"That turn just keeps getting sloppier and sloppier Y/n, come on we've been through this", Levi's voice continues to echo against the walls of the rink.
You've been at this for hours and it feels like you keep messing it up even worse. It's a routine that you guys had been working on since the start of the week and at first it was easy enough but now you just couldn't seem to get it right.
You had been antsy all morning, barely being able to function without your mind being distracted. The worst part is that you don't even know the root of what's bothering you.
You also haven't been able to sleep well these past few days and you're unsure what the cause of that is too. Overall, you could admit that you weren't having a good time.
It was a vicious cycle. You couldn't sleep well and that would make you unable to focus in practice. Then you would fuck up in practice and that would be the only thing you thought about for the rest of the day, causing you to also not sleep well.
No matter how many melatonin gummies you chewed, it felt like your sleep was becoming more and more fitful.
The only good thing was that you were still able to get your school work done so that was one less thing to worry about. You needed a break, you weren't sure from what but you felt like you needed a vacation really soon.
With your current schedule however, you knew it wouldn't be possible for a while so for now you would just have to look forward to the days where you didn't necessarily have anything to do.
They were rare but that made you appreciate them much more.
You tried to make a deal with yourself that if you perfected this routine within the next four days you would treat yourself to a little retail therapy on your off day.
Maybe you would even recruit Hitch to accompany you to the mall because if it was one thing she encouraged, it was your bad spending habits. You're convinced that the both of you could spend a million dollars in an hour at the mall.
You shook yourself from your thoughts and inhaled deeply. This condition that you had made yourself to help motivate you to work harder seemed like it would work. You just had to get serious, not that you weren't already serious but you had to give it your two hundred percent now.
It felt crazy, your hunger and drive sometimes scared you. You wanted more than anything to be successful in something you loved and you wouldn't let anyone, not even yourself stop you from doing so.
"Y/n, I really think you should take a break", Levi said, causing you to pause in the middle of the ice.
"It's fine, I'm fine I just need to focus", you reply, not wanting to stop.
"You've been saying that for the past hour. Look if you want we can call it a day. Go home, rest, you need it" he encourages and it sounds appealing but you know yourself well enough to know that it would be a bad idea in hindsight. You needed to get it right and FAST.
You have to get frustrated before you can really get to work. There was a method to your madness.
"No, I promise I just need to get this perfected and then we can go. I don't think either of us will be satisfied if I don't get it" you say, speaking for the both of you.
"Ok, but if you look like you're going to hurt yourself I'm sending you home." he says sternly as he starts the song over.
You nod in agreement before starting the routine again, still determined.
Levi watches intently as you go around the rink, flipping, twisting and turning with a force he hadn't seen since...well..himself.
The truth was that you had started to remind him of his younger self and that was beginning to prove to be a double edged sword.
![Levi Boyfriend Scenarios [AoT Junior High Ver.] (Levi X Reader) by MegaBlazethecat](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/96442330-80-k743902.jpg)
You were HUNGRY.
The only problem was that this type of hunger could be dangerous. This type of hunger could jeopardize not only your mental health but also your physical health. He of all people should know, he had too many injured ankles and hospital visits to not know better.
It was a tragedy to be honest. The thing you loved so much could potentially destroy you if you didn't do it in moderation. But there was also the internal battle of knowing that you could only get better by pushing yourself past the point of exhaustion.
One needed to get uncomfortable before they could achieve what they really wanted to.
He's so lost in thought that he doesn't even notice your presence again until he hears you scream from the ice.
"Fuck, it's like I can't do anything right", you all but yell, hands thrown up in the air and eyes glassy, clearly on the verge of tears.
Your mini meltdown would serve as an interesting view for an outsider. It resembles that of a toddler not getting their way. In fact, Levi is sure he's seen his niece and nephew behave in a similar manner when his sister took away their iPads. It's almost laughable.
It's almost laughable except it's all too familiar, he knows what this feels like. He knows what it's like to feel worthless even though you're giving something your all. To be doing all the right moves in your mind but your body seems to be doing the exact opposite.
Before he can speak to you, his mind runs on his old friend Hange and he curses them for a bit while shaking his head.
"You knew what you were doing, sending me someone exactly like me", he thinks. He doesn't know why he's surprised that his old friend would find pleasure in doing something as sinister as sending him a carbon copy of his teen self but it feels like a sick joke.
Maybe it's payback so he can see how annoying he was at your age.
Or maybe it was because though Hange recognized your talent and they also recognized the danger it could pose if you didn't get help. And of course, who better to help than someone who had lived this before.
"Alright Y/n that's enough. Practice is dismissed for the day." He says sternly, removing himself from his seat.
"One more round and I swear that'll be it, I just need to-" you begin to argue before he cuts you off.
"No buts, as your coach I'm sending you home before you hurt yourself and this is me being nice Y/n so please, do yourself a favor before I get upset", Levi says.
His voice has raised significantly in volume and it's enough to put a sense of fear in you to listen to him.
You had never seen him upset and it wasn't something you were anticipating either.
You've never really been spoken to like this before and you can feel your ego being bruised all over again, similar to how it was on your first day when he told you he didn't think you were a prodigy.
Your face remained still as you nodded your head but you felt like you would burst into tears any minute now.
"Ok", was all you managed to say as you began to unlace your skates and grab your duffle bag. This was by far your worst practice yet and you weren't even that far into the season. You needed to get it together and quickly. You couldn't afford to burn out when you hadn't even reached where you wanted to be yet.
"I'll see you tomorrow", Levi said trying to test the waters as you both exited the building and walked to your respective cars. It's a failed attempt but he doesn't take it to heart.
He knows you're probably too in your mind to even acknowledge it.
Sitting in his car, he ensures that you drive off before doing what he's about to.
He's sure there's some rule of ethics that's being broken right now but he hasn't ever really been one to go by the book.
