Cabin couple [Levi X Reader]

Arrival║Betrothed to duty

The small, quaint church was adorned with flowers and the pastel-coloured curtains cascaded down the humungous windows. To those who didn't know and thought this was just another normal marriage between two people, it was a pretty sight filled with merriness. They chatted away happily, unconcerned.

But the survey corps' members, all dressed in their formals, were nowhere near excited, or being glad. Well, there always are exceptions. For example, Hange was getting enthusiastic about a marriage that was betrothed to duty. She'd even done prior preparations. She lit scented candles of white and mild beige that dispersed a serene scent throughout the church. And the flower decorations were all of Hange's work. She too, chattered away happily with all the guests. But Erwin and the others could sense the unfelt tension and were extremely concerned about what was coming. All they could do was murmur in hushed, serious voices.

You and Levi stood at the altar, each of you taking your turns to glare at each other. You were in an outfit that you never even imagined you'd wear. A long white gown cascaded like fresh snow down your body. An A-lined skirt trailed behind you, and every rustle it made, only happened to annoy you even more. The long veil on your head trailed behind like a silken waterfall, and you could only imagine yourself looking like a clown with roses in its hands. But that wasn't true. What you thought and how you looked wasn't true. You were giving off such a charismatic glow, that even Levi couldn't deny that fact.

Speaking of Levi, he wore a black tailored suit that hugged his small frame. But for quite an average body height, he did have a good outline of his broad shoulders and the lapels seemed to add prominence to that. Beneath the jacket, he wore a crisp white shirt and a black silk tie. He wore fitting tailored trousers and his black shoes shone with every scuff they made. You didn't understand what the watch and cufflinks were for, but when you saw Hange, you immediately understood how they ended up where they were. Your eyes roamed him over from top to down, which Levi seemed to notice. Your eyes meet his and you immediately look away, trying to hold back gritting your teeth. 

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting in this ridiculous arrangement, the priest arrived and started the ceremony. With a gentle tone, which you felt was unnecessary, the priest spoke, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Levi Ackerman and (Y/N) (L/N) in holy matrimony." The tension in the air was palpable, and both Levi and you were keenly aware that this union was beyond choice: It was Betrothed to Duty.

You were anything but a blushing bride in a dress you clearly despised. Your face displayed clear disgust and defiance. Levi was equally uncomfortable in this pathetic act of a union and stood there with his jaw clenched. Erwin shot you both a look of warning. His eyes always talked. And you could tell what they were saying–'Put up the act or after this, you both will see it coming'. With that, you forced a convincing smile, and Levi hid his annoyance behind a neutral face.

The priest continued, "Do you, Levi, take (Y/N) to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" 

"I do," Levi's answer was firm, even if it was an act. And his grey eyes met yours briefly and you were resisting so hard not to scowl at him.

"And do you, (Y/N), take Levi to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?", the priest added.

"I do", you said, your voice somewhat laced with disdain, unlike Levi's. 

The exchange of the rings took place and it was a cold, mechanical act. Levi took your hand in his and slipped a silver band up your ring finger. You did the same thing, and while you did, you ensured not to forget to crush his hand in yours before letting go. But he seemed so less affected by it, that he didn't even flinch. This exchange of rings symbolised the mission that bound you both together–a mission that neither of you wanted.

Finally, the moment arrived. The moment you hoped would never inch closer, arrived. Not realising how this would impact you both, the priest said, "You may now kiss your partner."

You glanced at Erwin worriedly, who nodded at you. That meant–'Go on ahead, we already agreed to this'. You turned to look back at Levi, and both your eyes expressed mutual disgust. Like that, both of you leaned in for a chaste and unenthusiastic kiss that was forced. With that, your lips met and reflected the bitterness of the whole situation. You could hear Hange squeaking with happiness on seeing the no-nonsense Levi kiss a woman for the first time.

As you pulled away, you didn't exchange glances of understanding, you never meant to. There was no glimmer of connection, only the weight of facing a mission that you still never understood why you had to do. Even if you had to, why did it have to be this way? There were many other ways. But Erwin chose this one, and you had to listen to him.

***

You were Erwin's most trusted personal assistant. His Lieutenant. It was your innate wisdom and unyielding strength that he saw in you which made him let you carry the responsibilities of the regiment and have a hand in the decisions taken. It was so wonderful, all the way along where you were the only figure of prioritized respect. For anything important, people would immediately consult you first. For doubts, they always came to you. They relied on you, they called you strong, and they admired you. You were indeed a very skilled soldier with unimaginable intellectual abilities and resilience that even Erwin couldn't help but put you second in command for the scout regiment.

But these happy days of authority and popularity didn't last long until when Levi came. This rat just popped out of nowhere and his strength was on par with yours. And to his advantage of being a man, he was stronger than you. People gaped at him with their jaws hanging down to the ground whenever he pulled a stunning move. And as though seasons changed, everyone started surrounding Levi and calling him the strongest. Not long after he joined, he came to be known as 'Humanity's strongest soldier'. Erwin made him corporeal and as if you weren't enough, started including Levi in his meetings for advice.

It happened very fast, the growing closeness between Erwin and Levi. This only led to an unhealthy rivalry between you and Levi. No way in hell you'd let some random underground pest take over the spotlight. You would never let someone replace you. Soon, from nobodies, you both became enemies. At first, Levi was least bothered by your actions of proving yourself to be better than him. But to this man of emotionlessness and sternness, your presence was too dominating. You were the only one Levi took some notice of since you started going against him to prove that you were better. And as if automatically, he accepted the battle without exchanging any words.

