[f]
"Again!" Levi shouted to the Special Ops squad as they trained. Only Eren was still trapped inside his confined room in the basement. The squad was practicing their formation in the case that Eren lost control in his titan form. Eld and Gunther would slash his legs to prevent him from being able to move, Petra would go for his arms so he wasn't capable of an attack, and Oluo would go straight for his eyes, taking away his vision.
Chi had the most important role of all; hers was to sneak her way to the back of Eren's neck without him noticing while everyone else would distract him. She needed to make the incision large enough to weaken the form, then cut Eren free and escape safely. Levi... well, Levi would only jump in for emergency situations—or so he said. Who really knew what he would do in such a situation.
They were practicing on another giant wooden dummy. Their roles were executed smoothly and the plan was over quickly.
"This is good enough. Let's pack up and head back for the day," Levi praised. Chi and stretched her arms high above her head, staring into the setting sun. She smacked her lips and grinned—she felt as if she were getting stronger. Getting stronger meant getting closer to completing her mission to kill the titans.
"Rest up tonight, because tomorrow we will get going outside of the walls and practicing on real titans," he announced as they were headed back. "It's for reconnaissance. Don't be stupid; there will be no one else out there but us. We cannot let our ourselves go. Be sure to take any precautions you may need and stick to the plan."
Many gasps arose from the group.
"Bu—but Heichou, will that be alright with Commander Erwin?" Petra stammered, her eyes wide in shock.
"I've already gotten permission from
him. Don't get yourself killed. I expect you all to be able to either kill or escape any titan we may intercept. Combat will only be necessary if it happens to take notice of us."
Eld cut in. "But Heichou, you know that on the ground, we're practically powerless! How will we fight them?"
"You're all part of the Special Operations squad, aren't you? I asked you to be part of this team because of your notable skill. If you die while in battle with one, I will acknowledge that you truly did not belong with this squad." Though his words were as cold as ice, there was a strange telltale edge to his voice.
With that, many of their faces fell. Behind her, Oluo scoffed.
"This will be a piece of cake," he drawled.
"Right on," Chi muttered sarcastically under her breath. Oluo glared daggers into the back of her head.
"Chi, go and grab Eren. It's time for dinner," Levi ordered.
"Yes, sir," she saluted and trotted into the giant castle. She found the basement door and skipped down the steps to see Eren facing the opposite wall with his back to her, staring at it blankly. When he heard her footsteps echo, he spun around. His eyes lit up almost immediately.
"Chi!" he cried. She grinned warmly and walked to the bed, sitting next to Eren.
"What've you been doing this whole time, Eren?" she asked.
"Staring at the wall... and thinking."
"Thinking? About what?"
"...About how I tried to kill Mikasa when I was a titan. I don't even remember it happening—but I feel terrible. Now she has a horrible scar on her cheek." He sighed dejectedly.
"Eren..." Chi wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him close. "Don't worry. It will take time and practice, of course, until you'll be able to properly control yourself in that form. We all make mistakes."
"But I tried to kill Mikasa. She could've died."
"Well, technically, you didn't—your titan self did. You couldn't ever hurt a fly, Eren. The only thing that gets you fired up is titans." Eren opened his mouth to retort, but Chi gave him no chance. "Trust me on this, Eren. You can't become perfect in one day. Just like how we went through three years of training to get where we are now."
Eren looked at Chi helplessly.
"And if you ever lose control, don't worry, because I'll always be here to stop you!" Chi stuck out her tongue and pointed at herself jokingly.
"Alright, alright. Thanks." Eren sighed deeply but managed a weak smile. He gave her a tight embrace.
"I love ya," Chi said tenderly.
"I love you too, Chi," Eren echoed.
~~~~~
Levi stepped into the house long after Chi had taken off to retrieve Eren. He removed his 3DMG and put it away haphazardly, still lost in thought.
Last night...
When he thought about the things he'd done the previous night, he wondered why. He didn't even know what came over himself; Chi had just looked so fragile and so vulnerable. Levi had fortunately found her rings among the remnants of the wooden table. They were covered in so much rubble, he was sure that if someone inexperienced in cleaning such as Eld or Gunther were to take hours just staring at the pile, they wouldn't notice. But of course, Levi did. He always did.
Levi picked them up and took them to her. When he brought Chi back, she told him her story. It was clear to see that that was what drove her so voraciously. She knew that she had such a high chance of getting killed outside the walls; at least thirty percent of the members every time the Corps had an expedition never returned, and she knew that. That ambition could be the death of her, but it was nothing to stop her.
She looked so broken... and he couldn't watch her lose herself anymore.
Levi shook his head at the thought and sighed deeply. He went to the kitchen to find that Eren and Chi were still missing.
"What's taking the brats so long?" he wondered aloud, clearly irked. Petra overheard and shrugged in reply, resuming her cooking. Levi opened the basement door tentatively and began soundlessly making his way down the stairs. He overheard the distinct voices it Eren and Chi talking and quietly reached the bottom. He was tempted to call their names, but his voice caught in his throat as he finally came upon their conversation.
Levi came to a jolting stop when he heard their words. Were they in love? He had not noticed, but it all made sense... the way she was so protective of him despite the fact that he was a literal ticking time bomb. It explained the way they cared deeply about one another.
Levi chuckled internally and ran a hand through his hair. He felt quite stupid—but then it brings the question: why did Chi accept him last night?
But he was tired of these pervasive, needless thoughts.
