...Joining...
You followed the Garrison down to the dungeons.
From what you were told, you weren't in trouble, but some superiors wanted to talk to you personally. Not that you had much of a choice to begin with.
A blond man was sitting on the bench next to a gloomy-looking one leaning against the wall. You recognized them and saluted. "Hi, you guys wanted to see me?"
"Cadet Y/n L/n, pleasure to meet you. I'm Commander Erwin Smith." He extended a hand and you shook it. "My subordinate Captain Levi and I have heard many things about you."
"Uh, all good things, I hope?"
"Aren't you the damn brat that knocked me out of the way?"
You narrowed your eyes on Levi. "Oh, that was you? You actually knocked me away."
"Tch. I had my eyes on those titans first."
"Yeah? Well I was on my way there before you."
"Levi, please," interrupted Erwin. "Don't get distracted from the reason why we asked her to come in the first place."
"Shadis should've included her shitty attitude in the referral first."
"Shadis referred me?" You knew he didn't not like you, but you didn't know he liked you that much.
"We read his full evaluation of you, and in his words, you fit every criteria of a Scout perfectly," said Erwin. "We also heard from Commander Pixis himself that you had a titan kill count of over twenty, but that was before the operation to recover Trost. How about now?"
You counted off your fingers. "Thirty-three?"
Erwin nodded. "Impressive. You agree, Levi?"
He glanced at you from the sides of his eyes. "Not bad."
"It would've been thirty-five if somebody didn't steal those last two titans from me."
"Now why the hell are you so excited about killing them? Any other soldier would've shit their pants the first time they see one, even if they've trained for three years."
You shrugged. "Because I keep in mind that I'm there to kill them. Not to be scared and run away. I just focus on my task." While bullshitting around on the side, but they didn't need to know that.
He hummed. "So Y/n, Shadis wants me to consider putting you on my team. The Special Operations Squad of the Survey Corps. Give me a reason why you deserve that spot."
You made a puzzled face. "Why do I need to give a reason? Don't you guys need me more than I need you or something?"
Erwin looked intrigued but Levi looked offended more than anything. "Why would we ever have the 'need' for you?"
"Because you're probably short on human lives, I don't know. You're the one asking me to join, so..."
Levi could not look more unamused. "We're giving you a promotion within one day of becoming a soldier. Do you want the damn chance or not?"
You thought about it. "It could be fun."
"Then answer as asked."
A reason? You wondered what Armin would say in a situation like this. What Mikasa would say. Hell, even what Eren would say. But the more you thought about it, the more fried your brain got. So you decided: fuck it.
"Because I'm strong and I'm pretty smart. I'd fight with a purpose. And I don't give up easily. I wouldn't die in vain." Those words sounded oddly familiar. Have I said them before? "And honestly? Where the hell will you ever find someone else like me? Seriously, there's no one who kills like me, no one who can think like me, and no one who cares for my comrades the way I care." Truth or not, you were really just sprouting out whatever your mind thought of.
Levi stared at you with an unreadable expression.
"Very well played," said Erwin. "Convincing speech. Levi?"
"All she did was brag about herself."
You scoffed. "Well what else do you want me to say? 'Oh dear, I'm so happy serving humanity and dying for them because everyone in the walls are such good people!' Because I don't. At least the titans just eat people. Humans themselves are capable of doing far worse things to their own kind than titans ever can." I'm really one to talk.
To your surprise, Levi snorted. "Fine, you little shit. You made the cut."
Your eyebrows jumped up. "Deadass?"
"You're officially a part of the Survey Corps regiment as the newest addition to the Levi Squad."
You stood there, taking it all in. You scratched your neck. "Oh, thanks, man." That wasn't as hard as you thought.
"Congrats, Y/n," said someone from inside the cell.
You peered through the bars, seeing someone in the bed of the dark cell. "Eren? You were here this whole time? Why didn't you say anything?"
"I'm not going to interrupt Commander Erwin and Captain Levi when they're talking."
"Huh." Your eyes trailed up to the high ceiling of the prison. "I'm surprised you're put behind bars before I am."
"Hey, this is only temporary! I'm a part of the Survey Corps too now!"
"Stop yelling! You should be lucky I haven't brought up the fact that you almost smashed me flat into a pancake!"
His breath hitched. "I did what?"
You instantly schooled your twisted expression back to normal. "What?"
Before you could say anything else, Levi lightly kicked your ankle. "Save this for later when they talk about it in court. You're done here now. Go."
"They're going to hold a case over this?"
Erwin stood up. "As a matter of fact, we should all be resting for it. You will see your friend tomorrow, Y/n. Come now."
You hit the bars with your palms, grinning ear to ear. "Have a good night in prison! Hope you find a cute rat to keep you company!"
