Chapter 7

Rui looked away as Levi took the last 24 hours out on the MP's face. She hadn't even bothered to learn his name. It began to dawn on her that she had become rather cold since being with Levi. Watching him make a mess of the young man's face didn't bother her in the least. She hadn't even had a normal response to killing a man. She was only upset to the extent that the death would cause problems for Levi and the rest of the scouts. When had she become so...unfeeling?

After a few moments, Levi stopped. He held the young man by his jacket, dropping him on the floor. He removed his clothes, hoping blood hadn't gotten on them. Mikasa peeked out the door to make sure no one was coming.

"Still clear, hurry up," she said. Levi began stripping off his own clothing, leaving Rui useless. How long had they been together? She shouldn't still be so helplessly attracted to him, but here she was, very nearly drooling over every muscle and curve. Even in the dim light of the dungeon, he left her a melted puddle on the floor.

Once he assumed the clothing, she was able to breathe again.

"Okay, try and hide your face, Levi. You're pretty recognizable. Does he have a hood?" Rui asked. Levi shook his head.

"They don't provide any for the MP's. They don't ever leave the walls or work in hazardous weather conditions. Bitches," he remarked, toeing the young man's face.

"You're uniform smells," he grumbled. Rui took his arm.

"Okay, let's just get out of here. Mikasa, we need to get you a uniform too. Otherwise we can't get you out. There's a guard just outside the door. That should do," she suggested.

They snuck to the door leading out of the dungeons, Rui peering outside. The guard from before was still standing where he was before.

"Excuse me? The man I came in with is having trouble. I'm not sure what's wrong with him," she said, slinking back into the doorway. She heard the guard sigh in irritation before turning into the doorway. His face was grabbed by Levi, his body shoved into the wall on the other side of the door. Levi gripped his mouth so he couldn't speak.

"Keep your mouth shut and take your clothes off," he ordered darkly. The MP shook in his boots and let out a clearly distressed and confused muffled noise from under Levi's palm.

000

The nervousness Rui felt as they walked out of the courthouse was unreal. Both Mikasa and Levi kept their heads down, wearing Military Police uniforms and leading her out and around to the alleyway. They went as far back as they could before they said anything, needing to be out of sight before anyone discovered the two men chained up in the dungeons.

Mikasa sighed, looking to Rui.

"Thank you, Rui. I'll be going into hiding now, but if you ever need anything, let me know. I owe you my life," she said smoothly. Rui shook her head.

"Please...no more life debts. Just...live," Rui said quietly. Mikasa nodded.

"It will be better if we split up from here. Hopefully I'll see you again," she said. She looked around a corner, glanced back at them one last time, and disappeared out of sight. Levi looked back to Rui.

"We should get going too. Though, I think you'll stick out like a sore thumb like that. Did you bring any other clothes?" He asked. Rui shook her head. He sighed, wrapping a lock of her curls around his finger.

"Can't say I hate the look, though it definitely doesn't suit you," he said, fiddling with the lock of hair.

"Well, it's going to have to do for now. We need to get out of here," she said, trying to ignore the excitement she felt with his fingers in her hair. Now was for sure not the time.

Before another thought crossed their minds, a loud siren sounded in the city, bellowing out loud and urgent.

"That was fast. There's no way we can get out like this. We'll be recognised," he whispered. They waited for a while longer, knowing if they stayed put, they'd be found out soon enough. Levi arched an eyebrow as he watched some of the Military Police run by. They were wearing ODM gear. They didn't usually. They were taking extra precautions with the Ackermans.

"We need their gear. You need to change. We can't hide much longer," Levi whispered, pushing her against the wall as tucked into the alleyway as possible. He pushed her over to the other side of the building as two MPs started walking down the alley.

"What exactly are we supposed to do if we find these guys? I mean, isn't Levi like...super strong or something?" A young man asked his companion. The woman he was with scoffed.

"Our orders are kill on sight. Ordinarily I would agree, but they are unarmed, so I think it will be okay. In any case, I doubt we'll find them. They're probably long gone by now," the woman said with a stretch. Levi ducked low. Rui stayed behind the wall, not wanting to get in his way with her flowy outfit. She couldn't fight properly in it.

Like a cannon, he shot from his hiding spot, plowing his body into the man, dropping him instantly. The woman screamed, trying to run. Levi grabbed her by the collar, thrusting her back and bashing her head into the brick wall behind them. Her eyes instantly closed and she dropped to the ground. Rui approached hesitantly, watching him quickly get to work removing their gear and the woman's clothes. His eyes flicked up to hers for a moment, noticing her pause.

"She's not dead, you know," he said softly, pulling her pants down. Rui nodded.

"I'm okay..." She said, starting to remove her dress.

"Are you? You've been through a lot of bullshit in the last few days. I need you to stay with it for at least a few more," he said, handing her the woman's uniform. Rui nodded.

Frighteningly, she truly was just fine. This woman would have tried to kill them if given half a chance. Though she had tried to run away, it didn't make a difference. It was knock her out or die. The same could be said about Walker. If she hadn't done something, her child would have been lost and she would have been unable to have children forever. She felt no remorse.

