the chips are up and on my shoulder, you heard me?
"Attention!" Keith called. "From now on, these three will fight alongside you. You three, introduce yourself to your fellow soldiers."
Quiet stretched, but then Levi curled his lip back from his teeth, and said, "Name's Levi." And that was enough fucking talking for one day, never mind his friend's much more cheery introductions.
A couple days later, some actual cadets were scooped up and left there while they trained, apparently on Erwin's orders. Their "instructor", Flagon, snapped his fingers at a girl during lineup, and she was quick to slam her fist to her chest. Levi's eyebrows twitched in disapproval, and he stared at her, impassive. All these people, bending to the will of asinine assistants, far removed from the ones with actual power. He'd picked up on why they were here, this being showing Levi and his friends what trained Cadets who were almost done with their training could do (actively nothing).
Another snap brought the obedient cadet to the smirking, blonde male's side at the front of the group. "She's top ranked in her class," Flagon said, and the girl barely held a smile in, glowing with the praise. "Also, you're going to work with her."
Levi's lip curled, and he scoffed, "I don't work well with others."
"Well, you're going to have to get good at it. If you can't work with her by the end of the month, I'm going to tell-"
Erwin. Or Keith. Probably Erwin. Erwin was going to hear about it, and Levi wasn't ready for it, or in the mood for it. He didn't have much choice but to acquiesce to the trash in front of him.
"Fine."
The Squad leader turned on his heel, and walked away, head held high in triumph. The cadet he'd summoned to his side scuttled along after him, mouth moving with questions he couldn't hear. The other cadets from her class who had been delivered to this location craned their heads after her. Levi assumed this was a big bump up for the Cadets; out of the 15 here, he meant. Most of them weren't shit, but the pretty girl was, flying through the air with as much precision as Isabel, more even, all of her moves executed perfectly, without enthusiasm. Still, enthusiasm was a distraction, he supposed, and Isabel twirled excessively.
He was faster than her. Of course he was. none of these people knew what it was like down there, knew how to survive like he and his friends did. Yea, he wanted out, but he wanted out with them, where Isabel didn't muse over cake for hours and Farlan didn't come back bruised. And the trainees still had the nerve to call them names, like they were better than them? It wasn't as if he was here to take care of anyone but Isabel, Farlan, and himself; that's who mattered. Levi was confident he could protect them, and that knowledge was cemented with every grudging compliment given to him by Flagon. His prowess in the field was unrivaled.
By the next week, he was fairly miserable, two fingers at his temple during class time, trying to dispel the slow throb that seemed to spring up during Flagon's lessons. All these booksmart cadets were going to have a rude awakening when they actually had to put that knowledge to use fighting any human with real combat experience, nevermind a Titan. They were all so eager to get the instructor's attention by answering questions accurately. The palpable air of concentrated ass-kissing was suffocating. At least his partner sat and took notes, hand raised only when no one else could find the answers. When he was called on, he only sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. After a few days of this treatment, Flagon didn't ask him anymore. So maybe he wasn't as depressingly stupid as Levi had first imagined. Any hope was quashed everyday out in the field, by the Squad Leader, and the overeager Cadets. It was like the man couldn't put a cohesive team unless it put down thirty titans in front of him. Or at least, that's what Levi assumed it would take.
To summarize, he was miserable, his partner was attractive and nervous, and his friends refused to do his cleaning to his expectations.
Now, lunch, with his "partner" glaring at him from her table, thankfully far away, a lone apple, small sandwich, and drink on her tray. Farlan cleared his throat as she stood up, his eyes drifting over her body, nodding slow, a soft 'nice', reaching Levi's ears. Levi stamped on his friend's foot, and Farlan choked on water, suitably disabled from staring, sputtering wildly while the pretty girl stopped at their table, though she had paced a few steps away from it, only to come back. The girl made to speak, opening her mouth, still looking at Levi instead of a red, gasping Farlan. Isabel glared in return, making the pretty girl turn and walk away, head tipped down. Farlan leaned around Levi, watching her as she walked away, and Levi watched her out of the corner of his eye, much smoother about it. His friend was distracted by Lei, another pretty girl, as she flounced by, but Farlan pointed towards the one he'd been injured for, due to his stare.
Farlan's sigh was heavy, almost longing, "Fuck, Levi, she's- fucking shit, that's a good-looking woman. It's really awesome up here, I mean; everywhere. And it's clean, so that's a plus for you."
"She's got a nice-" Levi stopped himself, catching Isabel's annoyed look.
"Did you see Lei with freshly showered hair?" Farlan blew out a breath, his fringe flopping up briefly. "Yea. We should talk about that."
Levi ignored his friend's lack of interesting dialogue, and talked to Isabel, "what?"
"You two are such men."
"Really? Thanks for bringing that up," Farlan snorted, rolling his eyes, food already demolished. His eyes locked onto Isabel's tray, pointing with an eager finger. "You gonna eat that bread?" That finger poked it's way over to Levi's tray soon enough.
"What has she got that I don't?" Isabel snapped, arms over her chest.
"Why does it matter?" Levi asked, swatting Farlan's hand hard away from his food.
"Because I'm a girl."
Farlan cracked a grin. "What has she got? First, she's got a gorgeous face, and piercings, so, you know what that does for me. And," Farlan elbowed Levi, and Levi had to fight to keep his mouth shut. "great ass. Just in general, she's small, so I'm there for it. If she talked more, I'd definitely go for it. There's, like, no conversation, even around the Cadets, and she kind of shrinks herself; some weird shit. Also, she's smart, and smart girls are very good at maneuvering better in relationships; and screwing you over. And, she wants to be a Military Police; takes orders like a dream. I mean, I'd still, you know, but nothing long term."
Levi clenched his teeth, rolling his eyes, half at Farlan's bullshit grandstanding like his knowledge on women didn't come from his old gang accomplices, and half at the fact someone who was good at what they did wanted to waste away in mediocrity. "Wasted talent."
"Ah, fuck, most of these people want to be behind Wall Sina." Farlan waved his hand, then set both on the table, and Levi knew he was going to start on Lei, because his friend was into her, and put the pretty girl in second place behind Lei. Farlan had never been good at romance. Neither was he.
Eventually, Levi made the pretty girl a permanent second in her class, the rankings only considering the group here, training away from others. She was still a number one prospect to any higher ups that previewed the cadets of her year, but finding herself down a rank on other charts made her tense up. This stalled teamwork between them, and she became grating, though she wasn't particularly good at being mean to him. It was almost amusing to get a cold shoulder from her. Enjoying her position as the most knowledgeable person there, for the most part, she couldn't help but answer his questions, and if he asked her to show her where things were, like he didn't know (he always did), she led him around. It was more of a lukewarm shoulder, and he was endlessly amused.
