Chapter 8

"Oi, you missed a spot," Levi's voice rings through my ears as he sips on his tea in his desk chair. His eyes hold nothing but amusement as I glare at him, gripping the broom with deathly tight hands.

"There isn't a damn spot to miss in this office considering that it's yours!" I snap, causing him to simply smirk. It's a first to see him with anything but a frown etched on his pouty perfect face, but I'm not amused in the slightest. "This is the third day cleaning this room, Captain. I honestly believe that I learned my lesson."

"Which is?" He hums, taking the last sip of his tea. The man has been giving me shit ever since that whole fiasco just days ago…

"I won't disobey your orders," I sigh, hating to admit defeat. His eyes trail over my face as I place my hands at the tip of the broom, resting my chin on top as I stare. It's a little rousing to have him look at me the way that he is right now, without a stern expression, seemingly calm. This punishment is the first time the two of us have ever been alone, and it's as if he's more comfortable this way.

"Did you even 'find your purpose' when you shouted at me for trying to stop you?" He questions me, and I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not.

"No…" I say honestly.

"So disobeying our orders was for nothing?" He leans back in his chair, folding his arms. I stare at his muscles with a small blush. Damn, he is an attractive asshole.

"No," I mutter again, taking my chin off of the broom. "If I hadn't of done what I did, I would've been forced to dangle from a tree branch for hours on end. Sure, I'm being reprimanded, but at least I got to see how strong and able I am with the 3DM gear."

"Hm." His eyes dig into mine, entering my soul. "So be it. Why don't you go fetch some tea and then we'll call it a night. Tonight."

"You're going to get cavities from all of this damn tea," I groan. Nonetheless, I comply as an excuse to get out of the stuffy room for a few minutes.

Placing the broom in its rightful place, I give a nod to Levi, who just watches me as I exit the room. The moment I'm in the hallway, a small sigh of relief escapes my lips. His presence makes me feel like all of my insecurities and thoughts are out in the open, making it hard to breathe. As suffocating as he is, however, being in his presence without being scolded or referred to as 'brat' or 'idiot' is refreshing. These juxtaposing emotions add for a whirlwind of feelings when it comes to the Captain.

He saw you as a threat, I think to myself as I enter the kitchen, walking over to the tea resting on a shelf. He left you to die, refused to help you as you could hardly stand due to deprivation.

My hands work almost mechanically as I reach for the tea leaves provided to the military, putting some into the teapot before going over to the fire to boil some water. I've been doing this for the past few days, so I maneuvered the kitchen with ease.

He slammed you against the wall for not using his correct title.

Once the water is brought to a boil, I carry it back to the counter and pour it into the pot, giving it a few minutes to mix with the tea leaves, allowing the concoction to sit. The captain doesn't like his tea mixed with any additives, which is apparently due to the lack of funds available to put towards milk or sugar. He's simply grown accustomed, but if I get my hands on some flavorful tea, I'll be sure to use it just to see if he'll show any kind of surprising emotion.

He lent you several of his shirts. He saved you from a near death experience. He protected you.

My stomach begins to grumble, even though dinner was a couple of hours ago. If I'm hungry now, Levi must be starving. He's been in his office all day, completing paperwork upon paperwork. So, against my better judgment, I decide to prepare something for him. With the limited resources I have, I get to work.

The next ten minutes consists of me chopping some potatoes, carrots, and celery. I mix the vegetables into some chicken broth that I have already begun heating up, mixing them together. Though salt and pepper is limited, I figure I would just purchase some more once I get my first stipend and add some to the mixture. Already it looks more flavorful than the soup we usually get served. For some final touches, I add just a bit of basil and a hint of thyme. When I taste my creation, my eyes widen at the mouthwatering flavor. It's been almost a month since I've been here, and this is probably the tastiest thing that I've had.

With a confident smirk, I pour two cups of tea, as well as two bowls of soup. I place the items on a silver tray and exit the kitchen before anything gets cold. Although Levi is kind of a jerk, I anticipate his reaction in my mind as I carefully walk up the stairs. When I walk down the corridor and towards his office, I'm thankful that the door is cracked, so I can kick it softly with ease.

"Took you long enough…" Levi began to speak, not looking up from his paperwork. The moment he smells the soups, however, he shuts his mouth and looks up at me. His eyes soften a bit, though not enough for the average person to realize. "What's this?"

