The military life leaves them shattered into a million pieces. They are china dolls in the hands of children, so it makes sense that they end up with a fair share of cracks. But what really lets those hairline fractures grow worse, is because they are expected to hide them from the rest of the world. They have to pretend to still be the pretty porcelain they just aren't, and eventually the act becomes so overwhelming they break.

It's why the survivors band together as if that's all they have in this world. They are the people who pick up the pieces one by one and try to fit them together once more. The glue each other back together when no one else is looking and hope that it will be enough to last the night.

Some of them are more visible with their injuries. Petra hasn't walked a single step in years, no longer does she wield blades and fly like a bird. As the world falls apart, she stays at home with her pension, grief still raw and tender.

Meanwhile Levi's body remains untouched while his mind remains only a problem away from breaking completely. He never wanted this life. He never wanted to be in charge of saving humanity. Death knew him too well back in the underground, but now he is trapped with the rest of the survivors in this game of Russia roulette. One of these days he is gonna bite the bullet but it has become harder and harder to dread such a fate as that.

Still even at their worst, there is always someone else to lend a helping hand.

Levi visits her in the middle of the night. They talk of nothing about the soft kisses and fingers tangled through each others hair. He proposes a way to keep her involved in the military and Petra decides right away that she will not let her now useless legs stop her.

A few weeks later, he finally opens up to her again, and they talk and talk about everything til he is finally able to sleep peacefully.

She no longer wears a pair of wings on her back, but Petra proves to be useful in passing along secret messages and surveillance. She commands the respect of everyone and make sure they do not deny the fact she was and still is a powerful soldier.

He slowly but surely comes to accept the deaths of his brothers and sisters in arms. He gives them rest and make sure their sacrifices were not in vain. He remembers but tries to keep the past from haunting him. There is a future in these kids, and he will fight to protect it.

When everything is said and done, he goes back to the little house Petra calls home, and together they sit and watch the sunset. She is curled up in his lap with her head resting in the crook of his neck, while he holds her as if he'll never let her go. They are different people than the two that first met all those years ago. They have both changed, and even with the killing at its end, it still might be impossible for them to be together like used to be.

But that doesn't matter at all. No words are exchanged because they simply aren't needed. For now, this is enough.

Instead of breaking, they pulled each other back together.

A.N. And this is the end of rivetra week for me, sorry I couldn't participate as much, but I still had fun! I'm also glad I got to end the week on a more positive note