Chapter Text
Why.
The only question I could ask was why. Why? Why did he ask that? Why me? Why did he think that was a good idea?
I stood there, frozen on the spot. It wasn’t like I’m not used to pressure, I’m a squad leader in the Survey Corps, being under pressure was second nature to me. But this was something else. The way he asked. The way he looked at me with that glint in his eye. He had an ulterior motive, and I knew it.
Regaining my composure and focus, I took a step forward, standing up straight and holding my head high. I wasn’t afraid of him. We’d known each other for so long, I knew he wasn’t as heartless as his face showed. His eyes squinted momentarily as he waited for my response.
“If you wish Captain. It’ll be your funeral.” I said stoically.
A few gasps and murmurs swept across the training ground. By this point, the cadets had stopped their combat training and turned their attention to the Captain and I, whilst a helpless Eren stood to one side, worried where this was heading.
A hint of amusement briefly flickered across Levi’s face as I took another step closer to him. It was a game. Mind games. He knew I could beat him in a fight. Our days training together behind closed doors were long gone, but we both knew we were fairly evenly matched. We’d been friends long enough to know this, sometimes all we could do to pass the time was spar.
So why risk his pride? What does he know?
Reverting back to his usual neutral expression, he stepped forward, his right leg slightly behind so his body was at an angle. He has no idea what he’s getting himself into here. Under the watchful gaze of the cadets, I mirrored his stance. I was ready.
Silence engulfed us. No one dared to breathe. The tension was almost painful.
In an instant he moved.
Closing the gap between us, his fist came flying towards my face. Predictable. Too predictable. I dodged left, blocking following punch and his kick. He kept up the pace, with me blocking and dodging at an alarming rate. But he was backing me up. I need an opening. One wrong move and you’re down, Ackerman.
Then I saw it. His last punch left his ribs unguarded, so I took the opportunity to counter. Pushing back, I launched my attack. He manoeuvred around the field, avoiding my moves, until he rolled to a safe distance away.
“Had enough yet?” I taunted. Strolling towards him, where he was still positioned on the ground, his head was hanging low.
But then I saw it. A smirk.
No. I’m too late.
At that moment, I came hurtling to the ground and landed on my back with a thud. Levi was straddling me, one hand on my shoulder and another on my waist. Damnit. His eyes down at me glinted once again. I started to blush at the… compromised… position I was in, but Levi was too busy basking in his ‘victory’ to notice.
“And that Eren, is how you gain the upper hand in an evenly matched fight.” Levi proclaimed, his trademark hint of boredom gracing his words. “You may have the same skill level as them, but if you maintain your focus and wait for the right moment…”
He was right. You need the right moment. And he just gave it me.
Whilst Levi was lecturing Eren, I’d managed to position myself beneath him where I could move. And from there, I’d gotten Levi on his back, reversing our former position.
“What was that Levi? Don’t let me stop you. You were saying something about being focused and waiting the right moment? ” I jeered down at him. Some cadets looked at us in awe, a few braver ones attempted to conceal their laughter. His face lit up with anger. Shit. I’ve done it now.
But before I could face Levi’s wrath caused by my humiliation of him, Hanji ran up to us and dragged me away, blabbering on about some experiment or something.
Whilst being hauled back inside, I took one last glance at Levi. All the cadets were back to their combat training, yet Levi stared me down intently, a fearful Eren not wanting to be the subject of Levi’s rage. I smirked, knowing I’d riled him up, and I sauntered back inside so I could deal with Hanji before nightfall. The girl was great, but boy could she talk.
What I didn’t know was that I should have stayed with her as long as possible. Anything would’ve been better than facing Levi’s wrath that evening.