He found himself watching her, the soft spoken girl act she put on breaking down near him, working with him everyday. Levi was even involved in her personal workout routines. It didn't take long for her to get a bit sassy, especially since he could find her trigger in a few seconds. It only took a week for her to make an appointment to complain to Erwin, who'd originally tricked the girl into agreeing to help Levi out; the blond deflected by roping their shitty training instructor Falgon into agreeing again with the idea, never mind how obviously the man didn't care. Levi had been invited to this meeting, and it was very hard for him to keep a poker face as she rattled off reasons why he annoyed her. Neither was given an option out, and as he woke up the next morning at her insanely early hour of training, he sincerely regretted his decision to join the military.
As time went by, he quietly admitted to himself that she was occupying a portion of his thoughts. Levi's attraction to her wasn't very romantic, however. He enjoyed annoying her and the small slivers of personality he picked up from that less than stony silence she tried to keep around him didn't do much to convince him to look past the surface she presented him. She was a pretty girl, there wasn't much mystery as to why he enjoyed thinking about her face. In a variety of dreams, he was entertained by her naked body (to whatever point he'd been imagining it when conscious), tousled curls shading her face, muscle thick thighs wrapped tight around his hips. And Levi was always interested in making his dreams a reality.
He caught her lingering looks, returned them as best he could in the moment. She often ducked her head when she'd been found out, and he wanted to tell her he felt it too. Whatever it was, the way she drew him in wasn't something he was going to ignore. Levi began to make time to include her at his table during dinner, considering Farlan and Isabel were held up almost every night due to their goofing off in their respective training groups. Isabel had made friends, at least, and that also kept her from meals later on in the day, so he usually chose those times to spend with Zoe. When Farlan was with them, usually the trio ended up back in their government approved apartment with a few bottles of wine beneath their belt, and another two in their hands.
She was a great drinking partner. He'd never met a woman who could drink wine like she could. Her preferences were easy to learn as well, and Levi presented her with a bottle one night, the one he knew she liked, the one that was a bit too expensive, even for the pretty star pupil. Zoe wasn't so grumpy after that, even after he told her that he and Farlan had stolen it for her. Small things brought them closer together, and Levi didn't mind. Getting to know her wasn't as boring as he'd thought it might be. He found himself opening up around her, even if it was only a little after many, many drinks. Farlan was often the one coaxing it out of him, otherwise he talked trash about the cadets with her for hours. Levi even made her giggle sometimes.
When he huffed a small chuckle at one of her jokes, Zoe was drunk enough to celebrate over it. Unfortunately, Farlan was there to hype her up, and Levi was stuck giving them stony silence with a matching glare as the two lushes hooted and hollered. She was lucky she was pretty, otherwise she might've gotten the same collar grab and rattle Farlan received; their party was running a minute too long. His left eye twitched in annoyance as Farlan grinned drunkenly up at him, trading a furtive fistbump with the curly accomplice behind him.
"Both of you watch it."
"Mmm, you're no fun," Zoe complained, flopping over the table, nearly spilling her wine glass. She recovered that a split second later, training finally useful for something.
"You hang out with me, you know, doll girl."
"You call me that sometimes and it's annoying as your face," she slurred, putting her face in her hand, smushing her cheek up and squishing her lips oddly.
Levi tipped his head, staring at her in a mutual silence until the half asleep Farlan still in his grasp stirred and said, "why, you stare at it all times, Z." one full sentence almost completely mumbled together, no question mark in sight, just words.
He'd never seen someone go that red. Even with her skin tone, she went red down to her collarbone, wagging her head no. "Shut up, fuck, you douche," she blustered, half swaying up from her seat.
"Is true, I speak facts," Farlan insisted.
"Does he?" Levi asked, the only one with a grasp on normal speech, grinning as she nearly got up on the table to get at Farlan.
The sway of half full wine glasses had her retreating, rounding the table to grab Farlan's arm, jostling him in an effort to quiet him. Levi didn't loosen his hold on the man's collar, and he didn't stop smiling, drunk enough and so amused by her that he couldn't help it. She was so obvious, it was kind of adorable. He was grateful for Farlan now, what excellent wingman capabilities...that he'd never seen before. Noticing her losing battle, she stopped tugging at Farlan, and stepped away. Zoe probably noticed that Farlan was gradually turning a bit pale, sweat beading his forehead. It wasn't soon enough, however.
"Gonna-" was all that preluded Farlan barfing all over the chair Levi was standing up from.
The grin was wiped from his face, and Levi briefly considered dropping him in his vomit. Zoe gasped, and scrambled for the doors that led out of the common area and into his and Farlan's bedroom. Of course, the rest of the night was cleaning, and not breathing through his nose, wishing Farlan had discovered water when he found wine. His vomit was dark purple, and Levi was seeing red. This had ruined his whole night. He almost snapped at Zoe to go back to her own dorm, as she was too drunk to help, at least in the beginning. When she sobered up she was useful, doing water and soap runs for him in efficient time.
As the original dark green color of the velvet seat began to reveal itself, he relaxed, finding peace in his efforts not being futile. He glanced up at Zoe, kneeling close to him, a keen eye on his task, eyes darting to his water, no doubt watching if it got too low to avoid his barked commands. Levi frowned behind the white cloth hiding his face from his nose down, slowing down his scrubbing efforts, looking to catch her gaze. She did, and perked up a little bit, wiggling forward a bit. Her button down, white uniform shirt was severely unbuttoned, and he'd have to find a way to tell her he could see the rise of her bra, while reigning in a need to compliment her tits. Because they were pretty great.
He leaned back from the chair, taking off his gloves gingerly, the last removed with help from his clean rag. When he lifted his mask from his mouth, there was no chance of contamination. "Zoe, you…"
"Why do you call me doll? I'm definitely not twiggy enough to be a doll..."
Levi felt his lips twitch, smirking to himself. She had to get the first word in. Now he had to answer her question. "You have curls like the dolls."
"I do not."
"They're close enough. And it annoys you, apparently. A win in my book."
"Jerkface."
"Sure." He watched her pout down at the floor, finally saying, "Oiya, Doll, you might want to button up that shirt."
She went red again, fingers working fast at her shirt, and Levi dropped his cloth mask to grin behind it. "You made me run around, I-"
"You're blushing again."
"You're frustrating," she snarked, stumbilign to her feet, straightening her shirt with an indignant huff. "I'm leaving. No more help from me."
"Get back safe, doll," he said over his shoulder as she stomped past him, her path a little curvy, but she could walk.
"Eat me."
The door slammed, and Levi's shoulders gave a little shake with a full body chuckle. What a silly girl.
A training run had them closer than ever, and being the gentleman he was, he saved her from hitting the ground as a 3DMG maneuver couldn't be pulled off. His quick move, an arm around her waist stopped them from getting seriously hurt. They hung there for a second, her arms tight around his waist in turn, pressed close. She raised her eyes to his, and for a moment, everything kind of slowed down; all very romantic and poetic. Then the line gave out, and they crashed the rest of the way to the forest floor, his body over hers, caging her under him.
