CHAPTER TWELVE
Eren couldn't stop smiling as he bounced down the stairs and to the kitchen. It was empty since lunch wouldn't take place for another two hours. He searched for tea bags and the kettle, but didn't find neither of it. Maria preferred the surfaces free from kitchen appliances when nobody worked in here, so she always put them back in the base cabinets. And since the kitchen was spacious, there were a lot of them. As if she had foreseen that Eren was about to fetch her, she entered the room.
"Sir Eren, I wasn't expecting you in here. How are you feeling? Armin informed everybody about what happened yesterday, but there are still things that had been left unclear."
Eren didn't want to be mean, but he wanted to hurry back to Levi before he would change his mind.
"I'm sorry, Maria, but I don't think I know any more than Armin does. Besides that, I'm feeling good. I wanted to prepare some tea, but I can't find a single thing I need."
Maria walked up to Eren and bent down to reach inside a cabinet a few feet away from him. She took out the kettle, a teapot and some other things, and placed them on the counter.
"Must be the first time I see you craving for some tea, Sir Eren. What kind of flavour do you prefer?"
Eren didn't know. What kind of tea did Levi favor? He totally forgot to ask him.
"What tea do you usually make Levi?" Although he was sure, this had caught Maria's attention, she didn't show it. It wasn't in her nature to but in on other people's personal lives unless they asked her for advice. Eren always appreciated it. "Sir Levi has mostly asked for jasmine tea. Do you want me to prepare some for you?"
"No, I'd actually like you to show me how it's done."
"Very well. You should always use freshly drawn, cold water to prepare tea. Purified and spring water are best because they are relatively free from pollutants and other substances that can alter the tea's taste. It's also preferable for the water to have some natural minerals content, as they enhance the tea's flavour. The water I'm using is packed in glass bottles, and stands under the sink." She gestured for Eren to get one.
"Never use pre-heated water because it has most likely been overheated. Thereby it's losing oxygen while picking up harmful substances from the packaging. The water should be heated gently until a steady stream of air bubbles rise to the surface. At this point, the water's sufficiently heated and also has a preferable level of oxygen."
Eren was surprised that there was so much to know about something as simple as water. Good thing he hadn't just thrown some boiling water from the sink into the pot with a bag of tea, because Maria didn't stop there with her explanations.
"Temperature is also critical in making good tea. You can't just use boiling water on any kind of tea. In fact, each variety of tea needs to be prepared at a different range of temperature. Because of its more delicate processing, green tea often needs a cooler temperature to bring out the right flavour while black tea, which has been fully oxidized, needs much hotter water to bring out its characteristic baked sweetness. So, for jasmine tea as a green tea the water should be about 160 to 180 degrees. It's best to use a thermometer." She handed one over to him.
"Now, pour some of the hot water into the teapot as well as the teacups, and then pour it off. By warming the cups, the water temperature will be more consistent. You also should use loose-leaf tea. Tea bags contain broken leaves and leaf parts such as dust and fanning, which compromise the tea's essential oil content and fragrance. Broken leaves also release an overabundance of tannins, which increase bitterness and astringency. These are especially important considerations when brewing jasmine tea. Since it's flavour is light, the aroma is key and the green tea base makes it easy to brew a bitter cup. Loose-leaf tea minimizes these issues. Without the constraints of a bag, the leaves can expand in the hot water, making for a more robust taste and more even flavour diffusion."
Eren started to wonder. "Say, Maria, do you know all this because you like a good cup of tea yourself or is it because you're just one hell of a maid?"
Maria looked at him with a gentle smile on her face. "When making tea, Sir Eren, one should not be distracted. So, in terms of proportion, the ideal balance is about one teaspoon of loose-leaf jasmine tea per six ounces of water. Depending on the quality and intensity of the leaf and your own taste, you might experiment with a smaller or more heaping teaspoon. You should always keep in mind that bitterness often results from too much leaf. Whether steeped as an individual cup or by the pot, jasmine tea tastes best at about two to four minutes of steep time. But that is also a matter of preferences of flavour and aroma intensity. For Sir Levi, I always let it steep for about two and a half minutes."
Eren followed Maria's instructions, soaking the information in like a dry sponge.
If I learn to do this right without any help, Levi might ask me in the future to make him tea .
Maria placed everything on a tray and Eren thanked her before rushing back up to the first floor. When he re-entered Levi's bedroom, Levi was sitting cross-legged on his bed. But it was obvious that he hadn't stayed there the whole time. The bandages he'd been laying upon were gone, his hair was wet, and he had changed into a pair of loose pyjamas pants and a black muscle shirt. Eren didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed that Levi wasn't topless anymore, but maybe it was for the better. He approached the bed and placed the tray on the nightstand.
