Okie… so most of this will be in Levi's POV, or in another characters, but never 3rd person or Cole's POV, otherwise it will ruin the surprise~
OMEGAVERSE
I have never read the manga, and have only seen the first season of anime (season two isn't out yet), so I've had to do a bit of research on the internet. I've only watched the first half of 'No Regrets' (up to where Levi agrees to join the Survey Corps.)Whatever I couldn't find out, I had to make up. I hope I don't f*ck this up too bad. If anyone's OOC, please tell me
I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, or any of the characters. I only own Cole.
Originally Cole x Levi
Now Eren x Levi
Hiding behind the building, my eyes zero in on my one true love… my mouth waters at the idea of holding it, tasting it, devouring every last bite… my large black ears twitch at the thought... it physically hurts to be so close, yet so far. Stupid thugs! Think they can take my love away… Go to Hell! I can see… the food… damn it! Curse my small, weak body! Why do I have to be so puny! Even for a 7 year old, I'm damn small.
The Underground is a tough place to live for someone like me. The 7 year old child of a prostitute, who spends most his time half dead and alone in a house of filth. But I will survive! I'm sure of it… right now, I'm hiding in one of the cramped dirty alleyways. There's a small group of thieves, about 3 men in their late 30s, who have managed to steal some meat. F*cking sh*t, it looks delicious… but how in the name of all that's sh*tty am I going to get it off them?
.
.
.
.
Answer: I'm not. Reality check, Levi; you are a weak and tiny brat who is half dead from starvation. How the f*ck are you supposed to defeat 3 older men, who are all stronger than you. Okay, so you're determined. That's not exactly gonna do a sh*t load of good against them. It's time to wake up, and move on. Go find some other food. Ugh… f*ck my life. Sigh… I turn away from the tender-looking meal, and shove my small hands in the worn pockets of my frayed and ripped jacket. My ears flatten against my hair in sadness, hunger and defeat, and my bushy black tail curls itself tightly around my practically non-exsitant stomach. I hope they choke on it and die.
Kicking rocks, I walk with my head down back to the dilapidated house that I am forced to stay in. I swear, one day, I'm getting out of this sh*tty dump. I will see the blue sky, feel the warm rays of the sun on my face, the cool breeze through my hair, the refreshing rain… haahhh, keep dreaming Levi. The sun will be disappointed if it waits for you. But seriously, though. I will get sound of here. weak whimpering reaches my ears, and I look up. My eyes scan the tiny, sh*t covered street, and a flash of bright gold stands out from the darkness. My dull eyes brighten, and I stumble towards it. As I close in, I realise that the light colours that caught my eye is actually a shaggy mess of short blonde hair, attached to a frail form that's even smaller than mine. Holy sh*t, it's a miracle! This dude is even worse off than I am! I reach the person's side, and kneel down besides them. They look about 5, which makes them two years younger than me. I shake their shoulder roughly. "Oi! Wake up, kid!" The kid emits a small grunting noise, and their eyelids flutter, showing me that they are coming round to consciousness. Their eyes pry themselves open, although this feat appears to be physically taxing for the runt. Brown orbs so dark that they appear black are set into their pale, bony face, standing out like an a candle in the Underground.
"Oi, kid, you okay?" I ask, before mentally facepalming. Wow, Levi. Yeah sure, he's totally fine. It's not like you just found him practically dead and covered in sh*t on some abandoned street in the Underground. The kid (I think it's a boy) mumbles something that I have difficulty making out. Sounds something like coal. "Cole? Is that your name kid?" I ask him. He turns his face up slightly, looking confused. "Huh? No, I don't have a name. I was just saying that it's cold." He whispers. I cough slightly to cover up my embarrassment. He's right, though. It's freezing out here. I had better get home. I'm starting to shiver.
