Readers!
Happy Halloween!
As usual, my updates take longer than I anticipated, yet slow and steady I press on! Between the fun events of these last few weeks, preparation for Halloween, among with balancing work, sleep, and all the other shenanigans that make up a single day - I bring you the last half of this story and will finally be able to mark this complete. From here, I'll move back to focus on my Thanksgiving piece and get the next chapter posted just as quickly as I can. (Just in time for Thanksgiving mind you!)
Enjoy the last half and thanks for your patience!
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...
"And as you can see-"
Levi could only pick up traces of the voice as he flew upwards through the surrounding trees, working in synchronized formation with the Hanji squad, rolling his eyes and trying to stay focused past the complete pain and anguish that was his current position.
"-we train those in the Scout Regiment with incredible precision, making our skills sharp and elite when we go outside the walls to battle the Titans head on."
The announcing voice belonged to Erwin, who was currently leading a presentation of sorts for this year's crop of military trainees in hopes that a greater percentage of them would choose the Scout Regiment over the Garrison Unit once seeing their elite level in skill.
As Erwin spoke, Levi flipped through the air, diving down from the tree's canopy and spinning diagonally, grabbing his blades at the last moment and lopping off the neck of the wooden cutout prepared for today's demonstration.
The action caused him to grind his teeth as the harness slid mercilessly over his back, pulling taut and forcing weight to distribute across his spine as he moved through the air. Levi set his jaw and took a deep breath, certain his skin was absolutely raw at this point, but knowing there was nothing he could do but tough it out and wait for the required drill sequence to come to an end.
As he jumped off the wooden cutout and moved back into formation, Levi heard various 'ooh's and 'ah's – a few people even clapping at the sight – and Levi scowled as he shot himself toward the next tree, irritated all the more by their unnecessary cheering.
The ever so important drill sequence that Erwin had been adamant on him attending had been nothing more than a stage performance for new cadets, a gimmicky sort of talent show that was supposed to wow them into joining the regiment in hopes that 'you too can be like this'. Levi sure as hell was no show pony, and the fact that he even had to subject himself at all to this spectacle was degrading on a personal level - not to mention that his sunburn was making the entire experience long and miserable.
As he tried to just focus on getting the damn thing over with, he heard a loud delighted squeal from Hanji and she jumped ahead of the pack in a complicated manner, zigzagging from tree to tree as she advanced – a move that was both unnecessary and used entirely too much gas – though still earned more sounds of amazement from the watching crowd below.
Levi tried not to groan.
The Squad followed her through the trees, swapping in position and doing further unnecessary maneuvers that shocked and amazed the watching crowd below, until finally reaching the last titan cutout at the edge of the training grounds.
As practiced, Hanji's speed increased dramatically as she moved down toward the feet of the titan; the remaining members of the formation swinging around it from various angles and acting as 'decoys' while Hanji aligned herself properly from below. With another gleeful laugh, she shot herself upward, splitting the entire cutout into two perfect halves until she reached the nape of the wooden cutout, spinning in full rotation with her blades and lopping the head clean off in a dramatic and flashy display.
There were further gasps heard from below, and the Hanji squad moved to the ground as the bits of the wooden titan fell downward, landing with a loud earth moving thud and sending up a cloud of dust in its wake.
Landing on the ground in perfect synchrony with the rest of the squad, Levi blinked a few times as the harness uncomfortably bunched up around his shoulders, standing up slowly as the dust lingered in the air.
There was a pause as the dust began to settle, and Hanji gave a single nod toward the squad while there was still limited visibility, signaling that it was time to salute as a final touch of completion.
Levi felt his eyes narrow at the silent command, but knew that with him already being on thin ice with Erwin as it was, that it was best to not sport an obvious bad attitude and allow the moronic ceremony to be completed without his negative view of the event.
Again in perfect synchrony, Levi brought his fist to his chest, giving a loud 'Sir!' as they looked to Erwin for further orders. The Commander looked back to them and nodded, then addressed the watching crowd with a grin.
"And our Scouts have eradicated the titans!"
The group of cadets rose dramatically to their feet, clapping and cheering at the job well done, and Levi again reminded himself to just stay in attention, to avoid eye contact, and just wait it out because surely something this fucking stupid couldn't last that long.
Hanji relaxed from attention and took a step toward Erwin, clearing her throat and addressing the trainees further, "Thanks so much for your support! I'm Section Leader Hanji Zoe and it means so much to us that you guys made time in your training regimen to be with us today."
The enthusiastic scientist continued her greeting, going over the various benefits of being in the Regiment and using other sugary words in attempts to curb their upcoming decision.
After a few moments, Levi toned her out, only able to focus on how uncomfortable and miserable he was in his current state, again wondering just how long this event would drag on.
While he had tried to rest properly as Hanji had suggested the night previous, his sunburn had made it so he couldn't sleep on his back, and while he had attempted to sleep on his side or stomach, he never was able to find a comfortable enough position and had tossed and turned most of the evening – not to mention the blanket felt way too itchy to be considered tolerable, and made sleeping only that much further out of the question.
