Death doesn't discriminate
between the sinners
and the saints
It takes
and it takes
and it takes.

Levi narrowed his eyes under the bright sun. The ship was finally arriving at the port. And in front of his eyes, the innermost district of their small world - Wall Sina's eastern side, the Stohess District. The captain glanced back, eyeing at Eren, Armin, Hanji and commander Erwin, who were with him. The commander was immersed into reading a document written in an eye-soringly small font, and Levi turned his eyes back to the mass of people.
These people… they lived in a lulling sense of safety, no fear of titans. They were safe here. Military Police patrols kept everything in order. Levi found himself to despise the MPs to some extent - only the ones with the highest skillset had a chance to apply to the Military Police. The people who could be the hope of humanity decided to go and live a dulling life like this - it sickened him.
"Let's go", he murmured to the others as the ship made port. Erwin raised his eyes from the document, packing it to his satchel.
They were here to make a statement on Eren's progress. Levi couldn't understand why the authorities had asked to bring Eren along. In his opinion, only Hanji should be enough. It was unusual but known to happen in rare cases.
Most likely the royalty and the Military Police wanted to keep track of Eren's condition in other ways than Hanji's report. Apparently, trust issues were a thing between the authorities, and Hanji's word wasn't enough.
Levi sighed - at least it was warm. Their thick, green cloaks were not needed under the sunlight.
"We'll be staying at a separate building, that doesn't belong to the military", Erwin explained. "It's not far from the port, just by the marketplace. We'll have a nice view from the top floor."
"Fascinating", Levi muttered. He was bothered by how different the people here looked like. They eyed at the Survey Corps logos funnily, whispering behind their backs.
"Is that captain Levi?" he heard someone say, a bit too loudly and somebody sushed him. The captain kept his posture but glanced at the voice's direction. It was a small kid, couldn't have been older than seven. His mother was dragging the reluctant boy in the opposite direction.
"Come on, Henry."
"Mom, those are Scouting Legion soldiers! That's so cool!"
Levi blinked, turning his eyes back to the road. He had nothing but bad memories of this place. Unwillingly his eyes wandered to the rusty gate at the edge of the street, right by the marketplace. It looked like a black maw ready to swallow any child who wandered too close. Dusty, cracked stairs lead into the darkness.
He knew that the Underground City had been unused for years. No people lived there anymore - the old ways had been "inhumane", according to some authorities. Levi agreed - he just wished that the people of the Underground had been let out earlier.
Maybe then he, Farlan and Isabel would still be alive.
Levi turned his eyes away, shaking the spider webs of the past off of his mind. That future had been lost a long time ago. He was humanity's strongest soldier, and his place was by Erwin's side, in the Survey Corps.
"Here we are", the commander smiled as they arrived in front of a tower-like stone building. They stepped inside, and Levi was immediately impressed by how clean and well-maintained the place was. The first floor seemed to be a bar. The bartender was just rubbing some beer mugs with a rag, nodding respectfully at the arriving soldiers.
"Woah", whispered Armin, and Eren said something back.
A few people were sitting at the tables, but it seemed to be a quiet day in general.
"We've been expecting your arrival", the bartender smiled politely. "My name is Fredrik Wagner." Erwin shook hands with him, and he took out a ring of keys from under the table.
"Let me show you to your rooms", he smiled.

"This is kind of exciting", Eren grinned as he and Armin were shown to their rooms.
"Yes, it is!" Armin replied with bright eyes. "It's a shame Mikasa couldn't come, though."
"Yeah."
Mikasa wasn't happy to find out about Eren going to Wall Sina without her, but she seemed to be a little bit under the weather, coughing a lot and having a low fever. Hanji didn't let her come.
"Mikasa's going to kill me if something happens to you", Armin sighed. "You better stay out of trouble."
"I'll do my best", Eren smirked back.
There was a knock on their door. "Are you two ready?" Levi's quiet voice asked from the other side.
"Yeah, coming, captain!"