"So, you already showered. Isn't it a bit too early since your surgery was only yesterday?"
"What, are you mad about not having to rub me down with a towel anymore?" Levi asked with a straight face. Eren got a feeling that he was joking, but since this man never laughed or smiled, it was hard to tell.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I wasn't sure if it was more bearable for you to be stained with all this mess or touched by me, but I assumed the latter. Guess, I was wrong after all."
Levi probably saw through his little attempt to find out how much he really didn't like the idea of Eren touching him. In any case, instead of answering, he took the teacup Eren had filled and had a sip. He gazed into the cup and back to Eren. "Did you brew it yourself?"
Eren grinned sheepishly. "Sure did. Maria taught me how to do it, though. To be honest, it was my first time making tea. I've never been into drinking it myself. Do you like it?"
Levi took another sip, and Eren noticed that he held his cup in a kind of strange way. Instead of taking the cup by its handle, he had grabbed it's rim with all five fingers of his right hand and placed the side between index finger and thumb to his lips.
"Why are you holding it like that?" Eren asked bluntly.
Levi lowered the cup and closed his eyes. "The first time I drank tea, the handle broke. The cup fell on the floor and the tea was spilled everywhere. It was such a waste."
"I'm sorry to... hear that?" Eren tilted his head. "Anyway, didn't the patch I put on you earlier get wet when you showered? Hange's assistant told me to keep it dry at all times, so perhaps I should change it again?"
Eren glanced at the man on the bed, trying to keep his face as emotionless as possible. He didn't want to give him the impression of being desperate to touch him, even if it was partly true. He rather wanted to use every opportunity to make himself useful to Levi without looking like a lovesick puppy hungry for physical contact.
"What makes you think that I'm not capable of changing it myself?" Oh man, he's not going to make this easy for me.
"You sure are, but since the hole's mere inches under your armpit and thus blocked from your view, it'd be a hassle. At least without a mirror. I thought it'd be faster if I did it," Eren shrugged his shoulders, trying to look indifferent.
After a few seconds without neither of them saying a word, Levi spoke up again: "Why aren't you drinking your tea?"
Eren gazed into the empty teacup. "Well, as I said, I'm not that much into drinking tea."
Levi looked at him sceptically. "Then why did you bring a second cup?"
Maria let him warm a second one and place it on the tray, probably assuming that Eren would also drink some. Well, that was what he had told her. It was easier than explaining that he wanted to prepare tea just for Levi. "I don't know, I haven't thought about it."
"Try it."
Eren turned back to Levi, who had closed his eyes again. "Why?"
"Since you're so certain that you'll dislike it, I bet you were merely a brat when you had some the last time. Or maybe it was brewed by some clown who doesn't make it the way Maria does."
"Maria had always been the one preparing our meals since I was born."
"And your taste has matured since then. That's why kids hate the smell of alcohol or burning cigarettes, while teenagers would stuff their faces with that shit if they can afford it. You gotta give things another chance, and see if you change your mind about them."
Who would've guessed that he can be philosophical.
Eren didn't see any harm in trying it again, so he poured himself a cup. He thought about holding it in the same way as Levi, but rejected it the next instant. Instead he took the cup in both of his hands. The porcelain's warmth was pleasant against his palms and spread along his forearms, giving him goosebumps. He brought the cup to his lips, and the powerful scent of jasmine petals filled his nostrils, calming his nerves. When he took a sip, his eyes widened at the light and delicate taste that slid down his throat and the heat that spread through his entire body, leaving a cozy feeling and warming him from the inside.
"Wow, last time I couldn't make out the taste at all, it was just warm water with some faint scent to me."
"And now?" Levi asked, looking pleased.
"It's sweet, but subtle. And I really can make out the jasmine flavour."
"Good. Now go get a second patch and change the wet one."
Uh… okay. Wait, what?
Was Levi rewarding him for valuing the tea? If he was, he knew exactly what was going on in Eren's mind. Okay, so there is no point in trying to act apathetic.
"I'll be right back."
Eren snatched the bowl, he had used before, and went to the bathroom to fill it up once more. He also collected a second patch as well as the ointment. When he returned shortly after, he realized that this time would be different from before. Levi was awake and Eren knew it. He was about to touch him without any shields left. So he had to be cautious about where his eyes wander off to than last time when he removed the surgical dressing.
Okay, you can do it. Just don't think about how good he looks in that damn shirt. He's still wounded. Focus on being helpful instead of being a burden!
He stopped in front of the bed, unsure about how to proceed. Levi obviously noticed his hesitation as he let go of a slightly unnerved sigh, but otherwise he said nothing about it. He slipped his left arm out of his top, lifted its hem on his shoulder and laid down on his right side to face the window.
