Chapter 2: What Is That Feeling?

It had been a week now since Levi had been tasked with taking the little girl named Levy under his wing. Said week had been quite irritating and enjoyable at the same time. His daily routine had been pretty simple; most of the time he had sat in his office, writing his reports, working through the nights, getting some coffee or tea in the morning and evening to stay awake, getting something to eat every now and then, all in order to return to his office and continue his works.

But he had not been alone – Levy had always been keeping him company. The little girl would always sit with him, quietly watching him working on his reports. Everytime he left his office she would quietly follow him like a tiny shadow just so she had not to stay alone; he would get her something to eat everytime he heard her little stomach growl and she would always sleep on the couch when she was tired.

Every now and then Hanji would storm into his office and scold him for not entertaining Levy and keeping her locked up in his office all the time and the young girl would always answer "It's not boring to stay with Mister", causing Hanji to blink in suprise and leave the office again.

Levi had become used to Levy's presence and since she was very quiet he had nothing to complain about at all. Actually, he was glad to have someone with him, even though he would never verbally admit it. Also did he realize that Levy was getting calmer and calmer around him as time passed by; well, okay, she still flinched everytime he talked to her or looked at her – but she seemed to start understanding that he was not out to harm her.

Levi finally finished his last report and put it aside. He stretched and looked at Levy sitting quietly on her chair again. "You okay, kid?"

She flinched slightly and looked up.

He sighed. "At ease, kid, don't be so jumpy. You act as though you were afraid of getting beat up."

Something flashed up in her eyes – something Levi could not quite determine. Whatever it was, it caused Levy to quickly look down again.

This unsettled Levi somehow. "Are you okay?" he asked her again, leaning forward a bit to get a better look on her. She nodded, but it didn't really convince him. "Do you need something?"

She shook her head.

Levi cocked his eyebrows at her. "Tch, whatever." He would find out later. He was too tired to argue with that little brat right now. He took a look at his pocket watch. "It's getting late. Are you tired?"

Levy nodded instead of speaking up.

"Well, you can go to sleep anytime. I'm going to bed now. I'm tired. Good night." He was about to leave his office when he noticed her behind him. "What are you doing?"

She gave him a startled look. "Please stay with me, Mister. I don't want to be alone," she whispered.

The sad look in her eyes made his heart clench and he sighed noisily. "Fine, I'll stay with you. But only until you're asleep, understood? I have a right to sleep, too."

She nodded and climbed onto the couch. He spread the blanket over her. And so he sat beside her until she finally closed her eyes and her breath became calm. He left the office, quietly closing the door behind him, and made his way to his bedroom. Since his room was practically right next to his office he would hear Levy in case she woke up. He felt kind of bad for leaving the little girl alone in his office, but he needed to get some rest as well.

He quickly changed and collapsed onto his bed, snuggling into his covers and stretching to release his aching body from its tensed state. He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep – but only for a short while.

"MISTER!"

His eyes flew wide open again and he sighed in irritation before he stood up, quickly making his way to his office again to find Levy sitting on the couch with her arms wrapped around her knees, trembling. "What?" he sighed.

A nightmare. Of course. After a while, he managed to calm her down and sat with her until she fell asleep again. However, this continued for at least one and a half hour until Levi had it.

"Alright, that's it!" he growled.

He opened the door to his office once again. However, this time, he found Levy sitting under the couch and crying. This had him out of his anger and he caught himself being worried about her. He knew she wouldn't sleep if he wasn't near, so there was only one way.

He squatted down beside her and sighed heavily. "If I let you sleep in my room," he began, causing her to look up at him, "will you finally be quiet and sleep for a while?"

Levy looked at him with glassy eyes and nodded, even though it seemed unsure.

He sighed again and stood up. "Fine. Come on." Looking at her, he became worried once more; her body was trembling heavily, barely able to keep her standing. He bent down to reach out for her. She flinched and backed away, causing him to pause. His face softened. "It's okay, kid. Come here."

After a while, she calmed down and walked into his open arms. He gently scooped her up and grabbed her blanket with his free hand to bring both to his room. He placed Levy on the couch standing against the wall across from his bed and set up the cushions for her to lie on. He covered her with the blanket.

"And now sleep. Good night," he yawned. He prepared to walk over to his bed, only to be stopped by Levy's hand gripping onto the back of his shirt. "What now?" he griped.

She obviously felt intimidated now; she released her grip on him and stayed silent.

Levi sighed before he continued in a more gentle and patient tone. "What is it?"

"Don't leave me, Mister... please..." she begged, keeping her voice close to a whisper.