Levi didn't move, blades lying forgotten, hand fisting in the grass beside her hair. He shifted, new knowledge that he was between her legs surfacing, his eyes still on hers. A second later, he leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to her lips to test the waters. The next kiss was hers, delivered with the passion he'd been hoping for. His hand slipped behind her head, tilting his head, tongue slipping into her mouth. She kissed like she fought, not backing down, able to level with him here. Levi moved to find one of her legs, jolstiling her as he pulled, fitting his hips snug between her thighs. The 3D movement gear caused some awkward jostling that had them disengaging here and there, and he nipped hard at her bottom lip. Before he could give her an apologetic look, she brought a hand up to his hair, and yanked him back in. That was fine; she could grab his hair if she wanted to.
He let her kiss him breathless, pleased with how practiced her kisses were. Being this close to her, he could smell a bit of her perfume, something flowery that almost matched the scent of grass that overpowered it. Despite the distraction beneath him, a noise reached him, and he pulled away from her, glaring over his shoulder. When he turned back, she was standing up and away, grabbing her still usable blades, stabbing them back into her handles. She jumped, using the device to move her up to a faraway branch, casting a glance over her shoulder. Levi gave her a slight smirk and a jaunty half salute before she jumped again, moving quickly out of sight.
The whizz of 3DMG gear he'd heard from afar got closer, and he was soon presented with the offender. "Get the fuck up," Falgon shouted, glaring as he passed over him.
Levi's mood soured, headache starting up, and he jumped, jetting ahead. At least he had gotten her attention properly, nothing could spoil that. He maneuvered out of the forest, the cardboard Titan cutouts behind him in no time. As he walked back into the camp cantine, he took a beat to finally say her name out loud; Zoe Roth. She really was interesting. It had been sometime since he met military types who didn't disappoint him. Two weeks at this shit hole was steadily convincing him that humanity might not have much of a future.
In the days after their kiss, he found himself distracted by her, unable to get the thought of her lips out of his head. He knew she felt the same way, the eye contact they made whenever they were close charged with new knowledge of each other's desires. During training that stuck them together, her eyes would go from his lips to his eyes, efforts to look away failing miserably. When their sparring finished, she turned from him, toe of her combat boots digging into the ground, shoulders lifting as she breathed deep, and Levi waited with baited breath for her to say something. But she walked off, and he got nothing from her, left there, anticipation draining away with every step she took up the hill to the cantine.
As the deadline to be able to work together with his partner at a novice level neared, he made a concentrated effort to speak to her using multiple, non aggressive sentences. She replied as quietly as she usually did, making a solid game plan to do better in the simulated Titan forest. Levi enjoyed her intellect, finding that when he wasn't so abrasive around her, they both performed better. The next run the two executed through the Titan forest was the fastest they'd ever done, pushing the record time easily. He even saw Zoe put some errant advice he'd given her into use. Very satisfying.
He crossed paths with her later that night, had her grasping the sleeve of his shirt to get him to turn to her, gazing down at her. He wondered if it was too dark for her to see the excitement spark in his eyes. Finally, they were alone. Her tongue pressed over her chapped lips, inhaling sharply, guiding his hand to her waist, torso pressing close to his, her lips parting invitingly. A pretty curl ghosted close to the corner of her pink lips, and he couldn't help guiding it back over her pierced ear.
"You're okay with this?" he asked, voice low, anticipation building in his gut. Levi couldn't remember the last time he'd been this nervous in front of another person.
"Yes."
Consent allowed him to push her back against the wall, meeting her lips with as much intensity as he could muster, a hand at her cheek, other still where she'd placed it at her waist. She made the slightest noise as he pulled back, tipping her head before she leaned in herself, initiating the next kiss. Zoe looped her arms around his neck, slipping one of her hands under his shirt, nails digging into his bare skin. Her body was still tense against his, and Levi made an effort to change that, dropping his lips to her neck, pressing an open mouthed kiss to her neck. A little shiver went through her as his kisses trailed lower, gracing her collarbone. He was pulled back up to kiss her again, her hand firm in the roots of his hair. This time, she let his tongue sweep into her mouth, savoring her taste, tongue meshing with hers, and he felt her body quake again.
He made sure to kiss her with a certain urgency, shirt collar in disarray with the way she was pulling at it. Her cadet jacket was on the ground, a sleeve in the radius a nearby lamp created, the two of them still cloaked in relative darkness. She was warm and soft, smelling a bit like stale sweat, but her perfume was making his head spin. Levi left a mark on her neck that was even visible in the dim night. With her, he couldn't help himself; here she was too enticing to ignore. Zoe made a frustrated little noise in the back of her throat when his shirt wasn't coming off as easily as she might've expected, small hands going to the belt of his uniform pants.
Levi hummed low, lips crooking as he spoke, "you wanna fuck me out here, doll?"
"Do you have someplace better in mind?" she asked, a bit breathless.
"Well, you've got me there."
The next day her jacket was tugged up to hide the large hickey, but when she walked by, Farlan and Levi caught sight of it. Levi's smirk crawled over his face, and his friend noticed, glancing first to Isabel, still half asleep, drooling onto the table. Suitably convinced she wouldn't hear them, Farlan slapped his shoulder, turning Levi towards him, indignant at the treatment.
"Did you-?"
"None of your business."
Still, Farlan's eyes glistened with unshed tears of pride before he whispered, "Please tell me what it was like."
"Maybe."
"I'll do the cleaning to your standards."
Levi's eyebrows lifted. "Really?"
"Yes."
The sex made something change between them, of course, but it didn't make anything awkward. All that changed was their field work. She trusted him to make her cum when they were alone, and he wondered if that influenced their dynamic. They worked well now, like an oiled machine, and he was better with her at his side, nothing needed to be said, a connection there that he'd never tell Farlan or Isabel. But his friends noticed his absence, or her leaving the room and him coming back late at night, the nicks she left prominently displayed when his shirt was off in his bedroom. Needless to say, Farlan was the main observer of his relationship as it progressed, seeing as how he shared the same room with Levi, in a bunk bed.
Farlan caught them twice, once in one of the most compromising positions he'd been in, his head between her legs, his uniform pants still on, just as she was coming, her shuddering breath hitching suddenly. Her fingers had been taken abruptly out of his hair, a hand slapping rudely over his forehead in a weak attempt to push him back. Levi frowned, a question forming on his lips as he looked up, but then he heard the strangled yelp that came from the side of the rickety wooden frame. With a sigh, he set his forehead an inch down from her belly button, thumb still sliding over her hip bone, grateful he hadn't pushed her shirt up over her breasts.
