A/N: takes place during the No Regrets OVA, loosely based on it though.
Dirty water pooled into his mouth. The grip in his hair tightened, shoving him down further into the murky puddle. Ire stirred hotly in his stomach, his teeth gritting together when his face was forcefully pressed into the mud. Isabel called his name, her frantic voice barely reaching his ears.
With another tug, he was yanked up again and seated roughly on the ground. Water dripped down his face, wet hair plastered to his forehead as he spat out the filthy water.
The fingers in his hair jostled him with a snarl.
"You dirty runt."
Levi licked the back of his teeth, tasting dirt and grit before he scowled up at the man standing before him, his gaze burning with resentment.
Bold blue eyes regarded him coolly and the man stepped forward, lowering a knee into the puddle. The blond looked straight at him, briefly glancing up at his captor.
"Mike," he said solemnly.
The grip in Levi's hair loosened, accompanied by the reluctant click of a tongue.
Levi narrowed his eyes once cool metal clasped around his wrists, pinning against his back. He kept his glare trained on the blond man as he watched him with careful eyes, leveling their gazes.
"Erwin Smith," he introduced himself, staring at him and Levi stared right back, his heavy breathing calming down slightly. He was being examined. "You can either join the Survey Corps or you'll be handed to the military police."
I know that, you dipshit. Levi seethed internally. He loathed the blond man with his icy stare and calm demeanor. How dare they come down here, how dare they leverage his friends to protect themselves. His fingers twitched incessantly, his wrists pinned to his back with heavy cuffs. He scowled back at the man when Furlan's firm voice interrupted.
"The Survey Corps," he said, choosing for all of them.
Isabel bristled from beside him, and the man before them— Erwin— smiled, the sight itself simmering the blood beneath Levi's skin.
"Good choice." Erwin shifted, his dark green cape rippling in the air. "We'll go to your house first. Collect your belongings before we reach headquarters."
There was a forceful tug on Levi's shoulder, hoisting him to his feet. Mike snarled behind him, shoving him forward again.
"You heard the Captain," he snapped. His colleagues seemed rather uneasy, more careful with Isabel and Furlan as they were guided ahead. "Get going!"
Levi walked reluctantly, his heated gaze fixed on the back of the man leading them. He warily glanced down at the fluttering cape, the insignia gazing back at him. He curled his fingers, testing the restraint of the handcuffs as they were ushered onward.
Erwin paused abruptly and the entire group halted as well, perplexed.
"Knife," Erwin looked over his shoulder, glancing at Levi's feet. Levi clenched his jaw tightly. "Left boot."
There was a rough shove against Levi's rigid back. He tumbled face first on the ground, grimacing against the dirt.
"Levi!"
"You punk!" Mike snarled, pressing him harder against the ground. "Get his shoe off."
Someone yanked off his boot, and he gritted his teeth once he felt the cold absence of the knife that had been concealed against his skin. One of the scouts held the knife in his hands, examining it. Levi spat on the ground once more as he was pulled back to his feet again, his heated glare fixed on Erwin's back.
With another push, they were walking again.
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"Bring only your clothes," one of the men ordered. "Each of you will be allowed to go inside one by one."
"Oi, remember." Mike scowled, patting his scabbard threateningly. "Don't think about testing your luck."
Levi cursed under his breath, rotating his wrists once the heavy handcuffs were removed. He made his way inside their quaint house, his irritation growing when the scout behind him stepped in with muddied shoes, leaving dirty, stark marks on the clean carpet. Levi clenched his jaw, patiently reminding himself that this was only temporary— that soon he would be living above ground with his family. This house would be nothing more than a mere memory at the end.
He shot the scout a heated look once he was inside his room. The soldier hesitated briefly and paused in the doorway of his bedroom, warily watching him from there.
Levi flung open the narrow door of his small closet and started yanking clothes off from their hangars.
The fact they were handed suitcases meant that they had been under surveillance for quite some time now. Their pursuers had meticulously observed their handling of the gear until the decision for their capture was finalized.
"Hurry up," the soldier yelled from the doorway.
Levi spared him a wry glance. He deliberately folded a shirt slowly, placing it neatly into his suitcase.
An old box caught his eye, set faraway in the corner of his closet. He lifted the top open, peeking inside. He had cleaned his room enough times to know what was where, as he reached within the box and retrieved a small, weighty object, sliding it into his pockets.
The scout watched him cautiously, holding back from voicing his thoughts once Levi snapped the suitcase shut and turned to him with a look of disdain.
