AN: Welcome to Tangled Hearts! This is going to be a Reader x Levi insert (although I have taken the liberty of plot relevant descriptions and giving you a plot relevant last name). It's my first time trying this style over an OC one, so please be kind. Make sure to read chapter titles because we are going to be jumping back and forth between present day and the events leading up to it.

If you're familiar with my writing, I tend to be pretty description heavy. For this story I'm trying a more concise, dialogue heavy style for this story. Hope you like it. If you do, I'd love for you to give it a favorite and a follow. If you leave a nice review, I shall give you a cookie *pulls plate of warm gooey cookies out of oven*. Anyways, happy reading! - Mak

Year 850: Military Tribunal - Present Day

"The course of true love never did run smooth."

– William Shakespeare [A Midsummer Night's Dream]

"Why the hell am I here, Dok."

"Come on, Smith, you have to come up for sunlight every once in a while."

"If you're hoping it will throw Erwin off whatever plan he's concocting you're going to be disappointed," you told your commanding officer irritably.

"Yeah, you're probably right about that. Worth a try though," Nile replied, scratching the back of his head. "But at least I'll have something nice to look at during the trial."

"Ha. If that was your plan, you're gonna be even more disappointed," you muttered. "Besides, what if I tell Marie?"

Despite his stress, Nile grinned at the mention of his wife. He quickly turned serious when Zackly's carriage turned the corner.

It was true that you had once been a beautiful woman, you supposed you were still pretty enough, but nearly two decades of military service in Mitras' Underground had taken its toll. Your once shining hair and soft skin had taken on the lank, pallid appearance of someone who didn't see enough sunlight and didn't get enough sleep. There was something cold and pitiless in your once warm eyes. But your most gruesome feature was the scar that curved across the expanse of your pale neck like an eerie smile.

"Fall in," Nile Dok shouted. You snapped your heels together and thumped your fist to your heart.

"Damn, it's hot," Zackly muttered, stepping out of the carriage, his eyes wandering across the assembled Military Police forces before lingering on Nile and yourself. "Commander, Major."

"Premier Zackly," Nile greeted stiffly.

"Sir," you nodded.

"Haven't seen you up here in a while," Zackly said while you made your way into the courthouse.

You didn't answer; you didn't need to. You'd been a social outcast amongst the Military Police almost from the day you'd joined the Regiment. Zackly damn well remembered why. Upon reviewing your case, he'd been the one to station you in the Underground after all. Not that he'd been the one to keep you down there. There had been another, less professional, reason for that. And after that reason had left… well… it was what you knew.

"Commander Pixis," Zackly greeted. Pixis gave the Premier a genial smile.

"Zackly, Nile, and… ah… Smith the younger," he said. You nodded at the Garrison leader, fighting back a smile—he was a difficult person not to like.

"Commander," you greeted.

"I recently had the opportunity to enjoy a lovely walk with your brother. Though to be honest—I'd have preferred to walk with you," he flirted shamelessly. If any other man had spoken to you that way, you would have decked him. But coming from the grandfatherly Dot Pixis, your lips could only twitch with amusement.

"Ah, speak of the devil."

You glanced around at Pixis' statement, your eyes locking with Erwin's.

"Premier, Commander," he saluted formally, a charismatic smile crossing his face. "Nile, sister."

"Erwin," Nile Dok greeted.

"Brother," you nodded, your eyes moving past Erwin to the shorter man standing in his shadow. "Levi."

Gray eyes met your own, and he nodded. Damn. It had been a long time since you'd seen each other up close like this—years in fact. You swore he looked exactly the same as he always did. In fact, he looked quite a bit healthier than you were used to now that he'd lived several years on the surface.

"You got a rapidly aging painting hiding in a closet somewhere," you asked quietly while the group moved through the hallway.

He looked up at you out of the corner of his eye.

"You'll have to introduce me to whoever made it for you," you continued. "I could sure as hell use one."

"Tch," was the only response you got. It was enough. You smirked.

"Nile," Erwin was saying. "Did you really drag my baby sister all the way up here in the hopes of distracting me?"

Nile coughed into his hand, trying to recover some composure.

"Told you it was a shit plan. I should have just stayed in bed," you told Nile, not missing the gleam in your brother's eyes. He was definitely up to something.

"Don't tell me you're upset to be here," Erwin replied while you all walked into the courtroom.

"Nah, you know me, I live for these family reunions," you said, a small grin crossing your face—it did a lot to improve your battle-scarred appearance.

Erwin looked at you a bit sharply at this statement but didn't correct you. You really did only see each other anymore when your jobs caused you to cross paths. You didn't hold it against him—he had his battlefield and you had yours. Your relationship with your half brother had been dictated by the military since almost the day your father died—when Erwin enlisted in the cadets. In many ways, Nile had been more of a brother to you over the years than Erwin had, but you still loved him.