I stand up, turning my back on the small boy in the dirt, and begin to walk off. "H-hey! Wait! Don't leave me! Please don't leave me…" he whispers, I turn my head to see him reaching out towards me desperately, eyes wide and scared. I sigh softly to myself. Usually, I would just leave him there. I have enough problems of my own, without having to deal with this brat. But something makes me stop, and then back round to face him. Wordlessly, I grab hold of his arm, slinging it around my neck, and as I get him to stand, I notice large chocolate coloured dog ears drooping on his head, and a thick brown tail coming out his ass. It's a nice colour, warm and homely. But then I do a double take. What the f*ck?! His face... It's different... He's clearly not from around here. But where did he come from then? Is he from Above-ground? Have all Up-Worlders got the face of a dog? Huh. I shake it off, deciding that I really don't care, and pick him up. He weighs practically nothing, but I'm still quite weak, so it's kinda difficult. Not that I would ever admit that.
Holding him like this, I finally notice deep cuts and bruises running along the exposed flesh of his body. What the hell?! He turns his head towards me, and before I can ask him about the scars, he speaks. "Is Cole my name now?" He whispers, voice rough. It's kinda weird to hear his voice coming from the long, woodsy muzzle of a dog. I would only expect barks and growls from between a pair teeth like those. Unsure of what to answer, I just shrug. "Uhh.. I don't know. Whatever you want, kid." He nods, mainly to himself, and whispers the word 'Cole' over and over again, as if he's afraid of forgetting it. It's kind of irritating, but I leave him to it. Damn it! I've only known him five minutes, and he's already making me soft! What the f*ck is wrong with me?! He notices the angry expression on my face, and his eyebrows crease in worry. "A-are you okay, sir? Did I do something-g wrong?" He stutters, eyes betraying his inner terror. I just shake my head, and let out a deep breath. "No." I reply shortly. He gets the hint that I don't want to talk, and stays quiet.
We reach my tiny apartment, and I lay him down on the rugs on the floor. He curls up into himself, ears flattening and tail wrapping around his body, shivering. I sigh softly. Dammit. I walk over to my makeshift bed, and take the ripped blanket, before heading back to Cole. I am about to cover him in my own blanket, when I freeze. F*ck. What the actual sh*t?! I ... What ... WHAT THE F*CK IS GOING ON?! His face was definitely that of a dog's only a few minutes ago, and now it's back to the original human state it was in when I first found him. You know what? F*ck it. I don't give 2 sh*ts anymore. I just throw it over his small form, and collapse besides him. "Thankyou." He murmurs, eyes closing again, breathing becoming shallow and even as he fades out. I sigh, and look up. "Whatever, kid."
*Twelve Years Later*
"Master!" the desperate cry for help reaches my ears, making my head snap towards the blonde brat. His chocolate eyes are wide with terror, and his ears are pricked, his hackles raised. The thug has gotten hold of the idiot, and has one arm wrapped tightly round Cole's neck, slowly cutting off his airway. I cuss loudly, before turning myself around, throwing the food at Farlan and Isabel, and shooting off towards him. He struggles weakly in the grasp of the older male, but falls limp as his eyes lock with my own. The shameful look in his eyes as he calls out for me to help him is one I know well. He hates putting me in danger just because he is stupid enough to get caught, but it seems to be some sort of instinct for him to yell out.
Of course, one man on his own is easy killing for me, and I take him down in seconds. He drops to the floor, releasing Cole. The brat falls to his knees as the man lets go, and keeps his head down. I know well enough what is coming next. "You should just leave me here." The boy mutters. "I'm useless. All I do is get caught, and get you in trouble. I'm not worth anything. Leave me here to die, like I deserve." I roll my eyes. He says the same thing every time I save his ass, and I have learnt just to ignore it. "Get up, idiot, we haven't got time for your drama." I grumble, pulling him to his feet. He opens his mouth to argue with me, but I cut him off with a glare. "That's an order, brat."
For some weird reason, the damn brat adopted me as a 'master', and I don't have a clue why. I would say it's because he's an Inu, but we all are. Maybe it has something to do with 12 years ago, back when I first met him, and his face morphed... Anyway, whatever the reason, he obeys me like my word is the law.
