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Chapter 3:  The Drawing

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If there was one thing Levi wasn't looking forward to was the weekend. Of course, he enjoyed his free days and although he would prefer to spend the day resting or cleaning, he had to complete his punishment.

He wanted some peace, but it just seems like Goddess were not in his favor today. But here he was right now, walking through the open space marketplace with the person responsible for all of this.

The market place was as lively as it could be. Sellers were screaming their product's name with their prices and people passing by would check out their items. From time to time Levi would get glances from other females, smiling at him as he walked by. Once again proving that he indeed wasn't indifferent to women.

"Miss, would you mind picking up your skirt and showing us your legs?"

"Come with me and I'll show you a good time!"

"I'll pay you if you dance for me!"

And of course, Maria had her fair share of popularity within the male community. She was walking behind Levi and although she felt intimidated by the men surrounding her, she couldn't do much. The brunette tried to walk away, but one of the guys had stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Hey, come on we can pay you-"

"Get your filthy hands off her or I'll cut them off."

The tall guy who was grabbing Maria by the arm let out a laugh the moment he noticed Levi. Him and his other friends began to laugh too as compared to them, Levi was just too short to put up a decent fight. Or so they thought.

"And what are you gonna do about it, short man?"

"... Do you want me to show you?"

Levi was already thinking of breaking his hand but right now he couldn't afford to get another punishment. Instead, he used another tactic which he was known for. He only stared at the guy as he got closer to him, he'll let his strong eyes do the trick.

and it worked.

"Whatever, I don't have the time to deal with you," the guy said as rolled his eyes. He walked away trying to be tough but in reality, he was intimidated.

Maria and Levi watched the man walk away in silence and after they were completely out of their sight, Levi began to talk again.

"You should learn how to defend yourself ... I won't always be here to defend you, you know?"

"Although I'm grateful, I didn't ask you to defend me," Maria said as she began to walk again. Levi followed closely. "Besides, I don't want to bother you anymore."

"Then learn some self-defense, I could teach you some stuff."

"But, I don't want to bother-"

"You will keep bothering me because I'll keep defending you whether you learn how to defend yourself or not," Levi didn't measure the heaviness of his words. He didn't notice the slight blush Maria's face had when his words left his mouth. "So, you might as well learn now, so you can stop bothering me later."

Maybe he was being a bit rude and insensitive but this was the only way to get it through her head. He was looking out for her and if he was being completely honest, he was more scared at the fact that one day he wouldn't be there to protect her.

"You're right ... I'll learn."

Maria looked like a scolded child, her hands were in front of her, her eyes looked down at her shoes and she tried to avoid eye contact with the man next to her.

Levi let out a sigh as he rolled his eyes. For some reason, he just couldn't stand the thought of making her feel sad.

"Just grab onto my arm," Levi said as he got Maria's attention. "I'll scare everyone off if you're next to me."

Did Levi know the power of words? Because when he says things like that, Maria's heart skipped a beat. She looks away as she tries her best to hide her blush.

Slowly, she placed her right hand into Levi's left arm and for a short moment, she felt as if her hand belonged there.

"Thank you," she said as they walked once again through the marketplace.

This time the stares of people were different. While the females would sweetly smile at Maria, the males would throw a cocky smile at Levi as if they were proud of him.

There was no doubt the people passing by them thought that they were a couple.

And Levi found this slightly pleasant.

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Flowers, perfume, home decorations, candles, mantles, tea, wine, vegetables, and fruits. The list that Erwin gave Levi consisted of different things. As Levi and Maria shopped through the marketplace, the Captain began to wonder just what the heck in the world was Erwin thinking.

The things he was getting for him seem ...very unlike him. For all Levi knew, Erwin was a man inside out, seeing that he had a soft side made his stomach feel sick. Not like it bothers him but it was just something strange when it came to the Survey Corps Commander's advisor.

"Well ... Who's the lucky girl?"

Maria interrupted their silence as they had finished getting the first and easiest thing to get from their list, the fruit, and vegetables.

Maria wouldn't have asked in the first place but since she was helping Petra with getting Levi's attention, she might as well know now if Levi was seeing anyone.

"What makes you think this is for a woman?" Levi asked as they continued to walk through the marketplace. Of course, he was carrying the bags.

