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This will be the first part of a two-parter guys! I briefly explained it at the end of the chapter, but aside from that, there's not much else. Also, the word count for this chapter is slightly lower than previous chapters recently! Hope you guys like it!
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Your heart was racing against your ribcage and your breathing was short and ragged as you let your feet take you to the only place you could think of where you could get some peace and quiet.

You needed to hear yourself think and calm down before even thinking of heading back out there. You couldn't face anyone right now, and the realization hit you harder than you were prepared for. Zeke and Karina's speeches at the funeral should've been a dead give away of what would be awaiting you here and all you needed, was to breathe. Even if it was just for a second.

You needed to take a break urgently from what happened outside; from what Karina said to you, the chaos and commotion, the memories resurfacing back into your mind, and just overall the reminder that you just keep losing people left and right. You needed to cry, just cry your eyes out. Not holding back anymore. You couldn't pretend to everyone else that you were holding yourself up so high and strong because Karina made her point and you crumbled with her words in seconds.

You thought there was a slim chance everyone out there had come for Grisha, to mourn him and remember who he was. But no, they were all too absorbed in their own agendas to see it. You were the naive one, deluding yourself thinking that any of them out there could spare their resentment for one single event. It was all business, personal gain, taking advantage and getting ahead. It was all that mattered to them and it made you sick, and you didn't want to look at them.

You didn't know exactly how you were able to get to where you were planning to, but somehow, you looked up, your vision cleared and you saw that you were heading up the cobblestone path that led up to the entrance of Grisha's greenhouse.

You sighed and sped up your footsteps, not wanting to waste a second to get a moment to yourself. You reached the double doors of the greenhouse and pushed one of them open with a creak. Stepping inside, you closed the door behind you and then leaned back against it with a soft thud and a huff.

You eventually reached the double doors of the greenhouse, pushed one of the doors open with a creak, stepped inside, closed the door behind you and then leaned back against it. You tipped your head back and closed your eyes as your chest rose and fell with physical and mental exhaustion. What helped calm your mind the most was the soothing sound of greenery around you. The sounds of birds chirping. The sounds of nature in general were helping all tension leave your body.

But when you opened your eyes back up, all of that tension returned in your body as a bittersweet and hurtful feeling settled in your chest. You wanted to come here to escape, but now that you're here, you realized exactly what this place represented.

You haven't come back here since you found Grisha dead in the place he loved the most, which is where you're standing right now. This place wasn't the warm, comforting refuge it used to be. All it is now is a reminder of what Grisha left behind, where he took his last breath, where Eren lost his dad, where you found him. That was the moment your world turned upside down for good, with no chance of recovery.

As your eyes slowly trailed around all the plants that were slowly losing their vibrance, vigor and life just from a couple days of being unattended, that same void in your heart returned. You looked over to the platform where all of his supplies are still exactly as Grisha had left them and nobody has touched them. You knew from that detail that nobody has dared to come in here.

The sun was pouring in through the windows since it was noon already, and it highlighted the beauty behind the effort that was put into this entire greenhouse. Finally finding the strength to move forward, you peeled yourself away from the doors and slowly started taking steps further into the greenhouse as you marveled in how strong these plants still stood.

You couldn't help but remember all the memories you made here as a little girl, whenever you snuck in here with Eren, Mikasa, and Armin to play, whenever you had deep talks with Grisha, the times you came over just to keep him company and to just watch how he handled his plants with such love and care to make sure they thrived.

There were too many memories in here that were just flashing through your head involuntarily that you didn't even try to shove them back where they came from. You were embracing that the only thing you had left of this place were the times you spent here and you'll make sure you treasure them forever. It still didn't make it any less painful. It still hurt just as much whether you accepted it or not.

You continued to take slow and steady steps forward as you looked around, while your eyes filled with melancholy and desolation. You wished you could take on the role to keep everything in here alive, but it wouldn't be the same as Grisha always did it.

He had a process he'd concocted for years and whenever he tried to teach you and you tried to help him, it was so elaborate that you always ended up missing a step. But when your eyes focused on the platform again, with all of his gardening supplies, you remembered one of the many times that Grisha tried to teach you how to garden, one of the many moments that you'll treasure in your head forever.

There was one moment in particular that stood out to you. It was no less than a couple of years ago and standing here, looking over at that platform with all of the supplies and items he left behind, made you remember it like it was yesterday.

A tearful smile came onto your lips and tears brimmed your eyes slightly as you imagined him sitting right there, gardening like he always was. In his element. You swallowed the lump in your throat and your eyes wavered with sorrow, with pain behind your smile at the image your mind was fabricating in front of you.

You remembered that moment of sitting right next to him and hearing all about the careful process he took with each of his plants. You learned from him that day that seasons differ above and below ground, so he was always careful to adjust his plants to that.

It was just as fascinating to hear about it then, as it is to remember it now; how underground, spring starts around October and even during the chilliest winters above ground, the weakest buds can sprout from below the ground. You didn't know when you'd ever have to use that fact but still held it close to you. As he had told you that, you remembered to have been preoccupied with tending to his others plants as you listened, but even so, you never missed a single word.

And what he said next was what stuck with you for years after that. You hadn't known what he was getting at then and he was just talking to you about what he knew, but as you were passing him a pot you'd put soil and a flower in, he turned to you with sincere and soft eyes, making you slow down in your movements.

He said to remember his next words carefully, and said that you should tell yourself what was going to tell you when things ever got tough and you felt like there was no way out, or that the world was turning its back on you. He said to tell yourself; "Spring is about to start within me," and you nodded then, not thinking too much of it but still keeping it in mind just as he'd asked you to do, but now.

His words were exactly what you needed. You were suddenly remembering all that he's ever said that you didn't give much thought to before, but now, it seems like was preparing you to face moments exactly like this and you never even realized it. Now, you knew that those words meant that no matter how weak I might feel at times, you can always come back from hard moments, rising above anything in your path.

You always thought that him saying random phrases to you was very unlike him, but you never questioned why he said them. He must have had a reason why. He always tried to play it off as if it was some joke and he wanted you to play along with him, but you know that was just his way of trying to deflect and play it off as nothing.

After that, the two of you would go back to gardening. It was the same every time. You had an innocent squabble where the two of you laughed afterward, went back to doing your own tasks, and you remember distinctly that time that as you were picking up the watering can, you'd gasped when you felt the water inside leaking.

Then, you wouldn't catch the mischievous smile on Grisha's before it turned serious and he told you to go away and that you didn't know how to do it and that you should step aside, laughing all the while. You glared at him briefly before you started laughing as he nudged you to step aside because he kept saying you didn't know what you were doing, but he was just messing with you.

He'd laugh as he sprinkled you with the water from the watering can, you'd flinch and you'd hear his hearty laugh. When you sat back down next to him, the two of you went back to doing exactly what you were before, as if nothing ever happened at all. You hadn't realized how much you'd taken them for granted back then.

You closed your eyes, willing to allow yourself to hold onto the memories you've made with Grisha. His comforting smile, his laughter, his presence, but it was slipping through your fingers faster than you could catch it. You knew that. You were going to allow a couple tears to roll down your cheeks, as the many moments you shared with Grisha right here in this greenhouse flashed through your mind. You would never allow yourself to forget them.

