Their relationship this time around was significantly different from two thousand years ago, in that Kenny wasn't as reserved to show Levi he fucking gave a shit about him. Levi hugged his uncle back and tried not to feel bad about worrying his family for so long. If Kenny was like this, he didn't want to imagine what his mother might be like when they eventually, hopefully, reunite.

"What's this?" Kenny said as he pulled back, analyzing Levi from head to toe. "You haven't grown an inch!"

Levi responded by punching him in the dick, making him double over and howl in pain. The casual violence towards such a dangerous man seems to have finally had given the scientists some peace of mind that they weren't going to get killed for being involved in this shit like this. Levi ignored his writhing uncle and instead turned to Caven, who was effectively Kenny's right hand woman. "Can you tell me why Kenny said anything about capturing Jaeger?" He asked in his best resting bitch face, deadpan expression and the woman very well nearly matched him as she responded.

"Since Dina Jaeger nee Fritz has agreed to side with Rod Reiss during their little battle of ownership over the company and family riches, her husband asked a favor that his illegitimate son and the son's mother be tracked down."

"What!?" Thundered Eren, marching up to Caven threateningly and looking ready to start another Rumbling if he just had the power to do so. Levi snatched the backpack holding the Hallucigenia from him before he could get any ideas. Better safe than sorry and all. Besides, he wanted some alone time with his pet before he sets the creature free once and for all and (hopefully) never sees it again, for everyone's safety.

"Not to worry," Caven reassured dispassionately. "Ms and Mr Reiss would have none of it. As soon as the boss' contract was within their grasp, they had use locate Mrs Jaeger-"

"Actually, my mom's maiden name is Yiğiter," Eren interrupted and Levi turned to look at him incredulously. Not once in the nearly two months since they've reunited had Eren told him his mother's surname, nor the fact that he also might as well have it. But he had to admit that Eren Jaeger definitely suits him better than Eren Yiğiter. But Eren did say his mother was of Turkish origins ... And with the fact their marriage was a scam by Grisha ... No wonder Carla wouldn't want to be Jaeger. Now Levi couldn't help but wonder how she felt about Eren taking his father's last name.

"Right, my apologies. Nevertheless, the point is that she is safe. We had to escort her to Mr Reiss' home last week, but she is perfectly healthy and safe. Mrs Reiss good care of the security-"

"Mrs Reiss?!" Levi couldn't help but interrupt this time, because he rather doubted Rod's wife gave a damn about anyone but herself and Uri was as gay as can be, being married to Levi's uncle no less, so that could only mean-"

"Yeah, little Historia got married." Levi's jaw dropped when Kenny said that. "Gotta be honest, the freckled chick's definitely good for her. Swear those two have been datin' for two weeks before they decided to tie the knot. One more reason to piss Rod off, I guess, especially since Ymir takes shit from no one."

Eren suddenly started laughing, Connie and Armin gave a little cheer and even Mikasa smiled. If Levi remembered correctly, Ymir the freckled one was very nearly Historia's lover last time but, for some reason, sacrificed herself so Reiner and his lot wouldn't return empty-handed to Marley. And not just empty-handed, but with one Shifter less than when they had set out to Paradis. A pointless sacrifice, really. Ymir would have done them all far more good if she had stayed with them and protected Historia herself from everything she perceived as a threat and danger to her. The Battle of Shiganshina would have definitely been completely different if they had had one more Titan Shifter. Reiner would have been dealt with far more easily for starters. Not to mention all the information she could have given them. Even outdated information on Marley could have changed things significantly. They would have at least known early on that they had an enemy beyond their Walls of the human nature, not just Titans.

"So Eren's mother is safe, you're technically on our side and this ship isn't compromised?" Hange asked, making everyone focus back on the important things, Namely the time constraint they were all subjected to.

"If these people are your allies, then yes, that is the case," a voice said and they all turned to it, finding a relatively tall, pale, black haired, serious-faced woman. Something about her was familiar. Levi just wasn't sure what. She had a heavy German accent and she was definitely not the voice speaking to them over the radio.

Eren went stiff beside him again, all humor from before rapidly leaving his body. Clearly, he knew this woman.

"Hange Zoe," their resident scientist introduced herself with a smile, which the woman returned stiffly as they shook hands.

"Lara Tybur, the leader of the German expedition in these waters."

Ah. Now he understands why she was so familiar. The WarHammer Titan, the one Eren had eaten back in Marley. It was probably about time she showed up somewhere near them, he guessed. Now was probably not the most opportune moment, though.

Levi looked up when Eren moved closer to him, standing almost protectively behind him, glare edging on threatening. When he met Levi's gaze, he shook his head. "I don't trust her," he said quietly as Hange and even Armin talked the woman's ears off. Now that he looked at them better, though, Levi knew both of their best friends were as on edge and suspicious of this development as Eren was. Well, Levi was, too, but he was suspicious of everything. Paranoia had been his best friend for the last few years so he wasn't sure if his distrust towards something and/or someone was valid at this point. And since Mikasa was looking ready to fight and even Zeke seemed uneasy at the presence of his once ally ...

Hell, Moblit, who had no memories nor had he ever met Lara Tybur in their last life, didn't seem to trust the woman.

"Something fishy is going on here," Zeke said and both Levi and Eren shot him a deadpan look at the (unintentional?) pun. "Oh, come on! I know the situation is dire but that was a good one!"

"I'm throwing you overboard with an anchor tied around your neck."

"I'll attach the anchor if you'll throw it overboard," Eren offered.

"I knew I trained you well."

"He's not a dog," Zeke desperately pointed out as both Levi and Eren turned towards him.

"No, but he was my subordinate and he took orders from me long enough for it to be ingrained to bark like a dog if I say so, so he might as well be."

To prove his point, Eren let out a very deadpan, very sarcastic "Woof".

Connie, who was watching the drama, sniggered.

"You don't trust that broad, either, huh?" Kenny suddenly asked, inserting himself into the conversation after he'd recovered from the punch in the family jewels for insulting Levi's height problem. "Me neither," he said, discretely throwing a suspicious glance in Tybur's direction. "She and her German pals arrived only this week, whereas everyone else has been here for two months or more. Something fishy is going on around here."

Levi and Eren both groaned at yet another pun while Zeke crowed in victory that someone had the same shitty humor as him and Connie looked like he was about to die from laughter.

"So you're saying that the German expedition might be made up of spies?" Levi asked, trying to ignore the cringiness going on around him.

"I don't have proof to say yes, but I also don't have proof to say no," replied Kenny and Zeke seemed to refocus at that.

"I'll have Isabel look into it, though I do feel I ought to tell you that Willy Tybur is one of the top ranking officers within the BND, even if Lara Tybur was never mentioned."

"BND?" Levi asked even as the CIA agent walked away to make a phone call.

"Bundesnachrichtendienst," answered Eren. "Or, to roughly translate it in English, federal intelligence service, practically the German CIA, if you will. Or maybe FBI? Doesn't matter," he waved himself off. "It's an intelligence agency working for the German government."

"Shouldn't you know this?" Connie asked, finally officially joining them in the conversation. "I mean, you have been chased by all these organizations in the past two years, right?"

"I also killed Titans in the two hundred count and do you think I could describe each Titan to you now? Do you think I ever figured out why some were Abnormals?"

"Okay, fair point," Connie admitted. "So, what, these guys might be a step closer to finding us than anyone else?"

"It's a possibility," Levi answered before grabbing Eren by the hand and dragging him off. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Connie, who'd followed after them, asked as Levi led them towards the cabins of the ship. Thankfully, everything on the ship seems to have been labeled in English and it didn't take Levi long to find the room containing gear. "Wait, you're not going to dive without supervision, are you?"

"That was always how we were going to dive, Connie," answered Eren. "We can't let them see us release the Hallucigenia, after all. These people aren't even aware that it's on their ship. Don't you think a lot more commotion would be going on if they did?"

"You're diving?" Kenny asked, also having followed after them. "Didn't know you knew how to dive, Levi."

"And yet you used to throw me overboard on Uri's yachts whenever you felt like it."

"I knew you could swim," countered his uncle and Levi just rolled his eyes at him. "That aside, is it even safe to dive out here? I mean, the currents ought to be extra shitty out here and isn't the Trench, like, beyond what humans can dive into by a couple dozen meters?"

"Try a couple of thousand," corrected Eren even as he got to inspecting the diving gear they had available. "The deepest dive in human history done by a human is 332 m, a record set by Ahmed Gabr a few years ago, if I remember correctly. The deepest submarine dive was 10 927m if I'm not mistaken, but the pressure could kill you a lot sooner. I mean, theoretically, a human can dive about 35 km deep before the water pressure destroys the bones, but humans are made up of more than bones and the lungs would be the first to explode way before that point, even with proper technique and proper equipment." He turned to more bulky looking diving suits. "In these babies, humans can safely dive down to about 700 m. Atmospheric suits are rather good for exploratory diving like these scientists would be doing. But the Mariana Trench is, as far as we know, mind you, 10 849 m below the surface of the ocean, give or take about 25 m at the deepest point known as Challenger Deep. However, there are speculations that the instruments that were used to measure the depth have miscalculated due to the pressure of the water down there and that the true depth is somewhere around 11 034 m instead. And while, hypothetically, a human should be able to survive that, no safe dive has ever been done beyond the current world record, let alone at the bottom of Challenger Deep." Eren turned to look at Levi, who was a bit flabbergasted by the amount of information Eren had on this matter, even if he knew what the brunet was studying. Connie has his jaw on the floor at this point. "I suspect someone like you would be able to reach the outlinings of the Trench, which is about 3000 m, in one of these suits, but that's still very dangerous and I wouldn't recommend it. In fact, I wouldn't recommend going beyond the 1000 m drop because if something on the suit malfunctions for even a second, you could die a very painful death."

"I guess we'll have to check with Hange and Moblit the range of their homemade remote," Levi mused with a frown. He knew Eren was right to be so cautious. With all the facts he'd just given them, even with the amount of pressure those suits could potentially take, it was still risky to go beyond any limits or even try to reach the ones set by the suit testing so far, Ackerman prowess or not. A Titan Shifter, though, would have probably been the safest to try something like this. In case of emergency, they could just transform and their bigger bodies could take the pressure more easily, especially since the human body inside the name is fully protected by bone, flesh and muscles and they had regenerative abilities that would fix any damage the pressure might have caused. Not to mention that they were stupidly hard to kill, all things considered. Fuck, this had to be the first time since he was reborn that Levi missed Titans and their bullshit.

"Why not take one of the submarines?" Asked Kenny, as he was not as in the know and that made the most sense to him.

"Those have cameras whose signals are directly connected to the observation decks of the ship," replied Eren. "What we're trying to do is a bit more secret than we'd like the rest of the world to know."

"Right. Your pet worm is worth quite the penny these days, isn't it? Had I known, I would have rented that thing at the local zoo and we could have been filthy rich!"

Levi responded by punching Kenny in the dick again, just as Caven walked into the room, paused to watch Kenny wither on the floor, before turning to Levi. "We have a problem."

Eren already looked so done with this shit and Levi couldn't agree more.

"Of course we fucking do."

Chapter Text

When Levi, Eren, Connie, Kenny and Caven met up with the rest of their group, Moblit was just finishing up tying up Lara Tybur while Mikasa and Hange were checking ten others over for weaponry and communication devices while Kenny's subordinates were divided in protecting the perimeter and seemingly chasing other impostors throughout the ship. There were two injured scientists lying on the floor and another one propped up against the metal wall of one of the cabins and she was being checked over by Armin as we speak as she was the only conscious one and seemed to be bleeding the most, thus taking priority.

Eren moved to check on the other two while Kenny started barking orders at his men with Caven sticking close to Levi as protection. Levi looked over to Connie and nodded at him. "Go find where the hell the monkey wandered off to and make sure he's fucking alive."

"No need," Zeke himself said as he emerged from around a corner, dragging yet another of the spies with him, a gun pointed at the woman's face. Levi didn't recognize her, which was a great relief as he'd rather not fight someone from his past. "Seems we were right to suspect Lara Tybur. She and her team tried to capture us but they weren't expecting us to know how to fight."

Levi could only guess how surprised they were when Hange and Mikasa became vicious. He almost felt bad for them. Almost. "Did they manage to get any information about us out?"

