"I just readjusted the settings," he heard Lily's words only from a distance, while he fixed all his attention only on one man standing in a group of soldiers only a few meters away from them.
"You can start," she seemed to try again after he still didn't respond to her.
But Levi continued to pay no attention to her words, still looking over at the man standing in the center of the group, gesturing wildly with his arms. There was something hypnotic about his movements. If only he wasn't such a jerk.
"Hey, Levi? Are you even listening to me?" Lily's voice now sounded much louder and near his ear while she simply threw some of the modified equipment on his lap to regain his attention. She grinned broadly at him and followed his gaze with a soft giggle. "Kjell is really popular."
Levi didn't reply to that and just stared absently at the apparatus in his hand before getting up from the bench for the fifth time that morning to attach the maneuvering equipment to his upper legs and his back. Again he glanced over at the soldiers and only suppressed a yawn with great effort. Although he hadn't slept a wink last night and exhaustion was slowly catching up with him after this extended test run, he was still glad to be able to distract himself at least a little from yesterday afternoon.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lily eyeing him with slight concern in her gaze. No wonder, since he had barely been able to hide the dark circles under his eyes.
"Just this one more round. Then I'll have enough data to make further improvements. I'm sorry for hogging you right away, even though you just had that incident yesterday."
Levi froze in his movement as these words made him think of Erwin. Not of the robbery, though. But of the moment afterward when they had lost all control from one second to the next.
He shook off the thought and put a hand on his chest to calm his heartbeat. Any distraction was welcome right now, so he let his gaze wander briefly over the practice area, which, since it had existed, had probably never seen so many people at once. Obviously, Lily had not been able to keep her mouth shut and had told her comrades about the planned tests. Accordingly, some of the soldiers had gathered at the edge of the small forest and just turned their attention to Kjell, who had also agreed to help the engineers.
Apparently, the MPs and the Scouts did not meet too often, for all eyes were on the boy as he waved his hands around excitedly, probably telling them some anecdote from the expeditions. To Levi's astonishment, the soldiers were literally glued to his lips, and despite this ridiculous show, he was more than grateful not to be the center of attention.
But that soon changed when he finally put on his gear and walked quickly past the soldiers towards one of the giant trees. Without giving Kjell or the group standing with him a glance, he pulled himself up one of the large branches.
The astonished shouting of a female soldier reached his ears as he, having barely reached the top, pushed himself off the branch with a backflip and was already aiming for the next limb. Once there, he took a sharp turn to the left and completely changed direction again. An unchecked dive into the depths almost made it look like he was about to hit the ground, but he took advantage of the dry soil and the power of his momentum to skid his shoes across the sand before making an arc and launching himself back into the air with a well-dosed boost. He heard a loud yelp, and someone clapped their hands as he finally landed back on the branch he had just started on. A relatively short round, but that should be enough for more data.
Casually, he saw the clapping coming from a young man standing in a group off to the side, looking up at him with wide eyes.
He made a disparaging sound but gave the boy a friendly nod. These guys were easy to enthuse, but no wonder when they were obviously here all day doing nothing but boozing and lazily sitting on their asses.
And so, it was also no wonder that the engineers had to rely on the help of the Scouts since hardly anyone had such good practice in using the maneuvering equipment as those whose lives depended on it.
"Hey, you're stealing the entire show, Levi," he suddenly heard a familiar voice, glancing sideways directly into Kjell's haggard face as he sat down on the branch beside him, breathing frantically.
Levi eyed him with a questioning look before seeing the small group of women standing on the ground, who immediately began whispering among themselves when they noticed him.
"See, you've got them completely under your spell." Kjell sighed and slumped down, exhausted. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have agreed to join you. I'm not really helping at all."
Levi stepped toward him and nudged him with his foot. "Get back on your feet. If all you're doing is wasting your breath on your meaningless babbling, it's no wonder. You can only get better with enough practice. So get your ass up, or you'll scare the girls away." Again he looked over at the female soldiers as the boy still didn't budge at his prompting. "That dark-haired one is looking right up at you, but when she realizes what a weakling you are, she'll quickly lose interest."
Immediately Kjell's spirits returned, and he shifted forward a bit to get a look down. "Which one?"
Levi just rolled his eyes and gave him an exasperated sigh before his attention was detained by another person.
He looked down and noticed Lily jumping around excitedly in front of the tree's trunk. He patted the boy on the shoulder and finally lowered himself to the ground without another word.
No sooner had his feet touched the ground than Lily was with him. With a writing pad in her hand, she matched the pace of his run, showering him with questions as he returned to the wooden benches at the edge of the exercise area.
"I'm sorry to spring this on you right away. But I want to use this afternoon to go over the changes I still have to make."
