LEVI'S P.O.V.
It was a week later and the morning of the cadet trials. Levi had gotten up early, showering and getting dressed. He was slightly nervous; he wasn't going to lie. He knew he was ready for leadership, but these people were about to be his responsibility. To train, to protect. If something happened to them, that was on him. Would his conscience be able to take anymore guilt? Izzy, Farlan, Tabitha, Brand, Toby, Johnson... he wasn't sure. Still, he had to do this. He was ready. He just had to man the fuck up. Levi took a breath and nodded decisively, walking towards his door as he needed a fucking cup of tea, but a knock sounded before he got there.
He had received similar knocks on his door the past week. Most of the time they were early in the morning where the brat had strained herself to wait until a reasonable time, despite him telling her not to but there was a knock in the middle of the night once and after Levi had opened the door he could see why Dilan couldn't wait. She looked like absolute shit. Shaking, pale, sweaty. She had a bag in her hands that she gave to him, explaining those were all of her blades and that she couldn't trust herself.
Levi had taken her up to the roof, putting a blanket around her shoulders in a poor attempt to calm the shakes, asking it if was always that bad. He feared the answer, not wanting to know that Dilan was suffering all this time by herself. She had shaken her head explaining through shaky breaths that cutting was an addiction and like any other addiction, when you quit, you get drawback. Levi understood then, all too familiar with the symptoms growing up in the underground where drawback was common amongst most men. He hated that Dilan was going through it, but he couldn't do much more than be there for her and try to keep her mind off of it. She fell asleep eventually and Levi carried her back to her bed. He kept the bag of knives and Dilan hadn't asked for them back. He took it as a good sign.
Other than that night, most of the knocks were Dilan just needing a morning distraction after the dreams that plagued her sleep. Levi was more than happy to oblige. Not that he would admit it to her face but after the six months of silence he loved spending time with her even more. It didn't matter what they were doing, just her being there next to him was enough to put him in a good mood. That might be the reason this week was the happiest he had been in a while. Living in the same quarters meant they were basically always together most of the day. Whether they trained or yelled at each other while they tried to cook meals or reading by the fire. Levi was thankful Erwin had given them both a week to readjust without any of their usual duties like paperwork. They had really needed this week just to relax and catch up.
Levi walked over to the door and opened it, hoping she wasn't freaking out too badly as they had to leave soon. It was later than she usually knocked. Did she just wake up late? However, when he opened the door and was met with a freshly dressed, smiling brat and a cup of tea in her hands he came to the conclusion she hadn't freaked out at all. Surprising but it was a nice surprise.
"Good morning, Captain. " She grinned. Levi narrowed his eyes at her happy attitude and took the cup hesitantly.
"You're chipper, brat." He observed, standing aside so she could come in. She did so and he closed the door behind her, following her out onto the balcony and sitting down at the table opposite her.
"It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and we get to make some lanky cadets sweat today." She smirked. Levi took a sip of his tea, not convinced.
"And now the real reason." He persisted. Dilan huffed dramatically, rolling her eyes but cracked a smile soon after.
"Fine. I didn't have a nightmare." She said gleefully. Levi blinked. "You didn't?" He asked. Dilan smiled widely and shook her head.
"Nope. Dreamless sleep. I haven't felt this well rested in a long time. This is going to be a good day; I can feel it." She said cheerfully, orange eyes sparkling with happiness. Levi smiled subconsciously, feeling his chest warm seeing her so happy. He forgot his nerves altogether.
"I'm glad." He said sincerely. Dilan smiled gratefully, turning her head to look out at the horizon. Levi hoped similar nights of peace would follow. His friend deserved it.
DILAN'S P.O.V.
A while later and they were on route back to the compound. Erwin had sent them a carriage considering their horses were still back at the stables at HQ and they were a good 20 minutes away from the main training grounds. Dilan looked out the window at the nature passing-by feeling a calm wash over her. To not have that nightmare... to not have any nightmare, it was the best present she could have ever gotten. It was her birthday after all, perhaps that was why her brain choose to give her a break. Today, on the 29th of November, Dilan was 19 years of age. She had never had a luxurious birthday before but Farlan always did something for her, the little sap that he was. Every year it was a small gift and every year Dilan was more grateful than ever. Most of the presents were edible but she wasn't complaining about that. The best gift was still her 13th. The silver necklace she still wore around her neck.