"Unfortunately, yes," the blond Jaeger replied with a grimace as he pushed his prisoner to the ground and started patting her over for weapons in a practiced, efficient way. He found a taser, a sleeping dart, two guns and a walky talky. Zeke and Levi met eyes with grim faces as they realized what that meant - these guys' reinforcement wasn't that far away. "I suspect we have an hour at most before we're overrun by Germans. And that's not all."

"It gets worse?" Connie asked as he moved to help Zeke tie the woman up.

"Yes. Isabel told me that the Brits were onto us, too. According to her, they might be just behind the Germans in arriving here."

"We need to get the Hallucigenia down to the Trench now," said Eren as he joined them, apparently having deemed the civilian scientists in relatively good condition. He knelt down before the freckled, petite brunette scientist beside Armin and waved his friend off a bit to check on her wound himself. When Levi took a look, he could immediately tell that the wound was a deep knife wound but that nothing critical has been struck since the wound seemed to be a clean abdominal one. "You'll need some stitches, Miss," Eren told the woman and she gave a weak smile.

"Do your worst, doc. And please call me Ilse. I'm just your regular news reporter."

"I'd hardly say your columns are ordinary, Ms Langnar," countered Zeke in good humor while Levi stared at the woman. The name is one he recognized. Hange and he had found her body when they had discovered that weird Talking Titan. Hange had known her. Seems she had a knack for writing and an intense curiosity this time around, too, and just as bad luck, though the wound wasn't fatal.

"I would recommend a trained expert to do this instead of me," continued Eren, completely ignoring the little exchange Ilse and Zeke were having over his head. "While I know how to do it, an actual doctor or nurse would be better."

"Yeah? Well you're looking at 'em," she said with a nod of her head towards the two Eren had checked over before joining them. Eren grimaced. "So you're my best shot, doc."

"Where's your med bay?" Levi asked as he moved over to the unconscious doctors and hoisted them both over his shoulders in a fireman's carry when he noticed their worst injuries were on the head and what looked like a swollen wrist. Seems like Langnar put up the most fight, which had resulted in her being stabbed.

"Do you really have the time to be dealing with us?" Ilse asked even as Eren easily hoisted her up, careful of her wound but swift with the same old precision and certainty of a soldier who had done it a thousand times before during drills and even on the battlefield. Levi wondered if Eren had gone to some courses to let his body relearn what his mind already remembered clearly. He'd have to, because no matter how ready the mind is, reflexes are a bodily response.

"Lives over bullshit, Ms Langnar," Levi replied as Eren began to lead the way with Ilse's instructions.

"Ilse. I feel old when being called Ms anything," chuckled the woman even as she grimaced in pain. Eren instructed her to keep still but not to stop talking. After all, she could go into shock if she falls unconscious now, what with all the blood loss.

"So, who was it that reached out to us and tried to warn us about these guys?" Levi asked with a jerk of his head in Caven's direction, who was acting as his backup even as Armin followed after them while Connie had run over to inform the others where Levi and Eren had disappeared off to and to inform them of the threat with Zeke already staking out the place as a professional with Kenny and his grunts.

"Dr Brzenska and Dr Zacharius," Ilse replied, almost making Eren and Levi pause at the names. Well, mostly the last one, because they have just seen Mike the other day, practically, and he had very much not been a doctor nor had he been out in the middle of the ocean studying a weird dip in the ocean floor that just so happened to be the lowest point on Earth. "They worked together to get the message across over the radio, though I'm sure they're pissed that we didn't see through the German fuckers who'd just arrived all but unannounced."

"I'm taking it that Dr Zacharius' name isn't Mike, yes?"

"Oh, no, it's Nanaba!" Well, it seems that ol' romance was rekindled quite well. Levi would almost be offended for not being invited to the wedding, even if he knew these versions of his friends didn't even remember him or know he exists. And wow, there's a depressing train of thought he ought to ignore. Fighting Erwin on top of fighting Willy Tybur is going to be enough of a pain in the ass already. "But I'm guessing you know her husband Mike, then? Did he recommend this place to you? What are you guys even here for?"

"Just some research," Armin replied, speaking up for the first time in a while. "Eren and I are studying marinology, though I'm more plaemarinology oriented while Eren wants to work with living animals of this day and time. According to some of our sources that we are using for research, most of the living things that inhabit the Mariana Trench and especially Challenger Deep have not changed for hundreds, if not thousands of years. I wanted to see how closely they resemble ancient, supposedly extinct species and Eren wanted to observe unique oceanic lifeforms you can't see in an aquarium. We had some connections and Dr Zoe is also incredibly interested in the ocean floor, especially the Trench, so we decided to take this trip together since we have so many similar interests."

Ilse observed Armin for a long while before looking at Levi. "You're the kid rumored to have that ancient supposedly extinct worm thingy, aren't you?" She hissed when Eren suddenly stopped moving and his grip on her became a bit too tight. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, nor will I write anything about you or where you dumped the thing."

"How did you know?" Caven asked dangerously behind Levi and Levi didn't stop her from intimidating the civilian because he would rather like to know, too.

"I'm an investigative reporter. I did some digging until my superiors were notified that I'm sticking my nose where it's not supposed to be and he sent me as punishment out here, where supposedly nothing interesting happens. Seems like the fucker did me a favor," she said with a sharp smile and Levi decided he might like this woman.

"I'd actually prefer it if you did write about me," he told her, much to the surprise of everyone. Eren even turned around to give him an incredulous look. "I'll give you an exclusive interview, if you can make the story out to help me go back home."

"You're already a victim, even my limited information can tell me that much, so I won't have to 'make out' my stories to be in your favor, as they already are," the freckled woman replied and Levi felt some relief wash over him. Whatever happened, he could always disappear, even if he were somehow arrested and thrown into jail or police custody. But to have the public be made aware of the shit he'd been through, well, that ensured that he could safely go home, maybe take some night classes to finish his education and maybe even go to college if he wants to without having to fear that someone might try to disrupt his life again. Hell, if he sued, he might even get a lot of compensation for all the shit various governments have put him through, even if it will drag out for years and put him in the public eye. But if the populace is on his side, international courts will be, too, especially as he was a minor who'd been illegally persecuted for years. It would get a lot of bigwigs into a shitload of trouble and everyone would focus on that and hopefully not the ancient animal Levi had been 'unknowingly' and 'innocently' keeping as a pet all these years, as if he didn't fucking know what it is.

When they arrive to the medical bay, Ilse is started to slur her words a little, focus fading in and out and consciousness threatening to follow as she throws out suggestions for her hypothetical front page titles that would lure people in to read her text about Levi as Eren puts her down and starts working on accessing the wound. Levi moves to help but Armin waves him off and tells him to see what the others were doing to both secure the other impostors and about the approaching backup and the other troublesome agencies. Sharing a look with Eren that conveys neither of them will take long, Levi runs out of the room with Caven hot on his heels.

He runs into Mikasa first and she has a rather grim expression on her face. "The fishing boat captain just called me to tell me a huge number of vessels sped past him not ten minutes ago."

"Shit."

"He identified at least three different flags on all those ships."

"Double shit!" One was no doubt from one of the surrounding countries, maybe even from Japan itself. The other two were most likely MI6 or CIA and BND. And 'at least three' doesn't mean only three. There could be a whole lot more. "We need to get this show on the road. Eren's playing doctor right now with a reporter onboard so find someone to help me prepare two suits and get the remote Hange, Pieck and Moblit worked on."

"Already got it," Mikasa said as she handed over the strange homemade project made by Hange and co. It was bulky and it glowed in the dark, something that will be extremely useful under the water when they dive, especially as it wasn't the sunniest of days. "I'll find one of the people in charge of the diving gear to check the prepared equipment, just in case those German fuckers messed with anything."

Levi stopped her before she could run off. "No, have them prepare new gear, with your or Moblit's supervision. You can sniff out someone acting suspicious in no time and Moblit probably understands at least something about the diving gear so he'll be able to detect if someone tries to mess with it. As much as it might consume more of the precious little time we have, it's too risky to trust the suits they prepared for us if there is so many spies on board. Speaking of-"

"We managed to capture all but two of them, but the security camera showed them to have jumped overboard," his once cousin informs him and Levi narrows his eyes.

Out here, with the high waves ... There's no way they could survive for long without at least life jackets. "They have to have some sort of minimalistic gear that would help them interfere with our dive," he mused and Mikasa tensed at the possibility.

"Like in those ridiculous spy movies?"

"It wouldn't surprise me." Really, anything was possible. "Shit, I'm going to ask for some harpoons," he informed her before turning around and starting his search. He didn't even get one corridor down before the sound of helicopter blades reached him, soon followed by really-not-necessary light beams and then someone started speaking into a megaphone or something. They were saying something about dangerous fugitive criminals with 'biological weaponry' having invaded the ship and demanding permission to board the ship. It was with grim certainty that Levi realized they were most likely fucking surrounded. "Fuck."

"Levi!" Eren called as he and Armin ran out of the medbay and found him. Levi and Eren only needed to exchange a look to understand what they had to do and Armin seemed to understand what they wanted from him, too, when they turned to him. He nodded. "I'll do my best to distract them. Go get into that gear!" With that, he ran back into the medical bay and returned a few seconds later covered in blood up to his elbows. He ran down the hallway past them while screeching about blood and someone dying and Levi was quite proud of the last official Survey Corps Commander. Erwin would have probably been proud of him, too.

But that's something to ponder for another day.

Levi grabs Eren's hand and they start sprinting back to the room with the diving gear they'd found before but just as they rounded a corner, someone started shooting at them. Levi managed to tug them to safety and years of habit had him shielding Eren with his body, protecting the man once hailed as Humanity's Last Hope even with his life, even now, when it is not the case. Only now, Eren was as jaded and almost half as experienced as Levi and he rolled them over, too, when footsteps approached at a sprint so he was on top before he sprang to his feet - or, well, his toes while still in a crouch - and he tripped the men trying to round the corner. They went down in a blaze of bullets that Levi quickly stopped by wrenching their guns away from them before he and his partner in crime knocked them all out.

More shots came from the way they'd come from and the two dodged behind the corner their attackers had been, recalculating their next moves. It was a lot more people this time and when Levi peaked around the corner, he saw they were wearing protective gear declaring them MI6. The one's they'd just dealt with had had far less efficient gear which had made them a lot easier to fight. These guys had bulletproof vests and helmets, so knocking them out won't be a 1-2-3 sort of thing. Before they could make a decision on what to do, the fuckers threw tear gas almost right beside them and they both started running before the fucking thing spread enough to be a problem. Levi paused to open every window they passed down the corridor so the gas would dilute before it reaches them while Eren searched for a hiding place. The ideal one turned out to be the diving gear room, which they were honestly lucky to reach before someone else started shooting at them. Levi could hear that the MI6 agents were following them, but they now had what they had come for.

"Get dressed," Levi told Eren before taking a mask and one of those smaller breath diving devices. "I'll be right back."

"Heicho-"

Levi cut him off by grabbing him by his shirt, yanking him down and giving him a very much unexpected kiss before shoving his backpack at the brunet. "I'll be right back," he repeated before he put on the mask and the breathing device before he ran back out into the corridor. The fuckers had released more tear gas so Levi was infinitely grateful for taking the precaution he might have to fight in these conditions. The mask will protect his eyes and nose and he'll protect his lungs from inhaling too much of that shit with the diving gear.

Being able to see and breathe, Levi started the hunt through the smoke curtain darkening the corridors. Even with so many windows opened to let out the gas, visibility was almost zero, but the agents were using flashlights to help them see, too, so Levi could locate them before they were directly on top of him. That was their first mistake. Or maybe their second one in this dangerous game of cat and mouse, the first being the awfully loud fucking boots they were wearing. Even without sight, Levi would have been able to locate his targets just by relying on his ears alone.

Well, then. It seems that it is time for the games to begin.

He took each and every one of them systematically. It actually reminded him of the velociraptor hunting scenes from all those dinosaur movies, taking out one man at a time, the humans just disappearing in their own man-made mist, behind corners or into rooms as he located them, took their weapons, tripped them and knocked them out. Rarely did more than a peep escape them when he snuck up on them, but when there were only three left, one of them let out a loud, startled yelp because he tripped over one of his fallen comrades just as Levi appeared behind him. The other two turned to see what had caused the noise and Levi just barely ducked out of the way of the rain of bullets coming his way. Crawling on the floor until his hand reached one of the riffles, he discovered they were using rubber bullets to decrease the possibility of killing him or anyone else involved, which was good, in two very different ways: one, because that means that the lethality percentage just dropped by a considerable amount and two, Levi is less likely to kill his pursuers when he shoots back.

