A/N: Hello hello!
Thank you everyone for the long wait.
Covid0-19 has render some people without work, and some had to work from home.
Halfway through the month of May 2020, I've gone back to work in the office. Hence the delays.
Apologies for that.
Thank you for the kind comments for Kapitel 9. Glad you have liked them as much as I do :)
For this chapter onwards, there will be a lot of thoughts going on between Levi and Freya since Freya is bedridden for now and Levi is working from his room, like a work from home thing. No one could live on happily after witnessing such trauma from Battle of Trost, so from here on, Freya will slowly darkens - or in a way, toughen up.
Please enjoy this new chapter, and please do comment.
A toast to everyone who loves Levi Ackerman.
Stay safe everyone.
Love,
A.615.
Kapitel 10 – An Imposter, Discovered
The morning got by quickly after breakfast. Levi continue to stay in his room overlooking his paperwork, reports, as well as Freya, telling her that he did not want to come back at the end of the day only to be greeted with a dead cold body. Several cadets dropped by requesting Levi to sign this and that, and he complied quickly and kicked them out of his office, not liking how their eyes roved around his office with a purpose and hovered at the door to his room, where Freya is safely tucked away from the world.
Freya bite her lips silently, praying that she is truly recovering soon and not going downhill towards death's gate. She had heard enough of the frightening truth from the medic that came to tend her injuries. Sepsis, infections, pus. Oh no, not the pus. Her eyes widened in horror upon realizing that if she doesn't get well anytime soon, pus would form, and it will then leak and soak onto her captain's bed.
He will then kill her for it.
She gulped at the thought of Levi's eyes flashing red menacingly.
As Levi continue to read his reports and sign approval letters, Freya continues to sip on her tea and watches the Captain work through the pile of papers.
For all intents and purposes, the Captain had moved his paperwork into his room – deemed her room for now – just to watch over her wellbeing touches her. It was very kind of him to treat her so, not that Erwin being her cousin doesn't help. But this has gone beyond what a Captain would normally do for their subordinates. Was it because she was not a trained soldier? Or the fact that he could very well feel guilty for not allowing her on the expedition? In all, no one can deny that, should she have come along with them to the recent expedition, she would not have gotten so hurt.
And she would not have seen so many lives lost at Trost in the hands of the Titans and being so helpless to save them all from their gruesome deaths.
The thought about all those dead soldiers that she could have rescued had she been given a few more seconds to reach them tugged at the strings in her heart. Theories alone with the Three-Dimensional Manoeuvre Gear indeed does nothing to help the situation during the Fall of Trost, let alone to alleviate the guilt. Biting her lips to bring herself back to reality, she focuses instead on the handsome Captain lounging on a chair in all his cold gorgeous glory.
Yes. Captain Levi. The handsome midget. Not that she wasn't a midget herself. Freya is a small built girl, quite skinny from her time as a Washer, but she has been gradually building up some frame and mass with the Captain upping her food in every meal. Eggs, potatoes and legumes, not to mention he'd even throw in some portion of his food to her, with his usual excuse of "I've lost my appetite watching you scarf down food like a hungry cat."
But yes. No one can deny that Captain Levi is indeed a very good-looking man. With his snarky attitude and tendency to bark orders around to clean the castle, Freya wager he is very good in bed as well, considering that he has the balls to have such an attitude to live up to his name.
Long lashes, those gorgeous set of eyebrows that highlights how handsome he looks when he frowns or lift his eyebrows up, and those serious set of lips? Perfect.
Must be a good kisser too. Oh, tongues yes…yes and those fingers yes…and-
And a loud smack vibrated the air, breaking the amorous hungry look she was throwing unconsciously at the captain.
Freya was jolted out of her reverie when he sighed and slapped the completed pile of paper on a nearby table. When Levi picks up another pile of paper and places it on her bed, Freya nonchalantly picked up the top piece of report to read.
"Put it back, Freya," Levi chided and plucked off the paper from her hand, his eyes not leaving his report for a second. "You're off duty now. Get back to sleep."
"I couldn't possibly go back to sleep after that heavy breakfast, Heichou," Freya objected, picking up another piece of report to read. "Off duty as I am now, I am beyond bored. Count it as me helping you to proofread the important ones and the crappy ones, Heichou. You'll save a lot of time going through that-" she finishes with pointing a finger at the tall pile of reports that the Captain has yet to go through.
Levi glared at her whilst she completely ignored him in extreme bravado. She looked up to him after a while and stared back with her light-coloured eyes, defiant fire sparkling brightly at him despite the littlest fear cooking in the corner of her little heart.
