Work Text:
Falling In Love with your Cadet
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Levi walked down the halls with an annoyed look on his face, it wasn’t even noon, and the brand new recruits had already made a mess. Just because it was called a “mess hall” didn’t mean they needed to make a mess in there.
Levi throws open the doors, ready to see the horrid room in all its glory but froze in the doorway.
The tables were wiped, including the undersides, the windows were clean, sparkling even, the ceiling was dusted. The chairs were dusted and wiped. The only thing missing was the floor wasn’t swept.
It was apparent that whoever had been cleaning it wasn’t entirely done. Still, the mess had already been taken care of, and all that remained was some basic cleaning.
Levi looked around wide-eyed. Whoever did this knew what they were doing. The cleaning was even up to his standards. Levi couldn’t see a single problem with it.
“Oh! Captain Levi!”
Levi turned to see Eren holding a broom in the doorway, one mask covering his face, another tied around his head, covering his long hair. Levi blinks at him.
“Eren, did you do this?” Levi gestures to the room,
Eren looked nervous, “Y-yeah, I did, sir,” he pulled his mask down so he could talk to Levi, “I saw the mess and had some free time. And I know how much you hate messes, so I thought I would clean it for you,”
Levi blinked at Eren again, “You….” he turns around and looks at the room again,
“Sir? Are you okay?”
Levi clears his throat, “Good job, Eren,” he says, “You missed a spot over there, but otherwise you did a good job,”
Eren brightened, “Thank you, Captain!” he smiles, “I’m not done yet though, would you mind moving so I can sweep the floor?”
Levi’s eyes widened, “There’s no need. You’ve done enough, Eren,” he grabs the broom from Eren, “Go ahead to training; I’ll finish up in here,”
“Are you sure?” Eren asks, “I can do it,”
“No, go on, Eren,”
Eren salutes Levi, “Yes, sir!” he walks away. As Levi watches him go, he feels his face burn. He places a hand to his cheek,
“Am I blushing?”
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Everyone was sitting in the mess hall. Talking happily at the tables, chatting about their day at training or their chores.
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the kitchen, causing everyone to start and look over. Black smoke began to waft from the room as the cooking squad came running out, a few putting their hands on their knees and coughing.
“Is everyone alright?” Erwin calls, rushing over.
“Y-yeah,” The lead chief says, “It was an accident. One of the new recruits misread an instruction and overcooked the food,”
Everyone waited for a few moments for the smoke to clear before Levi, Erwin, Eren, and the chief stepped back into the room.
Erwin coughed as he opened the door, smelling the burnt food; everyone looked around at the kitchen. The cooking squad groaned.
“Commander, Captain, I don’t know how to save this,” the head chef says.
“So you can’t save anything from this mess?” Erwin asked, and she looked worried.
“I don’t know how. Everything is burnt,” she said,
“That was a lot of food resources,” Levi grumbles, “What a waste,”
Eren then walked out from behind Erwin. He walked up to the chicken that was on the bench and took a knife. Everyone watched in silence and wondered what he was doing.
Eren took the knife, cut off the burnt meat layer, and saw that it was raw inside. He smiled.
“This one can be saved,” he says, “It’s only the first layer was burnt,”
Everyone looked shocked as Eren looked into a boiling pot, “The noodles in here can be saved as well. Looks like there’s no sauce or seasoning,”
Eren walked over to another slab of meat. He cut it off and put it in his mouth, spitting it out a moment later,
“Nope, that’s beyond saving but can still be of use,”
Eren then notices the vegetables on the counter. He looks them over, “These can be saved as well,” he turns back to the shocked group, “All in all, the only thing that can’t be saved is this chicken here. Everything else can be salvaged,”
“Eren, maybe you can cook something for us,” The chief said with a smile; she did have experience in the kitchen but not to fix another one’s mistake.
“Are you sure?” Eren asked. He secretly loved to cook. After all, his mother had taught him how.
“Yes, you seem like you know your way around the kitchen,” The chief smiles,
“If the Commander and Captain say it’s okay,” Eren says, looking at them, “I don’t want to overstep my bounds,”
Erwin smiles, “It’s alright, Eren,” he says, “I give you permission,”
Eren beams and the others go back to the table.
The cooking squad turns to Eren, the chief smiles, “Alright, Eren, what do we do?”
Eren smiles, rolling up his sleeves, “I have an idea. The first thing is we need to boil the chicken,”
“Why? Aren’t you going to use it?” someone asked, and Eren smiled.
