Get Out Alive | Levi

The Ride

With the destruction of Wall Maria, there had been a lack of expeditions as well as of rations among the Corps. Levi and I spent more time together than before but had never discussed our relationship so even now we were not technically a couple. A few newer soldiers were now part of the corporal's squad as well as I, along with an older man named Oluo. To my slight dismay, the young strawberry blonde girl seemed to have a particularly strong interest in Levi.

On a particularly sunny day, I chose to take Tempest for a short ride to test some of his abilities before checking up on Eren and his friends. Tomorrow the Corps was to head out on yet another expedition so I was determined to see the kids before our departure. Soon the time for the 104th trainees to choose the branch of military they would join, and I could only hope Mikasa would talk Eren out of joining the Survey Corps.

When I reached the stables, Tempest picked his head up to stare at me lazily from his small pen. Due to the sudden loss of land to the titans, the pastures were extremely reduced in size to Tempest's displeasure. As soon as my hands managed to pry open the pen gate, the stallion came trotting out with a loud snort. A small smile graced my lips when his velvety nose brushed against my shoulder.

Feeling too tired to grab my tack, I settled for only a bridle which the horse put his head into eagerly. Once the animal's hooves and body were cleaned thoroughly, I used the fence of the pasture to jump onto his back. As soon as I was settled, my gaze settled on a particularly short raven haired man who was leaning against the stable wall with his signature bored expression plastered on his face.

"Corporal," I greeted respectfully.

"What are you doing?" he questioned.

"Going for a ride. Care to join me?" I offered hopefully.

The corporal pushed himself off of the wall and gave a sharp nod, signalling for me to wait. He disappeared for only a moment before returning with his own black mare. I watched quietly as Levi groomed his mount in silence as she grazed before I spoke up.

"Should I grab your tack?" I asked quietly.

The ravenette nodded, so I swung off of Tempest who followed close behind as I picked up a bridle, saddle, and pad from the stables. The horse trailed after me obediently, nosing the tack every once in a while as I brought it over to Levi.

"Thanks," he mumbled, barely audible.

I froze for a moment, nearly dropping the tack at the unexpected kindness. A low grunt from the corporal brought me back into reality with a grin on my face. I carefully threw the pad and saddle onto the sturdy mare.

"You're welcome," I replied once the girth of the saddle was secured.

When Levi slipped the bridle onto the mare's head, I leaned towards him to plant a soft kiss cheek teasingly. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, a slight blush finding its way onto the tips of his ears.

"You're adorable," I teased, placing a hand on my hip.

My smugness was quickly diminished when the corporal tugged me towards him by the front of my shirt, sending me crashing into his firm chest as he pressed his lips against mine roughly. The kiss left me breathless, leaving the raven haired man to smirk when we parted. I shook my head slowly in disbelief before turning away to swing onto Tempest once again.

Levi pulled himself onto his mount, landing lightly in the saddle just as I set off at a quick walk in the direction of the tree filled training area. Tempest continuously attempted to race off into the forest with me every few steps, but I kept him under control until we reached the treeline. After glancing back towards Levi and stretching my back in preparation, I allowed my mount to pick up a trot. The trot started out insanely uncomfortable, forcing me to balance precariously until he reached the fast paced but entirely smooth gait.

Levi's horse cantered behind us, unable to trot at the same pace but still able to keep up fairly easily. The wind blew my hair around my head wildly, and a tall log a few meters ahead became increasingly tempting. Although there was a path beside it, I directed Tempest towards the fallen tree and nudged him into a canter in order to make the jump easier. I forced my body to relax as we approached, and allowed my hips to swing with the motion of the horse. His ears flicked back in uncertainty, but a reassuring pat on the neck from me kept him on course. As his front legs left the safety of the forest floor, I leaned forward so that my upper body was parallel to his own, my legs still in place on his sides and put my hands forward with the reins to keep from putting pressure on his head over the log.

For a moment the two of us were weightless, soaring over the obstacle with ease. Tempest's long front legs reached forwards for the ground as we landed, and the horse was able to keep his balance as I returned to my normal riding position. Levi took the path around the log, which was the better choice seeing as the front of his saddle would likely end up in his stomach due to its shape. It was not long before I slowed to a walk, trying to avoid making Tempest sore when I needed him to be in prime condition for the expedition tomorrow. Soon after, the corporal caught up and was at my side. After weaving through the trees for a few minutes, we walked into a small clearing and dismounted.

Although he glared at the dirt distastefully, the corporal eventually sat beside me in the grass while our mounts grazed lazily. We leaned back against a tree for support as I rested my head on his shoulder to look up at the clear sky. His expression softened as we relaxed, and it only took him a moment to take my hand into his own. He never made eye contact, but the corners of his lips upturned slightly as I intertwined our fingers carefully.

"I'm going to visit Mikasa and Eren again," I said finally, breaking the silence.

Levi nodded slowly in response before bringing his gaze to meet mine.

"You'll survive tomorrow," he reassured lowly.

I sighed sadly and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before standing.

"I hope I can convince Eren of that, as naive of a statement as that is," I muttered, stroking Tempest's nose as he came up beside me.

Suddenly I was back against the corporal's chest with his strong arms wrapped around my body, holding me flush against him.

"You'll live," he stated, his eyes glinting dangerously in the otherwise calming afternoon light.

"No one's indestructible Levi. Even if I survive this expedition, what about the next? There will always be more titans and it's only a matter of time before I don't manage to get out alive."

A moment of silence passed with the corporal's grip becoming increasingly tighter and his heart pounding so hard that I could feel it from the way we were positioned.

"But," I breathed, rubbing small circles onto his back, "I'll do my best."