3rd POV
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A lone woman could be seen roaming in the darkness of the empty corridors of the castle as everyone was likely asleep. After all, it was late in the night and tomorrow would surely be a busy day for the scouts as preparation and training for the upcoming expedition that would take place in a month's time, were to occur.
The question now was, why was she still wandering past curfew when it is commonly known that any scouts seen outside past it would immediately get themselves in trouble. Well, one, who cares? And two she had permission from the commander himself, so she wasn't about to return to that cell for as long as she could.
Colith releases a sigh, hair still damp after the bath she took as little droplets of water rolled down her face to the shirt she had on. She quickly shook her head like a drenched canine to get rid of it, splattering water around her. Heh, it'll evaporate by morning so no need to clean it. Saltwater and sand were quite a hassle to get rid of, though she managed after a good ol' bath and was now garbed into comfortable clothes consisting of a plain-looking shirt with a...frog embroidered on it and hazelwood colored sweatpants. Yes, she wasn't really much access fashion and it was freaking nighttime so she couldn't care less about it.
She left the kids at Trost so they could rest in a more familiar setting than in the barracks with friends that would immediately inquire about where they ran off. After all the revelations, it was best to leave them there before any of them could inadvertently blurt out what priorly happened. Yes, excitement could make the most secretive individual's mouth lose to some extent, and her kids weren't exempt from it even if they swore to keep it to themselves, plus they were okay with it anyway, having missed the house. She'll pick them up early in the morning before anyone could suspect a thing.
She halted in front of the mess hall and entered. Things were surprisingly clean despite the rowdy dinner earlier. Though a soft chuckle broke through her lips at the picture of everyone cleaning the mess under the stoic corporal supervision. Heh, it must've been funny, bummer she wasn't here to watch though she's sure she'd be part of the cleaning session, which was not something she would enjoy. Locating a table near the wall, a bit far from the entrance, the woman headed to it at a leisurely pace and then sat, back against the wall after lighting the candles on the table with a hand movement. Perks of having powers.
Sleep decided to apparently evade her like an introvert avoiding social gatherings like the plague after the roller-coaster of emotions she experienced hours prior. Even though she clearly didn't need to sleep. After all, she no longer was considered human so she didn't suffer from the same limitations as them. Even eating wasn't an issue anymore, though she appreciated tasting food now and then and there's no way she'll stop doing so, same as sleeping. It was more of a habit actually and the desire to experience lucid dreams that wouldn't impact the real world was what pushed her to nap, otherwise it was useless. So yes, she liked sleeping. But back to the topic, she still couldn't believe it herself, were things really to follow the path intended? Was the world really trying its best to salvage the timeline?
She blinked once, twice then a few more times in disbelief at the answer she just got from the brunette. Mikasa and Armin were visibly shaken by the out-of-character decision. THAT WAS REALLY UNLIKE HIM!
'WHO'S THIS PERSON/THAT'S NOT EREN!'
Colith quickly regained her composure, gently grasping the teenager's shoulders as if trying to persuade him into reconsidering. They were still on the beach. She had deliberately chosen another part of the island where there was no outpost so it basically was just the sea. Yeah, she wasn't that stupid. That was another can of worms she didn't want to open so soon. Thank Allah she had taken the time to explore the island through and through. "...Are...are you sure? You know it would make things much easier, right?"
The boy shook his head, adamant about his decision. He...he somehow felt that he needed to do this. "Yes but..." his hand found the key hanging on his chest. " I... I feel like I need to do this on my own. It's not against you but...Dad...entrusted me with this mission. You've done enough for us already, I don't want you shouldering everything."
While Colith was touched by his consideration, Armin tried to reason.
"But Eren, think about it! We finally have a way to find out what's in your basement! Weren't you in a hurry to find out the truth?!"
"Of course I do!" He blurted before a sigh escaped his lips "It's just...that I want to find out by myself! I know Colith can easily get us there but it feels wrong... We can't always expect her to do everything for us! Don't you want to accomplish something? Because I do!" he turned to a stunned Colith with a look of determination. "Thanks for offering...I appreciate it but...I think I got this from here!"