Levi exhaled noisily. She truly is a stubborn little brat, thought Levi silently. A fuckin brave one at it as well. Don't think I don't realize the way you're staring at me just now. Bored? Bored my ass, that's more like it.
"Suit yourself," Levi said to her, finishing the report in his hand quickly and reached for another one. Freya quickly handed him the one in her hand and smiles at him brightly.
"This one looks urgent," she chirped cautiously with a nervous smile, reaching out for another paper and continuing to sort out the piles according to their urgency, all whilst Levi glares at her.
Not once has she exhibit the sort of emotions and behaviour of a person who has just experienced their first battle with the Titan. Not that Levi himself was like that when he lost Isabel and Furlan. He is beyond that of a normal person and much more capable of controlling his emotions.
But for Freya…
It was as if she has moved on from it. There were no grief or shock, or even fear shown after he collected her from the battlefield after the Battle of Trost. Yes, she was greatly distressed with the loss of so many in front of her eyes, and as she has repeatedly said, she could not reach them in time to save them from the Titans. But still, to show so many smiles and even be able to eat and sleep well without a nightmare seems too much for someone so fragile like Freya.
Minus that sleep talk one time.
"You can talk about it, you know?" Levi revealed after quietly studying her. She stopped reading the papers and looked up at her Captain. Levi regarded her with an expression that she could not quite put a word to it to describe. He is leaning back on his chair, with his quill held softly in his long fingers whilst he rests his chin on top of his other hand nonchalantly. His gaze, however, had that kind of…softness? Gentleness? No. Those words doesn't really fit the Captain's gaze. Hard? Shap? No. Or was it an annoyance?
A little bit of annoyance then. With a little frustration in it. Yes. Throw it into the pile, Freya. Only the best for the Captain.
Freya was at a loss. She has never seen this expression on Humanity's Strongest Soldier before.
Seeing Freya's lost expression, Levi continued, "You can talk about the Battle of Trost. It will make you feel better instead of burying it deep down. It's not healthy."
"But I've already talked about it," Freya responded with a small smile, looking a little dejected. Her fingers begun to nervously rub the soft feather of her quill. "It's sad, but I'm alright after that."
Levi raised one elegant eyebrow at her. "When?"
Freya blinked her eyes and bite her lips. What's gotten into the Captain? He's not the forgetful type. She looked at him and still, he stares at her. It's a little embarrassing to bring up that incident again but, hell, he's still looking at her, waiting for an answer.
"A-at the bathroom…" she said, breaking the silence, stuttering awkwardly as a shade of red started to bloom on her face. "-when… when Heichou you…brought me in… yesterday…?"
Oh yes, Levi's thoughts flashes back to when he heaved her up from the bathtub and carried her naked out of the water after she almost drowns. Then he had to change out of his wet and bloodied clothes after that. And scrub that blood stain off his pristine white wall.
That.
Levi cleared his throat quickly and raised the other eyebrow at her. "That doesn't count."
Freya blinked and bite her lips, hoping the Captain will take the embarrassing detail to put this conversation off for another time. But Levi was insistent about it. He kept his gaze on her, and that made her heart flutter and nervous at the same time. Biting her lips, she took a deep breath and sighed.
"I don't want to dwell on it, Heichou," Freya started, looking down at the paper on her hand. She held up one of her hand and looked at the bandages wrapping around her hand, remembering the grip of the Three Dimensional-Manoeuvre Gear in her hand and the feeling of the wind hitting her face as she swings from building to building, trying to reach Squad Leader Ian before the Titan decapacitate him from his body. She still remembers his open eyes staring at her as his head rolls down with his blood from the Titan's mouth. She closes her eyes tightly, willing that incident and the screams around her to disappear. "Dwelling on it serves no use to me, only weighing me down. Honestly. I mean, the death of those soldiers and cadets that I couldn't save – I'd reckon I would dream of their eyes staring at me widely, wondering why I didn't save them, why I'd let them die so gruesomely, why I couldn't reach them faster…"
Biting her lips to hold in the sudden despair clutching at her heart, she quickly looks up and out towards the window, admiring the green trees outside to take her mind off the negative thoughts swarming in her mind. She felt tears swimming in her eyes, but she refused to let them shed. Taking a deep breath, she continues, "Thing is, I only had so much power as a newbie in the Scout Regiment. I was never trained. And I was never told to prepare for the sort of death a front liner experience while battling the Titans heads on. All I ever knew and learnt was from books, from theories, and from watching you, Heichou. At that point with Trost, I had no choice but to fight with what little knowledge I have. I did not know what to do with all the deaths that happened during the battle itself. I only know I need to move to the next one, and leave behind the dead to try and save the ones that are still living and fighting. After all, what use is there to pity the dead?"
