The blizzard swept through the town, completely blanketing layers of white onto the once plain the confines of their home, they could hear the whistles of the wind, singing horrifically. The mixtures of tea in the kitchen distracted her from the terrifying storm outside. Levi sat on the couch laying out blankets, igniting the fire in the small pit. Both of them were quite irritated lately over the recent events, leaving them with short tempers.
Suddenly a crash was heard from the kitchen causing him to halt his actions.
"What was that?" He asks from the living room.
"Uh, I dropped a teacup." She responds carefully, bending down the pick up the shards of glass.
He begins walking quickly in her direction. "Are you serious? How did you possibly manage to do that?"
"I don't know." She replies monotone, cleaning the mess.
He notices the blood dropping from her hand and onto the floor. Rolling his eyes, he grabs a paper towel, handing it to her.
She gladly accepts it and holds it over her bleeding palm, before continuing to clean the mess.
"You can't do anything right I swear."
"It was an accident."
"Doesn't look like an accident to me." He spits.
Scoffing, she retorts, "So you think I did it on purpose? Wow, you must be denser than I thought- and to think I considered you smart."
"Oi, you don't get to talk to me like that you bastard."
Things were escalating pretty fast, neither of them would back down though.
" I think I can do whatever I please." She stands up after cleaning, throwing away the shards.
"You'll do whatever I tell you to do- no questions asked." He crosses his arms, walking back to sit on the couch, directly across from the fire.
"You don't scare me." She places tea on the coffee table in front of him, carrying her own tea with her to the fireplace. "You don't have to be an asshole all the time y'know."
"You don't have to be annoying all the time" He scoffs, watching her put the teacup to her lips.
She lets the warm liquid run down her throat, absorbing the taste. " Who hurt you, Levi? Any reason why you're so cold and bitchy?" She begins, setting the cup down next to her. "You would think pain would make you a nice person, or more open-minded, but no; you choose to build up walls and act like a dick. God forbid you let anyone get too close."
He could feel the irritation drip from her voice like venom. "If you keep talking like that, I can think of a few ways to make you shut that damn mouth of yours." The man clenched his fist in his lap.
"Like what? Hit me? Go head. It doesn't make it any less from the truth. "
"Keep your shitty nose out of my business you ungrateful brat." He raises his voice. Levi became aggravated when it seemed like his words had little to no effect on her.
No flinching or backing down, just the same relaxed and expressionless face she always wore. It irritated him to the point where he physically felt his body heat up.
His cadets and others always flinched at his words or complied. She remained poised as ever.
"Why? Maybe whatever you have going in is the reason why you're a fucking asshole. Try opening up for once." She watches him take a cup of tea before he sees him grip the cup.
"Fine you wanna talk?" He begins, slamming the cup on the table, nearly breaking it in the process. "Let's fucking talk. You act like you know everything but you fucking don't. You choose to be up my ass and all in my business to get me to 'open up', but you're just a shallow bitch that doesn't get along with everyone because she doesn't know how to fucking talk to people."
His deep monotone voice aggravated her, there was a tinge of anger resting in it.
"Nice try at attempting to flip this on me. Did I hit a nerve?"
"Tch. Don't flatter yourself. I'm about to hit a nerve of yours if you don't crawl back the dumpster you came from."
"Levi you can't always run away from your problems. We all have our issues, but you can choose how you handle them, frankly being a snobby old man isn't going t-"
"I've had enough of you! You're pissing me off. What the fuck are you trying to achieve?" He glares at her, noticing her shorts and shirt sleeve shirt. Her messy hair had been tied into a low bun. She picks up her cup to sip her tea.
Standing up abruptly, he reaches for her cup before relaxing back onto his couch, slamming her cup on the table.
"Why are you even wearing clothing like that? It's below freezing outside and you're dressed like you are about to work a corner."
He notices a pale red dust her cheeks, she looks down to her clothes. Suddenly feeling vulnerable, she holds her arms together.
"Try taking a good look at your pathetic self before trying to ride what you can't handle." Disgust was apparent in his eyes, anyone with eyes could see that.
"You know what Levi? While I may not have the best looks or whatever the fuck you're referring to, I happened to actually care for people. Unlike you, you're self-centered, you're a giant asshole to anyone and everyone-"
"Not everyone, just you." He interrupts.