Dilan lifted her hand to her neck absentmindedly, playing with the chain. She hadn't felt this content in a long time. Of course, she knew full well it wouldn't be the end of her troubles with nightmares or shakes or cutting and some might suggest it was cruel for her to wake up and it all be gone for a day only to come back full force the next, but she thought otherwise. Today was a break. A break from the drama and the shit in life. she would do her best to have fun today like Farlan always wanted her to on her birthdays.
Dilan looked over to Levi, observing him. His face was straight as always and anyone who didn't know him to the T, would think there was a terrifyingly calm aura around him constantly, but Dilan could see past that. Her friend was nervous. Understandable considering the what happened to their last squad. These people they were about to adopt into the team would become his responsibility. Dilan wouldn't let him take all the heat though. She was his second in command after all. They were her responsibility too, and while that scared her, she was going to let that fear push her to be better. To make better choices this time around so she wouldn't have so many regrets, just like the blonde bastard said.
"Hey." Dilan said, gaining her friends attention. "It's okay to be nervous, Levi. But you're going to be great." She said genuinely with a smile. Her friend was ready, there wasn't a doubt in her mind about that. Levi's eyes softened and his shoulders relaxed a bit.
"Thanks brat." He replied, clearly biting back a smile. Dilan rolled her eyes internally but smiled anyway and turned her gaze back to the window, pleased with her friend's anxiety levels.
20 minutes later and they arrived at the quadrangle. Preparations were in the air as Dilan saw people running around and the nervous chatter of cadets on the far side. Dilan and Levi shared a look before getting out of the carriage. This was going to be a long day.
As soon as they got out, they were greeted by a tall lanky cadet who saluted before he stuttered something out about bringing them to Commander Erwin. Levi nodded briefly and the cadet tensed but started walking. Dilan chuckled to herself. Cadets were hilarious. This was going to be insanely fun. Levi seemed to catch onto her thought process as he wiped the beginnings of a smirk off of his face with the back of his hand, turning his face back to neutral and intimidating. Dilan sighed but supposed she should do the same. But that didn't stop her from glaring daggers at Erwin as they walked up to him, by the side of the podium. The cadets were gathered at the front, waiting. Nervous energy was in the air and Dilan thought she could hear some people crying. Well they aren't going to make it that's for sure.
"Captain Levi. Dilan." Erwin greeted with a smug smile. Levi saluted since they were in a quadrangle full of people, so they had to be respectful. Dilan resisted the urge to roll her eyes and did the same.
"Commander." Levi greeted back in his normal monotoned voice. Dilan kept quiet. Better not to speak right now. Try not to punch him. It's funny now that she was herself again, how easy it was to go back to hating him. While she was in her emotionless state, he was the same as everyone else. But now... she hated him more than ever. He killed her brother. His decisions killed her friends. She was going to murder him for it. The only question was when will she have the chance?
"The training will be in categories. We'll start them off with combat, sparing in pairs. You both may walk around, picking out those who you believe are talented and we can force them to go again with each other. Don't worry about making notes, I'll give you one of my runners and he'll write down anything you tell him to." Erwin explained, gesturing to a small cadet at his side, who saluted them both nervously. He was slightly shorter than Dilan, thin, pale, black shaved hair with green eyes. He kind of reminded Dilan of Toby and the thought made her heart clench painfully. But she pushed the pain away and refocused. Levi had enough to worry about today without adding in her mental stability to the mix. He needed to be able to count on her. "The next category will be 3DMG. You can look for the attributes you so desire."
"I'd like to take charge on that category, Erwin." Levi said. Erwin raised an eyebrow.
"How so?" he asked.
"I have an idea of what I'm looking for and I may not be able to find it if the cadets are following other officers' instructions." Levi stated simply. Erwin cracked a smile of approval and nodded.
"Certainly. Let's head up there then. I shall introduce you both and the trials shall begin." Erwin smirked happily and started towards the stairs. Levi and Dilan shared a look of annoyance before following after him.