Freya turned to look back at her Captain. The cold gaze, the clean-cut hair, the humourless expression he always wore on his face that is so him. In a steely voice, Freya continued on, "We should pity the living, and above all else, pity those who are living without love, without empathy, without a single care to preserve the life of another. Pity those that lives in cowardice, those who lives in fear, in greed. Pity those still who selfishly clung to life and step over another living body to clamber over towards the safety of the walls, only for the sake of living for one more day in fear. Pity the Scout Regiment's soldiers, to live as such for the greedy and selfish pigs living behind the Wall. And pity still the fallen soldiers and cadets, who died knowing there was no hope in someone coming to save them. So it is either I choose to let the thought of regret and the dead destroys me, or to simply just let go and walk on. I've acknowledged the loss, I will continue their legacy of Freedom, and I am not going to dwell on it any longer."
Levi allowed himself to admire his Secretary for a little while – just like yesterday, her long dark locks was let down from their usual braids and bun. It gave her a sort of youthfulness that does not match well with the words that carries such maturity in them as she speaks of the fallen soldiers in the Battle of Trost. The midday sunlight had brought such radiance to her hair that it revealed the hints of gold and red in her tresses. Like a painting he had once seen in one of the rich merchant's home when he followed Erwin to a party to acquire sponsors for their Expeditions, it was no wonder why there are so many cadets following her around like a moth attracted to the flame.
And it was no wonder the Washers maids treated her as such, jealous of what beauty she possesses.
Now, Levi was not a man of many words. What he is lacking in, he makes it up with his actions.
Pouring tea into the empty teacup, he picked it up and handed it to Freya with a gaze that seemed to penetrate into her soul, deciphering her and trying to see if she is indeed alright as she has said. Freya smiled at him and took the proffered teacup.
"Thank you for your kind concern, Levi-Heishichou," she said with a slight nod of her head to him and towards the teacup. "And thank you too for the tea. It is lovely."
Levi didn't reply. He cleared his throat and continue where he left off with his report.
Looks like he can just trust the little teacup to hold herself up in times of needs.
CALL MY NAME-CALL MY NAME-CALL MY NAME
And no. He will need to take his words back about the little Teacup.
There was a knock on the door, and he slapped his paperwork and quill on his chair before going out. He knew he won't be going out for a while, so he just went to get the door and gave a knowing look at Freya before leaving her.
"Stay in bed," Levi warned her, watching her bite her lips tantalizingly while staring at him with her large clear eyes, acting innocent. He averted his eyes and quickly closed the door behind him. He does not need that distraction now.
Another new attraction added to the list;
Number 1: Kiss her. For real.
Number 2: Tie her up on his bed.
Number 3: Force kiss her.
Number 4: Bite her.
The knock on his office door is getting more and more insistent. There was only one person who would knock like that. He sighed and opened the door.
To Hange grinning at him widely.
"Levi! I haven't seen you in such a long time I actually started to miss you-" Hange exclaimed in full on drama and attempted to flung both arms around Levi, but Levi stepped aside quickly and avoided any sort of touch from the Bun-Taichou. Hange barrelled in without momentum and crashes to the floor face first.
"Levi, you're so mean!" Hange cried, crawling back up pathetically. "I was just going to tell you the Commander is going to drop by soon. And this new pile of paperwork for you as well-"
"Then get that pile out of my office now," Levi said scathingly while pointing at the neat pile sitting at the corner of the table. He glares at the new pile of document Moblit is carrying with renewed hate for official documents and paperwork. "I've got no more room for your new pile of shit."
"Well, first things first, these are all letters needing your signature," Hange started with both hands held up as a peace sign. Because usually, nothing ends well if you are trying to argue with Captain Levi. He is just that good with facts. "I've already asked Moblit to go through with it first in kind consideration for you since your hands are full with the Nightingale-"
"That reminds me," Levi interrupted crossly, triggered instantly by that calling and moved towards Hange menacingly. "My secretary is not a bird! Get that fuckin' name off the record and I don't care how you do that. No-" Levi raised one palm in front of Hange's face to shut the incoming whine. "I know it came from you. There's no one else who have the guts to name my secretary as such."
"Awww Levi, come on! That's a beautiful title for her! Besides, the whole Madam Secretary Freya Walker thing sounds so old fashioned. Hey, I have a title for you too! It's The Captain Levi."
"That is my title, you dumb shit. Get that pile of 'Done' shit off my table so I can work on your new pile of 'Undone' lazy ass shit."
