Chagara - Chaos in the Darkness (Levi x OC Fanfic / AttackOnTitan)

73. "Winter. Doctor Winter."

31. March 860

Dear Levi Heichou,

Please don't be angry with me for addressing you as Heichou after all these years. I am just so used to it. Back then we used to get into trouble if we didn't address our superiors correctly. I hope you are well and you received this letter. I am writing to you because of the following reason: I was told that you own a house in your old hometown. Due to the current economic miracle, houses and especially shop spaces are in great demand. The ownership of all vacant buildings was investigated. In the process, the city council also came across you. Surprisingly, the house was in a quite good condition. I arranged that some bigger repairs were carried out. I owed you that after all you had done for us. Levi Heichou, you have to decide about the future of this building. If the building remains empty in a year's time, the city will be the new owner and you will have lost your property.

I very much hope to see you again. The people here have not forgotten you and your efforts for our survival.

You are always welcome here,

Your Historia

Levi closed his eyes. What hurt more? The memory of the house and the short happy time in it? Or the date of the letter? "Her birthday."

"You have a house?" Gabi had looked at him in amazement when he had snatched the letter from her hand.

"You open and read other people's letters?," was all he had replied.

The young girl had shaken her head. "The letter has been lying around here for days. Unopened. I thought it was important. After all, it's not every day a queen writes to you," she had explained her behaviour. "And?"

"And what?"

"Are you going back? Isn't it nice of her to alert you to the fact that you might lose your house? Must be worth a lot," she had reasoned. "Oh!," she had looked down at the floor, startled.

"What?," Levi had hidden his hands under the table. He hadn't wanted her to notice his trembling.

"Did you live there with her?," Gabi had asked quietly. At some point Levi had mumbled Ayumi's name in his sleep. Silently, Levi had reached for his walking stick and slowly stood up. "I would protect the place," she had called after him.

What was he going to do with the house? Every time he had thought he had the worst behind him, a little memory from that short beautiful time flashed up and threw him back. Sometimes he saw daisies, sometimes he smelled vanilla, sometimes he met a woman with her facial features. "But what am I doing here?" Since Eren's death, Gabi and Falco had taken care of him. It couldn't go on like this. The two of them would surely marry soon. By then, at the latest, it was no longer possible to sugarcoat it: He was completely superfluous and had been disturbing their young happiness for only too long. But what was he supposed to do with the house? "With the money I can start over."

Levi opened his eyes as the carriage slowed down. He pulled the curtain aside and squinted as the sunlight reached him. They were in the city. He felt nauseous. Coughing, he folded up the letter and put it back in his chest pocket. No sooner had the carriage stopped than there was a knock on the door.

"Do you need any help, Mr Ackerman?," the elderly carriage driver asked kindly.

Levi shook his head. "No. Thank you," he replied, searching for his wallet.

Nodding his head, the carriage driver disappeared and picked up Levi's suitcase.

Leaning on his walking stick, Levi held his free hand protectively in front of his eyes. A warm shiver went down his spine as he looked at the house. Was it indeed the old roof he had once paid for with his last money? The colors, however, looked fresh. The walls had been painted white again. Even the shutters shone in a strong shade of brown. Just like in the old days. "As if time had stood still." As if nothing had happened. No Eren, no loss of the walls, no world travel. "Travelling." Levi smiled dreamily.