LEVI'S P.O.V.
Levi opened his steel grey eyes to be met with his best friend sleeping under the covers with him, less than five inches away. Shit. This was getting out of control. They had slept in the same bed many times, but it had never been under the covers before. Levi knew it was all innocent on Dilan's end. She was simply trying to comfort him, and it really worked. But as her Captain, he should not have let this happen. God, why were things so difficult? He wasn't sure what to think or feel anymore. He wasn't even supposed to knock on Dilan's door yesterday anyway. But he couldn't help himself.
After their talk in the infirmary, Levi told her he was back. That he would be her friend again and that he would eventually tell her what's bothering him. Turns out those promises were harder to keep than he once thought. For one thing, even thinking about telling her made him feel like he was about to throw up. Those nerves would lead him to wanting to cut. Which he couldn't do anymore. Not anymore. He shouldn't have even started in the first place.
As he soon realised it was even harder to stop than to start, he had an even greater respect for Dilan for actually being able to quit. Trying to repress the urges felt like he was holding every inch of his flesh over a flame and he was so worked up he couldn't breathe. And he wasn't even as deep in as Dilan was.
He had almost given in last night before he found the will power to pull himself away from the multiple sharp things in his room make it down to Dilan's door. He was slightly out of it, which was why he didn't think much about taking the risk of the others seeing him. He just knew in his gut that if he didn't find Dilan, he would end up cutting. And he had to quit cold turkey otherwise he wouldn't quit at all. He knew that about himself.
His time with Dilan on the roof did him good. She was so understanding he thought his heart might just break. She was way too good for him in very way and she didn't deserve to be kept out of a secret that concerns them both. And yet when she asked him what was wrong... he couldn't get the words out. He ended up just apologising like the pathetic shit he had become. He wondered what Farlan would think of him now? Lying to his sister, who Levi was in love with and then sharing a bed with her. The blonde would probably punch him, and Levi would let him.
Fuck. When did things get so messed up?
"Levi?" Dilan whispered and Levi blinked out of his trance, turning his gaze away from the ceiling to look at the brat who had apparently just woken up. "You alright?" She asked. Levi swallowed down the 'no' that was rising in his throat and simply nodded, sitting up and standing.
"Sorry about last night. It was reckless to knock on your door like that." Levi said, crossing his arms and looking out at the view. Dilan chuckled.
"Shut up. I must have knocked on your door like 20 times while I was quitting. Whatever you're going through, if you need my help then you can always ask for it." Dilan said simply, yawning a bit as she snuggled into the covers. Levi tried hard to ignore the emotion welling in his throat. He took a breath and turned around to smile gratefully. He was gratefully after all; he wasn't faking that.
"Thanks, brat. Now get the fuck up before I make you do laps." Levi warned and Dilan groaned tiredly.
"But I'm tired!" She whined. Levi gave her a deadpan look.
"You've slept for 24 hours straight and missed two meals. How the fuck are you still tired?" He questioned and Dilan's eyes widened as she jumped up from the bed.
"Fuck, I'm hungry." She mumbled, ripping open the door and hurrying down the stairs. Levi smirked and shook his head in disbelief, closing the door quietly behind her. He sighed and sat down on the end of his unmade bed. The silence was thick, only being briefly interrupted by the quiet ticking of the clock on his bedside table.
He looked at his wardrobe that held the large bag of blades, tapping his foot. Minutes, maybe hours passed by. Levi wasn't sure how long it had been, all he could focus on was resisting the magnetic pull that was trying to lure him towards the cupboard.
SMASH!
The sound of a mug or some ceramic object hitting the hard floor, two stories down, snapped him out of his stupor and he breathed out shakily.
"DILAN, WHAT THE FUCK?" Gunther's mumbled voice rang out, it sounded like he was on the second floor.
"AH! SHIT, SOMEONE HELP ME CLEAR THIS UP!" She scrambled and laughing followed.
"HOLY SHIT, THE CAPTAINS GOING TO KILL YOU!" Eld pointed out and Dilan yelled something back at him that Levi couldn't make out, but he heard some sort of agreement and supposed they were helping Dil with whatever mess she had created.
Levi sighed and stood up, shaking his head. Somehow the brat always gave him a distraction when he needed one. She was always there for him. With that pleasant thought, Levi went to get ready for the day.
DILAN'S P.O.V.
Dilan sighed in relief as she finished clearing up the mess, she had made in her ravenous state with the help of Eld and Gunther. The kid was looking better today, Dilan was glad he took her words to heart yesterday.
"Maybe I should make breakfast from now on, Dil." Eld teased, getting a pan out of the cupboard. Gunther snickered as Dilan sighed and slumped in her chair.
"I hate to admit it green, but I agree with you." She shrugged, biting into an apple. Eld laughed as Gunther smiled and shook his head. She guessed this would be the perfect time to talk about the new transfer. "You and Bozado are all friends, right?" Dilan asked. The pair looked between themselves.
"If you had to label it, yeah we're friends. He's alright, just a pain in the ass sometimes." Eld chuckled and Dilan nodded in understanding.
"Why?" Gunther asked, curiously.
"Well..." Dilan proceeded with caution. "Due to the... hole in the squad... the commander requested that we fill the position which is why Bozado is joining our ranks." She explained carefully. Gunther kind of froze and Eld looked a little shocked but soon got past it, nodding.
"When..." Gunther asked quietly, looking at his hands. Dilan bit her lip and shared a worried look with Eld.
"Today." She admitted and Gunther looked up to her in shock.
"Today?!" He repeated in disbelief. Dilan gave him an apologetic look.
"Gunther, I know-"
"It's not even been a week and your replacing her?! How could you do that?!" He exclaimed, standing up from his chair.