There was a loud thump that interrupted the moment from Levi's room. Everyone's attention was caught by that loud sound and they froze.
"What was that?" Hange asked, trying to remember where that sound came from and moved around. "That was quite loud. Your room, Levi?"
There was a low hiss of pain, followed by a grunt of something shuffling on the ground.
"Definitely your room, Levi," Hange said, following the sound and moving towards Levi's room.
Levi gave no time for Hange to reach his room and rushed towards the door. The Captain nearly pulled the door off its hinges in his rush and stormed into his room quickly.
And there she was. On the floor. Looking up at him with a look of mixed fear and hurt in her eyes, lips upturned and wobbling in pain.
Levi frowned. He really shouldn't have trusted the Teacup to be on her own.
He gave out a loud sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "I've told you, you stubborn little Teacup. You're not ready yet with the floors. I've trusted you enough to leave you for a few minutes alone-"
"I-I was just testing out if I c-could stand on my own, Heichou. I could do it this morning just fine." Freya protested, pouting with her lack of strength to stand upright on her own. "And your quill dropped onto the floor. I was going to pick it up for you…"
She had did it nicely earlier in the morning before breakfast, but it seems that the medicine's numbing effect had worn off and now that she tries to stand on her own, her muscles protested with much strain.
Levi glared down at her and crossed his arms, his lips pursed in a dangerously thin line that speaks of no joke in that situation. He is truly angry now. "Your skin is not healed enough to move around that much. You heard what the medic told you; you need to just rest and don't move to allow your skin to heal. Is it that hard to follow instructions, Teacup?"
Freya bit her bottom lips in misery. It was one thing being scolded by Levi. It was another when she hurts herself again just by being stubborn. All she wanted to do was to pick up Levi's quill that had dropped on the floor after he left it on his chair. It was so close. She just had to stretch her hand out to reach it and pick it back up. It just so happened that she slipped and could not stop herself from falling with her hand.
Placing one hand on the mattress next to her, she tries to pull herself back up. But upon applying pressure on her palms, her skin immediately cracked and caused her to falter with a gasp of pain.
Levi was there immediately to lift her up by her arms, gently avoiding touching her back before sweeping her legs off the floor and into his arms. Surprised, Freya squeaked and looked up into her Captain's eyes.
Oh, those mesmerizing blue-grey eyes. So magical, so cool. So handsome, so manly. Freya could feel herself starting her stupid blush, as she calls it that, and bite her lips to stop admiring the handsome man carrying her.
Levi's eyes quickly glanced down at her lips when she did that. When he looked back up at her, Freya noticed his pupils are dilated.
Freya's eyes widened in surprise and her heart pumped harder at the revelation. Did the Captain just check my lips out?
"For once, be good and listen to me. You heard what the medic said, rest, and don't move so much. You will heal up eventually. Sleep is the best medicine to recovering quickly," Levi said quietly, ignoring her lips and placing her down on the bed gently. "And your only job right now is to recover quickly. You're almost there anyway."
Freya wanted to protest but finds herself at a loss of words. True, she still could not do much with these extents of injuries. She could very well hold a quill with her forefinger and thumb, but that's it. She couldn't even close her palms yet. It's healing up nicely but not as quickly as she would have liked.
Or thought.
Back in the Hospital Wing, they have this special ointment made from bee's propolis as well as aloe for such injuries. It heals up the wounds quickly and leaves no scars behind. However, the medic that came to help her mentions that the ointment she was given now was a mixture of that, with added pain reliever. A new medicine, she was told.
Hmm, Freya thought to herself. Not as fast as the original ointment though.
Her back was the worst of all. If the medicinal ointment starts to dry up, she'll then be able to feel each and every tear of her skin from flesh with any movements made, even breathing makes it worst. Thanks to these ointments, she is able to sleep well throughout the night. The medic would come up every night before she sleeps to apply a thick layer of ointment to her broken skin and would come back up again just before dawn to check up on her. All with the permission of the Captain, of course.
Hange had walked right into Levi's room as if invited and proceeds to curiously sniff up some of the medicine set aside on a table at the corner of the foot of the bed. This was supposedly Freya's medicine, with the bandages and rolls and a jar of ointment.
Eyes flashing upon realizing what that scent is, Hange is interested.
"Levi" Hange asked, smelling the jar of ointment just to get a good whiff of the ingredients used after picking it up and raised an eyebrow at the nature of the ointment. "Where did you get this jar of ointment?"
After setting her down on the bed, Levi pulled the blanket back up to cover Freya's legs, patting them in as he glares at Hange and Moblit for walking into his room brazenly. Not happy with outsiders being in his room, he replies icily, "The medic gave it after bandaging this Teacup over here. Said it will be good to counter her pain."
