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‘What. Are. You. Doing?’

‘Checking if gravity still works.’ The trees were hanging from the sky and the stars were at your feet. It was quite disorientating, but you liked the feeling, like you were walking on the heavens. Unfortunately, the poetic feel of it was marred by the radiating irritation of the man in front of you. ‘Nice legs by the way.’

‘Honestly…’ Levi rolled his eyes. With a careful flick of his hand, he disengaged the grappling hooks and sent you tumbling into the dirt in a tangle of arms, legs and gear.

‘Ow.’ You rubbed your head, looking like a child sprawled on the ground. Levi assumed the role of angry parent.

‘No matter how utterly obtuse and simple-minded you are, surely, you know how to stay upright for more than five minutes?’

You shrugged, playing at a loose thread on your sleeve. ‘I don’t know.’

‘For God’s sake.’ Levi suddenly shot away from you and you spun around, watching in awe as his grappling hooks slammed into the two trees and he hung there, perfectly balanced, with his arms crossed. ‘I don’t understand how you can’t do this. This is literally the first skill you brats learn and I don’t get how you passed with that.’

‘Just teach me how to do it properly,’ you grumbled.

‘Let your weight slowly sink into your hip and waist harnesses. And you absolutely cannot lean too far forward or back, or you will surely lose your balance. Simple.’ He disengaged the gear, falling before he landed on the ground, as swift and silent as a cat. The level of skill he showed was astounding.

‘Your turn. And don’t mess it up.’

‘Thanks for the encouragement.’ With a loud exhale, you took his place, soaring up between the pine trees until you were hovering above Levi.

‘Remember what I said idiot! Don’t lean too far in any direction and let your weight sink into the harnesses.’

You nodded and closed your eyes, relaxing your muscles into the hip harnesses. For a second, you stayed upright. However, your victory was short-lived as a stray gust of wind sent you toppling forward and you yelped, arms flailing wildly as the world tilted crazily.

There was a frustrated silence radiating from Levi as your body hung limply mid-air.

‘Well, that went well,’ you said cheerfully.

‘Will you take this seriously, or not brat?’ Levi was starting to lose his patience. ‘I didn’t give up my time just to watch you fail.’

You huffed. ‘I just can’t do it Levi. Even if I do what you say, I just can’t.’

Levi narrowed his eyes. ‘Do it again. And this time, I’ll do it with you.’ He soared away, coming to rest in the same position as before.

‘Well what are you waiting for?’

With a huff, you sailed dejectedly into the air, your back facing Levi. You felt the familiar tilt and sway as your body started to lean forward and you gave in, not caring whether you fell or not.

Until there was a light pressure around your waist which righted your body.

‘Would you look at that,’ said Levi sardonically. ‘You’re balancing.’

You couldn’t believe how blasé he was being, considering his hands were pressing into your hips unashamedly. Plus, your shirt had ridden up in the process and your skin was burning with the contact.

‘You have to straighten your shoulders,’ he said into your ear, making you jump when his warm breath ignited a fiery path across your skin. His hand snaked up to your shoulders, bending them back and making you lift your head.

‘Levi?’ you squeaked.

‘What is it?’

You swallowed. ‘Don’t let go. I’m going to fall.’

‘I already have.’

Suddenly, you were aware that his hands weren’t around you anymore. They weren’t keeping you up.

You were balancing by yourself.

‘Oh my god,’ you choked out, swaying slightly in the air but keeping your balance. ‘OH. MY F**KING GOD.’ Laughing, you couldn’t help the huge smile that stretched from ear to ear. ‘How did you do this? What witchcraft are you practising Levi?’

‘It’s all you, brat. I just tweaked you a little bit. Now come down, we’ve still got a long way to go.’ You heard a slight whoosh as Levi freed his 3DMG and descended. You were still frozen with happiness, shaking your head in disbelief at the magic that he apparently cast over your centre of gravity.

‘Oi! We’re in the middle of a training session, not a self-praising committee.’

