A Soldier’s Return | Chapter One
TITLE: A Soldier’s Return
CHAPTER: 1 | 2/? | WATTPAD VIEW
FANDOM: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
PAIRING: Levi Ackerman x Reader
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A SOLDIER’S RETURN | CHAPTER ONE
I do not own anything but my original characters for this story and my ideas.
I haven't written anything at all, so please bare with me hehe. This is sort of based between both anime and the manga itself, but if I do any mistakes, feel free to correct me. Thank you!
☽You stare out of one of the large windows of the courthouse in Mitras, your brows furrowed as you watch the soldiers from every regiment alongside with other civilians of the interior scattered about outside, probably wanting a taste of the latest gossip. You were inside the courthouse yourself, and were in the high ranks too, and yet—you weren't even aware of the situation itself. Some people are really pathetic.
"Captain,"
You snap out of your thoughts at the intrusion, flickering your gaze over to one of your comrades, arching a brow in curiosity as you move your hands behind your back, "What is it?"
"General Zackly requests your presence in his office, Captain."
You nod your head "Thank you, Cadet Arthur," before heading off towards the direction of where General Zackly's office was located, not bothering to give an ounce of attention towards the other soldiers that surrounded the place, saluting you at your mere presence.
Upon reaching his office, you gently knock on the wooden framed door as you announce your arrival before stepping inside, your eyes instantly falling on the man you've worked closely with the past five years as you shut the door behind you.
"General Zackly," you greet with a salute.
The man couldn't help but chuckle at your entrance, "After years of telling you to call me Darius, you still insist in being so formal."
"Of course, sir." you lift your shoulders in a shrug like manner before dropping your hands down to your lower back; a posture every soldier is familiar with, "I wouldn't want our fellow soldiers to think that I have no sense of respect, wouldn't want the other soldiers to think they can do the same."
He slowly nods, settling himself back against his seat behind his desk, "I suppose I should get down to business, we don't have much time to waste,"
"What could have possibly happened—"
He sighs, "We have another problem in our hands, one of the new recruits this year, well he had done the impossible or rather humanity's worst fear."
You arch a brow in curiosity, the sight of fear in his eyes were enough to set alarms in your head, "What is it, sir?"
"He was able to turn into a titan himself," he murmurs, the fear laced in his voice as he spoke the impossible.
Your eyes widen ever so slightly, feeling your muscles tense at the very idea, "What? How is this possible?"
"I do not know the full details myself, Captain. It seems that the boy did not know he held such abilities himself," he frowns, brows furrowed in slight irritation. If it was one thing that you knew, it was that Darius despised the fact of not knowing things, much like you.
You stare at the man before you, the tension was evident, working beside the man for at least five years was enough for you to know his many quirks, "What is it that you want me to do, sir? You had not wanted me to attend the hearing earlier, is this what it was all about?"
He nods in response to your second question before settling himself further into his seat, "I want you to keep an eye on him, as much as I trust the man who had offered to handle the boy—"
"You want me to leave my post and handle the situation myself, don't you?" you sigh as he nods once more, "I'm not quite fond of this situation you're handing me, General and you know he won't be very fond of me leaving my post either."
Zackly shrugs his shoulders, "It's not like he can disagree either, and you know that."
"Do I go about this alone—"
With a flick of his hand, "I'll have a few of my other soldiers by my side, your fellow comrades who decided to join you five years ago may follow you, I'm sure they would want to follow you wherever you go."
"I don't know," you sigh, "But I will do my best, sir. Does the Commander of the Survey Corps know of this decision?"
Zackly nods with a chuckle, "Of course he does, and you were right. He wasn't happy about it, but as I've said, he doesn't have a choice."
"He can't protect me forever," you sigh, "I guess I'll be paying a visit to the Commander then, it was an honour serving you by your side, General."
He nods, a small smile playing on his lips, "I couldn't be more proud of you, and you know Lucas is, too. I know why you're hesitant to leave him, but he'll be protected here."