Freya patted the blanket on her thigh with a happy sigh after thanking Levi. He wordlessly took the affected hand into his and removed the bandages to check for any damages that needs the medic's attention. When there was none in sight, Levi quietly bandages her hand back.
Hange frowned. From a medic? Surely they knew this jar isn't the right treatment. It was then Hange remembered Freya was of a sort of medic background before she was promoted to be Levi's Secretary. "Was the medic someone you have seen before, Freya?"
Freya shakes her head. "No. She said she is a new recruit. Why?"
Hange's eyes turns serious. Levi looked up and senses something is amiss. Now that he thought about it, there is something not quite right with the medic that was sent up to treat Freya. It should be someone Freya knows well, with her having such a close bond with the medics in the Hospital Wing, and yet they sent up someone she is not familiar with and merely gave her a jar of ointment to treat her broken skin instead of the usual medicated gels for broken skin. The excuse was legit, saying that the ointment has pain numbing effects and works better for Freya than the usual medicated gels. As a side effect, the wounds will heal up much slower, and the risk of the wounds getting contaminated is high as well. That was smart of them, thought Hange, to use her pain as an excuse. Of course, she would agree to using this medicine.
But, how daring would they have to be in order to cheat an officer with a ranking as high as Captain Levi? In his own room. Right under his nose as well.
Couldn't be someone jealous of the Captain. Someone jealous of Freya maybe?
Hange's eyes light up a little when another thought dropped in – Someone jealous of the Captain having the Nightingale all to himself maybe?
Hange's next reveal sends a chill down Levi's spine. "That's weird. We have not had a new medic recruit for months now."
The room fell silent. "She," Freya started in a small voice, beginning to have doubts with having a backstabbing betrayer harming her silently through the medicine provided to her for these past few days. "The medic lady, said that all our medics are out at the fields and at Trost District, that's why she's sent to me…"
"Was there something wrong with the ointment?" Levi asked gravely, quietly noting and listing down the various oddness he had thought about the medic they have sent up. Hange is somewhat of an expert with chemicals, and that also includes concocting medicine and ointments specially for the Scouting Regiment. Injuries such as Freya's nature should be able to heal faster if they had used the medicated gel made from bee's propolis and aloe, but the medic insisted this ointment was the best for Freya, claiming her need to sooth the pain is far greater than the need to heal at that time. Hence the ointment.
Hange moves towards Levi and passes the ointment back to the Captain. "This wasn't meant for her sort of injury. Naturally, it doesn't help much except to numb the pain. People usually use this for bumps and bruises and whatnots, not on broken skin. Yes, it was mixed in with the original gel ointment from the Hospital Wing, but this looks like someone hastily added this in and mix up with some other ointment to make it look more legit. No wonder you don't heal much."
Initially, Freya had had her doubts about the ointment provided by the medic. But the medic managed to assure her that the best way to treat her case is to rest more and allow the ointment to work its magic into her broken skin. And that this is the best ointment for her now as it provides a numbing effect on pain, even adding that it was the very same ingredient of bee's propolis and aloe from the original gel ointment added in to heal up her skin.
At that time, she is indeed in a great sort of pain. And that quickly went away after applying the ointment. It was cooling and numbing, and it pacified her initial doubts.
"Well, no worries with that!" Hange chirped loudly, jolting Freya out of her reverie. "We'll get this sort out easily. I will get the real medic to come up in a while and sort out the imposter. So meanwhile, do keep that jar of ointment aside. It'll come in handy when the mosquito bites."
Hange exited Levi's room and quickly turned serious with Moblit.
"I want this medic found and interrogated. Get it done quietly, Moblit," Hange said, watching as Moblit nods his head quietly and slipped out of Levi's office quickly.
From behind, Levi emerges from his room.
"I'll get it sorted out, Levi Heichou," Hange said reassuringly to the Captain, eyes flashing with contempt. "Don't worry. This sort of mouse could never live very long behind the shadows anyway. Not after how daringly they stepped into the birdcage. I'll trap them up and skin them alive for ya, Levi."
Levi watches Hange pick up the 'Done' pile of documents and walk out of the door with a determined look. Though at times, Levi hated Hange's bubbly personality and crazy scientist ideas about the Titans, but still, when it comes to sniffing out such things from the shadows, Hange would be the best person to go for it.
The Bun Taichou could really smoke out a mouse and its whole nest of disgusting generations out in no time.
