~Epiphany~ Levi x Reader Chapter 1

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

"A little," Eren responded.

You alone entered what looked to be a sitting room, with three people wearing jackets emblazoned with the wings of freedom on their jackets. Erwin had led you to the room, then claimed that he had some business to take care of, leaving you to bravely enter the room alone. Off to the side sat Eren, on a couch and having his wounds tended to by a woman with glasses and a brunette ponytail. Not like he really needed it. Most of his injuries were already healed, and the ones that weren't were halfway there.

Eren jumped up when he saw you. "_____!" he blurted out, rushing over to you and grabbing you in a tight hug. "It feels like I haven't seen you in years," he whispered in your ear.

"Ow, ow, watch the head," you said, cringing when he accidentally nudged your head.

Pulling away, he looked at you questioningly, taking in your thinner appearance and the shadows beneath your eyes. "What happened to you?"

"Hit my head at Trost," you said, waving away his concern. "I'll be okay in a few days. But you! How are YOU doing?" Leading him back to the couch where the woman with glasses was still standing, you pushed him down in his original seat. She immediately resumed cleaning his cuts. She gave you a sideways glance.

"From what I heard, you crashed into a building and broke through the roof, not just hit your head," she commented, looking at you quizzically. "It's a miracle you're still alive, let alone out and about just a week after the incident. I wonder if you being in the titan's mouth gave you some residual healing powers..."

"Shut up, Hanji," Levi said from across the room, in the perfect position to stare coldly at Eren, and also the woman named Hanji. "I highly doubt titan spit gave the girl any kind of power."

She shrugged. "You never know." Turning back to Eren, she asked, "So, how does it hurt?"

You felt something tickle your neck. Looking backwards, a tall blonde man was sniffing your neck. Pulling away slightly, you giggled. "That tickles!" you exclaimed. He stood up straight and let out a low laugh, smirking all the while.

"And that's how you respond to a stranger sniffing you," Levi said dubiously, rolling his eyes.  "Don't you find that weird?"

Shrugging, you responded, "Well, after what I've been through, harmless weird things don't bother me anymore. Besides, this is the Survey corps. Isn't everyone a little strange here?"

Levi turned away, not bothering to respond to your comment. Shit, did I offend him? you thought fearfully. So much for a good first impression.

The door opened again, and Erwin entered the room, carrying a small, brown and green bundle of clothes. He immediately turned to Eren. "I'm sorry for what just happened. But thanks to that, we had you turned over to us. The pain you endured allowed me to play my cards at the moment." He set the bundle on the couch and knelt down in front of Eren, offering him his hand to shake. "You have my respect. I look forward to working with you."

Looking completely flustered, Eren grabbed Erwin's hand and shook vigorously. "Yes sir! Thank you!"

Feeling somewhat forgotten, you watched as Levi strode over to the couch and sat down next to Eren, who was obviously uncomfortable with how close Levi was to him. "Hey, Eren," he said, "do you hate me?"

"N-no," Eren said, looking away from the shorter man. "I understand why it was necessary."

"That's good," Levi said, his expression barely changing, though his lips relaxed slightly,  betraying his relief.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help more," you piped. "Maybe then it wouldn't have come to that."

"What are you saying?" Hanji asked, giving you a wide grin. "The way you startled the shit out of Commander Dawk was impressive. But besides that, was what you said back there true?"

"You mean what happened with Eren's titan?" you asked. She nodded vigorously. "Yeah. I might have a vivid imagination, but even I couldn't come up with a lie like that. Especially now," you added, subconsciously rubbing your throbbing head.

"My favorite part was when you threw your boot at him," Levi said suddenly, his lips twitching slightly. Was he trying not to smile? "Bastard never saw it coming."

"Especially because I look like a harmless little girl," you smirked. "That asshole shouldn't underestimate short people like me." That look on Levi's face looked so familiar, and it was bothering the hell out of you. Where had you seen him before? Then it hit you: two years ago, when you had written to Erwin, a man had come to deliver his response, a short man that looked and acted exactly like Levi. His lips finally twisted into a small grin at the look of recognition on your face. "Shit," you said, letting out a small laugh. "Your that guy from a couple of years ago, the one I-"

"I am," Levi interrupted, looking thoroughly entertained. Apparently, he had recognize you from the start. Levi was the guy you had 'proposed' to, when you gave him your ring to deliver to Erwin as an answer to his letter.  

You moved to slip your hand in your pocket and check if your ring was still there, until you realized you weren't wearing it. Shit, I'd just have to find it later, you thought, feeling annoyed. That ring meant a lot to you, and you'd be damned if you lost it.

Laughing nervously, you said, "Do I know who to say and do the worst things to, or what?"

