The ballroom shimmered with a kind of opulence that felt foreign to most soldiers. Golden chandeliers hung from vaulted ceilings, their light refracting off crystal wine glasses and polished silverware. Tall windows revealed a moonlit sky, casting pale silver across the polished marble floors. It was a world far removed from blood-stained cloaks and the stench of Titans..

Tonight was a rare occasion—an official celebration held by the government to honor the Survey Corps' latest victory. The nobility had gathered in their finest dress, sipping wine and murmuring behind porcelain fans. Music drifted lazily through the air, a string quartet playing something elegant and slow. And amidst the crowd of silk and arrogance stood two figures who seemed carved from a different world..

Ewin Smith, the blonde commander, towered with effortless poise, clad in a perfectly tailored black suit, his usual commander’s presence softened by the white bow tied at his collar. His blond hair, for once not wind-blown or streaked with dust, caught the warm candlelight..

Beside him stood Levi Ackerman—silent, sharp-eyed, and visibly uncomfortable. His shorter frame was stiff in the black suit, the white tie at his throat pulled a little too tight. He hadn't spoken much since they arrived, but his eyes moved constantly—judging, calculating. He didn’t belong here, and he knew it. The polish of the marble floor beneath him, the laughter of nobles ringing around him—none of it felt real. It was too clean. Too quiet..

But he stayed. Not out of obligation, but for one reason: Erwin.

The two stood slightly apart from the crowd, caught in a pocket of stillness as conversations buzzed and flutes clinked around them. They didn't need to speak. Erwin's steady presence filled the space between them like gravity, and Levi’s silence spoke volumes. Between them, there was a rare kind of understanding—one forged in dirt, sacrifice, and loss..

Levi's eyes wandered briefly to Erwin’s hands—no longer gripping a sword, now resting calmly in his lap. It was strange to see them idle..

Erwin turned slightly, casting a glance toward Levi—subtle, but warm. The candlelight danced across his features, softening the stern lines worn deep from years of war. Levi didn’t look at him, but he felt it. The gaze. The unspoken question: “Will you allow yourself to be here, even for a moment?”

The music shifted into a slow, sweeping waltz.

And before Levi could grumble something about how annoying it was, his eyes caught onto a hand that was raised in front of him..His eyes followed up the arm, before closing in on Erwin's face..

"Will you dance with me, Levi?"

Erwin asked quietly.