"Blinded"

‼️WARNINGS‼️

•Swearing

•Season 1 Spoilers

•Mentions of Death

•Injury

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(Requested by: @karasunoskei )

Second Person POV

"Asshole!" You cursed after pulling your Captain's door shut. The little grumpy guy was severely irritated for who knows why. His only two moods were annoyed and angry, it seems. Your bitter relationship began the moment you were throttled into his squad. You had only been a part of the Survey Corps for two months when the Commander assigned you a Captain. Before that, you were tossed around different squads during expeditions so the idea of no longer moving sounded refreshing. However, the man he set you up with was not refreshing.

Apparently, he was a new Captain and you were the first person to join his team. After more weeks had passed, you remained as the only cadet on his squad, much to your dislike. This meant all the negative attention was on you. You were kind in the beginning, considering you were still fresh to the Regiment and needed to respect your superiors. However, that quickly changed the moment the Captain called you a "dumbass" for the first time. After that, all your patience had worn off.

~~~

"I think we should take down those abnormal 10 meters." You voice your opinion, glancing back at the similar in height Titans. Scoffing, the Captain continues forward. "You're an idiot. We have to keep pushing through. We already lost the others due to the rain, we can't risk ourselves while short-handed." Captain Levi remarks, causing your brows to twitch in frustration. He never trusts your judgment and always brushes off your ideas. "Disrespectfully, you're wrong. We can take them down!" You counter, snapping your reins to ride directly beside him. Without having to look, Captain Levi already knows you have a scowl. "I said "no," newbie. The visibility is too low to use ODM Gear. If you so strongly feel that's what you need to do, go ahead and get yourself killed but it won't be on my watch."

Fed up with his insults, you decide to do just that. "Fine. I will then. And I'll come back to haunt and possess you just for that." You huff before taking off in the other direction. By this time, the rain had begun to pick up some more with the wind. Pelting your face, you grip the hood over your head to hold it still while you ride off towards the following Titans. However, they had vanished. "Where the hell did they go...?" You mumble, pulling your horse to a stop.

Scanning the hazy horizon, your eyes squint to focus but alas, there's nothing in sight besides trees and open land in the close distance. Looking over your shoulder, you cup your hands around your mouth to shout. "Hey, Levi! I can't find them anymore!" You wait for a response. The seconds start adding up, realizing you won't be getting a response. He's long gone.

You knew splitting off after letting Levi's harsh words got to you was a juvenile move. You're a damn soldier, not a teenager who got mad at their parents. By now, you haven't seen the raven for over twenty minutes and you're beginning to have worse case scenarios. You don't even want to imagine the earful you'll receive if you happen to find him again.

Shielding your eyes from the pounding rain, you can't see anything beyond your horse's head. Unable to get any visuals, you fail to notice a slick puddle of mud, leading your horse straight through. (Horse's name)'s front right hoof slips on the mud, falling forward which sends you over the top in a split second. As soon you land, a pop sounds beneath your weight, the pain hesitating to connect with your brain. Gasping at the throb in your left wrist, you quickly push yourself up with your spared hand, sitting in the puddle of mud. "Shit!" You hiss, gingerly brushing your fingertips against your sprained wrist.

Checking on your horse, the steed has picked him/herself up again, shaking his/her head from the irritating rain. Sighing in relief, you're about to stand up when the tremors of a Titan vibrate underneath your behind. Face turning pale, you lunge for the reins, pulling your horse behind you to find a hiding spot. Haphazardly jogging ahead, a sudden flash of lightning strikes a tree in front of you. In no time, the bark explodes and shrapnel shoots out in all directions. A few shards of bark scrape against your limbs, shielding your eyes from the explosion. Spooking your horse, the stallion/mare takes off another way, leaving you behind. "Wait!" You call after the steed, immediately losing sight of him/her.

Utterly screwed, you collect your thoughts for a moment while catching your breath from the scare. Captain Levi might have heard the ruckus, hopefully he's nearby. Otherwise, you'll have to find him on foot if your horse doesn't return. It won't be long until the abnormals find you again and knowing Captain Levi, he definitely didn't take them down. Sprinting off again, your ears are too clogged by your panting to notice the tremors approaching. On cue, a Titan's foot stomps to your right, causing you to fall over from the impact it made. Gasping in shock, you turn over just in time to see the Titan's eerie face lower from the fog.

This is your first time coming close to death during an expedition. You anticipated you'd react better but one never really knows until they're in the moment. Paralyzed in fear from vulnerability, you ultimately break out of your shell to fight, however a rough grasp nearly knocks the air out of your lungs as you're dragged backwards. Before you can scream and kick, a hand clasps over your mouth, another still gripping your shoulder. Heart pounding against your chest, you tilt your head back once you both stop to finally see who has captured you.

Beneath a matching green hood, cool grays stay focused ahead. The rain ceases as you're now sheltering under a large tree, the only sound being the water hitting leaves and the Titan roaming around. "Let go of me!" You snap with a muffled voice, struggling in Captain Levi's grasp. You eventually smack his hand off your mouth then shrug the other off your shoulder. Pushing yourself away from him, uncomfortable with the closeness, you turn around to face him. "What the hell was that all about?" You furrow your brows in confusion. Wiping his hands off, the raven glares at you. "I was trying to help you, moron." He sneers.

"Why would you do that?" You ask after a moment, eyes not leaving his form. "I already regret helping you." The raven mutters, feeling like you're a headache to him. "I've been nothing but nice to you but you still hate me. Why?" Your voice lowers, searching for a bit of vulnerability. Staying silent, the young Captain does not answer, leaving you more confused. "Hey, aren't you gonna answ-" You get cut off when the man suddenly lunges forward to tackle you. "H-Hey! What the hell?!" You shout, being smothered beneath him. Once again, Captain Levi gives you a sharp look while covering your loud mouth. Lost, your eyes suddenly notice a Titan's hand swing over your heads. Wanting to scream out, Captain Levi's hand keeps you from doing so.

Still annoyed at the Captain, you attempt to wiggle yourself free, not understanding his actions. "I hate this as much as you do, by the way. So why don't you make it easier on yourself and stop moving." The male narrows his eyes on you. "I don't even know why you have to lay on top of me. I can be quiet!" You bark through the palm of his hand, forgetting to be quiet. "Shut up, brat!" He hisses, eyes immediately widening when the Titan's hand returns. Pinching your eyes shut in fear, you hear Captain Levi unsheathe his swords, shouting at the Titan. Suddenly, his weight is removed from you, signaling his absence.

Not daring to look, you blindly race to the tree trunk, keeping low to the ground. Breathing erratic, you nervously wait for the raven to return, losing him in the mist of the heavy downpour. You both knew ODM Gear usage was limited in a situation like this but what else could you do? Wait for Titans to be at your foot? Building up the courage to peek, you finally decide to peel your eyes open but before given the chance to call out his name, a rattling shake of the ground knocks your back into the tree.

He took it down.

You think to yourself. Straightening yourself out again, you squint your eyes trying to see through the haze, waiting for his return. Then, out of nowhere, the sound of ODM Gear anchors firing your direction catch you off guard. Your body reacts before your mind, folding over to avoid the anchor's hooks from piercing through you. A silver flash flies over your head, shooting into the tree trunk behind you with a loud crunch. Heart racing against your ribs, the whirling of the wires echo throughout the space, a figure appearing in the distance. Completely dropping to the swampy ground, a familiar Captain unhooks his anchors, skidding to a stop before crashing into the tree.

Pulling yourself back up, you do not expect to see the Captain look so doubtful. "Are-" Without getting to finish, the man already has his back to you, scanning the short horizon. "We're surrounded now." He announces quietly, making your blood run cold. "I thought you took that one down...?" Your tone trails off. Shaking his head, his eyes never meet yours. "Only got the ankles. At least three more showed up. Our horses are gone and we may be goners too. If this rain doesn't let up, we're screwed. Unless you want to continue being stupid and use it blindly." The Captain speaks bitterly.

Once again fed up, you completely stand up to stare holes into the back of his head. "You never answered my question earlier, 'Cap. Why are you such a dick?" Your eyes narrow. The last thing you also least expected was an answer. "Because you're the first person I've had a team with since my comrades died." His tone is one you never heard before. It was quiet yet the words were very loud in your head. He was gentle yet firm, stoic but somehow emotional as he reminisced. Full of questions, you push them aside to continue staring at his head. Maybe you judged him far too soon?

Before getting to part your lips after processing, the Captain is already strategizing your escape in one piece. Or as close to it as possible. "Another group has to be passing by here shortly. They couldn't have missed us." He mumbles mostly to himself, not noticing you were barely present in the moment. All you can think about is how things from the past few weeks are starting to make sense. He was probably so hard on you to keep you from falling behind but to also keep you at arm's length. So you wouldn't die on him too.

"Hey, idiot, I'm speaking to you." Captain Levi's expression hardens back to its usual intimidating self, his eyes locked on your form. Snapping out of your thoughts, you don't react the same way you used to. This time, you finally understand him. Shifting your focus up to/down to/towards his sharp pupils, your demeanor is very calm. "Sorry for making a fuss about your attitude, Captain. I should have respected your grieving better." You almost whisper, as if others are around to eavesdrop. Taken aback, the raven male furrows his brows, a tad bit embarrassed to hear an apology like that. Was he too open about himself? The last thing he wants is someone's pity.

Without having to change expressions, you can tell he's shoving his feelings aside to focus on the task at hand again. Like not dying. Without warning, the man grasps your sprained left wrist, tugging you behind as he jogs away from the Titans. Wincing in pain, you bite on your cheek, too afraid to speak up and tell him to let go of your throbbing wrist. You would rather not get another lecture from him, or worse, get belittled by him for your clumsiness.

