Her routine continued for months, she worked hard, trained herself and the recruits while battling her demons with the help of Levi. She couldn't express how thankful she was for him, even when he finally lay down beside her instead of sitting up. Whenever she awoke before him, she'd stay completely still, waking Levi up was something she hated doing, he worked late and it was best for him to gather as much sleep as he could.

Today was one of those mornings. Usually, she would have been up bright and early to train the recruits, but with the next mission being so close, Erwin took over the session to assess their improvement. Carmen knew she had done a good job when training them, she might even go as far as saying that some of them were better than normal scouts.

Floch and Marlowe, in particular, displayed a resolve that she didn't see in the others. Though, she feared that theory could only take them so far - real life experience with titans just didn't compare to the dummies they trained with.

Sighing, Carmen looked at the clock on Levi's desk, it read 6 AM, which meant that the two really ought to get up before breakfast was over. The woman let her eyes linger on the man beside her, finally lying down and beneath the blankets. It had taken him a while to get comfortable around her, probably because he was scared she wouldn't approve.

He looked so solemn, unbothered by the harsh reality of the world as he breathed steadily and let his hair fall over his face. If Carmen couldn't see his muscular arms gripping the blanket, she might have even said he looked delicate, like one wrong move could make him shatter.

She wanted to stare at him more, to let him finally get the rest he deserved, but she knew that it was time to wake him up. "Levi." She whispered to him, seeing him flinch slightly at her words. "Levi, you need to wake up, it's six." The man groaned, turning his body to the side.

Carmen rolled her eyes, he wasn't usually like that at all. But, she took the opportunity to climb over him and quickly change into her uniform before moving towards the small tea station in the corner of his office. "Black tea?" She asked, but already knew it was his favourite and began making it nonetheless. "I'll go and get breakfast before they run out." She told him. "Rumour has it they've got something new, since the expeditions so close, Erwin's decided to use some of the funding on our meals."

It sparked little excitement from her, she was trained to make do with what she had, so food wasn't the top of her priorities. However, knowing Levi's desire to experience the luxuries of the rich, she figured he'd appreciate it more. "I'll be back soon." She informed him before leaving him to his own devices.

As soon as she was out of sight, Levi turned, burying his head into the pillow. He'd been awake most the night, distracted by something that Hange had said to him previously. Lately, they'd been meddling with things that didn't concern them, and it was getting out of hand.

While he changed into his uniform, his thoughts wandered back to the events of the previous day. Everything Hange had said ran though his head on a rampage, he couldn't shake them, and as much as he wanted to, he couldn't deny them.

"You've been living together for months, and you still haven't admitted you're in love with her." It wasn't a question, they were stating it. "You're just as bad as her." Hange complained, having been punched a few times by the blonde woman.

"My love life isn't your business." Levi rejected their words, watching Hange quirk a brow in his direction.

"What love life? You haven't even made a move." The scientist argued. "Look, I've been waiting patiently for months, and both of you are just stalling."

"What?" Levi questioned them, a look of aggression plastered onto his once calm face.

Hange sighed and muttered a few things to themself before finally answering him again. "Look, the next expedition is close. We don't know who we're going to face, or how many of us are going to make it. So grow a pair and at least ask her out."

The conversation ended after Hange had insulted him, and he responded by throwing some of his stationary in their direction, forcing them to retreat. However, the way he responded didn't reflect his feelings at all. His love for Carmen was undeniable, she was everything to him and had saved him in ways he didn't even know existed.

But, he was lost. He had no experience in relationships at all, and he suspected that Carmen was in a similar state. That woman had been through so much, he thought it would be better for her to have a friend rather than a partner. That said, she was getting better, and she'd been free for years. She knew how the world worked and likely knew more than him.

He was so torn on what to do? Selfishly act on his feelings, or allow Carmen to heal. Did she even feel the same? If he confessed and she rejected him, then everything they had would be ruined. Was he willing to take the risk?