But you weren't ready for the door behind you to creak open and to allow the coldness that came with it and made your body stiffen, along with your breath hitching in surprise. You turned around to see that it was none other than Floch. The warm feeling blossoming in your chest as you'd finally allow yourself to feel, vanished in an instant and the space around suddenly became cold, and uncomfortable from the moment he came inside.

Oh, great. You thought to yourself. And it looks like he wasn't expecting you to be here either because the moment he closed the door behind him and looked up, his eyes widened a bit, but then narrowed as he noticed that your eyes were red and glassy. So he smirked. You'd turned your head around fast enough so he couldn't see your face.

You discreetly raised one of your hands and wiped your eyes, sniffling quietly as you kept your back to him. You didn't want to give him a reason to taunt you. You didn't want to be the first one to speak, and it seems that neither did he, so the greenhouse was just filled with awkward silence, with the need to find some place around here where you can be alone suddenly growing inside you.

But when you realized you couldn't get out of this that easily, because well...It's Floch, you took a deep breath and then turned your body around to face him as you crossed your arms. But when you noticed what was in his hands, what he was about to put in his mouth, your body ran cold.

He had a lighter and a cigarette in his grasp, making your eyes narrow at him. He shouldn't be smoking here. Not with all of Grisha's plants around. "Well, this is a shame. I thought nobody was here," Floch said smugly, snapping his lighter shut, twirling his cigarette in his hand. Your focus was set on what was on his hands but you still heard him loud and clear, not missing his tone.

"You and me both," You said as you fully turned your body around to face him as you crossed your arms. You weren't intimidated by him, not at all. He was just exhausting to be around, just like the people he associates with. And then you nearly scoffed when he spoke up next. "Would you care for one?" He said as he held out his box of cigarettes out to you, but you were going to make very clear to him what you were thinking. In honor of what Grisha would have liked this place to remain as, and that you'll find a way to preserve. You would not let anybody disrespect the work he put into this place.

"You know as well as I do that Grisha hated the smell of cigarettes, especially in here," You challenged as you looked at Floch dead in the eyes.

But instead, he looked amused. He put both of his hands in his pockets, with his lighter and cigarettes still in hand, and then took a couple steps closer to you, but he stopped when there was still a good distance between the two of you. He probably just wanted to be closer so you could hear what he had to say a lot closely, and so that it stings far more.

"Grisha? He's six feet under right now. Who cares?" He said and your expression quickly morphed into a deadly glare, fighting every urge in your body to not punch him square in his face for saying something like that. You were also having your thoughts reassured about nobody really caring about Grisha being gone just from that comment.

You know that by extension, everything Floch said, was what everybody else did too. You've seen it time and time again. He was really testing your self control right now, but if you reacted, he'd get what he wanted from you. You looked away for a second and then turned back to look at him, and from his cocky expression you knew he saw you break for a second.

"Oh, did that hit a nerve? Come on, y/n, get a grip. You know it's true. That will and everything that belonged to Grisha will go to Zeke, which means it will all be mine soon too. Zeke won't care about this place, so it'll be mine to use. And how I choose to use it...is to let it rot," Floch said as he smiled sadistically at you and this time, you couldn't help the way your eyes went wide what he just said and your breath got caught up in your throat as you were truly left speechless. He saw the way that your eyes flashed with barely-contained rage, and smirked even wider.

His voice was like a knife, slow and deliberate. "I see what this is about. You think you can protect this place, but like I said, it's not yours to keep," He said, and you fought the urge to say that it wasn't his either. He had no right.

So he was just in here to smoke, and not outside, on purpose because he thinks it's predetermined that Zeke will get everything from Grisha's will and he can come in here to destroy the work of years on end that was put into this place? Out of spite? "I prefer the smell of cigarettes in here a thousand times over that of an old man," Floch scoffed, making your blood start to boil to unmeasurable levels. You hated knowing you had to remain civil, out of respect, but it was killing you to just stand there and take in his words like this.

You inhaled sharply and the hatred in your eyes as you tried to contain yourself from blowing up on him continued to grow. A couple of seconds of silence, you finally found your voice once again. "I said...Grisha hates the smell of cigarettes in here," You said lowly, nearly seething with venom in your eyes, looking at Floch in anger that you were struggling to keep inside.

You weren't about to let him disrespect Grisha like that, or act as self-righteous as he is right now because of the ideas Zeke feeds into that guy's head. You didn't feel an ounce of sadness anymore, but just indignation and rage coursing through your veins, feeling very protective over Grisha's legacy and what he left behind.

Floch stared at you for a couple of seconds as a grin tugged at his lips subtly, but then he took his hands out his pockets and raised them up in defense. "Okay. You know what? I'll be nice and...let it slide today. Alright? And you want to know why?" Floch said, as he looked at you with this sickening look of victory in his eyes that were making it harder for you to stay in control and not do more to put him in his place. You had to be the better person.

He saw as your eyes wavered for a second and smirked, continuing what he had to say. Usually Floch stayed silent at family reunions, and you were grateful for that, because the moment he opened his mouth and said shit like this, it reminded you of why you never talked to him. Ever.

It was just a waste of your time and energy. This wasn't just a greenhouse, but it carried Grisha's essence. It was his heart and soul. You couldn't let someone as petty as Floch, who feels like he has to fight Zeke's battles, to come in and tarnish it. Not after everything Grisha did for you, for the family, even if they failed to see it. This place was special, sacred, and no one, especially not Floch, would take it away.

Watching as you were failing to hide how much your words were affecting you, it was giving him the satisfaction he was looking for, so he decided to continue. "Because today...is a happy day. I'm sure you'll eventually see it too," He said, digging into his pockets again, pulling out his lighter and cigarette box, pulling one out of the box and then putting one of them in his mouth, flipping open his lighter and bringing it closer to his cigarette.

But you'd had enough, just as he was about to light it, you stormed towards him and ripped the cigarette away from his mouth, throwing it on the floor and stepping on it. Hard. All while glaring directly at him, and this time, your eyes didn't waver. Not for a second. He didn't have control over you, and you wouldn't continue letting him think he did.

You wouldn't allow him to come in here and do whatever he wants because he thinks he's automatically entitled to it. "Over my dead body," You muttered lowly as you refused to break eye contact with him, even when his own gaze darkened and started to take slow steps towards you, menacingly. You didn't move an inch. Not one. He was looking down at you, as if he was challenging you with just his eyes. But you weren't scared of him.

You felt sorry for him. If Zeke was really going to get Grisha's inheritance, what made Floch think he was going to get a part of it? You didn't know what ideas Zeke planted in his head, even if it was real or if it was to get him off his back, but no matter what it took, you wouldn't let anybody come in here and destroy what Grisha left behind.

"What's wrong? Are you really that afraid I might ruin the last thing you have of Grisha? Hm? You know that just makes me want to do it more," He said as his head tilted to the side, mocking the sentiment and also reassuring you that the moment he gets the chance, he would burn this place to the ground if he had the chance.

