A Choice With No Regrets; Canon divergence; somewhat role reversal; follows canon as much as possible, though canon should be ignored sometimes.
It is the first time they manage to successfully sneak out the underground onto the streets above, though they did so with outside help.
"I hear Erwin Smith will attempt to recruit you to the Survey Corps."
He tries not to let it all overwhelm him, though his two companions are long lost staring up at the bright dots in the dark sky and watching goosebumps rise on their exposed skin when the cool wind sweeps past them. He should be marveling at it all, he knows, because after living all his life in the subterranean slums, this is the first time ever he sets food out its limits and gets a taste of real, fresh air. He had heard of stars before and now as he sees them, he realizes story does not make them justice.
But they have work to do.
"Use this opportunity to find the evidence he is gathering and destroy them."
Levi hushes their awed sounds and steers towards shadowy corners of the street, feeling the uneven cobblestone under his boots as he rushes away of sight. They slip into an alleyway and peek around the corner, trying to map out the neighborhood they are in, trying to locate themselves and find where to go next.
Word reached them that a play, or something of the sort, is to happen in Mitras that night and it will attract the wealthiest of people. Rich people means expensive goods, and expensive goods mean that they can be sold at a very good price in the underground. If they mug three or four people, they will most likely get the income of one entire month, and extra cash is always welcomed. It is an easy task, considering they have done worse things below ground, but they need to keep their eyes open for the Military Police and anyone that could threaten their little mission.
"You'll be generously rewarded with large sums of money and permission to live above ground."
Silently, he weaves his ways through the darkness provided by unlit street lamps, straining his ears to the sound of faint singing and chattering blocks away. Isabel and Furlan trail before him, though the latter is much more professional than the former, and he has to tell her to keep it down lest they are caught. He feels the texture of the buildings beneath his rough fingertips, inhales the clean breeze that plays with his hair, and allows his gaze to flicker up towards the sky for one split second before moving again.
"I can arrange for you to catch his immediate attention."
They observe from an alley not so far away from a grand structure as people walk into the open streets, donning expensive jewelry, accessories and items of clothing alike. One simple signal of his hand has his two friends scattering in opposite directions, ready to intercept anyone that ventures far from the illuminated building, and he performs his part of the plan, moving closer on stealthy feet to select the one that is worth the most.
Levi spots her in a second, finding it hard to miss her in the sea of people.
She holds herself with poise, the black of her gown accentuating her curves, contrasting on her pale, creamy skin. Her hair, as dark as the night sky, is pinned up intricately with shimmering hairpins, no stray hairs out of place. He spots the clasp of a pearl necklace around her throat and, as she raises her manicured hand to loop it on some man's elbow, he sees the sparkles and crystals alike around her wrist. Most of her fingers, he notices, have silver rings with large gemstones on them.
They are getting much more money than they had previously expected, and robbing this person will attract the Military Police's attention, allowing them to fully execute their job.
The couple is the last to leave the front of the building, quietly strolling away and murmuring to each other. He rolls his eyes at their carelessness; surely, there are thieves up here as well, and they are parading about with costly objects in their possession. It is as if they are being asked to have them stolen from their snob, upper-class hands.
As they pass by the alley, his hand shoots out and grabs the man by the collar of his suit, dragging him into the shadows and slamming his back against the wall. The woman gasps and he slides his blue pupils in her direction, staring into black with specs of silver. Levi has to catch himself before he finds himself lost in her softly slanted eyes, delicate nose and plump mouth, so he knocks the man on the stone, his grunt bringing him back to reality.
"The jewels. Now."
Her breath hitches and with shaking hands, she removes the piece from around her neck. He watches as the pearls glide along the exposed skin and grits his teeth in annoyance, resisting the urge to slam his hostage once again to have something else that is not her to focus on. She gathers the necklace, bracelets and each of her rings in her palm and extends her hand towards him, whispering, "Please, don't hurt him."
Levi releases the man, letting him fall ungracefully to the ground, and she drops the jewelry on his upturned palm before kneeling down her lover, touching him gently as she searches for injuries. He leaves the scene before she can look up, returning to their rendezvous point.
True to that stranger's words, on the following day, they attract their target to the underground.