"Oh, Eren..." her eyes softened, " You don't need-"
"Please." he insisted, eyes bright with a strong desire to prove himself. "I got this power for a reason...right? You said it yourself, so give me the chance to use it to get there! I want to prove to you that I can fight too! I want to give it a try and if I fail, I'll let you take over but please, just for Shiganshina, l-let me- no, let us reach it ourselves!"
A silence took place as they all stared at him. Colith tried one last time but the boy wouldn't budge and assumed she had no faith in him which she quickly denied in horror. Seeing that she couldn't talk him out of it, Colith reluctantly sighed in defeat. "I guess...I got your point. Alright. But know that the offer still stands." Her eyes softened, quite proud of him for standing his ground, "you've grown."
The teen's ears warmed before he looked to the side, stammering. "A-anyway! how would we explain it to the others? I don't want them to get the wrong idea. We trained for 3 years to get to the scouts. I think it's best if we go there officially with everyone backing us up! Yeah, that's it!" He squeaked.
Mikasa's eyes widened slightly, getting what the teen meant while Armin showed signs of understanding. They knew it wasn't easy for the teen but he had a point. They might try and hurt Colith if they discovered all the things she revealed to them tonight and even lead her to her death which wasn't something they could risk. They saw how everyone regarded her at the trial, accusing her of being a spy or worse...of witchcraft, a crime that wasn't taken lightly in the walls and would immediately result in a clean execution, be it from a false accusation or not. Even if those falsely accusing would get jail time for wasting people's time. She was only saved by the stunt she pulled, successfully scaring the court into letting her and Eren into the scouts.
Despite not knowing the true extent of her powers, they couldn't risk the woman's safety. If not for her integration into the scouts, they're sure something bad- they hate to say it- would've happened to her.
The trio nodded to themselves, they will keep everything secret and not tell a soul until they're sure she's safe!
"OH yeah, forgot to tell y'all I'm actually 25."
Mikasa tripped.
A soft chuckle emitted from the woman at the memory of her beans' reaction to her true age. She's sure she has never seen Mikasa gape like a fish before. She flicked her hand, causing a set of paper bags to pop into existence. A dumb grin etched itself across her face at the sight before her. She had a sudden craving for some beef jerky which she knew wouldn't be found in the kitchen cabinets so she made them appear. Her eyes closed in pleasure the moment she bit into a piece, chewing slowly to savor the salty and slightly spicy taste in her mouth. She was so focused on her snack that she nearly missed the presence outside the doors and perked up in surprise when she heard them creak open.
A quiet hum left her lips before Colith blinked, an elated smile gracing her features at the sight of the person intruding on her snacking time.
"Well if it isn't Captain Levi, what brings you here?"
The male paused, his eyes instantly found the lit spot where Colith was currently in. He squinted in confusion "It's past curfew, What are you doing here?"
The woman hummed, tossing another piece of meat in her mouth, action that didn't go unnoticed by the male if his arched eyebrow was any indication, though he didn't say anything. "Same as you, captain. It seems like sleeping isn't on the schedule for us." she smiled "why don't you come and take a seat?" she gestured to the chair opposite to her.
The male stayed silent, observing her for a few seconds before approaching her. He ended up settling right in front of her with a grunt, briefly eying the unknown items on the table before returning his gaze to the woman.
'Frog?' he blinked at the strange...choice of attire before diverting his attention to the paper bags. "What's this?"
"beef jerky, do you want some?" Colith offered her already open bag to the male who eyed the thing with barely concealed suspicion to which she rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't offer it if it was poisoned, heck look-" she proceeded to eat some herself, "see? Nothing's wrong."
Levi made a "Tch" and reluctantly reached for a piece of meat. He observed it for a while then begrudgingly bit into it.
"How is it?" the woman asked in expectation, eyes shifting to his face for any clue of his reaction.
