Chapter nine
The Armin protection squad.
After the newfound couple had made out for quite a while, Armin's stomach suddenly started to rumble. ''Well, that kills the mood.'' Levi commented, as Armin's cheeks turned crimson. ''It's been a while since I ate decently, Levi. There wasn't much to eat in the Titan forest, and to be honest, I was glad that I wasn't supper, so I forgot about having supper myself.'' Armin said, making Levi grumble something about having to hit Bertholdt harder next time.
He glanced at the clock behind Armin, then said, ''Well, it's time for supper, so I suppose we can get something to eat.'' Armin grinned, before replying, ''This time, it will be my treat.'' Both headed to the mess hall, it was packed. While they went ahead and got their food, Levi felt people stare at them. When he looked around to see who were, he spotted the table with the ex-trainee's, a few of them smirked, while some shot him murderous looks.
'Somehow, I get the feeling this is going to be a rather troublesome dinner.' Levi thought, before he noticed Armin tugging his arm, asking if Levi had heard the question the cook had asked. After the cook had given them their dinners, and Levi wanted to walk to his regular table, the one he shared with shitty-glasses and Erwin, Connie walked up to them. Connie grabbed Armin's arm, stating that it had been a while since he had seen him, and that Armin must sit and talk with them.
Armin smiled and nodded, allowing Connie to pull him along to the ex-trainee table. Levi raised an eyebrow, wondering when exactly Connie became close with Armin, before trailing after them. Armin was seated in between Connie and Jean, making it impossible for Levi to sit next to him, since the bench was already occupied by five people. He shrugged, and decided to sit across Armin. Unfortunately, sitting there meant sitting between Mikasa and Eren. Levi decided it was probably their idea to get Armin to sit here, and that the others were pawns in their evil game to keep him and Armin separated.
''It's so nice of the Heichou to join us.'' Christa said, oblivious to what was going on. Levi merely gave her grim smile, before looking at Armin, who was happily chatting with Connie. ''You look like you don't like the food. If you don't mind, I'll be more then happy to eat it for you.'' Sasha said, trying to snatch Levi's plate. Levi rapidly executed evasive maneuvres, before she could establish a beach-head. ''I'm fine.'' he replied, and Sasha pouted as she drew her arm back. While he observed Sasha's retreat, Mikasa 'accidentily' stabbed at his hand. He withdrew from her assault, managing to consolidate his position just in time.
''Sorry, my hand slipped.'' Mikasa said curtly, ''Oh! Good one, so did mine!'' Sasha interjeced, Levi just rolled his eyes, before smiling at Armin again. Armin caught Levi staring at him, smiling back cheerfully. 'Maybe sitting here isn't that bad.' Levi thought, before he saw the smirk Jean gave him, as he lay his arm over Armin's shoulders, nuzzling the blond's hair. Levi's eyes narrowed, thinking, 'Two can play that game, horseface.' He used his fork to pick out a random piece of meat on his plate, held it up to Armin, saying, ''Have you tried this yet?'' Armin shook his head, and Levi offered to feed him. Before Armin could nod, Sasha head swooped in and practically devoured it.
Armin stared at her in confusion, as Levi glared. ''What? If he's willing to share, it's impolite not to accept.'' she said in an innocent tone. No-one fell for it though, because of the large grin plastered over her face. ''I suppose not, though it was a bit random.'' Armin said, giving her a sweet smile. Levi wasn't sure how to react, after all, he was in enemy territory, and he had no one to back him up.
''So, how come you're sitting with us?'' Eren asked, patting Levi's back a little harder then neccessary. ''Yeah, what is the high and mighty Heichou doing here?'' Ymir asked, leaning forward with a teasing smile. ''I think it's wise to see how cadets are doing, and the best method to do this, is to interact with them in their natural habitat. Since each of you can relate to food,'' he eyed Sasha when he said this, ''it made the most sense to deal with you here. Supper is rather short, and I'm not going to spend any more time with any of you, other than within the field.'' he said. In his mind he added, 'With the exception of Armin, that is.'
''Well, it's still nice you try to interact with us.'' Krista said sweetly. ''Whatever.'' Levi muttered under his breath, before he felt something touching his leg. He looked around questioningly, challenging anyone who might assault his leg. His eyes met Armin's who smiled sweetly, and winked. 'He's trying to comfort me, damn, he's sweet and smart.' Levi smiled back, allowing Armin's foot to fondle his.
Suddenly another foot kicked Levi's out of the way, it came from the right. Levi looked at Eren, who gave him a challenging look. ''Something wrong?'' Eren asked. Levi wondered who had told him to play it subtle. There was no way the lout came up with it by himself, knowing Eren, he would have reacted instinctively, and started a fight. Suddenly Levi realised what was going on. Mikasa was the commander of this table, with Eren being the sub-commander, the rest operating as their soldiers who had undertaken the mission of cockblocking him very seriously.