Eren's part on the whole deal was very small. He only needed to show up, the adults stared at him for a while, and then he was dismissed. He and Armin sat outside as Erwin, Hanji and Levi still talked with the Military Police high-ranks.
The word of their arrival to the city had travelled faster than a wildfire. Eren glanced at the people that were standing outside the nearest pub. Some were too drunk to make clear conversation ("Isn't it too early to drink?") but some were just enjoying their drinks in peace.
Eren blinked, getting a hazy realization of the fact that he had completely forgotten what normal life was like. What his life was like before the military before he became a titan-shifting oddity. These people were still living that life - these people's lives hadn't been ruined by a titan breakout, their loved ones were alive or died by natural circumstances… they hadn't suffered loss.
"We're done here", came captain Levi's sudden voice from behind them. "Let's get back to the tower."
"Where are Hanji and Erwin?" asked Armin with a frown.
"They had some other business to attend", Levi replied. "But we're free to go. We have plenty of time to do something if we feel like it."
"Like… free time?" Eren frowned.
"Yeah", Levi murmured. "Weird, huh?"
"Very", Armin stated. "Well, we should go change to civilian clothes anyway. We're not on duty, and it feels weird when people stare at us."
Eren glanced at his friend. Being a titan shifter, he had gotten used to the long looks. Back at the HQ, everyone knew who he was, even though he knew barely anyone outside of his own squad. He didn't really have too many chances to socialize.
"Let's move then", Levi muttered, throwing a dark glance towards the entrance of the Underground. Eren remembered the fight with Annie, that had destroyed a large part of the Capital - including some of the original Underground City entrances.
He also noticed the hard gleam in the captain's eye - he had learned to read Levi's stone-faced expressions surprisingly well. As they made their way towards the tower, they were followed by constant whispers and interested, awed looks.
Eren thought about what it had felt like to see soldiers back when he was a kid. Each of them carried themselves with a fighter's posture, eyes hardened by the things they'd seen - they were heroes, who had survived to live another day.
And here he was, one of those survivors.

Levi was alone in the room until Eren and Armin knocked on his door. He had changed into comfortable black pants and a loose, collared white shirt and a black vest.
The windows of the room were huge, and he'd ended up opening one and seating by the ledge. The captain was sipping from a cup of tea, looking down at the people.
"Hey, captain, may we join you?" asked Eren.
"Sure."
The boys slipped in, and Armin started preparing cocoa for him and Eren. The shifter walked up to the window and looked down.
"This is much higher than I thought."
Levi hummed absentmindedly, taking another sip of his tea. Eren sat on the other side of the window ledge, pulling his legs to his chest - the same way Levi had done.
"Here's your cocoa, Eren", Armin's voice announced, bringing the steaming mug to him. The boy looked down and flinched.
"That's really dangerous, you know. If you fell from this height, you would break your legs - maybe even die!"
Levi glanced at Armin, humoured. "We won't fall."
"Okay, but be careful", the boy frowned back, seating by the armchair in the corner and pulling out a thick book.
A warm wind blew on their faces from the outside, and Levi breathed in deep. Some kids were playing right by the edge of the marketplace, and they drew his attention. He could hear their loud conversation and high voices.
"Why do you get to be captain Levi every time? I don't want to be commander Smith!"
"You're blond, you can't be captain Levi", the other one argued. "Besides, I'm shorter."
"That's not fair!" cried the other one.
"Okay, don't start crying, please… you can be the captain this time."
"Really?" the kid's voice suddenly grew an octave higher.
"Yes, really. I'll be the commander."
"Awesome!"
The kids then proceeded to go and fight the imaginary titans, slashing the air with a few sticks they'd picked up from somewhere, pretending they were blades.
Eren chuckled at them, and Levi sniffed.
"Doesn't it feel weird, captain?" the boy asked. "Seeing kids playing to be you?"
Levi glanced at him slowly. "I don't know. Haven't thought about it that much." He looked back down.
"I hope I'll earn that kind of respect one day", Eren said quietly smiling. The captain didn't reply, and they were in silence for a moment.
"What kind of tea is that?" asked Eren with a frown. "It smells weird."
Levi turned his head and glanced into the cup. "It's green tea - the only kind they had in the locker. Tastes like piss if you ask me", he stated while taking another sip.
"To me, all tea tastes like piss, captain", Eren's nose wrinkled and he downed a large gulp of his cocoa.
Levi narrowed his eyes. "Obviously - you're slurping that damn syrup down your throat."
"No", Eren blinked, drinking calmly. "This is heavenly."
"I wouldn't drink that voluntarily", the captain muttered. "It looks like a cat took a really slumpy shit in your mug."
Eren frowned, looking inside his cup. "That's disgusting, captain. It doesn't look like that. And you're drinking leaf water."
"Leaf water?" Levi repeated, almost insulted. "Listen up, brat. First of all, tea is healthy - it contains antioxidants that repair cells and prevent sickness."
Eren took a better position, leaning his chin on his knee while straightening the other one to hang outside the window.
"Second, tea contains caffeine. Allows me to get by with very little sleep. Third", Levi drank his cup empty. "there are hundreds of different combinations you can make of tea in order to get the exact flavour you want."
Eren stared at him. "The only thing I've learned so far is that you clearly have a crippling addiction to tea."
Levi shook his head. "You're hopeless." The captain jumped down from the window ledge, heading towards the table where his tea kettle was.
Eren jumped down as well, sitting next to Armin. The shifter began to go through the board games that were sorted in a small pile in the nearby cabinet.
Levi's eyes landed on Armin and his concentrated face. His blue eyes moved steadily over the pages.
"What are you reading there, Armin?"
Eren's head popped up. "No, don't-"
Armin, however, had already looked up with a new kind of glimmer in the corner of his eyes. "I'm glad you asked!"
Levi stared at the boy and she proceeded to go into detail about the story and it's inner meanings, how it's the fifth time he's read it, and how the protagonist's characterization is a true literary masterpiece.
The captain's mouth was slightly open. "I'm so sorry", he stated suddenly, stopping Armin.
The boy frowned. "Why?"
"For asking", Levi breathed back, walking back to the window.
Eren choked back a burst of laughter. Armin shook his head, muttering something about how people never understood the beauty of great literature and went back to reading.
"Oi, brats", Levi hollered. "You feel like going down to the bar for a visit?"
Armin and Eren both seemed to tense. "But… we've never drunk alcohol before."
The short man frowned. How old were these brats again? "I'm sure one glass is fine."
The boys looked at each other, uncertain. Eren shrugged. "Sure thing, then."

