CHAPTER 14

Author's Note

*Pokes head out* Whoops.

Sorry about not posting last week! My internet, school, and really just about everything was testing my patience lmao. I should mention though that I do have several chapters written ahead of what I publish so it's very unlikely that I would ever stop updating this story without a warning just so y'all know.

That being said, let's get to the chapter!

~Gum

Eren's phone sang and danced the moment the clock struck 6. Eren, who had been in the process of putting his shoes on, sluggishly went to answer it. He didn't even bother to look at the caller name. He knew exactly who it was.

"Hm?" A primal huff was all he could manage in that moment.

"I'll be waiting for you at the entrance of your building. You have three minutes to get here or I'm leaving.

"Mm-hmm."

Beep.

The teen summoned all his will to get up and trudge his way to his destination, only half aware of what was going on around him.

It was unholy to wake up so early. Eren had always been a bad student due to his lack of interest and hyperactivity but the reason he hated school the most was because of how early he had to wake up.

Walking out of his dingy old building he saw no other than Levi Ackerman, his bodyguard. His face was as neutral as ever, though instead of his usual black outfit he wore a long brown coat.

"Follow me."

And so he did. The green-eyed boy was led away from the building and to the streets where they eventually stopped in front of a white vehicle.

Eren raised an eyebrow, "This is your car?"

"It's the car I'm driving in today, yes."

"Oh, ok."

The green-eyed boy wasn't sure what Levi meant with his strange phrasing but he was too dead on the inside to ask.

"Get in." The bodyguard said as he unlocked the car.

Something about the inside of the vehicle felt so mundane. It could've been anyone's car, that is, it didn't reflect the uniqueness of Levi's spirit. Eren didn't know what to expect but that average white car wasn't it.

"One more thing. Put this on."

Levi threw him a black sleep mask with the words 'Beauty Sleep' painted on it.

"What the fuck? Why do I have to put this shit on?"

Levi occupied himself with putting his seatbelt on, "Consider yourself lucky. I'd blindfold you properly if I could but that would only arise suspicion. Either way, you better get used to it." He revved up the car.

Eren pouted, "Whatever."

He slipped it on begrudgingly. Levi took the liberty of adjusting it properly.

"Have I ever told you how sloppily you do everything?" He didn't wait for an answer, "If I see you peaking I'm cancelling the whole thing. I'm taking you to the Survey Corps training area and it's not exactly a place where randos like you should be hanging out."

"Yeah, yeah..." He grumbled.

"Excuse me?"

Eren couldn't see Levi's face but he imagined the man to be looking ever so slightly pissed.

"Yessir."

The boy had no interest in going against the older man's wishes so to try and decipher the route of this secret location was off the table. The brunet was aware of the fact that if anything awry were to happen, Levi would never agree to such training and Eren was committed to not fucking things up.

They must've driven for 20 minutes. The gentle roaring of the car and the gentle motions put Eren into a comatose-like state where he was neither asleep nor awake.

"We're here."

Eren adjusted himself from his previously slumped position, "Oh? D-Does that mean I can take this thing off now?"

The bodyguard didn't even bother answering, instead taking off the face mask in one swift movement. Luckily for the teen, his surroundings were dark so his eyes adjusted quickly. At some point, Levi had driven inside a building and now they were in what Eren presumed to be a garage.

"Let's go." The older man said.

The brunet trailed not too far behind as Levi walked to a door and revealed a much larger room on the other side. Turning on the lights, Eren could see it was a gym. From its dark grey walls hung all kinds of equipment and weapons. Red and blue lines painted a large oval in the room, suggesting it could be used as a running track. In the middle was something akin to a boxing ring though hardly elevated at all. On the opposite wall to them, there was an area of matted flooring. On the far left there were rows of lockers and a couple of benches while the right side was empty.

Eren couldn't help but wonder what that place was like when it was full of young, strong people, training to be ruthless killers like Levi Ackerman.

"So, this is where you all train?"

"Well, in reality it's just one of the training areas we use." The man looked around, "We'll only have this place for two hours for today so no lollygagging. Put all your belongings in one of the benches and once you're done come to me."

