Chapter 12: Left Behind

Amelia was sitting on the front steps of the HQ, a sweater and scarf warming her from the brisk spring weather. The physician had allowed her off her crutches as long as she took it easy for a while which meant no use of the 3DMG. The Survey Corps' headquarters was especially lonely and quiet today, most of the others who'd been left behind keeping to themselves. Amelia had been alone now for a few days due to her injury while the others were on their expedition. In theory, they were supposed to come back sometime today, but things rarely went to plan in the Survey Corps. Amelia had quickly decided that having to remain inside the walls during an expedition was possibly the worst situation she'd been in since joining the Corps.

At first, she had been furious with Levi for the way he'd trapped her in his room but as the days wore on, her anger had dissipated into concern and then outright worry. And now as she sat on the stairs, waiting for his return, she could only hug her knees to her chest and remember the feeling of his lips on hers, praying that he would return safely. Levi may have been humanity's greatest weapon, but he had revealed to her the secret he'd managed to keep so well hidden from everyone else—he was just a man. She didn't know what was happening between them, nor exactly how she felt. Her reservations were still there, but she knew with an undeniable certainty that she wanted the opportunity to figure all of it out. And from the way he'd kissed her, she thought he might want that chance as well.

Knowing that she'd drive herself crazy sitting on the steps and waiting for them, she grabbed the bag beside her and headed past the training fields and into the woods. Lowering her bag, she stepped into her harness, cautiously arranging the straps on her right thigh where she'd added extra padding cushion her leg. She clipped on the prototype of the double belt system, giving it a practice whirl before shooting her lines into a nearby branch.

Amelia grunted in momentary pain as her harness lifted her from the ground but managed not to focus on it too much. Releasing the lock on the belt, her body spun freely, and she hung backwards in her harness. It was a strange sensation. Rocking her hips back and forth, she managed to swing back up and used the momentum to twirl again. It seemed to be working well, she thought with satisfaction, but would require a lot of tests to be sure. Moving cautiously through the trees, she slowly began to get a feel for it over the better part of an hour.

"Idiot. You were supposed to stay off that leg," came Levi's sour voice.

Amelia quickly dropped to the ground, stumbling towards him on impact. Throwing her arms around his shoulders, she pressed her lips to his. His body tensed up in momentary surprise before he relaxed into her kiss, wrapping his arms loosely about her waist. They pulled apart after a long moment, and Amelia blushed a deep shade of red at her eagerness, unable to hold his gaze. His fingers lifted her chin and brought her eyes back to his. He seemed content merely to look at her again for the first time in days.

"You smell awful," she told him with a smile, and his eyes narrowed at her in irritation. Though his appearance was impeccable as ever, but his greasy hair and pungent odor gave away the days they'd all spent away from a shower. Amelia was immensely flattered that he'd come to find her before cleaning up.

"I missed you," she mumbled, letting her head drop to his shoulder, her eyes closing as she enjoyed the sound of his heartbeat and the warmth of his embrace. "I'm glad you're safe."

"Tch," he clicked softly, running his fingers through her hair. "Idiot."

…..

Levi had a unique style when it came to his use of the 3D maneuvering gear. When attacking a titan, he knew that fighting them with strength alone was a losing battle. The titans would always be far too strong for them to compete with on that front, so he had developed a technique which relied on overwhelming speed. He would flip head over heels in a deadly whirl, so as not to tangle himself in his line, or go into a kamikaze freefall which was terrifying to watch. His unconventional backhanded grip of the knives let him rely on his momentum to carve open titan flesh.

As Amelia helped him strap into her double belt design, he couldn't help but look forward to testing it out. The system seemed to have been made especially to suit his technique, and if he could rely on momentum to help him spin, it would allow him to reach greater speeds and levels of deadliness with less strain on his body. Though his technique was especially effective, it took so much bodily strength and strain that it would quickly tire the person attempting it. It also reduced precision unless a person was exceptionally skilled at the 3DMG, and even then, not everyone could master it. That was why Levi was one of the only people who was able to utilize his technique to its fullest effect.

Levi's eyes rested on her face, as Amelia examined the full extent of her new creation, checking the belt and straps of his harness, her nose wrinkled in concentration. Her leg had been healing nicely while they were gone, but the doctor had said she was still out of the 3DMG for another week or so. It would be another few weeks before any expeditions were scheduled, so Levi had the leisure to test Amelia's completed design. She'd been explaining the controls to him in depth, but Levi mostly hadn't been listening, he tended to learn things by doing them rather than hearing them explained.

"It looks properly fastened," Amelia mused to herself, "Do you think you can handle it?"

Levi gave her a look out of the corner of his eyes, and Amelia blushed realizing who it was she was talking to. Shooting up into the trees, he moved around them quickly and effortlessly. Being in the 3DMG was freedom, it was flying. It was where Levi found that he could drown his cares in the sensations of the wind against his skin and the strength of his own body, moving him precisely where he needed to go.

