"Again," Mike ordered, and Bláithín threw another punch to his face. The tall man blocked it effortlessly, as he would.

Mike and Bláithín were up early in the morning out in the clearing, yet despite it being just shy of ten o'clock, the sun was seemingly glaring down on them with a vengeance. The weather was crisp and cold, yet her body ached and burned from the hard work she had been doing for the past two hours.

Bláithín snarled under breath, refusing to believe she landed herself in this situation. Levi failed to speak to her over the next few weeks following her kick to Oluo's family jewels yet in the meantime, he had arranged with Mike to coach her and improve her self defence and hand-to-hand combat? He had been limiting his contact and interactions with her for weeks and he didn't have the decency to even tell her about this? What the hell was his deal?

In all honesty, it hurt Bláithín that Levi had built this barrier between them. She tried her best to break it down and get it to where it used to be, but the man was adamant and was about as unwavering as steel. She offered to take the squad out training more often or she'd make tea for him in an attempt to talk to him, but he would just give her a glance to say he had acknowledged the fact that she was, well, there, and then would send her on her way. Was she pining for the short man's attention? If so, why? Why did she find that she missed him even more than before now that he was avoiding her?

And hell, why did he pair her up with Mike of all people? Humanity's second strongest soldier, and the tallest person she had ever cast her eyes on? What was the logic in that!?

Levi did mention to Mike he'd assess her personally after a few weeks, so she'd at least see him properly then… and she'd be sure to teach him a lesson for being such an irksome, short bastard.

Mike maneuvered in such a way that he was now behind her and had his muscular arms wrapped firmly around her. She did her best to kick and thrash about in his arms but she realized she'd have to think logically about how to break free from someone who was so undeniably large compared to her. She grunted and huffed, her forehead beading droplets of sweat and her arms glistened too from such a demanding workout. She bent her knees into a squatting position and placed her left leg behind Mike, stretching it out. She grabbed a hold of Mike's legs in this position and like a lever, she braced all her might onto her right leg while lowering the left leg further to the ground. Mike subsequently fell to the ground with a thud and with his legs in the air, thanks to Bláithín's vice grip around him.

Bláithín sighed and a smile glossed over her lips, finally victorious this morning. She threw her arms in the air and jumped with glee before bending down to offer Mike a hand. He smiled and graciously took it.

They walked over towards the door of the headquarters that lead into the Mess Hall. Mike sat down at one of the tables with her and they poured themselves some water from one of the glass beakers. Mike tapped her shoulder and gestured to her lip. It had been busted open from one of Mike's punches.

"Ah," she gasped, after poking her lip with her index finger and spotting the blood.

Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and started to dab her lip dry. Bláithín could have sworn she felt a pair of eyes on her when he did this but she paid no mind to it. She turned around and saw no one there. She turned around to face Mike and winced when he pressed too hard.

"Oops," he said, shrugging and pulled the fabric away, "that'll heal in a few hours."

She poked her lip still in the way a child would when they cut themselves, and was surprised to find it still bled. He must have got her harder than she thought.

"Hmm…" said Mike, breaking the silence that had permeated between them, "you smell… different."

Bláithín gazed at him with a cocked brow. "Excuse me?"

"I mean… you smell like… you, all of a sudden." He clarified.

Ah, Mike, leave it to him if you wanted an offhand comment about your body's smell. That being said, nobody ever wanted Mike to tell them how he smelled; Mike just did it regardless.

"...What do I smell like? And why do I suddenly smell like me?" Bláithín asked, not believing she was saying the words that tumbled from her lips.

"You smell like jasmine, from your shampoo I'm guessing" he said. He reached over the table and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl. "You normally smell like tea."

Bláithín stared at him quizzically. Was she really this dense? How could she not think of the only other person in the regiment who smelled like tea?

"I'll put two and two together for you, Bláithín," he began, "Levi normally smells like tea. And a bit of mint too, perhaps? But more often than not, tea. But I'm guessing because he has been avoiding you, that's why you smell like you."

