Levi watches as Willow leaves Malik's office with tense shoulders, figuring that the conversation did not go as well as she would have liked. She looks up and sees him watching her, and she joins him in the hall. "Care to go to the infirmary with me?" she asks him with a soft tone that Levi imagines she did not use with Malik. He nods once at her, knowing that he will need something for his torn muscles from holding her suspended in the air.
"I am sorry about today," she begins, hugging her arm closely to her chest. "I should have replenished my gear and not depend on you to assist me."
"Are those your words, or Malik's?" Levi asks and she put her head down. "He likes punishing you when you don't think like him," he informs her, knowing how Malik operates since he's known him.
"Regardless, I put my life at risk, and you saved me… again," she says with a tight swallow.
"Keep it up and I might start charging you." Levi jests and she exhales a dry chuckle.
Levi watches as she walks in front of him. She has gained a lot of weight in the year that she has been here and has developed a muscular and athletic build. Before, she was the skinniest of the Cadets, and in the worst shape, but now with her training and growing food intake, her body as developed curves that Levi has heard many of the Cadets discussing in hushed voices. Her skin glows, and her golden hair has thickened as she continues to get proper nutrition. She has developed well, and Levi is proud of her to say the least, with how much she has pushed herself in the year, which he wishes she were a part of his squad.
Willow and Levi sit down next to one another while they wait for the medic to come see them. "How is your squad doing?" she asks him as she holds her arm tightly to her chest.
"They are progressing well. Oruo is convinced he is going to get a kill count that exceeds mine. Delusional," Levi scoffs with his signature indifference painted in his eyes.
"No, that title belongs to me," Willow says with an ear-to-ear smile as her dimples press through her cheeks that Levi cannot help but find charming.
"You're greedy. Leave some kills for the rest of us," Levi jokes, knowing just how much Willow would love to give those kills to anyone else and her smile fades. "Oruo still trying to marry you?" Levi asks seeing her eyes wander.
Willow snorts, taken off guard by the question. "Just as much as he wants to become you," she laughs, and Levi looks at her for an explanation. "Oh, come on, you didn't notice?" she asks him, and he shakes his head. "The hair combed into a middle split, the cravat," she says flicking Levi's cravat draped around his neck. "I am not sure which one of us he's in love with more."
"I guess I cannot blame him," Levi says with a shrug and Willow huffs.
She turns her head when the medic calls her in. She turns to Levi with soft eyes, "Good luck," she tells him with an easy tone. "Oh, and congratulations on becoming Captain," she tells him with genuine eyes. "It was well deserved."
"Congrats on Squad Lead," he tells her back. "You're going to be a great Captain one day."
"Hell, I might be your Commander one day," she says with a lifted brow as she turns away from him and Levi finds himself not doubting her drive to move up within the Scouts.
After waiting a few moments Willow joins Levi in the waiting room before he is called back for his assessment. "Well, what's the damage?" he asks her, seeing her beaming from her visit. He looks down noticing that her arm is wrapped in a sling.
"Eight weeks of Kitchen Duty," she says with a smile that reaches her eyes.
Levi swallows hard. Eight weeks. He thinks about eight weeks without her on the field helping them against the Titans and the idea brings a sense of dread in his chest. He can see the happiness of being off of the field and out of the line of fire spilling from her, but he cannot shake the thought of how many Scout lives will be lost while she rests.
He shakes the selfish feeling from his mind and clears his throat, "I will be sure to request my meals while you are off duty," he jokes and she scoffs playfully.
Before she can respond to him, he is called back by the medic. He nods his head at Willow, and she returns the gesture. She leaves to go to the kitchen where she meets with other Scouts who have been working Kitchen Duty. She smiles at the idea of being away from the nasty Titans and in the comfort of the camp making food for everyone. She wonders for a moment what Malik or even Erwin will saw when they find out that she has been benched for eight weeks. A satisfied smile crosses her face knowing that they will not be able to do a thing about it.
A week passes and Willow finds herself enjoying Kitchen Duty. She was slow getting around with only one functioning arm, but was able to make do with what she could. She was quick to pick up the order of the kitchen and where everything was located.
She works with one of the other Scouts, preparing a meal for everyone. She adds a few touches of her own, remembering recipes from her sister. Willow's sister was a great cook, and often gave her invaluable advice in the kitchen.