Going back into his room, Levi found her with the bandages on her hands unravelled, revealing angry red streaks of cuts that barely healed. It has been two days, and still the wounds remains red and angry, not showing any sign that it is closing.
"I should have known better," Freya quietly, fingertips lightly grazing the open wounds. "I should have known something is wrong when they don't heal up as quickly. But she was so nice about it. She told me there's no rush."
There was something sad that could weigh someone down upon discovering the person they trusted to care for your wounds actually meant you harm. Wanting to destroy you and your good looks, they are willing to go as far as to lie to the Captain and concoct their own so-called remedy. That act alone showcases human's capabilities to be cruel and heartless.
Like the ones over the Walls who refused to save us at Trost District that day…Freya thought to herself, her thoughts darkening, solidifying around her as her heart constricted in pain at the thought of all the dead that she couldn't save. All because those selfish pigs and the Garrison Regiment refused to send reinforcements.
They literally watched the Titans butchers the soldiers in Trost from the safe confinement of the Walls. They did nothing.
A dip in the bed jolted her awake from her dark thoughts. Levi casually sat down and gently pulled her wrist to him. An open tub of light-yellow gel lay open beside him quietly.
"We'll use this from now," Levi said to her, gently lathering the gel onto her cuts in a generous amount. "It's mine. The Head Medic gave it to me. You'll be alright. They won't get away with this."
Freya snapped her head and looked up at the Captain. "They?" she repeated. "You mean, there's more of them?"
Levi glances up at her and gestured her to give him her other hand. Freya noted how her Captain ignored her question, his hand remained extended for her to give him her hand. Gingerly, she handed him her right hand. He removed the remaining bandages and continue to apply more gel on her hand. "You should know better. Anyone who harms an officer will be punished severely. They should have prepared themselves before they do that, be it the Washers or the imposter medic we have over these two days."
Finishing with the gel on her hands, Levi wrapped the bandages back neatly.
And look at her expectantly.
For a moment, they just stared at each other silently. It was awkward, but it just happened. Levi just continue to stare. Freya did not know what to do with that. So, she raised both her eyebrows and looked back at him. She even nudged her head at him in a "What?" manner.
Levi sucked in a deep breath through his teeth. This is gonna be hard, he thought to himself. Damn, and here I thought settling her stupid nickname is hard enough. Shit, better get this damn thing over with quickly. "I'm gonna have to go through your back too."
Freya blinked. Wait. Freya's thought halted in shock. What did he just said?
There was no coherent reply. Just a stupefied expression and an, "-Whe-Aa-aaat?"
The Captain ran a hand through his hair and breathed out the air he has been holding in his chest. "At this point," Levi continued, rubbing the back of his neck, "I've seen basically everything." He awkwardly tries to reassure her that he is a man, but he is a soldier before a man, and her superior before a soldier, hence he will not be a man before his injured subordinate, but a superior instead. It's almost midnight, everyone else is asleep, and the Hospital Wing's Medics are all fully deployed to Trost to help the victims and the injured. He could do the job better than anyone else anyway. He wanted the imposter to be caught first before alerting the Hospital Wing. Not wanting the culprit to be alerted about the fact that they already found out about the imposter's intent to harm Freya, the only solution right now is to stay quiet and lay low for the mouse to enter the trap.
And that means he himself will have to care for Freya on his own.
He could have called Petra but damn, she, too, is at Trost helping with the Scout Regiment soldiers for now. So…
"So I will need you to expose just your back to me, for me to apply this," Levi continued, trying to be nonchalant about it and bouncing the tub of gel now in his hand.
"L-Levi-Heichou!" Freya, flabbergasted, exclaimed his name stupidly. Her eyes were wide with shock at his request. Not that it wasn't okay for him to do that for her but, but…
But they're alone. In a room. His room to be exact. Freya's thoughts started to run wild. I mean, what could happen to a man applying gel to a woman's naked back right? Shouldn't happen. No, nothing can happen. Happen not. Wait, what happened to my brain? What did I just thought? Wait, did I happened to think something is going to happen? Happen what? What? Wait, no, that's not the right grammar. What would happen?
Levi noted Freya's bewildered expression and sighed. This is not going to be easy, ain't it?
"If it makes it fair-" Levi said exasperatedly, placing the tub of gel by the bedside table. Standing up, he peels off his cravat from his neck and folded it, placing it neatly on the table. His jacket comes off next, which he hangs it neatly behind a chair, all the while his eyes staring only at her. At this point, Freya's heart speeds up and she begun to blush a scarlet red.
Freya noticed that this is the second time she has seen the Captain not wearing a cravat. Once, would be the day she saw him with Freiheit and that darn 10 promises.