Levi's eyes widened. "I'm not leaving. I'm right here."

"Can I stay with you, Mister?" she asked. Levi's eyes widened even more; she was asking to sleep in his bed.

He looked at her closely. Only now did he notice how filthy she was; her skin was caked in dirt as well as her hair and her dress. "Tch, no way, you filthy brat," he growled, causing her to give him a startled and sad look. He mentally scolded himself for being so rude. He sighed. He walked over to his armchair and pushed it toward the couch, grabbing his covers from the bed before he finally sat down. "I'll stay right here. I'm not leaving. Will you sleep now?"

After some hesitation, she finally nodded. He gently pushed her back, so she lied down and allowed him to cover her with her blanket. He wrapped his own blanket around himself and snuggled into it, leaning back in his armchair. He closed his eyes and sighed before he finally fell asleep as well.

The following nights were just the same; she would always wake up and he would have to sit beside her, so she could sleep.

Levi had Hanji and Eren come over to his office.

"Hanji, how is it going with the search for a foster family?" Levi questioned.

"We haven't found any yet, but I'm sure we will find one very soon," Hanji replied. "I just don't trust some people here..."

Levi nodded. "Good. What about missions? Will we have any?"

"Nope, no missions listed so far."

Levi sighed. "Good. Listen, I need you to buy this little brat some basic stuff. Go into town and buy everything you can find. She will stay a little longer, so she should at least be able to clean herself up." Levy was still sleeping in his room. He would come later to wake her up.

Hanji nodded.

He turned to Eren. "Eren, do you have any clothes you can spare for the girl? Clothes you don't need anymore? She needs something comfortable to wear during the day. I don't trust the shops in town too much, so I thought I ask you first."

Eren blinked a few times in confusion. "Um... sir?"

Levi didn't answer. He rather watched Eren closely, causing the brunet to nervously look down.

"Uh, well, I guess so... Now that you ask... I think I have some stuff left I don't wear anymore." Eren gave Levi a look as if hoping that he was satisfied.

Levi nodded in approval. "Good. I will need them."

"But won't they be... too large for her?" Eren asked hesitantly.

"I know a dressmaker in town. I'm sure she can do something about this," Levi replied. "You know her, too, Hanji."

Hanji nodded. "I'm waiting for your clothes, Eren!" she shouted happily, storming out the office.

Eren nodded. "Do you need me to do anything else, sir?"

"No," Levi responded. "You can leave now. Oh, I forgot – bring one of your shirts to me. The kid needs something for later."

Eren nodded and gave his superior a salute – but he never left the office. Instead, he pulled an uncomfortable face as if he wanted to say something.

"What?" Levi questioned.

"Sir? Why me?" Eren asked after some initial hesitation.

Levi didn't answer right away. He thought for a moment. "Why not?" he questioned back, raising his eyebrows and causing Eren to give him a puzzled look. He sighed. "Because I trust you, Eren. And because you are the only who I believe could get along with kids." He suddenly felt a bit playful. "Besides, you're the only one whose clothes might suit her," he deadpanned.

Eren stared at him wide-eyed before he finally smiled brightly. "Thank you, sir," he said, bringing his fist to his heart once more before walking out the office.

Levi pulled out his pocket watch. "Time to wake up the little brat," he sighed, making his way to his room. However, he did not expect to see Levy was already awake, sitting on the couch she had slept on. "Decide to join the living yet, kid?"

Levy nodded slightly.

Levi looked at her for a while. Seeing her dirty skin, he failed to ignore the nagging feeling inside him and grimaced in disgust. "Tch, just look at you, you filthy brat," he muttered. "You need to wash that filth off. I will draw in a bath for you." He walked into the bathroom to prepare everything.

Levy was standing behind him, hesitantly tugging at his shirt lightly.

"What?" Levi asked without looking at her.

"Can I have bubbles, Mister?" she asked quietly.

Levi turned to face her, causing her to quickly look down.

"Mommy always made bubbles..."

Levi looked at her for a while, watching as she nervously tugged at her own sleeves. He really couldn't help but thinking that she actually looked cute – and he didn't even find it strange. "Fine", he finally said, grabbing the foam bath bottle and pouring some of the liquid into the bathtub.

All the while, Levy was standing next to him, happily watching the foam build up. Somehow, it made Levi feel satisfied to see that small things like that could make her happy. She was slowly warming up to him and obviously started to feel at ease with him – this made him happy and he didn't even really know why.

"I suppose you won't be needing help in here," Levi pointed out.

Levy shook her head without looking at him, obviously more interested in watching the bubbles in the bathtub.