"It's soup!" Ya dumbass… With a sheepish grin, I walk up to his desk and place the tray down in the limited amount of free space available. He eyes the soup with an unreadable expression. "I figured that since you skipped out on dinner, I would make something."

"I see…" He makes no move to pick up his bowl, so I roll my eyes softly before picking it up and placing it down in front of him, scooting his paper to the side. I make sure not to crinkle the paper, seeing as he will probably lose his shit.

"I didn't poison it or anything," I say jokingly, though a hint of annoyance is present in my tone. Silly of me to think he would seem thankful for what I have done. "If you won't eat it, I will."

"You brought yourself a bowl," he mutters as he begrudgingly reaches for the spoon on the tray. He notices my excited face and lets out a small scoff. "Are you going to just watch me eat?"

"Yes," I smirk, reaching for my own bowl. I take a seat in the chair on the opposite side of his desk, basking in the warmth of the soup. "I want to see what you think of my cooking."

"Tsk, you sound like a housewife," he says, but nonetheless digs his spoon into the broth, gently bringing it to his mouth. I bite my lip in anticipation as he takes a bite, almost bursting into a grin when his eyebrows lift in surprise. There's no way he can disguise that look.

"Is it absolutely repulsive?" I snigger before taking a bite of my own soup, once again basking in the flavor. He doesn't respond with words, but rather takes another bite. And another. And another.

"It's good," he says plainly, though I can hear the appraisal in his voice. "How much of the spices did you use? Those don't come by very often, you know."

"I didn't use as much as you'd expect," I shrug as I continue watching him eat. "I used a bit of salt and pepper, though. I'll be sure to buy it back when I get my first paycheck."

"Hm." He nods, finishing the last bit of the broth before my very eyes. It looks like he wants to lick the damn bowl.

"Do you want the rest of mine?" I tease, though I'm literal with the question. The captain looks at my half-eaten bowl with slight interest, but then he quickly falls back into his blank, lackluster expression.

"I don't eat after people," he says plainly, reaching for his teacup. My mischievous side gets the best of me as I watch him take a sip of the drink, and without a second thought I say,

"Ah, that's too bad. I spit in the soup before giving it to you."

Without hesitation, Levi spews all of the tea out of his mouth, thankfully mostly onto the platter. His eyes are wide and his mouth is hung open, causing me to burst out into full-blown laughter. Once he realizes that it was a joke, he gives me a harsh glare, only making me laugh harder. My face is beet red as I do one of those 'laugh-so-hard-you-can't-breathe-and-have-to-do-a-silent-laugh' types of laughter.

"Y-Your face!" I finally manage to say after a good minute or so of me clapping my hands. "I can't breathe!"

"Maybe I should of let you hit that tree," he grumbles, though I know, through his stoic expression, he has some flickers of amusement dancing through his eyes.

"Maybe so," I manage to say through a tight-lipped smile, trying my best not to let out another fit of giggles. "Instead, you had to let the legacy of being known as 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier' live on."

"I didn't want to have to be forced with cleaning up your filthy guts."

"Maybe you just wanted an excuse to hold my hot body," I tease with a wiggle of my eyebrows. Where the hell all of this confidence is coming from, I have no idea, but the captain just continues to stare at me blankly. "Ah, I'm just kidding, obviously."

"Obviously," he repeats, folding his hands in front of his face. He looks at me curiously, and by now I'm done with my laughing fit. "It's late, and you have training in the morning. Tomorrow during lunch, you'll be cleaning the tea stains out of the carpet that you made me spew out."

"What!" I sit up, giving him a pout. "That's not fair! It's not my fault you couldn't keep it in your mouth!"

"It is your fault," he says. "It's an order. Now go to bed."

"Fine," I mutter, standing up. Without a second thought, I go over to the tray and collect all of the bowls and utensils, leaving nothing but his teacup on the counter. "I'm going to wash these dishes first if that's okay. I hate leaving dishes out overnight, even if someone else will clean them in the morning."

"That's fine, Love," he nods his head dismissively, his eyes trailing back to his paperwork. I can't help but smirk a little bit when he says my last name purely due to protocol. It sounds like is calling me a pet name, like we're married or something. Though that won't happen in a million years, it's still humorous.

