AN: The songs Kiara sings are Hazy by Rosi Golan and When the Day met the Night by Panic at the Disco. I hope you enjoyed this story. Reviews are always appreciated!
Also, another shout out to AuroraStargazers! Man, your reviews really are something else. By the way, you were right: I purposely made that part sexualized. I want their relationship to have a lot of sexual tension, but this is my first time writing lesbian stuff, so forgive me if its wrong. Kiara's and Levi's relationship is supposed to be more about a gentle slow build romance.
"I don't have wings so flying with me won't be easy because I'm not an angel." -Halestorm
"Kyori?" Kiara blinked, looking up at her sister as her twin burst into Shadis's office, looking like a bird with its feathers ruffled.
"Kiara, what are you doing here?" Kyori gaped, momentarily forgetting why she had come to the commander's office in the first place.
"The commander wants me to learn 3DMG." Kiara huffed, folding her arms.
"You will learn it." Keith Shadis glared at the young woman who met his gaze head on.
"Fuck no. It makes me sick. I can keep up with you and anyone else just fine without it." Kiara narrowed her deep blue eyes.
"Commander, Kiara really does experience nausea and vomiting using our gear," Kyori added immediately. "I would think she would be more use to the Survey Corps not puking her guts out everytime she has to fight a titan."
Kiara shot her sister a relieved look, her body relaxing.
"Kyori. It's been six months since you have joined our ranks. It's high time that she learns to use our equipment. She won't even use our swords." Commander Shadis shot the younger twin a glower.
"I am used to my chakrams! Your swords dull too quickly and then you just discard the blades. It's wasteful!" Kiara protested.
"At least wear your uniform!" Shadis snapped.
"Fine!" Kiara growled, throwing her arms into the air. She felt like the uniform was too constricting, so she had been wearing shorts and a tank top when she trained. Even the boots were downright slippery when it came to climbing trees. However, she could deal with it for now if it meant not having to use the designated equipment.
"Why are you here, Kyori?" Shadis sighed in exasperation.
"Ah, about that. Hange and I developed a way to detect pregnancy in rabbits. We wrote up a proposal to start testing to see if it works on humans." Kyori approached the desk and handed the document to Shadis.
"You have approval, if you can find anyone who is pregnant to test the theory on." Shadis quickly glanced over the document.
"We wanted to test our theory on the garrison scouts. We need permission from their commander, that's part of the proposal. There are seven known pregnant scouts among their ranks." Kyori shrugged, watching the man carefully. "We can test any number of women in our own branch as a control. Kiara, Hange, and I will all be part of that test."
"Wait, when did I volunteer to be one of your test subjects?!" Kiara demanded.
"You're a virgin and my twin. You are going to be tested." Kyori brushed her sister off. "I mean, you are the perfect candidate."
"Fuck me," Kiara whined, knowing she wasn't getting out of it.
"Not likely. Even Levi isn't going to go there with the ban on opposite sex couples fucking." Kyori snorted. "Come on, virgin. You need blood drawn. See ya, Commander Freaky Face."
Kyori waved at Shadis and quickly dragged her sister out of the office. Kiara's mouth fell open at the rude way her sister had addressed the commander, letting herself be pulled.
"I'm pretty sure you're on his shit list now." Kiara shook her head.
"I don't really care. By the way, I'm not the only one. You really need to do something about your nausea and using 3DMG." Kyori rolled her eyes.
"It's not like I can control it." Kiara frowned as they walked quickly down the halls. A wave of dizziness washed through her, but she ignored it.
"Work on it." Kyori pushed open the door to her dorm, shoving her sister inside.
"Ah, Kyori, how did it go?" Moblit asked, glancing up from his work.
"We have clearance to start on the control group. I'm sure Shadis will get the clearance for experimental group soon." Kyori shoved her sister onto her bed.
"That's great!" Hange grinned excitedly, moving over to the older twin. "So, I take it you're going to be a test subject. Kyori and I will be too."
"I guess so... What do you need?" Kiara asked hesitantly.
"Just a little blood now and when we get the blood samples from the Garrison's pregnant women." Hange smiled, holding up a syringe with a needle on it.
Kiara eyed the needle wearily, but nodded and held out her arm to Hange. The room was still spinning, but she ignored it as Hange cleaned her arm. She sighed when Hange poked her and drew her blood.
"Hey, are you okay? You look pale." Moblit sat beside Kiara and felt her forehead. "You have a mild fever."
"I'm just a little dizzy." Kiara frowned, holding the gauze her sister gave her against the little prick in her arm.
"Dizzy and a fever, you say?" Hange passed the sample to Kyori. "How long has this been going on? Have you been getting plenty of rest and food?"
"Ah, just since we left Shadis.. And yeah.. Well, I haven't eaten yet today. Shadis asked to see me right away." Kiara frowned as Hange got in her face.
"Huh, it might be a cold. Hopefully, your sample still works. You should go eat while we analyze your blood sample." Hange moved back. "Moblit, escort her. I don't like how pale she looks."
"Alright." Moblit reached out a hand to help Kiara up. Kiara's warm hand grabbed his and he pulled the young woman to her feet, catching her shoulder when she swayed.
"Oh." Hange and Kyori blinked at each other. "Maybe... You should stay here."
Kiara nodded, sweat glistening on her skin. "Yeah, I feel terrible," she mumbled.
Moblit helped her lay down on Kyori's mostly unused bed and covered her with the blanket. "I'll go get you some fruit and soup."
"Get a lot of water too. I'm going to analyze this sample." Hange sat at her desk. "Kyori, make that medicine we gave to Lynne last month."
"Already on it," Kyori said, pulling ingredients down from a shelf.
Kiara watched her tiredly, curling in on herself. She felt terrible. It had been manageable before she had stood up. Even her stomach was cramping, though that was nothing unusual given the circumstances.
"Kiara, do you have any other symptoms?" Kyori asked, looking over her shoulder at her sister.
"Um... I kind of just want to sleep for the next eighty hours." Kiara groaned, burying her face in the pillow.
"That's a coma!" Kyori frowned, praying her sister was over exaggerating.
"I could go for a coma," Kiara responded, brushing Kyori's concern off. "That or Levi... His skin is always nice and cold."
"I could ask him to come here?" Hange suggested, glancing over at Kiara from her microscope.
"No, if he came in here, he would throw a fit. It's pretty dirty." Kiara winced.
"You try keeping Hange clean," Kyori retorted, glancing over her shoulder at her sister. "It's a job just to get her in the bath."
"You won't let me live that down, will you?" Hange hummed softly. "I've been bathing since then."
"Only because I wash you." Kyori rolled her eyes as she added something Kiara couldn't see to the medicine she was making.
"I still do it." Hange shrugged as Moblit came back into the room.
"You two act like a married couple," Moblit noted, sitting beside Kiara and setting the tray on a small table. He helped the young woman sit up. "Do you need help eating?"
Kiara ignored her sister and Hange's protests to Moblit's comment and let herself be propped against the man. "I think I can manage," she mumbled, still dizzy.
The woman picked up a sliced apple drizzled with honey and sprinkled with cinnamon, eyeing the fruit.
"Honey and cinnamon are packed with antibacterials, antifungals, and antibiotics," Moblit explained, seeing her look at the treat confused.
Kiara blinked, but shrugged. They had never eaten snacks like this in the underground. Honey and spices were hard to come by down there. Now, they ate a lot better, but she had never seen apples with honey or cinnamon on them. She took a bite of the fruit. A small moan escaped her. Somehow the cinnamon, apple, and honey all complimented each other perfectly. She had never tasted something this good before.
"Kiara... Did you just moan?" Kyori asked startled. She glanced over at her sister and saw what she was eating. "Ah... Moblit makes the best snacks. He knows just how to make flavors compliment each other. Honestly, you have to teach me that sometime."
"Whenever you want. I owe you for keeping Hange clean lately." Moblit laughed softly.
Kiara listened to them as a fresh banter broke out between Hange, Kyori, and Moblit. She finished off the fruit before looking at the soup.
"Ah.. Why is it green?" Kiara asked wearily. "I mean.. That green is darker than Kyori's leek soup."
"It's Hange's recipe that Kyori tweaked. It's Brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, broccoli, leeks, and asparagus mostly. It's packed with vitamins that will help you feel better quickly if this is just a cold." Moblit helped her eat the soup that surprising tasted refreshing.
"What did my sister do it?" Kiara asked, opening her mouth for another bite. Her hands were trembling too much to successfully bring the spoon to her mouth without spilling it.
"She made this concoction taste good. She added lemon juice and almonds to it. I don't know quite how those flavors all worked so well together, but Kyori is an excellent cook. Hange's version literally tasted like eating the foliage."
"At least my bread doesn't turn out like a stone," Hange muttered under her breath.
"Because you never make bread," Kyori retorted, taking the medicine she had just made and pouring it into water.
"Don't start again," Moblit warned, looking annoyed with his light brown eyes flashing.
"Whatever. Kiara, drink this and take a nap. You should be just fine when you wake up." Kyori handed Kiara a glass.
Her sister sighed and took the tonic down in one swallow, knowing it was going to bitter and disgusting. Moblit handed her a glass of water to wash it down with.
"Too bad sugar makes their tonics useless," Moblit said empathetically as Kiara shivered violently.
