HIS GIRL AND HIS WOMAN

He found the mess hall unusually festive. It was as if humanity was not pushed to extinction. It was though there were no man-eating monstrosities waiting for them to make a mistake and devour them at an opportune moment. The soldiers were really having a good time and in all honesty, he found it comforting.

"Good morning, Heiichou. Here's your coffee, sir," said Petra Ral, the lone female soldier in his team of elite fighters. She had a smile brightly flashing at him as she handed the cup of coffee. He nodded in thanks as he sat down and partook of the meal, all the while observing the people around.

"Is something wrong, Petra?" he asked, realizing that the female soldier has not moved away and hovered at his side a while longer. She never did that before.

Petra Ral straightened her back and her cheeks turned pink. Erd Gin hid his chuckle behind a fake cough while Gunther Schultz sipped his coffee to hide his snicker. Aruruo Bossard clicked his tongue and made an annoyed face yet raised a thumbs up to encourage his female comrade.

"What the hell is it?" he asked, lacing a bit of annoyance in his tone. Swallowing all her nervousness, Petra extended her arms to him and presented a small heart-shaped box with his name on the cover.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Levi Heiichou!"

He was stunned… shocked even. No one has ever given him anything before and it was a completely new feeling to be considered special by someone. After a second of unresponsiveness, Lance Corporal Levi took the gift and said,

"Thank you, Petra. I am honored. Thank you." He placed the box at his side and continued with his meal. Petra sat down across him, still blushing, with her smile brighter than before.

Deciding to deposit the gift to his quarters first before obliging Erwin with his 'domineering' presence for the day's meeting, Levi left the mess hall and walked to his room. It was by the library's door that he saw her, Hanji Zoe, craziest soldier in the Legion, exiting, carrying a pile of books that reached until her nose. She had her back arched as she balanced the stack nearer her center of gravity. Her arms were extended and the whitening of her knuckles seemed to indicate the weight of the references she was carrying. Her glasses were slightly askew as she was using it, as well as her nose, to actually hold the topmost bounded manuscript in place.

She looked utterly ridiculous from his point of view. Yet, the sight of her made his lips twitch to a smile that actually ended up as a smirk accompanied by a shake of his head. With a soft click of his tongue, he decided to offer a hand.

"Oi shitty gl—-"

"Squad Leader Hanji! Let me help you with those!" It was her dedicated assistant, Moblit. The young man rushed to her side and grabbed the books on the top of the stack. Levi halted. Another soldier, a bespectacled man, approached them as well and took the rest of the books.

"Awww, gee… thanks guys. I could handle it, you know." He heard her say. But the men insisted in helping her. The two males were acting like boys with a crush. Realizing that his help was of no use now, Levi left.

Alone in his private quarters, Levi thought of what just happened. At the idea that men are suddenly hovering over Hanji, he felt his chest constrict. The idea that these men are actually fighting for her attention made his palms sweat and for some reason, he wanted to hold his blades and slice meat.

Distracted, he took hold of Petra's gift again and noticed that a note was attached. Opening it, he read a wonderful 'thank you' message for putting his high trust on her. Thinking of the bright-eyed girl in his team, Levi smiled slightly. He thought that this young lady was really thoughtful and reliable. It was a sound decision to place her next to him in the squad.

A moment later, a thought came to mind and his smile disappeared. He dropped the note and set aside the gift and left the room.

Reaching Erwin's office, Levi noticed that he was late, a characteristic that he was not known for. It surprised even the shrewdest of all soldiers, Commander Erwin Smith, that his underling was actually capable of being tardy.

His eyes went directly at the brunette sitting on Erwin's desk. Her eyes were wide in surprise. Apparently, his tardiness came as a first for her, too.

"Shall we begin? Levi, close the door." Erwin ordered. As he turned halfway to do as commanded, he noticed in his peripheral vision how his commanding officer ran his hand across Hanji's back as the brunette bent ever so slightly to hear a whispered comment from the handsome blond.

The image made him slam the door shut. Again, an uncharacteristic response from the likes of him.

"Something wrong, Levi?" Nanaba asked, concerned.

"Nothing." He hastily replied. The meeting proceeded with him staring unabashedly at Hanji who was oblivious to his gaze. Nanaba kept swatting Mike's arm to prevent him from hysterically laughing while Erwin found it ridiculously distracting to watch the two.

Finally the meeting ended with Erwin absent-mindedly agreeing to whatever Hanji proposed. Nanaba pulled Mike out of the office hurriedly before the man gave way to his laughter. Erwin pinched the bridge of his nose to relax himself and waved everyone to leave.