"I know he would be," you said honestly with a sigh, "But I understand why you want me to do this, I just wish I didn't have to face a certain someone,"
Zackly nods, "However, you're bound to come across paths one way or another, and if I were you, I would find a way to at least tell him,"
You shake your head, "It's not as important as saving humanity." And all Zackly could do was stare at you sadly.
"At ease, soldiers," you command to the small group of soldiers in the middle of the room that had saluted at your entrance. You make your way to stand in front of them, hands behind your back as you survey each one of your comrades with your gaze. These four have been with you through thick and thin, despite being behind the safety of Wall Sina, all of you shared enough knowledge and skill in combat. The five of you had a year with the Scouts after your graduation in the year 843 before General Zackly had requested for you to stand by his side and run things within the three regiments.
The honour was unbelievable, but apparently Zackly had faith in your abilities, and with a final push from the now obnoxious Commander of the Survey Corps, you finally agreed. They had their reasons for pushing you, and with your situation, you had no choice but to agree. However, your departure from the regiment also meant that you had the chance to recruit some of your fellow comrades as per General Zackly. You hadn't wanted to, but your fellow squad members, loyal as they are, had not wanted to leave your side. So, they followed.
Arthur Pence
Martin Rose
Mia Rose
Zachariah Holt
As much as you five shared a friendship, even before during your training in the Training Corps, the five of you stayed together, you wouldn't have it any other way. You just hadn't expected the four of them being loyal and joining you back then. And despite having such friendship, they still have the respect for you as Captain, even after you've told them you don't mind. However, just like your conversation with the General, they replied the same way you did. They didn't want the other soldiers to think it would be okay. They were good people, and they were trained to be the best, just like you were.
"I had been asked to step down of my position," you announce, their eyes widening at this. Confusion now slowly creeping into their expressions, "Before any of you react, I had been tasked by the General to return to the Survey Corps to keep an eye on things. As you may have heard, the rumours are correct, General Zackly has given me confirmation of a fellow soldier having the ability to shift into a Titan. It is now my duty to keep an eye on things, and also to report back any progress to the General. I had been told, that if you wish to stay in your positions, you will be allowed to do so. I have the authority to transfer my position and privileges to who I see fit."
Your comrades stay silent, contemplating on their next move. Zachariah, your next in command, spoke first, "And if we wish to follow you, Captain?"
"You may do so as well," you nod, "I am giving you the free will. You must know, if you do intend to follow me, you will indeed return to being a Scout and will soon venture the walls under the Scout Commander's orders, not only will you have to answer to me, but you must follow whoever is in charge there as well, and as expected, you will have to face the dangers of beyond the walls,"
"We follow you to the death, you know this Captain." Mia announces the rest follow with a nod, "We will stay by your side."
"I'm honoured of such loyalty, I wouldn't ask for a better team," you smile at them, "However, I do wish one of you to stay. As much as I know General Zackly having other soldiers to trust, you know me, I do not wish to leave the man himself."
Arthur steps forward, saluting you once more, "If I could, Captain. I would like to take up your offer. It would be an honour to stand by General Zackly's side,"
"Then so be it," you give him a nod before turning to the rest of your team, "Pack up, we're leaving to meet with the Commander. Arthur, take care of him, will you?"
He nods in a salute, "Of course, Captain. Lucas will, too, be safe."
"It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"
A chuckle escapes your lips as you step further into his office, the sight of Commander Smith coming to view, his patch of perfectly neat blonde hair was enough for you to snicker, he never let it grew too long; the perfectionist that he is, "Five years."
"Seems awfully long," he sighs.
You slowly nod in agreement, "The General, despite making me his personal bodyguard, we do have other missions that I cannot disclose to you. I'm rarely by his side, it's mostly my team. Maybe that is why we barely crossed paths, wished you had the time to visit us more though."