His face scrunched "too...salty. But it's not bad." he conceded, snatching another piece to the woman's amusement.
"I know right? that's the point!" She laughed heartily, placing the bag in the middle of the table in case the male wanted some.
They conversed for a bit about the provenance of the snack to which the woman simply answered that she made them-which wasn't a lie but it wasn't the truth either. Levi hummed in understanding as he snatched more and more. It was surprisingly good, though he refused to admit it. Silence stretched across the mess hall. It wasn't uncomfortable at any point, just simple, if not a little bit plain.
"where were you?" the corporal inquired after a long moment. He had been curious about her whereabouts after dinner. Figures.
"Hm? What do you mean?" Colith blinked.
"the cell, you, and the brat weren't there when I went to check." he clarified plainly. "So where d'you ran off to?"
"Oh~ so you do care after all!" Colith gave him a shit-eating grin which was welcomed by a deadpan from the male.
"Tch, just answer the damn question, brat." he uttered before blinking " By the way, What's with this new attitude? Switching personalities' a thing now?" He quirked an eyebrow, unconsciously reaching for the bag.
"Heh." Colith snorted, amused by the question. "I guess so, I tend to act childish around my friends to lighten the mood. Putting up a serious front all the time's boring, so I'd rather act goofy and get a few laughs, that's all." her eyes softened a bit. " I didn't think you'll notice."
He scoffed. "it's rather obvious, to be honest. You'd have to be a real dumbass not to notice."
The sudden change didn't really surprise him, in fact, he already witnessed this kind of switch from shitty glasses. Although it was unsettling as fuck whenever it happened, it was a testimony that even the most eccentric human being could show seriousness and a slight tinge of decorum. Not that he was one to talk. Cussing was in his blood like there was no tomorrow and no one could do shit about it. Although, he tends to subdue his swearing when addressing Higher-Ups, doesn't mean he'll be polite, he'd rather die than exhibit any slight bit of respect to those rotten pieces of shit.
He huffed before narrowing his eyes. "Why do you look so..." he looked her up and down, "giddy?"
"Would you believe me if I said that your mere presence is the cause of it?" Colith batted her eyelashes, leaning forward with a coy smile. The male merely showed any reaction to this which caused her to let out a laugh and stand up. Feeling the male's confusion, the ebony woman answered the unspoken question, "you came down here for tea right? Oh don't look at me like that, everyone knows that Humanity's strongest soldier is a tea person." she chuckled, relishing the male's barely concealed disgust for the title. "I'll go fix you some, then we can have our conversation." she nodded.
Levi quirked an impressed brow as he watched her disappear into the kitchens, leaving the male alone in the mess hall.
'so she didn't back down huh?'
He was actually expecting the woman to try and flee from the upcoming conversation, not have her mention it of her own volition of all things. Guess there was no need for him to remind her then.
He hadn't even thought of this when he came down. He just wanted tea like every night where he couldn't for the love of himself sleep more than 2 hours a night. And stumbling upon her wasn't in his schedule. A sudden wave of anticipation and expectations washed over him.
Levi huffed a sigh as he lazily eyed the flickering flame of the candle. He wondered what made her so...relaxed, compared to earlier in the night. Yes, you'd have to be fucking blind not to notice how jittery she was. Though now she seemed on cloud nine, smiling like an idiot without a care in the world. If he had to guess, whatever business she had with those brats went well.
Now he was more puzzled over why she expressed happiness at his appearance. Trust him, people tended to quickly dismiss themselves, too intimidated to strike up a conversation with him, something he actually didn't mind in the end since meaningless small talks weren't his cup of tea.
He wondered what she saw in him. Her look full of gentleness and affection, he could not understand the nature of her adoration towards him. Not one bit. In addition, the annoying stinging feeling left room for a soft veil of serenity covering his usually overworked brain which brought more questions than answers about the woman's implication in this situation.
