10. Spar with the Captain

"Levine, you'll be cleaning the stock room in the 4th floor all by yourself," Levi ordered Levine as the younger ravenette clicked his tongue.

'Great. That stock room's always so dusty and filled with filth everywhere,' Levine thought and Levi added something to his previous statement.

"And I want it to be done in an hour," the whole squad's eyes widened, including Levine himself. Hazel, who is beside Levi side glance at him and opened her mouth to say something.

"Isn't that a bit too much?" Hazel asked and Levi crossed his arms across his chest and clicked his tongue.

"I don't see why it is. I can clean that in half an hour," Levi said and Levine clicked his tongue and took out a piece of cloth from his pocket and handed it to Levi.

"Oh really, Captain? Why don't you do it, instead?" Levine asked with a challenging tone. Hazel sighed and rubbed her temples. Here goes these two again. Every now and then, Levi and Levine will get into each other's shoes and started on challenging each other. It kinda reminds her of their previous relationship years ago.

"Are you saying, you can't do it, brat?" Levi asked with a glare as Levine countered it the his own.

"I'm not. Can't you do it?" Levine challenge and the other's sweat dropped at the scene before them. In situations like this, you can't distinguish who is Levi and who is Levine.

Until, of course, someone breaks them apart.

"Stop that already," they did in an instance and there stood Hazel who wears her most petrifying glare that even Levi and Levi does not stand a chance, "Levine just do it and as for you, Levi. Go do your own chores."

"Tch, fine," the two of them said and went on their individual tasks. Their squad trailed on their retreating forms and sweat dropped.

'Hazel-san's amazing.'

"What are you planning to do now?" They stiffened as Hazel glare at them, "Are you lamp posts? Move it!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am!"

---

Levi is in their room in the HQ and was on his task on cleaning it. While inside the walls, he and Hazel stay in the house they afforded so their room here started to become a stockroom of dusts.

"Tch, that brat really pisses me off," he muttered to himself as he remembers Levine's face. For some reason, he seems familiar. Too familiar that it annoys him.

And people compares his and Levine which annoys him the most. Although there is something about him that makes Levi so...comfortable and feel at home. He felt it before, towards Titus, Hazel's late brother, but not just him. But also towards someone else. His mother and his dead brother.

It seems weird and Levi tried hard to shrug it off, but it won't. As long as that brat is around, but then a random thought came into his mind.

"If he were to be alive today, he's as old as Levine by now," Levi said and rembered the pale face of his newborn brother. He looks so much like their mother and he even remembered the ringing cries of the infant in his head until it stopped.

For a brief moment they have together, Levi already felt the connection between the two of them and it deeply saddened him that both his mother and his brother died at the same day.

---

After an hour of cleaning, Levine finally finished and praised his work. The stock room is as clean as newly built one. Everything's organized, the windows are spotless as well as the floor and the door. The cobwebs disappeared and so as the dust. It's like it's brand new, compared to it's previous state when everything's a mess.

"Wow! You're already finished?!" Connie said as he pass by the stock room's door, carrying a bunch of cleaning equipments, "Your cleaning skills are just like Captain."

A nerve popped out of his forehead and glared intently at the bald comrade.

"Oi, don't compare me with that bastard. We are not to be compared to each other!" Said Levine with a deadly aura and Connie raised his hands in defeat.

"Okay okay! I get it! You two are different! Jeez!" Connie said and left. Just as he started to walk away, Levine clicked his tongue and his mind wandered off to Levi's story which he heard the other day.

He still thinks it's weird, but can he really be Levi's dead brother? He knows he kept on denying their similarities even though he's aware, but he can't be, can he? His brother is dead and he is as alive as the others. How can that be right?

"Unless, you know, Kenny found you still breathing. Levi is still a kid by then, right?" And there goes Yami once again. Levine is a bit thankful because he is not stepping on the newly mopped floor, but also annoyed because of his very presence.

"Tch, I can't be his brother," Levine said with an annoyed  tone.

"Whose brother?" He stiffened when it wasn't Yami who answered. Turning around, he saw it was Hange, looking at him with wide eyes. Levine looked over to Yami who is now right behind Hange and wears a sly smirk on his face before walking out of sight.

'That sneaky bastard.'

"Tch, nothing. It's none of your business anyway," Levine said and fixed his materials before leaving the stock room and locking it.

"Oh come on! What were you thinking earlier? Whose brother are you?" Asked Hange who is starting to annoy Levine.

"Just let it go. I'm not telling you, four-eyes," Levine retorted and walked away from her. Hange, on the other hand, started to get curious and also started to make guesses.

---

At lunch, everyone's inside the mess hall and their body is slumped and they all look tired, excluding Mikasa and Levine.

"Man, how can you two go with this torture?" Sasha asked as she clutch her ration of bread. Mikasa put down her spoon before answering.

"Cleaning is easy," she simply said as Levine narrowed his eyes even more.

"Cleaning's my hobby," he said and the other sweatdropped and thought of the same thing.