Come the morning, matters had only gotten worse. His skin was hyper sensitive to sunlight – something he had found out while grabbing gas tanks for the drill's performance – and to top it off, as he got dressed in the proper white pants and hellish button up, he was horrified to find that he had numerous large blisters patching all throughout his blazing red skin.
Just putting on the 3DM gear had been difficult, to such an extent that simply walking in full uniform was excruciating, but actually using the 3DM gear was another matter entirely. They had spent hours practicing their drills, making sure each movement was coordinated perfectly, and Levi's back, arms, face, shoulders – everything ached from head to toe.
To find out that all his pain and suffering was just for some sniffling trainee brats was just the icing on the cake, and at this point, Levi was in a rather foul mood.
"And this here is Petty Scout Levi Ackerman!" Hanji's voice grabbed his attention away from his thoughts, and as her footfalls neared him, Levi reminded himself to stay in attention and try his damndest to just ignore her.
"He's been in the Scouts now for two years, and as you can see, has very sharp skills that were purposely and intentionally engrained in him since day one of being a Scout."
'Wrong.' Levi thought bitterly, staring forward undaunted. He could feel his lips pull into a thin line, 'I taught my fucking self you dumbass.'
Hanji continued with a smile, a devious glint in her eyes as she spoke, "He's living proof of how successful our follow up training programs are. Once you complete your basic training and join the Corps, we aim to follow up on those skills and further teach you the things you need to know to be an elite force. Just like Levi here."
At that, Hanji again slapped an arm across his shoulders in a half sort of hug, and Levi tensed his hand that was placed across his chest until his knuckles turned white, not wanting to break attention, but Maria fucking dammit all, why did she keep doing that?!
He felt his breath leave his lungs as his back and shoulders burned from the harsh impact, and he set his jaw, still keeping his attention forward and taking deep breaths as a hot fire spread throughout his body.
If Hanji knew what was best for her, she'd avoid him for the remainder of the day.
She gave a laugh as she rubbed his shoulder, her actions more therapeutic this time and actually being rather helpful in dispelling the pain, before dropping her hold on him and walking away entirely, addressing the crowd further with other half-truthed promises.
Levi exhaled in relief as she walked away, waiting out the insufferable event in attention until finally the command "Dismissed." was given.
Not caring if it was rude or what sort of impression it may have left with the brat-ish cadets, Levi stormed out of the training grounds, feeling pain in his every step and swearing to himself that if he ever got his hands on Hanji he would outright murder her.
As he moved away from the group, he heard a voice call his name, the voice notably young and female, however Levi couldn't recognize it as anyone he knew or anyone of consequence, so deciding that person could go fuck themselves, he continued moving without even a single glance back.
He moved straight to his quarters; his irritation at an all time high as he began to take the 3DM gear off piece by piece, carefully moving to take off his button up and tank. While he wasn't surprised, it was aggravating to discover that many of the blisters had ruptured under the pressure of the harness, and so taking his shirt off had been toe-curlingly painful due to the shirt melding into his skin as the blisters attempted to heal themselves, forming slight scabs through the shirt's pressed material.
Peeling off the fabric inch by inch, Levi cringed as the half healed sections tore off from his body, leaving quarter sized patches of raw flesh across the expanse of his back.
Levi groaned in exasperation and ground his teeth, his skin throbbing relentlessly from the hours of previous abuse. He was only further certain that this had been a large step back in the healing process of his sunburn.
Grabbing his previously white button up that was now smeared with dirt, sweat, and random yellow patches of half formed scabs, he scowled and threw the shirt straight into the trash, knowing that no matter how many times he washed the fabric, the pale yellow stains would never completely come out.
Whatever.
He was off duty now that the dumb drills event was completed, and considering he wouldn't be able to rest or do anything of benefit to help his irritated skin, he may as well spend the remainder of the day outside. Though being in the sunlight was an incredibly uncomfortable phenomenon, Levi had realized earlier this morning that being in the shade wasn't actually all that bad. At the very least, Levi preferred the fresh air to the stuffy walls of the compound, and his decision to spend the day in the great outdoors was more or less finalized.
Levi had first moved to a nearby washroom, careful to wash the dirt off his torn back to keep it clear from infection. He had put on his loosest woven shirt possible; a brownish sort of knit that hung lightly off his collarbones – a shirt so big that it didn't touch his chest or back.
While it may not have been his most flattering attire and Levi had often considered throwing it out due to its far too cumbersome size, he could never justify fully ridding himself of a good, albeit large shirt, and today he found he was thankful for it.
Leaving the dorm areas completely and grinding his teeth as he stepped out into the sun – already highly sensitive to the heat of the day, especially in those more tender areas – Levi quickly moved through the grounds, already knowing his exact location of choice and determined to get there without any further interruptions.
On the very edge of camp was a lone tree that sat on large rolling hill. Not only would there be adequate shade provided by the large overgrown tree, but the spot gave both a good view of the Regiment's activities throughout the day, as well as a one of a kind viewing platform for sunset.
While Levi wasn't sure if he would in fact be sitting outside all day where he would actually witness the day's sunset, it wasn't like there were further duties he was expected to attend to. The only thing that stood out in his mind was that he was previously intending on reaching out to Hanji to see if the pharmacy had anything for him, however at this point he was fucking pissed off with her, and preferred to not be around her if it could at all be avoided.