We catch up with the other two, using the 3DMG we stole, and the four of us hide down some random sh*tty alley, and tear hungrily at the bread. I notice that the brat still seems depressed from earlier, his ears are down, he's sitting away from us, and not eating his share. Grumbling to myself, I walk over to him, and hit him. "Ahh!" He yells, rubbing his head with both hands, and tipping his head back to glare up at me. "What was that for?!" He asks, pouting. "Stop moping around, grow up, and eat your bread, brat." He sighs, and picks moodily at the food.
"Why do you even bother putting up with me?" He mutters, more questioning himself than me. I stay silent, because I have no answer. To be honest, I'm not sure why we keep him around. It's true that he just gets himself into trouble. But despite that, I would never abandon the brat. Ha, look at me, getting all sentimental. I swear, the that brat's turning me soft. Maybe I should leave him behind. "Just shut up and eat."
I stare up at the opening into the sunlight, watching silently as Isabel's bird flies up higher and higher, a dot against the clouds, before finally disappearing, swallowed by the blue. I'll never admit to it, but I am slightly jealous of the winged creature. It is free, flying amongst the clouds, always in the light. It isn't confined to this damp, filthy hell hole. It isn't tied down, broken and hopeless. It's as free as the wind, not a care in the world. Sigh…
I turn away from the hole in the ground, and walk back into the shadows, sitting down besides the 3DMG. I watch my small family standing full out in the golden rays, eyes closed, faces tipped towards the light, soaking in the Vitamin D they are usually deprived of. Their tails sway softly, and their ears are straining towards the light. The gold beams play over their faces, making them look years younger than they are. Maybe we could get out… we have 3DMG, it would just be a matter of latching it onto a tree or rock above ground, and we could be free, just like the bird… no. It would be impossible. We would be caught. We have no citizenship, we would be sent back into the Underground, and that's on the off chance that they don't recognise us and hand us over to the Military Police. I can't risk something like that. If one of them got hurt, I would never forgive myself.
Who is that man, standing by our house? He looks like one if those well-off Up-Worlders, but if he is, what the hell is he doing around here? He should know not to come to this place. Surely the merchants have warned him about the 'thugs' that live here. His grey ears prick as he hears our approaching footsteps, and he looks up. He turns towards our small group, which has stopped in the archway that leads to our side of town.
I open my mouth to speak, but a strong, cool and emotionless voice cuts across me. "You're an awful long way away from the merchants, sir. Are you, perhaps, lost?" I turn my head, raising an eyebrow at Cole. This is surprising. Usually, the brat never does anything without my say so. He ignores the stares I'm giving him, and continues speaking with the man.
"It's clear that you're from Above-Ground. I wouldn't wander around alone if I were you. Your kind aren't really popular around here. If people recognise you… well, it won't be a pretty thing, if you get what I'm saying. I suggest you leave, and get back to wherever you came from." His voice drops at the last sentence, becoming disturbingly menacing. Hackles raised, tail on end, teeth bared, ears flat out to the side in anger, I feel something now that I've never felt around Cole before. Fear. The primitive instinct rises in me, telling me despite away from the blonde, making me uncomfortable.
The brat moves forwards, towards the frowning man, shoving Farlan, Isabel and myself behind him. "Cole-" I start, but his head whips round, eyes meeting with mine, and it sends a shiver through my body. His usually warm, calm chocolate orbs are now ablaze, kindled with hatred and a strange, angry possessiveness. His eyes are pure black, as unreachable as an animal. His glare makes me shiver, and I close my mouth. I don't know what is wrong with him, but I know that it is pointless to try and reason with him.
I never realised how tall the brat was, and despite the fact that I'm 2 years older than him, he towers above me by a good 4 inches. I can see something animalistic about the features of his face now, and realise that I'm now staring into the black eyes of the same mutt that I encountered 12 years ago. Once again, like the first time, the brat's face has shifted into the fur-coated muzzle of a dog. He looks away from me, returning his attention back to the strange merchant. Behind him, I can see someone helping Jan into a hospital carriage. What the hell?
