Ensoleillement = Sunshine
Mid-October, 843
The barracks were far dirtier than he expected.
Today they had arrived at the Scout Regiment base, halfway between Ermich and Trost, within Wall Rose. It had been a long-ass four day carriage ride, with stops to let the horses rest. Erwin Smith had wanted to get back to the base as soon as possible with his newly-snatched Underground rogues, probably to parade them around like little victory trophies, like he had conquered some epic creature from an old tale.
"Erwin Smith, conqueror of the Shadow of the Underground." Psh, that arrogant prick would probably love to write a book and boast about getting my head shoved into a puddle.
Weugh, Levi swore he could still smell and taste that mucky water, since it had gone straight up his nose. He was surprised he hadn't gotten some brain-eating disease from that.
Flagon, the leader of the squad that the three of them had been assigned to, showed them to the barracks, telling them to keep it clean. How fucking insulting, considering that when he traced his calloused fingers under the frame of the bunk bed, grime flaked down from it and stained the grooves in his fingertips. Furlan almost had to tie Levi down after that level of insult. They had a cover to keep, and if he had had an outburst, it would have drawn unnecessary attention to them.
Levi sighed softly to himself as they cleaned the barracks sufficiently, with the few supplies they had. What kind of place only had a few brooms and rags? It was pathetic.
He missed home. Back in their humble abode, it was clean, it was comforting, despite being in the depths of the earth and stuck in eternal darkness. But what he longed for most of all at the moment was his sweet, innocent mother.
It had dawned on him when they had started their race through the Underground City, away from the Scouts that had been sent to hunt them, that he had neglected to leave behind a note of any kind for Mama. Without any clue where he would have gone, she must have been worried to death. The image flashed in his mind, of his raven-haired mother in their home, pacing in the same place for so long that she wore out the floor beneath her. What was even more likely was that she was probably running around the entire Underground by now, trying to find any traces of him. Unfortunately, there would be no leads for her to find, no breadcrumbs to follow, to his knowledge.
I can't believe I left her down there, all alone. I don't even know when I'll be coming back home.
He stepped out of the room, the heels of his military-issued boots clicking in the halls. The echo rang in his ears, but didn't distract him from the one memory he had of making Mama worried sick.
He was five years old, and had just begun truly going out on his own for the first time. However, he still needed to learn the layout of the Underground, and though he had been told not to wander, he couldn't help when his darling child eyes had caught onto things he had never seen inside the brothel, or on walks with Mama. By the time Mama said to be home, he had no clue where he was anymore. Levi had followed a cat down alleys for Walls know how long, and now he was clueless as to just where he had gotten himself to. There were no street names or landmarks that he recognised, so tearfully, he ran around as long as he could. Eventually, a Military Police officer found him crying on a stoop, asking him what was the matter.
"I-I got lost, I don't know where home is."
"Ah, shit, kid. Where's home? Do you know any place you live by?"
"The Pink Pearl." Levi sniffled, rubbing some tears from his bleary, aqua eyes. The officer looked at him strangely, and he didn't quite understand. It was a judgemental look, now that Levi was looking back on the moment, but back then, he didn't catch that.
Eventually, the officer walked him home, and Levi vividly remembered the startled and perturbed look on the soldier's face. Now he realised that it was because he was walking right into a brothel as a five-year-old child.
Kuchel was already in the lobby, and when she saw him, she wrapped her arms around him so tightly, with tears in her beautiful eyes. "Levi, Levi baby, what happened, where have you been? I've been so worried, Li-Li. Oh goodness, I'm so glad you're okay!"
The anxiety that he caused his lovely mother made him burst into tears, his tiny arms wrapping tightly around her shoulders and never wanting to let her go. He babbled it all to her as she carried him back to their room, away from the prying eyes of the clientele on the main floor of the brothel.
That night was spent with him in her lap, peering up into her eyes with his tear-stained cheek against her chest. Her gentle touch against his cheek lulled him to sleep, but the pain of seeing her so upset never truly left his mind.
The noiret exhaled apprehensively at the memory, knowing that his mother must have broken down into a full blown mess with him being gone so long already. Fuck, she was going to be so mad when he got back. At least he would have citizenship cards for them, to bring her to the surface so they could live the rest of their days in the sun. It would be worth the ass-whupping he got for making her so upset.