"What a bitch," you heard him mutter, but you were already heading up the stairs, following behind Erwin and Levi, who was looking at you far too judgmentally.
. * . *
The filled courthouse was humongous. And fancy. Containing decor you've never seen in your life.
You, Mikasa, and Armin were called in as witnesses. Eren was chained to a pole in the center. Premier Zachary presented the case, which was deciding which regiment would get custody of him. The Survey Corps wanted to utilize his abilities and the Military Police wanted to cut him up. What really annoyed you were the wall cultist preaching again out of nowhere.
"Thanks to Commander Nile and Commander Erwin for stating your cases. Now then, Mr. Jaeger, I have a question for you. You have signed up as a soldier to serve humanity. Can you still serve by controlling this newfound ability?"
"Yes, I will, sir!"
"Oh, is that so? But this report from the Battle of Trost contradicts that statement." Zachary held up a paper and read off of it. "After your transformation, you made an attempt to crush Cadet Y/n L/n."
Eren turned to you with horrified eyes, and upon looking into them, it clicked to you. He didn't remember doing that. You glanced at Mikasa, whose cut on her cheek was already scarring, glaring at the Garrison next to her.
"What'd you expect? You want me to lie in the report?
"And who is this Y/n L/n?"
After a moment of silence, you raised a hand. "Hi."
"Ms. L/n, is it true that Mr. Jaeger assaulted you while he was in titan form?"
"Uh...well..."
"Answer the Premier honestly," the Garrison told you. "Eren's future depends on it."
You sighed, already feeling frustrated. "Yeah, if you put it that way, then it's true." The courthouse erupted into whispering. You kept your eyes on anywhere that wasn't Eren as you could feel his eyes burning into you.
Mikasa raised her hand. "I'd like to argue against this fact, sir."
"And you are?"
"Mikasa Ackerman. I was there when it happened and I saved Y/n before she could get killed."
"Very well."
"Eren has saved my life personally twice before. And in each circumstance, he was using his titan ability. The first was shortly after Trost fell. I was in a near death situation and although Y/n came to my rescue, Eren saved the both of us. The second time was when he transformed to shield the two of us and Armin from cannon fire. I implore you to take these facts into consideration."
"Alright, in that case, I'd also like to add something," you spoke up. "He's also saved my life a third time by punching a titan out of the way that almost had me. It technically cancels out with him almost killing me. So really, we can just pretend it never happened, right?" Mikasa elbowed you after that. "What did I say wrong?" you whispered.
"Objection," called out Nile. "I have reason to believe that personal feelings play a large part in both of their testimonies. Records show that Mikasa Ackerman was orphaned at a young age and was taken in by the Jaeger family. In addition, our own internal investigation reveals a shocking discovery." He held up the paper, reading, "Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman at the tender age of nine, dealt with three adult kidnappers by stabbing all of them to death. Indeed it was done in self-defense, but one cannot help but question their violent natures!"
The crowd dispersed into judgemental whispers.
"Are we all just going to ignore the fact that they were kidnappers?" you asked loudly, to everyone. "Would you rather the two children get abducted and sold to the underground? If that were the case, then the Battle of Trost would not have been a victory!" You could tell your point actually made sense by the way some people nodded in agreement.
"And as for this Y/n L/n, I haven't even gotten started on her history yet." He took out another paper. "By the age of eleven, she had earned herself an official criminal record. Although she could not be legally charged due to her being raised in the L/n Orphanage of Shiganshina, a government-funded children's home, her offenses includes: aggravated assault, disorderly conduct, harrassment, vandalism, and animal cruelty. Specifically for the last one, she has killed nine animals. And those are only for the ones she was caught for."
The entire courthouse erupted into pointing and cursing at you.
You pressed your lips together in a flat line. I fucked up. You thought that Hannes had cleared them all for you when he got you out of trouble. Turned out that wasn't the case. The past has finally caught up and bit you in the ass.
"She has built such a reputation that she was widely known by many children as well as adults as 'the Wicked Witch of Southern Wall Maria.'"
"It's 'Twisted' Witch, get it right," you blurted. Which did not help your case at all.
"A trio who have the facades of innocent children but have the hearts of wicked killers! I bet the two girls aren't human either!" Someone from the jury pointed over. "Especially her! Dissect that witch and string up her head!"
"You want to try me?!" You gestured for him by waving your hands, inviting him over. "Let's see it then! Come on!"
"Now hold on a second!" yelled Eren. "Maybe I'm the monster you want dead but don't you touch her! Leave her out of this! Leave them both out of this!" Then he defended his own case, shouting about how there was no sense in abandoning any sort of power that they could use to fight.
Just as he finished his final words, Levi appeared out of nowhere and kicked him square across the face. He didn't stop at one kick. He continued and it didn't take long until Eren was a bloody, beaten mess.
