This chapter is pretty short. This chapter is pretty terrible.

Please do try to enjoy it, though, for what it's worth.

Her form was beautiful, those lean arms extending into eternity with every swing of her swords. Hips moved in synch with the rocking of the 3DMG, toes were pointed, shoulders down and her overall body composition was relaxed, nearly graceful. She turned fighting into an art form. He was almost envious. It was only a matter of time until she would surpass his own threshold of greatness.

"Pick up the pace, you fat fuck!"

Levi stood, observing. Arms crossed, mouth set in a thin line. He kept watching her soar through the sky, studied the way she locked her wrists into position before taking a swing at each passing target. Mikasa Ackerman had no need to pick up the pace, she was actually minutes past her personal best. And it went without saying that her own personal best was an idealized fantasy to the average solider around here.

"You have a left hand, you know!" He noticed she always attacked with her dominant hand, the right hand. It wasn't that big of a deal, but throughout the course of a mission, that stress on one particular hand would add up and render an entire arm useless. "Use it!"

There was an immediate adjustment in her sword patterns. He narrowed his eyes, watching the girl both literally and figuratively tear up the training grounds.

He had a conflict of interests at the present moment. Levi was teetering the line of either obeying Commander Erwin or Eren Jaeger when trying to figure out what to do with Mikasa Ackerman. Logically, he knew he had to follow the orders of his boss, and he owed it to mankind to craft Mikasa Ackerman into a beacon of hope. But every time he would extend a foot to trip her as she was carrying boxes during her daily chores, or when he would yank her by the roots of her hair to capture her full attention, there was a faint reiteration of Eren's request. He certainly did not possess any fear toward the kid and lacked any concern from how Eren would confront him, but Levi had a fascination in the relationship between Eren and Mikasa. It was like nothing he had ever seen, the way their attachment ran so deeply. He understood how much Eren cared about her, and how much it would hurt him to watch Levi torture Mikasa.

And while Levi could inflict physical pain without a second thought, there was a barrier he put up when it came to psychological pain. A body could heal, but a mind? Never. Levi did not want to be responsible for causing that sort of damage, no matter the person.

But, when it came down to it, an order was an order. Commander Erwin took astronomical precedent over the lowly Eren Jaeger, so the boy would have to deal with Mikasa Ackerman coming home in tears from time to time.

This day held no exception. Mikasa Ackerman landed on her feet just feet from Levi's spot on the ground, her breathing frantic, which she was trying her hardest to even out. She didn't want to be winded in front of him, and Levi rolled his eyes.

"Breathe, stupid. In and out, slowly," Levi straightened the sleeve of his tan coat. "Don't tell me you need a lesson in the human respiratory system, too."

"No, sir," She was looking at him, but Levi knew better. She was looking through him. Past Captain Levi, past the Survey Corps, past the end of the humans or the titans, whichever came first. "I'm fine."

Levi could feel the chill of Commander Erwin watching. Although he was physically not anywhere near the training course, Commander Erwin had a way of knowing everything. And he would know that Levi did not push Mikasa Ackerman far enough today, and he would be reprimanded for it. Another long-winded speech he would be stuck sitting through. So, in order to avoid that happening, he looked at Mikasa Ackerman without any trace of compassion.

"Two-mile run, now. You have exactly twelve minutes to finish."

She glowered, because that had become a common occurrence between the two of them. He let her do whatever she wanted with her facial expressions, as long she kept her tongue in line and completed all orders to his satisfaction. And this order, the two-mile run, had been satisfied, with an entire forty-five seconds to spare.

"Here," He handed Mikasa the canteen of water when she circled back to where Levi had been standing. Levi could have forced some push-ups out of her, or maybe another mile, but he decided against it. It was one thing to push the mind and body to build endurance, but it was an entirely new thing to overexert. That would do more harm than good, and Levi was in no mood to carry the heavy, sweaty girl to the infirmary.

"Compose yourself, and when you're ready, we'll finish off training with some sparring."

