Categories > Anime/Manga > Attack on Titan > Bittersweet Roses
Hazel eyes fluttered open slowly and gazed at an open, starry sky. Lia groaned and lightly brushed her hand along her bruised body. After a brief moment of confusion, she remembered in a rush what had happened and sat up to look about. No sooner than her shoulders having reached two feet off of the floor of a wagon, the sole of a military-issued boot pressed against her chest and pushed her firmly back down.
"Don't be an idiot," said the wearer simply with thick disapproval. "You could have smacked your head." Blushing briefly at the identity of the company within the wooden cart, Lia averted her gaze. The shame was still fresh, and yet she could not recall sustaining any real injury. She huffed at this thought and tried again to sit up, yet again getting forced down.
"Knock it off," she snapped waspishly, pushing his foot back into his own personal space before successfully rising and leaning against the back of the trolley. "I'm grateful and all, but you don't have to be an ass."
Levi stared at her, slightly incredulous. The most he'd seen this woman do is keep her nose behind some sort of parchment, and it was surprisingly in the least to find she had some sass. The corner of his lips twitched slightly in amusement at such a small and pathetic being thinking they could act tough, and he turned his face away to hide it.
"And if I happened to hit my head, what is the logic of pushing me down so I smack it again?" she continued.
"The best punishment is pain."
"I'm being punished? For what?" she barked.
"That shitty display of what you call battle tactic, and nearly killing us both in the process," he responded, slowly turning his gaze to her. She inhaled to respond and shut her lips out of sheepishness. This seemed to satisfy him, for he grunted and relaxed his expression.
She scratched at a missing chunk of wood, lining it with her fingernail. Something had to be done about her status with the military. She would have to ensure she improved, or die in the process. Her imminent death had seemed okay at first, albeit frightening; the risk of bringing a comrade to a fall was not an option though.
As though hearing her thoughts, Levi cleared his throat and spoke. "So what are we going to do about eliminating your hazard to humanity?" Lia licked her lips thoughtfully and tucked a loose lock of blonde hair behind her ear.
"I'll just have to practice, I guess. I spent my life planning to serve, and I'm not about to give up. I apologize for putting you in danger. Had you died, I would-" She trailed off for a moment, swallowed, and raised her eyebrows in correction. "Humanity would have lost a vital weapon."
Silence fell for a while between them as she stifled emotions that were difficult to swallow. They rose up her throat, and despite her determined efforts to not think of what she would feel if she were responsible for his death, the image swam on her mind like a horrible dream. Gruesome and painted in red, the idea was ever lingering.
"I will help you train on one condition," he started, cutting through her mental tangent. "If you fail, you will resign from the military; I will be the judge of a passing grade."
"Leaving is punishable by death!" she reared back. He stated he'd pull some strings, and assure the government that it would be for the good of humanity. Her horrified stare locked on to his face at this as Lia contemplated her options. If she didn't have tips or pointers, she was not going to improve quickly enough. He was right- she needed help. However, being at his mercy sounded like a poor idea indeed.
Sensing her indecision, he added, "If I can't help you become a passable soldier, you are beyond any means of assistance. Of anyone here, I'm your best shot."
Lia inhaled, held her breath, and bit her lip, realizing he was correct in this. She supposed there was no going back now. Shakily, she stretched out her arm to shake on it. Levi frowned and stared at it, crossing his arms. "Don't touch me."
------------------------------------------------------
"You're doing it wrong."
"Well thanks. Do you have some helpful advice, or are you stuffed only with criticism?" Lia was hanging upside down against a tree, her vertical maneuvering gear tangled in the branches. Levi shot upward and pulled the hook free, apathetic as she fell headfirst into a crumpled heap on the ground. He landed lightly beside her as she groaned and brought herself to her knees.
"Your aim is flawed and your balance is shit. When you take a shot, follow through with your arm and keep your eye on the target. Don't just shoot blindly." She opened her mouth to retort to his last, snide sentence, but he interjected. "Shift your body weight to account for directional movements.
"This isn't a toy swing. You aren't just letting the equipment take you wherever whilst expecting it to perform its functions flawlessly. Think of it like horseback riding; you shift your hips with the horse's body when it moves, and you lean to balance on the saddle. If I recall, you weren't half bad at riding. Let's see you put it into action on your most important form of transportation."