Kiara downed the glass of water quickly, water spilling in her haste. "That was the most bitter one yet.. Even the inflammation one didn't taste that bad."
"Are you sure that wasn't just because Levi was having you drink it from his own mouth?" Kyori asked dryly.
Kiara flushed darkly at the memory and pouted. "He only did that for the first couple of weeks because it hurt to sit up..."
"Right... More like you two just need to start dating." Kyori rolled her lapis lazuli eyes.
"We still have nearly five and a half years left." Kiara sighed, letting Moblit feed her more of the soup.
"Until what?" Kyori blinked, leaning against the desk next to Hange.
"Ah, the night I was raped... Um, Levi told me I had to wait ten years before he would... Well, he said I could kiss him and do love stuff with him after that." Kiara blushed darker.
"Wait... What? Why ten years? We're of age now. That makes no sense.."
"I think... He thought I would forget about it? That's what he implied when we were standing guard for Farlan outside the walls." Kiara ran her shaky fingers through her crimson hair.
"Why would he want... Oh. I get it." Kyori frowned. "I'm going to go kick his ass and tell him and Erwin where you are. Get some rest."
"Kyori!" Kiara watched her sister leave helplessly, groaning. "I lost my appetite..."
"You only have one more bite left and then you can sleep."
Levi sensed another presence before he saw the redhead behind him. He frowned, knowing full well it was Kyori. He quickly kicked Erwin's legs out from under him, feinting a punch first before spinning on his heel and grabbing Kyori in a headlock.
"What the hell are you doing sneaking up on me, brat?" Levi asked irritably as Erwin stood up again.
"What the hell are you doing making Kiara wait nearly six more years?" Kyori shot back, flipping backwards and locking her legs around his neck.
"Fucking hell," he grunted as Kyori pulled him down in a flip. He quickly stood up and brushed the dirt off him. "How do you even know about that?"
"Kiara let it slip. Seriously? It's not like we are children anymore. We're adults, Levi! So, why the hell are you stringing her along!?" Kyori demanded, narrowing her eyes dangerously.
"Do you really have to do this here? I'm not just stringing her along!" Levi frowned, but he didn't sound completely sure. He was still worried about the impacts a relationship could have on missions. He couldn't guarantee that he could maintain a level head if Kiara's safety was on the line. He wasn't even sure he was good enough for her with how dirty his hands were.
"I swear to god, if you break her heart, I'm going to kill you. Especially if it's because of some stupid reason." Kyori growled low in her throat. She could tell he had misgivings. It didn't take a genius to notice that he looked away from her and to hear the insincerity in his voice.
"The last thing I want to do is that," Levi snapped back, dodging Kyori's fist.
"Then stop pussyfooting around the issue! If you love my sister, don't make her wait like this! It's stupid and irrational!" Kyori hissed, following through with a second punch that narrowly missed Levi's nose.
"She's still young! There's plenty of time for her to back out and find someone more suitable than me!"
"She doesn't want someone else, you fucking idiot! She's in love with you!"
"And I am not good enough for her! She's too innocent! Even after everything, she's still too fucking innocent for someone like me!" Levi glared, grabbing Kyori's hand as she tried to hit him again and twisted it behind her back.
"Don't put my sister on some pedestal! She may be gentle and kind, but Kiara isn't some breakable angel or anything like that!" Kyori snapped, wincing slightly. She kicked her leg out and tripped Levi, immediately pinning him down. "She loves you and you love her. You can make it fucking work. You know that, Levi. So either break it off with her or make your damn move!"
Levi glared up at her, flipping them over as Kyori punched him in the face. He hissed, certain that he was going to be sporting a bruise on his jaw soon.
"I hate interrupt this very... interesting conversation, but this is training practice," Erwin said, hiding a grin behind his hand. "Kyori, it's really not up to you force Levi into a decision. If you want to have this conversation, you should really do it at a more appropriate time."
Kyori blocked Levi's next punch and kicked him off her before standing up. "Sorry, sir."
"It's fine. Weren't you researching with Hange though? I thought that was why you were skipping training." Erwin raised an eyebrow.
"Actually, Hange is currently analyzing and testing Kiara's blood for pregnancy. She's apart of the control group."
"I was just wondering where she was." Erwin frowned, glancing at Levi who was brushing dirt and snow off himself.
"Ah, she's sick. Hange suspects a simple cold. We gave her medicine and food. She should be sleeping in my bed right now. I don't know if she will be better by tomorrow, but it shouldn't be more than a couple days," Kyori reported, saluting casually.
"Shitty brat! Say that first!" Levi snapped.
"Ah, no. You aren't going there. Kiara specifically said that she didn't want you to come." Kyori held back a smirk. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth by any means.
Levi froze mid-step and glared over his shoulder at Kyori. "Why would she say that?" he demanded, crossing his arms in irritation.
