The Ocean

"In love?!" asked Lara, perplexed, gazing at her mother.

"Yeah," chuckled Hange. "And from what you've told me about Armin's behavior, it seems he likes you too."

"But," Lara had a puzzled expression, "I've always heard that being in love was an incredible feeling… For now, it's been terrible for me! It feels like I'm sick and it's not being happy at all, not for me and apparently not for him either."

"Well, you're right..." Hange placed her hand on her chin, "Despite that Armin is giving signs he likes you, it seems like something's really wrong, for him to be ignoring you that much and, apparently, also be suffering..." Hange then frowned, "Tell me, when exactly did Armin stop talking to you normally?"

"Right after we finished our punishment of cleaning the stables, when we got back from Shiganshina. He started spending lots of time with Eren and Mikasa in prison and then, all of a sudden, he seemed to turn into another person with me."

"That's weird..." Hange pressed her lips together, "I wonder... Maybe Eren said something that made Armin change his behavior towards you?"

"That's what I suspect. Ever since we got back from Shiganshina, Eren's been acting quite strange. I feel so sorry for Mikasa..." Lara's expression turned into deep sadness, "She's so depressed, doesn't smile at anything else, is always downcast... Mikasa loves Eren very much, but he just doesn't requite her, and what makes me anguished is how he treats her badly and with coldness, while she does everything for him..."

"I've noticed that too..." nodded Hange, pressing her lips together.

After a pause, Lara took a deep breath.

"Why can't couples be just like you and Dad? You love each other so much, get along so well..."

To Lara's surprise, her mother let out a loud laugh.

"It seems like you've forgotten how much Levi already made me cry because of his reluctance to admit his feelings."

"Really?!" Lara was now very curious, "When was that?"

"Oh, it was the week before we went on that mission where you almost…" Hange looked down sadly, "You know..." She lifted her head again, "And then, you had that horrible fever and Levi rejected being your father." Hange then giggled and looked out the window, contemplative, "Oh... But when you came back to us, and your father and I were alone in that clearing and had our first kiss..." Hange sighed like a little girl in love.

Lara couldn't hold back a laughter of contentment.

"Although," chuckled Hange, "that was just a sloppy peck... Levi would only give me a proper kiss when you went to Winter Training, on a day I was having lots of cramps and a terrible headache."

"I still think he took way too long to express his feelings towards you", Lara had a mischievous smile.

"Tks!" Hange clicked her tongue, "I confess that there were moments when I wanted to shake him so that he would ask me to marry him at once... But, I liked that mysterious and methodical way of his, because, even though he took way too long, it was for a good cause and, in his own way, Levi would always end up showing that he loved me at certain moments."

Then, they heard the office door open and to their surprise, Levi walked in and closed it.

"Did someone say my name?" he said, as if asking if it was going to rain or not.

"Huh?!" Lara turned to her father, "I do remember locking the door, how did you get in?"

"I've got several copies of the key," replied Levi, "I need to, 'cause your mother has already lost it about four times."

Lara looked at Hange, who gave them an awkward smile.

"So," continued Lara, narrowing her eyes, "did you overhear my conversation again?"

"It's not my fault you talk too loudly," he replied impassively.

For a moment, Lara's eyes widened, afraid that someone else had heard her confession about Armin.

"I'm kidding," said Levi, approaching and ruffling his daughter's hair, "your voice tone is incredibly ordinary..."

"How much have you heard, Dad?"

"I saw you coming in here and I stood there at the door..." Levi made a sad expression, "I heard everything... Sorry about you and Armin. If you wanna talk about it, count on me."

Lara and Hange looked at each other, confused. Hange stood up from her chair and walked over to Levi, placing her hand on his forehead.

"He's not feverish..."

"Dad, what was in your tea?"

Levi made a grumpy expression.

"Now I can no longer feel compassion for my daughter's love disappointment?!"

"It's our turn to play with you," replied Hange, pinching Levi's cheek, who made a face.

"But Daddy's right..." Lara leaned her elbow on the table, upset, "I barely fell in love and I'm already suffering a heartbreak... What a phase..."

"I'm sure your plan on talking to him on the mission will work out," replied Hange, squeezing her daughter's hand.

