A/N: I tried to involve more of the characters from 104th training squad inside this chapter, they need more love! This was an amazingly fun chapter to write. Thank for your support so far!
Chapter Revamped: 16 March 2020
Humanity's Strongest Woman by xDollfie
Chapter 12 — Courting Troubles
He grumbled irritably for the umpteen times, his fingernails tapping impatiently on his wooden desk. His eyes were on the stack of god-awful paperwork in front of him, but occasionally, he found his gaze and concentration shifting towards the closed door.
Just what was taking her so damn long?
Levi Ackerman was never a patient man, but if there was someone beside him to cool him down, he would try to be tolerant at the very least. Thus Hanji Zoe, knowing Levi's personality well from years of working together, sat on his couch in his office, carefully watching the Captain's patience trickling away by the minute.
"Maybe she's constipated or something?" The bespectacled squad leader suggested nervously, trying to ease the tension brimming in the room. "She'll come soon enough."
He snapped his eyes towards her with a scowl so intimidating that Hanji flinched in her seat. "Are you sure you told Ida that I was looking for her? You didn't screw things up again, did you?"
"Of course I did!" Hanji snapped back, offended that Levi thought that she couldn't even handle something so simple. Grumbling under her breath, she shifted her eyes towards her files. "She was with Eren and Armin by the dining hall."
Levi's frown deepened at the sound of that name — Eren Yeager. For once, the elite Captain hated coming back to the headquarters. The boy's trial was only days away, which meant that their operation to capture the Female Type Titan would commence soon enough. But that wasn't the only thing that Levi was brooding over.
Admittedly, he was appalled and slightly pissed that a certain subordinate of his was… ignoring him at best.
It didn't take long for him to notice the change in her behavior. Ida was always one to rudely prance into his office every day without fail to annoy him over something minor — it was as if she enlisted mainly with the goal to irritate the living daylights out of him. But so far, there were no annoying visits from her.
And from what Levi had learned from others, Ida was sticking with Eren and his little gang of noisy brats for the past few days. Frankly, Levi had thought that she had gotten over her depression stage and things were back to normal between them, but somehow, it looked as though Ida had decided that she preferred that Titan brat's company over his.
And that thought... irked him.
As if on cue, there was a knock on the door, signaling the arrival of the very person Levi was thinking about. Ida twisted the doorknob and went in. "You were looking for me?"
"You've some damn nerve of making me wait," Levi grumbled, slouching back on his chair.
Ida broke eye contact with her partner. Instinctively, she lifted her hands up and touched her healed injury on her head. Levi had been tending to her injuries back at the hideout without complaint and Ida would never forget the look he gave her those days. There was always concern there, yes, as any good Captain would have for his subordinates, but he also seemed rather… gentle — too gentle for someone like Levi.
It was a huge surprise to see him react like that.
Any other time, Ida was certain that he would've maybe scoffed at her clumsiness and thrown in an insult about how inferior and incapable she was. Instead, every day without fail, he would arrive with bandages and cleaned her wounds despite her protest and simply grumble: "Troublesome brat."
There was something… different about him lately, though she wasn't sure what. No matter how much Ida tried to think about it, she could never quite put her finger on it. He certainly acted the same the majority of the time, but there were times that he was quieter, gentler with her; times that the vibes she got from him were completely odd and foreign.
"I was helping Eren and Armin out, they wanted me to teach them advanced 3DMG techniques in preparation for the day of the trial," Ida explained, puzzled at why Levi seemed so pissed. She knew he was never a patient man, but she could've never expected that he could look so intimidating over such a small matter.
With an impertinent scoff, Levi issued out his orders. "Clean my room today."
In turn, Ida threw him an annoyed look. It infuriated her to no end that Levi had an annoying obsession with repeatedly cleaning things that don't need to be clean. "I've already done that this morning."
"Do it again then," he argued back grimly.
Over at the couch, Hanji muffled a laugh, hiding behind her files but occasionally peeking at the disagreeing pair. Oh boy, she couldn't wait to see how things progress from here on.
Ida wasn't about to give up yet. "I don't have time for this, midget bastard."
"It's a damn order, shitty brat," Levi clenched his jaw and retorted.
With a grunt of frustration, Ida clenched her fist and muttered a curse before grudgingly storming her way out of the office. She hated that she didn't have power over Levi's orders. No matter how much of an unreasonable bastard he was, Levi was still her superior, which meant that she had to listen to him unconditionally.
Levi made a dissatisfied noise under his nose when the door slammed shut, grabbing onto another paperwork and begin to sign them off quickly without even scanning its contents.
"Really, Levi? That is the best thing you can do?"
He growled tiredly as he waited to hear exactly what the eccentric squad leader was making a huge deal about this time. Frankly, it appeared to him that there was nothing visible on his character worth making any kind of deal about. He had been very careful after that huge discussion about him taking a certain special liking for his partner.
"It's obvious she still upset over the last expedition, is that the best you could do to cheer her up?" Hanji told him crossly as if challenging him to correct her.
Levi had to try extremely hard not to launch another kick at her face. "Stop thinking about stupid shit and do your work right," he rebuffed her comments harshly, flipping through his paperwork. "Moron."
He inwardly grimaced at his thoughts; he wished that Ida would at least tell him what was bothering her so much. Hanji was right, there was no doubt that she was still upset over the squads' deaths, though she had improved considerably. Eating, drinking, and spending the days like she usually would — but what puzzled him was the depleting conversations between his partner and him.
Was she still feeling so guilty to a point she still couldn't talk to him like before?
To top it off, that wasn't really what was really truly digging into him.
It was Ida's sudden attraction and dependence on the shitty Titan Shifter brat that made him feel this insecurity and agitation. Levi had never, ever felt so completely hopeless before. In battles, even if the legion was over-powered, there was still consolation they fought back their hardest and there was still a chance of getting out alive.
But not in this, Levi's battle-filled mind had absolutely no clue on what was going on in the fiery head of Ida's.
As if reading his thoughts, Hanji balanced her face on her palms and the corners of her mouth lifted gently. "Women are way more complex than battle strategies will ever be. I would know. I'm a woman after all."
"Tch." Levi certainly did not appreciate her interruption. "I'm surprised that you consider yourself a woman, you're a shitty four-eyed Titan freak at best."
"And I'm pleasantly surprised a clean freak like you would struggle so hard when the answer is so simple!" Hanji retorted back smartly, earning a glare from him.
Levi tried to act indifferent like he wasn't truly curious at all, but before he knew it, his stupid mouth opened the words spilled out, "What's simple?"
