Levi was now walking past the front door of HQ, heavy bags weighing down on either of his sides. The captain's purchases all were gifts for his 3 coworkers, of which he had bought a short hour ago in town. Whilst shopping, the captain received a package from a mysterious stranger. Preoccupied with his tasks, Levi had put aside investigating the box for later.
"Good morning, Levi." Mike greeted, pausing his advance. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks." Levi nodded shortly, reciprocating the motion.
"Have you eaten breakfast yet?" Mike inquired.
"Yeah." Levi lied, throwing his gaze off and to the side.
"Well, Hanji told me to come get you if you had." Mike spoke, gesturing twoards the mess hall. "She made a cake for you."
"Let me go put this shit in my room first." Levi responded, attempting past Mike.
"Wait." Mike spoke, trailing behind Levi as he walked.
"What?" Levi questioned with no intention on stopping.
"Have you told him yet?" Mike replied softly.
"Told who, what?" Levi scoffed. "You have to be more specific."
"Erwin, about your feel--" Mike began.
"No." Levi replied quickly, widening his eyes after interrupting Mike.
"You should." Mike laughed, patting Levi's back. "I think he has a thing for you too, like I said before."
"Funny." Levi spoke in monoene, rolling his eyes. "I'll tell him eventually."
"But what if by then, it's too late?" Mike huffed.
"What are you on about?" Levi glared. "Are you insinuating I'd let him die?"
"Let him?" Mike repeated. "Anyways, I didn't mean it like--"
"Yes." Levi glared with threating eyes. "I won't let him die."
Mike ceased his walk suddenly, nodding approvingly before abruptly turning his back to Levi.
"Erwin's got himself a good pet." Mike mumbled under his breath, walking off. "Be at the kitchen when you're done putting that away."
"What did you just call me?" Levi spat, throwing his body twoards the voice, however by then, Mike had already disappeared.
"Creep..." Levi insulted, creaking the door to he and Erwin's room open.
Levi made sure to double check that Erwin was not in the office upon entering the workspace, having recalled the jump scare and embarrassment of the day before. The captain took a moment to blush at the memory, setting down his purchases on a table afterwards. Luckily, all the items he had bought were pre-wrapped, and so Levi hadn't had to worry of decorating the gifts.
Levi then did as Mike had wished; he diligently made his way to the mess hall, where apparently a cake awaited him. He smiled warmly as he walked, reviewing what flavor Hanji could have decided upon.
"Happy birthday!!" Hanji cheered in glee upon Levi's arrival, wrapping her arms firmly around him.
"Oh, and I got you this chocolate bar, if you want it." Hanji smiled, shoving the treat into Levi's chest.
"Hmm." Levi spoke in appreciation, tucking the chocolate away into his pocket. "I'll eat this later."
"Happy birthday, Levi." Mike smirked, ruffling Levi's hair whilst Hanji embraced the man.
"Thanks..." Levi mumbled, acting as if he didn't enjoy the attention. "Wait, didn't you already say--"
"Look at you, growing up so fast!" Hanji laughed, squeezing Levi even tighter before releasing him. "Come on!"
"What? I'm 33..." Levi hummed as he was dragged deeper into the room.
Levi was then guided to a fairly decorated area. A thick white tablecloth was spread upon wood, concealing the crevices and blemishes of the table. Atop the lace cloth rested four plates, all with their corresponding sets of silverware. In the center of the table laid the cake.
The pastry was relatively large for only four people, it looking to be too much for ten. It was completely coated in yellow frosting, engravings scattered throughout the surface. The ornaments were small patterned circles, flowers, and leaves, all handmade.
"Are you sure you made this by yourself?" Levi blinked, in awe at the delicacy.
"Yes!" Hanji smirked momentarily. "H-hey! Are you saying that I'm a bad cook?"
"No." Levi responded shortly, taking a seat. "Where's Erwin?"
"In the kitchen." Mike informed, pointing in that direction implicitly. "Why?"
"No reason." Levi shrugged, lifting himself from the chair in which he sat. "I'm going to go make myself tea."
"Hey! Can we at least eat the cake first?" Hanji pouted, balling her hands into fists in protest.
"No." Levi responded, strolling past the kitchen's entry.
As expected, Erwin was indeed where Mike had told Levi. The commander was tapping his toe anxiously whilst leaning back on the wall. It was oddly clear that something troubled Erwin, however Levi hadn't the slightest clue what. Undetected, the captain decided to investigate further.
Now inches away from Erwin, Levi frowned. Perhaps the commander was daydreaming, as he hadn't noticed Levi loudly call his name. Concerned; the captain poked Erwin's side lightly.
"What?" Erwin gasped, immediately before stumbling back. Upon analyzing his surroundings, he sighed. "Levi..."
"Are you okay?" Levi responded, glaring upwards to make eye contact with Erwin. "You're acting like someone told you you're gonna die tomorrow."
"I'm fine." Erwin assured, smiling. He then began to walk. "I appreciate your concer--"
"Cut the bullshit." Levi spat, pushing Erwin back onto the wall with a single hand. Erwin winced at the pain in his torso; the place in which Levi's palm resided. "What happened?"