‘Coming!’ you cried, giggling a little with the adrenaline of a job well done. Soaring down, you looked to Levi, trying not to blush as you recalled how close the two of you were. But Levi seemed unaffected, wearing the same blank expression as before.

‘Now that you’ve got your balance, I do believe it’s time for some skill training.’ Levi turned around and gestured to the exercise equipment behind him. Your eyes slowly widened in horror, travelling over the assortment of torture devices that were in front of you. There was a rope ladder, leading up to a small platform connected to a set of monkey bars (that were currently installed at a bloody height of three metres). The bars ended up at another small platform which revealed an establishment of tall, wooden poles, strategically placed in a way that allowed one to utilise their 3DMG. At the end of it all, there was a small target painted crudely on the ground. That was your goal.

And you felt like crying.

‘Levi, seriously? I don’t think I can do this,’ you hedged nervously, biting your fingernails.

‘You said that before with the balancing, yet you managed it in the end, however long it took.’ Levi raised an eyebrow. ‘Tch, you seem to be giving up awfully quickly today.’

‘No, it’s not that. I just-'

‘You just what?’

You groaned in frustration, pushing your hair back from your forehead. ‘I just… I don’t know okay? Levi, this thing is almost three metres off the ground. I’m not going to have any harnesses or shit to keep me up if I fall, and I’m not allowed to use my 3DMG on the first sections. How are you so sure I’m not going to end up like a splattered red pancake?’

Levi strode up to you. His own expression betrayed nothing, while his hand lifted up to rest on your shoulder, squeezing it slightly.

‘Because I trust you. And you need to trust yourself.’

You looked down, hesitating. Then, you nodded faintly. Levi stepped back.

‘Whenever you’re ready,’ he said simply.

Exhaling, you walked towards the equipment and coiled your hand around the coarse rope of the ladder, mentally prepping yourself.

‘But today would be nice,’ Levi called, cutting through your thoughts.

‘I thank you for your impatience, Mr. I-don’t-give-a-f**k-about-my-soldiers’-possible-future-as-a-flattened-pancake,’ you shouted, starting to climb the ladder.

‘Don’t fall off!’ he yelled back.

‘Yeah, because I was totally planning to,’ you muttered under your breath. As you pulled up to the platform, you hauled your body onto the wooden planks, your bottom pointed straight at Levi.

‘Yep. I sure am graceful,’ you said to yourself, peering over the edge of the platform and clinging to the pole in the middle. Levi was short, but at that moment, he resembled an ant.

‘Dear God,’ you prayed. ‘Please don’t let me die.’

Slowly, you edged forward, your hands braced on the first of the monkey bars. ‘Oh fuuuuuuuu-'

‘Take it easy!’ Levi’s voice was faint.

Your arms were shaking almost as badly as a Parkinson victim's and your legs had the consistency of jelly.

‘Okay,’ you breathed out. ‘I can do this. I think.’

A slight breeze ruffled your hair and playfully pushed you forward. Now, you were teetering on the edge of the wooden plank, swaying back and forth.

‘I can do this,’ you repeated to yourself. ‘I can do this.’

With a cry, your feet fell free of the platform and you swung forward. Using your momentum and adrenaline, you powered forward, ignoring the burning pain that seared through your muscles. Everything blurred past you and the only sound you could hear was the wind roaring past your ears. Clearing the last bar, you hurled yourself onto the platform, your 3DMG clunking onto the wood as you flung your arms around the pole, clutching it for dear life. Your cheeks were burning from the exertion, the muscles in your arms gradually relaxing. Hesitantly opening one eye, you glanced around, down at your still intact self, then at Levi.

‘I’m alive!’ you shouted giddily. ‘I’m alive!’

‘Don’t celebrate too early brat, you need to make it through the rest of it,’ Levi called back, rudely interrupting your victorious mood.

‘Oh crap,’ you cursed, looking at the last obstacle. But it was going to be okay; you made it through the Flying Monkey Bars of Death. You could make it through Satan’s Twenty Wooden Poles.