Levi dropped onto one of the benches and unclipped the right side of the apparatus from his hip. Immediately she accepted the equipment and waited patiently for him to loosen the other part as well. His gaze met with that of a female soldier looking over at them as he stretched his back to remove the rear component as well.
"I'm sorry there's such a fuss here today. I just told them I wanted to ask you about some tests. I didn't ask them to come here. There's usually no one here at this time. It's just that word of your abilities seems to have gotten around all too quickly."
Levi didn't answer her, his gaze too fixed on Kjell, who finally climbed down from the tree and came running toward them.
"I didn't mean to show you up like that. That really wasn't my intention. But thank you for helping me improve anyway. I'll make it up to you. I promise."
Without looking at her, he raised a hand and patted her head in a friendly gesture. "Don't worry about it. If I didn't want to be here, I wouldn't have accepted."
A smile stole onto her face, and she nodded before writing some hurried notes on her pad. As he was about to answer her following questions, Kjell finally joined them, settling down on the bench right next to Lily with a sigh before suddenly leaning towards her to take a look at the writing pad. She immediately froze, and Levi could see her cheeks redden slightly at the unexpected closeness.
"If you always approach women like that, I don't think you'll ever have a chance," Levi growled, to which Kjell immediately backed away.
"Sorry, I was just curious," he said with an apologetic smile in her direction, to which she nodded and brushed her hair back in shy embarrassment.
Levi wanted to mock them, but then he remembered that he had also reacted like such an idiot when Erwin had suddenly approached him. So he closed his mouth again and directed his gaze tensely at the soldiers who had now begun to train as well. He just didn't want to think about yesterday anymore, and yet his thoughts kept returning to it while he listened to the conversation between Kjell and Lily with only half an ear.
"Tell me, Levi, do you have a girlfriend?"
Surprised, he looked to the side as he heard the utterly unexpected question. At what point had the conversation suddenly changed its direction?
"Didn't you talk about the maneuvering equipment just a second ago?" he grumbled, pointing to the pad in her hand.
"With his moods, the women would probably run away after only a few hours. No, wait, more likely minu-," Kjell scoffed before abruptly shutting up when he noticed Levi's deadly glare. He raised his hands and moved away from them slightly with a grim smile, although Lily was still sitting between them.
Levi turned away with a sigh. "Where do you come up with such a stupid question, anyway?"
Lily nodded in the direction of the soldiers. "Because she's been looking at you the whole time."
Levi followed her gaze and spotted a tall young woman with brown hair who was about to adjust the equipment on her hips but kept looking over at them. She was pretty, and he had noticed her long ago, but he had paid her no further attention to avoid any awkward conversation. As long as she didn't have a beard after three days without a shave or wasn't hiding a third leg between her thighs, she was uninteresting to him in any way. But he didn't want to provoke it any further either. So it was probably his time to go.
"I'll leave you two lovebirds alone for now. Just don't get too wild," he said, and in the same move, shifted his legs over the bench to stand up.
He could see them both instantly freeze before Lilly was the first to regain her composure and open her mouth.
"Are we finished here?" Levi beat her to it.
She just nodded.
He looked at Kjell, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "I'll leave the girls to you. I'm out for the day," he said before he simply turned and, without looking back again, headed for the path that led out of the forest and back into town. He could hear how the two began to discuss loudly even from a few feet away. A smirk stole onto his lips, for apparently, he had hit the mark.
A gust of wind passed through the trees so that the voices from the training ground were slowly lost in the rustling sound of the leaves as he moved on. He slowed his pace after a while and strolled further along the path, enjoying the solitude and silence for a brief moment. But after only a few more steps, a strong feeling of exhaustion seized him again, and he quickened his pace to shake it off.
He hadn't slept a wink all night. He hadn't for months. And after yesterday's incident, it had only gotten worse. The only thing that had actually let him sleep through a night or two was the pain reliever Kyrie had given him. But he couldn't numb himself with it every night.
No sooner had he conjured it up than he felt the twinge in his side again, clearly letting him know that he was well past the zenith for today. The fact that he had already ignored this pain yesterday avenged itself now immediately with double intensity. Shit, he should have taken it easy after the raid yesterday.
He decided without further ado to spend the rest of the day in the quarters, hoping to recover a bit that way, but he already knew that this was hopeless. He glanced back at the training area once more as a loud shouting noise drifted over to him. Kjell and the others clearly seemed to be having their fun, but he was now no longer a part of it for the time being and breathed a sigh of relief when shortly afterward, he could already see the gates of the city in the distance.
