Chapter 5

The ocean was beautiful. It was wide and never-ending, with blue water as clear as a mirror. It was cold and refreshing and filled with other living creatures they had never heard about. In fact, Hanji had taken it upon herself to capture some squiggly, brownish slimy creature that resembled a lot like a penis if you asked him. Still, the view was magnificent.

If there was a moment that Levi would look back at in his life - it must be this moment. A moment when he finally ventures far enough outside the walls and finds the truth behind why they've been fighting all these years; that titans weren't just some cruel creature dropped by God to torture humans - instead, they were just humans tortured to turn into human-eating creatures… and the real enemy was a country named Marley.

"If I kill all of our enemies over the wall….. will we finally be free?"

Levi stares at Eren, pointing at the vast and beautiful ocean. It was at this moment - Levi knew deep down that the brat who yelled he would eradicate this world of titans had truly changed. A dark, hopelessness had enveloped those once bright turquoise eyes. Now, the brat was no longer hopeful to protect the world…. but rather hoped to watch it all burn to ashes…

….even himself.

Levi sat in his armchair, finishing up on paperwork with the dim light of the candles in the room. He rolled his shoulders back, grimacing at how sore they were. He picks his teacup up only to find that it was empty. Grunting, he gets up and walks towards the door when suddenly, a knock erupts. A firm knock on his bedroom door sounded, three times to be exact.

"State your name and business." Levi answered with a firm voice. No one really visited him in his personal chambers other than Hanji who would suddenly crash into his personal space and spout more nonsense or throw more work onto him. Still, he always made sure to ask who it was before opening the door - a habit he found he could never shake off since his days in the underground.

"Corporal… It's me. Rosaria, sir." Levi blinks in confusion. He definitely wasn't expecting her, but still, he opens the door with a firm swing of his hand. The door opens to find Rosaria with a tray of tea, chamomile; and a box of medical tools. "Can I come in, sir?" Rosaria asked, hoping to appear calm and gentle. Levi gave a long glance at the tray and sighed.

Had it been that obvious?

"You have a bad habit of sticking your nose into other people's business, Rosaria." Levi grumbled, but still he moved backwards and allowed her to come in. Rosaria sets the tray on the wooden table, careful to move some of Levi's documents to the side. "I know it isn't my business…. But it would serve as a risk to Paradis if your injury worsens, Corporal. You are humanity's strongest after all." Levi growls, crossing his arms as he glares at Rosaria. "The last thing I need is to be babied by my subordinate over a small flesh wound, Rosaria." Rosaria poured the chamomile tea into the empty teacup and shook her head.

"My father used to own a medical practice, Corporal. I know an injury when I see one…. And, here's your tea. Chamomile. Calms the body and mind, something you'll need after your bruises." Levi smirks, taking the cup in his hand. "Using my own words against me, are you?" Rosaria smirks, remembering the exact same words Levi had told her when he brought tea to her room after she had her ass wiped by Levi when she had first joined the ranks.

"Fine. I'm only doing this because you brought tea. Make it quick, Rosaria." Levi sets the cup down on his nightstand and sits on his bed. Rosaria sets the medical equipment neatly on the tray and lines everything she needs by order. She walks over to Levi, hovering over his seated posture. "I'll need you to take off your shirt, sir." Rosaria says. Levi proceeds to unbutton the buttons of his shirt slowly, clearly enjoying watching Rosaria find a sudden interest in the wall of his room as she glared at it with all her willpower. When Levi unbuttoned the last of it, he carefully peeled the blouse away from his shoulder and let it slide down his body and onto the bed.

"Are you expecting the wound to heal itself or are you actually going to look at me and do it, Rosaria?" Rosaria jumped at his words and quickly averted her eyes back to his muscular and toned body. Rosaria gulped. She forces herself to stop looking at his abs and not act like a fucking creep, so instead, she averts her gaze onto his shoulder blades. Her eyes winced as she eyes the purplish-blue bruise in his right shoulder blade. She gently brushes against the skin, feeling the soreness of the injury. "On a scale of 1-10, how much does this hurt?" Rosaria presses her index finger into the bruise, slowly at first then slightly harsher. Levi doesn't flinch and calmly says "A three?" Rosaria frowns. "I think this should be a six for any normal soldier, but I guess for humanity's strongest pain tolerance comes with the job description."

She brushes her fingertips downwards his shoulder, touching his biceps. She finds the loosely tied white bandage around his large, muscled arm and gently unravels it. She frowns at the sight, setting the bandage on the table. "You should have asked for a medic immediately. This cut could have been infected if left unattended." Levi rolled his eyes. "The medics already had their hands full with the injuries from the new recruits. I've had worse." Rosaria pressed her thumb forcefully into the cut and scowled.

"Ouch!" Levi yelled and grunted, flinching away from Rosaria." Rosaria grabbed a cotton ball and disinfectant, dabbing it slowly over the gash on his bicep. "See? If it hurts then that means it's a fucking injury that should be attended properly. Do you think just because you're humanity's strongest that your body is made out of steel, Levi?" Levi scowled, clearly unhappy with the lecture he was receiving. Since when was the last time he was lectured? Maybe when Erwin was still alive?

