Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. These are rightfully owned by Isayama Hajime.
(HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIRUCHIN! THIS IS FOR YOU BECAUSE ILU)
Today was one of the rare days where the brave men and women on the frontlines had a day off. These past few days were surrounded with absolute tranquillity, which initiated Commander Pixis' decision to grant the Survey Corps one whole day to rest. Only one day it may be, but it certainly would feel like a week's worth of rest for these constantly active combatants.
Most of the soldiers went back to their former homes to meet their families, returning with a bag full of goods and smiles painted on their faces. But for those who had nowhere to return to, they enjoyed a solitary day inside their residence or take a stroll with other comrades. It was a beautiful day with warm sunshine and bright blue skies, after all.
The former option for the ones remaining in town were of outright appropriation for the stoic, cold and ruthless leader of the Special Squad—Corporal Levi. However, he was not in the mood to remain dormant inside his stuffy and small house; hence his decision to step out of it. Even if he was not in the mood to stay in, Levi found the need to purchase some new cleaning appliances. His old cleaning tools, albeit only 2 months old—were considered to be nothing but completely useless. He was a man that upholds the justice of cleanliness, sometimes up to the point that it irked some people off.
"Let's see… I would need to buy a broom and a few brushes first." Levi mumbled to himself as he scanned a tall, wooden wardrobe. "Probably a new mop too, this one looks faulty…"
After a few minutes of planning, finally Levi got out of the house. It was slightly one hour over midday, so the weather outside was already much warmer than before. The Corporal had no complaints over any sort of weather—except if it was snowing really bad. No one really knew why he acted that way, though.
As the Corporal walked down a few blocks down the street, he suddenly saw a few familiar faces at a park. Some of them were his Special Squad members, or even soldiers of similar rankings, but most of them seem to be from the 104th Trainee Squad. The group seem to be engaging in a fun conversation together, while enjoying their respective homemade meals and beverages. An urge to approach them surfaced within Levi, but he decided to hold it back. He was fully aware about his reputation amongst the cadets. Right when he was about to walk away, a recognizable voice called out to him in a cheerful manner.
"Levi! Why are you even alone in this beautiful day? Come here, you should join us!" That was Hange Zoe, one of the senior soldiers and a good friend of Levi.
"Eh, maam?! Why are you suddenly inviting the Corporal?" Christa Lenz, one of the juniors exclaimed timidly.
The other juniors seem to nod in agreement, as they keep looking back and forth hesitantly at Levi. There were frowns and a hint of fear in their faces—a normal reaction Levi expected from new recruits.
"Very well, then. The situation never changes, anyway." He thought to himself.
As he led out a long sigh, an unexpected turn of events happened in split seconds. One of the male cadets, a boy of short, brown hair and average height stepped forward and said, "Come on guys, we're technically still in one division with the Corporal. There's nothing wrong with eating and drinking with a senior, right? We already have the Commander here, as well as the Corporal's squad members as well, so why not?"
Levi was rather taken aback upon the cadet's offer. Not to mention, the cadet was someone that constantly received ill treatments from him for the past few days—the young boy who managed to transform into a titan, Eren Jaeger. So far, he's mankind's best chance of warding off the titans away from the wall. Or so some people deem him to be.
He then looked up at the boy and the crowd as well. There were still insecure faces, but no objections seem to be spoken of. Out of courtesy granted by Eren, Levi reluctantly approached the group and directly stood beside Erwin, who was lounging right under a tree.
Erwin chuckled and said, "It's a rare occasion to see the demon corporal out of his lair at mid-day, what on earth are you planning to do?"
"Shut up, Erwin. I am not demonic and I too, have things that need to be done asides from killing titans."
"Heee… And it's actually more unusual for you to accept an offer from a junior. Well Hange started it first, but still Jaeger backed her up." Erwin replied, before offering him a small glass of beer. "Want some of these?"
"No thanks, I need to stay sober today." Levi declined his offer and gently shoved the glass away. "Besides, what the hell is that beer? That colour is peculiar."
Erwin took a quick glance and shrugged. He answered, "I have no clue, Hange bought all of this. Not sure if these kids can stay sober though, these are pretty strong."
Levi snorted and replied, "Pfft, that's lame. Brats would still be brats after all."
"Speaking of brats… One's coming your way, Levi." Erwin said and signalled towards Eren's direction. He was only a few steps away from the duo, carrying what seemed to be some sort of meal wrapped in a red handkerchief. Without fidgeting too much like other juniors, he stopped in front of the Corporal and nervously smiled. When one compared the two from a close distance, Eren's height was certainly towering over Levi's—but it was not his presence that towered both of them.
"G-greetings, Corporal! Do you mind accepting these sandwiches? Christa—uhh, I mean Lenz made these for all of us. I hope you're okay with eggs and vegetables only…"
The Corporal shot a sharp glare at Eren and snatched the wrapped sandwiches away from him. As a man with no words and secretly a hungry stomach, Levi silently opened the handkerchief and gobbled down one sandwich quickly. Despite his emotionless façade, in reality one of the most feared soldiers on Earth felt that it was an exceptional dish.
