Kapitel 2 – Disaster Before Promotion
Mark my words? I'd say mark my ass, that's more like it.
Nothing happened, and it's been a week. A whole bloody week, and the washing bullying thing just got worst since they found out I've sent teacups up to Corporal Levi's room. What's the big deal with his royal assness that seems to get all the girls here swooning at the sound of his name?
"He's so cool!" one washer gleefully screeched, both hands clapped around her fat round face to somehow emphasize on just how cool he was. "He's the most beautiful person I've ever met here in the Survey Corps and that's saying something. I just can't believe it was that bitch who sent tea to his room."
Wait. Bitch? Bitch, are you calling me a bitch right now? For all we know, you're the bitch here, Bitch Face.
"I didn't even see his face, alright?" I replied tiredly, sick of all their whining and complains. Now I understood why El chided me with my moaning of defeat and sigh. It's so tiring being repetitive. "He's not there."
"Good," the bitch replied me with a sneer. Her face changed instantly to a happy face and started stomp her feet happily. "One less person in this competition to compete for the Corporal's affection!" The rapid foot stomping tells enough story of just how cool a person the Corporal was, but that's just a tad bit too much, girl. You need to calm down.
Like a fucking horse in heat, a great deal of good it'll do with words that resonates only in my head. Calm down? Not enough. You have to use the F word in order to get the message across their abnormally thick skull.
Calm the FUCK down.
That's more like it.
I never see El around anymore. He seems to disappear soon after I exited from the Corporal's room with my empty tea tray. I dropped the bucket of clean laundry currently holding the pile of white shirts onto the grass ground around the laundry line area. I have washed the blood stains off these piles of shirts for hours and my arms are sore. Those jackass newbies kept on dirtying the white shirts and bloodied them with random competitions of brawl and fights. Wasn't it enough that they joined the Survey Corps, in which the death rate is higher than any other squads within the wall? The soldiers practically dropped like flies when the Titans whacked them up or stomped on the ground. Faster than anyone could save them and faster than any of us first-aiders could do anything on the field.
I've seen the Titans in action whenever we are out on an Expedition. I would be safe with the medic team in the centre of the formation, and occasionally we would encounter an abnormal on either flanks of the formation. I've seen how it destroys and how it pillage and feast on us humans like we're succulent bugs to be squashed between their teeth. And they didn't even eat us whole! They seem to just bite the humans in half and the other half let drop onto the ground to rot. That's how we always managed to salvage a body part of the fallen soldiers to be surrendered back to their family along with a will letter they have wrote when they've joined the Survey Corps.
Yes. All soldiers have a will letter written the first day they joined the Survey Corps. It will be constantly updated, like a diary of sort. The moment they died, their will letter/book/journal/or whatever you wanna call them will be surrendered alongside their leftover mangled corpse that didn't manage to become complete Titan's nosh to their family members.
If they had any family members, that is.
On the other hand, soldiers or members who are orphans would be far easier to take care off. Since there are no family members to own up to the body (or in this case, body parts) when they came back from a mission with casualties, the decision on what to do with their bodies were left entirely up to the Survey Corps. Burn them; scatter their ashes in the wind. Never burial and the ashes or urns were never kept around. They'll be no place left to keep them with the rate of casualties adding up missions after missions.
With us living behind the Walls and away from the Titan's grasps of death, graveyards are definitely not a place we can spare for the dead while the living are still stuck with troubles of finding new lands for crops to feed the entire growing population behind the Walls.
My bucket of white clothes shined brilliantly under the sunlight. I smiled at the sight of all the clean laundries and started to take one and give it a good whack in the air. It'll straighten the shirt a lil bit as well as shake off any excess water that I haven't managed to squeezes out.
Thoughts came in as if I am breathing them in. El disappeared after I deliver the tea. Is he still alive then? It should be safe to assume he is alive since there is no Expedition recently. The next expedition would be on the start of next month, which is a good 3 weeks away from now.
Apparently the new recruits are coming in today, and they were to travel to the former HQ of the Survey Corps Headquarters. Preparations are to be made for tomorrow's departure, and I am to get ready as well as soon as I've done with the laundries.