"The list says perfume, candles, wine ... All of this is for a romantic date and from the mantles, I can tell it is going to be a long one indeed," Maria was still holding Levi's arm, this time she wasn't feeling embarrassed about it. "So, who is it?"

"I don't know, these things aren't for me, they are for Erwin."

"The Survey Corps' Commander?"

"Well, he's an advisor for the Commander ... but everyone expects him to take command soon," Levi replied. He didn't care about the list anymore. Nonetheless, he would be lying if he didn't say that it piqued a small interest in him to know whether Erwin was having a date or not.

"I don't know where to get any of these things ... That's why I brought you here," Levi decided to leave aside the part in which this was a punishment. After all, he didn't want Maria to feel bad about it.

"So, are you telling me that a man like yourself doesn't know about dates?" Maria said as she looked through the different items the market place offered. She had remembered that she needed some fabric to make some dresses.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you seem to be popular with the ladies," by 'popular' she meant Petra. However, she has seen the looks other women give Levi. There is no doubt that he is a handsome man. "I'm sure Captain Levi of the Survey Corps has had his fair share of dates."

"I've had plenty of dates but not of the romantic nature if you know what I mean."

If there was something Maria wanted at the moment was to disappear, that way it could be impossible for Levi to see her blushing. He was just this straight forward, wasn't he? And the thing is that he seems unbothered. With no care in the world about his statement.

"Are you not interested in romance?"

Although Maria was doing this mostly to get more information for Petra, she had to admit that she was also interested in Levi's romantic life.

"I don't think it's worth the time nor the effort and besides I think it's stupid," Levi let out a sigh, he didn't want to look at Maria at the moment, he focused on the other people passing by. "One day, I can simply die ... I don't want to bring suffering nor pain to whoever decides to have feelings for me. Also, we don't know if one day the Titans will break the walls and destroy everything ... If she dies and I can't protect her... I wouldn't be able to live with that."

For the first time, Levi was showing Maria his vulnerable side. She knew that the Captain wasn't the type to talk about feelings, that was for sure. Maybe it was unintentionally, but even if that was the case, Maria felt honored to be in the presence of such a moment. What should she say? He showed vulnerability, maybe she should respond with some of hers too.

Sellers kept screaming the name of their products, people passing by, kids playing around. Others tried to bargain for lower prices. It wasn't the perfect place to talk, but it would do.

"You know, I'm just a simple woman and I am probably too naive ... But if there's one thing I've learned is that loving as much as you can is worth it," Maria was looking at the ground, but looked up at Levi and appreciated his black-pearl eyes. "After all, life is short isn't it? It's better to live it with no regrets."

There were a few times in which Levi was left speechless. Maria's words resonated within his head and the only thing he could do was to stare at her and her brown caramel eyes. A few seconds passed and Maria felt heat going up to her cheeks, Levi was just standing there. Maria gave a quick look to her right hand, she was still holding onto Levi and her blush grew more.

As Levi noticed that Maria broke eye contact with him, he had realized that he had been staring at her for too long.

He took back his regular posture and said,

"I've changed my mind ... You're not as annoying as I thought."

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They were done shopping the essentials at the marketplace. Now they were heading to the suburbs of the city in which stores of higher quality took residence.

Maria was no longer holding onto Levi, he was walking in front of her again and Maria couldn't help but notice that the Captain had changed his mood.

She regretted to a certain extent the words she previously mentioned because since she said them, it was apparent that Levi took them too seriously.

She looked around the town, where buildings occupied the whole place. In this big of a town, there has to be something in which it could lift up the humor of humanity's strongest soldier.

And there it was.

"Mr. Levi, would you come with me for a moment?" Maria got Levi's attention. He turned around to find Maria walking towards a nearby shop.

This was a place Levi had never been to before. A small bell rings on top of them as they open the wooden door.

They could tell that indeed, this was a painter's home. Brushes all over the place, paint in places they shouldn't be. The white canvas was thrown on the floor. A white mantle covered half of the room and strangely that was the only thing that wasn't covered in paint. A chair placed in the middle of it.

"And how can I help you?"

