Together We Fall (Childhood Friends Sequel// Levi Ackerman Fanfiction)

Prologue

Everything had seemed to be perfect.

Three years later, they were still walking hand in hand. She was still much shorter than him. Her curls still bounced when she walked, and her eyes still glimmered when she looked at him.

Everything had seemed to be perfect.

"Come on, Levi! You're walking too slow! We're going to be late!" she complains, running on ahead. She pouted as his pace still remained the same.

"Oi, brat, we're not going to be late!" he calls after her, shaking his head at the hyperactive brat ahead of him.

"But I miss everyone! I hadn't seen them in..." she pauses, allowing him to catch up, tugging at his sleeve, urging him to speed up. "...it's been a week, Levi! Come on! I miss them! I want to see them! I-"

"Tch, you need to calm down, brat," he sighs, catching up to her and ruffling her curls. "We're not going to be late, I promise."

The two continued to chat all the way during their walk, until they finally reached the entrance of the Survey Corps Headquarters. They didn't even have to identify themselves- everyone knew who they were by now.

Well, they all knew Levi, at least.

"Those little shits are going to be pissing themselves, I guarantee it," Levi remarks, just as they reach the meeting room.

"Oh come on, Levi. Be nice. Don't scare off the new recruits on the first day!"

"I know what I'm doing, brat. You don't have to give me directions," he pauses, grabbing her cheeks in his roughened palms. "I should be giving you directions. Don't befriend the fuckers this early on."

"But they're going to be s~oo cute, Levi!" she says, dragging out the 'o'.

"Who's going to be 's~oo cute'?" Jean asks, mocking the curly haired girls squeaky voice. He ruffles her curls, hand resting on top of her head. "My god, did you get shorter?"he asks in mock surprise.

"No, I did not get shorter, you horse face!" she grumbles, looking off to Levi. "I didn't, right?"

He narrows his silver eyes at her, looking her up and down. Finally, he settles his gaze into her big puppy eyes, biting his lip and giving her an apologetic smile. "Maybe a bit."

She goes to protest, but the Captain is suddenly called by Commander Erwin and Hanji, probably to discuss some of the higher up material. Nora and Jean are soon joined by Eren, Mikasa, Armin, Sasha, and Connie, all hugging and smiling and catching up.

"I can't believe we're all Lieutenants now!" Sasha cheers, looking gleefully around the room. "We're finally considered higher ups!"

"Yeah, but now we have a lot more responsibility," Connie grumbles, holding up the stack of papers in his hands. "They want us to not only learn all of this, but teach it to new recruits?! They've got to be kidding me!"

"It's just everything we already know," Armin says reassuringly. "We'll be fine."

"I think we have to head out now," Eren says, seeing everyone leave the room. "Should be interesting."

"What's first on the agenda?" Jean asks.

"Gear training," Mikasa says quietly as they all exit the room, following behind the the rest of the higher ups.

"Oi, Jaeger, remember your experience with gear training?" Jean teases, elbowing the turquoise eyed male in the side. "Busted your head open a few times."

"Hey, my gear was damaged!" Eren says, cheeks flaring red.

"Easy, Jean. One bite of his hand and we're all done for." Nora says jokingly, cowering behind the ashen haired man. "That Rogue Titan could take even Levi out."

"Not the Corporal!" Sasha says, genuinely shocked.

"Have you seen Eren lately? He's nearly completely in control of that Titan. Who knows what he could do."

"Good thing he's on our side, then," Connie smiles, just as everyone makes their way outside.

They broke into groups after that, each assisting a nervous group of young soldiers in using their gear even better. Jean and Nora had a jittery bunch, not much older than they were when they had graduated the Training Regimen. They were jittery, but strong. It seemed like the soldiers had gotten stronger and stronger each year.

In the years that followed the reclamation of the Walls, everyone but Nora had stayed in active duty. At the request of Commander Erwin himself, she came out of retirement to help with the overwhelming number of new Survey Corps recruits.

After a few hours of grueling gear work, everyone had decided to have lunch and relax on the soft dirt in the courtyard. They had just graduated yesterday, after all, so the Commander didn't want to push them too hard.

They were all smiling and laughing. Hanji's research on Titans had led to better blades on swords, better Titan killing tactics, and almost no deaths on a Survey Corps expedition in two years. Being a Scout wasn't a suicidal decision anymore.

The Survey Corps soldiers never lost their lives to a Titan, or even an Aberrant, any more.

It just didn't happen.

Everything had been relatively peaceful. Even the expeditions. It seemed like there were less Titans out there. They also seemed to be easier to kill. It was all just easier. And safer. And more informative. On every expedition, they were able to discover and map more land outside the walls.

Under the kind Queen Historia Reiss's orders, the Survey Corps next expedition was to find more cities like their own.

Maybe even find the ocean.

Everything seemed to be perfect.

The clouds were gathering in the sky by highnoon. There was to be a feast tonight with all of the new recruits. Because of the reclamation missions all those years ago, they were even able to get fine quality meat nowadays.

Nora had begun to talk to some of the new recruits, ignoring the dimming sunlight. It was caught behind some clouds at that moment, overcasting the sky. She was getting to know them. It was safe to do that now. The chances of friends within the Corps dying were very slim.

While everyone was deep in conversation, it happened.

No one even questioned the sudden strike of lighting that had touched down inside the Walls. It was summer, after all. Thunderstorms sometimes suddenly happened.

That much they were used to.

But there was no mistaking that sound. It was almost like thunder, cracking through the air. But instead of that crack being followed by cool summer rain, it was always followed by a shower of hot blood.

There was no mistaking the heart dropping feeling of one of the Great Walls falling.

___

Sequel finally here! 

Please vote and comment if you like it!

Dedication goes to @liv-the-outcast for being phenomenal and making covers/drawings/helping out etc. Sequel wouldn't be here without you, Liv!