Tasteful - Levi x OC (Attack On Titan)

A Short-lived Protest

"No, no, nope, nah, nu-uh." Kain heavily protested, his unusually pale hands raised in surrender and a look of defiance on his youthful face.

Sighing, Carlisle pinched the bridge of his nose, "Listen kid, just go. Its easier for everyone that way." He grumbled under his breath in annoyance.

In response, Kain stomped his right foot down, his hands angrily clenching at his sides. The whole scene was reminiscent of a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. "Noooooo! I don't want to! Why do I have to go?" Kain whined loudly.

Lydia smiled gently at him, her cat like yellow eyes narrowing softly as she spoke in her usual sweet and calming voice, "If we could go then you know we would." She gestured to herself, Carlisle and Tobias. "But we aren't demons, Kain. We'd probably be killed just for going there, you know how he gets with humans."

"And you need to feed before the expedition." Arden added sternly, blood red eyes on blood red eyes as she stared over at her younger brother.

But Kain just pouted more, narrowing his eyes at his sister with an accusatory glare, "I could just feed like how I normally do: take a little, erase their memories! Besides, I'm not so desperate to eat like you are. Just because you had to prove you're so powerful and do mana healing. ArDeN cRoIx, ThE pOwErFuL hAlFbReEd." He mocked childishly, jumping from foot to foot and limply flopping his hands from side to side.

"T-thats not exactly fair, Kain. She's just learning to master her abilities." Tobias smiled shyly as he rubbed the back of his neck. Nervously chuckling when Kain sent him a glare.

"It doesn't matter. You know how much I hate Daine! I don't want to willingly go to him when I can be several hundred feet away from him." Kain huffed in protest.

Arden silently huffed before nonchalantly folding her arms over her chest, "You know... the last time I visited him, he wanted to drink my blood." She spoke calmly, eyes focused on her brother as his expression, along with everyone else's, immediately morphed into shock and anger.

"WHHAATTTTT?!" Kain screeched loudly and dramatically.

Carlisle's posture faltered as he stared at Arden with concerned eyes, "The fuck? Why wouldn't you tell us something like that?"

"I didn't think it was important." She replied boredly, swiping her long raven locks away from her face.

"Not important? Not. Important?" Lydia repeated in disbelief, "Arden, this is serious! You have to tell us something like that!" Her sweet voice was worried and full of fear for her friend.

Taking a step forward, Arden placed a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder, "Don't worry, I'd never let him do it."

"He's a greater demon." Carlisle responded matter of factly, "If he really wanted to, you wouldn't exactly have a choice... Hah, this greater demon pisses me off." He groaned, running a frustrated hand through his light brown locks and down his face.

Arden glanced over at Kain, seeing him completely still and seething with anger. He was uncharacteristicly quiet, his brows set in a deep frown and crimson eyes narrowed into a hard glare. Fists clenched tightly at his sides as his already pale knuckles grew shades lighter at the tight pressure. She had him right where she wanted him. Mentioning Daine wanting to drink her blood was enough to tip Kain over the edge and want to go with her. Now, she just had to wait for his explosive outburst.

"Kain?" Tobias timidly called to the deathly still man, "You really should go with her. That way you can protect her."

The corners of Arden's lips tugged upwards slightly as she reached over and lightly ruffled Tobias' striking silver hair. She wasn't sure why she always ruffled his hair. He was only a year younger than her so it wasn't a childish reason. It just sort of happened one day. Tobias was upset about some of the other Cadets in Cadet training bullying him for his slight stutter and timid nature. At the time, Arden and Tobias didn't know each other too well, but when she saw him crying, curled into a ball and hiding behind a shack, she felt a need to comfort him. It was during that time that the Croix siblings had planned to be loners and only rely on each other, but finding their old childhood friend Carlisle, meeting the caring and sweet Lydia and then finding the timid, smart Tobias, they just couldn't not get to know them. Arden had approached the crying boy and just sat with him until he stopped crying. She had watched him in training a few days before and despite what anyone said, the shy, timid boy with silver hair had real potential. Arden knew that he was stronger than everyone thought he was, than he himself thought he was. So she reached out and ruffled his hair, offering him encouraging words. Ofcourse this ended with Tobias bursting back into tears and wrapping his arms around her as he cried more. That was the first hug Arden ever recieved from someone other than Kain. Not even her parents had hugged her before. From then on, Arden couldn't find the strength to stay away from the timid, clingy boy. And that's how Tobias became like family to the Croix siblings, soon followed by Carlisle and Lydia.

She was woken from her thoughts when a warm hand took a gentle yet firm grip on her wrist, and a blur of short, messy raven hair shot past her. Kain dragged her behind him, walking with heavy stomps toward the door of Arden's room, the Elite Squad had gathered there to talk in private. "Well what the hell are we waiting for? We need to hurry and see that psychopath so that we can get back to base and be far away from him. Far. Very far." Kain huffed, feigning nonchalance but his tight grip on his sisters wrist betrayed him, exposing his worry and anger.

As he opened the door to her room he stopped, Arden stood next to him with her wrist still firmly grasped in her brothers hand. With a crazed, dark look, Kain snarled inhumanly, "And if that bastard even tries to touch you I'll tear him to shreds then put the pieces back together just so I can do it again."

Arden suppressed a smile as she stared at her younger brother who was practically foaming at the mouth whilst imagining all the ways he'd like to kill Drystan Daine. Tobias, Carlisle and Lydia watched the scene completely unfazed by his threats. Afterall, they were used to it.

With the slightly quickened rise and fall of his chest, the angry pants of breath and deathly look on his face, Arden couldn't help but find Kain adorable. He was always just so cute when he threatened to murder people.

Giving in, Arden allowed herself to smile wildy as she wrapped her arms around her brothers torso, embracing him tightly. The top of her head was resting against his shoulder as she gave him a slight squeeze, "Hah, my little brother is just too adorable." She cooed happily.

Kain's menacing and threatening aura immediately morphed into one of childish excitement as his snarl changed to a happy, proud smile. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he looked down at his shorter yet older sister, crimson eyes creased into little crescents. "Well, duh! Ofcourse I'm adorable, people can't get enough of me." He stated proudly, smiling a wide toothy grin.

"Yeah, right. More like can't wait to get away from you." Carlisle muttered from inside the room.

Kain immediately turned around, keeping one arm still wrapped around his sister as it seemed like steam was shooting from his ears when he faced Carlisle. "OKAY, YOU FREAKING LANKY ABNORMAL! SAY THAT TO MY FACE YOU BASTARD! LETS FIGHT RIGHT NOW--"

With a sigh, Arden grabbed her brothers hand, pulling her behind him as she headed for the stables. The whole time, Kain continued to shout a string of profanities, threats and promises of an ass whooping to Carlisle, who shouted similar things back. The two didn't stop until they were out of ear range and even then, she still heard Kain mumbling about 'really giving it to the lanky prick' when he gets back to base.

Arden chuckled as she prepped her horse Zazel, there was never a dull moment with her family.

~•~