"Has anyone of you ever wondered about Lance Corporal Levi?"

All eyes landed on the effeminate blonde whose own gaze seemed miles away.

"What brought about that random question?" Jean asked in return, an obvious mix of curiosity and mild annoyance at the interruption of his silent admiration towards a certain black-haired, doe-eyed beauty.

Armin shrugged. "It just popped in my head all of a sudden." They've been sitting around the old square wooden table for as long as he could remember. Dinner had long been over but it seemed neither one of them had plans of leaving anytime soon.

"What about the Lance Corporal?" Connie asked in clarification.

Armin released a long sigh. "Just the Lance Corporal in general." He replied cryptically. They've been on the watch for almost a week now ever since Eren was brought out into the forest under the protection of Captain Levi. It seemed a week of inactivity and awkward silences could bring anyone into a brink of boredom.

Sasha raised an eyebrow at Armin's vague response, her teeth chewing a pitiful chicken bone absentmindedly. "What do you mean by 'general'?"

Armin released another sigh. He realized none of them were interested enough to even try to make the conversation more elaborate. "His past. His present. His future. His life in general." Armin stated monotonously, emphasizing the random way his thoughts were looking for something worthwhile to think about.

"Come to think about it…" It was Historia's uncertain voice who answered this time. "We don't really know anything about him, except the fact that he's humanity's strongest soldier."

"And scariest too. Don't forget about that." Sasha added with utmost importance.

"Why the sudden interest?" It was Eren who spoke this time, his chin resting lazily on the palm of his hand. He appeared almost sleepy.

"Don't you wonder about it?" Armin asked rhetorically as he shrugged. "We know most of each other's stories. But we know nothing of the Lance Corporal, who we serve under and follow with utmost loyalty. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve our respect and allegiance. All I'm saying is that it's enough to make someone stop and wonder for a moment why the Lance Corporal is… well, the way he is."

Everyone remained silent for a while. The initial boredom and disinterest was brewing into consideration and curiosity.

"Honestly, in my personal opinion…" Eren began, his tone serious and calculating. "I can't imagine him as anything other than what he is now. I mean seriously. Can you actually envision the corporal as an inexperienced cadet?"

A few heads shook in reply.

"Well maybe he was!" Sasha interjected. "Hey, nobody becomes that strong in the blink of an eye. He had to start somewhere. He could have easily been one of the clowns in class!"

That earned her a look of incredulity from every pair of eyes in the room.

"What?" Sasha gave each one a challenging look.

"Actually…" Connie whispered. His eyes directed on the floor, a guarded expression on his face. "I don't know if I should say this but, I've heard some rumors about the Corporal."

"What rumors?" Armin inquired as he sipped his now stale tea.

"They say before he entered the Survey Corps, he was actually an underground criminal – the worst kind. It wasn't elaborated what specific criminal activities he involved himself in but they say it was enough to give you nightmares just thinking about it." Connie added as he shrugged, clearly not entirely believing the rumor.

"Where'd you hear about that?" Jean asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly not trusting the story himself.

"From other soldiers around the corps. Not just the same ones though. A lot of people discuss it. Different people." Connie scratched the back of his head as he shrugged once again.

"I've heard about that too." Eren nodded.

Connie's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You have?"

"Connie's right. A lot of soldiers talk about it. They just do it discretely, well, as discretely as they can I guess. But I first heard it from a relatively credible source though. Or, at least I think." Eren paused with a shrug.

"Where'd you hear it from?" Jean asked still obviously suspicious.

"Dr. Hange." Eren paused for emphasis. "Actually, it's not just about the corporal being an underground criminal. She also told me about how Commander Erwin was the one to subdue the captain's activities and that he had somehow forced Captain Levi into the Survey Corps."

Another wave of silence passed. Each person immersed in thought, processing the possibility of such rumors being true.

"But how could Commander Erwin have forced someone like Captain Levi into submission like that?" Armin asked in disbelief. He was having difficulty simulating a scenario that would allow something of that proportion to occur.

"Blackmail." Sasha stated with conviction.

"I doubt it." Eren replied with equal conviction. "I don't think the corporal would remain loyal to the commander if blackmail was the driving factor that made him stay."

Jean rolled his eyes as he folded his arms on his chest. "I think it's all bullshit."

"Well, if Dr. Hange said it, then it must have some level of truth to it." Historia stated, still in deep thought.