The spirits of the Scouts seem to have lifted since Willow's addition into the kitchen. Her food has been well received amongst everyone and many—including Willow—seem to enjoy her role more in the kitchen than in the field. With her out of the line of fire, Willow's disposition has lightened and there is not a day that goes by that she is not smiling and beaming at the opportunity to feed those around her.
A new group of Cadets are to arrive today and Willow has been granted to use the remaining hare caught in last week's hunt for hare stew, which has been collectively the Scouts' favorite meal. With more than double the mouths to feed incoming, she spends all day preparing the warm meal.
When the Cadets arrive, Willow takes a moment to assess the incoming group. The ages of the Cadets vary, but most seem to be within her age demographic and maybe a bit younger. They all seem eager to be a part of the Scouts and she quickly catches wind of the conversation on everyone's lips.
"I cannot wait until we can meet the Titan Killer," she hears one of them exclaim as they pass by her.
"I hear she is working on puppeteering two Titans at once!" another calls out with wild eyes.
"Did you know she was chosen as an Elite soldier after less than three weeks with the Scouts?" one of the Cadets states joining in on the conversation.
They line up around the Kitchen, holding their bowls before them as they wait for Willow to serve them.
"I wonder how long they are going to wait to train us in the puppeteering trick?" the first asks, "I hear some of the other soldiers are having issues grasping it as well as the Titan Killer does."
"No one can match her strength."
Willow finds herself daydreaming back to her first day within the Scouts when people were speculating wild assumptions about her and her trick over the Titans. She wonders if these Cadets will be as disappointed with the reality of her as the rest of them once were.
One of the boys looks at her expectantly and she shakes her head of the memories. She apologizes to him quietly and serves him the bowl of stew. He shakes his head and glances over at the Cadet that stands next to him. "Whatever you do," he begins with a hushed tone, though deliberately loud enough for Willow to hear. "Take the training seriously or else you'll end up like her on Kitchen Duty."
The boys snicker and Willow finds herself smiling at their comment, knowing that she is much happier where she is now. Oruo on the other hand, does not take his comment as well as she does. "Hey kid!" He calls out from behind the line of people gathering for their stew. "You have any idea who you are speaking to?" he asks approaching the man who spoke negatively of Willow.
The boy shrugs, "Some kitchen maid who thought joining the Scouts would give her purpose?" he snickers and Willow cannot help but smile at the satisfaction that he has no idea who she is.
Oruo opens his mouth, preparing himself for protest when Willow stops him, "It's alright Oruo," she calls out to him. "Everyone has their place within the Scouts. Kitchen, Stables, or on the field; we all have found our purpose here and so will these new Cadets," she says and the boy scoffs, knowing his place will not be by her side.
They move on and Oruo joins Willow, lowering his voice so no one can hear him but her. "Why do you let them talk you down like that? If they knew you were—"
"It doesn't matter," she speaks over him. "I am on Kitchen Duty now until I am healed. Let them think what they want."
"Arrogant son of a bitch," Oruo grumbles under his breath.
"Sound familiar?" Willow teases.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Oruo says with a defiant raise of his chin.
Willow scoffs and playfully rolls her eyes. She hands him his bowl of food and he thanks her. He leaves her to tend to the others that line up for their dinner, and heads to his table with the rest of his Squad. He places his bowl down next to Petra and begins eating, moaning with every bite.
"She's strong, she's beautiful, she can kill Titans and she can cook!" he announces between mouthful moans. "I am going to marry that woman," he declares with glistening eyes.
Petra finds herself giggling at the declaration, "Haven't you already asked and she said no?"
"I will find a way to win her over," he promises. "Just you wait and see."
"Must be driving her crazy to be stuck on Kitchen Duty and not on the field with everyone." Gunther says with a frown. "It's wasteful having her in the kitchen when she could be helping us recover Wall Maria. I cannot wait until she is cleared."
"She will be back at it in no time," Oruo promises, "Until then, I am going to enjoy her food!"
Willow finishes her chores within the kitchen in time to join the rest of the Scouts for dinner. She takes her bowl of stew in hand and makes her way to sit with her squad. She sighs as she sits down next to Hal who has finished his food and plays cards with Colin.
"Food was good," Hal mentions casually as she takes her seat. "Hare stew is going to give the new kids false hope that the Scouts can afford such a luxury."