Whether it's because he hated Grisha and had a vendetta of his own against him, whether it was because of what Grisha did to Zeke and Floch feels some sort of responsibility to also feel angry about that even if it didn't happen to him, or maybe Floch was just a horrible person and its as simple as that. But it didn't stop how furious you felt to continue coursing through your veins as you continued to look at him dead in the eye, wanting to just back off.

But you quickly snapped out of it the moment you heard a familiar voice chime in. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I wasn't the only one who wanted to get out of there," The voice drawled, and you turned your head to see Levi walking into the greenhouse through one of the side doors.

The sound of his voice, low and calm as ever, cut through the tension in your chest like a knife. In an instant, you felt the weight on your shoulders from your conversation with Floch start to lift, and your mind started to clear from the fog of anger it was in. You came back to your senses and the tightness in your body started to dissipate.

You stepped away from Floch with a long exhale, your eyes shifting to Levi as he walked toward you both. He wasn't acknowledging your presence, but you were sure he was aware you were there. Instead, you noticed his irritated glare was fixated firmly on Floch as he got closer. His expression was the same as it always was: completely stone-cold, unamused, and sharp.

The only thing out of the ordinary to you was when you looked down and saw the bottle of wine he was holding, which felt completely out of place in that moment. Where did he get that? Why does he have it? You glanced back at your bodyguard, with uncertainty creeping in. You blinked, confused for a second, but then your attention quickly snapped back to Floch, staring daggers at him, as Levi closed the distance and stopped right in between you and Floch without saying a word.

Levi stood between you and Floch without saying a word, with his back straight and imposing as always. The more you observed Floch, the more you noticed that he seemed to shrink under Levi's unmoving stare, which was directed at him with an intensity that would make anyone else around uncomfortable.

You turned your head slightly, deciding to give Levi a moment to say and do what he here to do. Floch wasn't worth your attention right now, not when Levi was handling things now. You didn't want to argue anymore.

Levi darted his eyes back and forth between you and Floch. A faint, knowing smirk, flickered on Levi's lips, barely perceptible, but the glint in his eyes said it all. He raised the bottle of wine, his tone languid, almost too casual for the tension that was still hanging thick in the air.

"Either of you care to join me? Want a sip" He asked, his tone deliberately casual, almost too nice for the intensity of the situation. There was definitely an underlying implication in the way he said it. He was hoping you'd agree, sure, that's why he went to look for a bottle of wine and brought it here to drink it with you, but now he had another reason after overhearing what Floch said to you. He wasn't just offering you a drink anymore. That wasn't his only goal.

He was here to give Floch a clear and unmistakable message that he needed to back off and that his time here was up Levi was just doing it to annoy him and ruin the intimidation tactics he was trying to use on you before that Levi simply did not care for.

He knew Floch would refuse and walk away just from that question alone. Floch's eyes narrowed, irritation rising in him at Levi's appearance, but he didn't say a word. Floch's jaw clenched, but the confidence in his posture wavered slightly. His shoulders stiffened as if trying to shrink away from the weight of Levi's stare, but his pride wouldn't let him cower completely.

He's never met Levi before, but his presence was like a weight bearing down on him and he hated it. Levi wasn't even looking at you directly, but you could tell that from his expression and his posture that he was playing with Floch and the situation on purpose. You quickly caught onto what he was trying to do and you couldn't help but feel this fuzzy, warm feeling inside you.

Floch's eyes flickered between you and Levi, and you could almost hear the struggle in his head between wanting to stay and protecting his pride, or leaving in defeat. Levi continued to stare at Floch, seeing the exact same thing you were and how much the redhead couldn't make up his mind.

He couldn't speak to you like that, especially today, so just to get under Floch's skin, Levi was trying to get him to leave on his own and let him simmer in his own irritation, knowing Floch would leave because he couldn't taunt you anymore now that Levi was there. He knows that his presence alone will for Floch to back off and leave you alone.

He thought that was the move of a coward that he only felt brave enough to say things to you when the two of you are alone, but that courage is gone the moment someone else steps in. Its the move of a coward, but it seems that Levi underestimated Floch because instead of leaving the greenhouse and saving his dignity, the redhead crossed his arms in a challenging way towards Levi.

"Who the hell are you?" Floch sneered, and Levi raised an eyebrow at Floch's tone. Was he really trying to act nonchalant now when he's clearly intimidated by Levi just standing in front of him? The discomfort in his voice was obvious.

Levi looked at Floch in amusement, but his expression remained as stoic as ever. Levi wasn't fooled by Floch. He's met countless of people just like him before and knew how to handle it. "I'm just someone who happens to be inseparable from Y/n, here," Levi said, and his voice was laced with just a slight edge of sarcasm as he gestured towards you. You didn't expect that at all. You suddenly felt a sudden wave of heat rise to your cheeks, but you didn't turn or look away from Levi. "Not allowed to let her out of my sight," He concluded.

You couldn't help but turn your head away bashfully as your eyes briefly closed in embarrassment. This was Levi, right? He wasn't one to play games when it came to his words, but you'll never get used to how blunt he is. Levi eventually continued, cutting through the tension like a knife through butter.

"Don't misunderstand me," Levi said as he saw the look of slight shock on Floch's face, so he proceeded to explain. "I'm not her ex, her boyfriend, or anything of the sort. Just her bodyguard," Levi explains, but the finality in his voice left no room for interpretation or doubts. You exhaled sharply when Levi said that, though. You already felt a wave of mockery coming in that Floch would throw your way.

You braced yourself for it, and the moment you looked up and saw the taunting look on Floch's face, you remained stuck in place. "You have a bodyguard?" Floch laughed bitterly as his tone just dripped with mockery. "How high up on that horse are you?" He sneered as he turned to you fully with a look full of amusement and you instinctively shrunk a bit.

But before you could even attempt in defending your honor, Levi's voice suddenly cut through again, and this time, low and dangerous. "And even though I'm off duty right now..." Levi started, but he let his words hang in the air before he continued.

"I will not allow you to disrespect her," Levi threatened, and stepped closer to Floch, who couldn't even hide the way that he was forced to stumble back a little, but you almost didn't notice it because you were so in shock and surprised at how quickly Levi is so quick to come to your aid like that.  You knew Levi cared and promised to fulfill his duty, but this...this felt different. You didn't know how to process him sticking up for you like that.

After a few seconds of painful silence passed, Levi didn't give Floch a chance to respond. "Anyway," Levi said casually, popping off the cork of the wine bottle in a second with the flick of his wrist. Without a second thought, Levi held out the bottle to Floch, and his smirk returned. Floch knew it wasn't a real offer and this was yet another way Levi was mocking him. "Would you like a sip?" Levi asked and Floch narrowed his eyes in annoyance and even more irritation.

"No thanks," Floch muttered, practically seething, turning to you one last time before walking towards the door. The words that came out of Floch's mouth. You couldn't believe that you went from avidly defending Grisha's honor to not being able to defend yourself. Though, you appreciated Levi stepping in. More than he could ever know. Still, the words that came out of Floch's mouth were like daggers.