Bláithín gasped in surprise. He knew? How? She twiddled her thumbs and averted her gaze, not wanting to think of the elusive short male, even though no matter how hard she tried, her brain was begging for answers for this new behaviour.

"I mean, we all know something ain't right," he continued, "you stare at him more these days. And he stares at you too when you're not looking. Kinda creepy, he doesn't do a good job of hiding it." He smirked.

Her face turned a beet red. Fuck, was she really not that discrete? She couldn't help but be curious. In a way, she felt relieved to know his eyes would search for her sometimes also; she wasn't the only one stuck in this weird state of limbo. She wasn't going to deny it to Mike, even though she so badly wanted to defend herself.

"You two lovebirds having trouble in paradise?" He asked, nonchalantly. He stood up and pulled her up also, her blush deepening. Now it was his turn to cock a brow. "You two aren't dating?" He asked, genuinely surprised.

"No! Not at all, not ever!" she cried, pointing at him. It was probably funny to picture someone so small pointing and yelling at someone who easily overpowered her. Mike just shrugged, he seemed willing to drop the subject… despite the smirk still plastered on his lips. "Oi, drop it."

"See? You even said 'oi', that is something Levi says." He pointed out.

Damn it, she wasn't defending herself well… she didn't know what there was to defend, but she felt the need to anyway.

"Mike Zacharius, I am asking you to drop it!" she yelled, wiggling her arms in embarrassment and frustration, to which Mike only laughed at. She folded her arms and pouted.

Levi and her weren't exactly anything. They were just Captain and Vice Captain. Sometimes they'd sit in silence together - they used to, at least - or sometimes he'd knock on her door with paperwork in exchange for him doing extra training, sometimes she'd do the same and bring tea to him.

It was nothing, absolutely nothing, she told herself, and it was something she sometimes repeated herself when she was annoyed for being upset at his behaviour.

But then she would think of the time she was giddy with excitement at the thought of sleeping beside him in Mitras, the times he scolded from a place of genuine care, that one not-so-innocent dream she had, the times he listened to her as she poured her heart out to him.

She waved her hands in the air as if to dispel these thoughts. "Whatever," she grumbled, still pouting, "I am going to collect Eden, I haven't seen her in a while." She announced.

She made her way to her bedroom and decided to freshen up before meeting Eden and the nanny she stayed at. She also had a meeting to attend to later with all the higher ups, including Mike, Erwin, Hange and Levi-

Her eyes widened at the realization. "Oh, no." She groaned and lolled her head to the side. She felt a knot in her stomach suddenly tighten as she removed her dirty tank top. She was suddenly getting cold feet at the thought of seeing him without the presence of their squad.

Maybe being with Eden will be a good enough excuse, she tried to convince herself


Levi was an idiot. A fucking idiot.

He tried, by the goddesses did he try. But clearly this damned blonde was an exception to his previous methods.

What made him think that distancing himself would be easy, that it would be of any help? What made him think distancing himself from Bláithín would make the nightmares go away? Not when his heart was already wrapped around her fingers and she probably had no damn clue.

Levi knew, but he wasn't going to admit it. Denial, denial, denial.

He sat in the boardroom with paperwork before him, trying to drown his thoughts, but unfortunately, his mind remained ever-turbulent. The meeting would begin once everyone else arrived but he intended to bask in the peace and quiet. It was always hard to drown himself in paperwork though, and he had to admit he was envious of Bláithín who could throw herself into it and just get it done.

In truth, Levi hated paperwork more than the average soldier. Not because it was boring, although that definitely contributed to it. But, with whatever haphazard education he received from Kenny and anything he picked up along the way before being forced into the Corps, Levi wasn't a strong reader or writer. He could read and write just fine, but sometimes, he struggled profoundly. Reading reports from people (Hange) whose writing looked like chicken feet gave him a headache, or even just the act of reading itself made him feel awfully frustrated in his abilities.

Humanity's Strongest, yet he struggled so much with reading or writing? What a joke, he thinks.

He was grateful for Bláithín in that regard, she'd get it over and done with. He'd pass her extra work and would tell her he's too busy or he'd offer to train their squad instead, but it was sometimes an excuse for the terrible headache reading gave him. He couldn't let her know or let it slip that that was the true reason.