"We've been getting more funding," Willow says staring at her bowl, "So hare stew might become a daily reality."
Hal pushes a smug smirk at the idea. His brows quickly tangle together as he looks at his cards, knowing he has a shit deck. "How's training been going?" Willow asks to no particular person.
"Malik is having us control the Titans," Laura says uninterestedly as she props her head up with her palm.
"No one is as good as our fearless Squad Leader," Colin mentions grudgingly. Colin has been giving Willow a cold disposition since Malik decided to make her Squad Leader with Hal rather than Laura or Colin. From what Willow has gathered, the decision has not upset Laura much, or she has kept her opinions on it tightlipped. However, Colin has made it painfully clear his distaste for the decision as he believed the position to be his.
Hal shoots Colin a pressed look, knowing him to be far too complacent to be a valuable Squad Leader, and supports Malik's decision to pick Willow as his partner.
Mario*, one of Derrek's Squad Leaders speaks up sitting next to Laura. "I don't like controlling the Titans very much," he states to move the tension from Colin and Willow. Mario is a short and stocky Scout similar in build to Colin. His hair is thick and black, and his face is soft featured, almost looking childlike.
"I feel the same," his Lead partner, Nicole* states. She pulls her stringy red hair behind her large ears as she shivers at the idea. "Something about being on their back and controlling them makes me feel like I am a Titan," she says visibly shaking out the idea. "I'd rather just kill them and be done with it."
"Hange wants another Titan to pick and prod at," Hal says placing his card down. "Apparently she needs a wider testing environment," he says with a roll of his eyes, not fully understanding Hange and her eccentric ways of going about the place.
James nods as he takes his seat next to his Squad, and Willow is still shocked the man was recruited into Derrek's Squad, after leaving her and Oruo to die out on their mission a year ago. "Erwin wants us to go out this week and find and capture another Titan for her little collection."
"Any progress understanding the Titans?" Willow asks as she takes a bite of her food, curious to see if any of Hange's work has brought them closer to understanding the Titans.
Hal shrugs, "Hell if I know—or care." He grumbles as Colin takes his cards, "You will have to ask her, but she will talk your ear off all night if you do."
"Yeah, don't make the same mistake I did," Mario laughs with a lifting stomach. "Was there all-night hearing about each and every assessment and finding!" he says boisterously and his team giggles at the memory of his tired and worn-down disposition when he rejoined them after a long night of hearing Hange's wild rantings.
Willow glances over at the new recruits who made distasteful comments towards her. They watch her curiously as she sits with her squad, undoubtably wondering why the kitchen maid is sitting with an elite group of soldiers.
"So, since everyone has had a chance," she begins as she turns her attention back to the group of Elites, "how is everyone else handling control over the Titans?"
"I'd say Hal is the best on Malik Squad," Mario begins and Colin scoffs at the assessment, while Hal looks up from his cards to shoot him a condescending air kiss. "Kenna* is probably the best on Derrek Squad," he says and the short goggled blonde beams at his compliment. "I would say most of my squad seems to have a basic sense of it. But not good enough to go on the field and rely on it," he says with a shake of his head. "Still not my thing," he adds.
"I hate it," Laura adds, "And Colin is awful at it, don't let him tell you otherwise." Colin returns with his middle finger shot upright in her direction as he watches his cards with intent and Laura begins giggling at his gesture. "Levi Squad seems to also have the basics down, but it's clear that they all would rather be killing the Titans than controlling them."
Willow glances back at Levi Squad, seeing Eld, Petra, and Oruo all sitting together and laughing at whatever infects their humors. She notices that despite being recruited for Derrek Squad, Gunther still spends his dinners with his friends from his time in training and not with his Elite Squad.
Willow smiles slightly, yearning for their laughter. Though she enjoys her time with Malik Squad. Though they are not as carefree as Levi's team is—no doubt from the amount of death they have been exposed to—Willow still finds her time with them to be enjoyable. Still, Willow never expected to miss their bad jokes and self-deprecating humor as much as she does now. She figures that must be why Gunther choses to have his dinners with them instead of his Squad.
"How's your shoulder?" Hal asks her, pulling her from her thoughts.
Willow looks down at her sling, "Still hurts like a bitch," she releases, "But I've been getting used to moving around in this thing."