They all duck and roll at the sound of the first bullet fired from where they had last seen Levi, which gives him the opportunity to get to his feet and find proper cover - which just ended up being a pile of (unconscious) bodies he and Eren were responsible for; they were all in protective gear so Levi didn't really fear for their lives, and they made for really good cover, all things considered. When they fired back, he ducked, closed his eyes and listened, focusing and locating where the shots were coming from. As there were only two left and the corridor was rather narrow, it was rather easy, as there were only two options. With a confidence no other person should ever have when shooting blind in a deadly situation, Levi leveled his weapon over his shoulder, steadied it on the top of his 'cover' and fired in one of the directions that the bullets were coming from. He heard a pained yelp and some curses, along with panicked questions from the other as the shooting stopped. He focused on that voice before re-aiming and shooting again. Now there were two people groaning and cursing in pain but other than that, the hallway was finally silent. It was also slowly clearing up from the tear gas smoke screen but Levi wasn't yet comfortable with taking his mask off.

He got up and out of his cover and on silent feet approached the two downed figures. He winced when he figured out he'd shot the second one in the crotch, leaving him all but paralized in pain, but the other one he had shot in the hand and that shit looked nasty. That'll need stitches and casts and possibly even surgery. Still, to be sure, he took their rifles and started stealthily making his way back to the diving gear room where he'd left Eren.

He cursed when he suddenly heard an explosion go off in the distance and the shock wave even managed to shake the huge ship a little. He'd been so hyper focused on his own fight that he'd completely forgotten about the shit happening outside. He had no doubt that the explosion was Kenny's doing - it was just such a Kenny thing to do, to set off explosives on a fucking ship that's practically sailing above the deepest trench of the ocean - but he didn't like what that meant for their odds if Kenny felt the need to blow shit up. Thankfully, Mikasa grew up in an environment where fighting was necessary for survival and even without her Ackerman powers, she was still a force of nature, and Hange is, well, Hange. And heaven and hell and everything in between help the poor soul who tries to mess with Hange around Moblit. Connie and Armin at least won't panic and will, at the very least, be able to strategize or secure the civilians while the fighters hold the attackers off.

Levi's impressed that only so few people had even managed to get this far and it seems as if they've come from the other side of the ship, meaning they'd completely avoided the hot spot of the fighting zone. That means that Kenny's team is at least as half efficient as it used to be, two thousand years ago, when only a special operations squad from the Survey Corps itself could outmaneuver them with two Ackermans in the lead doing most of the damage. Even if these troops were specially trained agents, if Kenny trained his team this time around like he had in their previous life, then only overwhelming numbers or several special ops would be able to get the best of them.

Deciding to trust his comrades with the shit going on outside and instead focus on the heart of the mission, Levi sprinted towards where he'd left Eren and the Hallucigenia, only to hear footsteps not far behind him. "Halt! Hebt die Hände in die Luft!"

"Shit," he whispered to himself before strapping one of the rifles over his shoulder and instead reaching for the triggers of his maneuver gear. He fired off a hook and let it anchor against the ceiling before he had the pleasure of the released gas as well as the reverse pull of the wires effortlessly hurtle him through the corridor at breakneck speed. He had no problem to turn a corner at that speed and before he knew it, he was back in front of the changing room he'd left Eren in, no pursuers in sight. He went to open the door but an uneasy feeling filled his whole body, making him pause. It was his instincts warning him that something had gone to shit and he didn't know what, but he knew that at this point, whatever it was, it can't be good.

"I would advise you to stop lurking, Herr Ackerman," a heavily accented voice said from inside and Levi stiffened as he realized what had happened. Just so those agents had come from the opposite direction of the main fight, so had someone else. Someone high up to be in the know. Someone who, as he opens the door with a gun at the ready, turns out to be a tall man with long, pale blond hair tied in a neat low ponytail and another tall man with graying brown hair who was being a dick and smoking right in a tied up and held at gunpoint Eren's face. Levi recognized both these men, one from his past life, even if he'd seen him in brief instances, and one from a picture he'd recently been shown.

"Willy Tybur and Eren Kruger," he greeted mock politely, even as he aimed his weapon at Tybur's head, since he was the one who had a gun to Eren's temple. The brunet in question looked almost as murderous as when he used to talk about killing Titans and that's quite the achievement. Then again, Willy Tybur had had quite the passion about eradicating Eldians and especially the 'Paradis devils' and we all know how Eren felt about that.

Kruger looked impressed. "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you know us, seeing as Grisha never did know how to control his kids."

"You know you're in deep shit when, for once, the blond beardo isn't the problem," Levi said sarcastically while still holding his aim steady. "Jaegers are always so much trouble. But, you see, that one is mine and I want him back, so you'll be letting him and my pet go now or else you'll be shark shit soon enough."

"I'm afraid I've promised Grisha that I'll find his son, so I'll be taking Eren Jr with me," Kruger replied casually, keeping an even more casually confident hold on the handle of the aquatic container that hold a very pissed off Hallucigenia. Had it thrown a tantrum yet? Had Levi missed it? But if it had, how come it is Eren who was overwhelmed and not either of these fuckers? Judging by the state of undress - Eren was only half-wearing a diving undersuit for the atmospheric suits, the upper half hanging over his hips - they must have managed to jump him, but the Hallucigenia always threw such a fit when new people tried to handle it, especially former Shifters, whether they had their memories or not. So why was it quiet now, especially as it made those rude gestures up at Kruger and 'paced' its confinement, so close to freedom yet thwarted yet again. "The fact that I've found both as well as the missing 10% of shares for the Reiss-Fritz family company and wealth is only a bonus."

"I believe you're forgetting that the BND has first dibs on Herr Ackerman, Herr Kruger," reminded Tybur in an overly polite tone that actually had undertones of danger and violence. "The Hallucigenia and the person who found it could revolutionize the world and our government wants to be the one doing it."

"Yes, because the world needs yet another fanatical movement starting out in Germany," Eren said with inhuman amounts of mockery and sarcasm and Levi was honestly impressed. Tybur, however, was not and gun whipped him across the face. Before Levi could even think about taking this opportunity to shoot the bastard, Kruger had a gun pointed at Eren instead until Tybur collected himself. It was funny how neither of them tried aiming at Levi and instead only at Eren. He knew it wasn't from arrogance or from doubting his skills. They must have been observing him for longer than he'd thought if they figured out Levi would fight even when at a disadvantage and in direct danger, but he'd hold himself back if someone else was threatened in front of him.

Fuckers.

Eren continued living up to his old nickname when he chuckled mockingly, straightening from the hit with a bloody lip and an already darkening bruise across his jaw that made Levi want to tear Tybur to shreds. "Was ist los? Kann die Wahrheit nicht ertragen?"

"Genügend!" Thundered Tybur, making another move to strike Eren, who looked far from intimidated and was being a little shit as he was wont to, but Kurger stopped him before he could get physical again.

"Tybur, control yourself," he commanded, making the man glare at him. "Are you forgetting why we are here? For all that it looks like we have the situation under control, we are far from the only ones looking for the kid and the Hallucigenia. And I would appreciate it if you'd leave me honorary nephew alone."

"Your friend needs to learn to control his children."

"Grisha is terrified of this son of his," Kruger countered, making Tybur glare at Eren even more. "There's no controlling a little monster like him."

"You've got that right," Levi interjected, making them all turn their attention back to him. He now had two guns pointed at each of the Germans and he was glaring enough to scare a stupid, Pure Titan into running for the hills. "So why don't you all be good little sheep and let the big bad wolf go before he tears your throats out? I can at least handle him."

"No can do, Herr Ackerman," Tybur said with a sneer, pressing his gun against Eren's head harder than necessary. "We've all got our orders, but unlike Kruger, I've got my priorities straight," he said in a dangerous drawl that Levi knew couldn't mean anything good. "The Hallucigenia takes precedence, then you. Kruger's little promise to some random coward is no business of mine." To prove his point, the fucker dared to shoot right behind Eren's nape and Levi watched the former Shifter wince as the bullet grazed him. It didn't take long for blood to start dripping down onto the floor. Kruger didn't seem overly concerned. "Now, you either cooperate or I kill him, shoot you and forcefully take you and the critter while we feed this scheisse to whatever creatures live down in the Challenger Deep. What will it be?"

And as much as Levi wanted to fight, now was not the opportunity. Not with Eren already in a vulnerable position and bleeding. Fuck, even if they do get out of this shitshow, Eren won't be able to make a dive with him without attracting some predator with a bleeding wound in the water. So he dropped his weapons while glaring death at the blond fucker.

"Guter Junge," Tybur said smugly and Levi was growing tired of German. He didn't even know what the fucker was saying but Eern seemed pissed off enough for the both of them for him to know it was degrading at the least. "Cuff him up," Tybur ordered Kruger. "The Hallucigenia and he are a package. Make sure he can't escape."

"We'll have to be extra vigilant with him," Kruger commented in a bored manner. "You've seen his rep sheet."

"We're not as incompetent as those two arrogant blondes."

"Newsflash, you're a bleached blond, which is way worse than an ordinary blond."

Eren got a punch in the stomach for his smartassery but both younger men could agree it was totally worth it.

Kruger was fast and efficient in handcuffing Levi uncomfortably tightly so he can't twist his hands around to dislocate his thumbs and slip out that way. What was a bit humiliating was that he didn't even bother with cuffing his hands together, but rather handcuffing the other cuff to the handle of the container. He then took Levi by the elbow - a policeman grab - and started marching him out of the room. The German agents that had chased and lost Levi before were waiting for them outside and made a formation around their superior officers and their prisoners, both of them being held at gunpoint now. Levi was made to carry the Hallucigenia - and he was going to send these fuckers to hell with his bare hands if they had destroyed his backpack and all the shit he'd stuffed in there, which were basically all of his worldly possessions besides the clothes on his back - keeping his hands occupied and he stewed silently in his thoughts, making calculations and plans until he felt someone's hands around his waist, trying to take his gear off. It seems that the agents had filled Kruger in on the fact that the maneuver gear was too big of an advantage to let Levi keep and so he was now fiddling with the belts.

It took him nearly all the way to the deck on the other side of the corridor and to the helicopter waiting for them there until he figured out which belts held the most basic parts of the gear together and Eren spent that whole time bitching at Tybur in German. Levi wished he had a flare, a smoke signal, anything to call for help but he knew everyone else was too busy fighting on the other side of the ship to even notice them being led away.

Or so he thought.

"Get in," Tybur commanded as Eren and Levi were all but shoved into the helicopter's cabin. Kruger immediately took out another pair of handcuffs and trapped Levi's free hand against some random fixed part of the helicopter's interior and Levi had never felt so exposed nor restrained in his entire two lives and he used to be all but trapped in a wheelchair for years, not to mention arrested a couple of times. But this was different. Yes, he could maybe use the Hallucigenia's container as a mace to attack these people, but Eren was also being threatened and they were both restrained and outnumbered.

"I'll be sitting next to Jaeger," Kruger suddenly says and cuts in before WIlly could climb in after Eren. "Quite frankly, I don't trust him not to provoke you into shooting him and I've made a promise to Grisha to get him home already and I don't think he meant in a body bag, so just sit with your prisoner and let me sit with the annoying one. Win-win."

Levi was both relieved and displeased by this turn of events. Yes, Eren would be a bit out of Tybur's reach for 'disciplinary measures' but as Willy sat down next to Levi, it gave him a perfect straight line of sight to aim at the brunet. He was also relieved that Kruger, who was obviously the more dangerous and a bigger threat of the two - judging by the fact that they knew Tybur's place in BND but hadn't even known Kruger was involved at all - which meant Levi would have a bit of leeway to try and free himself, but he was also practically under Kruger's direct scrutiny. He also didn't like Tybur's proximity to the Hallucigenia, even if its container was, at least, chained to Levi so no one can so easily just take it from him when his hands were compromised.

"Do you even know what kind of man my father is, to be so loyal to him?" Eren asked in a furious growl, flaring at Kruger beside him even as Tybur instructed the pilots to get going.