‘Here goes nothing.’ The grappling hooks spun away from you and clunked into the nearest poles; gas whooshing from your gear, you shot forward.

Levi had definitely worked magic on you; you could feel your body was completely balanced and comfortable flying through the air. You were totally and completely confident you were going to make it.

Until you saw the target suddenly loom at you out of nowhere.

With a shriek, you hastily detached your gear and tried to position yourself for the landing; however, you weren’t quick enough and the last thing you saw was a crimson flash of paint before you struck the ground, pain erupting from every nerve in your body. Your limbs were sprawled everywhere, stinging from multiple wounds and grazes and you weren’t sure which way was up.

Hazily, you heard quick footfalls, accompanied by gentle hands that rolled you over so your back was resting on the ground and your head was nestled into a soft material.

‘Guhhhhhh,’ you moaned.

‘Will you lie still brat?’ You could see the starkness of the medical kit Levi had brought over.

‘Heh, you said the same thing last time. Except you called me an idiot,’ you recalled lightheadedly.

‘I think you took too many hits to the head (f/n).’ You heard a bottle being uncapped. ‘Stay still, because this is going to hurt like a b**ch.’

A few drops of a mystery liquid plinked onto your face and seeped into your wounds. Suddenly, an agonising pain carved a path through your skin, feeling like a thousand daggers had pierced your face. You screwed up your eyes, digging your fingernails into the dirt.

‘Are you purposely trying to kill me Levi?’ you hissed through gritted teeth. The pain ebbed away but your face was still throbbing uncomfortably.

Levi rolled his eyes. ‘It’s an antibacterial formula brat; I don’t want you looking like you just crawled out of a meat pulveriser.’

‘Nice to know you’ve got my best appearances at heart,’ you retorted weakly.
Levi straightened up, brushing imaginary lint of his clothes. ‘Can you stand?’

You looked at him with disbelief. ‘Oh yes, why thank you for thinking of me after I just fell on the ground, destroyed my face and possibly, my future modelling career,’ you said in a high, false voice. ‘There goes my chances for a full body bikini shot.’

Levi stared blankly at you. ‘Don’t worry, with that face, you wouldn’t have a chance anyway.’

You froze in the process of getting up. Of course, Levi was just teasing you; the pair of you jabbed at each other all the time. But still, as you stood there, a little voice in your head told you otherwise. It was a different kind of pain, under all the scrapes and bruises you had sustained.

It was your heart. A small ache that you ignored, but it was there nonetheless. You brushed off his insult and put on a fake smile.

‘Now what captain?’

Levi raked a slim hand through his hair. Waves of it fell in front of his eyes, shadowing his pale features. ‘We seriously need to work on your landing.'

‘No shit Sherlock,’ you said sarcastically.

Levi glowered at you. ‘God you’re annoying the hell out of me.’

You stared back witheringly. ‘The feeling’s mutual.’

With one last icy look, he turned his back to you and walked. With silent consent, you limped after him, a little pissed and nursing your bruises.

The two of you reached a massive rock situated on the side of the courtyard. As you neared it, you could see that there were nicks in the surface, probably from numerous grappling hooks.

‘Uh, what are we going to do here?’

Levi inspected his fingernails. ‘You, are going to climb this rock, using your 3DMG as support. If you fall, well, I’ll make you do it again and again until we run out of time.’

‘Sadistic little beast,’ you muttered as you passed him and clambered onto the rock, hearing the familiar snick of your gear as it gripped onto the bumpy surface. With every gruelling pull-up, your arms felt like ripping right out of the sockets. Your muscles groaned from the pain of the fall and now the torturous exercise. Sweat plastered your hair to your forehead and made your hands slippery. However, you continued to scramble up, determined not to show weakness in front of Levi.

‘Almost…there,’ you forced out. The curve of the top was directly in front of your face and you reached out, straining to grab onto the last stretch of rock.

