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𝑳𝑰𝑻𝑻𝑳𝑬 𝑪𝑨𝑫𝑬𝑻
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It was exactly six days and seven nights since you first met the three kids in Wall Rose. The three wake up every day hoping you'd arrive. They really didn't care about the food you'd bring, not more so than the promise you told them.

"She said she'll bring us to the Interior," the timid boy, Armin, muttered as he sat on the stone steps, chin propped on his knees.

"Armin, you sound like you're more excited to see the Interior than to see the world outside the Walls," Eren said as he fell on his back on the grass, eyes staring at the obsidian night sky with stars scattered about.

"No, it's not that!" Armin said quickly, straightening up as he looked at Eren. "I just... want to see what it's like living there."

"It must be nice," Eren said, lifting his hand up, fingers stretched as if he could reach the unreachable. "But Wall Sina is smaller than Wall Maria, and Wall Maria is still incomparable to the outside world."

"Right," Armin muttered. "The outside world."

When the two young boys think about it, going to the outside world seems more probable than plucking a star in the night sky, all because the latter is literally impossible while the former is attainable.

"Far beyond these walls, there's flaming water, land made of ice and fields of sand spread wide."

When Armin talks about those things, Eren couldn't help but listen. Armin talks in such a way that his emotions were so unmasked. His desire to go outside and explore, to feed his curiosity of the outside world sounds like a great way to fuel his conviction. It was far different than Eren's conviction to kill every last titan.

As the boys sat there, Mikasa came back with a plate of bread. She put it down on the grass before sitting beside Eren and offering a bread to him to which Eren accepted halfheartedly.

"You were the one who got this for us," Eren muttered. "You don't need to shove one at my face."

"Thank you, Mikasa," Armin said, taking a bread as Mikasa nodded at him before she, as well, took one.

"What were you two talking about?" she asked, taking small bites of the bread and chewing it carefully, otherwise she might sleep with an upset stomach if she quickly ate this kind of bread.

"We were talking about Ms. Y/n," Armin answered, as Eren was busy filling his empty stomach.

"Ms. Y/n, huh..." Mikasa muttered. "I want to see her too. She seems like a strong woman."

"Her husband," Eren said, gulping down the bread in his mouth. "I want to see her husband. She said he's called Humanity's Strongest Soldier."

There was a brief silence between the three as the night breeze blew by. It was cold, but at least their stomachs were filled. When the bread was gone, with only the crumbs left on the grass, the three sat there.

"I wonder when will Ms. Y/n come back," Armin muttered, voicing out the thoughts of Eren and Mikasa.

"I hope she comes back soon."

The 'soon' happened way soon enough. Because the very next day, you came back to Wall Rose. You've never been around children, but seeing those three look so excited and eager to meet you made you think about how nice it must have been to be around children. But not all children are like them.

They welcomed you with grins and an embrace you didn't expect. Which was why you stood there as they cling to your waist until you relaxed and when they leaned back, you returned their smiles with a smile.

"Sorry it took me a week," you said. "But it seems like you three are more excited to go to the Interior than you are to see me."

They shook their heads and you chuckled. "Just kidding, let's get going."

You ushered them to the carriage and the ride to the Interior was filled with them talking about the things they see outside. You sat there, elbow propped on the side, cheek pressed on your knuckles as you closed your eyes.

The lull of the carriage and the sound of the children's voices and laughter made you feel sleepy. But soon enough you felt the carriage slowing down.

"I think we're almost there," Eren said, face almost pressed on the window as you opened your eyes and straightened up.

"We're almost there," you said, prompting Eren to lean back on his seat when he realized you're awake.

When the carriage completely halted, you opened the door and stepped outside, followed by the children.

They looked around first. There were more houses, restaurants and pubs. The people walk around wearing expensive clothes and the children seem like they've never seen the horrors that lie beyond the Walls.

"Let's go inside," you said, walking ahead as the three followed close behind.

The children looked around the house with wide eyes, it was the largest house they've ever been to. Compared to the houses in their hometown in Wall Maria, houses in the Interior are much bigger.

