✓ Blood Lust (Levi Ackerman - Attack on Titan) #wattys2021

Chapter Thirty-Five

"No..." his hands clasp the side of his face, clearly distraught. The normally composed Captain is falling apart in front of us. "Do I have to break your arms and legs?"

"Levi, I love you," I say, taking a step towards him.

"I can't deal with this right now." He leaves the room, slamming the door behind him in anger. I collapse onto the couch, placing my head into my hands.

"Let him cool off. He'll come around. He just really cares about you."

I shake my head, turning my frustration to my father. "You don't get it, do you? He's scared he's going to lose two people he cares about."

"Again."

"Again? Are you talking about his squad?" I inquire.

"No, before that, when he joined the Scout Regiment. He joined with two others, Furlan and Isabel. They were his friends from the Underground, where I captured him."

"You captured Levi?" I have more respect for my father than before, considering he was able to catch the Ackerman.

"Yes. He and his friends stole ODM gear from us. He also signed a contract, to kill me, and steal Survey Corps documents. I knew it all along, of course. Levi was talented as soon as I met him. Already proficient in ODM gear, in the blades, just the maneuverability."

"What happened to his friends?" I press, scooting forward to the edge of the cushion.

"There was a bad storm. The visibility was so low, you couldn't see your fellow soldiers right next to you, let alone a Titan. We were overwhelmed, easily. The squad his friends were with had been decimated before Levi even got there. He took the Titan down by himself but was broken afterward. Despite the plan for my demise, he stayed on with me and followed my every command."

I mull over this information silently. More things I wouldn't learn from Levi. He's a mystery to me. "Did this occur before or after I met him at the ball?"

"Before. I wouldn't have let someone trying to kill me near my daughter. The Levi you met that night had already bottled up everything. He was already loyal to me." My father stands up, walking over to me. "There are things he may never tell you. There were things I never told your mother. We protect the ones we love from the pain we carry. You didn't want to pain Levi with your situation. I'm sorry I ruined that for you." He places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it lightly before leaving the room.

Levi didn't come home that night. I don't see him until the meal the next evening, a final feast before we all possibly die. My stomach is in knots from the stress of everything suffocating me.

"Tonight is the night before we retake Wall Maria!" the red-headed Captain shouts, cheering with his alcohol. The room raises shouts and cheers alongside him which quickly turns into arguing over the meat. I see Jean and Connie fighting to get a whole ham out of Sasha's mouth and I can't help but snicker a bit. My father is stifling a grin himself, while Levi looks unamused.

Jean lets out a scream and I realize his hand is now being chomped on. I should probably go do something about it.

"Sit down, brat," Levi mutters when I try to stand. "They aren't your problem tonight. Eat your meat." He cuts a piece from the center of the table and placing it on my plate. Our table is silent from eating. Unlike the cadets, we didn't have a blood bath over food.

"Now we know what happens when you blow the food budget for two months in one night," Harold, the red-head from earlier, says, chewing loudly on meat. Levi eyes the action in disgust.

"You're so full of yourself, you pig shit!" I hear Jean yell, standing up with Eren, getting ready to fight.

"Again? Seriously? Can't they bury the damn hatchet?" I mutter, glaring at the two.