As Nile turned to head to the far side of the courtroom, you caught your brother's sleeve and gave him a serious look.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew with whatever gamble you're about to make," you said quietly. He gave you a reassuring smile.

"You worry too much," he told you, heading to the seats across the court from Nile. You shook your head in irritation. Levi's eyes caught yours as he turned to follow his Commander.

"Am I worrying too much," you asked him pointedly.

"Go put your ass in a fucking seat, Smith," he said impassively.

"Oh Levi," you deadpanned. "I missed how goddamn poetic you can be."

"Tch."

But you did go put your ass in a seat. Right in front next to Nile. It got you a prime view when they brought Eren Yeager in and chained him to the floor. Damn, he looked too young to be a cadet. Surely you hadn't looked that young at sixteen, had you? You could tell the boy was nervous, but there was an unmistakable fire in his eyes. Your gaze flicked quickly to Erwin and Levi who were sitting across from you. Had they seen that same fire there?

"You are Eren Yeager," Zackly began. "A soldier sworn to protect the public, is this correct?"

"Yes," he replied immediately.

"These are exceptional circumstances. This hearing will be a military tribunal where ordinary laws do not apply. I have been given the authority to make all judgments. This examination will determine whether you live or die. Any objections?"

"No, sir."

"I will decide which regiment's custody to place you in. The Military Police… or the Scout Regiment. Now, let me hear the proposal from the Military Police."

"Yes. I Nile Dok, commander of the Military Police, will explain our proposal," Nile stood and saluted. "We believe that after a thorough examination of Yeager's body, he should be done away with immediately. Granted, it is a fact that his titan powers allowed us to fend off this attack, but his existence is now causing ripples that could lead to internal strife. So, we should at least get as much data as possible out of him before we turn him into a martyr for those who died in battle."

You looked at Nile out of the corner of your eye, but your expression betrayed none of your thoughts. You weren't surprised that this was the proposal the Military Police was leading with. That was always their way—find the threat, crush the threat, damn the consequences. It had worked for a hundred years. Why stop now?

As soon as Reverend Nick began to interject with his opinion, your attention started to wander. You'd spent four years in a Wallist orphanage before you were old enough to follow in Erwin's footsteps and enlist in the military. With a recently deceased father and a mother who'd died giving birth to you, Erwin hadn't been well off enough at the time to be the sole support for his baby sister. Those four years had been plenty of time for you to learn to hate the whole lot of those zealots.

"Next, I wish to hear the Scout Regiment's proposal," Zackly moved the conversation forward.

"Yes, sir," Erwin stood. "I, Erwin Smith, 13th commander of the Scout Regiment, will present our proposal. We of the Scout Regiment wish to induct Eren as a full-fledged member and use his titan powers to reclaim Wall Maria. That is all."

You raised your eyebrow at your brother when he sat back down. That wasn't very convincing. Zackly didn't seem to think so either as he pushed for more details. 'What other cards are you holding, Erwin?' you wondered. Your eyes drifted over to Levi whose expression was unreadable as ever. He met your gaze steadily, but if you were hoping to discover something of their plan by looking at him, you were disappointed. You did, however, discover an uncomfortable tightness in your throat when his eyes lingered on yours, but as soon as you looked away it was gone.

The courtroom quickly devolved into a squabbling match, and you sighed. You hated coming up and listening to shit like this. At least in the Underground people were mostly on the same page—everyone looked out for themselves, and you did what you needed to survive. The rules were simple. Up here, politics ruled, and you could never really know what someone else's intentions were.

Your eyes wandered to the troops standing behind Levi and Erwin. A petite blonde stood there, and she only had eyes for Levi when he spoke. You wondered if she was in his squad—you could feel the girl's admiration and affection even from this distance. Had she confessed yet? Or had the runty blockhead even noticed?

The fighting grew louder, and some accusations were leveled against one of the other cadets—Mikasa Ackerman. That seemed to piss Yeager off, and he jumped into the argument too.

"You people," he snarled. "You're carrying on using whatever excuse is convenient for you."

"What…" Nile interjected, shocked by Yeager's blatantly disrespectful tone.

"In the first place, you people have never even seen a titan, so what're you so afraid of," he continued. "What's going to happen if people who have the power don't fight? If you're afraid to fight to go on living, then at least help me! You cowards…! Why can't you just shut up and take a chance on me!"

You stared at the boy. Now he'd done it. You could practically feel Nile shaking with anger beside you. You didn't blame him, Nile Dok was a good man and an able commander—one of the few people you trusted in the Military Police. But after twenty years serving in their regiment, you thought Yeager had a pretty good read on the majority of the people the regiment included… and especially on the ones they protected. But there were exceptions. And the boy obviously wasn't aware that humans were just as capable of causing evil and inflicting pain as titans—the Military Police fought a different kind of monster than the Scouts.

