Natural Strength || Levi Ackerman x Reader

Prologue

You were only fifteen when you met Farlan Church and Levi Ackerman. Your best friend, Isabel Magnolia, introduced you to them one day after they protected her from a couple of men chasing her. You were angry at her for being reckless for the sake of an injured bird, but got over it quickly.

You came to know that while Isabel was twenty-one, Farlan was twenty-four and Levi was twenty-five, making him the leader and dubbed Isabel's "Big Brother". They created their infamous trio of thieves as you watched from the sidelines everyday, but it didn't last even a year before the incident.

You wanted to do the things they did with them more than anything, but you were 'too young' and had responsibilities to attend to. Your mother had lost the ability to use her legs and, although you hated her with every ounce of your being, you decided it was morally wrong to let her starve and die.

You envied the trio for the lack of responsibility they had and more time they got to spend together. You were only able to hang out with them altogether without worry a couple of times and it was always the most fun you ever had. You got more and more preoccupied with your mother and Isabel would stop by everyday to check on you, sometimes with the guys and other times without, but it lasted only a maximum of five minutes.

The night they told you about the deal they had made with some guy for citizenship on the surface was memorable. Isabel was nervous about telling you, but you were so overcome with joy for your friends that you made her forget about leaving you behind. You couldn't assist them, it was obvious. You didn't know how to use the 3D Maneuver Gear and you weren't offered anything, but you'd be damned to make them feel guilty and not live their dreams.

"You have to do this, Isabel. There is no way in hell you're passing up this opportunity," you said at the house they shared in the more closed-in section of The Underground.

"What will you do!?" she shouted back in retaliation. "No one will be here to protect you!"

It was true. You had to fend for yourself against other thugs and blatant rapists. You did fine, but the added protection of Levi and Farlan was nice for the both of you.

"I have to stay anyway, for my mother. You three-" you paused, moving so Farlan and Levi were in your line of sight as well "-you deserve this more than anyone. I'll find my way out of this dump, but this is your chance. Take it."

Levi and Farlan didn't need as much persuading to be honest, but you pushed Isabel to go. When the fateful day arrived that the Survey Corps would come for them, you were beyond upset. You didn't know if you would see them again, but you were determined to let them go if you had to.

You hugged Isabel and Farlan tight that morning. Farlan was like your own brother at that point. He was very funny and serious at the same time while Levi was always serious besides the rare moments of laughs and smiles. The hug you gave him was gentler and you remember making the snide comment in your head that he probably doesn't hug people shorter than him often, if at all.

You watch the scene go down and them being dragged away by the Survey Corps. You locked their house and kept the key to return home to your mother who ended up dying a month later anyway. If only she could have died sooner, you thought. It was morbid, but you would have found a way to go to the surface with your friends and live the life you were meant to instead of waiting three whole years.

You took shelter in your friends' house after your mother passed and kept it as clean as Levi had. A lot of people who live in The Underground have a sanitary thing, understandably, and that includes yourself, but you were never as germaphobic as Levi.

For three years, you were on your own, defending those who couldn't defend themselves against the worst kinds of people while becoming a theif yourself. It was the only way to survive. You waited everyday for your friends to come back and rescue you from this hell, but when that time came, it wasn't what you expected.

You had a knife in one hand and you were using your acrobatic skills to hop around buildings on your own two feet. You jumped down on a crate and torn it open to snag the inner contents of vegetables. A man yelled to call the Military Police, and like the day your friends were taken, the Scouts came instead with hoods up and blades out.

You were eighteen at the time and legally able to be executed for your crimes. The fear is what drove you to run faster than before and glide through broken windows of buildings to find the ground on the other side. You raced and held the knife ready for any battle, but you weren't faster than their gear.

You ended up with a guy at least twice your damn size on you instantly, kicking the knife from your hand and throwing you to the ground harshly.

"Eld, that's enough." You knew that voice in a second and your eyes flew up to see Levi Ackerman.

Levi, you whispered in your head in utter shock.

Levi, with his neutral face, walked over and hoisted you up on your feet. You looked around at the people, or team, with him and didn't see your other friends. You knew somehow it wasn't the time to question him and you were too excited to see him again.

Levi didn't speak to you once, even after someone handcuffed you and you were dragged away. You didn't speak either since you didn't know what exactly was going to happen to you. When arriving at the base of the Survey Corps, Levi took you himself to the barracks which confused his subordinates to no end.

It was there he sat you down and told you that Isabel and Farlan died during their first expedition and that they failed to complete their mission, but he now was a loyal member of the Survey Corps and one of the highest ranking officers--a title he got only a month prior to your capture.

That was the first and last time Levi saw you cry, but you thanked him for coming back for you after all that time. He wasn't allowed to issue any type of request or order until he got the position of Corporal, and getting you out of The Underground was all he could think about.

This day was the hardest, harder than battling titans your first time around only two years later. You learned two of the people closest to you were gone and Levi had to go through the trauma alone. You spent hours telling him about the events of The Underground since he left and he shared the experiences of titans and the gallant actions of Isabel and Farlan up to their demise.

You knew it was hard for both of you, but you realized from that point onward, you only had each other. Levi would never be able to share his life in The Underground with someone other than a person who had been there. He wasn't a person of feeling, but he made a promise to Isabel that they would get you out one day, although he made that promise himself the day they left.

Adjusting to the sunlight and customs was tough, but Levi took it upon himself to make you his personal responsibility with the consent of Commander Erwin Smith. Of course Levi didn't share the info with his Special Operations Squad, so they were left to comprehend why he was training with a newbie from The Underground daily.

You graduated training at the top of your class two years later, as expected of Captain Levi Ackerman's prodigy. You were dubbed the most impressive fighter since Levi himself and Commander Erwin was ready to give you a position as Squad Leader after seeing if you would fare well outside the walls.

Levi offered you a spot on his squad, which you accepted and succeded in the following expeditions with valiant effort. When Commander Erwin basically gave you the position as a Squad Leader, everyone was appalled at your immediate decline. You didn't want to be separated from Levi no matter what and leading wasn't your thing.

Levi wouldn't admit it, but he was glad you were so adamant on not climbing the ranks. After losing Isabel and Farlan, he wanted you, now his best friend, to be in his line of sight at all times. That's where you stayed for four years until the day your story begins--the day things started to change.

The team has almost completely changed besides one member since your rescue (Eld Gin). Some were switched and some died, but the team now is the best it's been. At twenty-four-years-old, you're constantly risking your life for all the right reasons with the best person by your side and no one is sure how it will end.