Levi had tried to plan this out proper. He wasn't trying to show off, and he wanted to keep the knowledge of what her skin beneath her clothes looked like. Though she did enjoy prancing around in underwear and a bra, even when Farlan was in the room, pretending he was sleeping, Levi wasn't going to let his friend see her naked. Unless it was a mistake. And he certainly wanted to keep her cum face to himself, her red cheeks going redder as she realized the position she was in, trying to drag the sheets over them. He had to pop his head out the side of them, leaning out from the bed to glare at his friend, sure he looked ridiculous, the blanket a cowl around his head, like he was a devout of some church.
"Didn't you have a run today, or some kind of assessment?" he asked, looking Farlan up and down, annoyance laced in his brusque words. Embarrassment wasn't a thought, all he wanted was his friend out of the room so he could go back to the task at hand.
"I-I c-Didn't need me, sent back, I-I'll wait out there," Farlan bumped hard into the door, before he remembered how to open it.
Zoe attempted to get out from under him, but he slapped his arm over her stomach. "Did I say you could get up? Farlan is leaving, doll."
"That didn't turn you off?"
"No. Did it turn you off?" he asked, fingers going between her legs, humming approval as he felt his fingers slide easy into her. "Don't think it did…"
"No, Levi."
"So open your legs for me, yea? Be a good girl."
She smiled wide, relaxing into the sheets again, legs parting for him. Levi made her cum back to back, deep enough inside her that he swore he was fucking a new part of her pussy today. Zoe was never quiet, but this time she was robbed of words, recovering herself only to tell him how deep he was getting, as if he didn't know. She was tightening up so hard around him he had to slow down just to catch his breath, mumbling into her shoulder how good she felt, and she clutched him closer in response, the two of them moving in perfect sync. Levi forgot about Farlan waiting for them to finish when he came inside her, groaning into the side of her neck as he shook above her.
For a few minutes, they stayed like that, her hand petting swirls into his sweaty back. He stopped that as soon as he recovered enough to go again; in the sense that he wanted her to cum more. It didn't matter that he wasn't going to cum again, it was only to see her eyes rolling back in her head before she closed them, watch her tits bounce in time with his thrusts, her pretty lips open in an O, encouragement pouring from her mouth. He flipped her onto her hands and knees, and fucked her harder, surprised to feel a second peak coming to him. Levi couldn't help but slap her ass in a bit of excitement, and she arched her back further, pressing her torso flat to the mattress, gripping the sheets to either side of her.
"Harder, harder, Levi, oh my god," she pleaded, tipping her head to face his, wet rimmed eyes rolling to meet his, "oh my...s'good, sir, s'really good."
"Call me that again," he rumbled; she was too busy moaning to hear him, so he slipped a thumb close to her ass, had her quieting in anticipation even as she tightened up around him, "c'mon, doll, what did you just call me?"
"Sir, I said," she broke off to moan in delight as his thumb slid beyond the tight ring of her ass, "oh fuck, Levi, sir, that's so good!"
"You like a thumb in your ass?"
Emphatic nodding into her pillow came before a shrill, "Yes sir!"
The sir was enough for him. And her pussy was fucking creaming around his dick, more than he'd ever seen; he'd never been in a pussy this hot and wet. What he thought was sweat that splattered her back was just a mix of their fluids. Fuck, fuck, fuck yes. He pressed a hand to her shoulder, pushing her further into the mattress, watching her ass jiggle with every clap of his hips against her skin, keeping a thumb in her ass until he couldn't. Levi needed a second hand on the bed to hold himself up as he put some weight into his last few thrusts. She came a few seconds before he did, but her pussy was still fluttering around his cock. She was moaning as he came inside her, wiggling her hips as she turned her head again to look at him, her pupils blown, and he flushed from something other than exertion.
As he started to pull out of her, she pouted, rocking back to keep him inside. "Can I have a little more, sir?"
His dick twitched in intrest, and Levi wondered what the fuck he was going to do with her. In the end, Farlan was left outside for an hour, and only a knock on the door broke them apart from a mutual afterglow, separate from each other only because they were both dripping with sweat. He'd have to open the window next time, he mused, watching her shuffle slowly into her clothes. He stood, catching her elbow as she attempted to complete the distance to the door, kissing her hard before opening the door. Farlan watched her go, moving slow into their room, eyeing the covers, rumpled, the lingering sex smell clearing out via the door Levi was currently propping open before he dragged himself back to his bed, flopping back onto it. His eyes drifted shut to the sight of Farlan struggling to open the window. .
"Did she fuck the need to clean out of you, too, mate?" Farlan asked.
"Please be quiet while I recover."
"She's amazing. I can't believe you didn't tell me to make my bed."
"S'not too late for me to tell you, now shut it."
On the other hand, Isabel wasn't Zoe's biggest fan, though Levi was sure it mostly stemmed from her taking up his time, or how easily she managed to get him emoting; whether it was just a smirk, or something less than that. One night, he saw her waiting outside of the room that led to their dorm's common room and bedrooms, Zoe at his side, laughing. Levi shook his head, knowing she was about to throw silly assumptions his way. Isabel crossed her arms over her chest, surprisingly awake at a late hour, tapping her foot on the floorboards as they grew closer. Her glare was directed at Zoe, who was none the wiser for now.
"It's not funny," he attempted, mouth pressed into a firm line, though he knew it was; he had a couple of jokes up his sleeve, even if they were only good because they were laughably bad, and dry.
"Yes it is, and you know it," Zoe pressed a tad closer, wrapping her arms around his arm, and Levi didn't pull it away, expecting the PDA was distracting enough.
They were still far away from Isabel, and Levi hadn't given a hint that he'd seen her till they were about ten steps away from her. With a sigh, he raised his eyes to his friend, pointing at the door, mouthing at her to 'GO IN'. She shook her head, and he glanced once to the ceiling, wishing she'd save this for later, not wanting to argue with her. Even as he girded himself to deal with Isabel, he couldn't help drawing Zoe closer with an arm around her waist, bringing her familiar warmth and perfume closer to him. They'd been out to dinner tonight, her treat, at a real restaurant. He'd bought the wine for the table no matter how much she protested, and he was bringing her back to his room for more, done with overpriced restaurant wine for a while.
"I have more wine in my room," he informed her, brushing a curl over her ear. "And Farlan is sleeping in his new friend's dorm room tonight."
She had it done up in the prettiest bun, but her curls were unruly, and the night had been humid (but she was the most beautiful thing he had seen since he'd come up here), so her hair was frizzy and breaking the bonds of the tie in her hair.
"Hmm, is that decision because of us?"
"Might be."
She opened her mouth to say something, but someone else spoke instead.
"You weren't here to drink like you said you'd be," Isabel said, not waiting for Levi to at least send Zoe away.
His gaze flicked to his friends, asking, "Isabel, give me a second, okay?" Levi's eyebrows were drawn together; he didn't really didn't want to fight, but this was ridiculous. He turned to Zoe, surprised when she leaned up against him.
"I hate sleeping alone," she breathed, and he smirked, hand out to press against the wall beside her head. "come with me, maybe?" And fuck was it tempting, especially when she added a breathy, "please, sir?"
