Chapter Text
Levi did not get paid enough for this shit.
“You have a lot of nerve barging in here like this, brat.” He eyed the envelope that was slammed down on his desk just moments before, distrusting both its content and its sender. Part of him was concerned for the wellbeing of the wood, while the other, much larger part wanted to break the whole damn desk over Mikasa's head.
Levi had half a mind to do just that, but then Erwin’s smug face reared itself at the forefront of his mind - gleefully deducting the cost from the Survey Corps’ tea budget like a titan-sized asshole. He frowned.
Mikasa’s stance, much to Levi’s dismay, did not waver under his scrutiny. “You did not answer when I knocked. For all I knew, you were dead on the carpet - potentially assassinated. I was merely following protocol… Your safety in particular is necessary for humanity’s survival,” she muttered through gritted teeth, as if the words physically pained her to say. “Luckily, you were merely plucking lint out from the carpet, not assassinated.” She pointed to the envelope now in his hands. “This, however, is a matter that requires your immediate attention.”
Levi rolled his eyes, wondering how many laps around headquarters he could order Mikasa to run before she passed out. Probably hundreds, and no one had the time to monitor that, least of all him. “Tch. Whatever.” He tore open the note, scanning over the words written in meticulous, cursive script. “What the hell is this shit supposed to mean?” After reading it over once more - slowly digesting the stupidity of it all - something in his jaw twitched. “You’re calling for a clan meeting?”
She nodded. “Yes. Sunday night, if you’re able. According to my father, members of the Ackerman clan would gather a few times a year to share a meal and discuss clan affairs. Sometimes, they would even-”
“There’s only two of us,” he cut her off, flat and lacking in flexibility. “That’s hardly anything that needs managing.”
“With all due respect, Captain, there are only two that we know of. You and me. All the more reason to hold a meeting.”
Levi leaned back in his chair, his elbow pressing against the armrest while two fingers massaged his throbbing temple. He was getting too old for these types of surprises. “And you think this is a good idea because-?”
“It is important to uphold traditions, sir.” She said it so smoothly, so effortlessly, that she almost had him convinced. But still, a major flaw strung itself through her shitty logic.
One line in particular held his attention hostage on the page. “Oi. Brat. Tell me something.”
“Yes, Captain?”
He inhaled, held it for a long moment. “What exactly gives you the right to declare yourself as clan head?”
At first, she looked taken aback, as if she was the obvious choice - a notion that Levi fundamentally disagreed with. Not that he cared about rankings in a two-person clan, and especially not if the other member was Mikasa, of all people.
But, of course, she had an answer for that, too. “I have been an Ackerman much longer than you. All my life, in fact. In every regard, that makes me more qualified for the position.”
“More qualified? ” Levi breathed in. Then out. Controlling his temper, as he was so often told to do. “Excuse me?”
As if sensing his mood, Mikasa turned on her heel and was halfway out the door before she delivered the final blow. “Try not to be late. For the time being, I don’t have anyone else to be second-in-command, so I’d hate to demote you.”
It was at that exact moment when Levi chucked a five-pound paperweight at his subordinate’s head, which, unfortunately, veered to the left and missed its mark. She slipped out of the room like a wisp of smoke, leaving behind only a hideous glare in her wake.
"Piece of shit kid," he grumbled under his breath after ensuring she was gone and out of earshot. "Dumbass clan meeting, tch."
Levi glanced down at the paper one last time and took note of how it was folded precisely down the middle, and how each line of text was written carefully. Evenly. As though it had taken many tries to perfect.
Despite its strengths, the awkward wording and unpracticed signature reminded him that Mikasa was still only fifteen. A twice orphaned teenager.
Sighing, he folded the note up carefully and slid it into his jacket pocket. With any luck, Erwin would still be in his office when Levi got there.
He needed to request Sunday night off.