It wasn't for a solid five minutes later that the woman appeared with a tray in hand and placed it on the table. Levi noticed the teapot he usually uses for his tea and a strange cylindrical metallic flask he's sure to have never seen before. Colith noticed the stare and said it was a thermos-strange name- where she made another concoction Levi was unfamiliar with. He watched her pour his tea with skillful hands and thanked her with a nod as she slid the fuming cup to him. His shoulders sagged once as the sweet scent of lavender entered his nostrils, it was Black tea. The male wondered how she knew it to be his favorite but dropped any slight bit of suspicions when he recalled it to be the only tea used in the cabinets.
He watched the woman pour herself, whatever there was in the flask into a cup, and perked up at the foreign scent though he recognized a hint of mint in it. It was odd, but not unpleasant. He inquired about it and she responded with a soft smile bordering on melancholy-he noticed-, that it was called something among the lines of...Kinkeliba, something her mother apparently tended to make during one particular month each year. She didn't elaborate further.
"Well, this is it. Before we delve into this, I would like to again apologize for my behavior back in the office," she muttered, dipping her head forward in apology.
"Tch, isn't that common at this point?" Levi remarked, not at all fazed.
"ugh, yeah sure but please forgive me?" she folded her hands together before a scowl took over her features. "But you were really starting to be a jerk with your constant suspicions! No offense." she muttered.
Levi scoffed, sipping his tea. "Uh-huh." though he understood where she was getting at. He'd be pissed too if people started looking at him funny every time he was around.
Colith grinned before asking out of the blue. " well now that this is done, I've been meaning to ask, captain.." she eyed the man, waiting for him to allow her to continue.
"Shoot."
She nodded. "Could it be that...your last name is actually Ackerman?"
The male froze, grey eyes sharply shifting to gold before they narrowed. "...What makes you think that?"
'The manga—' she shook her head, "It's just an assumption of mine but seeing by your reaction, it must be the case then."
"So what?"
"Well...I think that would explain...why you've been...affected by, huh, me." Colith clarified pointing to herself with a grimace.
"affected...so you knew?" he threw her an accusing look.
"don't make it sound like I'm doing it on purpose!" She squawked. "But if you're really an Ackerman, then there's likely a chance that it is the case. Now before you ask why I came to that conclusion, what do you know about your last name?"
Levi leaned back, a frown visible on his face. What does that...have to do with his last name? He remembers the asshole talking about some...'awakening', heck he even experienced it himself but he couldn't comprehend what it had to do with her. He reluctantly informed her of such, intrigued about her implications in this. The woman slowly nodded and hesitated to continue before cringing once the male glared at her, daring her to back down. He was getting those answers tonight!
"Alright, huh, so remember when I told you guys how I somehow, y'know...did some research before deciding to help?" Colith started fumbling with her fingers, gaze fleeting, any traces of composure having jumped out of the window, leaving room for a fidgety woman.
"So?"
She started chuckling nervously and said in a tiny voice "...It turns out that...Well, Ackermans...have some sort of connection to the Titans please don't be mad!" She said quickly, hiding behind her cup.
Levi squinted, trying to process what she just said only for his eyes to widen comically once his brain registered her words. If he was drinking tea, he would've surely made a spit take. "What?!"
"See, this is why I was hesitant to say it! You're definitely mad!" She squeaked.
"I'm not mad, you dumbass! I'm trying to understand how the fuck you came to that conclusion!"
"Well... I may or may not have been snooping around in the...king's library..."
"You did what?!" Levi's eyes bulged out in disbelief. His grip on his cup nearly shattered it.
"Shh, not so loud" she looked around in fear that it might have attracted someone's attention then sighed in relief after confirming through a burst of aura that they were the only ones awake at the moment. She pursed her lips, "I needed to learn more about this place before acting, so excuse me for trying to inform myself!" She defended.
"This is high treason, you know that?" He responded flatly after a sigh. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did this zealot really do what he thinks she did? How was she not dead?
Colith scrunched up her nose, not really perturbed by those allegations. "so what? It was all for the sake of research!" She rebutted with a huff.
