Chapter revamped: 11 March 2020
Thank you to my dear BETA reader: Jikola!
Humanity's Strongest Woman by xDollfie
Chapter 07 — Sharing is Caring
Eren was never good at making friends. In fact, during his trainee days, he hung out mostly with Armin and Mikasa. They were inseparable. Sure, he made a few friends here and there; Jean, Reiner, Annie, and a few others — but he never was that close to them. How do you expect to be close to someone when they nicknamed you the 'suicidal bastard' anyways?
Plus, they never shared his views of eradicating all Titans in the face of the earth. From what Eren had seen, all they wanted was to join the Military Police and live a life of luxury in the inner walls of Wall Sina. Eren had never wished for that. He wanted to join the brave heroes of the Survey Corps, he wanted to kill as many Titans as possible, and above all he wanted humanity to gain back its freedom.
It didn't matter how cruel the world was, or how terrifying it was — people who rejected the fact that everyone was born to be free and refused to fight for it did not matter to him.
But these soldiers — these brave heroes that were riding alongside him with their green hoods up — they shared his views, they were brave and valiant, they fought for humanity's freedom, they weren't anything like those trainees back at the camp.
So why did Eren feel so uneasy around them?
The answer to his question came to him when he felt two burning gazes hitting the back of his head.
Eren gulped dryly, turning slightly to see the culprits, though he already had a hunch who they were. As expected, Captain Levi was staring straight at him, his face deprived of any emotions, and beside him, the Ida Starke was staring at him too with tensed intensity.
He swallowed once more to ease his tense dry throat, abruptly snapping his head to face the front. Eren just couldn't decide whose glare was more intimidating.
"Don't get too cocky you Titan shit, don't think that because Captain Levi is assigned to look after you, doesn't mean you can—" Oluo never got to finish his sentence when his horse jolted slightly and he bit unceremoniously into his tongue.
"Oluo, shut up and face the front before you lose your tongue," Ida instructed in a dull tone, already accustomed to his antics. "You'll bother Petra again."
"Y — Yes!" Oluo managed to sputter out, one hand over his mouth in an effort to stop the bleeding.
Eren watched the exchange in complete vigilance. His gaze sneakily darted towards his impassive redhead superior who was asking a sighing Petra to give Oluo some ice for his tongue afterward.
He had heard so much about her from the trainee gossip — the famed female who slaughtered countless Titans single-handedly on her first expedition, her expert use of 3DMG and the only one capable of keeping up with her Captain's speed.
Eren began to wonder what kind of person Ida Starke was. After a huge argument with Erwin, she too shared the burden with Levi of keeping him in check when she finally agreed, albeit very, very reluctantly. The petite woman with blazing red hair and doll-like traits just didn't seem to be the fearsome soldier he had imagined.
Intrigued, Eren found himself observing her.
There weren't any bulging huge muscles popping out of the wrong places like Jean had predicted, she was toned and muscular but not to a point she lost her feminine figure. She didn't look like a man like Reiner had expected, she was rather beautiful with large doe-like emerald eyes and porcelain pale skin. She didn't even have a red mohawk like Connie had heard she had, her shade of blood-red hair was fairly long and straight.
In all, Ida's appearance didn't do justice to the unsightly rumors about her.
Soon after, they arrived at the former headquarters of the Survey Corps. It was nothing more than an old remodeled castle with vines creeping up the brick walls and tall weeds sprouting out of the courtyard. The windows had accumulated thick layers of dust over the years from being desolated.
"The building is a bit run down since it hasn't been used for a long time," Eld explained cautiously, looking at the depressing state of their new hideout. He glanced nervously at his Captain, expecting for him to issue the orders that would no doubt come sooner or later.
Levi scowled in disgust and Ida groaned loudly beside him when she saw his expression, already knowing what he was going to say.
"This is going to be a big problem…" Levi spat with much disdain and glared at his subordinates. "Get to work then, on the double."
It didn't take much for Ida to immediately understand where this was heading to.
Quickly deciding that she would rather stay out of it, she turned her heels towards the opposite direction, determined to get herself out of this mess but Levi's firm voice stopped her in her escape. He didn't need to turn around to know that she was already escaping.
"You too Ida, don't you dare think of slacking off."
"What?" Eren didn't understand why everyone was sighing at the Captain orders, in fact, they all looked so dejected.
What did Levi mean when he said to get to work? Were they going to do some training? That thought comforted Eren greatly, he couldn't wait to see how the heroes he had admired for so long train for battle.
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
Eren Yeager was disappointed, truly disappointed. He had cleaned, scrubbed and polished the entire castle until his arms were sore and his hands grew wrinkly like a prune from the cleaning products he had used.
Damn it.
He had eagerly anticipated seeing the heroes he admired in action, but all Eren got was them done up in a ridiculous looking white mask and doing house chores under their Captain's commands.
Though he had to admit, it was a sight to behold.
Cautiously, he shifted his intrusive gaze around his surroundings, observing Petra and Oluo bickering over something minor by the corner of the room. A solemn realization struck him.
Obviously, these people were under orders to watch over him and take him out if he went berserk. That dreadful thought lingered with him as he scrubbed the stone tiles of the floor.
It was unnerving to know that mankind's fight to gain back Wall Maria rested on how well he could control his Titan form. Truth to be told, Eren wasn't exactly confident. He had attacked Mikasa, his adopted sister whom he adored the last he was in his Titan form, what else was he capable of doing?
Plus, it wasn't exactly comforting to know that your death could be determined on a single whim — a whim that he couldn't even fully control nor did he truly understand. Crestfallen, he hurried up with his cleaning, deciding that he would rather not brood about it.
When Eren was done, he went to report to his superior in charge of him.
"I've finished cleaning the upper floor, sir," Eren reported nervously to his Captain by the window. "May I ask where I'm going to sleep?"
Levi turned around and Eren flinched. He had noticed that his assigned Captain always had a peculiar expression on his face. It was almost as if he was incapable of emotions; a look of total boredom, completely devoid of amusement and only occasionally twisted with disgust or irritation. His piercing gaze was a force to be reckoned with as well.
So far, Eren hadn't noticed Levi display any other expression, and it was nerve-wracking to say at the very least. He couldn't help but feel unsettled around him.
"Your room is at the dungeon," Levi used his index finger to shift the mask he tied around his face, addressing him in a dull tone.
Eren was appalled and disappointed at the news. He was sick of staring at walls with no windows. A silent groan rattled in his chest.
"Another dungeon?" he complained.
"Of course," Levi replied in a matter of factly tone. "You can't even control yourself. At least if you transform in the dungeon, we'll be able to restrain you."
A lump formed at the back of Eren's throat and he decided it was wiser not to protest any further. He was a prisoner here, a rabid animal that could lose control anytime. The thought of the Special Operation Squads taking him down made his stomach twist in dismay.
"That's a rule we must uphold." Levi continued unyieldingly, swiftly walking passed him. "It was a condition we accepted when you were turned over to us, so quit being a brat. I'll check the rooms you cleaned, start on this one."
Eren exhaled out a defeated upset sigh, watching his Captain stroll through the hallway. He shouldn't gripe about orders. They were right to be so wary of him. The last thing Eren wanted was to get into to unintentionally hurt someone with his powers.