Eren was already wearing a pair of grey sweatpants and a black tank top so all he did was throw his grey jacket onto a bench and walk towards Levi who stood with his arms crossed near the free matted areas. He too had taken off his coat, revealing a pair of loose beige pants and a tight fitting olive green T-shirt. Eren had known that the man was muscular but if before it had been nothing but speculation it was now a fact. The way his arms were folded made his muscular shoulders and biceps stand out. And every time the bodyguard inhaled, the fabric would wrap itself around his tight abs.

It made Eren feel very nervous.

"Alright. Warm up with 20 laps. Go."

"Wh- 20 laps?"

"20 laps."

He sighed, "Ugh. Fine."

Surprised, Levi lifted an eyebrow as he watched the boy head for the track without hesitation.

1.

The first lap was a piece of cake. Eren thought for a second that he wouldn't have such a hard time after all.

2,3,4.

Okay, maybe his heartbeat was starting to rise but that was normal when exercising.

5,6,7.

Sweating, he was definitely sweating.

8,9.

Almost halfway there, he could do this right?

10.

Oh no.

11,12.

His breath was shaky and his thighs were itchy. So. Fucking. Itchy.

13,14.

Plus, his sides were burning.

15.

His breathing could be better described as wheezing and the sweat made his top stick to his back.

16.

It was hell on earth. There was no way he could do four more laps.

17.

Eren's feet felt like lead. Every step was a challenge and the beads of sweat trailing down his forehead only made him as itchy as the rest of his body.

18.

Pain.

19.

Almost there... his mind completely shut off everything around him, only concentrating on breathing and running. He slowly but surely inched closer and closer to the finish line until finally...

"Twenty!" He gasped, throwing himself forward and resting his hands on his knees.

Just as he was about to look up at Levi, his vision was obstructed. Everything was dark. His hand rose to his head and tugged at whatever was keeping him from seeing. Levi had thrown a rag onto him.

"Took you long enough but at least you finished. Dry off quickly and we'll get to the actual training."

"Actual-" /wheeze/ "training?!" He panted.

"I told you it was a warm up." The bodyguard shrugged.

"Ohgods..." the boy muttered to himself.

As a young boy, Eren had been very athletic. The type of kid to squirm when told to sit still; to get first place in all the races but fail the easiest math exam. Alongside Mikasa, they ruled the gym halls. All the coaches loved them and some would even mention what a promising future they would have if they dedicated themselves to a sport. One late afternoon, Mikasa and Eren were walking back from their first day of middle school when she stopped at the basketball courts, watching a group of tall men play.

"Mikasa?" The boy stared at the little girl.

Mikasa's eyes were so enormous in her small head. Huge and black like two voids that took everything in and let so little out. Nevertheless, even at his young age Eren knew that behind those dark pits of life was a warm soul and a huge heart.

The little girl wore a light pink dress that reached her ankles. Her matching shoes were covered in dirt. Mikasa's aunt always dressed her like a doll and it drove the young girl crazy. She wanted to run and sprint and move. As a result, her cute dresses would always end up torn and stained.

Mikasa turned to Eren. Her long black hair moved like a silk curtain. As if her eyes weren't piercing enough, the fact that a red scarf covered most of her face didn't help. It was no wonder most of the kids were scared of her.

"Hey Eren, have you ever thought about it seriously?" Her voice was high and sweet like that of any young girl, but at the same time calm and slow like someone who had lived entire lifetimes.

Eren frowned, "Thought about what?"

Mikasa turned back to the young men, "About trying out sports for real. All the gym teachers say we're good at it. Plus, we're in middle school now. We're practically grown-ups now."

The tan boy furrowed his eyebrows further. Eren put a hand to his chin and nodded his head, "Hm. I hadn't thought about that but you're right! We're the big kids now. We gotta start thinking about the future!"

"What do you wanna be when you grow up?" She asked.

His eyes sparkled. There was so many things he could be, how could he only pick one?

"A astronaut! Or a race car driver! Or like, I can be a astronaut first and then get so rich that I make race car races on the moon! And the first place wins a bajillion dollars! But I would win since I would be the best and I would get even richer!" The boy laughed.