She was educated, far more educated than some in the Corps, thanks to her noble upbringing. He was pretty sure maths and science weren't her strong suit since she was ever so emotional, but she was definitely artistically inclined, and this was proven when it came to her reports. Her writing was very legible; not too slanted nor did she write with embellished calligraphy. It was perfectly legible. She was able to phrase things very concisely but also aesthetically - when she wanted to, that is. Most of the time, she spoke as though she was born into the working class like everyone else.

Oh, god. Here he was thinking about her handwriting and her grasp of the language they spoke of all things. He groaned and buried his face in his hands.

Shame her room isn't as neat and tidy as her handwriting, he said to himself.

He knew it, he knew he had a bit of a crush on the blonde Vice Captain. He knew it in the way his heart would constrict for a brief second when she smiled at him, or the way his heart lurched if he ever saw her in pain. He recognised the loneliness he felt, or the new uncomfortable feeling of her not being around as much. He knew that she knew he was ignoring her or avoiding her. It was what he did. He could only hope he hadn't hurt her feelings too much by this.

Levi refused to admit there was this humane side to him; the part of him that allowed his discipline to falter and self-control and resilience to crumble when it came to becoming attached to people. He hated that his heart was weak like this. From years and years of being alone or constantly keeping his guard up in case his loved ones were taken from him, his resolve was beginning to falter and it was because of that damned blonde Vice Captain.

Levi hated his oh-so human heart. Little did he realize there was never anything wrong with it.

If he were a regular human that is, or even just a regular soldier. But he wasn't an ordinary soldier; he was an extraordinary soldier. He was Humanity's Strongest and he had to be perfect. Levi had a role to upkeep, that being to be a beacon of hope, a light in the dark and a source of guidance for humanity.

Humanity's Strongest couldn't have that luxury.

What would happen if Humanity's Strongest slipped from his pedestal?

What if he had already slipped?

"Ah, Levi," Erwin aired as he walked into the boardroom, "Hange and the others will be arriving soon, you and Bláithín are- say, where is she?"

Levi peered towards the mahogany double doors as more squad leaders poured in, followed by an eccentric Hange. This meeting was only about budgeting and looking for more sponsors for funding, but Hange was raring to go as ever.

"Couldn't say." Levi replied, simply as he watched the bespectacled brunette sit before him.

She smiled widely at his sour look. "Gooooood evening, Levi! How are ya doing today, my glum chum?!"

Levi internally cringed at the rhyme. Then he blinked rapidly. Evening? "Shit Glasses, it's noon." He told her, gesturing towards the grandfather clock that stood proud and tall in the corner.

"Ah, well time isn't real if you haven't had a wink of sleep in three days!" she said, the same psychotic grin plastered over her. Her head rested in the palm of her hand, holding it steady. She looked like she would pass out from exhaustion. Her assistant, poor Mobilt Berner, sat beside her, with an agonized expression on his face; brows furrowed and lips curled into a deep frown.

Levi felt sorry for the young man. Mobilit wasn't new to the Survey Corps by any means, he joined before Levi even. But he was new to being Hange's assistant and no one envied that position. He speculated he must be getting paid to do this, no one would volunteer to assist Hange in Titan experiments, no matter how close of a friend they were. Moblit was so, well, distraught, perhaps, from these experiments that when Levi went into the Mess Hall late at night when he couldn't sleep - which was often - he'd often find Moblit with his head buried in his arms, often accompanied by a glass of alcohol. Levi would just stare for a few moments and order him to go to bed normally. Even so, Moblit and Hange did share a unique friendship, in spite of the misery he felt after some experiments.

A few minutes had passed and still no sign of the blonde. Erwin did want all elite soldiers present. He scanned the room and his eyes met Levi's. "Go knock on her room and see where she is."

Levi so badly wanted to say no and ask someone else to do it, but he knew one day he'd have to face her. He inhaled sharply and pushed his chair out.

