In Another Life || Levi x Reader/OC

Slowly, But Surely

"17... 18... 19... Stop!"

You let out an exasperated sigh after doing your last set of jumping jacks. Oluo, Petra, Gunther, and Eren hunched over with their palms resting on their knees, panting heavily.

Hours had passed since Hange began conducting that irritating investigation. No one was allowed to do anything without the supervision of a higher-up, so of course, Mike and Levi thought it would have been best to get everyone to do physical activity in the meantime.

"Alright, everyone can take a break and get some water. We will resume in five minutes," you heard Mike say. 

You glanced over at Levi's squad with knitted eyebrows. "Are you guys okay?" you asked. Oluo and Eren had collapsed on the ground from exhaustion; Petra and Gunther were also notably exhausted, but they at least managed to keep themselves standing. Eld seemed the most put-together out of all of them - sitting on the grass with his legs pulled in against his chest while drinking some water that was given to him by Petra.

Petra went to grab water for everyone in her squad, including you. You couldn't help but feel a little bashful that she thought of you too.

"We're just fine," Petra replied, taking a sip of her water.

"You'll get used to it... I hope," Nanaba said from beside you. "It just takes some time."

Mike's squad were all much older than you, so the maturity differences were quite apparent. You hadn't really taken the time to get to know them, but you also didn't mind them much. Nanaba and Gelgar were nearing their forties while Lynne, Henning, and Tomas were all somewhere in their mid-thirties. Seeing that they were all at least a decade older, you avoided engaging in any type of playful behavior with them. They were not like Petra or Oluo; they were far more serious.

You'd catch their snarky glances towards you when you'd joke around with someone from Levi's squad or even during the few times you and Levi had your small altercations in front of everyone. It was no wonder Henning was suspicious of you; he didn't take you seriously, and it seemed like none of the others did either.

Nanaba was the only exception. She was firm when she needed to be, but she also went out of her way to be a little more lighthearted than the others. Regardless, you still had to walk on eggshells around them. You just hoped none of them tried to cross you, because it could very likely result in your last warning before getting kicked out of the Scout Regiment completely. Having a shitty relationship with Paradis' strongest soldier was already not a good look, but not getting along with your own squad mates would be the tipping point if you didn't get your act together. It was difficult at times, though; Henning was already on his way to getting beaten to a pulp if he didn't keep his mouth shut.

Since you were all closer in age, Levi's squad was easier for you to associate with. Oluo and Petra were younger, but Gunther and Eld were your age. And of course, there was Eren, but he was almost like an annoying, nagging little brother. Frankly, all those cadet kids were particularly annoying; you were glad you didn't have to put up with it anymore.

But still, after finding out Eren had titan abilities, you realized that you needed to be a lot nicer to him. If there was anything you were to compliment Reiner and Bertholdt for, it was for how easily they were able to befriend everyone - Eren included. On the other hand, you and Annie had a much harder time doing that.

To be fair, you were uncomfortable trying to befriend kids who were literally a decade younger than you were. There were a few cadets your age, but you didn't have much interest in them. Because of that, you chose to seclude yourself. Annie was a completely different story; she completely isolated herself from everyone on purpose, but then again, she had always been that way.