"Levi! There you are. Where's- oh!"
Levi marches past Hange, head down, eyes set forward on the path in front of him. "We're leaving," he snaps, not bothering to look over his shoulder. "Come on."
"Okay! What's the rush?" He doesn't reply, so Hange jogs after him, trying to keep up. "Shadis says we can come by for our next visit in a few weeks," they continue. "And he was saying that Logan actually went against direct orders to do the ODM basic course!"
"I heard."
"So you were with her, then?"
He doesn't reply, continuing his march towards the stable where they'd left their horses.
"Levi," Hange says lowly, adjusting their glasses. "What'd you do?"
"Nothing," he snaps in return. The stable's in sight- he just needs to get to the horses and then they'll be home free.
"So should I just go ask her, then?" they ask innocently.
He spins in place, turning to glare at Hange. "Don't," Levi snaps, and he hates himself for the panic he's thrown in his voice. Their mouth opens, and he rushes out, "it's nothing bad."
They blink. "Levi, are you blushing?"
Fuck.
Levi spins around again and storms off towards the horses. "Oh my god!" Hange shrieks from behind him, running to catch up. "You complimented her again, didn't you?"
"Fuck off."
"Oh, Logan," Hange mocks, pretending to swoon. "You should keep that eye patch off, it suits you- wait, let me adjust your harness-"
"I will throw you off your horse and you'll have to walk back."
"No way in hell, Levi," they gloat, practically skipping next to him. "Because if you throw me off my horse, I'll just walk back here and find Logan, and we can have some lovely chats about you!"
Levi groans. He doesn't know who he wants to kill more- Hange or himself.
.
Levi thought you were beautiful.
Well, he never really said it. But you had called the stars beautiful, and he had been looking at you when he agreed, so... he basically did. Right?
That thought keeps you in a fantastic mood all week. You're starting to realize that your feelings towards Levi are more than friendly.
Originally, you'd denied it. You'd assumed that the giddiness you felt was just because he had answers you wanted. Or, after that, you'd assumed that it was just because he was one of the only ones who really knew about you: your amnesia, your history. It was purely platonic.
But giggling when he sort-of-kind-of called you beautiful? Blushing just thinking of him?
...Yeah. You like him.
And it doesn't help that the only thing the cadets want to talk about is him.
After Shadis announced your private lessons and you'd sped through the course like it was child's play, the other trainees have been filled with questions. Several are protesting why you, of all people, get to be the one to have private lessons.
"Is it because you're old?" Eren says bluntly, and Jean smacks him.
You evade most of the questions. The only ones you do answer are the ones where you're sure no follow up questions can come from it: how long has it been going on (since the beginning of training), is that why you miss class (yes), is it hard (yes).
However, the rascals that you spend your time with are pushy. You're really starting to reconsider your friendships here.
The questions normally end quickly once people see how pissed off it makes you, or when they start to get the hint that you're not going to answer anything. Everyone seems to eventually clue in.
Everyone except Eren.
The kid is relentless. Every meal, without fail, he attacks you with a new question, ranging everywhere from "how do you go so fast in your ODM gear?" to "what did Corporal Levi teach you about sparring? Any tips?" and you're dangerously close to spearing him with your fork.
Mikasa normally shushes him quickly enough, so it's never been too much of an issue, until one day he finally asks a decent question.
"Hey, Logan," Eren says, and everyone lets out a collective sigh because they know where this is going, "you said that Corporal Levi was the one waiting for you in the Corps. Is that why you get private lessons?"
Finally, a decent question. "Yeah," you reply, nodding.
Eren's eyes widen. He'd clearly been expecting to get shut down again. "So basically, if we want to get better, we have to have connections," he says thoughtfully.
You roll your eyes. "Not really."
"But you-"
Fed up, you steal an idea from Levi's book. To get Eren's attention, you slam your elbow on the table and hold up three fingers in front of him. "You get three questions," you say firmly. "That's it. And then I'm done answering your pointless ventures."