"Goodnight, love," I tease him as I walk towards the door, causing his eyes to widen a bit once more. With one last giggle, I shake my head. "I mean Captain."

I don't wait to see his reaction, seeing as my cheeks are heating up themselves. Being this bold is something that I'm not used to, but seeing moments of vulnerability in Levi's eyes, just a bit of humanity, was enough to make me feel comfortable. It wasn't flirting, was it? No, Levi has no time for flirting. I just did it for laughs. He's my superior now, and I am practically a stranger to him. Though I have yet to see the death of any of my comrades, I'm sure he has seen plenty of death. This is no place for flirting. But still...who knows if I'll be able to share any more moments with him like this?

Lauren and I are lucky to get paired up for morning training, which is always hand-to-hand. Next week, however, will be training for the formation Erwin has been working on for several years, which will be used outside of The Walls. I have no idea whether or not I'll be a part of the next expedition, but I can tell that apprehension is starting to fill the hearts of the unit, though they try their best to hide it.

"How was last night cleaning for the captain?" Lauren questions as she lunges at me. I dodge it, though not as swiftly as with Mike. My adrenaline isn't high right now, but I remember my fluid motions from when my body took over.

"It was the same as usual," I shrug as I swing a punch in her direction, watching with approving eyes as she manages to pull away from most of the force. The thought of one of my close friends getting sent out into danger makes me a little uneasy, so I decide to distract myself with conversation. "Though I made him soup."

"Really!" She grins mid kick, and due to her distractions with my words, I manage to grab her by the ankle and flip her, but she manages to land gracefully on her feet. "Oi! I wasn't ready! Tell me more about last night. Did he like it?"

"Yes," I giggle. "He barely spoke as he ate the whole thing in less than two minutes."

"Men love a woman who can cook," she teases, causing me to roll my eyes. She put my lack of focus to her advantage and sent a punch to my chest, causing me to wince a bit. It was in no shape or form as hard as Mike's, but It was still a punch.

"Nice one," I grunt, earning a hopeful smile from her. "Besides, you said so yourself that the captain has never been a relationship before. There's probably a reason besides the fact that he's a prick most of the time."

"But you're not opposing the idea of wanting to date him," she pesters. To stop her from going any further on the topic, I kick her in the shin, causing her to fall to the ground with a grunt. "Touche…"

"That didn't hurt too bad, did it?" I question as she stands up, making her laugh.

"It's supposed to hurt, silly," she says. "We're actually going too easy on each other. Derrick just got a bloody nose!"

I turn towards the direction of Derrick, seeing Hagan has just tackled him to the ground, sending a blow to his face. "How the hell can best friends hurt each other like that…"

"It's just the daily part of life in the Survey Corps," Lauren says before I feel her foot slam into my lower back. I fall to the ground in a small heap, spitting out blades of grass that managed to enter my mouth. "Look, Captain Levi is looking right at you!"

"I can't look with my face in the fucking dirt!" I grunt before rolling to my front, seeing that the captain is, in fact, looking at the two of us. The moment we make eye contact, he doesn't falter, seeing as he is riding around on his horse, making him a spectacle for many to see. Without a second hesitation, I swipe my leg under Lauren's feet, causing her to lose balance, giving me the perfect opportunity to throw myself upward and knock her down.

"Eh?!" She whines as I place my weight on top of her, which frankly isn't much. Despite my attack, she still smirks. "Trying to impress him now, I see."

"I don't like him," I mutter, watching Levi as he slowly turns his face away, emotionless. With a small sigh, I add, "And there's no time to romance in this line of the military."

"Whatever," she huffs, eventually pushing me off of her. "Want me to change the subject?"

"Yes please," I say, dusting the dirt off of my shirt.

"Well, there's a little party tonight," she says, respecting my decision. The mention of a party makes me raise my brows out of curiosity. "With the formation training starting tomorrow, people get all tense thinking about the next expedition. So, we kind of organize the mess hall into this party kind of scene with alcohol and stuff. Most of the unit shows up, and it's actually pretty fun."

I'm about to respond, but then Levi trots up to us, a stern look on his features. Immediately, Lauren tenses up, but I stay composed. "Oi. You two brats are supposed to be in each other's faces. Not gossiping like a bunch of housewives."