An old bald man with a white beard appeared out of the back of the room. Slightly surprising the two, nonetheless looking at his clothes full of paint, they could tell that the old man was the owner of the shop.

"I wanted to see if you could make a quick painting of us?" As Maria let out the words, Levi looked at her with amusement in his eyes.

"A painting? It's already the middle of the day, if you want a painting, come in the morning," the painter saw a disappointed face in Maria's face and immediately felt a little guilty. "But I can do a detailed pen sketch."

Maria's eyes glitter in excitement as she nodded her head. "Yes, please!"

"Very well then, take a seat on the chair over there," the painter said as he walked over to pick up a nice thick sheet of paper and placed it on his canvas stand. "Your husband should stand next to you."

"Oi, I am not-"

Levi wanted to prove the painter wrong, but Maria interrupted him suddenly.

"Of course he will!" she said.

"Alright, I'm going upstairs for my materials."

The house attendant waited for the old man to be out of sight to turn to look at Levi who was waiting for answers.

"Do you want him to charge us more? Just pretend we're married for a bit," Maria said.

Levi rolled his eyes. In all honesty, he even wondered what in the world he was doing. "I feel nauseous just thinking about it ... if I throw up, don't blame me."

"Hey! No need to be rude!"

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The sun was starting to go down, Levi and Maria were now just walking through town for the pleasure of it. There weren't a lot of people and the weather was nice, very tranquil.

"You made me stand for two hours ... for this small drawing,"

Levi was holding a detailed pen drawing, the paper size a little bigger of a regular sheet of paper. Maria sat on an elegant chair, her dress laid softly in her legs as her knees were showing. She wasn't smiling but her eyes and expression were soft, like that of a gentle mother. Levi was standing next to her, his left hand on top of the chair. His eyes showed a stern look and his face looked rigid.

They indeed look like a married couple.

"Oh, yes can I take a look at it?"

Levi rolled his eyes as he passed the drawing to Maria who softly grabbed it.

And then, she tore the paper in half.

"What are you doing?" Levi asked in confusion.

"Well, I am sure you don't want a drawing of me," Maria then handed out Levi's drawing, a bit of his hand was missing because it was on Maria's piece of paper. The part in which he had his hand on the chair she sat. "Now we can show our future children how we looked liked when we were younger."

"If we wanted to show them, wouldn't it have been easier to just keep the drawing together?"

If there was one thing Maria hated about Levi, it was how easy he made her blush. When she said 'our children' she meant separately but it seemed he thought otherwise.

"I meant to have our separate children!" Maria stuttered as she covered her face with her right hand. "Besides, what happened to you being nauseous about the thought of us being married?"

"I changed my mind, we look good together," Levi said.

"Please stop saying that!"

Levi let out a small smirk. If there was one thing that interested him about Maria, it was how easy it was for him to make her blush. It was comical and for him, it was another thing he could pass by time. Something fun and definitely amusing.

"I'm just teasing you ... besides, I'm more interested in why you decided to do this and also forced me to do it," Levi asked. He was still carrying the bags that had the things Erwin asked him to bring on his right hand.

"Have you had a drawing of yourself done before?" Maria asked as she walked next to him. The blush on her face was slowly fading away. The tall buildings around them prevented the sunlight that was left to hit their faces.

"No," Levi said. "I never thought of it as necessary."

"I know it's stupid, but I like the thought of us being remembered ... One day we're going to die and as generations pass, our lineage won't be able to tell who we were and what we looked like." Maria said. "It's just a drawing, but it's going to last an eternity ... I have the fantasy that even when we're gone, someone is going to look at this and wonder who we were, how we acted, and lived ... if we are remembered, we can never really be gone ... It's a bit comforting, don't you think?"

A silence fell over them and for a second Maria didn't notice that Levi was staring at her again. Until moments later she realized that they had been quiet too long. She looked from the ground to look at Levi and once again she felt a bit embarrassed.

"And besides, you're humanity's strongest soldier, don't you think humanity and the future generations have a right to know how you look?"

"I don't care about that," Levi said, taking his eyes off Maria. They were close to the place they left the carriage. "But being remembered after I'm gone ... Doesn't sound too bad."