"Take aim," Nile shouted at the Lieutenant on his right. A rifle was leveled at Yeager.

'Is this how your plan was supposed to go,' you wondered, eyes locking with Erwin's. When your brother smirked, and Levi hopped over the railing, you realized that this was exactly the moment they'd been waiting for.

Your eyes followed the tooth that flew out of Yeager's mouth when Levi kicked him. You crossed her arms over your chest, watching impassively as he started to beat the shit out of the kid. Nile glanced down at you, clearly shocked. You just shrugged. You were curious to see how this would play out.

"This is just my personal philosophy," Levi said, foot pressing Yeager's face into the ground. "I think pain is the most effective punishment. What you need now can't be taught by words, only action. You're bent over on your knees, which makes you easy to kick."

You frowned at this. It wasn't like Levi to wax eloquent. They were making a point.

"W—wait, Levi," Nile interjected.

"What?"

"It's dangerous. What if he gets mad and turns into a titan?"

"What're you talking about? Weren't you going to dissect this guy? I heard that in titan form he killed twenty titans before stopping from exhaustion. If he's an enemy, his intelligence could be troublesome. But then, he's not my enemy. But what about you people? You guys who persecuted him better think about that. Can you really kill this guy?"

"Premier Zackly, I have a proposal," Erwin interjected. "There are many unknown elements to Eren's titan powers, and there will always be hidden dangers. Therefore, I'd like to put Captain Levi in charge of Eren and explore the exterior. We'll find out if Eren can control his titan powers and whether or not he is of benefit to humankind. I'd like you to make your decision after our results are in."

"Control Eren Yeager, eh," Zackly mused. "Can you do it, Levi?"

"If you mean, can I kill him? Certainly. The thing is though, that there are no halfway measures."

"I've made my decision."

...

"'Pain is the most effective punishment,' you're so full of shit, Levi," you said when you caught up to him after the trial.

"It worked, didn't it," he replied, arms crossed, and brows drawn.

"You really went all out on the poor boy. Reliving your glory days?"

"Shut your mouth, pig," he snapped back at you.

"Well, I'm glad you guys got what you came for at any rate. Better to have a titan on our side than another dead body. God knows we have enough of those," you said.

"I forgot how fucking talkative you are," he replied abrasively. You just smirked at him.

"Yeah, missed you too."

"Tch."

"I'll be in the city for a few days helping Dok with all the chaos," you continued. "Want to grab a drink… catch up? Tea of course."

"And sit through more of your babbling," he asked, a pained expression crossing his face.

"Well, yeah," you smiled.

"Fine," he sighed.

...

...

"I didn't think you'd actually come," you said, glancing up at him over the rim of your teacup. He was dressed in his military uniform, looking as crisp and clean as ever.

"I said I would, didn't I," Levi quipped, sitting across from you. You looked at him with warm eyes and grinned. He was sure your cheeky smile hadn't changed in twenty years. It was one of the first things he remembered about you. Well… that and how much you could piss him off.

"Tch. I just came for the tea," he said, hoping to wipe that stupid grin off your face, but it only widened. Picking up the teapot, he poured himself a steaming mug, enjoying the smell as it wafted up towards him. Tea of this quality could only be found in the wealthy interior.

"Thought as much," you said, taking another sip and sighing in appreciation. "When's the last time you had tea this good?"

"Probably… four years ago," he said, and he saw your smile falter. "You?"

"Me too," you said, watching the crowd bustle past on the street just outside the café. Levi's fingertips tightened around the delicate rim of the teacup. The last time you'd had tea together was not a happy memory. It had also been the last time you'd spoken to each other before the trial.

"You so old now you can't walk up a damn staircase," he asked? A tight smile crossed your face at that, eyes undeniably melancholy.

"It's just… not the same," you replied.

"Tch."

He sipped his tea and you both lapsed into silence. You hadn't needed to finish your sentence for him to understand what you had wanted to say. 'It's not the same without you.' There had been a time when tea in the capitol was an almost sacred activity. A place for just the two of you—the two of you and some shitty dreams. Levi became suddenly aware of how small the table separating you was. Your free hand laid on the white tablecloth within easy reach, and the warmth of your knee beside his was suddenly palpable despite the empty space between them.

"Congratulations on your victory at the tribunal," you said, breaking the awkward silence. "That boy seems like he's gonna be a piece of work."

"Hn," he responded with a noncommittal grunt. Whether or not winning custody of Eren Yeager was a good thing remained to be seen.

"I'm surprised Erwin hasn't tied the kid to your leg yet."

Levi winced at the visual.