"Very well. I'll be in my room then. And keep the bathroom clean!" he called after closing the door.

"Yes, Mister Levi!" she replied.

And so Levi sat in his armchair with his legs crossed, reading his book and waiting for her to clean herself up. A gentle knock at his door caused him to look up. "Come in." He already knew that it was Eren.

Said boy hesitantly stepped in. "Are you sure? I don't..." he started, but he was interrupted by Levi.

"Didn't I just tell you to come in?" he snapped.

Eren immediately caught himself. "Yes, sir!" He stepped closer, handing Levi a pair of socks and a brownish green shirt with string tassels at its collar – this was Eren's typical attire. However, both pieces of cloth looked like they had shrunken. "I washed this one at a too hot temperature..." he explained, looking down in embarrassment.

"Tch, typical... Be more careful next time, you brat," Levi said, causing Eren to breath out a relieved sigh. Levi examined the shirt. It had the perfect size for Levy's small body. "Good. You can leave now."

Eren gave his superior a salute before disappearing.

Tch... Why does he have to always do that?, Levi wondered, referring to Eren's tendency to salute him at every opportunity. It's really annoying... The soft rumbling sound coming from the bathroom had him out of his thoughts.

"Mister?" Levy's soft, squeaky voice called from inside.

Levi stood up, walking toward the bathroom door. "What?" he asked through the door.

"Could you please call Miss Hanji?"

Levi cocked his eyebrows. "What for? Do you need something?" He was greeted with silence. "Wait, I'm coming in," he warned her in advance. He opened the door slightly to poke his head through.

Levy was still sitting in the bathtub with the foam surrounding her small body; only her head was visible from here. She looked at him helplessly." I can't reach my back, Mister," she said uneasily, wrapping her arms around her knees which she had pulled to her chest.

Levi's face softened. "I see. Well, Hanji isn't here – she's in town to get some things for you."

"Oh... but my mommy always washed my back..." she mumbled, nervously shrinking behind the wall off bubbles. She seemed to be unsure of what to do now. He wasn't sure why she did that, but she always associated people with her mother – however, she also seemed to be trying to avoid him in any way.

Levi thought for a moment. If there was one thing he knew for sure then it was the fact that he was not a pervert or a pedophile. He had no malicious intents toward this girl, so he had no problem with helping her. "I can help you if you want me to," he finally said. "I can wash your back."

Levy's head snapped up and she gave him a startled look, wrapping her arms around her knees more tightly. Levi's gaze narrowed. Something was wrong with her. What happened to you, kid?, he wondered. The little girl was obviously unsure of what to say; she nervously shifted in her nest of bubbles.

Levi sighed before fully stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind him. "Do you want me to help you now or not?"

She hesitated for a few moments before she finally nodded – even if only halfheartedly.

"Good." Levi took the uniform's jacket off and rolled up his sleeves before he took the soft sponge from the sink and sat down beside the bathtub. He wet it and started to reach out for Levy's back when the tiny girl suddenly flinched and backed away. This dumbfounded him and he paused for a moment before his eyes lit up in realization. "I don't know what happened to you," he began with a gentle tone in his voice, "but I swear I won't touch you."

He bit his lip. That wasn't entirely true; he would have to touch her in order to wash her back; but one glance at Levy proved that she understood what he had meant. Said girl looked at him with a strangely empty expression in her face.

He gave her his most gentle look. "I'm not touching you," he assured her again. "Just let me wash your back. It's okay."

She finally relaxed and let her thin arms drop to her sides.

"Lean forward a bit, so I can reach your back," he said, pushing her gently.

She did just that and even allowed him to gently brush her long hair off her back. Damn, that's too long... He walked over to his bathroom cabinet and searched through the drawers and shelves until he found a ribbon. "Listen, Levy, I have to tie up your hair, so it won't get wet." This was actually the first time he had called her by her name.

She nodded.

He looked at her filthy, tousled hair and grimaced in disgust. He would have to help her wash it. He carefully tied it into a small bun before he proceeded to gently wipe the sponge over her dirty skin. At first, she flinched and tensed under his touch, but she quickly relaxed when she seemed to understand that he only meant to help her. Soon, her skin was clean as freshly fallen snow.

"You can finish yourself up now. I'll bring you a shirt," Levi said, shortly leaving the bathroom to get Eren's clothes for her. "I'll put them here," he said, placing the clothes onto the chair standing next to the door before closing the door behind him and sitting on his armchair again.

