When I grow up I want to be courageous.
Time passed slowly that week.
She trained, talked and improved herself every day and cleaned his fucking office making everything shine. But she didn't have the change to talk with Levi a single moment.
Seven fucking day with him ignoring her.
It could possibly be that he was embarrassed about what happened with that cadet?
She was tying to convince herself it was better that way, that he was her captain before everything and that she had enough problems to deal with a possibly broken heart.
That heart was already broken, she couldn't feel that again.
She choose to be a soldier to save everyone, to become stronger and to not feel a damn thing anymore. But the truth was she wasn't good in that.
That squad made her feel everything deeper; she loved them like they really were her brothers and sister.
She feared the fact that she could see them die in any mission.
Eld was her favorite between the men.
He was funny with her and funny to mess with, they laughed a lot together.
"So, she spilled everything literally on you?" laughed Elizabeth at a story he was telling them.
He already made clear to everyone that she was a little sister to him and whoever wanted to deal with her had to deal with him too. She was kind of special to him, he felt the urge to protect that little girl.
"Yeah, really rude. But then I saw her when I was returning from an expedition and she was there hoping I would notice her."
"And what did you do?" asked Petra, so absorbed in the curiosity to not notice the presence of another person behind them.
"I ignored her."
"You're the worst."
Elizabeth's laughing. Something Levi loved.
That laugh made everything worth it. He could literally jump of the walls without his 3DMG just to hear that sound. It was so full of grace, so light, like music.
He was looking for the guy but then he saw them talk like they weren't soldier preparing an expeditions but just teenager who hung out together and, for the first time, he craved that feeling. He desired to feel that way too, to have the opportunity to have someone in his life who could understand him and make him feel lighter.
What he couldn't accept yet was the fact that he has already found that person.
She was an enigma to him, she never let emotions fill her on the battle field but when they weren't training she was just like a normal girl. How can she actually do that?!
"Not to interrupt your, so interesting, story but I have to talk to you."
Levi pointed at the man between the two girls so he immediately stood up and cleaned his trousers with his hand.
The three were sitting on the ground after a little training, practicing with hand-to-hand combat.
At first there were just Elizabeth and Petra but after some time Eld joined the two.
He took some water and started to follow the captain.
"He's ignoring you." exclaimed Petra, still looking at the captain back with her friend.
"You noticed that too?"
"So it's true. What did you do?"
Elizabeth turned her gaze to look at the girl, and then her body, to be in front of her.
"I don't know. Maybe he's angry for what everyone says about me and him."
"The fact that you sleep with him?"
"Is there one person here who doesn't think that?"
Elizabeth took her head in her hands, pulling off her hair from her face.
"I do. And the rest of us. We know you and we know the captain. He would never do such a thing; make someone join us just for sex would mean a death pact with the titans."
Before Elizabeth could respond another female voice interrupted her, smiling at her when the owner sat down with them.
"She's right, you know?"
"Hange..."
"I think he's trying to pull you off the embarrass you felt when you talked with him about that. And don't try to say to me you weren't embarrassed, because I know you were."
"So it's my fault." Elizabeth bent until her head stuck on her knees.
"How can someone be that flexible?" said Petra, making the other two women laugh. "You really have to teach me."
"Yeah, me too." added Hange, making the dark blonde in the middle laugh even more.
"Come in."
Levi answered at the knock on his door without leaving his gaze from his paperwork. He already knew who it was and a smirk appeared on his lips before a little, blonde hurricane came inside his office like a fury.
So damn hot. Something was awakening deep inside him and he needed to keep it down there.
"You're ignoring me."
"Good evening Elizabeth."
Levi decided to look at her, filling his visual with that beautiful fury. She was beyond angry, better than what he imagined.
She moved her hand, underlining the fact that she didn't really gave a fuck about good manners.
"Yeah yeah. Why are you ignoring me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. And you're still talking to your captain."
Levi wanted to provoke her, pulling down some papers and giving her full attention. Totally worth it.
He was completely turned on by the fire in her eyes.
She was indignant by his tranquility; she didn't know what he was doing.
"No. I'm talking to someone that everyone thinks I fuck with. And now he's ignoring me after saying me that this fucking thing shouldn't affect me." she crossed her arms, making her little chest rise a little, a better visual to the man in front of her but she was blinded with anger to notice. The fact that people think they were having sex did not help at all. "What's wrong with you?"
Levi chose not to lose his composure. He joined his finger under his chin, looking at her silently for a few seconds that, for her, were like eternity.
He was fascinated by her.
The moment she was about to lose again her patience he started to speak.
"Erwin found that out and thought it was true for some aspects. Not the fact that I accepted you in the team for that but the remaining part. And it wasn't a nice chat. I have responsibilities for all of you."
