So my first SNK story. (my first story published too!) Be kind :) I should probably say that this didn't get beta'd or anything and that English isn't my native language. I'd like to think that my grammar is so-so but yeah, feel free to point out any mistakes so I can correct them. And yes, I really like Coldplay, hence the titles! ;)

Disclaimer: It's not a good idea to give SNK to me, so don't.

"Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes." ― Anonymous, The New Jerusalem Bible

It isn't the best day to hunt, but jobs are scarce. Maybe it's because of how world politics work right now, or how global warming is beginning to sound more like The Impending Doom rather than the ridiculous theory we all laugh at by an apocalypse-driven madman. Or maybe, people nowadays are just too busy paying attention to those that really shouldn't have mattered. Like Halloween. What would anyone get out of it aside from unhealthy as hell candy bars and sore feet? Predictably, not many people are insensitive enough to confess their love during The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. No wonder the Deceased Department* is busy.

So it's a really slow day at work. No Love, No Job. The Survey Corp's motto.

"Levi?"

The costumes are the worst part. Levi feels obliged to shudder whenever he spots someone carrying a bow and quiver, completed with white wings and blonde wig. He doesn't even know how to draw an arrow let alone shoot it; he's not even blonde for that matter. Well, they have blondes every now and then but it's not that common.

"Oi, Levi."

Levi produced a bored sigh as he's perched on the edge of a skyscraper, his eyes never leaving the endless stream of people crossing roads below him.

"Levi!"

It's not as much fun as it was the first time he hunted for Variable subjects for their so-called marriage experiments. At least that's what Hanji Zoe calls it. Marriage. He'd decided a long time ago (like really long time ago) that it's just a half-baked definition for the procedure they follow in helping people find their other halves, shove them together in front of an altar and just get done with it.

Levi's job would have been far easier if people just fall in love with the first non-familial person they see next to them. But then he remembered that if that should really happen, he'd be out of job before he can even say Fuc-, and poof, he's gone.

"Oh for god's sake, Rivaille!"

If Levi is surprised he doesn't show it on his face. He frowns instead, "What the hell, Zoe?"

"And the Kraken awakens!" Hanji looks smug instead, like his frown makes her happy. Levi knows that it does. His scowl deepens.

"Aww Levi, don't be so disappointed!" Zoe quipped, sickeningly happy because oh-my-god-it's-halloween-Levi-Ha-llo-ween! "It's only happens once a year anyway!"

"Eyes on the human species, Zoe." Levi tells her, ignoring her previous words. "Not on the candy."

Hanji laughs, seemingly amused. But then again, she's always amused about something. About everything. It's hard to tell sometimes. "Would it hurt to at least pretend that you like your job, cupid?" She asks dryly, already used to Levi's indifference. Levi's eyebrow twitched at the nickname. He hates that nickname.

"Yes, it would actually." He says, almost automatic. "Very much so."

There is a snort coming from Hanji's direction but Levi refused to look at her. It's almost sundown and they've only managed to spot two pairs of marriage Variables and sealed off their fates: together forever, until Death do them part. Well at least the Christians have managed to get that part right.

"Can we leave now?" He asks, finally standing up from where he's watching the crowd. He feels blood flow again on his legs and used that as comfort against the biting winter air. "I doubt there would be more pairs."

Hanji shrugs, also standing up. "I dunno. You're the boss. It's not my call to make."

"Then call Smith, it is his call to make."

"Erwin is away. You know that!"

If possible Levi's frown deepens even more. "That shit doesn't deserve any vacation. Why is he doing this?"

Hanji laughs out loud and Levi bets it's because of the look in his face. "He can deserve it if he wants to, besides Pixis approved it. You're the second in command. Do we leave or not, it is really your call now to make."

"Then call Pixis." He snaps.

"Like hell I would do that. He doesn't like me!"

"You switched Jean and Marco's partners." He reminds her, he at the very least holds this much power over her, she is his sort of friend and he is her superior but sometimes Hanji is just... Hanji. "To put it mildly, Pixis finds you... troublesome."

