FLASHBACK

"Oi, Farlan, Isabel."

Levi dragged me behind him, his fingers clasped around my thin wrist, as he called out to a pair of cadets walking in front of us. At his voice, they stopped and turned to face us. The girl gave me a soft smile as we walked up, and the boy flashed me a broad grin, saying, "Oi, Levi. Is this her?"

The girl elbowed the boy hard in the side, shooting him a glare as she said, "Be polite, Farlan. She's probably nervous as hell, and you're making it worse." She turned back to us and held out her hand to me, the smile returning to her lips as she said in a welcoming tone, "Hey. I'm Isabel." She motioned to the boy, who know wore a slightly irritated look on his face as he rubbed his side. "And that's Farlan."

I stayed frozen behind Levi, not reaching out to take her extended, friendly hand. They seemed nice enough, but I felt intimidated by them nonetheless. After all, they were in the scouts with Levi, and they had lived aboveground their entire lives. I was still getting used to the feeling of bright sunlight every morning, and they were out on scouting missions. They'd probably think I was an idiot if I said anything and gave away my heavy underground accent.

Levi reached back to me and wrapped his fingers through mine, pulling me out from behind him as he said, "This is (F/N). She just got here yesterday. So she's still warming up to things around here." He laughed slightly and raised an eyebrow at the two cadets in front of us. "After all, you guys remember how screwed up I was when I first got here."

Farlan laughed and glanced over at me, saying in a joking tone, as if to break the ice, "Yeah, he was a right mess. Has he always been so small and angry?"

Isabel cut in, a grin flashing across her face as she punched Levi playfully in the arm and said to me, "Oi, (F/N). I'm sorry you had to grow up with Ackerman here. He's downright unpleasant at times."
"Tch." Levi scoffed and rolled his eyes, although I could tell by the way he held his mouth, he was trying not to smile at their antics. "These two don't know anything. The only reason I'm such an ass is because someone has to keep them in line."

Farlan faked hurt, putting a hand to his heart as he said sadly, "Ouch. That hurts, Ackerman. It really does."
Isabel must have noticed that I still clung to Levi's arm, not saying anything, and she tried to bring me into the conversation again as she motioned to the scouting jacket I wore. "I see they got you outfitted. How does it feel, (F/N)?"

The jacket was big, even though it was the smallest size they could offer me, and it hung off my thin, malnourished frame awkwardly, but the scouting emblem was pressed into the fabric on my chest, and it made me feel proud to finally be apart of something Levi and I had dreamed about for years.

Levi squeezed my hand reassuringly, glancing over at me, his dark hair falling over his forehead as he gave me a small smile. His fingers pressed comfortingly into mine as he turned back to Farlan and Isabel and said, "I'm going to show (F/N) her quarters. We'll catch up with you two later, yeah?"

"Yeah, for sure! See you later, (F/N)!" Isabel nodded and grabbed Farlan's arm, dragging him off toward the mess hall before he could protest.

I was grateful that she had gotten Levi's subtle hint. I was tired, and overwhelmed, and I felt out of place here. I wasn't like these people, I wasn't good enough to be aboveground.

"Oi, (F/N)." Levi turned toward me, pulling me closer to him as he reached out a hand and ran a finger down the skin between my eyes, smoothing out the lines, as he said, "Stop worrying. You're thinking too hard. I got you out, right?" He met my gaze, his dark eyes boring into mine, until I finally nodded at him mutely. He flashed me a smile. "Good. Remember that. And I'm not going to leave you alone now. Not when we're finally back together again." He brushed some of my hair back from my forehead and pulled me into a tight hug, saying quietly into my ear, "Trust me. I'll always have your back."

FLASHBACK END

"Oi, (L/N)." I glanced over at Levi as he said my name, startled from my memories. I tightened my hands on the reins, realizing I had let them go slack while I was lost in remembering. He watched me adjust myself in the saddle for a moment, and then said flatly, eyebrow raised, "What were you thinking so hard about?"

I shook my head slightly, not wanting to meet his gaze. I knew if I did, I would blush. "Nothing. Just the mission."

He scoffed. "Tch. You always were a terrible liar, (L/N)."

I shot him a glare. "Don't be an ass."