He passed his five squad members in the hall and they all saluted nervously at him. Was his aura really that threatening that they all hastily saluted? He normally was fine with a nod and a "hello."

Yikes.

He eventually made his way up the rickety stairs and stood outside her office-come-bedroom. He shut his eyes tightly and found he released a breath he had no idea he was holding. He raised his hands and knocked on the door.

He blinked a few times when there was no answer. He pressed his ear to the door and he heard giggling. Lots of giggling. It sounded like there were two voices. He pressed his ear against the door again and this time, whether the door wasn't properly closed or he leaned too hard, the latch slipped itself unlocked and there he found his target: on the floor lying on her back, Eden laying on her raised knees and arms out like a bird. Bláithín held her by the wrists and rocked her knees forwards and back.

She never heard him, clearly, but she did see the shadow of his boots. She turned her head over to right and let out a squawk of surprise upon seeing the elusive midget she so badly wanted to punch.

"Levi?!" she cried, as she stood up. Bláithín brushed away the fluff from the rug she was laying on. Levi stared on at the blonde, unable to remove that image from his head. Eden stood back on her feet and began to tug at her shirt. Her blonde hair that normally sat neatly just above her shoulder blades was now unruly and unkempt. "What are you doing here?!"

Eden toddled towards the window to look outside while the two adults talked.

"Back talking to me again, huh?" Bláithín spat.

Levi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I was asked to come get you," he said, dodging her comment, "you clearly had your hands tied."

Bláithín quickly realized he wasn't going to comment on his past behaviour for the last few weeks. She decided at that moment to let it go… for now. She turned her attention towards the toddler. "Fine, I'll have to take her with me though," she began. "Hey, do you mind watching her for, like, two seconds while I go take a leak?"

She didn't give him time to respond and left to go to the bathroom. She wouldn't take long, but knowing Levi now was stuck in this situation was a flash of payback for her.

Levi stood there dumbfounded for a good ten seconds. He knew Bláithín enough to know she wouldn't leave him there for long but… wow, the nerve. He couldn't believe his eyes! Levi, of all people, was stuck in the room with a three year old. He walked over to the window to keep an eye on her as instructed and by the goddesses, the sight before him left him disgusted.

Eden was looking at the window with her lips pressed against it in an 'O' shape. As she breathed out hot air, a cloud of condensation was forming against the glass. She'd then step back and start to make shapes out of the condensation cloud against the window. She turned on her heel and peered up at Levi, her chocolate coloured eyes widened as though she was a deer in headlights. She turned back again and started to grab at stuff from Bláithín's desk.

"What's that?" she asked, holding a quill.

Levi let out a "tch" at the sight of the window and gave the child a bored look. "A quill."

Eden nodded, as if she was thoroughly satisfied by his answer. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to something else now.

Levi turned around. "A clock." He said, his expression getting duller and duller by the minute.

Eden walked around the table and opened up her closet. She started to flick through all of Bláithín's plain, white shirts and the occasional dress. She gasped and proceeded to pull something out. "What's that?"

Oh, fuck me. Hurry on, Bláithín, he internally begged. Levi peered over her shoulder. "A skirt."

Thankfully, Bláithín came back and Eden skipped over to her merrily. Bláithín met her with an equally large, brilliant smile and bent down to pick her up into her arms. "I hope you asked Levi lots and lots of questions!" Levi began walking over to them to grab a hold of the door knob. They should have been at the meeting now. "She's at that age where she wants to know everything."

"I can see that." He replied, clearly miffed.

Bláithín chuckled and flashed Levi a smile. He had to blink stiffly upon seeing her look so happy and again, it made his chest tighten momentarily. Clearly, Bláithín flourished with her loved ones and there was no doubt that Bláithín loved Eden. Bláithín had taken it upon herself to see the toddler every other evening, even if it was just to go for a walk together around Trost. If she went a while without seeing her, Bláithín would mind Eden for a few days, sometimes up to a week, to make up for it.

"Who's that?" Eden asked, fidgeting in Bláithín's hold. The toddler was hitched to her hip and she began pointing at the short man. "Who are you?"