The Jean-Marco Incident, as the Special Corps are fond to call it, is like everyone's leverage against Hanji. It never fails to get her riled up if properly used.

Hanji visibly stiffens at the mention of it and says warily, "In my defense, Jean and Marco are the cutest couple ever, Levi. You can't hold that against me!" That probably makes sense inside her head.

"You switched their partners." Levi had simply repeated, slowly this time. "Now they don't get to meet their original Variables and you forced them together instead.

"But it's an experiment!" She defends. "I did not force anyone! It's the Power of Love, alright. And it worked. Look how happy they are now!"

Levi gives her the I-don't-know-how-you-got-away-from-that-so-I-am-very-pissed-with-you-right-now-look. "We don't pair people up just because they look cute together." Levi explains to her, like this isn't the first time they are talking about it. "It doesn't work that way. We have a list. We have rules."

Hanji is about to say another excuse when a stupid grin made its way through her self-assured face. "And here I thought you hate your job." She sing songs.

"Don't make this about me, Zoe."

"Whatever, sir. So are we going back or not?" And Levi knows that the subject is dropped. No one can convince Hanji that what she did is wrong anyway. Not when it did produce a good result. But her unconventional 'match-making' skills tends to be a little risky. This is why Commander Pixis is still rather adamant on letting her resume her duties without supervision. Hence, Levi who is now stuck with said rule-breaker.

Levi thinks for a while. The merit of leaving early (it's only 6-something, night shift starts at 8) certainly is tempting but after lecturing Hanji about obeying the rules, it would be hypocritical to do otherwise.

"No, might as well finish our shift." He says finally and Hanji groans. She's almost ready to suggest calling the commander herself when they both feel the familiar call of a red aura surrounding a beating heart, almost ready burst with emotions.

They exchange looks and nod, professionalism snapping fast into place. Levi is the first one to drop from the building and run straight to the location of the call while Hanji looks for, metaphorically speaking, the other half of that person's heart.

The human-race dubbed them Cupids, little cherubs dressed in diapers with cute little arrows and bows. The Greeks are the one to blame for most of that. They go way back.

It's probably because of that little drunk prank Pixis pulled off on the Greeks which involved wings and bows and arrows and babies and were under the impression that the humans can't see them. Cleary, they have learned their lesson and now try to co-exists with them like normal humans beings.

To be honest, they don't have a name for themselves until recently: The Survey Corps. Probably because part of their job is to observe the human race or something. It's just one of those things that happen. Their main objective is to make two fated people meet under any circumstances and secure a life-long bond.

It's quite romantic, actually.

It's like watching out for a shooting star that only passes earth's orbit once. This moment is unique and only happens once between two people at the same time. And in that specific period, the Variables must meet. It's probably the closest thing people have to touching destiny and love (the nonsense renaissance poets write out).

Problem is, those two destined people don't usually meet when the right time comes, not in a world this big with six billion people inhabiting it. This is where the Survey Corps come in. They plan how you guys would end up, sometimes they change little things in your life (causes you to miss a bus, scrape a knee, be late for a minute) so you can meet this person in this certain time.

It can happen right away though. After they were born. Or while playing in a park, or while passing through a busy crowd in the middle of the city.

Like what's about to happen now

Levi stretched his vision and while he trusts Hanji to always be experiment crazy officer she is, he knows she will not fuck up when it comes to her job (except that one time*).

He can feel it now, much stronger than anything else he'd felt before and that comes out as a surprise since Levi has been here for a long time and never did he sensed the surge of emotions he can grasps in his senses now. If he lets it, he will drown. That's how close his kind are to human's emotions. They look at them like open books with letters so big they can read it meters away.

But this? This is quite extraordinary, Levi thinks, he's probably a type A, top of the emotional food chain. It makes him wonder who this person's pair is. Would she be lucky? Or the opposite? Such devotion can be overwhelming sometimes and he'd seen people who are originally matched break apart because of it.

