Bonds of Steel and Blood (Levi • OC)

CHAPTER 35 - Battles Within

     The first thing Reinae noticed when she slowly drifted out of sleep was how rested she felt. She hadn't had such a good night's sleep in a long time. She rolled to her back, stretching, her eyes still closed, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. That was until she opened her eyes and realized she wasn't in her room.

     She sat up, the events of the previous night flooding back to her. She looked down at her body, realizing she was still naked but clean. The bed was clean, and the room smelled fresh. And Levi was nowhere to be seen.

     She remained unmoving for a long time. The memories kept replaying in her mind, the memories of his mouth on her skin, her lips, her other lips, the memories of all the orgasms he brought her to, memories of how he looked at her with need and lust. She thought about what drove her to show her scars to him and his reaction, the anger in his eyes, the sympathy. She thought about how he must've cleaned her up after she fell asleep. She thought about him sleeping beside her. Most of all, she thought about what the hell she should do.

     Slowly standing up from the bed, she grabbed the sheet, wrapping it around her naked body. She crept to the door to his office, pressing an ear to it to hear the faint sound of a pen scratching over paper.

     Looking around, she saw a pile of fresh clothes on a chair. Her clothes. From her room. She scoffed in disbelief, then quietly sneaked into his bathroom.

     "Oh, shit," she yelped quietly when she saw her reflection in the mirror.

     Her hair was a mess, her lips swollen, and her neck and torso were covered with little bruises. The memory of Levi sucking and biting her skin made her shudder. She cursed again and quickly dressed, then ran her fingers through her hair to make herself look presentable.

     Reinae quietly paced back and forth before the door to Levi's office for minutes. She had no idea what to say or do. She only had half an hour to get to the Mess Hall if she didn't want to skip breakfast, which she definitely needed, judging her stomach's sound. So she pulled herself together and opened the door.

     Levi was sitting behind his desk, his arched eyebrows furrowed, his fingers massaging his temples as he wrote something on a paper. When Reinae entered his office, he lifted his head, his stoic grey eyes meeting hers.

     "Good morning," he said simply, returning to writing on the paper.

     Reinae paused in confusion. "Morning," she replied, glancing to the door that was her escape.

     "Did you shower?" Levi asked calmly without even looking up.

     "No, I'll... do that in my room," she said, increasingly confused by the situation.

     "You won't have time before training."

     "I'll manage."

     Reinae tensed when his steel eyes found hers again. He slowly placed his pen on the desk and leaned back in his chair.

     "Is there anything you want to... say?" he asked, the way his eyebrows furrowed showing that he, too, struggled with the situation.

     Reinae knew what he wanted from her. Honesty. Because they'd both be fools if they continued to pretend they didn't know about their feelings, whatever they were. And Reinae knew that if she once again dismissed the situation like she did before, their already very strained relationship would collapse entirely. Even so, everything in her urged her to run. To ignore the truth. To pretend like nothing happened.

     "I..." Rei's voice wandered off, the pressure of Levi's gaze making her restless. "I'll be late, so..."

     "I am your captain," Levi said, trying to remain calm though his jaw flexed impatiently. "I'm the one who decides if you're late or not."