Once she was fully undressed, Levi quickly strapped on his stolen ODM gear and jumped over to help her. He pulled up her pants and started quickly strapping her up, his nimble fingers going much faster than hers.

"Okay, I need you to run straight for the wall. I'll meet you on the other side of Trost. I doubt they'll follow you over the wall. If you see titans, do not engage. I will find you. Most of them will follow me. I can get away. Be careful," he instructed. Rui nodded.

"Erwen left us a couple horses for our escape. It was the only thing he could do. We wanted to keep the scouts as far away from this escape as possible to keep them out of hot water," she explained.

"Okay, good to know."

"Hey! Back there! I see something!" A guard called down the alleyway. Levi grabbed Rui's arms, kissing her fiercely.

"Do not get caught."

"Yes, sir," she said as he shot a line straight for the person calling out. She heard a shout of surprise before she went in the opposite direction, catapulting herself into the air and through the buildings. She went fast, ignoring everyone looking up at her.

"Hey! I saw her at the courthouse!"

Rui's breath caught in her throat. They were onto her. Four officers at once tailed her, going fast through the city. She rounded a corner, running into two others waiting for her. Their blades were drawn and pointed at her. She ducked, falling back as her heels and back slid quickly on the ground, just under them. She recalled and re-shot her lines, flying at a blinding speed through the city. A line shot in front of her, clotheslining her in the air and smacking another officer right into her. They grabbed her, holding on tight as they fell. Rui pulled out her blades, cutting upwards without a second thought. A shrill scream sounded in her ears as she was free. Blood stained her clothes as she righted herself, two arms and a flailing body dropping just below her.

She looked away, the wind blasting in her face as she flew, several officers still after her. One came close behind her, forcing her to turn around. She pulled out her blades again, holding them up for protection. He aimed high and threw his blade directly at her. It cut her face as it whizzed just passed her.

She shot her line close, bringing her to an abrupt stop. As the line of officers sailed on beside her, she held out her blades, slicing through each of their bodies as they flew by, unable to stop their momentum.

She quickly moved again, shooting over the wall as quickly as possible. Now she just needed to get to Trost. From here, she was not followed. From here she could escape and hope beyond hope that Levi had made it out as well.

000

The horses were on the outside of the wall. Rui confirmed their existence as he looked down. She also noted a cart with them. She wondered how the scouts had been able to discreetly plant it there without suspicion.

It didn't take long for Levi to find her. They saved their romantic reunion for later, quickly descending the wall and mounting the horses. Levi checked that the cart was properly attached and they ran, galloping into the setting sun towards Rui's family farmhouse. The ride was mostly uneventful, the sun going down having a paralyzing effect on the surrounding titans. What few titans they did see did not give chase, though they wondered about the morning. The horses ran up the hill, Rui's farmhouse finally in sight.

000

Levi hitched the horses, making sure to place them near a trough. A recent rain filled it with water, so the horses could drink right away. Rui watched as he looked through the cart, examining what the scouts had seemed necessary for them to take. Thankfully, they had several tanks stocked as well as spare blades. A few other items were also amongst them, but Levi didn't much care about the rest.

"Help me bring this stuff inside," he said, handing her a few tanks. She obeyed, swiftly running the tanks into the house, placing them at the front door just beyond the threshold. They moved everything inside, Rui quickly lighting an oil lamp before nightfall made everything pitch black. They didn't talk much as they moved about, trying to set themselves up for the evening. Rui looked over her titan alarm, seeing it still in tact.

"Good, this still works," she said, plucking the string. Levi came inside then, closing the door behind him. He remained still in front of the door, looking at her for a moment. A few minutes of silence passed between them before Levi looked away, slowly walking into the living room. Rui held her arms, following after him. He sat on the living room sofa, looking up to the ceiling. This was home now, whether they liked it or not. She took off her gear, placing it gingerly against the wall. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths and placing both his feet on the floor, stretching out slightly.

Rui moved in front of him, her hands still on her arms.

"I'm sorry...about all this," she said quietly. Levi didn't open his eyes. The atmosphere was bleak and stuffy. Rui almost felt like crying in his presence. The dark, quiet night made her chest hurt. His still form was unnerving and intimidating, even now. Was he upset now after everything?

"Come here, Rui," he eventually muttered. She let her arms fall, stepping up to him. She knelt down onto his lap, sliding her hands around his shoulders. He pulled her closer onto him, her knees on either side of him. His fingers curled into her hair. He pressed his lips onto hers, kissing her in a way he never had before. This kiss was not dominating or urgent. It was not leading into more or quick and chaste. His mouth was gentle, but persistent. He was trying to comfort her, yet within his kiss, she could feel his sorrow and pain. She knew this wasn't easy for him. But she also knew he was not sad to be here with her.

She finally broke the kiss, settling herself into his arms. He turned to lie down, pulling her down with him.

After a few moments, Rui sat up.

"Please take that off. You smell different," she requested. He sat up, wasting no time. She followed suit, removing her stolen clothes as well. Once they were unclothed and Rui was shivering, she pulled over the thick blanket from behind the couch that they'd used weeks ago. She laid herself back down onto him and relished in his smell, allowing it to comfort and surround her.

They slept this way for as long as they could, silently trying to make sense of what was to come.

Thank you to those who have reviewed. It means the world to me.