ATTACK ON TITAN
content: fluff?-

"This is no fun."

A boy sighed as he threw a chess piece across his room. He was playing the game alone, but eventually found it quite uninteresting without playing with a partner. "I wonder if father would like to play with me." He perked up at the thought and skipped down the hallways with a small tune humming between his lips.

As he made his way to his father's door, he took a breath in and knocked. "State your name and business," his fathers voice muffled through the wooden door. He swallowed down his excitement and answered. "It's me. Your son. I came to ask a question."

A couple of seconds pass as he opened the door after a muffled 'enter'.

"What is it that you need?"  He asked, eyes glued to his paperwork.  It was tiring that he had to finish them by midnight.

The boy fiddled with his fingers and quietly said: "I just wanted to ask if you wanted to play chess with me.  Just one round!  Please."

His father turned a page from his paperwork, reading it, then sighing it.

"[Name], I don't have time to be playing with you at the moment.  I apologize."  Levi, his father, flipped another page.  He didn't even glance at the boy yet.

"But-"

"[Name].  Don't make me repeat myself."  Levi said sternly.

He frowned as his chest ached in pain.  [Name] knew that his father would say the same thing he always said.  Never making room in his schedule to spend time with him.  "Sorry.  Just wanted to spent time with you."

He turned for the door, but stopped for a moment.  "If only you were different."

Levi finally looked up.  But [Name] was already out the door.

(｀_')ゞ

[Name] decided to head outside, finding the cadets practicing their sparring.  at least i know one of them would hang out with me, he thought with a sigh.

"Hey Jean!  Wanna spare with me?"  He jogged towards the man who was having trouble finding a sparring partner.

Sweat formed on Jean's forehead.  Him sparring with an Ackerman?  He'll definitely pass.  "Hey kiddo.  I would love to, but I. . .  Uh-" he pulled Armin and wrapped an arm over his shoulder.  "I'm sparring with him." 

The blonde blinked a few times.  "W-What?  Jean, I already have a sparring partner."

"Yeah!  And it's me!"

The three turned their heads at the loud obnoxious voice.  It was Eren. 

Jean frowned at him. "Do you always have to be this loud? I'm right here." Eren twitched his eye while cracking his knuckles.

[Name] rolled his eyes as another fight was about to go down. "My father wouldn't like to hear about this." He sighed and started walking the direction to his father's office.  Hoping they would fall for it.  Both Eren and Jean snapped their heads his way. You wouldn't.

"W-Wait!" Said Jean.

"Don't tell him. He'll make us run till dawn!" Shouted Eren.

He stopped walking. Maybe he'll take this chance. "Oh? Then how will you make it up?"

The two glanced at one-another. "We'll spare with you."

Jean started sweating bullets. "W-We will?"

Eren nodded with a smirk. "He wanted to spare. I'm sure it'll be easy." He whispered the last part of his sentence. What Eren didn't know was that [Name] is able to knock out someone ten times his height. Jean would know. He was the own who got thrown over, because he took the boy's potato during dinner.

"Alight."  He cracked his knuckles and stood in a fighting stance.  "Just to let you know,, I'm not going easy on you two."  Eren chuckled mockingly, "we'll see about that." 

They stood for a couple of seconds.  [Name's] face was calm and straighten.  Just like his father's.  Eren started putting down his arms, realizing something.  "I thought you were gonna start fir-"

He didn't even let the teen finish as he took him down in a heart beat.  The brunette started coughing up for air.  "W-What? I didn't even see him move!"

The Ackerman slowly walked up to Eren's fallen form.  "Rule number one.  Never let your guard down."  He glanced at Jean, quickly grabbing his arm and swinging him on his back.  "Rule number two.  Help your teammate if they're in trouble."  He watched the two catch their breath.

"Pathetic that a nine-year-old can take down two men twice his size."  His cold gaze made the two shiver.  never again, never again.  Thought Eren repeatedly in his mind. 

"Well done, [Name]."

His eyes met a short figure walking his way.  "Father," he mumbled under his breath.

This made everyone on the sparring ground stiffen.  Captain Levi is present. 

"Is there something you needed to announce? Or perhaps you wanted to tell me to not bother you for the rest of the week."

Levi's straighten lips turned to a frown. He knew he wasn't the best father, but he really did try at times. But it always ended up with the two arguing about the simplest things.

"You're growing up too fast." He walked up to the boy who had his back turned. "And I'm just letting you slip through my fingers. I promised your mother to protect you and to be the best father that I could be. But I couldn't even keep that promise."

He knew saying this made him sound soft in front of the cadets. But he didn't care. He was going to fix what he broke.

"Give me another chance to make it up to you. And if you don't, I'll understand your decision."

[Name] looked down and thought for a moment. He never thought his father would go this far to apologize. Especially in front of all the cadets. He smiled softly. that's such a dad move.

He finally turned around to his father. "Okay. I take your apology.  But under one condition."  He walked up to his father, looking up slightly.  "Play chess with me."

Levi's lips tugged up.  The cadets stared in awe.  Was captain Levi smiling?  It wasn't big but it was noticeable.  Considering that his lips were always in a straight line. 

[Name] smiled as well.  it looks good on him, he thought. 

"But of course," Levi replied and took his son's hand into his.  "We can play as many rounds as you want." 

He quickly looked back to the cadets.  "What are you brats looking at?  Get back to work."  Stone cold eyes made everything go back to sparring with terrified gazes. 

"Talk about mood-swings."  Whispered Connie to a cadet next to him.  They nodded in agreement. 

As both Levi and [Name] walked back to the building, [Name] spoke with a soft whisper.  "I know I don't say this a lot, but,, I think you're a very cool dad." 

Levi raised a brow.  "If that's a way of saying 'I love you' then, I love you too, [Name]."

He watched [Name] scratch his head and took small glances towards him. 

"Y-Yeah.  Love you too, dad."

- - - - - - - - - -

rewrote this whole chapter-
at least it's better than the other one 🚶‍♂️

i can't unsee this now: