A.N.:
Disclaimers:
I do not own Attack on titan / Shingeki no kyojin or A choice with no regrets characters.
I do not make money with this.
For whenlearnedtofly. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything! You are a wonderful person. :)
- THE prompt: Isabel is doodling flowers.
- I'm not a native English speaker, so sorry for grammar, spelling mistakes, weird words and expressions I use :D and feel free to message me about them so I can fix it!
- Enjoy! ;)
Flowers
After they brought down the abnormal titan, Farlan could see the change in the Scouting Legion members regarding their trio. The soldiers no longer frowned at them with contempt, or ignored them, but instead, a certain kind of attention turned towards them. The men and the women often glanced at Levi, barely disguising their curiousness. However irritating or dangerous was the spiked up attention, Farlan needed to admit that it was much better than the previous stage. That didn't mean, of course, that the trio was trusted, or even accepted – probably Sayram and Flagon were the closest ones to that - but that was only because they witnessed their killing of the titan real close-up. Well, Levi killing the titan.
Levi didn't express that he found the change preferable. Isabel didn't express her opinion either - well, not with words. Farlan saw her practically shining after she realized people were looking at them differently, and the silver-haired man didn't know if he should be glad that Isabel is clearly joyous because of this, or should watch her more closely. The girl was the most social amongst them - she trusted people easily, which was often a flaw of her in the underground, but here, in the Scouting Legion, it seemed became a more usable personality trait. Either way, it could still cause problems. Farlan made a mental note to discuss it with Levi if he finds him alone.
All in all, it was a nice change of the soldiers' attitude – and being able to walk around with more liberty came in handy with their plan to get the documents from Smith. If he didn't wear them on himself. As much as Farlan prayed that Smith hid the documents somewhere in his supplies, he was nearly sure that it will not be a case.
And, as they've learned after the search of Smith's place, the documents weren't there. Farlan felt anxiety grasping him by the stomach. This was not good at all. He couldn't help himself being afraid – he was afraid of the titans and he was wary of Smith himself. The man had an aura around him which shouted authority and intelligence with every step he made, even when walking by the Commanders side. Farlan trusted Levi's skills, but he couldn't help the fear that was crawling inside him at the thought about killing the man.
The meeting with the excited woman in the glasses was a weird experience. After the initial tense moment (Farlan honestly thought he almost got a heart attack), all three of them relaxed when they found out she was talking about Levi killing the titan. As she engaged in conversation with Levi and Isabel, Farlan studied her. He thought about her being a spy of Smith, but she seemed genuinely curious about Levi. She had a good intuition about Isabel, because she ceased their friend's excited chatting with a bag of sweets. Spot on. Levi sent her away not much later, though.
Isabel disappeared somewhere while Farlan and Levi were busy preparing their bed for the night. Farlan supposed she went to relieve herself, but after she wasn't back in fifteen minutes, he felt himself becoming nervous.
All my hair is going to fall out if we stay in the Corps much longer – he thought to himself.
„Where's Isabel?" he asked Levi, but he seemed lost in thoughts, and only answered with a shrug. Farlan knew he shouldn't worry about the girl, she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but still, with her personality, you could never know. So Farlan went to find her.
She couldn't have gone far. It's not to say they weren't allowed to go outside the ruined castle, but it was still the safest for them to stay inside, while the guards on the first night shift took their place.
The sun was low on the horizon, when he appeared outside, nodding towards every soldier he came across.
He didn't have to go far in the search of his redhead friend; Isabel was outside, more or less hidden from the sight in a half-destroyed windowsill. There was a stroll of paper next to her on the stone and a short pencil in her hand. Her face was drawn in a concentrated frown, as she leaned down to the paper and her fingers moved the pencil on the paper carefully.
Farlan got closer to her, and when she noticed him, the concentrating – but at the same time gleeful- expression gave way to a blush and she tried to cover the paper quickly.
Farlan felt a smirk tugging on his lips.
„I knew it!" He laughed. „So you don't draw anymore, huh?"
The redness on Isabel face was now more due to anger than embarrassment.
„Leave me alone!"
„Let me see it." Farlan was enjoying teasing Isabel utterly. If it took away his anxiousness for a couple of minutes, it was worth it, definitely.