This would be counted as the second time.
A very good second time. Freya's shock forgotten; she thoughtlessly sank into a dazed reverie the more skin her Captain reveals. Oh my, look at those pale porcelain neck. Oh what a good neck. So smooth oh, those collarbone yes. Oh gorgeous. Damn, I want to bite them. What would they taste like? Pine? Manly? Levi-ish? I bet he would like nips on them very much.
In the twinkling of an eye, the Captain Levi has stripped down to his white Oxford shirt, popping buttons whilst watching her staring at his gradually exposed skin in hunger. Noticing her pupils dilated and her mouth agape in pure wonder, Levi smirked.
She really is interested with him.
Well, got to return the favour sooner or later, Levi quietly thought with a smirk, pleased that she paid such attention to him.
She swallowed hard when her Captain's lips parted, as if licking the back of his teeth without once removing his steady gaze at her and pops one button after another of his crispy white Oxford shirt, revealing that gorgeous set of chest and pale skin underneath his usual stoic and formal attire. Freya again, started to remark to herself silently. Not to mention his fingers are absolutely gorgeous with each and every movement he made, like a swan. A swan finger? Swan finger it is. Oh, can't wait to get him naked-
Until she snapped out of it with a sharp shake of her head. "Wha-Whait? Whay? Whiet?! Whunno no no! Wait! Levi-Heichou!"
Levi was never one to listen to someone's order, let alone something so incoherent as the ones Freya has just spewed out. Except Erwin perhaps. And most recently, this little Teacup Freya.
"S-stop doing that unbutton thing, Heichou. M-mai, my heart cannot take it. That is not even fair. I- I can do it myself. Give me that tub-"
Levi swiftly snatched the tub away from her reach and leaned into her face, "You can do it yourself? That is your back. You can't even bend over, let alone bend backward. Your skin will tear again and at this point, do you really want to risk Commander Erwin's wrath when he finds out you have not stayed still to heal and instead tiptoeing around my room picking up quills off the floor?"
Freya looked up at him and bite her lips in response. She had not thought of that. But damn, Captain Levi doing her back? What would people say? What if someone comes in? Hell, what if Erwin comes in? He'll decimate the whole squad just to keep things quiet for sure.
"Hmm…Well, I…won't tell him…?" Freya suggested timidly, inching closer for the tub of gel in Levi's hand. He brought it farther away from her reach and leaned in closer to her face, sitting down heavily on the side of the bed. "Give me that!"
At this point, their nose almost touches.
"More like, we won't tell him," Levi whispered, his eyes flitted to her lips for a split second. Levi noticed her eyelashes are long. Didn't know they were this lovely. "You need this to heal. So be good and let me help us avoid all the possibilities that are running in your head right now."
Freya's blushes another shade of red. His words reminded her the explicit scenes running in her head right now. Levi forcefully press her to the bed and tear her clothes. Levi forcefully pulled her up and undress her whilst staring into her eyes. Levi forcefully kissing her.
Oh, dear me, Freya thought as her mind runs wild. Desperate for the images to stop appearing in her mind, she chanted repeatedly to her brain to stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.
Levi smirked. Freya' eyes was closed tightly and she's biting her lips hard. But that hot red blush on her face gave her away. "By any chance," he said to her in a quiet voice, shaking her awake from her reverie. Leaning in further, he continued in a whisper, "…are you… thinking of us?"
Freya's heart stopped. I'm dead. Definitely dead.
"I promise, I'll be gentle," Levi continue in a low voice, enticing the currently dazed to a shock secretary. There's simply too much that Freya can't bear with her small heart. The offer, the shock, the stripping of that silk cravat her Captain wears, and those whispers. Damn. He looked so good when he takes off his cravat. She could watch him do that a hundred times and never get bored. Feeling instantly dizzy, Freya lost all control to her body and fell forward into Levi's arms.
And breathed hard and fast. She regretted it immediately when she realizes she had inhaled the Captain's scent. Pine, and masculine. Very Levi.
He was there to catch her, pushing her up to a more comfortable position and leaned her head against his neck gently. Patting her hair, he said to her in a low voice, "You'll be alright."
After making sure she is securely nestled in his arms, he opened the tub of gel back and scooped out a dollop, spreading it over both of his palm. With his thumb, he hooked up the back of her shirt and slides his hands underneath her shirt.
"-Ahh…" Freya squeaked in surprise when his hand came into contact with her skin. He smoothed the gel all over her affected back, relying entirely upon the memory he last seen her back in the bath when he brought her back from Trost. The broken skin has now dried up and becomes hard. Good sign, Levi thought to himself. Soon it will heal up nicely and will peel off naturally.
