The tree line was getting closer with each step Alrick took. He set a steady pace. My patience was growing thin.
"Captain, where are we going? Is it to the forest?" I asked expectantly.
"How'd you ever guess?" he scoffed and lowered his head.
"Piss off, it's not like you told me where we were going!" I jabbed him in the ribs.
Levi crumpled at the soft, yet precise attacks. In one motion, he flung his hands over and grabbed mine mid jab. He crumpled my hands a little, almost like a warning.
Nearly immobilized, I had no easy method of defense. I resorted to the weapons I was born with. Without second thought I opened my mouth wide and bit down on the skin between his shoulder and neck.
For flare, I even let out a little growl that vibrated against his neck. He swallowed hard and grimaced in pain.
"Fucking shit cadet, we're you raised by titans!?" He gasped, releasing my hands to pry me off. His voice was straining as his breathing picked up.
"No, I was raised by the fucking government" I spat. It's not like I particularly needed to keep that a secret.
"The hell you mean by that?" he questioned, wiping my saliva off his tunic with his handkerchief.
"The system. What else could I mean by that?" I answered, as if obvious.
"Oh... I didn't know..." He mumbled an apology.
Orphans didn't stand a chance in the outer walls. Most kids tried to avoid getting sent into government mandated housing. The caregivers saw us as tools for their own profit.
We were kept as military slaves. It's not uncommon for some to be sold into trafficking and laborious work at their young ages.
We had a place to sleep and we're fed enough to avoid kicking the bucket. After all, it's impossible to profit off a corpse.
They saw promise in me, so they kept me around and forced me to enlist. By the sound of Levi's reaction, he had already assumed the worst.
"Don't worry, I was too special for them to damage, if that's what your thinking..." I explained before I let his thoughts wander too far.
"They recruit you too?" He asked in a quiet voice.
"My foster parents got a lot of money sending me here. Did you get recruited?
"I made the choices I had to make. I won't say I was forced, but I didn't put myself here." He responded
"I guess we both got dragged into this." I quietly voiced.
"mn" he grunted.
The grass was getting taller as we approached the trail leading into the forest. The trees were thick and lush with greenery. The air smelled fresh with the scent of nature.
I leaned into Levi as I took in the sight. It was dimmer in the forest, the trees blocked out most of the light.
Levi took Alrick on a path riddled with overgrown vegetation. It was a vacant trail that appeared to be abandoned for quite some time. We enjoyed a peaceful silence as we neared our destination.
The sound of crashing water was getting closer the further we went. Humidity clung to my skin like a wet napkin. I subtly inched away from Levi as my skin grew more uncomfortable.
A mosquito landed on my arm and bit me before I got the chance to smack it away.
"Agh!" I cried, instantly scratching the welt it left on my skin.
"The hell are you yelling about back there?" Levi asked, seemingly unconcerned.
"The bug population is booming this year, I got bit by a raging bloodsucker."
"You mean a mosquito?"
"No a fucking vampire" I retorted
I couldn't be sure, but it sounded like he let out a light chuckle. I resumed attention to my bug bite.
We reached a river soon after, complete with a small cascading waterfall. Levi dismounted and walked in it's direction. I waited for him to turn around and help me off, but he never did.
I wasn't incapable, I just had a hard time whenever horses were involved. My heart rate spiked as the realization hit. I was on a horse alone. He left me on his horse alone.
I inhaled deeply through my nose and let it out. I repeated this several times until my body calmed down. The last thing I wanted was to panic and get Alrick riled up.
I focused on Levi to keep me distracted. It worked all too well. He bent down, it looked like he was inspecting the earth near the river.
He made a scooping motion and stood up. He cupped something in his hankerchief and walked towards me.
"Forget somethi-" He grabbed my arm mid sentence and pulled it to him. His other hand covered my insect bite. He smoothed his hand over it and rubbed something in.
"Mud, to stop the itching" He said as he removed the hankerchief from my arm and threw it to the side.
I signed in relief as I felt the stinging itch dissipate. Suddenly I forgot why I was angry towards him.
"You could have told me that sooner" I scolded with furrowed brows.
He looked at his hands, inspecting them to ensure they weren't tarnished by the mud.
"I could have" he shrugged.
He mounted the horse again and this time he sat behind me, holding the reins through me.
I felt his strong chest against my back, his breath ghosting the hairs on my neck. He pushed himself into me, and gave the reins a flick.
Alrick took a slow and steady pace, trailing the woods.
We rode for a while in silence. I eventually gave in and leaned my back on Levi, he only sighed in response.
I felt him snake one arm around my waist, gently, as if afraid I would break from the contact. He flexed his fingers down once his hand reached all the way around.
His fingertips were warm and comforting. I wanted to capture the feeling so I would be able to feel it forever.