"You can't do anything to hide your upbringing. You're not one of us. You can't even fight your own battles alone," He said and your breath got caught up in your throat. You know its not true, far from it actually. But the hurt sliced through you like it always did, but this time, you couldn't fight it.

You inhaled sharply as you swallowed, feeling your resolve falter for just a moment. You held Floch's gaze, even while feeling Levi's on you at the same time, and the pain was evident in your eyes.

His words were like a slap across your face, cutting through the thin thread of your composure. Everyone around you seemed to be reminding you of that. You froze for a moment, your breath caught, but you refused to let it show. You didn't want to let yourself fall apart anymore.

You clenched your hands into fists at your sides, and for a brief second, the hurt flashed in your eyes. You refused to give him any satisfaction. Today was already hurtful enough. Before Floch finally walked out, his voice cut through the air one last time.

"You two are perfect for each other," Floch said with a scowl as his eyes darted between you and Levi and he turned away and walked towards the door, hearing the disdain in his words clear as day as they rang in your head repeatedly.

But just as Floch was walking towards the door and he reached for the handle, already having had enough, Levi rolled his eyes, walked towards you, and grabbed your wrist with his tattoo on it. His fingers brushed lightly against your wrist when he grabbed it, and you noticed in a second how his usual firmness to do that softened for just a fraction.

You didn't know if it was on purpose, because you didn't even have time to question why he did that all of a sudden, or why you felt chills up and down your body for the first time the moment he grabbed it. You definitely felt something inside you stir. An electric jolt that made your heart jump.

When his hand made contact with your wrist, it lit up as it always does and just as Floch was pulling the door open, Levi smirked when the door did exactly what Levi wanted and smacked Floch right in the face, earning a pained yelp from him and a couple of muttered curses. You gasped and raised your free hand to your mouth, watching as Floch double back in pain as he held his nose.

"What the fuck?" Floch muttered to himself as he stumbled toward the door again, opening it, his hand still clutching his nose as he walked out the greenhouse, leaving you and Levi alone at last. That was exhausting. You thought you'd come in here to get peace but it was the exact opposite.

But as soon as Floch was gone and his footsteps got further away, everything clicked in your head and you looked down at your wrist that Levi was still holding. The look of shock on your face morphed into a smile of disbelief as you let out a laugh and looked back up at Levi to see that he was looking at you with an expression you couldn't quite place. What was that about?

You stared at him, eyes softening as you tried to figure him out; what he was thinking, and why he'd defended you with no hesitation, beyond his role as just your bodyguard. You wanted to know why, even if it was over time. Levi's features became gentler in the smallest fraction, and keeping them that way knowing the two of you were finally alone now as he raised up the bottle of wine in his hand once again, and this time, he hoped the two of you could the exact thing he wanted to do with you in here. He wanted to raise your spirits a little.

His glare subsided and his gaze warmed up, a slight twinkle in his eye that was almost playful, but not quite. Hopefully he could raise your spirits a little, in his own way. "Want a sip?" He asked again, but this time, it wasn't like before. When he was using those words against Floch. It was genuine now. Warmer.

You couldn't help but smile and nod at his idea, not breaking eye contact with him for a second. Maybe this was exactly the kind of peace you needed. That simple offer was effective enough to make the Floch's words in your head vanish in a heartbeat.

After that, the two of you felt like there wasn't anything else left to say except to head over to the platform together, sit down, and just have a drink. The two of you turned around at the same time and started heading over together to the platform while not a single word was uttered. You didn't know what you could say, but you didn't know that Levi didn't need you to say anything else if you didn't want to.

You noticed instantly the way his body inched closer to you while the two of you walked side by side. Whether it was or wasn't on purpose, you didn't comment on it. Instead, he looked at you as his expression softened while you were looking ahead.

He could see that there was still tension in your body, from the way you walked, the way you held yourself. Floch's words must still be swirling in your head. "You alright? I know that's stupid to ask, but I heard the things he said to you," Levi asked, finally breaking the silence and the two of you reached the platform. You noticed that his voice didn't have the same edge of threat it did before.

You didn't answer him right away. The two of you stepped onto the platform and while he opted for sitting in one of the chairs next to the small table, you decided to walk over to the edge of the platform and sat yourself down on the edge of it, in front of the rows of plants. Just like Grisha used to do. Your back was still to Levi and the weight of everything that happened was still settling in.

After settling yourself in your spot, you turned your head back and looked at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes that managed to make all the difference. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for stepping in like that. I really appreciated it," You said, with a tired, small smile, and then turning back around, turning your attention to the greenery in front of you.

"You don't have to thank me," He said, and hearing that, you turned your head back around to face him, but this time moving and turning your body a little too. He had one leg over the other and his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned back in the chair. "It's my job, isn't it? Don't let assholes like that get to you, alright?" He said, and you nodded silently, taking in his words. Right, that's the only reason he did it.

It was his job. You just got a little too carried away and your mind fabricated another possibility. You don't know why your mind let you believe for a second it was for anything else beyond that. You were not in your right mind right now and will believe anything. "Right, your job...but, I won't. I'll try not to," You said as you looked at him again with a gentle smile yet slightly disappointed expression, that you were trying to remain as neutral as possible, letting his words sink in.

After that, just before you turned back around, you saw him raise the bottle of wine once again as his expression turned with a smugness that was somehow comforting. "Shall we?" He asked, and you couldn't but let a smile tug at your lips as you chuckled and nodded. Levi reciprocated and sent you a single nod as well, leaning over and extending his arm out to you with the bottle.

You raised your arm and took the bottle from his hands, with your fingers brushing against each other for a second. You adjusted your body slightly so your back wasn't entirely facing him, and now, he could see your the side profile instead. You raised the bottle up to your lips and took a quick sip, feeling the taste of wine suddenly invade your mouth. You lowered the bottle back down to your lap and looked down at it, as your fingers started to brush against the label absentmindedly.

You knew that from the way you were starting to zone out from just looking at the label that you would start going down a very dark path in your thoughts again like you've inevitably done all day, so you forced yourself to look away from the bottle and blinking yourself out of your train of thought.

You shook your head lightly and then set the bottle down next to you. You moved your hands to keep them on your lap and as you let out a soft sigh, you involuntarily and slowly started to look around this greenhouse and everything about Grisha started to resurface back in your head.

Levi watched the way you set down the wine bottle, noticing your posture change. He's been a lot alert of you and every one of your movements every day that passes since he agreed to become your bodyguard.

He knows that sense of protectiveness has definitely gotten amplified even more during this memorial. Whether it was only because he was getting used to this job as your bodyguard or it was something else, he wasn't quite sure. But he tightened his crossed arms in front of him, watched your body language carefully and his steel eyes continued to study your movements carefully. After what's already happened today, he couldn't take any chances.

"Y/n," Levi said as he decided to be the one to make the first step to try to see what was running through your head, what was going on in there, and how he could help besides just his presence. Maybe you just needed someone to listen.