In a moment's time, the three had set up in a corner table at the bar, that had somehow filled. Eren sipped his cider, smacking his lips as the sweet liquid made his mouth feel sticky. Levi was holding a glass of wine, sipping it elegantly.
Armin was shuffling a deck of normal, age-old playing cards. "Is it okay if we'll play the Seven of Clubs? My grandpa taught it to me when I was little…"
A shadow passed over his eyes, but it was gone in a blink.
"I'll pass", Levi replied dryly.
"Oh, come on, captain", persuaded Eren. "Don't be like that."
Levi narrowed his eyes, slurping his wine but saying nothing.
"Yeah, it'll be fun", Armin added with a smile. Levi sighed.
"Fine, I guess I'll play."
Eren grinned. They were all familiar with the game, so Armin began to deal the cards.
After the 52-card deck had been shared between them, they all started to sort the hand they had. Eren frowned slightly at his cards.
Levi sighed, slapping the seven of hearts to the table. The game had begun.
It ended up being surprisingly competitive. Armin planned his every move, analyzing the two others' movements. Levi didn't seem to put in much of an effort, leaning comfortably back in his chair.
The game ended with Armin's win - he won the game by harbouring the eight of spades till the very last moment. After the game was over, Levi yawned and announced he would go and take a leak.
Armin and Eren were left alone in the table.
"It feels really weird", the blond boy whispered after the captain disappeared from their sight. "You know, hanging out with captain Levi like this."
Eren frowned, shrugging. "A little, I guess. It's fun, though."
"No argument there", Armin stated, wrinkling his nose at the stench of alcohol that was rising from his glass.
A group of very loud, young men stumbled into the bar, already notably drunk. The bartender looked at them with a bad eye.
"I think you boys might have had enough already", the man stated.
"Oh, come on", one of them complained. The few boys at the front began arguing with the bartender, while the ones at the back of the group were immersed into a conversation - their topic happened to be the Survey Corps. Eren couldn't help but overhear.
"You know", one of them slurred. "I heard that captain Levi has survived this long only because he's so small the titans can't even see him!"
For some reason, this was absolutely hilarious to the others and they all burst into a snotty laughter. Eren's blood boiled. Captain Levi was humanity's strongest soldier, putting his life on the line to defend these walls from the everlasting threat, and yet these people dared to mock him?
Eren stood up.
"Wait, Eren, don't get riled up, please, Mikasa is not here to help this time-"
"What the fuck did you just say?" Eren growled at the men. They turned around, their smiles widening.
"What? Are you a Scouting Legion fanboy or something?"
"You do not get to speak of captain Levi that way", Eren continued growling, anger threatening to overflow his senses.
The men laughed, and Eren saw red. He punched the first guy in the jaw, and as the guy fell back, Eren's fist started surging with pain from the impact.
"Oi! Quit it!" the bartender ordered, but it was too late. Few of the men began defending their buddy, who was rubbing his chin on the floor, while the others used the situation to steal something to drink from the other side of the counter.
Eren kicked one of the guys to the nuts, and he doubled over with a tortured look in his face. The boy yelped as he was hit with a chair - it broke against his back and he fell down. Someone fell towards the nearest table, making each and every one of their drinks to fall down. Angry yells followed the new people joining into the fight.
Eren grit his teeth, getting up from the floor and throwing himself against the nearest person, yelling furiously.
"What the fuck is this?" captain Levi breathed as he appeared back, his eyes widened and expression aghast.
Armin glanced at him with an anxious look. "Eren's just defending your honour, captain."
"For fuck's sake", the captain sighed, looking tiredly into the mass of fighting people. "Eren!"
The boy turned his head just as he was about to break someone's nose. "Hello, captain!" he yelled back, then proceeding to hit his opponent in the face.
"Stop it!" Levi growled, grabbing the boy's shoulders and pulling him out of the rubble. Some poor man attempted to jump them, but the captain demonstrated his right hook to him, which caused him to fall unconscious to the floor.
Eren was trying to struggle out of the captain's grasp, but with no avail. Levi marched him up the stairs to his room.
"Stay here and let me handle this", Levi narrowed his eyes. "Armin, make sure he doesn't come back down."