"Why me then?"
"Nothing personal, I just can't stand you." It wasn't completely true, but he couldn't stand her for the fact that she took his insults seemingly effortlessly. She was nearly perfect, she made mistakes, but everyone did. Every time he made an insult, she would swing back harder, and harder, and harder; to the point where they are at each other's last nerve.
He couldn't stand her because she made him feel different.
She made him feel.
Unfortunately, Levi cannot express his feelings and instead comes off vulgar, shoving insults down her throat. At the moment, he was pissed. Beyond pissed, because he knew she was right. There was no doubt about it.
Now the issue for him was, how to handle it.
"You can't stand me? What have I ever done to you?"
Regret was evident in her voice, she was finally backing down. Maybe this conversation would be over soon. While Levi wasn't a religious man, he prayed to whatever was listening to just end this conversation and she would just let it go.
"You're annoying, you're clumsy, and you have no modesty. Many men would find it to be trashy. People like you are what makes problems for everyone else."
"What? That doesn't even make sense... My friends say I dress normally, I don-"
"I don't give a shit what your friends say, I think you're worthless. I mean, who the fuck would love someone like you, or remotely even want to be in the same room as you?"
"Where the fuck is all of this coming from? If you hated me so much why do you even talk to me? I think you're afraid. I don't know what of, but you're neglecting something. Aw, is it your height. I'm sorry that people snicker at you behind your back because you remind them of an angry leprechaun. 'Ooooh,look at me! I'm perfect at every fucking thing woooah! Check out this big shot!' You may think you're the baddest fucking thing, but you're a weak man. Physically? No. Mentally? You're struggling and you won't let anyone in because you're a fucking ASSHOLE!"
She takes a deep breath after her outburst.
Levi was taken back by her words and expressions, typically an aloof woman turned into a raging warrior, and she was correct. So correct that it made him livid.
"Oh, now you're mad? You must think you're fucking hilarious too huh?Last person who mouthed off was bleeding from his face by the time I was done with him."
"I think I made a valid point. Go ahead, hit me. I'll make it worth your while." She says bitterly, looking down becoming silent.
Only the crackling of the firewood and whistles of the cold harsh wind were heard.
"Saying I don't matter would have made this a lot easier. I could have sworn I was supposed to be my own worst enemy, well you sure proved me wrong.. I can't believe I trusted you." She whispers.
"Get the fuck over it." He spits.
That was the last straw for her. Why did this hurt so much?
"I wish I had never met you, Ackerman...I hate you."
His heart immediately throbbed. Those words that blurt from his mouth had hurt him a lot more than he thought it would. Her small intakes of breath were heard from his sensitive ears.
"I'm done with your shit"
Her head shoots up, her colored hues widening. "W-What.."
"I said get out. I am tired of looking at you, I'm tired of listening to you. You're on your own; I want nothing to do with you."
"I ca-"
"GET. OUT." He spits, sternly.
"Levi I-"
"LEAVE!" He yells, throwing one of their tea cups across the room, shattering, spilling tea on the floor.
The earth stood still as they gazed into each other's eyes for the last time.
He watched her figure slowly rise from where she was previously perched on the fireplace. Hurt had been evident in not only her eyes but, her voice. Whatever little pride that she recently had, had slowly vanished right then and there.
His stern eyes remain on her stiff figure, watching her with every step she took. Her heart felt heavy, her pride had been wounded.
Was it really that much of an issue to him? Did she honestly hurt him?
His own pride held him back from stopping her. Her clothes might as well have been rags, even so, nothing could prevent the cold disastrous weather outside from hurting her.
But he let her go.
The snow stuck to her hair, freezing in the process. Her teeth clattered as her body fought with all its strength to deliver it warmth to keep her alive.
How long had it been since she was kicked out by Levi?
Her eyes attempted to keep open as the wind and snow bit at the frail skin.
However, she found the words he said to her were colder than the ice that cut her skin. Levi was never one for bursting his emotions like that, much less showing his emotions in general.
Did she really have to pry? What was her motive?
As she walks, the dark sky seemed to whisper in her ears, "This is how you're going to die."
Not by the hands of a titan, not by failed maneuver gear, but by weather. Nature was something she couldn't control even if she tried.
