Titans Rule, a Levi Ackerman x Fem OC story.

(19) Comfort.

~Levi~

Levi didn't know why he'd agreed to join Amelia at the training grounds. At least, that was what he told himself. But, of course, there had been a reason. He desperately needed a distraction, and losing himself in his work wasn't enough anymore. He was worried about how the mission was going. His comrades were putting themselves in grave danger, potentially going against two Titan shifters who had already wreaked havoc in the Walls before. Who knew how many would return afterwards?

Levi snapped out of his thoughts when he realised they'd arrived at the training grounds. They went over to the storeroom to get some equipment. Levi was already holding a lantern that he'd initially intended to use while going on his usual walk around the grounds in the evening. But here he was, using it in the storeroom whilst Amelia grabbed a few dummies for them to use.

This wasn't the first night he'd trained whilst everyone slept by far. It was how he spent most of his evenings doing paperwork. After all, he had a reputation of being humanity's strongest soldier to upkeep. However, this was the first time someone else had been with him in a long time. The last time was with Isobel and Furlan.

He felt a pang of grief just thinking about them. So he placed the lantern on the ground and assisted Amelia with the dummies.

"Is that everything you want to use?" Levi asked her whilst glancing back at his discarded lantern.

"I guess so. I hadn't planned this far ahead," Amelia joked.

Levi left her outside briefly whilst he went to get the lantern. When he returned, his eyes went straight to Amelia's suddenly bare skin.

"What are you doing?" Levi grunted at her, snapping his head in the opposite direction to her. He'd already seen enough of her body for one day. Did she not care for his presence at all? Did the people where she was from just strip off in front of people willy-nilly?

"No need to freak out, Corporal. I have clothes on underneath," Amelia chuckled at his reaction, removing her trousers and folding them in a pile with her shirt.

Levi huffed at her angrily. "Maybe when you next decide to strip off, warn me first." Levi turned back around to face her, forcing his eyes not to travel down her body.

"You're implying that there'll be a next time?" Amelia teased him. Levi's anger rose even higher. She was brave to try and tease him.

"Okay, how about we ditch the dummies and spare with each other instead?" Levi challenged, wanting to get his revenge on her. He may still be injured, but he was confident that he could still beat her if he only had one limb remaining. She was skilled, he admitted, but nowhere near enough to be on the same level as him.

"Sure, I'm not one to back down from a challenge. Are you sure you can beat me with only one leg?" She asked him with a smirk on her lips.

Levi stayed silent, not wanting to give her any more ammunition to work with. Instead, he went over to the sparing ring and waited for her to join him. Levi knew that he really shouldn't be doing this. The doctor had advised that he shouldn't do any exercise for at least a week or two, but he didn't care. He just wanted to see the look on her face when she lost to him.

Amelia readied herself in the same stance she'd used last time. Levi had to adjust his leg to accommodate and shield his injury from her.

"Don't worry. I'm not low enough to target your injury. I'll do my best to avoid it," Amelia reassured him. "Now, let's start."

She was the first to strike, an excited grin on her face. Levi dodged it, of course, and then turned it back on her. He had the upper hand now and took advantage of it, landing a hit to her stomach. He didn't hit her hard, just enough for her to feel it a little.

She retaliated immediately, aiming for his legs as he was having to rely on them instead of his fists. Levi already knew that she'd do that and was prepared to fight her off. He managed to dodge her kicks, but barely. He was slower than usual but not enough to leave any openings for her.

This continued for a little while. Amelia attacked, and he defended.

Levi was more cautious than usual as he didn't want to get hurt more than he already was. Nevertheless, the fight was getting long, and he was getting impatient. That's when he knew he had to start counterattacking.

There was something familiar about the way Amelia fought. It was distinct from the way that they taught the soldiers here. Here, they focused on strength and technique, whereas her fighting style was reminiscent of his days in the underground. It was a dirty, underhanded way of fighting based on finding out your opponent's weakness and exploiting it. He wondered if her past must have been similar to his for her to fight this way.

A fist flew at him, which he grabbed, gently twisting her arm. Amelia tugged it back, struggling against his strength. Levi let go unexpectedly, causing her to stumble back. He took this opportunity to take her feet from beneath her. As expected, she went tumbling to the ground. Instead of getting back up, Amelia remained there.

"Are you okay?" Levi panicked, worried he somehow managed to hurt her.

Amelia gleamed a smile at him, her chest moving up and down rapidly. "The stars are pretty tonight."

Levi raised an eyebrow at her. It had been cloudy before they came here without a star to be seen. Levi went over to her, trying to see what she was looking at.

Abruptly, Levi felt a hand grab his ankle, causing his legs to buckle beneath him. "We're even now," Amelia announced, her eyes still fixated on the sky. At least she hadn't been completely lying to get an advantage over him. Some of the clouds had cleared to reveal a few stars scattered about.

"That doesn't count. I won that fight fairly. You cheated," Levi fought back.

"Fine, if it makes you feel better," Amelia conceded, but it wasn't as satisfying as he had hoped. Even though Levi had won, Amelia had still managed to get him down on the ground with her. He vowed that when he was healed, he'd challenge her again.

Levi felt the dirt seeping into his clean clothes and started to brush it off. Then, he began to push himself off the ground, not wanting to dirty himself further. Yet, as he did, a hand stopped him.

"Stay down here with me. Let's watch the stars instead," Amelia couldn't meet his eyes as she asked him.

"Ugh, okay," Levi couldn't refuse her for some reason, even though this was the last thing he wanted to do.

Levi lay down beside her, and they remained silent for a while. Amelia's eyes stayed on the stars, but he could see that her mind was elsewhere. Levi couldn't tear his eyes away from her. With her newly cut hair, he could see her face properly now. He could see the freckles that dotted her nose, the scar on her bottom lip, and the curve of her nose.

"How did you learn to fight?" The question left his lips before he'd realised he'd said it.

"From a friend. Before he started to teach me, I knew nothing. It was painstaking, but he's the only reason I'm here now. I wouldn't have survived without him," she looked longingly into the distance. "What about you? The Scouts certainly didn't teach you to fight like you do."

Levi stayed silent. He really didn't want to think about the bastard who'd raised him. How he was still loitering out there somewhere, waiting for a chance to kill him. But he knew it was rude of him to not respond. "From a relative before I came here."

"I see; your family must be a strong one, then. I can't imagine mine lasting long in a fight," Amelia snorted, her smile fading immediately afterwards.

"I can hardly imagine them at all anymore." Levi noticed a few tears glistening at the edges of her eyes, and he suddenly felt uncomfortable—he was hardly the comforting type. But as he had lost his family a long time ago, he knew all too well how she felt. It'd been a while since Levi had last thought about his mother. He had so few memories of her now. "Where are your family?"

Amelia's mouth gaped as she hesitated with her reply. "In a place that's very far away. Somewhere I'm not sure I can ever return to."

"I'm sure you'll see them again someday," Levi replied wistfully. Despite the situation, he was surprised to feel envious that she had somewhere to return to.

"I hope so," Amelia replied in a whisper. "I hope you'll have a family again someday, too, Levi."