•••
Only about half an hour later, he finally reached the quarters, and his exhaustion was already so great that he would have preferred to lie down in bed immediately. But the dirt on his clothes and the dust in his hair kept him from going to sleep. So he grabbed a pile of fresh clothes with a sigh before moving on toward the washroom. Fortunately for him, the quarters were all but empty at this time of day, and he eventually found himself alone in the bathrooms. He carelessly tossed the dirty uniform, including the harness and leather belts, into the corner and stepped under one of the showers before silently cursing as the cold water hit his tense muscles shortly after. Indeed, at this time of day, no one was here to fire up the stove and thus preheat the water, so he hurried to step back out of the shower as quickly as possible and finally dry off his tired bones before slipping into clean clothes despite the still-wet bandage around his waist. He would take care of that in his room.
He walked toward one of the sinks on the other side of the washroom, brushing back his wet hair with his hand as he studied his face in the mirror for a moment.
Two eyes, bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles, looked tiredly back at him, and he absent-mindedly stroked a finger over the scratch on his cheek, which stood out clearly in his slightly tanned but still sickish face. Despite having been up here for so long now, he would probably never be able to shed the blemishes that had developed thanks to years of lacking sunlight. How could Erwin find such a grimace attractive?
He shook his head at this thought and lowered his hand to reach for the comb and fix his dark hair in a few strokes.
Again, he caught himself giving his countenance a critical look before tearing himself away and picking up his dirty clothes from the floor.
Hastily, he headed for the door and stepped out into the hallway, heading back to the quarters. Mentally, he was already in his bed before he suddenly stopped in mid-run when he heard an all too familiar voice.
Erwin?
He recognized him even before he could see the blond giant coming around the corner with another soldier. Hastily, he took a few steps back and hid behind the nearest pillar while making a total idiot of himself. Why the hell was he hiding?
He was about to emerge from his hiding place to pass the two with an unflinching greet when he suddenly noticed them stop.
Irritated, he looked around. This had to be the leader's floor, and over there was Erwin's office. Why had he gone this way, of all places?
The other man's voice was unfamiliar to him, but he could hear them both talking about yesterday's incident. The way they spoke seemed familiar, and Levi felt an uneasy feeling spread through him as he continued to listen to their words.
Finally, the other man inquired about Erwin's well-being, to which he replied with a quiet laugh that he would not be broken down so quickly. Apparently, this was also goodbye because Levi heard the shoes dragging across the carpet and moving away from him again. He listened for a moment longer, but no one seemed to be around. So he finally stepped out of his hiding place and back into the hallway where Erwin and the other soldier had been until a moment ago.
And he froze in stone when he suddenly spotted Erwin standing just behind the corner with his arms crossed, giving him a reproachful look.
Shit.
"I saw you when we turned the corner."
"So, is it illegal to walk freely around this floor now?" Levi pretended to be unconcerned as he stepped forward to push past him. An exasperated sigh escaped him as he felt Erwin's hand on his arm as he had already expected.
"That's not a problem at all. Eavesdropping on someone, however, is."
"Then perhaps you should have taken a room. Everyone could hear you."
Erwin only gave a snide snort and pulled Levi back with a jerk after another attempt to escape. Levi could feel the warmth of his body in his back as he bumped backward against the giant. With an angry look, he looked up and directly into Erwin's eyes as the blond bend over him from behind. His face was suddenly so close that it sent a slight shiver down Levi's spine as he said: "Let's talk."
"I have nothing to say to you," he replied, abruptly turning his face away from him. Without answering, Erwin suddenly grabbed him by both shoulders and pushed him in front of him, all the way to the door of his office before opening it and shoving Levi into the room with gentle force.
Levi tore away from him and fled to the center of the office while giving him an angry glare. "Are you nuts?"
Erwin leaned against the now-closed door and raised his hands defensively. "I just want to talk to you."
"By just dragging me in here like a maniac?"
"I knew you'd make a scene, so I took the opportunity before we had to have this whole conversation out in the hallway and audible to everyone."
"I already told you there was nothing to talk about." He walked up to Erwin and tried to push past him, but the giant persistently blocked his path. "Give me ten minutes, then you can go. All right?"
Levi eyed him skeptically, but his posture relaxed slightly. With a disdainful sound, he threw the clothes he was still holding onto the table and dropped onto the sofa with an annoyed sigh.
He didn't look up and only heard Erwin moving away from the door and approaching his desk. Even when he spoke up again, Levi didn't look up.
"I know the whole thing is not that simple, but we need to talk about it before any resentment arises."
"It's already too late for that." Levi was still staring insistently at the floor, to which Erwin let out a resigned sigh.
"I actually wanted to work this out like two adults. So will you please look at me when I want to talk to you?"
Levi finally raised his eyes at these words, but not without letting Erwin feel his disdain through his visibly tense posture.
"I ...," Erwin began before faltering briefly and shaking his head. "I'm just as confused about this as you are, Levi. Believe me on that."