“If you boil vegetables and meat long enough at the right temperature, it will become a broth. Make sure to cut all of the meat off the bones. We’ll actually need them,” Eren then turns a few others, “Cut up the carrots, onions, and celery. I also need garlic and some herbs,”
The squad wondered what he would need all that for. But they nodded and split up. When they’re all done, Eren adds the meat, garlic, herbs, and vegetables into a pot, pours water on them then closes the lid.
“We have to let that simmer for a little,” he says. He walks over to another pot, “It looks like there are just enough noodles in here, so no need for more,”
Eren eyes then light up, “We’re going to make so bread,” he says, eyes bright,
“Bread?” Sara, a member of the cooking squad, asked, “Why?”
“If you haven’t already guessed, we’re making soup,” Eren says, “Bread goes very well with this type of soup. Trust me, it makes it better,”
Eren and the squad quickly make some dough. When they put the bread in the oven, Eren checks on the pot.
“Perfect,” he says, “We can take the vegetables out now. Don’t spill any of the broth inside,”
A boy strains the soup, “What now?”
Eren turns to him, “Throw away the vegetables that were in the stock. All of their nutritional value has been simmered out by now. Grab some new vegetables and cut them just as you did before,”
The cooking squad had started to smile, excited to eat the food Eren was preparing. The boy quickly chopped up more vegetables and put them in the soup.
Eren walks over to the chicken that could be saved, “Can someone help me here?” he asked, “We need to cut the burnt layer off,”
Sara came over the helps Eren with that. Another girl takes the bread out of the oven. It smells heavenly,
“Just leave it on the counter to cool,” Eren says, “We’re almost done with the soup,”
Eren and Sara quickly chop up the chicken, and Eren adds it to the soup. He adds the veggies and adds some spices and herbs. He stirred the soup around for a little while then added the noodles.
Soon Eren turns to Sara, “Can you see how many people want food?”
Sara nods and walks out. She comes back a moment later, “45!”
Eren nods, “Pull out some bowls and small plates,”
Eren takes a ladle and pours some soup into a bowl. He then cuts the bread and adds it to the side.
“Ta-da!” He says, “Chicken noodle soup with a side of bread!”
Everyone made big eyes at the beautiful dish of food. It smelled wonderful too.
“Now, all you need to do is use the ladle to fill the bowl, then add bread to the side. Do that for everyone who wants food,” Eren said, and the Cooking Squad nodded. All went to work, and they too were very eager to taste this food.
Everyone outside was excited to see what kind of food they were going to get. It smelled wonderful, so much different than the food they used to eat.
Then, Eren, followed by the cooking squad, came in carrying bowls with food. Everyone stared at the soup in front of them. It smelled wonderful, and it looked amazing too.
Levi made big eyes when he saw the food. Erwin and Hanji weren’t doing much better with their shock.
Everyone quickly started eating, Eren looking around to judge everyone’s reactions.
Everyone started to make noises of glee or appreciation when they tasted the food. A few even shouted complements at Eren,
“This is amazing, Jaeger!”
“Oh my god! This is so good!”
“This is talent! Nice job, Eren!”
Eren blushed and ducked down at the praises. Everyone seemed to love it.
“Eren, this is the best soup I’ve had in my entire life,” Erwin said with a blessed smile; Hanji squealed and shoved more food into their mouth.
Levi stayed silent, he felt his face heat up, and his heart started to hammer in his chest this time. The food was terrific, and Eren was the one who made it.
“Again!? What’s happening to me?”
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Eren was waiting outside HQ at the training grounds. He was waiting for the Captain to start training. A few other Scouts stood a little away, Mikasa, Armin, and a few of his friends among them.
“Hey! Jaeger!”
Eren turned to see a scout he didn’t recognize stomping over to him. Eren turns to him,
“Did you need something?” he asked,
The Scout glares, “Captain Levi favors you,”
Eren flinched at the blunt statement, his eyes narrow, “Why would you say that?”
“Well, you’re always around him! Even when it’s completely unnecessary!” The Scout crosses his arms, “He’s kinder to you. Always sticks up for you. You can talk freely with him, and he doesn’t kick your ass. And after everything you’ve done, you deserved so much worse than jailing, but the Captain went easy on you!”
Eren steps up to the Scout, “Well, I have been in his squad for the past 6 years,” Eren noticed the crowd that had started to gather; Mikasa looked ready to pounce on the guy, “It’s not just me he cares about,”
“Travis! Stop! No!” Another Scout called to the boy,
Eren’s eyes widened. He now knew who this Scout was. Logan Travis, he’d been aiming for a spot in Captain Levi’s squad for a while.