He didn't know when he suddenly started to change his ways, going from focusing on protecting you only in the physical aspect from any threats, to suddenly wanting to know your every though, every doubt, every concern. Anything that was going on in that head of yours. He wanted to protect you emotionally too. Parts of him think that it's the moment that he saw you as numb and disconnected from the world after finding Grisha dead.

You wouldn't talk to anyone, leave your house, go to work, nothing at all. But he knows that the reason as to why he's starting to feeling like he wants to get to know that part of you is so much deeper than that. "What are you thinking about? Talk to me," Levi said as his steel eyes burned into you.

You didn't say anything at all, but you did acknowledge him, taking a few moments to get your thoughts in order. And after a couple seconds, he finally heard you speak up. That was good. As soon as he heard your voice, a shred of warmth bloomed in his chest. At least you were confiding in him now, trusting him. and not keeping it all bottled up. He didn't want to see you in the state that you were in the last few days ever again. He knew that on a small level, you were listening to him about taking things step by step.

"I was just thinking that...Grisha used to hole himself up in here whenever he was upset or his job got too much for him. I guess I didn't really notice or get why he did it until now. This place brought him peace," You said as your eyes scanned the area, seeing what his stress from his life was actually able to bring to life. All of this greenery was alive because of him, even if it was because of his pain.

The more you thought about it, the more you realized that lately he'd been coming in here a lot more than usual. And maybe even more times that you were aware of and he didn't tell you about. Did the pressure from his job really cause that much stress on his body that his dead ended up being from a heart attack? How much had he been struggling that he brushed off just to make sure you were at ease and didn't worry about him? You should've tried harder, seen the signs, and made sure he was okay?

He didn't tell you about the audit team either that he set up before he died, and you know there's so much that he didn't tell you and that probably had a hold on him up until he died. He probably was holding so much on his own for your sake, for Eren's, for his family, so they wouldn't worry, until it became too much to bare all on his own. You cannot imagine how much he managed to hold on his back by himself.

You turned your head and mad eye contact with Levi, and you let out a shaky breath as his gaze visibly wavered just from seeing the frown on your face, how downturned and saddened you looked, but then his face quickly went back to normal. "This place wasn't just somewhere he used to protect his plants. It protected Grisha from everything else in his life too. Nobody else would bother to come in here daily as much as he did, and he'd spend hours on end in here.

It made him forget, even if it was just for a second, about work, the division in the family, the pressure. This was his safe space, you know?" You said as you lowered your head and looked down, as your fingers started to trace around the patterns of the wood platform both you and Levi were on.

Levi nodded along to your words silently, feeling like he was finally starting to get some perspective on this whole thing and how much importance this place really has. Even more so when he started to look around too, pondering it. But then he turned his head back to you when he heard you speak up again, trying to find the right words to describe what you wanted to say.

"It's- it's sick a-and so upsetting that even before he died, he knew that many people in his own flesh and blood...would rejoice at the fact that he's dead. You saw what it was like out there, didn't you?" You said as you lifted your head and looked back at Levi with clear indignation in your voice, and your eyes.

You sighed and shook your head as you put your hands down in your lap, looked down and started fiddling with your own fingers. You still couldn't believe what you saw outside; seeing nearly every single one of those guests forget the reason they're there. Partying. Drinking. Laughing. Like it was some sort of happy gathering. Even the words said in the funeral were telling of what kind of intent was set from the beginning, but you didn't want to believe that your own family could stoop lower.

The adults especially. Weren't they supposed to be role models for the younger generation of the family? Sure, it was okay to try and find ways to liven up the situation and see things in a better light, the silver lining, but that's not what you saw out there. They're happy he's gone and that he's never coming back.

It gives them free reign to do whatever they want to do now and you were scared for the future, worried about what all of this mean from now on. What this will entail. You didn't enough if you wanted to be around to witness it, especially with all of these talks about who will take over Grisha's old position. If it's Zeke, you knew for a fact, that you're all fucked. Truly.

Levi's chest heaved as he inhaled deeply and looked away. "Looks like your prediction came true, then. What happened outside was a shitshow, i've never seen anything like it," He said, and you turned your head back briefly too look at him and nodded your head in disbelief and agreement at the same time. You went back to playing with your hands as your eyes occasionally looked up at the plants.

"No, me either. But I don't know why I'm surprised at all. It's typical. They can't even pretend to care for one event. It makes sense why Grisha was so much harder and harsher on some of us than others. Even if he had me, Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Erwin to go to...he still must have felt so lonely this entire time, without saying anything. And he was alone when he died too, with nobody around," You said, realizing that and feeling a pit form in your stomach.

Levi stayed silent, but still nodded along as you spoke, knowing you still had a lot to say so he didn't want to interrupt. "And honestly, I just...can't help but continue to kick myself about the fact that I never even got to say goodbye to him. Neither of us could," You said as you let out a huff and moved your hand back to grab the bottle of wine next to you, raising it up to your lips and taking a big gulp out of frustration. Levi raised his eyebrows in surprise at you drinking so much of it in one go.

You cursed at yourself knowing you were being hypocritical right now, knowing you were inadvertently trying to drown your sorrows and frustration in alcohol just like Karina was doing and you'd berated for it. Your only defense is that while you were trying to make the pain lessen, what Karina was trying to do is just make this memorial go by quicker.

Levi watched as you took that gulp of wine and he had been open to taking a sip or two eventually, but he could see that you needed this a lot more than he did. He hoped you could see that you were not the same as Karina, in any way. You trying to take all this pain on your own for the last few days was something Levi was growing to hate seeing.

If you weren't quite ready to let him shoulder all of your burdens just yet with him, that was fine. If what helped you right now was a little wine, who was him to impose? If this wine made you smile, if it dulled your senses and your pain just a fraction at the very least, then taking a couple sips was just fine with Levi. But of course, before you got carried away and you had to go out there, Levi realized that he had to keep an eye on you the entire time and had to know when to intervene.

After you put down the wine bottle again next to you, Levi felt like this would be a good time to try and see if he could sway your mind a little to focus on something else for a bit. He hoped it would help, and he was about to find about. "Do you know why people wear black to funerals?" Levi asked and you slowly turned your head back to look at him, shaking your head.

You had an idea in your head of what it was for, to mourn and it was the color that represented a visual of respect for someone who has passed away. Its the color that's associated with grief and loss, wasn't it?  That's what you always thought, but it seems that Levi was trying to point out something else. Why was he asking you all of a sudden? You were confused but you still became really curious.

"It's an old tradition. It was passed on from a belief from centuries ago, to prevent the soul of the one who passed from recognizing and following their loved ones," Levi said and after that you suddenly remembered that he's been around long enough to have either seen it first hand, or have heard of it being used a lot more. Or he could just know that from common knowledge, you'll never know.

You don't know exactly where he was going with this but you turned your body to face him again and looked at him with an expression that said you were waiting for him to continue what he wanted to say.

"That's why I've always thought that people hid themselves in black clothing when mourning," He said and you nodded along, but you still didn't know why he was pointing this out to you right now. But then it hit you all of a sudden why his words related to you so much. You looked down at your clothes, your black dress, and began to lightly run your fingers across the soft fabric, getting deep in thought at the simple yet very deep fact that Levi just gave you.