Before he could carry on with his chores, Eren spotted a bobbing head of scarlet hair and Ida practically lunged across the hallway to grapple with the belligerent Captain.
"This is final straw you little shit!" Ida took off her cleaning gear and threw it towards her superior without hesitation. "I'm through with this!"
Eren watched in pure astonishment and horror as Levi caught the gear before it hit his handsome face.
But what he was surprised about wasn't the fact that Levi had such quick reflexes nor was it because of the audacity of Ida who had dared to do such a thing to the intimidating man. It was because of the fact that there was an amused smirk…
…on Levi's lips?
Just a minute ago, he had assumed that Levi wasn't capable of showing anything other than a scowl. Yet, as the pair bickered through the hallway, cursing each other, Levi didn't seem that annoyed at all as Eren had expected. In fact, he seemed like he was enjoying it... like he found some form of entertainment in it.
Was it because they are partners and that they were close to each other?
"You look upset." A soft female voice chimed in from behind him, catching him off guard. "It's not uncommon for people to get upset after talking to him, you know..."
"Huh?" Eren turned to find a ginger-haired woman behind him, from what he remembered, her name was Petra Ral.
She gave him a calm welcoming smile and Eren immediately felt comfortable. He didn't feel as scrutinized under her gaze. Comparing her to Captain Levi, Petra looked like an angel descended from heaven.
"He doesn't look like the flawless hero that people imagine, starting with his short stature," Petra watched the bickering pair from afar.
His curiosity not assuaged, Eren had his gaze glued to the pair as Petra continued talking. By now, Ida had grown aggravated at Levi's indifference and had started to curse him with a string of curses while threats spewed from the Captain's mouth.
"He's also unexpectedly tense, rude and unapproachable," Petra continued, not at all bothered by the on-going fight happening a few feet away from them.
"Tense? Unapproachable?" Eren echoed, his voice disagreeing with Petra's description of him.
Levi looked nothing like that now when he was with Ida, in fact, he looked rather comfortable, albeit a little frustrated and annoyed. The pair looked like nothing more than a bickering married couple, and Eren just had to wonder if Levi would be more relaxed around him once he managed to obtain his trust.
But it seemed that his partner had a special charm on Levi because Eren was sure that anyone who did that to him was sure to be found dead in an instant.
Petra followed his line of vision. "Oh, it's different with Ida," she explained to the newbie with a voice filled with mystery. "You could say they have a…" she paused as though to find the right words before adding, "…special connection."
"Special connection?" Eren couldn't help but probe further.
"You think that just because he is strong and influential he doesn't have any weakness?" Petra giggled enjoying the gossip session with the new recruit. She looked around her surroundings one last time before bending over and whispering into Eren's ear, "Let me tell you a secret, Captain Levi's weakness is Ida Starke."
His eyes went wide in astonishment. Who would have thought?
"What kind of person is she?" Eren found himself questioning. Petra's comment had piqued his interest. He snuck a glance back over to two, finding Levi flicking her forehead angrily awhile Ida screamed at him, telling him to stop.
The ginger-haired female smiled softly. "She's pretty similar to Captain Levi in a way. Strict, never contented with anything, unapproachable and crude in speech. I guess you can say they have a solitary nature. But she's not too bad, we're pretty close since we are the only girls in the squad."
"They don't seem that way now," Eren commented as he proceeded to sweep the floor.
"Oh, they are like that with each other." Petra smiled brightly.
Eren quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"
"They are always sitting together drinking tea, looking at different directions, never smiling or talking to each other. But I honestly think they appreciate each other's company," Petra ranted on, helping Eren with his long list of chores. "They are times that they are hostile to each other, but they are a team, so I guess disagreements are unavoidable"
"Sounds like an intimidating woman," Eren commented, shaking his head.
If the feared Captain didn't intimidate Ida, Eren couldn't even imagine just how fearsome she would be.
"I better behave around her," he concluded softly to himself. Eren was quick enough to pick up that there were just some people he could never afford to offend.
"Hey, Eren!"
A sting of surprise and fear skated through the two bodies, causing them to jump. Eren whirled around to address the fierce voice.
"Y — Yes, C — Captain?!" Eren stammered, accidentally grazing his finger at the sharp edge of the table. He found himself face to face with a highly displeased looking woman.
"The top floor won't do. Go re-do it," Ida commanded, tapping impatiently on her foot. "And I'm not a damned Captain, so there's no need for you to address me that way. Your Captain is currently too busy being a male bitch."
Ida well was aware of Levi's obsessive and, to the unknown eye, almost unhealthy need for things to be spotlessly clean. She had gone to check on Eren's work on the upper floor and realized that it wasn't up to Levi's prestigious cleaning standards that deserved a damned gold medal.
Unfortunately for Eren, Ida wasn't in the mood to go over and do the finishing touches with what the Titan boy had left. She hated cleaning, in fact, she detested it to the very core.
Plus, let's just say Levi has an uncanny annoying habit of waking her up in the wee hours of the morning to clean up some mess that she had made the previous night.
Sighing audibly, Eren nodded his head. This was his first task as an official Survey Corps soldier and he couldn't even complete it right. "Alright…"
With that depressing thought, Eren reached out for his cleaning supplies, determined to clean the place thoroughly.
BOOM!
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
Levi Ackerman sat with his legs crossed on a wooden chair. His squad surrounded him, wary and tensed in trepidation.
"Explain to me, in detail, Yeager…" he demanded authoritatively. "...how the fuck did this happen?"
He glowered domineeringly at the ever-shrinking Eren who kneeled in embarrassment in front of him. Intimidation practically oozed of Levi as he scowled even more fiercely at the Titan shifter when he didn't reply immediately.
After calming down his edgy soldiers — who had their blades out in an instant threatening to kill Eren for disobeying orders and transforming without permission — the levelheaded Levi had managed to settle his subordinates down and began to assess the damage. He could feel his patience trickling away when he saw that Eren's half-transformed Titan form had destroyed half of the castle.
But the worst part of all?
Eren, with his shit luck, had accidentally transformed the last room he wished to destroy: Captain Levi's personal room.
Ida stuck herself to the wall by the corner. Usually, she would have left the discipline matters to Levi, but she was curious in Eren's explanation.
"I'll personally lock you up in a dungeon if you don't give me a fast answer," Ida threatened, growing increasingly wary of him. "Talk."
"I — I am sorry! I don't know what happened!" Eren admitted truthfully. His frantic heart was pounding on his chest, afraid of the outcome. "I just suddenly transformed! I don't know why! I never meant to do it on purpose!"
Gunther glared at the boy accusingly, not buying his story. "You little Titan shit! Stop lying already—"
"Gunther, calm down," Levi commanded immediately, his frown deepening as he pondered over the situation.
"Why?! We should just kill him right now!" Eld retorted back to defend Gunther, anxious and panicky at the situation. "Captain, he's dangerous!"
Eld turned around to look at Oluo for support. Usually, he wouldn't gripe about orders, faithfully loyal to his Captain. But Eld couldn't help it, the entire Special Operation Squad were all at risk here. Only the levelheaded Levi seemed unaffected by this situation and even Ida looked disturbed.
"I say we kill the brat," Oluo growled, reaching for his blade again. "Captain let me do it—"
"I said stop," Levi commanded, frowning. Oluo glanced at him, visibly torn. "Listen to orders."