"you're sounding like shitty glasses." he muttered. "what makes you think I won't report you?" He was surprised by the deadpan look he received.
"Well one, you're curious, you want to know more about what's going on with you and I'm the only one here with the answers.—also the one responsible— and two, you despise those bastards as much as I do. Can't imagine you sneaking around to snitch on me to your King that little ol' me was being nosy about the walls' history. That's not your style. " she smirked, daring him to refute her claims.
The male scrutinized her for a few seconds before a snort surprisingly escaped him due to the lack of remorse behind what could be considered the greatest crime within the walls. In fact, it baffled him so much that an amused smile stretched his lips upward, shocking the woman into gaping like a fish.
"Subhanallah, he can laugh..."
"What was that?"
"OH nothing," she looked away, causing him to squint though they both knew he heard what she said.
Levi heaved out a sigh. This shit was starting to confuse the heck out of him. First, titans were supposedly humans, and now she claimed that he was somehow...'connected' to them? What was she gonna say next? That she was some freaking Goddess or some shit?
The male dragged a hand down his face, disgruntled by the flow of information he was receiving. Don't get him wrong, he was somewhat glad to learn more about his heritage even though it was from a complete stranger, though he still had some trouble believing her. What could she gain in lying anyway? A very confused Levi for sure, though he knew she wasn't the type to do this kind of fucked up shit. Call it a gut feeling.
Colith's eyes settled into a more serious expression as she revealed that the Ackermans were actually a noble clan, which further shocked the male, however, they were ruled out for reasons unknown to both.
"Yeah, ain't believing the 'treason' bullcrap, I'm convinced they were just scared shitless of y'all which would've been more believable than the whole" they tried to assassinate the king!" bullshit." she scoffed with a distasteful look.
Well, at least he knew she was an Ackerman sympathizer.
Apparently, they scattered within the walls to escape the persecutions they were being subjected to. Some sought refuge in the underground which would explain why he originated from there, while the others hid somewhere in the mountains at the edge of the wall. Well if that wasn't fantastic. At least that was enough for him to begrudgingly believe her.
"So, what does that have to do with my—our link to the titans?" with the affirmations of being part of a clan, he wouldn't be surprised if more of them were still roaming around, unaware of their heritage, or are probably dying alone somewhere. Who knows? His tone was laced with barely hidden disbelief as he asked this question.
The woman sent him a sympathetic look. "Well, from what I could gather, it was said that your clan was special, which you already know, however, as you said earlier, you experienced an awakening at some point in life which was likely triggered through survival instinct..." her eyes showed regrets, though he knew it wasn't all directed at him. Probably thinking of the red scarfed brat who keeps glaring at him for some reasons. "...that could, it's just a guess, be akin to our shifting ability, minus the whole 'I become a giant naked monster' of course."
Levi pondered with furrowed brows, his tea now lukewarm as wild thoughts jumbled together in his mind. That was...a lot to take in the span of 20 minutes.
"that would also explain why you're being affected by me." the woman pointed a finger to her forehead, catching the male's attention. "Mikasa often tells me that something strange always pushes her to keep me safe. Be it a gut feeling or instincts. But seeing as I was the one, well, taking care of them instead, she redirected it toward Eren even if she still frets over me sometimes." a fond smile graced her lips —Levi noticed. "At the time, I put it on her overprotective nature, therefore didn't dwell on it." she shook her head, dark brown locks following the movement. "I'm sorry if it has been an inconvenience to you," she unconsciously reached for his hand, squeezing it in a caring hold, thumb tracing the back of his hand. "but I don't know how to stop it. My shifting abilities are still a mystery to me so yeah..."
There was a silence following the end of her sentence as greyish hues shifted to their hands. Normally Levi would've immediately snapped or rudely removed his hand away, OCD obliges. Any physical contact from strangers repulsed him to his coreand would earn the unfortunate fellow an earful if they're lucky enough or a beating, there was no in-between. Yet the touch felt...so pleasantly warm while a strange, if not, intimate mood settled over to the point where he almost, almost reciprocated the squeeze. That is until the woman realized what she was doing and promptly retracted her hand with a squawk and wide mortified eyes, breaking the...moment?