Moving up the hill and all but giving a sigh of relief as he finally felt the coolness of the shade over his skin, Levi made his way toward the base of the tree and sat down stubbornly, determined to not move a single inch for the rest of the day. It took him a few good minutes to find a comfortable position where he was relaxed against the base of the tree, and not irritating his skin any further. After a few moments of shuffling, he found a spot that worked decently enough, and he allowed himself a contented sigh as he tried to unwind from the way too stressful morning.
He watched various squads as they completed the days tasks; some were running laps around the grounds, others doing physical conditioning - Levi noted that a new group had taken over the training grounds and were working on very basic 3DM sequences, and he briefly wondered what ever had happened to the previous cadet group. He scanned the grounds in a disinterested manner, lazily looking from section to section to see what other shitty theatrics Erwin had planned out for them.
Surely they wouldn't be that hard to find considering they would look rather out of place when compared to a full fledged soldier, however Levi wasn't able to find a group of young lost teenagers who ooh'd and ahh'd at their military lives like dumbass tourists, and after a few moments of unsuccessful searching, his interest was lost.
Giving another sigh and looking up towards the sky, Levi mentally reviewed the conversation he had had with Erwin yesterday, or perhaps more correctly, the conversation Erwin had had with him.
As strange as it was, it was undeniable that Erwin had been giving him more and more responsibility as of late; expecting him to be better and better, faster than any Scout, and stronger too. It was just assumed that he would follow orders blindly and act as a perfect tool that functioned flawlessly by Erwin's side. To make matters worse, all these things began happening without warning.
Levi couldn't point to a specific date, but looking back now, the months previous had been filled with more meetings, tactical discussions and new strategy developments, Levi had helped train more teams than he could count; honestly it was running him ragged. While yes, he did trust Erwin and believed in his vision, at the end of the day, all of the sudden responsibility and high expectations were a big change, and one that was hard for him to just naturally excel in. Try as he may, there was still a part of him, a very much alive part of him for that matter, that did not like taking orders, that was used to people following his judgment calls, and used to people following him around.
Still feeling rather grouchy about the matter, Levi attempted to clear his mind, and hours began to slowly pass as Levi mused over the sudden change in Erwin's demeanor.
With nothing to keep his attention, Levi felt sleep starting to claim his mind, a welcome change of pace considering the night previous – until a voice, a high sort of girlish voice, grabbed his attention into full alertness.
"Hey! Hello?"
Levi opened his eyes, looking over toward the source of the noise and wondering just who it was that had disturbed him. He could hear the shuffling of grass and footfalls, and his eyes fell on a young girl, clearly one of the cadets from before. If the training logo on the jacket wasn't an immediate give away, the fact that she looked young, maybe fifteen or sixteen, was a huge indicator as well.
He watched silently as she made her way up the remainder of the hill, and he leaned forward slightly, craning his neck up to see if it was just the one girl, or if it was in fact the entire training class that was coming to see him. If that was the case, Levi would have some serious words for Erwin, as he had been told that he was off duty today and babysitting a bunch of brats was not on his agenda.
"You know, you are hard to track down!" the girl stated as she gave a laugh, having fully made it up the hill and placing her hands on her hips. After taking note that it was just the lone girl and not the entire training class, Levi relaxed back against the tree, fixing her with an irritated scowl.
She sighed as she looked down at him, continuing casually, "I asked about a dozen people where you were, and they all gave me this haunted look and said they had no idea."
…Not surprising.
Levi watched her for a long moment, not sure why she was even seeking him out in the first place. Thinking back on it, this was the same voice that called out to him before in the grounds as well. What did a trainee need from him?
"Well you found me." Levi stated, suspicion evident in his tone, "Now can I help you with something, or did you just get your ass lost out here by mistake?"
"What? No, I'm not lost!" the girl responded, her voice showing signs of offence.
Levi simply quirked an eyebrow, and the girl gave a groan, "I came here to find you. Like I just said."
She added that last sentence in a low, irritated mumble, and Levi shot her a glare, not appreciating getting backtalk from a young brat that looked too weak to hurt a fly.
A moment passed as he continued to watch her through narrowed eyes, the silence becoming rather thick between the two, and she gave an apologetic sigh, finally folding under the weight of his stare.
"Sorry, sorry - let me clarify, I came out here to say thank you, okay? As you can tell, I am in the training group right now for this year's military cadets, and I think it's really amazing that you took time out of your day to do that demonstration earlier with your team. I mean, all of you guys were amazing, but you were really great."
Levi rolled his eyes.
Great. It was some sort of fangirl.
He really would have to murder Erwin. At the very least, he would have a stern talking to with whoever it was that told this brat where he was sitting. He did not need this hassle.
"It wasn't my choice. And that's not my team." He added simply, hoping to be rid of the nuisance as quickly as possible.
The cadet merely shrugged, giving him a miffed look as though sensing their interaction was not going well, "So? You did it all the same right?"