Levi's eyed Bláithín, beckoning her to answer. She complied, sure enough. Anything for the toddler. "That's Levi! Can you say 'Levi'? I know you can."

Eden looked at Levi up and down as if to suss him out and get a good read of him. "No."

Bláithín suppressed a snicker and turned around to Levi again. "Sorry, Levi, guess she doesn't like you," she teased.

"I don't like you, either." Levi retorted, staring at the three year old. It only occurred to him after he had said it how childish that sounded.

Bláithín slung him a look of mixed disbelief and amusement. "Wow, Levi, you're arguing with a three year old now," she teased. She turned to face her niece again. "You can say my name, though, can't you? What's my name?" She cooed.

"'Baw-hee'," Eden babbled. Close enough.

Levi had walked out ahead of them and held the door for them both. "Hurry it up, 'Baw-hee.' I'm sure Erwin is fit to shit bricks given how late we are," he muttered and shut the door behind them. Bláithín gasped at him at his use of the word 'shit' in front of a three year old. He shrugged it off, Eden was going to say it eventually.

The two walked beside each other in silence. It wasn't a tense silence this time, it was a comfortable silence. Eden wrinkled her nose and kept looking towards Levi. She pointed at his cravat and looked like she was about to grab it. "What's that?"

Levi quickly reached out towards the toddler. Whatever instinct was triggered, she didn't know, but Bláithín's eyes suddenly widened thinking Levi was going to hurt her with his hand and quickly swat him away. She grabbed a hold of his hand in hers and he looked at her, confused. "What?"

"You were going to hit her, how could you!" she cried.

"Shit, Bláithín; I wasn't going to slap her. I wouldn't do that to a child, for fuck's sake… I'm an asshole, yes, but not to brats," he retorted. "I was going to…"

He proceeded to demonstrate and gently circled his hand around Eden's fingers to prevent her from touching the cravat. "This," he said, looking at Eden in her big, brown eyes, "ain't yours, kid."

Eden stared at him, eyes completely transfixed on everything about his face, seemingly. She opened her mouth to speak again, and out came a gasp. "It's a tissue! A tissue, a tissue!"

"We all fall down!" Bláithín cheered with her.

Levi shut his eyes as he came to a stop. He breathed in slowly and then continued.

This is going to be a damn long day, he said to himself.


Indeed it was a long day.

After the meeting, which was boring as all hell - even with Eden's occasional outburst of her being hungry or bored - Levi was swamped with the meeting's aftermath: paperwork. He initially thought about leaving it to Bláithín, but tonight she said she was going to spend time with Eden.

Levi sat at his desk that evening, which was much tidier than Bláithín's earlier, but as dusk fell and enveloped the sky in its eternal darkness, his motivation to continue reading and writing wanned. The frigid cold of early spring even made the knuckles in his fingers ache.

It wasn't long before sleep - actually - came to him that night. He surmised it must have been the cold, or the dull ache in his head from doing hours and hours of paperwork. One of the banes of his life was that damned desk in his room. His headaches used to be much worse when he fell asleep against the desk, his head groggily - and precariously even - hanging dangerously close to the edge. When Bláithín found this out after he said it in passing, she scolded him profusely.

Since then, he made a conscious effort to avoid falling asleep at his desk. Didn't always happen, but he'd be damned if he had to listen to her whinge to him again about the side effects of poor sleep. Bláithín made it a habit for a while to ask where he had fallen asleep (if he did.) It didn't matter though, his sleep was always plagued with the ghosts of his past, whether he slept in a bed, against the table, on the floor, wherever.

So a night where he fell asleep easier than most was always cherished and savoured, and he could only pray it happened more frequently.

Alas, all good things must come to an end…

It was around 3AM when he heard a thunderous knock on the door. "For fuck's fake…" he grumbled to himself as he rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm. "Fucking what." He called out, making no effort to hide his frustration.

The knocking continued and he clambered over to the door. He had slept in just a pair of shorts without a shirt on. It only dawned on him at the last second to put on a top. He unlocked the door and opened it, now more or less clothed (bar his bare feet) and the sight before him shocked him.