Levi stripped of his jacket and rolled the sleeves of his uniform shirt to the elbows. Mikasa sipped her water, and he watched as she stood with her eyes closed, chest rising and falling so rapidly. She was in top physical condition and yet she was panting as if she hadn't run a day in her life. But eventually, she got a grip over herself, and tossed the water to the side. Off slid her jacket, and off slid her scarf. Both were neatly folded and dropped at her feet.

"Let's try not to make me bleed this time, got it?"

She raised her fists. Eyes were still in some distance gaze, far past anywhere Levi could ever stand. "No promises."

This time, she waited for Levi to make the first move. And he did, an experimental fist flying to her head. He needed to gauge how much of a fight she was willing to put up, and he was sort of concerned when she hardly counterattacked. She stuck to dodging and minimal kicking. This was not what Levi had expected, nor wanted.

"How about you put up a real fight, Ackerman?"

Mikasa stared, blankly registering Levi's words. Then she frowned. "Don't tell me what to do."

"Excuse me?" He spoke carefully, trying to give her a second chance to kill the attitude.

"Essentially," She raised her fists again. Okay, now Levi may be getting a fight. "What I'm trying to say," She swung. It missed, but her power was nearly tangible. "is to go fuck yourself."

He couldn't even begin to trace where this hostility was coming from. Levi was under the impression that they reached middle ground, where Levi directed and Mikasa followed. Aside from the glares and the minimal conversation between the two, there hadn't been much adversary. Until this moment, and Levi was more surprised than angry.

"Ackerman—" He ducked out of the way of another punch, blocked another kick. She was moving rapidly, her attacks were rapid and sloppy—everything Levi had instructed Mikasa not to be. "What has gotten into you this time?"

"I'm following orders, Captain," She spoke with empty respect, almost innocent of telling him to fuck off, and even more innocent of trying to kill him with her bare hands. "Kill the enemy, right?"

"First off," He grabbed her wrist, but she kicked him in the shin—a weak attack, but it did the job. Levi let go, flying back to avoid her. He hadn't decided to attack her, but it was only a matter of time, or him reaching the limits of his patience. "You do not injure during a spar, let alone kill—"

"But you're the enemy, so I'm half right."

Levi had managed to piss off entire cohorts throughout the course of his lifetime—a lifetime that wasn't even that large in the first place. But he never found any offense in the disdain others felt toward him, and he always managed to have the upper hand. And here was Mikasa Ackerman, finding offense and lacking the upper hand.

This had to change, and that is why Levi started punching back. Mikasa wasn't surprised, or at least she didn't show it. He had beaten her before, and this was her chance to beat him. And Levi was gifting her that chance.

The fight was quick, it was raw, and Levi was surprised that it was real. He hadn't been in a real fight in years—unless a few weeks ago in the city counted—but like rule-breaking, fighting came so naturally. Mikasa, especially performing so erratically, was not much of a contender. Her punches were powerful, sending shockwaves resonating in Levi's body, but she didn't land enough to do any serious damage.

Mikasa, with her fair skin and pink lips and silky hair, moved in slow motion. Levi saw her weakness, the way she left her face open for the taking. And he could punch her in that gorgeous face so easily and end this fight, and reestablish his dominance. But she was so pretty, with a youthfulness about her face. He couldn't bring himself to soil that beauty with her own blood. It was almost blasphemous.

Then he felt something sharp in his lowermost body, and Levi saw the retraction of Mikasa's foot from his crotch. A wave of nausea hit him, and he recoiled, falling down onto the grass. Through his groveling, he managed to catch Mikasa raising her foot again, hurdling it at full force, right in the direction of his head.

He had been in this predicament numerous times before, on the ground at the mercy of someone else's foot. So he knew how to aim for the ankle, and he understood that her balance would be off-center, and he executed his plan—ripping Mikasa out of her perfect balance and causing her to stumble back—which gave him the right amount of time to rise to his feet.

