#balance? whats balance? we r fighting giant monsters day and night. we need all the OP builds we can get.

[orcelito]

Hilarious thing. I'm so far gone on my fictional crush on Dohalim that I'm even talking about it with everyone at work. Them grateful I'm talking about smth other than Akechi, but turns out I am JUST as insufferable about it lmfao

[attackontitanlyfe]

Walls-Part 2

"Alright cadets! Training starts in one hour so you better be up!" Someone yelled down the halls, banging on all the doors. You of course, had been up for hours and had already showered and dressed yourself, hoping to get the most time training before the other cadets. You quickly made your way past the other sleep-deprived soldiers and into the mess hall, where a surprising amount of soldiers were. Grabbing your tray, you found vacant table and claimed it, hoping that this time no one would disturb you. Unfortunately, you weren't that lucky, and Eren, Mikasa and Armin showed up and sat across from you. "Hey (Y/N)!" Eren exclaimed happily. "Hey." You greeted half-heartedly. "You kind of left in a hurry last night, so we figured we'd make sure you were okay." Armin added suddenly. You waited a moment before answering. "I'm fine. Like I said, I was tired. Yesterday was a long day for all of us." "Whatever you say, (Y/N)." Armin said quietly. The three of them kept talking, and you took that as your chance to leave. It wasn't that you didn't like them, you just didn't have time for small talk when you could be training. After all, that is what you were here for. - - - - - - "Alright, since you've managed to make it this far, let's see what you've got. Each of you are to pair up and show us your skills in hand-to-hand combat." Ervin ordered, and the block split into small groups. "Hey, (Y/N), do you have a partner yet?" You turned around and saw Petra standing behind you. "No, not yet. You need a sparring partner?" You asked. "Yeah, but I'm not that great at one-on-one..." she trails. "I can help you a bit, I guess." you offer, and her eyes light up. "R-really? Thanks!" She says, hugging you. "You're...hugging...me..." You say, and Petra releases quickly. "Oh, uh, sorry." She nervously rubs the back of her neck. "So, should we start?" -Time skip~30 minutes- "Your form isn't bad but it needs work. If your stance is your base-if it's too narrow you'll be slow, if it's too wide I'll be able to knock you over with a toothpick." Petra listens to your advice and widens her stance a bit, putting up her fists. "Okay, I think I'm ready." She says confidently, just as Levi begins walking in your direction. "Lets see what you've got then," you smirked. Petra throws a punch at you which you quickly dodge, using that momentum to swing one leg behind her and putting her on her knees. She quickly regains her catches your fist before it hits her, spinning you to the ground which you push off of, swinging out one leg and putting Petra on the ground. She tries to kick you down but she misses, and you catch her foot, pushing her to the ground and pinning her, face down, in the dirt. "Not bad, you almost got me for a second," You said, releasing her and offering your hand. "Really? I though I failed miserably," Petra laughs, standing up and wiping the dust off her clothes. "Alright cadets! I want each of you to find a new partner and continue sparring!" Ervin commands, and everyone once again pairs up. You however, are stuck without one. "Stuck without a partner, (L/N)?" Levi asks flatly. "How could you tell?" You deadpanned. "You're can't just stand around waiting for an hour, you know that right?" He asked. "What, are you going to spar with me or something?" "Tch, seeing as there's no one else, I don't think you've got much of a choice, brat." "Whatever you say, corporal."You smirked, and suddenly, Levi was running towards you. His skills were definitely no joke, as almost every attack you sent his way he dodged. You however, were much the same in your offensive skills. Neither of you had been able to really touch each other since you began fighting. Suddenly you were sent backwards by a strong blow to your stomach. Levi took this moment of weakness to attack again, while you waited for him to get close enough. Once he was in range, you hooked him in the jaw, taking him off guard. He quickly regained his stance, but you were already prepared for his next move. He dropped, trying to kick your legs out from under you, but you jumped and turned, landing a foot to his side. However, Levi quickly grabbed it and spun you to the ground, getting ready to pin you. Right before he could, you pushed him off of you and readied yourself for another round. "Alright, that's enough." Ervin's booming voice halted you both as you turned to face him-and the crowd you'd drawn. Everyone had been watching you the entire time. "Great." You mumbled "Alright, nice job cadets. Most of you showed decent fighting skills today. In ten minutes, I want all of you in block at the second training field where you'll begin training with 3DM Gear. Understood?" "Yes sir!" Everyone yells, saluting him. Breaking your attention, you all begin the trudge to the second field. "Hey, (Y/N)," Eren yells, running to catch up with you. "Hey Eren," You replied, watching as Mikasa and Armin ran behind him. