I didn't wake again during the night, but when I opened my eyes the next morning my chest felt like the weight of the walls were sitting on me. I looked over to see Levi still sleeping peacefully beside me. His lips parted slightly as he breathed. I was surprised that he was still asleep; it had to been at least 6 hours since I threw up last. I realized that my body was stiff and aching from lying in bed for over 24 hours. I needed to get up and loosen all of my joints. I winced as I sat up and the heaviness in my chest pushed against me. I gently swung my legs over the side of the bed and tried to put weight on my feet. My legs trembled under the weight, but supported me enough to stand up. I slowly stood up straight and heard several joints rejoice by popping. I slowly shuffled my way to the door still struggling against the aches and pains in my muscles and chest. I reached the door and was breathing heavily and dripping sweat. It was almost too much just to walk across the room. I pulled the door open and stepped out in the hall where I was met with a cool breeze and the smell of breakfast wafting through the hall. My stomach growled angrily and my mouth water at the thought of breakfast. I shuffled along following the scent of butter, cinnamon, garlic, and yeast. I made it to the top of the stairs and groaned. I don't think I have enough strength to lift my legs to walk down the stairs. I stared at the obstacle and then I had an idea. I sat down on my butt and began to scoot down each stair one by one. It took a little while but I managed to save energy and make it down the steps. I used the railing to help me stand back up and I shuffled my feet as quickly as I could to the dining hall. I struggled to open the heavy door enough to squeeze through, but once I opened it enough I was nearly knocked on my back with the aroma of food. My stomach continued to painfully rumble in hunger and I slid into the room. I made it to the food and I got several curious looks from others in the hall. I grabbed a plate and some food and went back towards the door.
"Emory! Wait!" I heard Petra's voice calling after me
I continued to shuffle away as quickly as possible, but my slow speed was no match for Petra's jogging speed.
"What are you doing out of bed? Where are your pants?" Petra caught up to me and walked with me
"Pants?" I looked down confused, "OH SHIT! I didn't realize that I wasn't wearing pants!" I shrieked embarrassed
Luckily the shirt Levi gave me was long enough to reach my knees, but still I was blushing with embarrassment.
"Come on I'll help you back upstairs." Petra gently put an arm around my shoulders and helped me walk a little quicker
We had barely made it out of the dining hall when we came face to face with a very disgruntled Levi.
"What the hell are you doing out of bed?" Levi asked coldly
"I'm hungry and I needed to move. I was getting stiff lying in bed." I protested
"You are incredibly stubborn. Why didn't you wake me? I would have at least helped." Levi sighed
"You were sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to disturb. Besides when is the last time you go a decent night's sleep anyways?" I questioned
"She right; you don't sleep very much anymore." Petra defended me
Levi ignored the both of us and grabbed the plate of food and handed it to Petra before wrapping an arm around my waist, and lifting my arm around his shoulders. He practically carried me up the stairs and down the hall way back to his room.
"You're stronger than you look." I said amazed
Petra followed close behind us and set the plate of food at the desk when we made it back inside the room.
"Petra, do you have anything for nausea? She needs to keep food down or she won't get any better." Levi asked sternly
"Let me see what I can mix up! I'll be right back." Petra jogged out of the room
I sat down at the desk and began to take small bites of food.
"How'd you sleep?" I asked
"Fine." Levi replied curtly
"Don't be mad at me. You'd be going stir crazy too if you had to spend every hour in bed." I snapped
"I would know that staying in bed was going to help me recover." Levi said
I looked over to him and glared, "I don't like being cooped up for days on end."
"Do you want to get better or just be a pain in my ass?" Levi raised an eyebrow
"Pain in the ass sounds more fun." I said sarcastically
Levi rolled his eyes and groaned.
"You really aren't a morning person are you? Damn pissy this morning are we?" I said bitterly
"Well when you wake up and the critically sick person is no longer next to you, you don't exactly wake up in a cheery mood." Levi returned my bitter tone
"It's your fault I'm 'critically sick'!" I yelled "Locking me out of the castle… kissing me…"
Levi's face remained stoic and glared at me with burning anger in his eyes.
I slowly stood up on my shaky legs, "Now if your highness doesn't protest, I'm going to shower."
"I do protest." Levi stopped me
"What? Seriously why the hell can't I take a damned shower?" I fumed
"The steam might aggravate your cough. Wait until Petra gets back so she can monitor you." Levi commanded
"I'm not waiting on Petra to come back! I'm going to take a shower and if you're so worried about it you can sit outside the door and monitor." I trudged towards the door
"Clothes…" Levi reminded me
I stopped and turned around to get my clothes and continued to slowly storm out of the room. I opened the door and slowly walked down the hall way and I heard soft footsteps behind me. I barely turned enough to see Levi following a few paces behind me. I continued into the bathroom and after moments of the main door closing behind me it opened again and Levi stepped inside.