Lia set her jaw and stood, brushing herself off. He's such a flatterer, she thought sarcastically. A whole day of abuse, and one little thing I'm "not half bad at." Ugh. Levi's eyes tracked her hands as she twisted her long braid into a bun.
She braced herself and gripped the handles of her blades. With a deep breath, she pulled the trigger and grunted as the cable attached to a nearby trunk and pulled her swiftly airborne. Wobbling a bit in the harness, she tried to channel Levi's advice.
Gently, she shifted her weight to the cable and pulled the trigger for the next, leaning that way when it caught. Her heart fluttered with excitement as to how much smoother this was. If she could adapt to this, there would be far fewer mistakes.
Her face split into a grin as the wind whistled in her ears. After a few swings, she caught the sound of metal whining from behind. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her mentor following to keep distance minimal. With a gasp, she felt herself lose balance and whip wildly sideways.
A cloud of dust picked up as she fell face first to the ground, her body dragging to an eventual halt. Levi dropped to the ground a few paces ahead of her, a revolted expression plastered upon his face. She laughed weakly up at him, not having moved an inch with her chin to the grass.
He reached down and grabbed a fistful of the back of her shirt. She felt herself get forced to her feet, and his thoughtful frown inspired her to bring her hand to her split chin in pursuit of the source of it. She winced, feeling rocks embedded beneath the skin and was aware of her hand getting sticky with blood.
"If you're constantly going to take your eye off of your directional movements, this is going to keep happening. I got no time for covering the fundamentals the average child knows from experience."
"Sorry," she murmured, averting her gaze.
"Enough for today, before those rocks find their way in further." She stretched down and retracted her cables and sheathed her blades. "Come on then, if we're going to get you fixed up." Glancing up in surprise, Lia hesitated a moment out of hesitation of his sincerity. Was he really going to treat her? "Hurry up. A filthy wound is no better than a gushing one."
Her feet stumbled forward, finding their strength at last. Somehow, as they made their way back to the horses, she did not imagine he was about to be gentle in the debris removal. The thought made her groan. She swung her leg over the saddle and urged the steed onward. They traveled at a canter for the few minutes' ride back to headquarters.
After dismounting and removing the saddle and bridle, she led the animal to some water and left it to the stables. Levi was waiting for Lia at the entrance, leaning on the frame with his arms crossed. He pushed off when she drew near and led the way to the commons.
Whispers followed them as they walked, a number of eyes resting on her marred jaw. "Lia and Levi just got back together...did he beat her up?" she heard one voice say. "Do I get a turn?" said another. "We should lock them both up; he's an underground thug, and she's criminally terrible." Snorts of laughter followed this, and she pressed on, watching the back of Levi's heels.
He turned into the shade of the living area and swept some first aid supplies off of a nearby shelf before taking a seat at one of the tables. She slowly lowered herself next to him, purposefully avoiding looking at him while he laid out some gauze. She swallowed her lip and sunk her chin closer to her chest in response to the awkward air.
Levi wriggled his hands into a pair of gloves, pulling them high above his wrists and donning a facemask afterward. It was a bit dramatic for a nasty scrape, but he wasn't about to take chances. He pushed her face up sharply and forced a locked gaze. Lia released her lip and tensed her shoulders; it was plain that her suspicions of a tough procedure were about to be made true.
The side of her face was gripped firmly while a steady hand launched an attack at the stones in her chin. She felt cold metal hit her flesh as he dug a pair of tweezers in, and she flinched away from him, only getting a forceful yank back into place as a result. Bit by bit, he lowered the pieces of earth to the empty bit of cloth lying on the table and stained it with spots of blood.
Her hazel eyes followed the contours of his face, memorizing the way the light cast shadows on his focused features. Stray locks of black hair danced above his brows as his glanced back and forth betwixt her injury and the growing pile of debris. She wondered about him; why he never seemed to be in anyone's company. Why he never smiled...
"That's about all I can remove. Don't be such an idiot next time," he grumbled as he picked up another clean cloth and tipped a bottle of alcohol onto it. She barely had time to sputter a bit of nervous protest before it was shoved directly onto her open skin. Inhaling sharply, she felt it like a fire, and closed her eyes to try to reject the pain. In no time at all, she was patched with gauze and Levi was wrapping the pebbles.