"I guess you'll just have to find out from her." Kyori smirked and flounced away.
"She's a real gem that one," Erwin noted, watching her blood red hair sway as she pranced off the training grounds. "Beautiful though."
"Don't even think about it. There is nothing straight about Kyori and Kiara is mine." Levi shot him a dirty look.
"Huh, it didn't seem like Kiara was yours from that conversation," Erwin responded, now intentionally pressing Levi's buttons to make their fight more intense. They had both been holding back before.
Levi narrowed his eyes and growled in frustration before attacking Erwin again, fire pounding through his blood.
Kiara didn't wake up until dinner. She yawned and stretched in the otherwise empty bed. "Levi?"
"Wrong bed," Kyori grumbled, sitting next to Hange. "How do you feel?"
Kiara blinked, sitting up. "Ah, a lot better actually. Why do you look so sullen?"
"Well, our experiment might have been a screw up... It says you're pregnant." Kyori frowned, folding her arms.
"Buuuuut Kyori's and my tests behaved like we thought they would. So, you might be pregnant and the test might not have screwed up," Hange added, looking over her shoulder at the older twin.
"Wait. That really isn't possible. I have never had sex before. Unless you count when I was raped and that was orally and anally." Kiara held up her hands, looking nervous.
"I thought so. Still, that means we have to keep experimenting. Maybe it was just your cold or something you ate recently?" Hange frowned faintly.
"She could have low iron which could have caused the reading? Remember that one rabbit? It wouldn't eat and wasn't pregnant and it's blood reacted the same way as Kiara's did." Kyori tilted her head slightly.
"That's a likely possibility. We will have to test you again after you've been eating healthy. You should try to not skip meals if you do have low iron... Wait! Are you menstruating?"
"Uh, yeah," Kiara blinked, "I started last night."
"That would account for the low iron! We just have to test you in a couple weeks. Eat plenty of greens and bread for now. It should bring your iron back up." Hange grinned. "Either that or some hormone is released during menstruation that causes the same reaction as pregnancy!"
"Kiara, escape now or Hange will talk your ear off all night," the younger twin warned as Moblit groaned.
Kiara blinked before climbing out of bed. She quickly kissed her twin on the temple. "Try to get some sleep," she mumbled before making her escape.
She immediately ran straight into Levi who was pacing the hall irritated. Kiara blinked, looking up at the man with confused eyes. "Levi, what are you doing here?" she asked, rubbing her nose which had collided with Levi's shoulder.
"Waiting for you! Why didn't you want me to come see you?!" He grabbed Kiara's arm and pulled her into him, automatically feeling her forehead.
"Huh? I don't remember..." She frowned for a moment. "Oh! I said I wanted you there because you're always so cold to the touch and Hange said she could go get you, but I told her to not bother because their dorm is filthy compared to your standards. I didn't want to trigger you or put you in a position like that."
Levi's mouth parted slightly as Kiara stared up at him confused. "Your sister is seriously asking for an ass kicking," he growled.
"Huh? She helped me though. I got better in no time under hers and Hange's care. Moblit made me a really weird soup and apples with cinnamon and honey on them. It was delicious... Though apparently I have to be careful of skipping meals now." Kiara sighed.
"Why?" Levi blinked.
"My iron is running low or something. It was why I was sick, I think. I'm bleeding this week so I have to make up for the blood I'm losing, but meeting the commander made me skip breakfast..." Kiara shrugged. The topic didn't embarrass her, after all, Levi had tried to explain sex to her and had been there when she had gone through her first cycle. He had been present every time she had had one since the first and had seen her bleed through her pants, whine from cramps, eat weird food, get angry, get sick... everything. This was nothing new for them.
"Then, we should go down to the mess hall and get you dinner. I hear they have mutton and potatoes tonight." Levi wrapped an arm around her waist automatically, steering the shorter woman in the right direction.
"I love mutton!" Kiara grinned excitedly. She absolutely loved meat. Fish and poultry were alright, but red meats were among her favorite food. So were potatoes and wild berries.
"I know, brat," Levi murmured, tugging on a lock of her hair affectionately. The words Erwin and Kyori had said earlier were weighing in his mind. He could just break this off now.. And Kiara would probably be better off. Kiara could find someone who didn't have hands as stained as his. If he were being honest with himself though, he doubted he would approve of anyone dating his Kiara. He didn't think he would actually be able to bear it if she found someone else.
"Hey, Levi," Kiara waved her hand in front of his face, "Are you still with me, corporal?"
Levi blinked at the use of his new title and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm here," he groused. "I'm just trying to figure out something."
"Figure it out later! Try this mutton!" Kiara held up her fork with a piece of meat on it.