Eventually, Levi found his way back out of the barracks, wanting to go sit in the sunshine for a bit before having to go do whatever it was that Flagon required of them. He needed some time to himself, away from the chatty Isabel and all-too-charismatic Furlan. As deeply as Levi cared about them, he did miss having time alone to think about things, which he usually had when Mama had been working at the tailor shop on his "days off."
He tried to relax, lying back in the grass and letting the rays of the sun hit his pale skin. After a few minutes, Levi even took off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves to his elbows, trying to leech every bit of sunlight that he could. It was so warm, like a hug that he never knew that he needed until he got it.
The first time they had seen the Sun, Levi thought he was going nearly blind.
The three of them had been cuffed, and told they would be until they got to the carriage waiting on the surface, just in case they tried to make a run for it. Erwin was in front of them, and blocked the incoming rays of light from Levi's eyes at first, but it still wasn't enough time to adjust. The brightness was staggering, enough to make him squeeze his eyes shut tightly and curse under his breath.
"For fuck's sake, that's so bright. Shit."
"Ah, I forget, you three haven't been to the surface before, have you? Well, that's just the sunlight." Erwin told them, standing nearby as their cuffs were undone. With his hands now free, Levi could cover his eyes and use them as a filter from the blinding rays.
Eventually, he was able to open his eyes completely as they got used to the light, and when he gazed up at the intensely blue sky, it took everything in him to not let his jaw drop to the ground by his feet.
It was so dazzling.
It was so beautiful.
The sky was so vast, so grand that it almost caused him to stagger backward. It was so much more different than the dull, darkened ceiling of the Underground City's cavern. The sight took Levi's breath away, because now he knew that his mother was telling him the truth when she said that his eyes were the same shade of blue. Blue was such an unnatural colour that he found it hard to believe that the sky could be that hue at all, but now he was looking at it for himself, and knew it to be true.
Now he was gazing upwards again, and today there were far more clouds than there had been on their way to the Scout Regiment's base. It was nice to take a look at them, and "look for shapes", as his mother had described once. The sweet woman had told him that clouds sometimes looked like things, like animals, or objects. Squinting and thinking hard, he folded his hands together to rest his head upon them, scanning around at all of the clouds within his vision to try to find one with a resemblance to something.
It was easier said than done. It occurred to him after some time that he had probably lost much of the childhood imagination required for such a thing, and he grumbled something under his breath about wishing for the innocence of those times again. Yes, they had been living in a brothel, but he had been oblivious to most terrible things in this world, only knowing the swelling, all-encompassing love of his ebony-haired mom.
Levi didn't realise that in the lovely beams of the sun, he had dozed off. He only awoke after some time when he felt like someone's gaze was burning into him, it was making his skin crawl. When he opened his eyes, he nearly jumped back ten metres in surprise, seeing a woman crouching next to him, her face over his and her brown eyes peering down at him curiously over square-rimmed glasses. With no hesitation, he threw his hand up and shoved her face out of the way.
"Agh! Hey!" She shrieked, tumbling backwards and away from him as he sat up, casting a glare her way.
"Don't 'hey' me. You were the one lurking like a predator about to go in for the kill. The fuck's the matter with you, four-eyes?"
"'Four-eyes'? How original." She grumbled, huffing and standing shortly after he rose to his feet. Immediately, Levi felt annoyance prickling under his skin as he looked at her.
This freak was taller than him. Why was everyone taller than him?
Now that he wasn't vulnerable and lying on his back, the shorter young man could get a better look at her. His eyes trailed across her youthful features noting that she seemed to be younger than him, though he couldn't pinpoint an exact age. His dusty blue eyes took in the roundness of her cheekbones, the way the bridge of her nose was prominent and eye-catching– but not in a bad way by any means. The sunlight caught in her hair, showing Levi that the tresses were the colour of mahogany wood, mostly a deep brown, with copperesque threads poking out in various places and nearly glimmering in the sun. The fiery-tinted strands reminded him of something warm and energetic, of friendly faces and laughter.
He was broken out of his short-lived trance when she shuffled closer, looking at him in fascination again.
"Your face is red."
With a swallow, he stepped back a bit. "What?"