The girl giggled as well, "That's silly. You can't even get on roller coasters without throwing up. How are you gonna make it to the moon?"

"I'll train!" He puffed up his chest and put his hands to his hips.

Mikasa giggled again, "Whatever you say, pukeface."

"Whadabout you? Wanna be a basketball player? I bet you'd kick butt at it!"

She shrugged, "Maybe. Volleyball is fun too."

"What about boxing! You can beat guys up like you beat up that bully from elementary school."

"Boxing? I could try it..."

"Yeah, yeah! You know what? I change my mind! I wanna be a boxer too!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! Boxers ON THE MOON!"

The two kids laughed, "We can start by beating everyone on Earth," Mikasa said, "And when we win every match we'll go to the moon and fight aliens!"

The boy got so excited he started jumping around, "We'll fight big green alien dragons and save the universe!"

He skipped his way to the girl and grabbed her hands, tugging her along so she would also start jumping around with him, "Just you and me against the world, got it?"

Even though her lips were covered by the scarf, Eren knew she was smiling, "Ok, ok! Got it! Let's get home though cuz its getting dark!"

The boy looked up at the sky, "Ahh dangit. You're right. Dad's gonna get mad at me."

Mikasa stopped jumping, "Why? Did you do something bad?"

Eren shook his head, "I dunno. He just said he wanted me early from school today. Said he wanted to talk to me about something." The boy shrugged.

Mikasa, who still held Eren's hands in hers, dragged him towards their path, "Well then we gotta hurry!"

"Last one there is a rotten egg!" The boy blurted.

In an instant, the two children jumped into action, moving their little bodies as fast as they could as the sound of joyful laughter echoed through the skies.

"Oi! Are you ready yet? I'm not waiting for you all day."

Eren snapped out of it. "S-sorry."

He could take whatever Levi had in store for him. He knew it. Yes, he was already tired and sweaty from the warm up. He hadn't done any proper exercise in many years and in his current state he was so weak he had a hard time picking up a gallon of water but a small, hopeful voice, one that sounded a lot like Mikasa's told him he could do it.

He straightened up, "What's next?"

For a split second the teen could've sworn he saw the bodyguard smirk, "50 push-ups followed by 75 curl ups, and I'm going easy on you."

The older man's face was as stoic as always but Eren couldn't help but feel as if the bodyguard was teasing him.

Eren grunted and heaved. He sweat and burned all over. Hell, he would've cried if he hadn't sweated all the water from his body. Ultimately, the boy could only lean into the pain and soon, everything disappeared, even the bodyguard judging his poor form. It was just him and his body. It had been a while since he had taken a moment to connect with it. He poured his determination into every curl up and sit up until finally,

"Alright. You're done."

The teen boy collapsed onto the floor, looking up at the older man.

"You sure took your sweet time though."

The green-eyed boy half-expected a compliment afterwards like, 'hey, but good job' or 'you'll get better with time' but it never came. The bodyguard must've noticed the irritation in the boy's eyes as he said, "What? You expect a pat on the back or a hug? I quite literally know 12 year old girls that are fitter than you."

Eren roped the rag he had been given previously around his body, "Whatever... are we done for the day or is there anything else you'd like to humiliate me with."

"Glad you asked. We're doing a final exercise."

Eren sat up and ran a hand through his greasy hair, "Let me guess. 100 pull-ups? A 10 minute plank?"

"Not exactly."

Levi threw a pair of bright red boxing gloves right between his open legs. The younger male looked up at his bodyguard with confusion. He could only stare in horror as he watched Levi put on a couple of boxing gloves as well, though his were black.

"Come now."

"Wow, wow, wait a minute. I'm not sure I'm ready to fight you..."

"Relax, I'm going easy on you, remember?"

He couldn't protest quick enough as the older male had already began making his way to the boxing center in the middle of the gym. Eren realized they had been there a while as the morning light filled the room. Close to the high ceiling, there was a row of thin, rectangular windows from which the first rays of the day coyly made an entrance.

Levi had mentioned they didn't have much time to occupy the gym and Eren had to take advantage of every minute of the training. He would regret slacking off if Grisha's men would ever get to him again.

