What More Could I Want (Book #1) AOT Fanfiction *COMPLETED*

Cleaning Day

Ugh, I hate cleaning day. It's when the Elite Squad spends almost the entire day cleaning this huge castle. It's the day Levi is his strictest and the most annoying. Something that isn't done correctly will be done over again until he's satisfied. Last night, he pretty much proposed to me for my birthday and he has yet to say anything to me about it. 

When I woke up in the morning, he was already gone for breakfast and training. The ring on my finger is probably one of the most precious things I've ever possessed. Every time I think about it, I become flustered. Who would've thought there was this soft side to Levi? 

My only job for today is to clean our bedroom and my office. Everything else is what Levi and our subordinates are in charge of. After pulling weeds from outside so we can use the training grounds with ease, Eren is with me to make the workload a little lighter. His cleaning isn't too bad when under supervision. The only problem is, I'm not as strict as Levi. His mediocre work is passing for me. To Levi, it deserves a kick to the face and a do-over.

While I wiping the window, he's dusting the empty bookshelves. Levi usually makes me take out every single book to clean the shelves thoroughly. Hundreds of books. I hear Eren ask, "I always see you and Captain Levi reading. Why is that?"

"Well, it was all Commander Erwin's doing."

"Was it to keep you both busy?"

I swing open my windows to let some air in from the fumes of the cleaning supplies. I have to get up into window seat to clean the wall of the seat. "We are always busy with work but it was because I and Levi don't have any education like the most of the Corps. When he made us apart of the Corps, he realized neither of us could read or write. He made it clear to us that even one book could make a difference. We've been reading ever since."

"Do you enjoy reading?"

"At first I thought it was just another waste of time but, as time went on, I became interested in the things I could learn and discover through books. Even being someone that goes beyond the walls, books seem to hold more wonder and new things."

I hear him laugh. "You sound like Armin when we were younger. He loved books. I wonder if he's still the same."

The sadness in his tone makes me stop cleaning and turn my head to face him. He has a book in his hand and he's looking down at it with tears flooding his eyes. This brat... "Oi, Eren."

The tears fall and hit the cover of the book. He squeezes his eyes and tries to wipe them away but the only fall faster. "I'm sorry, Captain. I just miss my friends. I miss my life before that stupid Titan destroyed everything. I want to take it down for good so he can never hurt us again. I'm going to exterminate them all one day."

This kid is crazy. Oddly, I respect his goals and his motivation. "Open your eyes, kid." I wipe his tears away with my thumb. "I know things are shit right now but crying won't solve anything. Our job is to the fight for the those who can't. Save the tears for the weak ones and for when we have regained our freedom. And clean that shelf before Levi rips you a new one."

He finally stops crying and smiles up at me. "Yes, Captain!"

When he reaches up to clean the top shelf, I notice my bite mark peaking from under his shirt. Hasn't it healed yet? The cut did though. Does he even recall last night? In the middle of cleaning, I become bored and sit on top of my desk with a book. Eren finishes the bookshelf and runs downstairs to avoid Hange. After receiving the report, he has been rushing to get his hands on the poor boy. 

I lose track of time as I'm reading. Levi slams open the door still wearing his cleaning cloths on his head and over the lower half of his face, including his nose. I raise an eyebrow when I see his pissed expression. "Why do you look like you have a stick up your ass?" I ask.