Destiny
Pairings: Irvin/Levi
Summary: Headcanon of Irvin/Levi's encounter and past together.
I took the liberty in pretending Levi grew up within Wall Rose and they experienced a huge rationing because trade ships stopped sending over food(?). Levi is about 19 here and Erwin is 28. Idk please just roll with it.
Life between walls was a fate Levi would not wish upon his worst enemy.
Each and every single day was a battle against his destiny. He was destined to a life of poverty and sorrow. Yet he still woke up every single day, determined to change this.
Some days he stole small objects from unsuspecting towns people, that he'd later sell for a few spare coins, in the hopes of purchasing a loaf of bread for his dinner. Other days he'd slip under market stalls, waiting for the right moment- when the seller would absent himself in the opposite direction- to reach up and take what he could; dirt-stained hands grabbing eagerly for warm potatoes and freshly baked bread.
When night fell, Levi would seclude himself in his tiny shed, situated on the outskirts of Wall Rose. He would sit on his tattered, makeshift bed and savour every bite of his stolen meal; choosing to ignore the tears that would stains his cheeks from shame.
He was a hoodlum; a street rat and that was his destiny.
The day his life change was the day Wall Rose fell under food shortages and famine. Panic spread like wildfire through the hearts of the city folk and numerous complaints and worried voices resonated throughout the village. It was incidentally the day he took matters into his own hands and hid himself under a rickshaw, transporting noblemen past large wooden gates, and into the safe haven of Wall Sina.
The trip was painful and uncomfortable, clinging onto the underside of a wooden carriage, but it was well worth it when Levi overheard one of the passengers boasting about his livestock and the four tonnes of potatoes he'd harvested earlier that week.
Levi's gut churned with envy and disgust. To think these pigs are living their lives with ease and eat to their fill whilst on the other side of the wall, he watched children drop like flies and mothers tear their hair out from despair. If it was not the ongoing fear of humanity falling to the hands of the Titans, it was the fear of humanity being wiped out by famine.
The cart came to an abrupt halt and Levi jolted. Breath held; he dared a peek on the left side of the rickshaw. He could see the noblemen being lead out and he took his chance, slipping out from the opposite side and dashing over for cover between two townhouses. His heart thumped loudly in his chest and he scanned the darkness for any signs of presence.
Nothing… He'd made it inside Wall Sina. He'd acted on sheer will to stay alive and he'd made it.
Right on queue, he felt the all too familiar pang of hunger begin to manifest in his stomach.
"Well… I'm here. Might as well get to it," Levi chuckled darkly as he emerged from the sombre alleyway and walked over to a group of elderly men, roughly in their 40's, all arguing over travel fairs and politics.
Seemingly unnoticed, he circled the group, searching for any valuable items that lay in snatching distance.
A heavy brown coin bag grasped his attention and Levi's heart leaped in excitement. It hung from a cord that seemed to be somewhat tied to its bearer.
He was sure the amount of coins hidden in that bag would be enough to buy him bread and possibly even a serving of meat for the next three weeks. Just the mere thought made saliva pool on the roof of his mouth.
Wasting no time, he slipped in between the busy business men and reached for the coin bag. He felt it tingle in his palm and he pulled out his small pocket knife, leaning over in the attempt to cut the coin bag free from the man's belt.
Suddenly, and without warning, a large wooden item made contact with the back of his neck and to Levi's utter terror, he found himself underneath the brown, rubber boot of a Military Police officer.
The crowd of middle-aged men all turned around at the sound and their eyes widened.
Gasps filled the air around him.
"Thief!" Levi heard a voice cry out.
"What's a rat doing within our walls!?" Another one exclaimed.
"He was trying to rob Shermann!" said the man closest to the one wearing the coin bag.
Levi groaned and dropped his face onto the hard gravel. He'd blown it.
The owner of the rubber boot knelt down and grasped a handful of Levi's long, raven hair, pulling him to a standing position and proceeding to slam his baton into the boys' ribs.
"Care to explain what you're doing in Wall Sina, rat?" the man asked grimly.
Levi doubled over from the assault and did his best to keep in his cries of pain.
"Fuck knows," he replied, looking up at the taller officer and taking a deep breath before reaching up and spitting as far as he could manage. He managed to hit the asshole's badge and grinned in satisfaction.
This earned him a knee in the gut, throwing him to the floor as the officer proceeded to kick him in the chest, face and stomach.
"How dare you soil my uniform, you piece of shit!" he roared, "Just you wait till I drag your sorry ass to court, dirt bag!"
Levi's protests and cries drew the attention of the townspeople and soon enough, the inhabitants gathered, watching in silence as the young man was beaten.
Levi felt dizzy from the constant smack of pain that soared through his body with every kick. His vision seemed to bleed into the hard gravel below him, and he felt as if all his teeth would fall out. Gasps and murmurs could be heard over his whines as he watched and waited for the pain to cease, but it never came.
Suddenly, the pounding stopped and he flinched. Levi mustered up all the remaining strength left in him to look up, and saw a large hand gripping the wrist of police officer. The man was standing tall, behind the attacker and was holding him back. His face was calm, stoic even, in comparison to the furious one beside him.
