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Description
Still gently holding your hand in his, your captain held your gaze in his. The light of the stars and the gently glowing moon were so bright you’d think it was daytime. Your heart was pounding in apprehension after asking that question that had been plaguing your mind relentlessly. Levi’s answer would ultimately shape the course of whatever destiny lay ahead of you. You shivered with nerves but held a strong front in your Captain’s presence. He had to know how much the truth meant to you. Levi’s silence was excruciating. Just as you opened you mouth to break the silence, he gently cups both his hands around yours with those same leather gloves as you perched them on your lap. They were cool to the touch and sent a chill up your arms and back. He rolls his eyes back to the softly gleaming silver pin on your shall.

“How far back can you remember, (Your First Name)?” Levi asked quietly.

“Hm?” you frowned in thought upon his words.

“Everyone has a backstory of who they were before signing up to the military. What do you remember of yours?” he asked.

“Levi…I don’t see what this has to do with--”

“Just answer the question.” He said sternly.

Levi’s assertiveness made you uneasy.

“My childhood was relatively normal. I had a father and a mother…and an older brother. My father was a watchmaker. He was very skilled and often did business with the reputable merchants from the upper class. As far as living went, it was comfortable. But then one day out of nowhere, a hooded figure broke into my father’s store and took everything. All the money, tools, equipment…they took anything that was worth selling. He tried to stand up to the robber…but he was killed…and I never saw the robber’s face. The Military Police were no help. All they did was show up, ask a few questions and leave. They didn’t seem too bothered about the fact that a man had been murdered. After that, things just went from bad to worse. My mother could barely earn enough to feed us. It wasn’t long before my aunt on my mother’s side began offering us money to get by. Her husband was hardly forgiving when he found out she’d been providing us with money behind his back. My uncle was a successful tradesman who was falling on hard times and he began demanding the money back, plus interest. That’s when he made the proposal that my mother handover me and my brother to him. However, he took us away under false pretenses. He planned to take my brother and mold him into his successor, while I was to be groomed and eventually married me off to the highest bidder once I became of age. For the few years that followed I was locked away in that house. From that time on, I rarely ever saw my brother. My uncle kept us apart after we tried running away together to see Mother. From that time on he never let my brother out of his sight. He always had his ear, teaching him the ways of trade. As time passed the distance grew ever greater between us. My aunt was left in charge of raising me to be the perfect bride. When she wasn’t teaching me things that would impress future suitors, she’d have me working as a maid. She would lash me with that cane of hers as punishment whenever I tried to sneak off and see my brother. But that only spurred my determination to disobey. It was a lonely life, being surrounded by family who only looked at you as a business investment. I knew those happy times with Mother and Father were gone, never to come back. All I had in the whole world was a single pocket watch Father handcrafted himself for my first birthday. I carried it around always, since I was big enough to walk. I had to keep it hidden away from sight. I knew it would be taken away from me otherwise. My uncle was determined to break the spirit in me that longed for freedom. I missed my mother so much. I wasn’t even allowed to write to her. She’d been completely cut out of my life. Things changed however, when I discovered that she’d passed away from illness not long after we were taken from her. I don’t believe it was ever my uncle’s intention to tell us. He needed my brother and I to go on believing our efforts were helping her. By this time my brother was totally taken in by my uncle’s influence. I was filled with such…indescribable rage. My brother’s future was set out before him, a world full of possibility. The only thing that waited for me was some stranger’s bed who’d paid for me like a common prostitute to provide him with children and raise them while he had a life of his own. What was the point in existing at all when you can’t even live your own life? I had lost any reason to stay and put up with that bastard’s greed. He’d taken everything from me. I wasn’t about to let him sell my dignity too. That very night when I learned the truth about my mother I managed to run away from that house. And not once did I ever look back. Not long after I joined the military.”

“So…you joined the military to escape?”

“I guess. I had nowhere else to go. No family to turn to. I would never have made it out on the streets. If I was going to take back control of my own life, I was going to have to start from the ground up and climb the ladder. Of course like most people, the Survey Corp wasn’t my first option. I thought it was insane, suicidal even. So like the other new recruits I aimed for the Military Police…that didn’t fall through as you might’ve worked out.” You laughed.

