Before I Leave You

crime & punishment

"Well, if it isn't my wayward daughter," Ymir says to you in greeting, his deep voice rumbling against the quiet night as he comes to stand in front of you. "Finally found your way back home, I see."

You turn your head away petulantly, jaw clenched. His tone is mocking, trying to provoke you. Wanting to get you to admit you messed up. That the sole reason he is here is because you disobeyed him and are incapable of handling things on your own.

You have too much pride to admit to such a thing, but your father is not one to let you off the hook so easily.

His hand is cold and rough as he tilts your face to his.

Piercing sapphire eyes stare down at you, pinning you in place. You're not surprised by the lack of warmth or the hint of danger you find in them. But there's a chilling intensity to them, reminding you of the deep, vast ocean in the middle of winter.

You fear you will drown in them.

"You've been out playing past your bedtime, darling," Ymir chides in a fatherly tone while subtly glancing over your features for any signs of damage. When he finds none, his devilish smile grows wider, revealing his sharp canines. "We can't have that now, can we?"

As he says this, two of your father's men appear behind him and reach out over you to rudely yank Eren from your side.

Naturally, Eren panics and calls to you for help, but you do well to neither react nor turn back to look at him. Not when your father is watching you as closely as he is. Either way, you don't need to look behind you to know they've dragged Eren up the stairs to your front porch and roughly shoved him inside your house to wait for judgment.

You let them all do as they please without protest, but the same cannot be said regarding your father, and you pull away from his hold with open resentment.

Ymir blinks, his hand hanging momentarily in the air as he acknowledges your little tantrum, but his calm demeanor remains unchanged and he drops his hand shortly after. He then straightens and beckons you forward with a crooked smile. "Come, now. We have much to discuss."

Taking the lead, he follows his men's footsteps in the direction of your front door with the menacing grace that would make even the fiercest animal bow down to him. You throw Levi one last deadly glare in his direction before begrudgingly following after your father.

There is no hiding how much you don't want him here. Ymir's presence for you is degrading and belittling. Reminding you that in comparison to him, you are still nothing more than an overindulged child who had been handed guns and knives to play with like toys. And that no matter what you do, you are incapable of inflicting any real damage or bring about any real change to the family business unless he willed it first.

But your sullen attitude doesn't seem to faze your father. Rather, he seems to find it all the more inviting—much to your great displeasure.

Making your way inside with the rest of your circle in tow, you catch sight of Eren sitting nervously in the foyer as two of your father's men stand over him, keeping him in place. You feel his gaze on you as you walk past, but you don't spare him a single glance. One of your father's men stands waiting for you outside your study a few doors down, which is where you assume your father has taken station, so you head straight towards it.

You take a deep breath and exhale sharply before stepping inside. When you finally do, his guard closes the door behind you with a deafening click that leaves the room in eerie silence. The room itself is a mixture of leather chairs, fine furniture, and wooden floors—not much unlike the rest of your house—while the lamps in the room turn the lighting dim, and a warm rich yellow hue.