.˜"*°• L I T T L E M O N S T E R •°*"˜.

          The sun had already begun to lower in the sky by the time the Scouts had decided to stop for the evening. Missy dismounted her horse with a thud to the ground, her face a perfect mirror of how she currently felt inside.

They had left the village some hours ago, half of the team caked in not only the blood of that Titan but a little of their own too. The emerald Scout's cape tied around Missy's neck had been torn by the window shattering on her way out of it, but that wasn't the only thing about her that was torn apart.

They had stopped in this particular spot due to finding a natural hot spring, deciding that they all deserved to feel clean after the day they had endured. Missy sat on a fallen tree log, her hands folded in her lap as she stared at the floor with a distant gaze. Apollo sat across from her, launching his pocket knife in the air and catching it repeatedly.

Levi had been hesitant to leave her with her brother whilst he joined the other men at the spring, but with a gentle nudge from Eld, he gave in.

"She hasn't had time to think through what happened back there," He had said, a gentle, calloused hand on the Captain's shoulder. "None of us have, but she was there in that room with that thing. With Gunther. She needs time to herself to think. She'll be okay".

So now Missy sat, drowning in her thoughts as she processed what had happened back in the office of that village. It felt surreal. One minute she was sitting joking around with Gunther, and the next the entire ceiling had fallen through and she found herself pinned to the window. She swallowed thickly, visions of the Titan filling her mind. Its thick, scaled skin and eyeless face. She didn't think she would ever forget the razor-sharp teeth and clawed feet which had probably both been what had met Gunther at his end.

"Depression doesn't look good on you, you know," Apollo sighed, his attention still solely on his pocket knife as he tossed it into the air by the handle. "Not that I particularly like the little emotionless warrior facade you like to pull either, but it beats watching you sulk like a child".

Missy felt her jaw clench as she forced her eyes up from the floor to set them on her brother. "I just lost a very good friend. If you have nothing nice to say then I suggest you shut your mouth, Apollo".

"Would this very good friend be content with how you're sitting around with that mopey look on your face?" Apollo asked, finally sheathing the knife and pushing it back into his pocket. "Or would he prefer you get up and start acting like the big, strong, void of a soldier you claim to be? Since when did you start letting emotion come in the way of your given task, hmm? When did you start caring about others that weren't part of your little Jeagar posse?".

Missy's hands clenched into fists, her nails marking crescent moon's into her palms as she pinned her brother with a look that could kill.

"You don't see your dearly beloved husband-to-be moping around like a lost, heartbroken baby, do you?" Apollo pressed further, shifting so he was sat up with his elbows on his knees. "No, that's not Levi's style really, is it? Especially since he so eagerly dragged you out of there and left one of his best friends behind to be savaged by an undocumented abnormal".

Missy stood up abruptly, her feet planted on the floor as she looked down at her twin. "You know nothing about Levi. Don't talk about him like that".

Apollo let out an amused huff of air, joining her in standing so that he towered a head above her. "Look at you defending him. Has it ever occurred to you that you know nothing about him either? You've been nothing but an annoying little Scout to him the entire three years of our training. You've hardly spoken to him if it hasn't been him scolding you for being a shit soldier, yet now that you've been arranged to be his little whore you think you suddenly know everything about him?".

For the first time in her life, Missy could have hit her brother.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Zero groaned, appearing out of nowhere to push the two apart with a hand on either of their chests.

His hair still dripped with beads of water from the spring as he narrowed his hazel eyes towards Apollo. "I honestly refuse to believe that you two once shared a womb and both survived to tell the tale".

The rest of the Scouts trailed back to the camp behind him, all looking much cleaner and relaxed than they had when Missy last saw them. She saw Levi arrive with them as he looked up and raised an eyebrow at her. She turned back to Apollo, gritting her teeth as she said a simple, "Don't open your mouth to me for the rest of this mission. Or the rest of your life, however long or short that may be".