Levi didn't have a response to this, and the cadet continued factually, "More specifically, I came out here because you look really, really sun burnt. Now in training we haven't really done too much work with the 3DM gear, but I do know how tight the harness is, and the fact you were still able to perform so well is really incredible. How you can even move with a sunburn that bad is a real head scratcher to me. I mean, didn't that hurt earlier? Like, a lot?"
Levi tried to make a point of ignoring her, staring off into the distance with his head tilted away from her, though the girl seemed to be rather stubborn, or maybe dense, as she didn't budge from her spot, instead just gave a simple shrug and sat down on the ground a mere few feet from him, grabbing out her bag and shuffling through it purposefully. For a moment no words were exchanged, and Levi was debating getting up and going to a new location considering she couldn't take a damned hint.
It wasn't that the girl was straight up annoying per say, however at the very least, he didn't want to encourage a trainee to start following him around and inadvertently pick up any of his bad habits. If the news got to Erwin that Levi went out of his way to sour a new trainee from picking the Scout regiment, he'd be packing his bags sooner than he could say 3DM gear.
After a few more moments, the girl stopped her shuffling and grabbed a tin from her bag, opening it with a triumphant, 'Ah ha!'
Inside there seemed to be a clear sort of…what was it, lotion perhaps?, Levi observed with slight curiosity as he peered over her shoulder, and as she dabbed some onto her fingers, the air filled with a minty kind of fragrance.
He looked over to her in silent question, admittedly curious as to what was so important she had to find it then and there.
The girl explained, her attention moving from the strange lotion and back to him, "I tried to call out to you earlier but I'm not sure if you heard me or not. Well, anyways. Here."
Without warning, the girl reached over toward him and before he could even register what her intentions were, her hands moved straight onto his face, fingers gently placing the minty… he wasn't sure what, over his nose and cheeks in a single quick motion.
Levi blinked, looking at the girl in outright alarm, "Hey! What the fu-"
His words died on his tongue as the sort of gel, he decided, had an instant cooling effect; for the first time silencing the dull pain that had plagued him since the night previous. He looked at the girl, mystified, and she gave a giggle as she grabbed the tin and placed the lid back on with a silent snap, her head held high as she wore a prideful grin across her face.
"That's a medicine made from the Aloe Vera plant, it's a sort of gel that's really great for burns." She looked at the tin wistfully, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, "I…I brought this back from home actually. Looks like I'm not the only person who's prone to nasty sunburns huh? Either way, I was thinking earlier back at the demonstration that you look like you could use its healing qualities. Seeing how red you are makes me cringe. Really, how did you do all of that earlier? Ouch!"
Levi remained silent, not sure what to make of the girl. While he didn't like to be touched, especially by strangers, this girl's level of confidence, her innocent sort of assumption, somehow made her strangely tolerable. At the very least for a random encounter, he found this wasn't all that bad.
"I was… thinking you should keep this." She stated quietly, before raising the tin of what she called Aloe Vera upward and looking at him expectantly.
Levi's eyebrows rose, about to reject her offer, but she shook her head firmly, beating him to the punch, "I insist, really. You need it a lot more than I do, and after you taking that time out of your day, even if it wasn't your choice, it's a way I can say thank you. I mean it. You guys are really inspiring; I hope that when I'm a Scout, I can be as fearless and confident as you guys are."
She gave another laugh, seeming to think out loud as an afterthought, "Of course, I'll have to actually learn to use the 3DM gear before that can happen, huh? That's kind of…an important first step I guess."
Levi gave a baffled shake of his head, finding it impossible to stay irritated at the cheerful, far too positive cadet. He grabbed the small tin she had placed next to him, opening the lid and again smelling the minty gel it contained, admittedly grateful for something that would finally relieve his miserable sunburn – if only temporarily.
As if taking her cue suddenly, she gave a nod in return and stood up, "Well I'd love to stay and chat, but we weren't given that much discretionary time for lunch, and you really were hard to track down. Levi was it? Yeah that sounds right." She paused as she put her bag back around her shoulders, adjusting her jacket and speaking further, "Well, my training class won't be done for another year or so yet, but maybe I'll see you around after that? Either way though, I really appreciate it. You guys were really amazing out there. I hope I can be like you! Oh, and make sure you get some good use out of that aloe, apply it frequently so you heal up faster!"
At that, the girl gave a bright grin, waving a goodbye before turning away and taking her first steps back down the hillside, humming slightly to herself as she walked away.
Levi blinked and sat up more fully, alarmed that just like that the girl was leaving without warning, just as mysteriously as she had come. He shifted his weight forward, ready to get up and chase her down if need be.
He called out after her, "Girl, what's your name?"
Hearing his words, a more serious look came over her face and she turned around, her brows pulled down into a firm expression as her eyes searched for his. Her voice was suddenly loud as she locked eyes with him and she gave a full on salute, "Sir yes sir! My nam-"
Levi made a face and groaned as he stood up, dusting himself off and glaring at her, "Damn it all, calm down! It's not like I'm your fucking Captain or anything - I just want your name."
She blinked in surprise for a moment, then her expression melted into the smallest of grins. She replied warmly, her voice cheerful, "Oh...well, it's Petra. Petra Ral."