"I said your face is red. It looks like you got sunburned, silly. Did no one in the Underground tell you that if you stay out in the sun for too long, you can get a burn?"
"Ye-"
He couldn't even finish his sentence, because she was all over him in a second, getting even closer and inspecting his face. "Doesn't look too bad, just a bit pink." Her finger snuck up and poked at the newly-flushed flesh, making him swat her hand away in annoyance.
"Oi, shouldn't you introduce yourself before you go poking people's cheeks with your dirty hands?" Levi asked, tone mostly flat, but with the slightest tinge of irritation.
"Oh, right!" The brunette extended her hand, but awkwardly rescinded it when Levi merely glanced at it and then back to her face again. He didn't like handshakes– too many germs for his tastes. She then resigned herself to giving a salute, her fist tight over her heart and a toothy grin plastered over her face. "Zoë Hange, nice to meet ya! Everybody calls me Hange around here, though. I prefer it like that, if you don't mind. Levi was your name, right?"
"Yes. Psh, you sure do talk a lot." He muttered, turning and scooping his jacket off the ground before walking back toward the barracks. So much for some fucking peace and quiet.
She kept talking, but he didn't pay attention as he walked back to go see what Isabel and Furlan were up to in the room. Anything was better than listening to a chatty Scout lecture him on the repercussions of a damn sunburn.
But there was something about her.
He didn't know what, but there was something about her that had kept him staring just a bit too long. An indescribable aura about her? Curiosity about her aberrant social behaviour? Levi wasn't sure.
It wasn't more than an hour later that they were at the training grounds, with Furlan and Isabel waiting their turn on the course by making friends with the horses. It pleased him to see that his friends were enjoying the smaller things in life on the surface, but he kept this joy to himself, with a blasé expression carved into his sharp features, as per usual. Now he was about to run through a training course to simulate killing Titans, with the objective being to efficiently slice the biggest cut out of the rubber nape that you could. Sounded easy enough.
Flagon, Hange, and someone else that Levi hadn't met yet stood at the beginning of the course, watching Levi and another scout, who was blonde with freckles dotting his young cheeks, as they took a moment to gather themselves. Without thinking much of it, Levi swung the blade in his right hand to hold it backwards, just as he had with every other weapon he used in the Underground before this. However, as he tested the triggers to make sure they wouldn't get jammed, he heard a scoff from the Section Commander.
"Hey, what are you doing, holding the blades like that? They're not designed for that. Do you want to die as soon as you step foot outside the walls?"
"Maybe you would." Levi muttered, turning to fully face the training course ahead.
"Excuse me?"
"The goal is to cut the neck, right? Let me do it my way."
Before Flagon could berate him any further, the ebony-haired man was off, leaving behind a flurry of gas mist in his wake as he raced through the trees. It felt much different to be using ODM gear above ground, in the trees, where it was designed to be used. He had to admit, it was a lot nicer to grapple into branches and trunks– it just felt more natural.
The first nape was no problem for him. The attendant pulled on the rope, moving it into their line of view, and he sliced through down to the wooden spine. Ignoring the gasps of observers, he kept on, zipping towards the next target.
Usually, Levi was very observant, but being so busy looking out for the training dummies, he failed to notice that the blonde man going through the course with him was green with jealousy, most likely angry that he was doing so well with ODM gear after no formal training. He barely had time to duck back out of the way when the Scout tried to sideswipe him out of the way, mid-air, like a fucking psychopath.
"Oi watch-"
"Don't get left behind, vagrant!"
Wow, this guy was a straight up dick, huh? Were all of the Scouts pompous little pricks?
Levi didn't have a long time to think about that, because that very same idiot was about to impale himself on a blade that had gotten stuck in the dummy Titan nape. Having just tried to knock Levi out of the air, the blonde had no time to readjust himself to avoid it.
But he could do something about it.
It felt like it all happened in the blink of an eye. His boots connected with a nearby tree, and sent him careening towards the rubber nape. Blades glinting in the sunlight, he zipped far ahead of the freckle-faced man, carving the nape and blade out in one quick movement, allowing it all to tumble to the ground below.
The Scout's chest slammed into what remained of the fake nape, earning a loud grunt of surprise and pain from him. As he collected himself, the noiret had already made a U-turn, standing on the other half of the surface and extending his hand. "This vagrant won't get left behind, as long as you watch where you're going and keep your mouth shut."
