I think this is the first thing I've written for this fandom, but my guilty pleasure couple is Levi and Eren, so I decided to post something- but they're eight years old, before AOT began, so no Levi/Even, obviously, or romance at all. I hope you guys like it anyway- sorry it's so short.
Summary: What would it be like to truly see the large body of water called ocean, like Armin truly believed they would one day? What would it be like to roam the land now taken over by titans, to see all the different creatures in the book?
Armin giggled quietly as they flipped through the large book. His eyes were wide, staring at the book as though it was magic, and then back up at Eren and Mikasa with those huge, innocent, naive eyes.
And Eren wondered.
What would it be like to truly see the large body of water called ocean, like Armin truly believed they would one day? What would it be like to roam the land now taken over by titans, to see all the different creatures in the book?
And he supposed they would have seen most of them by now, right? The world couldn't be that big.
If only the titans never existed in the first place, they would have seen it. Eren hated them for it.
Mikasa suddenly reached over from where she had been looking on behind Eren and traced her fingers along the outline of the drawing of the ocean, making a small noise of approval in the back of her throat. And was that... Was that hope that Eren saw in her eyes?
The young blonde was practically bouncing beside Eren, repeating facts about this body of water excitedly as though they had never heard them before. How the water is salty, so salty that when you drink it, instead of quenching your thirst it makes your throat dry and makes you even more thirsty than you were in the first place.
There were strange, small, multicolored swimming... Things... that Armin thought even the titans didn't, or couldn't, kill because they were, for whatever reason, living under the water, and the titans couldn't see them.
"Wouldn't it be amazing?" The eight-year-old burst out. "Just living in the water and going anywhere you wanted to and being unable to be eaten by titans?"
Eren wasn't an idiot. He knew it couldn't be real, and so did Mikasa, judging by her small frown. At their silence, Armin glanced up from the book, imploring them to say something silently. But the hope in Mikasa's eyes had only been a flash, and Eren wasn't one for lying or leading someone on, especially not to make them feel better.
"It's not real, Armin. It's just a storybook. Just put it away before someone sees it." He turned, and when they could only see his back he looked like what he was: a little boy. But when he looked over his shoulder and called that he was going home, and to follow him unless they wanted to get lost (though Mikasa wouldn't, but he liked to feel in control), his eyes and expression held such sadness and anger that anyone would know that he had experienced more pain than anyone of his age should ever have to face. More pain than anyone, ever in their lives, should ever have to face. But that was how it was. And all because of the damned titans.
Mikasa began to follow.
"You coming, Armin?"
Her voice was gentler than Eren's, as she recognized the heartbreak and tears in his eyes. He closed the book, the book that held all of his dreams and his reason of surviving and nothing to hope at all, and replied with a shaky,
"Yeah."