Author's Note: This is just a quick piece from a thought I had while working on "The Successors." It's set in the same future as "The Successors," but you don't have to read that one to get the gist of what's going on here :)
Happy reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the published stories or characters I write about in my own work, nor do I make any profit from my writing.
"Again, Ackerman. This time like you mean it." Levi commanded, dark eyes flashing with dissatisfaction.
Mikasa grunted and wiped the sweat out of her eyes, frustrated. She had been training with the Captain each morning of the past week, trying to perfect his complicated hand-to-hand combat style to use as her own, and her mood had begun to deteriorate after the first few days once she realized how much she was out of his league. He was quick, powerful, and relentless in his fighting technique, and she hadn't been able to keep up with his speed until today, still feeling lethargic and sluggish compared to his movements.
I should have kept up with my training when I was younger. I've gotten lazy.
She kicked out again, this time aiming for Levi's left ankle, noticing that it still seemed to cause him problems, even though his skirmish with the Female Titan had been eight years ago. She hoped to land at least one blow on him today, but she was tired and annoyed with her lack of progress, and missed by a few centimeters, her foot kicking up dust.
He anticipated her swipe at his feet and jumped into a back flip, bouncing on his hands a few feet away and stopping in a crouch, breathing heavily."I said like you mean it," he stood up, favoring his right leg, and scowled. "And that was low, Ackerman. Even for you."
"The Commander said the thugs in the Underground always fight unfairly, Captain. If we come across some of them during our next mission, doesn't that mean that I should fight the way they do as well?" Mikasa straightened and studied his face. She'd heard stories about Levi's early days as a criminal before he joined the Scouting Legion, but they had only been whispers of rumors and Levi never talked openly about his past. Maybe he'd finally say something about it.
The Captain's expression was bored and unreadable, as usual, and Mikasa scowled. Guess not. Out of everyone she was close to, Levi was the only one who she couldn't see what he was thinking, and though it really shouldn't have, it irked her to irritation and she didn't know why.
"Should I not, Captain?"
Levi just stared back at her, arms folded across his damp shirt and his eyes narrowed to slits. He was still favoring his right leg, Mikasa noticed.
"Captain." She prodded, waiting for an answer. Am I right or wrong? She lowered her eyes to the ground in front of her, inhaling the fine dust from the training arena. Was he that disappointed in her? She sighed, slouching her shoulders.
And then suddenly, Levi broke his aloof disposition and rushed at her, spinning into an exquisite offensive attack she had never seen before and whipping out a hidden knife from within his left boot.
What?!
Mikasa immediately slid into a defensive stance, eyes wide with confusion and shock, and threw up her arm to shield her face. She tried to duck the stab from the incoming knife, but as she rolled away, her outstretched hand caught the blade and she felt the skin tear. She clenched her teeth, ignoring it, and slid to a stop, eyes catching a blur to her left. Damnit you prick!
She brought her fists up to her face, her mind rapidly cycling through the sets of moves she had just learned, and choosing one, dropped into a crouch. She jumped, turning a flip into the air above her superior, and landed behind him. Swiveling out of the knife's bite, she managed to land a kick to his shoulder, the gratifying vibration from the blow travelling up her leg. Finally! With another spin ending in a roundhouse kick to his elbow (how had she managed that?) the knife clattered to the ground, out of his immediate reach. Satisfied with her execution, she stepped back, waiting for the Captain to submit.
Levi responded with a kick of his own aimed at her hip, and she jumped backward, stumbling over her feet, surprised at his nimbleness and accuracy. Seeing the small drop in her defense, he launched into a series of small, tight kicks to her middle, spinning gracefully with each one, and Mikasa knew at once that she had lost. Panting, she managed to weakly block the first few kicks, but they came so quickly and with so much power behind them, that the last one (from his left leg, she noticed blearily) finally felled her, and she landed hard on the dirt.
Looking up through the sweat in her eyes, she saw Levi looking down at her, his mouth set in a hard line, and the point of the knife a few centimeters away from the bottom of her chin. His eyes held a glint that could only be described as dangerous. It was strangely alluring.
"You tricked me, Captain," Mikasa said grimly, ignoring her pounding heart, and held her place on the ground. "Your leg…"
Levi flipped the knife and caught the blade, its handle pointing toward the young woman. "Never underestimate your opponent, Ackerman. My leg is fine."
Mikasa stared at the black handle of the knife, vaguely wondering if this was another trick, and chose to ignore it. "Eight years though…"
"Never mind that," Levi turned his back to her, sheathing the knife back in his boot and unbuckling the straps across his chest. "Clean up your hand. We're done for today. Tomorrow's lesson starts at 0500 hours again. Don't be late," he said shortly, a bite in his low voice.
Mikasa stood up and lowered her head in submission, but she kept her eyes on the back of the Captain's shirt. He had taken off the gear plate that covered his back and it was now dangling in his hand as he worked the straps on his thighs.
Don't underestimate your opponent, Captain? Fine. Two can play at this dirty game. She felt the weight in her boot grow heavier.