Hanji clapped her hands together. "A date!"
He almost fell off his chair at her suggestion. "What the hell are you saying? I don't have time for nonsensical crap like that, are you even listening to yourself?"
Hanji watched his finger twitch and tighten into a fist and she couldn't hide the smirk on her face. "It doesn't have to be a 'date' like to go to a restaurant or something, it can be something simple! You know her well enough. Surely there's some mutual interest between you two — you can do something that interests both of you to cheer her up!"
She walked over and handed her the file that she had revised over to him for a review and Levi quickly snatched it away from her. "Is that all I'm good for?" he growled, flipping her papers. He cringed at Hanji's terrible scrawny handwriting. Her handwriting resembled her, messy with no type of order. "To cheer some troublesome pathetic excuse of a soldier up?"
Even with that said, in truth, Levi understood Ida's behavior better than anyone.
Despite being famed for her well-honed skills and being a legend in Titan slaying in her own right. Somehow, with the fame and glory that came with her success, many had forgotten that Ida was still merely an amateur — it was the first time that Ida had lost someone in the legion that she cared about.
Levi knew that a true soldier's value did not only lie on skills, but in how to act professionally and to counter internal struggles. Ida still had many things to learn. She wasn't the role model and ray of hope that many thought she was, though she would occasionally put up a strong front in order to live up to her reputation. To Levi, Ida was merely an innocent naive brat at best.
"Of course not!" Hanji retorted with a grin too wide for her face. "But, you're pathetic when it comes to women, so I thought you might want some help! After all, we want the best for our dear Ida-san, don't we?"
Levi looked at her with a bored expression and Hanji stiffened like a pole, berating herself for saying too much. She was waiting for a kick or perhaps a punch, but Levi merely got off his chair and went to the corner of the room. Relaxing, Hanji turned her heel around and opened her mouth to speak just as Levi shoved something in her face.
Hanji gulped at the object so close to her face. This is not going to be good, she could feel it in her veins.
"U — Uh… Levi, why did you give me a broom?" she asked nervously.
He crossed his arms on his hard chest and with a raised brow, he replied simply. "Since you enjoy hearing yourself spew senseless shit, I figured you could at least make your pathetic self useful by cleaning up my office while you listen to yourself ramble on."
"What!" Hanji cried, holding onto the broom.
A menacing glower was all it took for Hanji to clamp her lips shut tightly. With a sadistic smirk on his lips, Levi grimaced grimly, urging her to get lost. "Well, get on with it. I don't have all day, I want it done when I come back."
Sadistic bastard!
Hanji pouted as she proceeded to dejectedly sweep the spotless area around her. She heard the door close behind her and instantly, a maniacal smile shot up her face.
"Hehehe, he thinks he can fool me, that clean freak," she mused in amusement, dropping the broom and skipping towards the door.
Silently, she cracked it open and popped her head outside, hoping that she wouldn't get caught by the hawk-eyed Levi. Thankfully, he had long disappeared.
There was no way she would spend her day cooped up in this room, even if it meant experiencing Levi's wrath later on. There were better things to do!
Like stalking a certain Captain to see what he was up to.
Hanji Zoe had a clue where he was going to.
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
"That stupid midget clean freak son of an asshole…" Ida Starke launched into a string of curses, wringing the soapy water out from her cleaning cloth.
She began to wipe the counter of the dresser, groaning when she saw that her ivory white cloth was still spotless after she was done.
"This place is as clean as hell!" she shouted exasperatedly to the air. "Seriously?!"
Hanji Zoe could barely contain her laughter when she heard Ida's loud irritated complaints filtering into the hallway. Biting onto her tongue to stop her laughter, she carefully peeked from her hiding spot, seeing Levi standing outside his room with a dark expression on his face.
"Kekeke, now this is a comedy I would buy tickets for!" Hanji stifled her laughter, trying various ways to shut up, like pinching herself so that she wouldn't get caught.
There was no way she was going to miss this for all the Titans in the world — Levi Ackerman, the cold stoic unmoving Captain was finally asking someone out for a date! Straining her ears, she listened in to their conversation.
After much deliberation, Levi — with a determined frown on his visage — swung open the door with a loud bang, earning a loud squeal from the frightened redhead inside.
"WHA!"
Ida's frightened demeanor immediately changed when she saw Levi standing by the door. "You scared me!" she complained, her hand on her chest. "I thought you came for my heart or something!"
"No one wants your stinking heart," Levi defended tonelessly, leaning against the door frame. He watched her carefully as if to contemplate something.
Ida fidgeted under his scrutinizing glare, wondering what she had done wrong this time. Picking up her dropped cloth, she went back to her cleaning. "I'm almost done with your room, don't make such a big fuss. I'm already trying my best— OW!"
Her explanation was cut short when Levi smacked the back of her head with his palm. Rubbing the back of her assaulted head, she snapped her incredulous eyes towards the culprit.
"What was that for?!" she demanded hotly.
Levi glowered at the pouting redhead before replying grimly, "Listen when your superior is about to talk."
Wondering what she had done wrong to warrant a visit from him, Ida pursed her lips and crossed her arms against her chest, watching him expectedly as Levi reverted back to his emotionless expression. "Ok, so what do you want this time, Levi?"
"Ida…" Levi began slowly, staring at her so intimidatingly that even the obnoxious redhead shrank back in fear at his glare. "Do you… want to go slaughter some Titans together with me?"
"PFFT!" Hanji slapped her hand over her mouth, trying desperately to bite back her laughter.
She could feel her stomach clench down painfully at Levi pathetic 'request' for a date in an effort to cheer Ida up. Sure, she had suggested doing something that held an interest in both of them, but she could have never expected in her wildest dreams that Levi would come to the conclusion that killing Titans was the only mutual interest both of them had!
Ida blinked, and blinked, and blinked. But no matter how many times she blinked, she couldn't understand what her Captain was asking of her.
Pointing her herself, she mumbled out nervously. "Y — You... want me to go along with you to kill Titans? Like together? Alone? Now?"
Levi nodded grimly. "As long as you don't leave my side, it'd be troublesome if you died."
In truth, Levi was expecting a 'Yes sir' or something along that line from her, but all he got was a wet cloth being thrown to his face and an extremely infuriated redhead in front of him.
"What the hell! I knew you were a rude bastard but you're an insensitive clean freak midget as well!" Ida screamed, pointing an accusing finger at a paralyzed Captain. "Even after all the things we have been through, you want us to go out and kill some stupid Titans for the sake of a challenge?! Plus, your leg is screwed! You can't even fight now! Is this your new way of insulting me?!"