The golden-haired Scout didn't sneer at him again after that.
Little did Levi know, Flagon was watching him from a nearby tree, slack-jawed and in awe at the incredible speed and precision that this Underground criminal showed. Frankly, it was outstanding, especially how quickly he reacted to the situation and saved the cadet's life. Flagon had been in the Scout Regiment for quite some time, but never had he seen skill quite like that.
There's no question... his fighting seems flawless... but I know he wont stay disciplined for long. Are these the wings of revolution? And if they are… how hard will it be to fly on them?
It felt like all too long had passed before it was finally time to eat, and Levi was starving. On the long ride to the barracks from Mitras, Levi had refused more than bread and water. Now he was regretting it big time.
Isabel and Furlan had eaten before him, so there he was, sitting alone at a bench in the corner of the mess hall. He didn't mind eating alone, and never had before, so Levi was perfectly content with sitting with his back to the wall, letting his blue-grey eyes scan the scene and take in every detail he could as he spooned vegetable stew into his mouth. It had carrots, celery, potatoes, and a hint of salt, which was a lot more flavourful than most things he'd eaten in the dumpy Underground his entire life. Salt alone was a valuable commodity, and Isabel, Furlan, and himself had stolen it quite a few times to resell.
This still is dogshit compared to Mama's stew… when she'd pay extra for a ham bone and make a briny broth in the big pot on the stove at home… and how sometimes she'd even get meat to put in it, if she could snatch any up at the market. Fuck, I miss her.
It was depressing, thinking about it. He needed to stop wondering what she was doing, and how she was probably bawling her eyes out in worry.
He really should have left a note.
Levi was broken out of his brooding thoughts when Flagon approached him, with a black-haired cadet in tow. They each sat down across from him, no trays of food in their hands, only shit-eating grins on their lips.
"Oi, Levi. This here's Sairam, one of your fellow cadets. He had a question that he was just dying to ask ya. Go ahead, Sai."
The raven-haired man expected questions about life in the Underground, specifically about cleanliness, the darkness, the smell of the sewers, how people starved in the streets.
What he wasn't anticipating was what Sairam actually asked him.
"So, what do they teach you about sex in the Underground?"
Levi blinked in dumbfoundment. What was it with these fucking Scouts? "Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Mr. 'Levi, Just Levi'. Come on, spill the details. Do they teach you crazy shit, or are the people down there somewhat normal?
I don't need to answer this question. This is ridiculous. It's not worth my time.
Despite knowing this, Levi still wondered if he should give some sort of answer. Chewing on some potato, he tried to think back on what he knew.
One would have imagined that living in a brothel taught you lots of things, but apparently, Kenny didn't think that Levi knew a single lick about anything related to the 'sexual arts'. That was why he was sat down at the rickety table in their commonplace, meager kitchen. Ken had even taken off his hat for this. Boy, this was going to be good.
"Alright so uh, listen squirt. Yer becomin' a man now, and normally uh, yer old lady would be talkin' to you about this, but yer stuck with me for now, so here we go. Ya ever get a funny feelin', like ya look at a lady and it makes ya get all antsy and hot?"
Levi sipped on his watered down wine, holding the cup in both hands and staring at the man from across the table. "Like you get with Rori?"
"Yes, like-" The gruff fuck seemed to catch on to Levi's sass immediately, tutting and dropping the meek expression for a second. "Oi, shut yer mouth. Anyway, Sometimes yer little mister is gonna stand up, and ya gotta take care of it."
That was a bit confusing, especially with the way his caretaker was talking.
"How? And what's a little mister?"
That caused Kenny to rest his elbows on the table, rubbing his face with his big, calloused hands. "Fuck."
Levi's eyes were trained on him for quite some time as the brunette tried to regain some composure, patience laced in his tone once more as he began to talk again. "Well, ya can ignore the problem until it decides to go away, but that doesn't feel too great. Or ya can- ah, shit. Kuch would kill me if I said that. Um…"
"Say what? Tell me, you old bastard."
Kicking Kenny in the nuts with his age always seemed to get him into gear.
"I was gonna say ya can stick yer dick in someone– with their permission, of course. Ya don't go around just doin' it without consent."