Rosaria spent the next few minutes cleaning the cut and then stitching it up carefully. Then, she moved on to applying some kind of ointment over the nasty bruise on Levi's shoulder blade, her touch light and gentle. "Your shoulders feel quite tense." She said, her hands on his shoulder blades, carefully pressing on his pressure points without causing further damage to the bruise. "Yeah, it's been giving me hell lately." Levi rolled his shoulders. Rosaria made a circle around Levi, placing her knees on top of his bed as she approached him from behind.

"Hm, you've been putting a lot of strain on your shoulders…. " Rosaria said in a soft voice, her voice gently hovering above Levi's ears. Had her voice always been this gentle? Levi wondered curiously. "I'm going to go ahead and ease up your joints. Let me know if it hurts." Her hands go on to work on carefully by pressing into his pressure points with her thumb, then gently massaging circles back and forth into his joints and rolling his skin in between her fingertips. The whole process was quiet, with only the sound of Rosaria's fingers against his skin and the occasional squeak of the massage oil she used. Sometimes, he'd hear her whisper "Does it hurt?" and he would shake his head and sometimes he'd hear her low and calm breathing.

Levi hated to admit it, but damn this felt good. He was thoroughly relaxed and at ease, the tense muscles of his shoulders now a far and distant memory. He had closed his eyes and leaned slightly back at some point even. "Levi." The whisper of his name so gently in his ears sends goosebumps on his skin. Levi blinks open his eyes. "Could you lay down? I'll massage your back too." Levi doesn't hesitate when he lays down on the soft sheets of his bed.

Rosaria shifts the weight of her legs as she sits on Levi's butt, somewhat straddling his toned body. Her hands moved gently across the span of his spine, fingers trailing the line as she drew soft circles and massaged every single spot. Levi had once again closed his eyes, his breathing calm. He didn't know how long time had passed until he heard Rosaria's giggle. He opens his eyes, finding that she was sitting on his back now, her head poking out of his shoulder. "I thought you were asleep. You looked so peaceful." Levi blinks, eyes laced with sleepiness from how relaxed he was. "There's still your front shoulder blades. Can you turn around?" Levi nodded wordlessly. Rosaria shifts back onto the bed, letting Levi turn his body until he is laying upwards, facing the ceiling.

Once Levi was turned over, Rosaria gently seated on his abdomen. Levi notices the weight almost immediately; not because she was heavy, but rather because the weight left a strange sensation to his intimate part. Rosaria worked on applying the massage oil, a lemon balm seed oil Levi noticed, onto his shoulder blades and chest. She straddled his hips, gently swaying her hips to the front then to the back with each movement of her hands as she brought her hands from his shoulder blades down to his biceps.

Although Levi felt utterly relaxed than he has been in ages, he felt a tenseness in his body part that was usually dormant. He couldn't possibly go back to sleep now with the pressure he felt and his eyes seemed to fall towards the small show of cleavage as Rosaria's loose blouse swayed downward with gravity.

Any given man in Levi's situation would have acted differently but fortunately for Levi, he was disciplined in this area for years and he wasn't easily swayed or tempted. Still, maybe that too had backfired on him because it seems his body was longing for something after all those years of absence as the building pressure just wasn't fading away easily. Levi let out a low growl as he placed his calloused hands directly on Rosaria's waist, gripping her hips tightly.

Rosaria flinches, suddenly aware of Levi's sharp grey eyes staring into hers. She gulps. "You're moving your hips too much. Do I look like a rocking horse to you?" Rosaria coughed in surprise then laughed. "S-sorry, Corporal. I'll try not to." Levi's hands remained gripped to her waist as she continued to work on easing his tense muscles. Minutes passed by and no conversation was made, but only a few fleeting glances between the two.

"Feeling better, Corporal?" Levi nodded, rolling his shoulders and letting out a relaxed sigh. "I don't think I've felt this good in decades." Rosaria laughed. "Good to know I have a future as a masseuse once this war is over." Levi moved his fingers that were placed on her waist and gripped it firmly, using his strength to lift her in the air and gently place her onto the bed. Rosaria didn't flinch, but she did gape as she thought to herself...

"He can lift me up so easily while sitting? He really is humanity's strongest".

Once Rosaria felt the familiar comfort of soft sheets, she placed her feet onto the ground and walked towards the table, packing her medical equipment and the teapot back onto the tray.

"I'm done. Have a good rest, Corporal." Rosaria said as she walked towards the door. As she turned the doorknob, the sound of shifting sheets made her turn her head. "Thank you, Rosaria. I appreciate it." Levi said, looking into her emerald eyes. Rosaria's breath caught in her throat before she could respond. "You're welcome, sir. Goodnight."

As the door closed tightly, Levi dropped back into the soft sheets and laid there, staring at the ceiling. He seemed to be in deep thought for a few minutes, before raising his right hand out, closely inspecting his fingers. His fingers twitched as it cupped the air slightly.

