Erwin X Levi X Eren One Shots ※ Eruriren

The Odds Are Never In Your Favour

The woman on the stage, smiling with cracked lips- dried from years worth of never taking her lipstick off- took his hand and held it high, congratulating him with a false sense of security before tottering over to the girls' batch of names.

Ironic how much it was like a raffle, as if the winner would get something that would change their life.

It would. It would end it.

'Mina Carolina.' Eren hadn't realised he wasn't listening until the girl's name had been called out. The girl looked like she was about to cry, her black pigtails falling out of the tight grips her mother had forced them into. Her outfit, charred from smoke- her parents must have worked in the factories if her state was anything to go by- looked torn and muddy but she held her head high as she walked up to the stage, giving Eren nothing more than a glance as she took the woman's other hand as she raised them both into the air.

Just like they were already victorious. But, all the crowd knew, neither of these tributes were strong enough to win. A young boy with a life far better than most his district and a girl who let a tear stray just at being chosen.

They were going to die and the audience had sealed their fate.

-

'Levi, get the fuck down here, NOW!' Kuchel screamed as Levi rolled out of bed. He peered outside, it was well into the day. Wracking his mind for any sort of clue as to why his mother was screaming at him, he stilled. It was the choosing ceremony today.

And he was definitely going to be late.

'Shit!' He called out loud enough for his mother to hear, throwing on his formal clothes. Sixteen-years-old and he still had the same clothes as from when he was ten, watching his sister- Lani- wait to be chosen. She had been.

She had come second.

Dead whether she came second or last.

After that, no matter the situation, Kuchel- his mother- had never let him put his name in more than once. This year was no different. Their frames were small, bones protruding- their ribcages showing. They hadn't eaten properly in months but as long as Levi was alive, Kuchel didn't care at all.

Levi had to live.

She wouldn't lose another child. Or anyone.

First, her husband, second her daughter and her son was still at risk. No wonder she hated the capital, no wonder Levi hated the capital. They wouldn't attend if they didn't know that they would be whipped for doing so.

They had seen that before too.

Kuchel's brother, Kenny, tied to a post and whipped for not attending with his daughter. The daughter had been spared, leading to an extra ten strikes for her father. Kenny was strong, though, and now rather punctual.

District 11, only one district from being the most hated of all of them. Agriculture, that was their job. Levi had fun plowing whilst his mum harvested. Day and night, until the blisters on their hands bled and they had to rest.

Apart from today. Today was so different. So scary in such a different way. Levi's stomach flipped as he pulled on his shoes and met his mother by the door before they scurried out without a word. The streets were already desolate. The words 'late' ringing loudly in Levi's head.

They made it a minute before the gates shut. By then, if you were late, punishment would be dished out.

Levi was pushed to the back of the queue, not able to see above the rows of far taller boys in front of him. He was still the height he was when he was twelve. Stilted growth, a side effect of not eating properly. Even by those standards, he was small, a few inches shorter than his own mother.