"What's a dick?" Levi asked, gulping down some of the wine and watching the frustration grow on Kenny's face, his scowl highlighted by the grey hairs in his scruffy beard.
"It's yer little mister."
"Well, what is that?"
"Fuckin' hell, you runt. Can't ya work with me here?"
Levi genuinely didn't understand what in the Walls Kenny was on about. Trying to think back on those words that he'd used to try to describe this thing to him, the raven-haired preteen chewed at his inner cheek, swiping his tongue over the spot when he bit too hard and drew blood. "Is… is it my weenie?"
"Yes, yes it's yer fuckin 'weenie'." He dragged his hand over his face once more in irritation, and then attempted to explain it again. "Okay and when it stands up, ya go off by yerself in yer room because no one wants to hear that shit, lock the damn door, and ya do what feels right."
"What feels right? I don't know what that means."
"Runt, ya lived in a brothel!" Kenny slammed his fist on the table, shaking the petite vase that they had in the centre for decoration. "Yer telling me ya don't know what jerkin' off is?!"
"Oh, that? Why didn't you just say so?" Levi said plainly, as if this was all old news to him. He scooted his little butt off the chair, walking to the counter to make a sandwich for himself.
Kenny remained at the table, stupefied and looking at the small child as though he had two heads. "So wait, what do ya even know then?"
"Probably more than you, old fart."
"Oi! You just called a dick a weenie!" He barked, standing up and coming over to Levi, grasping some of his black tendrils in his gargantuan hand and making the kid look up at him.
"It's a penis or a weenie, and I don't like the word penis!" Levi retorted, narrowing his dusty cerulean eyes up at the old geezer. "Get your hand outta my hair!"
"Kid, answer the question!"
"I know what sex is, I walked in on Brenda getting tied up and fucked when I was four, old man! Leave me alone!"
After that, Kenny didn't try to give him 'the talk' again.
"Hmph, you act like it's so different up here and down there. We're not animals."
Levi didn't give Sairam nor Flagon any room to cut in a word, grabbing his tray to return it to the designated station. Why did he remember that memory, of all things? He didn't want to remember anything about that senile bat. After all, he'd abandoned Levi. Luckily his mother had come home just a few days later, or he'd have been in some real deep shit.
Before heading back to the barracks, he decided to pay a visit to the stables. Flagon told him earlier that he needed to pick out a horse to use, so it was best to get it out of the way now. The walk there was peaceful, with barely any Scouts outside to interrupt his thoughts as he guided himself along the dirt path, away from the main buildings and across a pasture.
The stalls were being mucked by none other than Hange when he arrived, and he groaned in vexation. "You're here."
"Hi Levi! Yes, I am. Shadis told me to clean the horse stalls, so here I am… doing that." She brushed some hairs that framed her cheeks back behind her ears. He glanced away from her, deciding that she seemed too tired to pester him too much.
"Flagon told me that I need to pick out a horse. Which ones are available, do you know?" Levi inquired curtly, not wanting to open too many avenues of responses for her. Hange seemed like the type that would be given a centimetre and take a kilometre, specifically pertaining to inquisitions. He was not in the mood, especially after the incident in the dining hall, to have a drawn-out conversation about some tangential topic.
"Um, I believe the only one available is the stallion to your left."
Turning his head, Levi came face to face with a black horse, who was peeking curiously at him over the stall door. He didn't realise the animal had been so close to him, nor that there was even a horse in the stall next to him to begin with. Blinking away his surprise, he extended a pale, petite hand upwards, brushing his fingers over the deep black fur on its snout. Standing on his tip-toes, Levi reached as high as he could, only getting just under the stallion's eye level.
"You should name him."
Levi glanced over, stumbling back onto the flats of his feet when he realised Hange was in his personal space. How had he not heard this auburn-haired idiot stumble right up to him?
"Can you stop doing that creepy shit?" He griped, reaching back to card his fingers through his midnight black strands before looking at the horse again. "Why should I name him?"
"Because you'll have a better bond with him if you do. Bonds between the rider and the horse are very important, especially when out beyond the walls. Once you two learn about each other, you'll be able to do stuff like stand on his back while he runs and take off from your saddle." Hange explained, reaching into her pocket and offering the horse half of a carrot. He whinnied, and snatched it up from her hand, making her laugh and pat his cheek. "Oh boy, you love your carrots, don't ya boy?"
