Family

Lara was walking through the empty corridors of the Headquarters early on Monday, with a silly smile on her face. She and her parents had just arrived at work and it was pretty cold. The sky was overcast, giving a dark appearance to the surroundings. It was all kinda silent as if people wanted to stay kept to themselves, trying to get warm.

She was wearing her green Survey Corps overcoat, with the typical brown boots of the uniform. She had put on a white scarf to warm her neck and paced calmly toward her lab, her hands inside the pockets.

When she got there, Lara found Armin hunched over one of the desks, very focused, probably writing a report. She smiled.

She had witnessed that scene many times over the last four years. Armin had the habit of always arriving early for work, but before, when Lara met him there in the lab, she would come inside, say a friendly "Good morning", and an awkward silence would fall over them, until one of them left the room to do some other task elsewhere.

But today, it seemed like the lab was even more colorful, such joy Lara felt at the sight of her fiancé there, working. Silently, she walked toward him and whispered in his ear:

"Morning, babe."

Armin felt a chill all over his body and squirmed at the tickle in his ear.

"Eeeeek!" he exclaimed, gritting his teeth. Lara began to laugh. Armin turned in his chair, and when he saw that it was his fiancée, he opened a big smile.

"Good morning, pretty," he replied, standing up and pulling her gently by the waist. Lara wrapped her arms around his neck. Armin pressed his lips against hers in a soft, quick peck kiss.

Then, they opened their mouths for a kiss. Lara initially felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but as her lips slowly moved, a very sweet taste began to flavor, followed by a chocolatey scent. She held his face. Armin found it strange that his fiancée was "sucking" him more than usual. He tried to pull himself away, but Lara practically trapped him there. Armin widened his eyes and started groaning, as if he were saying, "Release me!". With difficulty, he managed to free himself.

"What are you doing?!" he asked, panting, holding her by the shoulders.

"Oops! Sorry, babe, I didn't mean to!" replied Lara, chuckling. "It's just that you have a very good taste in your mouth. What have you eaten?"

"Oh, right!" replied Armin, now also chuckling. He turned and took a cup from the desk, "It's mocha."

"Bless you!" she frowned, "Mo-what?!" Armin laughed.

"It's mocha coffee. It was Onyankopon who taught me how to prepare it. He was at the refectory this morning and offered me some," Armin showed the drink in his cup, "It's quite common in other nations outside of Paradis. They had a good supply of some of the ingredients on the ships, 'cause Marley's soldiers drink it a lot. It's made with that coffee thing, milk, chocolate, and a white cream called whipped cream, which is quite sweet."

"Wow! That lad never told me about it!" Lara narrowed her eyes, indignant, but with a mischievous smile, "Woe to him when I see him! How could he not tell me something that has chocolate in it?!" she chuckled.

"Wanna try it?" asked Armin excitedly.

"I sure do!" Lara took the cup and started to drink. At the same moment, she felt with more intensity the fascinating combination of flavors that were in Armin's mouth and, when she least noticed, she drank it all, leaving her fiancé a little open-mouthed.

"Did you drink... Everything?" he asked, visibly upset.

Lara was left with a mocha-stained mustache, and when she realized what she had done, her eyes widened.

"My my, babe!" she exclaimed, putting away the cup on the desk and taking Armin's face, "Forgive me! I didn't mean to, again! But this thing is freaking good! What now? Is there more for you?" she pouted. Armin thought it was so comical that she still had her little mocha-mustache and those blue eyes sparkling at him, that he couldn't resist.

"It's okay, baby, I forgive you," he replied, smiling and slowly taking her face with both hands, "As long as you give me what's left."

"What's left?" she asked, confused, but then she was startled to see that Armin pulled her up and started kissing her upper lip. Lara finally understood what he meant and giggled. They eventually got the position of their mouths right in a more "normal" kiss. They pulled away, chuckling, as Armin thanked her for the "mocha coffee à la kiss."

"I'm really sorry," said Lara, stroking his hair, "I'll ask Onyankopon to also teach me how to prepare it and I'll bring you one as soon as possible."

