You've Always Been My Freedom

Chapter 1 - You're A Fucking Idiot

A knock on the front door of her quarters shook Rayne Smith out of her trance as she watched some of the new Scout recruits running drills in the yard outside her window. She quickly checked her reflection in the small mirror on her wall, smoothing down her hair a little.

"Come in!" She yelled, not even turning to greet Levi as he let himself in. "You're late."

"Good evening to you, too." He grumbled in response. He removed his shoes before sitting down at her small dining table. "I'm late because some of us had to work today. And as you know, my line of work can be a little...messy."

"So you're late because you had to shower seven times after slicing through a Titan's nape?" Rayne asked cooly, turning away from the window to lean against the wall. She raised her eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. "Bullshit, Ackerman, you were cleaning, weren't you?"

"The new cadets are spectacularly shitty at cleaning," he shrugged, and she rolled her eyes, strolling across the room and pouring water into the clear tea cups she had laid out for them. He scrunched his nose as he inspected the cup. "Do you not wash your cups when you've used them?"

"It's a fucking waterspot, Levi, don't be such a baby." Rolling her eyes at her germophobe ex-boyfriend, Rayne reached over and wiped at said waterspot with a cloth, making the mark disappear. She sat down opposite him, staring him down. "Now drink, and don't bitch for once in your life."

"Aren't you pleasant this evening?"

"Learned from the best." She smirked, raising her cup to her lips. He let out a huff of a laugh, his gray eyes flicking up to her blue ones.

"You look...pretty."

"I've already made the tea, Levi, you don't have to flatter me to convince me not to poison it."

"Fuck you, I'm being nice." He grumbled, gently kicking her under the table. His face immediately changed from anger to concern. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

Rayne rolled her eyes.

"Tch, just shut up and drink your damn tea will you? I'm fine, I'm not a fucking porcelain doll." She swirled the contents of her cup around nervously. "That's actually what I invited you over for, to talk about something." Levi said nothing, but continued drinking and watching her. "I, um..."

"Spit it out, Rayne." He said sternly, his tone of voice sending a pleasant shiver through her. Always so dominant...

"I've been medically cleared. I'm rejoining the scouts."

"Pfft, no, you're not."

"Y-yes I am! Hange gave me my final physical today and she said-"

"Why the fuck would you listen to shitty glasses?! Christ, the woman is batshit crazy!" Levi was mad now, Rayne had seen that look before. His fist closed around his cup, gripping it so tightly his knuckles were turning white. For a moment, Rayne was convinced he was going to break the cup.

"Her name is Hange, Levi, why do you have to be such an asshole to her? She's my best friend, and I trust her, everyone does!" Rayne shot back, not faltering under the Captain's steely gaze.

"Because she's a goddamn psycho and a pain in my fucking ass," Levi growled, his voice dangerous and low. "Just because she says your leg isn't fucked up anymore, you're gonna risk your fucking life again?!" Levi stood up, sending the chair he was sitting on crashing to the ground. "Fucking Erwin is going to hear about this, there's no way he's going to-"

"Erwin agreed with her." Rayne spoke calmly, the mention of her older brother, Levi’s friend and Commander of the Scouts making Levi freeze and glare at her "He and the other higher ups, they all agree that I'm recovered enough to come back."