It was Bláithín.

And by the goddesses, she looked terrified. Tears streamed down her eyes and her breathing was erratic.

Levi shook his head and blinked, trying to get out of his sleepy haze. "Do you have any idea what time it-?"

"Eden's gone!" she interjected, voice laced with panic and fear. Her lower lip trembled violently and she began to sob harder. "She's gone, I don't know where! She was s-sleeping beside me in my bed and she woke up, and I-I assumed she was going to the bathroom in my room so I fell back asleep," she mumbled through her tears and choked sobs, "and then I woke up again and she hadn't returned. I checked the bathroom and my room-"

Levi brought his hand up to get her to stop talking. Seeing her so alarmed and panicked had him wide awake. Watching her in this state brought about the familiar lurching feeling in his chest. "The Survey Corps barracks are locked every evening after curfew. If she isn't in your bedroom, then she is in the barracks, and she'd nowhere else," he told her, logically. His tone was calm and steady in spite of the situation; he needed her to listen and calm down.

"W-why would she leave?" she cried. She suddenly walked into his bedroom and hastily lit the candles in his room to get a better look. She walked around his room, looking in all its nooks and crannies. She peaked under his desk.

Levi trudged over and grabbed her arm. "Bláithín, get the hell out!" he barked as he pulled her outside the bedroom. "She wouldn't be here, I keep my door locked." He clarified further.

Bláithín shook violently. She turned to Levi, her eyes red and bloodshot with her tears. And his heart lurched again.

Stop it, he said to himself, as though to will his emotions. He sighed heavily at her pitiful state. "We'll find her. She's in the headquarters somewhere."

She nodded her head hastily, trying to calm herself down. "Where do we begin?"

"Mess Hall, then the infirmary." He said, gently, but with the sense of urgency and professionalism that Bláithín was always envious of.

The two walked down the rickety stairs of the barracks, the wood creaking beneath them. Though her heart was beating rampantly in her chest, Levi told her to 'take her damn time' and walk slowly in case she missed anything or saw something.

"It's all m-my fault…" she croaked. "I should have gone with her when she uses the bathroom… She's normally fine."

"Fuck, okay, listen to me. It's not your fault," he said, plainly. "Yes, you could have gone with her at night but if she has done it before when she has stayed here, then it was just an honest mistake," he continued as he peered into corners of the halls, "But the fact remains that she is missing now, and we're going to find her."

Levi walked on ahead of her briefly as he made his way into the Mess Hall. Bláithín's gaze towards him softened and she was briefly - and suddenly - overwhelmed with a new feeling.

Safety.

She felt safe with Levi. Her lips trembled and twitched upwards for a moment, feeling comforted by his words and actions.

"Okay, she's not here," he concluded, walking out of the Mess Hall. He smoothed a hand back through his hair and huffed another sigh. He snapped his head towards the blonde.

Her hair was dishevelled and matted, half tied up and down. She was wearing just a tank top and shorts and he couldn't tell if she was still shaking now from anxiety or from the onslaught of the elements outside.

"Let's go." He said and she traipsed behind him.

Silence permeated between them as they made their way their way to the infirmary. They walked through the hall that connected the main part of the barracks to the infirmary. To their right were just plain walls with a wooden architrave running down the middle and to their left were the beautiful and gallant gothic windows. The pale, blue moonlight filtered through the windows and illuminated the hallway.

"Levi?" she began. He grunted in response. "W-what if she's not there, what if-?"

Levi extended his arm in front of her to stop walking. "Shh."

The pair's lips sealed shut as they heard footsteps. Levi walked on ahead upon seeing a murky shadow come out from the darkness of the infirmary. He blinked as his eyes adjusted before stopping.

"Meyer? The hell are you doing up so late?" he snapped, displeased to see her.

Her normally expressionless face didn't move or falter at his bark. Her eyes widened upon seeing them, but that was it. Bláithín started to walk and caught up to Levi, the three of them now standing in the middle of the hallway, their faces illuminated by the moon.