Gripping onto her cleaning bandana that Levi insisted that everyone wear when they are doing their chores, she threw it on the floor at stormed out of the room in anger. "I'm not going to tolerate your shit anymore! You can clean this place yourself! Despicable bastard!"
It took Levi a few moments to finally gain back his senses. He hissed irritably when he felt the wet spot on his cheek where the dirty cloth landed. Grousing a string of curses to himself, he stormed out of the room to chase after the raging redhead to give her a piece of his mind for her insolence — how dare she throw that disgusting thing at him.
"BWAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!"
A burst of distinctive maniacal laughter distracted him from pursuing Ida and Levi immediately snapped his eyes towards the source of the laughter.
"L — Levi… Y—You—" Hanji clutched onto her stomach and she tried to speak coherently through her boisterous laughs. Tears stung her eyes as she looked up, absorbing the murderous aura clinging onto Levi.
Usually, it would be enough to shut her up, but she couldn't help but laugh this time.
"That wasn't even romantic at all! I know that I said to find something to do together that involves both of your mutual interests but… Talking about killing Titans?! Haha! Might as well cheer her up by using severed Titan body parts! You're such an idiot, what do you think you're doing— EEEEK!"
Levi seethed in embarrassment and anger, immediately lunging for the snickering squad leader's collar. He lifted her up easily in the air and glared menacingly at her.
"Is that all you wanted to say, shitty glasses?" Levi growled. His voice was menacing, his expression spelling death.
"H — Hey, Levi... I'm suffocating!" Hanji kicked in the air, grabbing onto Levi's iron grip on her collar. "Ok! I give up! I give up! I was just joking!"
But Levi merely glared at her, debating if he should just kill her on the spot. Hanji gulped nervously. "But seriously though, don't you think that was a little bit too insensitive? She's depressed because her friends are dead because of a Titan, you know? Of course she'd take it the wrong way!"
"Yelp!" Hanji squeaked when the grip on her collar tightened, blocking her air passage. "O — Ok! I'm seriously going to have a problem breathing Levi! Let me down!"
With a last threatening glare, Levi tossed her angrily to the ground. Hanji wheezed and spluttered before shouting out to a retreating Captain's back. "You should get a more feminine point of view!"
Levi turned back and threw one last murderous sharp glare at Hanji before stalking off. "I don't want your fucking advice."
Entering the mess hall, Levi noted that it was at its usual boisterous and idle state. This place was, after all, one of the few places where Survey Corp soldiers could simply relax without fretting over Titans. Though the mood was overall pleasant, a certain sadness clung to the air. Occasionally if he watched close enough, he could see a flash of grief and despair when the soldiers' eyes darted to the empty seats beside them — seats where their fallen comrades once resided.
"What is he even doing here?" Connie wondered out loud when he noticed a famous soldier by the door. "I thought he was injured after that whole female Titan fiasco."
"Apparently he recovered enough to walk," Armin said as Levi walked through the crowd of soldiers with a slight limp to his steps, his cold eyes seemingly scanning the sea in search of something. "Who do you think he is looking for?"
"Perhaps he's here to clean the place." Jean snickered at his jest. The new group of recruits had acknowledged the elite Captain's strange obsession for cleaning things from Eren. "Shall we bolt out of here before he hands us a broom?"
"Sorry to burst your bubble you little stinking brat, but I'm looking for Ida Starke." A cold voice behind them drawled.
Armin and Connie both gasped and Jean paled by the sudden appearance of the very man he was bad-mouthing. They all hastily stood up and saluted. "C — Captain Levi, sir!"
"Calm your bratty asses down." Levi rolled his eyes at the saluting trio, before looking around at the mess hall once again. "Where's Starke?"
"I don't know… I haven't seen her." Armin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, nervous at the intimidating questioning look that Levi was bestowing upon them.
"If you see her, tell her that I demand that she come to my office immediately." Levi's words spilled through gritted teeth.
The three recruits paled at the sound of his menacing voice, wondering what had gotten him so angry.
"Is it important, sir?" Armin probed nervously, wondering if it had anything to do with Eren.
"Don't ask any questions and just do as I said."
"Y — Yes sir!" Jean saluted immediately, relieved that Levi had ignored his previous jest.
With a firm nod, Levi stalked off, leaving the three recruits to let out the breaths that they were holding.
"What could he possibly want with her?" Jean sounded concerned. "This is the first time he's even been out of his office since his injury."
"He was limping pretty badly," Connie whispered back, eyeing at the retreating back of the famed Captain. "Must be something pretty important for him to come to get her himself, you think that they are quarreling again like what Eren said?"
Armin picked on his leftover food uneasily, watching Levi scan the crowd once more. "Don't think so. Perhaps he just wants to assess her well being. I mean, it's must be pretty depressing to even someone like her to lose almost all of her squadmates at once you know."
The three slipped into silence as they contemplated Armin's words. Eld, Petra, Oluo, Gunther — they were soldiers whose talents were head and shoulders above any normal soldier, handpicked by Levi himself. They were fearsome Titan slayers, each holding a record for their Titans killed and yet they were butchered — every single one of them, wiped out and gone.
The recruits could only shudder when they think about what awaits them in the future.
Levi Ackerman was growing increasingly annoyed at the disappearance of Ida. Where the hell was she? He would have Hanji to thank for this mess. It was an error of judgment on his part for even considering her stupid advice. That woman only knew how to experiment on Titans, what on earth was he thinking of listening to her shitty advice?!
From the corner of his eyes, he picked out a tuff of golden hair and he immediately zeroed in on the subject on his interest. Advancing forward, he knocked on the table to get the attention of the two females who were engrossed in their conversation.
"Ah! C — Captain Levi!" Krista Lenz immediately stood up to greet him, surprised at his appearance. She saluted stiffly. "Sir!"
Ymir scowled at the sudden intrusion and she held Krista's arm back defensively. "What do want, sir?"
"Sit," Levi commanded flatly, pulling out the chair and plopping down in front of them.
He crossed his arms over his chest, studying the golden-haired female in front of him. Yes, she would do. Someone like her would definitely know things in comparison to that fanatical insane squad leader.
"What is your name?"
"K — Krista, sir! From the 104th trainee corps!" Krista introduced nervously, appalled that Levi would even talk someone like her. Her skills were nowhere great and she didn't really do much to stand out. Did she do something wrong?
"What do you want with Krista?" Ymir immediately questioned him, not happy with the way that Levi was looking at her friend.