Apollo rolled his eyes and turned to walk away, waving a dismissive hand in the air as he did so.

"You're up next, Rhydduch," Zero sighed, turning to face her with his hands over his chest. "You can't go alone for obvious reasons, so choose your best fighter".

He motioned his hands towards the group of Scouts who were nestling down in front of the campfire, preparing rations.

"I'm going with her," Levi said from directly behind them, causing them both to turn around. "It's not up for debate".

"Yes, sir," Zero saluted, patting Missy's shoulder as he moved to join the others.

Missy was silent as she followed Levi to the spring, trailing behind him like a lost puppy.

God, she hated this. This wasn't her. All frail and emotional.

Or maybe it was. Whilst sitting in a puddle of her own thoughts on that upturned log, she realized that since she graduated cadet training she had become a very different person. It was like the ice around her heart that had been building up over the years was starting to melt, engulfing her with newfound feelings and emotions that she never thought she would have to consider.

Gone were the days when she would stand tall and strong like a robot built for nothing but war, unphased by anything but carrying out her duty. She was feeling more like a human these days. Pain and grief battered against her ribcage like someone trying to escape a prison cell. She hated that. However, she didn't hate the part of her that had somehow learned to love. She loved her friends and that had always been known by her, but she had started developing bonds with her siblings that she never thought she would. Ever since her father, the King, and that fat-ass scientist had destroyed their lives, the Rhydduch siblings had come to this silent agreement that enough was enough. They were finally trying to make up for lost time. Together. Apart from Apollo of course.

She was pulled from her thoughts by Levi's steps halting. She peered around him to see the hot spring in front of them. Hot steam rose from the surface of the water, coating the entire area in a muggy warmth.

Levi perched down on a boulder, facing the opposite way of the spring. He pulled a knife from his pocket, almost identical to Apollo's, and began to skin the succulent, red apple in his hand. "Go ahead. I'll be here".

Missy nodded and walked forward, peeling her clothes from her tired body. She turned her head to make sure Levi was still facing the other way, before stepping into the water. Her eyes widened in surprise at how warm it was. She let her body sink into the spring, a small sigh leaving her lips.

Silence engulfed the two of them as Missy tried her hardest to focus on cleaning her battered body instead of thinking about the fact Levi was meters away from her, skinning an apple.

She felt oddly exposed, even if he wasn't looking. She looked down at the water below her, making sure her entire body was submerged. She didn't know what she would do if he happened to turn around and see her naked like this. The thought brought a red tinge to her already warm cheeks.

"You all good in there?" Levi's gruff voice called from his place on the rock.

"Yeah," Missy replied quickly, wrapping her arms around her torso. "I'm fine".

"Just checking you hadn't drowned," Levi responded, placing the perfectly peeled apple beside him on the rock.

Who goes to the trouble of skinning an apple if they're not going to eat it? Missy thought to herself with a raised brow.

"Are you okay?" Levi asked again, although this time Missy knew he was referring to something else.

Missy bit her lip, debating whether to feign being fine or whether to be honest with him.

"It's not your fault, by the way".

Her ears perked up at this, her eyebrows furrowing as she locked her gaze onto his back.

"There was no way you were getting out of that window without making a noise," Levi said quietly, playing with the handle of his blade. "That isn't your fault. I know that, and so does Gunther".

For some reason, hearing Levi speak about Gunther in the present tense brought a lump to her throat that she couldn't quite swallow.

A few beats of silence passed before Levi let out a small sigh and spoke up again. "He was okay with it. With me getting you out of there safely, even if it meant he wouldn't make it out of there at all".

Somehow that made Missy feel worse. Visions of Gunther's accepting smile filled her mind as she dipped further into the water, feeling the warmth of it reach her chin.