"Oh by the way, Erwin, I have something for you." Hanji said. She handed him a box wrapped in a simple blue cover. "Happy Valentine's Day, Commander." And she placed a kiss to his cheek.

And that made him so sick to his stomach that he just had to leave.

As much as he wanted to stay in his quarters and be left alone, he knew he had obligations to attend to. In his mind he thought busying himself with military tasks would not make him think of a particular brunette. He started with stable duty – supervise the new recruits in cleaning the horses' place and the horses themselves. He hasn't even reached the gates of the stables yet when he heard the ever familiar boisterous laughter. It was interesting to hear that her laughter was not the only ones that could be heard.

Lo and behold, Hanji Zoe was with three young new recruits and each one was handing her a bouquet of freshly picked flowers from the nearby wilderness. Hanji appeared so happy that she gave each soldier a peck on the cheek as she thanked them. She even sheepishly apologized that she doesn't have anything to give in return and promised that she'll make something up before the day ends.

Levi wanted to wring the necks of the new recruits. Yet, when he looked at Hanji's giddiness over something so trivial, he couldn't help but feel light as well. He couldn't help but feel content, feel at peace. Seeing her smile made him feel alive, thankfully alive.

Finally he made up his mind. He marched in and the recruits saluted hastily and crisply. Hanji gave him her usual dose of teasing, which he nonchalantly dismissed like usual. Levi started saddling his horse.

"Where are you going, Levi?" asked the bespectacled woman.

"I'll be back before supper." He replied, not answering her question. Hanji pushed for a location but he kept his mouth shut. It wasn't long when he galloped away leaving a bewildered Hanji Zoe and a group of newly recruited soldiers.

Levi knew what to get but he doesn't know where to get it. So his estimated time stretched beyond his control and he returned to headquarters a good hour before lights out. Whispering apologies to his ever-reliable horse for pushing him to his limits and riding him out till exhaustion, Levi gave his horse a rewarding dinner. He fixed the saddles and made sure the animal was clean before he went inside the barracks.

The hallways have quieted down when he entered. Only the remaining soldiers tasked to do a last cleaning on certain areas were left. Seeing Levi, they saluted and continued with the reminder of their chores, rushing slightly so they can get a good night's rest. The rather tired corporal nodded to them in response and continued on his way. His first stop was Petra Ral's quarters.

He knocked twice before the door was opened by Petra's roommate, one of the few females in the Scouting Legion. The lady soldier saluted stiffly despite the red color that tinted her cheeks and called her roommate over.

"Heiichou!?" Petra exclaimed, extremely embarrassed that she was reporting in her night clothes. "Sir, I apologize for my appearance. Uhm…. What… uhm… Why… What…" the young female stuttered.

Levi extended his hand and presented a box. "This is for you. A gift in return for your earlier present." He said. Petra could feel her cheeks burn and sheepishly murmured her thanks. She was about to bow to him when he caught her shoulder to stop her from doing so.

"Petra, you are a fine soldier, a fine lady. I am honored to fight alongside you." He continued. He took a breath before he moved on with his speech, one he mentally memorized as he made his way from town to the barracks. "I'm sorry that that is all I can give you. My undying trust and my pride as your superior officer. Nothing more, nothing less."

Petra could feel her eyes sting from what she heard. She swallowed that lump of tears in her throat and said,

"I am truly grateful for your trust and pride, Levi heiichou. And I will forever cherish them. I am proud to be in Levi's squad." She saluted wholeheartedly. Levi nodded in understanding. He closed the distance between them, caressed her cheek and whispered a very tender "Happy Valentine's Day" to his only female squad member. When Petra closed the door, her tears flowed and when she opened her Valentine's Day gift, she started sobbing. It was a pocket mirror with the emblem of the Scouting Legion etched on it. And below it the words "My Girl" was engraved in silver lining.

It was lights out when he reached her quarters. But, the flickering light that crept through the gap between her quarters' door and the floor gave him an indication that she was still awake. Probably still reading, he thought to himself. He had to breathe twice deeply to calm his nerves and his pacing heart. He wiped the sweat from his palms with a kerchief and straightened his cravat. He fixed his jacket and finger combed his hair.

When he thought he was ready, he casually knocked on her door. It was a fraction of a second after he knocked that he realized that he never knocked at her door before and openly cussed his stupidity. He was about to correct himself and just barge in when Hanji Zoe opened the door.