Continuing blindly, you're even more afraid of running into another Titan than telling Captain Levi to release your pained wrist. Right now, living is more important than a simple ouchie. Finally, though, you reach a break point once far enough. Your boots roughly stomp to a stop, gasping when the male removes his hand from yours. Bent over at the waist, ignoring him, Captain Levi looks down at you with a scowl as he wipes his hand on a cloth he uses for his swords. "You can't be this fatigued already, wimp. Did you even build stamina back in Cadet Corps?" He spits, no sight of him dropping his disgust for you.

Before you have the words to get out, or even a breath, Captain Levi notices your wrist swelling. "When did you do that? Were you meaning to hide an injury for the remainder of this expedition?" His voice is surprisingly calm but there's no mistaking the irritation laced behind it. Slowly shaking your head as you lift it back up, your eyes barely glaze over his uniform, too afraid to make contact with his pissed off face. "N-No..." You pant, unable to get more out as he cuts you off again. "Do you realize how stupid you are, Y/n? To not only put yourself at risk but others?" His tone rises a bit, startling you. "Sir, I-" "You can't even defend anyone!" He barks, cornering you into a tree. He seems to have grown much angrier compared to merely seconds ago. You're afraid to push more buttons.

Feeling small for only a moment, you spontaneously build up the courage to stand up for yourself. "Just shut up!" Your chest heaves, mind hesitating to comprehend what you have done. Attempting to hide your own shock, Captain Levi does nothing but ball his fists on either of his sides, sharp eyes never shifting off your form.

"I don't want to die, Captain... I really don't." You whisper in a submissive tone after his silence starts to eat you alive. "I'm sorry I'm so stupid but I'm still new to this. I know I'm no help being your first cadet, especially after you lost your friends. So neither of us are good at this. Just... Can we just start over?" You almost beg, sick and tired of the constant bickering, even if he is severely annoying. You would rather shove your differences aside to make it back home in one piece.

"So, please, let's work together to get out of this mess before chewing my head off? You have full reins when we get back to Headquarters, sir." You continue to wait for a response, deciding to finally meet his intense gray gaze. Parting his lips, expression still hard, you anticipate his reply. "I don't need you telling me how to do my job, horse shit. If you want to make it back, then you-" A tremor and distant "neigh" alerts the both of you. Eyes widening, you scramble to shove the Captain out of the way, whistling for the horse with your good hand.

Immediately, the horse emerges from the fog, revealing him/herself as your very own stallion/mare, (horse name). You don't even hesitate to swing yourself back onto the saddle, looking down at your Captain after. "Are you coming?" You ask, afraid he'll decline. "Meet up with another group, I still have Titans to take care of." The man's hand controls hover over his swords.

Before he has the chance to take off, you stop him with your words. "You have to come! We can't lose you out here, its too dangerous." You do your best to stay calm, even if its challenging. He may be stubborn but you won't leave until he's on your horse as well. "If you want to live, I suggest you leave now." The Captain shakes his head in protest.

Another tremor shakes the ground, much stronger this time, indicating the Titan approaching. Without thinking, you lead (horse's name) closer to Captain Levi to reach down and tug at his cape, ignoring the burn in your wrist. "Let go, idiot!" He struggles to talk, the cape tightening around his neck from you pulling on it. "Not until you get on!" You grunt, successfully pulling him over, even with a sprained wrist. Giving up, Captain Levi puts away his hand controls to climb in front of you, whipping the reins the second his leg swings over.

Almost falling off the back of the horse, you swiftly grab his shoulders, careful with your left hand, then peer over to see what lies ahead. Still difficult to see past arm's length, you trust the Captain's sense of direction, avoiding any obstacles in the way.

With some sort of miracle, you hear the sound of multiple hooves stomping on the ground ahead, realizing its Section Commander Hange's squad. "Levi, we found them!" You gasp, pointing in the direction of the sound. Immediate relief washes over you, able to relax as you near closer to your Regiment. "Actually, I did, stupid." Captain Levi remarks. "And its "Captain," to you. Don't forget I'm still a superior even if I was a little vulnerable back there." He quietly adds, keeping you in line. Softly chuckling, you shake your head as you finally meet up with Section Commander Hange's squad. "Hey, we're supposed to be starting over, remember, sir?" You tease for only him to hear against the continuous rain.

"Hey! There you are, we've sent troops looking for you!" The Section Commander exclaims when Levi rides up beside them. They're even more surprised when they notice you sitting behind Captain Levi, already aware of your sour relationship. Just as they part their lips to ask, you stop them. "Its a long story." You sigh.

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Wooo! Finally got a new one-shot published :')

Again, I'm so grateful for all of your patience. I'm so excited to be writing again even though I've been busy with school. I still have a few others I need to work on, I promise they'll be out, I just don't know when yet <3

Thank you so much for reading and see you in the next chapter!

~AlpineBreadStick