"Can you wait here for a while? I'll get my son upstairs, he must be awake now."

The three nodded, seemingly still in awe of the house.

"You can look around if you want," you said before excusing yourself.

You headed upstairs and went inside the room where you found Levi standing near the crib, holding the baby.

"You're back," he said. "And what about those brats?"

"Levi, stop calling them brats," you said, taking the baby from him. "They're children."

"Same thing."

"Would you be happy if someone called our son a brat?"

"No one would call him a brat if they knew who his parents were," Levi said. "And by extension, his uncle."

It might be true enough, that your son has quite a tie with the important individuals in the Scout. But you couldn't help but chuckle at Levi's words as you shook your head. "Still, don't call them brats. They have names."

You told Levi their respective names before coming downstairs. But despite that, he still ended up calling them brats, like he always does with children or even the ones younger than him.

The children looked at him, without saying anything, they simply looked. And the longer they do, the more Levi's scowl becomes visible. Inside the three children's heads, they were thinking about one thing.

They were in front of humanity's strongest soldier. Who seems to be glaring at them.

"Tch," Levi clicked his tongue, averting his gaze. "You can go outside in the backyard."

You led the way to the backyard and the children followed. The backyard is quite spacious, with green grass that reminds you of the meadow in the Headquarters.

You sat on the chair, holding the baby who's moving in your arms.

"What's his name?" Armin was the first one to ask the question and the three children stood around you.

They were looking down at the baby whose eyes scan the three unfamiliar faces silently.

"His name is Lucas."

"Lucas..." they muttered.

"And your husband? What's his name?" Eren asked this time.

"His name's Levi."

"Levi?" they asked, averting their gaze at you.

For a moment you didn't realize they were asking his surname. "Oh, it's just Levi."

Come to think of it, no one knew his family name. But it's not like you wanted to dwell on it. Levi had told you all about his past anyways and his circumstances when he was a kid. But you don't think you need to tell these kids about that.

"You can play around. That's why I brought you over. Feel free to run along."

A whole day never seemed so short than today, as the afternoon came, you found yourself sitting down beside Eren who seemed like he was thinking about something until he noticed you beside him.

"I don't think I've seen him that day when the Scout returned from the Expedition," he said.

"My husband?" you asked and he nodded. "That's because he didn't participate in the Expedition."

"He didn't?" Eren asked incredulously. "But he's Humanity's Strongest Soldier, why didn't he come with the rest of the Scouts?"

You were silent for a moment, looking down before you answered.

"I'm afraid that was because of me," you said.

"Why?" he asked slowly.

You looked back at him and managed a smile that didn't quite reach your eyes.

"Sometimes being the strongest doesn't mean he didn't have his fair share of shortcomings. He chose me and our son over humanity," you started. "Sometimes the greatest good for the greatest number isn't always the answer. Sometimes even if there are so few of the people you care about, you'd end up choosing them over the rest of humanity."

You couldn't have missed the glint in the boy's eyes when you said that. For a second you thought he was lost in a memory that seemed to have flashed before his eyes.

"It's not always the greatest good for the greatest number," he muttered.

"There are people you care about," you said, looking ahead to where his two friends are. "There might come a time when you might choose them as well over the rest of humanity, like what Humanity's Strongest Soldier did."

If you could have known how your words influenced the kid who swore to kill every last titan, you wonder if you would have said the same thing. That it's not always the greatest good for the greatest number.

That day, before the sun set, Levi was the one who came along with the kids as they went back to Wall Rose. Unlike the ride to the Interior with you earlier, the ride back to Wall Rose was filled in silence. Either because the kids were tired from running around all day, or Levi's very presence in the carriage prevented them from talking loudly.

Once the carriage stopped, Levi opened the door and the kids stepped down. But before they could walk farther, Levi called.

"You brats," he said, making them stop. "Y/n told me you three wanted to join the Scout."

They looked at Levi, waiting for him to continue.

"Make sure to make it."

In a few years, when those kids are old enough, Levi wonders if they'll still remember you and him. There was a part of him that looked forward to seeing them wear the wings of freedom on their backs.

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