"Do you even know the meaning of the word loyalty?" Countered the older Eren, arching an eyebrow skeptically at his namesake.

"Yes." The reply was so sure, instant, unflinching. Sincere to the core, just like Eren's loyalty to Paradis and the idea of the Survey Corps' mission had always been. Levi wasn't surprised, but Kruger clearly was, even impressed. Levi wondered if some remnants of his past life's memories had him instinctively skeptical to Eren's words and actions, considering Eren Jaeger had, indeed, double-crossed quite a few of his 'allies' for the sake of his own ultimate goal that was providing freedom for those he cared about the most, among revenge and whatever else fucked up reasons the presence of the other Shifters in his mind had created. Eren was more complicated than most people could understand, even without the Shifter shit that came with the powers. Levi had been the only one of the questionable luck to understand the core of Eren's nature, because it was so similar to his own.

Fuck that shit, since it hadn't really helped, in the long run, considering Eren had known a one on one confrontation could have changed his mind and more shit could have come from that, honestly.

Not a concept to think about when he and Eren were being kidnapped by Germany's secret intelligence agency.

As if to agree with him, before Eren and Eren could continue discussing whether what Grisha did was as sick and twisted as it actually is, the pilots let out panicked yells that were heard even over the rotatory blades before the helicopter swerved dangerously in the air. Loud gunfire followed and then their aircraft was shaking when a torrent of bullets hit them. "Die verdammten Briten griffen uns an!"

"Diese verdammte Smith!" Willy shouted just as another torrent of bullets hit them, the windows on both sides of the cabin breaking, showering glass all over them. One of the pilots let out a broken cry and several alarms blared, making the noise in the helicopter deafening. The remaining pilot tried to get them out of the range of fire but that only resulted in everyone but Levi, who was cuffed in place, falling out through what had once been windows.

"Verdammt!" The pilot yelled as he tried to righten the bird but it seemed that just then, the tail got blasted off as the copter lost all control and started falling in a deathly spiral. Levi tried to wrench himself free but the impact against the surface of the water had him slamming his head against something very hard with a rather sharp edge.

The last thing he remembered was salt water flooding the cabin in seconds and the Halluciggenia screeching.

Chapter Text

Eren had done his best to brace himself for the impact against water the second he fell out that window along with Kruger, Tybur and a bunch of crap that had littered the cabin. Using his swimming and diving experience, Eren had angled his body so that his feet took all the impact, then as soon as he was safely submerged up to the hips, he bent his knees to stop himself from diving too deep. It wouldn't be easy to swim up to the surface with his hands tied, but when he'd knocked into Kruger on his way out the damned window, he'd managed to at least snatch a knife off of him. Bless Levi-heichou for teaching his squad how to pickpocket just in case they were ever captured and needed to steal the keys off of their guards. It was far from his finest work, as Kruger had no doubt felt it, but Kruger had probably also been a bit too distracted trying not to die to bother worrying about Jaeger swiping a knife off of him.

Eren didn't waste any time to set his hands free with his stolen knife and then he was swimming towards the surface. The water wasn't exactly pleasant and he could already feel his bare upper half starting to tremble. Getting the suit properly on now would be ridiculous, but if he has the time, he'll do it.

All such thoughts immediately left his brain as, upon breaking the surface of the water, Eren saw the helicopter he'd just fallen out of slam into the ocean. And, judging by the screeching he could hear even five meters away even over all the crashing of waves and the gunfights still going on back on the ship, with Levi and the Hallucigenia still inside.

"LEVI!" He called, even as the aircraft already started sinking. Not sparing anything else a thought, Eren started swimming towards it but by the time he was even close, the hunk of metal was already fully submerged. As Eren dived to helplessly go after it, he saw it flip, belly up, and start sinking at an alarming rate. He'd a documentary once about the differences in sinking aircrafts and while a plane could stay afloat for several hours upon impacting water, depending on the angle it fell and the state of the remains, a helicopter sinks instantly and because it was top-heavy due to the propellers, it flips upside down, making it even harder to escape as you lose a sense of direction.

He doesn't doubt someone like Levi could escape even with scrambled orientation, but the fact that he couldn't see anything leaving the helicopter and going towards the surface besides some air bubbles, he could only guess that Levi had been knocked out upon impact. That's the only explanation that makes sense. (Because no, the possibility of something far worse happening is unacceptable and he wouldn't even entertain it.)

That also means that he's trapped inside that cabin, cuffed to the helicopter's interior and slowly drowning.

Eren resurfaced with a gasp and frantically searched the surface of the turbulent ocean for the gear Kruger had taken off of Levi. It was designed to float, was designed not to be heavy and drag a Scout down in any situation, even under water. Eren knows he can't swim fast enough to reach the helicopter thanks to his muscles alone. He'd lose his breath long before he could reach it, but the anchors of the 3DM gear work underwater, too. Fire like harpoons, maybe even faster, and they can reel him in as long as he manages to get in range and aim for the helicopter.

After what feels like an eternity of searching but may have been only a short fifteen to twenty seconds, Eren lets out a relieved cry when he finds the gear floating not far from him, the waves and currents uselessly trying to drag it down but it is as persistent as the Scouts who had relied on it for a century to fight Titans. Eren reaches it in two swings of his arms and doesn't even bother trying to put it on. He just grabs the gas canisters and propels them at the right angle before taking the handles and pressing the triggers as he dives. The released pressurized gas makes him race quickly into the deep, even with water trying to slow him down. But the helicopter was already down deep enough that Eren couldn't see it well with so little light and no appropriate goggles helping him see in the salty water.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak.

And he means a light quite literally.

A familiar one, at that.

The Hallucigenia.

Eren didn't waste a second to aim for the source of that light. Or, well, rather, he aimed at the darkness in between the glowing water, since the Hallucigenia's luminescence was coming out of the cabin's windows. He couldn't hear it when the grappler collided with the helicopter, but the line immediately tensed, allowing him to know that he was safely hooked. A simple tug on a trigger had him careening through the water again. Thankfully, as he came closer to the light, he was able to make out the helicopter even in this darkness, which allowed him to avoid actually slamming into the helicopter's belly. The last thing he needed was to knock his own air out of his lungs. He made sure he was indeed properly secured, tied to the helicopter, before he began searching around for the broken windows. He winced when he cut his hand on some of the leftover broken glass still stuck in the frame but he ignored it and just hoped sharks didn't frequent these waters too much.

He made quick work of maneuvering himself inside, guided by the Hallucigenia's light. He'd never realized it was that bright before. Well, then again, he'd never been in such darkness with it before as at these depths. He needs to work fast. He can hold his breath for a considerable while, due to his diving training and since he hadn't used up too much oxygen in his muscles by moving around because he'd relied on the maneuver gear to move him, but the helicopter was sinking fast and with every five to ten meters of depth, the pressure pressing down on them was slowly diminishing his air supply as it shrinks in his lungs. He doesn't want to think about what that might mean for Levi, who was knocked out and essentially drowning. He may be an Ackerman, but even he can go only so long without air and especially in this cold.

He found him exactly where he'd last seen him, handcuffed to that stupid pipe running just behind the seats. The Hallucigenia's container was floating right beside him, the two still connected by the other pair of handcuffs. The ethereal glow of the frantic-looking Hallucigenia made Levi look way too pale, eerie almost, like some mythical creature of the deep that, somehow, also did not belong there. But Eren could make out that his lips seemed to be turning blue and that was his greatest concern.

He needed to get them both out of there, yesterday.

He swam over to his former superior officer and tried pushing his hand through the cuff, only to realize it was some new bullshit design meant to prevent escape even by dislocating fingers and joints. Fuck paranoid intelligence agency fuckers. He briefly looked around to see if Kruger or Tybur had accidentally dropped the keys somewhere, but even if they had, they were probably already washed out by the water and were sinking at a much slower pace than the aircraft. Giving up on Levi's end of things, he turned his attention to the pipe he was tied down to. He was unhappy to find it was still intact and seemed in pretty good shape. Fuck. Damn. Shit! Tugging at the cuff tied around it experimentally revealed that it was quite sturdy but it sounded hollow, which means Eren might be able to break it if he tugs hard enough. He wished Levi was awake right now, because all that Ackerman strength would absolutely obliterate one measly pipe.

So he got to tugging, only to realize he himself was by now too tired and in desperate need of air to really do anything. Helplessness and rage filled him in seconds and he furiously tried again and again. He was not going to let Levi die down here! Levi, who has yet to find true peace in this life, who has yet to see the good in this world, instead of being stuck chased down by the bad and the corrupt. Levi, who had a family waiting for him.

Levi, who Eren still needs to take out on a date, woo him, be his boyfriend or, hell, if it meant he'll be alive and well, Eren would rather settle on just being friends or maybe even never seeing Levi again, as long as Levi survived and got the chance to be happy! No matter how much Eren wants to just drown him in kisses and affection. Eldians all share some sort of connection through the Coordinate. They'll meet again, in the afterlife if not in life, and Eren can do all that then. He can wait. But he refuses to let Levi be the one waiting.

He refuses for Levi to be the first of his loved ones to die in this new day and age, where there are no Titans to fight, no Walls to limit their horizons and no enemies eager to eradicate them beyond it.

But the more he thugs, even as rage gives him strength and determination forbids him from giving up, he recognizes that he won't succeed in freeing Levi, in saving him. And the despair sets in before he can stop it but he keeps tugging ...

Until a sharp sound pierces his ears, drawing his attention to none other than the Hallucigenia.

It honestly looks nothing like in the memories he'd seen from Ymir, inside that container, watching him with those strange purple eyes. The Hallucigenia had approached Ymir as a much larger creature, but it had glowed just like this back then, had observed her in a similar manner.

The Hallucigenia was a creature which preferred life rather than death, a creature that had sought to preserve it, even if it was in the most perverse fashion humanity had ever seen. But it wasn't human; it just did what it found to be right. And it seemed to want to do it again. Or perhaps, for once, all it wanted was just .. simple, selfish freedom.

Eren knew there was no saving them now.

He felt like he had next to no air in his lungs and he knew it was now just a matter of time before his body demanded he take in a breath that will only kill him. Levi wasn't waking up - in fact, in the light provided by the most ancient of the three inhabiting the sinking aircraft, Eren could see a rather large cloud of what seemed to be blood polluting the water, so chances of Levi waking up and saving them were practically zero - and the Hallucigenia couldn't do anything while it's trapped. In fact, if Eren and Levi die now and this helicopter sinks to the bottom, the Hallucigenia will most likely remain trapped and die of hunger or its own shit after the filters stop working at some point. Eren doesn't know if the glass of the container was made to withstand the enormous pressure down in Challenger Deep, but on the off chance that it was ...

He reached out in a trance and made the familiar motions of opening up the container. Or, well, just the feeding latch. Levi had never shown any of them how to open the whole thing up. Chances were, not even he knows, since he'd stolen it from some Frenchman. The new opening was too small for the Hallucigenia to get through because of the spikes on its back, it seems. Eren frowned in annoyance and took the container in both hands. At this point, he had no idea what he was even doing. His fingers were all but mutilated as he destroyed his hands to somehow widen the hole.

He has no idea how, but he managed it and the Hallucigenia sprang out of the container, free to roam the open seas and oceans for the first time in a decade and more. It hovered in front of them, in front of Eren and Levi, and Eren had no idea what it wanted.

It was free now.

It was safe.

Ultimately, Levi's mission to keep the Hallucigenia out of humanity's hands was a success. And, once again, he had dedicated his heart to the deadly cause. And Eren had followed, like he once used to, fearlessly and doubtlessly, sticking as close to his former Heichou as was possible.

They had done it.

The secret of Eldians will remain hidden, the core of them all will be safe, meaning they will be safe.

They had prevented and destroyed all threats of a new Titan age, even if it had cost them their lives.

As he turned his back to the Hallucigenia so he could wrap himself around Levi in their last moments on this Earth, he just wished he could have done more to save Levi from such a lonely, cold death.

Then something attached itself to his back just as he was on the edges of losing consciousness himself and the surprising contact made him gasp in surprise.

His blood burned, his nerves were on fire.

Then, a familiar power coursed through him and it was habit and instinct and who knows what else that guided him.

