#rivepeto

He’d given Erwin an offended sneer at first, but couldn’t help but agree. Levi wasn’t stupid by any means, but his level is certainly way below what would often be required from a captain in the military.

Levi would never understand how he got lucky to get a kind and gorgeous bookshop keeper as his tutor. Petra had been nothing but patient, even with his constant outbursts and embarrassed fumbling when he spells another simple word wrong.

He feels that small tingle to get closer to her whenever she scoots an inch, her hand guiding his to correct a curve in his penmanship. He’d bring back the feel of her skin against his back to the barracks, his nights filled with thoughts of her gentle voice that he’d come to get addicted to whenever she reads him another passage.

But Levi is also utterly fucked because said bookshop keeper is married. Got hitched when she turned 22, as far as he knows. The damn couple’s even celebrating their 4th year anniversary in less than a month.

And here he was, realizing that his stares has gotten longer and fevered dreams more scandalous. For his boss’ wife, no less.

“Captain?” Petra snaps him out of his stare. She closes the book and takes the fountain pen from his hand when she noticed that his mind had been floating in the past 30 minutes.

She gives him a small smile, standing to pour him another cup of the cinnamon tea she loved so much. Levi tries to discreetly gulp when he gets a good peek of the soft expanse of her cleavage when she leaned over.

Levi shakes his head and tries to bring himself back into the room. “Just Levi. The promotion hasn’t been formalized yet.”

“I don’t know, Levi,” Petra teases, a playful smile now on her face. “The way my husband talks highly of you makes me feel like you’ve been his second-in-command ever since you joined the Scouts.”

He gives a ‘tch’ but couldn’t help the fond quirk of his lip at the thought of the blonde bastard. He and Erwin started off at the wrong foot—which was an understatement when he tried to murder the guy.

Fuck, he wants to hate him. He wants to hate Erwin Smith, blame him for Isabel and Farlan’s death. Maybe he’d feel a bit better about feeling this way about his wife.

But without Erwin Smith, Levi would just be another street rat.

There would be no Humanity’s Strongest, quickly rising up the military ranks and securing a spot as a Scout captain. He’d just be another damn criminal who’d eventually find himself dead in a ditch despite his strength. Sad reality of the Underground city.

So when Shadis retired and Erwin took up the commander’s responsibility, Levi didn’t hesitate to follow him to whatever crazy plan he had next.

“You mean like I’m his errand boy,” Levi replies. “Damn bastard can’t accomplish shit without passing the dirty work over to me.”

“I’ll relay to him your concerns when he gets home.”

Petra cringes the moment the words left her lips, eyes glazing over in sorrow. Levi finds his eyes softening in sympathy, aware of the Smiths’ current situation and what goes around in their house.

Levi decides to change the topic when he sees Petra receding into her own mind, the topic of her marriage to Erwin a current sore spot for both parties. He’d learned all about it through drunken evenings with Hange and Erwin, through quiet late night study sessions with Petra.

“There’s this book I’ve been meaning to check out,” he diverts, chin nonchalantly gesturing to one of the shelves. “Saw it a week ago.”

Petra perks up in interest, though her eyes are grateful at the change of topic. “Which one?”

“Something in the nonfiction section. I think it’s a…” he frowns. “A memoir? Shit, sorry. I didn’t read much back before…”

Of course she knows that, he berates himself. Wouldn’t be teaching your stupid ass if she didn’t.

Petra giggles, making his heart melt further into a puddle when he sees the light is back on her amber eyes.

“It’s okay, Levi. That’s what I’m here for,” she stands up and gestures to him to follow her to the bookshelves. “Can you recall what the book was about?”

“Something about the author writing a full-ass novel while in jail,” he replied, his face warming at the thought that he actually has a specific genre he’s interested in. Books were a luxury in the underground. The best you could get were racy calendars that were good as porn or a tabloid newspaper detailing the latest gossip above ground.

“Oh! I’ve read that one.” Without thinking, Petra takes his wrist to pull him to one of the rows of bookshelves and Levi allows himself to get dragged along.

They stop at the nonfiction section and Petra starts to pass her fingers along the titles and he tries to recall the book cover. The dim lighting at the book store makes it harder to see, and he steps forward to get a closer look.

Which turned out to be the wrong move as Levi feels his chest accidentally press up against Petra’s back. The warmth of the contact almost makes him shudder, as her breath hitches at the same time.

