The Perfect Fit--A Levi Ackerman x Reader Series

Chapter 4

Levi Ackerman x female reader

Warnings: cussing

Almost a week had passed since your horse died and now you were running out of food. You still hadn't had any clients from the village come see you for their sewing needs so you figured you would question them when you saw them on your shopping trip. Walking into the quiet village, you noticed its inhabitants looked more pitiful than usual. The situation was grim out in the forest but you weren't expecting it to be this bad yet. You could tell people were running low on food, the stalls barely selling any produce. You bought a few items you could salvage, but most of it was rotten.

"Haven't seen your face in a while," you said, striking up a conversation with the stall owner, a client of yours.

"I'm sorry. We have no money left to get our clothes fixed. None of us here do. If this continues..." He looked away and you noticed just how gaunt he was. His skin was starting to droop around his cheekbones and he was as white as snow. "You can no longer rely on us to make money. I suggest heading toward the interior. With your talent, I'm sure the nobles would kill to have you work for them. Someone's gotta make it out of this godforsaken place and you have the best shot."

You felt any words you tried to speak get caught in your throat. Opting to nod instead, you turned away to go back home when another stall caught your eye. Was that meat cooking? That was a rarity nowadays. As you got closer, you read the sign that told you what animal it was. It took everything in you to not vomit.

It was horse.

The villages must be truly desperate for food to chance eating your sick horse. You couldn't take the sight any longer and rushed away, blinking away tears. Now that the villagers confirmed that you couldn't make any more money from them, the seriousness of the situation dawned on you. Would you have to move? You most likely wouldn't be welcomed back to your old home or else that would be an option. Would you have to join the military to have an income? You didn't think you had it in you to make it through the training. Besides, if you failed out, you couldn't risk hurting your hands in the meantime because you'd have nothing else going for you. All these thoughts buzzed around your head, distracting you from realizing you were home and you weren't alone.

"Y/n! I'm here to rescue you!"

"Hange?!" You didn't know what they meant, but you were glad to see your friend. You greeted them with a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"

"More like what were you doing not here? I thought you died or something. You're always at home."

You frowned. "Ouch! You came all this way just to bully me?" They laughed, clapping a friendly hand on your back as you continued. "Anyway, I was in the village. I was told my services couldn't be supported anymore since the villagers had to save their money. Those poor people are starving, Hange. They were cooking my dead horse, for fuck's sake."

Hange's eyes softened when they saw how distressed you were. "They're strong people, y/n. They'll get through it, just like in times past. Don't be so hard on yourself. There's nothing you can do to save them."

You clenched your fists in frustration. You knew that, but it still shook you to your core. You were a woman of action, taking charge against the inequalities people faced however you could. You had a long history of doing charity work, especially when you were living with your family in Wall Sina. Seeing those around you suffer while you were comfy in your warm home with plenty of food made you sick to your stomach. That was one of the reasons you left...

"Well, I have better news for you. How do you feel about formally joining the Scouts?"

You felt your eyes almost pop out of their sockets. "Huh?!"