Author's Note: I hope y'all enjoy this update! I'm back. A review is well appreciated.
If you know the NAME of the female soldier who trained Isabel on how to properly ride a horse when she joined the Survey Corps (she can be seen in Attack on Titan: A Choice with No Regrets, both manga and anime), please send me a message or kindly post it as a review. It will help a lot for the betterment of this story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin.
A Thug Life of Loving You
The dawn was just breaking but most of the Survey Corps soldiers have already gone home. Of all his subordinates, only Petra remembered to leave something on Levi's table since he left the headquarters for an early morning jog around the district. When he went back to his office, he found a cup of tea and a little note beside it. The tea was still hot so he assumed that whoever left it there was not long gone. He took a quick shower first to freshen himself up, changed into a more casual set of clothes, and then he read the note that was settled on his table. It was written in Petra's handwriting.
Thank you for everything last night. I'll see you soon.
He wondered what had happened last night. It was nothing special, at least to him. When they got back to the headquarters, they realized that they already missed the special dinner set by the corps so they rummaged for left overs from the kitchen. When they found none, they settled with cups of tea. Everyone was on their beds but they were there, spending time with each other without anybody's presence. Petra seemed talkative as they enjoyed the tea. She shared her childhood experiences to him. He just listened. Sometimes he got her point, but most of the time he missed it. He did not want to ruin her enthusiasm of telling her story, not that he did not care, he just could not understand the reason why she was telling it to him. Maybe he was just dense, or he was so focus on his goals that he was choosing to set aside his fondness.
He smiled at the thought of last night. Fond. Was he fond of her? Or was he just starting to get attached?
The morning seemed to bring hope to mankind. The sunlight made its way to his windows, spreading a gorgeous light in every corner of the room. Levi held the cup of tea and sipped on it. A slight curve formed on the corner of his lips as he enjoyed the alluring taste of rare tea leaves on his tongue. He contemplated by the window of his office with the cup in his hand. For the meantime, he wanted to get rid of the struggles that he has been battling inside for the past weeks. Since it seemed to him that it would just be an ordinary, boring day, he decided to not think about some things too much. He's got no paperworks, just rest. Yes, this time he chose to rest. His subordinates have gone home to see their families. They must be happy, he thought. He could not recall the last time he felt happiness.
The upper floors of the Survey Corps headquarters were covered with an eerie silence. Levi did not know where Erwin, Hanji or Mike were hiding themselves. He knew well that those three were like him, they've got no families or a home to spend the days-off. Only few soldiers could be seen in the lobby of the first floor talking with each other. He was not the one to mingle with them so he just nodded when they greeted. He went to explore the town again. Children were playing on the streets and vendors were busy negotiating with the customers. Some ordinary citizens, who knew that he was Corporal Levi of the Survey Corps, shoot mocking glances at him, whispering at each other, while several middle class citizens, gave him warm smiles. He did not return the smiles but he nodded to them with respect. He stopped at the bridge and looked at the waters beneath. He saw his reflection: grumpy and sober. The dark shades under his narrow eyes were indication of sleepless nights.
Sleepless nights. The thought bothered him. He got nightmares last night. The dream was dreadful and terrible. It was another expedition beyond the walls. The corps went to search for new knowledge about the titans. But in the middle of their mission, Wall Maria was breached. It took half a day before the news reached them. They went back to help save humanity inside the walls, killing each titan on their way, but it took them another half day before they got there. It was dusk when he was able to save a bunch of young cadets. He could not remember their faces and he did not even bother to recall who they were. He was pulled back to his senses when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned his head to look at the person beside him.
"Laila." He said with a slight surprise drawn all over his face.
She smiled. "I said what are you doing here… alone?"
"Nothing." He replied, his gaze went back to the waters.
Laila Zimmerman, commander of ninth squad, one of Erwin's former subordinate during the time of former Commander Keith Shadis. She has been a soldier even before Levi joined the Survey Corps. She was the one who properly trained Isabel on how to ride a horse during their training. She was curious about many things. She could not help but to ask Isabel about the life in the underground capital. And albeit Levi's intimidating and unapproachable attitude was human-repellant, she did not hesitate to approach him by the bridge when she saw him spacing out, staring at the waters.
