Chapter Text
104th Cadet Corps- Training Grounds
"What is your name, cadet!?" Keith Shadis asks, the warmth of his breath gracing your face. Of course, this was nothing more than an act of equality. You had already had many years to become acquainted.
"Y/N Smith, sir," You shout, struggling to keep a chuckle at bay.
The looks on all of the cadet's faces before you were priceless. They were scared shitless, but you couldn't blame them. Had you not been exposed to the harsh nature of the regiment for years, you would probably look the same. You direct your attention back to the seething man in front of you. He looks angry-more so than usual. He's familiar with the look on your face. The glint in your (e/c) eyes and the slight up-curl of the corners of your lips meant mischief. Shadis knows you aren't going to back down easily. He knows if he continues the insult of questions, you would find a way to make him look less than honorable in front of the shiny new cadets.
He scoffs at your small figure before moving down the line, not wanting to give you a chance for a snide remark. He moved on from you easily. To easy for your liking.
"That's all, sir?" you ask meekly, trying to portray the utmost face of innocence.
"What was that, Smith?" He sneers, his eyes and aura darkening around him.
"I just thought you were supposed to yell a little more, you know, maybe call me useless or something? Spit in my face? Not just ask my name... but I guess I'm just too sweet to scold," you sigh. You let out a small smile, drifting your gaze towards the cadets around you. A few still looked terrified, whether they were empathetic for the punishment you were undoubtedly about to receive or too busy dwelling on their future berating, you felt for them. The rest, however, let out smirks or giggles, both subtle, but noticeable to you and your superiors.
"50 laps around camp. Now." He growled, making you release a small giggle. You'd be lying if you said you weren't at least a little scared of him, so the simple punishment was greatly appreciated. You were even more appreciative that you got to skip this useless initiation. You'd seen it a million times before and didn't feel like standing there while your future siblings in arms were tortured for an old man's enjoyment.
While jogging away to begin the punishment, you heard Shadis yelling again, this time about you.
"Cadet Smith is a perfect example of what not to be! Attitude and disrespect will get you nowhere but..." His loud rant fading while you begin to pick up the pace.
Your pace was quick, not wanting to miss any meals or actual training. You get about ten laps through when you hear another set of steps.
"There it is," you think to yourself. You knew it would only be so long before another unfortunate soul would do something against Shadis' liking. You look behind you and slow a bit, curious to get to know her but more interested in what she did to piss off the instructor.
"Hey, I'm Y/N," You say once within earshot.
"Yeah, I heard. I'm Sasha Braus," she breathes out nervously. "I thought Shadis was going to eat you for dinner."
You let out an airy laugh at her nervousness.
"I don't know if he'd go that far, but I certainly wasn't expecting such an easy scolding," you confess, trying to keep the volume down.
"What'd he get you for?" You ask.
You listen intently, amused at the bravery the brown-haired girl seemed to show. Maybe bravery was the incorrect word to describe the potato fiasco, but it certainly took some perseverance to stand up to someone like Shadis.
"No offense, but how did we end up with such different punishments?" Sasha asks. "I mean, I get five hours, and you only get 50 laps? I'm just confused, is all."
You felt for her. You knew your punishment was unfair, but you figured you'd try and make up for it later.
You ponder on her question for a moment, unsure if you wanted to expose your familial relations. Sure, everyone would find out eventually, but did you want to deal with the judgment upfront?
"Well, uh, my father is Erwin Smith... I kind of grew up with Shadis. I know the treatment is unfair, trust me, I'm not blind to it, and I'm sorry for that," you tell her, deciding to take the honest route.
You look up to see her eyebrows nearly laced together, a thought trying to find it's way out of her lips.
"You mean... Erwin Smith... like, Commander of the Survey Corps Erwin Smith? And you're his daughter?" She nearly screams, not even aware of the fact that the strong man had offspring.
"Yup, The one and only Commander Erwin Smith," You say lazily. Sure, the clout was nice, but your whole life you had always just been Erwin Smith's daughter. You were used to the shocked faces by now.
"Well, that's pretty cool!" She cheerfully yips, happy to make a new friend. You hadn't expected such a warm acceptance, and from that, you knew Sasha was a keeper. You continued to converse while slacking off the pace. A few extra minutes running would be worth it to have a new friend.
"Less Chit Chat!" You hear Shadis yell as you pass by. Sasha speeds up while looking terrified. You, not so much.
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Erwin was staying in the background with Levi, Hanji, and Mike, observing the new cadets. Hanging around new trainees wasn't something Erwin would normally do, but his little girl was there today, and he wouldn't miss it for the world. He'd already missed enough of your special moments.
The four of them continue to search for you in the large group of cadets. Your short stature making it hard to spot you- along with the fact that you were no longer within the group he was searching.
"Where is she?" Erwin ponders out loud, hoping one of the others had spotted you by now.
"Found the Brat," Levi says as he sees you near the four of them on the track. "Already out on a punishment," he sighs, not at all surprised but slightly curious at what you did to get laps this soon.
While the others ponder from a distance, Hanji jumps out from the shadows and waves you over. "Hey, Y/N!" She yells, succeeding in grabbing your attention. Levi lets out a small 'tch.' After all, you weren't supposed to know they were watching over your shoulder. Levi knew you wouldn't like that.