"Well? Are you going to-?" Levi began to ask when he heard another patter of footsteps. He peered over the shorter girl.

There stood Eden Hahn, equally as upset as her aunt. She toddled over to Levi who was standing in front of Bláithín still. Bláithín looked down with a slack jaw at the sight of her tears. She let out a shaky exhale and scowled at Ioana.

Something in Bláithín snapped so quickly that even Levi was not quick enough to stop her and had Ioana pinned up against the wall in the blink of an eye. Levi quickly wrapped his arms around Bláithín and tried to pull her away. His grasp was tight but not tight enough and Bláithín elbowed him square in the nose.

"F-Fuck!" he cursed as he stepped backwards. Well, at least her lessons with Mike had been working. He was able to come to this conclusion himself when blood dripped into the palm of his hand. He pinched the bridge of his nose and turned Eden around so she didn't see her aunt in such a ferocious state.

Levi couldn't believe his eyes, he had no idea Bláithín could react so violently. The girl looked feral as she interrogated their squad member.

"What the hell were you doing with her?! That's my niece, my fucking niece!" she roared. There were tears in her eyes again, but this time they were a source of rage. "I don't know who the hell you are or where you have hailed from, but if I find out you so much look at that girl again, I'll drag you out of HQ by the fucking hair and forcibly remove you from the Corps in broad daylight!" she screeched.

Levi's eyes widened at her anger. He had never anticipated that the word anger even belonged in the girl's vocabulary. Sure, before his recent scolding, she was always sad or moody, but anger was never there. Even these days being much happier further sent him in disbelief that Bláithín could become so blind with rage. She didn't look like the pretty girl from Mitras here. Bláithín was seething with rage.

Even he knew, though, that this rage was also misdirected and she was angry at herself too. For such a violent threat, Bláithín still hadn't laid a hand on Ioana in a disciplinary sense. She was pinned up against the wall, but that was it. He knew in that moment that even if this strange brunette had laid hands on Eden, that Bláithín wouldn't go through with such violent actions, he knew by now that she was far too gentle. This loss of composure was out of pure maternal instincts.

He had pinched his nose enough for the blood to stop dripping out. He would deal with the mess later and wiped his nose (he was still displeased though.) He knelt down and took a good look at Eden, checking for injuries, before taking her by the hand and walking over to the blonde Vice Captain. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she immediately let go of Ioana. Even so, the superiors both scowled at Ioana.

"I'll be writing about this to Erwin tomorrow, Meyer. Whether or not you actually lured Eden out of her bedroom, or whatever the fuck happened, you will be disciplined for breach of curfew, at the very least," he warned. "Get out of my sight."

The three were left alone in the hallway. Levi had returned to pinching his nose and Bláithín cradled Eden in her arms. Levi walked to the end of the hallway to head back into the main part of the barracks and stopped to wait for them.

"I'm sorry you saw me so angry, I don't know what came over me… I won't do it again," Bláithín said. The apology was said to Eden, but it was to be felt by Levi more. He didn't say anything, he just looked at her. "Let's go, we have Levi's nose to clean up."

The three walked back to Levi's bedroom and Levi sat down at his bed in the adjacent room. Bláithín sat Eden down on the floor in his bedroom before going back into the office. She instructed him to keep pinching the nose while she retrieved some tissue that had been wet with water. She walked by his desk again and noticed that huge pile of incomplete paperwork. She raised a brow at this, thinking it should have been done. She shook her head and gathered it in her arms and walked back into his room.

She walked over to the short man and started to pat at his nose while he pinched.

"Leave me alone, woman, I can clean myself up just fine." He said with a huff.

"You always take care of me. For once, let me return the favour..." she mumbled.

He looked up at her and averted his gaze. "Tch, fine."

The amicable silence returned for a few minutes before she spoke again. "I- Levi, what am I to you? I am not hurt by what you have done because I know it's just you being a dense idiot, but why have you been avoiding me…?"

His mouth spoke words he had not yet thought through. "If you're asking if we're friends, then I can tell you yes, we are." He muttered.