Levi eventually managed to calm the fight down by using force and helping the bartender to throw the people out. There were numerous shattered glasses, windows and broken chairs. Splattered drinks were everywhere. The captain sighed, dragging a bucketful of soapy water and a mop to the scene.
"Captain, you don't need to-"
"I want to, Mr Wagner", Levi interrupted. "It bothers me to sleep in a dirty dump. I preferred when this place was nice and tidy."
The man nodded, smiling. "In that case, thank you."
Levi began mopping, and eventually, Armin and Eren joined him. According to Eren, he had done nothing wrong and it wasn't his fault. Levi rolled his eyes when the two boys began arguing.
After fifteen minutes of cleaning, Hanji and Erwin arrived, wide-eyed and mouths opened.
"What happened?" Erwin managed to push out after a small pause.
"Don't ask", Levi replied grumpily.

The next morning their carriages arrived, ready to transport them back to the port. The last night's quarrel was mostly forgotten, and Levi had to admit he was sort of moved by Eren defending him so aggressively.
"The boat ride will last about five hours, and we have carriages waiting for us to take us back to the HQ", Hanji stated. "I'll have plenty of time to look into this research."
Levi sighed, leaning to the railing of the boat and looking down at the waves. Eren and Armin were doing the same, discussing something in cheery tones.
Eren had bought a bracelet for Mikasa, and Levi thought that his gesture was actually adorable.

They made it to one hour without any complications, but then the ship stopped. Levi glanced lazily towards the docks and realised some alarmed people were pacing around at the port, waving instructions.
The boat made port. Levi and Erwin glanced at each other.
"It's probably technical difficulties or something", Eren stated.
"If that were the case, those people wouldn't have asked us to stop. There's something else going on", muttered Armin.
"Don't get hasty. I'm sure it's fine", Hanji yawned, leaning back in her chair.
In that exact moment, one of the ship's crew members stepped inside, pale as a sheet.
"I'm afraid the boat needs to be turned around. We are to return to Wall Sina immediately."
Erwin stood up, and Levi narrowed his eyes.
"Why? What is the meaning of this?" the commander's voice was hard.
The man swallowed, eyes widened. "This side of Wall Maria has been closed off for now. A highly contagious epidemic has broken out, and it has already claimed lives."
Silence fell over the people on the ship. Levi's heart had risen up to his throat.
All of the Survey Corps personnel are in that zone this very moment, he thought. My squad is in there.
"The doctors of the area have begun to investigate the nature of the illness, and are doing their best to find a solution. What we know so far is that it travels fast."
"So this side of Wall Maria is under quarantine?" Erwin sought for confirmation. There was a diamond-hard look in his eyes.
"Yes, sir", came the shaky reply. "We'll be turning around shortly."
The man disappeared out the door. Someone started crying, and people began to argue loudly.
"Mikasa", Eren whispered. "Mikasa is in there. I need to get to her, she was sick already when we left…"
"We can't", Levi said sharply. "This isn't something you can fight with swords. For now, there's nothing we can do."
"This is bad", muttered Hanji. "This means that the entire Survey Corps is compromised."
"Yes", Erwin confirmed darkly. "It's very bad."