Before he could answer his own question, Carmen walked into his room holding two bowls. He assessed her for a moment, tilting his head at the annoyed expression she wore. When she placed down the bowls, he realised why.

"Good morning you two!" Hange followed Carmen in, despite the glare that the woman sent them.

"Out." Carmen turned back towards Hange, practically shoving them out of the doorway despite their efforts to stay in the room. The scientist knew that they had nothing compared to Carmen's strength, so decided to take the opportunity to leave one last remark before the door was closed.

"Don't you think Levi's looking pretty today, Carmen?" As soon as the words had left Hange's mouth, Carmen slammed the door, flustered by what Hange had said. They promised never to tell him what she'd said. That liar.

"So..." Carmen trailed off as she sat down opposite Levi. "That was uncalled for." She'd lost track of whatever excuse she'd mustered up, Hange's statement threw her off and now she was completely blank.

Nodding his head, Levi agreed. "They've been hassling you too?" He asked while Carmen nodded her head. The captain should have known how far Hange would take their conspiracy, why would they limit it to him when they can attack from both sides. "I don't even know where they got the idea from." He said aloud, watching Carmen's eyes widen slightly. Did she know something?

"Well, we do live together." Carmen offered an answer, which Levi couldn't help but question. Why was she so eager to supply an alternate reason? "Maybe that makes us easy targets?" She added on.

Now he knew she was lying about something, but had no idea what she was trying to hide from him. "I guess." He sipped the tea she'd made for him earlier, admiring the taste. She knew him so well, made him his favourite tea, brought him breakfast, and even got rid of Hange for him. However, what Hange said had still astonished him, it was so random. "They called me pretty, just now." He said, incase she hadn't heard before - which she definitely did.

"Really?" Carmen feigned her disbelief, she knew exactly what Hange had said, and exactly why they'd said it.

Levi looked at her sceptically for a moment, noticing the way she'd avoided eye contact with him and even her tone. Everyone knew that Carmen was observant, she picked up on everything, which was why he found it hard to believe that she hadn't heard Hange.

"Do you know something?" He asked her upfront, his confusion taking over as the woman sat completely still. Was he accusing her? She knew she was guilty of telling Hange that Levi was pretty, but admitting it was too nerve wracking.

However, playing oblivious wouldn't get her far at all. Somehow, Levi always knew when she was lying, and always managed to find out about her, no matter how hard she tried to keep her secrets. Although she hadn't officially told him about the dolls, he knew bits and pieces of her escape.

"That may have been my fault." She finally answered him, slightly ashamed that she'd added fuel to Hange's already huge fire. In her defence, she was tricked by the section commander.

"How so?" Levi inquired, trying desperately not to sound too hopeful at whatever she was confessing to. He couldn't help but notice how reluctant the assassin seemed, as though whatever she was about to say was jeopardising. It made him worry slightly.

Carmen mindlessly swirled her spoon in her breakfast, she was trying to keep herself busy as she thought of a good way to phrase what she was about to say. "It's stupid, I shouldn't have even said it." She shut down, rethinking mentioning her part in Hange's antics.

"I don't think you're capable of saying something stupid." The captain persisted. Whenever Carmen spoke, she was either overly blunt, brutally honest, or just being sarcastic - stupid didn't fit into any of those categories.

"You really want to know?" Carmen questioned, slight taken back by the fact she was actually willing to tell him. He had that effect on her. Levi nodded his head and Carmen looked away from him awkwardly, not wanting to stare directly at him when she revealed the truth. "They asked me what I thought about your looks. And - regrettably - I gave them an answer."

His looks? Why would Hange bother asking Carmen about that?

That's when it finally clicked. Carmen had answered Hange. Hange had told her that Levi had looked pretty, which could only mean one thing. "You think I look pretty?" He tilted his head, he almost looked offended, questioning why anyone would ever say that about him. But of course, Carmen of all people would - she said what she thought, even if it wasn't conventionally the way to describe a man.