“So how was it you ended up here?”

“My friends and I were scouted by Commander Erwin himself. He felt our talented little group would perform well and learn a lot from experiencing the frontlines. The first day at Survey HQ was the first time I saw you in person. All throughout my five years of training I yearned to be the best I could be. And of course that was you. Eager to advance and climb the ranks, you became the inspiration I would strive to be. And the rest as they say is history. I spent the following years carrying out countless missions for the Survey Corp with Luke and Tia, and eventually our team became complete when we found Hannah and Mouse along the way.”

“Yeah. You did seem pretty nervous that day.”

“You remember that?”

“You caught my attention when you were goofing around with your team mates but the second I came over you, you had no idea who I was.”

Levi’s gaze swung down to the floor again in that thoughtful way for a few moments.

“Whatever became of that pocket watch of yours?”

“I lost it. I had it the very day I ran away from my uncle’s house. I just assumed it fell out of my pocket as I was running away. I could hardly see where I was going because of the pouring rain in my eyes and I ran into someone so hard they sent me crashing to the ground. It must’ve fallen out then. As I looked up, I discovered it was a very shady looking hooded figure. Recalling that time my father was robbed I panicked and froze to the spot. I grabbed the nearest thing I could use in a fight, which was a shard of glass from a nearby broken window. They approached me, not saying a single word. They just stood there looking down on me before I heard raised voices in the distance. Suddenly the figure backed away as if startled and fired something high into the air and took off as swift and silent as a phantom, vanishing into the shadows of the rooftops. Next thing I saw was Military Police officers charging after them. One of them stopped and asked me which way they went. For a moment I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Something in me lied to them and I pointed them in the wrong direction. Maybe it was maliciousness after how poorly they had handled my father’s death. Petty I know. But at the time I really didn’t feel like I owed them any favors. That single moment of excitement and chaos had my heart pounding like I’d never known. It was then I figured out what my calling was. The path I had to take if I was to become anything more than I already was. I wanted to be as free as that figure was when they flew through the air with that maneuver gear. I ran as fast as I could after that, never noticing that I’d left my only link to the past far behind me. I’ll never forget it though. It was shone like the moon and it had my initials engraved inside the lid with my birthday. It was special because it played the most beautiful melody when you opened up the back and wound it up with the tiniest key.”

By this point Levi was looking at you with so much intent on his face that it actually scared you a little bit. His dark grey gaze felt like he was aching to tell you something like he was trying to tell you through his own mind. He releases his grasp around your hands and turned away from you, removing something from his inner jacket pocket.

“It…wouldn’t be this one would it?”

Clasped in his hand was a small shiny object that caught the light of the moon in the corner of your eye. Your jaw dropped and your eyes widened as Levi held in his hand before you, radiating a solemn icy glow was the very same pocket watch you’d told him about.

“It can’t be.” You thought.

Levi pressed the winder down with his thumb and the lid flipped open. That same nostalgic melody seared through you with it’s melancholic chimes. You looked on to see the very same engraving. Beautifully carved into the metal was the first letters of your name and your date of birth. Every little scratch and indentation was there. You knew exactly how each of them came to be there. All those memories from a childhood long forgotten. You ran your fingertips lightly around it’s outline as it sat in Levi’s palm. You were overcome with a silence of emotions as images of your family flashed before your eyes. Moments of when your father used to read to you till you fell asleep. Those nights you couldn’t sleep so you snuck into your brother’s bed because you were scared of the shadows on the walls. When your mother cuddled you when you fell over and scraped your knee. That night when you watched on helplessly from behind the storage room door as your father fell to the floor after trying to fend off the intruder. Your own cries and unanswered pleas screamed out in your head for help that would never come till it was too late. Hot tears blurred your vision and splashed down into Levi’s wrist while you struggled to hold in the trembling. Hands trembling you take the watch from Levi and snapped it shut quickly to seize that painfully haunting music.

“Levi…where did you get this?” you demanded in a hushed voice.