And that same opening presented itself, her face unshielded and vulnerable. This time, he took his chance. But he still didn't want to hurt her face, so he lowered his target down to her neck.

Her hands clawed at his grip around her throat, and she kicked furiously as he pushed her backward onto the ground. Levi had her pinned down, restricting her breathing, and he saw fear in her eyes. It was surprising—Mikasa never even showed fear in the presence of titans—but it wasn't enough for Levi to release. Then she was screaming. Levi had heard plenty of screams during his career as a soldier, and even numerous times before that. But Mikasa Ackerman screaming? It was as if she genuinely believed Levi would kill her.

He wouldn't, but he still had to teach her a lesson. Actions had consequences, and this was hers.

"P-Please—s-stop—" She was choking, begging. Levi didn't have the heart to release.

Then that's when she started crying.

Crying.

Mikasa Ackerman crying.

Blood, sweat, and tears was the saying, but Mikasa Ackerman only demonstrated the former two. Levi always admired her ability to keep the tears in, even during the most stressing of situations. But here she lost something as dumb as a spar, and she was crying. Tears were falling, she was wailing as much as her lungs would allow, and Levi had to let go.

He had made the girl cry.

No, he had made her hysteric.

He felt bad, a sort of guilt he never in his life ever felt. He was heartless and lacked even a fragment of a soul, but he was overwhelmed with the need to shake this girl by her shoulders and scream every sorry he was capable of. Apologies meant for her, and apologies meant for the rest of the world.

Levi wouldn't do that, of course. He made her cry, and it was too late. No need to look backward, only forward. So, in an attempt to help her to her feet and maybe free her of this evening's chores as some sort of consolation, he dropped his hands to his side, rising to his feet.

The world started spinning, and Levi couldn't keep his feet firmly under him. Sharp echoes of his brain hitting the back of his skull knocked the wind out of him, and he could taste blood on his lips. Mikasa lowering her fist was the last image Levi could make out, before falling unconscious entirely.

"This is all your fault," Levi hissed at the irritatingly cheerful excuse of an expert that Hanji Zoe was. "You're a goddamned scientist. I would like to assume your methods weren't so hazardous to my physical well-being."

She dropped the tray of food onto the bed-side table. The woman wasn't phased by Levi's harshness. "Stop being such a baby, Levi. One little concussion and suddenly you're a bitching and moaning mess," Hanji looked at Levi with a smile. "Maybe if you learned how to fight, you wouldn't be in here."

"I can show you right now how capable I am of fighting," Levi, although he would never admit, was pouting. He stared at the line were the ceiling and the wall met, because that was the biggest source of entertainment in this infirmary. He was going mad. "How long am I supposed to stay confined to this bed?"

"So dramatic," Hanji was more absorbed with the clipboard in her hand, the sound of her pen scratching against the paper filling the otherwise empty room. "You're free to go whenever you want."

That was a pleasant surprise. Levi would've assumed that Hanji already had handcuffs prepared to chain him down in order to recover. "And how am I for training?"

"Take it easy for the rest of the week, and come see me every day for a check up. I'll tell you when you're ready for activity," Hanji started walking away. Over her shoulder, she bid her regards. "Looks like someone came to visit you. Have fun!"

Levi dropped his head against the pillow, an action he immediately regretted. This headache he had was far worse than he thought he was capable of tolerating. And now he had to face Commander Erwin yelling at him for letting Mikasa Ackerman hurt him. Or maybe it was Eren Jaeger, here to give Levi a lecture for making his beloved little girlfriend upset.

Either way, he knew it would be about Mikasa Ackerman, and either way, he was not in the mood for it.

But then, because the universe had a fucking sense of humor, Mikasa Ackerman in the flesh poked her head into the room. Levi wasn't sure if he wanted to bother with acknowledging her presence.

"Hey."

Her voice was quiet, almost mistaken for an exhale of breath. Despite the anger he should have felt toward her, Levi could feel himself slipping. He looked at the girl.

"Ackerman."