"But how would she know that?" Jean inquired, his earlier suspicion dwindling.

"She's been in the Survey Corps nearly the same time as the corporal. Plus, you have to admit she's one of the few people other than the commander who can actually speak to the corporal in friendly terms." Connie replied with certainty as he paused to give Jean a look. "I can't think of anyone else."

"But the doctor's sanity is at times… questionable." Jean added as an afterthought, not sure if he could find a better word to describe the eccentric woman.

Everyone nodded in understanding. They all knew exactly what Jean meant.

"But doesn't that make you question something?" Historia paused, her tone light and teasing.

"Question what Kris-? I mean Historia." Armin flushed as he corrected himself, still not quite used to the new name.

Historia gave Armin a small smile, reassuring him no harm was done. "What I meant was, doesn't that make you question the extent of their relationship?"

"Relationship?" Jean stated with mild amusement, realizing where Historia's train of thought was headed.

"Think about it. It's possible." Historia added, a small amused smile on her face.

"The doctor and the corporal?" It was Sasha's turn to snort this time. "That would be a sight to see!"

Peals of laughter erupted from the group who seemed more like normal crazed teenagers by the second.

"Oh my darling Lance Corporal Levi! Please capture me a deviant type titan as a symbol of your undying love for me!" Connie began, trying his best to imitate the tone of Hange Zoe only to come up with a rather nasal, high-pitched, strained voice.

The group was rowdy now. Hands were slapping carelessly on the wooden table and stomps could be heard clearly amongst the peals of laughter.

"Baby, I'll capture as many of those titan bastards for you! Just say the word!" Sasha added, dropping her voice down to a deep grunt, causing the group to laugh louder at the pathetic attempt and the sloppily conjured line.

"You guys are idiots!" Jean shook his head as he wiped a few tears from his eyes.

"Do some more!" Armin stated in between fits of laughter.

Before Sasha and Connie could get into the act once more, a monotonous voice cut through the animated scene. Its presence inevitably amplified by the lack of emotion. The laughter died down slowly.

"Somehow I can't seem to envision that happening."

All eyes turned to the stoic face of Mikasa Ackerman. It was the first time she joined any of the conversations that evening.

Eren sighed. "It was a joke Mikasa." Sometimes he couldn't understand how Mikasa had difficulty understanding jokes most people would usually get.

Mikasa nodded her head. "I know. It's just that…" She paused, deep in thought.

"What is it Mikasa?" Armin asked in concern and interest.

"Well, I can't seem to decide…" She paused again, as if embarrassed, but the emotion never showed on her face. "I can't decide what the captain's preference is."

Another silence engulfed the group. This time a heavy tension seemed to settle itself among them.

"Did…" Sasha paused in incredulity. "Did you just question the captain's sexual orientation?"

Mikasa simply shrugged in reply, as if what she asked was a simple question about the weather. "From what I've heard, he's actually a lot older than he looks. But despite that, it seems he's had no notable relationships with women. So I thought what if?"

Jean blinked. It was the most Mikasa had spoken that night. Since when did she concern herself with details about Captain Levi's life? Glancing around the room, he realized he wasn't the only one who noticed the oddity. Armin was staring at Mikasa as if he wanted to ask her a question but didn't know how to state it without being accusatory.

Eren scratched the back of his head in slight discomfort. "Well, that still doesn't prove anything. He's probably too busy fighting for his life and that of humanity to care about his own personal happiness."

"I'm not trying to prove anything Eren." Mikasa sighed. He was missing her point. "I'm simply saying that maybe there's a possibility that Lance Corporal Levi is gay."

A loud crash was heard.

All eyes turned towards the direction of the sound. No one dared to move, make a single sound, or even breathe.

There by the door was an open-mouthed Hanji Zoe who seemed to have dropped a tray on the floor, smashing the porcelain tea set it cradled in the process. But that wasn't what shocked everyone into paralysis. There, standing right next to her, was the very object of their avid discussion. His trademark merciless eyes pierced through each and every one their souls, communicating a silent promise of nothing but pain and death.

My contribution to this fandom, which I very much believe deserves to be canon. Cheers to LeviXMikasa!

P.S. I know I know. I have way too many unfinished stories to be starting another one but I just hate how this idea is clawing at my brain and refusing to make me sleep. I promise this will just be a short two or three shot – a warm up before I pick up on all my other stories.