'Torture is your hobby.'

"Tch, better eat well, brats. There's combat training this afternoon," Levine said and proceed on eating his lunch s the other did too. Today's training would be harsh for sure due to Levi's on supervision duty, instead of Hazel.

An hour after lunch, the squad is out in the training ground and there stood in front of them is Levi with his usual stoic face with his arms folded across h chest.

"In today's training, I will test your skills in combat. You'll be training in pairs, but it seems like one will have to be pull out because you're an odd number. And this is how we'll pick that one," Levi said and a man lead Levi's horse to the squad, "Try taming my horse. Each of you will have five minutes to do so. And if you do, you'll be the one who will be pull out in this training for just today."

"And what if no one tames him?" Asked Sasha and Levi glared.

"You'll find out later."

The six 104th cadets look determined while Levine don't seem too enthusiast about the challenge and its reward.

Unfortunately, none of the six tamed his horse. The stallion either try to kick them or make them fall off its back and neigh in dislike. Jean had the worst outcome, all three of them.

"Man, who in the world can tame that horse?" Connie said as he bend his aching back.

"That's a devil's horse," muttered Sasha who hides behind Connie.

"That's much more scarier than Hazel-san's horse, Raven," Eren muttered and Mikasa nodded. The both of them experienced the terror Raven gives out to the people who tries to tame her. Especially after giving birth.

"Guess, I'm the last one," they all turned to Levine who is slowly walking towards the horse who seems to be waiting for another challenger.

He stopped a meter away from it and eyed it for a while before trying to pet it. So far, so good. The horse didn't neighed yet nor tried to kick him. After petting it, the horse's tail swayed back and fort, giving a good sign. Levine patted his mane and the horse neighed in a good way.

Levine tried getting on the horse, but it's a little bit, tall for him. He suddenly thought of how much trouble Levi get just to get on this damn horse.

He clicked his tongue in annoyanace and successfully got on the horse's back. It neighed and started moving around so Levine pulled the harness and cursed several words before the horse calmed down.

To try and test it, Levine guided the horse round the squad and stopped in front of Levi before jumping down.

'Tch, show-off,' Levi thought as he watch Levine do his task.

"Guess, he likes me," said Levine as he pat its mane.

'Just because you look like the master,' everyone in the squad thought as Levi clicked his tongue and faced his squad.

"So Levine is the one who will be pulled out today. The pairs are Ackerman and Blouse, Kirstein and Yeager and Springer and Arlert," Levi announced as Levine sighed. Sitting out in training is not his style, but there's a first time for everything.

"And as for you," Levi turned to Levine as he tried landing a punch in Levine's face, which the lad dodged easily.

"What the f*ck! What was that for, a**hole?!" Levine cursed and Levi tried sweeping his legs off the ground, but he jumped, dodging it once again.

"The reason why you're pulled out is because you'll be sparring with me," Levi started attacking Levine with several punches which Levine tried to dodge at his best. His opponent is fast and skillful, much like Mikasa-his usual sparring partner, but Levi is obviously stronger.

Levine jumped a few meters away and lead his attack with a roundhouse kick, where Levi bent down to avoid. The younger ravenette clicked his tongue and tried sweeping his opponent off his feet, but Levi avoided it, by taking a jump backwards.

None of them showed a sign of losing, but rather shows determination to beat the other.

"Won't it be interesting if we have a blade?" Levi asked and pulled out a blade from his horse's harness, surprising Levine. This isn't a training, this is suicide. Levi is holding a genuine blade at this very moment and it looked sharpened. Levine would know since he's an expert with blades and knives.

"Yes, it would be," Levine said and dashed towards Levi, not fearing the blade he is holding and tried swiping it off his hand, but Levi pulled his hand farther and tried stabbing him at the back, only to be dodged by.

The 104th squad watched them do their suicide training with awe. They know Levine is strong, but having a neck-and-neck fight with Levi Ackerman is a different level, especially with a blade as prop.

Finally, Levi squatted and succesfully swiped Levine's feet off the ground. Then, he pinned the boy down and pointed the blade at his neck, threatening to slash it.

"You are strong," Levine commented as a sudden memory of his sparring sessions with Kenny returned to his mind, making him click his tongue.

"You are too, brat," Levi complemented and stood up as he let go of the blade beside Levine. Before standing up, he pick the blade up and stared at Levi.

With that skillful fighting, there is no doubt he is trained well, but his moves are way too familiar that he knows how to counter it, Levi thought.

Levine thought of the same thing, but as many times he try to counter it, Levi would just overpower him. He is weak compared to the Lance Corporal.

"Now, it's your turn to hold the blade," Levi said and stood in a stance saying he's ready. Levine signed and also took his stance. They repeat the sequence until the end where Levine is still pinned down by Levi agaim and again and again.

'Tch, this brat's moves are too familiar."

---

So yeah, 10th chapter. I hope you love the story so far. There are still stuff up ahead so please tune it and vote, comment and read! Ja'ne, minna!

~RSE out