"I think he isn't lying," Ida reasoned, absorbing the teenager's palpable fear. "We were uncertain that he could control his powers in the first place. If you wanted to hurt us, he would have the moment we had our blades out."
Eld backed away in defeat after he thought through her explanation, cursing underneath his breath.
After a brief consideration, Levi made an inexplicable face of irritation as though he had been inconvenienced.
"We have no choice but to call her…" he concluded dourly, standing up from his chair. "In the meantime, Eren will sleep in the dungeon as planned."
"Wait… her?" Ida's expression immediately curdled like sour milk, knowing where this was headed.
Damn it, and here she thought that she was going to have peace in this hideout, but the little Titan brat just had to create trouble.
Levi nodded rigidly, looking relatively displeased at the outcome. "Yes, her, the four-eyed freak," he confirmed with a scowl. "She would probably have a straight orgasm on this shit, but at least she knows what to do."
He turned to his squad. "Oluo sent a message to the headquarters," Levi ordered flatly.
"Yes, sir." Oluo nodded.
Eren blinked, relieved that Levi had decided to trust him. "Thank you… Captain..."
To his utmost surprise, Ida stepped forward and ruffled the top of his black hair.
"Don't feel too safe. We might or might not kill you," she told him in a monotone, but yet somehow Eren felt safe under her touch, it was almost like she understood the terror he was going through and was trying to comfort him.
Eren studied the red-haired woman curiously, finding that her mood was not evident on her face. As usual, her face was stone cold, but it was her green eyes that spoke of her true feelings.
"Now that's concluded. Let's get on to the most important part of this problem," Levi suddenly started rigidly, causing everyone's attention to zoom in on him.
"Uh? Captain, what is the most important part?" Petra asked in perplexity, confused. Wasn't deciding on what to do with Eren the most important part of the situation? What could possibly be more important than that?
Levi frowned deeply when he saw their confused faces, shaking his head like he was disappointed in his squad. "Deciding on where the hell I'm going to sleep as of now, of course."
Ida almost lost her footing in shock a while the rest of the squad gaped at him in stunned silence. Ida couldn't believe that Levi would think of something so minor at a time like this!
"Just sleep in one of the spare rooms, or in the stables," she spat darkly. She scoffed when Levi shot her a glare for even suggesting such a filthy thing.
"Well… there aren't any more spare rooms and from what I have checked, the castle is pretty small and Eren destroyed half of it," Petra nervously informed her Captain, afraid of his reaction. "It appears that mine and Eld rooms were destroyed too."
Luckily for Petra, Levi took it more calmly than she had expected. "Well, I guess we have to share rooms then. I refuse to sleep in somewhere filthy," he huffed, his gaze hardening. "Whose room has a double bed? I would prefer not to sleep in a single bed."
"You can sleep in the stables with the horses," Ida grumbled to herself softly, silently glad that her room wasn't destroyed as it was at the other end of the wing of the worn-down the castle.
Petra and the rest of the squad exchanged disturbed looks. It was well understood among them that their Captain was somewhat… tough and picky when it came to matters like this. Levi demanded perfection, a no-nonsense type of guy.
Being their superior and their Captain, Levi usually got the largest and most comfortable room due to his rank, but now that it was destroyed, something tells them that Levi was after the second biggest room.
"I've scouted the castle earlier, I remember seeing a room similar to yours… at the other end of the wing," Oluo recounted, his finger underneath his chin as he pondered over whose room it was. "The rest of the rooms only have single beds."
But of course, that second most comfortable room was certainly given to the next superior figure in the squad. At the startling realization, the entire squad slowly turned their attention to an unsuspecting redhead by the wall who was far too busy grumbling to herself angrily to even notice their stares. Ida was completely zoned out of the conversation.
Shaking his head, Gunther sighed loudly when he realized what was going to happen next. "Shit…" he cursed, rubbing his face. "This is going to be a long night..."
Gulping, Petra blushed when her mind went wild with dirty thoughts.
"Oh god," she gasped loudly, clasping her hand over her mouth to muffle a giggle.
Petra knew that there was no way Ida or Levi would back down—the pair always clashed because they refused comprise and she didn't think that was happening anytime soon. If Levi was going to get the room out of the Ida, Petra was sure that he would have to kill her first.
"Heh, this would be interesting." Oluo wriggled his brows, trying to imitate his Captain's cool-headed nature. He nudged Eld by the side, grinning at the thought, but the blonde only scowled at him.
Eren looked on in stunned silence, confused by the secret message passing through the squad. Just what are they talking about?
Upset at being left out, he settled on voicing out his confusion in a small tone, "Uh… May I ask, why are all of you staring at Ida-san?"
"What?" Ida snapped out of her daydream when she heard her name, frowning when she noticed everyone's gaze pinned on her.
"Why is everyone looking at me?" she demanded, appalled at the sudden attention. "Something wrong?"
Eld shook his head and walked over to Eren who was still on the floor, pulling him up by the arm to his feet.
"Let's go Eren, you don't want to be here when it starts, it isn't for kids," he advised with a hard serious voice, trying to get him to understand the severity of their situation.
"Huh? When what starts?" Eren inquired loudly as the rest of the Special Operation Squad nudged him out of the room, leaving behind Ida and Levi.
…and so the war began.
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
Horrified? Angered? Appalled? Dismayed? Livid?
Ida Starke couldn't put into exact words how she felt. She rummaged angrily through her dresser, picking out her pajamas for the night, but her thoughts weren't exactly pinned on choosing her clothes, she was distracted in plotting ways to make Levi's life a complete living hell.
After the unceremonious departure of her squad (who clearly wanted nothing to do with their incessant bickering), she had screamed, threatened and stood her ground firmly in the battle with her Captain — hell could freeze over before she would give up her room to a midget clean-freak bastard. But alas, no matter how fiercely she argued, Levi was still her superior and all it took was a 'this is a damn order, Ida Starke' for her to back down.
It was needless to say that Ida wasn't used to sharing a room with anyone, and she was certainly not pleased with the idea of giving up her room to someone like Levi.
With both parties stubbornly uncompromising, they had ended the argument without a conclusion when Ida stormed out of the room in frustration. Nevertheless, Ida was sure Levi would come, that jerk wouldn't give up no matter what.
But it wasn't as though she was giving up yet. Hell no, Ida was hell-bent on creating this the most unpleasant situation for Levi as possible. She was going to do anything it takes to chase him out of her private quarters. While she knew she could easily share a room with Petra as she did in the past, but her pride just wouldn't allow it, not when Levi was demanding to snatch the room that rightfully belonged to her!
Because the truth was, Ida had specifically picked the room furthest away from his in the beginning, hoping to avoid him as much as possible.
Hissing irritatingly at her unpleasant situation, she unclipped her green Survey Corps cloak and allowed it to drop to the floor.
"Bastard is going to die," she groused to herself, beginning to unbutton her shirt. "That stupid devil—"
The door suddenly swung open and the 'devil incarnation' she had been cursing stood impassively at the door with his belongings.
Without sparing a glance at a shocked-filled Ida, Levi dragged his bag into the room without an invitation.
"Knock before you come in," Ida growled at him with malice, silently thanking the gods. Luckily for her, she had only begun to unbutton her first button.