Levi shouldered past him, halting outside the house.
Both of his friends had similar suitcases set by their sides. Furlan looked more at ease, standing rather casually for someone who had cuffs locking their wrists. He glanced at Isabel as she sneered at the jittery woman standing alert by her side.
Erwin stood a step down the stairway, watching them closely.
"He put something in his pockets."
Levi frowned, shooting a dull glare at the grimacing scout. Mike looked at him with sheer disgust, lumbering closer with a menacing glare.
"Lem'me check your pockets, runt."
His muscles tensed but he obliged reluctantly, holding his arms up. Levi grimaced as hands rummaged through his pockets. Mike pulled his fist out, fingers unfurling as a long golden chain dangled from the side of his hand.
The pocket watch hung from the end of it, glinting in the faint light.
"It's just a watch," Levi deadpanned, lowering his hands. "Or are you that much of a shithead that you can't tell what it is?"
Mike glared at him furiously, holding the chain in a tenacious grip. "I bet you stole this, you little shit—"
A large hand clasped around his wrist.
All eyes snapped to the side, watching in stunned silence as Erwin stepped closer. Mike blinked, brows raising in faint surprise when Erwin firmly tugged his arm down, smoothly taking the watch from his grip.
"Captain Erwin—"
"Is this yours?" Erwin asked. His brows creased slightly as he lifted the watch, inspecting the timepiece. Erwin turned the watch over in his hands, examining the smooth gold casing before he flicked the top open in a practiced motion.
The clock hands moved steadily, the gears functioning perfectly and free of rust.
Quiet eyes glanced his way, assessing. "Or is it really stolen?"
Levi met Erwin's curious gaze in calm, uninterested silence. The soldier behind him scrambled to clasp his handcuffs once more, clicking the metal back onto his wrists.
"The fuck does it matter?" Levi scowled. "It's mine, so give it back."
Erwin looked at him for a moment longer, contemplating briefly before he lowered his arm. Levi narrowed his eyes, his expressions hardening at the watch clutched loosely within the man's grip.
"Let's get going." Erwin said simply, turning to leave.
"So you're gonna steal from us now?!" Isabel snapped. The woman behind her winced as she hissed furiously. "Give him back his watch right now or else I'll—"
Erwin ignored her, calmly descending the steps of their house. Rough hands slammed into Levi's back once more, urging him down the stairs and onto the grimy streets of the Underground.
"B-Bro…"
Isabel's voice was filled with unbridled excitement. "My eyes— they kinda hurt!"
The carriage rattled beneath their feet, swaying slightly over the cobblestone streets as the market bustled noisily outside. Isabel sat near the window, peering out with wide eyes. Her lips were stretched into a wide, awestruck smile. Across from her, Levi silently tugged at the cuffs around his wrists.
The metal refused to budge, clinking stubbornly.
"Try blinking a few times," Furlan advised, sitting beside her. "The sunlight takes a little time to get used to."
Isabel nodded eagerly. She rapidly blinked her eyes and Furlan snorted, a boyish smile touching his face.
"Not that quick, Isabel!"
"But," she whined, squishing her face against the glass of the window. Her eyes shone brightly. "There's just so much to see!"
The soldier seated beside Levi offered them a concerned look, faint signs of sympathy flickering across his face.
Levi stared out through the window. The carriage paused briefly and he dully watched a child totter past them, one hand clasped within his mother's and the other holding a piece of bread he nibbled on.
His thoughts quietly strayed back to the watch again, kept away within the confines of a box in his closet, resting atop his mother's frayed white dress. Some nights he would take it out the box and carefully wipe away the thin sheen of dust with a handkerchief. The gold casing would gleam under the candlelights once he'd finish cleaning.
His mind shifted back to books and bread and the dip of a golden braid— his frown deepened when he remembered the watch in large hands, steely blue regarding him a faint look of curiosity.
He would retrieve it soon enough, along with Lovof's crucial documents.
"We're here."
The carriage halted at an entrance of a large, looming building where they were all ushered down, the cuffs on their wrists removed once they were inside. Suitcase were shoved into their arms and someone barked at them to get to the dorms.
"Where is it?"
The scout raised a brow, frown set in his place. "Hah?"
"My watch," Levi said flatly, expressions impassive. They all stood in the room assigned to them, a sparse space with bare essentials. In the background, Isabel squealed as she excitedly claimed the top bunk. Furlan mumbled something back to her, focused on the way Levi narrowed his eyes at the scowling man before them. "Erwin Smith took it."