Levi didn't even remember reaching the mess hall, let alone when they had gotten their dinners and had sat down. He quickly opened his mouth and let her feed him the bite of meat. "It tastes like Mike has been cooking. That nose of his makes him a good cook."
"I know!" Kiara grinned and dug into her food. "I swear, Moblit, Kyori, and Mike are the best cooks in the scouts."
"So long as you're not the one cooking, I'm not complaining about the food," Levi deadpanned, watching Kiara's face turn crimson.
"Hey! I only tried cooking once and that was tea which I can make now just fine!" Kiara protested, pouting.
"I still don't want to risk it." Levi tousled Kiara's hair. "Your hair is long enough to braid again. Do you want me to braid it tonight?"
"Way to deflect, Levi." Kiara shot him a dirty look. "Though.. I do miss you braiding my hair."
Levi hid a smirk behind his cup of water, holding the cup by the rim. "Alright."
"Why do you hold your cup like that?" she asked, tilting her head. It was something she had been wondering about for the past year, but she hadn't had the chance to ask before.
"Huh?" Levi glanced at the cup in his hand. He was glad that dim lighting of the hall hid the heat he felt rising to his cheeks. "Oh.. I don't want to break it."
"What... Oh!" Kiara frowned. "Levi... I think that was a freak accident."
Levi shrugged, taking another drink. "Probably. I'm used to this now though."
Kiara watched him for a moment before picking up her own cup like Levi and trying to drink from it. Her nose hit her hand and the water inside sloshed over her face. "How the hell do you do that?" she sputtered, setting the cup down quickly.
Levi barely kept himself from laughing. He grabbed her chin and tilted her face towards his, wiping water off her face and neck with his handkerchief. "Practice," he murmured, keeping his hands gentle as he dried her off.
Could he actually give her up? He was starting to really doubt it. The way she tried to understand him and made him want to laugh... The feeling in his chest when he saw her blush or smile... It was becoming impossible to even think about giving her up.
Levi knew his soul was dark and twisted from the years he had spent in the underground. He knew Kiara was kind and bright even after the shit she had been through... But did any of that really matter? Did it matter if she still wanted to be with him regardless?
They would have to figure something out as far as going on missions and not endangering anyone, but he was starting to just not care. Even Captain Eyebrows supported them.
Kiara was watching him with a smile on her lips. He blinked, wondering why she looked amused. Ah... He was still holding her chin and his other hand was resting her neck over his handkerchief.
Levi quickly turned back to his food, clearing his throat. "Did you hear about our next expedition outside the walls?"
"Ah, you mean the one next week?" Kiara tilted her head.
"Yeah, they moved the date up a few days. I guess we got clearance a lot earlier than expected."
"So when do we leave now?"
"On Tuesday. It's gonna be a bitch with the cold weather, but at least we'll get back sooner. It's only supposed to be a two day mission anyways." Levi sighed, glad that they had received warmer uniforms, but he was not looking forward to the cold anyways. He hated winter.
"It's just a supply run. With how little sunlight there's been, we might not even have to deal with titans," Kiara pointed out. "If we are lucky, we could reach the fortress in half a day."
"Maybe." Levi shrugged, finishing his food. "You are riding with me this time, right?"
"No. Shadis wants me to ride by myself this time. He told me right before he bitched at me for not learning how to use 3DMG." Kiara groaned and buried her face in her arms. Horses were terrifying. She hated sitting on them alone.
Levi raised an eyebrow before gathering their plates. "Well, both are probably good for you to learn."
"Don't start," Kiara warned, standing up with him and taking their mugs to the kitchen to be washed by those on cleaning duty.
Levi rolled his eyes as they left their dishes on the counter. "I'll help you, don't worry. You just have to stop being so afraid of the horses. They're trained well enough. They won't buck you off or anything."
"Right..." Kiara rolled her eyes. She had been thrown off a horse her first time trying to ride one. Luckily, Farlan had caught her. Kiara hadn't gotten on one alone since then.
"The horse only did that because you were scared. It probably made the horse nervous too or some shit. That is what Isabel said in any case." Levi gave her a look as Kiara scoffed.
"It's fucking terrifying. I don't know how to handle being carried like that by something so big."
"The same way you do when I carry you on my back." Levi shrugged. "Climb on."
"What?" Kiara stopped in the middle of the hallway, looking at Levi incredulously.
"Climb on my back."
Kiara hesitated, blushing darkly and shaking her head. "Fuck no. Levi, I'm still bleeding. There's no way in hell I'm putting my legs around you or anything similar."
Levi blinked once before sighing. "Fine, but it's the same principle. You just have to trust the horse like you do me."
"It's easy to trust you." Kiara sighed, running her fingers through her hair.
Levi arched an eyebrow. "You can trust someone who has killed dozens of people more than you can trust a tame horse?"
