Chapter 2- Larkspur Tea

.

.

It's funny how easily illusions can be shattered. Like teacups in a storm or humans during a titan attack, nothing is without its breaks or flaws. Lance Corporal Levi was no exception.

In the days following, I came to know both the dark-haired captain and the new batch of survey corps members in the Special Ops squad.

First, there was Eren Jaeger. The boy had an iron-will and the tenacity of a recently branded bull; I actually felt more ashamed of my own meager abilities with the 3D maneuver gear when I was around him than Captain Levi. Nevertheless, the kid-turned titan was still that: a kid at heart. Despite how the war with titans aged him (aged everyone), there were still moments when he acted like a teenager. The best example being his interactions with Mikasa Akerman, Armin Arlert, and Jean 'horse face' (not my words, but Eren's) Kirschtein.

Mikasa Akerman, most likely the only surviving oriental, was a woman of few words. She was always polite and courteous to me and her peers, but I had the feeling she only kept up that facade for Eren. She lived for him, that much was obvious. Whether it extended to more than a familial relationship, however, was beyond my knowledge. I only knew two things from her behavior: Never get on her bad side and never bother Eren, unless you wanted to really piss her off (and be subsequently killed).

Then, there was the blonde boy, Armin Arlert. He was a budding strategist from what I could tell, cut from the same cloth as our military leader Erwin Smith. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up replacing the commander someday. His bright mind and social skills (when needed, the blonde could get a whole room to agree with him) made him a force to be reckoned with, even if he wasn't as good as his friends at killing titans.

Now Jean Kirschtein was a bit of an enigma, to be honest. He was a somewhat lazy, though honest individual who showed promise in terms of leadership. I heard from the others that he had been forthright with his want to be in the military police to escape fighting titans and had decided to join the Survey Corps not because he didn't make the ranking, but because of the death of his closest friend, Marco Bodt. In short, he was a good foil to Eren; while the brown-haired boy was impulsive and rash, Jean would take the time to think plans through and observe the battlefield with sharp eyes.

...Though, from the angle I was at, his face did somewhat resemble a horse.

Now, as for Connie Springer, Sasha Blouse, and Historia Reiss—

"Oi, Abel. Are you done ogling the brats?" I whipped my head around to see the Captain himself, dressed in a plain white button up and dark pants. His 3D maneuver gear was nowhere to be seen (though his cravat was still fixed stubbornly in place).

I frowned. "I was just thinking and the kids happened to be in front of my eyes as I thought."

Yes, then there was Lance Corporal Levi. Rumors of his dealings with gangs in the underground swirled every now and then, but none wanted to invoke his wrath. Despite his short stature and slim physique, the man was not someone you would want to cross. Known as Humanity's Greatest Hope, Levi showed excellent skill on the battlefield, from what little I had seen. He was rarely placed in the rear of formations; most of his 'prowess' in battle was all hearsay, not that I imagined any of it to be false.

However, Levi was far from the perfect soldier he was toted as. He was a neat-freak, to start, always pushing in chairs and dusting off tables periodically. He also had one of the dirtiest mouths (not that I had much room to talk, really) I had ever seen. His frequent use of profanity (particularly calling the new members 'shitty brats') clashed with his image of an upstanding soldier. Lastly, there was his height. At a measly 5 2', I was only two inches shorter than him; something that didn't happen to me often.

All in all, he was a short, foul-mouthed, volatile man with a penchant for killing titans and cleaning windows. Far from perfection, to my relief. Even if he could use his 3D maneuver gear flawlessly, it didn't mean he didn't have enough personality flaws to make it even out. It was proof that he was human, not some supernatural being who just happened to enjoy slaughtering titans.

I was brought back to reality by the man clicking his teeth in annoyance. "Whatever." He made the motion to move away but I stopped him, fingers twisting into the back of his shirt.

"W-wait—" I started, only to automatically let go at his sharp glare. I guess I would have to add personal space issues as another one of his problems. Because if looks could kill, even the colossal titan would be nothing but gas by now.

"Don't touch me." He barked, though he did remain in place.

"Sorry..." I trailed off awkwardly, unable to look the soldier in the eye. Whatever I was going to ask was gone now— along with whatever confidence I had. Being arguably the least abled soldier in all of the Scouting Region did wonders for ones self-esteem.

"You stopped me for a reason. What is it?" He pressed, ignoring my silence.

Wish I knew.

"Umm... Captain Levi, do you think I could—"

"Don't call me Captain. As much as it fucking annoys me, you're as much a captain as me; meaning we're the same rank."

I nodded, taking in a deep breath. "Levi, do you think you could err... show me how to better utilize my 3D maneuver gear?" The words had barely left my mouth before the dark-haired man walked briskly away. His boots clacked noisily against the old, wooden floor as he walked past the new members. His voice drifted towards me, something about Eren needing to practice more and to get off his 'lazy ass.' I didn't need to hear any more to know that Mikasa was ready to strangle the Corporal.

I gave a small sigh. It was worth the shot; at least he didn't beat me to a pulp for asking something ridiculous. The rumors of what exactly happened during Eren's trial ranged from him losing an arm to being totally dismembered. Knowing now that Eren's limbs could regenerate made me only more unsure on what Levi actually did.

I returned somewhat bitterly to nursing my second cup of tea, specially brewed by myself. Today I had tried something new, added a few extra violet flowers I had seen outside. They were normally poisonous, but they were abundant around the small cabin and pretty enough that I didn't want them to go to waste. Larkspurs they were called, and after the fifth attempt at a tea that didn't leave me with a stomachache, I found that this new brew was indeed drinkable.