"Don't get pissed at Dil, it's not her fault." Eld defended.
"B-but it's not fair-" Gunther tried as Petra entered the room, clearly having heard the conversation.
"What's not fair is how she lied to us. That's the titan in the room, isn't it? How are you not pissed at her, Gunther?" Petra asked and Dilan saw that this was quickly getting out of control.
Gunther glared at her.
"You have no idea what you're talking about!" Gunther snapped.
"Do you? Everything she told you was probably a lie." Eld crossed his arms and Dilan's heart hurt at the look on Gunther's face.
"Eld-" Dilan tried but both of them ignored her.
"T-that's not true! She was just desperate; you've never lived in the underground so you don't know what you would do to get out either!" Gunther argued and Petra scoffed.
"I can understand that but the things she did. The manipulations to get our trust? No, that was not justified just because she was desperate. In the end, Stacy was just an underground bitch that shouldn't have been given the opportunity to even step on the surface." Petra said coldly and a stunned silence followed.
Even Petra seemed slightly shocked by what she had just said, and they all looked at Dilan, who they all just remembered was indeed a criminal from the underground. Dilan chuckled humourlessly.
"It's been a while since I heard that one." She ended up saying, just to cut through the tense silence. She wasn't mad, just surprised really. Petra looked at her with regret, tears collecting in her eyes.
"Dilan, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean- your different-" Petra tried, taking a step towards her but Dilan took a step back. Okay, now she was mad.
"Petra, I'm not different. The underground is in my blood like everyone else down there and I'm not ashamed of that or my people. Yes, there are bastards down there but there are bastards up here too. 90% of the population down there are good people that just can't catch a break. People that are judged by others who haven't even been in the underground before, seen what it's like."
Dilan sighed.
"Your mad at Stacy for what she did? Does it disgust you that she would kill to live? I'm worse than she was. I've killed to survive, and I've done it more than once. What's more, back then, I enjoyed it. I liked killing scum because I enjoyed putting an end to the tortures they inflicted upon others."
Dilan laughed without humour.
"If that isn't sick, I don't know what is. All Stacy did was try to survive and do you know the worse part? She couldn't follow through. Even though she knew it meant her likely death for disobeying Kenny, she did everything in her power to save the Captain's life. And then to top off the cherry, she saved my useless ass after my gear jammed. So, you see, Petra. I am not the different one. If anyone's different, it was Stacy. She was a good person and she deserves our respect. If you want to hate anyone for their mistakes, feel free to hate me." Dilan finished in a monotoned voice, ignoring all their stunned faces and walking out the door, closing it behind her.
She took a deep breath and looked up at the blue sky.
"Shit." She cursed, walking away. She hadn't meant to lose her temper like that. Now they were all going to be scared of her. Wasn't what she was going for but at least she had got them off of Stacy's back. She didn't deserve to be talked about like that. Still, she probably could have defended her without losing her cool like that. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. Guess she'll go back to be the outsider of the group again.
Dilan sighed, deciding she felt like running today and took off into the forest. As long as she was back before Oluo got here, it should be fine.
ELD'S P.O.V.
The door closed behind their second in command and they were left watching the door in a stunned silence. Eld wasn't sure what to think. He knew Dilan had a criminal past... he knew she had done things and he knew she was dangerous but... killing? Taking another human life? And doing it so casually? Again... Eld didn't know what to think.
Petra released a shaky breath and sat back into a chair, a tear dripping down her face.
"She's really..." Gunther spoke, breaking the silence but stopped himself, swallowing dryly. "k-killed before?" He whispered the last part. The three shared glances of dread, not wanting it to be true.
"Yeah, she has." A low voice cut through the silence as the Captain entered the room and moved over to heat up the kettle. Everyone flinched at his sudden arrival and stood up straight. Levi raised an eyebrow at them. "At ease." He added but everyone was too high strung for that. Eld didn't know if he could be at ease right now if he tried.
Still, they did their best to act normal and sat down at the table. They watched as Captain Levi went about making his tea with his normal stoic expression, uncaring of the eyes on him. Eventually Eld could take it no more.
"Sir?" Eld found his voice. Levi glanced over at him, making a brief noise of recognition before getting back to what he was doing. Eld cleared his dry throat. "Um... how do you know that?" He asked. Levi raised an eyebrow at him. "That Dilan's... killed." He elaborated reluctantly. Levi stared at him for a second, his gaze shifting to the others and they swallowed. Levi sighed and abandoned his drink for a moment to face them, crossing his arms.
"It's obvious if you used your heads. Of course, you brats have never been in the underground before. It's not as simple as good or bad down there because there are no rules in hell. There's no right or wrong when someone comes at you with a dagger, demanding everything you own. It's kill or be killed. Dilan's a survivor. She did what needed to be done. Do you resent her for living?" Levi asked in a bored tone. The three were shocked.
"No, of course not." Petra replied. Levi got back to his tea.
"Then you shouldn't resent her for killing. We've all got the potential to do it. You shit's just haven't been given the opportunity. That's the difference between the underground and the surface. Everyone's a shit person at heart. It's the lack of chance to express it that makes you privileged. She may have said she enjoys it and that might be true, but no one would choose the life Dilan's had. Past experiences don't define who she is, like yours don't define you. If I was her, I would be proud for making it this far, no matter what she had to do to pull it off. God knows she's been through hell and back." Levi said with a sigh and Eld's eyes widened.
He wondered once again just how close these two were. He seemed to know everything about her. Although Eld supposed the Captain was the one who enlisted Dilan in the first place. They had known each other for a long time.
It took a second but the three shared a look of regret and realisation. One, that the Captain was right. It wasn't her fault for being born in such a horrible place. Two, they had been shitty friends a second ago and really needed to apologise. Like right now.
