Impossible Odds [Levi x OC]

FIVE: RED STRING

Even though Asami had been absolutely exhausted by the time Shadis ordered the cadets to their tents that night, sleep hadn't come easy for her. She'd slept for three measly hours before jolting awake from a nightmare, shaking and sweating and gasping for air.

Sadly, this was normal for Asami; she'd lay awake at night and wait for the exhaustion from the day to put her to sleep. She'd wake up only a couple of hours later, normally crying, or shaking and sweating, but occasionally screaming, or having to stumble to the bathroom to throw up. After that, she'd lay awake again, feeling lonely and afraid to fall back asleep, although she rarely ever did.

Asami stood up and tiptoed around the sleeping girls who were sprawled out on the floor of the tent; she shared a tent with Mikasa, Sasha, and Mina, her closest girl-friends. She lifted the flap of the tent and stepped outside. Instantly, the cool night air bit at her exposed skin; she wore only a tank-top and sweatpants. She crossed her arms over her chest and quietly walked through the campsite and to a part in the trees, which emptied out into a lake with a sandy beach.

Asami sat down in the sand. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. From the beach, she could see the whole surface of the lake, which reflected the stars that twinkled above it and the crescent moon that hung in the middle of the sky. Even though she felt lonely, being able to look at the beautiful night sky as opposed to the ceiling of her tent made her feel a little bit better.

Suddenly, something fell around Asami's shoulders, and a familiar voice said from behind her, "You're going to catch a cold if you sit outside at night, half-dressed, idiot."

She doubted that; she hadn't been sick in years. Asami tilted her head back to see Levi looming over her once again. She smiled up at him and pulled his Scout Regiment cloak tighter around her shoulders. She asked, teasingly, "Did you come out here just to scold me, Corporal?"

The corners of Levi's lips twitched upwards. "No," he said, and he sat down next to her, "And 'Levi' is fine, brat."

Asami smiled warmly and moved closer to him, so that their shoulders and legs touched. "I heard that it's Captain Levi now... Humanity's Strongest Soldier."

Levi looked unamused. He said, distastefully, "I was hoping you hadn't heard about that."

"What, are you afraid that I'm going to turn into one of your little fangirls?" Asami teased.

Levi didn't reply; he resisted the urge to smile again and shook his head.

Asami laughed. When she spoke again, a moment later, her voice was soft. "You give people a lot of hope... which is a good thing until it turns into more than that." She turned to look at him. "People might call you Humanity's Strongest Soldier, but you're still a human being with feelings."

Levi became concentrated. His brow pinched, and his eyes flickered around Asami's face, studying her. He asked, voice low, "What are you getting at, brat?"

Asami's eyes grew sad. "I saw you smile for the first time today... the first time in two years. You wear a mask, Levi. It was easy for me to see that when I met you. At first, I thought it was because you've lost a lot of people and now, you'd rather push people away... but now that you're Humanity's Strongest Soldier, I'm thinking it might also be because you want people to rely on you."

Levi's eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly agape; he was clearly surprised. The flame of intrigue that burned in his eyes grew bigger and brighter. When he looked into Asami's eyes, he saw knowledge, experience, understanding-- he saw that she knew exactly what she was talking about.

"You can't carry the whole world on your shoulders, Levi."

When Levi regained his composure, he lifted his left hand, and for a second, Asami thought that he was going to hit her-- he didn't. Why would he? "-Ch. Did you read my mind or something?" He playfully pushed her ahead away.