Chapter Text
Your life started the day the Wall Maria crumbled to bits.
It was a devastating event, truly. Many lives were lost, a lot of casualties were accounted for, yet still; nobody knew anything about the enemy lurking beyond the walls. Even if you tried to forget it, the smell of pulverized stone and the sound of blood-curdling screams stayed with you up until now.
But before that day, you had nothing. A blank slate. Just mere, blurry fragments of a life you could not even call your own.
All you remembered was moving around in Shiganshina; an orphan with no friends and relatives to look out after you. You were just a teenager living on scraps, dreading the day you will be forced to choose between enlisting in the military or working on a farm.
Unlucky for you, that choice was taken entirely.
You were fortunate enough to be able to quickly run and escape to the docks before Wall Maria was breached. And unlike your childhood, you remembered that day vividly. All details that you witnessed were ingrained in your memory, and it felt as if your life had just weirdly started that day.
Two years after that tragedy, everything had gotten worse. All children aged twelve and above were forced to enlist—a rule imposed by the higher-ups after the fall of Shiganshina. You were nearing the end of your teenage years when you joined, oldest among your batch, and too painfully aware of it. You felt out of place most of the time. But for you, it made perfect sense; they needed all the hands they could get, and you didn’t mind having a purpose for once in your life. It was nothing but a meaningful exchange.
That didn’t make those years of training any less brutal.
Three years passed, and now you stand among the cadets—one of the top ten. It meant you got to choose your division. You had your sights set on what once felt unattainable: the Military Police. A comfortable life within the walls.
But from where you stand now, it didn’t feel so impossible anymore.
What felt impossible, however, was surviving what the hell was happening right now.
You glanced down the roof you were standing on, the bricks under your boots falling one by one as it absorbs your weight when you land on top. Eyes scanning the landscape, you have analyzed the whole situation as you reloaded the gas canisters attached to your belt, which you had stolen from a dead body just a few minutes prior. You prepared your omnidirectional mobility gear, the gas hissing as you looked around, preparing to take off as soon as a Titan approached you.
You had separated from your initial squad and formation, finding their position at a great risk. The decision was sound, at least for you, since it allowed you to thin out Titans in however way you liked while not accounting for people to get caught in whatever you were trying to do. And in all honesty, you preferred it; you liked it when you work alone, you liked the independence and absence of burden.
But then the ground shook beneath you, a sound of something massive being thrusted erupted from somewhere near the wall. You quickly darted your eyes around and located the source: it was no other than Eren. Or well, him in his Titan form anyways.
You knew that kid. He was always making a scene during the entire duration of the training period. From what you have observed, he loved the attention he was getting during your training with him in the Southern Cadet Corps. But he thrived, he actually had something to be loud about. You also saw it with your eyes, when he emerged from the Titan. And now, he had just plugged the Trost District’s hole with a massive boulder, as per Commander Pyxis’ orders.
You felt a surge of a strange protectiveness washing over you.
A gush of wind swept over your hair as you looked up and saw a yellow signal flare, burning a bleeding gold line up the sky; a success. You could not believe it yourself, but you did not have time to celebrate the mission’s success when you see a horde of Titans headed their way. Mikasa and Armin were both helping Eren up as he emerged from the nape, unaware of the Titans nearing them.
They weren't your friends, not really. You mostly kept to yourself, a ghost among the 104th recruits. But Mikasa was one of your roommates. You’d spent three years listening to her quiet breathing in the bunk across from yours, watching her fix her red scarf with that same unyielding focus she applied to everything. You didn't harbor any attachment for her, but looking at them now, you felt a small, nagging obligation to preserve the familiar.
They could definitely use the help.
Biting your lip, you did not think twice and fired a grapple hook to the house right across from you. The gases situated right by your hips hissed loudly as you pull the trigger. You were reeled in the wire by no time, but then you realized that there was no second to waste. Your gaze flitted towards the napes of the two ten-meter Titans that just walked past you; they were focused on the three younger kids.
This was a gamble. Yet, you did not dare question whether it was worth it as you propelled yourself up the air, your hook digging into the nape of the nearest Titan that is hovering near.
You closed your eyes as you forced your wrists, making sure the blades dig down deep the flesh of its nape, the sound of the slice reverberating through your skull as you jumped from the Titan you just killed to the next one. However, you were met with great resistance as your wire was pulled, causing you to almost fall down.
Taking a deep breath, you somehow maneuvered around it, and managed to poke your blades on one of its eyes to temporarily disable it; a terrifying precision you didn’t quite recognize yourself. And without further ado, you jumped to its shoulders, moving with a speed as you run, with your dulled blades severing its nape, the steaming blood from the attack painted your hands red.
You thought it was the end, as you hauled yourself to a nearby roof. But clearly, you were wrong, and very unfortunate as well. You did not have time to react as your wire was being jerked again, now, to the third Titan’s mouth.
Shit, since when was there a third one?
You refused to give up, you will not let yourself die like this. With quick thinking, your eyes snapped downwards. If you tried and make a run for it, you will risk about a thirty feet fall. Fatal, but you couldn’t care less. And you just hope that you will get lucky enough and fall on the roof or something. Maybe if you timed it correctly, you will survive it.
However, time was certainly not on your side.
The Titan was now pulling on your wire harshly. Your body dangling in the air as you were being pulled. You were about six inches from its gaping mouth, and its mocking smile did not help in easing your raging nerves.
Fuck it. I would have a higher chance of surviving if I fell down, you thought as you looked at the remainder of what’s left of your right blade. It was a cold, calculated risk that had a bigger chance of failing, yes. But your hands were already moving, in synch with your brain. You did not hesitate anymore, cutting your wire with urgency, right exactly as you were three inches away from the Titan’s gaping mouth.
The severed wire snapped, and with this, you lost your bearings and fell near the edge of the roof. Your left leg absorbed most of the impact, a pained gasp being teared forcefully from your throat as you landed. Yet, your balance did not last that long as you suddenly realized that you were sliding down. Fast. Cursing to yourself, you clumsily held on the edge of the roof. Your gear was no use now.
The bricks from the roof were killing you. The jagged ends digging raw pain in your palms. You gritted your teeth as you tried to hold yourself up.
To make things worse, that third Titan did not seem to leave you alone, still focused on you as it was about to attack again. At least I managed to get the attention of the Titan away from those three, you thought as your grip faltered. Eventually, you purposely let go of your hold.
In an instant, you closed your eyes as you felt yourself falling swiftly. This was the most stupid way to die. And you braced yourself for the pain you will feel once you reached the ground.
That impact never came.
A strong pair of arms swooped around your waist, pulling you along against the direction of the flowing wind. Your heart drummed wildly against your chest, and it almost felt as if it is about to jump out of it—not from the fall, but from a sudden, sharp clarity that clicked into place the moment you opened your eyes.
It was no other than the Scout Regiment’s Greatest Soldier, Captain Levi.
Grey, steely eyes lock on you in an instant. A shudder passed through you when you met his gaze. His grip loosened when the both of you descended. Finally, he let you stand without so much thought. Once your boots touched the ground, you felt your left leg wobble. But you could not help but to just stand there, staring at him, frozen in place.
The same pair of eyes stared at you. Directly. As if assessing whether you were stupid. Or suicidal. Or brave. Or all of the mentioned.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”