I turn back to what's happening right in front of me as Cole stalks forwards, getting dangerously close to the grey-eared Up-Worlder, who refused to move. Stupid, sh*tty snob. Is he blind, or just an idiot? Can't he see that the light glowing in Cole's black eyes is the same deadly light of a focused wolf on the hunt, about to go for the kill. Crap. As much as I would like Cole to kill the irritating stranger, I'm not stupid. I can put two and two together. I suspect that this man is responsible for Jan being taking to that Above-Ground hospital. If the brat kills the merchant, then they may not take Jan to the hospital, and he needs Up-Worlder medicine are care desperately.
But there's another reason I don't want Cole to kill him. So far, I've stopped him from getting blood on his hands. His conscious is clean and pure. He has never taken the life of another, and I want to keep it that way. I hope he should never have to murder another Inu. Growling and cursing myself, I walk up to the brat, and lay my hand on his shoulder. He looks down at me with angry eyes, snarling furiously at me. He attempted to rip his arm out my grasp, but I just tightened my grip, looking up at him with dead eyes. "Cole, calm down. You're not in your right mind, brat, and you need to turn back to normal. We don't know what you've done, or how you've done it. But we're dealing with the unknown here, and that's a risk I don't want to take. You're dangerous and unpredictable like this, and we don't know what you'll do next. You could turn on us if we're not careful."
I saw something flash in the depths of his inky orbs. Understanding, fear, worry. He was scared behind the anger. He didn't know what he was doing, and how he had done it anymore than I did. But he recognised my voice, and started to calm down, regaining control. His breathing evened out, and his features blurred, before shifting back to human once more. He bowed his head to me, an apology and a sign of respect. After shooting one last warning glare at the stranger, he stepped behind me, allowing me to take control of the situation. Isabel clung onto his arm, and he shakily hugged her, matching his breathing to hers to calm down. I turned back to face the shocked merchant, my face expressionless. "Now. What do you want?"
I glare up at the blonde man. How dare he. How dare he attack us, and threaten my family. I'll kill him. I will. I'll kill him for doing this to them. Isabel is closest to me. Her green eyes are wide in fear, and her beautiful red ears are flat against her hair. She screams at me with her eyes. I can hear her voice in my mind. Levi-Aniki! What do I do?! Help me!
I grit my teeth angrily, and my eyes land on Farlan. His dirty-blonde tail is wrapped tightly around his waist, and his ears are perked up, but twitching slightly. He's putting on a cool act for the others, but I can see right through it. He's panicking on the inside. You know what to do, right Levi? You're gonna get us out of here, right? Levi?
Finally, I see Cole. The blonde is openly snarling at the Survey Corps. His eyes are holding murderous intent, and I can see that he's pouring every ounce of his strength and willpower into not shifting. His brown ears are flat, but in an angry way, more like my own black ears rather than scared like Isabel's. His thick brown tail smashes at the ground furiously. His eyes are pure black, like his shifted form, instead of their usual warm brown. His gaze meets mine, and I can hears his rage. Let me at them, Master! I'll tear them to shreds! I'll kill them all for doing this to you! I'll protect you all, I promise! Just let me change!
I growl, and drop my head. I hear the words of Eyebrows Smith ringing through my brain. Join the Survey Corps., or we'll be handed over to the Military Police. Think about your family. Choose. Join or die. Join or die.
I know what I have to do. There's no choice, really, and that old sh*t head knows it. Life or death, that's his offer. It's our instincts to live, but he knows I might have said no if it wasn't for them. They're my weakness, and he knows it. Threatening them like that, he really can sink no lower. He knew my choice before he asked the question.
I raise my head, and bare my fangs at the man.
"Fine... I'll join the Survey Corps."
Tadaa, new chapter, new story! Man, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Around 3500 words! How do ya like it? Sorry if it's sh*tty, I can't write Levi to save my life Everyone here is Inu (it is an Omegaverse story, after all). So yeah, that's why Cole keeps calling Levi 'master'. I know Levi is also a Inu, but Cole is... Special