At that, she gave one last wave then silently moved down the path without a second glance back, the sound of her humming getting quieter and quieter until it could be heard no more.
Levi watched her leave, smirking to himself as the various cadets frantically waved at her from across the grounds, causing the girl to all but sprint to meet them on the path ahead. Levi suspected she was actually late in her attempts to report for duty; a suspicion that was confirmed once he saw the girl give a half hearted salute before taking off towards the track and running a lap around the training grounds, the common punishment for being late in the military.
Admittedly amused as he watched her take off, Levi shook his head and adjusted the tin in his fingers, retiring back towards the tree and taking a seat once more.
Not wasting a single moment, Levi pulled the large shirt off his back and scooped a generous amount of the gel onto his fingertips. Running the aloe over his shoulder and down his back, he carefully massaged it into his skin, being particularly careful around the patches where his skin had broke open. He carefully repeated the action for the other side of his back, enjoying the clean minty smell and the slight tingly feeling the aloe had on his skin.
Allowing himself a few moments to enjoy the soothing lull of the aloe, the gel successfully bringing a halt to the endless throb of his sunburn, Levi placed the lid back on, giving a relieved sigh and relaxing further into the tree.
He gave a slight 'huh' and rolled the tin back and forth between his fingers absently, thinking about the girl who had gifted it to him mere moments ago. A ghost of a smirk came to his face, and he mumbled slightly to himself, "Petra."
It was a good name, Levi decided internally as he set the gel down beside him, thinking further about the spritely Cadet. It was a strong name for a stubborn, scatterbrained girl. Scatterbrained, stubborn, kind girl, Levi mentally corrected himself, his smirk more pronounced.
Perhaps he would see her in a year or so, assuming she had the nerve to pick the Scout Regiment at all. While it seemed to be a constant theme that hardly any of the Trainees would willingly pick the Scout Regiment over the bandwagon Garrison Unit, somehow Levi knew that the ginger headed girl would indeed be showing up again.
If so, he'd have to remember to thank her.
Thinking about it more fully, Levi frowned to himself.
And what about him?
Come the next few years, would he still be around in the Scout Regiment? If Erwin's previous words held even the smallest ray of truth, perhaps not. While he couldn't imagine any different sort of life, he technically didn't have to stay here. He could always sneak away in the dead of night, find some shady city to lay low in for a while and try to make a way of life for himself in hopes that the authorities never found him.
Truthfully, that option was far from appealing. While yes, being able to make his own choices and live solely how he saw fit was a freedom he achingly missed at times - in the Scout Regiment he had purpose. There was always direction, a clear cut goal, and people working together to make those goals attainable.
Levi shifted his weight, trying to wrap his mind around a future in the Scout Regiment.
Levi hadn't actively thought about something as abstract as his future in many, many years. His joining the Regiment at all had been a ruse from the start; however it seemed that he was beaten at his own game as years later he was still there, faithfully following after Erwin and only delving deeper into the military lifestyle he had once been so adamantly opposed to.
Levi smirked to himself darkly, finding the whole thing rather fucking ironic.
For those in the Underground, giving their lives away to the military was a get out of jail free card of sorts, to such an extent that joining the military was practically a rite of passage for growing youth. Year after year, children excitedly waited for the day they would be old enough to leave the Underground in exchange for the military life, and their families would gladly wish them a permanent goodbye, because even the future of being mere Titan fodder was still far more promising than a life spent in the Underground.
When he himself had come of age to join the military, there had been various sources of encouragement, pushing him to sign his life away and just get out. He had certainly considered it, after all how could he not? That was years before he had become a known thug with territory, resources, and respect. For a vast majority of his childhood he had lived spooked, on the run, and always fending for himself. Every day was a miserable uphill fight for survival, and joining the military would have given him a stable future and at the very least a guaranteed meal each day, so the option had been more than tempting at the time.
Stubborn to his core however, Levi had refused to give his life away to support a Royal government that didn't give two shits about him, and he outright refused the military life, determined to find his own path to freedom.
Looking back now, all his stubbornness had been for nothing because he had wound up in the military anyway.
Still though, the Scouts were different than he had expected. They were focused on getting out of the Walls and giving humanity the chance it never had. That was a goal so much more widespread than he had ever even thought to dream of in his younger years, and while the idea was so abstract and wistfully too good to be true, it was a dream he could proudly stand behind and support.
It was something worth dying for.
Better yet, Levi thought as he focused up toward the clear blue sky, it was something worth living for.
And besides, what other options did he have left at this point?
...
Levi looked toward the closed wooden door of Erwin's office, taking a small breath of preparation.
Giving a few firm taps on the door's surface and walking in, Levi opened the door and closed it behind himself quietly, already knowing who would be in the room. If there was anything he had learned during his time as a Scout, it was that everyone ran by a very predictable schedule within the Regiment. Considering it was Wednesday, Hanji and Erwin would be having their weekly collaboration meeting.
Erwin had instructed him to take yesterday off duty, which he had done, however the Commander had failed to give any further specific instructions in regards towards reporting back for duty again the following day. He wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a perpetual thing, or if Erwin was going to come talk to him again; overall it seemed pretty vague.