"Thank you," she said breathlessly, touching the bandage tenderly. He gave her a slow glance, pulling the gloves off inside out. Without a word, he rose and deposited it in a nearby trash receptacle and left the room.
"Don't be an idiot," said the wearer simply with thick disapproval. "You could have smacked your head." Blushing briefly at the identity of the company within the wooden cart, Lia averted her gaze. The shame was still fresh, and yet she could not recall sustaining any real injury. She huffed at this thought and tried again to sit up, yet again getting forced down.
"Knock it off," she snapped waspishly, pushing his foot back into his own personal space before successfully rising and leaning against the back of the trolley. "I'm grateful and all, but you don't have to be an ass."
Levi stared at her, slightly incredulous. The most he'd seen this woman do is keep her nose behind some sort of parchment, and it was surprisingly in the least to find she had some sass. The corner of his lips twitched slightly in amusement at such a small and pathetic being thinking they could act tough, and he turned his face away to hide it.
"And if I happened to hit my head, what is the logic of pushing me down so I smack it again?" she continued.
"The best punishment is pain."
"I'm being punished? For what?" she barked.
"That shitty display of what you call battle tactic, and nearly killing us both in the process," he responded, slowly turning his gaze to her. She inhaled to respond and shut her lips out of sheepishness. This seemed to satisfy him, for he grunted and relaxed his expression.
She scratched at a missing chunk of wood, lining it with her fingernail. Something had to be done about her status with the military. She would have to ensure she improved, or die in the process. Her imminent death had seemed okay at first, albeit frightening; the risk of bringing a comrade to a fall was not an option though.
As though hearing her thoughts, Levi cleared his throat and spoke. "So what are we going to do about eliminating your hazard to humanity?" Lia licked her lips thoughtfully and tucked a loose lock of blonde hair behind her ear.
"I'll just have to practice, I guess. I spent my life planning to serve, and I'm not about to give up. I apologize for putting you in danger. Had you died, I would-" She trailed off for a moment, swallowed, and raised her eyebrows in correction. "Humanity would have lost a vital weapon."
Silence fell for a while between them as she stifled emotions that were difficult to swallow. They rose up her throat, and despite her determined efforts to not think of what she would feel if she were responsible for his death, the image swam on her mind like a horrible dream. Gruesome and painted in red, the idea was ever lingering.
"I will help you train on one condition," he started, cutting through her mental tangent. "If you fail, you will resign from the military; I will be the judge of a passing grade."
"Leaving is punishable by death!" she reared back. He stated he'd pull some strings, and assure the government that it would be for the good of humanity. Her horrified stare locked on to his face at this as Lia contemplated her options. If she didn't have tips or pointers, she was not going to improve quickly enough. He was right- she needed help. However, being at his mercy sounded like a poor idea indeed.
Sensing her indecision, he added, "If I can't help you become a passable soldier, you are beyond any means of assistance. Of anyone here, I'm your best shot."
Lia inhaled, held her breath, and bit her lip, realizing he was correct in this. She supposed there was no going back now. Shakily, she stretched out her arm to shake on it. Levi frowned and stared at it, crossing his arms. "Don't touch me."
------------------------------------------------------
"You're doing it wrong."
"Well thanks. Do you have some helpful advice, or are you stuffed only with criticism?" Lia was hanging upside down against a tree, her vertical maneuvering gear tangled in the branches. Levi shot upward and pulled the hook free, apathetic as she fell headfirst into a crumpled heap on the ground. He landed lightly beside her as she groaned and brought herself to her knees.
"Your aim is flawed and your balance is shit. When you take a shot, follow through with your arm and keep your eye on the target. Don't just shoot blindly." She opened her mouth to retort to his last, snide sentence, but he interjected. "Shift your body weight to account for directional movements.
"This isn't a toy swing. You aren't just letting the equipment take you wherever whilst expecting it to perform its functions flawlessly. Think of it like horseback riding; you shift your hips with the horse's body when it moves, and you lean to balance on the saddle. If I recall, you weren't half bad at riding. Let's see you put it into action on your most important form of transportation."
Lia set her jaw and stood, brushing herself off. He's such a flatterer, she thought sarcastically. A whole day of abuse, and one little thing I'm "not half bad at." Ugh. Levi's eyes tracked her hands as she twisted her long braid into a bun.