00000

On the surface, as a commotion was created over the downed helicopter which had supposedly been transporting the precious cargo and as different groups were on the verge of going into a mini war with each other, a beam of yellow lightning suddenly descended from the sky and struck the ocean, sinking in. Kruger and Tybur, who were still in the water about to be rescued, panicked, believing they will be electrocuted to death, only for nothing to happen.

The scientists and all the different agents present stopped what they were doing to stare in confusion at the spot where the unusual lightning had struck.

The Eldians present who had their memories had frozen up for a completely different reason and they didn't know if they should shout in victory or tremble in fear.

Then, the snores on every ship and boat and even the instruments in the helicopters in the air went wild, showing readings completely off the charts, alerting to the proximity of a large something approaching from the depths. Kruger and Tybur scrambled to get out of the water as the thing rose with frightening speed. Their comrades got them out just as a huge head emerged from the ocean.

If this were a movie or an anime, dramatic music would be playing in the background as more of the body showed itself. It got to about what may have been shoulders or something before it seemed to correct its balance, trying to stay upright on the sea bed far, far too many meters below. If one were to go to the edges of the Trench right now, the shallowest parts, they'd see that the creature was standing on its toes to make the distance. The long brown hair of the creature floated around it in the water like borders of a danger zone as it finally found its footing and stood still.

The humans couldn't do more than gap at this creature, with its huge, sunken eyes, pointy, elfin ears, prominent cheekbones and huge mouth that displayed two rows of teeth in its jaw, no lips in sight. There was an ugly snapping-like sound and the creature seemed to grow, more vertebra adding themselves in its spine so it can stand on solid feet, growing bigger and bigger until it fairly towered over the ships and even the aircrafts when its arms were above water.

Those more educated or just informed about what was going on recognized that the creature looked a lot like how the Hallucigenia is built. The rest only saw a weird skeletal-like monster, especially when it released an earsplitting roar that had them all covering their ears and scrambling on their asses to get away from the looming giant.

Connie started laughing maniacally, frantically, hysterically.

Hange followed not a second later, though for completely different reasons.

Zeke looked like he was questioning his life choices while Armin and Mikasa wondered what the hell had happened for this to take place.

Moblit and Kenny didn't really know what to do in this situation, but they had people to stay for, so they stayed and weathered the weirdness.

The rest were trying to run for their lives, convinced they had awakened some monster from the deep that will now devour them all.

Once the roar died down, the creature's mouth remained open and Hange had to be restrained by Moblit from using her gear to go up there and investigate the resurrected Founding Titan's mouth. A moment later, the Titan's body seemed to sag, not unlike a puppet whose strings were cut, and it fell over into the water. The body slowly started steaming as it disintegrated and started to sink.

From the open mouth emerged Eren with a barely conscious Levi in his arms, coughing up surely unhealthy amounts of water from his lungs, looking pale and frail in a way not even his injuries after the Rumbling had made him seem, but he was breathing and he didn't appear drenched in cold water anymore. He had probably been dried out and warmed up inside of Eren's Titan as they escaped the depths that had nearly claimed them both.

"Eren! Levi!" Hange called out, waving her arms maniacally to draw the two's attention. Levi was still coughing too much to answer so Eren did it for the both of them.

"We need a lift, Hange!"

"You got it, Eren!" Armin yelled before Hange could demand answers that could be given at a later date. Mikasa and Caven were already getting a lifeboat lowered into the turbulent waters though Caven did not dare go down with her to go over to the floating, steaming, decomposing, giant head, the only part of the Titan still above water. When she got as close as she dared due to the heat coming off of the decomposing Titan body, Eren carefully handed Levi down to his once adopted sister before jumping into the water himself and climbing onto the boat instead of carefully maneuvering and calculating a less wet entrance.

"What happened?" Mikasa demanded as soon as he had both feet on the boat, but Eren waved her off to face the head of his own Titan.

He nodded in respect to it and everyone freaked the fuck out when the Titan blinked back, the only movement it can make on its own. "Thank you, for saving us."

"Eren?"

He continued ignoring the Azumabito heiress. "You're free now. This body should let you sink to the Challenger Deep, where no one will ever bother you again and make you fight wars you have no business fighting."

"You can rest now," Levi managed to say when his coughing lessened. "You fucking deserve it." The Titan let out a sound that resembled a croon of sorts, blinking at Levi slowly, almost as if it were sad. "You were a little shit of a pet but still the best pet I've ever had. Thank you, for everything." He nodded his head to it in respect. "We'll be fine, now."

"We'll take care of everything up here," promised Eren.

The creature stared at them for one last moment that seemed to last an eternity and a second before the head started submerging at a far faster pace than it had before. It wasn't even ten seconds later before it was fully submerged and another minute or so after that, not even the shadows of its shape could be made out in the water. Mikasa and Eren held onto Levi as the submergence rocked the lifeboat but as soon as the currents and waves of the ocean returned to normal, Mikasa turned the lifeboat around and guided them back to the ship. She seems to understand what had just transpired, even without an explanation.

Which was good, because neither Levi nor Eren were in the mood to talk. They just slumped together under a shock blanket and let Mikasa get them back to the ship.

As soon as they got onboard, they were assaulted by their friends and Kenny. Well, Kenny only really gave a crap about Levi since Kuchel would kill him if he didn't return her son to her alive and in one piece, but the rest were all worried sick over both young men. No one commented on why Eren was prancing around half naked nor what the two were even doing on that helicopter to begin with and those in the know did their best to skirt around the topic of what had just happened around the ears of those not meant to hear about it. Levi and Eren were too tired from the whole ordeal to resist the fussing so they just let them do it until they got it out of their system. They were content to just let it be ... Until the intelligence agencies swarmed them, that is.

As if by instinct, everyone moved to protect Eren and Levi with their bodies, whether they were armed or not. Eren even shoved Levi behind him because, for once, Levi was the most vulnerable one present after nearly drowning just a few minutes before. Drowning takes out a lot of energy from a human, even an Ackerman, after all.

"You can relax, we mean you no harm," Erwin Smith was the first one to say, pushing his way past the MI6's rows of agents with a congenial smile meant to relax anyone who saw it. It would have probably worked for just about anyone besides the people who knew him in their past life to wear that same exact smile as he encouraged soldiers to sacrifice their hearts and lives for the sake of humanity.

"Then why have you spent the last couple of months chasing after Levi, even after he left your country?" Asked Hange in a challenging tone, eyes narrowed despite being delighted to see a once comrade and friend. Erwin was currently standing opposite them as an enemy and none of them were about to let the blond, or anyone else, for that matter, take Levi away, even if he hadn't nearly drowned just then.

"Ma'am, I'm aware you must be confused by what is going on-"

"Shut the fuck up, Smith," Tybur snapped as he dared to come to stand in front of the reincarnated Eldians, eyes narrowed in suspicion and fear. "They know exactly what's going on. The beardo with the glasses is from the CIA."

Zeke gave them an offended-looking glare. "You were basically hunting a USA citizen for no good reason for who knows how long, Herr Tybur, and now it seems you were ready to kidnap a Spanish citizen as well. I expected more from you, at least, Herr Kruger."

"You've been chasing him, too," accused a Russian sounding woman firmly standing behind her men, unwilling to open herself up to needless danger this group presented.

"And it's not for no good reason," the French officer said sternly, glaring at Levi as she shouldered beyond her own men, too, even if some of them moved anti-riot shields in front of her to protect her. "The creature this mere boy has been keeping as a pet holds the potential to change the course of human history and-"

"And that doesn't give you a good enough reason to chase a mere teenager halfway across the world and try to take him to secret facilities where you would either interrogate or experiment on him," cut in Mikasa, who was still standing the closest to her once cousin and adopted brother, protective and fierce.

"Not to mention that he was a minor when you started," pointed out Armin, crossing his arms in a show of confidence and defiance rarely seen in this sassy form. "Or should we talk about countless international laws you've broken during this chase as you illegally crossed borders to chase a person who should have never had to flee like a fugitive?"

"The actions of MI6-"

"And other such agencies," cut in Kruger indelicately, making Erwin's huge eyebrow twitch.

"-is not for civilians to concern themselves with-"

"Bullshit," both Eren and Levi intoned, drawing everyone's attention back to them.

"And considering what we've just discovered that creature to be capable of, I think we were all right to chase after the boy. Why did he run, anyways? He could have just handed over the creature-"

"Bitch please," Connie interrupted this time, sarcastic and sassy as you can be. "Hate to be the Karen here, but what about his institutional rights?"

"Or UNESCO protection laws that declare this area a world heritage treasure?" Added Hange, still glaring.

"You'll be hearing from our family's lawyers, you bunch of dicks," Kenny added a bit unhelpfully, especially when everyone started trying to speak over each other. Levi just sighed as he leaned against Eren, who looked more annoyed than exasperated by the second, but they both perked up when they heard a certain familiar voice speak up just beyond the crowd.

"And here we are, going live, on the research ship studying the Mariana Trench as a part of an international scientific expedition, where several intelligence agencies from all around the world have endangered over two hundred scientists and ship crew while illegally chasing a nineteen year old teenager in secret just because he was unknowingly in the possession of a thought-to-be-extinct species as a pet. This illegal pursuit, as this reporter has learned from the pet owner himself, has been going on for two years and he has been all but chased out of his home and his country by both government and non-government-approved agencies and individuals. Now here we are, where the owner has wanted to release his pet into a safe environment most similar to what we can perceive it to its original habitat with the help of several international experts, only for two people to almost drown when a gun fight broke out onboard the ship itself. It was by pure luck, a downright miracle, that both people - one of whom is the pet owner and the other a young man specializing in marinology - survived in these turbulent waters-"

"Ma'am-" someone tried to interrupt none other than Ilse Langnar but the freckled reporter did not give a single fuck and just talked over them all. When some Chinese agent tried to take her phone away - with which she was filming, if not downright streaming everything, as seemed to be the case if her words were anything to go by - she flipped it all, leaving the group quite impressed.

"And now they are attempting to silence a reporter doing her job and investigating and reporting about their shady business in international waters-"

"Ma'am, please," Erwin tried, but Ilse was not a woman to be silenced.

"These people have been ruining a young man's life for the sake of their own shady goals and have kept this from public knowledge to the point that the boy's own mother doesn't even know if he is still alive-"

Levi leaned in to Eren to whisper to him. "Were you the one who told her all that pathetic shit?"

Green eyes glimmered with pride and savage glee as they watched Langnar tear all these organizations a new one. Levi did not doubt this ship had good internet signal, considering these scientists need all sorts of sources for their work and taking physical copies would eventually drown the ship. Besides, some of their equipment surely needed it. Every word was getting out and across. These people were all but ruined, especially when Ilse moved to film their faces. Oh, this was going to be glorious. "It's only the truth, love."

"Aren't you moving a little too fast right now, brat?" Levi asked and was glad he was shivering to his bones because it prevented an embarrassing blush.

"Nah. Two thousand years is a long enough of a wait, don't you think?" The brunet said in a teasing tone even as he boldly dared to place a kiss on Levi's temple. He lingered there, squeezing Levi tighter against him. "Never scare me like that again."

"Yeah?" Levi asked, feeling his whole being soften at the desperation and fear he could hear in the taller male's voice. "Consider it payback for all the shit you pulled me through last time around, because I lived through what you just did every single time."

"That's not fair, though."

"Tough shit."

Eren actually smiled against Levi's skin for that. "Okay, I guess it is fair. So do we agree to no longer pull such shit on each other ever again?"

"Yeah, agreed. I don't need any more grief."

Eren sobered up at that as though they were thrown into the cold ocean again. "I thought the Hallucigenia annoyed you. I honestly never thought you might miss it."

"It was still my pet and companion for a great number of years," the shorter man pointed out. "I took care of it, I put my life on hold for it, I left my sick mother and struggling uncle behind for it. I came to rely on it as my one last piece of familiarity as I changed everything about my life. And it clearly cared for me in its own way, or else I'd be long dead by now." He paused, considering. "I wonder if it took away my powers, too, when it left."

"I guess we can find that out when we're somewhere safe and our autonomy isn't put in question just because we have supernatural abilities. Though I do believe that for me, it was a one-time thing."

"Well, thank fuck for that, at least."

"Yeah. I really don't want to be the new Ymir," Eren said with a grimace that Levi could agree to all too wholeheartedly. "Hey, is Ilse coming towards us?"