That's good, so there won't be any eye contact.
Eren sat down on the mattress next to Levi and focused on the task at hand. His fingers trembled as he carefully peeled off the still damp patch of the skin without pulling too hard and hurting the raw wound underneath it. Once he was done, he ripped open one pack of medical clothes and dipped them into the clean water. When he grazed the scarred skin, Levi didn't even flinch.
"Doesn't it hurt?" Eren asked absently.
"I've had worse, I'm used to it," the raven stated nonchalantly. Eren couldn't see his face, but wondered if he meant pain in general. The thought saddened him, but Levi pulled him out of it immediately.
"Oi, brat. No need to cry again."
"I'm not!" Eren said a little too loud. How come that I'm like an open book to this man? Despite coming off cold, he seems to have a keen sense of what goes on in other people's heads. Well, at least of what goes on in my head.
Eren still wiped Levi's wounded flesh when he decided to ask him directly. "Say, how are you doing that? You always seem to notice right away when something's on my mind. Back then when we sat together at the table on Mikasa's birthday, for example. Can you read minds or something like that?" he joked.
"Don't be ridiculous." Levi paused. "I'm just good at reading people."
"Is that the reason you're always pissed at everyone around you? Because you can read people's minds? I can just imagine what those who usually keep you company think of throughout the day," Eren continued, but earnestly hoped, he hadn't put his finger on the right spot.
Levi turned his face to Eren, looking gloomy. "Aren't you listening, you shitty brat? Besides, back there in the dining room you were more or less openly staring at me and stiff like someone had rammed a stick up your arse. Wasn't that hard to make a guess."
Eren blushed when he thought of what had caused his behaviour back then. To keep his mind clear he stopped cleaning Levi's wound and continued with putting on a new patch. He opened its package, put on the ointment first and neatly placed it on his side. Eren wondered if it was normal for these kind of injuries to heal this fast. He suspected, it wasn't.
He certainly is different from everyone else I've ever met. Those healing abilities are unnatural.
Eren was tempted to ask about that too, but he didn't want to give Levi the impression that he was into playing Twenty Questions. So he turned around, placed his feet back on the ground whilst still sitting on the edge of the bed, and said what had been on his mind ever since the accident.
"I'm sorry, Levi. For what happened to you yesterday. I didn't take this threatening thing serious, and because of my selfishness your got hurt. I should've listened to my dad and stayed at home. It's my fault."
The sheets rustled when Levi shifted on the bed, but Eren didn't have the heart to look at him. It was hard enough to know that he was responsible for the shit that had happened - he couldn't bear the condemning face Levi was most likely giving him right now, too. So he closed his eyes and hung his head in shame.
The mattress bounced and Eren guessed that Levi had gotten up. He heard footsteps rounding the bed and stopping a mere feet away from him.
"It wasn't," Levi stated calmly.
"Of course, it was! If I hadn't-"
"Listen, brat," Levi interrupted him. "Oi, look at me when I'm talking to you."
Eren lifted his head, and was confronted by a pair of stern looking grey eyes. "The man who shot me didn't had anything to do with my current job. He wasn't after me because I'm protecting you and your sister."
"Then why did he shoot you?"
"I killed his brother eight months ago. Took him long enough to find me though."
Eren gulped.
Did his ears trick him? Levi had killed someone?
But when he thought about it, Eren had known from the second they had met that Levi was the kind of guy who could easily kill someone. His assumption had been confirmed when he saw Levi knock out the thieves yesterday. But if that was true, then Eren was sitting on the bed… of a killer. And moreover, he was attracted to such a person. While this realisation sank through the layers of his mind, a knot formed in his stomach. "Why?"
"How the fuck should I know, maybe his sources were lacking or something."
What? How is that an answer? Oh! "No, I mean, why did you kill his brother? Did he attack you first?"Please, say yes.
"No. He was hired by a competing company and killed one of Erwin's contractors. He made us lose a valuable companion, so he had to pay for our loss."
It was just business to him?
Eren knew that these kind of things happened all the time on the darker side of the global market. But he didn't want to believe that Levi was one of them; those who value money over lives. An image of his mother crossed his mind. "So, you aren't just a bodyguard."
"I'm a hitman, brat."
Dear Lord. "Then, what are you doing here? This doesn't seem like a job for someone of… your calibre." He couldn't help but sound a bit condemning.
Levi's derogatory look didn't go unnoticed.
"You're right, it isn't. But your father and Erwin insisted on me taking the job."
There has to be someone up there mocking me. Not only did he recently figure out that he was into guys, but he also felt attracted to someone his dad had hired and who in fact was a contract killer. Jesus, that's a lot to drop on someone all at once.