"Well, if that's the case, I'm wearing the wrong colors then," You muttered, realizing that in a moment like this, if Levi was right, you would want Grisha to know where you are. You wanted him to be able to see you. To know that he did have people who cared about him and knew he had been trying his best to make up for everything that he did in the past up until his very last moment. You didn't want him to be and feel like he's alone, like he felt when he was alive.

You hoped that he was at peace now. "He must be feeling so lonely today too. He probably can't recognize anyone in his own memorial if that's true," You said as you inhaled shakily and sniffled, continuing to fiddle with the fabric of your dress.

The fact alone made you wish even more that in his final moments, if you were there, you could tell him that there are people who would stand by him no matter what. That didn't have to carry everything alone like he always tried to do.

Noticing that maybe his attempt had probably done more harm than good, since he had been hoping it would be a distraction, Levi decided to take it a little further. Your words gave him an idea, so he uncrossed his arms, stood up and started walking over to you across the wooden platform.

You began hearing his approaching footsteps but you still didn't look up. It was only when you felt his looming presence suddenly appear stand right in front of you, and when you felt him suddenly reach down and gently grab your wrist with his tattoo on it, that you finally looked up and saw him standing over you with a softened look on his face.

When your, doe, teary and red eyes looked up to see him, Levi felt something crack inside of him. Something big. The moment you grabbed his wrist, it not only sent chills up your spine yet again, but Levi? He felt a spark, a much noticeable one that he forced himself to push down and focus on what he wanted to do. He couldn't get distracted.

His steel eyes darted all over your face as he tightened his grip on your wrist and once he got a peek of his tattoo turning red, he let his powers do the talking instead. Nothing noticeable happened for a few seconds as you looked around and back at him, wondering what he was doing.

But when you looked down on yourself, and your dress, you nearly gasped. Your eyes went wide and any words you wanted to say got caught up in your throat. Your dress...It was white. A crisp white dress. It was the same design as before, but the color, it completely changed.

When you looked back and forth between your dress and the hand Levi had on your wrist, you then looked back up at Levi in shock. Even if his face was still neutral, and his eyes had the slightest hint of comfort behind them, everything you needed to know was said in his next words.

"I think...he might be able to recognize you now, right?" Levi said, a little bit more shyly than he intended to. And all you could do was look at him, completely flabbergasted. Your mouth was agape and your eyes were wide, though when he saw your eyes start to slowly brim with more tears and your shallow breathing, Levi began to panic and he didn't know what to do. He didn't mean to make you cry.

That wasn't his goal. Though, when you saw the panic in his eyes, you chuckled and raised your free hand up to wipe your tears. What he did was incredibly sweet and the gesture nearly made you melt on the spot. You appreciated it more than he'll ever know and the thought of it made butterflies swarm in your stomach.

You sent him a genuine and grateful smile his way, that Levi didn't want to admit was making him start to feel that very same swarm of butterflies. "Levi...thank you. But I just....I wish I knew if he came to see me, too," You said as you looked down again and your smile formed into small frown once again. Even if he could say you know, you wanted any sign from the universe that let you know that Grisha was there, still standing with you, even if you couldn't see him in plain sight.

When you tried to pull your hand away from Levi's hold, you looked back up at him when you felt him tighten his hold on it even tighter. You saw that he was actively trying to find the words, not being used to being the one to do the comforting in moments like this, but you appreciated every second of this. You hoped he knew that.

"You never know. He might surprise you," He encouraged as the softness in his eyes didn't fade. You looked at him for a couple seconds and as your eyes fluttered a little bit with incoming tears, you nodded and Levi took that as his signal. He needed to give you some time alone to really feel like you could connect to the person who saved you, took you in as a little girl, and watched you grow up.

You felt his hand detach from your wrist and you instantly felt the loss of warmth from him. You watched as he turned his body around, and started walking away. The moment he got farther away and you saw him turn corner, until he was out of sight, you assumed he left through the side door of the greenhouse, just as he came in before.

And just like that, you were left alone again. You turned your body a little to the side again so you were directly facing the rows and rows of greenery that bloomed solely because Grisha took such good care of them. You were waiting for a sign. Any kind of sign, that Grisha could see you now, that he was there with you, if Levi's words and his theory were really true. You really hope they are.

You waited, for a couple of minutes as you tried to take deep and even breaths to ease the tension in your body. It seems like you haven't really had a good chance today to do that, and you'd come in here to do just that, right?

So, hoping that somehow a sign would appear right before your eyes, as unlikely as it is, you continued to revel in the space that Grisha created in a space you were meant to enjoy every bit of and not see it as something other than positive. You were trying to get every part of your brain to see it that way, hoping for a miracle, anything at all that would help you believe that Grisha really was present here, waiting to be seen by someone he cares about, to feel like his death wasn't in vain.

But just as you spent the next couple of minutes waiting and hoping, you sighed and prepared to stand up, but when something caught your attention in the corner of your eye, you halted and stayed right where you are. You slowly turned your head to the side, looked up and saw that white butterfly was fluttering nearby and was getting closer. Your gasp got caught up in your throat as your mouth went agape, seeing the butterfly come closer.

You watched the butterfly's flight path up until it settled itself on one of your fingers in your lap. The same hand where you held the two rings that Grisha gave you a couple days before he died. The ones he told you to use if you found that one person you really wanted to be with to give one of them to. Your breathing got shakier as you started to think about what you were seeing in front of you. Was this the sign? Is this what you were hoping for?

You couldn't help but just stare down at the small insect on your finger, and tried your best not to move your finger, even if your entire body was starting to shake from the overwhelming emotions in your body that you've felt for like the 10th time that same day. You couldn't help it. You watched as your shaking eventually scared the butterfly away, but thankfully, it didn't go very far.

You watched it flutter its wings away until landed on one of the very sprouts that Grisha said would bloom soon. And it did. The butterfly landed on one of the petals and you scooted closer to the edge of the platform to get a closer look but also being careful not to spook it either. And when you realized that whether it was the sign you were looking for or not, you'd take this opportunity and not let go for a second. 

You'd say it out into the open. You'd say it all. Even if it wasn't a sign from Grisha. You'd use this small creature as your outlet to let out all of your grievances and promises to, hoping that Grisha would be there, listening. Somewhere. You inhaled sharply and smiled tearily as you looked at the small butterfly, perched on that petal.

"Grisha...thank you. For everything," You started, as you barely found the strength to use your voice, but once you got that first few words out, it got easier to say the rest and you found your strength to continue. "I'll never be able to thank you enough for finding me, saving me, and taking me in like I was one of your own," You said as your voice got a lot sturdier and you watched the way the butterfly's wings moved up and down slowly as they continued to feed on the flower.

"And I mean that, 16 years ago and now. I mean it, with everything in me. I owe it all to you," You said as you smiled tearily at the butterfly, this was the moment for closure that you needed to really accept reality. That even if he wasn't with you in person, he would be in spirit and honestly, you'd take it.

