Her heart racing in her chest, Rosa rushed through the crowd. Today was the day; The Scout Regiment was back from their expedition. Her eye desperately searched for a certain figure among the soldiers, but she couldn't find the one she was looking for. A sense of dread filled her stomach, and she could feel her blood turning cold. There was a chance that he was gone, but she didn't even want to think about it.
Then, she saw him.
"Levi!" She called for him in excitement, squeezing through the lines of people to get to him.
Seeing her approaching, Levi got off from his horse— Just in time for Rosa to jump onto his neck.
"Oof-! Rosa?" He grunted, barely able to keep his balance.
"You're back! Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"
"I... I'm fine." Levi stuttered, feeling a bit flustered by the woman dangling on his neck. He didn't mind, though; His lips curled up into a soft, slight smile as his arm gently wrapped around her. "It's good to be back." His whisper disappeared into the sounds of the crowd.
Rosa let out a long sigh and rested her chin against his shoulder. The feeling of his arms wrapping around her back was a relief, and she clung onto him. She was glad he was back, and safe. She was beaming with joy as she freed him from her grip, taking a step back to take a look at him.
"But what's this, then?" The look on her face was instantly clouded with concern when she spotted a fresh scar on his right temple.
"It's just a scratch." Levi felt his cheeks warm up in embarrassment when Rosa combed his hair with her fingers, brushing his bangs aside to get a better look at his wound. He wasn't used to having someone hustling over him like this..!
Rosa carefully traced the cut with her fingertip, studying the damage. It wasn't deep, but it still looked bad, and she was sure that it must have hurt. "What happened?" She asked, her gaze shifting to meet his.
"We were attacked by two abnormals, and I ended up getting hit by a piece of a broken tree trunk. It was pretty messy, and I didn't have time to dodge."
"Are you sure you're alright? It's a pretty big cut." Rosa insisted, not satisfied with his answer.
"I told you, I'm fine."
"It could get infected, you know."
"That's why I'm cleaning the wound. Daily." Levi replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. He had to admit; She was pretty damn cute when she worried over him like this.
"Good. I'd hate to have to nurse you back to health." Rosa teased, her lips twitching into a playful smile.
"Tch. You're impossible, woman."
"I guess I am." Rosa couldn't help but to laugh. It was good to see that he was still the same grumpy, short-tempered man. "But hey, you're coming with me to the infirmary." She said, placing her hand onto his shoulder. "Let's have that thing checked out."
Levi opened his mouth to argue, but the look on her face was so stern, that he decided against it. Instead, he simply nodded, and followed her lead.
"How did the others fare? Is everyone okay?" Rosa asked, her voice turning serious again.
"Hange and the brats are fine, no serious injuries."
"What about the casualties?"
"Could've been worse."
"That's good." Rosa smiled happily. "I'm really glad."
Levi stole a secret glance at her— Rosa really seemed really happy about their return. She was smiling, and the sight of it was so beautiful it made his heart ache, his chest swell with longing. The truth was that he cared for her, deeply, and even though he couldn't bring himself to tell her, there was no denying it.
"So... How have you been? Have you been doing okay while we were gone?" He asked after a short moment of silence.
"I've been doing okay… But, well, I did miss you guys a lot, though." She said, letting out a short chuckle.
Levi was surprised by her response, and his heart skipped a beat. He wasn't used to hearing her say things like that, and the sudden confession was enough to throw him off guard. Did she also mean him when she said she missed them? Or just her friends in general? He wanted to ask her, but the question was stuck in his throat.
"Looks like you guys had some hard time out there. Just look at your cape..!"
Levi was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt her fingers brush against the sleeve of his cape. Looking down, he could see that it was dirty, torn and stained with dried blood. He had been so focused on returning home, that he hadn't noticed the state his clothes were in. "Oh, right. I should probably get rid of-" He couldn't even finish his sentence when Rosa pulled his cape aside, now fidgeting with his shirt. "Hey, what are you-"
"What on earth is this? Did you rummage through a bush on your way back or how come your clothes are filled with all this trash..?"
"What do you think you're doing?!" Levi's eyes grew wide as she kept fumbling with his clothes. What was up with her, suddenly grooming him like this?! "I-it's fine, for fuck's sake, just stop-!" He almost gasped, feeling her hand moving onto his back, and it took every ounce of his self-control to not react to her touch. She was so close, and her scent was making him dizzy, the feel of her body pressed against his so overwhelming.
