Supposed to be Enemies

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Summary: Rivetra Week 2014 Prompt Day 6

Thick flurries of snow came down gently, sticking to the already foot deep snow. His toes in the brown military boots were numb from the cold, despite the double layer of socks. Levi had tucked the lower half of his face into his long, tan coat. He stumbled through the forest, using his rifle more as a walking stick than a weapon after he'd had a couple of near slips. Countless bodies lay around him. Some were face down, some face up, some were whole, some missing a limb or two, but they were all lifeless with their faces twisted in shock or horror or pain.

Levi didn't know how long he had been stumbling through the forest. Much to his relief, the frigid temperate kept the bodies from stinking and decaying. It was perhaps another half an hour of mindless moving, putting one foot in front of the other when he fell and couldn't pick himself up this time.

He dragged himself to the base of a rather thick tree, removing his backpack, and sat with his legs stretched out before him, huffing out white air.

It was so quiet.

So still.

The snow seemed to absorb every sound of the forest, the animals having either migrated south for the winter or in hibernation.

Sleeping sounds nice, Levi thought tiredly, eyes heavy. Ever since joining the army, he'd rarely had a moment of peace and privacy.

At first, he thought it was his imagination. Then he realized he really was hearing footsteps. Slow and heavy. A figure materialized a few yards in front of him. Gray uniform. No wonder he hadn't seen the person until now. Levi was surprised at the lack of terror. An enemy combatant was approaching him, rifle in hands. He had no bullets left for his own weapon. There was the knife tucked in his boot, but he was far too cold to stand much less fight.

"If you're gonna kill me, just shoot me already." Levi's voice came out flat. Either the Marleyan would kill him or the weather would. He could tell there was a blizzard coming and the closest place he could find shelter was a small town over eighty miles due east.

Instead of shooting him, the Marleyan tossed the rifle aside and pulled off the hood and the lowered the scarf. She looked as exhausted as he felt. "Mind if I join you?"

For a moment, he didn't know what to make of the request. Then he answered with a shrug, realizing she was in the same situation as him. Dying sucked. Dying all alone and cold sucked even more. The blizzard would kill her just the same in an hour or so, regardless if the flag stitched on her left shoulder was different than his own.

"I'm Petra," she introduced herself, sitting beside him.

An old instinct kicked in, not wanting to tell the enemy his name lest she use it someway to hurt him. But he shook it off. "Levi," he told her. Petra nodded, pushing some of her chin-length hair behind her ear, the red-orange color stunning in the white around them.

"I have something," Petra muttered, rummaging through her pack. "Ah! Here it is." She held up a silver flask triumphantly.

Again, an old instinct flared and his mind jumped to poison. But what good was poisoning him going to do? He was already a dead man. And so was she. Death was the great equalizer, in the face of which the previously oh so important cultural, ideological, and nationality differences were rendered worthless.

After fumbling to open the flask, she took a few swallows of the alcohol, making a face at the taste before passing it to him. The liquid burned his throat, but he felt some heat seep into his face within seconds. "I'll admit," he said, "this is some good, strong shit." She smiled, and it transformed her whole face from cute to beautiful. He sifted through his pack and pulled out a chocolate bar, snapping it in half.

Her reaction was oddly satisfying. "You have chocolate?" Petra said, awed. She accepted half the bar. "Thanks."

Levi had never been much of a fan of the stuff. Now he was glad for the sweetness. He took another swig from the flask, popping a piece of the chocolate in his mouth, passing the booze back to her.

No words were exchanged as they waited for the inevitable, bodies shaking badly.

The blizzard began to turn ferocious.

Petra pulled up her hood and drew up her legs, leaning into him.

Levi felt as frozen as she looked and knew it was more out an emotional need for human comfort and shifted closer.

The wind whipped them fiercely and there was white everywhere. The trees, the bodies, the bushes, they were all almost completely hidden by the beautiful, chilly white fluff. He couldn't feel his face but his body ached deeply. The icy wind knocked Petra's hood off. Her eyes were closed, frost covering her pretty lashes and the clear, smooth skin of her face. She had stopped trembling a few minutes ago. He pulled the hood back on, resting his head on hers.

Levi closed his eyes. Even if they were supposed to be enemies, he was glad the last thing he would remember seeing before leaving this hideous world was something beautiful.

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