Her laugh is kinda nice, I guess.
Wait, what?
He mentally shook himself out of his thoughts, not quite understanding what was going on with him today. It must have been a multitude of things– the nerves, the exhaustion, the worry about his mother back home– that were bothering him so deeply.
Sighing, he grazed his fingers upwards over the stallion's obsidian-tinted muzzle, feeling the power of his jaws as he chewed up the delicious orange carrot that Hange had so kindly given to him.
"Hm… What about Alexander? Alex, for short."
"Huh? Alexander? That name sounds swell to me, Levi. It suits a majestic beast like this!" She patted the horse's other cheek, earning a neigh and snort. "Oh, you really like that name, don't you? Levi picked a good one for ya, big boy."
After filling out a form to claim the horse as his, he bidded Hange a good night with the wave of his hand, and returned to the barracks. When he returned, he found Isabel and Furlan playing cards on one of the lower bunks, cross-legged and deep in concentration.
"What are you two doing?" Levi asked, hanging his jacket up on the bedpost.
"Playing cards, what does it look like, bro?"
"Obviously. I mean what game are you playing?"
"Titan's Maw." The blonde replied, keeping his grey eyes trained on the cards in his hand. Levi noted how differently the two held their hands– Furlan kept the cards level and in a straight line, only showing the suit of each layer, while Isabel held her hand in a fan shape, pinching the bottom corners together and spreading them out. It reflected them both perfectly, in some way in Levi's mind.
"Isn't that more of a gambling game?" The shorter man inquired, sitting on the opposite bed to take his boots off.
"Well, Miss Kuchel taught it to me while you and Furlan were out one time, and it's fun." Isabel responded quickly, her tongue poking out of her mouth as she furrowed her brow, focusing on the game.
It didn't last much longer when Furlan smacked down the winning card. "You're Titan food, buddy. I win."
"Damn it! Why do you always win?" She pouted, putting her cards down and huffily crossing her arms over her chest.
"What can I say?" He threw his hands up a bit, shrugging in cluelessness. "I guess I'm just better at it."
"Ah, screw you, Furlan." Isabel scoffed, in her usual playful manner, before getting up and bouncing over to Levi. "So, what took you so long? Felt like you were gone for hours!"
"I was gone for hours." He started on the straps of his gear, not exactly wanting to sleep in them. Levi was well aware that some neurotic soldiers did, in fact, sleep with their gear on, but he would most likely never want to catch some Z's while being tied up in straps like some mental ward patient.
"I know, but where were you? Were you snooping around to try to find the document?"
"No, I was doing the training, then I had to pick out a horse and go eat some food." The dark-haired peered up at Isabel hovering over him, deciding that it was best that he didn't mention being pestered by Flagon and Sairam– if he did, Isabel would make a mad dash to find them and tear them a new asshole for "fucking with Big Bro Levi".
The young girl seemed satisfied with his answer, deciding to go sit on her own bed. Originally, she was supposed to go sleep in different barracks, but after throwing a bit of a tantrum, Flagon decided to just let her stay with them. Levi knew that she was attached to them, especially after he rescued her from starving to death in that alleyway. The image of her back then flashed through his mind, so gaunt and spindly that he was sure he'd break her by picking her up off the ground. Now she was a robust little thing, and had energy to match. She then flopped back onto the bed, swinging her legs that were hanging over the side. "I wonder what Miss Kuchel is doing…"
The silence and emotional duress was suddenly thick in the cramped room, with Levi being the one that was affected the most. He knew he wasn't the most outwardly emotional person, but it was hard to not look discontent when the person you loved the most was stuck in the worst place that Humanity could have created.
"I want to get Miss Kuchel to the surface too, Levi. I don't want her legs going bad, like with what happened to my mother." Furlan piped up, as if having read his mind, starting to put the cards away. "That's why we're here– to get citizenships. Once this is all over we can go get her, and bring her back up here."
Levi exhaled deeply at the reminder. Furlan had told them the story a long time ago, but he never truly forgot it. His mother had succumbed to illness shortly after her legs went bad from the lack of sunlight. For a moment, Levi pondered as to why neither him nor his own mother had suffered from such a thing. He knew Mama had gone to the surface a few times in her life, but that couldn't have been enough.