She braced herself and gripped the handles of her blades. With a deep breath, she pulled the trigger and grunted as the cable attached to a nearby trunk and pulled her swiftly airborne. Wobbling a bit in the harness, she tried to channel Levi's advice.
Gently, she shifted her weight to the cable and pulled the trigger for the next, leaning that way when it caught. Her heart fluttered with excitement as to how much smoother this was. If she could adapt to this, there would be far fewer mistakes.
Her face split into a grin as the wind whistled in her ears. After a few swings, she caught the sound of metal whining from behind. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her mentor following to keep distance minimal. With a gasp, she felt herself lose balance and whip wildly sideways.
A cloud of dust picked up as she fell face first to the ground, her body dragging to an eventual halt. Levi dropped to the ground a few paces ahead of her, a revolted expression plastered upon his face. She laughed weakly up at him, not having moved an inch with her chin to the grass.
He reached down and grabbed a fistful of the back of her shirt. She felt herself get forced to her feet, and his thoughtful frown inspired her to bring her hand to her split chin in pursuit of the source of it. She winced, feeling rocks embedded beneath the skin and was aware of her hand getting sticky with blood.
"If you're constantly going to take your eye off of your directional movements, this is going to keep happening. I got no time for covering the fundamentals the average child knows from experience."
"Sorry," she murmured, averting her gaze.
"Enough for today, before those rocks find their way in further." She stretched down and retracted her cables and sheathed her blades. "Come on then, if we're going to get you fixed up." Glancing up in surprise, Lia hesitated a moment out of hesitation of his sincerity. Was he really going to treat her? "Hurry up. A filthy wound is no better than a gushing one."
Her feet stumbled forward, finding their strength at last. Somehow, as they made their way back to the horses, she did not imagine he was about to be gentle in the debris removal. The thought made her groan. She swung her leg over the saddle and urged the steed onward. They traveled at a canter for the few minutes' ride back to headquarters.
After dismounting and removing the saddle and bridle, she led the animal to some water and left it to the stables. Levi was waiting for Lia at the entrance, leaning on the frame with his arms crossed. He pushed off when she drew near and led the way to the commons.
Whispers followed them as they walked, a number of eyes resting on her marred jaw. "Lia and Levi just got back together...did he beat her up?" she heard one voice say. "Do I get a turn?" said another. "We should lock them both up; he's an underground thug, and she's criminally terrible." Snorts of laughter followed this, and she pressed on, watching the back of Levi's heels.
He turned into the shade of the living area and swept some first aid supplies off of a nearby shelf before taking a seat at one of the tables. She slowly lowered herself next to him, purposefully avoiding looking at him while he laid out some gauze. She swallowed her lip and sunk her chin closer to her chest in response to the awkward air.
Levi wriggled his hands into a pair of gloves, pulling them high above his wrists and donning a facemask afterward. It was a bit dramatic for a nasty scrape, but he wasn't about to take chances. He pushed her face up sharply and forced a locked gaze. Lia released her lip and tensed her shoulders; it was plain that her suspicions of a tough procedure were about to be made true.
The side of her face was gripped firmly while a steady hand launched an attack at the stones in her chin. She felt cold metal hit her flesh as he dug a pair of tweezers in, and she flinched away from him, only getting a forceful yank back into place as a result. Bit by bit, he lowered the pieces of earth to the empty bit of cloth lying on the table and stained it with spots of blood.
Her hazel eyes followed the contours of his face, memorizing the way the light cast shadows on his focused features. Stray locks of black hair danced above his brows as his glanced back and forth betwixt her injury and the growing pile of debris. She wondered about him; why he never seemed to be in anyone's company. Why he never smiled...
"That's about all I can remove. Don't be such an idiot next time," he grumbled as he picked up another clean cloth and tipped a bottle of alcohol onto it. She barely had time to sputter a bit of nervous protest before it was shoved directly onto her open skin. Inhaling sharply, she felt it like a fire, and closed her eyes to try to reject the pain. In no time at all, she was patched with gauze and Levi was wrapping the pebbles.
"Thank you," she said breathlessly, touching the bandage tenderly. He gave her a slow glance, pulling the gloves off inside out. Without a word, he rose and deposited it in a nearby trash receptacle and left the room.
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