"Yeah," added Levi, approaching them, "Armin's a good boy. I'm sure you'll make things right."

"When did you start liking him?" Lara asked suspiciously, "You've always been picking on my relationship with Armin since from the beginning, even when I still wasn't..." she blushed, looking down and lowering her voice, "In love with my own Officer..."

Levi looked out the window, thoughtful.

"I decided to give him a chance when I saw him comforting you in the stables," he replied, scratching his nose, shy. "There, I realized that Armin was doing what I would do, if it were me with your mother, or at least, what I should do…" Levi paused, as if reluctant to admit it, "He seems to have a good heart."

Lara and Hange looked at each other again, surprised and even glad at how Levi was managing to express himself better with them at that moment.

"Dad," said Lara, embarrassed to know that he saw her hugging Armin, as she stood up to leave, "I don't know what you're still doing here at the Survey Corps, since you would make an excellent spy. Now, please excuse me, because someone in this family has to work." And she walked out the door, closing it behind her, her shoulders slumped and looking a little crestfallen.

Alone, Levi turned to Hange, who was shaking her head disapprovingly at him for spying on Lara, but also chuckling a bit. Hange bent over to her desk and went back to reading some papers. After a few seconds of silence, Levi walked over to her side, still shy.

"Hange," he said, somewhat awkwardly, "forgive me for making you cry back then."

She raised her head, startled by his sudden apology, and stared at her husband. Gradually, she gave him a smile.

"Of course I forgive you, shorty," Hange stood up, her body very close to Levi's, which made him blush, because she looked incredibly taller and intimidating.

Hange then began to gently play with Levi's uniform, making a cheeky face. He broke a little into a cold sweat, because he knew way too well what that look meant.

"Hange, no!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening, as if talking to a stubborn puppy who had done something forbidden.

"Only the two of us have the key..." Hange began to run her hands on Levi's chest, all the way to his back, bringing him closer to herself, "And I could close the windows..."

He covered his face, feeling it getting very hot, but he kept shaking his head, refusing her request.

"Gee, Levi! Come on!" exclaimed Hange, stamping her feet in protest, "I really want a baby!"

"I know that," he replied, getting the hair out of his wife's face, "I also want one. But I promise that at home we'll try to order a brat again. This is no place to do that," Levi grimaced, "I feel uncomfortable!"

"But, baaaaabe," sang Hange, pouting, "I'm wearing the eye patch..."

"That's not fair!" exclaimed Levi, indignantly.

♦♦♦

The day of the mission came and they left very early.

They were formed in pairs of soldiers. Hange and Levi led the first line, followed by Lara, Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Sasha, Connie, Jean, Floch, and a few more soldiers who completed the group.

It was a beautiful day, with lots of clouds in the sky and a nice breeze. Following her parents, Lara rode alongside Armin.

Last night, she had a hard time sleeping, thinking about what she was going to say to the boy. Now, beside him, Lara could finally prove she was definitely in love with Armin. She caught herself looking at him several times, and felt that he was also glancing at her, quite anxious.

At one point, a gorgeous group of birds flew high above them and Armin looked up at them with a smile so genuine, that Lara thought she would collapse right there. To make things worse, Armin inadvertently looked at her, his huge smile still on his lips. Lara felt her heart pounding so hard that she imagined even the horses' hooves couldn't cover the beating. But to her unhappiness, Armin soon noticed what he did and faded his smile away, looking at his own hands, seeming very sad.

If they were still, Lara would get closer to him just right there and do like her father used to do with her mother: Lara would grab Armin's hair by its back and stare deeply at him, saying, "Dude, what's going on?! Tell me at once!"

At another point of the expedition, they found a Titan with a very strange body. It had a huge abdomen, but with legs so thin and small, it had to crawl slowly to get out of place.

Then, Eren approached it with an impassive look and said:

"This Titan is someone who was sent to Paradis as punishment. It's part of our Eldian people. Come on, we're close."