We stopped by a crick to rehydrate. I cupped the water in my hands and brought it to my mouth, instantly satisfied by the refreshing taste of the water.
Levi did the same, I turned to look at him, a wide smile on my face.
He just looked at me, no reaction or return of my smile. He seemed to be staring at something behind me. His eyes widened for a split second before he leaped forward and threw my body into the crick.
"RUN" He shouted, putting his own body between me and whatever was endangering us.
I gained my bearings and turned to face the threat. I had to hold in my laughter at the sight of this "threat"
It has a scaled body, thin and leg less. The small snake curiously flicked its tongue in our direction.
I wiped the water from my face, now entirely soaked.
"Damn it, now i'm all wet, you really didn't have to do that!" I exhaled
"Go get Alrick, we need to get out of here."
I stood up and waded towards him, climbing out of the water. I confidently walked towards the snake.
He grabbed my wrist, holding it firmly between his fingers.
"What are you doing" He tried to hide the fear that was wavering through his voice, but it was impossible to pretend I didn't hear it.
I shook my wrist loose, If he really wanted to restrain me, he would have no trouble doing it. He released me by his own free will.
I continued to the snake, reaching it and picking it up with my bare hand near the back of its head.
It wiggled in protest, but I continued anyway.
I looked right at Levi and took a step towards him. He took one back.
"What's the problem? It's just a corn snake. Not even poisonous."
"Put that god damn thing down cadet, do you have death wish?" He asked genuinely.
I took off in a full sprint, snake in hand, intent on chasing him with it.
He ran across the creek, splashing and soaking himself in the process. Once I was content with the amount of water on him, I released the snake and doubled over laughing.
"That's my payback for getting me all wet" I choked out between laughter.
He started to act strange once we mounted the horse again. He was distant, lost in thought.
After some time we reached a clearing in the woods. In it, nestled in the wildflowers and oak trees, was a small cottage. It wasn't well maintained, the vines on the stone of the side told enough.
The door creaked as Levi pushed it, inside it told an entirely different story. The cottage was absolutely spotless, gleaming from ceiling to floor.
Wood was stacked near the fireplace. and blankets were laid out before it.
He led me to them, taking some wood from the stack and throwing it into the fireplace. The small piece of flint he used to light it sparked.
He lifted his arms above his head and stretched.
He stripped his wet shirt and trousers from his body, laying them out on the ground.
My face heated from the sight of him in his undergarments.
My eyes followed his chest all the way to the small strip of hair on his lower stomach.
If he noticed me staring he didn't mention it.
The fire crackled and shone beautifully on his pale skin. He sat down next to me and tugged on my wet shirt.
"Planning on catching a cold?" He raised his brow at me.
"Are you trying to avoid blame for my impending illness?" I asked him.
He sighed and turned away form me, fixing his stare into the fire.
I quietly removed my clothes, pulling the blanket over my exposed body.
Heat from the flames quickly dissipated the chill from the water. My hair, once soaked, now lay in soft curls at my shoulders.
Levi's hair was slightly unkempt, lacking the usual tameness he must use some sort of styling product to achieve.
"I never would have taken you as someone afraid of snakes" I commented.
He remained silent, the glow of the fire enticing him. He seemed lost in thought.
"Is this your cottage?" I asked.
Still nothing. He was thinking hard of something.
"Levi, what's wrong? Is it something I did?" I asked, growing worried.
"Yes" He answered after a long pause.
His face was cold, restrained, and unfamiliar.
I kept my eyes on him, searching for the Levi I was growing used to.
Not a single trace of it was found.
In one swift movement, he shifted his body to me and got unbearably close to my face. He gripped my chin with strong hands and looked into my eyes for a moment before letting out a strained breath and crushing his forehead to the bridge of my nose.
My breath hitched, eyes wide and heart thumping.
I felt something wet graze my cheek, I brought my hand up to find a tear from his eyes planted there.
He was crying.
He was too close, his sticky skin pressing to mine.
He moved his head to the crook of my neck
I tried to back away, but he grabbed me and inhaled into my neck.
"Quit the scouts" He finally spoke.
I was in shock, where was this coming from?
"Captain what's gotten into you?"
He raised his head and once I saw his face I became silent.
His brows were set, eyes rimmed with red. He brought a hand to each side of my face.
"I don't understand, why would you want me to do that?"
He paused for a moment to study my face, then he was crushing his lips into mine. He made a small noise from the back of his throat and pushed harder. His lips were warm and soft. Hot breath mingled with my own. He seemed to be hungry for my lips. Hands tangled into my hair. He pulled me into him with a strength only humanity's strongest soldier could muster. He flexed his hands against my bare back. I gasped for air once he released me. He panted softly and let go, refusing to meet my eyes.
"Please, just do it." He whispered
A wave of realization crashed into me.