"Captain, can we go find her?" Gunther asked quickly. Levi frowned slightly, pouring the tea into his cup.
"I suppose so. She'll be running in the forest. With your shit stamina, you won't catch her for a while. I suggest you take the 3DMG. Be back within the hour, whether you find her or not." Levi ordered and the three nodded in understanding.
"Yes sir!" They saluted and ran out the door.
"Oh my god, she is going to hate me!" Petra cried as they quickly fastened the gear. Eld tried hard not to roll his eyes.
"Yeah, she is." Gunther mumbled and Petra glared at him.
"Enough. We're focusing on Dilan right now, remember?" Eld reminded sternly and they frowned but sighed in defeat and nodded. They quickly finished their gear and shot into the forest.
"How do you think the Captain knew all that stuff? About the underground and about Dilan?" Gunther asked. The others paused. Eld didn't really know how to answer that.
"Well... they've been working together for a long time and he's her superior so-" Petra started but Gunther cut her off.
"That stuff's personal, Petra. I don't see Dilan telling her past to someone just because they're her superior. I mean we're her friends and she barely talks to us about anything that happened in her past. That was the first time she's told us about her underground experience, and it was vague at best." Gunther continued and Eld frowned subconsciously.
"W-what, do you think somethings going on between them?" Petra asked, paling slightly. They all knew of her major crush on the Captain. But Eld couldn't judge. He too felt a strong pang of jealousy at the thought.
"I don't know. Honestly, I wouldn't be that surprised. The Captain's different with her, you can't deny it." Gunther pointed out. Petra's face fell slightly.
"It was rather noticeable yesterday. He favours her sometimes. Dilan called him a jackass and he almost looked... amused? She didn't get a punishment and the Captain let her sleep all day without doing any work." Petra pointed out, looking depressed.
"Now that you mention it... on the way back from the expedition... I saw something." Eld admitted reluctantly. Petra snapped her head over.
"What?" She demanded. Eld sighed.
"They were holding hands. In the cart. They were both passed out, holding hands." Eld managed to get the words out, trying hard not to grind his teeth. Petra's eyes widened.
"Are you sure!?" She screeched in a panic. Eld sighed and scratched his neck.
"I don't know, Petra. I only saw it for a second. It could have very well been my imagination." Eld backtracked, for his own sanity and Petra's. Gunther snickered.
"I don't see Dilan or the Captain ever holding hands with anyone in the future. They're too hardcore." He said proudly. Both Petra and Eld frowned.
"Yeah, well, I think they would have to be dating the right person!" Both of them snapped at Gunther in unison and he blinked. Eld and Petra caught eyes and blushed. Eld looked away and they both gawked at him.
"You like Dilan." Petra stated. Gunther cracked a wide grin of realisation. Eld frowned, pushing back a heavier blush.
"N-no I don't." He defended, cursing himself for stuttering. Both of his squad mates shared a smug look before turning back to Eld with a 'really?' glance. Eld glared at both of them. "You like the Captain!" he snapped, and Petra laughed.
"Please. We all knew this. Normally I would be embarrassed but this new gossip is just too juicy." She smirked. Eld rubbed his face.
Shit.
"Yeah, just how long have you liked her dude!?" Gunther asked, punching him on the shoulder.
"Shut up. I don't-" He tried but even he knew when to admit defeat. The cat was officially out of the bag. He sighed. "5 months I kept it a secret." He mumbled, deflated. Petra gasped.
"You've liked her for five months?!" She asked. Eld frowned in confusion.
"So?" He asked. It was actually way longer than that, but they were surprised at five months, so he decided not to correct them to 11 months. Gunther burst out laughing. "What?" Eld whined, annoyed they were making fun of him.
"You waited five months to tell a girl you liked her. You've totally been friend zoned, dude." He snickered. Eld's eyes widened and he looked to Petra. She gave him a sad smile but nodded in agreement.
"It's true. You've missed the window. She has no idea." Petra added. Eld's stomach dropped in panic.
"B-but you haven't told the Captain!" He protested. Petra scoffed.
"It's way different for girls. Guys always leave themselves open for relationships, no matter how long they've known the person. Women on the other hand... since men are normally such dicks, if they find good ones, they like to hold onto them. Give it a month or sometimes less. If they haven't made the move of asking the girl out, then they become friend zoned. The girl will see them as a friend or on other cases, like a brother." Petra shrugged and Eld balked at them. Where had this information been his whole life?
"She's got a point there. I asked Stacy out within 3 weeks of knowing her." Gunther commented. Eld was really starting to panic. He didn't want Dilan to view him like a brother!
"There's got to be an exception! I mean I can't be in the friend zone forever right!?" Eld asked desperately. Petra laughed, rolling her eyes.
"No, of course not. But it won't be easy. Unless Dilan likes you back already, then you have to make it painfully obvious you don't just want to be friends. Ask her on a date or something. Be clear. Dilan is pretty naïve when it comes to dating since according to her, she has no experience. Unless you're direct with her, you won't get what you want." Petra informed and Eld sighed in relief.
He could be direct, right?
"But... what if she says no?" He asked quietly. Gunther smiled.
"Then it's not meant to be, and you can move on. No point pining." He pointed out, logically, and Eld couldn't believe he was getting good dating advice from two teenagers.
"He's right." Petra added. Eld let out a breath.
"I guess you're right. I'll think about it. Not a word of this to anyone. Especially not Oluo when he gets here, that bastard can't keep a secret for his life. I'm serious guys. Tell on me and I will make your lives a living hell." He warned and they smiled in amusement.
"How?" Gunther asked, intrigued. Eld smirked.
"Petra, I will tell the Captain that you were the person who used half his tea stock supply while practicing making it." He started and Petra paled.