With his Titan memories, Eren eventually discovered that this place where they all lived inside the Walls was a large island called Paradis, and they were a people called the Eldians. The Titans that existed there and that had devoured them for their entire life, were Eldian people transformed, as a sort of punishment, because they were hated. Everyone got very surprised after hearing Eren's words, and now, looking at the condition of that Titan, they even felt sorry for it. Finally, they all continued to ride and didn't even kill the creature, for it was so slow, that grass had grown around it.

They rode for a long, long time. Until they arrived at a totally desert landscape, full of sand. Lara covered her eyes from the large amount of sand rising from the horses' hooves.

Then, they arrived at a certain place that left everyone perplexed. As if it were the limit of everything, they faced an immense concrete wall. At its ends, there were large rocks and some sand trails that gave access to the other side.

At that moment, Lara felt her entire body tremble in anxiety.

What would be behind that wall?

She looked at her parents and by their body language, she also noticed they were feeling tense. Without meaning to, Armin and Lara looked at each other, very apprehensive.

"This is the place where Eldians were made into Titans and thrown down this wall," said Eren. The strange and emotionless way he spoke made Lara feel a certain chill and discomfort.

Then, they all started to ride their horses up the sand trail that led to the other side of the wall, which cast a great shadow over them. As they went up, the sun began to rise on the horizon, and when they reached the end of the trail, at the top of a hill, none of them had words to describe what they saw in front of them. The only thing Lara could hear was Armin's gasp in astonishment.

Ahead of them, was the Ocean.

Crystal clear blue water, reflecting the strong rays of the sun, stretched as far as the eyes could see. Everything was filled with the sound of waves. It was definitely the most beautiful landscape they had ever seen.

Hange and Levi gazed at that landscape, mouths open, with the wind blowing their hair. Around them, everyone else also wore the same expression of fascination.

"My God… My God… My God…" was all that went through Lara's mind. Her mouth was wide open and she felt her eyes start to fill with tears. She never thought she would live to see something so splendorous.

Armin was completely amazed. He turned his head to Lara, seeing she was just as stunned as he was. Without Lara seeing him, Armin gave her a smile and began to admire her, as if she were part of the landscape. He found himself sighing at the view of her brown hair blowing in the wind and her big blue eyes gleaming with contentment. For an instant, he felt his heart pound and his chest swell. He thought he could watch Lara and the Ocean all his life if he could freeze that image.

Eren was the only one showing no expression.

♦♦♦

Lara was barefoot and with her feet on the sand, feeling that much cool water cover her feet as the waves came and went. She watched the Ocean in front of her and the only thing she could do was express that habit of hers, when she felt extreme excitement. Lara clenched her fists and jumped in place, splashing water and sand everywhere, even getting a little into her mouth. Coughing, she got surprised at finding out that the water was incredibly salty.

"WHOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Hange shouted beside her, throwing water up with her hands. "Is it really all salt water?!" She then leaned forward, trying to see something that was underwater, "Wow, I spotted something strange! Lara, come here to check it out with me!"

Levi, who was the only one who was still at a certain distance from the water and wearing all his ODM gear, was looking at the girls with some concern.

"Hey, you two!" he shouted, "Whatever you're about to touch is probably poisonous, so don't touch it!"

"Dad! Stop being so frightened and come here at once!" exclaimed Lara, laughing like a fool, but then, she felt something tickle her feet and ran away towards Levi, seeking protection.

"I warned you!" exclaimed Levi, irritated, while his daughter approached him, squealing. "Stay here, it's safer! Hange, come here you too!"

"No way!" Hange shouted back, "Lara, come back here to explore with me! Let's see if we can get some samples to our lab!"

Lara quickly ran back to her mother, and when she looked at her right, at some distance away, she saw Armin, who was alone, holding something in his hand. For a moment, she kept admiring him, watching the boy's blond hair swaying in the breeze that followed the waves, and caught herself giving a silly smile.

Mikasa appeared beside him, walking unsteadily, probably finding it strange to walk on such different ground. She was holding her boots and Lara got happy to notice that, for the first time in months, Mikasa smiled at Armin, who smiled back at his friend.

Lara felt a warmth in her heart at seeing how touched Armin was to finally have his dream come true. She noticed that his face was a little flushed and that he was trying hard not to cry with emotion.