They got out onto the podium and Dilan stared out at the sea of cadets. Erwin was at the front, demanding attention. Levi was a little away from his side and Dilan was a step back to his side. The order of rank as it were, she had been briefed on this by Levi earlier. As the cadets noticed Erwin, everyone fell quiet, sweating as Dilan and Levi's gazes fell on them. Dilan could probably disqualify those who didn't have what it took right here. You needed courage to fight and half of these cadets were sweating buckets. Guess they were fresh meat. Dilan could pick out the survivors who had been the last expeditions by the look in their eyes. A certain four made her stop and take a second look. It was Petra, Eld, Oluo and Gunther. The group she defended the left flank with.
Dilan caught Eld's eyes, causing Eld to look straight forward and Dilan internally sighed. Guess, her coldness had hurt them, even if it was unintentional. Dilan made a mental note to talk to them at some point today.
"Cadets!" Erwin boomed. "It is my proud privilege to introduce to you, your new Captain of the survey corps; Captain Levi and his right-hand Team Leader Dilan." Erwin announced and the cadets saluted without missing a beat.
Dilan guessed she would have to get used to that. Still weird. There were a few whispers bouncing around the space. Dilan heard the mention of Humanities strongest and Titan Ripper more than once.
"Today they are hand picking four of you to join their special operations team. This team consists of the best soldiers in this regiment. I advise you to do your absolute best today. Push your body to the limits and you may reap the rewards of gaining a position. I will also mention there was a last-minute change in your 3DMG instructor. Captain Levi will be giving you orders on what he wants you to show him." He commented and there was a collective gulp. "Your squad leaders have briefed you on the training schedule. Dismissed." Erwin commanded and the troops saluted again before hurrying over to the sparing stations. Erwin turned to them and gave them a goodbye glance before walking off the podium and disappearing.
Dilan and Levi walked down too, and Dilan blinked as she realised the little cadet was following them. Erwin's orders most likely. The kid flinched as she looked at him and Dilan felt bad. She didn't want him to be nervous the whole day, the kid might have a heart attack. So, she gave him a reassuring smile.
"Name?" She asked. The cadet blinked, not expecting that.
"O-oh, um, G-Gavin, Ma'am." He shuttered out. Dilan smiled and nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Gavin." She replied kindly, pleased as Gavin relaxed a bit and smiled back.
"Dilan." Levi said simply and Dilan nodded, walking with him to the training grounds, Gavin trailing slightly behind. The pair took place next to the combat instructor and Levi nodded that they could begin.
"START!" The instructor yelled and cadets erupted into action. Yells and grunts and hisses of pain were thrown about. Levi stayed still but Dilan wanted to investigate. She gave a look to Levi, asking for permission and he nodded simply. Dilan smirked as she walked down the path in-between the fights, analytical orange eyes squaring up each soldier.
First, there were the brutes. Soldiers who worked on sheer strength, hitting the enemy with heavy punches. While this tactic works well with a weak opponent and makes them look strong to the blind eye, Dilan knew better. They had no technique and fought on muscle alone. Lazy fighting and when it came to the day when their enemy was stronger than them, they would be quick to fail.
Next were the lanky Larry's. These poor bastards had no technique or strength. They relied on dodging and running away, maybe getting a shot in every once and a while but were in the end less skilled than the brutes. Dilan didn't waste too much time striking them out.
But then you've got the marital artists. Now these cadets were promising. They had technique and they stuck to it. Waited out their chance before striking them down. Like the lanky Larry's a lot of the time they were dodging but Dilan could tell when it was due to blind panic or carefully observed strategy. Very promising indeed. Dilan picked out a few of the cadets in this category that she thought could be elites with proper training and mentioned them to Gavin who was following her side.
A sharp punch and a yell got her attention. She snapped her head around in time to see Eld finishing off his opponent already, flipping him over his shoulder and pressing a foot to his chest. Dilan raised an eyebrow, impressed. Eld seemed to have the best combat skills out of all of them. He had strength; Dilan could tell that simply by his bulky muscles that were tensed through his thin white shirt. Dilan knew the boy knew when to hang back and he had technique. It takes a lot to flip someone without damaging either participant. Dilan watched with a smirk as Eld took a step back and helped his opponent up with a hand. Good sport too. Dilan was liking his chances.