Levi embraced her anger with a cool expression. "It's my room now, you're just the unwanted pest. You can just go to Petra's room if you're dissatisfied with the situation."
Gritting her teeth, Ida looked away in defeat, debating if she should just kill him and get it over with. In fact, she was this close to throttling him. Sighing, she dropped the malicious thought, knowing better than to do something so foolish. It wasn't like she could win him.
Whatever, she thought bitterly and picked up her clothes to go to the toilet for a change.
"W — What the hell are you doing?! Don't just change in here!" Ida hollered in dismay when she turned around, just in time to see Levi in the process of taking off his shirt.
Her heart hammered at the sight of him in such a state. Embarrassed at seeing Levi's nude upper body, she tossed her clothes at him. "Go to the toilet!"
"I never took you to be a blushing damned school girl, Starke," he droned flatly. Levi stiffened when her clothes landed on top of his head. Ida glared at him, seething in silence at his indifference.
"Tch. Shut up and just go to the toilet," he retorted calmly and grabbed the fabric sliding off his head, only to pick up… a black bra...
Levi stared at it in pure shock, holding it up for the whole world to see.
As comical as it was to see such a horrified expression on the usually stone-faced Levi, Ida's eyes nearly bulged out of its socket and she screamed when she saw what Levi was holding.
"Don't touch my stuff!" she practically pounced at him, snatching the item. Her cheeks flushed from embarrassment.
This was her worst nightmare; she had a man intruding in her private woman quarters! She was past the realm of fury by now. She glowered at the unfazed man, "Perverted midget jerk!"
Sighing exasperatedly, Levi realized this was going to be a very, very, long night.
"Just go to the damned toilet to change." Levi cleared his throat and looked away awkwardly as Ida scrambled to pick her clothes off the floor and regain her composure.
Storming towards the toilet, subliminally, her bright forest-green eyes started shifting towards the end of her socket, looking at Levi from a distance. She couldn't help but scan his upper body, the chiseled muscles that seem to have glistened under the lights.
For his short stature, Levi had a great body that came from years of using the gears. His abs were perfectly cut, his defined biceps bulging in all the right places. God, as much as Ida hated Levi's very existence, she could feel her womanly senses tingling in excitement.
She wanted to touch them.
Flustered at such a dirty thought, Ida quickly forced her gaze back to the door in front of her, charging straight into it and slamming the door behind her.
Once safe in the confines of her toilet, Ida breathed heavily with her back touching the door frame.
Slapping her reddened cheeks, she berated herself out loud for losing her composure. "What the hell are you thinking, Ida? Snap out of it!"
After she had changed and mentally prepped herself to face Levi, Ida walked back into the room with the firm resolve to not get flustered at Levi's godly body. She was better than this, she had better composure than this. She will not allow that crass midget to throw her off guard.
However, Levi was truly a formidable opponent, for he instantly sparked an argument the moment Ida stepped out of the toilet — it seemed to her that Levi Ackerman just had a way of getting on her nerves.
"Hey dirty pig," Levi scowled, looking severely pissed. "You're a pathetic excuse of a woman."
Ida frowned, wondering what had gotten him so ticked off before she realized that her cloak and her clothes lying around the floor before was now neatly folded and placed on top of her dresser. She rolled her eyes dramatically at the sight.
As expected of a clean freak like Levi, he simply couldn't stand the sight of a mess.
"Well excuse me for being a pathetic excuse for a woman," Ida snapped back belligerently. She paused in the midst of her steps when she realized what Levi was wearing — he was sporting a white tank top with black trousers.
It was weird for her to see him in such casual attire, Ida was so used to seeing him in uniform.
But the worst part of all? She could clearly see the defined biceps. Fuck, it was as if Levi was out to torture Ida mentally.
The same could be said for Levi Ackerman, he too was stunned when he saw Ida in her nightwear — a baggy t-shirt and a pair of shorts that showed off her slender thigh. Her usual braided scarlet hair was allowed to flow freely on her chest, accentuating her sharp jawline. He too found it odd to see her in such casual attire.
"You wear that to sleep?" Levi only allowed his voice to waver slightly. He had always thought of Ida as a dirty pig who rolled around in the mud and slept like a hog without showering.
Ida was clearly offended at his tone of speech. "What is wrong with this?" she pointed to her attire.
"Nothing," Levi said dismissively and looked away, diverting his attention to the double bed by the side. He began to inspect it under his scrutinizing gaze, looking for any specks of dust or stains, "Is the bed clean?"
"I had it washed today!" Ida retorted back defensively, offended that he would think that she lived in a pigsty. "And who says you're sleeping on the bed tonight? You wanted to barge into my room, so your place is on the floor!"
Grabbing the extra pillows and blankets from the closet, Ida dumped them onto the floor dramatically.
Levi sat cross-legged on the comfortable bed and watched her display of defiance calmly. "Good, now that you have everything laid out, you can sleep on the floor."
"What?" Ida couldn't believe what he was saying. This was her room! She wasn't going to sleep on the cold hard wooden floor in her own room!
His indifferent attitude taunted Ida. Determined to not cave in, she snapped. "Do you even know how to give in or be considerate for once?"
"Give in?" Levi repeated the word like it was the first time he heard it in his dictionary. He scoffed before he gave a plain reply, "That's what you should be doing, you shitty brat."
The fiery redhead placed her hands on her hips, scoffing in disbelief at his reply. "How can someone be such a fucking scumbag?"
Levi frowned deeply when he heard that. "What the hell did just you say?"
A playful sarcastic smile tugged Ida's lips. "Never mind if you missed it," came her smart reply.
"Tch…" Levi scowled, hopping off the bed and he walked towards her.
Ida felt herself slowly freeze from bewilderment when his face came dangerously close to her. What was this idiot doing? She could feel his hot breath and her fine hairs on her cheek stood up at the sudden change in temperature.
Then, Levi stepped back and gave her a charming confident smirk. "If you don't want to sleep there, we can just sleep together."
Her jaw nearly dropped to the ground in a loud smack.
It was probably the fury burning in her veins that grew her a set of her own personal set of balls to scoff at his tone, even though it had a slight sexy lilt dancing in his rough voice. Ida just wasn't in the mood to entertain him tonight.
"Are you insane?! Or have you been drinking?!"
"No, seriously." He walked back to the double bed, falling back on the soft cushion. He smirked handsomely and patted the bed softly. "The huge ass bed is large enough."
At the sight of him in such a seductive position, Ida turned away in annoyance. She hated that her eyes immediately lowered to his exposed collarbone as soon as they came into view. How perverted could she be?
Levi seemed satisfied with her silence. "So what will it be?"
Ida's eyes went back to his tired face. Perversion aside, she had business to get down to. "You can't be serious."
Levi only smirked, one eyebrow quivering high in a challenge. It took nearly all of Ida's willpower to not smack the smirk off his face.
Shock ricocheted off her. Ida couldn't have this fool talk to her like this. Ida knew Levi wasn't a teensy bit serious, this was his clever method to make her give up the bed.
….and sadly it worked.
As kind and sweet as she would like to call herself, she was no pushover when it came to dealing with men no matter how 'important' they are.
Ida would gladly use her stern voice and be as crude as she possibly can if she felt truly offended. Though her quick intemperate temper and sharp tongue usually got her in trouble with her Captain, Ida didn't really think twice about the consequences of her actions nor did she fear his power.