Mikasa smirked and calculated the distance between them before flying into a silent attack, her strength renewed from the short rest. She reached out, her injured hand swinging around to strike his unprotected side. This time for sure!
But Levi's mouth quirked into a sneer as his sharp ears picked up her approach, and he slid out of her reach, dropping the gear. Mikasa's bloodied hand only managed to snag onto his shirt, ripping it as he spun to face her, and she snarled, flinging the white material to the ground. Damn!
He grunted in surprise at her ferocity and tried to reach down for his knife again, but this time, this time, she anticipated the furtive move and knocked his arm out of the way before he could draw the weapon, and cracked her elbow down on his back, bringing him down into a bent position. She brought her knee up into his hard chest, knocking the air from his lungs, and he coughed and swore, gasping for breath.
Releasing him from her tight hold, she pulled out her own concealed knife in her boot and spun around, landing a soft kick with the heel of her boot to the side of his face. His neck snapped to the side as he dropped to his knees, tattered shirt fluttering in the slight breeze and exposing his heaving chest.
Mikasa dropped to her knees, sliding in front of him, the blade of the knife just barely grazing the skin of the Captain's neck, her expression triumphant.
Master and protégé stared at each other in a few moments of heightened anticipation, taut skin so close to each other, Mikasa could feel the heat radiating from his, well, now unclothed, body. She tried not to lower her eyes to his muscled torso and her hold on the knife wavered, drawing a small line of red across his collarbone.
Levi spat out blood, uncharacteristically grinning maniacally and eyes wide with bloodlust. "I suppose we're even now, Ackerman," he breathed out, still winded from Mikasa's strike to his chest.
"Hardly," she stood, sheathing the knife. Why was her heart beating so fast? "That was for bludgeoning Eren half to death in front of everyone during his tribunal eight years ago." She crossed her arms. "And I learned from the best, Captain. Perhaps you shouldn't underestimate me."
Levi stood up slowly, ignoring the sharp pain in his cheek. There would definitely be bruising tomorrow. He touched a hand to the base of his neck, fingers coming away slightly red.
Mikasa eyed his new wound and grimaced. If the blade had bit just a little higher and deeper… Now for my punishment.
A shredding sound caught her attention and her eyes widened, face burning with embarrassment. Levi had shed what was left of his pristine shirt and was ripping it into thin strips, tossing bits of it away as he tied one around his neck to close the wound.
"Give me your hand," the order came flatly, as he continued to shred his shirt.
"Captain?" Mikasa's tongue felt thick and she looked anywhere but her topless superior. What in the hell?!
"Your hand with the cut, Ackerman. Don't make me repeat myself."
"Uh, uhm, er…" her unintelligible words spilled out before she could comprehend her babbling. But she held out her hand anyway.
Levi took her hand in his lap roughly, and started to bind it tightly with the strips of cloth, wiping away the wet blood from her palm.
Shit. Grow up!
Her heart pounded in her ears as he finished tying the makeshift bandage and she reveled at his touch, feeling a sense of loss when he finally pulled away. God she was acting like such a stupid kid.
"0500 hours tomorrow, Ackerman. Don't be late," he said coarsely, breaking her gaze. Mikasa felt the tender moment snap and looked away, slightly humiliated. What in the hell was I thinking? This is no time for games!
She clenched her bandaged hand into a sharp salute to her chest and nodded, "Sir!"
This is a disaster. I failed to learn anything today. I can only best him by surprise.
Levi turned from her and began to walk back to their base, the remains of his shirt and gear plate hanging from his hands and straps flapping around his legs. Mikasa watched him leave and sighed, feeling defeated, and…rejected?
Suddenly, he stopped and slowly turned back to her, the sunlight reflecting off his sweaty skin, and though Mikasa's breath hitched in her throat in sharp realization, her face remained stoic. Oh no. Goddamnit. It's you, isn't it? Why? Why is it you? Why? Shit why?! She thought of Eren and her heart sank.
"I won't report you for attempting to kill a superior, Ackerman, but next time, keep your goddamn hand steady when holding that fucking knife. I don't want a slit throat from a whiny Cadet," he growled, almost playfully, and spun on his heel. "Report back to HQ for 3DMG training with the others," he said over his shoulder.
She saluted again, and fiddled with the bandage, heart still pounding in her chest.
Maybe tomorrow would be better. Maybe tomorrow she would stop acting like a sick teenager every time the Captain was close to her. Maybe tomorrow she'd finally be able to show him that she wasn't weak, and that she was capable of beating him at his own game.
Because that's what you're best at Levi, isn't it? Playing games and manipulating people.
But two can play at that. We'll see who comes out the victor.
Mikasa made her way slowly back to Headquarters to wash and join her squadmates, pushing the Captain from her frazzled mind.
Don't underestimate me, Captain.
Author's Note: I hope it wasn't too cheesy at the end...I really didn't know how to wrap it up. All that tension! Anyway, I hope you liked it as much as I loved writing it! These two ruin me I swear.