"Damn it, not again!"

Rosa felt her chest tighten when she realized it was her ex-fiancé, Cristoph, who had asked to have a word with her at the tavern. What could he possibly want? Seeing him made Rosa shift anxiously in her seat— It had been a long while since their engagement was called off, but she was still everything but excited about the idea of confronting him.

"Who is he?" Eren asked.

"Uh, he's just an acquaintance." Rosa lied, averting her gaze.

"So, um... Are you going to go talk to him, or..?"

"I... I don't know." Rosa said, glancing at Cristoph once again. "...Or actually, it seems like I'm left with no other choice." She muttered when she saw him already making his way over to their table.

"Is everything alright?" Eren furrowed his brow, sensing the shift in Rosa's demeanor. "If he's looking for trouble-"

"No, no, no. It's fine. I can deal with him." Rosa replied, trying her best to appear more confident that she actually was. She'd probably have to face him eventually, and this time was as good as any.

"Okay, but if you need help, let us know." Eren gave her a reassuring smile, and Rosa was more than happy that her friends were ready to have her back.

"Thanks, Eren. But I think I'll be alright."

"Excuse me, Rosa?"

"What is it, Cristoph?" Rosa forced a smile onto her face as she turned to look at her ex-fiancé.

"It's... nice to see you." Cristoph rubbed the back of his neck somewhat nervously. "If you don't mind, could I have a word with you? In private."

"Uh, sure." Rosa shrugged. She wasn't happy about it, but there was no point in refusing his request. "I'll be right back, guys."

She followed Cristoph over to the counter, and he gestured to her to take a seat.

"So, how have you been?" Cristoph asked as he sat next to her.

"Oh, I've been just fine, thanks." Rosa replied bluntly. She had no intent of having any idle small talk with him.

"I'm glad to hear that. It's been a while, huh?" He gave her a slight smile, but the look on his face turned a bit more serious as he continued. "How's your wound? Have you been recovering alright-"

"Cristoph, what do you want, exactly?" Rosa interrupted him. His tone had carried genuine concern, but hearing him mention her injury made her stomach turn. Sitting there, in front of him, she felt naked, her hidden scars on full display, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

"I..." Cristoph hesitated a moment. The sheepish look on his face hinted that he really didn't mean to upset her. "I've been wanting to talk to you. I knew the scouts like to hang out here, so I've been coming here, hoping to see you."

"Why..?" Rosa furrowed her brow— It appeared they hadn't just bumped into each other by accident again.

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you." He turned his gaze down, running his fingers through his chestnut brown hair. "I... I don't think it's fair that my father made me break up with you. I felt- I feel really bad for everything that happened."

"Oh, so now you feel bad?"

"I always did. I never wanted to hurt you." He raised his gaze, locking eyes with her again. "I'm sorry."

"I..." Rosa didn't know what to say. She knew she was supposed to be mad, but somehow, his apology didn't bring the anger she had expected. Instead, all she felt was sadness. It's fine, I forgive you. That's what she was probably meant to say, but she couldn't. Instead, she averted her gaze.

"Rosa, please, I-" Cristoph reached for her hand, but his fingers could only barely brush against her skin when his hand was abruptly pulled away— The reason for this was a white gloved hand that had tightly grabbed onto his wrist, and with a loud slam, Christoph's hand was bashed against the counter surface, away from Rosa's hand.

"What the-?! What the hell is your problem?" Cristoph hissed, staring into the pale eyes of the man standing before him.

"L-levi?!" Rosa almost yelped when she realized who had interrupted their conversation.

"My problem is that you're harassing my fiancée." Levi growled, tightening his grip around Cristoph's wrist. By a quick look, one could describe Levi's face expressionless… but the look in his eyes revealed his true emotions. "My. Fucking. Fiancée." Levi repeated, his voice laced with venom.

"Ouch, shit, let go of me..!" Cristoph grimaced in pain when Levi twisted his arm against the counter.

"Levi, it's okay— He wasn't harassing me..!" Rosa hastily explained as she stood up, trying her best to calm him down. She had no idea what was going on— What was Levi doing there in the first place? "He just-"

"He just what?!" Levi snapped at her.

"Levi, what the fuck, calm down..!" Rosa stared at him in disbelief. Levi was absolutely furious— She was worried that he might actually break Christoph's arm if he didn't calm down soon.

"I was just apologizing..! You're hurting me, damn it!" Cristoph groaned, attempting to pull his arm free.

"Levi, please, stop..!" Rosa tried again, this time, grabbing his arm, and Levi finally loosened his hold.

"You better not mess with her ever again." He let go of Cristoph's arm, and turned to give him one final glare. "Because if you do, I'll fucking kill you."

"W-whatever." Cristoph huffed. He gave Rosa an apologetic look before leaving the tavern.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Rosa hissed at Levi once they were alone.