Petra seems to have also felt the shift in the air, her hold on a book slackening. She gradually turns, her look of wonder were as vibrant as her strawberry-blonde hair.

As if he’d lost total control of his common sense, Levi found his arms caging her in against the bookshelf, his knuckles whitening as he clenches his fingers against the wood. Petra backs against the hard wood, biting the corner of her lip as her gaze lands curiously on his mouth.

An act of bravery pushes Petra to close the gap between them, entangling her fingers through the hair framing his undercut.

Her lips were as sweet as he’d imagined them to be. Probably because of all that sugar she’s fond of pouring into her own cup of cinnamon tea. She gasps when his hand rises up to cup her cheek, his thumb grazing against her cheekbone.

Petra eagerly reciprocates, her body lining against his that they almost knock the books and the shelf down. She guides his hands down, placing them on top of her hips in a desperate attempt to somehow get even closer.

He was about to hike her skirt up, fingers dangerously close to the growing dampness between her thighs when the bell on the door chimed—the sound of its rattle almost like they’d been doused in cold water for the sin they were about to commit. Levi shuffles back, his elbow hitting the bookshelf behind him.

For a moment, dread washes over the future captain as he expects to see Erwin’s neat blonde hair to pop up. The commander had always been ten steps ahead of everyone. Levi wouldn’t be surprised if his best friend already knows that he’d been lusting over his wife before Levi himself even realized it.

Fortunately, the visitor was just an old man inquiring about a book he’d reserved a week prior.

“I’ll be there in a minute, Mr. Wensley,” Petra calls over, voice dazed and eyes averted in shame as Levi starts to fix his mussed-up inky hair and skewed cravat.

The fuck was that?

Levi clears his throat. “I should go.”

“Y-yes,” she stutters out, back still pressed against the bookshelf as she tries to catch her breath. “Yes.”

Petra never attempts to meet his eyes, even when he throws a hesitant but longing look her way. Not even when he’d hurried out the door.

---

For someone who’s famously known for taking calculated gambles, Erwin sure made a huge bet on this one. It’s not everyday the military would get a recruit from the underground. In fact, her husband never mentioned anyone even enlisting from the walls’ poorest district.

Who would’ve thought that the once-feral Scout recruit would now be her forbidden object of affections?

Petra had known about him since he joined the Scouts almost two years ago, but never formally met the man until her husband came to visit the shop eight months back with the rumored Humanity’s Strongest in tow.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Levi,” Petra greets, making sure to wipe her dusty hands as she’d learned that Levi has a penchant for cleanliness.

The short man blinks at her, hesitantly taking her outstretched hand for a handshake. “Yeah… same I guess, Mrs. Smith.”

Petra stiffens. “Just Petra is fine.”

She swore she could hear Erwin’s jaw clench at her reply.

She’d heard that he was rude, his company often unpleasant, but she’d found herself waking up in the mornings eager to start work because she knows she’ll see Levi later that afternoon.

At first she thought it was just physical attraction. Despite his small stature, he was quite easy on the eyes.

But the man had been attentive, even when it comes to topics that he didn’t need to learn. It started when Petra babbled about why she left Karanese to pursue a career in Trost’s bustle. Levi was silent as he listens to her every word, and Petra didn’t even realize she’d been talking for more than 20 minutes straight.

She’d blushed then, words stuttering as she attempts to apologize. Levi answered by asking her another question about which degree she pursued, leaving the young woman dumbstruck at the inquiry.

“Why are you apologizing?” He asks, a brow cocked up.

“I shouldn’t burden you with all these. You probably already have a lot to think about and a bookshop assistant’s daily life shouldn’t be any of your concern,” she remarks, smiling sheepishly.

He shrugs nonchalantly, “You just looked like you needed someone to talk to. I don’t like to talk. It’s a good match.”

Smitten against her better judgement, the rest of that evening was spent truly getting to know each other beyond the lesson plan she’d drafted for the rising captain.

Eight months later and Petra finds herself staring at the glass door of the bookshop, hand clutched against her chest as her heart beats erratically.

She likes Levi. She knows there’s no denying that fact anymore. The past few months they’d met at the bookstore were the happiest she’d ever been in more than two years.