"It was the first thing that came to mind." Carmen defended, trying to conceal the small smile forming on her face as Levi shied away behind his own hand. For some unknown reason, Carmen enjoyed his disbelief, she liked when he showed emotion to her instead of either being stoic or angry. She wanted more. "Don't be shy, being pretty isn't a bad thing." She continued, somewhat teasing the man, who sat in utter shock at what she was saying.

He'd never seen that side of Carmen before. That said, he was well-aware that she said whatever was on her mind, so perhaps it was entirely unheard of for her to say something reckless like that. Regardless, he wasn't prepared to reply to her at all.

With each second he sat in silence, he noticed Carmen's bright features darken, she was doubting herself for even speaking about her conversation with Hange. It became painfully evident that she regretted it when she finished her tea and stood from her seat abruptly, the teasing glance she'd previously held had completely vanished.

"I should probably check on my recruits." She forced an excuse, that Levi knew was a lie. Erwin was managing the recruits for the day to review their progress, he wanted Carmen to stay away so she didn't influence them in any way. "Don't want them screwing things up without me." She elaborated, building on her lie.

Hesitantly, she began to turn from the desk. Levi knew it was now or never, he needed to put aside his fear and inexperience and tell her exactly what he thought, before it was too late. His chair fell against the wooden floor when he practically jumped from his seat, forcing Carmen to turn at the sound.

She observed him while he stood up, he looked panicked, was it because she was leaving? Her question was answered when Levi finally responded to her.

"I... think you're beautiful." He almost stuttered as he watched Carmen look his way in awe.

It was normal for her to be called such things, especially when she was a doll. But this was so much different. It wasn't an old nobleman with more money than wit, or a guard who thought he was more powerful because he held a gun. This was Levi - a man who knew her for more than just her appearance. He knew every horrible thing she'd ever done, knew all her scars and faults, and yet he still stood in front of her - calling her beautiful.

It shouldn't have affected her as much as it did, but his word was sacred to her. His opinion shaped her world, and hearing him say that about her made her heart skip a beat. Beautiful? It didn't seem possible after everything they'd been through together, it simply didn't feel real.

"You do?" Carmen questioned him, still in disbelief of his words.

"Inside and out." He added on, more confident now that he'd gotten the bulk of his statement out. On the other hand, Carmen looked as though she was on the verge of tears with a slight smile on her face. It was clear she didn't know how to act - accept the compliment, or look deeper into it and reflect upon it.

Eventually she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and averted her eyes away from him, embarrassed he'd seen her look so vulnerable and lost. "Here." He took a handkerchief from a drawer in his desk and handed it to her. Reluctantly, she took the cloth and dabbed her eyes.

"Thank you." She said quietly as she relaxed back into her seat opposite him. Carmen never understood how Levi could always be so perfect. He always knew what to say, when to say it, and how to act around her - the result of his actions wasn't just Carmen's trust, but also her admiration. Everything felt right when she was with him. The world could be on fire, yet, as long as she was by his side she wouldn't bat and eye. He was safety, he was home.

The two scouts looked at one another, lost in their own worlds while their eyes lingered. For a change, Levi didn't look like the headstrong leader he acted as. Instead, he was nervous and out of his element, it took him a lot of courage to even say what he did to Carmen, he never thought the day would come when he'd manage to voice his thoughts to the blonde.

Noticing that, Carmen figured she'd be the one to determine the course of their interaction. She was used to running away from feelings - taught that they'd only slow her down - which was why the possibility of avoiding taking things further was so tempting. However, things were different now. Her lessons ceased to matter, she could choose her own fate.

"Levi?" She said in a questioning tone, unsure that she was making the right approach. Instantly, Levi lifted his head to meet her gaze, ensuring Carmen that her decision was the right one. "Can I kiss you?"

The captain looked lost, but his disbelief was quickly overcome. Within an instant, he answered her.

"Yes."

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Authors note -

YAY