"You wouldn't!" She gasped. They all in spent a week looking for 'rats' on Levi's orders since none of them fessed up to taking his tea and he suggested they had a critter problem.
Eld was pretty sure Levi knew there were no rats, but he wanted to punish them, which is why he made them search without breaks or sleep for two days straight as well as training and other duties.
Eld gave her a victory look before turning to Gunther.
"Gunther, I will tell Dilan that one time when you were behind on your cleaning duties you were the one who used all her lavender soap to clean the bathroom after you broke the cleaning spray." Eld continued and Gunther's eyes widened. The three shivered at the thought. Eld had never been more scared of Dilan than when she was searching for her lavender shampoo.
"How was I supposed to know it was expensive!?" Gunther defended for the 10th time. Eld and Petra gave him a look. "Fine. You have a deal." He mumbled, pouting.
"Yeah. We won't tell anyone." Petra confirmed and Eld nodded, satisfied with the dirt he had on them. This is what happens when you end up living with utter idiots.
"It's a moot point if she's dating the Captain though." Gunther said and the others glared at him.
"Shut up. There's no way." Eld protested, deeply hating the idea. Petra nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, Dilan knows how much I like the Captain. She would never do that to me." She huffed and Eld smiled.
"Exactly. Dilan's too selfless, she would never betray Petra like that." He said happily and Petra smiled in satisfaction.
"So, your saying she could like the Captain but she's hiding her feelings for Petra. That doesn't help you either, dude. She may as well be dating him if she likes him. She's not going to go out with you if she has her eyes on someone else." Gunther said logically and Eld glared at him.
"You are banned from talking, this point forward." He ordered. Gunther rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to talk but Petra interrupted them.
"There!" She said suddenly, pointing down below them. They all looked and saw Dilan running at an impressive pace. The Captain was right. They would not have been able to catch her.
For a brief moment Eld wondered how the hell Levi knew Dilan would be running. Did they know each other that well or was the Captain just really observant? Eld decided to choose the second one for his own peace of mind as they started going down.
"Dilan!" Petra yelled as they landed and ran towards her. Dilan stopped running but didn't turn around.
"You guys don't have to pretend to be my friends now. I scared you, right?" Dilan asked in a deflated tone. Eld didn't like her sounding so distraught.
"Hey, don't say that. You didn't scare us, and we aren't pretending." Eld reassured. Dilan turned around slightly to look at them, confused.
"Yeah, we're sorry. We were being shitty friends." Gunther added, guiltily.
"What I said was horrible, I'm so sorry Dil." Petra apologised, her voice thick with emotion. Dilan stared at them all with an unreadable expression for a moment. Eld swallowed nervously. He really hoped she would forgive them.
"You... don't care that I've killed people?" She asked awkwardly. Petra smiled sadly and stepped forward to take the girl's hands.
"We'll admit we were shocked at first. But with a little help we realised we were being ignorant. We have no idea what you went through, but it certainly wasn't the privileged lives we've lived up here." Petra said kindly.
"Yeah, if anything. We're sorry you went through it and we're proud of you for surviving." Eld smiled and Gunther nodded in agreement. Dilan blinked at them in astonishment before cracking a grateful smile.
"Thank you for understanding. I'm sorry I got so intense in there." She chuckled. Eld shook his head.
"No, you were right to say what you did. We needed to be set straight. We were being way out of order." Eld said seriously before turning to Gunther, his words reminding him of the guilt he was feeling early. "I'm sorry about what I said about Stacy." He apologised genuinely. Petra nodded.
"Yes, I'm sorry too. I think... I think I just miss her. I think I resent her for being gone, not for what she did." Petra sniffed, trying to wipe her tears away. Gunther smiled sadly and pulled the little redhead into a hug.
"Yeah, I miss the kid too." Eld admitted. The Inn seemed so empty without her. Dilan took his hand, giving it a small squeeze of support. Eld smiled gratefully, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach.
"She was a member of our family; we'll all miss her." Dilan said. Gunther nodded in agreement.
"We'll carry her the rest of the fight. We'll defeat the titans in her memory, as well as everyone else whose fallen victim." Gunther said in a determined tone and Eld saw Dilan give him a proud look. Eld couldn't deny he was impressed that Dilan had managed to get Gunther out of his room yesterday. The girl really was amazing.
"Damn straight. We can't turn on each other. We're a team. We here to support each other, yeah?" Dilan smiled. The others smiled back and nodded. "Great, let's go back before the Captain flips his shit." Dilan chuckled, letting go of Eld's hand to move forward, putting an arm around Petra's shoulder as they started chatting about something.
Eld sighed as they followed them and Gunther chuckled, patting him on the back.
"Friend zone sucks, dude." He whispered. Eld glared at him and he laughed but Eld had to admit he was right. The friend zone did indeed suck. What he needed to do now was figure out how to get the fuck out of it.
DILAN'S P.O.V.
Dilan sighed in relief as they got back to the Inn. She couldn't express the amount of relief she felt knowing they didn't hate her or fear her. She wasn't sure exactly why at first but something Petra said about getting a 'little help' made her realise that Levi must have set them straight about how things really were down in the underground.
The kind gesture made her smile. Her friend was always looking out of her, even on the side-lines. Levi was such a softy on the inside. The thought made her giggle to herself as they stepped through the doors. She immediately retracted the thought as they were met with a glaring Levi and a very scared looking Oluo sitting at the table.
Oh shit. We're dead.
Everyone was obviously thinking the same thing as they all fell silent immediately and paled significantly. Oluo was cowering in his seat and Dilan was sure the boy must have been through hell. Imagine being with the Captain alone for 1 minute alone! It was fine with her; they were friends and she got to hang out with Levi, but these poor bastards had it rough.