At first she thought it was just because of her problems back home with Erwin. If one could still even call it a home. Erwin hasn’t even come back in weeks, save for when he’d occasionally drop by the bookshop to see her.

That either ends in silence, or he’d somehow find a way to smoothly slide himself to her bed. They’d be lucky if they actually had proper conversation.

She’d been young, foolish, when she met Erwin. Just barely out of college and had gotten her first job as a bookshop keeper when she opted to move to Trost. Erwin had only been a squad leader at that time, but she’d heard of his valiant leadership and sharp mind whispered among the soldiers who’d frequent the shop.

So when the man himself finally graced the bookstore, Petra could’ve sworn her eyes shined like stars.

She couldn’t even properly compute the total amount of the books he was buying at the time as her cheeks blush deep crimson. Erwin had smiled charmingly, taking pity on her as he computed himself and helped her double-check. Then asked her if she wants to grab a cup of coffee.

A year passed since that evening and Petra found herself eagerly nodding yes to a shotgun wedding right before an expedition.

Four years since and Erwin barely comes home nowadays. To think the Scouts’ HQ was just 10 minutes away from the bookshop and her husband can only manage to come by at least once a week.

One would think he’d married his damn work and not her.

She should’ve expected it. In fact, she’d accepted it. Being a commander of the Scouts means that he’ll always be dedicated to humanity than he’d ever be to her.

Sometimes she’ll look at other wives who wish off their spouses before an expedition. Erwin would usually be too busy to even tell her goodbye. Next thing she knows he’s already announcing the start of the expedition, leaving Petra to wonder if she’d even see her husband again after their mission.

He’d usually try to charm himself back to her good graces by bringing flowers or setting up a candlelit dinner after a long day at the bookshop. Like what he’ll probably be doing again when he misses their 4th anniversary next week.

The cycle repeats.

Petra understands. She knows he’s trying, but she’d be lying if she said it didn’t hurt.

---

If there’s one thing that Petra can be considered as, it’s that she’s a hopeful person.

She’d spent the whole Saturday evening off work donned in her apron and baking the night away, the lack of sleep her repentance from her momentary slip of weakness.

Erwin was still in the Scouts’ headquarters to finalize last minute plans for the expedition the next day, and she knows that this mission would be a day longer than their usual.

Petra’s sure her husband would appreciate a pack of baked goods he can carry along the way. Better than the rations provided on-field.

With a brighter disposition, she now pushes her way through the crowds of both civilians and soldiers, trying her best to look for her husband. It’s usually not a hard task, with Erwin’s bright blonde hair and imposing height.

Only to realize that Erwin’s nowhere to be found. She hears the Garrison soldiers gearing up to open the gates, and he didn’t even tell her good bye. As he often forgets to do so.

She deflates after another round of looking through the crowd, her hand slackening its hold on the bag of cookies. Erwin is probably busy near the front of the line, while she’s here wasting her time yet again.

“Petra?”

She stops on her way to trudge back to her house and turns to find Levi. This is the first time she’s seeing him with his uniform on. He’d usually visit the bookstore either with his black coat and slacks, or a more lax grey shirt and dark fitted pants.

Petra smiles brightly, genuinely, at the sight of Levi. She steps closer, reaching up to pet the horse she’d heard so much about whenever she tutors him. Levi rarely talks, but whenever he does, his horse is the one topic he’d often default to.

“I guess I can officially call you captain now?” she teases. Petra shifts from one foot to another, not really sure how he’d treat her after their little slip-up a few days ago.

But Levi had always been a man who can easily bounce back after a mishap, and she’s grateful that at least the easy amiability between the two of them is back.

“It’s the same shit,” He shrugs with a quirk in his own lips. “Only difference is that I need to handle brats now. And more paperwork.”

“Those ‘brats’ are lucky to have the dashing Humanity’s Strongest to guide them then.”

Levi gives out a single chuckle, sending a flutter of butterflies to her stomach. She’d heard it a handful of times since she started teaching him, and the sound never gets old.

“You think I’m dashing? Damn, woman. You’ve been reading too many fairytales in that book store,” he teases her back.

Petra’s retort was on her lips, ready to continue this banter the way they’d usually do whenever they wrap up their sessions at the book store when they both hear the Scouts being instructed to assemble.

He eyes the cookies in her hand with sympathy, knowing who it was for.

“I’ll give it to him,” Levi promises.