"Is this any way to talk to your superior?" Levi replied grimly, not once turning his head to acknowledge her. "I want to ask her a question, so cool your ass down and shut up for a minute, will you? Your obnoxious screech is hurting my ears."
Ymir swallowed to ease her dry throat but still kept her glare pinned on him. Krista fidgeted in her seat, avoiding eye contact with the legend in front of her. "May I ask why you are looking for me, sir?"
"What do you do when you want to cheer up?"
Ymir was so taken aback by his question that she even dropped her glare for a moment. Krista blinked a few times, puzzled. She had expected Levi to berate her for lousy skills, not ask her a question like this. "Wh — What?"
"Did you not hear me the first time?" Levi growled, causing Krista to squeak in fear.
"Y — Yes! I heard you, sir!" Krista sped through her words like a charging Titan, fearing that she would have to experience his infamous 'wrath' that she heard everyone talk about in the legion.
Levi scowled. "Well?"
"Uhm… When I'm sad, I tend to eat something sweet…" Krista admitted quietly as she nervously played with her fingers. "So..."
Bullseye. Levi nodded approvingly at her answer. That sounded like someone he knew. "Go on," he urged her to elaborate.
"Like… cake or something!" Krista's eyes lighted up at the sound of it. "Whenever I was sad when I was younger, my caretaker would feed me some sweets, but cake was always my favorite!"
"Tch, you can be such a baby at times." Ymir teased from beside her. "How adorable."
"Hey! Don't say that, Ymir!" Krista pouted at her friend's remark. "Anyway, may I know why you are asking this, sir— Eh?"
She had turned her attention back to Levi sitting on the chair in front of her, only to find out that he was already making her way out of the mess hall.
Confused, Krista turned to her best friend beside her, as if asking her if she knew what was going on.
Ymir shrugged, going back to eating her bread. "Your guess is as good as mine, Krista."
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
"Explain to me why Eren keeps almost getting killed since he's been hanging around you, second's strongest." Mikasa snarled, her expression so frightening that even Armin was taken aback. Her death glare, however, was only directed at one person.
"How the fuck would I know, you gloomy brat. He's such a pain in the ass, I want to feed him poison sometimes," Ida growled back in a voice so cold, that most of the legion watching shunned away from her in fear.
Eren Yeager was sweating nervously as he watched the two furious women in front of him. He had made a blunder when he was out practicing with Ida and had gotten himself injured because of a little accident. Eren knew that it was going to start raining blood as soon as Mikasa saw it — but he didn't expect her to openly confront Ida in the middle of the mess hall during dinner!
"Ah! Uhm!" Eren tried to interfere. "I'm fine now! Please calm down both of you!"
But his pleas seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as Mikasa continued on with her accusations, "If you can't protect Eren by yourself, then you're just a useless pipsqueak with no skills at all!"
"If you want to protect that little Titan brat so much, why don't you stick to him like the creepy stalker girl you are?!" Ida clenched her fist, infuriated at the recruit's insolence. From what she had observed, she knew that Mikasa was overly protective of Eren, but she wasn't about to let her berate her for something that the clumsy Titan brat had gotten himself into!
The truth was, Mikasa was jealous that Eren had been sticking to Ida more than he was to her. She was a prodigy, Eren could have come to her anytime if he needed help with training instead. Plus, she didn't trust the Ida with Eren yet.
"I would! If you would stop disappearing with him all the time!" Mikasa argued back. "I couldn't find him!"
Ida's glare hardened, not caring if she was looked like an immature adult at this point. "That only proves how much of a creepy stalker you really are!"
Hanji Zoe finally intervened. With a warm awkward smile, she stepped in between the two women and tugged Ida away. "Look at how much you two had frightened my poor specimen—uh... I mean, Eren! It's just a little scratch, nothing that his instantaneous amazing regeneration capabilities wouldn't heal!"
Eren exchanged uncomfortable glances with Mikasa and Ida, not liking the sound of Hanji's fanatical enthusiasm.
Immediately, Mikasa held onto Eren protectively, "Don't you think about experimenting on him!"
For once, Eren was grateful for Mikasa's constant nagging and fussing, he would've hated to sit down for hours again listening to Hanji ramble on about his amazing Titan capabilities.
With a grimace, Ida sat down, finally deciding that she didn't want to continue this pointless argument with a gloomy brat. "Whatever," she grumbled, poking her dinner with her fork. "You can join us next time if you like. That way you can take care of Eren yourself."
Dinner at the Survey Corps, as usual, was a noisy affair. Levi watched this scene from his table with an impassive stare. Throughout dinner, he threw fleeting glances over at Ida, who was seated with the members of the 104th Trainee Squad at another table. He hardly ate at the mess hall, preferring the solitude of his office, but today was different.
Suddenly, Levi sat abruptly up from his table and went towards the kitchen.
Mike threw him a questioning glance. "Levi? What are you doing?"
Erwin looked up from his meal. "Where is he going?"
But Levi ignored both men's questions and continued on with his walk.
Hanji — who was observing Eren's minor wounds at the Trainee Squad table — looked up excitedly when her sharp ears picked up her commander's question. It took just one look at a retreating Levi before she threw Eren's hand back at him and scrambled over to Erwin's table.
"Oh god, oh god! It's happening, I just know it!" Hanji announced excitedly, plopping down next to a perplexed Mike who choked on his bread when she suddenly slammed into him. "I can't wait!"
"What's happening?" Erwin inquired sharply. Hanji's eccentric behavior was a common occurrence, but this time, something had actually caught her attention awhile she was studying Eren, so it had to be important.
"Just watch!" Hanji giggled. With a wide mischievous smile split across her face, she skipped excitedly back to the trainee's table.
"Eh? Why is Captain Levi holding onto that cake?" Armin voiced when he saw that Levi was approaching with a frosted chocolate cake. He stared at his friends for answers. "Are we having a celebration?"
Jean shrugged, looking up curiously from his plate. "Beats me, what's there to celebrate after all? I mean we just failed our mission."
Meanwhile, Ida was too engrossed in poking around her meal and brooding on ways to punish Mikasa to notice. It was only when Levi plopped something in front of her did she jump slightly in shock.
"Eh?" Ida stared at the delicious-looking cake. She averted her questioning eyes to Levi, who was now looking at her with the same scowl that he always had.
"Okay, everyone! Today is Ida's birthday, so we're celebrating!" Hanji suddenly announced loudly from the table, figuring that her comment would be convenient for Levi.
The entire mess hall murmured in surprise, all eyes pinned on the unsuspecting redhead.
"B — But it isn't my birthday!" Ida retorted, her mind still swimming with confusion.
