Dormant Wings | A Levi Fanfiction

十四 Unanswered Questions

~14~

"Have fun, Schneider."

He can't be serious.

I cast a disbelieving glance at the giant rock next to me. My arms will snap like twigs if I even touch that thing.

Levi turns around to grab his cup of tea that he set down on a clear patch of grass.

"You're not seriously going to leave me here to break my arms, are you?"

He glares at me over his shoulder, and proceeds to sit on the ground, not without brushing away most of the dirt. "Of course I'm not going to leave you here. I need a break from my work, so I'm going to enjoy the show."

I watch with wide eyes as he takes an elegant sip of tea, and looks back up at me expectantly.

"We don't have all day, Cadet."

I grumble quietly at his annoyingly smug tone, turning towards the boulder. Who does he think he is? My shoulders slump in resignation when I remember that he's a superior officer.

Fine. If this is what I need to do to be strong, then so be it. I do realize that it won't come cheap.

I rub my hands together anxiously, bracing my muscles to focus all of their force into pushing. My palms make contact with the surface of the rock, only covering a small portion of its earthly size.

Preparing to push, my right leg scuffs against the grass as I move to a slight lunge that'll give me more of a foundation. And, with as much mental fortitude as I can muster, I press my weight against the boulder.

Let's just say, it doesn't move as far as I'd hoped.

From where I am, it doesn't seem like it moved at all. But I can tell that I covered at least an inch. It's an accomplishment, considering how heavy this thing is, but a huge pain in the butt when I think about pushing it all the way the north side of HQ.

I glance through the curtain of my messy dark hair when I hear Levi click his tongue mockingly.

"Not even you could move this thing if you tried," I growl angrily.

"Tch. Don't underestimate me."

The faintest hints of a smirk tug at my lips, but it disappears as soon as I will it away. "Okay, then. Prove it."

It's a rather bold move on my part, to speak out like this, considering my usual mannerisms. Especially around the Captain. But at this point, I'm willing to do anything for a task other than this. It's just simply impossible.

He narrows his eyes menacingly, and I fear for a moment that he might kill me on the spot. But I'm surprised by the words that he utters next.

"Fine, then. If it means that you'll be put in your place." He rises from his spot on the ground, resting his empty cup amongst the blades of grass.

He then walks in my direction until he is standing almost shoulder to shoulder with me, facing the obstacle at hand. The sound of him popping his knuckles, and then his neck causes me to arch my brow skeptically, but I don't question him out loud.

"Move over," he demands, and I do so quickly.

He assumes the position that I was previously in, his right leg pushed back to form a lunge. A deep breath passes in and out through Levi's chest, and I swear I see steam flow from his nostrils with the exhale.

After what feels like an eternity, he finally shoves at the rock to prove me wrong.

It does move, although maybe only an inch more than it did when I had my first go. Levi releases his force from the boulder, breathing heavily from investing all of his energy into that push.