A small noise from Isabel told him he'd better not take her up on that offer, and Levi knew if he did, he wouldn't hear the end of it. He breathed deep, closing his eyes briefly. Eventually, he pulled back, not before nipping hard on a sensitive little area on her neck, his other hand smoothing superstitiously over her ass. She didn't leave without getting a few real kisses out of him, just three pecks, but nevertheless, his heart did that thing where it ached and warmed at the same time.
The following argument ruined his night, Isabel berating him in the same way an insistent swarm of mosquitoes would - with small things that didn't hurt, but sure as hell itched after he gave them a moment of thought. Her concerns about Zoe distracting him from their future as a friend group, or with the girl using him were entirely unfounded. Levi wasn't one to argue, especially not with Isabel, but he could only sit with the itch before he broke skin with excessive scratching. "It's not as if I'm going to fall in love with her, dammit. She's just a warm body, get that?" He finally said, his tone making his friend flinch. Levi apologized in his own, non-vocal way, ruffling his hand through her hair, promising to steal her a muffin. He left their dorms to visit hers.
Zoe wasn't a warm body. Because you didn't spend a good amount of time with someone who was only a warm body and you didn't go to them after arguments with friends to tell them about it. He allowed her late nights, two of them talking aimlessly, or just lying in silence, doing things independent of each other. Her body was snug for the moment against his, and he found comfort enough in that to fall asleep beside her dreamlessly. Levi woke up worried about Isabel's attitude, however, jostling his girl out of bed so they could make it to breakfast sooner than Isabel.
Farlan was at their table, sleeping in his eggs. The man had the common sense of a mule, stubbornness included, and always woke up too early. This was the result of his constant bad decisions, and Levi no longer woke him up no matter how long he slept in food. Zoe usually went along with it, though he had to stave off her subtle suggestions of waking his friend up out of a kindness that Levi admired when it didn't apply to Farlan. He loved his friend, but the man was hard to corral and deserved little sympathy.
Isabel walked up to their table a few minutes after they sat, also ignoring Farlan's current state, shoulders drawn up, clutching her tray close to her chest. "Listen up, I don't think I like you, but you seem to even Levi's mood up. Dunno what you're up to, but you two better not end up pissing each other off." She set down her tray, jabbing her finger in their direction. "You two better get married and have a kid who looks like Zoe, because you have a resting bitch face, Levi."
"Shut up," he retorted.
"I'm wasting my time worrying over you!"
"Stop worrying, it's that easy. We're both older than you."
"Whatever."
Isabel pouted, fluffing her cheeks with air, and poked at her food. Levi couldn't help reaching out and pinching her cheek, which only brought on more whining, but he really didn't mind. She was worried about him, he appreciated that, though she shouldn't have been. They were headed in different directions after this, meant for different things that weren't each other. But he couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever really develop feelings for him. Levi had to remind himself when he was with her that he wasn't particularly loveable, his prickly demeanor staving off most.
Was she so special that she could look past all his faults and genuinely care about him? The sex was excellent, but that didn't meant that she would try and understand him, as focused onher career as she was. Levi couldn't help but think, on those nights that she left his side, that she wouldn't have time for him. If not now, then certainly his future couldn't hold her. Whatever (he insisted, on nights where he couldn't sleep thinking of her). He preferred sleeping alone. Favorite part of his entire day.
I think her body makes for better practice.
Farlan nudged him awake in the morning, though Levi didn't know when he'd fallen asleep, shifting slowly. Zoe was still next to him, and Farlan pointed down at her, mouthing 'what am I supposed to do'. Levi waved him away, pointing at the door, alternating between these two motions until Farlan was out of the room, and Levi turned his attention to Zoe.
"Hey," he said, and she shifted awake, taking her time. "Get up."
Zoe smiled, eyes barely open, stretching beside him with small squeaks. His brow furrowed, listening to her, then shook his head, knowing there was a serious assessment today, concerning his team work ability with someone other than his friends. She left to get dressed, and Levi met her out near the largest run, and even from a distance back, he couldn't see the end of the forest.
She stood, talking to the other Cadets, five left from the 10 that already went, waiting for them, to complete the partner drill. Actually, no, she wasn't, Zoe stood, hands awkwardly twisting behind her back, tugging at her fingers, a bit on the edge, same as he. Isabel and Farlan were at his side, talking and laughing. He turned, eyebrow arching, lips twisting down, wishing they'd take this with a bit of gravity.
"Right, so," Flagon eyed Levi and his friends. "We're looking for the fastest time, as well as perfect kills, the team aspect tying in with perfect leg cuts. If both of these spots are not hit, the kill will not count, and 5 minutes will be added to your time."
Isabel stuck up an urgent hand, and Flagon took a good long moment to look about for another question before finally saying, "What?"
"What's the record? How are you gonna stick in all 4 groups? Are we going to be back in time for lunch?"
"The regular time is around 30 minutes; record, 13 minutes with no mistakes. The down time between each run will take about 20/15 minutes, so this should take 4 hours, or less," Flagon listed, sounding tired. "While that's happening, we'll work on your hand to hand combat skills, and since you two have already done that," Flagon looked to Farlan and the Cadet he was partnered with. "You'll be running through the forest first. I'll fire off a green flare, and you'll start. When complete, the men on the other side will fire off a red. A blue one will be shot off when the clear up is done and good, and the next group will go. Lunch after this, a bit of downtime, then we'll work on hand-to-hand assessments. Everyone straight?"
The five Cadets snapped to quick attention, while Levi and his friends remained stationary. Levi leaned back against the tree, head tipped low, barely acknowledging the first sound of a flare gun, Farlan and the Cadet making a bit of noise as they put their 3D devices to use. Flagon snapped at the rest of them, 6 other 3D devices resting away, a couple of trainers just walking down the hill.
They paired off singularly, Levi's hand brushing Zoe's as he walked past her to the unlucky Cadet who'd been paired with him instead. For a moment, he was distracted, watching her tie her curls up before she shifted herself into that odd waiting stance. The trainers hadn't been happy with that, and they glowered over it as much as they did Levi's odd way of holding his blades.
Still, as soon as her opponent moved, she dipped in an instant, a bit of dust flying up as she twisted around, the boy's momentum carrying him farther as she shoved him down to sprawl in the sparse grass. Levi noticed her punches were pulled, and the boy didn't hit the earth too hard. Someone snapped his name, and he turned to face his partner, knowing it was that annoying Cadet who'd gotten a bit too chummy with Zoe from time to time, handsy, even. Not that she talked to a lot of people, always very reserved and polite, so people were more of acquaintances to her.
Lucas rolled his broad shoulders, very muscly, but very stupid. Levi was far stronger than his build gave, and though he was fairly short, he still wasn't shorter than Isabel. It was the only thing people could really poke fun at, but then, Levi couldn't give a fuck about that, assured in his own skill to kill them if he wanted.