"Freya!" Petra Ral called me.
Speak of the devil – and in this case, thought about the topic.
Petra is one of the members of the Special Squad Operations, and is currently dubbed as Team Levi. She's a really nice and kind-hearted redhead that always looks out for me ever since she saw the other Washer Maids toppled dirty laundries into my basin while I was in the kitchen making tea for the Corporal. She had tried to help with moving me to any other rooms available for the Washers, but to no avail as all the other rooms is full. Her kind intentions are well remembered, and I smiled when I see her.
"Hello Petra!" I greeted her happily, patting my wet hands dry with my apron as I am done with the last of the laundries. "I think the First Aiders are requesting for my presence?"
Almost immediately, Petra gave an apologetic look and smiled guiltily. "You've guessed it right. So sorry about not visiting you often enough before this, Freya. They are requesting for you. There would be a short briefing about the task as well."
I nodded and smiled to her. The mission this time is supposed to be a secret, and no one else is to know where our destination is. They would only need to know that we will be out to do some experiment on the formations that Commander Erwin will be implementing soon on the next Expedition, which is not entirely a lie.
Erwin and I used to leave notes for each other using nicknames as well as short notes. That's how he requested for me to keep him updated with my life in the washer's dorms as well as for him to let me know on upcoming expeditions or incoming shit and troubles. Believe me when I said he tried to move me to the floor where officers stays – but that would be as if I've joined the Survey Corps as one of its members seeing as only officers are allowed on that floor, and that is the one thing he wanted to avoid at all cost.
In the notes we wrote to each other, he would be Winnie and I would be Sticky.
Yep. But that'll be a story for another time.
Well. So after Petra and I bid each other 'see you later', I went straight to the Hospital Wing for the Survey Corps for the briefing.
And look who I ran into when I arrived there.
Nop. Not El.
It's Winnie.
"Walker," Commander Erwin said to me without an ounce of expression on his face.
"Commander Erwin," I greeted him back politely. Before I could say anything else, he gave me a slight nod of the head and strode off as fast as he could. Now that was one hell of a suspicious act from the Commander of the Survey Corps.
The head First Aider had a crisp white letter in her hand when I turn to her, and before I could say anything, she smacked the letter into my automatically raised open hands.
"You can go to your newly designated duty now, Walker. You're no longer needed here," she said with a stone face as my heart and I'm sure, my happy face sank.
I looked around. Every other medic's face looked sombre. No smiles, no expression. It's dark.
Oh my God. What have I done? Moreover, what have Erwin said to her to make everyone in the Hospital Wing look like that!?
The head First Aider, Matilda, smirked teasingly when she saw my expression changed rapidly and patted my shoulder. "And before you start to chatter; no, you didn't do anything wrong. You're just getting a promotion and that duty does not include you anywhere near the Survey Corps expeditions nor involving you being positioned anywhere outside of the safety of the formation ride."
Not involving me in anywhere outside of the safety of the parameter formation ride?
Wait, wait. I should be thinking about the promotion thing first.
Yes! What!? The promotion?! What promotion?!
"Promotion?" I repeated stupidly.
One look at my face, and she knew I would take a far longer time to accept the news. Slapping both of her hands on my shoulders, she gazes intently into my eyes and said gravely, "Walker," she started. "You're getting a bloody well deserved promotion that does not involve you being in any of the dangerous parameter, and if there is no dire need of it, you are exempted from any other duties previously assigned to you, and that includes that awful washing place as well as the stables duties. Are we clear?"
I blinked my eyes in response. "I'm sorry. I didn't get you there. I'm getting a new task?"
Matilda sighed, her expression remained unchanged. "No. You're getting a new duty. You'll also be having a new title soon and there is no need for you to go back to washing. That'll also mean you are to pack your bags and move to the new room assigned to you. Read the letter given to you, Walker. It's all stated there."
I blinked again. Oh, right. The letter.
I was so in shock I crumble the letter. Panicking, I smoothed the letter out quickly.
"Good luck with the Corporal, Walker," Matilda said in a strange sympathetic way. "You'll need all the luck you can get."
I kind of froze when she said 'the Corporal'. For some strange reasons, I thought of both El and the elusively mysterious Corporal Levi at the same time. "The Corporal?"
