"I will give you an hour's worth of head start tomorrow, Ackerman. Maybe you can catch up with me then." Levi announced in that steady voice that made her blood boil. Literally...
Mikasa clenched her teeth and speeded up once more. She hated running laps as a warm-up. She hated this cool morning and the sticky sweat on her skin. And most of all: She hated him.
"I'm one step behind you!" She panted angrily. "One step! So don't wet your pants." The man who was actually two steps in front of her shook his head. "If you want to be as good as me, your ass has to be at least five yards in front of me. Now move it."
She would rather die than admit it, but it took her everything to catch up on him and when she could see his face for the first time after they started running earlier this morning, her lungs burned like a wildfire. He, however, looked relaxed and the only hint of morning- exercise was a few beads of sweat on his forehead.
"This is bullshit." Mikasa hissed after a few more agonizingly long yards. "Don't train me to run, teach me to be a better soldier."
"One day you will be grateful for good stamina in- and outside of a battlefield." He lectured and ignored her annoyed snorting. "I fight the enemy. I don't run away."
The man peeked over his shoulder as she fell back once more and gave her an amused look. "I'm watching you, Ackerman. You have a talent for getting yourself into nasty situations. The best way out of them is running. Trust me, I'm just trying to help you."
And that was when her running stopped at once. Levi sighed and walked back to his subordinate, who knelt obviously out of breath on the frozen ground. "What's the matter, Ackerman?"
"Don't fool me, you little shit." She murmured sounding like a fish out of water.
Levi lifted an eyebrow. "Excuse me? I'm afraid I couldn't understand a word, since you're busy suffocating."
The girl to his feet took a deep, angry breath. "Are you deaf, old man? I said that you're a little shit who pretends to have good intentions with me. "
A cool breeze drew on and after a few moments Levi knelt down next to Mikasa. He watched her reddish face and the wet black hair that stuck on her forehead. His gaze lingered on her. "What's your fucking problem, girl?"
Mikasa's eyes were narrowed as she clenched her teeth. "You. You are my damn problem."
Levi, not at all surprised of her answer, lifted an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
The girl nodded and tried to get on her feet. She was shaking but one could tell it wasn't because of the cold.
"Yes. You treat me like an idiot, like a child, as if I'm weak, as if..." She cleanched her teeth as her words failed her.
Levi sighted and reached out to help the exhausted girl up. "I know you're not weak, Mikasa."
And again it wasn't surprising that Mikasa rejected her superior's help. "See?" She hissed as she pushed his hand away. "You're doing it again! Some times you are kind and say you want to help, that you care. But I don't believe a single word you say. You intentionally confuse me and you're having great fun doing so."
"I do confuse you?" He was unimpressed, which made her evenn angrier. "Well, that's interesting."
"It's not." Mikasa claimed and brushed the dirt off her pants as she stood in full height. Levi eyed the girl and shrugged. "Whatever. But I simply don't understand why Jäger can treat you like crap without getting you mad about it."
Her eyes narrowed at his words but her anger changed into false composure. "Eren has nothing to do with this."
"Then explain the difference between me and Jäger."
Mikasa looked down on him, knowing it would annoy her superior. "Why should I?"
To her surprise, Levi's smirk grew and when she became aware of her mistake, it was too late.
"It's an order."
The girl shook her head in indignation and took a few steps away from him. She turned and watched into the distance where the rising sun dyed the wintry landscape into warm colours. Her Corporal was impudent, an asshole, but as much as it bothered her, his point wasn't a bad one. Eren could ignore her for days, yell at her or say mean things. Mikasa didn't care. Of course it hurt but she knew Eren didn't mean it like that. It was different with Levi, though.
He shouted at her? She got mad.
He ignored her? It lead into getting her angry.
He dared to insult her? Oh, how she would lose it…
But it just wasn't right when he was kind either. His kindness felt like compassion towards her, which wasn't anything she ever wanted, especially not from him. She couldn't explain this, not even to herself. The only thing Mikasa knew was that there were strong feelings inside her when it came down to her Corporal, feelings that utterly confused her.
"I'm waiting, Ackerman." Levi said in a calm manner that frustrated Misaka. She turned in annoyance to face him again, her fists clenched. "Why do you have to be su-..."
The girl broke off in the middle of her sentence, her eyes pointed at the man in front of her. To Mikasa's dismay or secretly pleasure, the man had taken off his sweaty white shirt when she hadn't been paying attention. Now it hung over his arm and drifted in the wind as if to mock her. The girl swallowed by the view of his bare and very well trained chest.
"...so damn attractive." She whispered more to herself, the wind, the snow, anything but him.
"What was that?"
Her heart skipped a beat or two when she realised her words and if she was honest, she wished it would stop beating all together.
Hoping that Levi had not yet seen her blushing face, she turned and fell into a fast sprint. "Why do you have to be such a tiny bastard?!" Mikasa shouted over her shoulder, leaving her Corporal far behind. The man watched her and a wide grin showed up his face.
"Well, you're not too bad either. At least I have some nice view now..." He muttered and started running, too.