Eren stared out the window. Last night he'd been sitting on the ledge right here, chatting with captain Levi and everything had been fine.
Now? His insides were boiling with emotion and frustration. The news of the epidemic had spread quickly, and everybody seemed to be afraid to move outside anymore.
Earlier that day they had gotten a confirmation that the illness travels through touch and spit. About fourty percent of the population inside the quarantined area had gotten compromised.
Eren hadn't seen Erwin, Hanji or Levi much. They'd been occupied in some emergency meeting arranged by the government.
Mikasa was in there. Eren's sister was one of the infected ones.
So far, the disease had killed only very old and very young people - but the more time passed, the more dangerous it was becoming for everyone.
How was Mikasa doing? She'd been one of the first to get sick. Eren was being ripped apart.
He wished his father was still there. He could have saved those people - they just needed a good doctor.
"Eren", the boy's head jerked up and he blinked in confusion as Levi walked to his room, eyes sweeping over the titan shifter's form.
"Well? What's going on?" Eren asked, voice tight.
Levi took his time to reply. "There's a possible cure."
He almost took a breath of relief. "But?"
"But", said Levi slowly, "The crucial part in making it is a plant called blood flower."
Eren blinked, waiting for the captain to continue.
"It doesn't grow inside the walls anymore", he said quietly. "According to Hanji, there are bloodflowers growing in the same forest where my old squad died."
His voice was steady and calm, his posture composed, but Eren flinched and looked away. "Shit."
"Yeah", sighed the captain. "We discussed options. One of them was that you and I go on a stealth mission to try and reach that forest."
Eren's eyes widened. "Just the two of us? Outside the walls?"
"Yep", Levi looked down. "All the ideas are desperate. We have very little options since there are exactly five members of the Survey Corps that aren't bedridden at the moment."
The boy swallowed, nodding. "When will we hear their decision?"
Levi shrugged. "Who the fuck knows. Where's Armin?"
Eren played with his knuckles. "He's at the local library, burying himself under different medical books to try and find the solution."
The captain scoffed. "There already is a solution. It's just an inconvenient one."

Two hours later Erwin and Hanji returned to them. Their expressions were grim and serious.
"Levi, Eren", the commander started stiffly. "We have a plan that includes you two."
The captain and the boy glanced at each other.
"Spill it", Levi shrugged.
"You two are to go on a highly risky special mission outside the walls", Hanji stated, pushing her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose. "You are the most likely to make it out alive."
The captain nodded - he'd heard this part at the earlier gathering.
"You'll start your mission by riding through Wall Maria's titan-infested lands - at this point, you'll still have the support of the Military Police. They'll keep the titans off of you while you head to the gate. They'll escort you out, basically", Hanji explained.
"After that, you're on your own", added Erwin. "You'll have to be as stealthy as possible, avoid open areas and be silent."
"Why just the two of us?" Eren asked stiffly. "Why aren't you coming?"
"The fewer people, the better", Hanji replied. "The titans won't even notice you if you're discreet enough. The more people are going, the less likely it is you're get caught by titans."
Levi glanced at Eren imperceptibly, watching the kid's reaction. His posture was stiff and he noticed the green fire of determination flickering in his large eyes.
"I understand", Eren said with a stern voice.
Hanji glanced at the captain. "Levi?"
"Are you sure about this?" the short man asked, his voice low. He didn't usually question neither Erwin nor Hanji, but this time he couldn't contain his suspicion.
"This is a high-risk operation with a capital 'H'", he added. Hanji and Erwin exchanged glances.
"We know", the scientist said. "But unless we take action, we're going to lose the entire Survey Corps. A lot of people are going to die - too many."
Levi closed his eyes for a moment, weighing her words.
"We would come with you, but quite frankly we would slow you down", Erwin stated. "The two of you have the best chances of completing this quest."
Levi sighed and glanced at Eren. "Well, brat, I guess we're going outside."

*crawls out of the dusty coffin and screeches at sunlight*

Heya people, long time no see... I'm so happy about the supportive comments you left for me, and I'm kinda glad people still remember the existaqnce of this fic... I wouldn't say my personal life is in any better condition, actually it's much worse mental health-wise and my finals are coming up in a month! I'm so scared haha.

Anyway, take this chapter and enjoy it please. Part two is coming out in an unknown amount of time. The quote in the beginning was from a Hamilton song called "Wait for it."

I've been constantly surprised by the amount of attention this fic has still gotten, despite it having been borderline abandoned for a year. I don't understand how you new people even found it.

I'm glad you did though.

Supergurkan: Thank you so much for understanding. I remember seeing your comment and being so relieved and happy. You've been following this fic from the start, and I hope you're still around. Much love.

RennyBanette: Haha x) Thanks for the sympathies, and I sincerily hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Guest: Thank you, hopefully your waiting was compensated for with this chapter.

Linneanna: Thank you so much :3 It was your comment that actually got me to lift my ehad from the haze and update the fic again... so thanks for that. I hope you find the chapter enjoyable.

Thanks for all the new favoriters and followers of this fic. I love you all, and sorry for the wait once again. I hope I'll see you again soon.