Hanji paused for a moment, before replying with a maniacal awkward smile. "Okay! We're celebrating over Eren's amazing injury so that I can gather more data—"
She didn't get to finish her speech when Levi launched a kick at her back for interrupting and she fell to the floor. Hanji looked at him in disbelief. She was just trying to help!
Meanwhile, Ida was still staring perplexedly at Levi, ignoring Hanji's protest at how ungrateful Levi was. She waited for Levi to explain the bizarre situation to her.
He gestured impatiently to the still uneaten cake and sat down in front of her. "Eat it, dumbass," Levi said flatly, noticing that she was gaping at him.
"Oh my god! It's a cake!" Sasha shrieked in excitement, drooling visibly at the sight of the expensive-looking cake. She swooned over it with greedy eyes, her fingers etching closer to her object of interest. "You will share won't you Ida—EEK!"
Levi slammed his hands on the table, causing Sasha to abruptly snatch back her fingers. He glowered threateningly at the frightened recruit, "Keep your greedy hands-off, you thieving pig."
Tears accumulated in Sasha's eyes as she nodded furiously at his command — her fear had won over her insatiable hunger. Levi diverted his attention back to Ida, who was still paralyzed to her seat.
She was staring at the cake as if it would give her an explanation. "Is this an attempt to poison me?" Ida mumbled to herself, looking at the delicious cake dubiously. "What the hell..."
"Are you so pathetic to a point you don't know how to eat a cake?" Levi grumbled impatiently. He grabbed a spoon from the table and jabbed the cake, extending the bite towards Ida. "Eat it."
Flustered, Ida angled away from the spoon, mumbling incoherently as her mind tried to keep up with the appalling situation. "Huh? Uh… This is… What?!"
Incredulous whispers suddenly broke out across the dining hall like wildfire.
"Oh my god," came Sasha's whimpered cry for the cake from down the table.
His eyebrow twitched in annoyance at her obliviousness, Levi was becoming greatly aware that everyone was looking at them — what the hell was taking her so long? She usually didn't act this way around sweets. Finally, his impatience caused him to react.
"Just eat it already!" Levi shoved the spoon into her mouth.
"AH! UFF!" Ida's screams were muffled by the sudden intrusion of delicious sweet pastry, she stood up angrily with her mouth full.
"What the hell do you think you are—" she paused when the sweetness flowed through her palette, pleasuring her sweet tooth. Ida couldn't help but grin at the divine heavenly taste.
"Good?" Levi asked flatly, his tone making it quite clear what answer he expected to receive.
Ida nodded her head, feeling all her anger melt away with scrumptious taste in her mouth. She beamed happily when she swallowed, licking her lips. Wanting more of cake, she extended her hand out to reach for the spoon in Levi's grasp, but he only maneuvered it away from her.
"Hey!" Ida pouted. "Hand it over!"
"No," Levi snapped back grimly.
Hanji muffled her laughter when she realized what Levi was doing. Things are not going to turn out well again. Hanji could feel it in her bones.
"You're the one who gave the cake to me, so hand the spoon over!" Ida demanded, anger flashing in her eyes when she realized what Levi was trying to do, he was just playing with her all along!
"I said no, so shut the hell up and clean the cream off your cheek. You're an embarrassment," Levi grumbled irritably, digging the prized spoon back into the scrumptious cake. "That's an order, Starke."
But unfortunately for Levi, Ida had misunderstood his intentions once again. Upset that he was depriving her of the glorious cake in front of her, she was determined to get the spoon from him.
"Give it to me!" Ida extended her hand out, trying to grab the spoon away from his grasp.
SPLAT!
"Ah!" Ida gasped loudly and hastily retracted her hand when she realized what she had done. She gulped nervously when she heard the recurring gasps from the onlookers around her.
Shit, just what had she done?!
"S — Sorry! I wasn't looking in front of me!" Ida quickly apologized, shrinking back in fear as Levi's intimidating glare hardened. "I — I didn't mean to get cake on you!"
She scrambled to make things up for her mistake, but it was futile — she recognized that death glare. Dread was making its way to her stomach, there was no way Levi was going to forgive her for this!
She had just committed the greatest sin that no one in the legion would never willingly dare to accomplish — in a bid to grab to spoon from him, Ida had hit it so hard that the spoon actually flew and the small bite of cake smashed onto the famous Captain's face.
To put it simply, she dirtied the clean freak.
"Ida…" Levi finally muttered dangerously, his cold glare still pinned on her as the small spoonful of cake slid off his cheek, leaving a trail of cream.
"A — Ah… Yes...?" Ida asked nervously in a small voice, not making eye-contact.
In one quick movement, Levi grabbed the tray that housed the glorious cake and…
SPLAT!
"…You can eat the shitty remains, I'm going to wash up." Levi told her in a cool voice, getting off his seat and stalking off.
Ignoring the wide-eyed stares, he turned his heel and slipped out of the hall — leaving everyone to stare in shock at the elite fiery-haired woman that had her face buried in the cake.
Levi closed the door behind him calmly, leaving an impending frenzy in his wake.
"I AM GOING TO KILL THAT BASTARD!"
"AHH! IDA-SAN! PLEASE CALM DOWN! CAKE IS FLYING EVERYWHERE!"
"AT LEAST CLEAN THE CAKE OFF YOUR FACE FIRST!"
"SASHA! DON'T EAT THE CAKE OFF THE FLOOR!"
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
Hanji Zoe couldn't help but laugh whenever she saw Levi Ackerman, she really couldn't help it.
"Oh god, don't you think that doing that to her was a bit too much? I mean you smashed the cake that was supposed to cheer her up onto her face!" Hanji slid into the vacant chair beside Levi, laughing. She felt that her sides would split open if Levi continued on with his fail attempts in trying to cheer Ida up.
Levi glared at the laughing squad leader with utmost annoyance. Hanji, oblivious to the murderous glare, continued on, "I mean, seriously! You could've just told her you wanted to feed her instead of denying her the spoon! She's even more pissed with you now! HAHAHA!"
Levi's eyebrow twitched, but he willed his anger to fade. "Shut up, shitty glasses. You really don't know when to shut up."
Ignoring the laughs from Hanji while she rambled on about his failures, Levi picked his teacup up, noticing the silent recruit sitting at the very edge of the table.
Oh, damn it. He had already come this far. What is asking another person going to do?
"Ackerman," Levi called out flatly, happy that the teacup was blocking his scowl as he brooded over how his attempts had all failed. "You've been talking to shitty redhaired brat lately..."