"Yes, sir!" Lauren and I chant, immediately ceasing our conversation. There's no emotion dancing in Levi's eyes like they were last night, filling me with a little bit of disappointment. He simply clicks his tongue and moves along, surveying the rest of the regime.

"I'll go," I whisper to her as we go back into our defensive poses. She grins at this as she knocks me in the jaw.

After a few more hours of training, I walk away from the rest of the unit, remembering the dreaded task of getting the tea stains out of Levi's rug. My stomach grumbles at the thought of missing lunch, but I rather go hungry than hear shit from the captain. Much to my surprise, when I enter the familiar office, Levi is in there, already seated, with two sandwiches and two cups of tea placed on his desk.

"Captain!" I place my hand on my chest, startled to find him casually in here. "I thought you would be in the mess hall?"

"You get as startled as a mouse," he says, ignoring my comment. "I want to make sure you don't do a half-assed job at cleaning. You can eat when you're done."

"Er… alright," I mumble, walking over to the cleaning supplies already laid out. My confidence from last night is long gone, and now I tense up as he watches me get onto my knees in front of his desk. The awkward silence is killing me, though he seems to be peaceful looking over paperwork, sipping on his tea. My stomach grows at the smell of the food, so I quickly get to work.

I strip off my jacket and unbutton the top of my shirt, just enough to reveal my collarbone and release some sweat from training earlier. Levi notices the shirt as I dip my hand into the soapy bucket, reaching for the scrubbing sponge.

"You've gotten my shirt stained," he mutters, inspecting the grass stains as I begin to scrub the rug. My cheeks heat as he continues to watch me.

"I didn't think you wanted it back," I grunt sheepishly, watching as the stain slowly lifts up.

"I don't. It's still a shame to see some nice cotton go to waste."

"My apologies, Captain, " I say to him. He lets out a small scoff at my slight derision but stays quiet nonetheless. As I continue to scrub, my mind ventures back to what Lauren was discussing as we trained. "Hey, Levi? What can you tell me about the little party tonight?"

"Party," he says quietly. I glance up and see him staring down at his desk with no particular look. "I wouldn't know. I haven't been to one of those stupid things in a couple of years."

"What makes it stupid?" I pout softly as I stand up, walking towards his desk. He watches me as I sit down in the same chair as last night, leaning forward to reach for the sandwich that is causing my hunger pains.

"Who said you were done cleaning?" He leans back, placing one arm against the armrest of his chair, the other supporting his chin with his hand. Hey eyes me up and down as I shrug.

"The stain is gone, and I'm hungry," I say before taking a bite of the sandwich, nearly moaning at the taste.

"Brat," he sighs, reaching for his tea. "It's stupid because it just causes everyone to get hangovers, which is a useless waste of time that could be spent on cleaning or training."

"Yeah, but tomorrow is our day off, so we don't technically have to do that stuff," I tell him, nearly spilling food out of my mouth. He grimaces slightly, reaching for a napkin on the tray and throwing it my way.

"You're disgusting."

"Hey, I wonder if I could bring that piano up here and play some music for the party, seeing as there isn't any kind of music up here anyway," I say, ignoring his petty remark. He tenses slightly at the mention of the piano once again, but I pretend that I don't notice. "Can I bring it up? Please, Levi?"

"I don't give a shit," he says reproachfully. "Just as long as you call me by my correct title. Set a good example for your friends, would you?"

"Please," I roll my eyes. "They'd be scared shitless if they called you by your first name. It's real funny to see them sweat when you approach."

"I bet you sweat too, don't you?" He jeers, causing me to blush. Damn it. I blush way too much.

"Only when training and such," I say dismissively, waving my hand around. "You get real scary during training. You're much nicer here."

"I can be just as intimidating now if you'd prefer, Love."

"Ah ha," I give a bashful grin. "That's alright! Heh, maybe I should go now, since I'm done with my duties."

Levi sits up, watching me with a hint of mischief in his eyes. My eyes trace his every movement as his calloused hand reaches for the sandwich in front of him, tearing off a piece of the bread and holding it over the carpet. My jaw falls slack as he starts to crumble the bread into tiny pieces, scattering them all around the floor. With hooded eyes, he takes a sip of tea before speaking.

"You missed a spot, Love."