Bonds of Steel and Blood

CHAPTER 29 - Awakening Desires

Whenever Rei's chances of survival were slim, she somehow made it out alive. She used to think it was pure luck. Then she thought maybe it was the Gods' cruel joke of not letting her die, so she'd had to continue to fight day by day in the hell she used to live in. It took her long to realize she just really didn't want to die. And whenever she was on the verge of letting go, something within her awakened, making her fight.

She barely remembered the moments after Levi left for Trost with those kids. It was all a mix of blood and steel. When she woke up in the infirmary, she was confused. Scattering through the mission's events, a feeling grew in her chest. Concern.

          "You're awake."

The voice of relief came from Jasper, sitting in the chair beside her bed. Rei's confused eyes landed on him, his casual clothing, and the scratches and bruises on his face already healing.

          "How long... have I been out?"

          "Five days," Jasper replied, taking her arm into his. "They had to stitch up your leg. You fought the doctor when he wanted to give you painkillers, so they put you to sleep with an injection. The nurse said you were supposed to wake up after sixteen hours, but we figured you needed more rest."

The worry in his voice was crushing. Rei knew he spent those days wondering if she'd ever wake up. She removed her blanket, seeing her right thigh wrapped in clean bandages.

          "You're lucky you heal fast," Jasper said, following her gaze to her leg. "They said you'll be able to return to training in a month."

          "A month... " Rei repeated slowly.

She moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Her leg throbbed in pain, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

          "How's Aiden? And my squad?"

          "All fine and well," Jasper calmed her. "Well, they're all incredibly worried for you, but otherwise... fine."

          "And those two kids?"

Jasper's expression softened.

          "They're here in the infirmary," he said. "Erwin arranged for a family to take them in once they're nourished."

Rei nodded, staring at her leg. Her next question was at the tip of her tongue, but her pride refused to let her ask about Levi.

          "Look who's back from the dead!"

The exclamation came from the door, where Carter appeared. He was bandaged almost from head to toe, but the smile on his face was as wide as ever.

          "And you're alive," Rei said, smiling. "I didn't even know your squad was assigned to the mission. You scared me out there."

          "Apologies," Carter said, bowing his head. "Nice to hear you were worried."

Rei rolled her eyes.

          "Weren't you supposed to be in bed?" Jasper asked Carter, his voice unusually cold.

           "I just came to check on our savior," Carter said, smiling at Rei. "You've been the talk of the Scouts for days. The commander is booming with pride."

          "I just did my job."

          "And almost got yourself killed," Jasper added, glaring at her.

          "Why does everyone keep underestimating me," Rei groaned, pushing herself to her feet.

Jasper quickly stood up, offering her a hand when she staggered from the stabbing pain. She took a few steps, struggling not to curse. Seeing a pile of her clean clothes from her room, she dismissed Jasper and Carter for her to get dressed. Jasper said he'd go tell the others she'd awakened and left her alone in the room.

As Rei pulled on her clothes, her mind kept returning to Levi. She kept remembering their conversation before the mission, his worry when he saw the glass piercing her leg, his internal struggle to leave her behind.

She needed to see him. Needed to say something. So she peeked into the hallway from her room and walked from the infirmary. Well, staggered was the more appropriate term, despite her trying to walk normally.

Rei went directly to his office. How it happened that she didn't meet anyone who'd stop her on her way, she didn't know, but she assumed most were in the Mess Hall since it was time for dinner. She stopped before Levi's door, wondering what she'd even say, questioning everything about herself for going to him first.

She knocked and entered. Levi's office was empty, but papers were scattered on his table as if he was in the middle of work when he left. Rei peeked into his bedroom, which was also empty, the bed neatly made. She sighed and turned to leave.

Levi was standing by the door, panting. His gaze was focused on her, scanning her body, stopping at her leg. Rei was frozen in place, his sudden appearance surprising her. She watched him, noticing his hair was messier than he'd ever allow it to be, that his undereye bags were darker than usual. That his eyes, as they snapped back to hers, were dark with an emotion that made Rei's body shiver.

          "Where were you?" Rei asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

          "I went to the infirmary." Levi's voice was controlled. "I heard you woke up."

          "I did."

They were silent, the air between them brimming with tension.

          "Why are you here?"

The way Levi asked the question told Rei he knew why she was there. He probably knew better than her. Rei bit her lip, managing to look away from him.

          "I'm not sure."

Levi stepped in, closing the door behind him, his eyes unmoving from her figure. Rei's body tensed up.

          "Your leg?" he asked, his voice deep.

          "Better," Rei replied, her breathing growing shallow as he slowly walked towards her.

He stopped before her, their faces inches from each other. Their eyes were locked as if they couldn't look away. Rei wanted to back away to create some space for her to breathe but was overwhelmed with the heat that slowly spread through her body.

          "You asked about me," Levi said slowly, glancing at her lips. "When they brought you back, you asked about me."

          "I did?" Rei said breathlessly, consumed by the way his eyes darkened.

          "Why?"

His face was so close to hers she could feel his breath on her face. She looked down at his lips, then back up to his eyes.

          "Why did you run to the infirmary when you heard I woke up?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Levi remained quiet, fighting the internal battle. He breathed, making Rei shiver when the air he exhaled hit her lips.

          "You know why."

And the world exploded as his lips crushed into hers.