"Ah, crap— sorry I didn't—" she stammered in panic, heat quickly rising to her cheeks as she tried to find her words before cringing. "damn, sorry, reflexes." She somehow managed to get those words out of her mouth.
Levi blinked back to earth, seemingly processing what just happened as he watched her panic, his eyes slightly wide. "Reflexes?"
Colith's hands that were now hiding her face resulted in her words being muffled, "I'm...used to being physical with people I like, sorry!" She berated herself before sighing and peeking through her fingers to look at the male. "I'll be more mindful of your boundaries next time sir!" She quickly refilled both their cups before an awkward silence took place where Levi silently reached for his tea while Colith glared at her cup, mentally cursing herself out before her eyes glazed over as random thoughts invaded her mind, seemingly already over her previous predicament and Ouh, snails.
"That scar, how d'you get it?" the corporal's monotone voice echoed through the empty room, startling Colith into focus.
"Huh?"
Levi traced the spots on his face with a finger, "This."
Understanding, Colith's lips curled up as if recalling something funny. "There's two actually." she pointed to the left side of her forehead first. "don't mock me but I was told that I ran into a door at full speed, trying to get away from a wasp." she chuckled heartily before pointing to the second. "and this is the result of my dad almost killing me." Levi froze, almost choking on his tea as Colith continued to speak, oblivious to the male's shock. "Dunno which one's first though as I don't—"
"Your old man tried to kill you?" Levi's incredulous eyes bore into her face as she simply blinked at him, confused by his sudden surprise.
"Uh yep."
"How are you...so calm about it?"
Colith shrugged. "Don't remember the specifics but Ma told me they were in a fight, a quite vicious one at that and it just so happened that my two-year-old self was in the vicinity when it happened," she explained, further appalling Levi. "Ah don't make that face! I don't even remember when it happened, you know? Infantile amnesia." she laughed, happily popping a piece of meat in her mouth.
Levi was dumbfounded. "Do you not resent him for this?"
"not really to be honest," she confessed before grinning ear to ear. "I got to boast about it even, saying that I got it from fighting monsters." she cackled before her smile waned a little "he wasn't the best dad anyone would want, heck they separated and he found a new wife shortly after the incident and kinda abandoned us. But! It doesn't mean that he didn't try, even though it was in his own...weird way." she chuckled as she rhythmically tapped a finger on the table. " He sure was an asshole but... I wouldn't say that I despise him for this. What about you if I may ask, sir?"
"About me?" He quirked an eyebrow.
She nodded, "Yeah, would you like to share something? If you don't mind of course." she waved a hand.
Levi pondered before agreeing to Colith's surprise. And thus an hour passed as they spoke. Levi was surprised by the turn of events. He was not one to divulge his past to who wants to hear it, but the conversation was fluid enough for him to do so. Of course, he omitted some unpleasant details about his childhood but that did not prevent him from briefly mentioning Kutchel, his mother, unaware that Colith's eyes saddened. He was expecting disgust or a negative reaction about him coming from the slums as it was the norm among those from the surface only to be surprised by the lack of reaction from her.
'outsider, of course.'
She might not even be aware of the tension between the two parties. Though he was proven otherwise as she confessed that she didn't care whether he came from heaven or hell, as long as he was a good guy, she didn't care.
"For a brat, you sure know how to talk like a grown-up." Levi admitted, finding the 19-year-old strangely well-spoken for her age as he halfway finished his cup. He had requested to taste her concoction and found himself actually liking it, though he still favored his good old black tea. Old habits die hard.
Colith simply hummed "that would be because I'm one."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm 25."
Levi froze as he watched her body age into a slightly older version to match her words. For the first time in all his 32 years of life, Levi choked on his tea.