For the final time, Matilda sighed and releases my shoulder. "Commander Erwin said everything is explained in this letter. And it commences immediately. If anyone refused to believe you, just wave the letter to their face. That was his exact words."
I think I swallowed audibly. What on earth is going on!?
With shaking hands, I opened the still sealed albeit no longer that crumpled letter and read through it quickly. My eyes scanned the whole letter and the main words imprinted on my brain at first glance.
Freya Walker
Shall be removed from assigned past duties.
Will be assigned new room on Commanding Officer's Floor.
Will be promoted to Secretary Level for Corporal Levi.
Will be assisting the Corporal in paperworks.
Any other duties will be assigned by the Corporal under his watch.
Reporting directly to Corporal Levi.
Effective henceforth and commence immediately upon notice.
The letter ended with the beautiful cursive words of the Commander Erwin alongside his signature.
So the good luck wish is a wish for me to survive alone in the Corporal's office as his secretary from today onwards.
I think I turned pale audibly.
Dear me. I need to prepare my will and my casket soon.
By means of prepare, I didn't mean the Corporal.
No, no. Nah. He's not even on my list of People to be Wary of.
It's the girls.
CALL MY NAME-CALL MY NAME-CALL MY NAME-CALL MY NAME-CALL MY NAME
I've just trudged my foot into the hall for the love of Wall Maria and already I can feel this creeping ominous cold air spreading from one direction and send chills down my back and Goosebumps on every inch of my skin. It seemed as though everyone already know about the news in the letter and either smiled at me awkwardly for being Corporal Levi's Secretary or they just started to hush stories behind one hand to their friends.
Wait. Why would I be the last one to know about this promotion thing?
I remained on high alert with the still-creeping-cold breeze behind my back and struck up a passively normal face. After all, I'm not the one who is going to ride into Titan's territory and gets chomped up. Matilda said so, I am exempted from any dangerous parameters.
Now that is one knowledge I'm fine with being the Corporal's Secretary.
"Freya!" a loud whisper came from the mass meal hall. "Freya!"
I look up and surely, the group of girls from both The Washings and The Kitchens waved at me so hard their boobs jiggled with their hand movements.
I shuddered.
Swallowing hard, I trudged forward towards them, fully preparing myself internally for their scream fest.
The group of girls who had their gazes set on me like a hungry cat eyeing the last fresh fish suddenly changed their expression into a dreamy one and sighed heavenly. Blushing, even. They no longer had their gaze set on me, but on top of me.
Someone behind me. Taller guy, perhaps?
"Just walk on, teacup," the voice said from directly behind me – a deep crisp, no-nonsense and bullshit carrying a lazy drawl with it. Sounds…familiar.
"E-El?" I whispered back uncertainly. It's been weeks, but I recognize his voice.
Not to mention those beautiful pair of eyes the last time I saw them. Are they still the same?
I turned around. Oh my Maria. They're alive and well.
And…looked lit?
"You're blocking the road in front of me," he said with an angry frown, and I quickly jumped up and move aside.
As fast as I could be a squirrel, he was faster.
His hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed onto the nape of my neck, keeping me in line and walked straight forward with me in front of him like a shield.
I was more afraid on the joke fact that he was going to try to snap my nape with his tight grip of fingers to see if I'll evaporate like a Titan.
"I didn't ask you to move aside," he started in a dangerously low tone, close to whisper. "I ask you to walk on, shitty teacup. Just do as I say."
The sound of me swallowing audibly is just so embarrassing that for a moment there, I'd rather he snaps my neck in half to save my dying pride.
As his human shield, the girls parted to let us through, all gazing admiringly at El behind me. They pushed each other like bitches and fluttered their eyelids at him.
"Oh, Corporal Levi," I heard several of them calls out. My eyes widens in shock. Corporal Levi is here!? I tried to look around but nooooo El's grip is still on my nape. I think I valued my life more than satisfying my curiosity to try and get a look at my new reporting officer and felt more afraid that he would really snap my neck.
"Shut it," El said to them icily. "Fucking start working or I'll place you shitloads on the frontlines of the expedition."