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Eren asked, clearly interested. "Trade secret." You smirked. "C'mon, tell me! You almost bested Captain Levi of all people, and you didn't even think twice about it!" "There's honestly not much to it, my father taught me how to fight at a young age, and ever since then I've been perfecting it." Eren kept looking at you with content eyes, as if you were the most interesting thing in the world. "Where did you say you were from again?" Mikasa questioned. "I'm from Trost district, I told you that." Eren and Armin staggered behind you a bit, sensing the tension building between you two. "Doesn't explain why you'd be fighting so much to get to where you're at." She pushed. "I could say the same to you, seeing as you're from Shiganshina, rather peaceful until the incident five years ago." You countered. Mikasa was a skilled fighter sure, but you could best her easily. She had a soldier's spirit, but she was blinded by Eren, that was clear. "Fair point." She agreed, and the tension vanished. "Looks like we're here," Armin quipped as we walked into the open training area. Your group filed into the block that was half-formed and fell into attention, awaiting your orders. When Ervin and Levi arrived, they split you into groups to test your compatibility with the 3DM Gear. Everyone around you looked nervous, but you of course, were not. When it came your turn, you balanced with ease. You'd used this before-smuggled it from the Military Police on more than one occasion. Your fellow trainees were shocked at how quickly you did this, dispite most of them not taking too much time to adjust themselves. After the balancing portion you were taught how to use the gear, and a few ways you could evade a titan in the event you ran out of gas or your wire broke. You ignored this, waiting for the time you'd be officially given your gear. 'This is pointless. They'll learn more by doing. I certainly did.' When it came time to actually use your gear, you were eager to get in the air. 'Last time I flew like this, I was still in the underground..' You thought. "Trainee (L/N), you may begin." Ervin says and you take off. You stumbled for a moment but quickly fixed yourself. Within seconds you were going top-speed, slicing through the titan dummies like they were vegetables. "Guys look! Is that...(Y/N)?" Eren stood dumbfounded along with many of the other cadets. When you were almost finished, you missed you anchor-point and fell. Taking action you immediately tucked your head and rolled mid-air to break your fall. When you hit the ground you rolled straight into your feet, taking one confident step forward to balance yourself. Once again, everyone was staring, at you. "What?" You sneered, and they looked away shamefully. As you walked off with the other cadets that had completed the course. ~Time Skip-Dining hall, one hour later~ During the evening meal, you didn't try to protest when Eren, Mikasa and Armin came to sit with you. "So, (Y/N), you excited for squad placements?" Eren excitedly said. "To be completely honest I'd say I don't particularly care." You stated. "W-what? How can you not? It's the biggest thing to care about! You learn which people will become your best friends, who your leader will be and most importantly where you'll stand in the formation for when they take us outside the walls!" Armin still looked dumbstruck by your nonchalant comment. "Yeah yeah. I still don't see the big deal. We're all gonna die someday. Doesn't mean I'm looking to be titan food, obviously, but it just means I could care less if I died a decorated commander or a new recruit. Either way, I've done my part in this." The table is silent, save for Mikasa. "Wow, that's bold for you, (Y/N)." She chimes, a bit shocked. "How's that?" You ask. "You've said more than once sentence and the whole time you didn't even care that giant monsters were basically going to try and eat you alive." Armin wavered. "Damn, not gonna lie that was some deep stuff, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't expecting you to fear these damn things." Eren chimed. The four of you start to head out of the cafeteria to find out your squads before switching rooms and going to bed. "...And finally, the last two squads, Ervin and Levi." You were shocked that Mikasa wasn't with you, considering her skills. Perhaps they'd seen her bias to Eren. "(F/N) (L/N), And Petra Ral, Sqad Levi." Ervin yells. "The remaining soldiers will be with me. The living quarters are divided by squad so make sure you're closest to your squad members!" With that, he dismisses you to change rooms. "Squad