Their objective; protecting Armin from him, and seeing how the dinner progressed, they were about to succeed in their mission. ''There was an annoying bug on my leg. I ought to squish it, later.'' Levi replied. Dinner remained an ordeal, with Mikasa repeatedly having little 'accidents' where her fork nearly stabbed his hand, arm, and even head. Connie and Jean kept Armin pleasantly occupied, while Sasha managed to squirrel away more than half of his food. Ymir and Eren were just teasing him blantantly, and when dinner was finally over, things detoriated even further when Hanji joined them. Levi spotted Erwin leaving the room, in quite a hurry.
''Ah! There you are, Levi. We missed you, and your rant about how to clean properly, during supper.'' she said, as she grabbed a chair and joined them. ''Ah, we haven't heard that rant yet. Now that Hanji is here, you might as well rant here.'' Ymir said, and Krista scowled at her. ''Actually, Hanji, I wanted to talk to you. Do you mind?'' Armin asked, and Hanji shook her head. ''Not at all. Let's chat in my office.'' she said, before dragging Armin with her. Leaving a bewildered Levi at the table, 'I've been abandoned! I'm betting they'll get worse, now that Armin is gone. But it also means it is easier to start a counter attack.' Levi thought, watching the grinning Jean carefully. ''What is it? Spill it, horseface.'' Levi demanded.
''Hey, if I'm a horse, then I'm a fucking stallion. But that aside, I was just thinking about you and Armin.'' Jean replied. Levi quirked an eyebrow, "You associate Armin with fucking stallions...'' He asked, threatheningly. ''Eww'' Krista muttered, while Jean seemed grossed out. Connie and Eren were confused, not understanding what Levi just implied, and Mikasa somehow wanted to stab a horse. But stabbing Jean would do the trick as well.
Jean coughed before saying, ''That was not what I meant at all! I wanted to ask how your talk with Armin was. You asked him to come to your office.'' Jean said. Damn, the horseface had cornered him. If he answered that question honestly, Eren and Mikasa would beat the crap out of him for kissing Armin. But there was no logical answer to the question that would make the situation better.
Mikasa raised her eyebrow questionly, ''Does this mean... has Armin asked you?'' she asked Levi in a soft tone. ''Armin requested to keep our conversation private. If you want to know, you'll have to ask him.'' Levi said, making movements to leave. Eren grabbed his wrist, stopping Levi from leaving. ''What do you want!'' Levi snapped at him. ''I wanted to talk to you, about what I said earlier.'' the Titan-shifter said. ''Make it quick, I've things to do.'' Levi said, as the crowd was about to disperse.
Levi turned around to the cadets and said, ''You lot aren't going anywhere. Each and everyone of you is going to clean the plates. I'll be checking on you later, so those plates better be shining when I drop by.'' The teens sighed, and grudgingly started gathering the plates. While they did so, Armin and Hanji arrived at her office. She opened it, with a small giggle. ''Something wrong?'' Armin asked, as he heard her stiffled laughter. ''No! No! Nothing in particular. I was just thinking about my earlier conversation with you.'' she said, while they entered the office.
Armin smiled when he remembered what she had asked him. ''Take care of him, Armin. He needs it after the loss of Petra. He used to be sort of close to her, before she, well, you know what happened.'' He had been very confused when she had asked him this, but by now he understood. ''Ehr, yeah. That's actually what I wanted to talk about.'' Armin said as they sat down. ''What do you mean? What did you do?'' she asked, somewhat worried. ''Ehr, well...'' Armin blushed furiously, and Hanji smirked. ''No way! Shut up. You mean you and he... really?'' she rambled in a high pitched voice. Armin nodded, before saying, ''I really do love him. He's very kind, and, dare I say it, handsome.''
''That's great, Armin. And I'm very glad you shared this with me. Levi wouldn't, and even if I would notice it, I'd take me ages to pry it out of him. So...'' Hanji wiggled with her eyebrows, ''.. how did it happen. Don't skip any details.'' she said. ''Ehr, well... it wasn't that special. He asked me to come to his office, to see how I was doing, and then we confessed. I kissed him, and then he kissed back, which was mind-blowing. But that isn't why I am here.'' Armin said.
''Oh?'' Hanji feigned interest. ''Then why're you here?'' she asked. ''I wanted to know what Levi likes. He's been teased mercilessly during dinner. My friends are too protective of me, and I want to make it up to him.'' he said. Hanji smiled, a little too wide, before saying, ''Well, I do have an idea or two on how you can cheer him up.'' she said, making Armin regret his choice to ask Hanji for help a little.