"And because of you, I got to be exactly who I was meant to be, and you'd never judge me for it. I got to meet the people I care about the most in the world, and it's all thanks to you," You said as you laughed heartily as every person that you met along the way as you grew up flashed in your mind. Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Erwin...and even Levi. You'd complained about the blind dates all this time, but turns out that finally going to one, albeit the wrong one, was all you needed to meet the person who you never knew you needed the most.

Even if he liked to play tricks on you and like to see you eventually give into to your happiness after each prank, you never realized how truly valuable those moments were. You didn't realize that the moment you were blowing out your own candles in your cake for your birthday, because Grisha and Eren had played a trick on you to get you to go to where they where, was going to be the last time you were ever going to see him pulling one of those stunts just to see you smile on a day he knows you hate.

Which you ended up doing in the end. You ended up laughing, reminiscing. You remembered him holding out the cake for you with a gentle and warm look on his face just as you were about to blow out your candles. It was probably little moments like that where he tried to treasure moments like that with you and his son that he realized there would be a time where he wouldn't be around to do that anymore. Like right now.

All you had now was his memories, and for that, you'd try your best to stay alive and not let yourself be killed by whoever is out to get you, because if you did, the memories you made with him and everyone you care about would die with you.

"I promise...that if we ever get a second chance...," You started, but this time, you couldn't hide the way that your lips started to tremble and tears started to brim in your eyes yet again. The lump in your throat was closing in and it got harder to breath and get words out. You needed to say this.

You couldn't stop now. You sniffled and kept your eyes focused on the butterfly who looked like it was ready to take off again soon. "I swear...I'll fight even harder. I..I won't let you down," You said as small gasps came in between your words, making harder for anyone else but you to know what you're saying. Even if you were crying, you already felt infinitely better knowing that this could have been the closest thing to a goodbye you could have ever gotten.

You let out shaky breaths and decided to raise your hand, and then reach over towards the butterfly on the flower. You just hoped to get the smallest of glimpses of it, and feel it in your hand again, knowing it'd be the most likely one of the last signs that you'll get from Grisha in a long time and you're just trying to hold onto it for as long as you could before it goes away. But just as you were about to make contact with it, the butterfly flew away somewhere else in the greenhouse.

And after that, your tears running down your cheeks stopped flowing as you stared down blankly at the flower without the butterfly You were left with the feeling of knowing that the moment you had just now, was the best you could've done for a goodbye, where you felt like Grisha would have been there, listening, even if you couldn't see him. You would've never asked for anything else, and it was perfect.

And you hadn't been alone after all. It wasn't Grisha, it wasn't the butterfly. It was Levi. He never truly left the greenhouse once he walked around the corner and he'd been standing, hiding, just behind a couple of trees near the side door.

He'd listened intently to every single word he just said, and...it definitely stirred something inside him that he's never felt before. He didn't know what it was. The only thing he was certain of, more than anything, that if you wanted to fight harder, he was going to be there by your side to fight no matter what if that's what you needed.

He wouldn't give up on you and he'd fulfill his job like he's meant to. No more taking it lightly, and the more he spend time with you, the more he realized that there's so much more he didn't know about you, and that he didn't mind finding out over time.

He didn't understand it before, but he's starting to. He wants to. Getting you through this memorial came first, and Levi was determined to make that happen.

-

It was good you had that moment in the greenhouse like you wanted to collect yourself before heading back, to feel like you could say goodbye properly, and so that you could let out everything you needed to.

Because right now, you really wanted to go back hole yourself up in that greenhouse all over again, wishing you never left at all. Once you felt like you had like you had nothing left to say, you took a couple minutes to compose yourself before readying yourself to go back out to the memorial.

You'd taken even breaths, in and out, stood up again, and headed straight towards the door. You hoped you could meet up with Levi when you were back outside, but just as you had opened the door to leave the greenhouse and started to make your way back to the party, before you could even begin to look for Levi, you and the rest of your family had all been called over to get together inside Grisha's old office in the mansion for a meeting.

You'd sighed, hoping you could see him again one more time before having to endure seeing certain members of your family again. It would make you feel a lot better.

But you assured yourself that you could do it. As long as you kept to yourself and just sat through that meeting, nothing bad could happen. Right?

You assured yourself that it was just a standard procedure meeting where the people in charge of Grisha's will and cause of death documents would read it out to you and the rest of the family.

You could sit through that, couldn't you? What worried you is just sitting in the same room as your family, all in one place. Sure, you felt a lot better now after you were able to get all of your negative thoughts out of your system.

But it didn't make you immune to more of their future and incoming hurtful words and actions that they didn't bother hiding in public or in private. You didn't know how much more you could bear.

Which is why you shouldn't have underestimated how much tension there would be from just sitting down with your family in one room. Right now, all of you were sitting in the couches of the living room area in Grisha's office. Nobody was saying a word.

Everyone who Grisha ever considered close family to him was in this very room. Blood relative or not, the people who were here deserved to know what happened to him.

The couches were arranged in a rectangle formation, so Zeke was sitting in the chair in the head of formation, and the rest of the family were sitting on the long couches on either side of him.

On one side, on the couch in front of you, the ones sitting there from left to right were Yelena who was next to Zeke, and then next to her was Floch, and Karina was on the end of the couch. Behind the couch, Reiner was standing behind his mom, keeping his hands in his pockets and patiently waiting for the meeting to start.

Falco and Gabi, along with both of their parents, weren't at the meeting because the kids didn't need to be involved in this whole issue just yet because they were still very young, so they were still out at the memorial, watching them until the meeting is over.

On the other couch, which is where you were sitting on Zeke's other side, the one sitting next to him was Erwin, then next to him, was Armin, then Mikasa, and Eren was sitting next to you. You were sitting on the end of the couch, and you'd been keeping your head down and not helping but lightly bounce your leg up and down.

You were fiddling with the white fabric of your dress, that now contrasted everyone else's clothes and you couldn't help but feel multiple eyes on you, so you refused to make eye-contact with any of them.

You did admit that you stood out to them more now but you wouldn't let them ruin Levi's gesture. It had a deeper meaning to you that you refused to let them tarnish. Just looking down at the fabric eased down your entire body, just from remembering what Levi did for you and how much it helped ease your turmoil.

And just on the way here, you'd run into the trio and their comments about your new look immediately made you feel a thousand times better.

Things like 'You look great, y/n!' from Armin, 'You look really pretty,' from Mikasa, and an impressed look from Eren that was followed by a thumbs up. 'Looking good, y/n', he'd said. That alone instantly lifted your spirits and you were feeling more confident about walking in there.

You were glad that the first people you ran into didn't say anything about your dress color change, actually liked it and helped you feel good about it. It was very minimal, but the impact was big.

The only people you'd been worried about commenting on it were right here in this room, and now you were trying to remain imperceptible to everyone else, despite how much you stood out. But you should've known that wouldn't last very long. You shouldn't have expected to get through this as easily as you thought.

Cutting through the silence of everyone in the room as you all waited for the detectives to get here, you heard a scoff from Karina across from you, forcing you to look up and stare at her with confusion and with your eyebrows pinched together. "You really think you're special, don't you? This isn't a fashion show. You just had to stand out," Karina mumbled, clearly still very tipsy and not in control of her own words. You stared at her blankly and looked back down at your clothes. You refused to listen to her.

