Chapter 9
Not a day went by that did not entail hours upon hours of nauseating vomiting. Rui spent each morning laying in the grass, trying to let the sun and breeze ease her stomach. This was getting dangerous. She hadn't managed to hold anything down for the entire day. Levi had been busy pulling weeds in the garden, so she hadn't told him. But when he realized that she had not only failed to make breakfast but lunch as well, he was going to notice. She stood up, feeling dizzy and sick, again.
Her feet dragged her back to the house where Levi had already begun making eggs.
"You don't have to do that," she mumbled, the smell of food making her stomach groan. Why was this so terrible? Normally her nauseousness only lasted a few hours, tops. Now it had been all morning.
"What's wrong with you? You look pale as a ghost," he commented, plating the small meal. He wasn't the best cook, but eggs were easy. He moved past her, setting them down on the kitchen table. The tiny kitchen was, in Rui's opinion, positively adorable. No house she'd ever been to had been even remotely like it. A small trough for water sat next to the stove which ran on gas. A fire oven was bricked into the wall for bread and a small table was built into the corner just next to a perfectly placed window to enjoy the morning sunshine with early tea. The hardwood floor creaked quietly as he stepped up behind her, smoothing his hands over her belly. She didn't want to tell him not to, but for once, it wasn't a very pleasant feeling.
"How's my baby?" He breathed into her neck. In the last few days, Levi had switched from referring to the pregnancy as "the baby" to "my baby" and Rui didn't think anything could have been more attractive.
"Making me miserable today. I can't keep anything down. Not even a sip of water..." She admitted. Levi frowned. She knew he wouldn't take that well. But it was true, regardless.
He held her forehead with his palm.
"You don't seem warm. Why don't you go lay down? Maybe you're overworking yourself," he suggested. Rui sighed. She hadn't done a bit of work all morning. She'd been too sick.
"But...I can't leave you to do everything by yourself..." She groaned. Levi's hands left her. He was getting irritated. It was amazing how quickly she could read him now, even without looking at him.
"It's not a request Rui. Go get some rest. I'll take care of everything today. There isn't all that much, anyway," he said, moving over to the kitchen table. She sighed, sitting next to him. She had to at least try and eat something. Though she hated the thought of throwing up eggs.
"I'm sure this will pass soon. I won't have to stop for very long," she said with barely there confidence. Levi didn't answer, resting his forehead on the palm of his hand, his fingers through his hair. He was worried. She hated when he worried because it was nearly identical to him being angry with her. There was nothing she hated more than knowing he was upset and that it was her fault.
They heard the Titan alarm go off and Levi stood, abandoning much of his meal.
"Please be careful," Rui said quietly, "there were two abnormals yesterday."
He leaned down to kiss her, stepping quickly out of the kitchen to gather his blades. It had been the first tiny moment that she hadn't felt sick.
He'd been gone longer than usual which violently turned Rui's stomach. Why was he late? He never spent this much time fighting. Did he need help?
She left the house, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked down the hill. A horse drawn wagon and three people were making their way up the hill. Rui felt her throat clench.
000
"Good morning Rui! Although it is very nearly noon," Zoe Hange smiled wide, moving a bit faster as she walked up the hill towards her. She widened her arms, enveloping her in a crushing embrace.
"You wouldn't believe how much trouble it is to find a farmhouse in the middle of the country with no directions and titans all around!" She laughed. Erwen was with her, walking next to Levi.
"This is a cute little house, Levi. I can see why you wanted to come back here," he smiled.
Rui was beyond excited. Having two people visit would be a breath of fresh air. Not only that, she could ask Hange a few questions. They each made their way into the house, Rui taking their jackets at the door. Levi crossed his arms as Zoe and Rui sat on the couch, exchanging pleasantries. He patted Erwen on the shoulder, leading him into the kitchen.
"Let's give them some space..." He said quietly. Erwen nodded, glancing back at the two women as they entered the kitchen.
"This is surprising, Levi. I never in my wildest dreams imagined you could be domesticated. But here you are...living in a farmhouse of all things with a pregnant woman. Probably getting served food and getting foot rubs every day," he joked. Levi took a sip of his tea from earlier. It had cooled off too much. He placed a kettle on the stove, lighting it.
"It's not like I had much of a choice. But I can't say it's been unpleasant. Honestly, I truly enjoy being here with her. But she's starting to worry me. I wish I knew more about what she's going through. She just keeps working even through the pregnancy. Today she hasn't been able to stomach anything. I'm not sure what to do..."
Erwen ran his fingers over the kitchen table. Spotless. He figured as much.
"Well, hopefully she will get through it without any problems. Who knows. But it's probably a good idea to keep her off her feet if possible. Then again, Zoe's the expert on these things. Not me."
"There's one other thing that's been bothering me," Levi said quietly, staring at the kettle. Erwen looked expectantly at him. "It's just...we're still having sex...pretty much every night."
