Strays | Levi x OC

Chapter 1

The clatter of horse hooves and the chatter of town's people rumbled the cobblestone streets of Trost. As the green-cloaked Scouts plodded past, another successful mission in the books, Karma, blonde-haired and dwarfed by her fellow cadets, marveled as they emerged from the world beyond the walls. Mikasa smiled.

"And here I thought you were wanting to be an MP," she said. Karma waved a hand.

"Oh, you know how indecisive I am."

It had been nearly five years since the incident on Wall Maria, and the Scouts were slowly reclaiming their lands. The idea of joining their efforts—battling Titans and saving humanity—enticed Karma. But, though she longed to be free of them, the safety of the walls was equally enticing.

"You're tough enough to do whatever you'd like," Mikasa continued. "But I do hope we stay together." Karma linked her arm. Mikasa was set on joining the Scouts. Had been ever since Eren was. And once Eren was involved in anything, that was the end of the discussion.

A hush of reverence brushed the crowd. Karma straightened, preparing herself for the unsightly, reeking cartfuls of casualties. However, as a familiar figure loomed, she realized the silence was not out of respect for the dead, but out of respect for this particular Scout. Or perhaps fear. A rosy-cheeked mother tugged her toddler closer. The scruffy throat of the man beside her bobbed. Karma's grip on Mikasa vised.

His horse neared.

"Shhh, here he comes."

"It's Captain Levi."

"That guy's a one-man army."

She didn't need much. Just a glimpse of his sharp features and famous steely facade. Maybe even a sign of acknowledgement—a tight smile or a nod.

His steed was close enough to touch. She saluted him on instinct, holding her breath. The august, indomitable Captain Levi was both beautiful and terrifying. His hair was windblown from battle, his features stolid like they were chiseled from marble. But to Karma's disappointment, as his icy gaze swept the crowd, it didn't linger. She was as interesting to him as the lint on his sleeve.

The moment passed and he was gone.

Karma groaned and dropped her arm.

Mikasa shook her head. "Don't worry about Captain Levi. He's impossible to impress."

* * *

In HQ, the lunch hall bubbled with celebration at the Scout Regiment's successful return. The sound floated up to the cathedral ceilings and washed across the rows of neatly lined picnic tables. Stone pillars intervalled the square room like watchful sentries. Between them were halls connecting to the kitchens and quarters so that the sounds of celebration infiltrated all of HQ.

The only reprieve was through an unassuming door that opened up to an alley, moldering from abandoned dumpsters, where the stray cats roamed.

Some of the commanders, laughing and gambling, had splurged on champagne and meat. The cadets and most of the soldiers, of course, would have to go without. Since Wall Maria fell, all of its residents were forced to cower behind Wall Rose. Even with twenty percent of the population eliminated, they lacked the space and resources for livestock. Meat was a rarity.

"Still on the fence about your regiment?" Eren said, cutting the skin off his potato rations.

Karma tore her bread and stuffed half of it in her pockets. "Yeah."

She felt guilty. All of the other soldiers seemed to be set on their regiments. In fact, many of them made up their minds long before enlisting as cadets. Graduation winked at her in the distance. So why couldn't she just choose?

"Karma doesn't like making decisions," Mikasa said between bites of food. Karma elbowed her.

"That's not true. I just don't like things being final. And choosing your regiment just seems so final."

"With special permission you can change it later," Armin, leveling the scales as usual, said from beside Eren.

"But if I join the Scouts and then switch to the MPs I'll feel like a coward." Karma stabbed at her bland potato.

"Hey, are you gonna finish that?" From across the table, Sasha's bright eyes tracked the mushy, mutilated potato with predatory precision.

"Yes, she is." Mikasa shielded a hand over Karma's plate. Karma waved it away.

"It's alright. I know Sasha is eating for three." She handed the potato over. Sasha inspected it like a scavenging racoon and tucked it away with a drooly smile.

"Karma, how do you expect to feed yourself when you're always giving your rations away to Sasha and those damn cats?" Mikasa's tone bordered concerned friend and chiding mother.

"Maybe she's malnourished—would explain why she's so short," a boy with light, taupe-colored hair piped up. She was always getting teased for her height. Despite being a few years older than most of the cadets, she was as small as Christa. Karma scowled at Jean.

"This knife can cut through a lot more than just potatoes, horse-face." She gripped her butterknife like a dagger. The dull blade was about as scary as a spoon, but Jean shrinked at the threat.

Eren scraped at the dregs of his stew. "Why don't you just give the Scouts a shot? You could escape purgatory and actually put your training to use," he said.

She couldn't deny his point. The walls around her world were a guard, but the price for their protection was a lifetime of bland potatoes: she was free from danger but far from freedom.

"We could use you—you're tough," Eren continued, speaking as though he were already a full-fledged Scout.

"But also soft," Mikasa said. "Which is why you would do great in either. It's completely up to you."

"Don't bother."

The voice was an icicle raking down her hair part. Captain Levi. As much as she sought his acknowledgement, something about his tone made her want to cower under the table.

"If you're on the fence about it, you aren't cut out to be a Scout."

Anger charred her fear.

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe I'll join the Scouts just to prove you wrong." She turned, eyes ash and amber.

"Sure. We would love to replenish our supply of Titan fodder." His glare was onyx and ice.

The cadets and soldiers around the table quieted, waiting for her response. Karma didn't miss a beat. "I'd better fatten up then." She turned back to her food.

The crowd was agape. She heard Captain Levi's footsteps die down as he presumably returned to sizing up the new recruits.

"Damn..." Eren said. He exchanged wide eyes with Armin.

"You proved me wrong, Karma," Mikasa said, half-smiling as though remembering some private joke. "You just did the impossible."