“I… thank you,” she hesitates, handing it over to him. “You can have them if you’d like.”

“You sure Eyebrows won’t throw a fit?”

She chuckles, months of sitting through his dry quips and toilet humor and she still finds herself with a stupid grin at each of his attempt.

“He’d already eaten them a lot of times before. He’s not missing out,” she replies. “Maybe I can bake some for our next session.”

The captain gives her an acknowledging nod, knowing it’s her attempt to tell him not to die out there. He starts to tug on the reigns of his horse as Petra watches him leave. For a moment, the longing she’d felt when he’d trailed his hands down her hips is back, the memory of his lips against hers as vivid now as it was then.

If only she’d waited a few more years before tying the knot.

“Levi, wait.”

The man turns, “Hmm?”

Petra reaches out without thinking, her hand quickly—almost shyly—working to straighten his cravat. Levi freezes, their closeness bringing him back to their little moment between the bookshelves.

His eyes quickly scan his surroundings, relieved that all the other Scouts are too busy with their respective assignments to witness this quick display of affection.

“Good luck on your first mission, captain,” she wishes him off. “I’ll see you at the book store this Monday?”

Throat dry, the new captain nods numbly as Petra gives him a disarming smile.

“Actually…” he suggests instead. “Do you wanna meet someplace else?”

She tilts her head, “Oh?”

“There’s this tea shop a few blocks away from the book store. Their selection’s good.”

There’s something different with this conversation. It feels like a step forward.

“Does 8pm sound good?” she accepts, her heart growing giddy.

Levi nods, “I’ll be waiting.”

---

For someone who’d always, always thought ahead, this is one thing he didn’t see coming. Erwin guesses that maybe love truly makes you stupid, just as ambition can make you blind.

He’d seen them, and while his suspicions had been confirmed for quite some time now, this is the first time he’d witnessed physical gestures complemented with emotional attachments. Levi was rarely caught off-guard, save for this one time when he’d looked at his wife as if he’s seeing a goddess gracing him with her presence.

Erwin had to step in.

“You’re here,” Petra says as he enters the book store, making his wife straighten up at the chime of the bell.

She’s currently manning the counter and double-checking inventory, but her mind was obviously elsewhere. Petra had a stupid grin on her face before he came in, eyes flitting once in awhile to the table where she and Levi often sat during their lessons.

“You look surprised,” Erwin notes as the wistful look on her face drops.

Petra bitterly laughs at his remark, “Of course I’m surprised. Thought you’d have this unspoken schedule of seeing your wife just… I don’t know, once a week? This is a new record for you.”

“We haven’t had dinner together for some time now—“

“And whose fault is that?” she bites back. Erwin’s eyes narrows the same time his heart cracks at her remark.

She used to greet him with an eager smile and a new book suggestion whenever he comes to the book store the first few months after they met.

He sighs, showing her the two takeout boxes he has in his hands. Petra softens, noting the familiar aroma of the chicken from the restaurant they frequented when they first started dating. They’d stopped going when he got promoted to commander.

She gives him a momentary glance and wraps up her work at the counter, gesturing for him to sit at the table. It didn’t skip his notice that she didn’t direct him to the spot where she usually teaches Levi.

15 minutes later and she’s back, a book in hand, and she settles herself on the chair in front of him.

“Here,” she says, sliding the hardcover to him. “New book came in. Not sure if you still have the time to read but I thought you’d like it.”

“Thank you,” he says, seeing that the book is a military fiction book that Nile had recommended in the last meeting.

They both fall into silence, as they usually do in the past two years now. The takeout boxes and the book sit between them, with Petra trying to busy herself by poking the chicken on her plate. Erwin braces himself, knowing this evening is going to get uglier than it already is.

“I talked to Mrs. Mayers,” Erwin cuts through the quietude, his hands clasped in front of him. “About your schedule. She mentioned that the book store will be busier in the coming months.”

“You don’t have to worry yourself about that Erwin,” she finally replies, an edge in her voice. If there’s one thing he knows about his wife, it’s that she’s not stupid. “I work in this book store. Go worry about your scouting formations or something.”

Erwin feels himself almost waver. For a moment, he thought that maybe she does deserve better. No. He definitely knows she deserves better.