“Is there something you wanted to say, Travis?” Eren asked, crossing his own arms.
“Just making an observation,” Travis said calmly, “Though, I was hoping you could clarify something for me,”
Eren shrugs, “Shoot, I’m all ears,”
“I just wanted to know if you’re actually going to train today or just have your Titan do it for you,”
Eren froze, “What?” his eyes narrowed, “The hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Since you joined the Scouts, every major success you’ve had has been the result of your Titan!” Travis smirked rudely, “You’re considered one of the strongest soldiers in the Scouts, but I have to ask: what exactly have you done to earn it?”
Eren growled, “I control the Titan, you dimwit!” He shouts, “Everything the Titan can do, I can do as well! It’s my skill!”
“Then why don’t we put that to the test!” Travis swung his fist at Eren, his fist connected with Eren’s cheek.
Eren stumbles back a few steps. Mikasa goes to jump in, but Eren gives her a look, silently telling her to let him handle this on his own.
The crowd goes wild,
“Oh my god!”
“Kick his ass, Travis!”
“Come on, Eren!”
“Someone should get the Captain!”
Eren kicks low at Travis’ legs, causing the boy’s body to smash to the ground. Travis gets up and goes to rush Eren. Eren locks his legs around Tavis.
“Tap out,” Eren says, “I don’t want to knock you out,”
Travis makes a choked noise, and suddenly another boy runs into the fight, kicking Eren’s jaw, making him let Travis go and slide backward.
“Thanks,” Tavis’s voice was raspy, “Let’s teach this bastard a lesson,”
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Levi rushes down the hallways. A Cadet had burst into his office saying that there was a fight going on at the training ground.
At first, Levi wasn’t too concerned, but when the cadet said a boy had attacked Eren, he feared the worst.
Levi pushes himself through the crowd and gasps at what he saw. Eren was on the ground, Travis kicking his stomach as another boy kicked his side.
Levi was about to step in when Eren grabbed the one’s boy’s foot, throwing it and causing him to fall. Eren swung his fist right into the boy’s face, and he collapsed, unconscious.
Eren’s long hair had fallen out of his bun, which framed his face as he slowly rose to his feet.
Travis looked at his comrade, shocked, “You son of a bitch!”
He goes to punch Eren but Eren uppercuts, hitting his jaw. Eren grabs his collar and throws him to the side.
Travis rolls around in the dirt for a moment before punching Eren again, hitting his temple. Eren stumbles back, and Travis kicks his middle, causing Eren to double over.
Travis stalks over to Eren, “Done yet?”
Eren punches Travis in the face again. As the boy doubles over, Eren punches his face, his stomach, then places a hand on Travis’ head and slams it into his knee.
Travis drops to the ground. Eren is bleeding and breathing heavily but seems to be okay. He sways a little and grabs a fencepost for support.
Levi was in shock. He knew Eren was good at hand-to-hand combat. But didn’t know he was that good.
“I’ve got to spare with him sometime,” Levi thought. Then the thought of Eren being strong enough to defeat him crosses his mind, and his face explodes. He ignores it and stomps over to the Scouts on the ground,
“Both of you, my office, now!” He orders, “I need to have a talk with you,”
Travis and his friend slowly get up and trench back to the castle. Levi glaring at them as they go.
Levi watches as Armin and Mikasa fuss over Eren, his wounds quickly healing. Levi couldn’t help but think of how powerful Eren was, as both a human and a Titan.
Levi feels his face heat up again, his heart flutters, and warmth flooded his body this time. Levi quickly left so no one could see.
“No, no, no! I’m not in love! No fucking way!”
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Levi made his way into the mess hall with Erwin and Hanji. The three leaders had finally gotten out of a long meeting and wanted nothing but to just take a second to sit down and eat.
When they open the doors, they see Armin and Eren playing chess.
Levi had to keep the smile off his face. He was happy that Eren was trying to patch his relationships with his friends. Everyone had been shocked and crushed when Eren went to Marley. Eren’s actions in Liberio destroyed them even more.
But, something had happened. When the Scouts were leaving, a girl had climbed aboard the blimp and had taken a shot at Sasha.
The girl had missed.
When Eren heard that Sasha was unharmed, he sobbed in relief.
Everyone thought the boy had gone insane, but he soon explained everything. His motives, the Attack Titan’s power to see into the future, everything.
Everyone had soon realized that Eren only did the things he did because he thought he was forced to. When Sasha survived when Eren’s vision saw her death, it opened up the idea that the future was not set in stone.