Description
Still gently holding your hand in his, your captain held your gaze in his. The light of the stars and the gently glowing moon were so bright you’d think it was daytime. Your heart was pounding in apprehension after asking that question that had been plaguing your mind relentlessly. Levi’s answer would ultimately shape the course of whatever destiny lay ahead of you. You shivered with nerves but held a strong front in your Captain’s presence. He had to know how much the truth meant to you. Levi’s silence was excruciating. Just as you opened you mouth to break the silence, he gently cups both his hands around yours with those same leather gloves as you perched them on your lap. They were cool to the touch and sent a chill up your arms and back. He rolls his eyes back to the softly gleaming silver pin on your shall.

“How far back can you remember, (Your First Name)?” Levi asked quietly.

“Hm?” you frowned in thought upon his words.

“Everyone has a backstory of who they were before signing up to the military. What do you remember of yours?” he asked.

“Levi…I don’t see what this has to do with--”

“Just answer the question.” He said sternly.

Levi’s assertiveness made you uneasy.

“My childhood was relatively normal. I had a father and a mother…and an older brother. My father was a watchmaker. He was very skilled and often did business with the reputable merchants from the upper class. As far as living went, it was comfortable. But then one day out of nowhere, a hooded figure broke into my father’s store and took everything. All the money, tools, equipment…they took anything that was worth selling. He tried to stand up to the robber…but he was killed…and I never saw the robber’s face. The Military Police were no help. All they did was show up, ask a few questions and leave. They didn’t seem too bothered about the fact that a man had been murdered. After that, things just went from bad to worse. My mother could barely earn enough to feed us. It wasn’t long before my aunt on my mother’s side began offering us money to get by. Her husband was hardly forgiving when he found out she’d been providing us with money behind his back. My uncle was a successful tradesman who was falling on hard times and he began demanding the money back, plus interest. That’s when he made the proposal that my mother handover me and my brother to him. However, he took us away under false pretenses. He planned to take my brother and mold him into his successor, while I was to be groomed and eventually married me off to the highest bidder once I became of age. For the few years that followed I was locked away in that house. From that time on, I rarely ever saw my brother. My uncle kept us apart after we tried running away together to see Mother. From that time on he never let my brother out of his sight. He always had his ear, teaching him the ways of trade. As time passed the distance grew ever greater between us. My aunt was left in charge of raising me to be the perfect bride. When she wasn’t teaching me things that would impress future suitors, she’d have me working as a maid. She would lash me with that cane of hers as punishment whenever I tried to sneak off and see my brother. But that only spurred my determination to disobey. It was a lonely life, being surrounded by family who only looked at you as a business investment. I knew those happy times with Mother and Father were gone, never to come back. All I had in the whole world was a single pocket watch Father handcrafted himself for my first birthday. I carried it around always, since I was big enough to walk. I had to keep it hidden away from sight. I knew it would be taken away from me otherwise. My uncle was determined to break the spirit in me that longed for freedom. I missed my mother so much. I wasn’t even allowed to write to her. She’d been completely cut out of my life. Things changed however, when I discovered that she’d passed away from illness not long after we were taken from her. I don’t believe it was ever my uncle’s intention to tell us. He needed my brother and I to go on believing our efforts were helping her. By this time my brother was totally taken in by my uncle’s influence. I was filled with such…indescribable rage. My brother’s future was set out before him, a world full of possibility. The only thing that waited for me was some stranger’s bed who’d paid for me like a common prostitute to provide him with children and raise them while he had a life of his own. What was the point in existing at all when you can’t even live your own life? I had lost any reason to stay and put up with that bastard’s greed. He’d taken everything from me. I wasn’t about to let him sell my dignity too. That very night when I learned the truth about my mother I managed to run away from that house. And not once did I ever look back. Not long after I joined the military.”

“So…you joined the military to escape?”

“I guess. I had nowhere else to go. No family to turn to. I would never have made it out on the streets. If I was going to take back control of my own life, I was going to have to start from the ground up and climb the ladder. Of course like most people, the Survey Corp wasn’t my first option. I thought it was insane, suicidal even. So like the other new recruits I aimed for the Military Police…that didn’t fall through as you might’ve worked out.” You laughed.