Lara laughed at seeing in the distance, Sasha and Connie trying to shove Jean's face into the water, having a great time and squealing, while the other soldiers also explored the new discovery.

A little ahead of Armin and Mikasa, Eren was standing, gazing out at the Ocean, with that same impassive expression as always. Then, Lara, Hange and even Levi noticed that at one point, while talking to Mikasa and Armin, Eren raised one of his arms and pointed to the infinite Ocean in front of him, saying:

"There... If we kill all our enemies on the other side, will we finally be free?"

♦♦♦

It was just before twilight when Levi finally allowed himself to take off his boots, his green cloak, his jacket, and his ODM gear, so he could experience the Ocean. He had to be dragged by Hange and Lara, who were both laughing at how Levi was still trying to hold his ground, reluctant to come into the water. The girls had taken him to a good distance away from everyone else so they could enjoy themselves in more privacy.

When he finally felt the water on his feet, sensing the sand moving underneath, Levi simply froze there, his arms half raised up in the air and grimacing in fright.

"Help me..." he whispered, trying to locate Hange and Lara with his eyes. "Get me outta here, you crazy!"

"Where's humanity's strongest soldier now?!" asked Hange, laughing like an asthmatic pig.

"You said it right! I'm humanity's strongest soldier, not the bravest!" he replied, feeling his whole body shaking at realizing he was sinking deeper and deeper into the sand. "I feel fear too!"

Suddenly, Levi felt something quite sharp under his feet and jumped so high, that he lost his balance and fell down on his butt, soaking in water. At that moment, a very strong wave came toward him and began to drag him away, while he rolled on the sand, completely upset and spitting water. Lara and Hange were laughing so hard it sounded like two kettles whistling, leaning against each other.

Emerging from the water, with sand in parts of his body he would rather not mention, Levi glared at them. In a rush, he stood up and ran towards the girls at high speed. Seeing the shorty coming closer, Hange and Lara squealed and also started to run along the shore, trying to escape from him, getting further and further away from everyone else.

For having laughed so much, the girls couldn't run very fast, because they were feeling a great weakness in their legs, and when they least noticed, they were lifted off the ground. Drawing strength from I don't know where, Levi grabbed them both by their waist and threw them into the water, causing the girls to be dragged away by the waves, rolling like two seals.

To Hange and Lara's total surprise, Levi also got into the water and started playing with them. The family had a good time having a lot of fun. At one point, Hange rode piggyback on Levi, which by then, was already starting to run out of strength, and because of the quick movement of the waves, he felt a certain dizziness and staggered, falling on the sand with Hange as if in slow motion, making Lara laugh out loud.

They also competed to see who could do somersaults in the water. At one moment, they all managed to do a complete somersault, but most of the time, they would lose their balance and fall on their faces into the water.

Lara asked if they could go a little deeper, but even Hange said it was dangerous, for they didn't know what might be ahead. So they contented themselves with staying in the shallows, squealing and running every time they felt something strange under their feet.

All those moments they spent together there were so wonderful, it would never leave their memories. Lara thought that once they got home, she would do a drawing of the three of them having fun on the beach, to hang it somewhere.

The sun was starting to set on the horizon when Lara told her parents she would go to her horse, to drink normal water and get some rest. Levi and Hange nodded, saying that they would still stay there together for a little while longer.

At seeing that Lara was already far, far away from them and that they were now both alone (because everyone else was also so far away, they looked like little dots on the horizon), Levi looked at Hange with a cheeky expression. She widened her eyes and started to run, laughing uncontrollably. Levi soon caught up to her, grabbing Hange from behind. They both fell into the water and he soon began to crawl on top of her, wanting to kiss her.

"Don't!" exclaimed Hange, trying to dodge the kiss, "You're covered in sand!"

"Come on, love..." he said, "Let's make an aquatic baby!"

"No freaking way!" She replied, managing to stand up. But, Levi soon pulled her back to the ground, trapping her arms and giving her a passionate kiss.

She couldn't resist and soon gave in completely. They were both tasting awful, extremely salty and harsh, but they didn't care. Then, a huge wave hit them, causing them both to roll across the sand again, choking hard this time, as they were out of breath from the kiss.