He smoothed the gel over her notable bruises as well, especially the areas where the Three Dimensional-Manoeuvre Gear buckles and leather straps are. He reached up higher to her upper middle back and felt a jolt from the little Teacup in his arms.
And a small, quiet gasp.
Levi lifted up an eyebrow. Sensitive back…?
He repeated the same move on the same area on her back and again, the same response.
This time, she quietens down her gasp and her arm came up to grip the back of his arm, burying her face into his shoulder.
Very sensitive… Levi thought in silent elation.
Deciding she has enough stimulation for today, he withdrew his hands from under the back of her shirt. The gel has been applied evenly across her back that there was nothing left on his hands. "I'm done. You can rest now."
He eased her back down onto the bed by cradling her head and shoulders gently. As expected, her face was flushed red from the ordeal and their proximity. Wordlessly, he pulled the blanket over her and tucked it under her chin.
"T-thank you, Heichou," Freya stuttered, biting her bottom lips, looking at everywhere but him. Her Captain grasped her chin gently and turned her face back to look at him.
Levi lightly rubbed his thumb against her slightly swollen lips from her biting it just now absentmindedly. Honestly, she bites them too much. If she bites them anymore, he might just go ahead and bite it himself. He promised himself that.
And that reminds him…
"I hope you still remember my ten promises," Levi said, resting his hand beside her neck. He finds comfort in feeling her pulse here and now, and glad that she survives the Battle of Trost alive. Although not well, but glad that instead of a cold and dead pulseless corpse, he is feeling the pulse of a living, breathing human.
He had expected her heartbeat to pick up speed from his touches and grinned to himself nonchalantly. She was flustered beyond measure and her blush has now spread to the tips of her ears. Gripping the blanket to cover up till her neck, she stuttered a reply to salvage any sort of pride she could pick back up from the floor. She had hoped he has forgotten about it since it had happened for quite a while, and not just pop it up in a casual conversation. "T-that-"
Levi interrupted her by pressing one finger against her lips. "And the first promise I want you to make to me is, I do not want that incident in Trost to happen again." Seeing her blinking in confusion, he continued. "You did not follow my order to return to base after sending us off. I am doing my best to keep you out of harm's way here, but you need to follow my orders."
"But," Freya started. "I've told you the reason I was there. There was no one else. I needed to be there."
"I'll let it slide this time, but I hope there won't be a next time," Levi declared sternly to her, his expression turns serious when she replies to him with her reason. True, she has no battle experience, nor the experience to fight with a Titan. Heck, she didn't even go through any training or any Titan practice field and straight chuck herself willingly into the battle at Trost. She had literally thrown her life into a gamble and came back with injuries that had her bedridden for days in the safe confinement of the Captain's room. And after all that, someone within the Scout Regiment is out to harm her with the newly found out bogus medicine.
She understood Levi is not happy with her reply and felt the stare he gave her burning into her soul. Promise me! As if to say. Give me your word!
And gave her word she did.
"I'm sorry, Levi-Heichou," Freya mumbled out an apology. Biting her lips, she continued in a small voice, "It won't happen again."
Satisfied with the answer, Levi leaned away from her and tapped her forehead lightly twice. "A promise's a promise. You'd better remember to keep your word, Freya. Now rest. I'll be around."
She nodded her head and closes her eyes. He picked up the gel tub and stood up from the bed. Blowing off the candle, he left just one oil lamp and adjusted the wick to its shortest to illuminate the room only lightly.
"Goodnight, Levi," a very small voice whispered just when he's about to walk out. How long has it been since someone had said goodnight to him? He couldn't remember it anymore. His insomnia is so bad he only manages to sleep at most 3 or 4 hours a day, in the hours where the world is at its most quiet time. He would usually rest and done that just with his chair. That's why he didn't make a fuss when Freya occupied his bed. Sleeping in a chair is a norm for him. He doesn't feel comfortable sleeping in a bed.
He hoped Freya will keep her word and promise. Her life is worth as much as his to Erwin. And to move the Scout Regiment forward, they needed the Commander in his best. And that is to safeguard his only living family member.
So for Freya? Saving the people of Trost and the Garrison Regiment's soldiers? Hell, damn them all if it means she alone could survive the Titan attacks.
Damn them all for causing her such grief and harm.
"Goodnight, Freya," Levi said in a low voice before leaving the now slumbering Freya. "Sleep well. Tomorrow will be a big day for us."
A big day to finally meet the Attack Titan, Eren Yeager.
End of Kapitel 10: An Imposter, Discovered
Updated on: 1st of November 2020