Some time passed without neither of them saying a word. Eren was once again lost in his mind and started to lose focus. But this time, Levi didn't let him.
"You still want me to teach you combat?"
Eren raised his head with a clearly written 'huh?' on his face.
"Meet me in the basement tomorrow morning. And take a shower beforehand. I don't want you to reek of sweat before we even get started."
"But you said that there's no point in me learning it? Also, I have lessons to take in the morning."
"Okay, then we're doing it in the afternoon, two p.m. Now get out of my room. There are things I have to take care of."
Eren sat up, still confused about Levi's sudden change of mind. As well as about everything else he had just heard. He walked out and went to the next door. There were so many things on his mind and he felt overwhelmed by them. In his room, he looked around, trying to find something to distract himself with. But failed. He went into his studio and sat down next to his guitar. While eyeing it from top to bottom, his mind still spun in circles.
He felt like something was nagging on his mind. Something he didn't quite remember, like a silhouette of a blurry memory. But no matter how much he concentrated, the image in his head wasn't getting any clearer. What should he do now? He didn't know what to think of the man next door. Was he still the same person he started to admire or did the fact that he was working as a contract killer change everything? On the other hand… what did he think Levi would do to the mysterious man, he and his dad were after? When he thought about it, it had been pretty obvious what Levi was with them for. So where was the big difference between Levi killing someone to protect him or his sister and Levi who killed a man eight months ago? Oh god, did he kill the one on the roof that shot him, too? Did he even get him?.
Eren continued to perforate his mind with question after question, sitting there for an hour or more; he wasn't sure. But somewhere in-between, he had gotten certain that he wouldn't get the answers he was looking for that way. And that nothing within the four walls of his room would be able to distract him, either. So he decided to visit Armin and play the game his grandfather had sent him.
Levi changed into a pair of slacks and a button-up shirt. He dialed Erwin's number before going to go see Mr. Yeager.
The telephone ringed before he heard a deep voice answering his call. "Levi, how are you doing?"
"Fine. Hange did a good job as always. The wound's already closing. Did you figure out if the bastard was hired by someone?" Levi laid his fingertips on top of the patch underneath his shirt and poked it. It still stung, but that was to be expected.
"It seems like he acted on a purely personal grudge. No one behind the curtains. The guys picked him up right away as well as the other ones you had beaten to pulps. There aren't any records to get rid of."
That was a relief. "Good. Anything new about the target?"
"He isn't in England anymore. He took a plane to Italy this morning."
"Italy?"
"Yes, one of my men is on his heels, but we don't know his destination yet."
"Alright, keep me posted."
"Of course."
Levi hung up, and was about to make his way up to Mr. Yeager's office when the brat's disappointed face, he had made after hearing that he wasn't a mere bodyguard, crossed his mind again.
Stupid shit. Who does he think he is to judge me. I knew he was just some superficial little turd.
But that was only partly true. If he was convinced that the kid was one of those who are only up for looks and a bad boy attitude then there was no reason for Levi to spend more time with him. For example during training sessions to show him how to defend himself properly.
What did he think I would do to the man who threatens his sister when I get my hands on him? Kindly ask him to stop? Of course I'm here to kill him, that should've been obvious even to a naïve brat like him.
He realized that he was getting angry with the kid. And that could only mean that he had hoped he wasn't one of the many flat personalities he had met. But what made him hope – no, not hope, definitely not hope – think that he would be any different?
It's those eyes. Someone who harbors such deep emotions in their eyes shouldn't have a shallow personality. I don't even need to catch his scent to know what's going on inside him. It all reflects in those huge green orbs.
It was a welcomed change from all those shady characters that tried to hide their true intentions. Not that it made much of a difference to Levi. He detected them by their smell anyway. Well, what they felt, at least.
Ultimately, nothing had really changed. He was still here to complete his job when the cocksucker would show up, and while waiting, he was left with nothing to do. And that's why he could kill some time by showing the brat how to fight. He knew the basics as far as Levi could tell after seeing how he had fought with the handbag thieves. And Levi owned Eren one for keeping his room clean while he wasn't able to do so himself. Or at least, he had tried to.
By tomorrow his lung should've healed completely. Although he sincerely doubted that the brat could cause serious damage even if he wasn't in top form.
Either way, he had to go now. Levi cleared his mind and left his room, heading to Mr. Yeager's office. He had to tell him about yesterday as well as inform him that their target had moved further away from them.
As he stepped into the hallway, he felt a familiar ripping inside his chest.
"Just when you think you'd get a break," he muttered under his breath. He had just taken care of it. Fucking blood loss.