She stood beside him and leaned her back on the bridge. It was an awkward silence. The gush of waters turned into a pleasant sound to Levi's ears to avoid the uncomfortable silence between him and Laila who was comfortably standing beside him.
Laila was the first to break the silence. "Don't you have a family or a friend somewhere else to visit?"
Levi looked at her, trying his best not to look so grumpy, and studied her face briefly. Innocence was drawn on her somber brown eyes. It looked like she was just asking him about the things that were running in her mind. She was always curious like Hanji. Sometimes he wanted to assume that Laila and Hanji were secret best of friends or they were relatives that has the same curious blood running on their veins.
"I don't know." He answered automatically. His eyes shifted back to the movement of the gushing waters beneath the bridge.
She faced him, arms crossed over her chest. "Now I know why Petra always visits my office."
Levi halted at the mention of Petra's name. He turned to look at her and sighed. "What do you need, Laila?" He finally asked.
"Nothing important. I'm just looking for a good company." She replied and walked pass him.
He watched her as she paced towards the end of the bridge. She was wearing a lavender dress and casual shoes. Her light brown hair was not tied in two ponytails this time. She looked like an ordinary citizen; people would not think that she's a soldier. Levi hesitated to follow her but with a sudden change of mind, he finally made his way to go with her.
"Hey. I'm sorry to hear about your subordinates." Levi started when he was able to reach her in the street. She walked fast when she left him by the bridge.
She just nodded.
They continued walking through the long paved streets with scattered busy people and vendors, passing through horse-led carriages and tall buildings. Levi did not know why the eerie silence could not leave them. It was more awkward than the time when Erwin asked him if he's already got a girlfriend and he answered him to just shave his eyebrows. They stopped in a certain tea shop where only few people spend a quiet time with teas and sweets.
"Do you often go here during days-off?" he asked Laila who was so quiet sitting across the table.
He could not discern if he offended him with his automatic answers earlier or she just became somber of the thought of her fallen subordinates. He could not blame her for having that somber expression on her eyes because all her subordinates were wiped out during their recent expedition. She must be mourning, he thought.
"I like going to tea shops." She answered plainly.
Levi scanned the place with his grey orbs. There was a comfortable atmosphere hovering in all corners of the tea shop. The tables, chairs and even the counter, walls and ceiling of the shop were made of redwood trees. The walls were decorated with small framed paintings. It was simple but he found it interesting.
'Not bad.' He told to himself.
He liked it. He was always dreaming of opening his own tea shop someday.
"Can I take your orders, please?" a woman's voice caught his attention.
When he looked at the woman who was standing beside the table, he was taken aback.
"Petra!" he and Laila said in synchrony.
The woman was looking at the notepad she was holding but was surprised when she heard her name. It was indeed Petra Ral. She looked to the two soldiers who called her name.
"L-aila-san! L-levi Heichou!?" she stuttered as soon as their faces were revealed before her hazelnut orbs. She did not realized that the customers were fellow Survey Corps soldiers.
"Do you work here during days-off?" Laila asked.
Petra smiled and shook her head. "No. My cousin just asked me a favor when I got home this morning." She replied.
"I see. What do you prefer, Levi? It's my treat." Laila asked, turning to the quiet corporal.
He did not know why he felt quite anxious when Petra appeared and saw him with Laila. He thought it was awkward to be with Laila when they were walking in the streets but it appeared to be more awkward to be with her in a tea shop where Petra was working. He found the two women looking at her expectantly. They were waiting for his answer.
"What can you recommend?" he finally spoke. He could not look at Petra's eyes.
Petra thought for a moment and shoot a look at the menu in his hands. She closed the distance between them by standing behind him, slightly leaning her body closer to him, he could slightly feel her breath brushing his cheek. She smelled like lavenders.
"Hmm. I think you two should try the green tea flavored crepe and some chamomile tea. But as for you, Levi Heichou, I bet you'll also like the panini rolls." She suggested.
Levi did not know why he felt a bit disappointed when she pulled her body away from him. He actually did not like the idea of her clinginess but he also did not scold her for doing that. Perhaps she was just getting clingy to him because they were getting closer for the past weeks. He immediately shook off the thoughts that started to bother his being and focused on the present.
"Alright then. I prefer your suggestions." He said and put down the menu.
When he looked at Laila, she was simply grinning. The somber expression on her eyes seemed to shift into a teasing one.