Colith watched the captain exit the mess hall after her, and couldn't help but let a little laugh slip past her lips at the floored expression he still had.
The male glared at her, cheeks slightly dusted pink though he refrained from speaking and simply shook his head wearily as he shut the doors. He couldn't help but think that she had done it on purpose which found itself to be a correct assumption.
Of course, she just wanted to see how he would react to her age, and hell, that was priceless. She'd be sure to keep the memory safely guarded in her mind! Aside from that, it was probably around 3 am which left her enough time for a two hours nap before going to pick her kids up before anyone could find something amiss. Of course, the whole body morphing was put into the count of being a shifter so she wouldn't have to explain anything.
"Well then, good night or erm...what's left of it, sir! Sleep tight!" She gave a small wave, about to turn on her heels.
"Levi."
"...?" she stopped to look at him.
He rolled his eyes "Just call me Levi, brat." he clarified, though before he could add anything else, Colith's eyes sparkled, startling him.
"GASP! Is this a proposal?" she whisper squealed.
Levi looked at her as if she were some bizarre creature and did she just say 'gasp' "What? No you moron, how the fuck did you come to that conclusion? And you didn't even let me finish, this is only between us, got it? Don't want you making things difficult than they already are..." he grumbled, specifically cursing a certain blond's name out. Asshole.
Colith blinked for a second before disregarding his annoyed look. Assuming that he must be referring to Hanji. She grinned, "Of course si—I mean Levi! In this case, call me Colith!" he hummed softly in response. "If you need any help with paperwork, don't hesitate to call me!"
"You do know that's considered a punishment, right?" he quirked a brow.
"if that means spending time with you I'm down for it." she shamelessly revealed.
Levi paused, bewildered then let out a baffled huff. Something was clearly strange with her. "you know what, Sure." He decided to humor her.
He watched her pump her fist while chanting quick successive "Yus!" then waved and proceeded to leave toward the dungeons with a skip in her steps, happy that she managed to get to a first-name basis with him! Those were small baby steps toward her ultimate goal: making this man hers! Well, first she needed to save them all, heh. Responsibilities.
The male watched her disappear around a corner before taking off toward his quarters, halfway wondering if he imagined her eyes glowing for a split second before putting it on the count of him being tired. He didn't want to admit it but a small part of him found the way his name rolled off her tongue...pleasant.
3 hours later, Levi woke up, strangely invigorated and highly confused. Later at breakfast, he went to ask the woman about it while she was in the middle of a heated debate with her friends about something he didn't really care to comprehend. Something about snails and slugs—
"SLUGS ARE JUST HOMELESS SNAILS!" Connie affirmed, getting nods from a few persons who were listening while eating.
"YES, BUT AT LEAST THEY GOT A PRINCESS! A STRONG ONE AT THAT!" Colith added in with confidence, confusing the cadets who didn't know what she was referring to.
"it's seven in the morning, Why are you even having this debate?" Ymir drawled as she took a bite of her food before pausing, which pushed everyone to do so as well and look toward the new person who stood just behind an unaware Colith. His sudden presence immediately silenced the table, earning him confused, curious, and intimidated look altogether while Colith made a sound and turned around to see what was going on only to smile.
"Good morning, Captain! Snoozed well?" she greeted cheerfully, a knowing glint flashing through her eyes Levi immediately noticed.
The male's eye twitched. "...so it was you." this statement made everyone tense, and highly confused. Eren and Armin exchanged puzzled looks while the others watched the strange exchange happen with barely hidden curiosity. Though Mikasa's eyes narrowed, making Reiner flinch as he just so happened to notice.
"...Wha ih happenin?" Sasha whispered not so subtly to Bertholdt with a mouthful of brioche.
"...i...I don't know...?" He meekly replied with a sweat drop, finding the Corporal quite intimidating. He had heard a lot about him and how ruthless he was in battle. He didn't know why but he felt like he should be cautious of this man in particular. Thankfully, they wouldn't have to fight in the future...at least he hoped so.