"What are you talking about?" Kiara frowned, looking genuinely confused. "Levi, you never killed people out of pleasure. You always were dealing with people who were either human traffickers or rapists or thugs. Even when we stole, we did it from people who were wealthy enough to stand losing the money or goods."
"That doesn't necessarily justify it." He shrugged, not really wanting to get into this subject suddenly.
"Yes, it does. I'm not proud of our days in the underground or of the violence and shit we did. I know you and Kyori aren't exactly proud of it either, but we all did what we had to to stay alive. It's not like we murdered innocent people. In fact, you often saved people like Isabel and me."
Levi raised an eyebrow before shaking his head. "Who are we to judge who was or wasn't innocent?" he asked, now just curious how she would respond.
"I don't think it necessarily works like that. I mean, yeah, I don't think that we should judge people like that," Kiara started, furrowing her eyebrows in thought, "I think it's more like we did what we had to. We defended ourselves. Especially all of the human traffickers you and Farlan took down... That's a lot of people who would've been kidnapped, sold, raped, and murdered if it weren't for you guys. I would have been among them."
Levi blinked, staring at Kiara. He was just about to drag her into his arms and kiss her when Erwin approached them sporting a black eye from his fight with Levi earlier.
"Levi. Kiara." He nodded at them. "I was just looking for you. I wanted to talk to you, Levi. It's about the next expedition. Would you mind coming to my office?"
Levi scowled up at him as Kiara smiled. "Have fun!" She pressed her lips against the corporal's cheek and waved before quickly taking her leave.
Levi's mouth fell open as he watched Kiara walk away. He noticed she was walking slower than usual, but contributed it to her cycle. She was probably cramping or something.
"What do you need, Captain Cockblock?" Levi asked wearily, folding his arms.
"Come with me to my office," Erwin insisted, ignoring the new nickname. He knew Levi wouldn't go against the strict no sex rule anyway.
"Do you have the fireplace going?"
"Yes."
"Good. The weather in January is fucking terrible on the surface." Levi stormed off in the direction of Erwin's office.
Kiara smiled. She loved Thursdays. She was on cleaning duty with the rest of her squad. Cleaning was a relaxing and enjoyable activity after all the years she had spent cleaning with her family. She started humming softly as she swept a hallway.
"What if I fall and hurt myself, would you know how to fix me?" Kiara started to sing to herself quietly, hardly aware she was doing so. "What if I went and lost myself, would you know where to find me? If I forgot who I am, would you please remind me? Oh, cause without you things go hazy..."
She didn't notice Kyori or Levi stop at the other end of the hall, staring at her. She didn't even notice she was singing.
"I watched you sleepin' quietly in my bed. You don't know this now, but there's somethings that need to be said. It's all that I can hear. It's more than I can bear..." She started humming again before picking up the song. "What if I fall and hurt myself, would you know how to fix me? What if I went and lost myself, would you know where to find me? If I forgot who I am, would you please remind me? Oh, cause without you things go hazy..."
Kiara kept humming to herself in between verses, but suddenly stopped when she heard her twin breathe, "She's singing again."
Kiara blinked, pausing in her humming, and looked over her shoulder at her family. "Kyori? What are you doing here?"
Levi seemed to shake off his surprise and took a step forward. "I asked her to help me clean the bathrooms. Nanaba and Mike are shit at cleaning."
"Ah... Well, to be fair, Nana is new. She can't be expected to clean up to your standards," Kiara pointed out with a grin.
"Kiara... You were singing..." Kyori murmured, throwing her arms around her sister.
Kiara, startled, dropped her broom and hugged Kyori. "Ah, I guess I was.. Are you okay?"
"Do you know how long its been since I heard you sing last?!" Kyori demanded, sniffling. "It's been nearly five years!"
Kiara blinked several times, looking at Levi for answers. She didn't understand what the big deal was.
"Kiara... We missed hearing you sing," Levi mumbled, tugging on her braid gently.
Kiara looked between them before smiling a bit apologetically. "I'll sing whenever you want me to."
"I'm holding you to that," Kyori mumbled, pulling back and wiping at her eyes.
"Of course." Kiara replaced her sister's hands with her thumbs to brush away her tears. "Whenever you'd like."
On Tuesday, Kiara and Levi woke up a couple hours passed midnight. Kiara sat up abruptly, looking around dazed. The movement woke up Levi who had been dozing off wrapped around her.
"Nightmare?" he murmured, pulling her down back into his arms. It was too cold without her body heat pressed against him.
"Ah... I don't know. It wasn't scary. It was just really white. I think I was looking for something." Kiara spoke softly, being mindful of the sleeping men around them.
Levi blinked slowly as Kiara burrowed under the blankets and against him. "But you weren't scared?"
