My Hero

Chapter 13

Erwin Smith had just woken up and was observing her sleeping face. He couldn't sleep much because his mind was full of all kinds of thoughts, and her constant shifting in bed didn't really help. He thought she might have been having a nightmare. Erwin ran a hand through her dark hair. He still couldn't believe this was the same little girl from back then. He had his doubts before, but now he was certain.

'She changed so much', he thought, and then laughed at how silly that sounded. 'But, of course, she did; she's a young woman now. The only thing that still remains the same is her green eyes, which seem to never lose the special spark in them. How did I not see it before? I guess she reminds me of Levi in a way—a stubborn little thing with the heart of a warrior.'

Desi shuffled a bit in her sleep and began to slowly open her eyes.

---

"Mmm." My consciousness was slowly creeping back to me as I returned to reality and abandoned the pleasant dream I was having. It took me a bit to realize where I was. As my eyes landed on the Commander's beautiful face so close to me, I nearly jumped away in surprise.

"Haha, is my face so scary early in the morning?" At least he found my reaction amusing.

"NO, no, of course not! I was just a bit startled."

"Come here, my dear." He pulled me closer for a kiss. I submerged myself in the kiss but suddenly remembered something and pulled myself away.

"Damn, I'm going to be late!" I jumped out of bed, nearly stumbling down since my body had not yet completely woken up. "Captain Levi will kill me!" I quickly started dressing myself. My back was turned to him, but I could feel the commander's gaze on me. He was probably watching me in amusement. In my half-panicked state, I didn't hear his footsteps, and a surprised sound escaped my lips when he wrapped his arms around me. He buried his face in my hair and kissed my neck. "C-Commander, stop it!"

"The mark I left on you came out nicely." He kissed that same spot once more.

Mark? What mark?? When did he... Oh, that's right. "Seriously, Commander, I need to go!"

"I won't let you leave until you address me properly."

"But that's exactly what I'm doing!"

"You know very well what I mean, Desi."

"Fine... Erwin, please, I need to hurry or I will be late."

"Wasn't so hard now, was it?" But he didn't let me go. Instead, he turned my body around and kissed me in a way that made me forget how to breathe. "Now you can go."

'Damn this man!' I shot him an annoyed glance, but it was hard to hide my actual feelings. I ran off and practically crashed into the person right outside the door. My heart nearly stopped. "Captain...Levi..."

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

"I...I..." There was practically nothing I could have said in my defense. The intimidating look on Captain Levi's face was scarier than any titan. Since I showed no signs of giving him a response, he was the one who spoke instead.

"If I were you, I'd hurry up, unless you want to hear more rumors about yourself."

"Y-yes, yes, sir!"

---

"So? What will YOU say for yourself? I expect to actually hear an answer this time."

"Good morning, Levi."

"That's not an answer."

"No, it's a greeting."

"Wipe that smirk off of your face, old man."

"I'm sorry, that's impossible at this point."

"Tch, you've lost it completely. Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Was there a reason behind your early visit, Levi?"

"Hanji was looking for you."

"Hanji? Why?"

"Beats me what that four-eyed freak wants. I told you, so my part in this is over. She's your problem now." Captain Levi walked away with quick steps.

The commander began to prepare himself for the day. He washed up, combed his hair to perfection, and took down the uniform that was waiting for him. What happened last night was going through his mind. "Levi is right; I need to focus." When he fixed his uniform and looked at himself in the mirror, he had his usual impenetrable expression back.

---

Once I joined the rest of the Survey Corps for breakfast, Jean only looked at me and pointed to the spot next to him. I sat down nervously. I wasn't sure if I should say anything or just eat my breakfast quietly. I decided on a safe topic. "Jean, I still haven't had the chance to thank you for yesterday. I don't even know how to thank you properly, to be honest."

"It was no big deal; I did what I had to do."

Yes, I deserved the coldness in his voice. "Well, it's a big deal for me."

"Desi, you don't need to try so hard. I'm fine, really."

"You know, don't you?"

"Not really, but your absence during the night gives the girls a lot to talk about."

'Damn it!'

"How long do you think you can keep this up?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it will sooner or later become an issue for the both of you. And someone in his position is bound to suffer a great deal of pressure and accusations because of such actions. I don't know what you're planning to do, but honestly, I don't think it's appropriate, especially with our mission and responsibilities."

"Yes...you're probably right." It's not like I didn't know all of this already; I just wanted to forget it for a bit. But Jean was right; I knew that. Whatever was going on between us, it most probably wasn't bound to last long. My heart clenched in pain from the thought itself.