Traveling in the dark, a small beam of light catches her attention. Perhaps more cabins? Rescue?
The air around her seemed to grow thicker and colder with each passing moment. Her skin burned ached, feeling as if Satan himself were licking her. Her tongue and lips were as dry as the deserts they had only dreamt of seeing. Her body temperature decreased as she struggled to keep her eyes open from the harsh winds. Tears attempted to build in her eyes at the predicament, assisting to keep them from drying out.
Suddenly, her blurred eyes spotted a man running towards her.
"(Y/n)? Is that you!?" The voice hollered out to her, picking up its pace.
Before she could mutter any words, her knees buckled. The snow embraced her body, in sheets of frozen white madness. Her body fought to stay awake as the man was now above her, crouching to her level.
"Hey! It's Jean! Aren't you supposed to be with Captain Levi? Why are you out here are you crazy, woman? What is go- Hey hey listen to me. Keep your eyes open!"
Keeping her eyes open was surely a challenge. Soon she was embraced with a small amount of warmth.
"Here, I brought a blanket. I thought I saw someone, I just wanted to be sure. Take deep breathes for me, you're coming to my cabin whether you like it or not you dumbass! Why are you out here in the fi- UGH! Nevermind that! Don't you dare die on me!"
"Jean." A deeper voice boomed.
Jean turned his head, following said voice.
"Captain? What's going on? Why is she not with you? Help me get her back to my cabin, she doesn't look like she's going to last long!"
Levi lets out a sigh, his eyes widened to see who he was holding against his chest.
Under the green blanket, Jean held the woman that he had just kicked out moments prior.
"That won't be necessary, I'll take her. Thank you for taking care of her, Cadet."
"Sir, with all due respect, my cabin is only a few feet. It will be faster if we took her to my-"
"I got it, Kierstein. Go back home and get some rest; the weather is going to get worse before it gets better."
Levi walks a few steps towards the man that held her close to his warm body, in an attempt to emit as much heat to her as possible. Levi extends his arms out, wrapping them around her, keeping the warmth secure.
Once she was settled in his arms, Levi thanked Jean; in which Jean returned with a proud salute. He watches Levi return to where he came from.
Levi seemed cold and blunt on the outside at the moment, but seconds after she had walked out the door, his heart began to palpitate.
"Why did I even let her go? Why did I yell at her? If she is dead...this will be all my fault."
Once he found his cabin, he kicked the door open, shutting it behind him with his foot. He then set her down on the couch that stood across the fire, but not too close.
"Think fast think fast think- Okay.. uh. Dry clothes."
Running to his room, he grabbed a long sleeved shirt that he owned and some sleepwear pants. Running back he realized he would have to unwrap her from the blanket, and take her out of her clothes to redress her.
He lets out a deep sigh as he makes his way towards her once more.
After fighting to redress a sleeping body, he takes the wet clothes, and now wet blanket to put in the dryer. He then retrieves her to put her in his bed.
Walking back to his bed, he gently lays her down, rolling the covers over her. The back of his palm touches her features of her face. Her nose and ears were colder than he thought. He noticed her light blue lips and red nose and ears.
His mouth hovers over her nose and begins to breathe on it, thawing it out in hopes to heal the body he had indirectly damaged.
Once he found that there was nothing more he could do, he waited for her to wake up.
Blurred vision greets her as her eyes softly flutter open, solid colors of a ceiling gazing back down to her sore eyes.
"You're awake..." She heard a male whisper.
Turning to her side, she noticed the same man that caused her grief, and the pain she was in at the moment. His cold eyes bore into her, hiding a sliver of pity.
Distraught by her unresponsiveness, he decides it's time to break the ice. Looking away, he finds the courage to mutter, "This is my fault."
Still, no words left her mouth, a sign that she had given up. He sighs before reaching over to the cup of warm tea on the dresser next to him. He then holds the cup in front of her lips, lightly prodding them, signaling her to drink.
She leans up in an attempt to give herself better posture, wincing in the process. Her body responds quickly to the warm liquid that embraced her tongue. Without thinking, she places her hand over Levi's that was wrapped around the cup and tilts it back more for better access. She gulps all of the tea down fast, causing some to dribble down her lips and cascade down her chin.