Levi, not being one to procrastinate, preferred to just get the whole thing over with and decided he would seek Erwin out first thing in the morning.
A surprised Commander and Squad Leader greeted him as he entered the room suddenly, exchanging looks for a moment before Erwin stood up, pointing to a nearby chair.
"Petty Scout Levi, good morning." Erwin acknowledged briefly, "I must say you're earlier than expected. Have a seat."
If he was displeased or irritated at the sudden interruption, it was hard to tell, however Levi didn't dwell on the matter and continued moving into the room, not really caring if he was an inconvenience or not. He gave a single nod of greeting in return, moving against the side of the wall and slouching against it, forgoing the aforementioned chair altogether. He watched Erwin sit back down casually, then moved his attention over to Hanji in a slow, purposed fashion.
His eyes narrowed into thin slits, "If you come within five feet of me, you won't live to regret it, four eyes."
Erwin's mouth fell open, ready to reprimand the soldier, however Hanji's chuckle of amusement silenced him, and it was evident she was not offended or alarmed by the blatant threat. It was clear he was missing something.
She gave an innocent smile, still laughing slightly, "Oh come now Levi, don't tell me you're still mad? It was harmless fun, really. At least your sunburn's looking a bit better, that's a plus right?"
Levi rolled his eyes with a snort, moving his attention back to Erwin and deciding, for now, to leave the Scientist be until more pressing matters were addressed. He cleared his throat, "Well Erwin, I'm here. What now?"
Erwin took another extended moment to look at Levi, then back at Hanji, but sensing that there was no immediate danger of bloodshed, the Commander finally settled his attentions solely on the new addition to the room, moving past the odd interaction.
He folded his hands in front of himself neatly, his eye contact unwavering, "Well that depends Levi. Are you prepared to stop behaving like a rogue and work with purpose in our ranks, or is this self serving agenda the new constant for you?"
Feeling the gaze of both Hanji and Erwin, Levi waited a few moments, trying to pick his words carefully. He gave a low nod as he thought the question over, then looked toward Erwin, speaking lowly, "I can't be the perfect soldier you want me to be Erwin. I'm not making excuses, but there are parts of me that may not ever function the way a normal Scout does, period. However…"
Levi paused for a moment, brows pulling down in contemplation as he continued, "I believe that there are other elements and skills I bring to the Regiment that others cannot begin to replicate. I can't pretend I'll always make the best judgment call or that I won't put little shits in their place when they deserve it, but I'll use greater discretion going forward to ensure that I am not hindering the Scout's goals.
Levi looked up squarely, his expression fierce, "But I want to stay Erwin; make no mistake about that. My place is here, and I know that. It's just hard being someone's damned lackey all the time. I'm not used to it, but…but if that's what it takes then so be it. I'm not leaving the Scouts until the Titans are wiped off the face of the earth."
Levi pressed his lips together firmly, fixing Erwin with a challenging glare.
There was a long pause after the Scout's explanation, and Levi watched as, again, Erwin and Hanji exchanged glances, seemingly to evaluate his answer to some degree between the two of them in silence. It was Hanji who responded first. She gave a shrug of sorts, before giving a nod to Erwin, who gave her a quick nod back.
The Commander looked back to Levi.
"Hanji and I were actually just talking about this before you walked in. Well," he amended after a thoughtful pause, "more accurately, we've been talking about it for the past few months."
Levi felt his brows pull down.
Past few months? While sure, he knew that his beating the Military Police officer had certainly brought rise to more than a few conversations between the leadership of the military, what had he been doing the months before that raised such concerns? If anything, he had been doing more than the average Scout; why the long term concern?
"…Sir?"
It was Hanji who spoke, her voice more serious as she addressed the matter at hand, "We know that you aren't going to be a basic cog like everyone else Levi. While we do expect the same basic principles of behavior across the board, we understand that with your background as well as the bad blood between you and the Military Police, well… things aren't always so black and white with you."
She looked over toward the Scout, her expression still serious as she explained further, "These past few months we've been giving you more responsibility, access to inside information, duty to teach fellow cadets; I'm sure you've noticed. Call it a test or what have you, but we wanted to see how you would handle the increased duties of the military life – if you would rise to the occasion, or crack under pressure. While the meeting on Monday was an unfortunate occurrence on both sides of the coin, as a whole, we've agreed that you've surpassed our expectations. Monday was a setback as you made a lot of important people upset with you again, however it is only a temporary issue. In time it will be forgotten altogether, and we've decided to look toward the future at this point."
"Levi." Erwin spoke next, expression even more serious than before, "We've been considering promoting you to Captain." There was a light, shadow of smirk at his lip at revealing such information, and with an exhale he continued, "Of course the military police is still pushing for your discharge at the moment, however there are larger factors at play than just one group's notably biased opinion. As a whole the military agrees that you are ready."
Erwin watched the Scout closely, studying him for a reaction. "You heard Hanji's explanation, but what do you think about this? Going from Petty Scout straight to Captain is a vast jump in rank - I don't think I've seen such a thing in all my years, but again as Hanji stated, things aren't always black and white concerning you. The real question is, are you even interested in such an advance in responsibility? As you can imagine, such scandals and go-it-alone mentality cannot happen again, under any circumstances, no matter what is said or done when you are in such a role. While such a raise in rank does come with certain privileges and abilities, make no mistake that your freedom is only that much more limited as your will is exchanged for the demands of the Regiment."