Looking between you and Levi, Hanji asked, looking more than just a little confused, "You two know each other? From where?"

"Well, you see-" you began.

"Just a passing moment in town," Levi interrupted, obviously wishing to save himself from some embarrassment. "Just a small conversation that happened to be very entertaining because she didn't realize who I was."

"Yeah," you agreed, "I'd have been a lot more careful about what I said had I known he was Levi. I'm not going to get punished now for what I said then, am I?"

"Was it that bad?" Hanji asked, totally not caring that she was being nosy. "Tell me, tell me! If Levi here thinks it's funny, than it's got to be the funniest thing in the world!"

"You can talk about that later," Erwin said, picking up the clothing and walking over to you, holding it out to you. "Take it," he commanded.

Obligingly, you took the bundle and undid the ties on it. Once you pulled the clothing apart, you realized instantly what it was: a  jacket and emerald green cloak, both with the emblem of the survey corps attached. You looked up at Erwin questioningly, as if you were actually surprised.

"You, too, would be valuable asset to the Survey corps," Erwin explained. "If Eren won't hurt you in his titan form, you would be key in helping control him should he lose control. In addition, your skills in killing titans would be indispensable. Not many fresh recruits can say they killed a titan on their first mission, let alone have their kill record in the double digits. That takes some serious skills and guts to accomplish."

Levi snorted. "So, you planned on bringing her here, anyway," he said, stating it as a fact rather than asking a question. "Why am I not surprised? You've always had an eye for talent. No wonder this 'Hero of Trost' has caught your attention."

The praise you received, while expected, sounded heartfelt and sincere coming from your brother, causing you to feel flustered. Was he really that proud of you? "I'm nothing special, really," you said, "I was just doing my job. I didn't have the luxury to feel bad for myself for being in my position. It was fight or die, and I couldn't very well just go die, because I still had friends that needed protecting."

"There you go, rejecting the fact that you ARE special again," Levi said, glaring at you with cool, steely eyes. "First with Commander Pixis, now here. Why do you think you don't deserve such words?"

"Because a hero doesn't kill their entire squad," you said quietly. The looks of shock on everyone's faces in the room was enough to tell you nobody knew about what really happened in Trost. Looking down at the clothes in your hands, you said truthfully, "I don't deserve these. I don't deserve special treatment."

"What about the people you saved?" Levi asked. "Wouldn't they say you were a hero, if only in their minds? Think about that, rather than the people you couldn't save. Direct that anger for their deaths towards those who caused them in the first place."

You snorted derisively. "That's exactly my point, sir. I'M the one who caused their deaths. They weren't eaten by titans. Because they didn't heed my orders, they paid for their mistakes with their lives. I blew up a warehouse full of 7 meter class titans, knowing full well that my squad was still inside, too scared to move. If I didn't, my squad would've been titan food anyway, and the titan's would have moved on to kill more people. I made the best decision I could at the time, and I don't regret it. But I still resent being called a 'hero' or other such praising words, because a real hero would've been able to come up with a way to save everyone."

"I hate to break it to you," Levi said quietly, "but nobody can save everyone. You can only do the best that you can, and hope that at the end of the day, you're the reason why some people are still alive that otherwise would not be had you not been there."

With a sigh, you began fiddling with the buttons on the jacket pockets. You vaguely realized that something was in the pocket, but you already knew what it was. Erwin was such a clever man.

While still feeling upset, the corporal's words had somehow placated your consciousness. "You're right, sir," you said, not looking at him. You took a seat on the couch at the opposite wall, your legs aching from standing so long. "I was still able to save the people who meant most to me, with Eren's help," you added, grinning at Eren. "You owe me a new pair of boots, by the way."

"That's right!" Hanji said suddenly, no longer looking frozen to the spot. She rushed over to you and sat next to you on the couch, grabbing your legs and setting them on her knees. Holding up your feet right in front of her face, she giggled. "I knew titans were supposed to be hot to the touch, but this is insane! How did you not get burned?"

"The only thing touching Eren's titan was my boots," you said. "But I was burned from the explosion I caused earlier, as well, so maybe that's why I didn't feel anything." Luckily, all of that had healed over the time you were passed out.

"Incredible..." she said, looking thoughtful, her eyes glinting.

"So what do you say?" Erwin asked, looking more serious than before.

"You still want me, even after I blew my squad sky high?" you asked, snorting.

"Even more so now," he said decidedly. "If you can make such difficult decisions on your own, you'd be well worth asking to join the Survey corps, even without your ability when it comes to killing titans. That quality is essential in a leader, and to be truthful, not enough of our leaders have it."

