For the One I Love || Hanji x Female Reader

Chapter Fifteen: Face-off

If it weren't for Jean, Sasha, and the others, I would've been left standing there just staring at the floor after what Hanji had announced. Jean had slung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him as he cheerfully said, "Let's go and eat some food first, [Y/N]! We all need our stamina for the training!"

Sasha nodded vigorously as she added, "I'll give you some of my food, you're looking thin recently, [Y/N]."

At this, we all gawked openly at Sasha, who as we all know, almost never shares her food.

"I appreciate that, Sasha. Then...let's go and eat!" I told her before facing everyone, a small smile on my lips.

They all seemed to somehow looked relieved, and Jean exclaimed, "A horse needs to be fed a lot, after all!"

And at that moment, everything was alright. I'm glad to have friends like them, and I fervently hoped that I never lose them.

_

After eating, I was surprised when Captain Levi practically dragged me to his office and made me sit down on the chair opposite his table.

"Captain Levi? What's this all about?" I asked in curiosity, tilting my head to the side.

He sat down and crossed his legs as he usually did, before glancing at me as he asked, "How are you feeling?"

I felt my eyes widen at his question, before looking down at the floor, wanting to avoid him even though I know that there was no escaping it.

I nervously rubbed my arm before saying, "Not...so good, but I'll manage," I looked up at him and faced him directly, flashing him a bright smile as I continued, "This won't hinder my performance during expeditions, if that's what you're worried about."

Captain Levi arched an eyebrow at me, and it was obvious that he didn't believe what I told him, though he didn't comment on it.

After a few moments of silence, he sighed before saying, "Unlike that shitty four-eyes who's a damn coward, I'm still stuck with you due to Erwin's buddy system, meaning, I'll be the one personally training you for the upcoming expedition."

I almost fell out of my chair, both in surprise (yet again), and in horror.

'Oh holy titan, I could already imagine myself six feet under the ground,' I thought as I ran a hand through my hair with a heavy sigh.

Composing myself, I asked, "When should we start?"

He uncrossed his legs as he stood up and answered without hesitation, "Right now. Get your ass moving, cadet."

_

To say that it was torture was a complete understatement. It felt like I've gone through the different circles of hell, twice or even thrice over.

I was sweaty all over, to the point that I had to ask permission from Captain Levi to allow me to take off my jacket. He didn't seem to agree with it at first, but he must have changed his mind when he saw how haggard I looked like.

"Is that all you've got? You're going to be titan bait in no time," Captain Levi stated darkly as he glared at me, and it reminded me of our previous expedition.

"Shitty four-eyes is looking, make sure to keep standing up over and over again despite falling," he added in almost a whisper, and I realized that he must be thinking of my welfare, though he's showing it in a harsh manner.

I wiped the sweat off my brow with the back of my hand and stood up straight again as I answered, "I'll do my best."

I happened to glance up at Captain Levi at the exact time that he had a small smile on his lips. I quickly averted my gaze from him, wondering what had been the cause of such rare occurrence.

"Show it to that coward that you can do it without them, cadet," Captain Levi said softly before adding in a louder voice, "That's it for today. Go freshen up for dinner, you look like crap."

"Thanks," I tried to say in a sarcastic tone, but realized that I was far too tired to do so, and I ended up saying it in a whisper.

As soon as Captain Levi had left the training grounds, Jean swiftly offered me a bottle of water as he crouched down beside me. I mumbled my thanks and downed it in one go, before wiping the excess water from my mouth.

"Captain Levi's definitely pushing you harder than the rest of us," Jean said as he drank some water as well.

I nodded at him with a sigh, before answering, "Well, since Hanji left us, I can't afford to weigh him down. So even though it's hard, I have to do it."

I felt Jean's eyes on me, but he didn't say something about it, instead, he stood up and offered his hand to me and said, "Come on, the others are waiting for us inside."

[Special Scene: Hanji and Levi]

Levi crossed his legs as he sat down, with Hanji seated opposite him. They both just came back from Hanji's room, as they were too busy tending to [Y/N]. To be more accurate, they were fussing over the young girl, though none of them wanted to admit it out loud.

"You're sure that you want to leave the buddy system? You know that it would have an effect on [Y/N], right?" Levi asked as he took a sip of his tea.

Hanji merely held the cup in their hands, savoring the warmth that came from it. They sighed heavily after a few moments as they answered, "She's easily becoming a little too important to me...you know I can't afford getting attached to anyone again," Hanji took a small sip before they continued, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost her. I'd probably go insane...or something along those lines, and that would definitely interfere with everything I've worked hard for so long."

Levi put his cup down on the table and bluntly stated, "You're such a coward, Hanji."

Hanji met his eyes, before looking down as they ran a hand through their hair.

"You, of all people, should know that it's not that easy and-"

Levi interrupted him as he said, "I'll pursue her, so make sure not to regret your decision."

[Author's Note]

Here you go, guys! I'm so sorry that it took quite some time, I've been drowning in so much tasks that had to be done😞 I hope you like it!