"Dok's got him wading through a shit ton of paperwork before they'll release him. Could be a few days."

"A fitting revenge," you mused before lifting your teacup in mock celebration. "To your new life as a babysitter."

Levi gave you an irritated look in response to your toast but took a sip of his tea all the same. You weren't exactly wrong. Besides, the tea would get cold if he didn't drink and that would be a waste.

"How are… things," he asked, cursing himself internally. 'How are things?' Really? So damn articulate. Even after all these years he still had the unfortunate habit of getting tongue-tied around you.

"Same shit, different day," you said with a shrug, either not noticing or not caring about his less than stellar vocabulary. "I think… I think we've managed to change some things—stamp out some corruption, improve sanitation, look after the kiddos…. But… if you went down there now, I don't know that you'd notice a damn bit of difference from the day you left. After all those refugees from wall Maria, crime spiked again. It's like we take one step forward and two steps back."

The bitterness in your voice was evident. Levi's fingers twitched towards your hand, but he managed to disguise the impulse to comfort you by picking up the pot and topping off his cup. While he was at it, he topped yours off too.

"I'd hoped to have made some real changes by now," you sighed, placing a sugar cube in your refreshed glass with delicate silver tongs. "But without funding and support from at least one of the royals it's hopeless. Damn pigs."

Levi didn't bat an eye at this light treason, he just continued to watch you. God, you looked tired. The bags under your eyes were probably as bad as his own these days.

"You could transfer somewhere else," he said. "Dok would piss himself if you decided to work for him."

"Yeah, he probably would," you smiled before sighing. "But I've been working in the Underground for more than half my life now. How do I walk away from that?"

"You're the only person crazy enough to think that way," he told you.

"You used to think that too," you replied, an edge to your voice. Levi's lips pressed together in a thin line. It was the old argument. The betrayal that had driven a wedge between you.

You looked down into your cup, chewing your lip in obvious regret at bringing up the subject.

"Sorry. Let's… let's talk about something else," you said quietly, your hand grazing his in a brief apology. Your fingertips were warm from holding your cup and left his skin tingling where they'd touched him. It seemed four years had been enough to cool your temper—good to know that was possible.

"Like what?"

"Dunno," you said. And then, "That pretty blonde girl at the trial… she in your Squad?"

Levi set his cup down in its saucer and narrowed his eyes at you. You had the decency to chuckle.

"Alright," you held up a hand in mock surrender. "Wrong question."

The pair lapsed into silence again.

"Her name's Petra," he said at length. "She's a good kid, capable soldier—doesn't take shit from anyone."

"Oh? That's good," you replied, your smile as casual as you could manage.

"Have you…?" Levi's question broke off, and he ran a finger around the rim of his cup, trying to appear indifferent.

You took another sip of tea, giving a slight shake of your head, and smiled sadly at him. It was answer enough. After all this time there was still no one else.

"You're not worrying about me now, are you Levi," you asked playfully.

"Tch. Out of all the shitty brats I need to worry about, you're the last on my list."

"As long as I made it on there somewhere," you mused, lifting your teacup to your lips to hide another smirk. Levi resisted rolling his eyes… barely.

"I heard Erwin's already scheduled an expedition for you guys," you said after returning your cup to its saucer. "Isn't that a quick turnaround? Especially with new recruits?"

"Don't ask me to fathom Erwin's strategies. He's your brother."

"You probably understand him better than I do these days," you replied, eyeing him curiously. "What changed? You used to hate his guts."

Levi looked down into his tea. What had changed?

"You fight alongside someone long enough… you either learn to respect them or you stop following them," he replied after a lengthy pause. You flinched. He hadn't meant it to, but clearly this statement had cut you deeply. After all, you'd pretty much fought together for several years and that hadn't stopped him from leaving.

"Is that it? Sure it's not because he's your type… you know… intelligent, snarky… a Smith," you said evenly, your lips curling back into a sneer at the end. Apparently four years hadn't been long enough to cool your temper. Levi felt his own lips press together as his anger rose to match your own.

"I didn't come here to get bitched at," he snapped. He saw a muscle in your jaw twitch as you narrowed your eyes at him.

"Why did you come," you retorted. "Please, enlighten me."

Silence grew between the pair. Levi opened his mouth and closed it again.

'Because I missed you, dipshit.'

The thought flashed through his mind before he could repress it, and the words stuck in his throat. Somehow you understood even without him saying it. Your face softened, and you looked regretful once again. It pissed him off that you could read him so easily.

"I already told you," he said, his voice returning to a careful neutrality. "I came for the tea."

Your lips tugged back in a small smile, and your eyes slid away from his.

"Seems like I still can't help shoving my foot in my mouth around you," you said. Levi's lips twitched.

"Feeling's mutual," he muttered.

You grinned.