Mikasa took one step forward and you pulled her back. "Remember when we said that he should get a beating to teach him a lesson?" you whispered. "I think this is it."
"I never agreed to that," she hissed back.
"Mikasa, it's a show. Look at Erwin," you said, and her eyes followed yours towards his way. He was calm and composed, acting like nothing special was happening while everyone else around him was watching in agony as if they were the ones being beaten. "That's the face of a man who has a plan. And look at Levi." You looked back to him, who seemed more concentrated if anything. "Does he look angry at all to you? No, none of his personal feelings are related. They're not actually teaching him a lessonâthey're showing that the Survey Corps can."
"How are you so sure?"
"Uh, it's really just a guess. But I met them both last night. They seem to know what they're doing."
When the point was reached of Eren basically lying limp, Erwin raised his hand. "I have a proposition, sir."
"Proceed."
"Eren Jaeger should be placed under Captain Levi's supervision. And we will conduct a recon mission outside of the wall with Eren as part of the excursion. And if he successfully controls his ability, he will prove his value to mankind."
"And if he should lose control?"
"I will kill him myself," said Levi. He glanced at the three of you in the witness area. Mikasa was still glaring at him, and Armin was now the one holding her back. You were the only one underreacting, in fact, having no reaction, and Levi clearly noticed it. You could tell by the look in his eyes that he knew you were already onto them.
"What did I tell you?" you whispered to Mikasa, who had nothing else to say.
"Very well. Eren Jaeger will be placed under the custody of the Survey Corps," said Zachary, and he slammed down his gavel in its block.
* . * .
Later, you followed a Scout up the stairs to a room. He opened the door for you and you popped your head in. "Someone asked for me?"
"Y/n, welcome," said Erwin by the window. "Come, take a seat." He gestured to the bench where Eren and Levi sat. A woman with glasses and her hair in a ponytail kneeled in front of Eren with a cotton pad.
Then a man with dirty blond hair came and sniffed you. "The hell?" You stepped away.
"Hm. You smell cleaner than most people I've smelled."
"Uh, thanks?"
"Don't mind Section Commander Miche Zacharius over here. He judges first impressions on smell. Now, Levi here thinks you knew of our plan down there, to demonstrate our ability to 'control' Eren. Is that true?"
You sat down next to Levi. "Oh, that? I mean, it was really just a lucky guess."
"Don't play humble," said Levi. "You knew. I saw it in your eyes."
Eren's head popped out from the other side. "Y/n, you knew all along?"
"I just said it was a lucky guess. What, did he beat you until you were deaf?" Levi snorted from in-between.
"Even if it were a lucky guess, you have quite the strong observational skills, Y/n," said Erwin. "That is a very useful contribution to add to the Scouts. And in the future, if you have any more suspicions, please always feel comfortable to confide in me."
"Yes, sir."
"And really? Animals? No wonder you're so excited about the titans," said Levi.
"Huh?! You're also excited about the titans?!" A woman in a ponytail with glasses jumped to her feet.
"Oh, he probably meant that I'm just excited about killing them. Which I am." She visibly saddened a little. "But I have wondered many times before if humans can eat their flesh as food. Since they can eat ours, why can't we feast on them?"
She tilted her head. "Well that's... a first? I've never heard anyone wonder that before! Tell me, do you have any theories?"
"Uh, not yet, but if I think hard enough...then my brain would probably be fried but I could end up with a few."
"Don't even bother with this woman," said Levi. "Everything in her life is about titans."
"This woman is called Hange Zoe, a Section Commander." She smiled at you and shook your hand. "Nice to meet you, Y/n. So you like killing little animals? What's so exciting about them? What's the thrill?"
"The excitement lies in revenge, I guess? All of them had pissed me in one way or another, so I just made sure they wouldn't ever piss me off again. By making sure they disappeared off the face of this world."
"What'd they do to you? Did they fight you? Steal from you?"
"Yeah, one of the first I've killed was a squirrel who stole my bread. Eren, you remember that, don't you?" You got a nod from him.
She gasped as if it was scandalizing. "Stole your bread? Oh, then he had it coming."
Your eyebrows arched up. "Yes, exactly what I mean. You get me!"
Levi huffed and stood up. "I should've known two lunatics would be bound to get along. Anyhow, listen up." He pointed to you and Eren. "The two of you brats now answer to me. You take direct orders from me, and that's about it. Got that?"
"Yes, sir," said Eren, looking determined, much more than you.
"So how much higher is the pay?" you asked.
Everyone in the room turned to you with puzzled looks. "You think we get bonuses?" asked Hange with genuine curiosity.
"What? Don't tell me none of you higher-ups in the Scouts get higher pays! That's so unfair!"
"Well I didn't sign up to babysit brats with shitty attitudes either," said Levi. "Life's not fair. Deal with it."