"I believe I said back within the hour, did I not?" Levi asked, standing and crossing his arms.
Everyone gulped.
"H-how late are we, sir?" Gunther asked and Dilan cringed.
Wrong thing to ask, kid.
Levi narrowed his eyes at him, and Gunther looked like he was about to pass out.
"How late you are, is irrelevant. It's the fact that you were late, disobeying my instructions while doing so, that's the point. Don't you think, cadet?" Levi asked in a terrifyingly calm voice and Gunther stuttered out something unintelligible. "I see. Perhaps 10 laps around the track will make you see my point of view." He said sternly and Gunther's eyes widened. "Now." Levi warned and Gunther gasped, scrambling out the door. Levi turned to the rest of them and they all tensed. "Care to explain why you are late?" He asked impatiently.
"My fault, sir. I ran too far." Dilan took the heat. Levi raised an eyebrow.
"That right?" He asked and Dilan nodded. "So, these shits couldn't even catch you while using 3DMG in a reasonable time?" He inferred, unamused. The others looked down and Dilan realised if she didn't do something, they were still going to end up taking the heat.
"Well I did have a head start and I took a different route. They were worried. Still, it was my fault for running of in the beginning when I knew we had a new recruit joining. I'll take the punishment, sir." She offered. Levi looked at her for a moment and Dilan couldn't read what he was thinking.
"Fine. Show this idiot around." Levi ordered before starting to walk away.
"That's it?" Oluo mumbled and they all gasped silently as Levi stopped walking. Oluo quickly realised his mistake and put his hands over his mouth. Dilan was honestly fearing for this boy's life. Levi glanced back at him with a deadly look and Oluo shrunk back in his chair.
"30 laps. I assume your dumbass can locate the track without assistance." Levi said in a monotoned voice and everyone looked at Oluo sympathetically. His eyes widened comically.
"B-but-!" He tried and everyone gasped again.
Damn! He's on a roll!
"That's 100 laps, cadet. Want to make it 200?" Levi questioned, raising an eyebrow and Oluo's jaw fell open. "Well?" Levi asked in a low voice. Oluo snapped out of it and stood to salute, a bead of sweat falling down his face.
"Yes sir! I mean no sir! I mean thank you sir!" Oluo struggled for words before running out the door. Levi grimaced after the sweaty boy.
"Tch." He said before walking over to his office and shutting the door behind him. The three-left standing slumped and let out a breath of relief.
"Holy shit, Oluo didn't shut up!" Petra shook her head in disbelief. Eld laughed.
"I know he's new but even we weren't that stupid as to question the Captain directly in the beginning." He pointed out. Dilan smiled and rolled her eyes, walking over to the kitchen.
"Don't act like you were perfect. I remember a fair few times that you got yourself into shit, despite my warnings." Dilan pointed out, making a batch of tea. They sighed and sat down.
"Yeah." They replied, pouting in remembrance and Dilan chuckled.
"But your punishments were never severe so you can't talk." Eld pointed out. Dilan rolled her eyes.
"Dude. I've known the man for a long time. I've had my fair share of severe punishments." She replied, boiling the kettle. Petra made a face of recollection.
"Ah yes. The Captain used to hate you, right?" She asked. Dilan chuckled and nodded.
"By god did we have our fights." She shook her head, absentmindedly raising a hand to her throat. Eld looked surprised.
"I just can't see the Captain mad at you. He's always easier on you." He countered. Dilan nodded. It was true, Levi was easier on her than the rest.
"You must understand, we've been through a lot. He knows my skill, I know his tendencies for cleanliness, what not to say and what he wants in training. I'm his second in command after all. He's a great mentor but there's not much left to teach me, we've been through that already. That's the difference between me and you guys. He's still moulding you into the best soldiers you can be. Sure, I always have room for improvement, but he doesn't go as harsh as me because he already trusts my abilities as a soldier." Dilan explained.
They nodded, slowly, taking in everything she said.
"I suppose that makes sense." Eld commented, thoughtfully.
"Yeah, you're his second. It makes sense that he's different around you." Petra mumbled to herself, looking rather happy. Dilan tilted her head while she poured the boiling water.
"Different?" She asked, catching Eld glare at Petra and her eyes widened in panic.
"Oh nothing! Anyway, how's your head, we haven't gotten a chance to talk yet. One drama after another." She pointed out. Dilan felt like she was hiding something but decided to drop it.
"Yeah we tried to get you out, but the Commander wouldn't even see us." Eld sighed. Dilan smiled to ease their worry.
"Fine. I only got a small infection from the dungeons." Dilan shrugged, soaking the teabags. She heard worried gasps and turned around.
"You did? Why the hell would the commander put you down there without proper medical treatment!?" Eld said angrily. Dilan blinked. Did they not know that?
"Well it's not like he wanted to make it pleasant for me. The whole starvation thing kind of speaks for itself, don't you think?" She chuckled, watching as horror made its way onto both of their faces.
"HE WHAT?!" They both shouted at the same time. Dilan cringed, regretting her sentence.
"Seriously, I'm fine. I thought you both knew..." she said awkwardly. They looked positively outraged.
"That bastard! He can't get away with this!" Eld gritted. Petra nodded in agreement. Dilan smiled, a warm feeling in her chest that they cared so much. She put a tea down in front of them, putting the other two on a tray.
"He's the commander, guys. He can do what he wants. Look, I'm over it and I'm fine. Forget about it okay?" She asked, walking to the door. They looked reluctant to obey.
"But Dil-" Petra tried, and Dilan cut her off with a stern look.
"I am fine. Forget I said anything." She smiled reassuringly before walking off. She knocked briefly at Levi's door before balancing the tray and opening it as she heard a 'come in'.
