I'm so sorry guys. When I say it's been one hell of a week it was one hell of a week. I know technically fanfic has this down as chapter 12 but due to my addition of chapter 8.5 everything is a little off. Lol I sure do know how to do the most. Also part 1 of my reply to the guest reviewer: Sorry I didn't immediately put your comment through because I didn't want anything too personal to be posted for the public to see. But thank you again for all your feedback and I'm sorry you're going through a rough patch and even more sorry about your nephews bunny! I've been struggling with some personal issues myself. Part 2 of my reply will be at the end. Enjoy!
"Commander Nile Dok, this is my daughter, Ina." Levi barely acknowledges the raised eyebrows. Who gives a shit right about now?
"Ina already knows who you are."
The child with the hood of the cloak covering her face nods. Both commanders can see her trembling from where they sit.
"Hello, Ina." Commander Dok starts.
"Address me, not her."
"Levi I think-" "Or she's leaving." Levi glares at Erwin, who eventually gives in. "Fair enough. We are asking a great deal of her. Commander, present the sketches."
Dok reaches under the table and the child across from him jumps. "No sudden movements." Levi says as he places a hand on the girl's shoulder to steady her. He leans down to whisper something in her ear and doesn't stand upright until she nods.
"Understood." Dok doesn't proceed until she seems calm. He present a large leather bound book and sets it on the table.
"These are sketches of all the Military Police within a 25 mile radius of where she was found." Dok says to Levi. "I know it's quite a bit to go through, so she should take all the time she needs. If at any time she'd like to stop, just tell her to push the book away."
Again, Levi whispers something in the child's ear. He grabs the book and pulls it forward. When Ina nods, Levi opens to the first page of sketches. They watch her head move as her eyes glance over and studies each face.
She shakes her head, so Levi turns the page.
Several minutes go by.
She scans the page, shakes her head, and Levi turns the page.
Ina has a violent reaction when the page is turned after nearly 10 minutes of silence. She jumps back, almost knocking her own chair over. Levi catches her as she tries to jump and run away. He turns away from the two commanders before kneeling on the ground with his little girl. He moves her hood from her face. Terrified brown eyes are staring at him.
She has her hand over her mouth.
"What's wrong?" Levi asks as he tries to gently pull her hand away from her mouth. She just shakes her head and resists.
"Do you want to stop now?"
Again, Ina just shakes her head.
"Ina, it's okay. You've already done so well."
The small child squeezes her eyes shut and moves her hand. Levi's heart skips a beat and he doesn't even have time to recover from the shock when he sees the blood pouring from her mouth.
He doesn't even take the cravat from his neck before pressing it to Ina's mouth to try and stem the flow of blood. Instead, just waits until he has it gently pressed against her mouth to remove it. In his own panicked state, it didn't even occur to Levi to pull out his handkerchief instead. He acted on instinct and grabbed the closest thing in reach.
Levi realizes immediately how little he cares about his personal effects. His daughter is standing in front of him with a mouthful of blood. She is his top priority. His cravat can be replaced, Ina cannot. If he loses her, there is no going back from that loss.
"Ina." Levi can't even describe how worried he is right now. He pulls the cravat away and tries to see where the blood is coming from. It's not a pretty sight. There is a clear indentation of teeth right at the tip of her tongue. Ina bit herself.
"We're done here." Levi doesn't even look at the two men who have been watching with intense worry clear in their eyes.
"She's done."
Ina grabs his hand and once again gives a shake of her head. He pulls the cravat away and realizes the bleeding has stopped. She looks into his eyes and silently pleads.
I can do this.
He squeezes her hand and kisses it.
"Will you be okay?" He whispers.
Ina nods.
"Let me know when you want to stop."
Just another nod and even a small smile.
He hands her his handkerchief (look at that alliteration though), telling her to use it if she needs to. Hopefully she won't. If she bites herself a second time, Levi doesn't care what the fuck she says. They're going to stop.
Levi replaces her hood and sits her back in the chair.
A tiny, shaky finger is pointing to a particular sketch. Levi takes a pen and circles it. He also makes a mental note in his mind. Remember their names. Remember their faces. A few more pages, and more start to pop up. The last few that Ina recognizes are all on the same page. The memories are overwhelming. After pointing one last soldier out, Ina pushes the book away and tries to get down down from her chair. She feels sick. Very sick. And she knows why.
She tries to make a break for the door, but falls to her knees. Levi is next to her in a flash.
"What's the matter?" His voice is still quiet, just for her ears.