But Levi had outsmarted her tonight.
"Ugh!" Ida flailed her hands in the air in livid exasperation, finally giving in.
She grunted and dejectedly made her nest on the floor, tossing and turning around on the hard floor angrily.
She could hear Levi sighed in satisfaction as he comfortably settled into her bed. Every tingling fiber in her body kept reminding her of her defeat and the rock hard wooden floor seemed to mock her with every uncomfortable turn she made.
Ida gritted her teeth in anger. Why the hell did she give up so easily?
Her heart began to beat relentlessly as she eyed Levi's back with complete vigilance. The discomfort was brimming within her as a plethora of confusion came flying at her — she was Ida Starke, there was no way she was giving up without a fight.
Before she could reign her temper in, Ida stood up and stormed over to the double bed, smacking him with her pillow.
"Move over," she commanded sternly, her eyes brimming with a challenge. "Don't think I'm some pushover! Since you offered, I'll gladly take it up."
Ida could feel her heart pound in disbelief at the words that were shooting out of her mouth. Her voice was firm and wasn't faltering with the teeniest bit of fear!
She fought hard to keep the smile off her face in order to maintain her acid glare when she saw how wide Levi's gray eyes were. Ida puffed up her chest and crossed her arms across her chest, raising her chin high like she was an indomitable force to be reckoned with.
"What? You didn't think I would be bothered by sleeping next to a man would you?"
She trailed her mocking gaze up and down Levi's body with an air of superiority like he wasn't attractive and appealing enough for her.
Rolling her eyes away, she scoffed again with a clear indifference. "Please, don't make me laugh. You're not the least bit appealing to me."
Levi seemed slightly taken aback by her harsh words and Ida cheered inside her head. But he recovered quickly and started to scrutinize her like she was some sort of rare species of womankind.
Ida was so sure that speaking to Levi in this manner would hurt any guy's ego in the most painful ways possible and he would sulk and leave to brood in his own inferiority.
But it was also because Ida was too confident of his supposed reaction that she got caught off guard when Levi gave a completely different one.
"Fine," Levi answered simply and moved over to the side of the bed, sounding rather irritated. "Hop in," he added with a slightly entertained look on his face. "If you're so confident that I wouldn't do anything."
She was livid. How could he behave in such a lax manner? Her mind was a vortex of confusion. Ida tried not to choke over how high his ego was and firmly maintained her cool and smug facade.
"Hurry up, brat," he said when she didn't move.
Momentarily she glared, bewildered. Determined to take up the challenge and silently praying that Levi wouldn't have the balls to do anything, Ida hopped into the space beside him with a plop, taking up as much space as possible by extending her arms.
Her arm landed squarely on Levi's face and she put pressure on it, hoping that it would make him give up the bed seeing how uncomfortable it was sleeping with her.
If she couldn't get him out her bed, she would jolly well hog the entire bed for herself.
However, Ida should've known Levi was a stubborn brute because he too started to play along and slung his heavy leg over her waist causing her to gasp at the sudden unwelcome weight.
But still, Ida was determined to shake him off, so she concentrated on the severity of her searing glare and flare her nostrils like she was really pissed off as she slung her leg over his leg.
The two began to childishly wrestle and push each other using their legs and hands till Levi finally had it with her childish games.
"What the fuck is your problem?!" he shouted, sitting up abruptly.
Ida bolted up after him. "You're the one who barged into my room! Sleep in the shitty stables!"
She crossed her arms as she continued to challenge him, "Go bother Oluo or something! My room, my rules! Deal with it or get the hell out!"
Levi scoffed in disbelief and his gaze landed on the ground, looking as though he was contemplating over something. Ida did a mental cheer in her head, positive that she had won this fight. Smirking smugly at him, she just about to fall back into the soft bed triumphantly when Levi tirelessly muttered with great exasperation.
"I didn't want to do this. But since the nice method didn't work on a damn shitty brat like you, I've no other damn choice."
Levi kicked a screaming Ida off the bed violently.
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
Damn this shit.
She couldn't sleep. Ida just couldn't fall asleep on the cold hard floor. As if God had decided it was a good time to shit on her already bad luck, a raging storm just so decided that it would be a perfect time to drop the night's temperature, causing the wooden floor to grow increasingly cold.
For the past hour, Ida tossed and turned on the floor, wrapped only in a thin blanket. Occasionally, she would trail a sneaky glance to her Captain's back — he hadn't moved since and Ida had decided that he was asleep long ago.
Lucky bastard finally got what he wanted after he kicked her off the bed and threatened to throw her out of the room for insubordination.
Exhaling a long bitter sigh, Ida tried to make herself comfortable, changing positions for the fifth time. She wrapped the blanket around her tightly, shivering from the cold but to no avail. Damn this. Ida knew that she wouldn't be getting any form of sleep tonight. Not to mention that she had to wake up early tomorrow because of the latest addition to their squad, Eren Yeager.
"Just get up here, I won't do shit." Levi's sudden cold voice caught Ida off guard. "It would be annoying to wake up and see you half-dead from the cold. I'll get Oluo to bring back a spare mattress from the headquarters tomorrow."
"Didn't you fall asleep already?" Ida grumbled back, still bitter from what happened.
Levi paused for a moment, before replying in a monotonous voice. "I did, your damn teeth chattering woke me up."
"There is no way I'm sleeping there, just go back to sleep," Ida rejected flatly, still pissed at what happened.
Her pride simply just didn't allow her to accept Levi's offer of pity. She was better than that, she was a strong soldier.
Levi turned around to face her with a bothered countenance. His patience with her was wearing thin. "Shut up and just get in here before I kick you out of the fucking room as well," he deadpanned.
"You wouldn't dare," Ida gasped, but when Levi only answered with a flat stare, she sighed, looking away in defeat. She knew deep down in her heart that her heartless Captain wouldn't even bat an eye in chasing out her own room, storm or not.
"I'm not sleeping next to a man," she stated stubbornly, only allowing her voice to waver a little.
"Wipe that stupid expression off your face, it makes you look dumber than usual," he ordered, scowling at her disobedience. "Plus, you're more like a hog than a woman, so quit kidding yourself that I would do anything and just come in," Levi instructed bluntly, turning around to face his back at her. "It isn't the first time we slept next to each other anyway."
At his reminder, she recalled the past. Ida had almost forgotten that unfortunate incident on their 54th expedition beyond the walls. A storm had disabled the formation, intervening with the signal flares of the Survey Corps. Unluckily for Levi and Ida, they were sent by Erwin to eradicate the approaching Titans from the front when the storm happened.
"This is all your fucking fault, brat," she remembered Levi sneering as his unflinching glare bore into her own eyes. "I told you not to wander too far, but your stupid brain just wouldn't listen."
"How was I supposed to know that an impending storm was approaching?!" she defended weakly, shrugging off her wet cloak.
They were drenched from head to toe from the sudden downpour and had only just found shelter at a cave. Ida faltered a little when Levi only threw her another accusing acid glare. Okay... perhaps she did have a small part to play in this dilemma…
"Is your brain as hollow as your gas tank? Why don't you put that damn brain of yours to work for once?" Levi snapped angrily. "Storm or not, I told you to stick next to me at all times. Are you that incapable of obeying fucking simple instructions?"