"Shit, she is! I don't want my face to be splattered across every tabloid cover tomorrow," Levi grumbled as he tugged the shock blanket over his head like a cloak's hood to hide his face. Eren, though, shrugged the blanket off completely and strode forwards to meet Ilse before she reached the smaller male. "Eren, what the hell are you doing?" Hissed the Ackerman, but Jaeger did not answer as Ilse already got up in his face.

"Mr Jaeger, you were one of the people who nearly drowned just a few minutes ago; can you tell us how all of this happened? The world deserves to know the truth!" There was a pause. "Why are you half naked?"

"Well, you see, after we patched up the injured scientists that the BND spies left behind before the gunfight started, my friend was holding off more agents while I was changing into diving gear and preparing it for an emergency dive to get his pet to a safe place, you know? But I was interrupted and wasn't allowed to even either get fully dressed in the diving suit or change back into my clothes," Eren explained while running a hand through his wet, messy hair in a far too seductive way, causing droplets of water to start cascading down his almost dry body all over again. It would be quite distracting for anyone watching. And a lot of people were watching, live and over their screens. "The BND officers then arrested both my friend and I without any warrant nor good reason, especially in my case, since one of the officers revealed he was doing it as a favor to my manipulative father who had kept me and my mother as a side-family when he gets bored of his first wife and son. You may know him? Grisha Jaeger."

"Is he trying to sink them all in one fell swoop?" Kenny asked as he came to stand by his nephew, keeping an eye out for anyone trying anything funny with the teen. "And is he flirting with the camera?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Levi answered, knowing Eren can be quite manipulative and vindictive when he wants to be.

"Also yes, he definitely is," Armin, who was nearby, answered. "Eren is used to it. Our bosses at the Barcelona aquarium do this all the time when visitors have complaints or we have to do an interview with some news station, especially those critical towards us; they just send Eren out without a shirt on after he's swam with dolphins or something and let people be distracted by his abs and pectorals and pretty eyes. It's the easiest form of PR and Eren is quite manipulative when he wants to be."

"Do you think this is how he recruited Jaegerists?" Levi couldn't help but comment to Armin and they both paused to ponder on it because neither of them would be surprised. "Well, shit."

"I almost feel bad for Grisha," Mikasa stated as she joined them.

"I don't!" Kenny all but chirped and that sounded a bit disturbing to those who still had their memories. You don't expect a man like Kenny the Ripper to ever make that tone unless he's about to kill off a good portion of your allies. "That Fritz bitch will be implicated if her husband's revealed to be a douchebag, or at least she'll receive bad enough publicity that Rod might have to drop her unless he wants the company's stocks to drop too low, which is great news for my beloved Uri!"

"Fascinating," Zeke commented dryly, but didn't dare counter Kenny in any way even if it had to do with his mother's future being at stake.

"Is he shitting on every intelligence and secret service agency he can name?" Connie asked, both impressed and incredulous by Eren's sheer ballsiness.

"He's very protective of Levi," Armin said by way of explanation and Levi actually did manage to blush now. And though that was a sign of him not being too bad off from his near drowning experience, he still didn't appreciate the redness of his cheeks when his uncle started teasing him.

"I just hope I don't lose my job," the older Jaeger present muttered but everyone ignored him and tuned in to the story Eren was spinning.

"-and really, this day is a tragedy. The stress of the situation, all those explosions and then the helicopter fall, it ended the life of the oldest animal specimen to still be walking the Earth. The Hallucigenia is a species we all believed to have died out during the Cambrian era, yet one specimen had remained alive to this day and had remained so under the careful care of my friend, but after he's been chased out of his own home and forced to flee across the globe to find supporters and allies, the Hallucigenia's health started to decline. By the time we got here, the Hallucigenia had already been displaying a weakness and sickness in its actions that hadn't been present before, during the ten years my friend has been its caretaker. We have believed it to be on its last ropes and my friend wanted to consult with experts whether a new environment would help stabilize its condition. We, as in my college Armin Arlert and the brilliant Hange Zoe, have determined that the Mariana Trench's Challenger Deep might be the only place on Earth where the Hallucigenia would experience an ecosystem the closest to the original one its species lived in, so we all decided to coordinate with the scientists already here on expedition. Except ... Well, you saw what happened. In all that commotion, unfortunately, the Hallucigenia died. It barely lived long enough to illuminate the helicopter cabin while I was dragging me and my friend out of it before its glow was forever lost. The oldest creature to live on this Earth has just been exterminated by human hands. Humanity, indeed, is the biggest pest this planet has ever faced. I cannot believe that a handful of people's greed had ended such a precious life. And not just for the things we could have learned from it, but also for the grief my friend is going through right now. Hell, all of our friends are grieving. The Hallucigenia had had such character. I- I'm sorry, I need a moment."

"Someone give that man an Oscar," Moblit commented as he and Hange finally also stopped glaring Erwin, Kruger and Tybur into submission now that Ilse was doing all the work for them with the help of one all too eager-for-revenge Eren Jaeger. "If I didn't know the truth, I'd be eating it all up right now."

"There's no way anyone will come for Levi after all of this is over," Hange said with glee as she watched Eren tear the whole world a new one as he criticized governments and borders and economy and anything else he wanted while he was on a roll. After all, hell hath no fury like Eren Jaeger scorned.

"So that means that you can't miss my wedding this time, Levi-heichou," Mikasa said teasingly and Levi looked at her, really looked, before his eyes softened and he gifted her a smile.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Mikasa actually beamed.

Chapter Text

The wedding was absolutely stunning. With two parts that adhered to both family's traditions, the wonderful ballroom reserved for the occasion, the food, drinks and music, it was definitely a wedding to be remembered. The bride and groom couldn't stop smiling throughout the whole thing and Levi felt like he was blessed to see his old comrades this happy together. There were moments where he honestly felt a tear threatening to escape his eyes, especially during the vows and the speeches the maid of honor and best man made. Marco, even without his memories intact, captured all the feelings the Eldians of two thousand years ago effortlessly and made the ones from the 104th really tear up. Armin was even crying and Sasha sobbed dryly around some potato Connie had stuffed in her mouth. Reiner had silent tears practically anime-streaming down his face but he smiled through sniffles while Bertolt tried to console him.

Thankfully, Misaki didn't cause any sort of fuss, especially with how close to Levi Eren stuck. Whatever Eren had told him that day, it stuck, which Levi was thankful for. Misaki seemed like the ideal mobster type and while yeah, Levi could easily take him, Ackerman abilities or no abilities, he'd rather not cause a scene during Mikasa's wedding. It was her and Jean's big day and all his once brats deserved a rest and some relaxation after all the shit Levi had unintentionally dragged them all into.

Still, looking back, Levi could almost call that a lesser of two evils compared to Mikasa's shopping spree to get Levi and Eren 'equipped' for her wedding. Now that was a ride through hell if he ever saw one. Fuck killing Titans, invading Marley or the Battle of Heaven and Earth; those were all a walk in a park in comparison and Eren at his worst was a freaking lamb compared to Mikasa trying to find the perfect outfits for Levi and Eren. It wasn't fair that Annie got to shop for clothes for Hange, Pieck and Gabi and Reiner was the one helping Falco, Moblit and Armin and Jean actually took up the challenge of getting Kenny into a decent suit. (That one was a tall order. Levi remembered Kenny's own wedding with Uri and while Uri had been dressed in a lovely white suit, Kenny had refused to wear a bow tie and had arrived in cowboy boots and his signature ratty old hat. Not to mention that he had guns and knives under his suit jacket. Honestly, Uri deserved so much better than Levi's uncle. Five year old Levi had facepalmed like no one has ever facepalmed before as he handed over the rings to his uncles. Kuchel had been somewhere between crying out of happiness for her brother and cringing out of second hand embarrassment that Kenny was too shameless to even feel.)

Somehow, everyone but Eren and Levi had a fun time shopping. The two of them went through a war zone that left them more traumatized than anything in their past life could ever hope to, but at least they looked damn good in their complimentary suits. Mikasa had really done a good job in her choices. And seeing how happy it had made her, neither man could disagree, especially Eren, who even felt he owed her at least this much.

Levi was just glad that that whole hell was worth it.

And he's not even talking about the shopping spree now.

In the days before the wedding and following Ilse's little live broadcast from the research ship over the Mariana Trench, in between bouts of shops Mikasa dragged them into, Levi had been able to catch up on what was going on now that his secret was out in the world and that the Hallucigenia was proclaimed dead by Eren. It was a move Levi had considered once but had known he wouldn't be able to convincingly pull it off by himself. The witnesses of what happened that day still didn't believe what Eren was saying, but Ilse was a reputable reporter who had never once posted or declared something without thoroughly checking her sources. The fact that she had quite a few leaked documents to show for the past two years of Levi's fugitive life on the agencies' side of things didn't help anyone's case but Levi's as the world raged over his life being uprooted just because he found an interesting and exotic pet. Animal Rights activists all over the world also raged at the death of a one of a kind species who had survived so much, even the raging water pollution their oceans were suffering from, only to be killed during an event where two people also almost drowned.

The world public was firmly in Levi's corner and he couldn't be more lucky if he continued finding four leaf clovers for the rest of his life.

This, of course, didn't mean he was completely off the hook from other agencies' continued spying on him and whatnot, but Zeke took it in his hands to provide Levi with protection from the CIA. Probably because he got a promotion for protecting an American citizen. Isabel had really saved that beardo's butt and she had covered for Levi. If Zeke didn't promote her soon, Levi would be having words with the ungrateful monkey. Those two were also the reason neither Levi nor Eren were dragged off to be thoroughly examined or experimented on, not even their blood work was tested. None of them know for sure if the Hallucigenia's influence on their bodies would be visible on specific tests the way Eldians had been identifiable by their blood tests two thousand years ago and none of them wanted to find out in such an unsafe, uncertain setting.

One thing was for certain, though: Levi still had his superhuman strength and Eren's body heat matched the one he used to have as a Titan Shifter two thousand years ago, even if neither had tried to test for their powers since they had survived near drowning at the Mariana Trench. The only reason Levi knew he was still stronger than your average human was because he lifted shit with no strain that he saw needed two people to carry it anywhere, so he was again careful where he displayed his powers and around whom. The last thing he needed was to once again be the target of greedy organizations and agencies. And no one wanted Eren to try shifting again, simply because none of them knew for certain if he only had his Founding Titan form or if he had his Attack Titan form, too. They can't risk a three hundred meters tall Titan appearing out of seemingly nowhere around other people.

Erwin Smith and Willy Tybur took on the most damage in their careers, from what Levi knew, since they led the main attacks that nearly killed two civilians, as far as the world knew. Levi thinks Erwin was demoted or maybe just relocated to a different branch but Tybur? Oh, Tybur was to be tried for abuse of power and espionage on an international research facility that was the ship full of all sorts of scientists examining the Mariana Trench and he would no doubt be found guilty. His sister was already fired from the German intelligence agency and was forbidden from ever working with a government organization again while Willy will actually have to serve jail time if his lawyers don't save his ass somehow.

Kruger, though? Kruger was a crafty son of a bitch. He somehow managed to escape all punishment even though Eren had named him by name and surname as the person doing a favor to someone outside of BND and using the agency's resources for it. Hell, Grisha was getting more fire than Kruger was and Levi was impressed with the man's savviness, even if he would have preferred Kruger to face consequences for his actions so both Levi and Eren could sleep peacefully at night.

Not that they don't. It's hard not to sleep like a brick when pressed up against the chest of someone you trust and it helped that Eren was a walking furnace, even more so after the Hallucigenia seemingly gave him back some of his powers. Levi honestly slept like a baby for the first time in nearly three years since his mother got diagnosed with cancer again. Even the lack of the Hallucigenia's light that he'd grown used to over the past decade and more didn't bother him with Eren's arms wrapped around him, though perhaps it was just exhaustion and near death making him too tired to be paranoid with the sudden lack of an everyday occurrence and that would come later. He hoped not and doubted it. He had a feeling Eren wouldn't let it come to that.

"You seem deep in thought," Eren himself commented into his ear, tugging him out of his musings and refocusing him on the great big event that was happening right now. It was the father-daughter dance and Levi got to finally meet Mikasa's Ackerman father, who was not really what Levi was expecting, being blond and crying so much. Kenny was staring at him strangely and Levi wondered if there are remnants of their powers dormant within every reborn Ackerman on the planet that would allow them to recognize each other even if they had never actually met each other in their past lives or perhaps Kenny had known Mikasa's father after all and he was having that same sort of deja vu that most reincarnated Eldians do when meeting one another. Mikasa's father was downright sobbing when he handed his daughter over to Jean. Mikasa's mother had to console him quite a bit. It was actually kind of adorable.

