Chapter 5: Sparring

Levi stretched his wiry frame, leaning back into the chair he was sitting on and gave his hands a break from the reports he was writing. Looking out across the training grounds from his seat in the castle courtyard of the Survey Corps headquarters, Levi couldn't help but enjoy the warmth of the late summer sun and the trees tinged with the beginnings of autumn's color. A cool breeze made the warmth incredibly comfortable and almost everyone was outside. The training grounds were crowded, and Levi was pleased to see members of his own team taking the initiative in their training.

Petra's auburn hair glowed in the sun and it was easy for Levi to pick her out of the crowd, throwing lightning-fast punches at an opponent whose back was to him. Levi was so focused on watching his subordinate's fighting skills that he didn't realize she was fighting against Amelia until Petra swept her. Rather than going down hard on her back, Amelia managed to twist in midair, springing off her hands and out of the way of Petra's deadly axe kick that sent up a huge spray of dust when her foot impacted on the ground. Petra was obviously taking it easier on Amelia, stopping frequently to give her pointers or have her practice a punch or kick until it met her specifications.

Levi watched the two women with grudging appreciation. Amelia couldn't have found a better instructor in hand-to-hand combat. They were both covered in sweat, having abandoned their jackets and blouses for simple undershirts—Amelia's, Levi noted with appreciation, was neatly folded on a nearby bench. Both of their tank tops were sticking to their skin, accentuating the women's well-muscled bodies. With a touch of annoyance, he noticed other men staring blatantly at the two women.

He didn't understand why the men couldn't think of the two as their fellow soldiers rather than thinking with their dicks. He was certain that either of the women could put up a good fight against any of the men—Petra would probably hand their asses to them. It was true they were both pretty in their own ways, Petra with her thin frame reminded Levi of his own toned but surprisingly strong body. Amelia, though she was about the same height as Petra, was built differently, with more pronounced curves. Her tight military uniform only served to accentuate her small waist in proportion to her wider hips and long, shapely legs. But that wasn't an excuse to act the way that the men did. Levi looked away from the pair for a moment because of the uncomfortable tightening in his stomach.

When he looked back, he felt a rush of irrational anger as Mike Zacharius walked up to the pair. He had just finished a run from the track and sweat was dripping down his bare chest, droplets caught on his thin layer of chest hair. The two women greeted him with wide smiles, pausing in their workout as they chatted with Zacharius. Levi clicked his tongue in annoyance. Officers shouldn't get too friendly with their subordinates. As they continued speaking together, Levi could tell that Amelia and Zacharius knew each other based on how comfortable the two were together and their shared laughter. He hadn't realized that Amelia really interacted with any of the squad leaders besides himself or Hange.

Why won't Zacharius just leave, Levi thought impatiently, the uncomfortable knot in his stomach returning as the man put a friendly hand on Amelia's bare arm. Amelia's pale face was normally graced with freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose and the tops of her cheeks, but as soon as Zacharias touched her, the freckles disappeared beneath an attractive blush. Levi wanted to throttle her. Whatever Amelia felt was always splayed across her face for all to see, it was unbecoming of a soldier. Standing from his table, he moved inside, trying to calm down. Why did he care what Amelia did, and why did she always provoke such feelings of irritation from him?

Amelia could feel her face heating up as Mike Zacharius leaned against her arm, laughing at one of her jokes. She wished she could keep her feelings bottled up and avoid being quite so obvious. Mike was an attractive and skilled soldier—the second strongest after Captain Levi. Standing next to him, it was difficult to keep from staring at his bare chest. Ever since she met him, Mike Zacharius never failed to make her heart leap into her throat.

"Why don't you help me with Amelia's training?" Petra asked Mike, glancing at Amelia's blushing face shrewdly. "It will help her to fight someone bigger than her."

"Certainly," Mike agreed with an easy smile.

Amelia felt as if she might die, glaring at her friend helplessly. Petra only grinned at her unabashedly. Swearing to get vengeance against the ginger, Amelia turned to face her opponent. Raising her hands and shifting on the balls of her feet, she assumed a fluid ready stance. Mike turned to her, his strong arms lifted, sweat covered muscles gleaming in the sunlight. Swallowing the nervous lump in her throat, Amelia launched herself at him, knowing surprise and speed was her best strategy.

Levi had made it halfway back to his office before realizing he'd left all of his paperwork on the table in the courtyard. This is ridiculous, he thought, his mood getting blacker and blacker with each step back to the yard. Whenever Amelia was around, he always seemed to end up at a disadvantage somehow. Walking back outside he was surprised to see a crowd of people gathered around the area Petra and Amelia had been training in. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, marching out, determined to break up the men who couldn't stop staring at the pair.

Pushing himself to the front of the crowd, Levi stopped in his tracks, watching Zacharius and Amelia trading kicks and punches at lightning-fast speeds. Petra's tutoring had certainly done Amelia some good, the girl was able to stand her ground and block rather than just dodge. The two of them were slick with sweat, and Levi could tell that Amelia was too fast for him. Mike seemed to have figured that out as well. He made a sudden grab for her, ducking his shoulders and charging, intent on tackling her around the middle. Amelia, rather than side-stepping, leaped into the air, and Zacharius wasn't able to stop his charge fast enough. She kicked him hard in the back with both feet, sacrificing her landing to try to bring him down.