Whenever he sliced off a titan like a bolt of lightning, he'd give you a look. A look at which you found your blood boiling. What does this short goblin think of himself? That you can't take out another dumb titan just like he did? Oh, how wrong this guy is! You'd roll your eyes at him after he gave you that look, fly off into the air swiftly and slice another titan's neck. You'd land in front of the titan heroically while the titan would make an impact on the ground with a huge thud. You'd stretch your blades to your sides and look at Levi with a smug look on your face. He'd just frown and ride away on his black horse. That frown was it. You'd savour witnessing that disapproving frown, as though he thinks 'That's nothing', but in reality, he used to be very perturbed by it. 

Because he joined quite late, his kill count wasn't equal to yours. But his kill count rapidly increased with every mission and so did yours. But Levi would slay Titans in a much cooler way in comparison to you, which seemed to piss you off. Whenever no one was looking, you always tried to imitate the unique way he held his blades or the way he'd spin in mid-air while terminating a titan.

One fine day, you were heading to Erwin's office to submit all the paperwork about the previous mission's analysis you'd done. As you were about to turn into another corridor that led to Erwin's office, you bumped into someone and because of this, you accidentally dropped all the paperwork that was neatly stacked. You looked up to see Levi whose mouth was twisted in annoyance as he squatted to help you pick all the paperwork up. You did the same.

While picking up the paperwork, he said, "You have eyes, use them." You scowled hard at him to which he replied with a glare.

After a prolonged silence of picking the paperwork up and arranging them neatly as they were before, he again said, "Thought the rumours about your ability to see omnidirectional were true. But you just proved me wrong. Disappointing."

"Look who's disapproving of my abilities.  The 'Oh-So-Great-Captain-Levi' who wasn't looking forward while walking and after bumping into someone, is blaming their inability to see. If you have such good eyes, then you could've at least stayed out of my way."

"My case is different, brat," he said. And with that, he gave way to the writing on the wall. You set the paperwork down and lunged at him for calling you a brat. But before you could do something, he held your wrist tightly, preventing you from attacking him. You stared daggers at him and tried to kick him with your feet. One attempt was successful and a kick landed right in his abdomen. He winced slightly but didn't budge, which added more fuel to the burning fire within you. Why did he have to act so tough? That's too much audacity for a short man like him.

"Stop acting like a brat and grow up for once," he said in a deep authoritative tone. And yet again, he called you a brat. But what followed was the most unexpected thing. He pinned you to the wall nearby and stared deeply into your eyes with his grey ones. A moment of shared glances and... He slapped you across the cheek. His fingers stung and printed red marks on your face. You stared at him in disbelief as he let go of you and walked away without another word.

That was the first ever interaction you had with him and it started on a very sour note. Still frozen by the previous encounter with him, you slowly bent down to take the paperwork and made your way to Erwin's office. With your head hanging low and something dark brewing in your eyes, the wildest and most cruel thoughts engulfed your brain like wildfire. You knocked on Erwin's door and he asked you to enter.

Dark thoughts still going on in your brain, and you set the paperwork on Erwin's desk. He seemed to notice the red marks on your face. 

With a serious yet concerning tone of voice, he asked, "What happened?"

To which, you replied menacingly, "I'm going to destroy Levi Ackerman."

***
You were just laying the foundation for your plans to destroy Levi Ackerman when Erwin proposed a very stupid mission in which you both were tied together. The military regiment sent a letter to the scout regiment, informing them about the permission legally granted to them by the king to execute you and Levi Ackerman. Even though they didn't specify the reasons for your execution, it was clear why wanted to execute you both.

According to Erwin, and almost everyone's agreement, it was to weaken the survey corps. The idea was simple, the fall of the two strongest corps members who led more than half of the corps during missions would lead to a regiment with poor stability and strength, which would give rise to criticism and protests against the regiment's existence and the wastage of taxes for weaker souls. The death rate of the corps will eventually increase, wiping out most of them. This will eventually lead to the disbanding of the whole regiment since it serves no clear purpose or brings any greater safety or advantages to the people. 

"Those pigs just want a hugry share of the taxes for their selfish satisfactions," Levi said, clearly disgusted by their ideologies. You knew that he was from the underground, and you were sure that gave him every right to dwell in hatred dedicated to them.

What came next made your heart burn and scorch and dry. You felt like taking a knife and destroying every little thing that appeared in front of you. You fell onto your knees, your eyes wide with a dark aura emitting from them. 

"So, on the day of the execution, Levi shall get married to (Y/N). It'll delay the execution, as they might as well show some pity, and not possibly hold another important thing to be done while one already is going on." Erwin's every word came out as a shoot of an arrow straight into the heart.

You wanted to scream and shout and run amok. You wanted to choke the life out of yourself. To get married to the one for whom you held no emotion other than clear hatred was absolute nonsense. Why should you even marry Levi? The very same person that made you forgotten, that made you look low, that made you look useless, that touched your cheek with pain?

No way in hell you could do this.  You could feel everything in front of your very eyes playing tricks with you. Every colour seemed to dance and laugh and mingle with the other. It was a desk in Erwin's office, and at the same time, it wasn't. Suddenly, everything looked blank. It wasn't black, it wasn't white, it wasn't grey.