The girls scattered immediately and disappeared with the looming threat in El's voice. It's so amazing how one sentence is able to chase them all away.
His grip on my neck loosened. I turned around, eyes in eternal gratefulness with his help.
"You're my life saviour, El!" I bowed down, glad that the pack of girls has gone away. "Those girls are savages."
"Or so I've heard," he said to me in a lazy drawl. "You're moving to the new floor so get going," El said, motioned to my old dorm with his head for me to move. Smiling widely at him, I nodded my head happily and moved on, leading him to my dorm so as to allow me to pack.
"So," I started casually, eyes darting everywhere to see who could be the one. "Which one is the Corporal? I heard the girls call out to him just now."
"Oh, he's here," El said to me with a handsome sneer, walking forward and stopping right in front of my dorm door. "Just pack quickly and get moving, damn teacup."
How could someone look so good in a sneer?
"What's with the teacup? Am I that fragile?"
It seems that he is not in the mood to wait any longer and spontaneously kicked the dorm door open. It slammed against the wall in a loud bang. I jumped like an idiot in shock. I gotta get used to this. Just think of it as Titans jumping out of nowhere and I gotta prepare to run. Practice, practice.
He snickered down at me when he noted how shocked I am at his sudden kick to the door. Bending slightly to my level, he eyed me closely and said disdainfully, "If you're not going to move anytime soon, then you're as useless as a chipped, broken, shitty teacup."
Red. I see red.
Flaring up angrily and feeling my blood rushing to my head, I took a deep breath and bumped into his shoulder hard to get into the dorm and quickly packed my stuff. In just moments, all my stuff is neatly packed into a small backpack and I strode back to the exit.
"Excuse me!" I said haughtily to him, ignoring him entirely. Now, there is not an ounce of desire to look at him in the eyes. They've evaporated alongside with the appearance of the colour red in my eyes. Damn teacup? Shitty teacup at that what the hell?
I could feel him following me with the sound of his close footsteps. I could hear him snickering down at my short legs walking as fast as I could while he walked past me at a languid pace, not bothered at all by the fact that I am picking up my speed and walking faster at him seeing as my short legs could barely race him ahead.
I'm almost catching up to him. Damn this guy and his stamina. I gotta work on that too. But the next thing I know, I felt him breathing beside my ear.
"Are you sure you know your way to the Corporal's office, teacup?" he whispered, and I jumped.
"I-I've been there before once!" I stuttered stupidly. He had the galls to snicker down at me again! "Have you forgotten? You told me he wanted his tea and I sent it up with you in tow!"
"I do not forget things easily," El said simply and straightened up. "I remember everything, hence why I am here in the first place-" he leans into my face closer and stares into my eyes with burning curiosity, mirth and a tad bit of teasing mixed into a mysteriously cool and sparking pool of bluish-grey.
Did I fluster?
Of course I'd fluster. You'd fluster too when you had someone so cool and handsome breathing down your face in such close proximity.
In the span of one second, I'd wish we'd just kiss already.
Oh, I really need to slap myself in the face sometime in the future for daring to have this sort of perverted thinking in the midst of an important life-time decision making moment.
He seemed to smile – that's what I think he did – crookedly and whispers to me as if I am a child incapable of comprehending the truth. "-to guide you to the office, since you're leading us to nowhere here in the upper floors."
I could feel my blood erupted like a volcano in my heart as my face instantly heated up like a pan on fire. I didn't want to admit we're lost and of course, I didn't want to be left behind seeing as this lanky handsome hunk's legs stretched miles up to his sexy hips-
Shut. Up! Enough!
As I am debating in my head, El grabbed a hold of my sorry-excuse of a bag pack and flung it behind him as if it weighed like a feather, further amplifying his set of muscles on his arms like a muscled God.
What lovely arms at that too.
"Follow me and don't get lost, you scatter-brained teacup."
Or not.
I think the nickname teacup is stuck with me as much as the nickname 'sexy asshole' is stuck on him in my mind.
I knew I'll get another insult if I were to linger behind and get lost again. Hurrying up to him just in time for him to open the office door with a clear carved sign plate hanging on the door saying 'Corporal Levi', I gasped out loud in shock when I realize where this place is.