Dilan walked inside and shut the door behind her. Levi looked up and Dilan saw his eyes soften, noticing it was her, his Captain façade washing away.
"If that's for me, I may forget the stunt you just pulled." Levi offered. Dilan smirked and put down a cup on his desk, taking the other one and sitting down in the armchair.
"What stunt?" She asked innocently. Levi gave her a look which made her laugh.
"You can't protect them every time they need to be punished." He reminded. Dilan sighed and took a sip. Perhaps she did that sometimes.
"Well, in my defence, I think I really was the most to blame and besides, I rarely ever get punishments." She shrugged. Levi sat back from his paperwork and drank some tea.
"You rarely ever get punishments because despite you being an idiot, you rarely ever do that much wrong. And you only went for a run because of them. Ral was way out of order." Levi said and Dilan sighed.
"You heard that huh?" She asked. Levi nodded. "She didn't mean it. She was just angry and sad, and she expressed it in the wrong way." Dilan defended. Levi still looked irked.
"Yeah, well, it was still shitty." He mumbled. Dilan smiled, knowing he was just worried about her.
"Thanks for talking to them for me." She said genuinely. Levi looked up at her.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He said, monotoned. Dilan checked his posture and smirked. Levi seemed to catch on and leant back in his chair with an irritated glare. "Stop that." He ordered and Dilan chuckled.
"Idiot. Why do you make things so difficult? I say thank you, you say your welcome." She teased. Levi scowled at her. "Let's try this again-"
"Watch it, brat." He warned but Dilan didn't pay him any attention.
"-Thank you for talking to them for me, Levi." She grinned, gesturing for him to speak. Levi narrowed his eyes.
"10 laps." He said and Dilan blinked at him.
"But I-"
"20 laps." Levi smirked. Dilan huffed and opened her mouth. "Want to make it 30?" Levi said with a smug smile. Dilan glared at him. Levi glared back.
It took 10 seconds before Dilan reduced herself to begging.
"Levi, please, I don't want to do laps. Can't I just stay here and help you with paperwork?" She pleaded. Levi looked at her reluctantly. "Please, please, please!" She said with her best puppy eyes.
It took another 10 seconds before Levi gave in.
"Tch. Fine, stop looking at me like that. Fucking weirdo." He grumbled, passing her over a stack of the easier paperwork. Dilan hummed in satisfaction, grabbing a quill and getting started. Glancing over to Levi she saw him smile briefly before he continued working too and they fell into a comfortable silence.
OULO'S P.O.V.
Oluo gasped as he staggered forwards slowly. He had been running all day. Literally all day. He asked once if he was allowed a break for food or water. The glare he got in return was response enough and Oluo was quick to get back to running before the Captain gave him more laps. He couldn't believe this. His first day and he had already pissed the Captain off! Gunther finished his laps a while ago and joined the combat training that the Captain was doing with them. It looked really interesting and Oluo wished he could take part.
And yet, all he got was glimpses while he passed them on the track. Every time he did, Eld and Gunther made a show of laughing at him. Oluo glared at them, his eyes promising pay back for not warning him. It was their stupid fault for being late in the first place. He had been nervous to arrive, but he thought he would at least have his friends for back up. Apparently, he was wrong as all he was met with was a very pissed off Captain. Oluo almost shit his pants right there!
Breathing heavily, he tried to wet his dry lips, discovering he had no reserves of saliva left in his mouth. His tongue felt like sandpaper and it was getting hard to take in the air. He was only on his 80th lap. Why was he always so bad at running?! Gunther used to be as bad as him, but he had finished his laps in no time. Perhaps they had gotten better over the six months they've been here. Oluo couldn't deny they all looked a lot stronger and their combat had improved significantly from the little glimpses he had seen so far.
The sun was going down now. He was alone on the track while the others had dinner inside. He felt like crying, he had never been so embarrassed.
Way to make a good first impression, Oluo. You should be surprised if the Captain doesn't throw you out by tomorrow. He thought with a groan, yelping as he tripped over a rock, bit his tongue and face planted in the sandy texture of the track.
"Ow." He mumbled, not having the energy to get back up or move another muscle in his body again. A loud bright laugh made him look up and he blinked as he saw Dilan walking towards him.
"That was quite a landing." She snickered and Oluo sighed, sitting up and rubbing the sand and blood off of his face.
"Come to watch me struggle?" Oluo grumbled, his entire body felt like it was made of lead. Dilan smiled and took a seat on the floor next to him.
"I already did that. Here, I brought you some dinner, have a break." Dilan offered, passing over a canister and a brown paper bag that Oluo supposed had food in it. Oluo looked at her sceptically.
"Is this some sort of trick? Does the Captain know about this? Am I about to run another 100 laps?" He asked, panic in his tone. Dilan laughed and shook her head.
"No, I promise. Look, I talked to the Captain, convinced him to let you have dinner. Go on, stop being stupid and take it." She encouraged. Oluo hesitated but the idea of hydrating himself was too hard to resist. He took the canister and glugged in down. Dilan chuckled. "Good man."
She smiled, passing him the bag too. Oluo sighed in relief, wiping his mouth with the back of a hand before opening the bag and biting into the bread roll.
Dilan sat with him while he ate in silence. Oluo glanced over to her after he had finished eating and didn't feel like he was about to pass out anymore. She was staring at the sunrise, the orange and pinks of the sky, smiling softly. It was in the moment, that Oluo realised just how pretty the girl was. Oluo blushed at the realisation and looked away, flustered.
"Um... thank you." He mumbled. Dilan looked at him and smiled.
"Sure. We're a team now. We look out for each other here." Dilan replied and Oluo smiled back. He felt like he wanted to say something else, but he couldn't get the words out. He was never good at talking to girls. Especially girls that were kind to him and pretty. Oluo looked away before he ended up blushing. "Well, you should head in." Dilan sighed, standing up and starting to stretch out her arms and legs. Oluo looked at her quizzically.