"...Friends don't ignore each other like that, Levi." She said back to him, her voice much softer.

"Guess I'm a shit friend then, Baw-hee," he said and looked back up at her once she left his nose alone. "Sorry for being an asshole. I won't do it again." He told her, admitting defeat.

She smiled at his apology. His words were kind, even if they were spoken in a grumble. Over the years, she knew Levi was very iffy about being vulnerable. She walked back over to the sofa where his paperwork rested and she sat beside him again and started to scribble away.

"This should have been done hours ago, Levi," she began. She had the sheets pressed against a book so that there was a hard surface. "What has taken you-?"

Levi realized that if he was going to be extra vulnerable tonight, he might as well carry on. "Bláithín, I have trouble reading and writing." He confessed with a sigh.

"Oh, okay," she mumbled.

That was it? That was her reaction? Levi initially wasn't looking at her when he came out with this confession but her lack thereof had rendered him utterly confused. Where was the judgement? Where was the disappointment? Also, there was the added aspect of culture shock, so to speak. A woman of nobility and high education just pushing his subpar reading skills aside like it was nothing?

Then again, was she really a noble lady at this point...

"You aren't gonna say anything?" he asked with a cocked brow.

"No, what's there to say?" she asked.

"You know my title, it's pretty fucking strange that I struggle with something so menial."

"You're from the underground, literacy is poor there," she replied. She continued to write and fill out the documents. She stood up and walked over to sit down at the sofa for extra comfort and for something against her back. He looked at her, expecting her to continue. She pursed her lip and thought of her words carefully. "You're Humanity's Strongest, yes, but your job is to give people hope. That's it. You can't do it all, Levi. And reading and writing isn't one of them."

Levi's eyes widened. Everyone of the elite members of the Corps knew that Levi was no angel and that he had a tainted past. They all knew he wasn't perfect. But hearing it reiterated and being told that it was okay that he wasn't perfect was soothing to him.

Bláithín smirked. "If Humanity's Strongest wants, he can ask me for help more often now that I know of this? Or I can help him with reading and writing?" she offered, referring to him in the third person. "I have plenty of poetry books in my room that he can read and it may even help him sleep."

He felt his lips twitch upwards but he resisted the urge. "Thanks." He said, simply.

"You go to sleep, I'll finish this off. I won't be long. Besides, the little one has conked out on the floor," she chuckled, gesturing to the fast asleep three year old.

Levi wasn't going to protest the idea of his paperwork being done. He slipped himself under the covers and though it took him a while to go to sleep, he fell asleep without a single nightmare plaguing him. After an hour or so, Bláithín picked up a sleeping Eden, leaving her draped over her shoulder and walked over to the door.

"Goodnight, Levi." She mumbled.

Luck would be on the short man's side when he woke up that morning. He stumbled out to his desk and saw the completed paperwork and he felt his exhausted scowl soften ever so slightly.

That was nice of her.

He saw a red hardback book on his desk too. This wasn't his. He flicked it open and began to scan through it briefly and noticed it was the aforementioned poetry book.

He sat down at his desk after getting dressed and cleaned up for the day.

The poetry could wait.

Right now, he had a report to write.


A/N: sorry for the delay, writer's block is a bitch. Ooh, Bláithín can be a real softie for Levi, huh. And what could Ioana be after? Sorry for all the soft Levi :/

A/N 2.0: Might be making a jump ahead to 850 soon (in five or so chapters from now and even in between then, in the chapter after the next, there will be a jump to 847 for a necessary plot development), sorry. To make up for this, I really wanted to do a LONG special (or two) consisting of a bunch of memories from Levi, Isabel and Farlan's early days with Bláithín, tons (so far it's looking to be almost 10,000 words) of Blevi oneshots and then in another special, focus more on Aisling, Bláithín's mother and Bláithín's childhood. If that Blevi-centric chapter sounds like something you're interested in, let me know or even request moments you'd like to see! If not, I could always fluff it out with more chapters but they would be plotless, solely dedicated to Blevi. Nothing can kick off plot-wise until the battle of Trost!

I would love to hear some feedback as always.