"Congrats."
"Well, it's just that her belly has started to fill out slightly...like there's something there, no doubt. It's still pretty small, but it's there," he said. Erwen raised an eyebrow.
"Are you finding her less attractive because of it?"
"Pretty much the opposite, but that's not my problem. Am I...touching it? Like as it gets bigger, am I...I mean I'm like, inside her so...you know what I mean?"
Erwen's eyes became large. He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
"I...haven't ever had a pregnant woman myself, so I can't really say from experience but...I've never actually thought of that before," he said into his palm. Levi picked up the kettle, pouring hot water into his teacup.
"What if it gets bigger and grabs me or something? That creeps me out. But what if I'm too hard on her? Am I shaking the baby inside her?" He asked, almost too calmly. Erwen began to feel uncomfortable. Suddenly, belly laughter was heard from the doorway. They both looked to see the two women standing next to each other. Rui's face was a thousand shades of red.
"Levi...I can't believe you just shared that with him..." Rui mumbled. How mortifying. She knew men talked about sex, but what a strange conversation. Hange held her sides, unable to stop her giggles.
"Oh, jeeze, you're so clueless it's actually funny. No, you're not hurting or touching the baby by being intimate. There's plenty in the way, that baby will never feel you. Also, it's surrounded by water, so you can't shake it like that. Don't worry," she laughed. Levi narrowed his eyes. He'd never been used to someone poking fun at him. But in this instance, he supposed it was warranted.
"Well, I didn't know," he grumbled.
000
The two scouts had actually come with more weapons and information. Hange had done some digging to find out what the Military Police knew about them.
"You left a trail of bodies, so I'm afraid they know you're over the wall. Most of them are too afraid to follow you out here. I'm nervous for when they do finally find you," Zoe said, taking a sip of tea. Levi sat next to Rui, but he seemed distant. It was hard, not being constantly touched by him whenever they were in the same room. But people were here, so she would have to deal with it.
"If they come out here, they won't get back to the wall alive," he threatened, sipping his tea as well.
"I wonder, just how many people are you two prepared to kill over this?" Erwen asked, looking to Rui. She felt suddenly saddened.
"As many as they're dumb enough to send," Levi answered. Rui felt like crying. She wasn't completely sure why. She needed him to hold her. She hated this. Why was she getting so emotional? She lowered her head, feeling herself start to well with tears.
A warm hand settled on her knee. Surprised, she looked at it resting so naturally on her, squeezing ever so gently. He knew. He must know she was feeling emotional or why would he do it?
"Well, it's getting dark, titans should be all calm by now. We have to get back, but we'll try to visit now and again. Rui, there's a lemon tree on this property, isn't there? Squeeze a little in your water and it should help keep it down. Even if it's just a tiny sip every hour, you need to drink. We'll see you soon."
000
Rui waved as they left, taking their cart of empty tanks and blunt blades with them. Rui had been worried they would have to go into the city themselves to get new supplies, so this was a nice surprise.
Levi stretched the freshly cleaned sheets over their bed. Rui loved when the sheets were cleaned because Levi always slept better on clean sheets. He also usually held her longer and was all around in a better mood.
"That was nice of them to come here, especially considering how dangerous it was. I hope they come back again soon," she said softly. Levi stayed quiet, flattening the blankets as she replaced the pillow cases.
"Rui...why were you sad earlier? Did something upset you?" He asked, not meeting her eyes. Rui had thought he noticed.
"I don't know. I guess all this time with you to myself...it was almost lonely not being able to just kiss you or lay with you if I wanted. I kinda missed you," she sniffed, feeling emotional again.
"Rui...I was right next to you," he said, looking at her with confusion. Tears filled her eyes.
"I know..." She choked. Levi blinked.
"Now you're crying? What did I say?" He asked. Rui dropped her face into her hands.
"Nothing! I don't know!" She sobbed into her palms. Levi sighed, scooting over to her on the bed. He removed her hands and gave her a thin cloth.
"Wipe your face and blow your nose, do not get snot on me," he ordered. Rui did as she was told, holding the cloth in her hands.
"Get...rid of it," he said in irritation. She dropped it into the nightstand as he pulled her into him, tasting her. She clung to his neck feverishly, combing her fingers through his hair and pulling slightly. She felt her back hit the bed, his heavy body on top of her. His lips and teeth traveled down her jaw and neck, his skilled fingers plucking away each of her buttons. His mouth gave her chest gentle attention, her soreness being tenderly worked out.
"Levi..." She sighed. He was being so thorough. His fingers slid up her sides, his kisses lowering to her belly. Rui opened her eyes. He stopped, laying still with his ear against her lower torso. She smiled, brushing her fingers into his hair. She couldn't tell if he'd fallen asleep, but he remained still for a long time, resting against her.