The only thing that could be heard was the occasional laughs of children playing around. The clicks and clacks of shoes impacting the rock paved road and the soft sound of Maria's hair moving along with the wind.

"Thank you," Levi said softly but loud enough for Maria to hear. It was a nice gesture, and now that he thinks about it, she must have done it because there was a certain shift in his mood earlier.

"You're welcome," Maria smiled at him and again, it was strange. He felt his heart skip a beat just for a fraction of a second.

"But even if this wasn't a painting, it's still pretty expensive to get a pen drawing," Levi said, partially forgetting the previous feeling. "How did you pay for it?"

"Well, I had some money saved to buy some fabrics ... I wanted to make some dresses for myself since I don't have a lot," The house attendant let out a sigh, she wanted some fabrics really bad but she whole-heartedly thought that getting a drawing was better. "But, it doesn't matter! It makes me way happier to have done this with you Levi!"

"Levi?"

"I mean Mr. Levi, sorry."

"Just call me Levi, dammit,"

The short man and the tall girl made a turn. This time the sun was completely down and the moon had made its way to the dark sky. They were just a few blocks away from their carriage.

"It just feels a bit strange, you're my boss after all," she said.

"I would prefer it if you didn't think of me like that."

"Then, what do you want me to think of you?"

That was actually a good question. One that he didn't think about before. What did he want for Maria to see him as? A boss? No, definitely not. That kind of relationship would be too strict, no room for growth, nor development. And for some reason, he didn't want that between them. He wonders why but didn't have the time to think about that right now. Friends? Maybe ... and strangely enough that seems like a good idea. He always tries to keep his distance and doesn't want to have a close relationship with anyone. Especially since Isabel and Furlan died, he had built a wall around him.

But with Maria it was different, she wouldn't go out of the walls. She was inside and staying at his home nonetheless. She was in no harm and it was almost impossible for anything to happen to her. Almost impossible for her to get eaten by Titans. When he goes out to the exterior, he will be protecting her from the titans. And when he is inside the walls, he'll protect her from other harms.

It was even like a miracle and he barely noticed it. He didn't have to worry about her dying and if he were to die, at least someone will remember him.

It seems too good to be true, almost like a trap and he was scared that maybe he will lose her too but ... He had promised himself to live a life with no regrets.

Maybe ... he could let his guard down a little around her.

"I want you to think of me as-"

"Wait, where's our carriage?"

Maria interrupted him and Levi's thoughts were thrown out of the window. He looked around, there was no doubt that the carriage must be here somewhere.

But the problem was that it wasn't. They look around the streets and nothing. Initially, this wouldn't be a problem but because it was already late and because the Survey Corps headquarters were far away in the countryside, there won't be any carriages that would take them to their destination.

"Dammit ... Is this some twisted plan of yours Erwin?"

Levi gave a quick look to Maria before drifting into thoughts again.

"Whether I want it or not ... We're going to have to stay the night together in this town."

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With no other place to go Levi decided that it was better to go into an inn and rest for the night until tomorrow morning. Of course, that was their main idea until Levi remembered ... It was the weekend and unless his squad had a sudden change of heart and listened to him for once, then they should still be around here getting drunk. And if they are here that means they had a carriage with them.

"Wait, change of plans," Levi turned to look at Maria. He was still holding the bags and in all honesty, he was getting annoyed by it already. "Do you know what's the best place to drink in town?"

"Well, I'm from Wall Maria, so I don't know too much about the insides of Wall Rose nor much about this town," Maria looked to her side, a bit taken back by his question. She indeed worked in a tavern but that didn't mean she knew all about the extravagant world ... Well, she did know about it but still. It was strange that he didn't think about having a little bit of consideration. "But, from what I used to hear from customers, there's a popular bar in town called The Queen's Tavern ... Why?"

"Because we're going for some drinks."

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The Special Operation Squad was having the time of their lives as they drank their worries away. Having fun as they drank to their heart contents, singing, and dancing. For a night, it was good to forget everything.

There were a lot of people at The Queen's Tavern who shared the same sentiment as the Special Operation Squad. After all, it was a pretty popular tavern and lots of different kinds of people enjoyed the vividity of it. A lot of candles decorated the place, live music blasted non stop and without mentioning, all the men waited for the tavern dancers to go out.