She probably doesn't even know what she's saying right now. You know you weren't the only one who was already getting tired of how she was acting today. This wasn't the time.

In the corner of your eye, you could even see the way that Eren rolled his eyes, how Zeke raised his hand and pressed it to the bridge of his nose, how embarrassed Reiner looked at his mother's words and how everybody looked visibly annoyed at Karina. And it got worse the more she continued talking, not noticing how everyone's body language just screamed that they wanted her to stop.

"Aren't we all here because we're the bereaved family? So, who gave her the right to be here?" Karina said as she glared daggers at you and you sighed, closing your eyes, exhaling through your nose. You can do this.

You were fighting demons inside you to not let her words get to you like they did before, but that woman was making it excessively difficult. You've had enough of her already. You raised your head again and tried to remain as neutral as possible, so she keeps babbling nonsense to herself like she's doing. But it looks like not everybody wanted to remain silent and let Karina run her mouth like that, especially when it came to you.

"Shut up, Karina. She has more of a right to be here than you do," Eren snapped, and you whipped your head to the side to see that he was glaring at Karina with fire in his eyes, while the woman herself raised her hands up in defense as if she did nothing wrong.

You raised your hand and put it on Eren's shoulder comfortingly, seeing how tense he was. You were okay, and none of you needed to give Karina the satisfaction. Armin and Mikasa, and Erwin all looked over at him too in concern, seeing how quick Eren was to defend you even if it was a meaningless quip from a very clearly drunk Karina.

Eren felt your hand on his shoulder and then whipped his head to look at you. Once he made eye contact with you and saw how your eyes were full of gratitude for what he did, his shoulders sank and his eyes softened but you also gave him a look that said that he shouldn't stoop down to her level and get carried away by her obvious attempts to provoke him.

You saw the way Eren nodded and exhaled deeply, crossing his arms over his chest, and calming himself down. He just couldn't help but feel incredibly irritated at the way that you were being treated as if you were in the wrong here.

It was the opposite. You patted Eren's shoulder and looked forward again to see that Reiner was slightly leaning over in his seat to say something to his mother, to try to stop her. "Mom, stop. This isn't the place, come on," Reiner said, not exactly whispering it to her. He knew you were just as part of the family as all of them.

So, everybody heard what he said, and ultimately, everyone also agrees. Karina simply waved her hand away at Reiner and he rolled his eyes going back to stand behind his mother, knowing that whenever his mom was in this state, there was just no controlling what she did or what she said. They all just had to bear it.

At least until this was over. It was ridiculous that Reiner had to be the one to stop his own mother and she just had no control or self restraint.

She was supposed to be the adult here, along with Zeke and Yelena, and her attempt at drinking to make this go faster was just backfiring on her by babbling nonsense like that. Her words were starting to have no effect on you, because you knew that even she had no idea what she was talking about and it had no meaning to you. Not anymore.

After that, the room went silent for a couple moments once again and the only thing that could be heard was the clock ticking on the wall. That was until Erwin decided to chime in and try to steer the tension in the room in another direction.

He straightened up in his seat and looked around everyone the room. "Does anyone know what we were called here for?" Erwin said, not knowing to the full extent of why all of you were called to be here.

You only assumed on what it could be about because you know how these things go. But he was right. There was nothing said or any real confirmation of what this could be about. You stuck to your theory.

Across from you, Yelena thought this could be her chance to chime in and say what she thinks. "Apparently they just have some information for us about Grisha's passing. Cause of death, questions they have for us. That's all I know," She explains, and everyone nods along. So, you were right.

But what you were wondering now and that you were sure that everyone else was thinking about, what was the finalized cause of death, and also along with any details about who will get Grisha's inheritance. But its more likely that the inheritance will be announced later on, and not now.

The latter is probably what nearly half of the people in this room were waiting to hear about. You were more curious about this. And before any more awkward silence could befall on the room once again, the doors to the office opened and all of you turned your heads to see that both Nile and Pixis were walking into the room.

Your eyes widened when you saw that they were in charge of Grisha's case as well. You'd only been told that detectives that were hired to take care of the will, the cause of death, statements, etc. But you didn't know it was them. You watched as they both settled themselves in the chairs that were on the other end, right across from Zeke. Now they had eyes on all of you, scanning each of the faces in front of them.

As they sat down and faced all of you, they visibly recognized you and you could see it in their faces. They bowed their head to you and your family in respect. "Good afternoon. Good to see all of you," Nile said, as he looked over you and your family members apologetically for the loss they've endured. Pixis did the same.

They were both trying to remain respectful and would continue to go through this meeting as professionally as possible, and throughout this process. Especially when it comes to you and the case they were already handling for you, trying to find that psycho. This must have been a big blow for you on top of everything.

But after they greeted your family, they realized that by the looks on everyone's faces once they said that, they should've chosen their words a little bit better. "I apologize, that didn't come out right. But let's just get right down to business, shall we?" Pixis said as he cleared his throat, and reached over in front of him to start flipping through the folders in front of him and Nile that they'd set down.

Everyone straightened up at the sight of the amount of documents that Nile and Pixis had with them, with their curiosity starting to pique. But the only one who felt like he had better things to do, or pretend he wasn't curious about this, was Zeke.

When you saw movement in the corner of your eye, you turned your head to see Zeke leaning forward in his seat and propping up his elbows on his thighs. "Can we make this quick? It's rude to leave our guests outside on their own for too long," Zeke said, leaning back in his seat once again, and you continued to observe his body language.

Is he trying to pretend that the inheritance is the last thing on his mind? That his guests are more important than having the confirmation of what killed his own father is? You couldn't tell. Maybe it was neither. But Zeke had been acting stranger than usual today, and to anyone else, he would be acting as he usually is, but not to you. It was different.

Pixis and Nile looked at each other in surprise but then looked back at the Zeke and at the rest of the family, nodding quickly. "Oh, yes. We understand. We'll make this as efficient as we possibly can," Nile said as he reached over to the folder he brought, opened it, and started skimming through the documents thoroughly.

Then when he got them in order, he turned to Pixis so that he could start off the meeting, since his partner had the main documents and Nile had the rest of them. "Pixis. Ready to start us off?" Nile asked, earning a nod of certainty from Pixis himself, as he got ahold of what he needed. There was a lot of rustling of papers as the detectives tried to organize themselves and get everything in order, all while feeling the eyes of the family on them. Everyone was on edge, and with good reason.

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Like I said, this is going to be a two-parter guys! The full author's note will be in the next chapter!

I had to separate them into two parts or it would've been too long otherwise, and I know it would be better like this in the long run. It should be up in a couple of days because I still have to work out a few tweaks in some parts.

I also had to separate them because there will just be...A LOT going on in the next one and I needed to separate them. This funeral arc is just so extensive shsj but its one of my favorites!

The angst and chaos is coming lol I didn't want to stuff it all into one chapter. I hope you guys liked it, and i'll see you guys in the next one!
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