"What? There's a bunch of leaves and grass stuck in the hem." Rosa said innocently, a confused frown forming between her brows as Levi kept resisting. "If you don't get them out, they're going to ruin the fabric. Here, let me help-"
"I can do it myself!"
"Hold on, your cravat is in the way."
"Don't touch it! I told you I'm fine, and if you touch my cravat, I swear, I'm going to-!" He snapped, hastily trying to wriggle free from her grasp. But, instead, this almost made her lose her footing. "Careful!"
Levi quickly wrapped his arm around her, his hand instinctively reaching out to grab her by the waist to steady her. Rosa was caught by surprise, her eye widening as her head jerked up. She hadn't expected him to pull her closer like that. It was such a sweet gesture, and her cheeks heated up in a matter of seconds.
"T-thank you..." She stuttered, her gaze fixed on his face.
The look in his eyes was so intense, and Rosa could feel her heart hammering in her chest. She could feel her breathing quicken as the two of them just stood there, staring at each other in silence.
Levi, instead, was having a mental breakdown when he realized that her hand had instinctively grabbed onto the lower part of his harness. His eyes were wide as saucers, and his face was burning. Her hand was resting so close to his belt, and he could feel her fingertips brushing against his leg. He swallowed thickly, struggling to control his breathing. Rosa felt so good in his arms, and Levi was having a hard time keeping himself together. He wanted her. He wanted her so badly, and the way she was looking at him was only making it worse— It was almost too much, and his body ached to be touched by her.
"You're welcome." His voice was nothing but a hoarse whisper. He could feel the heat pooling in his belly, and he desperately wanted to bury his face into her neck, to lose himself in her warmth.
He closed his eyes, trying to regain his composure. This was a dangerous situation, and if he didn't do something soon, he'd end up embarrassing himself in public.
Rosa was clueless about Levi's struggle. All she could think of was how she liked his voice; She loved the way it sounded, low and quiet, and the way he spoke. It had a certain edge to it, but it was soothing, too. Right now, it was especially husky, and his breath tickled her face as he whispered his response. The feeling of his fingers digging into her skin through her uniform was sending shivers down her spine, and her grip on him tightened. Rosa could feel the heat radiating off his body, and the warmth was intoxicating. She couldn't stop herself from imagining what his body looked like underneath all that clothing… Then, suddenly, realizing what she was thinking, Rosa was finally able to snap out of it.
"Um… You okay?" She asked somewhat cautiously.
Levi's eyes fluttered open, and his heart skipped a beat. When he heard Rosa's soft voice, he felt a pang of guilt. Here she was, the woman he had fallen for, and he was just lusting after her like a horny teenager.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing." He replied, averting his gaze. He could feel the embarrassment spreading on his cheeks, and he cursed himself for being so stupid. "I-"
"Geez, guys..! Get a room, for fuck's sake..!"
Levi immediately froze at the sound of the voice, and his jaw tensed. "Hange." He muttered under his breath, and his expression instantly darkened.
Rosa turned her gaze to the figure standing a few feet away, and her heart skipped a beat. Hange was watching them, a sly grin on her lips, her eyebrow arched.
"H-Hange!" Rosa gasped, her face burning. She was embarrassed, and her whole body felt hot. "W-what are you doing here?" She blurted out.
"What am I doing here? No, what are you two doing?" Hange teased, her tone playful. "I thought you were going to the infirmary, but maybe you should head to the barracks instead?"
"What?!" Levi snapped, his head snapping towards Hange. "This is not- I-I wasn't-"
"We weren't doing anything like that!" Rosa was quick to clarify, her face still beet red.
"Oh, really?" Hange tilted her head to the side, her smile growing wider.
"Yeah, I was just trying to clean him up a bit. His clothes are full of dirt and leaves."
"Uh-huh, sure..." Hange chuckled, shaking her head. "Anyway, Levi, Erwin wants to see you."
"Right." Levi replied curtly, his expression stiff. The look in his eyes softened, though, when he turned his attention back to the woman next to him. "Rosa, I… I'll see you later, then." He gave her a slight smile.
Rosa watched him walk away, his steps long and quick. The way his cape swayed as he strode past her was mesmerizing, and the image of him walking away from her, the sunlight reflecting from his raven black hair, would remain burned into her memory forever.