"Come now, Marlo. There is no need to kill the boy," Even his voice is soothing, Levi remarked.
Marlo huffed and pulled against the restraining hold, "But he's a street rat from outside the wall!" he tried to argue.
"Leave him to me, Marlo. I'll take it from here." The man said.
"Marlo," The man warned.
Marlo gritted his teeth and looked up at the crowd of worried faces. With a frustrated sigh, he readjusted his jacket and grunted.
"Just get him out of here. We don't need this kind of trouble." His voice seethed irritation and from what Levi could see; his face was the definition of 'pissed off'.
The looming sun disappeared when a figure crouched beside Levi's bloody face and he squinted up at the person. Radiant blond hair swept back, tidy and sharp. Round blue eyes tinted with small hints grey. The man had a sturdy jaw line and it rounded off to bring Levi's attention to a pair of ghostly pink tainted lips.
He felt the man's warm hand cup his cheek gently.
"Can you stand?" He asked softly.
Levi groaned. No, please don't make me move.
The man chuckled and then effortlessly, but delicately, lifted Levi's bruised body and held him against his broad chest. The sudden movement made Levi's head swim and he felt consciousness slip from him bit by bit.
Levi woke in what he realized, was not his bed.
Next, he noted that he was in a ridiculous amount of pain and he let out a whine, curling in on himself pathetically.
"Oh good, you've come to." A deep voice said. It came from his left and he opened an eye to peer over and was met with a startling pair of blue eyes.
"Mmphf- Where am I?" he asked and then stopped to gasp at the dry pain in his throat. He coughed once and it only seemed to add fuel to the burning fire.
The tall blond leaned over and poured a glass of water from the pitcher poised on the bedside dresser before handing it to Levi.
Levi reached tentatively out for the glass and thanked him for the kind gesture.
The water seemingly helped calm his pain and quench his thirst.
"I hope you don't mind, but you passed out and my bedroom seems to be the only place I can hide you for now." The man said.
That explains the bed, then. Levi thought.
He shifted underneath the sheets and winced when his body reminded him of the reason he was here.
"Why are you hiding me? I thought that asshole told you to throw me out." He replied nonchalantly, passing the now empty glass back.
The man chuckled and reached over to gingerly pluck the glass from Levi's hand and set it back on the dresser, before clearing his throat.
"I have plans for you, you see. I think you may come in handy to us." The blond stated, like that was that.
Levi scoffed and threw him a sceptical look. "What kind of plans? What could a person like me bring to- to… whatever the hell you are."
"What's your name, boy?" the asked, gazing into his eyes as if his name was a missing piece to a puzzle.
"…Levi." he said in a small voice, "What's it to you?"
"Well, Levi. I've taken the liberty in signing you up for the Scouting Legion."
At that moment, Levi was sure his eyes bugged out of their sockets.
He'd heard of the Scouting Legion. They were the branch of the Military, notably involved in combat against Titans and sought human expansion. He'd heard stories in the streets of these brave soldiers that offered their hearts to the King and to humanity, and would, in most cases, die fighting against Titans. But he also knew that they would certainly not recruit just any old person. To be in the Scouting Legion, you needed to know just what you were dealing with. It was indispensible to know how to manoeuvre equipment, have brains, courage, and enough skill to stay focused and have the upper hand when faced with a beast that would not think twice before picking you up, breaking you in half and eating you whole.
So just what was this birdbrain doing!? Why did he sign him up!? Was he blind? Could he not see that he came from a poor village and apparently had no sense of self-preservation? Or maybe this is how he'd planned on getting 'rid of' him, by literally throwing him out as Titan food.
Levi stared at the man like he was silly. But he took no notice and rambled on.
"You see… you may have had the unfortunate occasion to hear that we are currently… Well, you could say we are lacking personnel at the present moment. To be fair with you, not many recruits are lucky enough to return from their first expedition, so that leaves us with a little problem." His eyes seemed to fall, when referring to their loss and Levi almost pitied him.
"I still don't get where that involves me." Levi said after a short pause. He did try not to sound too snotty, but his life was potentially on the line here.
A smile split across the older man's face and Levi eyed him curiously.
"I saw you try to rob that man earlier today and it made me think. If you have enough courage to sneak, god knows how, into such a guarded section of Wall Sina, and to risk your freedom by robbing a man, all for a few gold coins to feed yourself, I presume, well… that must mean you value your life enough to fight until the very end and that you will keep yourself alive when the time will come." He said proudly.
Levi's mouth dropped. I don't believe this guy! A nerve twitched in Levi's forehead and he sat up abruptly, crossing his arms defensively, ignoring the pain ripping through him.
"Oh yeah..? Says who?" he said, raising his chin up high.
"I do, of course." The blond man straightened up in his seat and replied just as defiantly.
Levi cocked an eyebrow. "And just who are you, exactly?"
"I'm Commander Erwin Smith. Welcome to the Scouting Legion, Levi." He smiled broadly when he spoke his name and rose from his chair, long and powerful legs striding towards the open door.
"I'll come back around dawn. Be sure to rest as much as you can." Erwin said before closing the door, leaving behind a stunned Levi.
Something told Levi his fate was about to change drastically.