"But I still have 20 more laps to go." He said and Dilan gave him a deadpan look.
"Dude. You've been out here all day, I expected you to at least be on you 90th." She clicked her tongue and Oluo blushed, scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah... I was never so good at cross country." He admitted. Dilan chuckled.
"That'll change soon enough." She said and Oluo sighed.
"The Captain totally hates me. I made a complete ass out of myself on the first day!" He vented and Dilan smiled in reassurance.
"Everyone makes an ass out of themselves here. Captains strict but he only does it, so you follow his orders without question. Doing that on the battlefield is the only way to survive. You have to follow him directly, understand that?" Dilan explained seriously. Oluo nodded and she smiled in approval. "Good. Go on then, get some rest. Eld will show you to your room." Dilan repeated and Oluo blinked.
"But I still have laps." He repeated back. He did not want to get in trouble with the Captain for disobeying orders. He had learnt his lesson by now. Dilan rolled her eyes as she walked over to a lane in the track.
"I'm finishing your punishment for you, okay? 20 laps are nothing to me and your half passed out. Go on, the Captain won't find out." She said and Oluo balked at her. Why would she do that for him? "Now, before I change my mind." Dilan warned and Oluo flinched, suddenly remembering the Titan Ripper was indeed before him and he did not want to make her mad.
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you!" He said quickly and Dilan chuckled, nodding before taking off at an unbelievable speed. Oluo watched her for a second, mesmerised. Maybe 20 laps wereindeed nothing to her. Guess he had to remember. These were the elites.
You're in the den of lions now, Oluo.
He thought as he walked back to the Inn and got inside, shivering as the warmth enter his bones. Instant laughter brought him out of his thoughts of Dilan, and he turned to glare at Eld who was sitting in the kitchen waiting for him. Everyone else seemed to be in bed.
"Fucking dickhead!" Oluo snapped, pissed at his friend for not warning him of the dangers. Eld chuckled and stood up, slapping Oluo on the back and he almost fell over thanks to his fatigue.
"You look like shit, man." He commented and Oluo glared at him. "It's good to have you in the team." He added sincerely. Oluo sighed but cracked a tired smile.
"Good to finally be here, man. Thought it was going to take a lot longer though. What's the deal with that?" He asked curiously as Eld led him through the lounge area towards the stairs.
"It's not public news but your part of the squad now and it might come up now and again." Eld answered. "Follow me and we'll talk." He continued and they got up the stairs into a long corridor. Going to the bottom, Eld paused before he entered a room and gestured Oluo inside. He looked at it in surprise. The room was fucking amazing! Double bed, wardrobe space, a huge ass window and it was even nicely decorated. This was the dream!
Oluo was about to open his mouth and spew some disbelief but he caught Eld's solemn face and paused.
"Eld, what happened?" He asked, confused. Eld sighed.
"Stacy Monroe, the girl the Captain picked over you. You remember her?" Eld asked. Of course, Oluo remembered her. He had been pissed at her for beating him for almost six months now. It was embarrassing. She was 2 years younger than him!
"Yes." Oluo decided to reply casually. No need for the others to know how jealous he was.
"Well, on the most recent expedition we discovered Stacy was sent here by a criminal in the underground on orders of killing Captain Levi. He was poisoned and almost died." Eld explained and Oluo's eyes widened in surprise. Surely not the Captain?
"But the expedition was less than a week ago. If the Captain almost died surely, he wouldn't look so... well... unkillable right now!" Oluo protested. Eld chuckled a bit.
"Yeah well, he got over it fast. He's humanities strongest after all. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't have made it." Eld replied and Oluo guessed the man had a point. "Anyway, on the way back titan's managed to get into the central formation. Dilan left to deal with them but her gears jammed and she got hit by a titan. Thankfully the section commander managed to grab her before it was too late but... Stacy sacrificed herself so that the centre flank could get away. And that's why there's an opening in the squad." Eld explained sadly. Oluo was slightly confused.
"Why do you look upset? The bitch tried to kill the Captain." He pointed out and Eld frowned.
"Look, at first I was pissed but Stacy tried hard to fix her mistakes. She only did what she did because she was desperate, you have no right to bad mouth her. The whole squad is with me on that, so I recommend you don't say anything to them. Gunther especially." Eld said seriously. Oluo scrunched his nose up in confusion.
"Why Gunther especially?" He asked. Eld sighed.
"Because they were together. He's still getting over it so don't Oluo it up." Eld said, walking to the door.
"Hey! Did you just use my name as a phrase in doing something stupid?!" Oluo asked angrily. Eld chuckled.
"Yep." He said and the door closed behind him. Oluo sighed and sat down on the bed. He supposed this was Stacy's room before she died. Guess she must have had a strong bond with them otherwise they wouldn't defend her like that. They were a team and he was still the outsider. Oluo nodded decisively. He would have to work hard to change that.
DILAN'S P.O.V.
Dilan sighed in relief as she finished up the last lap. It didn't take her long and she actually quite enjoyed it. That was probably another reason why Levi didn't give her so many punishments. She enjoyed most of them. Guess he would have to get creative if she ever actually fucked up enough to deem punishment worthy. Dilan chuckled at the thought as she wiped the sweat off her forehead and head back inside, grabbing a drink before moving upstairs.
She turned seeing Eld as he left Oluo's room. Dilan found it weird that Stacy didn't live in there anymore but decided to ignore that thought before she got depressed.
"Hey." Dilan smiled as Eld walked over to her. "Showed him the ropes?" She asked. Eld chuckled.
