Tasteful - Levi x OC (Attack On Titan)

My Strength

Still leant against the table, Arden let out a sigh. Every inch of her body feeling tense even though it had been minutes since Drystan left. She had never considered him a threat, even once a long time ago considering him a friend and a mentor. But since his confession of hiding her existence from the other demons, Arden noticed the changes in his behaviour. Becoming more possessive, more aggressive. It only made matters worse that she knew he was hiding something from her. Something that Kain was close to figuring out.

Then her shoulders sagged. Drystan was going to retrieve Kain and return him to her within the hour. She couldn't leave despite how much she wanted to. If she did, she feared that the greater demon really would kill her or her younger brother. Only once was she able to catch him off guard, once. And she doubted it would happen again. If the greater demon did decide to kill the Croix siblings, there would be nothing the halfbreeds could do. Even as powerful as she was, Arden was still simply a halfbreed. Powerful, but not powerful enough. Human, but not human enough. It seemed that was a recurring theme in her life, to be something or to have something, but not the necessary amount to make a difference.

Again she sighed. The puff of air being slow and defeated, sounding like a broken tune. She was so focused on the whirring of her brain that she hadn't noticed the wooden door across from her creaking open. A set of neat raven hair poking through the gap before the figure completely emerged. "There you are." His voice sounding relieved as he closed the door behind him, his steel grey eyes not leaving her form.

Arden looked up, blood red orbs landing on Levi as she sucked in a breath. Just feeling his presence had seemed to calm her, the stiffness of her posture relaxing slightly and the wraging storm in her mind beginning to tame under his intimate stare.

Levi watched her closely, her shoulders slumped, hands squeezing her arms as they folded over her chest. Brows furrowed upwards slightly and the corners of her lips tilting into a barely noticeable frown. Immediately he began walking towards her, hands subconsciously removing themselves from the pockets of his trousers.

"Sorry." Arden mumbled, clearing her throat to rid it of the lump she felt. Swallowing hard and then licking her lips which felt dry like sand. "I shouldn't have just left like that, it was stupid." She sighed again, shaking her head as she glanced down to her feet.

But Levi scoffed, stopping a foot infront of her and raising a single brow at the woman, "Tch. The only thing that's stupid, is that you're apologising." He quipped back, offering the woman a playful smirk.

To which she found her gaze softening at the man, a half smile spreading across her lips for only a second before it was gone again. When she looked into his eyes, she could see the sympathy dancing across them. Phil had said that Kain was 'missing', and in this world of man-eating Titan's, missing usually meant dead. Levi probably thought that Kain was dead, like everyone else. Afterall, how could he not? It wasn't often that soldiers would face groups of Titans and survive.

But Arden didn't want that look of sympathy, she knew that Kain was alive. She knew that. And even if it made her sound like a crazy person grieving she would make sure everyone else knew. "At the risk of sounding like I'm in denial, Kain is fine. I know my brother, and I know that if he's gone, then he's gone for a reason." She offered strongly, standing a bit straighter as her eyes desperately searched his.

"I agree with you." Levi stated, surprising Arden as she could hear the genuinity in his voice when he continued, "Kain's a crazy bastard, and reckless. But the kids got guts. I don't think he's insane enough to get himself killed without reason."