Eren was still punished for his acts. He was caged for insubordination for a few weeks. Eren took the punishment happily. After that, Eren was allowed back into the Scouts. But he was put under watch, Levi once again was given the job.
Eren’s brother, Zeke, was also welcomed to Paradis island. Eren and Zeke seemed to already form a brotherly bond, even though more than a few people had bones to pick with Zeke.
Speaking of the Beast Titan, he sat next to Eren, watching his brother play. Levi, Erwin, and Hanji join the three shifters at the table.
Eren and Armin didn’t seem to notice, too absorbed in the game. Zeke noticed and nodded to them.
“Commander, Captain, Section Commander,”
“You can drop the formalities, Zeke,” Erwin says, “There’s no need for them now,”
Zeke seems a little shocked but nods, “Sure,”
“Did you know Armin and Eren knew how to play chess?” Hanji asked,
Zeke shook his head, “No, but I suspect our father taught Eren. Maybe he then taught Armin,”
Eren then smiled and fist-pumped the air, “Checkmate Armin!” He said with a happy but smug smile.
Armin sighed, “I’ll never beat you, will I?” He asks with a soft and fond smile.
“Nope! You have to remember who taught you,” Eren says, crossing his arms,
Armin laughs, “Yeah, that’s fair,”
Zeke laughed, “Okay, my turn, I want to play my little brother,”
Armin and Zeke swapped places, Armin sitting down next to Erwin, who smiled at him.
As the Jaeger brothers started their game, Erwin turned to Armin,
“How come you and Eren know how to play?”
“Eren’s father taught Eren,” Armin said, “Then Eren taught Mikasa and me,”
The three leaders nod,
“So Eren won?” Levi teased lightly. Armin rolls his eyes,
“I’ve never been able to beat him,” he places his chin on his hand, “Not once, and I don’t think it’s just because he taught me to play.”
“Then how come?” Hanji asked,
Armin sighed, “A lot of people underestimate how smart Eren actually is. Eren is what people would consider a Mastermind. Every time I make a move, he has me figured out and already knows how to defeat me in so many different ways!”
“Huh, I wonder…..” Erwin smiles, “Hey, Eren!”
Eren turns his head, “Yes, Commander?”
“I want to play after Zeke, if that’s okay,”
Eren blinked, “Uhhh. Of course, sir!”
Erwin smiles as Eren goes back to the game. By the looks of it, Eren was beating Zeke, and the blonde didn’t look happy about it.
Soon, after another win for Eren. Erwin took Zeke’s spot, and the board was reset.
As the game progressed, everyone was soon staring at the board with wide eyes.
Levi and Hanji were shocked because Eren had managed to put Erwin in a corner. Armin was shocked because Eren had never been this close to defeat before. And Zeke was just stunned overall.
Both Eren and Erwin were thinking deeply. Both of them were very calculating, and it made it challenging.
Eren then smiles and makes his move. Erwin sighed in defeat. It wasn’t an angry sigh but more like a content and amazed sigh.
“Checkmate, Commander,” Eren says with a tired smile.
“That was the best game I’ve had in a while. Let’s play again sometime, Eren,” Erwin smiles at him,
“Yes, sir!” Eren’s smile was big.
“That was awesome!” Zeke said, “Holy shit, Eren!”
“Yes! To think that Erwin found his match when it came to strategy,” Hanji said, bouncing in their seat.
Levi was still frozen. He was shocked at Eren’s intelligence. He blushed, his heart fluttered, and the warmth was back, and this time Levi couldn’t pry his gaze away from Eren.
“Fuck it, I’m in love,”
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No one could deny that Eren was a beautiful, handsome man.
Standing at six feet, he usually has long brown hair in a bun, thick brows, a gorgeous pair of blue-green eyes with flecks of gold in them, an angular nose, plump lips, and sun-kissed skin.
You would be mistaken if you said Eren Jaeger was anything less than beautiful.
And it was currently causing problems for Captain Levi.
Once Levi was able to figure out he was in love, it plagued him for days.
Levi stared down at his paperwork, unable to focus. His mind on the male brunette. He was just so….so….attractive!
Levi screams in frustration as his head hits the desk. Everything about Eren was perfect.
He was clean, intelligent, powerful, kind, and quirky. Everything Levi saw in a partner. But the Captain couldn't muster up the courage to talk to Eren, and it was eating him up inside.
Deciding he needed a break, Levi left his office to the mess hall. Levi freezes when he sees the devil (who is really an angel) himself.
