Warmth
Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin
Ghost Girl: Levi and Petra cuddling for warmth during a storm on an expedition.
Icy wind bit his skin viciously, leaving behind a stinging sensation.
If only they could utilize their gear, put their muscles to work and generate some heat. Seeing his breath in a frosty white mist only made Levi feel colder. Unfortunately, wintertime meant the sun set early.
The soldiers couldn't use their gear in this wind and it was only picking up. The gales were strong enough to make flying very difficult. It would take a lot of skill for the Scouts to make use of their gear in that weather. But Levi highly doubted most had such skill. He scowled, imagining a bloody and violent crash into a brick building. What a waste.
Oddly enough, they didn't encounter as many Titans. He contributed it to the angry, dark-gray clouds overhead. Seems even they're sick shit of this weather.
But it would be so wonderful if the Titans decided winter was too much of a hassle and went into hibernation for a couple of months. Levi snorted to himself. As if they would ever be so lucky. A shout pulled him from his thoughts.
About time, he thought, when the order to retreat went out. The mission hadn't been a total bust. They hadn't managed to regain as many supplies as they would have liked. However, they had managed to avoid a thirty percent mortality for once because the lumbering giants were few and far between.
That, naturally, was when a 15-meter decided to show its ugly mug. An irritated expression covered his face. You have got to be fucking kidding me. A panicked scream pulled his squad's attention. Why couldn't the damn thing have just called it a day like most of its kind seemed to have? Internally, Levi cursed. "Petra, with me."
Erd had fallen very ill and hadn't made it to the expedition. Meanwhile, Oluo's gear had malfunctioned but Gunther had managed to grab him just in time, keeping him from meeting the ground face first, resulting in both being injured and riding in the medical cart.
Petra slashed the Titan's arm muscles, forcing it to release the captured soldier and preventing it from grabbing Levi, making for an easy kill.
They dropped near the young man and raced toward him. He was screaming, white bone sticking out of his leg from a bad landing, the right side of his body wrecked from the Titan's grip.
Petra knelt beside the blond-haired man. "What do we do, Captain?"
Thunder rolled in the distance.
A nervous, sick feeling bubbled in Levi's stomach. The ground shook. A quick scope above the rooftops confirmed his suspicions. He ripped off his cloak and let it fly away, ordering Petra to do the same. It would only be a hassle if they were driven into a corner and forced to use their gear. Plus the green cloth gave the Titans something to grab, whipping around in the wind. Not to mention Levi was annoyed by constantly getting smacked in the face by his cloak.
He quickly assessed the situation and reached an unpleasant conclusion. The soldier continued to beg them for help while Levi checked the status of the Titans again and Petra watched the injured Scout sob uncontrollably in sadness and pain. Before Levi could react, she took out a small knife and slid it into the man's throat in one swift move.
"Let's go," he told her.
The sky opened up above them and began to soak everything beneath it.
Lightning cracked, illuminating the 10-meter that had just turned the corner, making it even more grotesque-looking and terrifying. Levi ran toward Petra and pulled her to her horse. His had run off somewhere, scared by the lightning.
As soon as her arms were secured around him, he tugged at the reins. The horse raced away. Another Titan came from the direction they were supposed to turn, forcing them to move further away from the main host of the Survey Corps.
The streets were a maze. He didn't care which way they were going as long as they didn't run into a giant, man-eating mass with a creepy face. The one good benefit of the cold showers was that they ruined the Titans' vision. That also went for the horse and the two humans she carried, unfortunately.
But they were smarter. Levi stopped the horse and dismounted quickly. As soon as he hit the ground, vibrations tickled his feet. "There's no time, there're Titans close by," Levi yelled to be heard over the storm, leaning close to her pale face, amber eyes wide and locked on him. He led her into the first house and locked the door. Not that it would do any good against a Titan but the act brought him a measure of comfort.
Petra went to the window and watched her horse dash away. "I hope she'll be okay."
"Pull all the curtains."
The curtains were all closed by the time the vibrations came from the thunderous steps right outside. The two stood in the middle of the house, tensed. Levi was very conscious of his heart galloping.
Eventually, the footsteps faded and they relaxed.
Levi looked up when Petra returned from the bedroom, dry and wrapped in a small blanket She quietly joined him on the mattress he had placed in a corner of the living room floor. "Better than sitting on the ground," he had said when he'd grabbed it along with a gray bathrobe before leaving her to change in private.
Petra could still see her breath. Without a fire going, the house, while exponentially better than the mess outside, was still very cold. "They must've had a lot of time—the people who used to live here," she said. "They packed most of their clothes before they left." The spare bedroom was practically empty. Most likely a couple had lived in the house, she guessed, based on the large robe Levi was using as a make-shift blanket and a forgotten pair of earning on the dresser.
Levi nodded. Thunder roared outside. "Looks like it's gonna take a while for it to calm down."
"I hope everyone else made it back okay."
"They did." He told her about the green flares he had seen as he had looked around for Titians after they saving the man from being eaten. Only to have to give him mercy. Levi thought. "You okay?"
Petra stared forward with a distant look on her face. It quickly morphed into a resolved expression. "Yeah, yes," she said. "There was nothing we could do except give him a quick, painless death." No one wanted to be eaten alive.
