symbiosis » levi ackerman

chapter twelve ; beginnings.

Fallan

Levi made me attack that damn punching bag again and again, until my bloodied fists were beaten to a pulp, but I was still grateful. He threw a flask of water over to me and I'd gulped the liquid down like I hadn't drank in months. Wiping the remnants away from my mouth and the sweat from my brow, I leant against the wall and looked to him.
"Tell me something Captain," I began.
"Levi." he corrected.
"Levi," I smiled slightly. "Tell me about Kenny."
He shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortable at the mention of his uncle.
"What do you want to know?" he asked gruffly. "I won't give you tips on how to kill him, if that's what you're after."
I let my smile grow slightly. "No. What's he like?"
Levi raised an eyebrow at me, but I gestured for him to go on.
"I might've called him Uncle years ago, but that doesn't mean I know a damned thing about the man."
My smile fell and my brow furrowed slightly.
"We were never close. I lived with him for a short while as a child after my mother's passing, but he was gone as quickly as he appeared. Turned up one day then left without a trace."
My heart pulled slightly at the thought of Levi left defenceless with no family and no home.
"I'm sorry, no one should have to go through that."
"I don't need your pity."
"I know," I shrugged. "And I don't need yours either. But sometimes it's nice to receive it anyway."
Levi didn't reply.
"I'm guessing you didn't know then," I began, "About my brother."
His wide eyes snapped to me immediately.
"You thought I knew?"
"What else was I supposed to think?"
"No Fallan," he said, as his eyes glossed over slightly. "I found out when the MPs came to see Erwin."
I shot him a small smile, hoping to ease his tension. I'd already known deep in my heart that Levi hadn't known, and was just as clueless as I had been for years.
"Did you love him?" I asked. "Kenny, I mean."
Levi let out a short exhale.
"I'm sure my younger self once did. Kenny was the closest thing to a father I had."
I nodded slowly, I was eager to know more but didn't want to overstep my boundaries and press too far.
"Is that why you took his last name?"
Levi shook his head.
"No. There were whispers, in the underground, that Kenny was my mother's brother. He never said a thing about it to me, just appeared one day and said he was taking me in. I took it to honour her."
We locked eyes once more and it all fell into place. The underground, the place I'd despised so much, was Levi's childhood home. My heart tugged again. I knew Levi and his two companions had come to the Scouts from the Underground, but I'd never imagined that he'd grown up there. I pictured him with the children I'd seen, sleeping in a cold corner with a thin blanket and rotten bread. As I stared into his steel grey orbs, I sensed his eyes had witnessed a million horrors.
"Stop trying to read me." He huffed, "I've seen that look before. It's like you're peering into my soul."
I chuckled at him and he rolled his eyes.
"Don't flatter yourself Levi, I couldn't even if I tried."
"Whatever you're looking for, it's not there." He mused.
"I'm sure whatever's knocking around up there is better fortified than the King's castle." I teased.
"And with good reason, too." He shot back.
"Oh I don't doubt that for a second," I grinned. "But that doesn't mean I'll stop trying to get to know you."
"Brat." He grumbled, brushing himself down. I took in the man before me. Worry was etched into his skin despite his efforts to hide it under a constantly furrowed brow. Levi Ackerman might've thought I couldn't read him - but I knew people, and I knew people well.
"You're worried." I stated. "What about?"
"That," he began, "Is none of your concern."
"Make it my concern then."
"That is far too heavy a burden for you, or anyone else for that matter, to carry."
I frowned. He shut me out as quickly as he'd let me in, but I wasn't about to let that stop me.
"I think you'll find it's far easier to carry the weight of the world when there's someone there to help you."
"Now's hardly the time for philosophy Reid."
"You started it." I hummed.
We stayed there for a moment, as a comfortable silence filled the air. There was no trace of sadness, anxiety or anger. I felt at peace.

I slowly began to accept the fact that my friendship with Levi was becoming decreasingly less of a tribulation, and far more of an advantage.