„Why do you think I came out here? I don't want you to see it!" Isabel crunched her face, and tried to get as far away from Farlan as she could, but she stayed on the windowsill.
Farlan knew that this meant she wasn't as angry as she showed – in that case, she would've gone to Levi ages ago.
„Why now Isabel," he grinned. „What does your talent worth if others can't bath in your artistic meticulousness."
„Don't say it's ridiculuos!" Isabel growled angrily, and tried to shove Farlan away, but this way, she only gave Farlan space to catch a glimpse of the drawing.
„A flower! How cute!"
„Stop it!"
„Well, I know what's on it, so why don't you let me see the whole?"
„Because you will tease me, that's why!"
„Oh, I'm sure you're capable of enduring my teasing. I don't think it even bothers you."
„Well, it does!" said Isabel. She lowered her face, and her mouth was pressed together in a serious line. Farlan suddenly couldn't say a thing.
He didn't have to, because she had apparently enough things to say to him.
„I said I wasn't drawing anymore because you always teased me about it. So when I just disappeared for a couple of hours, and you didn't know where I was: I was drawing okay? Doodling." She suddenly looked up with a fierce expression on her face. „I don't care if you think it's ridiculous. I love to do it. It helps me relax. So I'll do it."
Farlan felt guilty.
„Isabel, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how important it was to you. I don't think it's ridiculous."
Isabel's expression softened. But she still looked at him suspiciously.
„You don't?"
„No, I actually think you are good at it." Farlan smiled.
Isabel smiled back and that was it: she changed her moods so quickly sometimes that it was hard to follow. She was also unable to keep a grudge.
Somehow their conversation made her decide to finally show her drawing to Farlan. She patted the free place next to her, and Farlan climbed up to the windowsill with her. She pushed the paper into his hands.
It was a sketch of a flower, that was sure, but Farlan have never seen a flower like that before.
„I know you now you probably think that I messed up the king-cups or something," said Isabel „but that's not the case. I noticed this flower around the first couple of hours when we rode outside the walls. It's not the king-cups, that's sure – it's much more finer than that. Also, the king-cups is yellow, and this was orange. So beautiful" she sighed happily. „I know it looks like I messed up a simple king-cups – but when we get back, and get the money, I'll buy colored pencils, color it, and then, you'll see that it's not like any flower we saw in the capital."
„I can see it right now, Isabel." Farlan smiled. „I know you didn't mess up. It's great."
Isabel looked happy. Farlan was glad that there was something that made her happy- she was often excited and gleeful around Levi, but that she had something what was hers, and hers alone- that was a good thing. A very good thing.
„Where did you get the paper?"
„I've got a bunch from Hanji." she reached backwards and got out a few pieces of paper behind her that Farlan didn't notice before.
„Who's Hanji?"
The girl looked at her incredulously.
„She gave us sweets, remember?"
Realization dawned on Farlan, but the second after he grinned. Of course Hanji's most distinctive trait is that she carried sweets around.
„We met again and we talked about everything and I told her about the flowers and that I wish I could make a sketch and she said she was always keeping a couple of pencils and papers for notes with herself so she gave me some!" Isabel was panting at the end, because she said all this with a single breath.
„Oh. Right." Farlan tried to hide his grin, but when he failed, he thought of an excuse for it, and he found something perfect.
„But you know, I can draw too." He drew up his eyebrows. „In fact, I'm better than you."
Isabel's jaw dropped, but then a determined expression appeared on her face.
„Oh really? Why don't you show me?"
Farlan let a smug grin appear on his face and snatched a blank paper from Isabel's hands.
„You have to draw the flower too!" He heard Isabel from above his shoulder.
„Sure, of course, a flower I didn't even pay attention!"
„Well, a flower then! Because then we can compare them! Draw a then."
Farlan was getting irritated by her breathing into his ear, so he nudged her with his elbow.
„Fine! But don't look!"
Isabel huffed irritably, but turned away, her legs swinging in the air back and forth, humming a false tune to herself.
Drawing, Farlan's thoughts eventually got back to Levi, Smith, the documents, the mission, the titans and everything else what escaped his mind while talking with Isabel. I'm glad that at least this drawing thing is relaxing to her.