The emblem of the Wings of Freedom is displayed proudly on their forest green cloaks that billow with every sharp turn they take among a mass of slowly crumbling buildings. They flee from them, if only to put up a show, kicking at crates that stand in their way to create diversions and weaving skillfully through familiar territory as they split in different directions and effectively separate the group of pursuers. A split moment of distraction has Levi narrowly dodging someone's incoming fist, only to get hit by the dull side of the blades when Erwin flies into the ambush.
He refuses to go down without a fight. Levi leaps up to his feet and goes in for the kill. If he defeats this man now, he will not have to join the Survey Corps, he will not have to part from Isabel and Furlan, and together they will live in Mitras as promised by that man. Before he can even as much as land a strike, two of his team members appear from around the corner, with a resigned Furlan and a struggling Isabel in their grasps.
Erwin Smith, who stands before their forced kneeling forms with ridiculously large eyebrows that would have Isabel laughing, only stares inquisitively at him in silence. The chase previous to their capture resulted minor injuries and no casualties from what he can tell; still, Levi releases his weapon and allows them to bind his hands together behind his back, and the three of them are forced to a kneeling position with a swift kick to the back of their knees. It is humiliating; it fills him with anger and murder intent, dark thoughts swirling around his mind and spreading through his limbs. Fuck finding the document; he is going to kill this man as well.
Levi refuses to speak and meet his eyes, unlike Isabel that is glowering up at him with gritted teeth and slit eyes. Erwin asks about the equipment and how they learned to use it and their silence leads to Levi having someone grab a fistful of his hair and smash his face on the ground, dirty water and mud splashing on his skin and clothes. Immediately, Isabel and Furlan jump to his defense, saying what this man wants to hear in varying tones of wariness and rage. The more he stays silent, the more whoever is manhandling him shoves his face down, until he is gasping for breath.
Still disgusted at the dirt smeared on one of his cheeks and temples, he accepts Erwin's deal to join the Survey Corps, if only to protect his friends now that Erwin has threatened their lives. Content with his reluctant cooperation, Erwin steps back and nods, signaling that they can be allowed to stand. The tall blonde is looking off into the distance, his thick eyebrows rising just barely once he spots another green-clad soldier zipping at top speed in their direction.
With feet landing soundlessly on the dirty street, the person slows to a stop before their superior and salutes. "The perimeter is secured, sir."
Erwin shows little to no emotions at that and motions with a languid wave of his hand, beckoning some of the team members to follow him. "The rest is up with you and Mike, Ackerman." He leaves shortly after, followed by four other people, though the man that rubbed his face in filth stays behind with the newcomer.
Mike, it seems, releases their hands and throws the cuffs aside carelessly. Levi rises to his feet and rubs his wrists once the shackles release his limbs, coaxing the blood flow to course correctly and freely through his veins once again, trying hard not to simply kill these two and right then and there. Yet he freezes when the other soldier, Ackerman, lowers the hood of her cape and reveals her face, her slanted dark eyes inspecting the three of them with disinterest.
She grabs his shoulder, her graceful fingers no less gentle that the hold Mike had on him just moments ago and pushes him forward. "I'd like my jewelry back now."
It is as if they are being asked to have them stolen.
Fuck.
Hey! I was just waiting to make sure that I got good grades before posting this. This is the prized idea I talked about in one of the recent chapters of Adamantine; I even bought the manga so I could stick to canon, though I did mix in a few things from the OVA (because it's beautiful) and my own ideas (because duh)
So this takes place in a world that Mikasa is actually Humanity's Strongest, meaning that she's older and she never got to meet Eren and Armin, so her personality is not quite the same as in canon. I wrote her differently and it fits one headcanon I have that I'll introduce later on as the story progresses.
Fyi, Erwin and Mike are 29 y/o, Levi and Hanji are 27, Furlan is 26, Mikasa is 23, and Isabel is 18. I just have a feeling that Isabel is a lot younger than her friends and is kinda like a little sister.
The chapters will vary in length, though none of them will be exceptionally long; call them short, if you will, but I'll update this every two weeks and alternate it with Adamantine chapters, meaning that next week, you'll get to read the next part of Icarus.
I'll be going now! I hope you enjoy it and tell me what you think!