Devil's Adherent (Female!Levi X Male!Reader)

7. Humanity's Grim Reminder

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Your POV
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Year 845

It's early morning in the Shiganshina District of Wall Maria and the Survey Corps is ready to set out on yet another expedition, with about five minutes left until the gate is raised and we meet our 'old friends' again.

In front of the expedition team is Keith Shadis, the 12th commander, ready to lead us into, what I expect to be, another botched operation. It would be no surprise, though. He's just trying to finish his term as commander and can't wait to let Erwin take charge. It's all that his eyes say, after all.

Behind him is Erwin's squad, which consists of Erwin, myself, Levi, Miche, and Hange. Erwin and Miche are in front of us, while we three are behind them, with Levi being in the middle, me being to the right of her and Hange to the left of her.

Everyone is nervous, to say the least. By now, all of us are aware of how the expeditions usually go. We set out, kill some titans, fail to establish an outpost, and return with half of our manpower, sometimes even less. The cycle was redundant and there was no use continuing, as some people put it, and unsurprisingly, we get under a lot of fire from the general populace because of this.

Personally, I couldn't give two shits about what they think, even if they may be right. All that matters to me are the duties I must perform as a soldier and the safety of my comrades.

The unnerving silence, occasionally disrupted by some muttering from the crowd, is then broken completely by Hange, or as Levi puts it, 'Shitty Glasses'.

Hange: "Man....Why do we have to wait this long? It's so boring!"

Levi: "You seem eager to get into a Titan's jaws."

'Oh, boy. Here we go again.'

Hange: "Oh, I sure would love to! Except, we don't have a way to capture those magnificent giants."

Me: "There are many ways to describe a titan. Magnificent is not one of them."

Hange snickers like a crazed lunatic, before looking towards us again.

Hange: "Oh, you're really missing out, Y/N! You'll understand when you stop being such an old man!"

'What did she just say?'

I look towards her, clearly offended.

'Did she just call me old?'

I'm about to respond with an insult of my own, but am cut off by Levi.

Levi: "What even makes you think that you can capture them in the first place?"

Hange: "Nothing! Because I can't, so that's why you two will help me!"

"Absolutely not."

Hange: "Heh. Ah, well. It was worth a try."

Erwin: "Quit the chatter. It's time to depart."

I look towards my stopwatch and see that four minutes have passed. The town bells have started tolling, signalling our departure, and the gate which separates humanity from the plain of the titans has started to rise.

Glancing towards the crowd around me, I can see the usual looks, which vary from worry to disgust. But something else catches my eye.

Two kids. A boy and a girl, who look to be about ten years old. The dark haired boy is wearing a greenish-brown undershirt with a dark brown cardigan on top and as his green eyes meet mine, the smile on his face is one of the largest I have ever seen. Once he realizes that I'm looking at him, he suddenly gets worried, before I nod at him, upon which, he becomes even more jovial.