“So how was it you ended up here?”

“My friends and I were scouted by Commander Erwin himself. He felt our talented little group would perform well and learn a lot from experiencing the frontlines. The first day at Survey HQ was the first time I saw you in person. All throughout my five years of training I yearned to be the best I could be. And of course that was you. Eager to advance and climb the ranks, you became the inspiration I would strive to be. And the rest as they say is history. I spent the following years carrying out countless missions for the Survey Corp with Luke and Tia, and eventually our team became complete when we found Hannah and Mouse along the way.”

“Yeah. You did seem pretty nervous that day.”

“You remember that?”

“You caught my attention when you were goofing around with your team mates but the second I came over you, you had no idea who I was.”

Levi’s gaze swung down to the floor again in that thoughtful way for a few moments.

“Whatever became of that pocket watch of yours?”

“I lost it. I had it the very day I ran away from my uncle’s house. I just assumed it fell out of my pocket as I was running away. I could hardly see where I was going because of the pouring rain in my eyes and I ran into someone so hard they sent me crashing to the ground. It must’ve fallen out then. As I looked up, I discovered it was a very shady looking hooded figure. Recalling that time my father was robbed I panicked and froze to the spot. I grabbed the nearest thing I could use in a fight, which was a shard of glass from a nearby broken window. They approached me, not saying a single word. They just stood there looking down on me before I heard raised voices in the distance. Suddenly the figure backed away as if startled and fired something high into the air and took off as swift and silent as a phantom, vanishing into the shadows of the rooftops. Next thing I saw was Military Police officers charging after them. One of them stopped and asked me which way they went. For a moment I couldn’t believe what had just happened. Something in me lied to them and I pointed them in the wrong direction. Maybe it was maliciousness after how poorly they had handled my father’s death. Petty I know. But at the time I really didn’t feel like I owed them any favors. That single moment of excitement and chaos had my heart pounding like I’d never known. It was then I figured out what my calling was. The path I had to take if I was to become anything more than I already was. I wanted to be as free as that figure was when they flew through the air with that maneuver gear. I ran as fast as I could after that, never noticing that I’d left my only link to the past far behind me. I’ll never forget it though. It was shone like the moon and it had my initials engraved inside the lid with my birthday. It was special because it played the most beautiful melody when you opened up the back and wound it up with the tiniest key.”

By this point Levi was looking at you with so much intent on his face that it actually scared you a little bit. His dark grey gaze felt like he was aching to tell you something like he was trying to tell you through his own mind. He releases his grasp around your hands and turned away from you, removing something from his inner jacket pocket.

“It…wouldn’t be this one would it?”

Clasped in his hand was a small shiny object that caught the light of the moon in the corner of your eye. Your jaw dropped and your eyes widened as Levi held in his hand before you, radiating a solemn icy glow was the very same pocket watch you’d told him about.

“It can’t be.” You thought.

Levi pressed the winder down with his thumb and the lid flipped open. That same nostalgic melody seared through you with it’s melancholic chimes. You looked on to see the very same engraving. Beautifully carved into the metal was the first letters of your name and your date of birth. Every little scratch and indentation was there. You knew exactly how each of them came to be there. All those memories from a childhood long forgotten. You ran your fingertips lightly around it’s outline as it sat in Levi’s palm. You were overcome with a silence of emotions as images of your family flashed before your eyes. Moments of when your father used to read to you till you fell asleep. Those nights you couldn’t sleep so you snuck into your brother’s bed because you were scared of the shadows on the walls. When your mother cuddled you when you fell over and scraped your knee. That night when you watched on helplessly from behind the storage room door as your father fell to the floor after trying to fend off the intruder. Your own cries and unanswered pleas screamed out in your head for help that would never come till it was too late. Hot tears blurred your vision and splashed down into Levi’s wrist while you struggled to hold in the trembling. Hands trembling you take the watch from Levi and snapped it shut quickly to seize that painfully haunting music.

“Levi…where did you get this?” you demanded in a hushed voice.