Impossible Odds [Levi x OC]

ONE: NEW BEGINNINGS

Today, (Y/N) (L/N) of Shiganshina District would join the 104th Cadet Corp.— or at least, she'd show up for the orientation.

About two years ago, the Colossal Titan, the biggest Titan known to man, appeared and destroyed the gate to Shiganshina District. The destruction of the gate, which was located on the outermost Wall, allowed the Titans into the city. 

Shortly after the fall of Shiganshina, on that same day, the Armored Titan appeared and ran through the gate to Wall Maria. With the fall of Wall Maria, one third of the human population was pushed back behind the two remaining Walls: Rose and Sina.

(Y/N), now fifteen years old, soon to be sixteen, had lived and worked in a labor camp in Trost District since the fall of Wall Maria, where she'd worked with other refugees from Shiganshina and Maria in a feeble attempt to make up for the food shortage in Trost District, which was a result of the loss of territory.

Anyone who was a refugee from Wall Maria and had been old enough to join the military at the time was sent on a mission to "reclaim the Wall"— except there had been no reclaiming. Really, the mission had been the King's way of reducing the population in order to make the food shortage better. On the day of the mission, twenty percent of the human population left, and only a few days later, less than two-hundred people returned.

Both of (Y/N)'s parents, despite their wealth, had gone on this mission; her father perished, but against all odds, her mother made it back alive, although she passed away shortly after.

(Y/N) remembered these significant events while she stood in a courtyard of sorts with other fifteen and sixteen-year-olds who'd applied to the Cadet Corp., waiting for their instructor to begin the orientation. (Y/N) was anxious for it to begin, and the minutes before it did felt like hours. 

When the instructor finally took his place atop the makeshift stage that was in front of the dozens of rows of cadets, (Y/N) was relieved. She and all of the other cadets saluted the man in unison.

Instructor Keith Shadis was a bald, dark-skinned, very tall and very muscular man. His mouth seemed to be fixed into a permanent scowl, and his dark eyes were sunken deep into his face; overall, he was absolutely terrifying-looking. He shouted when he spoke, although there was no need because the cadets were completely silent. "Welcome, cadets!" His voice was deep and authoritative, but he spoke more with the intent to scare than to appoint authority. "I am your instructor, Keith Shadis, but you'll all refer to me as either 'Instructor Shadis' or 'sir'! You all know why you're here, so I'll get straight down to business; this place you're standing in the middle of will be your hell for the next three years! As a reward for having the balls to enlist in this program, you're all certified Titan fodder!

For the next three years, you will be pushed so hard that you're going to want to dig your own graves, crawl into them, and die! I will break each and every one of you down, reduce you to absolutely nothing, then build you back up! I can personally guarantee you that at least twenty percent of you will find that you're in no way, shape, or form cut out to be a soldier! However, for those of you who are, you will be some of humanity's finest soldiers and certified bad-asses by the end of your time here! Do you understand?"
The instructor's voice was like nails on a chalkboard, and his words bounced around in (Y/N)'s brain. She, with the other cadets, shouted back at the instructor, "Yes, sir!"

Personally, (Y/N) was ready for the next three years, however physically painful they may be. She didn't want to serve a labor camp for the rest of her life... no, she wanted to serve something much bigger. She had a dream, which had become more of a goal; she wanted to join the Scout Regiment and see the outside world.

Shadis stomped down from the stage to roam the rows of cadets. He shouted aggressively in the faces of those who were visibly scared. He asked for names, for origins, for reasons they stood where they stood. He insulted them, made one or two cry, head-butted another, and picked a different boy up by the head. He left those from Shiganshina alone—

—Correction: he left those from Shiganshina alone with the exception of (Y/N).

Although Shadis quite literally towered over (Y/N), she still got an unwanted, up-close-and-personal look at the man. When he came to stand in front of her, she looked him directly in the eyes, and in return, he looked down at her like she was a dying animal that he intended to put in that night's soup. 

"You! Who the hell are you, Shorty?" 

"(Y/N) (L/N), sir," (Y/N) replied evenly.

Shadis grabbed her face with one of his huge, calloused hands, and squished her cheeks together. It infuriated (Y/N), but she tried not to let it show on her face.

"You look more like a doll than a fighter, (L/N)! Where the hell are you from?"
(Y/N) kept eye contact with Shadis as she slowly reached up and pulled his hand away from her face. "I'm from Shiganshina District, sir."

Someone gasped after she said this, but (Y/N) didn't know who; she also didn't know if it was because she'd touched the instructor or if it was because she'd announced that she was from Shiganshina. 

(Y/N) could feel that she was being stared at, and her eyes, for a split second, were drawn past Shadis and to two men who stood against one of the surrounding buildings, off to the side. She hadn't noticed them earlier. The taller man looked surprised, while the shorter one looked extremely bored.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Shadis barked, "Are you here willingly, (L/N)?"

(Y/N) quickly returned her gaze to his ugly face. "Yes, sir."
He narrowed his eyes and studied her face for six or seven seconds, which felt like six or seven minutes. "Very well then, (Y/N) (L/N)."

(Y/N) held her breath until Shadis stalked away to find someone else to pick on. The lucky cadet was a trembling blond boy in the row in front of her. (Y/N) was looking at the boy's back when she realized, even though she couldn't see his face, that there was something very, very familiar about him. 

"You, Blondie! Who the hell are you?" Shadis demanded. 

The boy stopped shaking and became incredibly tense. "Armin Arlert of Shiganshina District, sir!"

When (Y/N) heard these words, she forgot how to breathe. 

Shadis fired some more questions and insults at Armin, then slapped his hand on top of his blond head, insulted him once more, and spun him around so he faced the row behind him, (Y/N)'s row.

(Y/N) and Armin immediately locked eyes, and she said under her breath, "Oh, my God." 

Armin Arlert of Shiganshina District was one of (Y/N)'s childhood friends. She'd spent countless days laughing and running around and getting into trouble with him, and she'd thought she'd never, ever see him again after all these years, but now, he was just...

Standing right in front of her.

"(Y/N)," Armin whispered, looking at her with big, disbelieving eyes. 
(Y/N) struggled to keep her composure. She wanted to tackle Armin in a hug and tell him how much she'd missed him. She didn't do this, but she did wear what was the biggest smile that had adorned her face in years.

"I can't believe it... you're really here..." Armin trailed off, and suddenly, his eyes were full of light and he was wearing a big smile. "For so long, I held on to hope that you'd come here when we all became old enough! This... was yours and Eren's dream..."

(Y/N)'s face fell when he said "was". "Eren... is he... okay? And Mikasa?"

Armin nodded his head vigorously. "Yes, they're both here! Eren and I had our eyes out for you as soon as we arrived here today, although we didn't know for sure if you'd be here. He's going to be so happy to see you!"

"(L/N)! Arlert!" Shadis shouted from somewhere behind (Y/N), "Did I give either of you two permission to speak?"

(Y/N) and Armin immediately squashed their smiles and looked straight ahead. "No, sir!" they replied.

"That's what I thought! Now, shut your pie-holes or you'll be running laps around this courtyard instead of eating dinner tonight!"

(Y/N) and Armin remained silent, but let their eyes drift back to one another. (Y/N) mouthed the words, "talk later", and Armin smiled, silently agreeing.