A/N: Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy. Feel free to review.
A couple of days later…
Merethe's POV
I was suddenly woken up by a small black paw on my face. Come on, I didn't want to get up. I was aware of the fact that it was almost midnight. I just wanted to sleep more. Sadly, I wasn't allowed to do so. The kitten dared to defy my wrath. It kept on poking my forehead. Groaning I pulled the covers to reveal my face and look at my enemy in the eye. Meadow was staring at me innocently. I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest. Rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand, I felt a sudden pain on my neck. Fuck's sake, training with Hanji had been harder than I had originally thought. She was merciless.
We had been training outside the walls. Yes, it was indeed stupid and dangerous, but it wasn't like there were titans randomly chilling inside the walls. I was willing to bet that, aside from Erwin, no one had been outside the walls more times than Hanji and I. Ironically, after all that training, I wasn't afraid of the titans anymore. They were just something I was able to control.
Even though I had been learning how to control my abilities, the outcome was horrible. Pain, blood, soreness and fatigue often made their presence known after every session. I would writhe in pain all night. My mouth would open itself in silent screams every time I moved in the morning. There was one time when I was walking towards my bedroom at night and passed out. I woke up to find myself in another bedroom. I instantly recognized it due to the clean aroma that lingered on it.
I opened my eyes and immediately became aware of my surroundings. The bedroom I was in, didn't belong to me. I didn't dare move. Instead I closed my eyes, once again and inhaled the familiar aroma. Levi. I was in his bedroom. I opened my eyes and looked at my side. He was right there, with his head on the edge of the bed, sleeping. I lifted my hand to run it through his hair softly. He stirred but quickly fell asleep again.
He was definitely tired. Erwin had been working him to the bone lately. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he was being observed by the superiors. Levi was an amazing soldier and a loyal young man. No wonder Erwin trusted him so much. I allowed my hand to rest on his head and closed my eyes. I still felt tired but the pain wasn't there anymore.
Levi somehow brought out the best of me. He was all the motivation I needed to become a better soldier. I wanted and needed to be able to be at his level. I knew I was at his level physically and mentally. But there was something that I couldn't quite get a grip on. His leadership. On the way back from the expedition, he was assigned to a different squad. Since it had lost its previous leader, Levi was to take his place. I had noticed how much soldiers respected him. How they looked up to him, with respect yet with fear.
I had come to the conclusion that I was better off as a lone wolf. Not wanting to put anyone at risk, much less my comrades. But, I was well aware of the fact that I couldn't do everything on my own, no matter how strong I was.
I slowly drifted off to sleep. It felt as if just a couple of seconds had passed when Levi woke me up.
-Hey, Merethe. Wake up, goddammit. –He said, annoyed.
-I'm awake, geez. –I answered rubbing my eyes.
-Good. –He said, standing up to pick up the glass of water that rested on his nightstand.
Levi offered me the glass and I happily accepted it. I was thirsty as hell. I gulped down the water loudly, not caring that Levi would hear.
-Thanks. –I said, wiping my mouth.
-Alright, I have to go now. You stay here and rest. I'll send someone to check up on you, ok? –He asked.
-Ok. –I answered.
He nodded and turned around to leave. But, he stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around and approached me. I felt nervous. Did I do something wrong? I closed my eyes, preparing for the worst. Yes, I had seen him punch before. Hell, I had received one of those punches. But, instead felt his lips touch my forehead. Sadly, the feeling left as soon as it came. By the time I opened my eyes, he was already gone.
I looked over at the clock and sighed. A minute to midnight. I tried falling asleep many times but I wasn't able to conceal sleep. I groaned and got up from the bed. My feet hit the cold floor. I walked towards the window and sat on the chair I had next to it. Resting my arm on the frame of the window, I noticed there was someone training outside. I figured it was Levi. He had a weird tendency to train at night, when no one was around. Much to my dismay, he was wearing a shirt. After debating with myself whether to man up and go train with him or not, I concluded that I wouldn't be able to sleep anymore.
So, I changed into a pair of pants and a shirt, tied my hair into a ponytail and headed towards the training grounds.
Levi's POV
My knuckles were bleeding from punching the tree bark so hard. I sighed and cleaned the sweat from my face. For quite some time, it had been hard for me to sleep. I didn't know the reason why and I, honestly, did not care as long as I was able to do tasks properly. Looking up at the sky, I noticed that there was a full moon. Full moons actually brought back memories. Nostalgic ones. I decided not to dwell on it too much and returned my attention to the tree. I was about to deliver another punch to it when I heard footsteps. Pulling out the knife I always kept hidden I tried to get a better look at my opponent, for personal reasons, and prepared myself to stab whoever dared to fight against me.
Surprisingly, I saw Merethe approaching me. Her dark hair tied into a ponytail. I lowered the knife and put it back in its hiding spot.
-Hello, handsome. Mind of I join you? –She asked smirking.
I shook my head at her failed attempt to seduce me and advanced so that I would be towering her. She lifted her head to look at me, since she was shorter.
-Please do, Miss Soltvedt. –I answered teasingly.
-How nice of you, Mr. Rivaille. –She commented whilst coming closer. Our chests were already touching. We were so close that I could lift my arms and embrace her.
-I appreciate the compliment. –I said, smirking.
Remembering that she owed me for that one fight, I used my leg to make her fall to the floor. To my surprise, she reacted quickly and took hold of my shirt, making me fall along with her. With me laying on top of her there was not much she could do. I used my elbows to take some weight off her and used one of my arms to pin both her hands above her head. She was breathing heavily. Staring right into my eyes, she smiled. She was absolutely fucking stunning. Beautiful in every possible way. Her hazel eyes had a knowing gleam that made me feel uncomfortable.
-It looks like we finally have a winner. –I stated. Not expecting such a comment, she seemed confused. Merethe was quickly to realize what I was talking about and somehow found enough strength to knock me off balance and climb on top of me. She was straddling my hips. She was dangerously close to certain area. I could simply thrust and she would moan with that sweet mouth of hers. But, I didn't. I was not about to go that way. Knowing I would probably take her right there if she didn't move, I rolled us over so that I was on top.
Pinning her hands above her head, once again, I had her completely at my mercy. I made sure to grip her wrists harder so that she wouldn't move much. I wasn't the one at danger of getting raped. My self-control was ready to fly out the window at any second. No wonder her next words surprised me.
-I dare you to kiss me. –She said. Seriousness covering her face like a veil.
I was dumbfounded, speechless. Was she really that bold? She was the one who asked me to kiss her. I didn't hesitate.
And so I did as told.
"The sweetest of all sounds is that of the voice of the woman we love." –Jean de la Bruyere