"Yes, but just how long is this going to take, I wonder." He muttered, tossing the ODM straps up on the bedpost with his jacket before lying back in the bed. "It's only been four days. If this takes months, she's going to die of heart strain. Either that or she's going to get shot trying to run past the guards on the stairwell to try to get up here. She'll figure out we got brought up to the surface eventually." Levi reasoned this out because no one in the Underground could keep their mouth shut, and she'd eventually hear about three people getting taken by the Survey Corps.
The only question was just how long that was going to take. Hours? Days? Weeks? Months? Would they be back home already before she ever learned about their whereabouts?
He could only hope that Rori was there for her, trying to distract her.
"Well, I went snooping into Erwin's office today." Furlan admitted, starting to get ready for bed himself. "I think the next expedition isn't for some time, at least the next five months. Winter is about to set in."
"Fuck. Fucking fantastic, great, as if an expedition isn't the best time to kill that smug asswipe." He huffed, getting back up and throwing his boots on. This made Furlan raise a brow at him, but he didn't get a chance to ask Levi where he was going before he was already gone.
He ended up on the roof, sitting on the battlements with one foot up, the other hanging over the side. Levi basked in the moonlight, finally able to enjoy it for the first time since coming above ground. His eyes reflected the white glow, somehow appearing more blue in the face of the night. It was quite late, so barely any Scouts were patrolling around the camp from his view above.
It was interesting to watch people below, going about their business without knowing that someone was watching them like some omniscient god that knew their every move. It distracted his mind for a while, watching people leading horses, carrying buckets of water, even seeing a few people enter through the gates to the camp. His eyes caught a Garrison soldier entering, leading their horse up to the guard and talking with them before continuing on their way, their hood still up and covering their face. It was curious, but he barely paid much mind to it– Garrison soldiers were the most numerous members within the military, so it wasn't surprising to see one come into the camp. Maybe they had a message for that blonde piece of shit.
He watched the soldier, resting his chin on his knuckles as they went to the side of the courtyard, tying their horse up by the water trough so that they could temporarily leave the animal alone. Unlike any of the other people he had been watching, this person clearly took a look directly at him. Levi couldn't see their face still, as it was shrouded in shadows, but he could tell their eyes were connecting. It was something that made his throat tighten, and he couldn't figure out why for the life of him. It was just some dumb Garrison soldier, nothing more, nothing less.
When the figure disappeared out of Levi's view, he released a breath he didn't realise was caught in his throat. No wonder he felt so light-headed.
I guess today has just been long as hell. I need to go lie down. It's about time, anyway, since we have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn.
Levi picked himself up off the battlement, hopping down and taking one last glance over the side at where he'd seen that soldier moments before. What the fuck was his issue, why was he so concerned about a petty cadet? He'd never see the guy again, he was sure of it.
Before heading back into the barracks, he stopped in at the showers. The dark-haired man was appalled when he realised how many days he'd gone without bathing, and it made him woozy. He'd not taken a rinse since the morning of the incident– that meant he had almost five days worth of disgusting, grimy filth all over him, and it made him feel the need to scrub his skin absolutely raw with soap.
The hot water was nice, but didn't last for long in the shower. Clean water in the Underground had been scarce enough, but hot water was nearly impossible to get a hold of, considering the resources to heat it. The steam lasted just long enough for him to sufficiently wash up, and he returned to the barracks in a towel so he didn't change back into soiled clothing, minus the cravat. That piece of fabric was the same one he kept on him, made of his mother's dress, for luck. Once again, he wasn't dead yet, so maybe there was something to it.
His bedtime clothes were modest, since they were just military grade. It was a long sleeved tee-shirt that was grey in colour, and long, black pants that were just a bit too long for him, considering that he was lacking in the height department. Levi simply rolled up the bottoms so they wouldn't drag on the floor, and he got into bed. Furlan and Isabel were cozied up by the time he had gotten changed, but neither had fallen asleep.
"Levi?" Furlan's voice seemed to echo in the room, since no one else was staying in it at the time.
"Yeah?" He asked, his tone quiet and still in the night air.
"Do you think she's okay?"
He didn't need to say who– Levi already knew exactly who he meant. Settling into the firm mattress and adjusting the pillow under his head, the blue-eyed young man replied in a barely audible tone, "I hope so."