"Don't worry about it," Armin gave her a kind smile. Then he brought her closer by the waist and they closed their eyes, touching their foreheads together, hugging and rocking themselves slowly, "Did you sleep well? Was it cold back at your house?"

"I did manage to sleep well," replied Lara, then she gazed at him, wide-eyed, "but it was very cold, indeed! I thought I was going to freeze! Good thing my dad showed up in the middle of the night and covered me with another blanket, which he found in one of the closets. Poor thing... I think he was having insomnia again..." she stopped talking and gave a shy smile.

"What is it?" asked Armin, smiling as well. He brushed the bangs out of her eyes.

"It's that..." said Lara, looking at her feed, blushing, "After I fell asleep... I-I dreamed about us..."

"Really?" he raised his eyebrows, "What did you dream about?"

"I think I kept the conversation we had on our date in my head," she said, smiling with a contemplative look, "of our house and everything... So, I believe that because of the cold, I ended up dreaming that we were married, sleeping together in our bed, and you cuddled me tight, warming me..." Lara shyly looked up at him, blushing, "It was a really good feeling…"

Armin felt his chest swell and butterflies in his stomach at hearing that. He also blushed. With a shy expression, he took her face in one of his hands and replied in a low tone:

"I do hope these three years pass very quickly and that it happens soon."

Lara felt a welcoming warmth rise in her heart. Gently, Armin took her chin, giving her a long peck kiss. Lara stroked her fiancé's cheeks with affection.

"Oh!" exclaimed Armin, happily. "I told Mikasa that we got engaged. I only managed to talk to her now at breakfast, 'cause she spent her days off keeping Eren company in prison. She got so happy with the news and..." he looked down, now getting a sad expression, "Even cried..."

Lara was listening with a smile on her face, but when she heard that Mikasa had cried, her expression also became downcast. She thought that Mikasa got emotional because it was sure she also wished Eren had proposed to her as well.

"Oh..." sighed Lara, crestfallen, "How much I want her to be happy..."

"So do I," replied Armin, in a serious tone. "I think Eren also needs a good shake-up, just like your father gave me... Mikasa told me that during the days she spent in prison with him, they didn't even talk half a dozen words with each other..."

Lara looked down.

"Have you visited him yet?"

Armin pressed his lips together and shook his head negatively.

"I thought it was best to wait a while... I didn't want anything to spoil our weekend," he gave her a sad smile.

Lara slowly hugged him, stroking his hair.

"I'm so sorry for all this... It must be very difficult for you and Mikasa…"

Armin squeezed her tight and they stood there, one feeling the other's warmth.

Then, they heard someone knocking on the opened door. It was Onyankopon.

"Excuse me, La," he said, smiling. "May I come in?"

She and Armin pulled themselves away, a little embarrassed.

"S-Sure," Lara gave him a shy smile, "please, be my guest."

Onyankopon greeted them warmly.

"Better late than never!" said Lara, with a mischievous expression.

"Huh?" Onyankopon looked confused.

"We were just talking about you. I heard you've been teaching Armin how to make mocha coffee," Lara placed her hands on her hips as if scolding a child, "You never told me about this wonder of the modern world, mister!"

"Well, well, young lady!" now it was Onyankopon who had a mischievous smile. "I do remember very well telling you about the types of coffee we drink in other countries. But you were so impressed with the ice cream, you didn't even pay attention to me when I was telling you about them!"

Lara placed her hand on her chin thoughtfully and recalled that Onyankopon was right. Pouting, she gave up.

"I'll let you get away this time!" she exclaimed, tapping him playfully on his shoulder. "As long as you teach me how to make mocha coffee, too. But tell me, what are you doing here?"

"I was talking to your mother just now and she asked me to call you to visit Eren in prison. She just didn't come here in person, 'cause she claimed that my legs were younger and I didn't have a heavy 'Tiny-Human-Bean' growing inside me. I thought it was a valid argument and here I am," chuckled Onyankopon.

