Levi didn't quite understand why exactly he had decided to subjugate himself to this for a fourth year, hell he wasn't sure why he ever started at all. Sweaty day to day efforts only to be met with insulting second place trophies and a caption award for their ever outstanding percussion section. Even now as Levi scanned the new group of freshman with a dull look of apprehension, he was contemplating quitting, so why was he still there? That's right, performing. The adrenaline rush was outstanding whenever Levi marched onto the field, clarinet poised in front of him, pointing to the sky.
Marching band was a terribly addicting thing.
Levi sighed softly and rubbed a hand against his neck as he glowered at Erwin who had now successfully caught his attention. "Levi, we need to start teaching the freshman how to march, how do you want to go about it?" the Greek god asked.
Erwin was drum major that year along with Levi and a crazed tuba player named Hanji. Why the band decided it would be a good idea to vote Hanji in was beyond Levi since she was terrible with organization and could barely keep herself controlled let alone a group of sweaty nerds.
"I don't care, just make sure it's done properly," Levi huffed irritably. It was June for love of god, he wanted to be inside, not up at the school teaching a bunch of fresh-out-of-middle-school brats.
Hanji then jumped in with her shit opinion as usual, "I think we should divide them up amongst us three and have a mini competition, loser has to do something the winner says!" she crowed excitedly.
"No way in hell," Levi huffed at the same time that Erwin said, "Good idea, Hanji."
She cheered and jumped enthusiastically while I glowered at Erwin, who just shrugged and gave me an amused look before calling for the freshman's attention, "Please line up, we'll be splitting you into groups!" he shouted. The group immediately began separating them from their friends in a vain attempt to beat the system of getting into the same group as their preferred people. Unfortunately for them we were doing three groups instead of two.
Erwin counted out the groups and instructed ones to go to Hanji, twos to go himself, and threes to Levi.
Levi stood with his arms crossed stoically as he watched two obviously hot headed freshman walk to him along with a third one whom was hunched over himself in a vain attempt to make himself smaller. In vain because he was walking next to a small girl whose blank expression could rival Levi's. How did the instructor from that leadership camp last year say I should handle this? Team building? Levi cleared his throat, "Alright, what are you four called?" he asked grumpily.
"I'm Eren/Jean," the two hot heads said at the same time before glaring heatedly at each other.
The senior twitched and sighed, "Sit your asses down," he growled. They did so and the tall one started sweating profusely. Gross. "You. Name." Levi pointed to the tall one, glaring harshly.
"Bertholt," he muttered. "Bert for short."
"Annie," the girl said blandly.
Levi then pointed to the freshman with two toned hair and a long face, "My name is Jean, and I play snare," he said proudly before Levi could even demand his name.
"I didn't know horses could hit a drum without gnawing the mallet," the other freshman sneered before looking to Levi with a fiery green gaze, "I'm Eren Jaeger, and I'm a trumpet player."
Jean sputtered, "Who are you calling a horse, Jaeger?" he snarled.
"I play trombone," Bertholt said hesitantly.
"That is enough," Levi barked angrily, effectively cutting off the argument, "I'm Levi, and were are currently in a race against those other teams to win, so shut your traps and pay attention. If we win I get to make either Hanji or Erwin do whatever we so desire, so we'd better know all of our shit by the end of the week, alright?"
He smirked as the freshman perked and got riled up to learn to march, maybe he'd actually win.
~Marching Jargon for Your Convenience~
Percussion- Drums, marimba, train whistle, whatever. If you don't blow air into it, it's probably a percussion instrument
Drum line- Bass drums, snare drums, and tenor drums that are marched.
Woodwinds- Flutes, clarinets, bass clarinets, all evolutions of saxophones, and elbows-I mean- oboes
Brass- Trumpets, baritone, trombone, mellophones, and tubas.
Optimism is for the weak minded, Levi thought as he watched his idiot freshman group flounder about on the field at the end of the week. The name of the game was to have the freshman mix together and march in a block with Erwin shouting direction commands. The director, Mr. Pixis, was in charge of plucking out people that were stumbling, getting direction changes wrong, or not guiding to those around them.
Annie, Levi's pride and joy of the group, dropped out because she didn't care enough, not that he could call her out on it, he did the same damn thing his freshman year. Next to go was Jean who got too cocky and literally started strutting instead of actually marching. Bertholt got dropped out because he misheard a direction change and started marching in the wrong direction. Last was Eren. Eren fucking Jaeger made it to the final four, based on sheer luck and determination. He, however, blew it when he stubbornly refused to guide to his sister whom was on Hanji's team.
This effectively made Levi the loser of the mini competition.
Hanji won.
Fuck.
Hanji squealed happily and glomped Mikasa, the winner, promising to buy her lunch after practice was over that week, before looking to Levi with an evil glint in her glasses.
Levi could already feel his pride wilting as Hanji strutted up to him with Mikasa in tow, "Are you ready for my verdict?" she asked, as everyone crowded around the two, including the director, who was merely amused at the female's antics.
"Lay it on me, shitty glasses," he said, standing his ground, and looking her dead in the eye.
She grinned, "The one thing you have to do is go into the stadium, and roll around in the mud until I say to stop."
Levi cringed noticeably and shuttered, "That is…filthy!" he snarled, "There is no way in hell I'd do such a revolting thing!"
She just laughed, "Alright then, I won't make you do that, but how about this?"
"No mud" he said harshly.
"Kiss the freshie from your group that lasted the longest," she smirked, "Make it a good one too, tongue and everything. I need to be able to take a picture and post it on the net."
Levi froze and everyone heard Eren splutter his displeasure from behind Hanji.
~Marching Jargon for Your Convenience~
Marching in band is a little different than some would think. It involves a stepping style that works core muscles to keep the entire upper body still to improve air movement through the lungs. This helps to keep an even tone when playing an instrument, not to mention it looks more uniform and professional. Marching does not include raising knees up to hip level, it is supposed to give the impression of gliding.
Eren's first impression of Levi was that he obviously had a stick up his ass. He was short and apathetic, yet easily annoyed. So when he was suddenly stuck in front of the senior with chanting to kiss him going on all around him, of course he would protest. Especially since Levi was a guy.
But, when he felt himself get yanked down by the smaller band member and get roughly kissed on the mouth, his mind went blank. All thoughts of protests died at his lips and a fire was lit in his conscious, small, but there.
It was over before he knew it though, Hanji had her fill of pictures and was skipping off to get them printed and framed while Levi was rubbing at his mouth and flipping off Erwin for trying to make a comment.
Eren blinked slightly and licked his lips slightly before turning on a heel and angrily stomping away. Armin's shouts to wait, falling to deaf ears.
AN: First story after a long writing hiatus...whew. Feedback and criticism is welcomed! Improvement is something I yearn for afterall~