Something whooshed past your face and twanged into the space in front of you. Shocked, you teetered backward but you knew the gear would hold you up. However, that relief disappeared abruptly as you saw the severed wire falling past you, dragging you down. With a cry of fear, you plummeted downwards, bracing yourself for a broken neck, before you slammed into something hard, rolled over a couple of times and came to a stop.

With another painful groan, you shook your head, inhaling deeply. Something sweet and sharp invaded your senses; a slight peppermint scent, coupled with the tang of aftershave.

‘Really (f/n)? I knew you wanted me, but I don’t think the time is appropriate,’ said a monotone voice above your head.

Suppressing the furious blush you knew was about to erupt on your face, you looked away and straightened up.

‘Conceited, stupid, narcissistic-,’ as you continued a string of profanities under your breath, something glinted at the corner of your eye when you gazed back at the top of the rock.
It was the thing that had whistled past your head and cut your wires. A sword.

‘What?’ you whispered, then looked down at Levi, past his hips, where his 3DMG gear rested.

A frayed wire dangled at the side, obviously hastily sliced.

‘You-‘ With a furious glare you clenched your palm into a fist and aimed at his jaw. But he caught it easily, deflecting it with a bored expression. It only served to anger you further and you punched him with your other hand. But this was Humanity’s Strongest you were trying to injure, and he effortlessly blocked your feeble attack. Using your blunder as a momentary distraction, he used his weight to flip you over, slamming into the ground and straddling your hips, trapping your wrists above your head in a vice-like grip.
Unable to struggle even a bit, you opted for yelling instead.

‘WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE TRYING TO DO?’

‘You would have died,’ he said simply, looking down at you.

‘What?’

He leaned closer, his face nearing yours. Your breathing quickened, and suddenly, you were hyper-aware of everywhere you were touching. His shirt and ridden up, the muscled planes of his skin pressed hotly against your stomach. Plus it didn’t help that the two of you were in a slightly kinky position. God forbid anyone should discover you right now in a quivering heap under Levi.

‘It could have happened. Worst case scenario, you’re climbing a roof or something, and a Titan swipes at your gear. What do you do? Fall?’

He smirked. ‘You’re enjoying this aren’t you?’

You stared back indignantly. ‘What? Hell no. I didn’t even want to be near you in the first place you crazy psychopath!’

Lie.

‘Then why are you blushing so bad?’ Levi delicately arched an eyebrow.

‘No I’m not,’ you stuttered, caught off guard.

‘Yes. And your heart rate just intensified. I can feel everything,’ said Levi, every word embarrassing you even more. There was a short silence as you glared at his smug expression, part fury, part confusion and part…

Part wanting.

When the hell did you start developing feelings for him? Yeah he was talented and amazingly skilled but he was an arrogant, conceited cretin who had been chiselled from the hand of God and sent down on a blanket of ultra-attractiveness accompanied by a choir of angels.

You mentally face-palmed.

‘Just… get off me,’ you demanded lamely, pushing up with your hips and trying to ignore the fact that you were dry-humping him. Luckily he took no notice and stood up offering you a hand which you ignored.

‘Training’s over,’ Levi said, glancing at the watch wound around his wrist. ‘We went overtime.’ Surprised, you looked down at your own watch.

4:13.

‘You did well today, (f/n),’ Levi said out of nowhere, which made you stop short.

‘Um… what?’ Levi, praising you? Unheard of!

‘Don’t make me repeat it again brat. I’m not going to ruin my dignity,’ announced Levi brusquely. Well, it was nice while it lasted.

‘Thanks anyway Levi,’ you said, a little grateful. As you gathered up your things and headed back towards the dorm, he called out to you.

‘Oh, and good luck for tomorrow.’

You halted mid-step. ‘Good luck for what?’ you asked cautiously, turning around.

‘From what I’ve heard, you have a practice evaluation early next morning. But I’ve told them to move yours till 1:00. Rest up.’ And you swore he had a wicked smile on as he continued to walk away.

‘WHAT?’

But Levi had already melted into the shadows.