"You are responsible of you own action like I am for mine. You know too damn well the reason I am in you team so why are you acting like what they were saying is true?" she uncrossed her arms, stretching forward and leaning on the captain's desk, pressing her hands and lowering herself to be closer to him. His scent began to fill her nostrils and, for a moment, she forgot everything, including why she was there.
On the other side, for Levi it wasn't easier. He was behind his desk but she was way too close for his mental health. Those eyes seemed to read his soul, he felt his stomach twist and the desire to test those damn tempting lips.
"Bold from you talk to me like that."
"I'm not referring to my captain right now. If you want to punish me, then do it, but you know I'm right and I don't deserve to be treated this way."
That sentence triggered something inside him; a strange sense of happiness in hearing her say that she didn't just see him as her captain.
"You're right, yeah. But you still have to learn how to talk to a superior." he leaned forward a little, careful to not get too close and hesitated again. He saw her swallow and breath a little harder but never to back off. Her cheeks were on fire.
At the end he got back, leaning back to the chair. "Listen, I'm sorry. I saw how that thing made you feel and I need you clear-minded and focused on the training, not on some bullshit. Ignoring you was the only way it could be forgotten. And now it is."
"So... we're still friends?"
Elizabeth went straight again, almost with fear of asking him what she wanted. She needed to know but her anger was gone and now she was more aware of everything she was about to say. And what she had already said.
Levi laughed a little, smirking.
"Who says we're friend?"
"I do. We're friend. You can't be my captain 24/7, you need a break sometimes."
She felt security in talking with him, even if he was the humanity's strongest soldier. With him, she felt, it was not just that, he was much more.
Her sentence made Levi smile again, she was a temptress but she was also funny, she made him feel much more calmer.
"Damn true, you're quite demanding."
"How rude. I'll still be punished, won't I?"
His smirk grown on his lips.
"Oh yeah."
"He made me clean not only his office but also yours. He's insane."
The blonde woman picked up the last dirty dust from the ground with a broom before throwing the whole thing in a bag and left it in a corner.
"Yeah, clean is his obsession." said Hange, biting a cuticle from her finger. "But you're good, I never had a space so clean before."
"Thank you."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
"You now I'm joking, but you were pretty brave to go to him and talk like you don't fear him."
"I don't fear him anymore. Well, mostly. I want to be his friend."
Elizabeth was aware to avoid her investigator eyes. She never missed a single thing between the two. In fact, she never missed a single thing at all.
"Only a friend?"
"Oh my God, I don't want to have this type of conversation." said Elizabeth laughing from the embarrassment and pointing at her with the broom before putting it down.
"We're friend. And that's what friends are supposed to do. Or, at least, I think so."
"You're weird, you know that?"
Elizabeth smiled, crossing her arms, and looked at Hange who climbed off the table to take some books from the shelf.
"Yeah, people tell me that often."
"I really wonder why."
Her sarcastic tone was noticed by the squad leader but she was interrupted by a certain shorty who had the amazing idea of sending Elizabeth to her.
"How's going?"
"Everything clean sir, I just finished." said Elizabeth, proud of her work.
Levi checked the office, under the table with a finger, looking for an escaped dirt. But she really did a great job and he found nothing wrong. Maybe cleaning wasn't really a punishment for her.
"And talked."
"She's funny." laughed Elizabeth, stopping when she saw his gaze. "Sorry sir."
"You're dismissed. And make sure to be more respectful next time. "
"Yes sir." replied her before looking at the squad leader. A challenge to him. "Night Hange."
She had clearly said to him that she'll be waiting for him on the roof that night and that thing made him smirk on the inside.
"Night sweetie" smiled Hange, waiting for her to exit her room to talk with the captain. "You're too hard with her."
"I have to be."
"So, now we're friends?"
Elizabeth hadn't heard him coming but when she heard his voice she smiled, turning around to see him approaching her.
He sat down so near to her she felt her heart pounding in her chest.
"Levi hi. Yeah."
"You're someone who doesn't accept a 'no', right?"
"I'm on your team, now you have to deal with me and my madness." responded her with a proud look on her face, lifting her chin a little and making him smile. He never smiled, he never felt the urge to smile but with her that simple thing felt so right, and so wrong at the same time.
"Hange wasn't enough?"
"I'm worst than her, don't underestimate me." she gave him a little push and looked at him shake his head.
"I'm starting to regret everything."
"No, you don't." and she was sure about that. "I have an idea."
He raised an eyebrow, fearing her idea. It was impossible to say not to her.
"About?"
"Friend talk with each others about themselves, but I'm not really a chatty person, so we can play a game."
"I'm not a game person."
"20 question each one. One question at a time. If you don't want to answer at something, I'll change the question."
He snorted, wanting to do that thing but not wanting to at the same time. She made him feel on a roller coaster.
"We have to do this shit, brat?"
"Yeah, we have."
"Okay, start."