Obstacles [Levi + Eren]

[Lance Corporal Levi]

It's almost impossibly bright out. The moon is high and full and stars speckle the horizon like fireflies. Curious and distant.  Levi leans against a wooden post, spine arched over it's worn surface like a hawk, staring into nothing with a cigarette poised delicately between his fingers. Smoke curls lazily from the tip, winding higher and higher until it dissipates into the air and leaves a distinct , musty smell behind that Levi considers pleasant.  Relaxing. The air is crisp and cool where it brushes his cheeks, shifting his bangs and gradually stealing the warmth left over from the day until it's arguably chilly out. He take a slow drag and releases it like a sigh, shifting his weight onto his uninjured foot.

He feels listless. Disquieted. Useless out of commission. 

It's not something he's used to. Levi isn't known for giving himself a break. There's always something to be done and too few to do it. 

He debates if he'd be more of a burden than an important asset and deduces the only proper way to make such a call is to see how well he can perform standard movements. With something like an annoyed scoff Levi sets his weight evenly and stands at full height.  It aches, dull and heavy but it's certainly bearable. Walking is worse and he's experienced far more intense pain in his career, many have. He hesitantly applies more pressure on his right leg until he's balancing his full weight on the one foot.  The pain is instantly crippling. He groans, bowing over the post with a curse, drawing sharp breaths through his nose until he can relax his muscles and straighten his posture.

"Damn it."

[Eren Yeager]

Eren had been asked four hours ago to take the washing off the line in between other odd tasks that he and the other cadets were expected to perform. The stars were out and winking like they always did on cloudless nights, though Eren never paid them much attention. He instead worked, fingers running along the fabric like crisp static as he tugged and rolled and repeated. It took him less than five minutes to fill up the basket, though folding them was going to be another job in itself since everyone was probably getting ready for bed and he was pathetic at putting them away without a second set of hands.

He trudged back up towards HQ, seemingly immune to the cold that whipped through his hair and muttered wordlessly against the glass of the building. Just as he passed the gate he saw the faint glimmer of orange out of the corner of his eye. Levi was standing, properly standing, by a post with a cigarette in one hand like he always had when he was stressed but didn’t want to say anything.

Strange, he was sure that Levi was still injured, but Eren had lost the ability to truly judge how long it took for bones and muscles to mend that weren’t his own. But then Levi doubled over and Eren realised he’d been right in thinking he was still in pain.

“Sir!” He called out, jogging over with the washing basket under his arm. “Shouldn’t you be inside? You’re still injured.”

[Lance Corporal Levi]

Levi glares. Agitation spreads hot and sudden through his veins, forcing his limbs stiff as he rises to his full height. Although, 5’3 wasn’t particularly a fear invoking stature, everything about Levi managed to make it look like it was. Appearing before Eren as intimidating and lethal as his reputation made him out to be. His brow dips at the center and he’s ready to snap hard and quick on the teen for interrupting him in a moment of such obvious weakness. He works his jaw back and forth, organizing his thoughts until his prolonged silence has thickened the air uncomfortably between them.

Eren was such an anxious sweat of a teenage boy, seemingly condemned to be perpetually experiencing a rush of emotions. Many found it easy to dislike him for it. He was usually made of such extremes so Levi notes that it’s strange to see a single emotion so intensely focused on his face, especially one as sincere and open as concern...

'Damn brat. He’s just worried', he thinks and the thought pisses him off just as much as it makes him feel frustrated with himself. Levi agitatedly runs a hand through his hair as the bright flare of his anger gradually subsides in to a low simmer. 

'Misdirected rage' his mind supplies.

His eyes flicker accusingly to the laundry beneath Eren’s arm, searching for a deterrent for his unsettled state. “You’re doing laundry again tomorrow.” He snaps, converting his embarrassment so he just sounds honestly offended by Eren’s evident tardiness, which really wasn’t such a stretch for someone as structured as him.

Levi steps forward, moving as if his injury no longer exists and his eyes settle on Eren with startling intensity. He stops before him, casually lifting his cigarette between his lips with a look that's as equally annoyed as it is considering. “I’d be just as injured here as I would inside.” He points out, releasing a hard breath through his nose, following the line of a bird as it flutters from the branches of a nearby tree.

