How Could I Ever Know (Levi x Reader)

Chapter 1

(E/C) eyes flew open, and she drew in a shaky breath.

The sky was blue. The clouds were moving peacefully in the wind.

She forced herself to sit up, grunting as she did so. She looked at her blades, only to find them shattered. She tapped her gas tanks. Empty.

(Y/N) groaned as she buried her head in her hands, trying to make sense of what was going on. A 7-meter class? She thought. It was an aberrant. It was coming for me...then I got hit. Did it swat me away with its arm? But it happened so fast, I barely had time to process it before my head hit a brick wall.

She reached for the back of her head, pulling away to see blood staining her fingertips. Shit. She winced. That's bad. Thankfully, it didn't hurt as much.

Suddenly, someone on the 3DMG zipped above her, and swung low to land themselves on the street (Y/N) was lying on.

It was Levi. (Y/N) sighed in relief. I had never been so happy to see that midget's stoic face.

"Are you dead?" he asked bluntly.

"Yes," she said.

"Good, because then I won't deal with your stupid stunts anymore." He crouched down and took a good look at her head. "You really hit your head back then."

"What? You saw it?"

"Of course I did. Can't be too hard to spot you."

"So...did you knock me aside?"

He inhaled sharply, and (Y/N) turned to look at him.

"Sorry. Leg cramp." He shifted his leg and continued to look at her wound. "No, I didn't. You were too busy being an idiot that you didn't even see the Titan's hand coming for you."

"Gee, I'm really flattered," (Y/N) grumbled. "How's everything?"

"Erwin ordered us to pull back," Levi said. "There's been a breach again."

"Where?"

"Shiganshina, apparently."

(Y/N)'s eyes widened, and she stumbled to her feet. She cursed as dark spots blurred her sight, and her head started to spin.

"Calm down, (Y/N)."

"My...my...my family is there!" she stammered, trying to make sense of everything. "Mom...Dad...Eren...Mikasa..."

"Then we better get moving." Levi fixed his gear, which made (Y/N) look at her own.

"I'm out," she said quietly.

Levi groaned. "Seriously? I don't want to have to haul your sorry ass back to camp!"

"You shouldn't have gone looking for me, then," (Y/N) retorted. "Why'd you even come here?"

"Tch. Don't get so full of yourself. I was doing a sweep of the perimeter and saw you." Levi fired his cables, and took off.

"Hey!" (Y/N) shouted. "What about me—whoa!"

Levi had attached his cables to a nearby tower, swung around it, and used the momentum to throw (Y/N) over his shoulder.

"When we get to camp," he instructed as the two made their way across the town. "Get a medic, get that wound checked, refill your gas and blades, and stay put."

"What about my family?"

"That's an order, Cadet Jaeger." His voice was full of authority, an authority he rarely ever used. (Y/N) had no choice but to submit.

"Yes, sir."

Silence fell, save for the zipping of Levi's cables.

There were some bonds that instantly attached to each other when brought together, like magnets. Levi and (Y/N) were pretty much like that. Minimal introductions, and after a few weeks he had scraped through several half-assed conversations with her, a feat unknown to the rest of the Survey Corps. As far as Erwin and the others knew, Levi barely spoke at mealtimes, much less any other time of the day.

Was I special to him? (Y/N) wondered, then shook her head. Hell, no. I didn't need to feel some fluffy shit towards him, and I certainly didn't want to. However, for the past few years, I couldn't shake off the fact that we might have known each other before we actually met. After all, it would be ridiculous to click with someone after a few weeks, especially if they wore the most emotionless expressions.

"The Garrison should be able to evacuate everyone," Levi said, interrupting her thoughts. "There should be minimal casualties."

Blunt as he was, she knew he meant well. Levi, regarding comfort, didn't raise his subordinates' hopes only to have them torn down by reality. He goes straight to the point, the reality, sugarcoating it only a little bit. It only goes to show how much he really cared for the soldiers under his command.

"I hope so."

"Get some rest. But don't you dare drool on my jacket."

"I don't drool, shitty midget."

"Watch your tongue, trashy bitch."

(Y/N) couldn't help but smirk at his cold remarks. She let her thoughts drift to her parents, her brother and adoptive sister, hoping they were alive and well.

Oh...how could I ever know?