"Do you think Captain Levi will get mad at us?" said Petra out loud to her group as she took a sip of her beer.

"He's probably going to punish us again," said Gunther, who secretly was also waiting for the dancers to come out.

"Don't mention him! We're here to have a good time!" Oluo kept his eyes on Petra. The group was sharing a wooden table with a candle in the middle of it. Their food plates had some leftovers as well.

Eld had finished his glass of beer and was reading to ask for another one but decided to share some of his thoughts first. "Yeah, Captain Levi is good and all, but mentioning him right now is like summoning the devil-"

"Yes, I am just like the devil."

Everyone felt a shiver run down their spine and almost spilled their drinks as they heard the intimidating voice of humanity's strongest soldier right next to them.

"Captain Levi!"

Everyone stood up from their seats and saluted their Captain even though they weren't wearing a uniform.

Scared and almost pissing themselves, Levi didn't have the time to waste with them. He just wanted to go home already. However, their eyes softened the moment Maria showed into the picture as well.

"I'll let this go if you guys give me and Maria your carriage," Levi said while the brunette waved as a greeting to Levi's squad.

"You came to town with Maria? For what reason?"

Maria could sense a bit of jealousy in Petra's voice and she didn't want any misunderstanding between them.

"We came because Er-"

"What we do in town is no one's business," Levi raised a hand in front of Maria's face to stop her from talking. If he explains why they were here, he had to explain the punishment and why Erwin gave it to him ... Including the story about Maria and that bastard. He just didn't want to put her in such a compromising position.

"Captain Levi, I must say that I am quite impressed that you are here ... Won't it be better for you to join us?" Eld was relaxed now, the Captain didn't seem as angry as he usually does.

"I don't drink and we are already tired-"

"Maria?" A feminine voice said. "Is that you?"

Everyone directed their attention to the female's voice. They found a blonde girl, around her mid-twenties wearing a red, white, and black dress. There was a long cut on her dress, making it easy to see her legs that were wrapped in fishnet stockings. Very luxurious and pompous, her entire self was flamboyant and there was no doubt that she was very beautiful. Her blue eyes shone brighter thanks to the black eyeliner on top of her eye, red lipstick decorated her lips and a small blush was present on her cheeks. Her long silky hair laid on her shoulders and it was beautifully decorated by flowers and a single bird black feather.

There was no doubt that indeed, she was a tavern dancer also known as a saloon girl.

"Elena?"

Then everyone turned to look at Maria who had a surprised but happy look on her face.

"It's been so long!" Maria said as she hugged her friend. "Look at you! How's the tavern life treating you?"

"It is a bit complicated but nothing that I can't handle ... I do have to ask how you can even dance in these corsets? I can barely breathe," noticing that everyone was having their eyes on them, Elena decided to take action. "But will you introduce me to your friends?"

"Yes, of course! Elena is Mr. Levi, Mr. Eld, Mr. Gunther, Mr. Oluo, and Ms. Petra ... They are soldiers from the Survey Corps," Maria pointed at them and Elena waved at them softly as a form of greeting. "Everyone, this is Elena. She was a waitress at the tavern I used to work for."

Everybody waved except for Levi who just wanted to go out already. He was still carrying the bags and knew something for certain was that he needed these bags to get to Erwin so his punishment could be lifted.

"Well, since I haven't seen Maria for a while I want us to celebrate ... The next round is on me," Elena said as she turned around to face the bartender. Immediately he knew he needed to start pulling out the big guns of alcohol with these ones.

"That's nice of you but Mr. Levi and I need to get home-"

"Oh, come on Maria! I haven't seen you in a while and you still haven't told me what exactly happened the day our boss got busted," Elena said as she placed an arm around her friend.

"Yeah! Let's all just have a good time!" Eld said, a bit of a blush on his cheeks. "Besides, we don't get many nights with such a beautiful girl like yourself."

"You all can stay, but I'm going home. Just tell me where the carriage is and I'll be on my way," Levi said.

"That's a shame, Mr. Levi," Elena's voice changed to be a bit more seductive. Her blue eyes met black charcoal ones. "I was going to share some fun stories about Maria back when she used to dance for the tavern ... Wouldn't you want to hear?"