"Put Eld Gin down and circle the name." Dilan mentioned to Gavin who nodded quickly and did just that. Dilan nodded to herself in satisfaction before walking back up the line and re- joining Levi's side.
"So?" Levi asked, trusting her judgment. Dilan scoffed.
"I think you already know the eliminates, Captain. Fucking headless chickens, the lot of them." She grimaced at their techniques. The combat instructor looked horrified as Levi sighed and nodded. "But here. These are the next rounders. I think you'll agree with me." Dilan took the notepad from Gavin and passed it to Levi. He went through the names before nodding in approval and passing the pad to the combat instructor. He balked at the tiny list.
"A-are you sure this is it? Y-you missed a fair few elites, if I may, Sir." He questioned. Levi raised an eyebrow and Dilan watched, amused as the instructor swallowed.
"Who would you suggest?" Levi asked in a bored tone. Dilan rolled her eyes internally. Her friend loved to mess with people, didn't he? The instructor straightened up a bit, looking at the crowd.
"Harris. Harris is the most promising cadet we have on our forces." He said proudly, gesturing to a cadet and Dilan watched without amusement as the brute, slammed someone into the ground. Levi looked equally unimpressed but let it side.
"Very well." He said simply and the instructor nodded, scribbling down the name before walking closer and ordering them to stop, starting to read out the list of the next round. Dilan frowned at her friend.
"Why'd you let that rhino in the ranks?" She huffed. He was a complete idiot and Levi knew this.
"I want you to teach him a lesson." Levi said evilly and Dilan couldn't help the smirk that broke out on her face. What a wicked bastard. I love it.
"...AND ELD GIN!" The instructor finished the list of 9 cadets and Dilan saw a lot of faces fall. Clearly, they expected more to be chosen as she heard comments of 'is that it?'. "THOSE WHO WERE NOT CHOSEN, GRAB YOUR GEAR AND HEAD OFF TO THE NEXT STATION. WE WILL JOIN YOU ONCE WE ARE FINISHED HERE." He ordered and the grumbling cadets, picked up their belongings, trudging off to the next station. Dilan rolled her eyes as some of them were crying again. Quit ya crying and do better!
Dilan narrowed her eyes at the remaining cadets. Interestingly enough two of the left flank group were in the ranks. Eld and Petra. Dilan had picked out Petra thanks to her fluid technique. She may not be strong or have perfected the movements yet, but she had promise and Dilan liked that. Other than them there was 6 other random cadets. 3 females and 3 males. Plus, the brute that was looking around and scoffing at the competition like he knew he was going to win. Levi was right. That guy needed to be knocked down a size. Dilan was all too happy to oblige.
"RIGHT. Cadet's step forward." The instructor order and the remaining 9 walked over towards them. "I suppose since there's an uneven amount we should-"
"That won't be necessary, Instructor." Levi's low baritone voice interrupted and Dilan bit back a smirk as half the cadets in front of them flinched.
"S-sorry, Captain?" The instructor asked. Levi stepped forward.
"My second in command will pair with your strongest. Harris, is that right?" Levi added and Dilan almost couldn't contain her excitement. Harris scoffed, stretching out his muscles like this was going to be nothing. The boy was tall, extremely built with a square, ugly face and brown military cut hair. The instructor blinked, looking around Levi at Dilan before back at Levi.
"A-are you sure, Captain. She's awfully small." He whispered like Dilan couldn't hear him. She rolled his eyes, walking past Levi towards the instructor. The man flinched as Dilan pat him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry about me, sir. I'll be just fine." She said in a cheery tone while her eyes glared daggers at the misogynist. The instructor gulped.
"Problem?" Levi asked. He flinched and shook his head quickly.
"Not at all. Since there's so few of you we'll go one on one. The others will watch, and the winners will fight each other." He explained. Dilan bit back a grin. Perfect. The best way to test their skill was to fight them herself. Levi had already figure that out, clearly. Sly bastard.
"Please Sarge, put me first. I wanna get my fight out of the way so I can relax a bit." Harris grinned, feigning boredom. Dilan rolled her eyes and ignored him.