The previous light smirk only grew wider across Erwin's lips, a slight challenge evident in his tone, "I'm well aware, however, that we can't make you do anything you don't want to do…so again I have to ask Levi, how devoted are you actually to the Scout Regiment?"
Levi blinked at the forward question; somewhat wishing he had taken Erwin's offer earlier to sit down.
He had been expecting to get an earful of should haves, next times, 'I can't believe you…' and other annoying speeches from Erwin and Hanji; perhaps some verbal beatings about how long the paper work had taken, or how cumbersome the medical expenses had been on the Scout's annual budget, but not this. The concept that all this had been leading up to an impending promotion left him at a loss for words.
A thick silence fell across the room.
"A promotion sir…?"
Levi's voice was hesitant and laced with a sort of skepticism. He knew he hadn't heard wrong, but he had to clarify; still having a hard time following their line of thinking.
He was met with an even stare, and he dropped his gaze to the floor in contemplation, admittedly surprised.
What were they thinking? Him? A Captain?
He was far from a saluting, yes sir'ing, rule following, military life is the life for me, sort of person. He thought that would have been obvious by now, considering a good 99% of the Scouts outright refused to partner with him (and visa versa for that matter) but… apparently not.
He gave a long sigh, still looking to the ground and thinking out loud, "Captain huh?" He shook his head in distaste and frowned, "Captain Levi…that sounds weird as fuck."
Erwin chuckled in response, and Levi looked up at him briefly, quirking an eyebrow. Erwin gave an amused grin, "Trust me Levi, the title will be the least of your worries. We'd first have to build you a basic team-"
"-Which may take some time," Hanji added in matter of factly, "Finding people who willingly will report to you may be a…delicate process."
Erwin gave a confirming nod and continued, "You'd need to complete additional training, you'd be responsible for the disbursement of information and wellbeing of your team, not to mention the paperwork you'd be responsible for on a perpetual basis, medical checks, requests for equipment and maintenance…"
Levi groaned at the mention of paperwork and other nuisances, rolling his eyes and frowning deeply.
He looked at Hanji and Erwin skeptically, "…And you think I'm ready for this?"
Hanji nodded, "We know you are."
Levi shook his head with wide eyes, clearly showing he thought they both lacked sense before responding with a dark chuckle.
Erwin shifted papers around on his desk, grabbing out a manila folder labeled 'Levi Ackerman' and shifting through the papers inside as he spoke, "Before you respond, allow me to share my vision in what this promotion fully entails, or better said, what I hope it entails, perhaps. I have a dream that in time, we will have an elite squad. I want it to be a team comprised of our best scouts who persistently live through expeditions and are superbly skilled on the field. It is my hope that our missions centralize around the success of this team. We would use them as a sort of revolutionary living weapon – an entire Squad that specializes in taking the titans out, something unlike anything we have now. Of course, the squad would need to be led by a ranking Captain or higher with even greater ability, for it is the strength of the leader that unifies and gives strength to the team."
He paused, nodding his head forward toward Levi, "I'm hoping in time, that you will lead this elite force Levi. Not that you're ready for that particular role yet, but that's where we are hoping to start you with a basic team now, and as time moves on, work towards making that dream a reality. Will you partner with us to make this a reality, or do you intend to remain a Petty Scout for the rest of your life?"
Levi crossed his arms, a long pause falling across the room.
His eyes narrowed, "Very well Erwin. I will follow your lead and rise to…Captain," he stated the word like a curse, "but only under one condition."
Erwin blinked in surprise, looking at Hanji for a moment before turning his gaze back to Levi, "…What's your condition?"
Levi held his gaze, his expression unreadable, "Come the time for this elite force, however far off that may be, I will be the one to decide who joins the squad."
A look confusion fell across his Superior's faces, and Hanji opened her mouth in protest, "Levi, I don't know if we can allow that to happen. When it comes to the formulation of a team, a lot of it is out of our hands. Just finding you a starter team is going to be difficult, let alone allowing you to hand pick-"
"Well figure it out." He cut her off firmly, explaining further in a miffed manner, "The military has a long history of producing completely shitty soldiers, however those I trained back in the Underground all those years ago are still better than the Scouts you have today. If you want me to act as a Captain and watch over your elite little shits then fine, but I will not waste my time trying to teach a mediocre Scout with no potential how to do a better fucking job, just because some Military moron in a suit thought their numbers were decent enough."
He reiterated, "When it comes time for the Squad to form, I will be the person who decides who has that potential. I myself will be responsible for their training, and if I have my methods you don't agree with, I expect you to take a step back and allow me to direct such a team as I see fit."
Another long pause fell over the room, and Hanji shook her head, giving a shrug of wonder and directing her attention to Erwin, seemingly unsure of how to respond.
The Commander gave a long exhale through his nose, tapping his fingers across the desktop in contemplation. He pressed his lips together, still looking into the desks surface as he spoke. "Hanji."
"Sir."