"He was bothering you." He stated coldly, his eyes averting hers. Whatever was going on inside his head at this moment, Rosa had no way of knowing.

"No, he wasn't! We were just talking. He apologized and that was it. What the hell was that, Levi?"

"That bastard should keep his filthy hands off of you." Levi scoffed, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You're unbelievable..!" With that, Rosa marched out of the tavern as well. There was no point of talking to him, not with that attitude of his..!

It was already late, and the night air felt chilly on Rosa's skin as she stepped outside. The streets were almost deserted at this hour, no soul in sight. A thin fog had started to rise, and the moonlight was shining through the clouds, casting an eerie glow around the city.

"Wait, Rosa. Where are you going?" Levi asked as he quickly followed her.

"Back to the HQ."

"I'll walk you."

"No, I'm not going anywhere with you." Rosa mumbled, not even bothering to glance into his direction as she kept walking away.

"Tch! Fine, suit yourself." He snapped at her.

But, Rosa didn't even make it past the first corner when Levi was already by her side.

"You know, for a second there I actually believed you were going to let me walk by myself." She muttered.

"I wouldn't leave you here alone in the middle of the night." Levi mumbled back at her, still seemingly pissed off.

They made their way back to the HQ without speaking another word. The pressuring, awkward silence was almost killing her, and once they made it to the barracks, Rosa couldn't hold her tongue anymore.

"Levi, seriously, what got into you?" Rosa stopped walking and turned to face him. "Cristoph didn't mean any harm!"

"I was just-" Levi stuttered, not really knowing what to say. He seemed to have calmed down during the walk back to the HQ, now looking only slightly irritated anymore— And somewhat flustered.

"You were just what?! I still can't believe this, you were so- So aggressive and- and rude. And you were so angry, and you- I don't understand!" Rosa vented, fighting the urge to just bolt off right there and then. "Why the hell would you get so mad? What were you thinking?"

"I don't know, okay?! I... I just lost it. When I saw him touch you, I- I just got so pissed off and... and so…" Levi's voice trailed off, his eyes shifting away from hers. Shit. He didn't really know what to say to her.

"And so..?" Rosa repeated, curious what he was trying to say. She studied him carefully, trying to read the expression on his face— He looked so vulnerable, and for a moment, she didn't recognize him as the same adamant, cool-blooded Survey Corps Captain he was known to be.

"So… ugh, nevermind!" Levi groaned and shook his head— There was no way he'd use the word that had popped up in his mind. "The mere idea of him laying his hands on you- Damn it, Rosa! When I saw him with you, it was- it was like I was going crazy, and I couldn't stop myself. And… I'm sorry."

Rosa was taken aback by the emotion in his words. She stared at him in disbelief, unable to process what was happening.

"I didn't mean to- I- Tch!" Levi clenched his jaw, a troubled look appearing on his face.

"Wait…" Rosa's eye narrowed. "You're not… jealous, are you?" She asked, her voice almost inaudible.

"No." Levi snapped, but his answer came a little too quick, and Rosa didn't quite believe him.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, I'm sure. Don't be ridiculous." He grumbled, still refusing to meet her gaze.

"Levi, are you really sure?"

"I said, yes!" Levi barked at her.

"Alright, fine." Rosa huffed— She had no choice but to believe him. "But why did you even bother to show up? You've been so distant, you can barely even look at me anymore! And then, suddenly, you show up there, doing shit like this? I don't understand…" She sighed, frustrated.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just… I've had a lot on my mind lately." Levi explained, finally turning to look at her.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Not really, no."

"Right." Rosa rolled her eye. The frustrated frown on her face was slowly replaced with a more somber look when the silence fell between the two of them. "It just really sucks, because…" She began hesitantly after a moment of silence. "Because you are leaving soon."

The next expedition was set to start in a few days, and Erwin still refused to let Rosa rejoin the ranks. The commander's decision had left her feeling restless and useless, and Levi's indifference hadn't really helped her, either. She hated feeling so weak and helpless; She was a soldier, and her place was in the front lines, not in some stupid office, doing paperwork. Levi was a strong soldier, the best one humanity had to offer, but living in such a ruthless world, Rosa couldn't help but worry if the next expedition could be his last.

"Rosa, I..." Levi began, but the words seemed to die in his throat. He felt a wave of emotions flush over him, replacing his waning anger and frustration with shame and guilt— This wasn't how he wanted them to spend the last remaining days before he was forced to leave her side.

"Ah, well... It's getting late. We should probably go to bed." Rosa said after a brief pause, hastily wiping away the tears that had been swelling into the corner of her eye. "I'll see you… tomorrow, I guess."

With that, she turned and walked away, leaving him standing in the darkness, alone.

"Rosa, wait, I- Fuck!"