"It was over before he knew it, you did the right thing."
They were silent after that.
It's fucking freezing. Levi couldn't feel his toes. At least we're dry. Petra had found small towels which they'd use to soak up the water. Unfortunately, the towels had been too wet afterward to be used as an extra layer against the biting cold.
Levi watched Petra carefully. Shivering, breathing faster than normal, not talking, and she had a tired look on her face. She hadn't grown up in the Underground like him and her tolerance for the cold wasn't as good as his. Despite the thicker material around her, she was freezing. They were safe, for now, so she shouldn't have looked so bad. He frowned. At least her lips hadn't turned blue. Eyes closed and head leaned back, he debated.
Even with the noises from the outside, he could still hear Petra. She hadn't complained. It's Petra. He finally made up his mind. "Hey," he called out softly. She didn't respond. "Petra," Levi spoke louder. This time she looked up. "Come here—wait, you're...you're not completely undressed under that, are you?"
She shook her head.
"Good." He released a white breath. "I'm cold, but you're freezing." He faltered, not quite knowing how to word his sentence without ordering her to join him and offending her modesty. Of all people, she at least deserved some consideration before he spoke. "If you want, you can...we can..." How to say "huddle for warmth" without actually saying it?
"Cuddle?"
"That's worse than how I was going to put it." But he was glad she had said it. "And yes."
Petra stood up on shaky knees. Levi opened up the blanket-like robe—likely belonging to a very large man. She immediately sat between his legs. He almost let out a yelp. She was like a moving statue made of ice. "Wait," he stopped her from wrapping up the blanket.
Levi ignored the childish feeling he got with the sleeves of the robe hanging from his arms. He pulled up the sleeves, freeing his hands to tighten the gray robe around the two of them. Her sports bra still wet but between their body heat it would dry up soon enough. Next, he carefully tucked the blanket over them before pulling the sleeves down again and pulled his arms inside, wrapping them around the shivering woman sitting between his legs.
"...then I got caught and my dad was so mad." Petra laughed as she finished the story. "I wasn't allowed to leave the house for weeks except to go to school."
"I never pegged you as a troublemaker."
"I was a kid." She shrugged. "That's practically synonymous with troublemaker. What about you, Captain?"
Levi leaned his head back. He hadn't wanted her to fall asleep. So he'd asked her to tell him stories from before she joined the military to keep her mind off the cold. He debated whether he wanted to share.
"For a time, I used to share an apartment with two friends. One had a habit of bringing injured animals home. She let a fat rat loose in the apartment once and we ended up turning everything upside down trying to catch that little shit." He could swear the bastard had glared at him when he had thrown it out the door, ignoring Isabel's protests. "The other idiot snored loud enough to wake the dead."
Petra didn't want to pry. He had never mentioned the two before. But she was curious. "Do you ever miss them?"
"Yeah."
"The storm's starting to calm down."
Levi looked at the window before remembering it was covered. The noises outside had decreased in volume. "It's still raining, but the wind has died down a lot."
They were quiet now, warmed by their combined body heat. Color had returned to her cheeks and her breathing evened. Petra's knees were drawn up, shoulders hunched, becoming smaller, letting Levi's body surround her. She felt his heart beating against his chest. Without meaning to, she dozed off, warm and comfortable.
Levi stroked the side of her neck and her shoulder. He stopped immediately when he broke out of his thoughts, realizing what he was doing. Outside, it was quiet. No wind, no rain, no vibrations. It was time. If they waited too long it would be nightfall and they'd be stuck spending the night outside Wall Rose.
He was reluctant to leave their cocoon, though. I'm just tired. A bed would be better. And with a hot meal, too. His stomach agreed. Levi shook her gently. "Petra, wake up, we have to go."
Her eyes fluttered open. Petra straightened. She couldn't move too much in their little cocoon. "Did I fall asleep? Sorry, Captain." She moved the hair out of her face.
"Don't worry about it."
The redhead yawned. "I just wanna go back to sleep."
"You can when we get back."
With a sigh, she pulled away.
They're still wet. In the bedroom, she wrinkled her nose as she dropped the blanket and pulled her wet clothes back on, followed by her gear. After she was done, she spent another minute there, giving Levi more time to get dressed, rubbing her face to get rid of the last bit of sleepiness.
"Let's hurry," Levi said, scowling at his clothes.
Quietly and cautiously they exited the house. Night was almost upon them. The clouds had cleared away, revealing the sun somewhat. Once on the roof, Petra stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. They were ready to take off if a Titan were to appear. But they wouldn't be able to make it to the Wall before the sun set.
Luck was on their side when Petra's horse came racing back.
Later that night, Levi lay in the warmth of his bed, one arm below his head and the other one resting on his stomach. He closed his eyes, trying to sleep, recalling the feeling of a body pressed against his. He turned to his side, yanking the sheets up in irritation. He could still feel the softness and comfort of her body. A sigh escaped his lips. It had only taken one time, less than an hour, for sleeping alone to be ruined for him.
He exhaled sharply, annoyed. Now Levi intimately knew what it felt like, the warmth and comfort of having Petra in his arms. She had, unintentionally, given him something to miss.
Sleeping felt lonely and cold now.
Please Review~