Grinning, you replied, "Well, how do I say no to reasoning like that? My 'talent', as you say would be wasted in the Garrison." You pulled on the jacket, and it fit wonderfully. You felt pride well up in your gut.

"What about the military police?" Levi asked. He was obviously making a joke. If your actions in the courtroom didn't state your hatred for the military police, then nothing else would.

"I didn't make the top ten, so that's kind of out of the question for me," you said lightly.

Levi gave you a funny look, plainly stating that he didn't understand. "Was there some sort of mistake?" Hanji asked, just as confused. "I watched you during the titan clean up. You were a smart strategist, coming up with that plan of yours. But you were also startlingly good at killing titans, much better than any of the other recent graduates, whether you worked with a team or on your own."

"With the exception of Mikasa," you interrupted. "She's got a stronger killing stroke than I do."

"That's got nothing to do with it," Levi put in. "If a strike kills a titan, it kills it, regardless of how hard the hit is."

"Right," Hanji agreed. "Lighter killing strokes are better, anyway. They require less exertion on your part. Either way, you should've been ranked in the top ten, if not in first place."

"She slacked during training," Eren spoke for the first time in a while. "She'd take it easy during practice, then she'd hone her skills in the middle of the night while nobody was watching."

"Prove it," you said immediately. "Maybe I just perform better under pressure than other people do. Besides, it doesn't matter anyway. I was barred from the military police before training even began, so it made no sense for me to take a spot in the top ten." Oops. You realized your mistake too late after blurting that last part out. Then you shrugged. They were high-ranking officers; they had the ability to read your file and learn from it what they wanted to know.

Hanji asked the expected question: "Why were you barred?"

"Read my file," you said. "You'll see."

"I already did," Levi said, taking no shame in admitting it. "Right after Trost. For some reason, almost everything before the age of thirteen was redacted."

You nodded, smiling oddly. "That would explain why Dawk didn't point out MY record like he did with Eren's and Mikasa's."

"And also why Zackly didn't reprimand you for assaulting the military police commander," Levi mused. "You've got friends in high places."

"Well, I DID save his niece's life," you put in, grinning. "I suppose that's as good a reason as any to clear my slate."

"Should we be talking about this, then?" Erwin said, clearing his throat. "That information must be classified."

"Oh, right. Sorry, sir," you said, cringing as your head began to ache without explanation.  

"I'll need to get the preparation for Eren's departure from here completed," the commander said, signalling that it was his time to leave. He waved over the tall blonde man from earlier, who had stood by the window and not said a word. "It shouldn't take mre than a few minutes." With that, he left the room.

Hanji turned her attention back to me. "It's unusual for the commander to take such an interest in an individual, even one as uncommon as yourself. Eren's an exception to that, of course," she added, nodding at Eren. "I wonder what's going on in his head?" She shook her head, physically dislodging the thought. "Enough of that! I want you to tell me EVERYTHING about what it was like interacting with Eren's titan! Once I heard what you said in court, I simply couldn't help but keep thinking about what it was you must've gone through!"

Your head beginning to throb much more violently, you shook your head weakly. "Hanji, I don't feel well..."

"Nonsense!" she said, not noticing your failing health. "It's just the excitement from the day!"

However, Levi seemed to realize something was off. "Hanji-" he began.

But he didn't have the time to continue. The debilitating agony in your head made your vision swim. You could feel your body slide off of the side of the couch and you blacked out, completely out of control of your body. Your mind lingered between consciousness and unconsciousness, however. You could half hear people, but the pain in your head prevented you from truly comprehending anything.

"_____, don't you DARE faint on me now," a clear voice said threateningly, bringing you closer to consciousness. You felt a warm, strong arm supporting your back. Your eyes fluttered open, and you found yourself looking up into sharp, gray ones.

"I-I'm sorry, sir," you stuttered, unable to keep your voice completely steady. Fuck. Way to look like a worthless piece of shit, me, you thought bitterly.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked, frowning. "It isn't your fault. Hanji wouldn't shut the hell up. Just focus on staying awake."

Digging your nails into your palm, you were trying your best to stay awake. But it just hurt your head so damn much. Your eyes began to water from the effort you put into keeping yourself from falling unconscious. Stay awake, stay awake, stay awake... why was I trying to stay awake, again? Right. Corporal said so.

Rough fingers pried open your hands and laced with your fingers. "Don't hurt yourself!" Eren said exasperatedly. His hands squeezed yours.

"A little late for that," you said breathlessly, your hands feeling slippery with what was most likely blood.

A delicate hand wiped the tears from your cheeks and settled over your eyes. "Never mind what I just said," Levi sighed, "Just don't cry, okay?"

Half nodding your head, you slipped back into the limbo that was partial consciousness.