"H-Harris. You know that's the titan Ripper, right? She defended the left flank all by herself two missions ago. She's only been on three expeditions and she's got a solo count of above 50." One of the other cadets whispered nervously. Dilan ignore them again.
"That's titan killing. This is combat. Guarantee victory Tim, just you wait." He said confidently.
"Very well." The instructor said, ordering the cadets off to the side while Dilan and Harris took centre. Harris took his overly butch stance and Dilan leaned forward slightly. Harris outright laughed and Dilan couldn't wait to bash his face in. "Harris, she is your superior. Remember that." The sarge scolded and Harris sighed.
"Fine. I won't get punished when I knock her on her arse, will I?" He asked, completely ignoring the point the sarge had just laid out for him.
"I suggest you focus, or you won't get the chance." Eld commented angrily and Harris blinked at him.
"What's that supposed to mean, Gin?!" He yelled. Dilan smiled but didn't look at him, she was busy thinking of ways to make this bastard scream. The sarge sighed.
"Enough. Stop embarrassing yourselves and behave professionally. Ready?" He asked both of them. They nodded. "Go." He ordered and Harris ran at her.
Dilan rolled her eyes. So, fucking predictable. She side stepped his attack with little effort, tripping the idiot with her foot. The crowd gasped as he tripped, and Dilan allowed him the chance to get on his feet. Of course, she could have ended it right there, but she wanted to have a little fun playing with this asshole first. A subtle smirk from Levi told her he figured out her plan. Harris growled and attacked again in a blind rage, no technique whatsoever. Dilan leant her head left and right, dodging the attacks with practice ease and infuriating the Rhino even more.
"Sloppy." Dilan commented, bringing a knee to his side, grabbing the arm and twisting it round his back. She kicked out his knees in one quick movement and got the bastard kneeling again. His arm was twisted at an unnatural angle and he cried out in pain.
"Argh!" He winced. Dilan let go and gave him the chance to get up again. His face was practically red with anger. Apparently, he didn't enjoy being embarrassed like that by a small girl. Dilan rolled her eyes at the thought.
"Fighting..." She started in a calm tone, ducking under his left hook and kicking him in the jaw causing the man to splutter out some blood. "Is about more than brute strength." She continued as he came at her again, attempting to kick her. Dilan twisted out of her way and shoved her boot in his stomach. More spluttering. More blood. "You need to follow a technique and learn when to pull your punches." She explained to the groaning man on his knees, rolling her eyes as he tried to hit her again and grabbed the fist in her hand, stopping the force straight and the group gasped at her strength. "This was an important lesson. Become better." She said seriously before delivering a sharp punch to the face that got him on the ground. She sighed in content, dusting her hands and stepping over the unconscious lump to walk back to Levi's side, not failing to give the combat instructor a glare as she did so, making him flinch. She could practically feel the smugness radiating off of Levi, but he kept his face straight.
"An elite huh? Pathetic." Levi commented in a bored tone as some helpers dragged the lump away. The sarge flinched at his coldness, embarrassment clear in his unintelligible stuttering. Dilan caught a smirk from Eld and a smile from Petra while the other cadets broke out into cold sweats knowing they were going to have to fight her. She wouldn't go as hard on them though. "Now, we've humoured you, can we get onto the real matches?" Levi asked, monotoned. Dilan bit back a laugh as the instructor spluttered some more, turning red before snapping back into action.
"O-of course. Tim and Jonna. You're up next!" He ordered. Dilan shared a look with Levi. That had gone pretty well in her opinion.
LEVI'S P.O.V.
The fights continued for a round with Levi and Dilan observing. With Harris, the idiot, gone there were 8 cadets remaining. After the second round finished, Levi instructed the losers of the fight to head to the next station four remained. The four being, Eld Gin, Petra Ral, Jonna Forks and Stacy Monroe. Levi knew Gin was a personal favourite of Dilan's, he could see it in the smile she wore watching his fight. Levi had to admit the kid was good, really good. Not perfect by far but Levi was willing to take on cadets that needed improvements in certain areas as long as their heart was in it. He needed hard workers. Gin seemed to be living up to the task, but the trials were far from over and besides, Levi had a slight distrust of the guy that he couldn't put his finger on.