Eren is immediately harassed. "Don't waste them, Eren!" Jean calls. Sasha and Connie immediately start throwing in their own questions, and you think Reiner's trying to grab Eren's attention too.
The brunet has his eyes on you. "And you're going to answer them all truthfully?" he questions, eyebrows furrowing.
You nod. "Yep. That's one."
"Eren, you dumbass!" Connie yells. "There goes one!"
"Yeah, c'mon, Eren!"
"Ask something smart!"
"Oi, they're my questions!"
"Idiots," Ymir grumbles beside you.
Krista laughs. "They're just excited! Logan never tells us anything."
You roll your eyes again- if only she knew. You're just praying that Eren doesn't ask anything that could lead to a landslide of questions. You'll have to play this smart.
Everyone quiets down, and you realize Eren's about to ask his second question. "Okay," he says slowly, glancing at Armin, who nods encouragingly. "How do you know Corporal Levi?"
There's a collective murmur and a few appreciative nods. It's almost comedic how everyone has banded against you.
"We met before he joined the Survey Corps," you start, trying to figure out how best to phrase it. "We worked a job together. He, uh..." you trail off. What else can you even say? "I saw him join the Corps, and I wanted to join too, so." You gesture vaguely. "Here I am."
Good. It was a decent answer. Completely truthful, albeit a bit cryptic.
Everyone converges around Eren, muttering, preparing for his third and final question. It's fun to watch. "You don't mind this?" Mikasa murmurs.
You shrug. "Better to get people to shut up now than to have to deal with this every meal for the rest of training."
She nods in agreement. Ymir frowns. "Or just threaten 'em," she says. "You're you. It would work."
"I'm not that threatening," you protest, shaking your head.
You can hear people bickering, and you glance up to the group surrounding Eren. He's telling them all off, shoving them away. "I'm asking my own thing," he insists to the onlookers.
The attention makes you feel like some sort of royalty. You like being mysterious; you like making people wonder. The attention can be annoying sometimes, sure, but you're sort of surprised how invested people seem to be in your history with Levi.
"Ask away," you say casually.
"Why the private lessons?" Eren asks, eyes wide. "I mean- shouldn't training be enough? And you're really good, sure, but so is Mikasa." The black-haired girl shrugs. "Why do you have to get special treatment?"
There's a few ways to answer that, and you choose the easiest one. "Shadis suggested it," you say, shrugging. "Levi agreed. I'm not going to protest."
He frowns. "Yeah, but why you? Because you used to know Levi? It doesn't seem like Shadis would do it just for that."
So many answers lie on the tip of your tongue.
Because I've already been a part of the Survey Corps, I just don't remember it. Because I've already been outside the walls- don't remember much about that. Because I've already fought titans, but I lost pretty badly.
Instead, you choose a half-truth. "I've seen Levi in action," you reply. Well, it's not technically a lie- you've probably seen him using ODM gear in a high-stress situation at some point. "He's got extra stuff he wants to teach me. That's all there is to it."
"So can you teach me?" Eren asks eagerly.
You roll your eyes. "No. I don't teach."
He pouts. "Aw."
You sigh. "Well, maybe I can show you something," you concede, and he immediately straightens up. "But," you announce, "only if you stop asking me stupid questions."
Eren cocks his head. "What's the difference between a stupid question and a regular question?"
"They're all stupid," Ymir says.
You shrug. "What Ymir said."
"Fine. But you have to teach me how to do that spin thing you were doing!" he says excitedly. "The one where you twirl in midair! How do you manage to do that without tangling your grapples? Is there some secret technique for preparation? I-"
"Mikasa," you say, and she stuffs a bun into Eren's open mouth.
You grin to yourself as the table resumes their usual antics. You do really like these kids, and it's not that you don't trust them, but there's a lot of your history to unpack: if you tell them you were in the Survey Corps before, then you have to explain why you're only now doing training, and then you'd have to explain your injury, plus the circumstances of you joining... it's a lot.
So, instead, you smile and munch on your rations as you watch the chaos of the mess hall table unfold around you.
.