"Levi?!" she asked, puzzled. He was dumbfounded at the situation, most especially because Hanji wasn't wearing her usual night pajamas but a black corset lingerie and black bikini panties and her hair was messily sexy. He felt his blood left his brain and went down to a place where they really shouldn't be this early in the conversation.

"Oh fuck! Ugh~~ hahaha!" the squad leader laughed outrageously after realizing that she was in such a revealing outfit. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this. I was, uh, fitting Mike and Nanaba's Valentine's Day gift to me. If it's really that nasty, you can just turn around and well, forget what you just saw. Imagine I'm Petra, if you like." She said as she hurriedly stepped away from the door and grabbed her bathrobe to cover herself.

"Picturing Petra with that on is disgustingly sinful especially since I see her as a younger sister and a fine soldier and nothing more. And for the record, the fuck who pictures Petra wearing that will be the next menu for a fucking titan." He replied, getting back his wits. He entered the room and found Hanji frantically searching for a band for her hair and by the time he closed the door, she had her hair tied in a messy ponytail and she was completely decent with her bathrobe.

"Oh really?! I thought you were romantic with her. You know, romantic love can be mistaken as brotherly over-protectiveness." She teased. Levi leaned on the edge of the desk as the brunette made herself comfortable on her bed, a book in hand.

"I have no desires for young girls who blush and giggle." He replied, his tone distinctly sure. "I like my women seasoned. The likes that can stand my humor, my temper, and my edgy attitude."

"Edgy?!" she repeated and laughed unabashedly at the word. "NEUROTIC is a whole better adjective, shorty."

Levi moved from the desk to the bed. He leaned in, surprising the brunette, making her move backward, bumping her head on the headboard. Her book lay neglected on the her side as her attention suddenly shifted from the text to a very handsome face of a man with black hair and steel grey eyes that was staring her down behind her glasses.

"Le—"

He pressed his lips to hers, shutting her up. He tipped her chin with his thumb and placed a gentle pressure to make her open her mouth slightly. She found his lips warm and tender that she couldn't resist declare an opening for his tongue. He accepted the invitation and delved deeper. His hand crawled to her neck while hers did the same, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. When they parted, both were breathless. Hanji's glasses had fogged up a bit.

"Holy Wall Maria," Hanji said, panting. "Levi. I… We… I –"

Levi kissed her again but this time it was a sweet peck on her rosy lips.

"I got something for you." The raven-haired man pulled back and reached for a small box he placed on the desk. Sitting next to the bespectacled woman, he dangled a golden necklace in front of her face. Hanji felt her eyes moisten and she knew it wasn't from the earlier passionate kiss they shared. She held the pendant closer. It was shaped into the emblem of the Scouting Legion and there were words that were engraved.

"I don't understand the words." She said. It was written in a different language, obviously one that she has not studied. "Ma femme. Mon Amour. Ma vie." She read out loud. She turned to him for a translation.

"My woman. My love. My life." He supplied. "Happy Valentine's Day, Hanji."

It was useless controlling the tears so she let them stream down. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He kissed her back, savoring her taste.

"I didn't know you can be so romantic, Lance Corporal Levi," she said, breathlessly when they pulled back. "And a bit possessive, I see." She added, chuckling throatily. He looked at her and her radiant smile.

"Yeah, I am a possessive man. And I don't like it when my woman is flirting with other men. Especially with a tall blond fucktard."

"I don't flirt with Mike. Nanaba will kill me."

"I was referring to Erwin, Shitty Glasses. I want you distanced from him in kilometers. And no shitty gifts from now on. No sitting on his desk and for fuck's sake, no brushing of his fucking hand on your back. He does that and he dies." Hanji laughed at this. She planted a sound kiss on his cheek.

"I have to give Erwin gifts and I can't help but be close to him. And that brushing of my back was his endearment, jackass. If you intend for us to take this friendship elsewhere, you better be in his good graces." Hanji said. "Erwin Smith is my guardian. His father and mine were old friends. He's a brother to me." Levi's mood drop and it felt like a titan just crushed his torso.

"Fuck me." He muttered. Hanji's laughter roared through the room.

"Gladly, Lance Corporal." She teased. Levi was about to withdraw, reasoning that it was an expression of speech and that he has no plans of getting court-martialed or facing the wrath of sadistic commander for sleeping with his ward, but her kisses, her body heat, and her entirety was too tempting to resist.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Levi." She whispered to his ear as they both lay satisfied and content for the night.

~~ owari ~~