Levi supervised as the brats started to gather the plates, and prepared to clean them. Eren nervously eyed him, as he got closer. ''What do you want, Eren?'' Levi said, sensing that Eren was hesitating to say something. ''Earlier, I said I wanted to talk to you. If you don't mind, I want to talk about it now.'' Eren said. ''Speak up then. I'm not going to stop watching them, but I'll still hear whatever you say, loudmouth.'' Levi scolded, making Eren frown.
''I said something about Armin seeing something in you this afternoon. I shouldn't have said that, I mean, he still does, but it would have been better if he told you about it, instead of you hearing it from me. So, could you pretend you haven't heard that?'' Eren asked. Levi raised his eyebrow before smirking, ''A little too late for that, don't you think?'' he said teasingly. ''What do you mean? What did you do to him?'' Eren asked. ''Really? I thought you had noticed already, or that Mikasa or Jean would've informed you. '' Levi said.
''Informed me about what? What did you do to him? And why were your feet touching during dinner? Answer me!'' Eren demanded, making the rest look in their direction. ''It's nothing, continue with your assignment'' Levi ordered them, before turning to Eren. ''What I'm saying is, is that after what you told me, Armin and I had a talk. I hate to admit it, but it's due to you that we expressed our feelings, and decided to see how this relationship will work out for us. Even if it is just temporary, we want to explore the possibilities.''
''What?'' Eren said, before squinting his eyes angrily. ''Don't worry, you'll still see plenty of Armin, and so will I. My god, it's good that your best friends have the patience of saints, because...'' Levi couldn't finish his sentence, because Eren's fist crashed against his jaw. Everyone stopped in their tracks, Eren panted, before saying ''Don't you dare force yourself upon him, if I ever find you've hurt him, I'll kill you!''
''Eren, stop it.'' Mikasa said softly. Eren tried to hit Levi again, but the latter defended himself. ''You need to calm down.'' he said to Eren, as he pushed the boy to the ground and restrained him. But Eren refused to calm down, attempting to kick Levi. The other cadets were frozen. They knew Eren had anger issues, but they had never seemed this bad. Jean and Mikasa helped Levi restraining Eren, but there was no such luck.
At that moment,Hanji and Armin walked in and stared in shock at the scene before them. ''Stop it!'' Armin yelled, rushing towards the fighting pair. Mikasa and Jean listened to him, but the other two didn't. Armin squirmed between them and gently pushed Levi off Eren, putting his mouth near Eren's ear. Levi took a step back and assumed a fighting stance, but Armin said, ''Trust me.'' Levi nodded and relaxed somewhat, hoping that Armin knew what he was doing.
''Eren'' he urged, making him freeze for a moment. ''Eren, do you hear me? Can you tell me what's wrong?'' Armin said. ''Armin, I... you... deflowered.'' Eren mumbled. ''You're making no sense to me, Eren. Please, calm down. You're scaring me. You're scaring everyone here.'' Armin replied.
''I'm trying... to.. protect.. you.'' Eren said, trying to glare at Levi. ''Eren, I appreciate it. But I'm capable of taking care of myself and I think I made the right decision. If not, you'll be the first person to know, I promise.'' Armin said. Eren sighed heavily before nodding calmly. ''If you say so, Armin, then I trust you. I'm sorry that I told Levi.'' Eren whispered, and Armin smiled, shifted his weight off of Eren, and moved his hands to ruffle trough Eren's hair. ''That's ok. I wouldn't have told him myself.'' he said.
Levi scowled as he saw how close the two of them were, then looked around and noticed that the others had stop doing the dishes. ''Show's over. Please clean those plates, take a shower and go to bed.'' he ordered, before kneeling next to Armin. Before he could say something, Erwin entered to room. ''Riviaille, Yeager and Arlert! What's going on? I heard a ruckus earlier.'' he said, furrowing his eyebrows. None of them knew what to say, but Sasha, who was eating the last loaf of bread, did know how to explain the situation. ''F'evi and Ewen vwere fighding, Suh.'' she said with her mouth full. ''I was involved too, Sir.'' Armin admitted, ''My office, now.'' he told them.
Once they arrived at the office, Erwin sat down and asked, ''Rivaille, what in the world is so important that you've to fight about it in front of the Cadets? I know you and Yeager don't get along, but you know how to use your mouth.'' Erwin said, eyeing Levi angrily. ''Sir, he provoked me, Sir.'' Eren said. ''What do you mean?'' Erwin asked, curious what Levi could have said.