Lara was surprised by that sudden invitation and turned to Armin.

"Oh... If that's the case, come with us, babe. You'd visit Eren soon anyway."

Armin agreed. Then, he and Lara noticed that Onyankopon had a strange expression, a mixture of confusion and suspicion.

"Babe?" he asked, looking from one to the other, hands on hips.

Armin blushed and sought Lara's gaze, who couldn't help but smile in a mischievous way, and she shamelessly faked a yawn, covering her mouth with the hand of her engagement ring, wiggling her fingers. At the same instant, Onyankopon's eyes landed on Armin's right hand and he connected the dots.

"No way!" Onyankopon gave a big smile, clapping his hands. "Are you... Engaged?! Like, out of nowhere?! When did this happen?!"

"It's been a few days already, but officially, since Saturday," replied Lara, smiling. "Later I'll tell you everything in more detail."

"Wow, but... Excuse my curiosity," said Onyankopon, turning to Armin, "what made you change your mind like that, all of a sudden?"

"Levi helped me with that," he replied, smiling shyly.

"Levi?!" exclaimed Onyankopon, now turning to Lara, open-mouthed, "Did Armin by any chance just call your father by his first name?" he laughed.

"Oh, you have no idea!" exclaimed Lara, also laughing. "These two are now practically best friends! Can you believe my dad found out that Armin likes to invest too?"

"Oh, my!" Onyankopon put his hand on his forehead. "Now nobody can stop the Captain anymore!"

They all laughed and then, Onyankopon wrapped his arms around Lara and Armin's necks in an affectionate way.

"But, seriously now... I'm extremely happy for you, really! I always hoped things would sort out between you two. To tell you the truth, no one could stand to see you guys so sad for not being together anymore. I'm sure everyone will be very happy with the news too!" he looked at Armin, with a raised eyebrow, "You sir, take good care of our little Lara here, huh? It's not easy to find a young lady like her these days!" He now turned to Lara, "And you, miss, take good care of him, for he's a young man of excellent character," Onyankopon squeezed them tight, closing his eyes, "May God bless you both!"

Then, to Lara and Onyankopon's surprise, Armin replied, with a smile:

"He's already blessing us."

♦♦♦

Lara, Armin, and Hange could hear the echoes of their footsteps in the cold corridors that led to Eren's prison cell. Just like when she first visited him, before the Court years ago, Lara felt chills at the sight of the dark ambiance that surrounded her. She and Armin walked side by side, their hands brushing, trying to find some source of heat amidst that freezing atmosphere.

Hange, however, seemed to be in an excellent mood. The days off and her daughter's engagement really did her good and she looked great. When they got in front of Eren's cell, they found him standing in front of a sink, shirtless, looking seriously at himself in a mirror, with only a small candle lighting his face. His hair was tied back and his face was wet.

"Fight... Fight..." he said to himself.

They watched him, confused. Lara wondered how someone could manage to be shirtless like that in such cold weather, moreover being wet with this freezing water. She was almost about to tell him to put on a jacket when Hange asked him:

"What are you doing?!"

Eren looked at her sideways, with the same serious expression as before.

"Are you talking and looking at yourself in the mirror, saying 'fight, fight'?"

Lara felt a certain tension in the air. But her mother didn't seem to notice and continued:

"Hey, you said 'fight, fight', didn't you?"

Eren was now looking at himself in the mirror, steady.

"When you said 'fight, fight'..." continued Hange, curious, "Who are you fighting? If you're saying 'fight, fight', does that mean you'll have two fights?"

Eren frowned and Lara felt her jaw tremble. She knew her mother didn't mean to, but sometimes Hange could be a little annoying when she rambled on about something she was curious about. Quickly, Lara sought Armin's gaze, who looked just as tense as she was.

"Mom..." she whispered.

A great silence fell over them.

"Keeping quiet isn't helping," said Hange. "Normally, people don't talk to themselves like that." She then looked down, "I know I've never talked to myself in the mirror before..." Hange now got back to looking excited, "By the way, I like your hair!"