Colith cocked her head to the side. "Hm, I'm not sure I follow you, sir. By the way, you look good today!" She compliments, getting numerous wide eyes.
"Damn no filter." was Ymir's amused comment as she watched the situation unfold while Historia nudged her to shut up so she could listen.
Levi ignored the brats, solely focused on the cheeky one taunting him. He knew what she did, at least he thinks so. She must've used the same trick she did on the other titan brat, that must be it. "Why?"
Watching the male narrow his eyes, Colith decided to stop the teasing and responded, " No particular reasons, though I must ask, does that mean you appreciated my parting gift last night?" someone choked on their food, it was Jean. He was quickly helped by an equally dumbstruck Connie.
Levi stared for a few seconds. If he had to admit, he felt less cranky and more energetic than usual, as if he just slept 8 hours straight which was quite disturbing as he really thought he did so only to realize that he actually slept 2 hours, and this without the usual nightmares disrupting his sleep. Even his light muscle pain completely disappeared, so he was somewhat grateful for whatever trick she used.
Not sparing them a glance, he admitted, eyes softening. "Tch, I guess. Just let me know next time before you do this shit." he says, implying that it didn't really bother him.
Her eyes widened a little before she nodded with a grin, unaware of the dozens of flabbergasted glancing back and forth between them. "of course!"
He grunted, lightly patting her head to her surprise as he walked past her toward the squad leader's table who did not seem to have seen what just occurred, otherwise Hanji would've immediately pointed it out with a loud gasp. He left stunned cadets behind who all snapped their attention toward a giddy Colith and, were those white bubbles surrounding her?!
"What happened last night?" Eren immediately asked, almost dreading, the answer.
"And what...did you mean by 'parting gift'...?" Armin questioned as well, equally scared due to the seething person next to him.
"Hm? Nothing." she shrugged, ignoring the onslaught of questions heading her way as she turned to a slack-jawed Connie, "Anyway, slugs-."
"YOU CAN'T JUST MOVE ON AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED, WHAT WAS THAT?!" they all bellowed, some with cheeks dusting pink. Could it be that...?
Ymir's mouth twitched before cracking up "...No way!"
"MIKASA, DROP THE KNIFE!" Armin screeched in panic.
"GUYS, SOMEONE HELP ME RESTRAIN HER!"
"Unforgivable..."
"AEUGH— MY ORGANS, SHE ELBOWED ME—"
"Eren stop your wife."
"MY WHAT?!"
"They sure do seem rowdy this morning." Erwin chuckled in amusement as he watched the commotion occur instead of stopping it as the responsible Commander he was. He got some nods of agreement in response from those occupying his table as they all turned to watch the 104th cadets with various degrees of reaction going from puzzled to fascinated. He swiveled to the newcomer with a curious look. "Did something happen?"
"What makes you think that?" Levi asked in return, thanking Mike with a nod for passing him a cup and the 'brioche' basket.
"you're always the first to arrive, this is quite unusual for you to be late." The blond insisted, getting a noncommittal shrug in response.
Hanji perks up from the scene, a piece of brioche in her mouth and turned to Levi "hmf-Did you finally drink the thing I gave you? Did it work?" she asked eagerly.
"I'm not drinking whatever bullshit you of all people made. Must be rotting somewhere in the trash." he responded bluntly, earning him an offended squawk from the scientist.
"Meanie! Do you know how much time I spent on this for you?!"
"Too bad."
The commander shook his head, seeing that he wouldn't get any answers from the corporal any sooner, and resumed his breakfast. Although, he had a lingering feeling that the gold-eyed woman had something to do with it. His eyes shifted to the commotion that seemed to have drawn everyone's attention as some of the older soldiers shook their heads while others showed signs of displeasure because of the noise this early in the morning. This is the second time he witnessed the members of his regiment show something other than despondence, sorrow, and despair. It was...a good change. A loud one but good nonetheless. Hopefully, it would last.