[Eren Yeager]

Eren didn’t falter under the glare like he used to. Threats, curses and looks of hatred seem to come naturally to Levi and more often than not the teen found himself subject to them. That’s not to say that Levi wasn’t the most intimidating man of 5’3 Eren had ever known, because he was. It was a gift to stare someone down who was four inches taller than themself, and boy did Levi have that gift. The brunette stopped at a fair distance, meaning that he was out of immediate kicking range, and frowned back like he had a fighting chance of intimidating the Corporal.

The silence that stretched between them was uncomfortable, and as determined as he was to get an explanation Eren thought to himself that it shouldn’t matter. It wasn’t really his business, after all. But he was worried and he hid that poorly on his ever expressive face.

When Levi lifted a hand to fix his hair Eren tensed instinctively but all that came from his parted lips was an order that he knew was coming the minute he had realised he’d left the sheets up to begin with. “Fine.” He agreed quickly because the task was easy and it was expected of him to do so. Though, the fact that Levi made no comments on his memory being shit was surprising and just a bit concerning. Insults were something he’d come to expect and it was weird to get away with doing something wrong without having one thrown his way. It’s not that he wanted to be insulted, it just made him all the more apprehensive about his superior.

Eren had to fight every natural instinct not to step back, something that he’d grown accustomed to after joining the Recon Corps, though more specifically, after meeting Levi. When he spoke, ghosts of his smoky breath curled between them and Eren really did step back with a wrinkled nose to avoid that smell. Though, it was also the words that came out of his mouth that made his brows draw together again and lips turn down into a scowl. Levi knew that he hadn’t meant that literally, and the fact that his concern was brushed off so easily turned his tone to acid. “You know what I meant. Don’t be a smartass.” But as if to amend himself for that he continued, “you should be resting.”

[Lance Corporal Levi]

Eren’s concern possessed the same subtly as a red flag tacked with the word ‘useless’ and Levi doesn’t know how to properly handle it. Even on the rare occasion events warranted Erwin’s concerned attention it was always a subtle thing. Eren was about as versed in the art of subtlety as he was in emotional control (which was laughable at best). It didn’t help that Levi wasn’t particularly good at social interactions and it all made for an uncomfortable situation. The fundamental problem was that Eren’s attention was focused on Levi’s weakness. Something that Levi usually prided himself in his lack thereof. It was good character to be worried over someone but Levi’s pride made it an impossible thing to accept.

“Eren.” He snaps to get his attention, “I know my limits much better than you. Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.” Harsh perhaps but the kid had a lot of audacity to begin with and Levi wasn’t known for censoring himself. He turns dismissively, brushing past Eren to return to headquarters. He came outside seeking solitude but he clearly wasn't going to find it tonight.

Nothing about Eren was particularly intimidating. He had the mouth of a sailor but so did most. Except for the fact that he could transform into a fucking titan he was physically nothing more than a boy. And yet it's fear that births the hesitation in Levi's steps until he comes to a stop just a short distance away. Out here the grass grows wild and long and brushes his shins in gentle, ebbing waves. Almost encouragingly so.

Levi doesn't want to lose him.

"I've spent the entire day 'resting', kid."

[Eren Yeager]

Eren knew Levi wasn’t going to tolerate him for long. He’s obviously in a bad mood and he hadn’t exactly offered him anything other than unwanted advice. When Levi snapped his name out the intensity vanished from his eyes and was replaced by something akin to hesitant curiosity. He wasn’t surprised by the lecture either because, again, Levi hardly seemed like he was in a mood to tolerate Eren’s concern.

His eyes followed Levi as he brushed past him and he turned to follow suit. Like it or not, he had been heading in towards headquarters as well. Levi was right, he probably did know his own limits, but then Eren had seen him look like he was in pain and that couldn’t have been too good for him. Not while he was healing. “I’ll keep that in mind then,” he told him, though he had zero intention of keeping to himself, he would keep meddling if he thought it was right.

Levi stopped a short distance in front of him and Eren’s lips twitched, an apology forming there before he could think about what he might have done wrong this time. Before he had a chance, Levi spoke, telling him something what technically he didn’t need to know, that he had already rested. He wasn’t sure if that was an invitation to speak to him or not but his strides became longer and faster until he was caught up with the corporal.

“I don’t know if a day is enough for normal humans.” He explained because it certainly would be enough for him, he healed quickly. His friends seemed to be less resilient though, and surely when he was younger his wounds had taken days to heal. “I’m concerned because it’s my fault.” He’s always felt that it was his fault that Levi had been injured during their mission in the forest, and worse he’d accepted responsibility for the death of his squad. There was no going back, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t carry the guilt.

[Unsarne]

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