Back To You

Chapter 3: All Work and No Play Makes Levi a Dull Boy

Never in his entire life would Levi envision himself spending three days with Mikasa's family. But things happened and here he was, playing ball with his rebellious subordinate in the meadow near her house.

"That is the lamest throw I have ever seen in my whole life." He said nonchalantly.

And staying there for three days gave Levi an ample amount of time to lay out his plan on saving Mikasa's parents. Yes, after careful and deliberate consideration, he decided to stay and try to prevent the death of Mikasa's parents.

The original plan was to go to Erwin and explain his situation but he doubted that his commander would believe a child like him in spite of his possessed intelligence.

Plus, considering the timeline of events, he guessed that he had his hands full already with the Survey Corps' messy business.

Also, this was the year that he was recruited into the dreaded branch of the military. He wondered how things would be different now that Erwin failed to acquire a soldier like him.

Snapping back to reality, Mikasa puffed her cheeks in annoyance, picked up the ball, and gave Levi a death stare.

"Look who's talking. You can't even throw a ball without tripping yourself." 

She indeed hit a nerver in him.

At least spare him from the humiliation. It's not his fault that he had the strength of his ten-year-old self. He never realized that he was this weak and dare he say it, puny.

If there's one thing that Levi could proudly boast about himself, besides his impeccable cleaning skills, it would be his strength. With his short stature and his questionable background, it came as no surprise that no one could take him seriously. The only way to survive their scrutiny was through his combat prowess.

Bearing the title, "Humanity's Strongest" may be overwhelming, but it gave him the reassurance that he needed, and losing the leverage was a big blow to him.

If it's any consolation, it seems that Mikasa was not born either with her superhuman strength. The 850-Mikasa would probably destroy him in a ball throwing game. Probably.

"You're a brat. Did anyone tell you that?" She stuck her tongue out. "And you're grumnpy." And to prove her point, she sauinted his eyes, enough to mimic his resting bitch face.

"Look at me. I'm Levi and I have this eerie facial expression that scares everyone. Bow down, mortals."

"Real mature, Mikasa."

The irony of the situation bit him in the ass after registering that he, a grown-up man, was letting a ten-year-old girl get under his skin. Real mature, Levi.

And he did not look like that. He was not that peevish. Perhaps he was, but he would never admit that.

After laughing on her accurate (too accurate) representation of Levi, she loomed around him, poking his cheek. "Let's play hide and seek!"

Look, he's done entertaining Mikasa. The kid could find someone else to mess with. When would Eren come into the picture? He's already tired of babysitting this scarf-wearing gloomy brat. Except for the fact the she was not wearing a scarf and definitely not gloomy.

He winced when he subconsciously yearned for 850-Mikasa's reserved personality.

"I'm tired." His poor child body couldn't keep up with her constant need to play. "Eh? Already? C'mon Levi! You promised that you would play with me!"

"I never promised anything. Now move, brat. Or else..."

"Or else what?" Her lips curled into a smirk, clearly challenging him. This kid had guts, he'll give her that. So even when she was a tiny brat, she had always been defiant. Amusing.