"Don't beat around the bush and just spit it out, sir," Mikasa replied stoically, her steaming cup of tea warming her palms. She could guess what he was going to ask of her.
"Sweets. Things. Clothes," Levi couldn't believe the words that were exiting his mouth. "Do you have any idea what she likes?"
Mikasa looked up from her cup impassively, pausing for a moment before replying. "She likes tall people."
Levi choked on his hot tea at her flat reply awhile Hanji doubled over in laughter beside him. Slamming his teacup down and wiping his mouth. Levi finally decided that he had enough of this nonsense that he had gotten himself into. What was he even thinking in the first place? It was so out of his character to do useless things like this. How irrational. He would rather do shitty paperwork over this any day.
"I told you…! Hehehe!" Hanji spoke through her boisterous laughs. "Women are far more complex than battle strategies!"
Levi silently agreed with that statement wholeheartedly, Ida Starke was just more puzzling to him than a horde of Titans.
"Tch. Whatever, this is a fucking waste of my time." Levi got up from his seat, livid at himself for even bothering to attempt to cheer Ida up. Scoffing, he decided that he was not going to bother with that childish troublesome amateur partner of his, she can brood over her inferiority for all she wants, he didn't care.
"Captain." Mikasa's cool voice halted him in his steps. She looked at him with listless eyes devoid of any emotions. "Sometimes, it's just good to be direct."
He grimaced, making an annoyed noise under his nose.
Direct huh? That is never going to happen.
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
Ida couldn't understand what Levi was thinking, in fact, she never understood him. From the days where they first met, she could never understand his uncanny habit of cleaning, she could never understand why he was so specific on rules, and she could never understand why Levi was giving her cake out of all things now only to smash her face into it.
How on earth did she offend him this time? She hardly even talked to him nowadays and she did all of her cleaning duties!
Sighing, she traipsed through the hallway grudgingly, trying to crack her brain on what the hell her Captain was eating for him to act so out of character. She exhaled again when she saw the door to her room appearing by the corner. Ida was still attempting to organize her thoughts.
In the end, she hadn't gotten any of the answers she was looking for and had an argument that led to her getting her cake smashed in her face in front of the entire legion. She gritted her teeth at that bitter thought. How embarrassing. With tightly pressed lips, Ida decided she needed to put her curiousness aside for the night and to sleep it off.
Until she found the devil incarnation standing in front of her and blocking her pathway. She exhaled resignedly, wondering what he was up to again. "What do you want now, Levi? I'm exhausted."
"Choose a place to go to, it is an order," Levi told her simply, his voice devoid of emotions.
Ida was paralyzed from shock as if a lightning bolt had struck her. "Wh — What?"
"There's somewhere you want to go right? Choose it, and let's go," Levi grumbled in annoyance at how slow Ida was in figuring things out.
"Outside the headquarters?" Ida inquired with wide eyes. "Have you forgotten? We're on probation until the date of Eren's trial arrives."
"I can go wherever the hell I want," Levi retorted snappily, looking increasingly irritated. "It's better than being cramped up here."
She froze in shock, not knowing what to say. Ida had always thought that Levi was an unaccommodating kind of person, but surprisingly, he also shrinks the rules.
But the question is, why now? With that thought in mind, Ida dubiously questioned his intentions. "Are you trying to get rid of me quietly or something?"
"Ow!" Ida held onto her forehead when Levi flicked it.
Shooting her a death glare, Levi demanded in a grim voice, "Don't just stop and ask stupid shitty questions and just choose already, you annoying brat."
Rubbing her forehead, Ida considered his offer for a moment. Her lips twitched upwards when a malicious thought crossed her mind. "Well... If you really insist…"
o o o —xπ{Ö}πx — o o o
Levi Ackerman prayed, hard. He prayed to all the shitty Titans in the world that Ida was not going to suggest another god-awful candy store. Thankfully, his prayers were answered, but that didn't stop Ida from choosing the next best place on her list.
"This is one of the best perks of being a soldier!" Ida shouted gleefully, the cool breeze blowing her hair and kissing her cheeks. "Wow! Just like I thought, this scenery is awesome up here— EEK!"
Ida suddenly felt gravity pull her down when Levi released his hold on her legs, dropping her. She hissed and rubbed her sore bum. Glaring at her 'ride' up the wall, she complained. "Hey! What gives?!"
"Well, aren't you clumsy," Levi growled sardonically, crossing his arms across his chest. The pain on his injured leg stung, but he kept a cool composure on his face.
"Bastard." Ida cursed, pushing herself up and moving towards the edge of the Wall. She sat down on the edge and dangled her feet in the air, loving the crisp air on the top of the Wall.
"Doesn't your leg hurt?" Ida inquired when she saw him walking towards her.
"If you really care about my well-being you wouldn't ask me to piggyback you all the fucking way up to the damned fifty-meter wall, would you?" Levi instantly shot down her concern with a scowl. "Stinking brat."
"Well, that's true..." Ida laughed softly at the contradiction, swinging her feet in the air. It was her way of paying him back for smashing that cake in her face, but honestly, she never expected Levi to be such a good sport and agree to it despite the injury in his leg.
The hard glint in Levi's eyes softened when she smiled and a comfortable silence enveloped them as they stared into the endless horizon beyond the Wall.
Over the past year, Levi could count the number of times she genuinely laughed or smiled. Ida had always worn a stern cold expression on her face, hardened by her tragic past and the cruelty of the world. It was strange of him to notice something like this, but he found himself oddly drawn to discover the different sides of her.
She looked like a different person when she smiled.
"You know, I've never been up the Wall, even after being in the Survey Corps for a year," Ida spoke softly, relishing in the beautiful endless night sky and the soft twinkling of the stars. "It's beautiful, just like how I expected it to be ever since I was a little girl. I've always wanted to do this and look down on the city, but civilians were prohibited from going ontop the Walls."
She tilted her head towards the impassive Captain hovering behind her. "Don't you think it's beautiful?" she urged him to talk.
Levi felt his heart paused at her question and her uncharacteristic smile. He shrugged, trying not to seem as if he enjoyed the view. "I guess it isn't so shitty."
"If you don't climb up the wall, you can never experience a feeling like this. There's no way you can see the endless horizon from within the Walls, this is closest to freedom one could experience," Ida continued on, a small sad smile still plastered on her face. "The world beyond the Walls is so big and vast. When you look at the endless horizon, no matter how big your worries, you would feel that it's insignificant. An individual like me is just a small existence in the world after all."