Ina still can't speak. If she opens her mouth, she'll be sick. She has to go. Right now. Right now! She doesn't know how to tell Papa. Oh no. No! Not here! Not in front of the-
Ina vomits on the floor and passes out.
Both commanders rush to help but are abruptly stopped in their tracks.
"Don't fucking touch her." Levi shouts.
Erwin can hear the barely masked distress in Levi's voice.
"Levi, let us help." Dok makes the mistake of coming too close. Levi growls and lunges toward anyone or anything that might pose a threat to his little girl.
"Stay back." Erwin pulls Dok back with him.
"What if-" Dok starts but a look from Erwin stops him.
"Give him a moment."
Levi carries Ina to the infirmary. Ah dammit. Hange is doing experiments with Eren today. It would take too long to fetch her. The infirmary aides must be on break since there are no patients. What now? What's wrong with his baby?
"Levi." Commander Dok and Erwin must have been following close behind him. Levi hadn't even noticed.
"She's done. You've put her through enough."
"We're not here to ask more questions, I agree we've already asked too much of her. Levi," The MP commander places a cautious hand on Levi's shoulder. "I'm no doctor, but… From one parent to another, maybe I could be of some help?" He offers.
"Disturb her and I swear to fuck I'll rip you in half." Levi doesn't care if his threat doesn't make sense. If anyone hurts Ina they answer to him.
"Understood." He would probably say the same thing were this his daughter.
Commander Dok is gentle as he checks on Ina.
"I think she's fine." Dok turns back to look at Levi, who, try as he might, can't completely hide his worried expression. "There's no sign of fever and her breathing is nice and steady. She's resting now."
"How do you know she's fine?"
"She's under a lot of stress, most of it caused by myself I'm afraid. Kids get worked up in a hundred and one different ways. I'm sure she'll be alright after getting more rest."
Levi just nods.
"She's a very brave little girl. Tell her I said thanks for all of her help. And Levi," Dok smiles slightly. "Congratulations. I'm happy for you both."
He holds out his hand, and Levi surprisingly accepts it. "Thanks."
"One of these days you two will have to stop by. My daughter is around her age, maybe they could be friends."
Levi's only reply is a smirk. In truth, it's definitely something he would consider. Ina would have a place to stay during their missions and Levi knows she'd be safe in the capital with the commander's family.
"We'll be in the mess hall. When you get the chance Levi, send someone to let us know how she is." Erwin says before turning to leave with commander Dok.
"Sure."
Soon it's just Levi and Ina. He pulls a chair up to the side of her bed and takes a seat.
"I'm not putting you through that again." He brushes stray hairs from her forehead.
"Rest."
How do you like my present?
A bitch needs a proper muzzle after all.
Sneaking food again?
Such a greedy girl aren't you?
Make sure you get it all or I will.
Her stomach is aching when she finally wakes. She still feels incredibly sick. Ina opens her eyes to see Papa sitting next to her bed.
"Ina." Levi leans forward when he realizes she's awake. "How do you feel?"
That same feeling hits her again. Opening her mouth will only make a huge mess. Ina sits up quickly, perhaps too quickly.
"Ina?" Levi braces her as she appears to fall backwards just slightly.
She tries to fight the dizziness as she looks around. She's back in the infirmary. Okay so that means the bathroom is close. Ina places her hand over her mouth as the urge to throw up gets even stronger. She hops down from the bed and breaks out into a sprint towards the bathroom.
Levi follows after her, but slowly. She probably doesn't want to be coddled in her current state. It's one of the many ways she and him are similar. He waits patiently by the door of the restroom. Ina rinses her mouth thoroughly, using probably more of the mint water than necessary. But she had to. She had to get that awful taste out of her mouth. Papa is waiting outside. Ina walks right past him. She gets down on the floor and slides under the bed. It's not until she's curled up on her side that she allows herself to cry.
Levi walks over to the other side of the bed and crawls underneath, lying face to face with Ina. He says nothing, just rests a gentle hand on the side of her head, his thumb slowly stroking her temple as he tries to ease her discomfort.
"It's going to be okay." Levi whispers. "You're going to be okay."
Ina opens her eyes to finally look at Levi.
"I wasn't allowed to eat." She sounds exhausted.
"I snuck food once… I couldn't help it, I was so hungry." Levi despises the slight familiarity. "He hit me all over. He… Made me throw up all my food." Ina whimpers. "Every day after that… I had to throw up… Even if I hadn't eaten. Sometimes I couldn't and he'd… He'd get so angry."
She feels him hitting her tummy. She remembers him forcing her to shove her fingers down her throat. How awful it always felt.
Ina guards her stomach and groans in pain.
"It hurt, Papa." She whimpers.
