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It's a fact-Eren Jaeger rhymes with inexplicable anger. Always upright and stomping, it would've been an intimidating affect if he didn't end up ramming his thigh against the edge of the first table in the mess hall, every time. Then he'd growl in anger, thunderbolts would fly right out of his eyes, and he'll go eat. His rations plus ten more. Petra would usually have to smack him with a ladle so he'd stop, and then he'd sit back at a table and burn holes in the wall.
Levi noticed. Levi's also severely worried about their rations. And slightly about the kid popping a few veins and ending up overweight. But his metabolism was literally monstrous, and worked fine when he had angry episodes. Which was just about every three seconds.
The best way to really get to a teenager? Self consciousness.
"Jaeger." Levi drawled, grabbing his cheek, stretching it painfully and letting it snap back. His eyes doubled in appalled horror."Looking fat. You eating well?"
His eyebrows dipped down in even more horror and hint of red dusted his cheeks."I...yes, sir?"
"How the hell are you going to keep your cords intact? Your 3d maneuver gear won't hold you up in a few weeks."
He opened his mouth, made something like a strangled noise, closed it again and stared to the side in mortification. Levi was almost done."Let's not go too far, 'cause you aren't even going to fit into your straps in a day." he gave his chest strap a slight tug to emphasize his point, hearing a restrained wheeze of laughter from somewhere to his right. He walked up to Jean, who instantly lost all color and stared ahead."What's so funny?"
"Nothing."
"I thought so."
Eren ran his legs off that day. He counted laps, lost count at thirty seven, and stopped when Levi screamed at him. He did a hundred and twenty sit ups and seventy nine push ups. He would've gotten that eighty through if his limbs hadn't turned to liquid, and he collapsed for a full ten minutes before getting up again, practically radiating heat.
And Levi observed, slightly impressed with the drive, but this wasn't what he'd really aimed for. It was the exact fucking opposite.
"Tell me, Eren."
It was at least two in the morning and he needed some tea before his brains exploded all over the walls. Ackerman's voice caught him a bit off guard, though.
"He said I was fat." Eren whined between sniffles, wiping at his eyes as he angrily took another bite of bread. Five empty bowls were stacked by him, a bowl of soup currently in the emptying."I'm getting fat, Mikasa."
Mikasa blinked at the way the leather straps loosely folded as he leaned against the table."They don't even fit you."
"I know." He murmured pitifully, wolfing down his soup.
Levi sighed, turning around and making his way to his quarters. Goodbye, tea. Not with Eren eating in there, he'll have an emotional breakdown if Levi barged in. This wasn't what he was going for at all.
The kid halted like he'd committed some unforgivable crime if he ever catches Levi's eyes in the mess hall, pushing his food away and just blinking ahead for the rest of dinner. He never stopped eating to subdue his anger, lost a good percentage of his self esteem after that blow, and pushed himself so hard in training until he was just a millisecond away from dropping dead.
Levi was exasperated. He strolled into the kitchen at some ungodly hour in the morning for his third kettle of tea, a certain brat freezing up as he brushed passed him and put some water on the stove. He strolled back and took a seat in front of Eren, setting his chin in his hand. He blinked his half lidded eyes at the horrified ones and motioned to what's in front of him."Eat."
Eren broke out of his trance and blinked in confusion, lowering his gaze and setting his hands down.
"Eat." He repeated firmly, and Eren tensed.
"I'm done."
"You're not."
"But, sir-" He started in bewilderment, cringing as he forced out."You said I was-you said I-"
"And you believed me, dipshit."
Eren gave him a startled look."Huh?"
"So everything I say is true, is that what you think?"
"Of course." He said instantly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Levi just gave him a pointed gaze, and his eyes guiltily flicked from the table to his face."You. Are a gullible idiot."
"Sorry." He cringed.
"Eat. Blow off steam. Better than going on a fifteen meter rampage, hell, kid." he sighed, adding as an afterthought,"Keep thinking you're fat, helps you run your ass off. And build that form of yours."
"Yes, sir." He murmured, and clearly the point hadn't gotten through to him yet.
"So. If I told you your ass is nice, you'd believe me right away, hm?"
He sputtered, face heating up out of nowhere."O-of course not, sir."
"Well your ass is nice."
"I-I'm going to-" He got up, accidentally knocked his chair down, fixed it sheepishly. Resisted spontaneous combustion."I'm going to, if you'll-excuse me, I'm going to bed."
Levi eyed him with a hint of amusement as he stumbled out of the kitchen."Nice ass, Jaeger. Keep it up."
He hit a table's edge, hissed in pain, and rounded the doorway. Levi could practically hear the hiss of his skin burning.