"Can't you just be thankful that I found his damned cave for us to spend the night at? We could have been Titan shit by now you know," Ida retorted, offended that her Captain didn't appreciate her hard work.
Levi looked far from impressed. "Listen up you ignorant brat. We've no fucking rations and I don't know much gas we have left. We're no way near safe. The only thing we can bet on now is to wait for the storm to die down and look out for the signal flares."
"Doesn't look like the rain is going to stop anytime soon," Ida pointed bitterly, already building a fire to keep them warm and dry their cloaks.
It was needless to say that her crass Captain was the last person she wanted to be stuck with.
"Whatever. Get some rest," Levi mumbled grumpily, obviously irritated at the mud on his clothes. "And stay close, if not we are going to freeze to death by the time the legion comes."
Ida could still clearly remember that night, how she secretly marveled at how innocent and vulnerable her strong Captain looked as he slept. There were no traces of the usual frown he had, his eyelids were relaxed and his face was calm. Ida recalled giggling when she observed Levi had surprisingly long lashes for a man, thinking that it was a good rumour to spread around the legion.
At that memory, she sighed and begrudgingly grabbed her pillow, approaching the bed. Ida hesitated for another moment, before deciding that this was far better than freezing on the floor.
"Do not come ten inches near me, understood? Keep to your side of the bed," she warned firmly.
His reply never came as Ida lifted off the covers and slipped in, leaving a decent amount of space between them.
For a few minutes, she simply stared at his hard muscular back. Any other day, Ida would have blushed wildly and instinctively sprang out of bed. But for tonight—and certainly after tossing and turning on the cold hard floor for an hour—it was calming to just feel the warmth and a soft bed underneath her.
Though anxiousness still lingered in her every nerve, she didn't want her sense of warmth to escape from her again tonight.
Levi Ackerman provided her with that sense of safety and warmth, right when she needed it most. Secretly smiling triumphantly to herself, Ida closed her eyes and slowly drifted off peacefully to sleep.
Perhaps Levi wasn't all that bad after all.
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
Levi stirred in his sleep, forcing his eyes open when he felt a wet patch on his lower back. Paralyzed in the darkness, he stared up at the ceiling before deciding that the unwelcome wet patch was simply far too uncomfortable for him to fall back asleep.
Grumbling in pure frustration, he turned around to see a sleeping Ida, dribbles of drool wetting his shirt as her face pressed onto his back with her mouth wide open. If memory served him correctly, he was sure Ida said to not come ten inches near her, and yet there she was so close to him.
Awkwardness shafted through him, but he ignored it.
"Fucking hell, you really do sleep like a hog after all," Levi grumbled in bitter irritation, figuring that Ida had the tendency to move around and slobber in her sleep. "So much for maintaining the damn distance," he said, pushing Ida away from him and she rolled with ease to the other side of the bed.
Levi's face contorted in disgust when he felt the patch of drool sticking to his skin again. "Tch. How disgusting."
Peeling his shirt off, he dumped it by the side of the bed, already thinking of ways to embarrass the redhead when she woke up.
"Mother…"
A small voice intruded his mind, his train of frustrating thoughts halting upon the intrusion. He stiffened when he recognized the voice belonged to the sleeping girl beside him. Was she awake? He stared at her and relaxed when he realized that Ida was just sleep-talking.
Levi watched her toss and turn in the bed like she was having a bad nightmare.
Oddly, he found himself watching her curiosity, hearing her mumble something incoherent before her whimpers finally died down and she slept comfortably.
It was then did Levi realize he couldn't take his eyes off Ida's innocent sleeping face.
It was the first time that he was seeing her face this close.
And it was even more flawless than he had expected.
Without thinking, Levi reached out and touched a strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes. He swept it back, clearing her face. His fingers trailed from that strand of hair to the rest of her silk hair.
When he realized what he was doing, Levi instinctively snatched back his hands.
Levi groaned audibly, averting his eyes away apprehensively. Fuck, Levi had assumed he wouldn't think much about sharing a bed with her, but that was clearly not the case. Forcibly suppressing his primal desire, he took the covers and pulled it up to cover the small redhead beside him, and Ida sighed as he did this.
He glanced at a sleeping Ida one more time with an inexplicable look of frustration, before forcing himself to drift back to sleep. Hanji was coming over tomorrow, and he needed all the sleep he could get to deal with her.
Unfortunately for Levi, morning came faster than he expected.
"IDAAAAAA!"
Hanji Zoe's overly enthusiastic voice entered Ida's dreams and she stirred in her sleep.
Ida immediately squinted her eyes. Her lids felt heavy. She blinked lazily, allowing her eyes to recoup. She saw that the sky outside was a ruddy red color, the sun was just starting to rise.
Was she hearing things? Hanji wouldn't be here yet, right? The sun had barely started to rise and she was tired. She wanted to go back to sleep. Maybe the voice was just a figment of her imagination. Ida was still stuck in a half-awake state when the door slammed open.
"Ida! Have you seen Levi?! I got so excited I left immediately when I got the message! I woke Oluo up and he said that he was with you— OH!"
Hanji absorbed the scene for a brief moment before she showed her wide, slightly maniacal smile in all its full glory.
Though Ida was slightly drowsy from being so rudely awakened, the sight of Hanji confirmed that it was time to get up. Damn it, why was she so early? She frowned when she saw Hanji's comical expression that was a mixture of shock and realization. Ida knew what Hanji was smiling at. She had already prepared an explanation last night anticipating that someone would rudely storm into her room in the morning.
Over the past year in the Survey Corps, Ida had learned that the scouts had an irritating tendency to barge into her room without knocking — she didn't really blame them though, she was always one to oversleep.
"It isn't what you think it is you four-eyed—"
Ida abruptly halted her explanation when she felt something that froze every warm nerve in her body. She felt movement. A hail of dread ravaged her stomach. Her eyes widened slowly.
Wait a minute, the bed can't move, can it?
Alertness quickly found its way to Ida's eyes as she snapped them down to look…
…at a sleeping half-nude Levi.
Oh no, she thought, horrified. She was paralyzed with shock.
Levi stirred from his sleep at the sudden noise and he groaned. "Fucking hell shitty glasses shut up—"
He stopped midway when he saw Ida's horrified face so near to him and alertness quickly found his way to his mind.
Ida's heart sank into the nearest abyss when their eyes met. Her shifty gaze kept bouncing back towards the glory of his defined body and towards her arm wrapped around Levi's torso, quickly assessing what the hell happened during the night. A barrage of questions inundated her mind. Ida screamed in horror when the realization finally struck her awakened mind hard — she was hugging her topless Captain.
THWACK!
"YOU FUCKING PERVERT!"
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
"Something happened, huh..?" Eld shook his head knowingly and sighed when the rest of the Special Operation Squad entered the dining hall after him for their breakfast.
"Nothing to be surprised about, we had all expected it." Gunther exhaled loudly beside him, rubbing his temples and slowly soaking in the tensed scene in front of him as he did this. "What do you think would've happened when you put those two in a room? It's like a ticking time bomb."
Usually, the typical morning sight for the Special Operation Squad would include Levi and Ida sitting next to each other in silence, drinking their morning tea. But today, everyone could feel the awkward atmosphere surrounding the two. Ida was seated at the very end of the room while Levi was at another table at the other end.