She had known the man for a matter of months, yet knowing he was no longer of this earth brought a pain to Missy's chest so heavy that she wouldn't be surprised if she sank in the water enveloping her. All the training sessions they shared, all the times he had been there to make her laugh when all she wanted to do was lay in bed and sulk. Gunther was a light. Someone who never allowed others to feel alone. Levi was right, she had seen the look in Gunther's eyes. He knew he wasn't leaving that office, and he had been okay with that fact, as long as it meant Missy got out of there safely.

"Can you say something?" Levi asked, a heavy sigh leaving his lips as he dropped his head to face the ground. "So I know you haven't drowned. Or I might have to turn around and check for myself".

Missy's eyes widened as her cheeks burnt crimson. "I'm fine!"

She couldn't see his face but could still hear the smirk in his low chuckle. "Good".

She bit the inside of her cheek, thinking back to something Apollo had said during their argument earlier. "Levi?".

"Hmm?" He hummed in response, just loud enough for her to hear over the rustling trees and chirping crickets.

"What if I had been on the other side of the room instead of Gunther?".

Levi stilled, his back straightening a fraction. "What are you on about?".

"I would be dead, wouldn't I?" Missy replied quietly. "If it had been Gunther with you at the window instead of me".

Levi clenched his jaw. A part of him wanted to assure her that no matter where she may have been in that room, he would have found a way to get her out safely, but he had not yet reached the point of talking so freely and honestly with her. The truth was, he didn't know what he would have done if their roles had been reversed. He knew that it could have easily been the other way around, and the thought stirred up something dark within him. He furrowed his dark brows. Why did that stir something so dark within him? Gunther had been his friend for many years, and a key part of his squad. He'd known Missy for just over three years and for a majority of that he had wanted nothing more than for her to choose a different regiment to join. He had wanted both of the Rhydduch twins out of his sight. He wondered what had changed.

Levi bit back a laugh.

A lot had changed, who was he kidding? In the space of a month, he'd gone from being her trainer to her husband-to-be. If everything went to Alec's plan, he would marry Artemis and they would bear a child. Everything had fucking changed.

"Levi?".

Her soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he cleared his throat, lifting his gaze from the floor.

"It doesn't matter what could have been, because it didn't happen. You were by the window."

Missy frowned, wafting her arms through the warmth of the water as the sun set lower over their heads. She wondered if Levi would have been this nonchalant if it had been her who was torn to ribbons by that beast instead of Gunther. Would he have cared? Probably not. It would have probably done him a favor. Missy winced at the thought. She opened her mouth again to press him further, but the breath caught in her throat as she felt something curl around her ankle. A strangled noise left her throat, causing Levi to bolt up from his place on the rock and face her.

Even if her naked body was hidden by the steam, she suddenly didn't care. "S-Something's got my ankle".

Levi's features hardened as he kicked both his shoes off and tore his jacket from his body in one fluid motion, closing the space between him and the edge of the hot spring in two strides. He wasted no time in jumping into the heated water, his pocket knife between his teeth as he waded towards Artemis. She reached her hands out and clutched his wet shirt as he met her, the panic in her eyes causing him to clamp his teeth down harder on the blade in his mouth. He reached down into the water and hooked his hand under her thigh, bringing her leg to the surface. Missy could still feel the thing wrapped around her ankle, pulling slightly as Levi lifted her leg.

"What-".

Levi's shoulders relaxed once he saw the piece of rogue river weed wrapped around her foot. "Dumb brat".

Missy pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at him. "What is that doing in a hot spring?".

"Probably dragged in from the river by an animal or something," He sighed, releasing her thigh.

His eyes widened as he lifted his face to hers, noticing how she was inches from him, her hands clutching his soaked shirt into balls in her fists. He felt a lump form in his throat as he became hyper-aware of the fact her bare chest was pressed up against his tightly. He suddenly forgot all about scolding her for making a big deal out of a plant wrapping around her foot, his attention suddenly locked onto the way her damp hair clung to her skin around her bare shoulders and arms, his gaze drifting to the the swell of her breasts. His eyes locked onto the way the water lapped around her chest, small droplets rolling over her pale skin.