Levi starts teaching you how to use your blades. You've just started using blades in actual training with the rest of the recruits, so it's a bit of a surprise that Levi's started you on this so late. So far, you've been well ahead of everyone else's training.
"Why so late?" you ask, testing out the blades in your hands.
Levi twirls the sword aimlessly. "Underground, we didn't have the swords," he says. "You learn to adapt a lot more. People become too dependent on the blades and I've seen people who suddenly don't know how to fly without them."
Building up your independence. "Got it."
He flips the blades effortlessly in his hands, going from a backhanded grip to a front grip and then back again. "Which do you prefer?" he asks.
"Hand grip?" you clarify, and he nods. Frowning, you pull out your blades. Shadis has been teaching everyone to use the standard front grip; Levi's the only person that you've seen use the swords backhanded. Well, you suppose that the other trainees really wouldn't know any different. They've only been taught the one way.
You slice at the air, holding them the way Shadis has been teaching you. Nothing about the move feels wrong, but when you switch your grip, it just feels... more right. Which doesn't make much sense when you think about it.
You shrug, dragging the blades through the air. "I think I like backhand."
Levi's lips twitch. "Yeah?"
"I think so," you murmur, fighting the heat that's moving to your cheeks. "They both feel fine, but..." you trail off, tracing circles through the air with your swords. "This feels faster."
"That's so cool!" Hange jumps at you from behind, and you nearly punch them in surprise- it feels like they came out of nowhere. "What makes a backhanded grip so special? This is excellent, Levi refuses to run any sort of tests with me and now you can-"
"She's not doing shit," Levi snaps, swatting at Hange. "None of your stupid tests."
"Come on, they're not stupid!" they protest. "It's different, and I want to know why it's so preferable, especially if two of our best members do this over the standard way that they teach."
They've got a good point. You open your mouth to agree, but Levi's hand grabs your shoulder. "Don't even think about agreeing," he says, "or else they'll never leave you alone."
"I like Hange, though," you protest.
"Hange likes you too," Levi agrees. "Maybe a bit too much." Your eyes widen, and he clarifies, "they've been trying to convince me to let them run some tests on you, study your amnesia."
You snort. "Thanks. My guardian angel."
Levi's grip tightens on your shoulder, and the both of you stare at each other for maybe a second too long before you look away. You glance up at Hange and notice that their eyes are darting between the two. They're grinning. "Awe," they coo. "Look at you two, I-"
"We're going," Levi announces, and he tugs you towards the woods. You stumble after him, glancing back at Hange apologetically, but they're just grinning madly.
Levi lets go of you only when you're in front of the trees. "Trees are different from houses," you remark.
"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," he replies dryly. You roll your eyes. "Stay high," Levi says, starting to actually give you some advice. "But not too high that branches are in your way. Branches do more harm than good- plenty of tangled grappling lines. Too low means titan food."
"Not too high, not too low," you repeat. "Got it."
"You can use branches for hooking points, but limit it," Levi continues. "Treat the trees like buildings- you don't need to land on them, but-"
"You need them to fly," you finish. "Okay."
He nods, satisfied. "Good to go?"
"Yep."
Levi turns to the trees and his hooks fly out- then he's gone. Swallowing your nerves, you jump into the air and fly after him.
You'd been nervous about the trees. How easy would it be to get a grip, how easy is it to get tangled. Turns out, you didn't have much to worry about. The trees aren't drastically different, like you'd been expecting, and you get better at following Levi through the woods.
Granted, you almost accidentally clothesline yourself at least twice with various branches, and one time Levi has to swoop in and grab you by the elbow so you don't run face-first into a tree, but it's a good start.
"You're reckless," Levi remarks. "Flying before you completely know what you're doing."
"I'm just trying to keep up with you," you complain, perching yourself on the branch next to him.
"And you're nearly killing yourself in the process. Blades out."
With a scowl, you pull out your swords, weighing them carefully in your hands. It doesn't feel too bad. If what Levi told you about your past holds true, then you used your ODM gear to steal things, which would mean you're used to carrying things in your hands while you fly. Right? And working with the blades in regular training with Shadis has never been an issue. No, you're just worried about keeping up with Levi.