"I apologize, my time as Commander takes up all of my time for such privilege" he chuckles, placing the paperwork aside as you occupy one of the seats in front of him, "I was starting to think you resented me—"
You shake your head, "You may be a pain in the ass, but I could never resent you."
"Me? A pain in the ass?" he scoffs, a small smile playing on his lips and then suddenly you finally realized how much you missed the man before you, "I could say the same about you little sister,"
You couldn't help but scrunch up your nose, scowling, "I'm not so little anymore, big brother."
"Ah," he agrees with a nod, "I suppose not. I'm glad you don't resent me as I thought you do, and I'm glad to finally see you again after so long."
"I'm glad to see you're alive," you admit with a sigh, "Not a day where I don't worry of your safety, brother. He misses you, you know."
His smile widens ever so slightly, "Will he be okay with you being away? Are you ready to be back then?"
You scoff, "I may not have been dealing with Titans, brother but that does not mean I've gone soft. I was not Top Three of my graduate class for nothing, and I trust General Zackly will take care of things while I'm gone. We've talked, he understands why I have to do this despite his age, he's too smart that one,"
"Oh, I know and I'm glad he understands," he chuckles, "You should head over to the headquarters where the boy is staying then, you know where it is. The old castle that you despise so much."
You scrunch up your features in distaste, "Hated that barmy place but I suppose it's what's best for the boy's situation. Are you sure he isn't dangerous, brother?"
He shakes his head, "Dangerous, yes. For someone who isn't fully capable of controlling his abilities, but he knows what he has to do. He wants to save humanity more than anything,"
You nod before pushing yourself to stand, "I suppose I will have to assess myself. I'll see you in a few days then, brother. My team and I will be heading there now, I wouldn't want to waste any more time than we already have,"
"Of course," he nods, watching you walk across the room towards the exit, "Safe travels, little sister. Don't give any of the soldiers hell."
You couldn't help but grin and send a wink towards his way, "Now, where would be the fun in that?"
"You can't be serious, Erwin!" you practically hiss, slamming your hands down on his desk, "How can you be so sure we can trust him? He's—"
He holds a hand up to silent you, causing you to glare, "Enough, Y/N. I know of the reasons of your distrust, but I'm not asking you to trust him, I'm asking you to trust me."
"What will that trust of yours get you?" you yell, halting your words at the sound of someone's entry.
The raven-haired man steps inside, his voice monotone as he speaks, "Is this a bad time? I'll leave—"
"Tch." you start before heading towards his direction, sending a glare at him, "I don't know what you're up to, but if you try anything with Erwin, I will personally hunt you down." you hiss before leaving the office and slamming the door shut behind you.
"Tch, you're stupid." you roll your eyes as you stare up ahead to view the town, a small smile playing on your lips at the sight of the beauty from the hill, the cold air brushing against your skin.
He almost chuckles and you wanted to see his face just to see if you had grown delusional but you refrain yourself, not wanting to give him the satisfaction, "Of course you would say that."
"I don't know what you did for my brother to trust you so much," you sigh, shaking your head, "but I'm still keeping my eye on you, and it doesn't help that you admitted to only joining the Scouts to—"
He interrupts with a sigh,"I know. I'm sorry, and I will continue to be sorry until you forgive me."
"Why?" You ask in confusion, turning your head to face him, "Why does my forgiveness matter so much to you? Erwin seems to have forgiven you, in fact, he trusts you, that should be enough. I don't know why you continue to bother me, my mind won't change about you."
The corners of his mouth tug down to a small frown at your words, tearing his gaze away from you to look up ahead; shame etched in his features, "I don't know why Erwin has forgiven or trusts me so much, and I most certainly do not deserve your forgiveness for my actions but the mere sight of your anger and the disgust etched on your face every time you look at me—I just, I don't know myself. All I know is, I need to make peace with you."
"Driving you insane then?"
He chuckles, feeling a lump form in the back of his throat, "It has."