He stopped on his track almost immediately and snapped his neck so fast I'm left concerned on how it remains intact after that act he pulled out. I mean, why'd he turn around?
"What is it?" he asked exasperatedly, alerted and appearing tired of my constant attention-seeking behaviour.
Honestly, I just need him to be nice and not be so insulting on me. See? Asking something nicely is so nice without any excrement-related insults added behind them.
"You didn't knock!" I pointed to the shiny door plate hanging proudly in front of the door. "This is Corporal Levi's office!"
El just sighed and threw my bag unceremoniously to the corner of the room where an obviously new desk is set into it.
"Hey!" of course I'll protest. That's my stuff! "Be careful with it!"
He, on the other hand, just sighed and shrugged in a way that says 'you ungrateful little brat. I helped you to carry these you know?' He even had the galls to say these, "There's nothing valuable inside anyway."
How dare you sexy piece of-
Enough about his sexiness!
"How would you know what's I've packed!?" I exclaimed, protesting and picking up my bag, dusting it off and finding the floor – surprisingly – almost sparkling clean. Nevertheless, I continued to stay in my angry mode. He needs to learn how to respect another human being, especially a short one!
What he did next had my jaw dropped onto the floor in absolute flabbergasted shame and shock.
One hand under his chin while the other supported his elbow, he looked at me up and down and smirked again.
Damn him and his handsome features.
"You're as easy to deduce as a plain piece of paper," he started, gesturing to all of me with a wave of his hand. "You own nothing valuable, not even a decent piece of dress and of course - a virgin."
I see red again at the sound of my current virtue.
Why you son of a bitch!
Ignoring me, El walked past me and towards the Corporal's desk. I – of course – followed behind him closely just so he could feel just how angry I am that I'm practically bristling with invisible fire now. "You are to start work immediately. You'll be let off work earlier so you can sort out your stuff in your new room," El said to me and proceeds to sit down casually in the seat behind the Corporal's desk.
I kicked off the chair before he could fully plant his shapely bum on the chair.
He landed with a loud commotion – legs up in the air, kicking the under table. Papers were disturbed from its high pile and slides off the table and onto the floor. Pens were disturbed from their usual spot and rolled all over the table.
I snorted once. Hope to Maria he didn't hear it.
His eyes turned icy and glare at me furiously. "Fuck," he sneered at me icily. Damn, I never believed them when they said an icy gaze could kill a person. I think I just froze on where I stood. "Fuck!" he exclaimed again, this time louder.
"I couldn't give you that," I bravely said to him nervously, internally chiding myself when I heard the slight waver in my voice seeing as he insinuates on us fucking. "But that's the Corporal's seat. You shouldn't sit on it just because you are free to roam in his office."
"Fuck," he started again, standing up with a slight grimace as he held onto his lower waist. Poor bum. Highly possible it'll be having a dark bruise blooming on one of those lovely cheeks.
Nice.
Revenge is sweet. I am NOT sorry.
He picked up the chair angrily and set it down loudly. Just when he is going to sit down again, I tried to kick it again, but his reaction is too fast for me to move into kicking the chair away from his bum.
Hence I kicked his shin.
"Fuuuck!" he exclaimed, grabbing hold onto the table and screamed his lungs out angrily.
The door burst open and in came Commander Erwin in all his golden glory. Oh, what a sight for sore eyes, that Erwin.
"What on earth happened here!?" the Commander finally said after a quick glance at the messed up office table. El is still grimacing in pain, gritting his teeth in annoyance and gripping onto the edge of the table hard. "Corporal Levi?"
"You never said she was a moron, Eyebrows!" El growled angrily, letting out a slow huff, presumably feeling the pain subside.
Now, now, insulting my intelligence is just another thing to get me highly offended. I need to kick his nuts now. That'll teach him some mouth manners.
…
Wait.
Rewind please.
Back to the scene when he was letting out a slow huff. Oh dear me – his hair, his eyes closed in pain, him gritting his teeth in pain. What a picture to remember.
And it rhymes.
I giggled internally. Laughing out loud would be saved for another time. I would still like to live.