Shortly after, the door opened and out came a clean Levy. She was wearing Eren's shrunken shirt which reached down to her calves like a dress and suited her perfectly, and his socks which obviously still reached up to her thighs. She seemed to feel comfortable in the shirt as she snuggled into the piece of cloth.

Levi examined her from head to toe. "Not bad," he mumbled. He stood up. "Now we'll do your hair."

Her eyes widened and she shook her head, backing away.

"I'll help you."

She shook her head again.

He became impatient. "You will wash your hair, understood, brat?" he snapped, silently scolding himself once more.

She finally nodded, so he grabbed the small stool from under his bed and placed it in front of the bathtub. It had the perfect height for her to lean her head back without having her neck cricked. He ordered Levy to sit on the stool which she did. However, she hesitated when she saw him turning on the faucet.

"Lean back," he ordered, receiving a vigorous head-shaking. He noticed how she looked at the flowing water with a frightened expression on her face. "What is it?" he asked, giving her a puzzled look, but he immediately understood; many children seemed to be afraid that the water might get in their eyes as many parents just dunked their children's head in water in order to wash their hair. "It's okay. Just lean back. Trust me, I will be careful."

She finally relaxed and obeyed, allowing him to rinse her dirty hair. He grimaced in disgust once more when he saw the water pouring into the tub turning dark and muddy from the dirt in her hair. He poured some shampoo in his palms and gently rubbed it into her hair, feeling her slowly relax under his touch. Somehow, this caused him to breath out a satisfied sigh. After he had finished rinsing her hair once again, he wrung it out and began to gently rub a towel over it until it was almost dry.

"There you go. Careful enough for you?" he asked.

She looked at him and gave him a faint smile, nodding lightly. Levi's eyes widened; this was the first real smile she had managed so far. Later that day, Hanji came over to bring the clothes and the toiletries she had bought for Levy. But beside that, nothing important happened – it was just as always.

What a shitty day, Levi thought as he collapsed onto his bed. First, I had to help this little brat with nearly everything – and then Hanji assaults me with questions... Tch...

The brunette was excited about the fact that Levi seemed to get along with Levy – and this drove him crazy to the point of irritation. However, he knew Levy was to blame for nothing; it had not been her fault that she had needed help. It had not been her fault that he had been chosen to be her guardian – it had all been a fucking coincidence.

He glanced over at Levy's figure sleeping soundly on the couch before he closed his eyes and finally allowed his mind to drift into the realm of sleep. He woke up to someone gently poking him with their small hands.

"Mister?"

He felt his eyebrow twitching in irritation. "What now?" he growled.

"I can't sleep..." Levy's voice was shaky and insecure.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Levi grumbled, massaging his temples.

"Can I please sleep with you, Mister?" she asked uneasily.

He thought for a moment. He was too tired to stand up now and his bed was a lot more comfortable than his armchair – but the girl wouldn't sleep as long as he wasn't watching over her. "Will you finally be quiet if I let you sleep with me?"

He heard her rustling and knew she was nodding.

"Tch, the hell... Climb in," he said. He was greeted with silence. "What are you waiting for? I said climb in." He heard the girl making her way around to the other side of his bed. He felt the matress moving lightly as she climbed in. "Good. And now sleep already."

He expected her to move and eventually pressing herself close to him to feel safe; he already prepared himself for it and sighed heavily – but she never did so. He turned slightly to glance at the girl lying next to him. She was snuggled up in her blanket and was lying on the other side of the bed, giving him enough room to move and turn. He lied back down and felt a small smile tugging at his lips; she seemed to know the limits.

The following nights were the same; she would always wake up in the middle of the night and wordlessly climb into Levi's bed – but somehow, he didn't care anymore.

"Any missions listed?" Levi asked almost hopefully. He needed to get away from that little brat for at least a few hours.

Hanji pouted and gave him a sympathetic look which only added to his annoyance. "No, I'm sorry, shorty."

"Call me 'shorty' one more time, shit-glasses..." he growled.

Hanji waved his threats off. "Whatever you say, honey!" She laughed and playfully winked at Levi, only causing him to shoot her a death glare. "I'll be leaving now!" she shouted, storming out the office as always.

Tch... So noisy... Levi glanced over at Levy. She was kneeling on the chair next to the window on his right, quietly staring outside. He wondered. Was she really so annoying like he always tried to talk himself into? It was true that she followed him everywhere he would go – but she never hindered him. She never asked any questions. She never got in his way. All she wanted was to not be left alone. She wasn't annoying. Then why was he thinking that? Why was he so impatient toward her? What had she done to him?

