'Levi! Will you stop- GAH! Let go of me! KNOCK IT OFF!'
'Hange, this is for your own good!' Levi growled, as Hange once again tried to escape his nail brush and sponge.
After the glasses-wearing clumsy-clod yet again tripped over their own feet into the soil, Levi could no longer stand the sight of the dirt clogging up Hange's nails, and decided to take matters into his own hands.
After emerging from their trip to the basement and sweeping his brief emotional outburst under the rug, Levi had persuaded Hange to assist in some "scientific matters" in his room the next morning- where he had pounced on them with multiple hygiene products.
'Levi, I don't want to have to break your wrist, but I will.' Hange complained, squirming under Levi's weight as he knelt on top of them to keep them still while he gripped their palms.
'Very well, but I will snap your fingers in return.' Levi retorted, focusing hard on Hange's left thumb nail.
'Don't say I didn't warn you!' Hange whipped their right arm from underneath Levi's knee, swiping to grab his jacket with enough force to pull him off of them completely.
He struggled to quickly climb up and recapture his grubby victim, but Hange was too quick for him, and was poised ready for combat before he could assault their nails again.
'Thou shalt never eradicate thy natural filth!' They made their battle cry, while Levi rolled his eyes.
'Do you think acting like an adult is something you can manage?' He sighed, watching Hange's muscular form take a defensive stance.
'I'll start acting like an adult when you stop invading my personal space.' They responded.
'Hange, if there's anybody who doesn't understand the concept of personal space, it's you.' Levi shook his head, and moved forward again.
Hange took this as another imminent attack, so they moved swiftly, hooking their leg around Levi's kneecaps, and swiping him off his feet. They knew it wouldn't hurt him, just stun him and possibly knock the pride he paraded around in front of everybody.
Grunting in surprise, Levi leapt back to his feet, narrowing his eyes.
'Very well, if that's how you want it.' He warned, and raised his arms into position ready for hand-to-hand combat.
Hange was about to strike again, but then they stopped. For some reason, Levi's position rendered them stunned, and some spark of familiarity ignited inside their mind. Why did they feel like they had seen this man before, years before they had ever joined the corps?
Levi lowered his hands, confused at Hange's sudden silence. They had their brows furrowed, their mouth open, like they were trying to decipher a particularly difficult sentence to say.
'I-I....I'm sorry I was having a flashback.' Hange gawped, eyes still staring at Levi's fists.
'........okay.' Levi said uneasily, moving his palms behind his back.
What memory were they seeing? Did they really remember it?
'Captain Levi, there's been- oh..' The strange tension in the air was disrupted by commander Erwin entering the room, but starting when he saw Hange and Levi's apparent stand-off.
'Commander?' Levi acknowledged him, eager to dispel whatever feelings Hange was radiating around him.
'There's been another breach at Wall Rose, there have been reports that the colossal Titan appeared and did this, we need emergency support to stop the Titans breaching further access points. I'll explain on the way, we need to move.' Erwin's serious tone brought Hange back to their senses, and was instantly falling in step with the Commander and Captain as they made their way towards the courtyard.
They were soon fully informed of the situation at hand: as had happened in the past, a group of soldiers had been patrolling the northern outskirts of Wall Rose, by the Utopia District, when the colossal Titan appeared as it did five years previously. The abnormal Titan had smashed a hole in the wall, allowing an estimated nine normal Titans ranging from fifteen to ten feet to enter the district. Repeating the behaviour witnessed by Eren, the colossal Titan ignored the humans and seemingly vanished into thin air once the breach was created.
As the trio entered the courtyard they found the rest of the juvenile scout regiment waiting, and Eren scrambled over to them, followed in tow by his solemn sister Mikasa.
'Commander, what do you want me to do? Will you need me to transform, to seal a hole again?' The young cadet fervently questioned.
'We need to survey the surrounding area first, who knows how many Titans have come or gone since the last report. We also need to find out if there's even something we can use to seal.' Commander Erwin explained patiently.