Once again, the exhaustion and chaos of the last few days had truly taken a toll on Levi, because he didn't realise until he was being shaken awake that a cadet had burst into the room. His eyes snapped open at the jostling against his shoulder, and he smacked the hand away. "Oi, what the fuck? Do you know what time it is?"
"Cadet Levi, Commander Shadis and Section Commander Erwin request your presence."
"At this time of the night? They can go fuck themselves." He grumbled, fixing to lie back down. However, this cadet was ballsy, and grabbed him by the collar.
"This isn't a request, Cadet Levi, this is an order. You're to get out of bed and meet with Shadis and Erwin."
He snarled and slapped the soldier's hand away, swinging his feet over the side and getting up. "Fine, but where?"
"I'll be leading you there. Be ready in two minutes." The soldier then exited the room, leaving Furlan and himself to question what was going on. Isabel was dead asleep, and probably could sleep through a wall-crumbling explosion. Therefore, he didn't give much of a shit when he stripped down to his boxers and got into new clothes. He knew he needed to be presentable in front of the Commander, much to his annoyance, but he didn't feel like causing problems so late at night.
It wasn't long before he was fully dressed, minus the straps for the ODM. Levi shut the door behind him with a soft click, surprised that the hinges weren't rusted to high hell in such an old dump. Once he nodded at the other Scout, they moved to lead him with an oil lamp in hand to guide them through the dimly-lit hallways. The sconces on the wall held some candles, but their light was quite lacklustre.
It felt like they were walking for ages, the only sounds in the corridors being that of their boots making contact with the stone brick floors. Eventually, the cadet guided him down a set of stairs, and he grumbled, "Where the fuck are you taking me, a dungeon?"
"Yes, now be quiet. Speak when you're spoken to."
Walls, fucking Scouts– what did they all have against him?
Once at the base of the steps, he felt a draft crawl over his skin, and he resisted a shiver as he rounded a corner behind the soldier leading him. When they stepped to the side, they gestured for Levi to go around another corner, and he casted another glance at them before making his way to where he was needed.
The prison cell area below the barracks was cold and damp, with an undertone scent of must. It made him wrinkle his nose as his eyes adjusted to the light around the corner.
When he took in the scene before him, his expression dropped, and he could have sworn his own heart tumbled onto the dusty floor, too.
Shadis and Erwin were standing in front of a cell, with Erwin seemingly nursing some bruises and mild lacerations to his neck, arms, and face, while Shadis toyed with a knife that looked all too familiar. "Cadet Levi, we have reason to believe you… know this person?"
His eyes first flickered to the ODM gear that was resting on a bench nearby, and then snapped to the Garrison jacket and cloak that were bunched up beside the military equipment.
The figure behind the two large men sat in the cell, resting against the wall with their head leaning on the bars. He was helpless to resist his need to scramble over, falling to his knees and reaching in between the hard, steel bars to clutch their pale, comforting hand. His other hand reached through, guiding their blue-grey eyes to his, seeing the injuries on their face that made his blood simultaneously boil and freeze.
"M-Mama…" He croaked in a faint tone, in absolute disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
Okay, so in case you were wondering about the time to get from Mitras to the Scout Base (which I put in a random place, since we're never given an exact location): Normal horses can go about 55km a day, endurance horses can go about 160km in a day, so I figured that a military horse bred more for their mild temper and some stamina could go roughly 80km in a day. I calculated the distance to be roughly 300 km, but honestly, the time it took could be a bit off if we take in breaks and stuff. I'm an author, not a mathematician, lol. Also, Sairam and Flagon are gonna be my antagonistic punching bags here, because I know they're assholes in ACWNR, and they die anyway.
Thank you to StarlitScarlet, for helping out with the lovely Kenny and Levi sex talk scene ahahaha. Also, shoutout to users GoldenKitten, Macetree, and Otakugirl1996 for being so supportive!
Song Award for this chapter goes to Welly Boots by The Amazing Devil. It's soft, reminds me of Eren and Mikasa angst later on in the series, but it also just has a homey vibe- the same home that Levi is missing with his mom.
By the way... this chapter took a bit to come out because Chapter 11 is going to be... 12.8k words. We're getting this fic to 100k, babes. Buckle up!