The trainers circled, snapping when someone threw a harder punch then necessary, allowing them to scuffle about briefly, till they started applying skills to this. They gave an example, walking through the steps, patting the place where they should be connecting. Levi was almost beyond bored, until the blue flare shot up from within the tree.
He saw the time sheet before that, just making out the numbers as the red flare was fading from the sky. 19 minutes, and some seconds, and Farlan was sure to grumble about his partner later on, but Levi had told him to sort it out, stop complaining, it was his problem. Still, 19 was fucking good, next to the other times the 10 Cadets had made yesterday, almost none of them dropping under 20, and only one was lower than his friend's.
Isabel and her partner went next, and she gave one of her overjoyed hoots as she did. Her time was 19 as well, though Farlan's was a couple seconds less. Another blue flare went up, and the two Cadets went, and this time the red flare took a fairly long time. So he sparred with Zoe, who was damn good at hand-to-hand, almost as good as he was, using his strength against him. She'd beat him many times before this, and he'd pulled a more shady move to win himself.
Levi caught sight of the red flare first. His heart gave a little jolt, and he breathed through the first jolt of adrenaline, standing next to her before they were called over to their gear. Levi scrutinized his, checking every inch of it, tugging at the leather straps, testing it, checking the tank of gas before he deemed it useable. She'd done the same thing, lifting her legs once it was on, jumping for a second, before they were placed in the same location the others were. Flagon still had no idea that they were actually working well together, as he'd been gone for the last week or so.
"Hey," Levi said, catching her attention, recognizing her short breaths, knew she could push herself straight into another panic attack. That he'd held her through one honestly scared him, because he didn't want to feel anything for her. "Let's beat that record, huh?" he lowered his voice, "We've got this."
He saw her close her eyes, breathe deep, then nodded. "Yea."
The green flare shot into the air, and they took two steps in perfect rhythm, his swords out as the silver line attached to a tree, tipped at the odd angle. They alternated between legs and the kill spot, jetting along, hardly using their gas, except for redirecting themselves. There were 20 Titan cut outs, all varying meters, and he was sure she was counting in her head as well.
His gear was an extension of his body, same with her, he knew, because her movements were as graceful as his, as if she'd been using it for the amount of time he had. Still, Levi had raw talent, along with moves that had never been taught to him, so partnering with anyone besides his friends felt a bit off, because he knew how to adjust himself for Isabel and Farlan. And now he knew how to adjust to her style, whirling between the cutouts.
Her style was much more clipped, conservative, like his own, and unlike Farlan's and Isabel. The two sometimes were more flashy than necessary, especially Isabel's, though she could ride a horse much better than he could, and Zoe, especially, who was still trying to master that part. Farlan was a bit skittish towards some things, psyching himself out, messing up when he did. While Zoe was nervous, she did try and take his advice of breathing, which did sort out some of her blunders. In front of another Titan, however, he wasn't sure if she could breathe through that, because she still was nervous to even considering 'Titan Territory'.
She bounced quick between trees, and he noticed the flash of pain on her face as she clipped a branch. Zoe powered through, tipping her head to provide direction, the last wooden construct looming out of his own sight. Her blades hacked through the legs before he gouged the neck, bursting from the trees. Levi caught sight of a wide mouth, everyone who stood out on this side, besides his friends, stared up, keeping eyes on them, the red flare already up in the air.
Zoe and he landed within seconds of each other, her crouched, a blade flat on the grass, other out to the side, before standing. Levi didn't touch the ground, letting his knees bend just slightly, reducing the landing pain, blades held odd still. He stabbed them back into his holster, another pair lying forgotten back in the forest, dulled after 15 kills, same as hers, the wood putting strain on them. She did the same, standing still while she tied up her hair again, almost nervous.
"Was it bad?" she asked, biting at her bottom lip, voice small. "I know it was bad; I could've done better, I don't think-I just-" She stopped herself from rambling.
Flagon was riding over, hiding his stunned look well, slipping off horseback, comparing his times with the regiment troops on their end. Levi stepped forward, and she trailed after, nervous biting of her bottom lip continuing. The two older people shifted away, man who'd been firing the flares joining the huddle. The squad leader jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, the assistant jumping on horseback, along with another female.
They exited the course 15 minutes later, giving Flagon a nod. The man didn't look happy, but Levi could give a shit, knowing how Zoe could work herself up if she didn't live up to standards set by herself. This increased the pressure on her shoulders, and she disappeared during some mealtimes to her room, working through a panic attack, he'd discovered.
"How about you let me know my time?" Levi didn't temper his tone, still not happy with Flagon.
The man glared over his shoulder, but turned none the less, looking at the two in front of him. Flagon shoved the board under Levi's nose, lips twisted down. 12 minutes on his board, and 11:58 on the people at the end. Zoe's eyebrows shot up, and she gave a soft noise, hand slapping to his arm, and jerking him about by his jacket. Levi pulled it out of her grasp, knowing he could've done better alone without the partner slicing leg coordination, but still, he'd shown that he could be just as good working with another person.
She was still glowing three days later. Of course, she was now spending more time with the Cadets, and training away from him. He saw Lucas trailing after her, knew the strained smile, and frowned. More time passed, and he suddenly went a week without her, stuck getting himself off in the shower, happy with the late time he'd chosen. Not entirely the no sex route, but he wasn't going to complain, taking the no she gave him, and the distance to heart.
Levi finished the wash, dragging his towel quick over his hair, making sure he was marginally dry before stepping out. The warm air and him being wet didn't make his progress any better, pants low on his hips as he walked back to the barracks. A noise distracted him, and he stopped, looking about for the source, giving a short huff, shaking his head as he reflected on the idea that he should've fucking brought his knife. He was getting lazy.
Still, in the torchlight placed strategically around, he caught sight of Lucas a good ways away. Then he registered Zoe's presence, and frowned deep, wondering if he should go up to her, but thought better about it, giving the two another look. One of the torches gave a sharp flare as he did, literally shedding new light on the situation, the way Lucas was advancing on her, backed into a corner. For an instant, he stood, until he saw Lucas grab her wrists, the sharp yelp she gave.
Levi strode down the corridor, catching words from Lucas, "hey hey girlie, come on, be game."
She squirmed, trying to hit him, but her room was limited, and when Lucas got in close, used his bulk like he was now, the smaller person usually didn't have a chance, "Lucas, I'm serious, you-you're hurting me, I said no." She got in a smack, the sound reaching his ears, and Levi picked up his pace.
"What, so you'll fuck a sewer rat, but not me? Fucking slag," Lucas bared his teeth, shoving her hard against the wall, "you think about that answer," he gave her a shake, just as Levi stepped up.
