Deviate | Levi Ackerman x OC

Ch. 14

Levi glanced at them as they approached and then back at me, his disappointment becoming even more evident. I shrugged and gave a halfway sympathetic look, spinning around to take my meal from Hange.
"Thank you."
"Anytime, darling," they cooed, plopping down on the chair directly in front of Levi and kicking their feet up like I had the day before. It was much more amusing from here to watch him throw their feet to the floor than it had been when that was me.
"So close. I was so close to ending my day on a relatively good note," he leaned back and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, shut up. You love me and are so excited I'm here."
I sat back and let the two of them go back and forth for once, slipping a bite of food into my mouth as if it were popcorn.
"Besides, you've been hoarding my girl for weeks already," Hange accused with a smirk my way. "You had to know this was coming eventually at that rate."
"You can't hoard a human being," Levi dismissed the idea. "We work together, that's all."
"Mhm, I'm sure," they remarked sounding very unconvinced.
"Besides, even if that was the case, haven't you had like, a lifetime monopoly of a head start?"
Okay, I thought to myself, now they've lost me. I was eager to discover more of my background here if either of them were willing to reveal it, so I continued listening as they talked about me like I wasn't right there.

"Some might look at it that way maybe," they mused, eyes flickering to mine despite my wanting to fly under the radar. "Just because we grew up together doesn't mean I don't get to play a part in the later years too. Right, Stroid?"
So our history goes way back, maybe almost to the beginning – how could I not remember that? "Of course, Hanj. Forever and ever."
"Tch, I pity your eventual partner," Levi rebuked, facing me now too. "As if a lifetime with you wouldn't be enough of a handful, they'll have to deal with Hange, too."
"Hey, someone should ever be so lucky," I clarified.
Hange winked at me from across the way. "Yeah, it's two for the price of one. What a deal! Besides, at this point, we're practically family."
"The only one I'd bring to the table anyway," what was meant to remain an internal thought came tumbling out, but I stood by it. If my life in this world was anything like back home, it wasn't an incorrect statement. My dad was my last remaining biological family (at least immediately) and Vi had become a sort of friend-turned-family in that way, too. The sentiment had maybe been laid on a little thick, but it wasn't wrong.
They reached over and linked their arm around my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze. "Forever and ever, Stroid. That's a promise."

We shared many details of his Special Operations Squad with Hange as we finished our meal. Their eyes lit up at the abundance of new information now at their disposal.
"Do you think they'll be ready for the expedition next week?"
There was a twist in the pit of my stomach. I knew we had one coming up – everyone had been working and training what seemed like extra in preparation – but I guess I hadn't realized it was now so close. I did take some comfort in the fact that obviously I had survived every journey outside the walls I'd been on so far, which was an achievement in and of itself in the Survey Corps, but being present for what felt like my first was more than a little intimidating.
"Naturally. They'll have to be," Levi affirmed, picking up his cup of tea. "There isn't much in the way of traditional training that needs to be done with them. The focus here rather is honing their different strengths as a unit together."
"Which they're already showing immense promise in that regard, too," I added, unsure if that was more to convince Hange or myself that all would go well.
They clapped their hands together. "Excellent!! I'm sure it helps that they have the poster children for that very thing at their helm."
I raised an eyebrow at them, but Levi spoke next before I could ask for clarification.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, come on," Hange pressed, stressing their words as if it were obvious. "I mean you guys seem to be faring well enough despite not exactly going into this as the best of friends. From here, it almost even looks like you guys can tolerate one another."
"Yeah, he isn't all that bad," I jokingly agreed with their sentiment. "Sometimes he even cuts the cleaning down to three times a day."
"There are rare moments she doesn't dispute everything I say just for the sake of hearing herself talk."
I looked at him and feigned offense. He didn't meet my gaze but the corner of his mouth curved up into an almost undetectable half-smile.
"Ah, sounds like love already to me!" Hange chattered with glee.
"Sure thing, Hanj," I brushed that last one off, arranging my tableware and preparing to take it back downstairs.
Both Levi and Hange stood from their seats once I did. I paused for a moment, surprised as I had started extending my hand to him to take his things back downstairs with me, too.
"I'm capable of doing it myself," he remarked plainly. "You do know that, right? That your position isn't one of servitude?"
I blinked at him, briefly confused. I hadn't realized it, but he was right. Was it basic courtesy, or my innate desire to smooth over whatever tension existed between us that had me acting as this man's personal carry out delivery service?
"Perfect, I'm sure it gets stuffy staying behind that desk so much anyway."