He hadn't even noticed Levi coming their way, he only looked up at Isabel's excited „Big bro!".
He turned towards the dark-haired man.
„What are you doing?" Levi asked.
A giant smile splayed across Isabel's face. „We are drawing."
Levi hummed.
„I'm proving her I'm better in it than her." Farlan felt a little uncomfortable at the thought that Levi will think him childish, but he gave the piece of paper he was working on to Levi anyway.
„Take a look." Levi took the sketch from him.
„Mine too! Mine too!" Isabel practically forced her drawing in Levi's hands.
„Decide which is better!"
A rare smile appeared on Levi's face for a second, but soon he turned unexpressive again. He spent a few minutes examining the drawings, and Farlan felt foolish because he was actually anxious about what will Levi say.
Finally, Levi gave the papers back, and Farlan saw Isabel's eyes widen with anticipation.
„Both of them are good." Isabel huffed disappointedly, and Farlan agreed with her silently.
„But," Levi added, and Farlan was shocked to see the Levi-equivalent of a grin, and an unbelievably fast movement later, Levi was holding the pencil and a paper in his hands.
„I bet I'm better than both of you."
Isabel roared excitedly and Farlan chuckled, making place for Levi on the windowsill.
While Levi was drawing, Farlan occupied himself with unlacing Isabel's pigtails, and tried to comb her hair with his fingers, while Isabel squirmed and whined, making the task even more difficult.
„When was the last time you combed your hair?"
„This morning."
„Well, it doesn't seem like it."
„I'm telling you, it was this morning! I can't help it that my hair is coarse!"
Farlan just chuckled and braided Isabel's hair in the usual two pigtails.
By the time he was done, Levi finished too, and he showed them his drawing.
It was…
It was…
Not good.
Farlan was trying not laugh, but it seemed Levi was well aware of his lack of talent in drawing, so he only drew a very simple flower, which was very different from Isabel's flower full of curls, and fine details and his own, symmetric and with sharp lines. If Farlan had to describe Levi's doodle, he would say that Levi drew flowers like the kids in the underground, when they found a piece of chalk somewhere.
Isabel's emotions were seemingly harder to keep in place. She quietly suffered for a couple of moments before bursting out laughing.
Levi arched one of his eyebrows at Farlan, who shrugged, but now he too was unable to keep in his laughter.
„Ahahahaha Big bro, you're so not good at this!" Isabel was nearly crying from laughing so hard and she clamped at Levi's clothes in fear of falling off the sill.
„Oh really?" Levi asked, now smile appearing on his face too. „I think they're perfect. The simpler the better."
Farlan couldn't bear it without words anymore.
„They are like drawings of a five-year-old!" he managed to get out between small laughs.
The smile on Levi's face disappeared.
Farlan was terrified for a moment, and the look on Isabel's face wasn't helping. Levi opened his mouth and Farlan prepared for everything he could get for this.
„An extremely talented five-year-old." the phrase was followed by another rare smile of their friend.
Farlan felt himself relax and he shared a relieved glance with Isabel before returning to laugh at Levi's attempt in representing flowers. After some time, their laughter subsided, and they were just sitting together in the windowsill, watching the sun coming down. They were silent. Even Isabel didn't say a thing, only put her arms around Levi's and Farlan's waist, bringing them closer to her. It was strangely peaceful, not one unwanted thought appeared in the silver-haired boy's mind.
The sun came down and the three of them climbed down reluctantly from the windowsill, Levi gathering up the drawings and putting it in the inside packet of his jacket, saying that he would be kind with Flagon first, before letting anyone else see the drawings.
Farlan only listened half-heartedly to Isabel's whining to Levi in regards of where should they keep the drawings, when his blissfully relaxed mind turned back towards serious issues. He knew they will be talking about them before going to sleep, but he was already going through the details for the hundredth, even when walking back with his friends.
He couldn't help the bad feeling which had a constant present inside him since when he first saw the titans. But as he watched the two most important person in his life, Isabel waving her hands while talking, and Levi half-turning towards her, his face back to expressionless, he thought to himself, with hope in his heart, that if they are together, they are able to do anything.
The End
7 october 2014
A.N.
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