Levi grasped the man's hair, yanking hard, listening to the yelp, Lucas's eyes shifting fast, trying to take in the situation. He'd let go of Zoe as Levi tugged a bit harder, lips starting to form around 'sewer', but Levi sent his face into the nearest wall, the boy stumbling back, dazed as blood bloomed at his temple. Lucas swung out wildly, and Levi side stepped the half-assed attempt, driving his elbow into Lucas' back, sending him sprawling. Before he could stand up, Levi pulled Lucas to his feet , only to slam his booted foot down, used to the semi-darkness, as that's what he'd fought in for the most part of his life. He heard the satisfying, almost wet noise as Lucas's kneecap was hit, not broken. Yet. Lucas's mouth hung open, a shout of pain stalling in his throat, and he lunged, hand catching Levi's wrist despite his quick movement.
Levi was slammed back against the wall, managing to keep his head from connecting, but the rough stone grated against his bare back. He was actually happy he'd not dried himself completely, yanking his wrist away without much trouble, bringing his leg up as he pushed from the wall, connecting with Lucas's stomach, ducking another wild punch, and throwing his shoulder with his full, dense, weight, against the already off balance boy. He stepped back, knowing Lucas would get back up, because he'd seen his stamina, how he could ignore pain, along with his brutality, breaking a smaller Cadet's nose. No apology, but the Cadet had laughed it off with him. Big Lucas used the wall to stand, lumbering towards him, blood from his forehead leaking down his cheek. A solid right hook was thrown from his opponent. Levi had managed to bounce away again, but his shoulder grazed hard against the wall, pain thrumming, mixing with the back injuries he'd suffered.
"Fucking," Lucas' voice was a growl, "sewer scum. Think you can beat me? I've had more training, you piece of underground shit, I can fucking crush you."
This time, Levi allowed Lucas to connect with him, a fist to his side, hooking his arm around the boy's neck, turning on the ball of his still stationary foot, sending Lucas hard to the ground, his body cushioning the worst of the fall on Levi's side. Lucas' arm almost came out of nowhere, and he managed to move, but Lucas's nails scrabbled at his skin, until Levi lifted his arm, smacking it away with the back of his. As a result he lost some of the weight he had on the boy, and Lucas surged up, attempting to grab for his neck, but Levi squirreled away, bouncing back. He watched Lucas close as the boy circled, their progress out of the hallway to the courtyard heralded by a lack of torches, moonlight replacing it. By that time, their noises had roused a couple of the Cadets, watching from a window.
Levi's eyes went to Zoe, her eyes wide, that pretty little nightgown she always wore fueling his anger. Lucas probably waited around for her to go to the bathroom knowing she dressed in that flimsy little thing, and if LEvi hadn't been around to protect her from someone who could use his sheer weight against an inexperienced fighter. The more he looked at her, the angrier he got, thinking about that pig waiting i the shadows for his woman. The one he had grown to care about, the one he held at night.
The large Cadet had moved in the split second he averted his eyes, and Levi dodged again, but Lucas tipped himself, just enough to throw Levi off balance, causing him to fall. Levi curled so he wouldn't hit his head, but the impact still hurt, back sliding over the rough stone, further opening the scratches. Lucas' foot connected with his stomach before Levi could rise to his feet. He was back up, putting the pain to the side, knowing if he'd stayed down, it wasn't going to get any better. Levi's breath came a tad harder, feeling blood ooze from his wounds, knowing that Lucas was worn down. Still, he had to finish this before that blond shithead (Erwin, Flagon), him waking up more Cadets, the Scout REgiment troops, or whatever was alerted to this. Lucas and he circled each other, and Levi watched him closely, the way his knee threatened to give, remembering how the boy fisted his hand tighter before swinging a punch.
Lucas' hand clenched, moving quick, but Levi had seen the tell, planting his boot, ducking under the punch, using the immense speed the boy had put into this. Levi gripped his wrist, the weight barely on his shoulders before he shoved off, the boy's legs in the air, falling hard on his back, curling like Levi had, head avoiding the stone. Bastard, that fucking shit eater; Levi wanted to break his fucking neck, touching Zoe like that, hurting her. With clenched teeth, Levi stepped in, spitting down once. He brought the toe of his boot down, kicking him, recalling Zoe's trembling voice telling him off earlier and kicked harder, even as Lucas tried to crawl away. Levi thought he was saying something, but the rush of blood was blotting it out. Lucas was shifting away every time he brought his boot to land, and Levi dipped to grab the boy's collar, driving his fist down, the satisfying crunch of his nose reaching him somehow.
Levi alternated between punching and kicking him, until he was faced with a corner that included a shivering body, smiling down at Lucas, the action fera. He was going to beat the fucking shit out of him; not a phrase, he was going to beat this asshole until he shit himself, either from passing out or the pain, or the fear, it didn't matter. His hands rested on the wall, using it to prop him up as he kicked mindlessly at the curled Cadet in front of him, taunting him, able to hear himself, but not Lucas. Somebody's voice managed to stop him for an instant, Levi's bloody boot resting on Lucas' chest, whipping around, clenching his bruised hand into a fist, pain flaring through him as he did.
Zoe. Zoe. Her hair was a bit wild, but her face was lovely, shining in the moonlight.
Her hands fluttered, not touching him, eyes wide, lips moving despite the muted sound till he focused on her. "Levi, you're going to kill him, and your back- please, please," she brushed his sweat damp hair away from his face, and he hated that it calmed him, "Focus on something else, take a deep breath."
He focused on her, shoulders sagging after a minute, adrenaline draining away, and he put a bit of weight on her. She looked scared, and he dropped his eyes away, ashamed he was the one making her look like that. Levi didn't show it, turning back to Lucas, impassive as he stared down, almost disappointed when Lucas took a breath. Zoe dipped to check on her assailant, and his lip curled, wondering how she could show any sort of kindness to someone like Lucas.
"We've got to get him to a medic, or something."
"Is he awake?" Levi asked, as a Cadet jogged out.
The boy looked between them, pointed at Lucas, said, "I'm here to help if you want."
"Is the medic awake?" Zoe asked.
"Yea, it's only 10, I'm pretty sure he'll be up."
"Okay, let's get there."
Levi plodded alongside them, the walk hardly taking ten minutes. The man's eyes almost bulged when he saw Lucas, speaking hurriedly to the Cadet, briefly spending time on Levi, pressing a towel and alcohol into Zoe's hands, along with water. She sat him down on one of the cots, ignoring his protests, making him roll his eyes, setting his forehead in his hands.
He barely winced as she guided the alcohol first over his wounds, gritting his teeth instead, muscles jerking in response to her cloth passing over. The other was warm, and he relaxed, especially when he felt her skin on his, tipping slightly, seeing that she'd pressed her forehead to the hardly scarred part of his back. Levi almost smiled, but thought better of it, gazing out on the opposite wall.
"Thank you," she murmured.
Levi didn't respond.
With a slight sigh, she continued, "It doesn't look too bad. None of them are too deep. No stitches."
