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She was tired, but she had done it. Done what many other women in the underground fail to do. She had kept her child. She had been scared at first, of course she was, not knowing the right decision. Kuchel had known that if she kept her child then she would have had to do her damned hardest to make the child’s life a decent one…but how could she? This was the underground, and here life doesn’t become decent for most. That’s why she was so unsure if she could really be a mother.
Kuchel Ackerman looked down at the baby in her arms. ‘Beautiful’, she thought as she cradled him. Kuchel brought the baby closer to her face. “What will I name you?”, she said as she kissed his head. He made a soft noise before reaching out and grabbing her hair. “Ow!” “No baby, you need to stop that”, she whispered as she pried the small hands from her hair. Kuchel smiled softly at her son. “Are you hungry?”, she asked him. The only reply she got was a soft noise. Kuchel pulled down the strap of her tattered dress to expose one of her breasts. She pulled him close enough for him to latch onto her. She had only seen women breastfeed a handful of times and every time she seen it was the same. She had thought that it was so strange. But now, as she looks down at her son, she realizes the bond that it has. Kuchel, realizing she still hasn’t named him, starts to think. She goes through a list of names in her head until she finally finds one she likes. “I’m going to name you Levi”, she announced.
*
He was only five years old when she had died. It broke him, made him realize that he had no one. That was until Kenny came into the picture.
Kenny took Levi in and he has absolutely no idea why. ‘It’s for my sister’, he tells himself, but yet he isn’t sure. He walks over to his sisters body and looks down at her. Kenny turns to Levi then. “Get up you little runt!”, he says as he heads for the door. “Come on”. He hears the boy stand up and shuffle along the cold floor to stand behind him. Kenny heads for his own house. It wasn’t much but it was a home…he supposed.
Levi turned to the tall stranger. “Are you going to hurt me?”, he asked terrified. Kenny raised an eyebrow, kneeling down to the boy’s level. “Maybe”, he replies. Levi’s eyes widen in shock, he wasn’t sure if he was serious or not…then he heard wild laughter. The stranger was now bent over in laughter. “N-No kid I’m not gonna kill ya, but you should have seen the look on your face.”. He’s still laughing. Levi couldn’t have been more confused. “Just think of me as like your…your…guardian or some shit like that! Yeah that’ll do I guess”. The man’s personality was scaring Levi more than the man himself. What the fuck was going on?
*
Throughout the years Kenny had thought Levi a lot. He had learned how to properly use and hold a knife, how to fight and how to kill. He had killed a few people, but it had only been self-defense. Now, Levi had friends. Those friends were Isabel Magnolia and Farlan Church. They were the only people who kept him stable. He really didn’t know what he would do without them.
They even joined the Survey Corps together. Levi had a place to stay and was living a decent life up where everyone else was. It was the best feeling in the world. The even better part was that he got to do it with his best friends. But for Levi, nothing ever lasts that long.
They were gone too soon, and when they were gone so was his sanity. He was broken once more; not ever think he was going to heal.
That was until he met Hanji Zoë. She turned his whole life around, made him feel like he was worth being alive. She made him smile, and even laugh. Not many people could do that, but somehow she never failed at it. She was crazy and a little unsanitary and yet was still the most amazing woman he had ever met.
He was Humanity’s Strongest too. A title that probably wasn’t meant for him. He was just a runt from the underground, but yet was the best damned titan killer the Survey Corps has ever seen.
Then another tragedy struck. The death of his squad. They were stupid at times and joked a lot, but he had loved them all dearly. Especially Petra, not that he would ever admit that to anyone. He had become broken again, but at least this time he still had people that cared, even if he didn’t feel like he had.
*
All of this takes us into present time. The only person that he has left is Hanji and Mikasa. To tell the truth, he doesn’t appreciate Mikasa as much as he should, after all she is family.
Erwin was gone now too. Just another death to leave Levi a broken man but yet so much more. That man was the best damn commander that they’ve ever had, and everyone knew it. Even when he had to make the decision he thinks that Erwin secretly knew that he was going to die. He had died for humanity, died to prove that his father had been right. That was all he had ever wanted to do, that’s why himself and Hanji had promised him to end all this. Not for him, but for humanity.