And so, I was saying wait. He said I was a moron and he called Erwin …Eyebrows…
Eyebrows.
I snapped my head to look at Erwin.
He stared back.
I snap my head back to look at El.
"You called him Eyebrows?" I repeat his nickname to Erwin. Receiving no replies, I snapped my head to look at Erwin. "Win, he called you Eyebrows."
Erwin merely shrugged his shoulders, but at the same time, he clicked his tongue in annoyance and his eyebrows seemed to knit together as he frowned at me disapprovingly at my calling him with another nickname that I used to call him with.
How daring.
"I called you Win just twice in this conversation – including this recent one – and already your veins popped. What, now brothers with different blood gets more attention than your blood cousin?!"
"Freya," Erwin huffed and licked his lips. Started carefully, Erwin continued with one hand motioning for me to, "Calm down."
Of course I ignore his request and snapped my head back to El, who no longer grips the table and is now looking fine as fuck. "And that just reminds me," I snapped my head back again to Erwin with one finger up and pointing at El. "You called him Corporal Levi."
Silence prevails when you needed an answer.
"Corporal Levi," I repeat again and stare at Erwin as hard as I could beckon. When nobody acknowledged any of it, I repeat again in a louder, firmer voice. "The Corporal Levi. Is he it- I mean, him?"
"I heard that," El said with a frown, and in this case, what? He's Corporal Levi?
Erwin looked at El for a sign. He said nothing and betrayed nothing on his face – nop. Not even an ounce of facial expression. Just cool marble icy beauty with his permanent frown.
I really need to dig out my eyeballs with the way I am spouting these nonsense in my head.
Some beautiful nonsense, too.
Fuck!
Erwin sighed and closed the door. He made himself comfortable on the couch before placing his fingers together and takes a deep breath. "The one and only."
I snapped my head back to El – now Corporal Levi. "No," I said convincingly. "He's El. We met at the Washing area when my cat Freiheit- wait, I thought you said you're El!"
El – Levi now, sat down carefully on his chair and stares up at me with his fingers laced and placed underneath his chin. I almost smiled when he slowly lowered his bum onto the chair, and he caught that look of mine. Glaring at me, he growled, "The first letter of my name is indeed L. I introduced myself to you as L – the LETTER L. You're the one who assumed my name comes with two letters instead of more. It's the truth and the fact, you fucking china cup. So suck it up!"
Bloody hell. If you can glare, I can glare too!
But I'll glare at Erwin, since the letter of promotion is signed by him.
"You orchestrated this!" I pointed one accusing finger at Erwin. "Why!?"
"Because," Erwin started tiredly, signing as he stood up and stand in front of me, his gaze the type adoring brothers would look at their adored sisters. "You are now the one and only living relative I have left, Freya. I cannot lose you too, and yet I cannot allow those bullying washing maids continue their ruthless mistreatment upon you while I remain in power as the Commander of the Survey Corps and I cannot still allow anyone else other than my trusted personnel to know you are my kin. You know how dangerous it is if anyone else is to know you are my cousin, Freya."
"But my life matters not-"
"Yes you do!" Erwin exclaimed, surprising even El- no, is Levi now. I got to get used to the name switching. Surprising even Levi seeing as Erwin is not the type to lose his cool in front of anyone living.
He gripped my shoulders hard and shakes me up. "Yes, you do. Your life matters the most to me!"
I bit my lips. He's afraid again, of losing another person close to him. I sighed with a small smile. "I was going to say, Edwin brother dear," I started. "-that your position right now as the Commander of the Survey Corps matters more than me, who's a nobody in the Survey Corps. You lead humanity to chances and hopes of freedom, and you are basically one of the few beacons of hope for us humanity in ever having a chance at the world and life outside the Walls and getting rid of ourselves of those giant dumb Titans. My life matters not-"
"Yes you do!" Erwin insisted, his eyes hard and determined. "You are my sister – my blood sister! I cannot lose you too after father and mother. You are the one who kept me sane in times I am ready to give up. You are the reason why I've walked so far."
Silence – again, prevailed.
I admit, I was shocked to hear that bout of confession from the ever brave and strong Erwin. He is always so cool and sophisticated, always levelheaded and always know what he does. This part of him…I…didn't know.
