aot oneshots

LEVI

(what a cliché to start a one shot collection with a levi one)

It's been years since you had joined the Scout Regiment. As a cadet you thought being in the military was going to be exciting or rewarding, but you quickly realised that, no, being a soldier meant living through hell before eventually being sent down to the next one.
Having comrades, friends and family die in front of your very eyes had shaped you. You once were a naive, bubbly girl who everyone got along with.

Now, all the trauma and loss you had experienced affected your every day life. You had trouble forming sustainable relationships, and the sincerity of your words and actions was questioned daily. You did things that you felt like doing without caring about the consequences, as sooner or later, you and everyone around you would end up dead. And the dead didn't care about grand gestures or small talk.
Your comrades perceived you in different ways, some thought off you as rude, some pitied you and some laughed about you when you weren't present. You knew that people didn't know what to make of you. But unbeknownst to you, there was one person in the regiment that felt quite similarly to you. Someone who's learned from a very young age that emotions and attachments would only get in the way of things and therefore refrained from forming any.

Your lack of genuine emotion, however, ensured a quick developping of skills and steady raising through the ranks (beside the fact that most higher-ups let their lives in battle). You were a skilled soldier who took part in meetings with the 13th Commander of the Scout Regiment, Erwin Smith.

When those of importance met once again one late evening, the candle-lit room housed Erwin, who agitatedly explained the plan for the next day's expedition, and a couple of others. One who was always at Erwin's side and who played big roles in his missions, was Captain Levi, a short, but quick-witted and skilled Scout. He was the best of the best and despite his uncivil attitude, everyone had the utmost respect for him. And so did you, even though you didn't exactly express it like the rest. You've worked together before and being a witness to Levi's incredible abilities, you had taken a liking to him. Obviously, you denied having any such feelings toward the Lance Corporal, but you did, in fact, never miss out on a chance to flirt with him. It's not like he ever responded to it, but it made you happy for a moment. Short term pleasures were something you always indulged in, living life according to your it-could-be-over-any-moment-now philosophy.

"Wait, I'm on the Levi Squad again?" You remarked loudly. "Captain, you seem to have a thing for me." You purred and then snickered to yourself.
"We could still arrange putting you into a different squad." Erwin, who you had interrupted, sternly replied, only slightly annoyed as he was used to such behaviour. While the rest had eyed each other confusedly, you were thriving on the awkward silence, a red glow on you cheeks as you glanced at Levi. Though he tried as hard as always to come off as unbothered and annoyed, you did notice that his face took on a bit of colour as well. Erwin however continued the meeting like normal.

The next day rolled around and the expedition began. You were to ride at dawn, camp in a forest for a night and, if successful, reach Shiganshina the next day to inspect.
You left through Trost, and while you initially faced a few titans, the plurality of encounters ebbed away once you were deep in Wall Maria territory. It was suspected that upon reaching the actual Wall, more titans were to be found there, which is why setting up camp in that one forest in the middle of nowhere was perfect, as the probability of seeing a titan was lower than anywhere else. If however, there were any despite your calculations, they couldn't move at night anyways, allowing the soldiers a good night's sleep before reaching the peak of their expedition the next day.

When your squad arrived, you and Levi both offered to keep watch for the first half of the night. You quickly arranged a bonfire that would keep your sleeping comrades and the two guards of you warm for the night. When the rest went to bed, you sat down next to the captain and started chatting him up.
"It seems it's always us two, Captain." He ignored you.