'Levi squad will join with Hange squad under their direction to deal with the Titans already in Utopia district. Eren, you will travel with me and squad leader Zacharius, we will move along the walls to view the situation and asses whether your transformation will be safe from what we find from there, everybody understand?' The commander barked out to the wide-eyed regiment before him.
'Yes, sir!' They all chorused back, then scattered to assemble their ODM gear and horses to travel.
Levi sensed this probably wasn't a suitable time to make a sour remark about the pain of being paired with Hange's haphazard leadership. Instead he nodded in response to the commander, and also to assure Eren that the commander's instruction was legitimate.
'Wait, Commander, I respectfully request to join you and squad leader Zacharius.' Mikasa stepped forward, her face composed.
Hange saw the Commander puzzling out the implications of taking on another cadet with him, and then looked at Mikasa, the secret expression of desperation in her eyes. Hange didn't even need to be told much of the adopted siblings story to understand that Mikasa would stop at nothing to ensure her brother's safety- Hange could sense their overwhelming bond forged in steel before they had even known their names.
'Commander, I implore you to agree, cadet Ackerman is a widely skilled soldier, and possibly the only one who can control Jaeger should he lose control of himself again.' Hange encouraged, and felt the silent communication of thanks Mikasa sent them with a look.
'Very well, cadet Ackerman, you'll assist us and act as a personal guard to cadet Jaeger.' The commander agreed and mounted his horse, beckoning his small group to do the same.
It was then agreed that, like previous missions, the regiment would act in response to which smoke signals the Commander released once in position. Green indicated that Eren would transform with the sole purpose of sealing the breach. Yellow indicated that Eren would transform, but to act as defence for the soldiers as there is no material suitable to seal the breach. Red indicated that Eren would not be transforming, and would join the regiment to fend off the present Titans while the Commander decided what the best course of action was from there. And as always, black meant emergency and total abandonment of the mission.
With a few more moments of planning and organising the terrified cadets, the Commander and Mike were racing away through the surrounding trees with Eren and Mikasa in tow, blades glinting in the sunlight.
'Chins up, cadets, courage is the key!' Hange tried to call out with some cheer, but felt it wasted on the young cadets who were still haunted by their previous experiences with the Titans.
'Why did you stick your nose into that Ackerman business?' Levi questioned them as Hange secured the stirrups on their horse's tack.
'What happened to that whole hero complex bullshit?' Levi continued, mounting his own horse simultaneously.
'She loves him, Levi.' Hange sighed, almost wistfully, avoiding eye contact with the captain.
'So it's ok to stupidly risk your life to save someone who can't be saved, so long as you love them? A little hypocritical don't you think?' Levi pressed.
'It's complicated, alright. Hence the word complex. Anyways, we don't have time for this, are you leading the way or am I?' Hange gathered the reins.
'After you, Your Hypocritical Highness.' Levi muttered and watched Hange call the attention of all the cadets, and click their heels to push their horse into a gallop.
Levi signalled to the cadets to follow, and soon they were charging across the wooded expanse towards the northern district. Levi drew in by Hange's side, and watched their shining eyes fixed ahead of them, light reflecting from their glasses. Their unkempt hair flew out behind them, the wind racing through each strand and raising it like a wild copper halo. They moved in motion with their horse, their body rocking back and forth with each of the footfalls and the uneven terrain beneath them.
Surprisingly, Hange said nothing the entire journey, nor did they make eye contact with any other cadet. Usually Hange's relentless chatter could not be stopped, but once in a mission with a serious objective in mind, Hange went through an instant transformation into a stoic, determined leader, even if a little unorthodox.
Levi found comfort in this, he knew he could always rely on his fellow squad leader when it counted, they never missed a beat when people's lives depended on their direction.
But he still fell into silent contemplation, how many lives would be lost today? How many of the pale faces in line behind him would be missing on their inevitable retreat? Although he had faith in the Commander, Levi had borne witness to so many failures on their part. In the grand scheme of nature, he mused, humans would never be the top of the predatory pyramid, and that was how it was always going to be.