"Alright you wait here if you are going to monitor me." I pointed to a spot next to the door
I pushed open the other door that lead to the women's side and turned on a shower so that it was scolding hot and steaming. I grabbed the hem of the shirt and pulled it over my head slowly wincing at the pain in my chest and shoulders. I tried to reach back and unclasp my bra, but the pain in my chest was unbearable.
"Shit…" I muttered to myself
My only logical option was to call Levi in and help me, but I wasn't sure how comfortable I was with the idea. It was either that or shower in my underwear, and well that is just stupid. I was going to have to get comfortable with the idea. I took a couple of deep breaths of the steam and it relaxed the tightness in my chest a little. I tried to reach back again, but it was still too much pain. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around me and pushed open the door enough to poke my head out. Levi was leaning with his back against the wall and one foot behind him also on the wall.
"Ah-hem…" I cleared my throat
Levi looked over smugly, "Problem?"
I narrowed my eyes already regretting asking for help, "I need you to… assist me…"
I don't think that was what Levi was thinking I was coming back out for. He looked at me confused for a moment before pushing off of the wall and standing in front of me.
I let out a deep breath, "It too painful to reach back and unhook my bra…"
Levi arched an eyebrow and smirked slightly before nodding. I opened the door and turned around. Levi gently brushed my hair over to one shoulder and pulled down the fabric of the towel to expose the bra clasps. Levi fumbled a little trying to unhook the claps.
I turned my head and looked at him through the corner of my eye, "Have you ever undone a girl's bra before? It's not ODM science."
"I've almost got it…" Levi mumbled frustrated
"I am almost starting to think you've never been with a girl… Oh my god, are you a virgin?" I laughed
Levi stopped for a moment and the grabbed my shoulders turning me around again to face him.
"Sorry, it's cool if you are, just I wouldn't think that someone like you would be." I stammered
"Someone like me?" Levi asked angrily
"Successful, handsome, you know you got the uniform going for you, girls can't resist a man in uniform, and not to mention you're freaking ripped." I stopped suddenly; everything came out of my mouth like vomit.
Levi's face relaxed a little and then turned me back around.
"No I have been with women before, but that doesn't mean I know how to operate these things." Levi said softly "There I got it finally."
"Thanks." I mumbled and walked back into the shower room, the door closing behind me leaving Levi on the other side with a soft smile.
I took a long shower allowing the steam to sooth the tightness in my chest, and the hot water worked wonders on my aching muscles and joints. Once I was finished I dried of and wasn't wincing in pain with every move. I put on my second pair of pajama's and wrapped my hair up in the towel on top of my head before walking back out where Levi was still waiting.
"I feel a hundred times better now." I sighed
"You look better; you have your color back." Levi said kindly
We walked back to his room and I pulled my hair down and began to brush it out.
"Have I got approved for a room yet?" I asked as I methodically brushed out separate sections of hair
"Yes, but with you being sick I want to keep you monitored." Levi watched me intently
"I'm not going to die in my sleep; it's just a little touch of pneumonia. I'll be better by tomorrow." I tried to reassure him, "Don't you have captain-ly duties to attend to anyways?"
"I am; I'm making sure that my team member doesn't puke all over the place." Levi said by watched my brush move through my hair
"There are others beside me that need your captain-ly wisdom." I rolled my eyes
"Hanji is doing her studies, Petra is making you some medicine, the others are going about their daily routines. I know what they are all up to." Levi cocked his head to the side curiously watching me
"What is your fascination with my brush?" I asked annoyed
"It's not the brush, it's your hair." Levi answered in a small voice
"My hair?" I asked
"It's so long, and you keep it down all the time. Everyone else here has their hair cut short and pulled up." Levi finally looked me in the eyes
"Okay…" I said warily slightly creeped out
"It's beautiful…" Levi mumbled
His comment took me aback for a moment. No one has ever complimented me like that other than Hawke.
I hid my blushing face behind a curtain of hair, "Thanks…"
I heard Levi walking towards me and then I felt his fingers softly running through my damp hair. I lifted my head and saw Levi rubbing the ends of my hair in between his thumb and finger.
"It's like silk." He whispered
He continued to run his fingers through my hair for a few more seconds before tucking a strand behind my ear. I tucked the other side behind my ear and grabbed the towel from the foot of the bed.
"It takes forever to dry though, especially that I am stuck inside." I walked over to place it with the other used towels.