He remained silent, just sore and tired, like he'd always felt underground. Her hand slid slow over his back, a mild ointment making his wounds smart for a second, then nothing. His breath came slow, wondering if her hands were magic, giving an involuntary shake, telling himself that was silly, but his mind still wandered. Levi didn't have time for this. Hadn't, at least, his world fast paced, the underground a place where you had to grow up fast. So he hadn't had time to fall in love, wondered why this girl was breaking down barriers, stepping into a place he reserved for specific people. Not pretty girls, with soft hands, and a smile that made his scowl clear up. Soft hands, the ones on his back, her thumb working slow over his wounds. Felt the lips that curved up into that smile, touch, kind as her hands, to his uninjured shoulder.
Levi stood abruptly, jerked the door open harshly, hands protesting, tipping his head to look over at her. "Soon, you'd better be in my room."
"You know I have to clean-"
"My fucking room, Zoe," he snapped, lip curling in distaste. "Next time, better be prepared to fight your own fucking battles. I've got better shit to do than get hurt because you're not strong enough."
She looked taken aback, frown twisting down, attempting, "Levi, I never asked-"
"If you're not there, I'll...I'll..." he couldn't finish his sentence. His foolish attempt at intimidation had gone awry.
Lucas didn't tell anyone who'd beaten him up, though he certainly didn't get near Zoe again, and even took a number of steps back when Levi passed, widening his distance from her. Levi almost managed a smirk, and Isabel and Farlan laughed out right, slapping high fives behind him, though Levi's hand was still bandaged, and the wounds on his back were healing slower than the bruise. He didn't show he was in any pain, mostly so he didn't come off as weak to his fellows. He got to deal with the idiots he avoided on a daily basis.
Two nights later, she showed up. But he was already drowning himself in dark liquor, expecting her not to come, the whiskey making his chest burn, but he didn't care; it was taking his mind off the wounds some asshole who had tried to touch his girl had inflicted. That same girl was standing in front of him, brown eyes wide with concern, trying to nuzzle a kiss or two against his cheek. He felt guilty, remembering how he'd taken his residual anger out on her. How he didn't deserve her. Lucas had a point, insisting that he was a sewer rat. Instead of talking it out, he just kissed her back. Took what he wanted from her that night. For the first time, he fucked her without much joy. she was her normal self, trying, trying for emotion the entire time, but it was terrible.
She noticed. Her clothes were on before he feet hit the floor of his bedroom.
"Levi, I have feelings for you, and I don't...you seemed to feel the same, but I….dammit, you could mean something to me, we could mean something to each other-"
He held up a hand, bitter taste in his throat, and he wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or not. "Stop."
"I can tell when someone I like doesn't enjoy me to the same extent. I can tell. I'm not stupid," she said, legging the side table out of the way to stomp over to the door, pausing before opening it to make her final point, "I know you're hurting, but you don't get to make me hurt as well."
"Calm down," he bit out, standing to follow her, but she was moving fast. "Fuck, Zoe, stop running from me-"
She spun on her heel, making him swallow his words; seeing her cheeks wet with tears made his heart hurt. "You're the one running from me, asshole. Sorry that beating the shit out of somebody made you fucking realize how much you care about me."
Levi couldn't recover from that. He could only blink at her, face void of any expression, a hollowness in his gut as he watched the door slam shut behind her. Farlan entered, only to cast a bleak look around the room.
"I gotta clean tonight and make my bed in the morning, right?"
"Yes. Also, leave me alone," he snarked, throwing himself into bed.
She was right, and he was an idiot alone in bed.
He was a bit too eager to apologize the next day, catching her and dragging her into a small room, hands roving over, her back pressed to his chest. Levi ignored her questions, hearing a bit of jealousy there, hands tightening in a response to her tone, a surge of sadistic glee rushing over him. It dissipated as she stiffened up. Levi gave a brief shake of his head, pressing it into the crook of her neck, hands sliding slow under her pants, the pretty little buttoned vest she wore over her shirt open. He felt her tip her hips slightly, hand rounding to the back of his neck, and Levi watched her face, how she bit her lip, chewing there for a good second, then melted into him, jaw dropping, breathing harder. Her pants were dropping from her hips, and she made an attempt to catch them, but he made a sound, and she stopped.
"The door, Levi."
He wanted someone to catch them, his hands sliding further under her pants before he pushed one into her underwear. "So fucking wet, Zoe," he breathed, and she shivered, nodding. "for me, isn't it?"
She nodded again. Levi had forgotten about his apology when she relaxed.
"Say it."
"I'm...wet for you, Levi."
Levi's fingers slipped into her, hiding his smile in her shoulder, "Tight too, aren't you, Doll? " He shifted back, hand slipping from her, turning her and pressing her against the wall. His eyes stayed on her as he dropped to a knee, tugging off her pants after her shoes, underwear moving with them. He hooked her leg over his shoulder, stalling with a couple kisses to her inner thigh, waiting for a little plea as he embellished on his last words, "aren't you?"
He got one, her voice warbling, "Please, Levi."
In the end, no one caught them.
. . . . . . .
Levi saw that Farlan and Isabel were going out to drink, gave his male friend a pointed stare as he stated 2 hours. Farlan repeated it, almost flushing, but didn't give Isabel the chance to ask, even as she whined, the taller boy pushing his friend down the hallway. He went and found Zoe, pouring over a book in her room, her roommates reading in bed, or not reading at all, a face pressed against the pages, wide mouth open and drooling.
He leaned over her chair, eyes flickering over the book, frowning. "What the shit is that?"
"It's a book, Levi."
"On maneuvers? Fucking shit, Zoe," Levi said, reaching and snapping it shut.
She didn't meet his eyes, fist clenching before she said, "You lost my page, asshole. I have to study, Levi. I have tests, you realize. I can't just sit around, and fuck you." She opened the book, cut a glance back to him. "Besides, you can't even fuck me and look me in my eyes anymore."
Her voice was cold, flinty, and it felt like a knife to his guts. Levi reeled through the explanation of his behavior for her, but he'd fucked up royally. She wouldn't care even if he told her the truth. It wouldn't do either of them good. He straightened, taking a step back. Levi narrowed his eyes, glaring at her, knowing it was his fault, but it was really hers for making him care about her. That train of thought derailed itself quickly, the argument entirely false.
He did care about her, he didn't even know how to handle himself when his heart ached at the thought of her getting hurt, leaving him, or just losing interest. If he tried drinking, he would end up telling her how he felt. Levi cut himself off from her, finally, as the weeks drawing to her graduation progressed. They didn't fuck, they didn't talk. He convinced himself that was for the best. His friends hugged her on graduation day, and Levi got to see both of those overly friendly types cry over her. And as he walked to Erwin's side, to the scout regiment, away from her, he wished she was with him.
But then she chose the Military Police. And he continued on with the Scout Regiment.
I just hope she doesn't want to leave me. Don't you give me up, please don't give up on me, only I belong with you and only you, babe; Only you my girl only you babe, only you darling only you babe.