Levi's expression remains the same, despite the rage growing in the pit of his stomach.
"I saw his face in that book and…. I just…" She whines and covers her face. "I felt him hitting me again."
"I'm right here, Ina." Levi whispers. "You're safe."
"Papa, did I scare you?" Ina asks.
"Of course not." Levi knows that is a lie. He was terrified today. More afraid than he's been in years.
"I'm sorry I ruined your clothes." Ina must be referring to his cravat. Wow, Levi had completely forgotten about it. Everything in his mind came second after Ina.
"Don't worry about that, Ina. It was just a piece of cloth. You're much more important."
"I… The first man I saw in the book. He used to…"
Levi wants her to stop. He can't stand to hear about all the many ways she was tortured. But he stays silent. It's better that she's talking and not withdrawing. If he asked her to stop, she would assume she was burdening him. And she isn't. Listening to her is far easier than living with the actual memory of this pain. Levi knows he should stop whining about his own comfort. It doesn't matter now that he has someone else to look after. Someone he considers far more important than himself.
"He used to say, 'A bitch needs a proper muzzle'." Levi actually can't help it when his jaw drops, but he quickly recovers. A. Fucking. Muzzle.
"It… Covered my whole face and made it hard to breathe. There was…a ball with... Sharp… things that he stuck in my mouth. He made me wear it all night. Every time I fell asleep the sharp things poked me and my tongue would start bleeding and I wasn't allowed to choke. Coughing made it hurt so much worse. He… He said it was punishment… because I talk too much. Papa… Do I talk too much."
"Not at all, Ina. I love the sound of your voice." Is his response. It's 100% true, with the exception of her cries of pain. Levi couldn't stand to hear that even before he knew her. He still can't tolerate it now.
"Sometimes when I get scared I… I bite my tongue on accident." Ina admits. "I can't help it, Papa. I don't like when it happens. I saw how scared you got and-"
"Shh, Ina. It's alright. Don't worry about me. I'm fine." Levi cuts her off before she can even consider apologizing. "And so are you, right?"
She just whimpers and nods.
Levi chances pulling Ina closer to him. After hearing such an awful story he wants nothing more than to hold her forever so he can protect her. She definitely doesn't seem to min. In fact she seems more comfortable like this. He plants a kiss on her forehead and hugs her close. He doesn't know how to take away her pain. Can't make any of this stop. Nothing he does will make it better and levi hates that.
"I'm sorry, Ina." He says quietly.
"Papa." Ina mumbles, resting her head on his arm. "Don't let them take me away. I can't do it anymore."
"Papa is here. You're safe with me, Ina."
She holds onto the front of his shirt and starts to cry again.
"It's okay, Ina. You're going to be okay."
Ina sobs relentlessly until she tires herself out. When she is asleep, Levi just watches her. He watches her grimace slightly every few seconds. He listens to her soft breathing, which hitches whenever a frightening thought crosses her mind.
He traces her features with his finger, outlining every curve, every nook and cranny. Committing everything about her face to his memory.
"I'll never leave you."
She wakes to find that Papa has fallen asleep. His usually blank and serious expression has melted away. He looks calm and peaceful as he breathes deeply. She's never seen him this way, but she likes it. It makes her feel better somehow.
Ina shifts toward him to kiss his cheek. "Thank you for staying with me, Papa."
He stirs and eventually opens his eyes. He never imagined he'd fall asleep so easily. Something about being with Ina, even if it is a dusty floor, is just so peaceful.
"How do you feel?" He doesn't even sound like he was just asleep.
"I feel better now, Papa." She places her tiny little hand on his cheek.
"Are you ready to come out?"
Ina nods.
Levi slides out first and then offers his hand to Ina. He pulls her out and onto her feet, then proceeds to brush the dust off her clothes and out of her hair. Ina makes an adorable effort to do the same for him, brushing off his uniform. Levi smiles as he bends down so Ina can reach his hair. She smooths it out after tousling it.
"Thanks." Levi stands.
The two join hands before leaving the infirmary.
"Would you like some tea?"
"Yes, please." Ina nods and smiles up at her Papa.
Okay part 2 of my reply to my guest reviewer: You were right about the Hange scene hehe. Thanks for being my muse. I think you're making this story better honestly. I'm glad to know this fic is something of a highlight of your day, especially since you're going through a rocky time. Trust me I know how that goes. Also, if you're alright with it I'd love to donate some money to your nephews bunny. Or wait... You know what I mean right? I wish you had a fanfic account so I could PM you my email. I don't feel too comfortable giving my email out lol but I'd really like to help!