He was 30 when he met Petra, near the peak of his career and despite the dead bodies piling up with every expedition, Erwin had felt like he was on top of the world. The only thing missing was his dream of proving his father right and a woman. It’s not like he can take back Marie from Nile.

Even before he and Petra got married, they both already knew that he won’t be as available as a husband.

Petra seemed to have accepted it. She’d always been a huge supporter of the Scouts, even considered joining once if she didn’t love her job as a bookstore assistant.

Even with the constant fights over missed birthdays or anniversaries, Petra had taken it all gracefully, heart heavy in an attempt to shrug it off as just a part of being a military official’s wife.

That was until Levi showed her what it’s like to have someone with the time to sit down and listen to how her day went at the book store.

“Of course it’s something I have to worry about. I was the one who asked her for your time to assist the Scouts,” Erwin says. “Mrs. Mayers was kind enough to say yes, but I wouldn’t want such an old woman to be left without help in the store.”

Petra pales.

“I think Levi’s doing better now, don’t you think?”

A pause. “He still needs my help with his vocabulary—“

“But as long as his reading comprehension has improved, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Erwin met her first. She’s his. He can do better moving forward—be a better husband. He’d been shit at it so far, but he can try again.

He just needs to remove this one obstacle.

Her mouth twists in an attempt to retort but Erwin beats her to it, “The captain will be busier in the coming months with his promotion. He won’t have time to sit down for lessons, anyway.”

She chuckles darkly in her attempt to jest, her facade starting to crack.

“From the way you talk right now, I’d think you’re jealous, Erwin.”

“Should I be, Petra?” Erwin asks.

Petra balls her fists, her shoulders stiffening.

It doesn’t escape his notice. None of it ever did.

She swallows. “No. Not at all.”

“It’s settled then.”

---

Petra only gets a glance of Levi a few times over the next few months. She tried to catch him once before the start of an expedition, greeting him with an eager wave.

He’d smiled back—that small, shy smile of his that she’d come to grow fond of during their lessons—only for another soldier to interrupt before he could even take a step towards her. Something about Erwin needing the captain for some last-minute changes.

Erwin was trying, the same way that she tried to acknowledge his efforts. In the end, the butterflies just wasn’t there any longer, and the quiet acceptance that the rift between them was far too big for any attempt at mending remain unspoken.

She knows it, and he knows it. It’s become a self-destructive dance that he’d tried to keep under wraps with all-nighters in his office, and her with her books and growing workload in the book store.

But Petra had still gotten his message. Their marriage can be in shambles, their bed cold and empty. In the end, she’s still Erwin’s.

“I’m not losing you, Petra,” the blonde said with a finality in his tone, mind elsewhere. She knows that look. He’d only get that faraway gaze whenever he remembers the father he’d lost because of his own stupidity.

In his eyes, maybe their failing marriage was the same.

She doesn’t know how else to reply, save for a regretful glance at their door.

He’d proven his claim time and time again. Erwin started coming home now, exactly before Petra would try to step out of the house to head for the tea shop Levi mentioned the last time they talked. She doubts she’d see the short man. Maybe in his eyes, she’d ghosted him.

So it’s by a stroke of luck that Erwin had been abruptly called to Mitras this evening.

---

Petra bolts. The moment she got wind of Erwin’s plans to go to the capital that evening, she’d packed her handbag and ran out the book store. She had to work overtime at the bookstore with midwinter coming closer, and more of their patrons had been visiting for some gift shopping.

She’d gotten out 15 minutes before 8pm, heart hopeful as she hurries through Trost’s streets. The cool wind hitting her cheeks feels like freedom.

Just a glance. A single glance or a word from him and that would be enough for her.

“You’re actually here,” she gasps in disbelief as she stops before the tea shop. The man she’d been longing for was currently leaned against the brick wall of the establishment, his hands in his coat pocket. It’s been months since his invitation, yet he’s still here.

Levi looks up, surprise apparent in his features as he takes in the sight of Petra.

“Yeah,” he replies.

Tears start to prickle against the corner of her eyes.

“Levi… it’s been months.”

“I said I’d wait, remember?” he turns away, cheeks red. If it’s because of the cold winter air or something else, she’d never know. “I thought you hated me. But when I saw you in the last expedition, I knew there might be a reason why your boss cancelled our lessons.”

More like his boss. But she’d rather not think of Erwin right now.