"If you're going to confess your love to me now, a bouquet of flowers might be more appropriate instead of dragging me in here like a maniac," Levi replied in a cynical tone. He didn't want to talk about this topic, not even think about it.
To his surprise, Erwin responded to his comment with an amused smirk. "I didn't know you were into flowers. I'll have to remember that for our next date."
Levi looked at him with wide eyes until lowering his gaze again when he realized the irony in his words.
"Anyway. I owe you an apology."
Levi opened his mouth to say something back, but Erwin raised his hand in an admonishing gesture. "Please let me finish. It's my fault that the whole thing got so out of hand. I shouldn't have lost control and forced myself on you in that way."
"I ...," Levi began, but Erwin interrupted him again.
"Honestly, I have never desired a man in that way. I'm sure it was the events and the exhaustion. Maybe also the frenzy of the fight. The whole situation ..."
"May I say something too, or do you like to hear yourself talk so much?" It was now Levi who interrupted him. He had never seen Erwin so unsure and nervous, and it made him sick to see him like this. He just wanted it to stop.
Erwin sat down in his chair and screwed up his face, but he finally nodded.
Levi got up from his seat and approached his desk. He could see Erwin's eyes following his every move before he dropped into the second chair, which was across from him. "Let's just forget about this. All right?"
Erwin blinked in confusion, obviously surprised by his reaction. "I wanted to ...," he began, but Levi raised his hand and leaned across the desk toward him. "Let's not think about it. It was a mistake. Nothing more or less. Thinking about it wouldn't help either of us. "
Erwin rubbed his hands over his face, and Levi could now clearly see that he, too, had apparently not slept a single minute.
And Levi would have loved to grab his own collar and drag himself out of the room when he opened his mouth to ask Erwin: "Is that the only thing bothering you right now?" Shit, why didn't he just get up and leave? They had cleared up, after all.
"Tomorrow, the last government official will arrive," Erwin replied after a moment of silence.
Levi raised an eyebrow questioningly. "And that means that all this fuss will soon come to an end?"
"Maybe already tomorrow evening." He ran his hand over his forehead in a hectic gesture, and again Levi was struck by how nervous and uncertain he suddenly seemed.
"You've spent most of the last few days preparing for this one moment. You are more than qualified for this position and have shown much commitment. Even the previous commander is behind you. You're usually so composed. Don't break down now just before the finish."
Erwin avoided his gaze and looked to the side. "You don't have to cheer me up. I certainly just need some sleep."
Levi stood up and put a hand on the table. "Then go to sleep and ..." He stopped as Erwin began to eye him closely.
"Maybe you should follow your own advice first. You look like you haven't slept in days yourself."
"No wonder, having to put up with you. You're worse than a toddler who needs his ass powdered all the time."
A smile flitted across Erwin's lips. "I don't mind returning that compliment."
Levi slumped back in the chair and eyed him snidely. "I really don't know where I got the idea to flung my arms around your neck, of all people. Just look at you. You're a nervous wreck. If you show up there tomorrow with a face like that, that's it."
Erwin only gave an irritated snort before unceremoniously reaching for one of the documents on his desk.
"What are you going to do now?"
Erwin paused for a moment and seemed to think. "Probably keeping it low for now. After what happened yesterday, there's no point in taking any further action. I screwed up massively, and I don't want to draw any more negative attention to myself."
"Who did you screw up? Who was the one who sicced those guys on you?"
As expected, he was silent.
Levi already wanted to ask a further question, but he knew Erwin wouldn't answer that one either. So he swallowed his words and slowly got up from his seat. "If you'll excuse me. I still have to change my bandage."
"I know the question will seem out of place to you, given the circumstances," Erwin began suddenly after Levi had already turned toward the door.
"It can hardly get any stranger than this conversation just now," he replied as he looked over his shoulder at Erwin.
However, his gaze was not on him but on a small clock on the bookshelf. "I have some time now and could need a change. That's why I thought we might meet back here in the late afternoon and ..."
"Now, if this is going to be some kind of dirty offering ..."
To his surprise, Erwin began to laugh. "No, I actually just wanted to ask you if we wanted to use the free time to teach you the first syllabary. Or what did you have in mind?"
Levi felt himself blush, while he abruptly averted his gaze. Actually, the easiest thing would have been to refuse, but he knew all too well that they couldn't avoid each other forever. So this was probably the best way to restore something like normality. If their previous relationship could even be called normal. "Around five?" he finally interrupted the awkward silence.
"Sounds good to me."
"Good," was the only thing Levi said in response as he reached for the handle and pushed the door open. "And don't forget the flowers," he added in a mocking tone, hastily stepping out into the hallway even before Erwin could respond in any way to his mockery.