Nothing – nothing at all. In fact, she had never done anything to irritate him so far. She had always been with him, accepting his presence, accepting his offers to help her. She had always kept him company and even made him feel comfortable when he knew she was fine. But she had never asked for anything – all she wanted was someone who took care of her. Someone who accepted her. He finally started to understand.

But nonetheless, he could very well do with a few hours for himself and without her – but how could he achieve that?

He watched her closely. She was even quieter than she had been before – but he was sure it was because she had learned about Eren's ability to transform into a Titan. She didn't seemed to really have understood what that information meant, but ever since then she had been very careful to not get lost to Levi. His gaze softened.

"Levy."

The young girl quickly turned her attention toward him, looking at him with her big eyes.

"Would you like to go out for a meal with Hanji today? You haven't been eaten a lot this morning."

Right on cue, her stomach started to growl, just when she was about to open her mouth to speak. She nodded.

"Good. I need to get a few things done. Her office is at the end of the hallway. Will you find your way there by yourself?" he asked.

She nodded, climbing off the chair, and walked out. It became quiet in his office – but not for long.

"No, wait! Don't run away! I'm not gonna hurt you!"

The sound of Eren's voice caused him to look up again. The door to his office was yanked open and Levy ran inside with a frightened expression on her face, immediately taking cover behind Levi who had just stood up. She grabbed onto his leg and began crying; he just noticed that she barely reached his mid-thigh. Eren ran in merely a second later.

"Sir, I'm so sorry!" he apologized. "It was my fault, I really didn't mean to scare her..." Since this week was off work, he was wearing his casual attire.

"It's fine, Eren," Levi answered bluntly before turning to face Levy who was still clinging to his leg, tears of fear streaming down her face. "Levy, look at me. Look at me."

The little girl obeyed, but she further hid behind Levi.

"It's okay, kid. You don't have to be afraid of Eren. He's a friend. You can trust him just as much as you can trust me. He would never hurt anyone, let alone eat them. It's okay. There's nothing to be afraid of," Levi said gently.

Eren's eyes had involuntarily widened at Levi's friendly words, but he caught himself. He took a careful step forward, noticing how the girl flinched. "Listen, kid, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. But I promise I'm not gonna hurt you, so you don't have to be afraid of me. It's okay, I won't hurt you." Eren's voice sounded calming and gentle and indeed he saw the girl relax a bit.

Levi squatted down beside her. "Hey... Look at me – and then look at him. Who looks scarier? Does he?" He pointed toward Eren and then back to himself. "Or do I?" he asked, giving her a theatrical glare.

Her gaze wandered from Eren back to Levi again. She pointed at Levi, causing Eren to chuckle and Levi to smile.

"See? It's alright. He won't hurt you." He watched Levy slowly leave her cover. "Besides, Eren is the one who gave you those shirts – you should thank him." He motioned for Eren to come closer which he did, carefully, slowly.

Once he reached the little girl he squatted down. "Hey... I might be scary... but I won't hurt you," he said gently. "Don't be afraid."

The little girl slowly left her cover behind Levi and walked toward Eren. She looked at him for a while, reaching out to carefully touch his face and hair, obviously trying to test if he really was human.

Eren's eyes widened at this, but a smile quickly spread across his face and he laughed. "Yeah, I'm a human, you see? Nothing to be afraid of."

Levi suddenly felt a strange lump in his throat and he caught himself feeling jealous without really understanding why. What is that feeling?, he wondered. Seeing Eren and Levy like this, an idea came to his mind. "Eren."

Eren looked at him. "Sir?"

"Would you mind taking care of her for a few hours? I need to get some things done."

Eren nodded. "Sure."

"I hope that's okay for you, Levy," Levi replied, raising his eyebrows in question.

Levy nodded, even though it seemed unsure which Eren noticed. "Don't worry, it'll be okay. You can stay with me." He stood up and reached out for Levy, taking her hand to lead her outside. She flinched shortly at the contact, but she quickly relaxed. "Let's go eat something, shall we?" Eren asked.

Levi stood still for a while, processing what had just happened. He had indeed felt jealous seeing Eren and Levy together. He had felt worried about Levy when she had been so quiet or when she had cried. Why?, he wondered. What is that feeling? This question never left his mind when he sat down to sign some reports Hanji had given to him.

WHAT IS THAT FEELING?

A/N: Yeah, that's the question, right? So Levi starts to like Levy. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Remember to review and fav xD. And sorry if I missed some grammar mistakes... And sorry if this sounds a bit rushed or crappy - I really couldn't concentrate that day... AND this is a short story, means this is why I put in many time skips and so on.