Eren was sitting with his friends, chatting happily. His laughter was music to Levi's ears.
He hated it.
Levi plops down next to Hanji, who looks at him confused.
"What's up with you,"
Levi just mutters nonsense and covers his face with his hands. Hanij was now even more confused but shook it off and started to talk about something random.
Levi tuned them out and turned to stare at Eren. He wore nothing but a simple shirt and pants. Levi could see the edge of his collar bone….
"Levi!"
Levi jumped and turned to Hanji, "What?"
Hanji was trying not to laugh, "You were staring at Eren with this lovesick expression on your face. Are you okay?"
Levi's face turned redder than a thousand suns. He turned away, "Y-Yeah?"
It finally clicked for Hanji, "Oh…my….god,"
Levi growled, "Shut up!"
"You like him! You like Eren!"
"Can you say it any louder!?" Levi hissed, "The entire regiment couldn't hear you!"
Hanji cackled loudly, "Oh my god. Our little Captain finally found love!"
"Shush!" Levi whined, "Shut up, shitty-glasses!"
Luckily, no one was paying enough attention to hear what Hanji was saying. Levi tried to cover his red face without being suspicious.
But someone was looking at Levi. A particular brown-haired male was looking at Levi, slightly concerned.
Eren walked over to Levi, "Sir, are you okay?"
Levi jumped ten feet into the air, whipping around to look at the bane of his existence,
"Y-yeah, I'm fine,"
Eren places his hand on Levi's forehead, "You burning up, Captain," he says, "Are you sure you're not sick?"
Levi's face felt like a fucking inferno, Hanji was cracking a rid trying not to laugh, and Armin was sneaking glances with an amused smirk on his face.
"Yes!" Levi says, "I'm not sick, no if you'll excuse me,"
Levi pushes past Eren and continues into the hallway. To his annoyance (or relief), Eren follows him.
"Hey! Captain Levi! Hang on a second, sir!"
Levi doesn't stop. He just walks faster. Eren runs up and blocks his path, a worried look on his face.
"Sir, please!" He says, "You've been acting very strange lately, and I just want to make sure you're okay!"
Levi's eyes widened at Eren's kindness. His time at Marley really did change him. He was now more focused on his friends.
"I'm fine, Eren, really," Levi says, "Now please, step aside,"
"I know you're lying to me!" Eren shouted, "Please! You've been avoiding me, and I want to know what's wrong," tears form in Eren's eyes, "Was it something I did? When I was…."
Levi gasped. Eren thought Levi was mad at him because of his actions in Marley. When Eren had been so depressed that he felt he couldn't do anything about the horrible future he had seen.
Levi grabs Eren's arms, "No! No, Eren! It's not about that! I'm not mad at you anymore! I told you that!"
"Then why?" Eren's voice was small and insecure, "Why are you avoiding me?"
"Because I've fallen in love with you!" Levi shouts both males freeze. A blush decorates Eren's face as he looks at Levi in shock.
"You…...what?"
"God, I love you so much, Eren," Levi says, looking into the boy's shocked eyes, "When I look at you, part of me wants to stop being your Captain. I want to praise you, compliment you," Levi puts both his hands on Eren's face, "You're the most beautiful person I have ever seen,"
"Levi…."
"I think it actually started when we got you back from Marley. Seeing you….just blank like that. Completely blank. I…..I don't ever want to see you like that again. So don't you dare do that again. I….I don't think I can handle it,"
"Levi…."
"I'm sorry. I know it's sudden...I don't know what came over me….I--"
Suddenly, a pair of lips were being pressed against Levi's own. Levi lets out a noise of surprise; Eren was kissing him. Levi sighed and closed his eyes, melting into the kiss.
They both move until Eren is backed up against the wall, hands on Levi's hips and Levi's hands in Eren's hair.
When they break for air, Eren smiles at Levi,
"I love you too,"
Levi smiles and dives in for another kiss. A cough stops them.
Both male's eyes widened, and they turned to see Hanji standing in the doorway. A smile on their face.
"People are starting to wonder where you guys are," They said, "Should I tell them you both went to bed?"
Eren smiles bashfully, "We'll be there in a second,"
Hanji leaves, and Levi lays his head on Eren's chest, "What do we call this?"
"Boyfriends?" Eren asked. Levi snorted.
"That sounds like we're in the Cadet Corps,"
Eren hums, "How about partners,"
Levi sighs, holding Eren closer, "Yeah, partners, I like that,"
Eren kissed the top of Levi's head, "I love you,"
Levi smiled, "I love you too,"