"How about you, Laila-san?" Petra asked as she turned to face her.
"We can share." She replied. "I bet the crepe is as big as the plate."
"Yes, how did you know?"
"I tried to order a crepe when we're in Stohess. It was overwhelming like a titan."
They both chuckled. Levi could not understand why women laughed at little things.
Petra wrote something on her notepad. She then repeated the orders and went to the counter to give it to her cousin.
"That was one bloody surprise." Laila told Levi, smirking. It seemed that her mourning for her fallen subordinates was set aside for the moment.
He was silent. His eyes were glued at the menu. What exactly was the taste of that green tea flavored crepe? And what was that fucking panini rolls? Petra knew a lot about foods. He did not.
It took quite a long while before their orders were served by Petra. Each layer of the crepe has a green powder; it was as big as the plate, Laila's assumption was right. Levi shoot a look at a white oval shaped breads on the other plate. And the tea that she served before him has a pleasing aroma.
"Enjoy!" Petra said happily and went back at the counter to talk to her cousin.
Laila gestured Levi to start with the crepe but he took a sip on the tea first before anything else. His eyes brightened when the alluring taste of chamomile wallowed in his mouth.
"How is it?" Laila asked, throwing a curious look.
Delicious, he wanted to say. But that was not so Ackerman to say delicious as a compliment. "Fancy." He said instead.
She chugged on her cup and sipped on it. "It tastes wonderful."
Laila enjoyed the green tea flavored crepe and ate almost one-third of it that made Levi quite surprised. He did not even expected that she could eat a whole plate of crepe. He also liked it but he enjoyed the panini rolls more since he was in the mood to eat plain and salty tasting food that morning. When they were done, Laila walked to the counter to pay. As she rummaged her wallet to get some paper bills, Levi went to pay for it.
"Wait, I'll pay. You don't have to-" Laila protested to Levi but she was cut when Petra shook her head to them.
"Don't worry about it. It's my treat to both of you."
"Oh, no. I appreciate but we have to pay because it's the first time we went here." Laila insisted, swatted Levi's hands out of the counter, and placed her paper bills before Petra and her cousin. "Thank you for the wonderful service. See you soon." She said, she almost forgot how to breathe.
She held Levi's arm tightly and tagged him swiftly out of the tea shop.
"What are you doing?" Levi asked with twitched eyebrows as he was being dragged in a nearby alley.
Laila let go of him and put her hands on her waist. "I can't believe you!" she growled.
"What?" Levi was confused.
"Are you really that dense? Didn't you see the way she looked at us? I've been waiting for you to invite her to sit with us but you didn't. I even anticipated that you-"
"You start to sound like shit glasses." Levi said with a scowl.
She sighed. "Stop comparing people. It's just too disappointing that you didn't make it. Now, she might be thinking that we're secretly dating."
'Secretly dating... Dating... Dating...' the word echoed repeatedly on Levi's ears. "The hell I car-"
"You can't say that word in front of me, Levi. Now, we need to do something."
"We don't need to do anything." He retorted and started walking out of the alley, leaving her behind.
She ran to reach him and pull his sleeve.
"I know just what to do." Laila said and waggled her eyebrows.
It was dusk and Levi found himself standing before a picket fence until a goat chewed the edge of his pants.
"What the fuck am I doing here?" he asked.
Laila stood before him and raised her arms open in the air excitedly. "Welcome to Ral residence where the only female member of the Special Operations Squad lives. May the goddesses of the walls be with you, Corporal Levi." She said, patting his shoulder, and rode her horse as swift as the wind. Before he could open his mouth, she was gone.
He did not exactly know why Laila brought him there. He could not understand her point. She was like Hanji, easy to get along with, though sometimes annoying with their twisty plans, but difficult to understand. That morning when she pulled his sleeves and said that she knew what to do, they went back to the headquarters to get their horses. They toured the whole Karanese District and though it was boring to see mocking faces of people who recognized him, he slightly enjoyed touring around, knowing that it was Petra's hometown. He was just a bit surprised when they reached a rural part of the district where several hills could be seen nearby, and he learned that it was the place where Petra lives. His horse was happily eating the grass, creating some air of camaraderie with the goats. Levi sighed and looked around. The sun was setting beyond the walls and he wondered why he let himself be a victim of Laila's schemes.