The boy forced his tired body to stand up and walk up to the boxing ring. He could barely do such a task, to box was nearly impossible.

"You've ever been in a fight, kid?"

Kid. It bothered Eren every time Levi would call him that. The bodyguard had hard features, sure, but he couldn't be too much older than Eren! In fact, he wondered just how old Levi actually was.

"I mean, as a kid I got into a lot of trouble. And I had a few boxing classes in middle school but... I stopped going. Didn't get much farther than learning how to put the gear on."

"Well I hope you're a fast learner."

"Yeah, I'm kind of a fast-"

BOOM!

A punch right to his face.

"WOW! WHAT THE FUCK MAN?"

BOOM!

Another punch.

"YO- YO STOP."

"Stop complaining and start defending yourself."

BOOM! This time to the side.

"Ah! FUCK!" He took the advice and rose his arms up in defense, "I didn't even know we had started yet?"

"When more kidnappers come for you they won't be giving you a heads up." The bodyguard threw another punch but this time Eren was able to block it.

"W-well I guess but-" He blocked another.

"You just gonna stand there?"

"N-no!"

"Then do something. Or give up. Periwinkle is the safe word."

The bodyguard threw a barrage of punches that pushed Eren back. The adrenaline pooled in the green-eyed boy's stomach. Blocking a right hook, the teen went for it, throwing all the strength Eren could muster towards the older man's stomach.

Big mistake. The bodyguard swiftly moved to the side. As Eren lost his balance, everything went in slow motion. Levi simply observed him. This time the boy knew for sure there was a twinkle of devilish amusement in the bodyguard's eyes as he collapsed onto the floor.

"Oof!"

"Well, you sure are good at beating yourself up, I'll give you that."

Eren had no time to react as he was aggressively turned around by Levi and grabbed by the collar, one boxing glove off, one on. The bodyguard held the glove up in the air menacingly, "I'm not stopping until you tell me to."

There was a moment of silence in which Levi was expecting the teen to say the safe word. His green eyes looked around in a mix of panic and thought. His lips quivering in indecisiveness. That was until his breathing was stabilized, he furrowed his eyebrows and dug his teeth into the bottom lip, sealing them shut.

"Ah, I was right. You're a little bratty aren't you." He thwacked the boy again, sending him back to the floor.

Even though the bodyguard hadn't intended much force behind his hits, the boy had begun dripping blood from his nose and mouth. Still, Eren looked at him furiously.

"Hit me all you want, I'm not giving up."

Levi shrugged, "As you wish."

In a moment of surprise, Eren tackled the bodyguard. There was much courage but not a lot of planning in the move as all the teen could do was hide himself in the bodyguard's stomach as Levi striked Eren's head three or four times until he finally let go. The bodyguard quickly stood up, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"Good one brat. I certainly didn't expect that." He threw a swift kick to Eren's stomach which in turn made the boy cough up a storm, on the verge of vomiting.

Once again, he grabbed the boy by the collar, "Done being brave yet?"

Eren's eyes were unfocused and his body was shaking but still, he shook his head.

Levi cocked his head to the side, fascinated by the brat's sheer stupidity, "You know, sometimes giving up is the best thing you can do."

The teen coughed again, spitting blood onto Levi's forearm which certainly peeved him, "I'm not exactly known for making good decisions."

The bodyguard took a good look at Eren's bruised face. All pink and red, the purples and blues sure reaching the surface with time. That certainly wouldn't look good tomorrow. Maybe, he thought to himself, he had gone a little too far.

"Well, you're lucky you have me then."

He let go of the boy. Eren was confused.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

The two men shared a look, both confused and fascinated by the other.

"We're done with training for today." The bodyguard took off his boxing gloves.

"D-Did I do a good job?" The younger male asked, his head still spinning from all the punches.

Levi smirked, "You did just fine."

.

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I love this little chapter . Slowly, but surely, we're building up that Levi x Eren relationship! Thanks to Sychou-Sama for the lovely comment by the way :D Merci, merci, lol! See you guys next week! (I promise not to disappear next Wednesday D:)