Longing to Be Known | Levi Ackerman x OC

6

-Kaisa-

Levi and I swung ourselves up the wall slowly to enjoy the breeze against our bodies. He was never in a rush for preparations prior to an expedition. Levi always carried himself with a calm, and sometimes, cold demeanor, but he was never aggressive unless his hands were tied...

Well, at least to his comrades.

"Don't you know it's rude to stare?" Levi taunts with his cool tone. He didn't even bother to look at me.

"Tch, not everything is about you, Levi." I roll my eyes.

He raises an eyebrow.

"It's seems to be that way, doesn't it, Humanity's Tempest?" He teases arrogantly.

We arrive at the top of the wall before I can retort, but frankly, I know he's just teasing me in his own weird way. I never questioned his own approach to things. Everyone knew that Levi had a mysterious background—we didn't even know his last name, and I wasn't sure if he knew either. But, his last name didn't matter to me that much, all I needed was Levi to help bring our scouts back alive.

And I would gladly give my life for that cause.

"Is your brain taking a huge shit or something? You're out of it today." He asks.

Hearing words like those used in a relaxed manner was in itself pure comedy.

"It's not funny. You have four cadets relying on you to do your job: teach them and try to keep them safe as best as you can. Don't let them die a pointless death because of your incompetence." He remarks.

Once again, Levi managed to shove a spear of truth in my chest which resonated within me. I search his face for any other intentions, but his eyes are dark; he's serious. He leaves me to meet with his squad and my mind's been rattled. I don't know why my thoughts have been so scattered recently. Maybe it was that weird encounter with that one kid with the eyes, or maybe it was the fact that my squad seemed to be all over the place. Everything was so hectic.

"Captain Kaisa?" I hear someone call from behind me.

I close my eyes and let out a breath. I face them, peering into their souls and remind them of the different codewords we created during our meeting earlier to communicate better on the field without wasting too much energy. Determination and focus are painted over their faces, not a single member showing a sign of backing down from our goal. We can do this.

And I'll keep them safe.

"Squad Leaders! Begin to position yourselves with your team, we begin in 15 minutes." Erwin called out from down the line.

"You heard the man, grab your horses and meet me near the right wing." I smile.

"Yes, ma'am!"

They scurry off to grab their horses and to let out some jitters I follow quickly behind using my ODM gear to spin throughout the air. Stares follow me as I dance across the sky on the way towards my horse, Grace. Within a couple of seconds, I find myself in front of the stables jogging towards her with a smile on my face. Even after 3 years, Grace has saved me countless times with her incredible speed and I don't know what'd I do without her. I see my soft reflection as I lock eyes with her brown ones and I pet her black head moving towards the beautiful brown hair.

I press my head into the side of hers as if to give her my thanks and find myself captured in the image of everyone praising their horses in their own way. It was truly beautiful seeing everyone hugging or petting their horses with such care. Times like these remind me that at the end of the day, every life no matter how short is worth fighting for. My sight falls upon a raven-haired soldier who seems to be cupping his horses face with a hand and a warm feeling fills my chest. How wholesome, I knew Levi was more than his cold exterior.

I tug on the reigns attached to Grace's head and she allows me to lead her towards our position before letting me swing my legs over her to ride. I search the large crowd in front of me for four small cadets and find them huddled in front of me. They seem to be yelling at each other, but something is different this time.

They're laughing.

Mina swats Tsukishima with her right hand and uses the other to point up at his neck while his laugh rings out among the soldiers. Kageyama seems to be a bit detached but finds himself being comforted by Kiyoko as she uses her hands to explain possible justifications for the behaviours of her two comrades. Four cadets, four different personalities, and four different dreams all in one small huddle.

And yet, pain fills my chest. This wouldn't last forever, it never did. One cadet from this group would learn the skills to be a true titan slayer, but the rest would most likely die before they'd even be able to go on an important expedition. Even if this was true, I was not going to let a single one of them die today. Not one. My hand strokes Grace's fur and she begins to trot over to my group of idiots.

"Oi, oi! Looks like we're all set, huh?" I call out to them.

For once, there's a smile amongst all of their faces.