Turns out, it's not as bad as you're expecting. Flying with the blades in hand feels natural. You try the standard way, then change to Levi's backhanded grip. You swing your arms through the air, pretending to slice at titans that aren't there.
You don't know how long you've spent in the air, but your palms are slick with sweat by the time you land from having such a tight grip. You tuck the blades away, then wipe your palms on your pants, trying to uncramp your fingers.
"Cramped hands?" Levi asks, moving over to you. "Don't hold so tight next time."
"I was afraid I'd drop them," you say honestly.
"Ingrained habits."
Then, Levi reaches for your hand. Your entire body stiffens up as Levi takes hold of your palm, turning it over in his hand. His thumb brushes over your skin and you feel fire race through your veins.
Your mouth opens, but no sound comes out. What's he doing?
Levi's thumb pushes into a tender spot on your hand, and you involuntarily wince. "If you're going to hold them backhanded," he says carefully, eyes trained down on your hand, "you're going to get callouses. I'll bring you some lotion for them next time."
"Okay," you squeak out.
He nods to himself- why the fuck is he still holding your hand- and he looks up to meet your eyes. "Good job," Levi says awkwardly.
He drops your hand, and it feels like you can finally breathe again. You force yourself to nod, then frown. "Wait," you say, and in a sudden rush of confidence, you reach for Levi's hand. He doesn't stop you. "You have these callouses, then?"
"It's nothing," Levi mutters, and he tries to tug his hand away.
You hold fast, shooting him a glare. "If you're going to grab my hands out of nowhere, then I can grab yours," you shoot out.
"Don't say it like that, idiot," he snaps.
"Then let me see your stupid injuries, dumbass."
"They're not injuries-"
"You literally just said I was going to injure my hands-"
"You-"
"Aw," someone calls, and you drop Levi's hand like it's scalding hot. Both you and Levi turn to Hange, leaning against one of the trees. "Look at you two! So cute!" they say, mock-swooning.
God, it feels like your face is on fire. Has Hange caught on to your feelings? How would they know? Were you- are you being too obvious?
"Fuck off, Four Eyes," Levi snaps, more venom in his voice than usual. He stomps away from you, shooting Hange the deadliest glare you've ever seen. "Come on, we're sparring," he calls over his shoulder. "Go bother Shadis, Hange."
You perk up, then jog after Levi. You're always down for sparring.
Hange follows you anyways, chattering excitedly. "This is excellent!" they say enthusiastically. "Me, who has the standard military training, then Levi, whose knowledge of ODM gear is all self-discovered, and then you- a hybrid of both!"
You raise an eyebrow. "A hybrid."
"I'm calling you that from now on. Our little Hybrid."
"Stop alienating her," Levi says with a roll of his eyes.
Hange leans towards him. "Aw, Levi, defending your lady's honor?"
"Four Eyes, if you don't fuck off right now, I'm going to break your glasses," he threatens without breaking stride.
"Ah, but then I'd be Two Eyes, and you'd have to find another nickname. Two Eyes just doesn't sound right- everyone has two eyes."
"Almost everyone," you joke.
"You still have your eye. You're, like, one and a half." Hange cocks their head. "If I'm Four Eyes, can you be One and a Half Eyes?"
You shrug. "Sounds like a long name. Looks like you'll have to leave Hange's glasses alone, Levi."
He shoots you a withering glare. "Not you too, dumbass."
"I do actually have to go, though," Hange says, sighing dramatically. "I'll catch you two later. Don't get too carried away!"
There's a crack above, and all three of you look up.
"Thunder," you say.
"That means rain," Levi says with a sigh. "Come on. I don't want to get caught in this."
"We'll have to ride home regardless of the weather," Hange points out. "Unless you'd want to stay the night? Maybe Logan can-"
"We'll leave in half an hour," he snaps, cutting them off. "Come on."