"Still think you will be out for as long as you were told?"
"At least," she says fully planning to keep herself off of the field until the medic clears her.
Hal's brows press at her response, wanting her to return to the field as soon as she can, feeling safer with her around. He can see the frustration her absence is causing Erwin and Malik, and he worries how this hiatus will affect their plans to retake Wall Maria.
Hal groans as Colin takes the win and tosses his cards on the table. He looks over at Willow who has finished her food. "Care to join me for a walk?" he asks her with icy blue eyes on her. Willow nods once and the two of them wordlessly lift themselves from their seats and leave for the courtyard.
Willow's eyes shoot up to the sky as she marvels at the stars that shine back at her. Hal pulls his head to the sky, following her lead and keeping his eyes on the stars for a moment, only to drop his head down to look at her.
"You liking Kitchen Duty?" Hal asks her, watching her face move from the stars onto his eyes.
"I am," she says with glistening eyes that makes Hal's heart skip at the answer he didn't want to hear. "I feel as though I am helping them with the growing incoming volume of Cadets."
"Well, the food has been noticeably better," Hal says recognizing the change in taste and people's reception of the new food. "You are clearly an amazing cook."
She smiles at this and Hal cannot help but smile back at her. Despite how much he would love to have her back on the field, he cannot deny that she is noticeably happier. She holds herself differently since she has been placed on Kitchen Duty. He has noticed the permanent smile painted on her face and realizes that this decision is good for her, but he cannot help but wonder if it is good for the Scouts.
"I am sorry about that Abnormal business," Hal begins, and Willow looks away from him. "Malik made the decision to add it, I should have pushed back on him."
"You know it wouldn't have done anything," she says with a shake of her head, knowing how stubborn Malik is.
"I just feel responsible for your arm," he says with a frown and Willow's eyes return onto his. "If I was closer or didn't bring in the Abnormal, you wouldn't have hurt your arm and you wouldn't be benched." Willow thinks for a moment, realizing it is because of Hal that she finally feels peace out of the field, though keeps that to herself, knowing that she will be expected to return as soon as she is cleared.
"Don't worry about it," she tells him, "I am still able to be helpful in the kitchen without the use of my arm."
"I just feel like you can still go on these Scouting missions," he grunts. "Levi is still able to join, despite his injury, though he stays behind and does not engage in the fighting."
Willow frowns, seeing that Hal has no idea how much she would like to stay off of the field. "I will have plenty of time to go back on the field and kill Titans," she assures him with a changing tone. "I am just giving others the chance to catch up," she jabs and Hal smiles at her remark. "I am sure you are bored out there not saving some dumb girl from getting herself killed."
Hal presses a chuckle, taken aback by her comment. "Yeah, I will have to find some other idiot stupid enough to throw themselves at Titans the way you do."
They walk for a moment, smiles on their face as they think of the relationship that they have developed with one another over the year. Willow remembers the smug ass Hal once was to her when she first arrived, but his manner towards her changed when she proved her worth within the Scouts and within Malik Squad. Holding the title of highest Titan kill count, Willow has garnered much respect from some, and criticism with others like Colin, who are not pleased with her rapid upward trajectory within the Scouts.
"I miss watching you," Hal breathes, bringing Willow's focus from her thoughts to his icy eyes intently placed on hers. "More than just needing you on the field, I miss watching you fight them," he sighs. "Something about the way you fearlessly charge at them, the way your nose wrinkles when you stab at them. You are inspiring," he says with brows pressed passionately together. "I remember the first time I saw you take over the Titan," he begins, shaking his head slightly, frozen in the memory. "When I swept you into my arms and you told me to go back to the nape, I saw this skinny little girl and I thought there was no way you were going to be able to take the thing down. But when you did—when you took control…" he lingers for a moment, trying to understand the wave of emotions that crashed through him that day. "I witness the strongest woman I have ever seen that day," he says, unable to put into better words what he was marveling at that day. "No other Scout has shown that kind of ferocity since."
Willow swallows hard, looking away from Hal's fierce eyes on her. "It's exhausting, Hal," she exhales.
Hal shifts in her peripheral, but she keeps her eyes off of him. "Take all the time you need," he says in a soft tone and she turns towards him looking up at his soft icy eyes. "I will be there to save your dumb ass when you're ready," he says with a sideways smile that creeps up his right cheek.