"How long before we can get a team assigned to Levi?"
She adjusted her glasses, nodding her head back and forth in thought, "I'd say…maybe two weeks? Three weeks tops, if there are any unexpected bumps in the road that we haven't already accounted for."
He gave a slight nod, raising his line of vision back onto Levi, "Alright then, consider it done. I don't know how I'm going to make that happen for you, but you have my word none the less. If you are able to prove your worth as a Captain worthy of the elite force I envision, I will uphold my promise and ensure that only your selections are considered for the Squad. Is it a deal?"
Levi gave a sigh, halfway having expected Erwin and Hanji to try to renegotiate his terms. He didn't think they would agree so readily. It wasn't that he was completely opposed to being a Captain and seeking an easy out, but he was no fool to the level of devotion such a role required.
Being a Captain meant meetings, training, tracking performance, not to mention being full time responsible for the lives of one's subordinates. Plus there was the paperwork. Oh gods, the paperwork.
However, Levi reminded himself, he had already made up his mind before he had even walked in the door that things were going to be different. His fate, if he even believed in such a thing, was clearly intertwined with the Scout Regiment, and more so than that, he would never complete his goal of destroying all the Titans as a base line Petty Scout.
He needed resources, materials, ability to have a functional standby that leveraged more than just his strength alone. He needed…
He needed a team.
Levi finally nodded, "Deal."
A smile came to Erwin's lips at his acceptance, the previous tense atmosphere dissipating, "I was hoping you would say that Levi. I have high hopes for you, as always." He paused, his smile only growing brighter at his words, "Let me be the first to say congratulations, Captain. I'll send up the necessary forms to Head Quarters and we'll make a formal announcement by the end of the week."
Levi held a slight sigh back, nodding once and wondering just what the hell he had gotten himself into.
He lazily pushed himself off the wall, motioning toward the door, "Are we done here then? This sunburn hurts like a bitch and I'd like to get back to my dorm before the sun gets too high."
Plus, Levi thought to himself inwardly, there was the fact that there was a tin of aloe that was there waiting for him, however he didn't feel like disclosing that unneeded bit of information.
Erwin gave a dismissing wave of his hand, "I'll come track you down later on today to discuss your upcoming training schedule, but that shouldn't be for a while yet. Enjoy your afternoon."
Levi took a first step toward the door, eyes falling first on Hanji who had a suspicious smile across her face.
Levi felt a sudden wave of hesitance wash over him.
The last few times he had seen that smile, it had ended in blinding pain.
He stayed rooted in his spot, back against the wall, watching her narrowly.
"What, four eyes."
She gasped in fake offense, "So defensive! I just wanted to say congratulations, that's all." She smiled widely, "I know you'll be great Levi." She paused as she spoke, bringing a finger toward her lips thoughtfully, "Though I guess this means I won't be your commanding officer anymore huh? That's okay though, I'm sure we'll find other times to hang out. I know you value our friendship. Besides," she grinned cheekily, "You never did get back with me about that meatloaf."
Allowing himself a smirk, Levi took a single step closer to the grinning scientist, just close enough to touch the back of her chair, yet ensuring he was still out of range for another slap across his back.
In one smooth motion, he lightly pulled back on the chair, shifting its balance onto its back two legs until the balance shifted just enough and began tumbling slowly backward toward the ground. He watched in satisfaction as the Scientist inched backward ever so gently until falling full force. Hanji emitted a loud yelp in surprise as she fell, landing shortly after with a satisfactory thud against the floor as the chair finally tipped over.
She looked up at him from the floor, glasses catching in the light and a red hue coming to her face from the shock.
"Levi," she sputtered, taking a deep breath and blinking, adjusting her glasses back across her face, "Wha- what the heck?"
He deadpanned, staring down at her with a quirked eyebrow, "That's Captain Levi to you, four eyes."
At that, he walked out the door, smirking at first, but then frowning to himself in afterthought.
Captain Levi...
It really did sound fucking weird…
...
Aaand that's a wrap!
Yall didn't even KNOW I was going to throw Petra in there, did ya? Ha ha!
It all started with a Tin of Aloe :)
Gosh I feel so witty right now!
All jokes aside, this piece really came out of no where for me and took a large portion of my free time as I focused on writing it out. I did take inspiration from my personal sunburn back a few months, but the story soon morphed itself into something deeper that focused on beginnings- not just for Levi becoming a Captain, but also for Levi meeting Petra, as well as her first very steps into the military lifestyle.
It was unexpected for me to have written (though only hinting really) so many ups and downs - writing out a happy go lucky Petra that's only going to get more nervous, jaded, and distrusting as the years in the military harden her perspective, to writing out a Levi who had never wanted the military life -at all - yet decided to bite the bullet and go all in anyway, even though it denies the very essence of his being. Its like trying to bottle a hurricane, yet he somehow musters up the willpower to do so. Heartbreaking for me to write, even if I did only write it out skin deep.
To think, I wanted this to just be a fun, light hearted, easy read like my Valentine's piece a few years back. Ha. I tried right?
Anyhow, thanks for reading and sticking around.
Stay safe out there and have a wonderful reading journey!
~Midnight