Levi's fingers gripped the new hilt of the knives experimentally, his middle fingers of his left hand clutching the new control that Amelia had placed there experimentally. With a hard squeeze, Levi twirled, finding surprisingly little resistance after making the first turn. Amelia watched as he spun effortlessly through the trees, taking notes in a notepad, her clumsy lettering sprawling across the pages. The added weight of the belt around his hips actually seemed to be making balancing in the harness even easier, lowering his center of gravity.

Landing against a tree, Levi attached his knives to the hilts and jumped off again, heading towards one of the mock titans with a twirling attack—only this time, one that was horizontal rather than vertical. In a moment that was almost too fast to see, Levi smashed through one of his lines and crashed hard into a tree, dropping to the ground. Amelia dropped her notebook and raced over to him, but Levi had already pulled himself to his feet and was rubbing his side, re-sheathing his blades.

"What happened?" She asked, surprised by Levi's annoyed expression.

"I cut through my own line," Levi muttered in frustration. "Damn."

Amelia giggled softly at him, and Levi turned a murderous gaze on her as her giggling devolved into muffled snorts. "I'm sorry, I've just never seen you make a mistake before."

Levi's black expression changed slowly into one of amusement at her smiling face, and he resumed rubbing his side. He should have known that was going to happen, but it was an easily solvable problem. He just needed to stay at an angle at least perpendicular to the lines or more when attacking.

"I'm glad you're alright," Amelia smiled at him, helping him detach his harness. She pushed his shirt up to examine his side, her fingers gliding across his toned abdomen, prodding gently at his ribs. "I don't think anything's broken."

Levi felt electricity move through his body at the touch, and he caught her fingers in his hand. Looking at her with dark eyes, his thumb caressed the back of her knuckles in a gesture that was almost tender. He watched Amelia's cheeks turn a faint pink before she cleared her throat and moved away from him. He couldn't help feeling disappointed as she moved to grab her notebook from where she had dropped it. What had happened to the girl who'd thrown herself into his arms and pressed her lips to his when he'd returned the previous day?

"How did you like it before you crashed?" She inquired, beginning to head back towards HQ. Amelia kept her eyes ahead of her, afraid that if she looked at him again, she might do something embarrassing. It was amazing how such a simple gesture from him could light a blaze of desire in her body. Her hand felt hot from where he'd touched it.

"The initial turn took a lot to get going, but after that it was smooth. I'm not sure about the hand controls yet, I'll have to let you know during our next test." He answered, catching up to her. She couldn't help but smile at that, he seemed to have a positive opinion of her invention so far, and she'd work on his critique before the next time. Amelia walked in silence next to him for a while, so enjoying his presence that she really didn't notice that she'd been following him until they stopped outside the door of his office.

"Oh, um sorry," she stuttered, "I guess I'll see you…"

"Wait," Levi said as she turned away, and he ran a hand through his hair in indecision as her face turned towards him. "Did you want some tea…? I have to work on a report, but you're welcome to stay."

Amelia opened her mouth, closed it, and then nodded, a small smile spreading across her face as she followed him into the room, taking a seat by his desk as he prepared the tea. His strong frame was illuminated by the warm fire in the hearth. Levi was lucky to have a fireplace in his office, there were only a few private ones in the entire building. The firelight emphasized the dark circles beneath his eyes even more as he turned with the hot water, gracefully pouring it through tea leaves. His fluid movements told of how many times he had done this, and his long fingers grasped the top of the teacup, handing it to her as he sat down behind his desk.

Amelia accepted the cup gratefully, enjoying the delicious aroma of the tea leaves, the steam warming her face. She leaned back against the chair contentedly, enjoying simply watching Levi as he bent over his desk and worked on his reports. The familiar furrow between his eyebrows while he concentrated on his work was enough to make Amelia's heart skip a beat. He looked older like this, more tired and drained, the circles beneath his eyes more emphasized than usual. It was nothing like how he looked in the 3DMG; in his gear, he appeared young and as carefree as Captain Levi could ever come to looking.

Amelia had always assumed Levi was somewhere in his late twenties, certainly younger than Commander Erwin, but looking at him now, she wasn't sure. He must be quite a bit older than she'd originally thought. She wondered absently what he must think of her. She was so much younger than him. Was his new affection merely one a man might give to a younger woman? Did he take her seriously? Did it even matter? It's not like they were in a real relationship. But she couldn't deny that she wanted him. Memories of their time together over the winter expedition had been haunting her dreams for ages, but now that they'd exchanged kisses once again, Amelia had been silently suffering from pent-up desire. Did he reciprocate those desires? If she kissed him again, would he kiss her back? She bit her lip and looked into the fire in an attempt clear her thoughts.

"Something wrong?" Levi asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes, having noticed her change in demeanor. Amelia couldn't help but smile brilliantly as his eyes locked on hers.

"Nothing, just thinking," she answered. "Don't mind me."