"I never said you were stuck inside." Levi said confused
"A little while ago I wasn't allowed to leave to get food; I took that as I'm definitely not allowed outside." I shook my head
"You can go outside, but you need to wear a cloak to keep you warm" Levi grabbed a long dark green cloak from his closet
I grabbed it and swung it around my shoulders and clasped it in front of me. I moved my hair over to one shoulder and pulled the hood over my head. The inside was lined with fur and held in my body heat. The back had the wings of freedom emblem sown on the back.
"Its winter gear, but with you being sick it's the best I have at the moment." Levi looked me over
I turned on my heels causing the end of the cloak to twirl out as I spun. I opened the door and nearly skipped down the hall. I was probably pushing it, but the shower made me feel incredible. I made it down the stairs and took them slowly so I didn't get the cloak caught under my feet. Levi came up beside me and took each step at my pace. Once I made it to the landing I picked up the pace again until I reached the giant heavy doors that lead outside. I began to push against the door, but I was still too weak to open them on my own. I struggled and grunted as I kept pushing, but then Levi came up and gently pushed with me opening the door. He held it open so I could step out first. Crisp cold air hit my face sending a chill down my body. My lungs burned with each breath of the chilly air. I pulled the cloak tighter around me and walked down the steps, Levi at my heels. I coughed hoarsely after a few steps, the cold aggravating my lungs and sore throat, but I pushed on and walked towards the rose bushes. It wouldn't be long before the cold kills the blooms so I need to get my fill of their scent while I could. I stopped in front of a bush with pale pink roses and knelt down to pull out the dying blooms. Levi stood above watching my every move, though I was glad that the hood hid my face. I knew that my cheeks were probably rosy from the cold, and the tip of my nose red from the chilly air. Once I picked out the dead flowers I plucked one half bloomed rose and moved to the next bush beginning all over again. After the third bush I had to stop my lungs on fire and pushing me closer to a coughing fit. I slowly stood up a little shaky and sat down on a bench. I pressed the small bouquet to my nose and inhaled slowly. I let out my breath and stared down at the roses. Levi sat down next to me and looked out towards the grassy lawn that spanned out to the forest. I coughed softly and winced at the pain that was radiating through my chest again. I tried to hold back the worse of the cough, but it only caused the pain to increase.
"We should go back inside. That cough sounds bad." Levi looked over to me but still couldn't see my face
"No just a little bit longer." I pleaded
Levi didn't argue and turned his attention back in front of him. I shivered as a breeze came up and moved through the open spaces of the cloak.
Levi scooted closer to me, "Relax."
He placed an arm around my shoulders and his hand on the top of my head. I leaned into him and felt the warm of his body coming through the fabric of the cloak. The shivering stopped instantly and I was comforted by the warmth. We sat like that for a little while until I sneezed and Levi thought that it was getting to cold for me. I didn't argue with him this time. The effects of the shower were wearing off and I was growing increasingly tired. I walked back to Levi's room much slower than I had left, but I clutched my roses tightly to my chest. Once we got back to Levi's room he took the roses and placed them in a vase while I unclasped the cloak and pulled it off of me. I yawned and shuffled to the bed and climbed under the warm blankets. Levi hung up the cloak in the closet where he got in and then removed his shoes and coat and placed them in their rightful places. I figured he was going to go back to the desk and do whatever he does, but instead he pulled his shirt over his head and climbed on to the bed next to me.
"Is this because of the comment I made in the bathroom?" I smiled weakly barely keeping my eyes open
"The best way to get warm is to share body heat." Levi smiled softly, "But yes mostly because of what you said."
"I'm not that cold." I fought back
Levi placed his hand on my cheek, "You feel cold."
I rolled over on myside and faced him and reached out and placed my head on his chest right where his heart was, "You are hot compared to me… Maybe I'm colder than I thought."
I was still fighting my urge to sleep, but I didn't want to sleep not yet, not while Levi was next to me shirtless. I closed my eyes for a moment and I felt Levi adjusting his position next to me.
"Relax." He whispered in my ear
I nodded my head, "Mmmhmm."
Levi reached around me and pulled me over so that he was holding me with my head on his chest. He was warm and it felt nice against my cheek. I nuzzled my face into his skin and pressed my body against his side trying to get as much of his body heat as I could. I felt him stroking my hair and gently untangling it whenever he came across a knot. His other hand on my side holding me close to him, and his thumb repetitiously ran over my rib bones. I opened my eyes sleepily and looked down at the mountains that were his abs. I took my closest hand and ran my fingertips down his stomach like a washboard. I smiled and his abs tightened and I felt a suppressed laugh in chest.
"Are you ticklish?" I chuckled
"…No…" Levi hesitated
I ran my fingertips back down his abs with the same reaction.
"Yes you are." I cooed
"You are supposed to be sleeping not torturing me." I could hear the smile in his voice
"Fine…" I smiled to myself and closed my eyes and drifted to sleep while Levi continued to run his fingers through my hair.