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Levi didn't know how something so simple convinced him to stay the night. At least the bags he was carrying were inside the carriage now. He went outside and placed them inside the carriage and as he saw the sleeping horses, it was tempting to take a horse and leave everyone in the tavern. But he just couldn't do it. Besides, due to his insomnia, he wasn't going to sleep much tonight either way.

So he might as well spend the night listening to some embarrassing stories of the brunette woman he likes to tease so much.

And besides, it's been a while ... since he has been out with ... company.

He went back into the tavern and a certain warmth ran through his body as he saw that everyone on the table got excited to see him come back. They waved with their hands, telling him to hurry up and drink with them.

Maybe ... This won't be such a bad night.

"And Maria was so drunk that she threw up on a customer!" Elena said as everyone else let out a laugh.

"Well, dancing was never my forte ... I guess my talent is to get drunk easily," Maria replied as she took a sip of her beer.

Levi sat in between Maria and Gunther and in front of Oluo. He placed a hand on his glass of beer and without thinking too much about it, he drank a big gulp.

"Don't be so modest! Men from all over the walls would come to our tavern just to see you!" The blonde girl once again wrapped her arm around the brunette, showing her off like a proud mother. "You see her looking all cute and innocent but on stage ... she was a sexy goddess."

"Oh my, Maria, I didn't know you could be so ... extravagant." Petra teased her, she was already past her point of being tipsy and was on her early drunk stage.

"I-I wasn't! I had to do it to get more money so-" Maria looked down at her beer, a bit embarrassed that her past was being exposed.

"Don't be so embarrassed, after all, that's how you met Nicholas."

"Nicholas?"

"Maria's first and only love."

Now, this was the kind of topic that interested Levi, although he knew he shouldn't. He just knew so little about his house attendant, that any small detail about her seemed interesting.

"Hey, they don't need to know that!" Maria said, almost screaming in embarrassment.

"Yes, we want to know," Eld was saying 'yes' to anything that Elena was saying. Everyone had noticed that the two were throwing flirty eyes at each other once in a while.

"He's no one! Besides, I haven't seen him in years and-"

"He came here two days ago and asked for you ... I think he was looking through every tavern and bar out there," taking one last sip of her beer, Elena continued. "I know that he left without an explanation, but when I told him that you became a house attendant for the Survey Corps ... He looked genuinely worried and his eyes ... were filled with hope ... When you see him again, you should let him talk."

" ... I don't think I'll ever see him again."

Even when Captain Levi didn't want to pay attention, he did. His eyes focused on the brunette and there was a pain in her eyes that he couldn't quite describe.

"You will ... When he came here two days ago, he was wearing his Survey Corps uniform," Elena said.

"He's part of the Survey Corps!?" Even Oluo, who was one to only care about Petra and the relationship he wanted with her, was very interested in the topic at hand. It was more likely the alcohol speaking.

"Then, that means you can see him! You will meet him again!" Petra was excited. She was a big romantic and wanted the best for the brunette who promised her to help her win the heart of a certain Captain.

Humanity's strongest soldier was quiet. Mostly out of surprise, because the sudden glow in Maria's eyes was a sight to be admired. He didn't know what it was, he had mixed feelings about it. There was a part of him that wanted to see more of her, of those eyes that were filled with hope and love. But the other part of him didn't want to see it. He felt annoyed, angry even and it made him angrier that he didn't know why.

"Are you going to keep talking or are we going to order another round already?"

Everyone was left speechless, no one had ever seen Captain Levi being the one to initiate drinking. This was either a sign that something good was going to happen or just a good omen.

No one knows what it was but they decided to go with the flow.

"Yes, let's keep drinking!"

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Levi didn't know when in their conversation he fell asleep. Probably, he slept for around two or three hours. He didn't fall asleep because he was drunk, he did it mostly because his body felt like it. He appreciated any moment that his body craved for some sleep and whenever he was, Levi always strived to follow it's body command.

He drank four to five beers before he felt sleepy and without noticing he had drifted into sleep.

Now here was, slowly opening his eyes as he recognized a familiar scent.

Lavender.

His eyes snapped open and suddenly he realized he wasn't at The Queen's Tavern anymore. Instead, he felt something warm against his head and it took him just a little tilt of his head to realize what was happening.