His eyes lingered on hers for a little longer before returning to his paper, but this time he seemed to be the one with his mind on other things. His writing was more sporadic, and the words were hesitant. With a sigh he leaned back in his chair, his eyes returning to hers. He stared at her for a long enough time that she looked away and shifted in her seat, not certain what to do.

"I've been meaning to ask…" Levi began hesitantly, looking almost… embarrassed? "Were you… I mean, that night, was that…"

"What is it?" Amelia asked, beginning to understand what he was asking but enjoying herself too much to put him out of his misery by answering. Levi's eyes narrowed at her as a smile began to sneak across her face.

"Cut the shit, Amelia," he snapped at her.

"What," she teased, twisting a strand of hair around her finger, her eyes playful. "I just want to hear your question, Captain."

"When we… was that your first time?" He bit out finally, looking away from her, and recovering his neutral expression. Amelia tried to stifle her laughter but couldn't manage it and found herself snickering into her hand. Levi levelled a poisonous gaze on her, and Amelia's laughter quickly died away into a muted grin.

"I think you have a very warped view of me," Amelia told him, leaning forward, her elbow propped on his desk, cupping her chin in her hand and looking extremely smug. "I'm not some freshly blossomed child you know."

"I know that," Levi said, a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

He couldn't help feeling relieved at her answer. He'd been worrying over it for the past few months, she was so young and seemed so innocent, the last thing Levi had wanted was to be responsible for taking her virginity. He hadn't exactly been gentle with her either. The memory of her body trembling beneath his own, a look of tortured pleasure on her face, caused an almost immediate response in his own body. He could feel the stirrings of arousal in his groin, and it wasn't helped by the look Amelia giving him as she sat there across from him. He could tell that she was also remembering their night together, her lips parted slightly and her eyes half-lidded so that she gazed at him from beneath her long lashes. The memory of their bodies entwining together filled her body with a neediness that reflected unmistakably in her brown eyes.

"Levi…," Amelia began hesitantly, dropping her hand to his and running her fingers across Levi's wrist. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and she licked her lips nervously, her cheeks turning a deeper red. It was his turn to smirk knowingly at her.

"Come here," he ordered, his eyes burning. Taking her hand, he drew her around the desk and onto his lap, grabbing her hips and pulling her close to him. One hand was low on her back while the other pushed her hair back from her face. He knew she could feel him pressing up against her crotch through his pants.

"What're you staring at?" She asked, trying to keep control of her breathing as her heart beat frantically in her chest.

In answer, Levi just smiled. Amelia stared in shock. It was small, barely there; but it was a genuine smile. The expression shed years of cares and worries from his face and made her heart flutter dangerously in her chest. Then Amelia, impulsive as ever, leaned in and kissed him hard on the mouth. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she moaned when he bit her lower lip, and their tongues tangled together. Amelia savored the growl she elicited from him when she ground her hips into his. His fingers hiked her skirt farther up her legs and dug into her hips. Pulling her closer, his nimble fingers traced across her bare skin tantalizingly.

Levi tried to hold her tight when she began to pull away, but to his surprise she shoved him back into the chair and knelt in front of him. Unzipping his pants, she swiftly unbuckled them. Levi's head fell back in pleasure at the feeling of her lips and hands on him. Tangling one hand in her hair, he guided her along his length, savoring the heat of her mouth and the swirl of her tongue. When he looked down at her and saw her staring back at him, her lips sliding up along his member to release him with a faint pop, he almost came right there.

"Fuck, Amelia," he growled, grabbing a fist-full of her hair and dragging her mouth up to his.

Amelia moaned into Levi's mouth when he wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her up to sit on the edge of his desk. Taking hold of one of her ankles, he roughly pulled it up and set her foot on the desk, her skirt bunched up around her hips and her legs spread wide for him. She jumped when he placed two fingers against her wet panties, running them up and down along her crotch. Kissing his way down her neck, he suddenly dropped to his knees, tugging her underwear to the side so that he could return the favor. Amelia fell back against the desk, not caring that she was scattering papers—her only focus on his tongue and the fingers slipping in and out of her.

As she came closer to the height of her pleasure, Levi decided that he was done waiting. Standing back up, he ripped her shirt open. Buttons went flying, and Levi ground his himself against her crotch before flipping her onto her stomach, yanking her panties down, and shoving roughly inside of her. She gasped in delight at this sudden penetration, her toes curling against the floor as he pounded into her. One of his hands groped her breasts while the other yanked back on her hair, arching her back towards him.

When she came around him, he had to cover her mouth to stifle her cry, biting his own lip against his grunt of pleasure as he too came deep inside of her. Falling forward against her back, both of them panted heavily. When he finally pulled out of her, Amelia slowly rolled over and wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him close to her. He dropped his head to one of her breasts, allowing himself the luxury of resting there, both still panting hard.

"You made a mess," he said after a while, looking at the rumpled papers beneath them when he straightened up.

"We made a mess," she corrected, tugging him back to her by his collar and kissing him fondly. "And we didn't even manage to get all our clothes off."

"Well," he said. "We'll have to do a better job next time."