"It is nothing, Levi. Really." Erwin dismissed, holding Levi's forearm and pushing it aside. "I am simply tired."
"You slept at the same time as me, and I'm fine." Levi blinked.
"You and I require different hours of sleep to feel refreshed." Erwin informed, strolling past Levi. "As I said before, I appreciate the concern, but I am quite alright."
"You get a kick out of lying?" Levi mumbled under his breath. "I'm not stu--"
"Levi! Erwin!!" Hanji sang from the main section of the mess hall. "Hurry up over there!"
Clearly, something, or someone was troubling Erwin. Even after pressing on, the commander still refused to speak the truth. Not wanting to cause a scene, Levi's resolute was to chat with Erwin at a later time, in a more private setting.
"Shall we?" Erwin ushered softly, tilting his head backwards somewhat.
"Sure." Levi agreed, arriving at the table and seating himself alongside Erwin.
"Took you long enough." Hanji huffed, plopping herself down as well. She then slid a wooden knife down the table and to Levi. "Let's sing happy birthda--"
"Don't even try." Levi rejected.
"Come on." Hanji pouted, frowning. "Please?"
~~~
"Happy birthday to you..." Kenny sang out of tune. "Happy birthday to you..."
"Happy birthday dear Rivaille... Happy birthday to you!!"
"Look at you, growing up so fast." Kenny smirked, patting young Levi's back. "One of these days, yer gonna be taller than me."
"Go ahead then, kid." Kenny spoke, gesturing to the candles on Levi's cake. "Make yer wish."
Levi squinted his eyes as he blowed 11 candles out in one strong puff.
"What'd ya wish for?" Kenny inquired, eating a slice of the cake with his hands.
"It's a secret." Levi responded, placing a finger over his lips knowingly.
"Tch." Kenny chuckled, curios.
~~~
"No, Hanji." Levi spoke in his slightly deeper tone he used for intimidating. "Don't make me say it again."
"Alrighty then." Hanji stammered, looking off and to her side. "Go ahead and try the cake then! Don't be shy."
"Tsk." Levi scoffed, gently smiling afterwards.
It had been months since Levi had pressed a blade into a pastry, and years since he'd done so to a cake on his birthday. As he scanned his surroundings, he was pleased to see his friends laughing and conversing lightheartedly. Once his gaze landed on Erwin, the commander flashed a quick smile before eyeing the cake implicitly.
Levi, instead of taking the foremost slice for himself as tradition called for, divided the cake into twelve thin slices, and served Erwin first. Then, he granted Mike and Hanji their shares. Levi gave himself his own food last. This gesture was a silent expression of gratitude twoards his friends.
"Go ahead, try it!" Hanji smiled, awaiting Levi's reaction to her baking.
"Calm down." Levi replied, wiping down his fork. "I'm going."
Levi then did as he spoke, cutting out a piece from the slice with fork and knife. This was not the customary way to consume cake, and so he received intrigued glances from Mike and Hanji. Erwin paid not much mind to the captain's mannerisms, having been accustomed to them.
Finally, Levi tasted the pastry. The cake was moist and spongey, yet not soggy as one would expect. The texture was unique; Levi had never tasted anything quite like it before. On top of that, Hanji noted what Levi's favorite flavors were, and incorporated both into the dish.
"Lemon and Vanilla." Levi spoke shortly, nodding somewhat. "Not bad, Hanji. It's eatable."
"Eee!! I'm so happy you liked it!!" Hanji squealed, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.
"Yeah. It's good Hanji." Mike smiled, chuckling at Hanji's childish reaction.
"I enjoyed it as well." Erwin complemented, neatly arranging silverware atop his cleared plate.
"Present time!!" Hanji practically yelled, startling the three men seated across from her.
"Loud." Levi complained shortly, hovering the tips of his fingers near his earlobe.
"Here." Hanji offered, cradling a box within her hands.
The present Hanji offered seamed to be fragile, judging on the manner in which it was held. The box was enveloped in violet wrapping paper. The gift was so well packaged, that there were no crease marks to signal where the paper ended.
"Purple?" Levi gasped slightly, tilting his head up. "And on the damn wrapping too? Hanji--"
"Just open it." Hanji smiled, waving her hands in the air. "It's fine, really!"
Levi hesitantly did as told after a small pause. He picked at the enveloping tissue with his fingernail, careful not to rip the decoration too badly. Purple was very expensive, after all.
The reasoning behind the cost was it's accessibility. To produce purple, one needed to boil snails, which would excrete the color once the necessary temperature is reached. Although this process was simple, it must be preformed an inordinate amount of times to fabricate enough to fill a glass halfway.
Levi, after a painfully long 3 minutes, finally removed the outer coating of the box delicately. He promptly opened the cardboard. Upon revealing his gift, Levi had to try his hardest to hold back a smile.
Hanji had presented Levi with a beautiful pearl-colored porcelain teacup. The rim of the cup was sanded down to create small mountains-like structures, all outlined in sliver. Two narrow lines traced the diameter of the cup at the center; a minimalistic and appealing touch. The handle was of an odd and foreign design, unable to be held comfortably.