"Just thinking about everything," he replied, looking up at his companion. He'd actually gelled his hair back and tied it into a low, classy bun instead of the messy one he usually did just to get the hair out of his eyes. He looked quite handsome and there was a number of girls and even a few guys who had been tracking him with their eyes since he'd stepped into the ballroom Mikasa and Jean had booked for their reception. "This will be a brand new life for me, after this," he said with a nod to encompass the wedding that may as well be an epilogue to the world wide adventure Levi had embarked on quite unwillingly but unhesitatingly. "I'll have to get used to being an ordinary person again."

"Yeah, that will be hard," Eren said with a sympathetic grimace. "But whatever we do, I'm sure we'll find a way to make it interesting," he reassured with a charming smile that would have made a weaker man's knees go weak and wobbly.

Luckily for Levi, he was no weaker man. So he just arched an eyebrow at the brunet. "We?" He questioned with an amused tone, quirking an eyebrow.

Eren only leaned in closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist, which Levi didn't protest. "Yes, we. There's no escaping me now, Levi. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he teased just to hear Eren growl - something he wasn't sure he'd heard the man do in this life so far but what used to be a regular thing back when he was a Shifter - like a literal animal, much to his amusement. "I'll have to go visit my mother, before we can do anything, brat."

"Oh, yeah. And you'll probably have to help Uri and Historia, too, as a stockholder," he mused absently. "I'll definitely go with you, either way, since my mom's supposed to be with your family and all that. Can't wait to meet your mom, though, Heichou. You Ackermans mostly look alike so I bet she's the one you took after."

"Of course I took after my mother," Levi said with a snort. "I thought we've been over this? And Mikasa said you and Carla were practically the spitting image of each other."

"But you've already met my mom."

"Yes, so you have no room to talk about looking like one's mother, brat."

"It's not a bad thing," Eren reassured. "I'm glad I don't take too much after Grisha, especially in this life. I'd probably end up punching a lot of mirrors if I did."

"Still have those same anger management issues."

"Always," Eren agreed before he tugged Levi towards the dance floor after the maid of honor and best man also joined the married couple and the dance was done, too, leaving the floor open for guests to join in. "Come on, dance with me," he said with a smile and Levi didn't resist being tugged to the dance floor. "What, you're not going to resist?"

"You think I don't know how to dance?" The Ackerman countered with an arched eyebrow. "Erwin used to drag me to all sorts of fundraisers and I had to dance with all sorts of fuckers and fuckettes to get their money for the Corps. And Uri took us to a few fancy parties over the years. Rod was reluctant to let me dance with Frieda but Historia liked dancing with me. It was almost adorable."

"And Historia invited us to all sorts of parties as Queen," Eren commented. "Yet I don't think I ever actually saw you dance."

"I was on duty when you were around, Jaeger," Levi reminded. "My job was to keep an eye on you, so I was exempt from the dances. I was never more thankful for that than when arrogant noblewomen demanded my attention." Eren's face darkened and Levi smirked at him. "I'm guessing you never noticed, being busy with your teenage Titan angsty bullshit."

"You'd guess right," admitted the green eyed man. "But none of that matters now," Eren said as he brought them to a stop and rearranged them into a proper stance for a simple waltz. "Because you're here and I'm here and there are no more Titans, no more Marley, no more enemies waiting around the corner, no more foreboding visions and all that shit. It's just us and our friends."

"Just us and our friends," Levi agreed as they easily fell into rhythm with the other dancers. This would probably be the first dance Levi truly enjoyed. "And a whole world of possibilities in the future," he added with a grin that Eren apparently felt the need to kiss right off of his lips.

"It sounds like a good world to live freely in, Levi."

"I couldn't agree more, Eren."

Eren smiled down at him in the gentlest expression Levi had ever seen the hot-headed male ever make and it threatened to melt him on the inside, so he leaned his head against Eren's chest and they just reverted to simple slow dancing, no steps to follow, just swaying with the beat. If Levi closed his eyes and focused, he could only hear Eren's heartbeat and that honestly relaxed him to the point that he feared he'd take a nap right then and there, as long as he was in Eren's arms.

"I know it's a bit sudden," Eren speaking up had him lifting his head to look at the brunet, who suddenly looked nervous and a bit tense, unsure. "And I know we aren't even officially a thing, but-" He cut himself off, took a deep breath, before he let go of Levi and suddenly fell to one knee. Levi's eyes widened and he looked around, searching for the bride and groom, only to find them a few feet away and grinning at them in anticipation. "Don't worry, I asked for permission to temporarily steal their thunder," Eren said with a grin that still looked a bit on edge when Levi looked back at him. "Levi Ackerman, I've known you for a lifetime and more and I'd like to know you in this one to the very end, to stay by your side, in sickness and in health, in peace and in war-" The motherfucker winked at that. "To be your ally and your confidant in every sense of the word, for every situation. I've loved you for far longer than I could ever imagine. You were the one who understood me the best and I hope I can one day say the same. Will you give me the chance?" Eren asked as he took out a small, black, velvet box, opened it and presented Levi with a simple silver band with the Wings of Freedom engraved in white and blue precious stones.

Levi felt like punching him. On the mouth. With his lips. Both gently and not so gently.

"You're an idiot, brat," he answered instead and Eren grinned, taking his hand and boldly sliding the ring on the right hand ring finger before kissing it and every knuckle individually, almost reverent as he worshiped the hand that could have and technically should have been his executioner but instead ended up being a protector and ally to the very end.

The 104th, Hange, Moblit, Pieck, Gabi and Falco all erupted into applause, causing the rest of the guests to follow, even if they were confused as to why Hange was whistling as if their life depended on it and why confetti was suddenly thrown everywhere. Mikasa and Jean all but jumped on the newly engaged couple, laughing and spinning them around as more of their friends piled upon them as if their very lives depended on it. They must have made for quite the unique sight, especially to a gawking Kenny.

But Levi could only enjoy the moment and relax in the warmth of the hugs of all the people he'd come to care about, his found family. A few were still missing, but these were, at the very least, his brats and he was just thankful a time like this came to be where they could all laugh without crying.

They all deserved some happiness and rest, after all.

Even if it took them two lifetimes.

00000

"You ready?" Eren asked as they neared the airplane's doors, ready to depart and meet their loved ones waiting for them at the airport. Their fingers were intertwined and he squeezed Levi's hand when he no doubt felt just how nervous the shorter male was about seeing his mother again after so many months apart. Levi was now nearing his twentieth birthday. He refused to let his mother miss another one of his birthdays. He didn't want to spend another one without her.

Call him a mama's boy, because he's not afraid to admit it. He spent one life too short with her and he would cherish her in this one for as long as he can.

"As ready as I'll ever be. How about you?"

Eren looked confused. "Me? I saw my mother about a month ago, remember? When we met?"

The black haired man snorted at him. "I mean, are you ready to meet your mother in law, since you jumped the gun and proposed to me during your once childhood friend's and adopted sister's wedding without even asking me out on a date or asking Kenny for permission. You're lucky he's still in shock or else you'd be a dead man by now."

Eren paled and Levi had a feeling it had nothing to do with the threat of Kenny the Ripper's shovel talk and all to do with meeting one Kuchel Ackerman, the most important woman in Levi's life. He laughed, causing Eren to glare at him for deriving such joy from his 'misery'. Levi tried to be compassionate, even as chuckles still shook his body. "Hey, we're in the same boat, so relax."

"No, we are most certainly not in the same boat," countered the twenty two year old. "You've already met my mother and she was already under the impression that we're more than friends, remember?" Levi grimaced as certain things fell into place regarding that unexpected meeting and the way Carla Jaeger had acted that day. He'd been a bit more focused on finding someone who remembered and the Hallucigenia's sudden vocalness to concentrate on what his once subordinate's mother had been implying. "So, yeah, she'll probably only be pissed that she didn't meet her son in law properly before he actually became her near-official son in law. Me, on the other hand? Well, I'll be meeting my mother in law without ever having spoken a single word to her and I'll be coming into her life on the wings of her long lost son's return after two years of practically exile. And she's an Akcerman. I know how protective you Ackermans are. I don't want to mess with any one of you, let alone a protective mother finally getting her son back."

Levi almost wanted to vince at how bad that sounded from that perspective. "Well, if you think of it optimistically, you helped me get back home sooner than I ever would have managed on my own, so there's that. She'll absolutely adore you for that."

"Let's just hope it's enough," Eren grumbled as the doors were finally opened and passengers started getting out. It took a few minutes before they could leave, but as soon as they entered the waiting area where families welcomed back their loved ones, they were both tackled to the ground. Well, Eren was, but because they were still holding hands, he dragged Levi down with him when combined with the weight of his own mother trying to smother him in hugs and tears. Levi didn't have it in his heart to complain, he just let go of Eren's hand and hugged his mother tighter against him, breathing in her scent that he had missed so much over the many, many months they had been apart.

"Now, now, Kuchel," he heard Uri's gentle voice teasingly admonish. "Please do try not to suffocate Levi before we all get the chance to welcome him back."

That only had Kuchel clinging onto Levi harder and he returned the favor as enthusiastically as he dared. He knew he had his Ackerman strength and abilities, still. His eyesight still hadn't reverted to how it had been before the Hallucigenia had bitten him and that was probably the safest way to prove how not-completely-normal-human he was. He didn't want to hurt his mother by accident.

"It's okay, Maman. I'm okay and I'm here now," he reassured her, rubbing soothing circles into her back even as a few of his own tears dampened the shoulder of her long sleeved jumper she was wearing. This only caused her to sob some more, but she finally detached herself enough from him to take a good look at him. His heart gave a painful pang at seeing her red, teary eyes and tear-stained cheeks. He brushed her tears away even as she cupped his face and took in his features.

She chuckled at what she found. "My little baby, you are never going to age, are you?" Levi almost flushed at that, because he knew that if this life followed the old one's patterns, he'll be deep into his forties before the first signs of normal aging touched his skin or hair. "I've missed you so much, my little Levi!"

"And I you, Maman," he reassured, pressing a kiss to each of her cheeks. She looked so much healthier than the last time he'd seen her. She was probably still taking medication, but she looked so good now, with a healthy flush to her cheeks, her hair strong and lush, her skin supple and she seemed to be eating well, since there were no pronounced bones anywhere on her body. A heavy burden lifted off of Levi's heart seeing his mother okay. His biggest fear of not being there for her in her last moments abated and Levi knew he would keep close to her for as long as life allowed it. "I promise to never leave for as long or to keep out of contact for that long ever again, for as long as we both live."

But the female Ackerman just shook her head. "You do you, Levi, just please never disappear on me like that again. Just please tell me when you leave. I'll understand everything else, but not my only child disappearing while I'm in therapy."

"It wasn't by choice."

"Oh, I know, honey," she reassured. "That reporter, Langnar, made a wonderfully detailed story." A cold, steely look overtook eyes almost identical to Levi's, showcasing Kuchel's Ackerman side rearing its merciless head. "We'll make them all pay, Levi."

"You have my word, cousin," Historia finished for her and Levi looked up to meet his cousin's gaze. For all the confidence she was displaying, she seemed to be a bit embarrassed under his eyes, which didn't really make sense to Levi. She'd cut her hair to shoulder-length in the time he'd been away. The pixie cut suited her. She reminded Levi a bit of that Claire from Jurassic World, only blond and shorter. She stood in a business suit with Uri - who was already being distracted by Kenny, the big baby having missed his husband after only a couple of weeks - and Ymir, the freckled one from the 104th, Historia's past life undestined lover and this life wife. "It's good to have you back, Levi."

"It's good to be back, baby cousin," he retorted, causing her to get even redder in the face and for Levi to smirk teasingly. "Seems like you dared to get married without me straightening your spouse out over what would happen should they break your heart." He chuckled when she started sputtering. "Congratulations, either way. I'm really happy for you." Historia relaxed and beamed at him. It was a smile they had all stopped seeing since the truth about Titan Shifters was discovered and she learned she'll never see her lover in that life ever again. "And thank you for all you've done for my family in my absence."