As if being zapped by lightning, he blinked and grasped her wrists, attempting to untangle her from his shirt. The shift in movement made him still again, and this time Missy stilled too. Her eyes widened, her heartbeat racing as she felt the undeniable feeling of something hard against her inner thigh.

Levi was frozen in place, his teeth gritted tightly as he tried to figure out whether this was another nightmare or not.

"I- uh," Missy stuttered as another incoherent sentence followed, her face beet red as she clutched Levi's shirt tighter.

The sound of her babbling nonsense ripped Levi back to reality and he quickly tore her hands from his shirt, backing up in the water. Without another word he turned to exit the hot spring, forcing his face back to its usual stoic, unbothered expression.

"Time to go, it's getting dark," He muttered, lifting himself out of the water.

Missy followed him to the edge. "Levi?".

He halted his steps, sheathing his pocket knife and placing it back where it belonged. "Yes?".

"You might wanna sit down for a bit".

He turned to her, raising an eyebrow in her direction. "What for?".

Missy said nothing but shifted her eyes down to below his waist. Levi followed her gaze and grunted, turning around again quickly to shield himself from her eyes. Missy sunk down into the spring, hiding her grin below the waterline as he rather aggressively plopped himself back down on the boulder.

Half an hour later, they were walking side by side back to the rest of the Scouts. Levi's little issue had fixed itself eventually, after desperately forcing himself to think of the most disgusting things he could muster up. Neither he nor Artemis mentioned it on their walk back, but Missy wasn't going to forget the feeling of his hardened length against her bare thigh for as long as she lived.

"Well, well, well," Zero smirked, rounding on the pair as soon as they approached the camp. "Decided to join her, did you?".

Levi swore under his breath as Zero's eyes trailed down his soaked uniform.

"If you both wanted some alone time you could have just said so," He teased, causing Missy to roll her eyes and walk away towards where the rest of the Scouts were seated around the campfire.

Levi slapped Zero up the back of the head, causing the man to yelp. "I told you not to talk like that around her".

"Yes, Sir," Zero replied, but the ghost of a smirk was still evident on his lips as Levi made his way to his tent to change into dry clothes.

Missy perched herself on the floor, her back against a tree as she enjoyed the warmth of the embers. She stopped herself from pinching her arm just to check whether that whole scene had just happened.

Captain Levi had gotten a boner.

And she had felt every inch of it pressing into the soft skin of her thigh.

Her cheeks warmed as she clutched her rations in her hands.

"So you think it's some type of rare Titan or something?" One of the Scouts said, pulling Missy's thoughts away from her Captain's dick.

"It must be. It looked like nothing we'd ever seen before. My guess is that it could be the reason why the entire village had been left untouched by other Titans. I think maybe the others could be scared of it," A boy from Zero's squad replied, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

It made sense. It would explain why the village stood completely untouched. Missy did wonder how the hell it could have gotten up there in the attic in the first place, though. All thoughts of the Titan left her mind as she felt someone sink onto the ground beside her, their arm pushed up against hers. She turned her head to see Levi, now bone dry, settle on the ground beside her. Even Missy had to admit that he was sitting rather close, given the man disliked nearly every type of physical contact. His eyes flickered towards her.

"What?".

"Nothing," Missy replied, shrugging her shoulders.

She tested the waters slightly, letting her body relax against his side. He didn't move, or push her away. He turned his head to the left, engaging in conversation with Eld as she leaned into him. She was suddenly reminded of that night on the balcony at the coronation, where he had barricaded her between himself and the railing to shield her from the wind. As if he had been reading her mind, he lifted his arm and curled it around her shoulder, allowing her to lean into him fully as he continued his conversation with their friend, seemingly unbothered by the intimate action that was most definitely out of character for him. 

God, she had a lot to tell the girls once she got home.