“Been coming here every Monday, brat.” Levi reveals, drawing out a tearful choke from the ginger. “You owe me two boxes of tea bags—”

Petra grabs his collar, drawing him in for a searing kiss instead. Maybe that would make up for his tea orders.

---

With the barracks not an option, Petra took Levi back to her house instead. Mitras was half a day’s ride away from Trost, and Erwin will most likely be staying overnight in the capital. She and Levi agreed that maybe they can catch up on each other’s lives in the months they’d been apart.

Petra found herself on the dining table instead, with Levi’s tongue deep inside her soaked cunt.

His cravat was shoved against her mouth in an attempt to keep herself quiet. The distance between the houses in this neighborhood was too narrow that neighbors can easily be privy of anyone’s affairs.

She’s clinging on to the edge of the table, hips desperately trying to thrust up Levi’s mouth. The feeling of his black bangs tickling her thighs was more than enough to make her go crazy.

He gives one last lap against her pussy before pulling away, drawing out a choked-out, pleading moan from behind the white cloth in her mouth. Levi mercifully pulls out the cravat, and turned her around before she could protest, her breasts heavy against the wooden table.

She turns her head, eyes wild at the sight of him tugging off his belt, followed by a quick shove down of his grey pants.

He was magnificent, her mouth watering further at the sight of the veins of his erection. He places himself against the groove of her ass before pulling her upright so his chest is against her sweaty back. Petra reaches up to tangle her fingers against his inky hair, while Levi positions himself behind her.

“Oh. Oh.” she moans out as she finally feels the slide of his cock against the surface of her nether lips.

He feels perfect against her, his rigid length sliding against the seam of her cunt and she can only imagine how he’d deliciously settle in inside her if they ever chose to cross that line.

It feels foreign—so different from the size she’d gotten used to in the past four years. Levi wasn’t as big as her husband, but she finds that the extra attention he lavishes her with was more addicting than any physical superiority Erwin had.

Levi turns her chin so he can see her face, her mouth slackening the moment his fingers trail down to massage her clit. Petra squeaks, not expecting another form of sensation against her nether lips when the feel of his length against her pussy was already enough to drive her crazy.

“Fuck, Petra.” Levi starts to pump his cock in between her thighs, his hold on her desperate that it’s bordering bruising. Petra almost collapses when she looks down to see the head peeking through her clenched thighs with every thrust, the bulbous tip red and searing.

“Oh, dear god—“

“Tell me you’re mine,” he suddenly whispers against her neck, hand leaving her clit to run his palms possessively against the smooth curve of her hips. “You’re mine.”

“I am. I’m yours, Levi.”

He comes at her words, her tone laced with utter devotion and surrender. Petra feels his release sticky against her thigh, painting her as his. It’s that thought and the final pass of his cock against her silken folds that pushes her to her peak, her wetness drenching the length still settled between her thighs.

Her hand reaches up to place on top of his own that’s currently settled possessively against her left breast. She draws his fingers to her lips so she can pepper kisses against his knuckles.

They eventually found themselves on her bed—the one she hasn’t shared with her husband for close to two years now. She’s currently turned to him, her breasts pressed up against Levi’s side, as they’d sneak kisses in between.

This often led to Petra trailing her fingers against the hard planes of his chest, and eventually to another round of lovemaking, their craving for each other’s bodies almost unbearable that she’d begged him to just take her or she’ll go crazy.

“Where do we go from here?” Petra suddenly asks as they come down from the afterglow of their last round, her head resting against the hard muscles of his arm.

“Where do you wanna go from here?” he returns the question to her.

“Well… we can just go about as usual. I know fucking your commander’s wife can tarnish your reputation, and we also can’t compromise Erwin’s reputation among the Scouts. I wouldn’t mind if you’d like this to be a one-time—“

“No.”

Petra blinks. “W-what?”

“What do you want, Petra?” He clarifies. “Fuck Erwin for now. And my position in the Scouts.”

A vivid image of them together in the open comes to her mind.

She can openly wish Levi off before every expedition, and welcome him back and never caring about the blood that stained his uniform. Maybe they can even start a family that she and Erwin never got around to doing so.

They could be happy—her and Levi.

At the cost of everything else.

Not knowing how to verbally express her desires, she places a loving kiss against his neck. Levi just gives her a sad smile, accepting her silent reply.