The crowd cheered as Zacharius stumbled forward, but he tucked and rolled while Amelia caught herself on her hands and knees. Now that Amelia was on the ground, he had the upper hand, being much stronger than she was. Apparently Zacharius was going for the same strategy, Levi thought with a derisive snort as he charged at her again. Her counterattack was so fast, if he blinked, he probably would have missed it. As he dove at her, she spun onto her back, locking her legs around his chest and throwing her while body into the twist, slamming him into the ground hard and coming up on top of him, straddling his chest, facing away from his head.

Mike looked a little winded, and if Amelia had been a larger person she might have won, but as she spun to deliver a final strike to his face. Zacharius wrapped both arms around her thighs and flipped her over, pinning her beneath him with his bodyweight. There were some catcalls from the crowd, Mike's face had ended up buried in Amelia's lower stomach as she struggled to get free, and Levi made a mental note of the perpetrators in order to give them hell later. She swung both hands at him in order to cuff him on both ears simultaneously, but he caught her wrists and pinned her, their faces coming dangerously close. Levi could tell that her flushed face was from more than just fighting, and his anger began to boil dangerously.

"Private Amelia," he intervened, to his own surprise. The pair looked up at him, breathing heavily, and Mike rolled off her, offering a hand to pull her up. Amelia saluted him, looking at the Captain expectantly. It was only at that point that Levi realized he didn't know what he was going to say to her, and the silence dragged on awkwardly.

"What can I do for you sir?" She prompted eventually as the crowd around them dispersed, and her words shook Levi out of his daze.

"I need to talk to you privately," he said, taking in her tarnished uniform. "Get cleaned up and meet me in my office, you're filthy."

"Yes sir," she answered instantly, turning back to Zacharius with a smile. Levi had to force himself to walk away, hearing her take leave of the squad leader. "Thank you for sparring with me sir."

"Of course," he answered charmingly, "We should practice together again; we're well matched."

"Yes," she could only answer breathlessly, and Levi's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"Today, Private," he shouted back impatiently, and Amelia jumped.

"Coming sir!" she answered, flashing a final smile at Mike and chasing after Levi.

Amelia was in a love-struck stupor as she hurried to the shower, scrubbing the dirt off of her body and hurrying to put on clothes to meet Captain Levi. It was beyond probability that Mike Zacharius would be impressed with her, let alone want to train with her again. She could still feel his body pressed against hers, and it made her feel light-headed. Levi's voice crashed through her daydreams rudely as she wandered into his office.

"You look like a blushing brat, Private," he told her with a condemning click of his tongue. "You're so obvious even the titans would have enough sense to know how you're feeling."

"I don't see how that's any of your business, sir." Amelia snapped back without thinking, crossing her arms over her chest. Levi's mouth opened for a moment, his lips curling cruelly before he thought better of what he was going to say. Instead, he gestured towards a chair, and Amelia dropped into it, still frustrated with the Captain. Why did he give a damn about her feelings towards Captain Zacharius anyways?

"What did you need from me?" She asked in annoyance after sitting in silence for a full minute. Levi had pulled her away from a fantastic training session just to sit in his office and glower at her. Looking up at him, she realized he was appraising her attire and her cheeks colored lightly.

"I know it's not regulation sir, my uniform was too dirty to wear after my practice."

Levi's eyes snapped up at her, realizing he'd been caught staring. She'd walked into his office in a long cream skirt, a brightly patterned sash tied loosely around her waist. A simple russet peasant's blouse covered her top, the wide neckline barely clinging to the edge of her shoulders, showing just enough of her cleavage to catch the attention, long hair curling tantalizingly down to her hips. This rookie really was more than a soldier, she was also a young woman. Realizing that he should respond to her, he waved his hand dismissively.

"I don't give a shit what you wear," Levi responded in annoyance. "I wanted to know how you were progressing with the 3DMG gear."

"I finished the belt, sir," she responded instantly, her face brightening considerably at his inquiry. "But I still have to design the hand controls on the hilts. I'm worried that adding another control there will sacrifice grip strength."

"We'll have to see when I test it." Levi responded and was surprised to see her grin excitedly at him, leaning forward against his desk.

"You're still going to test it?!"

"Of course."

"Thank you so much sir!" She exclaimed, grabbing his hand with both of hers and positively beaming. "I thought you'd never want to be around me, much less test my design, after that incident with me breaking your nose and all, but don't worry I completely understand why you don't like me, and I promise to do better while I'm around you and not get in your way and—"

"I don't dislike you Private," Levi cut through her babbling and she stopped short, looking at him in confusion, her hands still wrapped around his. He noticed just how warm and soft they were before quickly disentangling himself from her grasp.

"But then why do you—"

"You have a lot of promise. Your skills with the 3DMG are intuitively good but undisciplined, and you're a shitty excuse for a soldier with most of your physical qualifications. When I give you tasks, I do it for a reason, not for emotional vengeance." Levi told her sternly, and Amelia looked away from him awkwardly.

"Thank you, sir," she said finally, her eyes returning to his. "I want to be the best I can be."

"Good," he said simply in response.

"You don't remember me, do you sir?" She asked quietly after a long silence.

Levi stared at her, and she turned bright red, hurriedly excusing herself from the room before he could respond. Levi watched her go, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. She really needed to get out of the habit of running away from him mid conversation. What did she think he was going to do—bite her? The sudden vision of the soft skin between her shoulder and neck played across his mind at that thought, and Levi shook his head to clear it.

Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Levi's eyes dropped back to his desk. He still had a couple more reports to get through today.

"Fuck," he muttered in annoyance. The papers were still sitting outside.