"That's Captain Erwin to you, punk!" The man snapped angrily, glowering down at him. "And the fuck would I know where it is?"
He threw the door open, beckoning for Isabel to follow suit. "You shits better be ready in the morning. We need you trained before you're used as Titan fodder."
Isabel trailed after him begrudgingly, peeking back at the two of them. Levi nodded his head, offering her a reassuring look as Furlan smiled, lifting his hand in a little wave. The door fell shut, leaving them alone in the room.
Footsteps echoed off in the distance, fading gradually. Furlan exhaled a weary sigh, plopping down on the bottom bunk. The old springs creaked under his weight.
"What're we supposed to do now?"
"We wait," Levi answered.
He moved to touch the bedpost, his brow furrowing when dust coated his fingertip. He grimaced, flicking the dust off with a quick, disgusted motion.
The next few hours were spent in thoroughly cleaning the room. Dinner was eventually brought to them. The timid scout holding their trays nervously assured Furlan that Isabel was handed dinner in her separate dorm and how they weren't allowed into the mess hall until their formal introduction the next day.
New sets of uniforms were delivered to them, based on their measurements and heights.
Levi frowned down at his uniform jacket, inspecting the fabric warily. He snorted when Furlan excitedly tugged on the dark green cape and proceeded to strike various poses before the little mirror in the room.
Once they had showered and laid in bed, Levi heard the rustle of sheets on the top bunk. Furlan's voice was hushed in the darkness of the room.
"Was it Kenny's?"
Levi opened his eyes languidly. His arms folded behind his head, he stared up at the wooden slats of the upper bunk as he lay flat on his back. His brows ceased slightly. "Hah?"
"The watch," Furlan responded, the wood creaking under his restless shifting. "Was it Kenny's?"
It's the Ripper's son, people would mutter to each other, shrinking into their spots as he'd walk past them, don't mess with him. Levi wasn't fond of speaking about his past, especially about the man who had taught him to maim and kill and hold a knife till his knuckles dripped with lukewarm blood. The faint image of a bloodied trench coat and a tall receding shadow flickered behind his eyes.
"No," he said honestly.
Levi stretched his legs on top of the ragged mattress, inhaling deeply as he gazed up at the bed frame. "It wasn't."
"You never took it out of your room," Furlan commented quietly.
A head poked out from the side of the top bunk, and Levi's gaze followed the familiar dip of short blond hair as Furlan looked at him curiously, his head hanging upside down. "Me and 'Bell always wondered where'd you get it from."
For a moment, his mind reeled back to the pounding memory of a hand curving around his nape, his heart thrumming loudly within his ribcage as fingers threaded between his, sky blue eyes flickering. "It's alright," a soft murmur followed, "you don't have to tell me your real name." A fond thumb traced his callused knuckles and his back pressed harder into the polished bookshelves, the wood digging into his spine— he immediately shifted on the bed, lying on his side. He frowned at the wall.
"It was payment," Levi said finally.
Furlan's voice echoed back. "Payment?"
"Yeah," Levi muttered, closing his eyes. "Payment for a job, that's all."
The next morning, they stood donning military uniforms.
Isabel grinned broadly, shifting from one foot to the other. Furlan smiled, offering her words of encouragement and Levi fondly ruffled her head of auburn locks, his lips twitching slightly when she laughed, childish and breezy.
During introduction, all three of them refused to salute, stubbornly standing on stage as a superior berated them furiously. From the audience, a pair of blazing blue eyes burned into them and Levi continued standing there with his arms crossed, solely looking up at the clear sky.
Near noon, they were forced to sit in a classroom.
The air buzzed with the low murmurs of young Scouts. They all looked about Isabel's age, their voices a mixture of nervous energy and brash excitement as they shuffled in their seats, stealing glances at one another.
"Making us sit in class now?" Furlan grumbled, arms crossed petulantly over his chest. He slumped further into his seat. "They think we're fucking kids."
Levi picked up a brass pen, boredly twirling it between his fingers.
"I wanna go where the real action is!" Isabel smacked her palms down on the table, leaning out in her seat to peer at him with an excited smile. "Right, bro?!"
The door of the classroom finally creaked open, cutting through the hushed murmurs. Footsteps echoed off the floor, and all heads turned to look at the front of the classroom.
Levi spun the pen nimbly across his fingers, peering forward with an air of indifference.