Frowning, Levi darted his attention back to her. "Are you worried over the upcoming trial?" he guessed, noting that she was being uncharacteristically jovial and chatty today.
Ida shook her head. "Nope."
"Oh?" Levi raised his thin brow.
"…You wanted to cheer me up, didn't you? That's the only reason you brought me to this place." Ida's voice sounded distant. Slowly, she moved her eyes to observe the breathtaking scenery in front of her. "But there's no need to."
"Tch. Why the hell would I do such a thing?" Levi defended poorly.
"…You don't have to worry about me. It's just that I know that the regret will always stay with me. But I'm perfectly fine with that," Ida muttered softly, avoiding eye contact with him. Suddenly, her voice turned energetic as if she was trying to distract herself from depressing thoughts. "That's why if it's in my power, I've decided to use my abilities in the most effective way and continue fighting."
Levi grimaced wryly, sitting down next to her on the edge of the wall. "So you decided to continue fighting, regardless of how many people you'd abandon along the way?"
A tensed heavy silence passed through them. Shit. Levi grimaced, cursing himself. What the hell was he thinking? It was still far too early to ask her whether she'd be willing to sacrifice people for the greater good when she had just lost her squad. Regret inundated him. But before he could even retract that statement, Ida surprisingly answered.
"You always said to always choose the option you believe you wouldn't regret, so this is the path I chose. Not because of orders or for the greater good of all of the damned humanity, but for myself. It's a choice I made out of my own will. I've been thinking and I've come to realize, just how insignificant my feelings are compared to the greater picture. That's why I chose to participate in the upcoming mission, regardless of what I feel about it. I know that if things go awry, soldiers and countless innocent civilians will die, but it doesn't matter anymore."
Levi's eyes went wide with horror. "You did what?"
"I volunteered myself, Levi." Ida reaffirmed with a rigid nod to her head. "You disapprove?"
Levi's frown was immediate. "Of course I fucking disapprove."
Ida shrugged, pursing her lips. "Well, Erwin certainly didn't. We're going to need all the help we can get, especially now that the number of scouts in the Survey Corps is cut down by nearly half."
"There's no fucking need for you to do this when you're…" Levi trailed off not wanting to sound offensive and knowing that it was a sensitive topic to approach.
The last thing Levi needed was her to fall back into depression and shut herself up again.
"Mentally unwell?" Ida suggested with a knowing twinkle and then she let out a soft laugh when she saw Levi's dark expression.
"Don't you remember? The reason I fight isn't anything as heroic, Levi. It isn't to aid humanity in achieving victory against the Titans and gain back our freedom, it isn't to avenge lost lives, and it isn't so we can live without fear of being devoured by Titans. It was never anything as heroic and valiant in the first place. Over the past year, I was so caught up in 'saving humanity' as Erwin had always preached that I've forgotten what I truly fight for and the reason why I decided to stay after my first expedition when Jason and Marie died. I fight for purely selfish reasons — I fight to protect the people I've grown to care about and at the same time, to accomplish my fallen comrades' dreams. And I'd do whatever it takes to get there… even if it cost me my life. I'll never allow this cruel world to take someone I care about away from me because I'm that selfish. I might not trust in others' abilities, but I believe in myself."
Peaceful silence followed her speech. Ida threw a fleeting glance at her silent man beside her. Levi seemed to absorb it all, but she couldn't make out what he was thinking.
"This is the first time you're fighting without me, I won't be there to save your shitty accident-prone ass anymore." Levi pointed out with a tinge of concern, studying her small frame. She looked so small and fragile against the humongous wall. "You'll probably piss yourself."
Ida snorted, amused. She smiled benignly at the scenery. "Of course, I'm afraid," her voice was poignant. "But… If I could be a sword for humanity and use my abilities to protect everyone, I'd fight even if means death," she turned to look at Levi kindly. "This is the burden of our titles, isn't it? We're the reluctant heroes. Even if we don't want to fight, we have to."
"…Have you given up on living?" Levi inquired firmly as a dreaded thought struck him.
A small nervous chuckle erupted from her throat. "No... But I'm not afraid to sacrifice myself for the sake of humanity. Protect my comrades and kill all Titans, that's my only goal now."
"From the standpoint of the Survey Corps, you're someone that we cannot lose," Levi retorted in a grim voice.
And I don't want to lose you either, Levi added in his head, but his vocal cords refused to work.
"I know that." Ida felt goosebumps prickled her skin when the cool night wind howled in the night sky that had just started to streak orange as the world transited into a new day.
"But it doesn't matter if I die," Ida glanced towards Levi. "I mean even if the worst happens, humanity still has you. You're Humanity's Strongest, aren't you? Everyone can trust you with a peace of mind, I'm... an insignificant worthless being."
Levi rubbed his face with his hand in annoyance, scoffing. "Fucking hell… You really are a genuine brat aren't you?"
"Hmm?" Ida hummed disinterestedly, unaware that of the brimming annoyance simmering in Levi beside her.
"What I'm saying is that I'm sick and tired of you rattling on and on about just how insignificant you are. That is what we called getting carried away, you stupid indecisive shitty brat. What kind of a stupid human would even think about idiotic things like that?" Levi growled, sounding very much pissed. "Do you think by sacrificing yourself it'll further our success for the revival of humanity? Isn't that only because you wish to put your guilty heart at peace and that you're sacrificing yourself? That is not a sacrifice, only a brat's cowardly way to display sheer conceit. If you want to atone for your sins, then live and feel fucking guilty every day instead of running away. Advancement for humanity can only be made with soldiers fighting, not dying."
Ida was stunned at his sudden rant and Levi continued, his expression hardening with each passing second.
"You're better off benefiting humanity when you're alive and spewing shit all the time than when you're silent in your grave. You're not insignificant to us and if you put your stupid useless brain to use for once, you would know that." Levi snarled through gritted his teeth, looking visibly upset. "So, no matter what, I won't let you die. It doesn't matter how many times you recklessly plunge yourself into a dangerous situation, I'll always pull you out without fail. You won't die as long as I live."
Surprisingly after his harsh speech, Levi landed a large warm hand on her head, his voice suddenly lower and softer. "So… don't give up on yourself, you useless brat, live and believe in yourself."
Ida blinked at his speech, taking some time to let it soak in and when she did, she laughed softly earning a fierce glower from the man. "What the hell is so funny?"
She laughed again, but this time she smiled at him. "I'm just thinking about how I'd say that same thing to you too — I won't let you die because you mean too much for humanity. And I was thinking about how right you're again. No one is insignificant on a battlefield, every person, every drop of blood, every sweat we put in means something. And so, no matter what, I won't let you die as well. I'd have your back, always."