Mikasa took that as a green light to enter, which she did with upmost caution. She was still in her uniform, even though it had to be well into the night and everyone else was probably in their lounging attire.

"How are you feeling, Captain?"

The anger he should have been feeling finally hit, and Levi tried killing her with one look. It wasn't fatal enough, but it was enough for Mikasa to hesitate that much more.

"What is it that you want?"

There wasn't a chair in the room—unsurprising, because in reality, there was no one who would come visit Levi while he'd be in the infirmary—so Mikasa remained standing. It wasn't like they were on good enough terms for her to join him on the bed.

"Eren sent me to come see you."

So it wasn't the guilt of giving her captain a concussion, but because her stupid little shit of a boyfriend told her to show up, probably with flowers and a letter of apology. Levi was wondering where the flowers were.

"Jaeger," Levi finally said. He looked down at his lap, then turned his head slightly to see Mikasa Ackerman. "Funny how he isn't even a goddamned human, and yet he still has more of a heart than you do."

"That's not fair," Mikasa, after her bold statement, shut her mouth. Her fingers went straight for the red scarf hanging against her chest.

"You have quite the chutzpah to knock me out, then come to visit me in the infirmary due to said knock-out, and then stand there and tell me what it is that is fair and not fair," His voice gradually raised in intensity, but nobody was yelling. Maybe because this headache hurt too bad to handle loud noise, let alone produce such a loud noise. "I ask again, Ackerman. What the hell is it that you want?"

"Eren told me—" She stopped, and then rephrased. "I realized that I owe you an explanation."

An explanation. Not an apology.

"Due to recent circumstances, my patience threshold has been lowered considerably," Levi looked away, out the window and into the moonlight. "So I suggest you make it quick."

"According to Eren, he thinks that you taking me into the city was an attempt at creating a stronger relationship," Mikasa lacked confidence in that statement, as if she didn't believe that could ever be the truth. Alas, it was. "And he thinks that I was stupid to blow it."

Levi agreed. "You were."

"So it was an attempt at bonding?"

"Emphasis on was."

"Right," Mikasa looked down. "I was still angry with what you said to me in the city, how you said I didn't know anything about suffering. It's not true, and I hated you so much for belittling my past to that statement."

Levi didn't say anything. He didn't want to say anything. This was Mikasa Ackerman's opportunity to speak, and he would give it to her.

"And I attacked you today because the way you pinned me down—that wasn't the first time a man's hands were around my neck."

There was nothing Levi could say. He bowed his head, looking away from the girl. She had been touched by a man before, and in a way that made Mikasa's first instinct to kill? Levi was disgusted. Not with Mikasa, but with himself.

"What happened?" He finally asked.

Mikasa remained quiet, but only for a beat. "That's why Eren sent me, and that's why I came. He said that I needed to open up. He said it was for the better of mankind, and for my own personal training, if we had a camaraderie that stemmed into good terms. That if I demonstrated trust in you, it would allow for more on the battlefield."

Levi wanted to nod. Maybe this was why Hanji even suggested such a thing in the first place. But Levi remained still, silent in his own theories and speculations about this girl, and what would become of the two of them. He couldn't even look in her direction.

She stepped forward, footsteps light, as if they were ready to turn and run away at any moment. Then there was the feeling of her warmth on his hand. She was touching him. Another human being was touching Levi, and not in a way that would potentially lead to his demise. And as soon as he registered her contact, she was gone, already walking out of the door, leaving behind no trace beside a simple request.

"Whenever you recover, come find me. I'd like to show you what happened to me."

The Levi/Mikasa ball gets rolling from here on out.

So does Eren/Mikasa, because I can't not ship them.

And I do think they're in character, at least for the most part.

I'm trying not to confine myself to the archetypes that the rest of the fandom has set up for them.

Feel free to end my life if you think otherwise.

No but really, please do tell me what you think.

(On an unrelated matter, I promise I'll update my other fic. Eventually.)

I love you.