"I know most of you don't want to be here."
Her blonde hair was twisted into a long braid. She wasn't wearing the typical military attire, rather a navy blue dress that touched down to her ankles, barely grazing the floor as she stepped deeper into the room. An amused smile curved her lips. "You want to be out there where the action is and everything."
He never forgot a face— the people he met always stayed deeply etched within his mind, tucked away into the recesses so their ghosts wouldn't inconvenience him with their haunting faces and words.
The brass pen snapped in his grip.
Furlan turned his head sharply towards him, a look of brief concern coloring his features. Levi's expressions flattened, his calculating stare fixed on the woman as she nonchalantly waved her hand in the air.
She leaned back casually against the desk, sitting atop it before tossing one leg over the other.
She smiled amiably. "But I'm sure this will help you in the field sooner or later."
A wry smile curled her lips and she tilted her head to the side, looking thoughtful.
"Well, let's hope you don't have a sudden malfunction during an expedition at least."
Over the years, she had grown noticeably taller— enough that he wouldn't be able to even out his gaze with hers no matter how much he straightened his spine and stood on the tips of toes. Golden locks framed her face in soft curls, and her voice rang out confident and clear. She stood there with an ease of someone long accustomed to their role, addressing a classroom of soldiers who had pledged their lives to humanity's cause.
"Your instructor was eaten in the last expedition," she shrugged, pressing a hand to her chest. "Which is why I'm here as a substitute. Though I'm sure they'll get a more suitable replacement in a few days."
An amused smile tugged her lips, and she barely looked like the young girl who was once seated across from him at a restaurant table, hiding her smug expressions behind a tall glass of honeyed milk.
His jaw tightened.
"The class will primarily focus on the mechanics of your gear," she said, pushing off the desk and standing upright.
Her gaze swept across the classroom, and Levi clutched the seat beneath him, breath hitching in his throat. But her wandering eyes didn't linger on him, and continued drifting around the room.
"It's mostly theoretical," she added, taking a piece of white chalk between two petite fingers.
A long blond braid swished between her shoulder blades as she turned to the board, and he knew it was her— the same girl who had once leaned over a table cluttered with books, asking him hushed questions in the silence of a library, where all he could hear was the loud thud of his heartbeat and his quick, staccato breaths.
Her smooth voice carried across the classroom evenly. "I don't usually share my name."
The chalk tapped noisily against the blackboard.
Mechanics and Theory.
"Well," she peeked back at them briefly and turned back to the board. "Not until all of you have gone through an expedition first."
With one arm tucked behind her, she resumed writing. The white chalk tapped rhythmically against the black surface as she spoke calmly. "Because then I'll have to ask your names too, which is only fair, but I really don't like to remember the names of people I might never see again."
Numbers, signs, and symbols flowed effortlessly from her chalk, scraping across the board as she hummed softly, continuing to fill the blackboard with meticulous formulas and calculations.
"Makes things easier, doesn't it?"
Sunlight streamed in through the slanted windows, brightening the side of her face. Her blonde hair glowed a soft shade of gold, and an inexplicable feeling of familiarity washed over him, his muscles tensing.
"Take notes," she said firmly, drawing a wide circle on the board. She pressed a precise dot in the center, and he was faintly reminded of the books in the library, filled with indecipherable diagrams and shapes he understood nothing about.
Her voice grew awfully frigid.
"There will be a quiz at the end of the class."
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The chalk was tossed aside with a loud clatter. She briskly dusted off the white remnants on her hands and settled back into a chair. behind the table
"Time's up."
Her fingers drummed impatiently atop her desk, and she glanced at the hourglass perched on the corner. "Put your quizzes on my desk before you leave."
Murmurs of discontent rippled through the room. Some slapped their quizzes down with defiant enthusiasm and the rest sluggishly turned towards the door, dragging their feet as they left. Levi left his paper completely blank. Isabel had doodled a little cartoonish bird on hers, and Furlan seemed to be the only one who had scribbled a few notes, a half-hearted attempt to avoid turning in an empty page.
She sat gathering the papers already, shuffling notes around her desk as they approached her. Steely eyes focused intently on her hands, her fingers moving with purpose as she collected the papers.
The pads of her fingers were tainted with a faded stain of black, remnants of something that had been washed off multiple times.
Levi placed his page face down on the table, watching her quietly.
She leaned back in her chair, finally looking up and meeting his steady, questioning stare.