Maria was giving him a piggyback ride.

She seems like she was struggling with him a little but Levi was too surprised to even try and move away from her. Her small hands were tightly holding onto his calves. While his arms lay down on both of her shoulders.

"What the hell are you doing?" Levi said as he finally broke free from his small trance.

"Carrying you," Maria simply replied, a little of her breath left her mouth.

The moon was out and thanks to it, Levi could see a little of Maria's face.

"I can see that, I want to know why."

"You fell asleep and well, I thought you were too drunk to even wake up so ... I carried you," what surprised Maria the most is that even when Levi realized that she was giving him a piggyback ride, he still didn't move nor seemed like he wanted to get off her back. "We're close to the carriage."

"What happened to the rest?"

Levi knew it was wrong for him to still be on the brunette's back when he was capable of walking. However, he still couldn't process the whole idea. This was the first time someone has done this for him.

It looked comical even to him.

"Ms. Petra, Mr. Oluo, and Mr. Gunther decided to stay at an inn," Maria said as she made a turn on the next street. "Eld went with Elena ..."

A few seconds passed and Levi still couldn't believe that Maria had gone out of her way to carry him. It was just like one of those sloppy love stories he read in books. Although romance was not a genre he was interested in, sometimes he would stumble open it. After all, love always came for the protagonists. This was like a scene in which the boy saves and carries the girl but this time the boy was being carried.

It was a bit humiliating because he was short and Maria was taller than him by a few inches, it was easy for her to carry him.

And then he wondered, was she like this with that guy too?

"Who's Nicholas?"

The words came out of his mouth without thinking and for a second he regretted even having a mouth.

"Elena explained it earlier didn't she?"

"Yeah, I wasn't paying attention."

"If you weren't paying attention that means you don't care,"

Her voice was more hostile and the Captain didn't know if she was angry at him or angry at the memory of Nicholas. In all honesty, he didn't know why he was suddenly interested in her past love life. It just piqued his interest, especially seeing that someone was able to negatively affect a sweet woman like Maria.

"We were going to get married, he stood me up a day before," the brunette didn't know why she was telling him this either. It was probably the comfort of knowing that Captain Levi won't be saying this to anyone. "It was stupid of me ... to think that someone would want to marry a tavern dancer."

A few moments of silence passed and only the soft sound of Maria's black heels impacting the rock path could be heard. At the moment, Levi felt guilty, one because he made her remember an unwanted memory and second because she was still giving him a piggyback ride.

"Put me down, I'm not a child," Levi said, breaking the silence.

"Are you not? You certainly have the height of one," Maria let out a small giggle as she bent down to let Levi off her back.

"Feeling aggressive today, aren't we, shithead." Levi felt his feet touch the ground as he did a small jump to get off Maria's back. Once he was up already, he faced the brunette again. More than offended, he was surprised that Maria had the confidence to tease him.

"Shithead? Couldn't you come up with a better comeback?" Maria had finally got a sight of the carriage that was taking them home.

"Give me more time and I'll find a suitable nickname for you," Levi let out a sigh in relief as well, finally he could go home and drink some black tea.

"What about tavern-shit? It's suitable," Maria said, as she walked next to Levi but wasn't looking at him.

"No, too obvious ... I'll think about something."

Levi gave it a thought? What were Maria's flaws? She lacked confidence, a person pleaser, sometimes she would put up a facade, tends to endangered herself, and will put others needs before hers.

She was everything that Levi dislikes about a person and still ... There was something about her that attracted him.

They finally reached the carriage. Levi didn't hesitate to get into the box seat, calming down two horses as he did so. It wasn't a fancy carriage, it was actually a farm transportation one. A prairie schooner to be exact. Maria followed him closely and took a seat next to him in the box seat. Levi made a small movement with the reins and the horses didn't hesitate to start moving.

It was quiet as they moved from the town to the countryside, the moon and stars above them. Levi found himself hesitant for the first time in a long time and it disgusted himself.

The only thing that could be heard was the horses' fast feet touching the soil and the wheels of the prairie schooner moving along with them. Maria and Levi sat on the front of the seat box, not daring to say a word.

So it had to be Levi to break the silence.