They could fight, of course they could fight until every last one of them lay dead on the ground, but what for? Did everyone forget that humans occupied only a microscopic portion of the earth, and that about ninety percent of the world now belonged to the Titans? Levi wished he didn't have this natural pessimism, but it dominated his thoughts almost every waking moment, and he struggled to keep it from driving him completely insane.
Looking back at Hange once again, he felt himself filling with an overwhelming gratitude for them. It was their effervescence that kept his dark mind from spiralling into true despair. Despite their clashing traits that caused many flares of argument, Levi didn't think he could live another day without their eternal hopefulness. Other cadets had commented that the two were like fire and ice when paired, poles apart in nature but able to compliment the other in filling their weaknesses with their own strengths.
Soon the entrance gate of Uptopia district came into view, rapidly approaching as their horses panted ever closer to what many of the cadets saw as certain doom.
'Levi!'
Levi turned his head, to see Hange looking at him, half a sad smile on their lips.
'Don't die today, please.' They called above the wind.
Levi just stared at them and said nothing, but then tightened his lips and nodded. Hange knew what this was physically speaking: I won't, don't you go dying on me either, four-eyes.
When they were within a few metres of the gates, Levi raised his left hand to signal for the rest of them to halt. He dismounted and gestured for the rest of the regiment to do the same, readying their ODM gear to take their positions on the rooftops of Utopia district's centre streets.
They were to remain out of Titan range within a canopy of large trees by the wall until they saw the Commander's smoke signal, so they positioned themselves to be camouflaged by the leaves and waited, their eyes on the skies.
Soon two titans came thudding into view, one about fourteen foot class and the other at least ten. Although they were not moving directly towards the group, they were nearer than the leaders would have liked, since they had been instructed not to begin attack until they were sure the mission would not need to be abandoned.
'Come on, Erwin.' Hange whispered under their breath, scanning the skies for a smoke signal that did not seem to be coming.
Another few minutes passed, and the ten foot Titan seemed to have spied the humans hidden within the trees, and was slowly advancing towards them. Although no word was spoken, Hange could feel the fear reaching fever-pitch in the cadets behind them, and saw cadet Sasha's hand twitch for her blades.
'Hold it, wait for the signal.' Levi hissed to the restless cadets.
'It's not coming-' Cadet Jean began to whisper urgently, when a echoing click and whoosh interrupted him.
All eyes followed a plume of green smoke rocketing into the air, scattering a group of swallows trying to make their way to freedom- somewhere humanity had never truly seen.
'Eren's doing it?!' Armin's voice rose above the others, the sign filling a new-found joy in the cadets hearts- there might actually be a chance for another successful mission!
'Move!' Levi's commanding voice boomed, as he aimed his ODM at the nearest building, leading the way as he shot out of hiding.
'You got it, chief!' Hange sang, leaping into the air and blasting their way to an adjoining roof.
The cadets all followed, spreading themselves out along the row of terraced buildings, surveying the Titans now in the area.
'The main focus right now is keeping them away from Jaeger, do not take them down until necessary!' Levi barked out the orders, beckoning Hange to follow him to a fourteen foot class heading in the direction of Eren's position.
The captain knew he didn't need to fully direct the cadets on their battle co-ordination, they had served long enough to know what they were doing now, and he had seen them survive against the odds time after time.
'Hange, how many?!' Levi called out, swooping through the ghostly streets as his partner flew overhead.
'Three heading south, cadet Blouse and five others following them- two coming from the wes- WHOA!' Hange spun out of range from a crouching seven foot Titan as it swiped for them.
They came to land upon the nearest rooftop, laughing casually.
'Not quite fast enough, my dear.' They smirked down at the growling Titan, while Levi scowled at their carelessness about nearly being caught again.
'You're a beautiful thing, aren't you?' Hange cooed, staring into the monster's empty green eyes.