Taken back by her sudden actions, he withdraws the tea cup before placing it back down onto the dresser. His eyes follow back to her body that seemed to heave before him, his finger wipes the tea off of her lips and chin.
"I'm sorry to be such a burden to you, Levi."
His chest felt as if it had just been punched from the inside, knocking the breath out of his lungs. What was she talking about? She was no burden.
"You are nothing of the sort, I shouldn't have said those things I said earlier. For that, I am sorry. I owe you that much at least." He softly murmurs, looking down at the clothing that seemed to hug her body.
"I had it coming, I shouldn't have gotten that low. My temper was out of hand. I believe I owe you an apology as well."
An awkward silence pulsed in the atmosphere, engraving unspoken words onto their tongues. Levi glances back down to her, noticing her lips slowly turning back to the faint pink color they once were.
He runs his hands through his hair, exhaling a rough sigh. He was still attempting to process what happened, he nearly lost her and his last words would have been terrible. The image of her pained expressions etched at his heart.
She was on the brink of death and the last words she would have heard would have been how pathetic she was. Now she thinks she is a burden.
His thoughts were interrupted by a small sneeze coming from her. She groaned when her body moved from the impact. Her hands grabbed the blankets and pulled them closer to her while pulling her legs to her chest. The fetal position she was in along with her shaking drove Levi mad.
"Are you uh, still cold?"
Silence.
He quickly stood up and walked out of the room. Once she was alone, she felt her heart break. More negative thoughts flood her mind. Had everyone disliked her? She never talked much, she typically kept to herself. She was close to a few people, but even then she wasn't that talkative, at least not enough where she thought she was troubling.
Tears brewed up in her eyes once more, pain throbbed in the back of her throat. She was a silent crier, no loud noises dared to leave her lips, just unspoken tears. A tear slipped down one of her rosy cheeks, dripping like acid.
She then heard the door from across the room shut softly, followed by footsteps that seemed to grow closer.
She felt the weight of the bed dip on the opposite side of her. Glancing at said area, her eyes met those familiar gunmetal gray ones that seemed to speak a thousand words, in silence they shared.
"You're cold, body heat will help." He grumbles.
His hand reaches for her cheek, once his warm hand met her cold, subtle skin, his thumb wiped one of her tears away.
"Crying doesn't suit you."
He awkwardly drapes an arm over and scoots closer to her. His breath is warming her forehead and blowing small strands of her hair back.
"Are you still cold?" He asks, only seeking validation if he could truly be here. As awkward as this was for him, he knew she needed it. He then thought about what would have happened if Jean had helped her. What if he had taken her in? He was sharing his cabin with Marco, correct? There is no telling how close they would get to her. They were trustworthy, they would never let a good friend of theirs face an injury alone. Wouldn't they be the once holding her like this, trying to keep her warm? That thought alone made him feel uneasy. Why did thinking of her in another man's arms make him feel like bashing someone's skull in?
"A little, but I'm okay. I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I shouldn't have pried. I just wanted you to talk to me...open up a bit."
"About what?" He questioned, obviously curious. He holds her close, petting her head.
"I can tell you need to talk to someone, you need to open up."
"I don't need to do anything of the sort. Everything happens for a reason, now stop poking of things that are meaningless." He hushes.
"It's not." She yawns, nuzzling into his neck. Her warm breath cascades over his skin like a potion, drawing him in more.
"Whatever, I'm not discussing it with you. I think we established that earlier."
He felt a sudden jab in his stomach area, a literal jab, causing him to widen his eyes and let out a small "Oof!"
"Did you just poke me?"
He looked back up to the small smirk on her face, taken back by her sudden emotion change.
"Maybe"
Without warning, he flicks her in the forehead with his middle finger. Her hand finds it's way up to the area he just flicked, surprise written across her once scandalous face.
"I can play too." He softly chuckles.
Like a blur, he finds his arms pinned above his head and her body on top of his.
Their warm breaths exchanged, each blowing in their faces.
"What are you doing?" Shock apparent on his face.
"Nothing.." She mumbles.
Their eyes gazed into one another's, finding unspoken love. Somehow reading each other's minds, she slowly leaned in, barely.
Levi leaned in as well, lifting his head off the pillow, steadily.
Finally, their lips met.