"If there is something I have learned from this shitty life is that it is better to live life with no regrets ... Sometimes I even forget," Levi again moves the reins of the horses as they move faster. "Don't make rushed decisions that you will regret later ... You only get one chance."

The house attendant knew that Levi was talking about Nicholas. Even when he said he wasn't paying attention, he was. Maria didn't want to see him, nor talk to him and that was her final decision. She knew she wouldn't regret this decision because this was the right thing to do ... for her. Even for Nicholas.

Besides, who was Captain Levi to advise her? He was only a few years older than her and he already spoke as if he was a wise old man. She knew he was trying to help but at the moment her mind and heart were clouded by the love and hate she felt at remembering Nicholas.

"And what do you know?" Maria said as she turned to look at him in the eyes, not afraid at the moment. "Ever since we met ... You've been holding back and even I can see it ... That you regret it even now."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know Levi, you tell me," Maria drops the honorific, making Levi surprised. "What have you been regretting since you met me?"

"Is it so bad ... That you need to stop yourself?" Maria's voice became deeper and unintentionally her body moved closer to Levi's. "You're telling me to have no regrets ... but you are putting yourself in a position in which you will regret either decision you make."

"So tell me, Levi, what is stopping you?" she had stopped using a formal language, too much rage in her heart to even care about the moment. Her face was very close to Levi's. "What are you regretting right now?"

Maria waited for a moment and a few seconds passed without him giving her an answer. She was about to give up and just look away in anger but before doing so Levi turned his head to face her.

Their faces were so very close, they could feel each other's breaths touching their lips.

"I regret ... not asking you to sleep with me."

So, that's why he acted differently with her. That is why he didn't call her by offensive names nor treated her like the rest of his team. Would things be different if he didn't feel like sleeping with her from the beginning? If she does, will things change between them? No, things have changed since this moment on. There was no going back. She knew this was childish but if there was one way she could get rid of the anger she was feeling towards Nicholas right now ... She would do it.

"Of course, I don't know what I was thinking ... A man like yourself who always is straightforward on what he wants," Maria didn't look away and even if Levi didn't notice, he was captivated by her caramel eyes. "But why ... Why not ask me before?"

"I didn't want to disrespect you ... You've made it more than clear before that you are not a prostitute ... If you had been one ... if circumstances were different ... believe me ... I wouldn't have hesitated to ask," Levi focused on her eyes, the slight blush that was forming on her cheeks and her wet lips that were begging to be touched. "Besides, why ask when I already know the answer-"

"How can you know the answer if you never asked?" Maria interrupted him and at this point she knew she was too blinded by hate, by her broken heart and her destroyed memories. Her body and soul was craving him, the rude, short, stubborn man in front of her. The only option that might help her forget the love of her life for a moment. "So, Levi ... Come on ... ask me."

This wasn't the Maria he knows, but he knew she was inside there. Behind all of her pain, her anger, there she was ... The sweet woman who has a dream to help others.

And he didn't want to take advantage of the state she was in. He could be a monster, but he didn't want to harm her either. He didn't want her to make a decision and regret it later.

"Come on ask ... and I promise my answer won't give us anything to regret about," Maria said, her voice tempting him. "I promise I won't regret my decision."

That was all the comfort and resolution he needed. She made it clear and she had made her decision. If she says she won't regret it, then there is no point in holding back. She was right ... Whatever decision she takes ... Neither of them will regret it.

"Would you ..." For a moment Levi remembers why he felt physically attracted to her. Her long brown hair moved along the wind as the moonlight created a small angelic aura around her. Her face had a small pink tint on her cheeks, a frown decorated her face and soft pink lips were begging to be touched by him. She was taller than him and her stance was strong and delicate but never showing weakness. She wasn't big nor skinny, she had curves in the perfect places and to Levi that was the most desirable thing he could ask for in a woman. She was a simple looking girl, he was certain he had slept with more beautiful women before ... But he didn't know what it was. She had something particular that he couldn't quite describe and whatever it was ... It attracted him deeply.

"Would you sleep with me tonight?"

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A/N: Next chapter coming Sunday. This is different from what I usually write so I am very excited to see I will be taking this next. Thank you everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed!