Erwin was perfect. From his hair, his eyes, the confidence he carried. Even his height commanded attention. It was no wonder some were drawn to him during training. Most were intimidated or thought of him as some sort of joke.
Levi was the worst of the jokes.
He was Erwin's shadow. He was small and many mistook for a child until he spoke. And he gave no one any amount of respect. His mouth earned many to challenge him. Only to learn he was far stronger than he appeared and wiped the floor with them.
And he only listened to Erwin.
Most of the few that flocked to them didn't care for Levi's attitude. One of them, Nile, he believed, he knew would talk behind his back. But Erwin wouldn't hear none of it.
"You sure about him? He's so unpredictable. A wild card. It's like I'm looking at an assassin." Nile whispered.
"And I have his complete loyalty. We're brothers, after all." Erwin shrugged him off.
Because Levi had no last name to claim, Erwin gave him his to borrow when they signed up. For the sake of the questions they claimed that they met as children and discovered they had the same last name but unrelated. So they decided to call each other brothers anyway.
After all their appearances were so vastly different they couldn't claim to be blood related. Half brothers would be even a bit of a stretch. So they agreed on a happy coincidence.
Mike and Levi however, were on a mutual understanding. Silently their eyes would meet. And then they continued on like nothing happened. Just as Levi obsessed with cleanliness, Mike had his own quirks. A higher sense of smell.
That surprisingly had its uses.
When it came down to Erwin and Nile competing over a mutual love interest, Levi couldn't help but ask the same question on occasion. When he noticed the dreamy expressions, the excitement for the letters, he had to say something. It was his job to keep Erwin grounded.
"You sure you'll have time to change the world and have a family?"
He watched the light leave Erwin's eyes at that question. Levi hated it. He hated himself for it. But he knew what Erwin's goal was. And the survival rates of the Survey Corp were low. Levi vowed he will be the one to protect Erwin when they ventured outside the walls.
And Levi couldn't bring himself to be the one to break the news if he failed. To the woman who shared her heart with Erwin. To the children that will cry and scream at him. Levi knew he couldn't do it.
It was one of the few situations that would show the cowardice in him. Something Levi shoved and buried so far deeply that there was no chance for escape. He can still feel fear. But run away?
That wasn't in his nature.
And ever so slowly Erwin closed his heart. Sometimes Nile will bring up this sudden change. The one time he made a joke about how Erwin gave up, Levi snapped and shoved him down to the floor.
"Fucking pipsqueak!" Nile cursed as he rolled to try and pin Levi down.
The smaller of the two kicked with all his strength. Nile couldn't even cry out. The force knocked the air out of him. Levi was quick to climb and pin Nile with a hand at his throat. His other took out the pocket knife.
"Levi." Erwin intervened verbally.
He froze at the sound of his name. But his eyes still glared down at Nile with all of his fury. In the background Mike warily stood, unsure how to be of any help.
"Get your dog off of me!" Nile demanded.
Levi swung with all his power into that nose with a closed fist. Blood splattered his shirt. Nile screamed as he raised a hand to apply pressure to his nose. He tried to swing with his other arm but ended up missing. Levi raised his arm again.
This time Erwin reached down. His big arms wrapped around the lithe body and pulled him off Nile. With the way Levi struggled the blond carried him back to the other side of the room.
Nile tried to get up to continue fighting. Mike intervened and held him back. Levi still continued to struggle. Erwin shifted him so that he forced the smaller to turn his back to Nile and Mike. One hand gripped dark hair gently and pushed his face into a broad shoulder.
Levi calmed in this position. He felt like a child in this hold. Even so the knife dropped to the floor with a thud. Erwin stared Nile down as Levi went limp.
"You won't get away with this! I'll make your life hell in the Military Police!" Nile promised.
"That's not my goal. Never has been. My aim is for the Scouts." Erwin replied, and both men stared.
Since training began he hadn't revealed where he wanted to choose. He evaded the question, redirecting the conversation. He knew the Suvry Corps wasn't very popular right now. It wasn't that Erwin wasn't afraid of criticism.
Those he gained as friends through training, he didn't want to follow because of him. Erwin wanted them to choose their path without his influence. Levi played along, enjoying watching people argue what branch they would be in.
"I think it's time we've parted ways, Nile. It was nice knowing you. And please, take good care of her." This time there was a sadness in his voice.
Nile avoided them like the plague afterwards. When asked about his nose, he told a dramatic story of a drunken brawl. But everyone noticed the four best became three. And Nile walked away.
Mike remained loyal and silent on the matter. And everyone knew not to approach Levi. And if he wouldn't speak then neither would Erwin. So the matter was dropped.
At their graduation, the four graduated top of the class. They listened to the three commanders of each branch. Levi found the whole thing boring. Then the top of the class was named one by one to choose.
"Erwin Smith." The blond was the first to call.
"I choose Survey Corps." He saluted.
Many gasped. Only three didn't react in surprise. It didn't take a lot of imagination why.
"Nile Dok."
"Military Police." He announced proudly.
"Levi Smith. Unrelated to Erwin Smith."
Did they really have to mention that?
"Survey Corps." He drawled, this was still boring to him.
"Mike Zacharias."
"Survey Corps." His choice surprised many as well.
Levi couldn't help but stare. Well, then. Maybe life wouldn't be so boring in between missions after all. And to his surprise, those that didn't meet the requirements to join Military Police chose Survey Corps.
"Why so many with us this year?" A scout wondered.
"Because they follow someone with a fire in his heart." Shadis could see it in Erwin's eyes.
To add to that, three of the top class chose the Scouts. Shadis was wary of Levi. Those eyes spoke volumes, even when masking the thoughts that went through his head. Shadis suspected he was staring down a cold blooded killer.
Mike seemed intimidating, but Shadis could tell he was more along the lines of a big teddy bear. Or a big family dog that spent the days happily with the family. But threaten said family and meet the dogs jaws.
Shadis was surprised. He had glossed over their reports. He expected Erwin and Mike to choose Military Police. He was suspicious of Levi because there was no known information before he signed up for training. But it was noted he already had history with Erwin, so wherever he went then Levi will follow.
And Shadis gets to walk away with the most hopeful group yet to join the Survey Corps. He was eager to see them in action. And prayed that he wouldn't have to see so many deaths in one go.
xXx
Very quickly the trio earned respect. Shadis trained all of his new recruits on titan dummies. Erwin was smart, calculative. And whatever he said Mike and Levi followed his word.
Erwin had the presence and potential to be a commander. Shadis began to wonder if he can actually pull it off. It wasn't his first time to witness greatness in someone, only to watch their lights snuffed out.
Mike had good instincts. And he reacted swiftly to do whatever it was necessary on his part. Shadis could see the potential of a squad leader in Mike.
Levi.
Levi was a whole other level.
Strong. Probably the strongest of the three. And incredibly fast. There was an advantage for being petite, after all. It didn't matter if he held his blades awkward, he still got the job done.
The downside?
A mouth to make even the hardest veteran blush. And he came with an obvious attitude problem. Shadis was prepared because he read the files. But he didn't think it was this bad.
"You, there. You need to start trusting in your fellow comrades." Shadis stood his ground as pale eyes stared him down.
"If you're going to spout bullshit about families, then don't bother wasting your breath. I've never had one." Levi ignored Erwin's glance.
"Then think more along these lines. These Scouts are your brothers and sisters in arms. Trust in them to have your back. Whether you had a family or not, they are your family now."
Levi made a face at the last part. But even so he began to loosen up. He still preferred Erwin over anyone, but he started to open up. And Shadis began to worry less about him.
"So where are you from?" Another new recruit asked.
Levi ignored this inquiry.
"How did you meet Erwin then?" The recruit wondered.
"We were kids. I was stealing. He saw and cornered me. He proceeded to lecture me about stealing, then asked if I had a family. When he learned I had none, he pulled me to have dinner with his own."
Mike even listened in, having the first time hearing this. During training the pair remained quiet on this topic. Eventually people dropped the subject.
The other recruit, Hange, their eyes widened. They were excited because this was the most Levi had ever spoke. Of course they had been interested during training to talk to him. But they hesitated because they didn't want to get attached if Levi chose a different branch.
"No wonder you're so loyal!" Hange smiled at the victory of being the one to draw this secret out.
"Then does that mean you only followed him into the Survey Corps?" Someone else asked.
"Yes. His dream is big enough to share. So I'm borrowing it." Levi drawled.
"What's your dream Erwin?" Hange immediately asked.
"To find out what's beyond the Walls and better understand the titans." Erwin answered, determination shone brightly in his eyes.
Shadis really began to question he was in the presence of another future commander. He knew he wasn't the only one to grow admiration towards Erwin. But he had to remind himself the real test came from their first mission outside.