As they glared at each other from afar, their squad mates could feel the tension was building up between them by the second. Oluo was fairly surprised none of them stood up to fling their teacups at each other.
In fact, the tension between the pair was so thick, it might have been possible to cut it with a knife. No-one dared to speak, move, or even breathe as they watched patiently to see what might unfold, almost as if they were at a movie theater watching an overly-dramatic chick film.
Gunther held his silence for a long as he could before he finally turned to his comrades.
"What do you think happened?" He whispered when he spotted the red handprint on the side of Levi's face.
"D — Do you think Captain tried something?!" Petra gasped softly, blood shooting up to her cheeks, turning them scarlet. Levi was a man after all, no matter how disinterested he seemed in women.
"As expected of Humanity's strongest soldier! He shows no mercy even to someone like Ida Starke!" Oluo jested a little too loudly, wiggling his brows to accompany his suggestive tone.
Eld slapped the back of the Oluo's head. "Shut up!" he hissed angrily. "Do you want them to hear you?!"
"Stop giggling like a bunch of gossiping housewives." Levi settled the half-drank cup of hot tea down on the table. "Quickly have your breakfast, we'll commence with Eren's experiments soon now that the four-eyed freak is here."
The squad felt the mood dampen even further. The awkwardness that surrounded them that morning felt like a thick barrier. It was needless to say that Levi was in a foul mood.
A sting of surprise skated through their body when Ida's piercing gaze landed on them.
Petra felt the unfamiliar stirrings of panic in her gut. "Uh! Good morning!" she stammered, flustered at being caught staring.
"Morning Petra," Ida greeted flatly, before going back to glaring at her Captain across the room.
"Sorry I'm late sir! I overslept!"
The frazzled teenager sprinted into the dining room, praying that he wouldn't get reprimanded for his tardiness.
It took him awhile to realize the frozen state of everyone in the room.
Eren began observing them with perplexity before he zeroed in on his scowling Captain and gasped loudly in shock. "S — Sir! What happened to your face?"
Eren Yeager really meant it out of goodwill. He was genuinely concerned about his Captain's well being, but Eld and the rest of the seasoned veterans knew better than to ask something like that.
Eld clamped his hand over Eren's mouth and dragged him towards them, hissing at him to shut up.
The newbie had a lot to learn if he was going to survive in the Special Operation Squad.
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
Eren's fingers curled the bedspreads underneath him. He tried desperately to block out the images that had been plaguing his mind ever since he accidentally transformed again. The terrified faces of his squad, their sharp blades that gleamed under the sunlight, their palpable terror upon realizing what he was…
Mikasa and Armin must've felt the same way when they first saw him in that form too.
In the darkness of his dungeon cells, he pulled the comforters over him. Eren understood his confinement situation, in fact, he was rather appreciative of it. The cell in the dungeon wasn't luxurious as per-say, but at least it'd be able to restrain him should he go lose control like today.
Twice he had lost control already. Once, when he had just arrived at the hideout, and today again, when he picked up a spoon at the courtyard.
His mind churned — a cacophony of 'maybes' and 'what ifs'. What if… he could never control it? Maybe he'll never be able to control this power. What then?
Eren could still remember the eyes of his new squad members who glared at him with such malice and fear. Even Petra, who was known to always possess a sweet countenance, looked at him with such bloodlust and disgust, as if he was nothing more than a monster to cut down.
Snapping his eyes open, Eren brought his hand up to stare at it. What if he couldn't control himself again, what should he do then? The people that he cared about — Armin and Mikasa — what if he goes berserk and hurt them? Just the thought of killing someone innocent was enough to send shivers down his spine.
For the past few hours, he tried to fall asleep. But every time Eren closed his eyes, all he saw were these horrifying images — images of him killing humans. The imagery of his fearful faces of his squad members entered his mind again and his heart twisted. Judging by how they treated him kindly today before he transformed by accident, Eren had thought he had earned their trust.
But he should've known that things will never be the same for him again ever since he discovered his Titan Shifting powers.
Will people always look at me that way now?
With such terror and fear in their eyes, it's like they have seen a monster…
Turning around, Eren hid his face into his pillow. He willed himself not to cry, but it was to no avail.
A barrage of questions inundated his mind. How did he get to obtain this power? Why was it bestowed upon him? How can he save mankind with it? People were depending on him now… He couldn't disappoint them.
"Oi, Titan brat, can't sleep?"
Upon hearing that stern voice, Eren jolted out of his bed, instinctively wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. "Ah! I—Ida-san?!"
"Shut up. Don't be so noisy, it's late." Ida emitted an annoyed sigh by the open cell door. She crossed the threshold and placed her candle on the table. Turning around, she crossed her arms as she studied him.
Ida couldn't help but pick up on the nervous energy that seemed to hum underneath his skin and she frowned. "Are you scared of me? I'm not here to kill you."
"I know," he answered without hesitation, capturing her gaze. Not once had Ida pointed her blade at him even though she had also threatened multiple times to kill him. Even if she always glared at him, it was never in a way that made him feel like a monster.
Her lips stretched into a thin line. "I see…"
A stifling silence hung heavily between them and Eren was growing uncomfortable under her scrutinizing stare. He couldn't keep his silence any longer. "What are you doing here?"
Her brows furrowed at his question. "Tch. That midget Captain of yours won't allow me into the room until I check in on you. Stupid bastard says that I'm slacking off in my responsibilities." Ida explained, clenching her jaw at his nickname. She zeroed in on his puffy eyes. "Were you crying?"
"N — No!" Eren denied furiously. But Ida shot him a withering look with a raised brow and he looked away, an awkward grimace pulling at his mouth as he did so. "I'm not crying…"
"Troublesome brat…" He heard her mutter, and he could tell she did not buy one bit of his lie. A lapse silence skipped through them before she broke it again with a question. "How does this power of yours work? Look awful painful if you ask me."
"It doesn't hurt… I think…" Eren mumbled unsurely. "I don't think it does…"
"You must be pretty strong if you can withstand it," Ida commented idly, shrugging. "Still, it must've sucked..."
"I'm not strong," Eren retorted fiercely. "When I turn into a Titan, I can't even suppress myself, and I…" His fist curled into tight balls. "...even tried to hurt my friend..."
Worry puckered her brow at his outburst, realizing that Eren was on a verge of cracking from all the mental stress induced upon him suddenly. Her eyes softened significantly.
He's still child, she thought sadly. The world really pulls the cruelest jokes... to grant such immeasurable powers on a young child.
"You're frustrated," Ida stated with an impassive countenance.
Eren gritted his teeth, wondering why he was even confiding in her, but he continued with his rant.
"My mother was eaten by a Titan. It was so frightening…" He furiously wiped away any stray tears falling from his eyes. His gaze hardened, there was something swarming within his eyes which Ida could only describe as hatred. "I couldn't do anything at that time… I was helpless... But right now even if I can do something… I can't even control myself! What's the use of having such incredible power when I can't even protect the people I care about?!"
"You'll learn to eventually." Ida offered flatly, though she tried to acknowledge that she wasn't even that convinced by her own statements. "You shouldn't push yourself too hard."
"What if — What if I can't?!" Eren said, almost in exasperation. "What if I lose control and hurt or even kill someone?! What if I hurt the people that I cared about? It's scary to even think about…"
Ida felt herself shudder at his words, but she also felt something twist and turn her heart. She frowned, her head tilting slightly to the side as she evaluated the teenager.