"Oi, brats," an annoyed voice called out. Chi pulled away from Eren to find Levi glaring at them, leaning against the wall. His arms were crossed and he rolled his gray eyes. "Enough with the childish love antics. It's time to eat."
"Wait, you've got the wro—" Eren started, but Levi cut him off sharply.
"Shut up." And with that, he spun around and ascended the stairs without another word, steps heavy.
"What's up with him?" Chi spat, standing. She grabbed Eren's arm and pulled him up the stairs to see the squad already seated around the wooden table in the dining room. Two empty spots awaited them.
"Ah, you've made it," Eld greeted. He gestured for them to sit down. On the table sat only two dishes; one large bowl we filled with beef, a glazed with a golden-brown sauce. The other large plate was filled with stir-fried vegetables. Chi's eyes glittered as she stared at the delicious-looking food, hungrily smacking her lips.
"Let's dig in!" Gunther cheered, immediately diving in with a fork. Petra smacked his hand away with a stern look on her face.
"Not until Heichou says so," she scolded, nodding towards Levi. He sighed.
"Just eat," he said. Right away, everyone began digging in. Chi piled up her plate entirely with both dishes. She slurped her lips and devoured her food quickly.
"I'm not hungry today," Levi muttered. He ate only a few bites and quietly slipped away from the table to put his dishes away. Nobody seemed to notice, or care much, as they continued indulging. Chi hurried to clean her plate then stood, putting her dishes in the sink.
"Done already, Chi?" Eren asked. "You ate so much in so little time. You'll get a stomach ache."
Chi had to think quickly. She groaned in artificial pain and bent over, clutching at her stomach.
"Oh, yeah, I feel it coming on," Chi lied. "I think I need to go to the bathroom." Eren protested and tried to follow, but she slipped away before he could get the chance.
Chi searched along the corridor outside of the kitchen, searching for Levi had disappeared to. After a while, he didn't show, and she nearly gave up—until out of the corner of her eye, she spotted him.
Chi was walking down an older hallway soundlessly until...
There he was, leaning against an open window sill, staring out into the night. Chi knit her eyebrows, debating if whether she should bother him. Perhaps if she snuck up on him, she'd get a good, light-hearted scare out of him.
Silently, she walked to Levi, crouched, and barely breathing. She wore a wicked smirk.
At last, her hands hovered right beside Levi. Without a moment of hesitation, she jabbed her fingers into his sides and screamed, "Boo!"
She waited a moment for his reaction, but the jump or scream or flinch never came.
Before Chi realized it, her back crashed into the wall, both of her arms pinned by her head. She squeezed her eyes shut as the air was knocked out of her lungs, making her gasp for air. She tried to calm her racing heart. Something pressed against her body, crushing her in between the wall and it.
Chi opened her golden eyes to meet steel gray ones. Levi's steel gray ones. He brought his face close to hers, lips right beside her right ear.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he growled.
"H—hey!" she squeaked in a shaky voice. She could feel her face burn intensely. Their bodies were pressed firmly together, his hands locking her arms to the wall.
"What were you doing?" he repeated in his low voice. He looked her in the face, leaning so closely that their noses were nearly touching.
"I—I was just trying to scare you. We gotta have some fun here, you know?"
"Do I look like I'm afraid?"
Chi took that moment to study his face. He seemed unfazed and indifferent, like usual—but something was off. It was his eyes; usually they were daunting and dark, they now had a certain spark with a hunger behind them. A disastrous kind of hunger. Chi felt nervous—scared, almost. Something was definitely different.
"N—no...?" Chi stuttered, struggling to find the right words.
Clicking his tongue, Levi leaned even closer— so close that their foreheads touched.
"Le—Levi!" Chi tried shrinking back against the wall.
"The only one who should be scared here..." He drifted forward and brushed his lips against the corner of hers. Then he pressed them firmly onto her skin. Despite his coldness, warmth was radiating off of every inch of him. "...is you." His low, rumbling voice vibrated against her lips, causing her to stiffen. Her eyes were wide with shock.
What should she do?
Move?
Punch him?
Kiss him?
Against her buzzing skin, Chi felt him smirk and he pulled away slowly. Levi released her arms and they fell to her sides. She stayed frozen. The light she'd seen in his eyes earlier had disappeared, and his expression returned to its stoic habit. Thousands of emotions swirled in her head, her heart thumping so loudly and so quickly, she was sure he could hear it. He turned and began to walk away.
Unconsciously, Chi rushed forward and embraced Levi from behind. He froze immediately when she buried her face in his back.
"But," she whispered, "I'm not afraid of you."
Levi's arm twitched, and she felt him whisk around and grab her face roughly, crushing his lips onto hers. His other hand grabbed the small of her back, pressing her up against him. He kissed her furiously and passionately, pushing her back. Leaning against her until she was once again pressed up against the wall, he pulled away for air and she gasped quietly.
Levi took that chance to kiss her again, thrusting his tongue into her mouth this time. Her eyes widened as his tongue moved with hers. Bewildered and astonished, Chi attempted to pull away, but Levi held fast. Again and again they pulled away for air, but each time he came back even more rapidly than the last. Their lips moved in sync, and she eventually gave way and melted into him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his black hair,.
Between kisses, he spoke.
"Why do..."
He rushed in and she felt the flush of her cheeks flare.
" ...you do this..."
One last time, he leaned in, but it was only to leave a small, gentle kiss. Chi bent closer for more, but Levi's lips only lightly brushed hers. He spoke softly.
"...to me?"
~~~~~
*Nosebleed*