Next up was Ral. She was quick and fluid in her motions. Small and pretty weak when it came down to her punches, but she knew when to pull and when to attack. Levi was impressed with her form, but her stamina needed improvements and she needed to gain more confidence in herself if she was going to be a worthy asset in the field.
Forks was promising. He had good form and clear strength. The kid was probably about 17, tall, muscular with slick back blonde hair and light blue eyes. He had technique similar to Eld which Levi could respect but the boy was fresh. He hadn't seen the outside yet so Levi wasn't convinced he would be able to deal with the harsh realities of life. He may be strong, but he was green. There's no telling when a green would crack. He needed soldiers he could depend on out there meaning he needed to figure out whether this boy's skill was worth risking whether he could pack it on a mental level out there.
Finally, Monroe. Fast. Almost too fast. The kid was thin and pretty weak looking at first glance. She had long lanky limbs, pale skin and black hair with blue eyes. Levi didn't expect much from her, but she had quick attacks and knew how to get inside the opponent's head. That showed initiative and was promising. But again, she was greener than grass. You could see it in their eyes. The lack of death they've seen. The innocence only a clean life on the surface can bring.
"Okay, next-" The sarge started but Levi decided to take control and stepped forward. He knew what he needed.
"Fork's and Gin. Ral and Monroe. Fight hard, the winners will go up against Dilan. I'm aware you won't defeat her, but I'll be taking note of who lasts the longest." He said seriously and the group straightened their spines in determination. "Impress me." He added and they nodded.
"Yes sir!" They saluted, ordering themselves. Eld and Jonna stepping up first and completely ignoring the combat instructor who was standing their awkwardly. Levi liked the initiative. He turned to the instructor.
"You can go supervise the cadets at the next station." Levi informed. The sarge blinked and Levi gave him an unimpressed look, not wanting to repeat himself. Luckily, he snapped out of it, embarrassed but understanding. He nodded and saluted before jogging off to the next station. Dilan smirked, rolling her eyes at his bossiness. Levi simply shrugged and turned back to the cadets who were waiting for their orders. "Start."
10 minutes later and both fights were finished, the victors being Stacy and Eld. Ral and Forks put up a good fight and impressed Levi in the semi-final, but rules were rules and they had to go. Thankfully they did so without any bitterness, saluting them before running off to the next station. Levi looked at the last remaining fighters before looking beside him at Dilan. The brat looked way to excited to beat their asses. Little Psychopath.
"Ready?" He asked his second. She nodded and walked towards them. "Monroe, you'll go first." He ordered. The girl nodded and stepped up next to Dilan while Eld took a few steps back. This would be interesting.
DILAN'S P.O.V.
Dilan sized up the tall girl. She was fast and she had to remember that. Dilan would have to work double hard to dodge her attacks until she decided to get her on the ground. She wasn't sure how easy she was supposed to make this but a look from Levi surprised her. The man was telling her to go all out.
"Ready?" Dilan asked the girl. She took her stance and nodded, looking a little nervous but her face was twisted in determination. Dilan liked that. They looked to Levi and he nodded to start.
The girl didn't run at the, instead taking a defensive approach. Dilan was impressed, smiling in approval and inclining at her request to take the offensive. The girl must be smart. That didn't mean she was going to last though. Dilan ran at her, twisting on her heal to deliver a round house kick to the side of her head. Stacy dodged by a hair, ducking under the leg and bringing a right hook to Dilan's face. Dilan leant left, grabbing the arm and twisting it. the girl winced and Dilan pulled her towards her as she kneed her in the side, sweeping her legs. Stacy fell to the floor, breathing heavily. It was clear the fight was over.
"Shit. I suck ass." She mumbled. Dilan laughed, amused by the seemingly innocent girls' vulgar language.
"You're pretty good actually, I was impressed. I'm just better." She teased, offering a hand. Stacy grinned and took it, letting Dilan help her up.
"Thanks." She smiled. Dilan nodded.
"Dismissed Monroe. You fought well." Levi commented causing Stacy to beam happily at the praise, as she saluted.