"We don't blame you for losing control today, they're all just… anxious…" Ida explained in a monotone. "Don't take it out on them for threatening to kill you and looking at you like you're a vicious monster, most people fear what they don't understand."
"They did the right thing treating me that way," Eren replied in a heartbeat, her gaze cutting into her. "I'm a monster."
Ida was analyzing him while he said that. His eyes looked as determined as ever, but she also saw something else, that expression of his. Eren was crying on the inside. Desperately calling out for someone to help him, to save him. But he was all alone, in a foreign place where everyone was watching him with wary distrustful eyes.
"My mother was also killed by a Titan you know." Ida said, causing Eren to snap his wide surprised eyes at her, as if urging her to continue and she did, "I was helpless at that time as well, frightened, horrified. The only thing I could do was cry. But if things happen, it happens, you don't have to understand it — if you seek answers to questions that you can never get the answers for, you'd end up killing yourself slowly."
Like I did, Ida had wanted to add, but she decided against it.
She walked towards him calmly and sat next to him on the bed. She felt him flinch at her sudden movement. "Eren, we won't know how things will progress in the end, so what's the point of being scared?"
"Is that why you're not afraid of me?" Eren asked softly after a stretch of silence. "Is that why you can go out on expeditions without fear?"
For reasons beyond her, she felt something within her cracked that moment, but she waved it away stubbornly. "I just learn to accept it, but…" she turned to him, her tone suddenly growing dire. "If you lose control and hurt any of my comrades, you will pay for it. I'll see to that, even if I have to give my life for it."
It was at that point that Eren realized just how unpredictable Ida was — one moment she could be blowing hot and the next she could be cold as ice. He figured it was one of the reasons why she was so intimidating and frightening to him.
His fingers interlocked in an attempt to stop them from trembling. "I know," he admitted ruefully. "I'd do that too if I were you."
Eren suddenly felt a comforting soft pat on his head and his eyes widened when he heard her talk. "Just get a fucking grip on yourself. If the time ever comes when you hurt someone, Levi will kill you."
Taking her hand back, her expression was stoic but her tone was softer, more calmer. "So rest assured, we won't ever let you hurt someone, especially those you care about, alright? I promise."
Was she trying to offer him consolation right now, or was she issuing a threat? Eren just didn't know, but he felt comfortable in her presence. Her words — no matter how cruel they were — felt comforting.
A wan smile stretched on his lips and he laughed softly. "Ida-san really cares about her comrades, huh? You're so dependable, unlike me…"
Ida smacked him on the head harshly, a scowl present on her face. "If you have time to say such stupid things then why don't you make yourself useful and go clean, huh? Levi would be more fond of you that way."
She got off the bed. Picking up her candle holder from the desk, she moved to the exit. "Go to sleep, it's late. You got another date with that shitty four-eyed freak tomorrow, I'm sure she would just love to get her hands on you."
She smirked when she saw the horrified look on Eren's face at the mention of Hanji and she left the dungeons. At this least this way, Eren would be able to distract himself from all those poisonous thoughts even if it were just for a moment.
"Stupid brat..." Ida muttered to herself when she was sure he couldn't hear her. "I'm not that dependable like you think."
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
"I've already checked on Eren," Ida announced in a monotone, stepping into the room they shared. She closed the door behind her and yawned, tired from spending a day with Hanji. "You don't have to worry so much. He looked like he cried so I talked to him for a while — but he'll survive."
Levi grimaced, not turning to look at her. He was seated on the chair by the corner of the room, reading a report. "I didn't ask about that shitty brat's mental well-being, Ida."
She quirked her brow at his dismissive reply, an amused smirk curving up her lips. "Really?" she said and the dubiousness in her tone caused Levi to snap his gaze at her, silently demanding an elaboration which she obliged with a shrug. "It didn't seem that way to me — after all, if it wasn't for your intervention, the rest of our squad would've slaughtered him on the spot."
"If he went out of control I would've killed him." Levi droned simply, remembering how his squad had their blades out immediately when accidentally Eren transformed while picking up a spoon. "Although that duty was also assigned to you guys, the main responsibility rest with me."
Ida bobbed her head as she absorbed his response. "Still, I'm worried about him. It must be terrifying for him. Fifteen-years old, and yet he'd been through so much and he constantly has to be on his toes around us, fearing that we'll kill him. After observing him, I really do think… that he knows nothing at all."
"You're spoiling that brat," Levi stated flatly, cutting her with an accusatory glare. "That is why brats are troublesome. We're not playing house here, Ida. Don't let your emotions cloud you from doing your duty."
Ida walked towards him, putting one hand on the table as she hovered over him. A knowing smirk embraced her lips when she captured his gaze. "You say that — but you're doing the same thing."
He frowned at her enigmatic statement. "What do you mean by that, brat?"
"The only reason why you didn't kill him then is because you sensed it; Eren did not mean us any harm when he transformed. I'd know because I felt no bloodlust coming from him too, and that's why I didn't try to kill him," she explained. Her smirk stretched wider when Levi's trade-mark scowl came into play. "So in short, you allowed your emotions to cloud your judgment as well."
"Tch. What an irrational thing to assume, idiot." Levi gnashed with a hideous scowl. "The only reason why I didn't do it was because that brat is valuable to humanity — even if we do kill him, we can't do it just on a shitty whim of doubt."
She snorted, an amused smirk still playing on her lips. "Liar," she stated flatly. "You say that with such a straight face, but you send me to check on him afterward. You pity him, don't you?"
Levi glared at her, but she must have seen through the charade because her smirk only widened.
Without waiting for him to reply, Ida spun around and waved him off with an indifferent air. She advanced towards the toilet languidly. "No matter. Deny it if you want. Don't worry, I won't ruin your little cold-unbreakable persona."
She paused by the door and turned her head to stare at him. The small grin that lit her face nearly warmed away all of his lingering anxiety. "I'm just glad that you're not a complete insensitive bastard."
Before Levi could even retort, Ida disappeared into the toilet and closed the door behind her. Alone once again, he groused to himself audibly. He tried to focus back on his report, but Levi found himself unnerved by her statement.
In so many ways, Ida Starke unsettled him. Levi would never admit it, but she did. Because she stirred something within him. For reasons that he could not comprehend, he realized that after a year of working underneath him, she had developed a keen eye on seeing through him.
In a further reflection of the past year, Levi realized it was although Ida was always calling him out on his wayward actions — just waiting for him to make a blunder as if she took joy in knowing that he was not perfect.
This action should have infuriated him, but instead, Levi felt strangely intrigued and amused by it. It was a silent challenge between them, he acknowledged — a challenge to break each other's perfect apathetic persona, to expose each other's darkest demons and weaknesses.
And it was because of this that Levi knew that Ida would've checked on Eren Yeager regardless of whether or not she was ordered to. He too could see it within her; the pity, the innate humaneness that threatened to escape her apathetic dissemble. Despite how Ida treated him with malice, Levi knew that she cared for him because she silently empathized with his situation.
A curious smirk played on his lips and he scoffed out in disbelief at that thought, throwing his report on the table.
Stinking brat, how dare she called him out on his wayward actions when she was exactly the same?