Levi, huh?" It was Eren. "Yeah, wasn't expecting that. I expected Hanji to get me." You answered. "Your skills are almost if not exactly evenly matched with our strongest soldier, and you're surprised they put you in his squad? You must be crazy." "So I have been told." You say, walking alongside Eren to your new room. "(Y/N)!" Petra yells from down the hall, sprinting towards you. At the last second you sidestep her and she spins twice before falling down. "Damn..." she says, rubbing her head. "Sorry I forgot about, your hugging thing." She nervously laughs. "It's alright. Where are we rooming?" You asked. "Glad you asked! We're right over here! I'm making you my new neighbor!" Petra yelled excitedly. "I don't have a way around this, do I?" You looked at Eren "Doesn't look like it," he replied "And you're right! (Y/N), your room is here." She says, stopping next to a door."I'll leave you to unpack anything you have. See you tomorrow?" She asked. "Sure," you answered and she beamed. "Awesome! See you in training tomorrow!" And that was that. You were officially part of the Levi squad, best of the best. Petra wasn't that bad, Eld, Oluo and Gunther weren't either. You hoped this would go well, seeing as your first expedition was in one month. You lay staring at the ceiling, wondering about nothing. How many times had you found yourself in this position? Too many, that's for sure. Sighing, you once again opened your windows and climbed onto the rooftop in just a white tank top and fitting blue leggings. Complements of a store you ransacked a day before you were taken into the corps. The memory wasn't one you were proud of, but in the underground, it was kill or be killed, predator vs prey. In a normal world, it wouldn't be so bad, but down there, it quickly became predator v. predator. "Tch, You again, (L/N)?" It was Levi, on the roof, interrupting your thinking time once again. "Seems I'm not the only insomniac here, yeah?" You commented. "That explains why you're out here every night." He mutters, but the light breeze wasn't loud enough to blur his words. "So why'd you do it?" "Do what?" He asked, perplexed. "Put me in your squad. There's plenty of us to choose from. Why me?" There was no real push behind your question, you were only asking to keep things moving between the two of you. "Because you're skilled. I haven't seen anyone take up our gear that fast, and your one on one combat skills are bested by no one. I could use you on my team." He answered. His honesty towards your nonchalant question almost made you smile. But the temperature was dropping, and this time, you hadn't worn a sweatshirt. "You're going to get sick if you keep doing that," Levi quips. "Doing what?" "Coming out at midnight without warm clothing." "Whatever you say, Captain Clean." "What did you just call me?" Levi pushed, a hint of anger in his voice. "I thought that's what everyone called you, or so I've heard." "From who?" You didn't answer straight away. "It was Jager, wasn't it?" You nodded in response. "Try not to kill him before your first expedition. At least then you can say a titan killed him and save yourself the courtroom." You smirked. Levi chuckled in the background. Wait he what? You'd never heard of him showing any signs of humanity until now. It felt nice being able to do that, and you suddenly felt the need to do it more. Now it was your turn to surprise yourself. You felt something. That hadn't happened since the incident...You shivered between your thoughts and the cold, hoping Levi would leave you alone, but also not quite wanting him to. "(L/N)," he spoke suddenly. "Come with me." He ordered, and you followed quietly behind him. 'Damn idiot, you keep this up and you'll be under his thumb. What are you, his pet? God, keep it together, (Y/N), we've got titans to face soon. Just keep your shit together and stop acting like you're his damn dog.' Levi led you to a small kitchen in the back of the building. It was quite secluded, probably so they could grab something to eat if they needed to work through dinner. After all, Commanders and Squad leaders lived here too. After ten minutes of peaceful silence Levi turned to you. "Here, you'll feel warmer." He handed you a cup filled with a dark liquid. It smelled nice, and you didn't hesitate to drink it. Levi was right, it did help warm you up, but not by much. You still shivered a bit, even though you were inside. Levi noticed this and did something you weren't expecting. He handed you his jacket. "Try not to get sick, or I'll make you clean this entire building." "That's my punishment? Better do worse than that, Captain Clean." The two of you talked for a while, sitting across from each other at the small table in the center of the kitchen. You felt yourself falling asleep before you could do anything about it. "Tch, idiot fell asleep on the damn table..." Levi said, and you felt yourself being lifted before falling into complete blackness. Word Count~2665