Tasteful - Levi x OC (Attack On Titan)

For the First Time in A While

"Oh-hoho~ What's going on here?~"

Levi scoffed, glaring at the unwanted intruder stood at the door, "Tch. I should've known. Only you'd be stupid enough to open my door without knocking."

Arden watched surprised, though her face didn't show it as she once again turned expressionless. Hange chuckled, waltzing proudly through the door, her hands energetically placed on her hips and a shit eating grin on her lips. "Now, now, Levi. Don't try to change the subject." She mockingly pointed a finger at him. Much like a parent would when scolding their child.

She stalked closer to the bed, leaning over to the two as she carefully examined their position. Levi sat with his cape and jacket discarded, top button of his shirt undone. Arden laying perpendicular to him, her damp hair sprawled across his cream sheets. Her head laying next to his thighs. But what caught Hange's attention was the way their hands were clasped together, fingers delicately intertwined.

"Why don't you two lovebirds explain this?" With a beaming evil grin, her eyes gazed on their still intertwined hands. It seemed as though her glasses were sparkling with mischief. Hange knew exactly what was going on, even if the other two wouldn't admit it.

Arden's gaze moved to their still intertwined fingers, it was such a natural feeling contact that she had completely forgotten they were still holding hands. Pulling her hand away, she flushed in embarrassment, a pink tint spreading across her cheeks. It wasn't that she was embarrassed about the skinship, she just felt flustered about Hange's choice of words: lovebirds.

The thought hadn't even crossed her mind before. Sure she felt immediately comfortable around Levi and was always more open with him than anyone other than her squad. But could that really had been a possibility? Arden didn't have any experience with love, she'd had relationships, none being nothing more than a fling that lasted a few days. But love... The only love she had ever felt was a familial love for Kain and her squad: her family. There's just no way. Levis is just a friend. She thought as she glanced down.

"Tch." Levi immediately scoffed at the loss of contact. Hi hand felt empty and cold without hers holding it.

"Awwwww! She's blushing! I didn't know you could be so adorable, Arden!" Hange gushed as her smile widened. Her hands coming to grab Arden's shoulders as Hange gently shook her.

Noticing the growing look of discomfort on Arden's face as Hange shook her and pinched her cheeks, Levi snapped, "Hey, four eyes!" He called loudly in an annoyed tone. Leaning over to swat Hange's hands away, Levi snaked an arm around Arden's waist, pulling her into him so her back was pressed against his chest. "Back off." He finished sternly, eyes set into a deep glare at Hange.

Arden was too dazed to think. She had no idea how to react as her whole body shivered and fluttered at the contact of being pressed against Levi. Her heart was pounding in both embarrassment and something else. She felt excited by the close proximity of him to her, but she also felt utterly humiliated to be caught in such a situation. Hange's obvious excitement about it just made it all the more worse for her.

"Hehe~ Alright. Levi, I didnt take you for the possesive type--" Hange teased with the biggest shit eating grin possible for an hyperactive, eccentric mad woman. Her hands raised in mock surrender. Before she could finish her sentence, Levi flung a pillow at her. The soft cotton hitting her harshly in the face, knocking her glasses off as Hange fumbled to catch them.

"Ah, jeez." Arden mumbled. Her cheeks now turning a deep scarlett in both embarrassment and from where Hange had been pinching them. Covering her face with her hands, she brought her knees up to her chest, noticing how Levi's hold on her waist comfortably tightened.

"Get out, shitty glasses!" Levi glared in annoyance at Hange's now retreating form.

"Alright, alright." Hange raised her hands in surrender, walking backwards out the room. "I just wanted to check if Arden was okay, but it seems she's being looked after properly.~" She howled with laughter as she swiftly closed the door behind her.

"Tch." Levi scoffed at the door before glancing down to Arden. Her hands were still covering her face but he could see the scarlett tint poking under her fingers, her unusually pale skin making the colour more vibrant.

"You okay?" He lightly chuckled as he asked her. Despite being annoyed at Hange, he couldn't help but find Arden being a blushing mess to be an adorable sight. He loosened his grip on her waist incase she felt uncomfortable, but still kept his arm resting between her stomach and thighs.

Through her hands, Arden spoke, muffled, "I've never been so embarrassed in my life."

"You and me both." Levi mumbled. Arden peeked up at him through her fingers, only to see that he too had a light pink tint spread across his cheeks. It made her feel better to know she wasn't the only one who was embarrassed, Levi just did a better job at hiding it.

Levi awkwardly cleared his throat, his brows furrowed as he looked away from her, "You weren't... uncomfortable?... Because of me, were you?" Subconsciously, his grip on her waist tightened, almost as if he was worried about her answer.

Arden moved her hands from her face as she glanced up at him, the scarlett red now lightened to a pink hue, "Not because of you..." She whispered, watching as he turned his softened gaze towards her. "Hange, yes... But you, no."

The corners of his lips tilted upwards slightly as his gaze flickered down to her pink lips before swiftly returning to her eyes. "Good." He breathed out.

After a few seconds of gazing at each other, Arden quietly cleared her throat and looked away, her cheeks burning. "Ahem. Well, if it's okay with you, I'm gonna go back to my room. I need to get my uniform washed and change."

"Alright, but just leave your uniform, I'll get it washed. And I don't know how, but you really are fine." Levi said, relaxed as he reluctantly unwrapped his arm from her waist. As she slid away from him to get off the bed, he felt the warmth from her body leave him and hoped he could've felt it for a little longer.

She slid off the bed and twirled to face him, her hair was mostly dry now as it flowed around her. "Well, I did tell you I was fine earlier." She grinned at him as she raised a brow at him.

"I know. I knew you were fine." He admitted as he watched her furrow her brows in confusion. Already knowing what her question was, he answered it, "We had an argument and I wasn't going to let us walk away while we were mad at each other. Besides... I like spending time with you, Arden." He finished softly, his steel grey eyes gazing deeply into her blood red ones.

"Me too." She smiled before turning around and walking out of his bedroom. Levi's eyes followed her form, the silky waves of her long raven hair as it bounced with every step. Her relaxed shoulders and the sway of her hips. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he enjoyed seeing her in his clothes, they looked good on her.

Levi couldn't deny it. Arden Croix was probably one of, if not the only person he's ever felt truly relaxed around. And he really couldn't leave them to part ways when they were angry at each other earlier. He enjoyed her touch and admired the woman. Not to mention how satisfied he felt when she said he was one of the very few people she felt comfortable around to be expressive. For the first time in a very long time, Levi found someone he really cared about.

~•~