All you could do was stare at him, the glare you had as he spoke, suddenly softening. You quickly recover yourself, looking back up ahead; not wanting to give in and give him the easy route despite sounding sincere, "Good."
"Stop fidgeting!"
You wince as you felt a sharp pain everywhere in your body, "Don't tell me what to do!"
"Stop being a brat and let me fix this so we can get the hell out of here!"
You couldn't help but glare at the man that was trying to be as gentle as he can with your wounds, "You shouldn't have gone back. You should have—"
"I'm not leaving you, Y/N!" He practically yells as he flickers his gaze over to you, you couldn't help but flinch. Your breath hitches in the back of your throat as you meet his gaze; determination and desperation mixed in his orbs, "I'm not leaving you here to be Titan food, you're okay. I'll get you out of here."
That was all you heard before you slowly succumb into darkness, it was better than feeling pain.
You wake up groggily, your eyes flickering slowly but you soon regret the action as the light practically stabs you in the eyes. You let out a groan, letting your eyes get adjusted.
"You're awake," you hear his voice from next to you. As you blink your blurry vision away, he suddenly comes into focus on the side of the bed you occupied; from the surroundings you could see, it was most likely the headquarter's infirmary.
"Levi..." You croak, wincing slightly as you tried to move.
"Tch." You hear him, "don't move, brat. The doctor said everything's going to feel like shit."
You couldn't help the laugh that left your lips, "No shit." He grins. "Stop grinning like a maniac, it's disturbing. What happened?"
He starts talking, words spilling out of his mouth about how the expedition outside the walls were nowhere near successful, still not having any information regarding with the Titans. However, somehow you didn't care. You feel grateful to be alive. You cut him off, "Levi?"
"What?" He asks, brows furrowing. With little strength that you could muster, you grab his shirt to pull him closer to you, pressing your lips to his softly and mumbling, "Thank you."
"Well, I certainly didn't miss this ghastly place," Mia announces your arrivals in distaste as you all unmount your horses.
You move towards the head of your dark Arabian horse, smiling as Thunder nuzzles against your face. "Thank you boy," you mumble softly as you pat him affectionately. Your gaze falls upon the handful of soldiers scattered about near the vast compound, watching you and your team in curiosity and in a slight defensive manner, you couldn't blame them, it wasn't as if they knew you or were aware of this.
"Halt!" one of them yells as they cautiously approach, you arch a brow in curiosity. "State your business."
You knew that it wouldn't be that quick to send word of your arrival and mission to those who are now residing in the headquarters, so despite the soldier's demanding tone, you spoke calmly "Stand down, soldier. We are here under orders from General Zackly."
They slowly let their guards down, however, still hesitant. Zachariah chuckles at the sight of their tense postures as you approach the castle's entrance, "So much for a welcoming party, ay?"
You slowly turn your attention over to a raven-haired boy that stood near the entrance, you had not noticed him earlier but at the sight of certain soldiers suddenly shuffling over to him with a protective stance, you couldn't help but wonder if this was the new recruit that you were told about, "Eren, am I correct?" You couldn't help the amused smirk curling up your lips at the sight of the fellow scouts that stood protectively around the boy tense up. You extend your arm out to hold out your hand towards his direction, "It's an honour to work with humanity's hope."
You watch as his eyes widen at your words, slowly stepping forward despite the protests from his fellow soldiers that surrounded him. You suddenly felt pride for the boy before you as he holds your hand for a shake, and with a nod for response. There was nothing much to say, the fear was evident in his eyes but it had a mixture of respect and determination, you admire that about him.
"Now," you start as you remove your grip on Eren's hand, turning your gaze over to one of the soldiers that stood around him protectively, still amused at them, "Where can I find the soldier in charge?"
"Captain Levi's in his office," the female soldier who had short ginger hair with amber-coloured eyes speaks over the sneering male soldiers, "The second floor."
"Of course Levi's in charge," you mutter underneath your breath as you roll your eyes. You turn your attention over to the soldier who spoke and nod in appreciation, before turning away from the group. Glancing over your shoulder to speak over to your team, "I'll be right back, make sure not to cause any trouble while I'm gone."