Hange waves goodbye and takes off towards the mess hall just as the first few droplets start to come down. You jog after Levi as you head to the barn where you two always spar. By the time you get there, the rain is coming down in full force, and you're both completely soaked.
Levi wrenches the barn door open and you throw yourself inside, gasping in relief. "I hate the rain," you grumble, peeling your jacket off of your body.
He throws his own cloak to the side. "You liked it at first."
You frown, turning back to him. "I did?"
"We never had rain underground. Our first time experiencing it was-" Levi cuts himself off, swallowing hard.
He doesn't need to finish it. You remember. Or at least, you know of it. Your first expedition outside the walls, the day Levi lost Isabel and Farlan- and you, for that matter.
"I know," you murmur.
Levi meets your eyes briefly, then brings his hands up. "Alright. Come on, let's see if you're still as shitty as you were last time."
You are, in fact, not as shitty as you were last time, but you're still not a match for Levi regardless. The small man flips you, throws you, and slams you into the ground so many times that you can feel your brain jostling around in your head.
You're already tired from at least an hour of ODM gear, and Levi's wearing you out even more. It's hard enough to keep up with his punches, let alone counter them. Every move you try is thrown back on you so quickly that you're struggling to keep up, despite being the one to lead.
Levi's foot lashes out and he knocks you off your feet. Before you can scramble to get up, Levi presses his knee down into the center of your chest.
"Still can't get me off guard," he says.
"Haven't started trying yet," you retort.
Scowling, you lash up with your foot, kicking him in the knee. Levi buckles- only slightly, but enough for you to shove his boot off of your chest. You try a move that Levi pulled on you a few months ago: one of your legs slashes across the back of his knees, and you shove yourself up on one hand to strike your other leg in front of his waist.
It's a scissor lock, and it actually works. Levi plummets, and you scramble over top of him. You can't get over him in time, and Levi's foot nails you in the side, and you fall. He clambers over top of you, blocking your attempt to flip him over again and pinning you down.
He's straddling you, knees tight on your sides, one hand on your bicep and his other hand on your opposite shoulder. "Nice try," Levi mocks, dipping his head down closer to yours. "But it'll take more than that to catch me by surprise."
You're not sure why you do it.
You could blame it on the frustration that you never seem to gain the upper hand on Levi, no matter how hard you try. You could blame it on the proximity between you two. You could blame it on the feelings that you've tried to pretend aren't there and have ultimately started to accept.
You shove against Levi's arm, making him buckle at the elbow, and you seize his front collar. You tug, but Levi's keeping his neck muscles tensed, and you can't pull him down to you. That's fine, you hadn't expected to be able to anyways.
Pulling yourself up by his front collar, you kiss him square on the mouth.
It does the trick. Levi's arms lock up and his body goes completely rigid, and you use his lack of structure to knock his hands off of you. You shove, pushing up with your legs, and Levi topples sideways. You flip yourself over top of him, reversing your positions, and trap one of his arms under your knee. You hold onto his other arm with one of your hands, then raise your other hand up in a fist over his face.
"Got you," you say breathlessly.
Levi's eyes are blown wide. He isn't even resisting you; he's laying limp under your grip, his expression betraying his surprise.
The both of you sit like that for a second, trying to digest what just happened.
It hits you. I just kissed Levi.
Immediately, you push yourself off of him, scrambling to your feet. "S- Sorry," you stammer, your mind going a million miles per hour as you trip over your own feet. You can't even figure out a logical explanation- I was trying to catch you off guard doesn't seem like a reasonable excuse.
Levi props himself up on his elbows, but he can't even make words. He's staring at you, lips slightly parted, eyes wide.
"Shit," you curse. You avoid Levi's eyes, rubbing the back of your head with your hand. "Thanks for the sparring," you say lamely. "I'll- I guess I'll see you next time?"
His mouth opens, but no sound comes out.
Well, your plan certainly succeeded. You definitely caught him off guard. You nod, more for yourself than for him, then turn on your heel and race out of the barn, hardly noticing the rain pouring down on your body.
What the fuck did you just do?
.
A/N: took 60k words but we got a kiss. About time ;)