A/N: I am probably the only person in the whole fandom who actually ships this pretty hard. I've written more than just this drabble for Levi/Rico and I may expand this into a sort of drabble collection if anyone's interested.
They always meet under unusual circumstances.
This time is no different—in the throngs of people exiting the courtroom, nobody notices that when Captain Levi of the Scouting Legion walks past the squad leader of the Stationary Guard's 1st Division Elite Force, he moves slightly closer to her than necessary, and no one sees the way his hand catches hers for a brief second or the way his mouth hovers next to her ear for a moment to say, "Outside."
The front of the courthouse is teeming with people, some just emerging through the doors and others waiting for news of the trial on the steps, but there is a sharp turn leading to a secluded area behind the back of the building that presses close to the next one over, and she meets him there. He is leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest, one foot crossed over the other when he hears her footsteps approach.
"So you and Smith managed to outsmark Dawk," she says by way of greeting, stopping two feet away from him. Her voice is calm, matter-of-fact, betraying nothing of what she must feel after Eren Jaeger's trial.
Levi shrugs indifferently, keeping his eyes trained straight ahead, and out of his peripheral vision he can see her sigh.
"I hope you know what you're doing. You heard what happened, but you weren't there to see him go berserk. He's a fifteen-year-old boy, but he's also a danger to himself and to humanity, and I don't think putting him in the hands of daredevils is a good idea."
"I've got him under control," Levi says, and Rico snorts.
"Of course. Very convincing act you put on there. Brutal, some might say."
He turns to look at her then, eyes flat, mouth a hard line. "Are you actually here to talk about this?"
She joins him against the wall, stretching her arms out before dropping them back to her sides, raising one hand to push her glasses up her nose. She glances at him and after a moment, smiles almost incredulously.
"What?"
"Titan shifters. This changes everything."
He makes no reply; she knows as well as he does why they're here and it is not to discuss military affairs or new developments in the constant fight for humanity. So many things have changed since the first time he saw her, small and pale and severe in her beauty at one of many military galas in Sina, but when they meet they do not talk about these things.
"Well, you and Smith won this round," she says, tapping her fingers against his thigh. He uncrosses his arms to grab her hand, stopping her fingers mid-motion, and does not release it.
"Eren Jaeger is the Scouting Legion's burden and responsibility now. You'd better hope he does well on that upcoming mission outside the walls, or I think—"
"I don't actually," Levi interrupts, "give a fuck about what you think."
She rolls her eyes at him. She is brilliant, he knows, and sometimes he feels the Scouting Legion would have greatly benefited from her presence, but at least she is relatively safer in the Garrison and really, there's no point whatsoever thinking about such things when they're probably all going to die soon anyway—
"I just want you to proceed with caution. You're humanity's strongest soldier"—the title is wry coming from her mouth—"but that boy can turn into a Titan so I really hope you know what you're doing—"
"Oh," he says, his grip tightening on her fingers, drawing her closer so that the space between their bodies disappears, "believe me, I know exactly what I'm doing."
He probably kisses her to shut her up as much as because he wants to, but she lets him anyway, parts her lips and traces her fingers up his face, tugs at his hair. His hands travel slowly down her sides to rest on her waist, the warmth of his palms seeping through her shirt, soaking into her skin, and she pushes him against the wall, pressing against him almost insistently as his mouth moves to her jaw, then her neck, lips rough but teeth somehow gentle on her skin.
After a moment he leans away, takes a deep quiet breath, and she rubs her swollen lips ruefully. "You should get back to your comrades. Check on Eren Jaeger. You didn't damage him permanently, did you?"
He does not deign to answer, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers for an all-too-quick second instead. He does not say anything but he thinks she must understand, because she allows him the brief moment of respite before pulling away.
"I'll see you around," she says, and then she turns and walks away, patting down her pale blond hair and readjusting her glasses as she goes.
He watches her leave and waits a minute before following, returning to the front of the courthouse and making his way up the steps, back to Eren Jaeger and the Scouting Legion and military business and his life. I'll see you around, she said, and he doesn't doubt it.
After all, they always meet under unusual circumstances, and considering recent events, there are plenty of those to come.