Lara had noticed better just now. Lately, Eren's hair got longer and now he had to tie it in a sort of ponytail.

"When it's all disheveled," Hange pretended to tie her own hair, "it's kinda like you're hard-working and carefree--"

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" Eren spoke so loudly that it made Lara and Armin jump in fright. His voice echoed through the deserted corridors. Lara swallowed hard and reached for her fiance's hand, who squeezed it tightly in response. She felt an overwhelming urge to get out of there as quickly as possible.

"What?" asked Hange, "To talk, of course. The first time we met, didn't we talk about Titans all night? Though you mostly listened as I blabbered on and on..."

Hange then sighed and got a serious tone.

"You know... I honestly believed that you would never sacrifice Historia."

Hange had said that because about a year after Onyankopon and the new Marleyan allies arrived at Paradis, they were visited by a woman named Kiyomi Azumabito, ambassador of the Hizuru nation. She told them that Mikasa was a very important heir of her people and proposed an alliance between her nation Hizuru, with Zeke Jäeger, and the island of Paradis, obviously for her own profit, as Paradis had valuable raw materials for Hizuru. Zeke already had a strategy in mind to help Paradis' people by using the power of the Rumbling, a cataclysmic event that is activated by the Founding Titan (currently in Eren's possession), and with it, awaken all the Colossal Titans that live within the Walls and destroy everything in their path.

The conditions for this deal were as follows: give the world a small sample of the Rumbling's power, so that everyone is aware of the extent of the devastation it could cause. Secondly, it would be where the Hizuru nation would fit in, since Paradis' armed forces were far inferior compared to other nations in the world, so Hizuru would train Paradis to make the Rumbling no longer necessary. Thirdly, it would be to pass on both the Founding Titan and the Titan with royal blood, meaning that people who possess these powers must be devoured at the end of their lives. At the moment Kiyomi had said that, everyone was perplexed.

Zeke proposed to be devoured and pass on his Beast Titan to someone of royal blood. So, until the thirteen years of his Titan "curse" was over, they would need to ensure that descendants of the Royal Family were born. On that day, Hange thought that even if the armed forces of Paradis would advance, the Rumbling would still be a very powerful weapon, and that if they didn't get rid of the Rumbling, this culture of passing Titans from generation to generation would be endless, pushing the problem for the people of the future to solve, just to save the lives of those living in the present.

However, to everyone's surprise, Historia said that the Rumbling was essential to ensure the survival of Paradis' people, and that she was willing to inherit the Beast Titan. When Eren heard what Historia had said, he angrily stood up in a jump, saying that the Eldian people had been thrown inside these Walls, trampled and killed by the Titans, and now they wanted them to breed like livestock. At that moment, he said that if this was the price to survive, that "Zeke Jaëger can take his damn plan and shove it!", and that relying solely on the power of the Rumbling was too dangerous. He concluded by saying that it would be better to use the time they still had to look for other possibilities. Historia was touched by what he said that day.

In the end, the nation of Hizuru did not make any deals, as they would not have any profit from it. And the rest of the world still wanted Paradis island to be seen as the source of all evil. Everyone was feeling awful about all that, and with bitterness, they came to the terrible conclusion that they would have to use the Rumbling and sacrifice Historia. By that time, Lara witnessed Armin being completely outraged that they couldn't even talk to the other nations or make a peace treaty, and Mikasa replied that it was because the other countries were afraid of them, because they didn't know them. They were afraid of the unknown.

With that in mind, Hange excitedly came up with the idea that since they were the Survey Corps, they should do just that, to survey. They would try to infiltrate Marley so they could get to know the unknown. Sasha was particularly excited about it because she could try new foods. Armin also was pretty excited about the idea, because since they were going to do this with the goal of keeping the peace with everyone, maybe things could finally start to move towards a good ending. Lara remembered that when she heard Armin say that, he looked at her with a twinkle in his eye and they couldn't help but smile at each other. At that time, Eren showed how much he cared about his friends.