'Focus, idiot!' Levi hollered, as he twisted around to assist in the kill should Hange need it.
'Oh would you calm down, I've got this.' Hange laughed at him.
To prove their point, they leapt gracefully into the air and aimed their ODM shot at the Titan's neck, accelerating towards it. Perched as effortlessly as a bird, they stood upright on the Titan's shoulder, and plunged their blades into the nape, ripping out the whole chunk with ease.
As the creature fell, they swung to land right down by Levi on the roof ridge, hands on their hips. They both watched the Titan fall with a thud that they felt in their bones, the life erased from its eyes.
'Such a shame, he was a handsome boy.' Hange sighed and shook their head, while Levi just rolled his eyes at them and shot away towards the next approaching Titan.
But before he could reach it, a piercing scream pounded against his eardrums, also the Titan's. The enormous creature turned and followed the noise, which originated from cadet Sasha, who was caught in a fourteen foot's iron grip.
'Shit!' The two squad leaders gasped, and immediately were flying that way to try and stop the death of one of their own, once again forgetting their aversion to heroism.
'SASHA!' Connie's cry drowned out the captain's orders, as he rained down with blinding fury onto the titan, slicing the beast's hand right off of the joint.
'Take it down!' Connie snarled to the others as he swooped down to release Sasha from the still-contracting severed fist.
'There's too many!' Came Krista's anguished cry as she jumped away from another attack.
Levi looked around, and sure enough, the cadets were now surrounded by at least five more Titan's, all ranging in height class. And there were more heading in the direction of the now-Titan-formed Eren.
'Shall we follow them?' Hange asked, indicating towards the Titan's advancing towards where the commander was positioned.
'No! Ackerman and Mike can handle it, I want two cadets to a Titan here, now move!' Levi commanded.
Levi signalled to cadet Jean to follow him to the thirteen foot closest to them, and watched as the other cadets autonomously paired themselves and leave in perfect formation.
'Armin! You're with me!' Hange called to the lost-looking cadet, who was secretly faint with relief at being paired with one of the most capable leaders.
'Captain, three more Titan's approaching!' Jean yelled, then cried out as a cadet called Sophia Nonas was crushed between a Titan's two fists, leaving a grief-stricken Ymir struggling on her own.
'Join Ymir, now!' Levi shouted, and could feel the sparks of panic beginning to threaten to completely obliterate the mission.
Jean moved away to assist his fellow comrade, as Levi spun his blade through the nape of Titan he was now taking on his own.
'Eren's being swarmed!' Another voice called out, and sure enough, when Levi turned to look, he could see Mikasa and Mike being overrun with the relentless attacks.
'Levi, go help them!' Hange demanded loudly, as they pierced the neck of another Titan, and ripped it out with a splatter as the blood kissed their checks like crimson freckles.
Doing as Hange had instructed, Levi turned in the direction of the other defence group, speeding as fast he could to them, his heart beating faster and faster.
The faster I move, the less people die. He could not help himself think, and he could feel Hange disapproving his uncontrollable need to prove that with his skill alone, he could save everyone.
And if he didn't, he would be a failure.
He was so deep in thought, he did not see the sixteen foot Titan ducking down ahead of his path. When he finally regained his precise focus, it was too late. The Titan's jaws snapped, and Levi's heart skipped a beat as he felt his left ODM wire slack and then snap completely.
Off balance, even Levi couldn't regain himself, and he plummeted towards the cobbled street floor, as his right wire couldn't hold the weight of him alone.
He felt the shatter of metal as he landed directly on top of his gear, the force of gravity destroying it completely. Although he had braced himself, his body shuddered and jolted in pain as he hit the ground, the momentum throwing him further as his skin skidded across the stones in an uncontrollable roll.
When he finally came to a stop, he weakly lifted his battered frame, and found himself looking up at the base of the Titan's colossal foot. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, and his blood ran cold.
So this it how it ends, he thought: Just like Hange said, trying to prove you can save everybody, is what is going to be your demise.
This is the end.