''Well, the others kinda teased him during dinner, and at first I didn't understand why, but it was fun, so I joined in. Later on, I realized it was because Levi and Armin are in a relationship, and since Armin is my best friend, I wanted to know what happend. But he said such mean things during the explaination, I sorta snapped and..'' Eren rambled, but Erwin interupted him, ''Armin and Levi are in a what? You know what. You join the rest in cleaning, and as punishment, I want you to help with Hanji's research for a day. Now please leave me, Rivaille and Arlert alone.'' he asked.
Eren paled, wondering what the Titan-crazed woman would want to do to him, but nodded before leaving the room. ''Arlert, is this true?'' Erwin asked, as Eren left the room. ''Ah, ehr, yes.. Sir'' Armin blushed. ''Levi, you do realise it's against regulations to date someone with a lower rank than you?'' Erwin asked. Levi nodded curtly, before saying, ''Sir, I don't give a shit about my status. I'd rather become a Cadet, and give my position to Ackerman, then to give up my feelings for Armin.''
''It's good to hear you've found someone you love, and it's for the better that it'll be impossible to knock Armin up, but I fear that your new-found love could cause a distraction out there. Therefore I must ask you to think it over, before-'' he never could finish his sentence, because Armin saluted, and said ''Sir. I understand what you're saying, but I can give you my promise that we devote our hearts to the cause. Defeating the Titans has our priorities, but don't you think it's only natural to have such feelings as love? If anything, love makes one stronger, for you fight not only for yourself, but also for your beloved. Look at Franz and Hannah, they never stopped fighting. They never stopped, because they want a new and better world, in case they ever get a child.''
Silence fell. Armin trembled a little, as Erwin was taken aback, and Levi stared in shock at the blond. Just as Armin was about to apoligize, Erwin started to laugh hard. Levi joined in, and Armin was confused. After the fit of laughter, Erwin wiped some tears away, before finally responding, ''Sorry. You were so adorable just now. I can see why Levi likes you so much.'' he chuckled. Levi smiled, before taking Armin's hand in his, and said ''I agree with everything Armin just said.'' Erwin smiled, before saying, ''I can see that you're very loyal to each other, and to be quite honest, I never expected Levi to find love. I suppose I could let it go, as long as you keep it on the down low, and don't cause any distractions.''
''Thank you...'' Armin mumbled. ''Well, Levi could you tell the cadets to go to bed, regardless of whether they are done or not. It's getting late.'' he said, and Levi nodded assent, before heading towards the kitchen. Erwin folded his hands together, while looking at the other blond. ''Armin, there was something I wanted to discuss with you, I've already talked it over with Lenz.'' he said, before unfolding his hands again, and motioning Armin to sit. Armin sat across from Erwin, wondering what Erwin and Krista had been talking about. ''Is this about what happened at the Titan forest?'' he asked nervously.
''It's connected. I have to figure out what to do with Reiner and Bertholdt. Lenz requested they be allowed to live and serve the Corps, because they intended no harm, but that doesn't change the fact they are responsible for the deaths of thousands of people.'' Erwin said. Armin nodded in understanding, before saying ''I agree with what you say, but I don't think they deserve a death penalty straight away. They did have their own reasons for what they did. I don't believe they had the right approach, but I do believe they have the right to explain themselves, just like Eren did. However, most civilians will be prejudiced, and won't listen to what they say. I think it would be fairer to try them before a military tribunal.''
''I'll take this in consideration. Please go fetch Levi, I've a feeling he won't allow the cadets to stop before the plates are clean enough, but they'll need their sleep.'' Erwin said with a gentle smile. ''Yes, Sir.'' Armin replied, before running to the kitchen as well, only to find Levi washing the plates. ''Need help?'' he asked, but Levi shook his head. ''It's fine, I'm almost done. Go to bed, Armin.'' he replied.
Armin smiled, but stubbornly grabbed a towel, and started drying the plates. He waited a bit, then asked timidly, ''What did you say to make Eren snap?'' Levi looked at him, before saying ''I said that we would give our relationship a chance, and that even if we would go out, he would still be able to see you.'' Armin looked at him questionly, before replying, ''Did you say it in a certain tone, or maybe with other words? Eren sometimes doesn't get what people are saying, and tends to misinterpret.''
Levi pursed his lips, before saying, ''I may have said a thing or two that may have confused him. I did not intentionally provoke him.'' Armin hesitated, before saying, ''We can talk to him in the morning, to smooth this over.''
After they were done, Armin wanted to wish Levi goodnight, and head to his own bed, but Levi grabbed his hand, and said ''It's a cold night. If you want to, you can come with me.'' Armin said nothing, but nodded before allowing Levi to lead him to his room. They undressed, and Levi lend Armin a shirt, before they crawled into bed, snuggling against each other. ''Good night, Rivaille..'' Armin said. ''Sweet dreams, Arlert'' Levi replied, pecking Armin's forehead once more before both of them fell asleep.