Now, back at Eren's prison cell, Hange continued:

"I thought our way of thinking was very similar. But, tell me… Why did you now decide to act on your own and put everyone in danger like this, Eren? You don't care about Historia anymore?"

"When I was in Liberio, I ate the War Hammer Titan," replied Eren, still facing his own reflection in the mirror.

Hange, Lara, and Armin widened their eyes in astonishment. Since they stayed in the airship the whole time during the rescue operation, they couldn't really see what happened in the battle in Liberio and only got to know about this detail just now.

"With the power of this Titan," continued Eren, "I'm able to harden through the ground and create the weapon I want." He then looked seriously at Hange, "In other words, there's no prison deep or strong enough to hold me."

At that moment, Lara felt a chill run down her spine and her entire body tingled. Hange was wide-eyed, just like Armin. Holding hands with him, Lara noticed that they were both shaking.

"I can leave whenever I want," said Eren, facing Hange. "Since I have the Founding Titan, you cannot kill me. He started walking towards her, "And no matter how much you threaten Zeke, you can't kill him either."

Eren had grown up and was now much taller than Hange, and he was looking at her with a somewhat maniacal gaze. She flinched in his presence and instinctively placed her hand on her belly as if to protect it.

"So, Hange?" asked Eren, in a threatening way, "What is it you can actually do?"

What happened next happened very quickly. In a sudden movement, Eren reached out and grabbed the collar of Hange's shirt and pulled her against the bars of the cell with violence, causing her belly to hit the bars very hard.

"TELL ME, COMMANDER HANGE!" exclaimed Eren, looking furious, "WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WITH ME?!"

Lara and Armin were completely reactionless and to their utter desperation, yellow rays began to come out of Eren's body, meaning he was about to turn into a Titan right there.

"COME ON!" shouted Eren, who seemed to inflate, "TELL ME!"

Lara didn't know how she did the following, or where she got the courage and strength to do so, but in a jump, she grabbed Eren's hand and released it from the collar of her mother's shirt, embracing her instantly, her hand on her belly.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Lara yelled at Eren, her eyes bloodshot.

Hange was panting and moaning, with a deep expression of pain, and holding her belly, looking at Eren with great fear. She felt tears welling up in her eyes and her heart began to race. Armin watched it all, horrified.

"Eren!!!" exclaimed Lara, glaring at him furiously, "You know she has a risky pregnancy!" She gave a little tap on her forehead, "WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?!"

Lara began to take her mother out of the prison, still glaring angrily at him. Hange was leaning over herself, feeling severe pain in the area she hit her belly, with tears already running down her cheeks. She gave Eren one last sad look and left with her daughter, who supported her.

Armin couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. His heart was racing in his chest and he felt his entire body shaking. Eren was now looking at him, with a steady gaze. Then, suddenly, Armin rushed to the bars of the cell, holding them with both hands.

"Eren!" he exclaimed, his face in a mixture of concern and anger. To his desperation, he heard Hange give a loud groan of pain in the distance. Now, he no longer expressed concern, only anger. Armin glared into Eren's eyes.

For just a couple of seconds, Eren looked at the fingers of Armin's right hand and noticed something gold and shiny there, then he looked at the prison exit door. During those few seconds, his serious and frowning face faded away, and Armin noticed.

"That's exactly what you're thinking," said Armin, through gritted teeth, keeping his gaze very steady, "Lara and I are engaged and we're getting married, something you should have done with Mikasa a long time ago."

Eren, who was now facing him in a serious way again, felt his jaw tremble.

Armin raised his index finger and pointed it at Eren's face.

"I only ask of you one thing," he pressed his lips and frowned, "stop pushing away the people who still have a shred of consideration for you. Otherwise, what will you have left in the end?"

Breathing nervously, they both glared at each other for a few more seconds and then, Armin turned his back and walked away with firm steps.