Since the olden days, soldiers were fed daily with stale bread and some other unidentified dishes that barely had any taste due to the 'deficit in the financial department'. Of course, everyone knew that that wasn't the case. Hence, these constantly physically active soldiers were force-fed with food that barely passed as decent meals; which surely contained feelings of bitterness that ought to be chewed down at every bite.
As Levi took another bite from the last sandwich, he could now clearly enjoy more of the orchestra of flavours inside his mouth. The egg was fried and seasoned perfectly; plus it blended well with the fresh lettuce and tomatoes from the local farmers. To top it all off, the three elements were attached together with a light and savoury homemade mayonnaise, brushed through each layer at the perfect amount.
While he was still enjoying his meal, all of a sudden the Corporal felt a ticklish sensation on his right leg. He took a glance at it—and was surprised on what greeted him.
"Why is there a bunny here?" He asked. "I don't recall anyone breeding rabbits around the area."
The little bunny, covered in snow white fur continuously nibbled on the hem of his pants, as if it was asking for something. Hesitantly, Levi took out a lettuce leaf and bent down to give it to the bunny. The furry mammal looked up at him with pure innocence and twitched its nose at the lettuce, before slowly nibbling it to its heart's content.
Slowly, Levi knelt down on the ground and his knees became levelled with the bunny's feeble physique. After gobbling up the remaining sandwich he caressed its head, brushing through its soft and pinkish ear while doing so. Unconsciously, the corner of his lip curved upwards—which was the first time Eren had ever seen it move that way. The cadet highly doubted that this fearsome Corporal had ever smiled before, not even to his fellow colleagues.
As Eren nervously ruffled his hair and averted his gaze elsewhere, he actually mustered up the last bits of his courage to start up a conversation with the Survey Corps' most terrifying soldier as of now.
"Isn't it quite adorable, S-sir? That's one of Chr—Uh, again, I mean Lenz's bunnies. She keeps a few of them back at her house."
The Corporal paused for a moment and shot a cold glare at Eren. Eren swore that he could feel every single nerve in his body tingling with fear—but luckily he was not shot back with the Corporal's usual nasty remarks.
"Hmm, I see."
Right after the bunny finished the lettuce from Levi's hand, it climbed up his arm with a face filled with glee and satisfaction. It went back and forth around his slender yet firm arms, before finally Levi could catch the bunny with his left hand. Sitting obediently on his cupped hand, he carefully put it down on the grass and grabbed the red handkerchief from his pocket. Earlier he had placed the handkerchief there after gobbling down the first sandwich, to prevent any stains being splattered on it.
He slightly twisted the handkerchief and tied it gently around the little creature's neck, to create the imagery as if the bunny was wearing a red scarf. The 160cm-tall man smiled bitterly and patted the bunny for one last time before it hopped away. Clearly, anybody could see a tinge of sorrow within his eyes at that point.
I thought I was all alone up until this point. But then, you showed up. This truth seems to be illusion at its best, really.
Levi led out a long sigh, and gradually got back up on his feet. As he turned his head around, Eren Jaeger was still standing right beside him—somehow looking dumbfounded.
"Wipe that dumb look off your face at this instance. Is there something wrong with me, Eren?" Levi clucked his tongue and snapped at him.
Eren nervously fidgeted and shook his head furiously. He replied, "U-uh, n-no Sir! There's nothing wrong!"
"Heh, is that so."
"I am very certain, Sir!"
"Hmph." That was basically Levi's last reply before heading towards the crowd, seemingly at Hange and Erwin's direction.
It may seem as a very simple encounter with humanity's strongest soldier, but for a reason or two a deep impression was permanently etched within Eren's heart. Corporal Levi was always associated with unpleasant depictions of a human being by most. But who knew, that exact man had another more pleasant side to display. One which was perhaps oblivious to most, but Eren had to admit it was the Corporal's best side.
From his display of honesty in gobbling down the sandwiches, to how interacted with the small bunny—everything was clear as day for Eren now.
The curtains hiding the fact why Commander Erwin, Senior Hange and the Special Squad members treated Levi in a friendly manner was indefinitely folded open already. Eren now had a better sense of respect for the Corporal, and of course—more curiosity on what lies beyond that serious façade.
Eren was positive that he could make Levi open up his feelings even more. It might take months or even years, but really—nothing is impossible. If humans can beat up titans, then why not make humanity's strongest solder smile once again?
The boy led out a sigh and mumbled to himself, "Maybe I should bring more bunnies next time…"
Author's Notes
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MILE/MIRUCHIN/HEICHOU! Yes, this Riren fic is dedicated to you for your birthday! I swear it took me a long time to finish this story since I went through a break from writing for 3 months due to exams. Grrrr D8
A-anyways, I still thank you to all of you who's reading this! Riren is actually not my favourite pairing in SnK, so I tried to make it as mild as possible LOL (but actually I quite enjoyed writing this kind of story heheh)
Last but not least, this fic is loosely based on my dear friend miruchin's fanart. Please check this talented illustrator out; her user is milemiru on deviantArt! (Guess which fanart I based it on—heheh)
Until then, adieu! /o/
(P.S. I actually googled 'are bunnies mammals' because I can. OTL)