The amber liquid tasted sweet, but not overpoweringly so. There was still an aftertaste of bitterness that helped combat the saccharine flavor. I liked it. Unbeknownst to me, the dark-haired Captain had returned, moving just into my line of sight as he reached towards the table.

"Wait until nightfall. I'll see what you can do. Until then..." He stole an empty cup, pouring out some of the Larkspur tea before taking a sip.

For the briefest second, I saw his lips curl upward in a smile. But it soon disappeared, replaced with a grimace. "I'll train you. Just don't make this tea again."

"Why?"

"...It tastes too familiar." He finished cryptically, disappearing out the cabin door. I sat back against the wooden chair, skimming my finger around the chipped edge of the teacup.

Too familiar... I thought, wondering just what he meant. Maybe it tasted like something his mother made. Or maybe something he drank during his time in the underground. A sudden realization hit me on my second sip, making the liquid hitting my tongue even more bitter.

Petra Ral. She was known for her unparalleled kindness and the unique teas that she made.

After an afternoon watching the 'brats' bicker, I was more than ready to sleep. Between the stress of keeping the kids safe, Eren's titan training, and watching out for any signs of the Military Police, it would be an understatement to say I was tired. But, here I was, close to the stroke of midnight, in the surrounding forest. The crickets seemed to share my sentiments as not a single one could be heard. I turned to Levi, who pulled back the hood of his Survey Corps cloak with a grimace. He too seemed tired, the bags under his eyes more pronounced than usual.

"I got Kirschtein to do the watch. He's up with Armin now; with those two the rest should be fine." He affirmed, grey eyes appearing almost coal-black in the darkness.

Our only real sources of light were the moon, which was only a crescent, and our lanterns, which we kept low. I placed my lantern onto the ground, fingers curled around the handgrips of my 3D maneuver gear.

With a nod, Levi spoke again, "We'll start with your stamina. I want you to connect a grappling hook to the highest branch of this tree," he motioned to the towering oak beside him, "and hang there for thirty minutes, upright and completely still."

I had to bite my tongue to hold off my retort. His 'training' sounded just like the training I had as a cadet! Images of Keith Shadis and his sneering face brought a quick shudder through my body, which I concealed with a faked cough. My cadet days were not something I liked thinking back on. Still, Levi was the highest ranked soldier; he knew what he was talking about.

"A-alright… I'll try." I conceited, pressing the button on the handgrip to send the wire barreling upward. The grappling hook connected easily with the tree to my relief, digging firmly in the correct branch. Letting the wire pull me upward, I looked down as Levi's figure began to shrink. The branch was at least six meters from the ground, the height of the smallest of titans.

"Now stay still!" Levi ordered once I had made it half a meter away from the branch, cupping his hands around his mouth. His voice reached my ears easily as I nodded, taking in a breath before closing my eyes. The metal wire continued to jump and shake, rattling the leaves of the branch to my dismay. Come on, focus! I let my arms fall to the side, finding that the wire still had me spinning slowly in circles. It was no use; with how the 3D maneuver gear was made to function, the wire was supposed to offer the most flexibility for the soldier, keeping all weight to one hip as to lessen the strain on one's muscles. It was made to swing around with and dodge titan attacks, not to keep the soldier completely still like they were caught in a metal spider web!

"Focus, Abel. Find your center. You'll figure out how to balance, in due time." He called out, picking up his lantern. I struggled with the wire futilely, looking down to see that Levi appeared to be walking away.

"W-where are you going?!"

He held the lantern to his face, the glow casting an eerie shadow to his features. "To bed. I realize now that thirty minutes won't be enough time for you. Just stay up there for the night; I'll come back in the morning to see your progress.

"But what's keeping me from grappling back down?"

Slowly, a smirk formed across his lips. "I 'adjusted' your 3D maneuver gear. If you try to dislodge yourself, the grappling hook should fall away, leaving you to fall to your death."

With that, the man disappeared into the woods, his lantern light eventually disappearing with him. I couldn't help it; I snapped.

"Get me down from this fucking branch! Levi, get back here! I'll fucking kill you!" I snarled, struggling further. My body trashed uselessly in the air, all manners of profanity spilling from my lips. Eventually, however, my twisting caused the branch to snap slightly, the sound reverberating through the woods. I immediately stopped my movement (and profanity), shutting my eyes for the inevitable fall.

It never came.

Looking up, I saw that the silver wire was completely still. My panicked attempt at staying alive and not plummeting to my certain death had somehow allowed me to find my balance. I had found my 'center' in my anger.

"Levi! I did it! The wire's not moving!" I called out excitedly into the darkness, hoping that he could hear me.

If he did hear my exclamations, he made no motion to show it; no lantern light came back. Levi was not returning tonight. Begrudgingly, I folded my arms, letting out a tired sigh. His 'training' had worked, but I could have gone without being stuck in mid-air. After about an hour of imagining the Corporal dying in horribly horrendous ways, my eyes grew heavy and the quiet of the forest lulled me into a surprisingly deep slumber— you know, considering I was hanging from a tree branch.

The next time I awoke, I was met with a series of snickers and the light of the blinding sun. I groaned, opening my hazel eyes to see that the whole Special Ops squad was under me, laughing at my misfortune.

"Congratulations, Abel. I didn't think you'd actually manage it." Levi goaded, looking in no hurry to get me down. The group would let me dangle there for another thirty minutes until the dark-haired soldier finally pitied me enough to help me down.

That's why, the next night, when everyone was asleep, I hid all the cleaning products on the same tree branch Levi had left me on. Needless to say, it was worth the extra training, especially when I saw that the short man had stained his cravat with coffee that morning and didn't find the cleaning products until the night.

A/N: A bit of a filler chap, really, just chronicling Levi and Charlotte's relationship XD Plot will show up next chap, so stay tuned, my friends :3

Review?

-Isis