"Gods, her waist was so small…." Levi groaned to himself.

It seemed the carefully checked discipline humanity's strongest had was slowly starting to unravel without him knowing.

That night in Levi's bedroom was the last time Rosaria had seen him. For almost two months, Squad Levi had moved to a secure and secluded location in the outskirts of Wall Maria, where they could conduct large scale training to enhance Armin's titan abilities. While Levi Squad was away from the Scouts HQ, Hanji, Rosaria and the rest remained to focus on the new training regime.

The old-fashioned 3DMG and blades meant for cutting down titans were now out of commission as the Anti-personnel Vertical Maneuver Gear originally used by the secret MP squad led by Kenny Ackerman was mass-produced for the Scouts. In addition, modifications with Thunder Spears and semiautomatic pistols were combined to form the newest combat equipment against both humans and titans. Every squad leader was tirelessly training from dawn to dusk with their team, gearing up to train and excel the use of this new equipment that was attained through the sacrifices of their many comrades during the uprising civil war.

Rosaria leaned into her chair, sighing at the throbbing headache she had. It had to pass midnight already, yet she was still stuck with paperwork at her desk.

God, I thought joining the scouts was all about physical fights, no one told me about the mass paperwork I had to deliver with tight deadlines.

It seemed Rosaria had finally understood why Levi was always working till late in the night now. Rosaria glanced at the white teacup with small birds by the seam. She wondered how Levi was fairing with his squad? Probably tired of babysitting and constantly having to pull Mikasa away from picking fights with everyone who dared to even look in Eren's direction? Rosaria let out a small laugh.

She brings the tea to her lips, sipping it slowly. She often found her thoughts revolving around Levi in his absence. Was it due to the fact that he was her commanding officer and of course they had a close relationship due to the nature of how her work was being reported? Rosaria couldn't say. Even back in the Garrison, she wasn't this close to her commanding officer. So why then? Why was it that she often found images of Levi when her head was in the clouds? Or when she was brewing tea and she'd be reminded of his snarky remarks? Or when she was laying in bed… sometimes she'd remember flashes of Levi's piercing grey eyes looking directly at her. The feel of his grip on her waist. The brush of his fingertips against her skin… and more often than not…

"Thank you, Rosaria. I appreciate it."

… the surprising words from Levi's mouth that caught her off guard.

Rosaria sighed, shaking the thoughts away. Surely, it must be because of her friendly relationship with Levi. They were considered closer in age than the other younger, fresher recruits after all.

Rosaria pushed the thoughts away and let her professional duties come first.

"You wanted to see me, Hanji?" Rosaria knocked on Hanji's office door. "Yes, come in." Rosaria enters, seeing Hanji on her desk with piles and piles of paperwork. She takes a seat in the empty chair and waits for Hanji. "I'll need your squad to make the journey to Shiganshina tomorrow. From there, Jean will lead you the way to the hideout Levi Squad has been using for Armin and Eren's training." Rosaria raised an eyebrow.

"My squad only?" Hanji nodded. "It's time for the other squads to dip their toes and engage in actual training with titan shifters. That means, Eren and Armin. We've been cautious, as Armin hasn't been able to fully control the Colossal Titan's abilities. Plus, the nature of his titan abilities is very much large scale and destructive." Rosaria nodded. "But we need to gear up and be prepared for the day when Marley knocks on our doors; even if they are busy with a war on their end." Hanji flips through some paperwork and looks up at Rosaria.

"Since you are well-acquainted with everyone on Levi Squad, it makes sense to send your team to be the first. You'll have better teamwork with Levi Squad and work towards practising the new gear and trying it out in actual combat and against an actual titan; while Armin will be able to practice his own titan abilities more." Rosaria nodded, crossing her arms. "Yes, that makes sense. I'll notify my squad and make the necessary arrangements for tomorrow's journey then. Anything else I should be aware of, Hanji?"

Hanji blinked and adjusted her eyepatch. "Well…" Hanji shifted in her seat. "I was already planning to send your squad for this mission from the start… but I'm surprised Levi actually recommended you himself." Rosaria blinked in confusion. "It seems he trusts you quite dearly, Rosaria. I'm a bit taken aback. Don't think I've seen him trust someone so quickly, and that's saying a lot considering I've been with him since his first day as a fresh recruit in the Scouts." Rosaria played with the material of her coat nervously. "That's surprising… I didn't know Corporal trusted me this much. He's usually just ordering me around to make tea or elbow me in the face when I stop him from murdering some poor cadet." Hanji laughed.

"Yes, that sounds like Levi too. Well, safe journey tomorrow, Captain." Rosaria saluted and nodded at Hanji. As Rosaria exited the door and it came to a shut, Hanji leaned back in her seat and smirked.

"Levi…. Looks like you're finally starting to let someone into that heart of yours, huh?"

Author's Notes:

Looks like I'm on a roll as I seem to be writing non-stop during my off-work time. Things are finally starting to pick up and we'll be seeing more intimate romantic scenes… soon! As always, please leave a review!