"The handle's for decoration, and technically so is the cup." Hanji informed, smirking somewhat. "I knew you wouldn't use it, so I bought you a teacup with a cool design where the grip would be."
"Thank you, Hanij." Levi smirked. "This is nice."
"Woah! Levi really liked it, just like Moblit said he would!!" Hanji smiled, nudging Mike's side excitedly. "He's even smiling."
"Tsk." Levi mumbled, dropping his grin playfully.
"Damn it!!" Hanji whined, sighing in defeat. "Well, go ahead, Mike. Show him what you got!"
"Sure." Mike spoke, pointing to the space next to Levi. "There it is."
"What?" Levi responded, turning to his side. A rather long and skinny box laid alongside him. "When did you put that there?"
"Does it matter?" Hanji spoke, anxious for a reaction. "Open it!"
Levi, in ways of responding, lifted the package from it's resting spot. Surprisingly, this was the only present the captain had received in which it's container was the decoration. It was a simple white gift box with a removable lid.
Once Levi removed the cover, a silver mutli-use folding pocket blade met his stare. Interested, Levi revealed each and every setting one by one. He found that the tool contained scissors, a mini saw, a bottle opener, another variation of the bottle opener, a knife, another knife with a serrated edge, two measuring tools, a screwdriver, and finally, a nail file.
"That's a lot of metal." Levi teased, closing the instrument. "Thank you, Mike."
"No problem, captain." Mike smirked.
"Let me see that, Levi." Erwin frowned, his inquisitive tone not matching his deadpan expression.
"What-- why?" Levi responded, eyeing Erwin suspiciously.
"I could've sworn I'd caught a speck of dirt on the handle." Erwin explained quickly. "Would mind handing it to me?"
"I didn't see anything on thi--" Levi scoffed, scanning the item.
"Levi." Erwin spoke firmly, however much softer so that Mike and Hanji wouldn't hear. "You know you are not allowed to have that."
"Tsk." Levi frowned. "This was a gift from Mike, I'm not giving it away."
"I am not keeping it." Erwin assured, narrowing his vison. "I am only going to hold it for you."
"This is for your own good, Levi..." Erwin mumbled.
"Bullshit." Levi responded. "How long are you going to treat me like this?"
"Are... you two, alright?" Hanji inquired. "What are you arguing about?"
"Nothing." Erwin smiled. "Levi and I were discussing something is all."
Levi rolled his eyes in response, tightening his grip on the cold metal. He absolutely despised how Erwin would take every, any and all objects away that could somehow possibly be used as weapons. Levi was in the military; how was he to carry out his job? Did Erwin honestly expect him to defend humanity with his teaspoon?
Levi then caught movement in the corner of his eyes. He noted that Erwin had extended a palm out to Levi from underneath the table; out of the other's sight. Knowing what the commander wanted, the captain pretended not to notice this.
"It's an order." Erwin frowned, knowing Levi had noticed.
"Eat shit." Levi insulted, rudely throwing the knife into Erwin's palm.
"I apologize for this." Erwin blinked, looking away from Levi as he placed the tool in his pocket.
Levi did not respond.
"I'm leaving." Levi announced abruptly. "You can keep doing whatever you'd like here though."
"What about what Erwin gifted you?" Mike inquired.
"This?" Levi responded, pointing to his bracelet.
"Oh." Mike nodded. "It is quite beautiful."
"Yeah." Levi mumbled under his breath, walking out of the room. Just before passing the doorframe, he paused. "Erwin, don't follow me."
Levi squinted his eyes somewhat, not like Mike, Erwin nor Hanji could see this. A certain feeling plagued his heart, though he could not explain it all that well. It was a mixture of restriction, anguish, distrust and sadness. Levi wanted to be alone, and so he left the room to be just that.
"Huh? That's weird." Hanji shrugged.
"Damn it." Erwin sighed, lifting himself from his chair.
"Didn't he just ask for you not to follow him?" Mike inquired, holding Erwin down in his seat.
"Levi and I have argued over a misunderstanding, and he resents me for it." Erwin lied. "I must go apologize."
"Makes sense." Hanji nodded. "Go, hurry!"
"Right." Erwin nodded, running after Levi.
(--Author's Note--)
Good morning or afternoon to everyone! I hope you all have had, or are having a great day!
I just wanted to announce that I have a lot of things on my schedule; including final exams, a solo for band, and schoolwork. What does this mean? Yeah, I wont be able to post as often... again... It seams I'm bipolar with my posting, aren't I? Heh...
I promise I'll get back to posting every other day when I can though!!
I wish all of you only the best. If anything is ever out of line, or if you just need someone to talk to, I'm always here. I'll listen. I care about all of you, and if there's ever anything I can do for you, let me know.
Don't forget to sleep. Eat and drink water too, it's just that I've noted that you people stay up late. Stop that, it's not healthy. If you ever are unable to sleep, message me and I'll do my best to help.
Have a great rest of your day, or goodnight!
Much love, Xavier-kun.