His mouth grew unexpectedly bitter when her expressions remained composed, indifferent to their presence. Her gaze flitted over to the hourglass instead, its sand settled fully at the bottom.
"The three of you have to wait," she said politely, lacing her fingers together as she set them on the table.
"Hah?" Isabelle slammed her hands down on the table, glowering at her. Levi stood firmly, watching the woman behind the desk with careful eyes.
Furlan frowned beside him.
"I heard you three joined just recently," she smiled at them. Her hand reached forward to grasp Furlan's paper, glancing over it once before nodding. "Since you just joined, I'm sure it'll take some time for you to catch up with the rest."
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes flickering between them.
Oi, Levi set his jaw, staring at her. His fingers curled into loose fists by his side, what're you doing here—
"If you need any help with reading or writing," she continued, her gaze shifting from Levi's tense stare to Isabelle's frown and then to the crease in Furlan's brow. "Then feel free to ask, please."
Ire flared within him immediately.
He wasn't sure what irked him more— her overly formal tone or the absence of any flicker of recognition in her eyes, like she'd never handed him his first piece of garlic bread, or when he had waited for her beside a ladder, a basket heavy with books hanging from his grip.
"Just 'cause we're from the Underground," Levi scowled, voice thick with barely concealed indignation. "Doesn't mean that we're illiterate."
Her gaze finally settled on him. She seemingly mulled over his harsh tone before she carefully put together her next sentence, a thoughtful look on her face.
"I never said that you were," she said, a practiced smile curling her lips. Her elbows propped atop the table before she leaned on them, inclining her head. "I'm simply saying that if you plan to stay in the Corps, try to make the best out of it."
Levi met her steady gaze, his expressions flat.
Beside him, Isabel scoffed. "Yeah, right!"
"Good luck," she hummed instead, dragging the pages closer before adding with a subtle pause. "And be careful."
She resumed her reading, the quiet shuffle of papers filling the nearly empty classroom.
Furlan gestured towards the door with a sharp nod of his head, and Isabel huffed, falling into step behind him. Levi trailed after them, refraining from looking over his shoulder as the door shut behind them, sealing away the sudden pinpricks of a gaze on his back.
"Try to make the best outta it!"
Isabel repeated childishly, kicking the ground. She clutched her pigtails, yanking them in frustration. "As if we had a choice in the first place!"
Furlan sighed, wearily leaning against a nearby pillar as he muttered under his breath. "I can't wait for this shit to be over."
Isabel grumbled into the night air, the wind tugging at her auburn locks. Levi sat perched on the ledge of the roof, leaning back on his palms as he watched the lanterns swaying in the corridors below. The flames flickered brightly in the darkness of the night.
"Yo, Levi."
He glanced sideways as Furlan settled next to him. There was a noticeable furrow in Furlan's brow, his watchful eyes looking at him searchingly.
"Do you know her?" He asked abruptly.
Levi set him with a questioning stare. Furlan folded his legs under himself and nodded towards the stairway they had climbed earlier.
"That instructor," he clarified, "who was going on about those weird numbers and crap."
"She was looking down on us!" Isabel grimaced, seating herself beside the blond. "The way she held us back at the end. She thinks we're utter crap since we came from below—"
"You were staring at her," Furlan interjected.
A look of surprise flickered across Isabel's face and Levi frowned under the weight of their scrutinising gazes. He peered out into the open expanse before them again, clicking his tongue. "Tch, I wasn't."
"You were," Furlan pressed, brows scrunched together. "You had this really hard look on your face, Levi. Like you were trying to rip her open with your eyes."
Levi arched a brow. Isabel hurriedly knocked into Furlan's side, a look of utter disbelief on her face.
"No way, bro." Her eyes widened in faint horror. "She's too tall for you—"
Furlan snorted, playfully smacking his hand down on her head and shoving her back. Levi rolled his eyes as Isabel pouted, whining loudly.
"…I've seen her before," he admitted. The two looked at him curiously and Levi shrugged, his gaze lingering on the corridors below where soldiers moved like shadows, the swaying lanterns casting a warm glow in the cool night air. "But it's nothing important."
Furlan glanced at Isabel and she bounced her shoulders reluctantly, raising her brows.
The night breeze tugged at their messy hair and ruffled through unkempt locks as they quietly peered upward. The vast, dark sky stretched endlessly above them, brimming with glimmering stars and a vibrant, luminous moon that spilled silver over their skins, sealing their fates for the future— for better or worse.