"I was a little, but I was too busy searching for the thing to be scared." Kiara sighed, wrapping around Levi tiredly.
Levi furrowed his eyebrows and pulled her closer to him. He wasn't sure what to make of that. It was vague and it wasn't like he could protect her from searching for something. She didn't even seem to need comforting. Instead, Levi tilted her face up from where she was buried in his chest.
"Kiara, I need to ask you something, but not here... Come with me to Erwin's office." Levi ran his fingers over her arm.
"It's cold," she whined, but got up anyways. She quickly changed into her uniform, making sure to put on her fleece lined leggings and sweater under her uniform to keep warm.
Levi followed suit and grabbed their blanket before grabbing Kiara's hand. They walked silently to Erwin's office, Kiara wondering why they were going there of all places and what Levi wanted to ask her.
When they reached the office, Levi opened the door and glanced at Erwin with a sigh. "Do you ever sleep?" he asked irritably.
"Wha...? Levi, this is my office. You know that, right?" Erwin looked over at Levi amused.
"You have a fireplace and I need to talk to Kiara in private." Levi shrugged.
"So, you came to my office." Erwin shook his head, standing up from his desk.
"It's the logical choice."
"I'm sorry, Captain," Kiara piped up, saluting.
"It's fine. Just no sex. I was about to go to bed anyways." Erwin threw a few logs on the fire and patted Levi's back, looking bemused at the flustered pair.
"I said talk!" Levi protested, narrowing his eyes.
"Mm... Goodnight, Levi and Kiara." Erwin smiled knowingly and left his office, shutting the door behind them.
Kiara stared after him, her mouth falling open slightly. "What just happened?" she asked as Levi led her to an armchair close to the fire.
"Erwin was just being a presumptuous shit," Levi grumbled, sitting down and pulling Kiara onto his lap. He quickly wrapped their blanket around them as Kiara snuggled against him.
"So, this is where you disappear to after training?" Kiara laughed softly.
"I have a feeling Erwin is just going to give me a key soon," Levi said dryly.
Kiara laughed softly, shaking her head. "You like him. Admit it."
"He's tolerable." Levi rolled his eyes. "That's not why I brought you here though."
"So, what is?"
Levi paused, running his fingers absently over her arms. "Do you really want to wait to be in a relationship with me?"
"Of course I do." Kiara raised her eyebrow. "Why are you asking?"
"Because... A relationship with me is going to be difficult. I'm six years older than you. I'm cranky and I have an obsession with cleaning... And I have-"
"Levi, I already know all that. I know everything. I have been by your side for nearly nine years. I know your bad side and your good side. I love everything about you. Of course I'm fine with waiting. I'll always wait." Kiara looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"What if I don't want to anymore?" Levi asked quietly.
"Clarify that for me?" Kiara frowned, unsure of what he meant.
Levi sighed and pressed their lips together, hoping that that answered Kiara's question. Kiara blinked, but returned the kiss.
The kiss was lazy and languid, sending tingles through them. Kiara sighed into the kiss, running her fingers through his hair lightly. She was still confused, but pleasantly surprised the kiss. Kissing Levi always made her feel free and safe.
When they finally broke the kiss, Kiara rested her head on his shoulder, humming softly.
"Sing for me?" Levi murmured, his arms wrapped around her waist.
Kiara tilted her head up and smiled at Levi before nodding. She thought for a moment before she began humming a tune.
"When the sun found the moon, she was drinking tea in a garden under the green umbrella trees in the middle of summer," she sang softly, her fingers stroking his cheek. "When the moon found the sun, he looked like he was barely hanging on, but her eyes saved his life in the middle of summer. In the middle of summer, all was golden in the sky. All was golden when the day met the night..."
Levi watched her singing for him, a small smile playing on his lips. Kiara's slightly upbeat song was contagious. He already felt glad that all the waiting bullshit was over, but to hear her sing again was only adding to his good mood.
"So he said, 'Would it be all right if we just sat and talked for a little while. If in exchange for your time, I give you this smile?' So she said, 'That's okay as long as you can make a promise not to break my little heart or leave me all alone in the summer.' He was just hanging around..." Kiara's eyes started drifting closed and her song was broken by a yawn.
Levi dipped his head and kissed her chastely, pulling her closer to him. One day, he wanted to hear the full song, but not right now. Erwin's clock told him it was three in the morning. Kiara needed sleep. "It's okay to fall asleep. You can sing to me tonight when we get to the fortress or back home."
"Yeah, but you're being really affectionate right now. I don't want to miss a moment." Kiara yawned again, wrinkling her nose cutely.
Levi hid his smile by kissing Kiara again. "What if I promise to kiss you when we wake up?"