Levi can almost hear his thoughts now, "God, the older I get, the less people I trust. I shouldn't have-"

It cuts off every now and then like a broken radio and Levi has to think what this guy mouthing about is instead of focusing on his aura which is frankly too much for him to handle but he's never going to admit that to anyone ever. As far as he's concerned humans are inferior to them. Sort of.

He should feel traces of Love from the Variables because that's what he's made to find, but it's not Love he can feel from this boy though, that's not the enormous emotion he felt earlier, it is something much darker... but naive. There's a touch of innocence, the will to protect and... oh, what's that? Blood thirst? Really now, before his shift ends and he gets a revengeful brat with unhealthy problems (based from his thoughts) and has a personal vendetta. A+ package.

Levi almost turns around. He hates complicated things, those are not clean jobs which involves getting affected by the human's emotion on a personal level and unfortunately, telepathic powers doesn't have an on and off switch for his convenience. It's convenient most of the time, just not right now... especially not right now Levi thinks sullenly. This kid... is way too loud. It's annoying. He's got his hands full already with Erwin on a goddamn vacation in the Caribbean and Pixis drunk as fuck most of the time. And the paper works. Oh the glorious paper works that he wants to burn, preferably with Erwin.

Emotional overload is not in the job description, he thinks as a tear escapes from his eye. That memory this kid has with his mother, Eren, he finds out his name, is so beautiful and she's dying. Contrary to the popular belief, Levi has a heart amongst other things.

He walks across the road, joining the crowd when green lights up. He can see the back of the boy now, though he remains hidden behinf men in suits and teens carrying skateboards ahead of him. Dark brown mop of hair, taller than him, broad shoulders and a slightly tanned complexion. His shoulders are hunched down like he's carrying the weight of the world. That's beginning to be a common trait in this era.

'Zoe, I hate this job. I hate this kid. I hate everyone.' He thinks because Hanji can hear him too.

'Hear, hear. I know, well I hate to add another thing to your gigantic pile of problems,' Levi scoffs, 'but the other half will die.'

Levi stops on his tracks, not realizing that he's in the middle of the crossroads now with the rushing crowd of people and children bustling around him. He stops so abruptly that some lady in heels sneers at him and walks past Levi.

"What the fuck?" He says, then within just a few seconds, there's a loud crash ahead, metals and glasses breaking with sickening crisp. The crowd gasp, muttering non-stop and rushed to the source of the crash, phones flashing with their cameras on.

Looks like a car accident. He overheard though he can all hear what they are thinking. Oh my god she's just a child quick call an ambu- I think she's dea- I saw her flew a few met- shit-

Levi filtered them off, unlike emotions these are only casually intrigued thoughts, and he can brush them off if he likes. Then he remembered what Hanji said before the crash was heard.

There is a moment of silence.

"What the fuck?" He says again, he doubts people would pay attention, what with the car accident ahead. He lost sight of the boy, (Eren, he's Eren) doesn't matter now his partner's dead.

'I'm guessing you heard the crash?' He hears Hanji says in his head. 'That's her. I think someone from the Deceased Department forgot to pass on the memo...'

Levi swears. 'No shit, Sherlock. Someone clearly did not passed on the memo and I want them in my office first thing when we get back. Understood?' He snaps before his subordinate can reply and cuts the communication short. He forgets about the boy- it's Eren- and is too busy glaring at the Petra from D.D. (Deceased Dept.) to even be bothered to remember.

One week later though, he will receive a note from Dot Pixis regarding this seemingly normal encounter.

* See Glossary, item 2

* The Jean-Marco Incident

Glossary:

Variable: Destined pair of people

D.D.: Deceased Department (So if Levi and Hanji are part of the Survey Corps who gets people together, this is the department that manages or schedules the death of people, like Grim Reapers without the actual reaping cause that's another department, and whose responsibility is to inform the Survey Corps if one of the people in a pair would die before they meet their partners. Because that would make sense.)

No Love, No Job: I like this motto. I swear I just have to make a poster for this: check my profile. Can't link anything in here ;_;

R&R!