Lifting her hand to the sky, Ida tried childishly to reach out for the disappearing stars. "But you know, they say when you die, you become a star in the sky to watch over the people that you left behind on earth." Clutching her hand in the sky, she bought it towards her chest and closed her eyes, relishing in the tranquility. "…When I die, I'm going to be the brightest star, and I'll watch over everyone… Even an asshole like you..." she grinned at the final part.
Momentarily, Ida wondered if the rest of her squad was up there now too, watching them. When she felt Levi move uncomfortably beside her, she wondered if Isabel and Farlan were up there watching over him too. They probably were.
"Tch." Levi snorted blithely, rolling his eyes. "What kind of peasant folk-tale is that?"
She slapped him on his arm playfully and scoffed like she was offended. "My mother told me that! And she was a dignified noble, mind you!"
"Whatever," Levi decided to amuse her for once. "It'd be a long time before you could go up there and be the brightest star or whatever, you're not going to die anytime soon. Not until you have given it your all and your damnedest to contribute something to humanity. Erwin probably won't let you die until he could squeeze out every use of you. You have to fulfill your purpose now that you have one before you go and become a shitty star."
"Haha, you're right," Ida agreed with a laugh, looking at him. "Same goes for you too, humanity's strongest."
Levi found himself staring at those forest-green honest eyes that reflected everything she was feeling like the purest form of water. Those eyes had always mesmerized him. Ida had always struggled to hold everything back, and while her usual countenance was always neutral but Levi knew that her eyes were always honest.
Ida realized he was staring and nervously looked away in a haste. Honestly, she never thought that a day like this would come, where she would find something so meaningful in her life again — where she finally had a purpose in her insignificant existence.
Levi showed that to her. As crude as his words were, Ida acknowledged that somehow, Levi was always there, supporting her.
How did she go from hating this annoying perfect man to depending on him? Truthfully, Ida didn't know too.
"H — Hey…" Ida finally mumbled, breaking out the awkward silence that had settled between them. A faint blush painted her cheeks as she meekly requested, "Can I hug you…? L — Like as a form of thanks!"
Levi snorted sarcastically at her strange request. "For what? Why should I permit your filthy hands touching me?"
A pregnant pause skipped between them and Levi sighed tirelessly when he saw the dejected look on Ida's pouting and blushing face. "Whatever, if it's just once." Extending his arms out, he looked at her with a bored expression. "Come here."
Honestly, Ida could be such a child at times despite the intimidating front she put up. A bright smile beamed across her face as wrapped her arms around him, embracing in the warmness that contrasted against the cool crisp night air.
Laughing silently at how Levi was frozen at her touch, she released him and gave him a small awkward smile. "Aren't you cold?" Ida noted that he wasn't wearing his usual cloak. "It's better windy up here."
"Tch. Of course not," Levi replied dully, clearing his throat as he looked away.
Ida moved away from him slightly and lifted her green Survey Corps cloak up. "If I put this around us, we will be warm," she offered in a nervous tone.
She gulped when she noticed that Levi was glowering at her. "Uh… No?" she guessed meekly with an awkward smile, ignoring the acid glare that he was shooting at her.
Just as she thought that Levi was about to berate her for even suggesting such a shitty thing, she felt him inch his body closer to her. "Well?" he muttered grimly when Ida stood frozen at his unexpected agreement.
"Oh!" Ida shook her head quickly, sorting out her emotions and placed the cloak around him. A faint blush blossomed across her cheeks. "It's warm isn't it?"
Levi didn't reply to her but he merely stared at the horizon above. The gentle warm sunray was already starting to peek through the horizon, signaling the start of another day. Ida gasped in awe when she saw the beautiful scenic view in front of her.
"Beautiful…" Ida mumbled softly, unconsciously leaning her head towards her companion's shoulder.
For a while, the two soldiers watched the beautiful sunrise in silence, hearing the birds sing in harmony as they welcomed the glorious sun together.
"Hey… Levi…" Ida murmured softly, breaking the tranquil peaceful silence between them. "I'd come back alive from the mission. I promise."
"Of course you will."
"I won't do anything stupid anymore."
"Mhm."
"I'll be a proper soldier from now on."
Oddly, Levi found his heart pausing when she said that. A soldier, he mused and he found that he didn't like the prospect of thinking of Ida as a proper soldier. All the soldiers he had known were as she had once put it, inhumane filth, and imagining Ida as someone as ruthless like Erwin certainly didn't sit well with him.
After all, to Levi, the most beautiful thing about her was how human she was. It was why she was so different from him because she was so painfully alive.
Strangely, just the thought of it somehow annoyed him now and it simmered within his soul in way Levi couldn't comprehend. In the past, it was all that he wanted for her — for her to grow up, shoulder responsibilities and be an asset to the Survey Corps.
But now…
He wasn't so sure anymore.
"You just have to be who you are, that's what spoilt brats do," Levi told her tonelessly, though it sounded more like a command than anything. "Stop pretending—"
He stopped midway when he turned his head sharply and felt her lips brushing against his cheek. Levi was so caught up in his own thoughts that he had forgotten just how close Ida was sitting next to him and that her head was resting on his shoulders.
Both of them were stunned by the sudden accidental kiss and could only stare at each other in shock. The whole world around them paused.
Levi cleared his throat loudly and tried to move further away, but before he could do anything else, Ida moved forward and quickly landed a soft peck on his cheek.
"Thank you." Ida flushed crimson as she took in his stunned look, praying that he wouldn't kick her off the wall for attempting such a bold move. "For everything. Thank you for being there for me."
But well, if it was Levi who was going to kill her, frankly, Ida didn't mind at all.
She smiled when he didn't do anything and rested her head back on his shoulder, trying to hide her rapidly growing blush. "…But that doesn't mean I'm going to forgive you for fucking smashing that perfectly awesome cake in my face, you midget clean freak bastard."
Levi scoffed. "Shut the hell up before I kick you off the wall, shitty brat."
Ida laughed softly under her breath at that comment, watching the horizon with him. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, relishing in the serenity with him by his side.
She knew innately then. It was impossible to hate this perfect man any longer because as she sat beside him now, there was no longer the searing spiteful jealousy she always felt when she saw him, nor the bitter assumptions of how he could never understand her.
In its place now, there was a warmness, a sense of security, and a source of power.
Under the disappearing stars, Ida smiled secretly underneath her bangs as she counted his breaths, and she knew that as long as they are together, everything was going to be alright, even if they are up against the world.