Hange rode up between the two of us, interrupting the argument. She glanced between the two of us, noting our dark glares focused on the road ahead, and then said cheerfully, "Rivaille, why so glum? I would have thought you'd be more excited for the mission to take down the abnormal." She flicked her eyes over to me. "And (F/N). Don't let Rivaille get you down. He's an ass to everyone, not just you."
I rolled my eyes as Levi swore under his breath and said darkly to Hange, "Four-eyes. Can't you go somewhere else to be cheerful? Go bother Jaeger with that 'happiness and flowers' crap. You know it just puts me in an even fouler mood."

I leaned around Hange to look over at him and said sarcastically, "Even fouler than you usually are? I'd love to see that."

Hange laughed as Levi shot me a dangerous look. She was about to say something else, when Erwin called to her from the front of the formation and motioned to her to come up beside him. She flashed me a grin. "Duty calls. Save this for later, (F/N). I'd like to see how it ends." She kicked her horse forward and rode up beside Erwin.

Levi pulled his large stallion back over beside me, so we were riding side by side again, how we had been before Hange pushed in between us, and said seriously, "The closer we get to the target, the more I feel as if we're walking into a fight with a shoddy plan and mediocre materials."

I glanced behind us at Jaeger, who rode beside Arlert, Ackerman, and Miller. His gaze was focused on the road ahead of us, sweat already starting to gather on his temples, his knuckles white from clenching his mount's reins in his hands. I flicked my eyes back over to Levi and said under my breath, "He's just a kid. How can we ask him to do this?"

Levi didn't look at me, he kept his gaze on Erwin's back in front of us as he replied in a low voice, "We ask a lot of things of people these days that we normally wouldn't. It's not fair, but it's survival."

"Damn it." I swore under my breath and glanced back at the cadets behind us again. "I know you're right, it's just...." I let out a tired sigh. I wanted this to all be over. Maybe then I could breathe again. I felt Levi's eyes on me and I looked up to meet his dark, intense gaze as I said quietly, "Survival is a bitch."

The corner of his lips twitched, as if he almost smiled at my exhausted statement, and then he simply said, "Oi, (L/N)."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

He leaned toward me and put out a hand, cupping my chin in his palm, his smooth skin cool against my jaw, as he said, his eyes still holding mine, "After all these years, it's finally time for us to make survival our bitch. And I think it's due time."

I stared at him for a moment, at a loss for words.

He let his lips curve upward into the hint of a smile as he ran his thumb softly across my lips, just once, before he released his hold on my chin and straightened in his saddle, pulling away from me again.

I heard Erwin call from the front, "Alright, we're nearly there. Everyone be at the ready."

I glanced over at Levi again quickly, but he was focused on the front, on Erwin, who was calling out more directions to us. I shook my head and tried to focus on what he was saying. This mission was the most important one we'd ever done. I couldn't let myself get distracted now.

But damn it. I'd really like to let myself if we weren't on a mission to save humanity.

I glanced at Levi again out of the corner of my eye and felt my breath catch in my throat as our gazes met briefly, his black eyes holding mine for a bare second before he flicked his gaze forward again.

I blew out my breath between gritted teeth. Focus, (F/N). Don't let him distract you. Not right now. The mission's success depends on your focus. Do it for the cadets. Focus. This mission has to succeed.

I clenched my hands around the reins in my palms and took in a few, deep, steadying breaths.

Jaeger rode up beside me, a determined look crossing his face, and then he met my gaze, saying, "Ready for this, Corporal?"

I steeled myself. "Ready as I'll ever be, Jaeger." I glanced over at him, at the sweat rolling down his temples, the iron set of his face, and I suddenly saw, I suddenly saw how much humanity's fate was weighing on him. Everyone was depending on him. His shoulders sagged under the weight of everyone's hope. Humanity's last hope.

I reached out a hand and clapped him on the back. "Jaeger." He looked over at me, startled, and I gave him a half smile. "We'll be right behind you." I raised an eyebrow at him and said, a commanding tone coming into my voice, "And I expect to see you at dinner tonight. Have I made myself clear?"

He stared at me for a moment, and then a wave of confidence flashed across his green eyes at my words. He gave me a stiff salute and said briskly, "Yes, corporal!"

"Good." I nodded to him and then glanced over at Levi, who was watching us with hooded eyes. When our gazes met, he inclined his head slightly to me, as if he knew what I needed to tell Jaeger next and was giving me permission to do so. I turned back to Jaeger and said, determination coming into my voice, "Corporal Ackerman and I have got your back till the very end. We promise you. And I can tell you, in all of his life, Corporal Ackerman has never broken a promise."