(Y/n)'s POV
"Be right back," You say to Sasha as you sprint over to Hanji. You couldn't imagine why she would be here, and the thoughts began to go through your head again. Something's wrong. Someone's hurt. Surprises within the walls were rarely exciting.
"What's going on?!" You yell, not seeing everyone else yet. Your heart was pounding not only from the laps, but from the unknown fear of what could be wrong. She starts laughing hysterically, and you begin to fear for your life. From this you could conclude that the news couldn't be anything too terrible.
"You okay?" You ask, still slightly concerned.
"Oh, (y/n), always so sweet. I hate to do this to you, but look behind me, darling," She says, her shoulders shaking as she tries to calm down.
You look behind her to see your father- and he wasn't happy. Next to him stood Levi and Mike. Mike just found your trouble amusing- as he always did. Levi, on the other hand, looked angry, no, furious. You were scared of your father, but an angry Levi was something you never wanted to be on the receiving end of.
"Hey," You drag out in a high voice, not wanted to get in any more trouble. You silently thanked the running for the redness on your cheeks, hiding the blush from getting caught red-handed.
"Why are you running?" Your dad asks, sighing, already knowing that you had done something to piss Shadis off. You'd picked at Shadis since the day you could talk.
"Um, I uh," You stuttered, not wanting or knowing how to answer.
What were you supposed to say? 'Sorry, Dad, I taunted him because he wasn't screaming or beating me into the ground like the other cadets.'
You glance over at Hanji for help, but she's too busy laughing to notice your plea. You'd remember her betrayal.
"She's not going to help you, Brat," Levi says, noticing your nervous glances toward her. Hanji was always your get out of jail free card. Partly because she loved you like her own, and partly because she instigated most of the events that landed you in sticky situations.
"Well, you see, it's not really my fault because everybody just looked so scared and it was kinda funny, and then Keith came up to me he didn't even yell at me, and it wasn't fair so I thought that I should point that out and-" you pause for a breath, "-then everyone thought it was funny, and then I got sentenced to 50 laps," you finally pant out. A weak explanation leaving out the good parts, but one that would do for now.
"Y/N... why must you do these things," Erwin asks, not expecting an answer. He had a huge soft spot for you and partially blamed himself for your behavior. You were his only family left and his most cherished creation. He would always go too easy on you when he could.
You stare up at him, not sure how to answer anyhow. There wasn't much explanation for your behavior.
"I want to talk to you during lunch," Your father finally states. Your eyes widen as you realize what this might mean.
"Will I miss lunch?" You ask, clearly devastated.
"Don't worry. I'll be sure to have something for you," he responds. You sigh happily, glad that you won't starve, especially after the extra workout.
"Oh, thanks so much!" You exclaim.
"Get back to running," He tells you, a small grin gracing his face. So many people loathed him. They thought he was the devil himself for leading so many to their deaths. But not you. You would always have so much love for him.
"Got it!" You say, getting up on your tiptoes. You hug him and give him a simple kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks, dad!" you tell him, running off to join Sasha once more.
"Why do you always let her go unpunished?" Levi asks, clearly annoyed. Mike lets out a small snort, trying to hide his enjoyment.
"No idea," Erwin says, not happy about letting you get off easy, but knowing it wouldn't be the last time you left unpunished.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Several cadets watched your meeting with the elites of the Survey Corps. Nobody knew quite what to think. However, by lunch, the rumors had spread. Many of the trainees had connected the dots of you and the Commander's identical surnames.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
You finished your laps seconds before the rest of the cadets broke for lunch. You knew you had to meet your father, but you promised to make it up to Sasha. You walk into the dining hall and decide to grab a few pieces of bread and some water for the poor girl. No matter the crime, no one should have to miss a nourishing meal. After you gathered your supplies and began to head towards the track, someone calls your name. You turn to see a dark-haired boy a few years younger waving you over. You could always tell your father that you took your time finishing the laps.
"Do you want to sit with us?" He asks as you make your way over. He was hoping you'd say 'yes.'
"Sorry I can't, got to go get a lecture on my behavior," You tell him, "But I'll keep your offer in mind for dinner!"
You begin walking away before you turn back and say, "I'm Y/N. if you didn't get it earlier."
"I'm Eren," You hear him yell as you’re about to exit the hall.
"Got it!” You yell back, a slight blush on your S/C skin.
"Why did you ask her to sit here? You don't even know her," Mikasa asks, not too keen on your earlier behavior.
"You didn't hear? That's (Y/N) Smith, Commander Smith's daughter," Armin buds in.
"Yeah, Mikasa, she's kind of a big deal," Eren sasses back, a smirk on his determined face.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
You hurry out to the grounds to find Sasha. When you finally get to her and she sees the nourishment you carry, she practically crushes you with a hug before becoming ravenous. Not much scared you, but the look on Sasha's face while she devoured the dry grain left an unsettling feeling within you. If not for that, you would have stayed to chat. Instead, you reluctantly make your way to Erwin's office.
You let out a long moan as you walk down the hallway leading to your personal Hell. You loved your father, but his "life lessons"... not so much.
A/N
Thanks for reading! I'm in the process of rewriting, so if some chapter after this aren't of the same quality, blame my middle school self 😂 I'll delete this portion of the A/N once the rest is updated. Thanks for being here :)
This was originally written for Quotev, so apologies if the format is weird.