♦♦♦

"I HATE BEING THE COMMANDER!" shouted Hange, lying on an infirmary bed, with doctors and nurses around her, trying to calm her down. "ERWIN, THAT WAS YOUR WORST MISTAKE! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

Lara, who was holding Hange's hand beside the bed, had tears coming out of her eyes, with an expression of extreme anguish. Armin watched the scene from a distance, with the same face as his fiancée.

The doctors were analyzing the area of the hit on her belly, which had now a big purple bruise. Hange writhed and moaned in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks, and squeezing her daughter's hand and the bedsheets. The doctors looked at each other, concerned, because a hard hit in pregnancy could trigger the much-feared placental abruption and even a water breaking, which would result in an extremely risky premature birth for both the mother and the baby.

Hange was crying, her shoulders shaking, feeling terror rise in her heart. Her entire body trembled with fear of losing her precious baby she took so long to finally have. Hange looked up at the infirmary ceiling and cried:

"Please!!!" hiccups came out of her throat, "Don't let anything happen to my baby, please!!!"

Lara looked from her mother to the doctors and nurses, and then to Armin, feeling a lump in her throat. She was feeling so helpless at the moment, the only thing she could do was to kiss Hange's hand and try to calm her down. Until they heard a loud and strong voice coming from the door:

"Who did this?!"

It was Levi.

His eyes were wide. At the same time he looked furious, he was completely pale, like a sheet of paper. His voice was menacing and sent a chill through everyone in the room.

Minutes earlier, a nurse had rushed out to tell him about the accident, but she was so stunned that she only managed to tell him that someone had hurt Hange's belly. As soon as Levi heard it, he ran off, leaving the nurse standing there, gaping.

Seeing that no one answered him, Levi asked again:

"WHO. DID. THIS?!"

Hange didn't seem to notice that her husband was there, such anguish she was feeling, grinding her teeth and groaning in pain. Lara's eyes widened at her father's state and desperately sought Armin's gaze, asking for help. He then went to his father-in-law, to try to calm him down. But as Armin stood in front of him at the door, Levi stared at him, his eyes widening even more.

"Tell me, Armin," now his voice tone was low, but still terrifying, "who was the bastard that did this?"

Armin had a frightened look on his face and his jaw was trembling.

"I-It was Eren..." he replied, almost in a whisper.

Suddenly, Levi turned and walked briskly down the corridor, his green cloak billowing behind him. Armin gazed at Lara, completely astonished.

Her body tingled. Lara didn't know what to do. Should she stay with her mother to help her or should she go after her father to stop him from doing something stupid?

She felt such desperation come into her heart that she looked at Armin with heavy tears welling up in her eyes. Seeing his fiancée in that state, at that moment, Armin felt a strength rise inside him, and with a firm expression, he signaled that he would resolve that situation himself.

Armin then walked out into the hallway, closing the door behind him, just in time to see his father-in-law almost round the corner.

"Levi!" he exclaimed, running towards him, "Don't do anything you will regret!"

Levi stopped immediately.

Silence fell over them.

Panting, Armin noticed that Levi was clenching his fists, seeming to be struggling hard.

"You only say that because you consider Eren as a brother," replied Levi, his strong voice echoing down the corridor.

Armin's eyes widened.

The silence remained.

Then, he sighed, and with a very steady voice, he said:

"Yes, you're right," Armin started to slowly approach Levi, "However, from the moment Lara said 'yes' to my marriage proposal, you and Hange became my family, too."

Levi felt his jaw tremble and he gritted his teeth, frowning.

"And if necessary," continued Armin, now very close to him, placing his hand on his shoulder, "I will give my life for Lara, for Hange, and even for you."

Levi was now teary-eyed, pressing his lips together. Armin squeezed his shoulder.

"All Hange and Lara need now is you, by their side. Just that. We need to stick together."

Levi lowered his head, feeling his body slowly relax. He turned to Armin. They looked at each other for a few seconds and then, Levi took a deep breath, now placing his hand on his son-in-law's shoulder. Little by little, he nodded.

"Come on, Armin..." said Levi, looking steadily at him, "Let's go back to our girls."