The Universe In Her Eyes • Levi Ackerman

30 • demons

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Eva woke up the next day in the infirmary. The intensity of the sparring and the previous sleepless night, together with the herbal drink that Hange had offered, made her fall into a deep sleep that contributed to her feeling reenergized that morning.

She slowly moved her neck from side to side. She clasped her hands behind her back and streched her shoulders and chest. Her joins popped and cracked, as she yawned loudly.

"Good morning, brat-"

"DEAR WALLS! You startled me" Eva jumped slitghly on her bed, realizing that Levi was observing her from the chair placed nearby.

"Your usual answer would be 'good morning to you too', but I'll take what I can get" he smirked, standing up.

"Good morning" she tried.

"A bit late, huh?" he shook his head, sitting on the edge of her bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," she nodded. "Very rested actually."

"Also not the typical reply for someone that took a humuliating beat like the one you took yesterday." He smirked.

"Hey!" Eva protested. "I wasn't so bad!"

He arched an eyebrow.

"Really?" she sighed in defeat.

"No, idiot, you were very good, actually" he ruffled her hair. "Much better than any other cadet that has ever joined the Survey Corps."

"Except yourself, of course."

I was never a Cadet he thought to himself, not daring to tell her that.

But thinking about that secret he was keeping reminded him that Eva was also keeping a secret.

He wanted to ask her about it. He wanted to ask her why she had hesitated. Why fear had tinted her factions for a split second.

Nothing had been particularly triggering, or so Levi thought. But it was so obvious — for an almost imperceptible second, she had been absolutely and utterly terrified.

That kind of mistake in other circumstances could have easily costed her her life. Eva knew it. And Levi knew she knew it.

But that was just a price he was not willing to pay.

So he wanted to ask her about it, to avoid it all together in the future. But he knew that she probably wouldn't tell.

Still, he needed to try — the stakes were just too high.

"You hesitated." He simply stated. No questions, just an acknowledgement.

Eva didn't say anything for a moment, and instead lowered her eyes to look to nothing in particular, bitting her lower lip and nodding almost imperceptibly.

"So did you." She finally whispered.

"Because you looked terrified" he explained. "You panicked, Eva — uncharacteristically, I would dare say."

Eva pondered if she should just tell him about... him. Her worst nightmare.

Kenny.

Titans seemed like a mild threat compared to that merciless son of a bitch.

To Eva, he was the embodiment of evil.

She pondered if she should tell Levi... but finally decided against it.

But he used the exact same technique.

And that made her raise all of the alarms.