"Now," Martin chuckles, a small playful grin playing on his lips, "Why on earth would we do that?"
"Tch." you roll your eyes before entering the castle that you have grown accustomed to a while back when you first started in the Survey Corps after you had graduated. You didn't expect much has changed, so you hadn't bothered to examine the interior as you head upstairs to where you were directed; you had expected where the office the woman had mentioned was. It was yours after all, it was the only office on the second floor, or at least it was, you weren't quite sure. It had been a while, so maybe they did renovations, but you weren't sure of it. Either way, you had a vague idea of where the office was.
And as expected, the gold plaque on one of the wooden doors that had Captain Levi in bold letters catches your eye, and it indeed leads to the old office that you once owned. Not wanting to waste another second, you cross the distance and knock on the door.
There was a muffle of, "What is it this time?" behind the door and you couldn't help but roll your eyes at the grumpiness his voice radiated.
Not wanting to reveal your identity just yet, you didn't wait to be invited in; and you didn't care if it were to annoy the man that occupied the room, you simply let yourself in. Your eyes fall on the raven-haired man that sat behind his desk, at your mere presence his eyes widens. "I'm here to accompany you supervising Eren Yeager during the duration of his stay in the Survey Corps."
"Under whose orders?" he inquires, keeping his expression calm but you knew better, you knew him better.
You step further into the room, examining the clean surroundings appreciatively—it was as if you never left, "General Zackly's," you muse, before turning your gaze over to him, "Don't fret, you can go on as plan and imagine as if my team and I aren't here."
He mutters underneath his breath, "Tch. Typical of Zackly to send someone to watch over us,"
You hum in response before plopping yourself down one of the seats, "I'll be blunt, he obviously doesn't trust you, and I will try not to get in the way as much,"
"And let you in on expeditio—"
You simply cut him off, "I know the drill, I was a Scout before, Levi. I know you haven't forgotten of such a fact and it isn't up to you whether I join expeditions. You may have risen up in the ranks, but I do not answer to you."
He narrows his gaze, "Tch. So you left because—"
"I do not appreciate your assumptions of me either, Captain." you start, practically almost sneering but you kept your emotions in check as you continue, "I was in the Survey Corps until my team and I have been handpicked by General Zackly himself to move our positions to the Interior, but I assure you I am best at what I do, you of all people should be aware of such. So don't make unnecessary comments about myself, as I don't make unnecessary comments about you, and trust me, I have plenty. However, I shall hold those opinions to myself until I see fit to put you in your place,"
He stares at you in disbelief, his jaw clenching ever so slightly. Clearly, you weren't afraid of him like the other soldiers are, you never were, "Tch. It's not like I can do anything about it. Very well..." he trails off, surveying your uniform with his gaze, noticing the familiar symbols of a captain etched in the fabric, "Captain...?"
You slowly stand from your spot, walking towards the door where you entered from, "This isn't a social call, Levi. I'm here because it is my duty." you simply state, not wanting to stay in the confinements of his office any longer than you have to. You didn't even have to look back to know his reaction, you know for a fact that the mere act of his name rolling off of your tongue was enough for him to go on edge, "Oh, and Levi?" you drawl, glancing behind your shoulders, a small smirk playing your lips at the sight of his flustered face at the mention of just his name, "I loved what you did with my office, just the way I like it. Clean."
Without another word, you left the room as you close the door behind you, a small smirk playing on your lips as you left to find your team.
Meanwhile, inside the office, a certain captain had sat in his chair, staring at where you stood moments ago, completely bewildered by the whole conversation and your return. Slightly irritated, of course. Who didn't irritate the Captain on a daily basis? He wants so much to hate you, the mere thought of someone supervising him was enough to irritate him, but he wanted to hate you for so much more.
Most of all, it didn't help that you were still breathtaking.