"Yeah most of them. Uh... Dil?" He asked, avoiding her eyes. Dilan tilted her head at his curious behaviour but didn't mention it.
"Yep?"
"Well um... I was wondering um... if maybe..." He started awkwardly, his face starting to heat up. Dilan blinked in confusion.
What's wrong with him?
"Would you..." He looked her in the eye and froze like a deer in bright light. Dilan wasn't sure what to do. He was kind of freaking her out.
"Eld? Are you alright?" She asked hesitantly. Eld snapped out of it, the blush on his cheeks more distinct now.
"Yeah! I mean I was just going to ask if you would teach me how to fight better like your teaching Petra, but I figured you'll have your hands full with Oluo for now. Okay see you later bye!" Eld blurted out before hurrying past and disappearing behind his bedroom door. Dilan blinked.
"Well that was weird." She mumbled to herself. A snicker snapped her out of it, and she turned to see Petra with a wide smile on her face, poking her head out of her bedroom door.
"That was fun to watch." She commented. Dilan walked towards her.
"Is he okay? Did I upset him?" Dilan asked, concerned. Petra giggled and shook her head.
"No, he's fine. Don't worry about him. Hey... I was wondering if you wanted to hang out?" She asked hopefully. Dilan could still see a bit of guilt in her eyes from their fight. She smiled in reassurance.
"Sure, let me get changed, I'll be in there in a sec." Dilan offered, and Petra smiled, happily, nodding.
Dilan changed quickly in her bedroom, throwing a blue hoodie over her pyjamas to hide her arms since she was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt and knocking on Petra's door. She opened it and Dilan walked in, flopping down on the bed. Petra smiled, closing the door behind her and crawling onto the bed besides her. There was a moment of silence and Dilan was pretty sure they were both thinking about Stacy.
"Feels quiet." Petra whispered, a bit of emotion in her voice. Dilan hummed in agreement and squeezed the girl's hand for support.
"She was real, Petra. I know it's hard and I know you might resent her after all the talks we had about you and the Captain, but she was being genuine. She wasn't trying to manipulate you." Dilan assured, remembering something Petra had said this morning. She sighed and squeezed the hand back.
"I know. I'm sorry." She apologised. Dilan smiled, leaning her head on her friends' shoulder.
"Don't be. I'm not mad." She comforted. Petra smiled in relief.
"Good." She sighed in content and there was a long stretch of peaceful silence. "Dil?" Petra asked. Dilan hummed that she was listening. Her eyes were closed, and she was pretty tired. "Will you ever tell us about your life in the underground? I didn't ask before because I didn't want to make you upset but... I feel like I don't know that much about you. I've told you everything about myself." Petra said softly and Dilan sighed. it was true, Dilan knew everything there was to know about Petra.
She was born in wall Maria, just outside Wall rose. She was the youngest sibling of three, with two older brothers. One of which joined the Military Police, the other died of fever 5 years previous. Her father was a blacksmith and her mother died a long time ago when she was a baby. She joined the Scouts because even though she was scared, she wanted to make a difference and she wanted to fight for humanities freedom.
"I don't know Petra. I don't talk about my past because I'm not that person anymore. I don't think you would be friends with the person I used to be." Dilan replied quietly and Petra sat up a bit to look at her.
"I'll always be your friend, Dilan. If you don't want to tell me, that doesn't bother me." She smiled and Dilan smiled back. She supposed she could spare a few non dark details.
"I used to work in a bar." She admitted and Petra's eyes lit up.
"Really?" She asked. Dilan chuckled and nodded.
"Yeah, Brandon Bar. The owner's called Joel and he was really nice to me, even though I was late to my shifts all the time." Dilan explained and Petra smiled happily.
"Sounds like my Dilan." She chuckled and Dilan smiled, guessing that was true. She opened her mouth to say more but decided she wasn't really ready for anything else tonight. Maybe she could tell her more another time. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to tell me anymore. Thanks for that." Petra reassurance and Dilan smiled her thanks. "You want to sleep over?" She asked.
"Sure." Dilan smiled and they both got under the covers, turning of the light and sighing in relief after the long day of training.
"Dilan?" Petra asked after a while, cutting through the silence. "Yeah?"
"You don't... like the Captain, right?" She whispered and silence followed before Dilan sat up and turned the light back on, frowning in confusion.
"What the hell are you talking about?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow. Petra sighed, putting her hands over her face.
"I'm sorry. Gunther got in my head about how he treats you differently and stuff. He thinks your dating." Petra admitted, her voice muffled by the hands. Another beat of silence followed before Dilan burst out laughing.
"Me... me and Levi?" She choked out through loud laughs.
"Really you don't like him?" Petra asked, relief on her face. Dilan composed herself, wiping a tear of laughter out of her eye.
"Petra, me and Levi are reluctant friends. That's it. There's nothing for you to worry about." She assured with a chuckle and Petra let out a relieved laugh. Dilan had only lied a little but Petra would probably be confused if Dilan told her they were best friends.
"Okay good." She sighed, turning the light back off. "Night Dil."
"Night Petra." Dilan sighed, getting comfy. She turned over onto her side, facing away from Petra, and her eyes widened significantly as she tried to slow her beating heart. Why the hell had the question caused such a reaction in her? Dilan had to use every ounce of will power not to blush.
Dilan closed her eyes and took a breath. It was just the surprise of the question. Nothing else. She had nothing to worry about. Dilan sighed in relief and let sleep take her.
A/N: Yo! Oluo has officially joined the special ops! Of course, he still needs an initiation but we'll get to that shortly.
Guys we're so close!!
Thank you to everyone who was chosen to like and follow this story and to everyone reading as a guest too. It makes me so happy that people enjoy my work and I really appreciate every comment left here.
Stay safe! X