I never knew.
"Brother," I satrted in a soft voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't know…"
Erwin stares at me adoringly, the corner of his lips twitched slightly, indicating a small smile at me. Patting my cheeks with his oversized palm, Erwin said to me in a voice that grows sterner as he talks. "Well, now you know. And stop complaining and start to take up to your new responsibilities as Levi's Secretary. You now hold more power than anyone else other than me, Levi and the Squad Captain, Hange Zoe. I've given you enough power to protect yourself from those bullies. You are to stand up to yourself now. This is as much as I can help you when I am not around."
Patting my head, he said kindly to me like the good brother he is, "Be good now, Sticky."
With that, he strode out of the Corporal's office and disappeared down the corridor into his Commander Office.
I never knew silence could be so uncomfortable.
"Now you know," Corporal Levi muttered, sorting out papers and pens back to their original place. "You'll be safest next to me. Now start working, damn teacup."
It was then something snapped in me. Something awakens in me. Something in me just realized that for so long, this dream of mine has been buried deep inside me, sworn on a crossed-finger of promise to never be awoken. But now that I have come into a position of power – thanks to my adoring cousin brother – the promise I have made to myself so long ago awaken as well.
Walking to stand beside the Corporal, I grabbed the corner of the table and knelt beside the sitting Levi as I waited for him to look at me.
When he didn't, I placed one hand on his arm.
That worked like magic.
"What?" he hissed in annoyance, bluish-grey eyes glaring at me. Fortunately, I'm immune to most glares seeing as I practically took an intensive training by being a Wash Maid for years. I smiled at him, hoping he'll see the logical side of my soon-to-be request.
"I don't want to be a sitting duck, being safeguarded by you," I said. That caught his attention as he stopped writing for a moment. Turning his head slightly, he put down his pen and sighed at me to continue. Grateful, I knelt properly and raised my body to look up at him so I don't risk Erwin overhearing our conversation and my request.
By Maria, he really is a beautiful man.
His eyelashes are long, and they'll brush his cheeks softly whenever he blinks. His skin is smooth without any blemishes or wrinkles, courtesy to his best unsmiling and unsociable facial features. Lips a thin stern line of otherworldly sexiness and eyes the moonbeams that drew me in like a moth to a flame, I admired him for a moment longer before speaking out my wish and dream.
"I want to learn the Three Dimensional Manoeuvre Gear," I said, and his eyes visibly widen, likely to be protesting on my request. Before he could speak, I started quickly, "I know I've made a promise to Erwin to be safe, but I crossed my fingers and to be honest, I never promised anything in the name of Wall Maria," I added quickly, watching and observing the Corporal's many facial expressions over one single request. Shock, disbelief, and suspicious. Suspicious of what, I don't know.
"I know by theory on the mechanism of the gears, but I never touched one, let alone use it alone. I was put aside as a wash maid and as a first aider, horse groomer and a tea maker just because Erwin doesn't want to risk my life for the good of humanity despite my having potentials to do it well. I made tea for you, Corporal! I made your favourite tea! I know the exact way to make the tea you like and- and you couldn't risk me dying on the battlefield for this. You'd have to find someone else to make you tea if I died. And in order to do so, in order to live and be safe, I need to preserve my life even without needing to hide behind your cape while you and the rest of the squad battle Titans for humanity and keeps my ass safe and sound behind yours."
Eyebrows knitting together, he seemed to think for a moment as he stares at me, his bluish grey eyes calculating and piercing – and dare I say it – sparkles with a hint of hidden motive.
By Maria, I love how this man looks at me.
Now, shake that thought away.
"Please, Corporal Levi," I begged, not wanting this chance to be turned down. Yes, I begged, because I have no one else to turn to. No one else would teach me because no one else would dare to oppose Erwin. "Please, teach me. I refuse and I won't be a burden to humanity. I promise to be useful."
All that is left is for him to say yes or no.
Gods above, let my eyes be so sincere it brims with unshed tears and sparkling determination. Let him say yes!
End of Kapitel 2: Disaster Before Promotion
Updated on: 24th March 2020