symbiosis » levi ackerman

chapter three ; enigma.

Fallan
My feet carried me out of those stables as quickly as they possibly could. As soon as I entered the main building, I exhaled heavily and leant against the wall, realising I'd practically held my breath the entirety of the short walk.
"What the fuck?" I mumbled to myself and racked a hand through my hair. Calling Levi out on his selfish attitude only seemed to make him like me. A new friendship was the last thing I wanted, however I considered my options. Avoiding him completely would cause tension - not ideal. However, forming a friendship with him wasn't ideal either. I liked my small circle - I looked out for myself and my squad mates and that was it. I didn't want to have to worry about someone else. I could find him and politely deny his request, but the mans attitude was bipolar - God knows how he'd take it. I came to the eventual conclusion that I would dine with him, not to form a friendship, but to form an acquaintanceship. It could be useful to have him as an ally, plus as confusing as he was, he didn't strike me as an awful person. I viewed the dinner as an investigation, rather than a casual affair, it made the idea more bearable to me. He was interesting, an enigma. I just had to figure him out.
I checked the clock on the wall, it was 3 o'clock already. I wondered where the time had gone. Dinner was at four thirty, so I had an hour and a half to freshen up.

After tidying my quarters and showering, I threw on a plain black hoodie and tight brown trousers. I had brought very little items with me from my home in Mitras, mainly just clothing and a picture of Edward. I spent the majority of my time in the Scout Regiment uniform, but there were rare times where you could get away with wearing something more comfortable. Sunday dinner time was one of those rare opportunities.
Sundays were officially our 'days off' - there were no training sessions or expeditions, however Hanji often liked to keep me busy with various experiments. I didn't mind though, when I was busy my mind was occupied on my work.
I brushed my long black hair, working out the knots that had accumulated throughout the day. Back home in Mitras, long healthy hair was a sign of your family's wealth. My mother had once told me that if she ever saw me with my hair above my shoulders, she would never speak to me again. I checked the time, it was 25 minutes past 4. The last thing I wanted to do was keep Levi waiting, he didn't strike me as the patient type. I put on my boots and checked myself in the mirror. There was the remnants of a deep bruise on my cheekbone, and a small nick above my eyebrow. I grimaced at the sight. I hoped both would fade before next week, as I planned to return to Mitras to visit my parents for a day. I knew full well they would fret over the sight of any markings on their beloved only daughter's face. I started to head over to the hall, thinking back to when I'd told my parents I was joining Cadet Corps. Naturally, they were horrified. They had wanted me to become a scholar, and get a cushy job in the interior. After my brother's passing, I'd made a promise to myself to carry out his dream and join the Scouts, as he never got too. Just before graduation, my parents begged me to take the place I'd been offered in the Military Police, but I joined the Survey Corps along with 24 others. 3 of my fellow graduates died on our first expedition, I counted myself lucky to have made it this far.
As I entered the hall, I swiped a bread roll and some butter and grabbed a plate. I wasn't too hungry, but for some strange reason my stomach was fluttering. It wasn't like me to get nervous, and to be truthful I wasn't really sure why I was. Levi was just a man, a confusing one, but still just a man nonetheless. I scanned the room, searching for the short raven haired male. I spotted Hanji, Benjin and my other squad mates who waved me over, I just shot a smile and shook my head. Benjin looked at me with a confused expression, clearly wondering why I'd decided not to sit with them as per usual. I continued searching for Levi, but saw nothing. I felt almost disappointed, mainly at the idea of being blown off, rather than missing an opportunity to dine with the Captain. I let out a short sigh and took a step forward, then heard the familiar sound of someone clearing their throat. I turned around and saw Levi stood there looking almost awkward as he shifted the weight of his body from one foot to another.
"I saved you a seat. Come."
Levi nodded his head in the direction of a secluded table in the corner of the hall. I gave him a small smile and looked back at my squad's table. Hanji looked ecstatic and Benjin looked... almost angry? I made a mental note to speak to him after dinner. We headed over to the table, I saw Levi had already poured me a glass of water.
"I thought you blew me off." I said, taking a seat. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"I was about to." he replied shortly, sitting down opposite me. I raised an eyebrow and took a sip of my water.
"I'm joking."
I nodded slowly and watched him pick up his teacup. He held it in a strange way, his hand gripping the top of the cup rather than the handle.
"Not hungry?" I asked, I'd noticed he hadn't even bothered to grab a plate.
"The food here tastes like shit. I buy my food from the market and eat in my office."
"I see," I replied, ripping open the bread roll and swiping a large amount of butter onto it. "Was there anything in particular you wanted to discuss?"
I took a small bite of the roll. He wasn't wrong, the food here wasn't great. The trick was to either cover everything in the semi-edible butter, or to just swallow without chewing. He met my gaze, steel grey eyes boring into mine.
"Your little outburst earlier earned my respect. Anyone worthy of my respect is worthy of my time." he said nonchalantly, taking a sip of his tea. He continued staring at me over the brim of his cup.
"You don't strike me as the type to enjoy small-talk."
"I don't." he placed the cup down on its saucer and leaned back, arm draped over the top of the chair next to him. "I see you've dropped the formalities."
Shit, I hadn't even realised.
"Sorry sir." I replied playfully. He rolled his eyes and tutted.
"If you don't mind me asking, why do you hate the titles so much?"
The question seemed to put him on edge, as he broke eye contact and shifted a little in his chair.
"I don't think I'm worthy of the title, or the respect that comes with it. Not yet anyway."
His answer surprised me, I never expected him to be humble. He came across as so confident, almost egotistical.
"Clearly the Commander thinks you are worthy of it." I shrugged, taking another bite.
"Do you think I am?" he asked, looking at me once again. I paused, my mouth full of half-chewed up bread. I quickly swallowed it.
"You need to stop worrying about my opinion." I shrugged, and Levi rolled his eyes.
"And that's what I mean. Erwin may see something, but none of you do," he looked around the room. "Respect should be earned, not given."
"Earn it then." I replied shortly, taking a sip of my water. He raised an eyebrow at me inquisitively. "Just earn it. It's not hard. We all started at the same position, rookie cadets with wide eyes and hopeful hearts. Your situation may be a little different to ours, but you're still one of us. You've been here, what? 10 months? And you've already worked your way up to a rank people work years for. Hell, I don't know what the Commander sees in you, but I trust him completely."
He continued staring for a minute, then looked away. "Thank you."
I smiled and shrugged. A shrill bell rang out, signalling the end of dinner.
"The sky's supposed to be beautiful tonight. Come walk with me? I'm beginning to enjoy our chats." he asked, taking another sip of his tea. 
I was hesitant to admit it, but I was beginning to enjoy them too. When I opened my mouth to reply, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Actually, she's busy tonight."