Now she looked affronted. "Levi! You all are my family, too! Especially after Frieda blamed me for you ever finding that worm thingy in the first place."

Levi stared at her incredulously. "Are you freaking kidding me?" He asked, minding his language around his mother even though all three Ackermans cursed like sailors.

Historia looked almost wistful. "I wish. It's one of the reasons she chose to side with our dear old father, even though she did not approve of how he was running our finances and how he had left our uncle and aunt Kuchel to fend for themselves against deadly illnesses just because of his overwhelming greed."

"Fucker," spat Uri, causing Levi to gawk at the kind man. Uri just chuckled at him while Kenny looked like he was falling in love all over again. "Don't look so surprised, LeeLee," teased the man, bright blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "I've spent so much time around your family that I was bound to pick some things up. And Rod really did turn out to be a fucker."

"Then it's a good thing I plan on helping you take him down, I guess," Levi said with a smirk, taking out a 'business card' and handing it to his uncle. "This is my friend, Hange. She's extremely, uh, gifted with computers." Uri seemed to catch his drift and arched an impressed eyebrow at his honorary nephew. "She, her cousin, her roommate, her cousin's boyfriend and her own almost-boyfriend are probably going to land in the US by the end of the month. Hange has expressed a glee to tackle this problem with you, as she wants me and my family safe as quickly as possible so we can continue being sassy pen pals."

"Wait, you never told me that nutcase was your pen pal!" Kenny exclaimed and everyone laughed at him as Levi helped his mother stand up. Historia immediately approached him and the two cousins shared a hug. Levi had not used to think them overly close, but he had grown fond of Historia as they grew up and clearly he'd misjudged how attached she'd become to him in that time. He shouldn't have - unidentifiable nostalgia from a past life aside, Historia had always longed for family, due to how her birth mother had treated her - but he was only human and humans make mistakes. He hoped they can become even closer now.

Though he doubted she would ever again be lonely.

"Will you introduce me to your significant other?" He asked gently yet teasingly and Historia beamed through her blush as she led him to the patiently waiting Ymir. Levi had never grown close to the girl but he remembered her well enough; he had especially memorized her features after finding out she was a Shifter, not knowing whether she'll start assisting Reiner and Bertolt in their attacks on the Walls and their people or if she'll just let herself be taken to wherever it was they were taking her. Her hairdo had remained the same, but she seems to have some tattoos and piercings this time around. In fact, she looked an awful lot like a moody teenager rebelling against something, or so the stereotypes would say. Levi could appreciate that the aesthetic suited her, even though he hated that she was taller than him. She still had the same freckles. And she still seemed to be as madly in love with Historia as last time around, only this time nothing will ever stand in their way, not even idiotic, homophobic fathers. Levi, if no one else, will make sure of that.

"Levi, this is my wife, Ymir Reiss. Ymir, this is my older cousin, Levi Ackerman."

"Pleased to meet you," Ymir said as she extended a hand and she seemed just the slightest bit nervous.

Levi accepted the handshake and gave her just a taste of his strength as he pulled her closer. "You ever do my baby cousin wrong, it won't be so pleasant."

"But don't you have younger cousins?" Ymir asked even as she winced from the slight pain and Levi smiled almost appreciatively, though he had to admit it can come off as a bit predatory, too.

"I've never spent much time with the others aside from Frieda and Historia, so, as far as I'm concerned, Historia is my baby cousin."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," reassured the brunette. "I'll never hurt Historia, intentionally or unintentionally, for as long as I live, to the best of my abilities."

Levi searched her eyes for any deceit and then gave an approving nod. "Good."

"Seems like I'm not the only one who tied the knot while we were apart, cousin," pointed out Historia, immediately drawing everyone's attention to Levi's hand still in Ymir's, or rather the silver ring there. Historia had a teasing smile on as she snatched his hand up before he could hide it away, examining the unique design up close. "How come you got married, Levi?"

"Actually, I'm just engaged-"

"I knew it!" Carla crowed in victory, all but launching herself at Levi this time, wrapping her arms around his neck in an almost wrestler's hold. "I knew you were more than friends the second I saw how my Eren looked at you! Oh, you're so adorable and Eren! How dare you propose to this boy without even properly introducing us!?"

"Wait, Levi, you got engaged?" Kuchel asked as she stared at her new friend all but strangling the life out of her son. "And to this boy?" She asked as she turned to Eren, who looked mighty nervous at this point. Kuchel started tearing up as soon as either of the young men nodded and then she wrangled a startled Eren into a hug. "Oh, my baby is getting married! Oh, and here I thought I was done crying for today!"

"We need to get the planning underway immediately!" Carla declared decisively, letting go of Levi and grabbing him under the arm as she led him away, Kuchel doing the same to Eren and everyone else just following after them, chuckling at the two mother's antics. "We have to inform all our relatives in Turkey and my grandaunt in Spain and, oh, your uncle in Germany. We need to pick a venue and-"

"We just got engaged a couple of days ago-"

"There's no time like the present!" Declared both mothers and Levi sent the flustered looking brunet an amused look. Honestly, he himself didn't give a fuck. Marriage, to him, was just a signature on a paper. The relationship he and Eren had been building up for so long was already more intimate than some couples ever got. But if it made his mother happy to hold a wedding, then he'd let her.

Besides, they had both waited for two thousand years and more.

As far as Levi was concerned, let the wedding be whenever.

He'd already settled on living out the rest of his days with his brat.

"I completely agree," he told the two women and watched as Eren's jaw hit the floor. He could swear Kenny even fainted while Kuchel, Carla, Historia and Uri all squealed in excitement.

Then Eren beamed and all was right with the world.

00000

"Willy got out of prison today," Eren told him, many, many years later as they lay in their bed, intertwined to the point of not knowing where one ended and the other began, as had been their norm since the day they had married. "He's still on house arrest, but he's out. And an uncle of mine from Germany told me Grisha moved to Austria. He ended up getting custody of Faye."

"... Does that anger you?" Levi asked a bit carefully, knowing how his husband felt about both the men he was talking about. Grisha's and Dina's divorce had been the most public thing to happen in Germany for two years straight and their divorce took a total of five years to finalize since neither had signed a prenup agreement. Turns out, Grisha hadn't even wanted any of Dina's wealth, he just wanted custody over his youngest child, who was, according to Eren, his younger sister from their past life. In the end, Faye had been the one who chose which parent she wanted to stay with, probably for the same reason Grisha had been so adamant about having custody over her. Since the child had already been through enough emotional distress due to the proceeding over the five year divorce process, the court had let her pick and that was that. Zeke had kept them updated, but he hadn't taken sides nor part in the divorce itself, refusing to testify in court as he had better things to do with his life.

Namely, getting into a steady, long relationship with none other than Ilse Langnar, thoroughly impressed with her reporting and investigation skills and her PR talent after she'd saved Levi from further pursuit nearly six years ago.

Eren thought about Levi's question before shaking his head. "Nah. I don't care anymore," he admitted. "Mom somehow found Hannes and they're getting married in just a couple of months. Mikasa and Jean are waiting on baby number two and Annie should be out of the hospital the day after tomorrow with her and Armin's new kid. Hisotira and Ymir have adopted five children and three dogs at this point, Pieck and Porco got married last year and Moblit's finally planning to propose to Hange. Not sure what Reiner and Bertolt will do, but Gabi and Falco are also expecting already and Sasha and Connie are trying for a kid, too, though hopefully not as we speak," he said with a grimace. "Both our mothers are safe and happy, our families are complete. Erwin isn't coming after you, nor is anyone else. You managed to befriend your Underground friends despite the age difference and we've found out what happened to most of our comrades and friends from way back then. Oh, and Floch finally stopped bothering me. Hange is a miracle worker," he said with a chuckle. "Really, my life is great, so I see no reason to concern myself with Grisha."

"Yeah, we know all our comrades and friends are safe and happy," Levi said, a sort of peace overtaking him that still felt so foreign to him even after all these years. His Ackerman abilities never became dormant again, always expecting action and sometimes he got so stir-crazy that he actually went with Eren to swim with whales and dolphins in open waters, ending up pursuing a degree in marine biology himself. They were a power couple in the field, having saved a lot of marine wildlife from human traps and trash.

Eren also never lost his Titan abilities. They've yet to trigger a full transformation, but he does heal like he used to as a Shifter. But as long as the power dies with him, there should be no new Titan age. And neither of the men planned on having biological kids, at least not yet. Eren certainly didn't want to risk his powers being passed on even passively to future generations and, honestly, Levi had similar concerns, especially as Ackerman abilities did not require any outside source to activate them besides a stressful environment. Their powers were not a thing of this time and neither man wanted to reintroduce the world to the hell they themselves had once lived through.

Besides, there were plenty of orphans the likes of their past selves looking for a family. If they ever feel a need to take care of a child besides their many honorary nieces and nephews, they will adopt.

"Do you ever think about how the Hallucigenia's doing down there? What it's up to?" Eren asked after another bout of comfortable silence. They should really be going to sleep, as it was already quite late, but it seems neither of them were tired yet. It's not like the bouts of insomnia Levi had suffered from in the past, be it this life or the previous one, but sometimes, their bodies would demand more activity than they were used to exerting on a daily basis. A leftover from their last Eldian-related adventure or from their life as Paradis Eldians, neither could tell, but these moments simply existed and they used them to simply bask in each other's presence and all the things they've managed to accomplish in this life. Tending to a blue whale's injured fin was surely something Levi had never thought he'd do two thousand years ago even when he was facing other types of giants on a daily basis.

"It's probably doing fine, kicking some megalodon ass." That startled a laugh out of Eren and Levi felt his own lips curve in a smile that was much freer these days than ever before. "I miss the little shit, sometimes."

"Yeah, it was quite the character."

"I certainly don't miss the hiss-screeching, though."

Both shuddered just remembering the sound.

"Yeah, me neither."

00000

"Are you sure about this?" Susan Jaeger asked as she extended an object over the railing of the ship, looking towards her two brothers for confirmation even as indecision wrecked through her whole being.

"It's what they would have wanted," assured Timothy, smiling towards his youngest, adopted sibling. He was the first of the three Levi (née Ackerman) and Eren Jaeger have adopted many years ago and he was forever thankful to his dads. If this was what they wanted, no matter how much it hurt, he would fulfill such a simple wish.

Lance, who'd taken the most after Levi, only silently nodded and Susan accepted it was what her parents wished for, so with tears in her eyes, she let go of the object she'd been holding onto and let them drop into the deep, turbulent waters.

"Do you think it will make it to the bottom?" She asked and her adopted brothers could only shrug.

Despite it all, they were sure that it would.

After all, Levi and Eren had never done anything halfheartedly.

And they most certainly wouldn't start with their final journey.

00000

Several hours later, a single urn hit the ocean floor at the bottom of Challenger Deep, its lid sealed to protect the precious ashes inside. Two wings, one blue and one white, crossed over each other, were carved into the urn and two very distinct names were inscribed into the material of the urn. The urn was made of a slightly luminescent material, lighting up the ocean floor where it landed as the only source of light in that deep, cold darkness.

Another source of light approached it, its simple purple eyes curious as it sensed a familiar presence, no matter how weak it felt. The glowing white creature gave a sad sounding vocalization upon realizing what it had found in its new domain. It knew humans had limited lifespans, even if it were to give them all the powers in the world. It had simply not been aware so much time had passed. It still felt, to it, like it had been only yesterday when it had said goodbye to its favorite humans, when it had last seen their precious, young faces.

And yet here they were now, dust and ashes, only names carved on an inanimate object meant to contain their intertwined remains so nothing could ever break them apart, not time, not destiny, not the end of the world itself. The Hallucigenia had always been fascinated by humans; ever since the first human it had met, it had been curious about the bonds they created. In its very, very long life, it can confidently say it had never seen the sort of bond its last host and its last protector have created in anyone else and it probably never will.

It seems that the time has come.

In mourning, the Hallucigenia let its body shrink until it was only long enough to wrap around the urn containing its two favorite humans, making sure to wrap itself around it in such a way to assist in holding the lid airtight shut before it closed its eerie purple eyes.

Its body started losing its glow until there was no more light in the depths of Challenger Deep of the Mariana Trench.

The 'pet' followed its 'owner' one last time.

An era has ended and a new one begins.

The world will never be the same.

They made sure of it.

For freedom ...

DAS ENDE