"Thank you, Captain." She said before grabbing her stuff and running off. Dilan chuckled, rolling her eyes. Youths. Then she turned to Eld.
"Yo, greenie. How've you been?" She asked as he walked towards her. Eld raised an eyebrow.
"Around. Where have you been?" He asked, a slight resentment in his tone. Dilan sighed, knowing this was coming.
"I've been a bitch, I know that. Let's talk after... if your still conscious." She added with a teasing smirk. Eld cracked a smirk of his own, rolling his eyes slightly as he took his stance. Dilan looked to Levi, raising an eyebrow as he was frowning slightly more than usual before he returned his face to neutral and nodded that they could start.
Dilan ran at him, knowing Eld was smart so he was bound to take the defensive. Eld dodged the punch to the face but failed to miss the leg to the side and he winced, stumbling back a little before cracking a smile.
"Going full out on me, are you?" He questioned. Dilan laughed.
"You know it, green." She grinned, ducking under his left hook to give a hefty punch to the shoulder. Eld grabbed her with an arm under her neck, clearly about to try and sweep her feet and get her on the ground but Dilan had already expected this, putting her foot behind his and driving it forward while elbowing him sharply in the ribs, winding him. Eld stumbled, trying to regain his footing and Dilan took the moment of confusion to grab and arm and twist it behind his back, sweeping his legs and kneeling on his spine to pin him in the dirt. Eld groaned.
"Fuck." He mumbled. Dilan laughed and got off of him, watching with a tilted head as Eld rolled onto his back and smiled up at her. "You're kind of crazy." He chuckled. Dilan rolled her eyes and offered a hand, noticing some pretty ripped muscles underneath that sweaty shirt but stopped herself before staring too long. Damn Eld. Eld let out a breath and took the hand, letting Dilan help him up.
"Pretty good, right Levi?" She asked with a smile. Levi hummed, looking pissed again. What was his problem?
"Dismissed." Levi said simply and Eld blinked. Levi raised an eyebrow, not looking happy and Eld's eyes widened a fraction, giving Dilan a 'talk later' look before grabbing his gear and jogging off towards the forest. Dilan walked over to Levi, looking at him curiously.
"Who pissed in your cereal?" She asked, smirking. Levi rolled his eyes and ignored her as he started walking in the direction Eld disappeared in, so Dilan tried something else. "Eld, Stacy, Jonna and Petra, right? Those are the cadets we're taking into consideration for combat?" She asked, confused as to why her friend looked so pissed.
"Sure." He grumbled and that was it for Dilan's patience.
"The fuck is wrong with you?" She hissed. Levi glared at her.
"You, dumbass. You need to be more professional." He snapped back. Dilan scrunched up her nose in confusion.
"You're pissed because I had a small conversation with Eld while it was just us three before the fight started? You get I haven't talked to him for 6 months, right?" She frowned. Levi went back to ignoring her. "Oh, grow up, Levi. I didn't do anything wrong, you're pissed because of something else. Don't drag me into it. Right now, it's you who's acting unprofessional. Poor Gavin's going to have a heart attack." Dilan gestured to the small boy, nervously sweating while the superiors snapped at each other. Levi blinked over to the boy.
"He's still here?" He questioned. Gavin swallowed.
"Apparently. You done?" She glared. Levi sighed.
"Fine, I'll drop it." He sighed, loosening the scowl on his face. Dilan sighed too.
"I'll try to keep personal talk to a minimum the rest of the day." She compromised. Levi nodded in approval. Dilan smirked. "Aw, our first Captain, second in command fight. No blood, so I'm going to call it a success." She teased. Levi rolled his eyes and smirked a bit.
"Shut up, brat." He said but Dilan could hear the amusement in his tone. Guess that's combat done.
A/N: OoOooh. Is Levi jealous? Surely not. He's supposed to be a hard ass Captain.
This chapter mainly focuses on the combat aspect. Levi's finally getting his shot at Captain but we all knew he was ready to make some cadets sweat. He and Dilan may enjoy humiliating people a bit too much but that's just who they are really.
Next chapter will focus on the cadet trials too. 3DMG next.
Thanks for reading. Stay safe! X