"Mm, I guess that's good enough for now." Kiara sighed softly and nuzzled into his neck. It was definitely warmer here than in their dorm. Wrapped in the blanket and Levi's arms in front of the fire was bliss to Kiara. It wasn't long until the young woman was sleeping.
Levi doubted he would fall back to sleep, usually his insomnia wouldn't let him sleep for more than a few hours a night -if that. It had gotten better once Kiara had started sleeping with him years ago, in the sense of he didn't just fall asleep wherever he was sitting now. He liked cuddling with Kiara, so he would usually end up in bed with her most nights and end up falling asleep for three hours.
He kept kissing Kiara's temple and hair, glad to have her and the fire. He might just commandeer Erwin's office to sleep in at night like this. It was warm and comfortable.
Erwin let himself into his office and immediately looked to his armchair. He smiled when he saw the two shortest members of his squad curled up together (thankfully fully clothed).
Erwin glanced at the clock. It would be time to get ready to leave soon, but he could let them sleep for a little while yet. He threw some more wood on the fire that was almost dead.
He sat down at his desk, still grinning because honestly, Levi and Kiara were adorable. He started working on his paperwork, sending glances to the sleeping scouts every now and then.
After a little while, Levi stirring caught his eye. Erwin glanced up in time to see Levi shaking Kiara awake and greeting her with a kiss which made the redhead beam.
"Good morning," Kiara mumbled cheerily, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.
"Good morning," Erwin greeted them when all Levi did was hum in response.
Levi looked over at Erwin and rolled his eyes. "You are so creepy. Were you watching us sleep?"
"I remind you again, this is my office." Erwin shook his head, fighting off a smile.
"Fireplace." Levi shrugged, standing with the redhead and pulling her out of the office.
Erwin shook his head. He was really going to need to get Levi his own office with a fireplace.
Kiara shivered on her horse. Despite the fur and fleece lined clothing, she was still cold. Even her steed seemed cold going by the flicking of his ears. She drew her cloak closer around her as they rode past the wall.
It was nearly completely white out here. Without the walls to block the snow, it had fallen freely everywhere. Kiara had a vague sense of nostalgia seeing all of the snow, but didn't question it.
Kiara rode near Levi as the snow fell around them. The sky was the same dark gray as Levi's eyes. It made Kiara's lips curl into a happy smile. She loved Levi's eyes.
She turned to tell him so, but realized he was gone. The snow was falling heavier and the wind was loud in her ears. She felt a hard shudder pass through her.
"Levi?! Erwin?! Nanaba?! Mike?!" Her voice was lost in the wind, but she thought she heard a shout coming from her right.
Kiara blinked against the snow that was making it hard to see and turned right. Maybe she had missed a signal to turn. She wasn't sure, but in the worst case scenario, she could just backtrack or wait for the snow to lighten up. It would be fine. She had to believe that or she would panic.
"Okay, we'll find them soon... We've been this way before. We aren't lost. It's fine," she kept murmuring, unsure what she should do. She had never been lost before. She couldn't even see the sun to direct her.
Another shout came from ahead of her. Kiara spurned her horse on, trying to keep calm. She could barely see her horse's ears at this point. Blizzard, her mind supplied.
Kiara sighed through chattering teeth. She really wanted her memories back. She heard yet another shout, but it seemed to be staying the same distance away...
"Hello? I got separated from my squad! Can you slow down?" she called, shivering more violently.
Suddenly, she was surrounded by trees as she galloped into a forest. Her heart sank. She must have gone in the wrong direction. The shouting she had heard must have been in her head. "Fuck!"
Kiara started to turn her horse around, but the beast reared back suddenly, chucking her off it. Kiara cried out in surprise, her body instinctively straightening to land on her feet.
"Come back!" Kiara demanded as the horse ran in the opposite direction. She would've tried chasing it, but she was too cold and stiff from riding. Kiara crouched in the snow instead, trying to get her bearings.
For now, she would need to climb a tree. She wouldn't be able to do anything from the ground. In fact, she was easy prey down here.
Last week, Kiara had made a pair of nets out of steel with sharp barbs that fit over the bottom of her boots. She needed traction to climb up trees and without the nets, it was impossible. The bottom of her boots simply didn't have enough grip.
Now, Kiara tugged her hands free of her gloves and scaled the nearest tree as quickly as her shaking limbs would allow. The cold bark hurt her hands and was hard to hang onto, but she was determined not to fall. She didn't stop until she was twenty meters up which took her a lot longer than it normally would have.
"There..." Kiara panted in the freezing air as she sat on a branch. "I should be safe from titans and be able to see anyone."
She exhaled a shuddering breath, drawing her body under her fur lined cloak to stay warm. "What the fuck have I gotten myself into now?" she grumbled, resting her head against the tree.